Outside the arena.
The Aoba Johsai team followed the crowd out of the venue. It wasn't until they reached the parking lot that someone finally broke the silence.
"Who would've thought… Karasuno would be our opponent in the finals."
"There's nothing unbelievable about it…"
Hajime Iwaizumi replied calmly, "If Karasuno managed to beat Shiratorizawa, then that means only one thing, they're stronger than Shiratorizawa. Simple as that."
Nobuteru Irihata added, "Iwaizumi's right. On the court, there's no such thing as a fixed outcome. Let's go, we've got a strategy meeting to hold."
Karasuno's comeback win against Shiratorizawa had come as a surprise to Aoba Johsai too.
Although both Oikawa Tooru and Nobuteru Irihata had already recognized the potential in Karasuno's pair of first-years, potential was just that, potential. In their eyes, it would at least take until their second year for that potential to truly blossom.
What they hadn't expected was that the two would reach that level far sooner than anyone had imagined.
Not long after.
The Shiratorizawa players also walked silently out of the venue.
The Aoba Johsai team watched them leave without saying a word.
Though Oikawa had always openly disliked Ushijima Wakatoshi, even he knew this wasn't the time to say anything unnecessary.
Right after Shiratorizawa, Karasuno came out as well. Judging from their pale, fatigued faces, it was clear the match had taken a heavy toll on them.
But compared to Shiratorizawa's silent departure, Karasuno, while physically more exhausted, still radiated an intense and unmistakable fighting spirit.
The players from both teams locked eyes for a moment.
In that brief instant, the air between them bristled with the scent of smoke and fire… The tension of an impending battle.
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Back at Aoba Johsai.
Nobuteru Irihata wasted no time. The moment they returned, he pulled out the recording of the Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa match.
To be fair, Aoba Johsai had already developed a set of tactics to deal with Karasuno, but those strategies had been based on last semester's version of the team.
Now, after witnessing today's battle, they scrapped all those old plans.
And just as Aoba Johsai was analyzing Karasuno, Karasuno was doing the same with Aoba Johsai.
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In Karasuno's clubroom.
The old, somewhat worn-down TV was showing the Aoba Johsai vs Date Tech match from earlier.
That match had been short, far shorter than the Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa game. The entire recording was under forty minutes, which didn't give Karasuno much to work with.
Once the first playback ended...
Coach Ukai Keishin, as usual, turned to his players. "So, what do you think?"
But no one responded.
It wasn't because they were too afraid to answer. Ukai wasn't like a school teacher whose presence made everyone freeze.
It was simply because… none of them knew what to say.
Karasuno had played both Aoba Johsai and Date Tech before, so they were well aware of Date Tech's strength.
Back before the current first-years had joined, Date Tech's terrifying "Iron Wall" block had crushed Karasuno's current ace, Asahi Azumane, so badly that he fell into a slump.
That should give a clear idea of how strong Date Tech was.
And yet… a school that strong had been completely overwhelmed by Aoba Johsai.
"Overwhelmed" wasn't even the right word, it had been a total, one-sided slaughter.
Two sets, and the total match time didn't even reach forty minutes.
That infamous "Iron Wall" of Date Tech had been reduced to fragile paper.
After a long silence...
Sugawara Koushi finally exhaled and said, "This match reminded me of last year's Spring High prelims."
To the current first-years, last year's prelims were a distant memory.
But to the second- and third-years, those scenes were still fresh, etched into their minds.
After all, it was during those prelims that Karasuno had run into Date Tech and suffered a crushing defeat.
"Back then, we lost 2-0 to Date Tech. Everyone thought they were strong enough to at least make the semifinals."
"But then, in the second round, after beating us, Date Tech ran into Shiratorizawa."
"And what happened? The same Date Tech that steamrolled us got demolished by Shiratorizawa. It wasn't even close. Ushijima tore down their Iron Wall like it was nothing."
"That whole match looked just like what we saw today, Aoba Johsai absolutely steamrolling Date Tech."
Sugawara's words silenced the room.
Especially the second- and third-years, who clearly remembered the trauma of being crushed by Date Tech.
But then,
Someone suddenly realized something and blurted out, "So what you're saying, Sugawara, is that in our match against Aoba Johsai, we'll be facing a player with strength on par with Ushijima? That's what this is about?"
"No."
Kageyama Tobio shook his head. "It's more than that. Unlike Shiratorizawa, whose entire system is built around Ushijima, Aoba Johsai plays as a cohesive unit."
"If beating Shiratorizawa meant neutralizing Ushijima, then beating Aoba Johsai means overcoming their entire lineup."
"And more importantly… Aoba Johsai doesn't just have one nationally ranked player."
Karasuno fell silent again.
Had they really forgotten about Oikawa Tooru?
Of course not. They had just selectively ignored him, because dealing with one player like Akashi Asuka was already hard enough.
If they added a setter like Oikawa, someone even Kageyama wasn't confident in beating, then just imagining Aoba Johsai's lineup was enough to make your knees go weak.
"This is crazy… Aoba Johsai's roster is insane!"
"They've got a top-6 ace in the country, and a top-5 setter. What are we even supposed to do against a team like that?!"
"Isn't it awesome?!"
Hinata Shoyo's excited voice suddenly cut in, completely out of sync with the mood in the room, earning him a flood of confused stares.
"???"
Was this guy even human?
Hinata beamed. "Huh? You guys aren't excited at all? These are two of the top players in the country! Just thinking about facing them has my blood pumping!"
"Uh..."
"Hahaha… Hinata's not wrong."
As everyone stared, Sawamura Daichi broke into a laugh. "It doesn't matter how scared we are now, this is the last match. If we don't beat Aoba Johsai, we're not going to Nationals."
"So rather than being afraid, we might as well get fired up. Tomorrow, we will give everything we've got."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria