Chapter 64: Starting Lineup for the Practice Match
Following Sugawara's words, Sawamura Daichi also decided to accept this rare practice match opportunity. So he had Coach Takeda explain the schedule in more detail - it would be held next Wednesday after school, with just one match played as a best-of-three set.
After school, noticing that something seemed off with Ichise Guren, Sugawara Koshi took the initiative to approach him.
"What's wrong? MVP underclassman!"
With a cheerful smile on his face, he gave Ichise Guren's back a heavy pat with his hand.
"You're not feeling down because of Hinata's lucky left-handed spike that touched the net, are you?"
Ichise Guren also smiled.
"As expected of Sugawara-senpai, you noticed even such a small emotional fluctuation from me."
"Lucky shots have never been able to defeat me, and besides, a loss is a loss."
"I was just thinking about what kind of position Sugawara-senpai will have on the team going forward."
"Oh?"
Sugawara Koshi's slightly surprised expression quickly returned to a smile, and he waved his hand while patting Ichise Guren again.
"You little guy, are you already thinking about things that the captain thinks about when you're just a first-year?"
"As expected of someone who could lead a team to the national semifinals."
He stopped patting Ichise Guren and moved to scratch his ear instead.
"Actually, I'm well aware of it myself."
"Whether it's stamina or technique, Kageyama is stronger."
"Even after knowing that Kageyama would be the starting setter, I actually felt somewhat relieved and relaxed."
"I don't know what will happen to me going forward either."
"But!"
Sugawara Koshi looked down at his open palm, then clenched it tightly into a fist, raised his head, and looked at Ichise Guren.
"After watching you two teams battle today, I understood."
"I still want to play volleyball with you all!"
"Even if it's as a substitute, even if I don't get a chance to play."
"I want to see how far this new Karasuno can go! I want to go see it together!"
Ichise Guren hadn't expected that the firm yet gentle Sugawara-senpai would open his heart after just a few words with him, sharing his innermost thoughts.
Meanwhile, hiding in the distance and blocking Hinata and the others from coming over to interrupt, Kageyama Tobio was silently thinking to himself.
'Sugawara-senpai, who has earned the trust of his teammates - can I, a first-year, really replace him?'
Kageyama Tobio, who had been blocking Hinata and the others, suddenly ran out in the next instant.
"I won't lose to you!"
"?" x2
'When did that guy get here?' x2
Ichise Guren and Sugawara Koshi looked at Kageyama Tobio, who had suddenly appeared from nowhere, momentarily confused. But Sugawara Koshi quickly caught on.
"I thought you wouldn't even consider me worth your attention."
"But."
"Since you've already thrown down the gauntlet, I won't give up easily either!"
Although called a genius, Kageyama Tobio, whose understanding of teamwork was just beginning, locked eyes with the stable and steady third-year setter, Karasuno volleyball team's 'mom' Sugawara Koshi. Their gazes sparkled with something called teammate rivalry.
Click.
The convenience store door opened from inside, and Sawamura Daichi walked out carrying several bags of meat buns. His appearance interrupted the eye contact between the two, and the other team members in the distance also ran over.
"Oh!"
"Great healthy competition!"
"You both need to work hard!"
"This is yours, Sugawara. This is yours, Kageyama. Ichise, yours."
After distributing meat buns to everyone present, Sawamura Daichi touched his wallet with some heartache. Noticing this scene, Ichise Guren pulled out his phone and sent a message to Ayasaki Hayate.
[Sorry to bother you, Ayasaki-san. If it's convenient, please establish a sports fund for Karasuno as well.] —Ichise Guren
Ayasaki Hayate replied instantly.
[Understood, I'll start preparing right away.] —Ayasaki
After everyone finished eating their buns and said their goodbyes, they each headed home. However, Ichise Guren, Kageyama Tobio, and Sugawara Koshi - three members who possessed strategic thinking abilities and deep appreciation for volleyball matches - were asked to stay behind by Sawamura Daichi.
After greeting the store owner, Sugawara Koshi was the first to speak.
"Oh my, oh my~"
"During your first match back then, Daichi, Tanaka and I were all there watching!"
Upon hearing this, Kageyama Tobio's whole body shook, and a sense of unease welled up in his heart. Being unable to hide his emotions well, his facial expression clearly displayed his thoughts.
[That match where he clashed with his teammates - they won't put him on the bench after the practice match with Aoba Johsai ends, will they?]
"Easy, easy, there's no intention of putting you on the bench because of something like that."
Seeing through Kageyama Tobio's thoughts, Sugawara Koshi spoke up to comfort him.
"That was all middle school stuff, and besides, your performance in today's practice match has already shown us."
"You're not the same person as that dictatorial king from the past."
Sugawara Koshi smiled as he expressed his changed opinion of Kageyama Tobio and his appreciation for the change.
Kageyama Tobio stared directly at the cheerfully smiling senpai in front of him, not knowing what to say for a moment. Having no experience dealing with people, he was indeed somewhat clumsy with words.
Sawamura Daichi immediately picked up the conversation: "Exactly, exactly."
"Speaking of which, Sugawara said back then that he didn't want to face either of those players in next year's matches."
"Haha, yes, I was actually trying to bring up that topic."
Sugawara Koshi smoothly continued Sawamura Daichi's words, steering the situation back to what he had originally wanted to discuss.
"I never expected that so many of the guys I thought were strong back then would end up coming to Karasuno. I don't even know what to say anymore."
"Not at all, our experience is still quite shallow. We need lots of guidance from our senpais."
Ichise Guren also joined the conversation at the right moment, easing the previously somewhat awkward atmosphere.
After some simple ice-breaking small talk, the four began discussing tomorrow's starting lineup inside the convenience store.
Sawamura Daichi first glanced at Sugawara Koshi, and after receiving his affirming look, confirmed Kageyama Tobio's setter position, then began discussing other starting players with everyone.
After the setter position was confirmed, the second position decided was libero, to be filled by Hoshino Masaru.
The third position confirmed was Sawamura Daichi himself, who received unanimous approval from the other three.
Ichise Guren presented his conclusions from observing everyone's training during the club's internal practice sessions over the past few days - Sawamura Daichi's receiving ability was unquestionable.
"The team currently lacks players with solid receiving skills. From the team training these past few days, I believe Daichi-senpai is definitely the strongest choice for receiving ability on the team."
"And in volleyball matches, I think the most important thing is the first touch."
"So, I propose making Daichi-senpai a starting security-type wing spiker."
Sugawara Koshi also rested his chin on both hands and seriously expressed his agreement.
"Yes! That's exactly right. Daichi's ground defense ability is indeed at the strongest level among everyone currently at Karasuno."
"Having him as a starter, I think is essential."
One was a senpai he respected, the other was a teammate whose abilities he acknowledged. Seeing both of them make such proposals, Kageyama Tobio naturally had no objections.
However, a small problem arose with the next player selection.
Kageyama Tobio felt that Hinata Shoyo's presence on the court and his ability to draw attention despite the huge contrast between his build and scoring ability could raise Karasuno's offensive ceiling by several levels.
Sawamura Daichi and Sugawara felt that Tanaka Ryunosuke's ability to rally his teammates' emotions and his incredibly strong left-side power attacks were both things Karasuno needed.
Hyakuzawa Yudai, Tsukishima Kei, and Ichise Guren - just from their height alone - formed what could be called an iron wall of blocking that Karasuno urgently needed more coordination practice for their aerial defense.
Moreover, Ichise Guren's offensive ability was something the other three had witnessed firsthand in that Kitagawa Daiichi vs Yukigaoka match.
Back then, Ichise Guren was only 183 centimeters tall. After the national tournament ended, he had already grown to 185 centimeters, and now he had grown even more to 187 centimeters.
His offensive ability must have greatly strengthened - there was no way they could justify not putting him in the starting lineup.
Just as the three were getting somewhat anxious about how to arrange the formation for Karasuno's strongest lineup, Ichise Guren spoke up on his own.
"For tomorrow's practice match, please put me on the bench."
"Based on my assessment of Karasuno's current strength, our paper strength is actually already very strong - we're a national-level team."
"But volleyball definitely isn't just about looking at paper strength. Every point is earned one point at a time."
"In every match, the players' coordination and chemistry, mental state, performance condition, physical condition, and luck - these all combine to form the key factors that can determine the direction of a match's outcome."
"Please take the court first tomorrow!"
"I'm confident I can blend into any lineup, so for tomorrow's practice match, please start with Hinata Shoyo and Kageyama Tobio as the main axis."
"Pfft!"
After Ichise Guren's passionate speech, Sugawara Koshi suddenly burst into laughter.
"I never thought that our generation would also have the happy problem of considering who should be in the starting lineup because all our players are quite strong."
"This is what they call a happy problem, right?"
Sawamura Daichi also broke into a grin.
"Yeah, we're going to keep getting stronger!"
After careful consideration and accepting Ichise Guren's proposal, the starting members became clear.
After the four simply confirmed the positions, they waved goodbye and each headed home.
In the quiet convenience store, the blonde-haired owner propped his bare feet up on the cash register. Both hands held today's newspaper, and a lit cigarette dangled from his mouth.
Though his eyes were on the newspaper, his mind was thinking about the words he had just overheard.
'Two meters, three people averaging 1.9 meters, national semifinals, genius setter, middle school MVP, Miyagi Prefecture's volleyball demon king.'
These keywords were quickly organized into a clear logical thread in his mind, and the smoking store owner began talking to himself.
"Looks like this year's Karasuno is pretty strong, huh?"
"Old man, you'd better recover your health soon. This year's Karasuno might really be able to recreate the glory of those days."