And so the whole affair ended just like that, fizzling out without a proper conclusion. Coach Washijō couldn't bring himself to teach Ryosuke a lesson.
With the national youth team camp just around the corner, he didn't dare be too harsh. What if Ryosuke let loose over there? He couldn't follow him, and Ushijima was soft-hearted. If Ryosuke acted spoiled, Ushijima would agree to anything.
If no one kept an eye on him, Ryosuke would definitely go wild.
Early the next morning, Ryosuke came downstairs, still bleary-eyed and yawning.
He saw Mrs. Washijō already packing his luggage.
His heart warmed. Every time he had to travel far before, she had done the same for him. Having family really was wonderful.
Coach Washijō stood on the stairs and kicked him.
"What are you standing there for? Don't block the way."
Ryosuke blinked. "Huh?" What's with him? Why is he so cranky this early?
When Ryosuke turned around, he saw Coach Washijō on the stairs, carrying bags of all sizes. He had no idea what was inside, but he quickly stepped aside.
Now that Ryosuke was about to leave, Coach Washijō felt uneasy about everything. This was the first time Ryosuke was going far away since coming back. The last time he went to Tokyo for training camp, Coach Washijō had gone along, and everyone from Shiratorizawa had been there. Now, only Ushijima would be watching him.
Coach Washijō simply couldn't relax.
"This is the medicated patch for your leg. I've written the schedule for changing them on each box. Remember to switch them out when it's time. I've already told Ushijima.
"And your knee pads have been replaced with ones that come with medicated patches. There's dried meat and fruit snacks in your suitcase, enough to last you. Don't go eating junk food all the time."
Coach Washijō started rambling again. The usually stern old man now looked like any ordinary grandfather worrying about a child leaving home.
"And this." He took out a bag filled with bottles.
"This one's calcium, that one's iron. That small white bottle is for increasing bone density. There's liver protection, vitamin C... If you don't feel like eating, fine.
"But you must take these. I asked Team Doctor Saito. They won't do any major harm, but medicine is still medicine. Just take one of each."
After saying that, Coach Washijō looked at Ryosuke expectantly.
Ryosuke was stunned. So many pills. After taking all these, forget meals, he wouldn't even have room for snacks. That was terrifying.
He grabbed the bag in one swoop and, at lightning speed, stuffed it into his suitcase, speaking earnestly as he did.
"Got it, got it. Come on, I'm not three years old."
Coach Washijō stood there watching him bustle around. That tiny little bean from before had now grown taller than him. Time really was merciless.
By the time they finished with the luggage and headed out, Coach Washijō couldn't help wanting to nag again.
Mrs. Washijō pinched his arm. The faintly sentimental look on his face instantly twisted.
Through clenched teeth, she said,
"The child has grown up. You need to give him room to grow. Don't act like you want to keep your eyes on him every second of the day."
Ryosuke didn't notice what they were saying. He turned back with a bright smile.
"I'm off. See you next week. If you're worried, just call me."
Coach Washijō had more to say but held it back, settling for a stiff reply.
"Mm. I know. Be careful."
He watched Ryosuke walk away, feeling a complicated weight in his chest.
With a heavy sigh, he went back inside for breakfast. Mrs. Washijō also stared at Ryosuke's retreating figure for a moment.
He's grown up... That's a good thing.
Ryosuke dragged his suitcase along with effort.
What did Grandma even pack in here? It's not like I'm going on a business trip or moving. I'm just going from one home to another.
Why is it so heavy? If I'd known, I would've had Matsukawa pick me up at the door. Now I still have to walk so far.
"Ryosuke."
Ushijima stood at the intersection ahead, wearing his school uniform and carrying only a simple backpack. The contrast with Ryosuke's pile of luggage was striking.
"I'll take it."
Ushijima stepped forward and picked up the largest suitcase Ryosuke had been dragging. As he lifted it, he raised an eyebrow. This weight... did Ryosuke pack his entire house?
"Ah, thank you so much, Ushijima-senpai."
Ryosuke let out a breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The two of them stood by the roadside, waiting for their ride.
About ten minutes later, Matsukawa slowly drove over in a minivan. Ushijima and Ryosuke's trip to the National Youth Training Camp officially began.
