Today was Thursday, the first day of the Golden Training Camp, and Ryosuke got up early.
Not because he was especially diligent, but because the pain in his leg was too much to bear.
Coach Washijō noticed the faint dark circles under Ryosuke's eyes and felt a pang of concern. Thinking about the meal plan he had discussed with Saito, he decided not to bring it up just yet. He would wait until everything was finalized before telling Ryosuke. Otherwise, the boy might refuse to eat such bland food.
He then shifted the topic to the training camp.
"Everyone from the different schools has arrived this morning. There's a lot to sort out over there, so stay home a bit longer. Head over at ten and train with the participants. You can act as a practice partner if needed. Keep training normally until you leave for the national youth team.
There will be a lot of people these next couple of days. You, Goshiki, and Yamagata better not cause any trouble. Otherwise, you'll regret it."
He emphasized the last sentence, and Ryosuke nodded awkwardly.
Coach Washijō truly couldn't figure out what had gotten into Yamagata. Whenever he got together with Goshiki and Ryosuke, the three of them would start messing around. Provoking Reon, slacking off in training, stirring things up when Shirabu and Semi argued…
Individually, they were all small things. But together, they were incredibly annoying. You couldn't say they'd done anything serious, yet they definitely caused trouble. And yet, it was all minor enough that it wasn't worth making a big deal out of.
Yamagata had seemed steady and reliable when he first came to Shiratorizawa, and he had been perfectly normal these past two years. But recently, it was like some strange switch had flipped. Now he was constantly fooling around with Goshiki and Ryosuke.
Ryosuke had been a bit timid at first, but after being spoiled by these seniors, he was practically flying off the rails. Like a doted-on child. Completely lawless.
Ryosuke grinned and nodded, taking the warning to heart. Normally, people turned a blind eye, but with so many outsiders at Shiratorizawa now, he couldn't afford to embarrass himself.
After breakfast, Ryosuke found himself unusually free. He went back to his room to do some homework, then, unable to sit still, went to the kitchen to tinker with some small cakes. Still bored, he went outside and started messing with the flowers Coach Washijō's wife had planted.
The double-petaled crabapple on the windowsill was stripped of petals, which now littered the ground. Watching this, Coach Washijō's wife felt her temples throb. Why has this child been… so lively lately?
She quickly chased him away before he stripped the plant bare.
Ryosuke was still bored. If he went to school even a little late, he felt restless all over. So he packed his bag and slowly made his way to school.
The weather had suddenly turned warmer. Ryosuke had started wearing short sleeves and shorts. Even in the early morning, the sun was already out. He squinted as he walked, leisurely glancing at the cherry blossoms blooming along the roadside.
When he reached the school, he saw several buses parked at the entrance, along with many students in other school uniforms. He frowned in confusion. Usually, only one or two people from each school came. Why were there so many buses?
Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he put on his mask.
It was one of his habits. Whenever there were too many unfamiliar people around, he would wear a mask. He thought that way, people wouldn't pay attention to him.
With his head lowered, Ryosuke walked past the buses. It felt suffocating. There were just too many people.
When he arrived at the gym, he stopped again. There were even more people inside. This was supposed to be a training camp, so why did it feel like a crowded festival? The entire place was packed.
"Excuse me, let me through," he said as he squeezed his way toward the lounge.
On the way, he ran into Reon, who was storming out in a fury, almost like a gust of wind.
"Reon…"
Ryosuke called out, but Reon didn't hear him and continued walking quickly.
Reon was practically furious. It was the same every year. As soon as the Golden Training Camp started, schools came in waves like a marketplace crowd. Even though the list had already been sent out, these schools still didn't get the hint and tried to bring entire teams.
They didn't dare approach Coach Washijō directly, and Ushijima didn't involve himself in these matters. He had already disappeared somewhere early on. That left Reon, the vice-captain, surrounded by coaches and captains from other schools.
With such a rare opportunity, everyone wanted a chance.
Fortunately, Coach Washijō stepped in. This had happened in previous years, so he had already anticipated it. He arranged extra dorms in advance and set up a separate venue for schools not on the list to play practice matches. They were not allowed to come to the main gym to observe training.
