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Chapter 378: As Long As I'm Here
🕑 Added 2025-04-16 17:04:29 +0000 UTC[June 29th. Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium]
The opening of the Interhigh National Tournament.
This marked Aoba Johsai's third time advancing to the national stage. The vast stadium, the cacophony of voices, the countless gazes focused on them…
None of it made the Aoba Johsai players nervous. In fact, it brought a wave of long-lost nostalgia.
Standing at the very front as captain, Yahaba Shigeru exuded composure. Behind him, his teammates stood tall, eyes resolute, radiating an unspoken confidence and dominance.
"So many people…they're all looking at us." Tōchi Shishin had never experienced such a grand atmosphere. It wasn't just the audience—other teams nearby were also keeping a close eye on them.
Though Tōma Kaoru and Yamabuki Yūjin had played in national tournaments during junior high, this was the first time they'd been under so many watchful eyes.
"Well, we are last year's national champions. It's only natural that everyone sees us as their benchmark," Nakamori Daiki said with perfect ease.
He had competed in plenty of beach volleyball tournaments in Hawaii, where the crowds were even more fanatical.
"Stay composed. Don't bring shame to our senpai," said Yūki Yōji coolly.
"Ah! Found you!"
"Osamu, don't run off like that!"
Just after the opening ceremony ended—and before the crowd had fully dispersed—the team from Aoba Johsai heard a shout in a thick Kansai dialect ring out from their direction. A moment later, two strikingly similar figures ran toward them, one after the other.
"It's the Miya twins!"
"What do they want?"
"That's Aoba Johsai over there…"
"Taichi! Prepare yourself for my revenge!" Miya Atsumu declared without a shred of preamble.
"Speak for us, Atsumu!" Osamu corrected sharply, annoyed by his brother's phrasing.
"Miya-senpai, as reigning champions, we don't have a match on day one. That's one thing that sets us apart from the round-of-sixteen teams," Kaedehara Taichi replied seriously.
"Hmph. I won't let your cheap words rile me up again," Atsumu sneered. "If we just keep winning, we'll see you soon enough."
"Hm? Miya-senpai, do you enjoy losing to me that much?"
"We're one win and one loss each! Don't get cocky!" Atsumu growled through gritted teeth.
"Well then, do your best, okay?" Taichi beamed, practically radiating goodwill. "Try your hardest to reach Aoba Johsai!"
After a few more words of banter, Osamu dragged his brother away.
Just as Taichi said, Inarizaki had a match scheduled for the first day, unlike Aoba Johsai, who had the luxury of time.
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Twenty minutes later.
After organising their gear, the Aoba Johsai players arrived at the spectator stands of Court A. Not only was this the closest court to them, it was also the venue for their match the following day. Their plan was to familiarise themselves with the setting early and observe their next opponents. Everything was proceeding with smooth, meticulous precision.
The match on Court A was [Shinzen High vs. Kashiwai Academy]
Shinzen High, from Saitama Prefecture, had a familiar face—Chigaya Eikichi—someone Taichi had met back during the national youth training camp, introduced by Kageyama Tobio. Taichi vaguely remembered that he was a left-handed middle blocker.
Kashiwai Academy, hailing from Chiba Prefecture, didn't ring any personal bells—but during Golden Week, they had briefly crossed paths at the Itachiyama training camp. There had just been no interaction between the teams.
"What a coincidence," Taichi thought to himself.
He wondered which of these two somewhat connected schools would become the 'lucky' team to face Aoba Johsai tomorrow.
"It's Aoba Johsai!"
The team's light blue and white uniforms instantly drew attention from the crowd. A wave of commotion rippled through the stands. As a seeded team, nobody wanted to face them right out of the gate.
Naturally, the noise from the crowd caught the attention of the players down on the court.
"Just like Kenma said…seeing them feels like seeing the final boss," thought Chigaya Eikichi bleakly. "We fought so hard to make it to nationals, and it already feels like we've hit the end of the road."
Kashiwai Academy's players had also spotted Aoba Johsai. To them, the champions had already surpassed even Itachiyama—whose crushing defeat during Golden Week still haunted their memories.
"Doesn't matter. Let's focus on the match in front of us!"
"Let's go, everyone!"
"Yeah!!!"
The match began. From their vantage point high in the stands, the Aoba Johsai players silently watched. Their very presence became an unshakable pressure weighing down on both teams below.
Taichi watched for a while but quickly lost interest.
Rather than focusing on these not-yet-opponents, what mattered more to him now…was his teammates' condition.
"It really has been a while…this is exciting."
[Kyōtani Kentarō—Outside Hitter: Overall Rating: 90.6; Height: 179 cm, Strength: 96, Jump: 90, Stamina: 88, Speed: 88; Key Attributes: Serve: 90, Spike: 92.]
The mad dog had clearly broken through to the realm of top-tier athletes. His obsession with attacking was undeniably his greatest weapon.
[Yahaba Shigeru—Setter: Overall Rating: 83.5; Height: 181 cm, Strength: 80, Jump: 76, Stamina: 80, Speed: 85; Key Attributes: Receive: 90, Set: 90.]
Yahaba's technique had been polished to its peak, though sadly, his physical stats had remained static…
[Kunimi Akira—Outside Hitter: Overall Rating: 88; Height: 183 cm, Strength: 88, Jump: 88, Stamina: 88, Speed: 88; Key Attributes: Receive: 88, Set: 90, Spike: 88.]
Kunimi's improvement had been remarkable. Taichi had originally thought he would become the team's core player even before Kyōtani.
[Kindaichi Yūtarō—Middle Blocker: Overall Rating: 86.6; Height: 191 cm, Strength: 90, Jump: 82, Stamina: 88, Speed: 82; Key Attributes: Block: 90, Spike: 88.]
Middle blockers did tend to develop more slowly, but Kindaichi—and Kunimi too—were far from hitting their ceilings.
[Nakamori Daiki—Libero: Overall Rating: 90.6; Height: 168 cm, Strength: 82, Jump: 95, Stamina: 90, Speed: 95; Key Attributes: Receive: 92, Set: 90.]
A genius—nothing more needed to be said.
[Yūki Yōji—Middle Blocker: Overall Rating: 83.5; Height: 195 cm, Strength: 90, Jump: 78, Stamina: 82, Speed: 78; Key Attributes: Block: 89, Spike: 85.]
At 195cm, his sheer height was a source of comfort. He'd be crucial if they faced Kamomedai.
[Yamabuki Yūjin—Outside Hitter: Overall Rating: 83; Height: 183.8 cm, Strength: 82, Jump: 85, Stamina: 80, Speed: 80; Key Attributes: Receive: 82, Spike: 88.]
[Tōma Kaoru—Setter: Overall Rating: 82.6; Height: 175 cm, Strength: 75, Jump: 84, Stamina: 75, Speed: 86; Key Attributes: Receive: 88, Set: 88.]
Taichi exhaled slowly.
No high school team stayed the same forever. Every year brought retirements and new faces—creating inevitable turbulence from the turnover.
But…
As long as he was here, Aoba Johsai would be invincible.
[Kaedehara Taichi—Outside Hitter; Height: 190 cm, Strength: 99, Jump: 92, Stamina: 95, Speed: 98; Key Attributes: Serve: 99, Receive: 92, Set: 90, Spike: 99.]
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