When they arrived in Tokyo, Ryosuke brought Ushijima straight home.
For the national youth training camp, accommodation was arranged individually. After all, the venue was the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, and the organizers couldn't exactly have students stay there.
Hotels had originally been arranged, but since some participants were locals, they didn't need them. Over time, everyone just found their own places to stay. If someone had nowhere to stay, they could apply to the head coach on duty that day, and the organizers would cover their lodging.
It was a very thoughtful setup, showing how much they valued these students from all over. After all, they were the next generation of rising stars.
"Ah, I'm back!"
Ryosuke sat in the speeding car, watching the winding mountain road flash by outside the window. The moment he saw it, he knew he was almost home.
Excited, he stuck his head out the window and shouted.
Once I'm in Tokyo, no one can control me anymore, hahaha! Ryosuke was practically overjoyed. He'd been kept in check for so long he was suffocating. Now that he was in Tokyo, he had already planned everything he'd do after the training camp.
He couldn't wait to go out and have some fun.
Ushijima pulled him back inside and frowned.
"Dangerous."
Ryosuke chuckled sheepishly, rubbing his nose without saying anything. He couldn't help it. He was just too excited after being cooped up for so long.
When they reached the estate, Ryosuke completely let loose. Before the car had even stopped, he cheered and jumped out, nearly scaring Matsukawa stiff. The driver's seat jolted as his whole body tensed.
If he got hurt, I couldn't afford the compensation even if I sold everything.
Ushijima patiently took the suitcase out of the trunk. Watching Ryosuke run around freely, he felt pretty good himself.
"Bro! I'm back!"
Ryosuke started shouting before even stepping inside.
Keigo had just finished handling work. Before he even saw Ryosuke, he heard his voice, as lively as ever.
A smile appeared in Keigo's eyes as he opened his arms toward the doorway.
"Welcome home."
Ryosuke leapt into his arms in a koala hug, clinging to him as he shouted,
"Aaaaaah! I'm out!"
Keigo "......…"
Ushijima "......…"
You'd think Ryosuke had just gotten out of prison. This short trip has him so excited.
Keigo Atobe's ears were ringing from Ryosuke's string of screams. He bounced him lightly before setting him down.
Ryosuke's screams are just as powerful as ever.
If you asked young Keigo what he feared most, he would answer seriously, with a hint of terror,
"I'm most afraid of my little brother's screams."
Ryosuke had always been loud. He made no sound when he cried, but if he was upset, he would purse his lips. The moment Keigo saw that, he knew he was doomed. He would immediately cover his ears, yet the screams still pierced through his hands.
Young Keigo Atobe used to be startled by him all the time. Only now did he realize that Ryosuke was still the same kid. He yells when he's happy and sulks when he's angry. Thankfully, he hasn't grown distant.
Keigo Atobe noticed Ushijima and Matsukawa coming in behind Ryosuke and shot him a reproachful look.
"You're being rude with other people here."
Ryosuke didn't take it seriously at all. He knew Keigo Atobe was just saying it for appearances. He crossed his arms with a tsundere huff, let out a "Hmph," and dragged his luggage off to find his room.
He even turned back to wave at Ushijima.
"Ushijima-senpai! I'll take you to your room!"
Ushijima nodded, then said,
"You go ahead. I have something to discuss with Keigo."
Ryosuke slowly formed a question mark in his head. Since when were Ushijima-senpai and his brother this close. Seeing that they really did seem to have something to talk about, he had no choice but to leave first.
Keigo Atobe waved his hand and pulled out a chair.
"Sit. What's going on?"
Ushijima sighed, looking a bit helpless, and told him about Ryosuke's picky eating and growing pains.
"It's not good for his health if he keeps eating like this. Also, Coach Washijō asked me to pass along a message."
"Hm?" Keigo Atobe frowned slightly. Why go through the trouble of relaying a message instead of just making a call.
Ushijima's face stiffened at once. His mouth turned down as he imitated Coach Washijō scolding someone, catching Keigo Atobe completely off guard.
"Keigo! Keep an eye on Ryosuke. Don't let him run around all day with that brat from Itachiyama. If you don't rein him in, your little brother is going to get snatched away!"