Everyone in Miyagi who played volleyball knew Coach Washijō's temperament, so they all agreed immediately. Compared to being kicked out entirely, this arrangement was more than acceptable.
Just as Reon finished dealing with one group, someone shouted from the entrance,
"Reon-senpai! Another school has arrived!"
Reon was about to lose it. Even someone as even-tempered as him was reaching his limit.
Ryosuke, still confused, entered the lounge and found Ushijima and Goshiki hiding there.
"I thought you guys were coming at ten," Ryosuke said, relieved. Being alone would have felt awkward.
Goshiki was busy adjusting his new volleyball shoes. Without looking up, he said,
"Ryosuke, let's go take a look. There are so many people!"
Ryosuke dropped his bag and slumped into a chair, waving his hand.
"I'll pass. I didn't sleep well last night. By the way, why did Reon-senpai look so angry?"
Before Goshiki could answer, the usually quiet Ushijima spoke.
"Kawanishi's chocolate hidden in his socks was discovered by Reon."
There was even a hint of pride in his tone, as if he was pleased with figuring it out.
"Oh, chocolate… wait, what? What chocolate? Kawanishi-senpai's chocolate?!"
Ryosuke shot upright, staring at Ushijima in shock.
Ushijima felt a bit uneasy under that gaze, but after a brief hesitation, he nodded firmly.
Ryosuke's face turned pale, his expression twisting as he recalled the piece of chocolate Kawanishi-senpai had given him at the last match…
Then he collapsed back into the chair, looking like his soul had left his body.
Ushijima: "?!!"
"Ryosuke, what's wrong?" Ushijima poked him, growing a bit concerned when there was no response.
Goshiki also looked up and immediately panicked at Ryosuke's pale face.
"Ahhh! This is bad! Ushijima-senpai made Ryosuke so mad he died! Ryosuke, are you okay?!"
Ushijima fell silent and turned to look at Goshiki expressionlessly. What was this kid even saying?
Goshiki froze, realizing he might have said something wrong. The two stared at each other in silence.
Then Ryosuke, who had been lying there peacefully, suddenly twitched, shot up, and rushed outside to the trash can.
Before Goshiki could ask anything, a clear gagging sound rang out.
"Ugh!"
Goshiki's expression slowly went blank.
"…Pregnant?"
Ryosuke: ......
Ushijima: ......
"I'm fine, just a stomachache…"
Ryosuke didn't want anyone to know he'd thrown up for such an embarrassing reason. He hadn't actually been feeling unwell, but then he thought about Yamagata-senpai and Kawanishi-senpai's smelly socks.
The image in his mind instantly seemed to come with a smell. His face went pale, then green.
Honestly, with a mouth like Goshiki's, it was a miracle he'd made it this far.
Ryosuke waved weakly, not wanting to talk anymore. His pale face full of resignation, he let out a long sigh. Coach Washijō was right. You really shouldn't eat things other people give you.
The lounge turned noisy because of him. Goshiki rushed around, pouring water for Ryosuke. When he heard it was a stomachache, he somehow produced a packet of salt and mixed it into the water. Ushijima, meanwhile, went to Saito to get some snacks.
When Ryosuke saw the chocolate in Ushijima's hand, he forced a smile. Just the sight of chocolate now made him uneasy. It was too terrifying. Kawanishi-senpai really was unreliable.
By the time Ryosuke recovered a bit, Reon walked in, sighing, looking exhausted.
He greeted Ryosuke, then casually grabbed the glass of water Goshiki had just poured and gulped it down.
Ryosuke's eyes slowly widened. Before he could say anything, Goshiki sensed danger and bolted out in an instant.
"Pfft!"
Reon's face twisted as he spat out a mouthful of water. Ushijima, who hadn't seen Goshiki's little trick, reacted a second too late and got sprayed directly.
He calmly raised his hand and wiped his face.
Reon didn't even have time to get angry. He hurriedly looked around for tissues, his face showing both irritation and panic, muttering nonstop,
"Sorry, sorry!"
Goshiki, you brat. Just wait until I catch you.
Only Goshiki would do something like this. Whether it was carelessness or intentional, no one else had the nerve.
Reon, who was already irritated, was now even more fired up.
Sensing the strange atmosphere, Ryosuke quietly got up and slipped out to look for Goshiki.
