Chapter 4: Tokonami's Priestess
News travels fast in high school volleyball.
Faster than serves.
Faster than spikes.
Sometimes faster than common sense.
By the time Karasuno finished their match against Shirato, whispers had already begun spreading throughout the tournament venue.
"Did you hear?"
"Shirato lost."
"Wait... Shirato? The experienced team?"
"Yeah. To Karasuno."
"That school?"
"Apparently, they've got an ace now."
An ace.
But not just any ace.
"They're calling her Karasuno's Amaterasu."
"...Who?"
"Mao Aihara."
Across another court, someone heard those words.
And stopped tying her shoelaces.
"...Hm?"
The girl slowly raised her head.
"Shirato lost to Karasuno?"
Her eyes drifted toward the court.
"They have an ace?"
A nearby player nodded.
"Yeah. Apparently she's really good."
"What kind of player?"
"All-around, from what I heard. Great digs, strange serves, accurate attacks."
The girl's expression brightened slightly.
"Oh."
She finished tying her shoelace.
"That sounds interesting."
Her teammate looked at her.
"You're interested?"
"Of course."
The girl stood up.
"If someone can make Shirato lose, they're probably pretty strong."
She looked toward the Karasuno side of the gym.
"And if everyone is already calling her Karasuno's Amaterasu..."
A small smile appeared.
"I want to see what she's like."
Her name was Reika Sawamura.
Second-year.
Tokonami Girls' High.
And around Miyagi volleyball circles, she had another name.
Tokonami's Priestess.
She was the younger sister of Daichi Sawamura.
The family resemblance wasn't immediately obvious.
Reika was much smaller, standing at barely 155 centimeters.
She had a quiet appearance and a calm personality.
She didn't have the imposing presence of a large blocker.
She didn't have the overwhelming power of a massive hitter.
But when the ball came toward her...
She moved.
Tokonami was not known for overwhelming spikes.
They weren't known for crushing opponents through raw offensive power.
Their volleyball philosophy was simple.
Never give up on the ball.
And Reika stood at the center of it.
Before everything changed, Reika had simply been a girl who loved watching volleyball.
She loved the moments when a rally should have ended...
But didn't.
A player diving across the court.
A desperate hand reaching underneath the ball.
A teammate chasing a bad pass.
Someone falling down, getting back up, and continuing.
That was the kind of volleyball she loved.
When she arrived in this world, she made a decision.
"If everyone else wants to finish points quickly..."
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
"Then I'll become someone who makes sure they have to earn it."
Reika trained.
Morning.
Afternoon.
Night.
She practiced receiving until her arms turned red.
Then practiced more.
She studied attack angles.
Spin.
Footwork.
Body language.
She learned how attackers moved before they jumped.
How shoulders shifted before spikes.
How hands changed shape before tips.
But prediction wasn't the entire point.
She wanted to make the ball playable.
If the first receive failed...
She would chase the second.
If the ball bounced awkwardly...
She would dive.
If she fell...
She would stand up again.
And again.
And again.
Until the rally ended.
That philosophy eventually became something more.
By her second year, balls that should have been impossible to save kept coming back.
And back.
And back again.
A libero once said during a practice match:
"...Why won't this rally die?"
The nickname appeared soon after.
Tokonami's Priestess.
Because when the ball entered her territory...
It was as if it had entered sacred ground.
The ball could land.
But it had to get past her first.
Back in the tournament gym, Reika watched Karasuno's court.
Her gaze found Mao Aihara.
So that's her.
Karasuno's Amaterasu.
Reika watched quietly.
Mao didn't look nervous.
She didn't look particularly excited either.
She simply stood there.
Relaxed.
Comfortable.
Confident.
Reika tilted her head slightly.
"...She's good."
She watched Mao's movement between points.
There was something different about her.
It wasn't simply that she had strong attacks.
Her movements were unusually clean.
She didn't seem to waste much.
And after seeing the highlights of the Shirato match being discussed around the venue, Reika understood why people were talking.