After finishing, Ushijima took a deep breath, rubbed his face, and returned to his usual expressionless look.
"That's it."
Keigo Atobe froze for a moment, then suddenly clutched his stomach and burst out laughing.
"What was that. Why are you imitating Coach Washijō. Hahahahaha, that's way too ungraceful, Ushijima!"
His eyes narrowed from laughing, like a fox.
Ushijima's ears warmed from being laughed at. Slightly embarrassed, he pulled his suitcase along as he walked away.
"I'm going to find Ryosuke."
That left Keigo Atobe behind, still laughing and rubbing his stomach with soft groans.
After a long while, Keigo Atobe finally calmed down. He straightened up, resting his forehead on his hand as he thought about Ryosuke's recent situation.
Ryosuke hadn't told him about his leg pain. Did that mean he didn't care about him anymore. The brother-obsessed Keigo Atobe felt a sense of crisis and a headache coming on.
Ryosuke's picky eating had been there since childhood. Back then, he was as thin as a kitten, refusing to eat this and that. Neither Keigo Atobe nor the butler had the heart to force him.
Faced with those bright green eyes, even the coldest person would melt.
"Sigh."
Keigo Atobe held his head, thinking of a way to make him eat more.
Matsukawa, quietly observing, contacted the estate's chef and told him to be on standby. Today, the head chef might have to cook personally.
Meanwhile, Ushijima and Ryosuke were unpacking in their rooms.
Ryosuke's room was the same as in Miyagi, on the second floor, right next to Keigo Atobe's. When he was little and cried often, Keigo had stayed with him to take care of him.
Later, when Ryosuke grew older, he moved to his own room to build independence.
Even though it was just moving next door, Ryosuke had tearfully clutched his stuffed bear, throwing a tantrum and rolling around, stubbornly staying with Keigo for several days.
In the end, the old butler couldn't stand it anymore. He brought in a doll that looked just like Ryosuke and, through a mix of coaxing and trickery, finally got him to move back.
Ryosuke sat at his desk, thinking about those happiest years, a smile lifting his lips. Even though things outside had been chaotic back then, his brother alone had been what home felt like.
Knock knock knock. Someone knocked on the door, interrupting his thoughts. Ryosuke stood up and opened it.
Ushijima stood outside.
"Ushijima-senpai?" Ryosuke tilted his head.
"Want to go check out the venue first?"
"Oh!" Ryosuke suddenly realized. No wonder something felt off. He had forgotten about that.
Some schools don't visit the venue before training camps or matches. Partly because they don't have the means, and partly because they don't pay much attention to it.
But most schools do. Before a match, there is usually a fifteen minute window to get familiar with the venue, but that time is far from enough.
The lighting, the floor, the airflow from the ceiling vents, the surrounding environment, even the bulletin boards. Any of these factors could influence the final point of a match.
In the previous prefectural tournament, that incredible save where Yamagata rushed all the way to the bench was only possible because he knew the court so well. If it had been someone else, they might not have even reached the ball.
"I'm going. Wait for me." Ryosuke turned back into his room and slung on his usual training bag. At this stage, he brought it everywhere.
After saying goodbye to Keigo Atobe, they had Matsukawa drive them into central Tokyo.
When the Hanyu couple first chose this place, they had deliberately picked a location on the outskirts of Tokyo, far from the city center, for the peace and quiet.
But now, without a driver, Ryosuke wouldn't even be able to get home after leaving the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
There were only buses nearby, and you had to travel at least five or six kilometers to reach a proper road. In other words, anything within ten kilometers basically required a car or a long walk.
Fortunately, they had a driver. Matsukawa's driving was both fast and steady, completely reliable.
By the time they arrived at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, it was already past ten in the morning. If they delayed any longer, they might miss lunch.
The two of them walked straight inside. There were no checkpoints outside. The actual training courts were inside the gym.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium was enormous. They wandered around for quite a while without finding the right place, until someone spotted them.
"Hey, Ushijima and Ryosuke."
A familiar voice called out. Both of them turned at the same time.
They saw Yaku, dressed in Nekoma's red uniform.
Ryosuke's eyes lit up, his voice bright with excitement.
"Long time no see, Yaku-senpai!"
...
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