Da, da, da...
The sound of chalk tapping against the blackboard echoed steadily through the classroom.
But today, Yachi wasn't listening attentively to the lecture like she usually did. Instead, her eyes were glued nervously to the wall clock hanging above the board.
What do I do?
Class ends in two minutes!
The usual long and dragging lesson had suddenly flown by like water slipping through her fingers.
Jingle bells...
While she was still distracted, the bell signaling the end of class rang from the hallway.
What do I do? What do I do?
I'm going to die!
While she was still lost in panic, the rest of the class had already gathered their things and left the room.
Knock, knock!
Akira came up to her desk and tapped on it gently.
With a warm smile, he said:
"Let's go! Kiyoko should be waiting for us!"
"Ahhh… Y-Yes!"
Yachi stumbled after Akira in a daze, following him out of the classroom under the surprised stares of several classmates.
The two of them met up with Shimizu Kiyoko, who had just arrived, and they rushed together toward the volleyball gym.
Bang!
Thud...
As they neared the gym, they could already hear the familiar sounds of training inside—shoes squeaking, balls hitting the floor, and voices shouting back and forth.
The team members who had arrived earlier were already warming up.
Creak!
Akira walked ahead and opened the gym door.
"Oh?"
"Akira, you're here!"
"Hurry and start warming up!"
Sawamura Daichi, who was stretching by the sideline, called out to him.
Akira smiled and gave a short nod before heading in quickly.
Behind him, Kiyoko walked in with Yachi trailing nervously behind her.
"Um… Excuse me."
"A new manager has been recruited for the volleyball club."
Her words immediately drew the attention of everyone in the gym.
And right at that moment, Yachi timidly poked her head out from behind Kiyoko.
"Whoa! We finally got a new recruit!"
Hinata shouted, clearly excited.
With everyone's eyes on her, Yachi panicked and began to introduce herself.
"Hi… Hello, everyone… My name is Hitoka Yachi!"
Ahem!
"Yachi-san! No need to be so nervous!"
Akira, who was changing into his indoor shoes, couldn't take it anymore and called out to her.
"Uh-uh… R-Right!"
But Akira's attempt to reassure her only made her even more anxious and flustered.
"Awesome! That means we have a manager for next year locked in!"
Sugawara said with a grin, clearly delighted.
"Ah… I…"
Yachi quickly waved her hands in denial, flustered.
"No! She's just here temporarily to get a feel for it."
Kiyoko added quickly:
"This was something I asked her for just temporarily. She has to head back to the club office soon, so she's just here to say hi today…"
After greeting everyone as best as she could, Yachi quietly slipped out of the gym.
"Huh? Akira?"
"Do you know the new manager?"
Once she was gone, Hinata turned to Akira with curiosity.
"Uh…"
"She's in the same class as me, but we haven't really talked before."
"So I don't know her that well."
Akira scratched the back of his head, then stood and jogged out onto the court.
"Let's keep training!"
At that moment, Ukai Keishin walked in through the main door.
Ahem!
"Everyone, I've got an announcement."
"This weekend, several schools have contacted us to request practice matches."
"After reviewing the teams and thinking about what we need, I went ahead and agreed."
"They'll all be played right here in our gym!"
At his words, everyone's eyes lit up with excitement.
Practice matches...
"Is it because of our performance in the qualifiers the other day that schools are reaching out?"
Daichi asked, visibly thrilled.
In the past, they had gone around begging for practice matches.
But barely any schools agreed.
Why?
Because Karasuno had a reputation for being weak.
Playing a team that's too weak in a practice match doesn't help either side—it just slows down progress.
And nobody wanted to get dragged down.
But now…
After Karasuno proved their strength by winning the Miyagi Prefecture Qualifying Tournament, things had changed.
Now they were the ones being sought out.
It was the same situation that powerhouse teams like Shiratorizawa or Aoba Johsai had been in for years.
Every year, countless teams tried to book practice matches with those elite schools.
But only a few succeeded.
Because those top-tier schools didn't want to waste time on weak opponents.
They constantly trained with university teams or other powerhouse high schools.
It was the pure, unfiltered logic of the strong.
The weak didn't even get a chance to spar.
But now, Karasuno needed solid opponents to keep themselves sharp.
They were preparing for the upcoming Spring Nationals.
That's why Coach Ukai had agreed to several match requests at once—and all of them would take place this weekend.
Daichi took a deep breath, calming himself.
Everyone returned to training with renewed fire.