Chapter 75: Vs. Date Tech!

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'It's over, huh?'

Ikejiri sat alone on a bench, separated from his teammates.

He needed a moment to himself.

They had expected to lose early, but the match had ended so quickly. The reality of it was hard to swallow. His chest tightened with a mix of emotions—disappointment, pride, and frustration all swirling together.

They had pushed hard in the second set.

'For once, I've felt so alive...'

Ikejiri was proud of that. His team had given it their all, and he knew his teammates felt the same way.

But still...

'Would the outcome have been different if I had trained even harder?'

The thought gnawed at him. He was glad they had tried their best, but the weight of the loss was heavy. He couldn't help but wonder, 'Could we have taken the second set if I had pushed myself further?'

The emotions were conflicting.

Trying their best had felt incredible, like the peak of their entire volleyball career. But now, as third-year players, they realized they had never truly given their all until this moment.

And accepting that, along with the loss, was hitting them hard.

"Oh, Tsuna, you're done?"

"Yeah."

"Ichiro-san really came to watch?"

"...Apparently, yeah."

The conversation snapped Ikejiri out of his thoughts.

He looked up and saw a group in black jackets walking through the corridor. Among them was Tsunayoshi Matsumoto, rejoining his team.

The sight made Ikejiri pause.

'Karasuno...'

Ikejiri's fist clenched unconsciously. He suddenly sat up, his voice breaking the silence as he shouted, "Karasuno!"

"Huh?"

"That guy is..."

Karasuno turned their heads, surprised by the sudden call. Daichi blinked as he recognized the face.

"...Ikejiri?"

But Ikejiri didn't seem to hear their confusion.

He slowly approached the group, his chest tightening with every step. The emotions swirling inside him grew stronger, making his lips tremble.

When he reached Daichi, he weakly grabbed the Karasuno captain's arm.

"Win more..."

Ikejiri muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Please..."

Tears began to form in his eyes. He bit his lip, trying to hold them back, but the pain was too much. He looked straight at Daichi, his voice cracking as he continued, "You have to keep winning! Win for us too!"

"..."

Karasuno fell silent. Ikejiri's words, his twisted face, and the raw emotion in his voice struck them deeply.

At that moment, they once again were reminded of the harsh reality of the tournament. Even though it was only the first round, so many teams had already fallen.

Dreams were crushed, hopes shattered.

This was the nature of the game they played. Thousands of players across the nation ended their seasons with losses, just like Tokonami High, their first-round opponent.

Karasuno knew this pain all too well. They had faced defeat before, and they remembered how much it hurt.

"Ikejiri..."

Daichi's voice was calm but firm. He gently grabbed Ikejiri's hand and lowered it, then clasped it in a strong handshake.

He nodded firmly, his eyes filled with determination.

"..."

Ikejiri's eyes widened. He looked around and saw the entire Karasuno team staring back at him with the same resolve.

"We're going to carry your dream on our shoulders. We'll keep winning—for you, and for everyone who couldn't make it this far."

"...!"

Tears finally broke free, streaming down Ikejiri's face. He forced his trembling lips into a smile and nodded, unable to find the words to respond.

Karasuno gave him one last look before slowly walking away.

Ikejiri's gaze stayed fixed on their backs as they left. His fists clenched tightly, tears falling uncontrollably.

In his heart, he whispered, 'Thanks, Karasuno...'

As Karasuno searched for a quiet place to relax, another team had already found the perfect spot.

They sat together, rehydrating and resting, their washed white jackets with green accents neatly laid out beside them.

"Well, as expected, we're playing Karasuno next," a man in his mid-40s said.

The man had black swept-back hair and narrow eyebrows. He rubbed his chin as he continued, "They've made quite an improvement since the last time we played them."

This was Takuro Oiwake, the coach of Date Tech.

The team listened intently, sipping their drinks as Moniwa nodded while adding, "And their former ace, Tsunayoshi Matsumoto, is back. They're definitely stronger than before."

"Yeah," Futakuchi mumbled, scratching his head. "Both his serve and spike were insane. Aoba Johsai couldn't do anything against him."

He then sighed. "I can't believe I talked trash to him the first time we met. I must've lost my mind."

"..."

Aone glanced at Futakuchi and gave a small nod. Futakuchi tilted his head, confused, but Moniwa quickly chimed in.

"Aone's right. We shouldn't be afraid anymore."

"...As expected of our captain," Futakuchi muttered, his lips twitching.

He was always amazed at how Moniwa could understand Aone's silent gestures so easily.

Coach Oiwake nodded in agreement.