Perfect digs.
Accurate attacks.
Unusual serving.
Quick decisions.
"She really can do everything."
Reika smiled faintly.
"That's tough."
There was no anger in her voice.
No resentment.
Just interest.
She had seen plenty of strong players before.
But Mao felt different.
Reika continued watching.
Mao's shoulders remained relaxed.
Her eyes moved around the court constantly.
She wasn't simply watching the ball.
She was watching everyone.
Reika's expression became slightly more serious.
"...She's looking at everything."
That was interesting.
Very interesting.
On the Karasuno court, Yui suddenly glanced toward the stands.
"Someone's watching us."
Mao looked over.
Her eyes found Reika almost immediately.
For a moment, the two players simply looked at each other.
Reika blinked.
Then smiled.
Mao's expression changed slightly.
Inside her mind, Kuroba noticed.
Interesting.
Mao blinked internally.
What is it?
That girl.
Kuroba watched Reika.
She's studying you.
Mao looked again.
Reika wasn't glaring.
She wasn't challenging her.
She was simply watching.
Carefully.
Curiously.
Like someone trying to understand a new opponent.
Kuroba smiled.
She's good.
Mao felt the curiosity in his voice.
You think so?
Yeah.
His eyes remained fixed on Reika.
Look at her positioning.
Mao watched.
Reika hadn't moved much.
But she was already standing in a place where several possible attacks could reach her.
Kuroba continued.
She's prepared for the ball before it's hit.
Mao's eyes narrowed slightly.
So she's a defensive specialist.
More than that.
Kuroba paused.
She's comfortable making ugly plays.
Across the gym, Reika continued watching Mao.
"So that's Karasuno's Amaterasu..."
She smiled.
"She's definitely strong."
Her teammate walked over.
"You want to play against her?"
Reika looked at the court again.
"Eventually."
"Think you can stop her?"
Reika considered that for a moment.
Then laughed softly.
"I don't know."
She wasn't worried.
If anything, she looked excited.
"But I'd like to find out."
Her teammate smiled.
"That's more like you."
Reika turned back toward the court.
She watched Mao's movements again.
The strange serve.
The precise attack.
The calmness after scoring.
Everything about her suggested that Mao expected the rally to go where she wanted.
Reika didn't dislike that.
She found it fascinating.
"She likes ending rallies."
Her eyes followed Mao.
"I like keeping them alive."
A small smile appeared.
"That could be fun."
She adjusted the ribbon in her hair.
Tokonami's volleyball wasn't about proving that they were stronger.
It wasn't about humiliating powerful attackers.
It was simple.
Keep the ball alive.
Give your teammates another chance.
Then another.
Then another.
And if the opponent finally found a way through...
Learn from it.
Try again.
Reika looked across the gym one final time.
Mao Aihara.
Karasuno's Amaterasu.
A new ace who had appeared almost overnight.
Someone capable of turning a difficult rally into a point.
Someone who seemed to believe she could decide how the rally ended.
Reika smiled.
"She's tough."
Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"I wonder how many times she'll have to attack before she gets tired of seeing the ball come back."
On Karasuno's side...
Kuroba noticed the smile.
His own smile widened.
I like her.
Mao blinked.
You do?
Yeah.
A quiet laugh.
She's not scared.
Mao looked across the court.
Reika was still watching.
Not with hostility.
Not with fear.
Just curiosity.
Kuroba's expression sharpened.
She's interested in us.
Mao smiled faintly.
And we're interested in her.
Across the gym, Reika finally turned away.
Tokonami had a match to prepare for.
But before she left, she glanced back one last time.
"Karasuno's Amaterasu..."
A quiet smile.
"Let's see what you're really capable of."
And for the first time since hearing the rumors...
Reika was looking forward to a match.
Not because she wanted to defeat Mao.
Not because she wanted to prove Tokonami was better.
But because she had found something she hadn't seen in a while.
A player who looked genuinely fun to play against.