Outside, the noisy crowd gradually dispersed under Reon's handling. Those who remained in the gym were all familiar faces, people everyone could recognize and name.
Date Tech, Wakutani, Aobajosai, Johzenji, Kakugawa… all schools he had at least some impression of. There were also a few promising first-years.
Ryosuke looked around, but still didn't see Hinata. He only spotted the glasses guy from Karasuno and had no idea what was going on.
Goshiki, on the other hand, had already started chatting with Futakuchi and Koganegawa.
Originally, Date Tech's spot hadn't been Koganegawa's. Shiratorizawa had picked Aone, but he had family matters, so the spot went to first-year Koganegawa instead.
The third-years didn't object. They were about to graduate anyway. Giving such an opportunity to the younger players made more sense.
"Wow… your arm muscles are amazing."
In no time, Goshiki had gotten friendly with Koganegawa, casually squeezing his arm.
Then he looked at his own skinny arm and felt a bit unbalanced. Was he really that weak?
Koganegawa beamed at the praise, proudly shaking his head. The tuft of blond hair sticking up also bounced along.
"Of course! I'm Date Tech's new Iron Wall!"
"Wow! That's so cool!"
Goshiki looked up at him with shining eyes, clapping enthusiastically.
Futakuchi, unusually, didn't say anything sarcastic. He lazily yawned and shot Koganegawa a resentful glance. What an idiot.
Last night, after finding out he could come to the camp, Koganegawa had been so excited he couldn't calm down. Just when Futakuchi was about to fall asleep, Koganegawa called out, "Futakuchi-senpai," waking him up again.
He insisted on having a long talk. By dawn, Futakuchi had nearly passed out.
Meanwhile, Koganegawa thought nothing of it. In fact, he felt like he had grown closer to Futakuchi-senpai.
"Oikawa-senpai?!"
While looking around, Ryosuke suddenly spotted a familiar figure. Oikawa, wearing Aobajosai's green uniform, was chatting happily with a group of people.
As soon as Ryosuke called out, Oikawa seemed to sense it and turned around. Seeing Ryosuke's surprised expression, he smiled, said something to the people beside him, and walked over.
As he approached, he flicked his hair, struck what he thought was a cool pose, and gave Ryosuke a playful wink.
"Long time no see, little Ryosuke~"
Ryosuke shivered, hugged himself, and took a few steps back, silently screaming.
Iwaizumi-senpai. Why did you let Oikawa-senpai out alone? He's like a peacock showing off. It's terrifying.
Before leaving, Iwaizumi had repeatedly warned Oikawa, seriously and strictly. He had even hit him a few times to keep him in check. Oikawa might look decent on the outside, but once he was around familiar people, he couldn't help acting ridiculous.
Now that Iwaizumi wasn't around, Oikawa had completely let himself loose.
"Oikawa-senpai, please don't talk like that… By the way, why are you here?"
Ryosuke was genuinely curious. Considering Oikawa's attitude toward Shiratorizawa and Ushijima, he really shouldn't be here.
"Hmph, of course I'm here for the training camp."
Oikawa lifted his chin proudly, then casually wrapped an arm around Ryosuke's shoulder and dragged him off to introduce him to others.
Luckily, Ushijima-senpai wasn't around. Otherwise, the two of them would definitely start arguing.
Ryosuke didn't resist and let himself be dragged along, absentmindedly thinking about the conflict between Ushijima and Oikawa.
Everything seemed peaceful.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Hinata was sneaking toward Shiratorizawa with a large bag on his back.
That's right. Hinata had decided to sneak into Shiratorizawa.
Just like Ryosuke said, the opportunity to grow stronger was right in front of him. It depended on what choice he made.
Of course, it was an impulsive decision. He had grabbed his things and rushed over without telling his coach or anyone from Karasuno. His phone was on silent in his bag, and he had no idea everyone at Karasuno was desperately trying to find him.
As the crowd gradually thinned out, Ryosuke waved goodbye to Oikawa and headed toward the lounge. No matter how lively the camp was, they would still be training together today. He needed to find everyone and gather up.
As he walked, he suddenly spotted Hinata peeking around near the entrance.
His eyes lit up.
He knew Hinata would come.
...
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