"Well, Tsunayoshi Matsumoto is currently injured and can't use his right hand. His left hand is still strong, but it's not at the same level. That's why..."

He paused before boldly declaring, "...we're going to give him a taste of our Iron Wall, just like we did last year!"

"Yessir!"

The team nodded in unison, their determination clear.

Futakuchi blinked, suddenly realizing something. "Wait, he's only been using his left hand this whole time?"

"What is this? I thought he was still a monster I once saw but I guess he's no longer that guy, huh?"

He recalled their encounter this morning before curling up his lips in amusement. "And he still had the guts to talk trash to us like that?"

"..."

Aone simply looked at him, his expression unreadable. But this time, Futakuchi understood.

He chuckled as a sly grin spread across his face. "Keke, this is going to be fun. Let's block him into the ground."

The next game between Karasuno and Date Tech was scheduled for 1:30 pm.

This gave both teams plenty of time to rest and prepare.

While it wasn't enough time to enjoy a full lunch since digesting heavy food before a game would be a terrible idea—it was enough for them to grab a light snack to keep their energy up.

Time flew by quickly. Before they knew it, it was already 1:30 pm.

The gymnasium, which had been quiet for a while, erupted into cheers once again.

"Whoa, Date Tech's players are coming in!" someone in the crowd shouted.

Another voice trailed off, "Karasuno, huh? Their first game was impressive, but..."

"Date Tech's Iron Wall is going to be tough to break, even for them...".

There were two games scheduled at the same time, but almost everyone in the audience was focused on one court—the one where Date Tech was about to face off against Karasuno High.

The energy in the gym was through the roof, but the crowd was clearly leaning toward Date Tech.

"Uwaahh, it feels like the whole gym is cheering for Date Tech..."

Takeda muttered with nervousness. He glanced around, noticing the sea of banners and colors that matched Date Tech's team.

The support for Karasuno seemed almost nonexistent in comparison since they only occupied a small cubicle with their banner hanging.

"Well, they've got their supporters here today," Keishin said as he scanned the crowd.

"A lot of our supporters lost hope a long time ago."

He shrugged. Keishin didn't seem to mind about it as his eyes shifted to his team, who stood ready on the court.

"Keke..."

A small smile tugged at his lips. "Youth, huh? Reminds me of my good old days..."

On the court, the tension between Karasuno and Date Tech was quite clear to see as both teams stood facing each other.

However...

"Gather around!"

Keishin's voice broke the tension as Daichi immediately gestured for the team to follow as they walked toward their bench. 

"..."

And as they strode over, Aone suddenly raised his hand and pointed directly at Tsuna.

The gesture was bold, almost challenging.

"..."

But Tsuna simply glanced at him, his expression unreadable, before looking away as if it meant nothing.

"Keke... Don't you think he's quite rude, Aone?"

Futakuchi commented, raising his eyebrows in amusement.

However, Aone didn't seem to mind as he lowered his hand, and both of them followed their team to the bench.

The moment passed, and Karasuno quickly gathered around their coach.

"There's not much time before the game starts," Keishin said, glancing at the giant clock hanging in the gymnasium.

He looked back at his team, "We're going with our starting lineup, just like the first set last round. Remember, their blockers are going to read your moves. Start by poking around and see if their Iron Wall lives up to its fame."

He paused, letting his words sink in. Then, his grin widened, "If it does, follow our plan. If it doesn't..."

Keishin's voice grew louder, "Go chew them alive!"

"Yessir!"

A loud, unified shout echoed across the court.

TWEETT!

At the same time, a long whistle blew, signaling that the game was about to begin.

Both teams lined up on their respective sides of the net, bowing to each other as tradition dictated before getting their quick warm-up session, and once they were done, the players took their positions.

As they took their positions, they stared at the front right in surprise as Suga, who was standing outside, mumbled, "Tsuna's already facing Date Tech #7 this early?"

Tsuna was standing before Aone from Date Tech!

Meanwhile...

"..."

Aone frowned even deeper than usual. His sharp eyes locked onto Tsuna, who stood directly across from him.

Tsuna met his gaze as he smiled, "Oh...?"

He raised an eyebrow, noticing the intensity in Aone's stare. "You seem pretty eager to play, Mr. No Brow..."

"..."

Aone simply grunted in response, his expression unchanging.

Tsuna chuckled softly, "Sure, I'll see if you're as good as you told me."

The tension between them was palpable.

However...

"Hold on..."

Futakuchi suddenly blinked in surprise as he realized something, "You understand him?"

What in the world?

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