Oikawa stared at the Shiratorizawa freshman glued to Iwaizumi, feeling momentarily lost. How on earth had things turned out like this?
Was there really someone who wouldn't fall at the feet of the Great King Oikawa?!
He stole a glance at Ryosuke, who was chattering nonstop beside Iwaizumi, and felt profoundly unbalanced. His resentment was practically leaking into the air.
"So you're practicing your serves here?" Iwaizumi asked, puzzled.
Oikawa's eyes flew open. "Hey! Seriously?! You can just tell us something like that?!"
Ryosuke blinked, confused. "Huh? Is that not okay? You just don't have to tell the Shiratorizawa side."
He had absolutely no sense of caution. Iwaizumi asked, so he answered honestly.
Iwaizumi covered his face hard, then dragged the still-shocked Oikawa off to the side.
"He already said it, so you'd better keep your mouth shut too, got it?!" Iwaizumi raised a fist, threatening Oikawa for the sake of his little fanboy.
Once Oikawa processed that, his spirits instantly lifted. "So what you're saying is—we know something even Little Ushiwaka doesn't know, and only we know it, right?"
Iwaizumi scratched the back of his head, confused. "I guess… yeah?"
"Then if you round that up, doesn't that mean I beat Ushiwaka?!"
Iwaizumi: "?"
Ignoring Iwaizumi's confusion entirely, Oikawa bounced over to Ryosuke with sparkling energy. "Alright! Since you're so honest, Lord Oikawa will graciously acknowledge you!"
Ryosuke stared at the chocolate-brown–haired handsome guy in front of him, a wave of doubt rising in his heart. This childish person… was he really the Oikawa Toru everyone talked about nonstop?
"Hey! What's with that look of disbelief in your eyes?!"
Oikawa bristled, stomping his foot as he shouted in outrage.
Seeing the commotion, Iwaizumi sighed and grabbed Oikawa by the collar, hauling him aside.
Ryosuke fell silent. He tugged Iwaizumi to face away from Oikawa and whispered, "Um… is Oikawa-senpai's intelligence maybe… a little low?"
That comment hit Iwaizumi right in the funny bone. He mentally replayed every sad moment of his life just to keep from laughing, his voice trembling slightly.
"Y-Yeah… he… sigh."
The half-serious tone and the shake in his voice made Ryosuke believe it almost completely.
When Ryosuke turned back around, Oikawa found his eyes filled with an inexplicable, overflowing fondness.
Oikawa frowned. "Why do I feel like you're thinking something really rude?"
Ryosuke shook his head gently, patting Oikawa on the shoulder with sympathy. "It's okay. You've worked hard."
"Oh… oh…" Oikawa replied blankly, completely lost.
Iwaizumi was on the verge of laughing himself to death.
After forcibly resetting his facial muscles, he walked over to Ryosuke.
"Are you heading back?"
Ryosuke nodded obediently.
"We're going for ramen. Come with us."
Ryosuke nodded so hard it was almost violent.
The more Iwaizumi looked at this junior, the more he liked him. Well-behaved, sensible—if only he could trick him into Seijo Academy. For the first time, he thought that maybe Oikawa's usual shameless tactics were worth trying.
Oikawa glanced at his childhood friend and clicked his tongue. So even Iwa-chan had a devious side sometimes.
On the way, Oikawa watched the boy trailing behind Iwaizumi like a cat, eyes narrowing.
He really did look like a cat. The way he walked felt like he had soft paw pads, silent and light. More than once, Oikawa thought Ryosuke had fallen behind, only to turn around and see him looking up in confusion.
What kind of strategy was Shiratorizawa planning this time? What kind of potential did this boy have? Just thinking about it made Oikawa feel energized all over.
Iwaizumi was also quietly observing Ryosuke. He'd been seeing him in the gym every day lately—clearly working hard.
But today, he seemed a bit down.
Iwaizumi led them to the ramen shop he and Oikawa loved most.
With the air of a big brother, Iwaizumi declared, "My treat today. Order whatever you want."
Ryosuke looked from Iwaizumi to Oikawa. Seeing no objections, he nodded. "Then I won't hold back."
He ordered a bowl of tonkotsu ramen. He'd been craving it for a long time, but lately he'd been busy controlling his diet and hadn't had the chance.
While waiting, the atmosphere stayed pleasant. Ryosuke wasn't very talkative—he answered when spoken to—but it didn't feel awkward.
Oikawa and Iwaizumi both thought he was easy to deal with. Such a polite kid.
As the conversation drifted, it naturally turned to Ryosuke himself.
Oikawa slung an arm over him in a buddy-like way and asked, "Hey, Ryosuke-kun, why do you look so down?"
