Tokyo - Team Hotel - Cafeteria.
The clinking of silverware was the only sound for a solid ten minutes.
Nekoma High School, the newly minted semifinalists, were engaged in a battle just as intense as their match against Shiratorizawa: The Battle for Calories.
Ryuu sat at the end of the table. In front of him was a mountain of white rice, three steaks, and a bowl of curry.
"Ryuu-senpai," Lev whispered, staring at the food mountain. "Are you going to explode?"
"I am refueling," Ryuu said, shoveling a spoonful of curry into his mouth. "Beating a robot takes a lot of energy. My engine is empty."
"You blocked Ushijima," Yamamoto said, shaking his head as he picked at his vegetables. "I still can't believe it. The ball just... stopped. It sounded like a car crash."
Ryuu swallowed.
Kuroo sat down with a tray of iced tea. He looked tired but satisfied.
"We have a rest day tomorrow before the Semifinals," Kuroo announced. "The organizers are giving the teams 24 hours to recover. We need it."
"Thank god," Yaku groaned, rubbing his shoulder. "My arms are still vibrating from Ushijima's serves. I think my bones shifted."
"Sleep," Kenma murmured from behind his console. "I'm going to sleep for 12 hours."
Ryuu leaned back, patting his stomach.
"Rest day," Ryuu mused. "Sounds boring. Maybe I'll go sightseeing. I hear the Tokyo Tower is nice."
"You live in Tokyo," Kai pointed out.
"I know. But I never look at it. I'm usually too busy looking down on my opponents."
"And there it is," Yaku sighed. "The ego is fully recharged."
_________________
Hyogo Prefecture
At the train station, the Inarizaki team waited for the shinkansen. The mood wasn't depressive, but it was sharp.
Miya Atsumu stood by the vending machine, kicking it rhythmically. Thud. Thud.
"Stop it, scrub," Osamu said, eating a rice ball. "You're gonna break it."
"He annoyed me," Atsumu growled. "That redhead. 'The Conductor.' 'Glass Cannon.' He talked so much trash."
"He backed it up, though," Suna said, scrolling on his phone. "Twitter is blowing up. They're calling him the 'Red Wall'. He stuffed Ushijima on match point."
Atsumu snatched the phone. He watched the clip of Ryuu's final block. The way Ryuu loomed over Ushijima. The absolute shutdown.
Atsumu's eyes narrowed.
He didn't feel fear. He felt a twisted kind of jealousy.
"He's a monster," Atsumu whispered. "But he's rough. His receive is sloppy. His set is ugly."
Atsumu handed the phone back.
"Next time," Atsumu declared, a dark grin forming. "I'm not gonna try to trick him. I'm gonna serve until his arms fall off. I'm gonna make him run until he pukes."
"We have to qualify for Spring High first," Osamu reminded him.
"We will," Atsumu said. "And when we do... I'm gonna hunt that Dragon down."
________________________
Miyagi Prefecture - Karasuno High.
The gymnasium was quiet. The practice had ended an hour ago, but two people were still there. Hinata Shouyou and Kageyama Tobio.
They were sitting on the floor, huddled over a tablet Takeda-sensei had left for them. They were watching the footage of the Quarterfinals in Tokyo.
It was a painful chain of logic for them. Karasuno had lost to Aoba Johsai. Aoba Johsai had lost to Shiratorizawa. And now, they watched Shiratorizawa get absolutely crushed by Nekoma.
Hinata stared at the screen, his mouth slightly open. "He stopped Ushijima," Hinata whispered. "The Great King couldn't stop him. Noya-san couldn't stop him. But Gojou... he just stood there."
Kageyama was silent. He was gripping a volleyball so hard his knuckles were white. He remembered the practice match in Golden Week. He remembered Ryuu's height. But in the video, he saw something else. He saw Ryuu reading the game. He saw the adaptation.
"He's getting better," Kageyama said, his voice tight with frustration. "He was just a brute before. Now... he's actually learning how to play volleyball."
Hinata stood up abruptly. He ran to the center of the court and jumped, reaching for the nonexistent ceiling.
"I want to play him!" Hinata shouted, his voice echoing in the empty gym. "I want to jump against him! If he's a wall, I'll fly over him!"
Kageyama stood up too. He tossed the ball to Hinata. "You can't fly over him yet," Kageyama said bluntly. "He's 190cm. You're a shrimp. He'd swat you like a fly."
"SHUT UP, KAGEYAMA!"
"But," Kageyama's eyes burned with a dark blue fire. "If we get faster... if we create an attack he can't touch... maybe we can break the wall."
Hinata caught the ball, his eyes shining. "One more set?"
"One more."
Across Japan, the monsters were waking up. Ryuu's victory hadn't just eliminated Shiratorizawa; it had set a new standard. The bar had been raised.
_____________________
Tokyo - Hotel Lobby - Night.
Ryuu couldn't sleep. He decided to go to the vending machine in the lobby to get some milk.
The lobby was empty, except for a small figure standing in front of the machine, jumping up and down.
"Stupid machine!" the figure hissed. "Drop the yogurt!"
Ryuu walked over. He looked at the person.
It was a guy with white hair that looked like a bird's nest. He was short. Very short. Probably around 169cm.
He was wearing a white tracksuit with a seagull emblem.
Hoshiumi Kourai (Kamomedai High).
Ryuu stood behind him.
"Need help?" Ryuu asked.
Hoshiumi spun around. He had to crane his neck up. And up. And up.
"I don't need help!" Hoshiumi barked. "I just didn't push the button hard enough!"
Ryuu looked at the machine. The yogurt was stuck on the coil.
Ryuu didn't say anything. He just raised his hand and tapped the glass near the top.
Thump.
The yogurt fell.
Ryuu bent down, picked it up, and handed it to the white-haired boy.
"Here," Ryuu said. "You need calcium. Helps you grow."
Hoshiumi snatched the yogurt. His eyes were wide, intense, and filled with a strange manic energy.
"You're Gojou Ryuu," Hoshiumi said abruptly. "Nekoma's Number 10."
"I am," Ryuu opened his own milk. "And you are?"
"Hoshiumi Kourai!" the boy shouted, pointing at his own chest. "The Ace of Kamomedai! The Little Giant!"
Ryuu blinked. He looked Hoshiumi up and down.
"Little Giant," Ryuu repeated.
He took a sip of milk.
"Well," Ryuu said, looking down at Hoshiumi with a lazy, indifferent expression. "You got the 'Little' part right."
Hoshiumi froze. A vein popped in his forehead.
"Hah?!" Hoshiumi stepped forward, radiating intensity. "You think height is everything? You think just because you're tall, you're better?"
"Statistically? Yes," Ryuu shrugged. "Being tall in volleyball is like having a cheat code. Being short is like playing on Hard Mode. I respect the grind, but I prefer the easy win."
Hoshiumi trembled. He wasn't scared. He was furious.
"I'm going to show you," Hoshiumi hissed. "In the Semifinals. I'm going to jump higher than you. I'm going to block you. And I'm going to make you look up at me."
Ryuu looked at the ceiling, then back down.
"That's physically impossible unless I lie on the floor," Ryuu deadpanned.
Hoshiumi looked ready to bite Ryuu's kneecaps.
"Just wait!" Hoshiumi turned and stormed off toward the elevators. "Don't cry when the Seagulls peck your eyes out!"
Ryuu watched him go.
"Seagulls," Ryuu chuckled, finishing his milk. "Rats with wings. Noisy little things."
He crushed the carton.
"Tomorrow," Ryuu whispered. "Semifinals. Time to swat some flies."