After three full days of rest, Akashi Asuka finally granted himself a short taste of summer vacation.
Once those three days were over...
He signed up for a gym membership.
With the start of the Spring Tournament preliminaries, no, to be exact, the end of summer break, just around the corner, there wasn't much time left. Given his current physical stats, if he continued with the usual training regimen, it wouldn't be enough to bring about any major improvements before the tournament.
That's why Akashi Asuka had already mapped out a clear plan for himself.
Strength.
From now until the new semester began, that would be the sole focus of his physical training.
As for why he needed a gym membership, at this stage, relying on external equipment to push his limits was the only way to maximize results.
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Player: Akashi Asuka
Height: 189.4 cm
Weight: 81 kg
Strength: 84.2 (Core Strength: 84.2 / Arm Strength: 84.3)
Speed: 80.4 (Burst Speed: 80.3 / Reaction Speed: 80.6)
Stamina: 83.9 (Endurance: 84 / Cardiopulmonary Capacity: 83.8)
Jump: 84.8 (Vertical Leap: 85.6 / Hang Time: 84)
Basic Techniques: 79.2
Serving: 82.3
Receiving: 78.8
Setting: 71.0
Spiking: 83.8
Blocking: 82.6
Defense: 77.0
Advanced Techniques:
Diagonal Spike: 82.9
Straight Spike: 83.1
Short Diagonal Spike: 75.6
Wide Diagonal Spike: 75.4
Jump Serve (Power): 84.3
Banana Serve: 74.7
Tactical Hitting: 77.2
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Opening his data panel, Akashi Asuka looked over his most recent stats.
Thanks to the month-long intensive training camp, his technical abilities had improved rapidly. In addition, his jumping power and stamina had seen significant boosts, mainly because of the beach training environment. Even without focusing on it directly, the demanding sand naturally enhanced his vertical.
And of course, the exclusive "500-meter cross-country sprint" unique to that location had also worked wonders. These gains weren't limited to him, many members from Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa had seen similar progress.
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Inside the gym.
Akashi Asuka had his hands wrapped in long cloth strips like boxing tape, and he was steadily pressing a barbell again and again.
How long had he been doing this?
At last, a system notification chimed in his ear.
Ding,,
[Congratulations. You've quietly outworked your teammates during summer break, completing a Low-Level Sweat Session. Gained: +0.1 Strength • Grind King Points.]
CLANG!
Hearing the message, Asuka slammed the barbell back onto the rack with a thud. Soaked in sweat, he slowly sat up from the bench.
"Sh*t!"
"No way I'm the only one grinding this hard, someone else must be secretly training too! Otherwise, I would've gotten at least a medium-level reward with this kind of effort!"
He glanced at the clock on the wall nearby. He'd already spent about four hours on strength training today.
Which meant...
Somewhere out there, at least one of his Aoba Johsai teammates had already completed two hours of high-intensity training, likely the one triggering the system's benchmark.
Normally, the system graded off standard team training intensity. With his four-hour session, Asuka should have cleared a Mid-Level Grind, worth +0.2 points.
That meant someone else had raised the bar.
"I will find out who's secretly outworking me…"
Grabbing his phone, Akashi fired off a message to Ryuhei Sanashita.
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Asuka: "What are you up to right now?"
Sanashita: "I'm playing in a match with Oikawa-senpai and the others!"
Asuka: "A match?"
Sanashita: "Huh? Oikawa-senpai didn't tell you? To win the Spring Tournament this year, he and the other third-years decided to hold voluntary practices every other day for the rest of summer. Didn't he mention it to you?"
Asuka: "???"
Asuka: "Since when?"
Sanashita: "Just last night."
Asuka: "…Got it."
Sanashita: "I'm guessing they probably just forgot to loop you in? Don't take it personally, I can ask them for you if you want. Are you coming?"
Asuka: "No need. I think I already understand what they're thinking. Let's leave it at that."
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Asuka closed the chat app and slowly clenched his fists.
So that's how it is, huh?
You grind kings are secretly training behind my back?
Fine.
Then let's see who really owns the grind when school starts.
You're training every other day?
Then I'll train every day. Morning till night. Hell, I'll even squeeze in extra sets in the evening. I dare you to try and outwork me.
He slammed the phone down beside him, gently but with venom, then lay back down on the bench and picked up the barbell once more.
Time to keep grinding.
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Meanwhile...
Several kilometers away, at an outdoor volleyball court...
Most of Aoba Johsai's third-years were gathered, including several second-string seniors and a few top underclassmen, for voluntary training matches.
"Hey, Sanashita, who were you texting just now?"
"Oh! It was Asuka."
"WHAT?!"
Sanashita responded casually, but Oikawa Tooru instantly jumped up in alarm. "You didn't tell him we were secretly training, did you?!"
"Uh... wait, was I not supposed to?"
"Of course not! This entire practice session was supposed to be under wraps!"
Sanashita blinked, confused. "Huh??? But... why? Oikawa-senpai, I know you're not the biggest fan of Asuka, but this seems kinda harsh."
"Ahem, "
Oikawa cleared his throat quickly and explained, "It's not about dislike, Sanashita. You have to understand... even us third-years have our pride, okay?"
"Think about it, from the moment Asuka joined the team, he's outshined almost every third-year, both in practice and in actual games."
"We get it, it's all for the sake of victory, but still... We'd like to beat him once. Just once, even if it's during a practice match."
"That's why we're holding these secret sessions. Partly to prepare for the Spring Tournament... and partly to wipe that smug look off his face."
"Ohhh... now I get it."
Sanashita finally understood, it was all about pride and saving face. Classic.
"Well... should I try messaging him again? I'm kinda worried he might've taken it the wrong way."
"No need–" Oikawa said, waving his hand. "From the moment he messaged you, I already knew, that guy is probably grinding hard right now too."
"No wonder he improves so fast during school... I swear, that thick-browed goody-two-shoes isn't as simple as he looks. Sneaky bastard's probably scheming like a prime minister."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria