Chapter Twenty-Three: Conductors

WATCHING THE AOBA JOHSAI GAME WAS A BIT intimidating for Karasuno. Ever since their game ended against Date Tech, they had gone into the stands to have a closer look at their next opponents who were in the middle of their game. Of course, it was no surprise to anyone to see that they were dominating the other team. Thanks in part to Oikawa's killer serves. At the moment, it was the second set between Aoba Johsai and Omisaki and the score was 21-10 in Seijoh's favor.

"Yikes!" Shōyō exclaimed after watching Oikawa serve yet another service ace, "He did it again!" Sakura glanced up at the game at her brother's shout, though turned back to her camera when it was just the same thing again. She was sitting next to Yamaguchi since her brother and Nishinoya were being a bit too loud for her taste at the moment. The girl wanted to see what pictures she was able to get after their game and she needed to sit with some less rambunctious boys to focus on it. Thankfully, Yamaguchi had offered her to sit next to him.

He seemed to be more than happy to let Sakura sit with him. While she was a bit annoyed that she had to sit close to Tsukishima as well, she still sat on the other side of Yamaguchi. She liked having the option to sit with someone different other than her brother. So she looked through the photos that she took, debated which ones should probably be deleted, and marked the ones that were perfect. Yamaguchi looked over her shoulder and commented on a few and questioned her about her work. While hesitant, Sakura was more than happy to explain certain things to him. She liked having someone who was actually interested in hearing what she had to say about her photography, especially someone who wasn't doing it just because they too did photography. Though neither of them noticed that side-eyed glare that a certain blond-headed middle blocker was giving them every once in a while.

Asahi shook his head in disbelief, "That's the fourth consecutive service ace."

"Obviously he's got power," Ukai muttered, "but that control of his is brutal."

Shōyō glanced behind him at his coach, "But if we can just do something about that serve…"

"Yes, his serve is terrifying," Suga commented, "but as a setter, Oikawa is completely unknown to us."

Endo tapped his chin as he couldn't take his eyes off of his old friend, "Oikawa's always been observant, not like that Nekoma setter, but more… manipulative, if that makes sense."

"Manipulative?" Daichi asked him.

"He knows how a person plays almost to a T, he knows how to adapt to his teammates and elevate their technique in order to win." Endo sighed as he thought back to the times he played with Oikawa during grade school and junior high. He ran a hand through his blond hair and shrugged his shoulders, "He can make even the worst spiker look good."

When he played with Oikawa, he made Endo feel like the greatest player out there. Sure, they didn't play in any actual games together, but when they did get to play a two-on-two against Iwaizumi and someone else, Oikawa knew just what to do to make Endo the best. It's no pin-pointed set like Kageyama's and it wasn't that freak quick, but it was still just as powerful. It was like Oikawa was able to make Endo play a certain way, make Endo feel however he wanted him to feel just by using a set. It is just as impressive as it is terrifying. Hence why Endo thinks that it's manipulative. Oikawa was able to make Endo into just about any spiker that he wanted. To play to his strengths yet mold him into something new.

"I think that setters…" Ukai started, "are a lot like conductors in an orchestra. You can have the same song and the same orchestra," They watched as Oikawa set to one of his spikers perfectly, "but change the conductor, and you get a whole different sound." With that, Aoba Johsai

Sugawara said, "They seem to have really smooth teamwork."

"Oikawa and Iwaizumi," Kageyama spoke up, "their Number 4 left, I heard they've been playing together since their elementary school team. They have what you call a non-verbal understanding."

Endo scoffed at the understatement, "The two of them have been stuck at the hip for a long time, even when we were in grad school together, nothing got in between them" He then chuckled lightly, "Sometimes I thought they had telepathy or something with how they worked so seamlessly together." He remembered when they were friends the first year of him starting school, Endo always felt like a third wheel around them. He wasn't sure how long the two had known each other before he met them, but they had a strong bond. One he wished he could have joined at the time as well, but that was the past. Endo has gotten over the childish resentment that he had for the two in elementary school. While they lost that initial spark of friendship as kids, he's forged a bit of a different relationship with them.

Iwaizumi wasn't necessarily his friend, but they were friendly. Neither would go out of their way to hit each other up to hang out any time soon, but if they ran into each other there was no bad blood between them. Besides, Iwaizumi knows how much of an asshole he was during that time and he's apologized, which Endo accepted wholeheartedly. If given the chance, Endo doesn't see a problem with striking up a friendship with him again. Might as well as give it another try, right? People are all about giving others second chances and whatnot, after all.

On the other hand, Oikawa was a bit of a special case for Endo. Their relationship was full of teasing and rivalry. Not like Oikawa and Kageyama's relationship, but they had similarities. Endo liked getting under Oikawa's skin and Oikawa liked trying to prove he was better than Endo. Perhaps it was because Endo always acted so arrogant that Oikawa wanted to knock him down. Even if they didn't play the same position, they still kept track of how many games they've won and tallied it up. Oikawa was in the lead by far, but Endo didn't care. All he cared about was getting the text message every once in a while about Oikawa's next win. At least then he knew that Oikawa still liked to hear from him. So he didn't care about winning or losing, just getting to talk to an old friend, one of his first friends in Japan, that's what mattered.

"I don't really think the second-year setter's level was lower in the practice match." Ukai thought out loud, "I mean, they're in Seijoh."

Takeda nodded his head, "Right."

"I think it's just that Oikawa knows everything there is to know about Seijoh's team, and is helping them bring out their A-game."

While everyone else was analyzing Oikawa and Aoba Johsai, Shōyō was completely enraptured by the strength and control Oikawa has. "The Great King is so awesome!" Shōyō exclaimed as he and Nishinoya stood at the railing. The two of them were seemingly far too excited to watch the game from their seats. "I want to hurry up and play him!"

Nishinoya nodded his head as he buzzed in place, "Yeah! I hope he aims his serves at me! I totally want to get them!"

Shōyō's eyes sparkled at his senpai, "Noya-san's awesome, too!"

Ukai and Takeda chuckled together as the coach smirked, "Well, isn't that promising…"

"Hey, look, Shōyō!" Nishinoya shouted, "A TV crew's here!" He pointed down at the court and the two looked over to see the camera crew.

Shōyō's eyes sparkled. "TV?! Awesome! I wanna be on TV, too!"

"Hey, now…" A man on the court spoke up towards them, "You two junior high– Maybe you're grade school kids?" The pair became stony at being mistaken for such young kids. "Quiet down a little."

Shoyo muttered out, "Grade…"

"Sorry…" Nishinoya quietly apologized as the two stood in silence.

Though behind them, everyone laughed at the short boy's misfortune. It must be so disheartening to be constantly mistaken for a young child. However, their chuckles died down when Aoba Johsai won their second set, ending the game with a straight-set win. They stared at them for a while before all of them got up and lumbered out of the stands. The team had a lot to think about for their next game. Endo was the last to go as he lingered at the railing. He stared down at the back of Oikawa's head and smirked lightly. Tomorrow will definitely be an interesting day. Their first official match against each other, a real game. Oh, Endo's waited for this for a long time.

---

Everyone piled onto the bus to head back to school. Though it didn't take long for just about all of the boys to fall asleep. It was quite a tiring day for everyone, after all. So it wasn't that much of a surprise when the boys started to drift off. The only ones who weren't asleep were Ukai, Takeda(who was driving), Kiyoko, and Sakura.

"It's so quiet," Takeda commented as some of the boys lightly snored.

Kiyoko nodded her head with a small smile, "Everyone's out cold."

"Well, they did play two matches." Ukai said, "Plus they won both straight-set wins, so that's not bad. If they keep winning starting tomorrow, not only will they have two matches a day, but their opponents will continue to get stronger. We'll have to bolster their morale every time."

Sakura stretched out in her seat beside Kiyoko, "Think about it though. If they actually make it to the finals, they'll have to play five sets. It'll be brutal for them to keep their stamina." She knows how the boys can get far too into a game and could deplete themselves of energy quite quickly. Sometimes they don't seem to think of what's next. Not all the time, but when it comes to stamina she knows that her brother can exert himself too much after only a short amount of time. Instead of focusing on how to utilize their energy for the entire game, they might use all their energy in one set if it means they might win it. It's just a thought that she had after their second game. Something that they should probably address beforehand, just to be prepared.

Ukai nodded his head at the thought, "Something that we should keep in mind." Building up the team's stamina and endurance should be on the top of their list. Or at least one of the things on top of their list for practice.

The bus ride back was quiet. Really the only sounds were the boys snoring and the occasional chatter from those who were awake. Eventually, they finally got back to their school. After waking everyone up, they grabbed their things and marched off of the bus.

Takeda stood in front of the group, "All right, we're going to have a meeting."

"Right," they all agreed, some of them yawning loudly.

"Takeda-sensei!" An older teacher called out from the faculty room, "The volleyball club is on TV!"

"TV?!" Tanaka, Nishonoya, and Shōyō all shouted before sprinting into the building.

Shōyō was jumping up and down as he grabbed his sister, "Imouto we're on TV!?"

"I heard," Sakura grumbled as her excited brother shook her shoulders. She likes that her brother is thrilled about this, but Sakura would appreciate not having him shake her around like a doll.

As they walked towards the school, Endo stage whispered to Asahi, "do you think they got me on camera?" He gasped, "they better have gotten my good side!"

Asahi chuckled, "You don't have a bad side."

"Oh~!" Endo cooed at the subtle compliment that his friend had given him. Though it seemed like what Asahi had said had caught up to him as he started to blush quite heavily, "Thank you, Asahi~"

"Please excuse us!" They all exclaimed as they entered the faculty room.

The boys all gathered around the television, all of them hoping to catch a glance of themselves on the broadcast. After all, if they were, they'd be famous right? At least, in Miyagi.

"Now, then…" The news anchor started, "The first and second matches of the Miyagi Prefecture Preliminaries for the Inter-High School National Sporting Competition Volleyball Tournament were held, and heated matches ensued.."

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, "It's just the local news." He didn't seem interested in whether or not he and the team showed up on television. Currently, he just wanted to go home instead of listening to the bumbling idiots around him glue their eyes to the tv. He couldn't care less about this sort of thing.

"Shut up!" Tanaka and Nishinoya shouted at him, "TV is TV!"

The woman continued with the news, "First in the I Block, we have the ace player Ushijima Wakatoshi-kun, leading the reigning champions at Shiratorizawa Academy in their first game. They played against Oginnami High School, winning 25 to 10 in their first set, and 25 to 6 in their second set, not giving their opponents the slightest chance against them." Sakura narrowed her eyes at the screen and thought about Shiratorizawa. It's not surprising to her that such a team dominated so easily. They're a school that picks their players off of scholarships, so they're the best of the best. They'll be a tough opponent to beat if ever Karasuno plays against them. That's still a big if in her mind though. "They showed everyone why they're the reigning champions."

Asahi's eyes widened, "25 to 6?"

Just about everyone stared in shock, "Will they be able to make it to nationals once again or will a team appear that can stop them? It will be worth seeing. Next, the A Block is also drawing interest." The camera then switched to the gym that the team had been in

"That's the gym we played at today!" Shoyo exclaimed as he, Nishinoya, and Tanaka pushed themselves closer to the TV.

"A player you should definitely watch out for is Aoba Johsai High School's team captain, Oikawa Toru-kun." The three scolwed and deadpanned since the anchor was focusing on their opponent. "His dashing good looks draw in female fans, so he's a player with both skill and popularity to spare." The camera changed again to show Aoba Johsai, though it mainly focused on the captain. In the background, everyone could hear the squeals of all of Oikawa's fangirls cheering him on. "Tomorrow, going up against Aoba Johsai is a team that sped to an unbelievable straight-set victory against Date Tech —who were expected to place in the tournament's top eight— the powerhouse, Karasuno High School."

"We're gonna be on!" The three shouted.

Though instead of showing clips of the game that Karasuno had, it was instead the infuriatingly handsome face of Oikawa. Just about everyone sneered at the fact that it was focused on that pretty boy instead of talking about them. "We asked him what he thought about his opponent, Karasuno High School, who he'll be facing in the third match."

"They're a great team. I hope…" He smirked, "…they go for broke."

The Karasuno team all glowered at Oikawa's infuriating smile on TV. He really is annoying. "There'll definitely be more heated matches tomorrow. We wish them the best." The news anchor continued, "Next is the weather. We have Komata-san reporting from Sendai Station."

"Th-There was a glimpse of your match at the very beginning!" The old teacher exclaimed, seeing the gloomy faces of the boys, "You all looked very cool!"

Daichi monotonously replied, "Sensei, thank you."

The teacher stiffened, "Oh, it was nothing…"

"All right. Well, then…" Daichi grunted as he and the rest of the team started to march off with shadows looming on their faces, "Let's do this."

The older teacher started to freak out at the ominous and murderous expressions on the boys' faces. "Do what?!"

"A m-meeting!" Takeda shouted, trying to reassure the man that nothing was going to happen.

Sakura watched them go with a sigh. Looks like they have a lot to think about for tomorrow. She pushed her hands far into her pockets and slowly followed them to the gym. They're going to need to strategize a lot for tomorrow. Not only do they have to get over the fact that Seijoh is a stronger team physically, but they have to mentally prepare themselves for it as well. That might be just as hard as coming up with some strategies to counter them.

---

Back in the gym, the team huddled up to hear what Ukai had to say about their games today. Sakura lay on the floor with her brother's jacket over her like a blanket. Sure, she didn't play, but she's still tired after watching such intense games. Ukai placed his hands on his hips, "Today's match against Date Tech is what you call 'the first sip of beer.'" Everyone stared at him in confusion, "The deliciousness of the first sip of beer is special, and you only get it in that first sip."

"Ukai-kun," Takeda shook his head slightly, "we should phrase that differently for the minors here."

The coach realized that he was talking to a group of kids and would need to rephrase his metaphor. After all, kids don't know what beer tastes like. "Ahem. Well, the match with Date Tech was the first time we used the freak quick against them. Therefore, we were able to catch our opponents off guard. But we fought Seijoh in the past, so they know at least some of our tricks. Still, I'm certain that your offense is stronger than theirs." He thought back to see how their next opponent played, "First, we need to endure Oikawa's serves. His serves controlling the game's pace is what we want the least, but that's most likely that will happen. So for right now, we have the basic 'everyone who's not the setter goes after the ball' formation to receive serves." He turned to draw on the whiteboard to map out their strategy for the game. "However, this time, we won't have the middle blockers, Hinata or Tsukishima, participate in receiving the serve. They'll concentrate solely on attacking."

"'Kay," Tsukishima said monotony, unaffected by the strategy.

Though Shōyō seemed to be disheartened, "Okay."

Ukai pursed his lips, "Hey don't get so bummed out. We're just dividing up the work." He then addressed the entire team, "Oh, also, you guys saw Seijoh and thought, 'Oh, crap. They're strong,' right? But… If you were seeing our match against Date Tech from the stands, you'd hesitate, saying, 'what's with that blocking? Talk about scary. We can't win,' right? But you fought them, and you won. Tomorrow will be the same."

With a new sense of vigor and inspiration, all the boys exclaimed, "All right!"

"All right." Ukai nodded his head, "Let's clarify the formation a bit." The boys then jogged off

After running through some things with the team, it was time to head home and rest. It was dark out, and the boys needed to have some sleep before their big day tomorrow. So Ukai called, "All right. Make sure you're not late tomorrow." All of them called out their agreement and started to collect their things. Though Ukai continued by saying, "Endo, can I talk with you?"

Endo's head popped up as he pulled on his club jacket. He tilted his head but shrugged his shoulders. "Sure thing, coach." He waved off his friends to wait for him outside as he walked up to the older blond, "What's up?"

"I've heard that you're pretty good at receiving Oikawa's serves, right?" Ukai asked. He had heard about how Endo played in the practice match against Aoba Johsai from Takeda. Honestly, Ukai couldn't get that good of a read on Endo as a volleyball player. Endo was athletic, sure, but didn't totally have the natural talent for the sport. He could keep up, but there was just something missing in Endo's play style that was left to be desired. However, to hear from the club advisor about how well Endo held up against Aoba Johsai and with his serves and receive of Oikawa's monster serve, intrigued him.

Endo nodded his head and chuckled, "Yeah, we grew up together and I've grown accustomed to it." Practicing with him for the short time in elementary school, and reconnecting in junior high gave Endo ample time to learn how to adapt to Oikawa's playing style. Sure, during elementary school Oikawa wasn't the strongest player there was, though that was to be expected. It wasn't until they started to practice together again in junior high that Endo realized just how much potential Oikawa had as a volleyball player.

"Do you have any pointers on how to handle it?" Ukai asked, "It would probably help everyone if we had some sort of idea how to deal with them from someone who knows how to."

Endo shrugged his shoulders, "Hm, I guess. I sort of just do it on instinct at this point, but I don't know how to put it into words that well." He tapped his chin in thought, "I suppose keeping a strong base is mostly key for his serves, also watching for where he looks. He picks the best spot for his serve to land, though that's kind of obvious." He scratched the back of his head with a nervous chuckle, "Oikawa can be a bit unpredictable with his serves, much like his setting. I don't think I can help all that much with this."

Ukai waved him off, "We can work with that, thanks, Endo." Every little bit of information about Oiakwa helps, right?

Endo smiled brightly as he left, "No problem, coach!" Even if he couldn't that much help, he was glad that he could at least give his coach a little something.

He quickly changed his shoes and mosied on out of the gym to meet up with his friends. He walked up to Asahi, Daichi, and Suga to see that they were gazing at Kageyama. The first-year was marching off with his head pointed down at the ground. Obviously, he was concentrating on something quite hard.

"Kageyama seems more irritated than usual." Suga commented as the others nodded their heads in agreement. A ball of orange then shot out in front of them, "Oh, there he goes."

"Kageyama!" Shōyō shouted as he ran up to the gloomy first-year. "You're going to end up with permanent forehead wrinkles, even though you're just a teen!" Kageyama bristled at his declaration, though Shōyō continued, "Tomorrow, we're going to defeat the Great King…." He said seriously before ending with, "…and end up on TV, so you should practice looking good for that!"

Kageyama's forehead wrinkled even further, so Shōyō was right, he might end up with wrinkles as a teen. He exclaimed, "Mind your own business!" He took a deep breath and calmed down, "We'll win that match. If we don't, we can't advance."

Shōyō smiled and nodded his head in determination, "All right!"

"I'm tired." Sakura walked up to them lazily with a loud yawn, "I wanted to head home earlier, but you never let me go home by myself."

Shōyō huffed at that and reminded her, "Yeah, well, you shouldn't ride your bike home at night by yourself. As the older brother, I have to protect my little sister!"

"Sure, sure, let's go."

---

Getting ready for bed was a bit harder than normal. Though Sakura should have expected this would happen. Shōyō had been restless ever since they got home. Sakura had to force him to do his homework and study a bit, though that's not necessarily an unusual occurrence, he had inhaled his dinner and was buzzing in his bed. Sakura could hear his excited muttering as she lay in her own bed. It was already quite late and she didn't want to lose any sleep as it is. So she flopped over and stared at her brother from the other side of the room.

"Are you too excited to go to sleep again?" She asked with a yawn. Sakura really couldn't understand how he could be unable to sleep because he was excited. If it were nerves, which it might also be, then she completely understands. Though she should be used to this by now since he's done this plenty of times.

"I guess so." He sat up suddenly like a springboard and said, "I just can't wait to play the Great King!"

She rolled her eyes, "Well if you don't get any sleep, you won't be awake enough to play." It was both amusing and annoying to an extent for Sakura. She might just let it slide tonight if he went to bed now.

"I know, I know," Shōyō said and shuffled himself back under his blankets.

It was silent for a while longer, both twins trying to fall asleep. Though it was difficult for both of them now. Shōyō was excited thinking for tomorrow. Meanwhile, Sakura's mind started to overthink some things. She bit her lip lightly and turned over to face her brother once again. "Say, Shōyō."

Her brother hummed as turned over and faced her while lying down. Sakura could barely see his glowing eyes on the other side of the room. The two of them might share the same wide, brown eyes, but his were far more alive and bright. They were similar, yet different. The same, yet not.

Sakura seemed to hesitate for just a moment before sighing heavily, "What happens if you lose tomorrow?"

"We won't!" He insisted with a shout or hesitation. His tone of voice almost sounded as though he were offended that she would even ask such a question.

Sakura nodded her head, "Yea, I know you think that. But just… humor me." She paused seeing that Shōyō wasn't going to argue with her, "Hypothetically, if you were to lose tomorrow, how would you feel?"

Shōyō furrowed his eyebrows, "Well, I'd be sad, obviously." He pursed his lips at her, "Why?"

"I just want you to think about the possibility that the team might lose." She explained as lightly as she could.

"Do you not have any faith in us?" He asked in disbelief, "In me?" To him, it almost sounded like she was doubting him. Though she would never do that, right?

"That's not it," she insisted. Sakura certainly didn't want him to think that she would ever believe that. She has full faith in Shōyō's ability as a middle blocker and knows that he's doing everything in his power to be the best that he can be. Though who's to say that his best will be just slightly inadequate against his opponents. They might just have that edge over him and it will end with him losing. She sighed heavily, "I have all of my faith in you and the team. Especially you. I just don't want you to be disappointed if you do lose." She stressed to him, "There's a slim chance that you might win. You must admit that Seijoh is the best of the best. You've been with Karasuno for less than a year and you guys are nowhere near their level of teamwork and skill."

Shōyō didn't even seem to consider her sentiment or ponder over what she was saying. He just determinedly shouted, "I'll show you, imouto! We'll win tomorrow! Then after that, you'll have no reason to ever doubt us!"

Sakura smiled and turned over in her bed so she could face the wall. She certainly didn't want him to see her conflicted expression. She heard him huff and turn away in his own bed, ready to try and fall asleep like her. She gnawed at the inside of her cheek and softly said, "I hope that's true."

---

Nervousness wafted around Karasuno the entire way to the gym the next day. Everyone was buzzing in their seats either because of their nerves or from excitement. Perhaps from both? Sakura had done her best to calm Shōyō down on the ride there. She did a pretty good job at it since she got him to focus on her photos instead. Any opportunity that he got to boost her confidence in her work, he'd gladly take it. So she distracted him with it up until they made it to the gym.

Walking into the building, the team were doing their best to hype themselves up. They walked past the other teams in the lobby, ignoring the whispered things about them like they have before. Though some couldn't help but revel in the pride over the fact that people were recognizing their skill. Once the group made it towards the gym entrance, Sakura turned to her brother to softly wish him luck before heading up to the stands.

Though Shōyō's big mouth had to cause her some trouble as he smiled brightly at her. "Imouto! You should say something encouraging!" That would definitely bring up the team morale. Shōyō knew it always made him feel better when his sister gave him some inspiration. Not only that, but seeing her wearing his club jacket to support him just gave him that extra boost he knew the other would gladly like to have.

Now all the attention was on her as she jumped slightly at the eyes pointed down at her. She pursed her lips and fidgeted with the end of her sleeves. Why did he have to do this to her?! Sakura sighed softly and mustered up the most genuine smile that she could. With her voice taking on a much lighter tone as if covered in honey, she said, "You got this." Her pink lips were pulled up to show off the sweetest smile that the team had seen. Sure, she didn't smile often, but it's not like she didn't know how to do it. She knows a lot, after all.

All of the boys were frozen as they stared at her. This is only the second time that they've seen her smile and encourage them like this. However, the way that she was giving them one of the largest smiles that they've ever seen from her caused a few of them to short circuit. Even Kageyama seemed to be a bit flustered at her appearance. Even Sakura's cute side could get through to the gloomy king, it seems.

The first to break out of their stupor was the brainless duo, Tanaka and Nishinoya. The two seemed to be love-struck as their hearts started to beat out of their chests. The two of them screamed, "AHH!"

Tanaka shouted with hearts in his eyes, "She's so adorable like this!"

"I've never seen her smile that that before!" Nishinoya swooned loudly. The two of them had to lean on each other's shoulders to stop them from melting into simp puddles.

Sakura's cheeks became bright red as she grew beyond embarrassed. These two really couldn't tone down their idiocy for even a moment! She screamed in her own mind. Calming herself down enough, even though her cheeks were still pink, she shouted at them, "And you never will again, boke!" The annoyance and anger built up in her quickly with the sight of the two acting like idiots. Then again, she just couldn't handle their simp behavior most of the time, especially when it was directed at her. Sakura huffed at the idiot duo's outbursts and calmed herself down.

"Ne, ne," Endo purred with an amused smirk, "that was truly adorable, paparazzi-chan~! Give me your camera and do that again, I wanna document this moment!" Though Daichi smacked his hand before he could reach out to the girl and possibly take her camera. Since the captain was certain that Endo would do just that.

Huffing once again, Sakura just crossed her arms over her chest and almost pouted like a child. After a moment or two, the rest of the team got over their shock at seeing their tsundere photographer like that and headed into the gym. Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita had to drag Tanaka and Nishinoya in since they could barely walk and didn't want to go. Though after a good, firm smack on the back of the head, the brainless duo reluctantly left. Not having the pressure on her, Sakura then turned to her brother and gave him a hug. One that the twins melted into easily as the tension left each other almost instantly. Leave it to a simple hug between siblings to make each other feel better. Sakura sighed in the crook of Shōyō's neck, "Good luck," she softly said to him as she squeezed him one last time before letting go.

Shōyō's smile never left his face, "I'll make sure to prove you wrong, Sakura!" His blinding optimism blinded Sakura for a moment as she realized just how bright her brother is. He's as shining as the sun, as warm as summer, and as naive as a newborn chick.

Tsukishima clicked his tongue at the interaction between the Hinata siblings. "Look at you, getting emotional." He sneered, "I never thought I'd see the day."

Sakura scowled up at the looming tower over her and glared, "I'm not emotionless like you, bastard." For him to call her emotionless was completely hypocritical. He's as much of a tsundere as she is, if not more. So who is he to call her emotionless! Besides, she's by no means void of emotions… She just picks her moments to be emotional. She then turned to the green-haired first-year and smiled at him. Her eyes were wide as she filled them with as much happiness as she could at this moment. Her smile was larger by tenfold as it was obvious she was just forcing this to spite Tsukishima. She even grabbed Yamaguchi's hands and held them in her own, a gesture that she's seen Wada, from her art club, do to fluster some girls. Going from how Yamaguchi's freckled cheeks became a pink hue, she figured it had the same effect. Her voice was lathered in honey as she exclaimed, "Good luck, Tadashi!"

Yamaguchi bristled slightly and froze. Having her go from annoyed to sweet like this was jarring. The extreme switch in emotions quite nearly gave the poor boy whiplash. He stuttered out, "s-seeing you like this is actually quite scary." He wasn't sure if it was the fact that it was painfully obvious that she was just acting, or if he just isn't used to seeing her smile like this, but he was perturbed.

Sakura dropped her smile instantly as well as his hands. She huffed and rolled her eyes, "I was just being nice."

Yamaguchi swallowed thickly and shook off his apprehension of her. After all, he's got a game to think about, "Thanks, Sakura!" He does appreciate her encouragement since he doesn't believe she was being sarcastic towards him or anything.

With that, Sakura headed upstairs, and called out over her shoulder teasingly, "good luck, to you too I guess, Tsukki~!"

The blond boy watched her go up with narrowed eyes. He was obviously annoyed with her at the moment, though when was he not? She just likes to get under his skin, and he allowed it. So it's his own fault. She's gotten cockier now since her art gallery thing and gained a new sense of confidence. He knew now that she wasn't going to just take whatever he has to say to her now. No doubt now she'll have even more smart remarks to say to him if he tried to get a rise out of her like usual. He hadn't found much else to really bother her about since she had confidence in her work. Tsukishima could just stick to bothering her about her brother and volleyball, though that could be hit or miss sometimes. Yamaguchi broke him out of his thoughts as he started to head in, "Come on, Tsukki."

---

Setting herself up in the stands, Sakura made sure that her camera was in the right setting. Once she was set, she leaned against the railing and watch the teams warm-up. Even being in the stands she could feel the tension between the two teams. "Go, go go! Go, go, Seijoh!" Aoba Johsai's cheer squad shouted out, "Push it, push it, push it! Push it, Push it, Seijoh!"

Sakura huffed at the loud cheering that was coming from across the gym. She's all for showing team spirit and such, but she won't be the one to do it and she'd rather it be a bit quieter. Though she should really get used to the loud noise since she'll be seeing plenty of volleyball games for the years to come.

"Looks like Karasuno made it safely through to day two." Sakura heard the familiar voice of the alumni from beside her. She glanced over to see that the two from the other day were walking down the steps towards her. Shimada sighed, "I ended up using another paid day off. I'm not gonna be able to take another day off for a while."

Takinoue nodded his head, "Same here." They then stared across the way at the crowd of students there to support their opponents. "Date Tech had quite the crowd cheering for them, too, but these guys…"

"Ready, and…" A trio of girls beside them took in a deep breath and shouted, "Oikawa-kun! Do your best!"

Shimada deadpanned, "They've got that." Oh, to be a pretty boy in high school with his own following of fan-girls.

"Their high-pitch screaming will give me a migraine," Sakura commented with a grimace, drawing the alumni's attention to her.

"Oh, hey!" Takinoue exclaimed with a smile, "Figured we see you today."

Sakura blinked and raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, considering my brother is on the team." It was kind of self-explanatory why she would be there…

The black-haired man chuckled lightly, "I'm Shimada Makoto," he then pointed to the blond man beside him, "and this is Takinoue Yusuke." Since they never really introduced themselves to the team during their practice match, it was a good idea to do it now. Though it's not like the teen had to introduce herself to them. They know that she's Hinata's sister, so they already knew who she is.

Sakura stared at him for a long moment, causing the older man to sweat under her stare. She tilted her head, "Are you related to a Shimada Emi?" The man and her club president shared the same name and looked vaguely similar. The only real difference that Sakura could see was that this Shimada had black hair while Emi had brown. So sue her for thinking that they might possibly be related.

"Huh?" Shimada shook his head slowly, "No."

"Oh." That is all she replied with before focusing back on the game with no further explanation. Yeah, that left the two men a bit confused.

On the court, after hearing the constant shouts for Oikawa from girls in the stands, Tanaka and Nishinoya were fired up. Tanaka's pointed teeth were pulled back in a menacing snarl as he shouted, "Ain't no way I'm gonna lose! Let's go!"

Shōyō and Nishinoya exclaimed their agreement, "Yeah!"

"Ready, and…" another few girls were ready to cheer on their idol, "Oikawa-senpai! Do your best-"

Though the girl's encouragement was drowned out by Daichi's war cry, "Karasuno! Fight!"

The boys all lined up to practice their spikes, receives, and passes with each other. They definitely needed to have a good warm-up for this game. Though it was a bit intimidating to also watch Seijoh warm up too. Oikawa seemed to be in his best form as he adjusted his serves and such for his teammates. Not only that, but the others were strong spikers, and watching them hit those powerful spikes was also a bit astounding to see.

Endo huffed as he landed on the ground after sending a pretty decent spike over the net. It wasn't anything too amazing, but it got the job done. Suga complimented him as he does with everyone else and Endo smirked. He was ready to boast about how awesome he is but paused when he locked eyes with Oikawa through the net. The two stared each other down. As Endo smirked widely at the other boy, a vein popped out of Oikawa's forehead. It seemed like even in close proximity to each other, Oikawa was instantly annoyed. Endo wasn't exactly sure why Oikawa reacted this way to him. He supposed it was something similar to Kageyama but not based on his skills in volleyball, obviously. Endo has a feeling that it was because he was so blazé about certain things. Or maybe it has something to do with his wealth since Endo likes to flaunt that quite a bit. Either way, Oikawa huffed and turned to continue setting to his team and Endo walked to practice. This game was going to be intense. Endo just wondered if he was going to get to play.

Up in the stands, Shimada chuckled lightly, "They sure are pumped up."

Takinoue turned to Shimada, "By the way, did your student get better at serves?"

"What do you mean, 'student'?" He shook his head as he thought back to the day Yamaguchi came to him for guidance, "It's only been a week since then. He may be able to get some lucky hits in, but he can't really control it yet."

Sakura grunted while observing the boys, "Luck might just be what they need for this match." They'll need all the luck in the world if they hope to win against Seijoh. If they even win one set against them, it would prove that lady luck was real, in Sakura's mind.

"Line up!"

Each team all bowed to each other, "Let's play!" After the pleasantries, the teams separated to huddle with their coaches and talk strategy.

"Hey, it's starting." Takinoue commented, "The third match, huh?"

Shimada nodded, "If they win, they'll be in the top eight!"

Sakura took a photo of Karasuno all lined up and smirked lightly at that. Imagine that. Her brother being in the top eight teams of this tournament. Oh, how proud of him she is.

The cheering on the other side if the court started up again, "Go, go go! Go, go, Seijoh! Push it, push it, push it! Push it, Push it, Seijoh!"

As all of the boys huddled up together in front of their coaches, Endo kept sneaking glances over at their opponents. He could see that Oikawa was saying something, no doubt about Kageyama or something. Endo found Oikawa's rivalry with his teammate amusing. After all, it showed how insecure Oikawa was since he obviously felt threatened by Kageyama. The third-year seemed to think that he was inadequate when compared to Kageyama. Perhaps he was since the other boy was a beast. Endo just found it amusing that despite Oikawa trying to pretend he's the perfect, confident, pretty boy, he was just as insecure as anyone else. It was almost comforting in a way to him.

He then focused on his own team huddle, "All of you have already defeated Aoba Johsai once." Takeda said to the team, "Even if our opponents were not at their best at the time, I believe the fact that we won is enough reason to have confidence. Not conceit, but confidence." His encouraging words resonated with the group as usual, as they all puffed out their chests. They were ready to start this battle against their foe.

They all shouted, "Right!"

The boys then huddled in a circle together and cheered, "Karasuno… Fight!"

The air then suddenly changed around half of the court. It was so sudden that even the observers in the stands could feel it. "I think…" Takinoue gulped, "…the atmosphere around Aoba Johsai just changed suddenly." Sakura stayed quiet. Though on the inside even she felt chilled at the way Aoba Johsai became so serious all of the sudden. That wasn't a good omen in her books.

The starting lineup for the teams all got onto the court. For Karasuno their starters were just who everyone expected. The rotation for the team was Kageyama, Hinata, Tanaka, Tsukishima, Daichi, and Asahi. On the other side of the court, it was by no means a surprise that Oikawa and Iwaizumi were starting. Alongside them were Kageyama's former teammates, Kindaichi Yutaro(AKA onion-head) and Kunimi Akira. There were also the other third-years Hanamaki Takahiro and Matsukawa Issei, the team's libero, Watari Shinji, and their pinch server Yahaba Shigeru.

The game then started with Karasuno serving to Aoba Johsai. Tsukishima was the one to serve it and it was easily received by Kunimi. Shimada exclaimed, "Two of the guys in the front line jumped out!"

"Who will they use?" Takinoue wondered outloud.

Before he could even think of what sort of strategy that Aoba Johsai would go for, the team had already scored a point. All thanks to Oikawa hitting the ball over the net instead of setting it. Something that no one was expecting to happen. It was an easy point for him. Everyone gaped at that move.

Sakura clicked her tongue, "a setter dump… sneaky move but what do you expect from someone like Oikawa." She grumbled to herself while narrowing her eyes at them. This will be the first game that she's seen Oikawa play in its entirety. Since last time he only played for a few minutes in the last practice game, she saw him in. She'll find out just how sneaky and strategic of a player this pretty boy can really be, she's certain of that. Sakura has no doubts that Oikawa will pull out every trick in the book to use against them. After all, he's playing against Kageyama, his rival, and Shōyō, someone who had become a challenge for him.

"Go, go, Toru! Push it, push it, Toru!" The cheer squad shouted in victory, "One more!"

Endo whistled from his spot and shook his head. "Slykawa!" He exclaimed, figuring that Oikawa would pull something like this. He ran a hand through his hair with a smirk on his face. Though if anyone looked close enough, they would be able to see that it was a bit strained. Which is why Suga was able to catch on the small tension on his perfect face. Suga knew that Endo didn't necessarily care about winning, he wasn't as invested in it as the rest of the team. However, he could tell that playing against Oikawa was affecting him in some way. He might not know the history that the two share, but it must be significant enough for Endo's arrogant mask to slip even a fraction.

It was Aoba Johsai's turn to serve to Karasuno. Daichi, the reliable player he is, received the ball perfectly which allowed Kageyama and Shōyō to perform their quick freak. Though it didn't go to plan.

"It's dead-on!" Shimada exclaimed when the spike went straight to Hanamaki who easily set it up for Oikawa.

Takinoue then noticed something, "Hey, is the Seijoh setter going to try a dump again? He's being even more obvious this time!"

Oikawa sure was doing that as he jumped up boldly with a large, condescending smile on his face. Tanaka and Shōyō had read him easily and moved to block him, too easily from Sakura's point of view, which led them straight into a trap. Just before he was going to hit it, Oikawa changed his move and set the ball to Iwaizumi. He spiked it over with no problem since everyone was focused on Oikawa. Now Aoba Johsai was up two points!

"Oikawa is going to be a big obstacle," Sakura said while biting her bottom lip. This wasn't good in the slightest. She knew that if Aoba Johsai got even more points and started to bulldoze through Karasuno, the crows' morale would be shattered. After that, there would be little to nothing that they could do to possibly catch up. She didn't like this at all, and it's only been a few minutes into the game. She sighed loudly, drawing the alumni's attention to her, "He's really good at manipulating the situation, that will be a problem."

So the next point was

Everyone was lost in the fray. Aoba Johsai certainly didn't seem to know who the set was going to be. Perhaps it was a quick freak with Shōyō. Though Tanaka was right there on the wing, ready for some payback. However, there was also Asahi, perhaps they were going with a pipe this time.

Though it was a complete surprise when Kageyama just tapped the ball over the net. He had returned his own setter dump to get the point! That certainly was a declaration of war between them now. Everyone cheered for the point since it meant that Karasuno was by no means going to take this lying down. They were going to fight to the very end. No way Aoba Johsai was going to plow through them to the finals.

Tsukishima blinked, "He sure hates losing, doesn't he?"

"Do it again!" Suga clapped with a close-eyed smile.

Endo cheered loudly, "get your revenge, Kageyama!"

Up in the stands, Sakura smirked. "Smart. Seijoh would think that Karasuno would want to show just how powerful their spikers are so they wouldn't think that Kageyama would return a setter dump." She certainly didn't think that Kageyama was anywhere near smart. However, when it comes to volleyball, Kageyama certainly knows how to outsmart his opponents. She just hoped that he, and the rest of the team, kept that up.