Iwaizumi immediately brought his fist down hard on Oikawa's head. "Hey! That's way too rude!"
Startled, Ryosuke hurried to check Oikawa's head. Oikawa didn't even get the chance to play up the pain before Ryosuke grabbed him and examined him carefully, leaving him at a loss for words.
Ryosuke stared worriedly at the top of Oikawa's head. Iwaizumi-senpai really hit him hard… Oikawa-senpai isn't that smart to begin with. What if this makes him stupid…
Well, if he does end up dumb, I'll take care of him. For Iwaizumi-senpai's sake, it's fine. My family's rich anyway. When Oikawa-senpai gets old, I'll look after him too.
Oikawa had no idea that in just a few seconds, Ryosuke had already planned out the rest of his life.
Iwaizumi couldn't stand the sight of Oikawa's dazed, vacant expression.
After checking him over and finding nothing wrong, Ryosuke actually looked a little disappointed.
Oikawa, who didn't know the truth: Why do you look disappointed?
Iwaizumi, who understood everything: "Pfft—hahahaha!"
Ryosuke sighed and answered Oikawa's question. "I guess I am a little unhappy."
He explained his confusion while serving and relayed what Udai had said, then added quietly,
"I don't know where I went wrong. Udai-senpai said it was my own problem, but I just keep thinking… if I fail, will someone be disappointed?"
Ryosuke let out a long breath. Finally—finally—he'd said what was on his mind. Keeping it bottled up had been unbearable.
Iwaizumi instinctively glanced at Oikawa. Somehow, these two were alike in certain ways: one was a genius who worked himself to the bone without realizing it (Oikawa), and the other was a genius who knew he was talented but couldn't trust it (Ryosuke).
Oikawa caught that look immediately and rolled his eyes hard. Iwa-chan is definitely insulting me in his head again.
Carefully choosing his words, Oikawa tried to explain. "You're talented at volleyball. And talent happens to be the thing I hate most. I'm just an ordinary person with no talent at all—but I never hesitated."
Ryosuke knew that. That was exactly why he was conflicted. He'd heard it from his teammates—Oikawa was someone even geniuses feared. He kept losing, yet kept challenging.
If it were him, if he saw disappointment in his coach's or teammates' eyes, his mentality would collapse instantly.
"Why?" Ryosuke asked sincerely.
"Why do you play volleyball? Because you happen to be on a team? Because being on a team means you have to compete? Have to win? That's not it. No one is forcing you to play," Oikawa said, looking at him seriously.
Ryosuke realized that the Oikawa-senpai in front of him now felt completely different from the one he'd just met.
"The answer to why you play volleyball is already in your heart. Don't be afraid of mistakes. There are so many teams in Miyagi, and every single one is full of people who love volleyball. Every year, tons of teams get knocked out in the first round." Oikawa spread his arms wide in an exaggerated gesture.
"You should be grateful for your talent, your ability, your good team and coach, instead of being afraid of failure all the time. I really hate Shiratorizawa, but I believe that even if you fail, even if you lose a match, no one will blame you. Because everyone there understands that one lost match doesn't mean anything.
A single loss just makes people pick up volleyball again and set out once more.
Maybe it takes a day. Maybe a year or two. But you'll fall in love with volleyball again. Don't hesitate—hesitation only costs you time you could be using to polish yourself.
In this world, people either love volleyball or they don't. Which one are you?"
Oikawa squeezed his brain dry and rattled off that entire speech in one breath. Iwaizumi, quick on the draw, shoved a bowl of miso soup into his hands.
Oikawa took a big slurp. "Ah—so good!"
Ryosuke lowered his head and stayed silent. The atmosphere grew quiet as the server brought his tonkotsu ramen to the table.
After a moment, he looked up and smiled. "Thank you, senpai. I'll remember this."
To be honest, Ryosuke didn't fully understand everything. But he did understand one thing clearly—he was very lucky. He had opportunities many people never would: the best coach, excellent conditions. There was nothing to hesitate over.
If he failed, he'd just try again. There was still time before the IH. More than enough time to refine his skills.
Letting go of the heavy burden in his heart, Ryosuke smiled, eyes curving gently.
Watching Ryosuke grin to himself, Oikawa knew he hadn't really understood. Oh well. Remembering it was enough. If not now, he'd understand someday.
"Wow, Ryosuke-kun, there's chashu in your ramen! I want some too!"
"Hey! Trash-kawa, don't be so shameless!"
"Ow! It's hot—waaah!"
"Pfft."
The last trace of discomfort in Ryosuke's heart vanished, blown away by Oikawa's antics.
His mind felt clear and calm.
...
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