Chapter 88: Next Opponent

"Line up!"

The referee's voice boomed across the court as both teams lined up under the net, facing each other.

Karasuno's players couldn't help but notice the gloomy expressions on Date Tech's faces. It was clear—no team here wanted to lose as everyone fought until the very end.

"..."

They immediately fixed their expressions and restrained their joy, trying to show respect to their opponents.

But among them...

'...This crazy bastard.'

Nishinoya couldn't help but think as he glanced over at Tsuna.

The guy wasn't paying attention to the handshake at all.

His gaze was fixed somewhere far away as the others followed his line of sight, and soon, they realized what he was looking at.

"Ah, Aoba Johsai is playing..."

Hinata exclaimed with surprise.

None of them had noticed until now. They had been so immersed in their own game that they hadn't seen the match happening on the other court.

"Ahem..."

Daichi lowered his voice and coughed, snapping them back to the present as they scratched their heads awkwardly. They seemed to have finally realized they were getting distracted, and their face slightly blushed in embarrassment. 

"..."

Tsukishima adjusted his glasses and was about to say something. But as he firmly shook hands with the Date Tech player in front of him, he decided to stay quiet this time.

"Tsunayoshi Matsumoto..."

Futakuchi whispered the name as his expression was twisted with frustration, which made Tsuna turn his head, realizing one of the main blockers among Date Tech players was currently standing before him as he casually reached out for a handshake as he said nothing.

'This bastard...'

Futakuchi's pride burned. He had noticed how Tsuna's intensity had faded as Date Tech fell behind.

It didn't sit well with him!

The thought that Tsuna had slowed down, as if the game wasn't worth his full effort, made his blood boil.

Plop!

Futakuchi slapped Tsuna's hand away.

"..."

The sound was soft but sharp enough for everyone to hear as they instantly froze, feeling the atmosphere tensed instantly.

Karasuno's players stared in shock, while Date Tech's team looked equally surprised.

"F-Futakuchi!"

Moniwa's face paled. He instinctively stepped forward, ready to bow in apology, but Futakuchi cut him off with a sharp tone.

"Save your handshake for the next game."

Futakuchi looked at Tsuna. He took a step closer, his words dripping with challenge. "Next time, you won't have enough time to relax."

"..."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away. On the side, Aone was standing nearby, watching Tsuna in silence. 

"Sure," Tsuna said calmly, "Let's see if you're gonna keep your word."

"..."

Aone's gaze lingered on Tsuna so that it started to be quite apparent as Tsuna tilted his head, "And please stop staring at me like that.

"Hn!"

Aone grunted, his frown deepening.

He might be nonverbal, but Tsuna could tell he shared Futakuchi's sentiments.

"..."

After a moment, Aone turned and walked away.

His towering figure joined the rest of his teammates from Date Tech. Tsuna watched as Futakuchi got a sharp slap on the back of his head from one of his seniors.

Aone received the same treatment, though he didn't react much.

Together, they walked toward their bench.

Karasuno did the same. They waved to their small group of supporters—mostly members of Karasuno's girls' team—who were cheering behind their banner.

Then, they gathered their things and prepared to leave the court.

"Well... it ended well, despite some mishaps along the way," Keishin muttered, his arms crossed as he watched the players pack up.

"They did their best this time around. It's well deserved."

Takeda smiled beside him, nodding in agreement.

Keishin shrugged, "It's not like I was trying to invalidate the result. Winning in straight sets is totally good for us."

The game had been intense, and they'd played two matches in a row. Keishin was relieved they hadn't been pushed to a third set.

The extra strain could have affected their performance tomorrow.

"Whoaaa!"

"Oikawa-senpai!"

The high-pitched squeals of girls echoed through the gymnasium.

Karasuno's players turned sharply toward the source of the noise, their expressions a mix of annoyance and curiosity.

"..."

Keishin also turned his head, his thoughts still on the game they had just played.

Many unexpected things had happened, but those variables had pushed the team to bring out their best.

It was what made him proud as his eyes shifted to the other court, where Aoba Johsai was playing their first-round match.

23 - 11.

Just looking at the scoreboard alone, he could tell Aoba Johsai was dominating their opponent. Keishin narrowed his eyes, his mind already racing ahead. He clapped his hands loudly to get everyone's attention.

"Alright! Get your asses ready! We'll find some empty seats and watch the game!"

"Yessir!"

The team responded in unison, their voices filled with eagerness.

"Eh, Aniki, you're going home already?"

"Yeah, I'm only here to watch my son play," Ichiro said, standing up from his seat.

He had been about to go meet his kid but was distracted by the loud squeals from the girls on the other side of the gym.

Ichiro couldn't help but pause before glancing at the court, "Hmm, there's another game still...?"

"Well, this should be the last game for today," Takinoue said, leaning back in his seat.

Shimada added, "...Seijo, huh? They're definitely going to win this." 

"You seem confident," Ichiro remarked.

However, he somewhat agreed with Shimada. Ichiro wasn't much of a sports guy, but even he could tell from the scoreboard.

Aoba Johsai was dominating!

"Ah, speaking of which, they should be in the same bracket as Karasuno," Shimada said, rubbing his chin as he tried to recall the tournament bracket posted at the entrance, "So most likely, they're going to be Karasuno's opponent tomorrow..."

"Oh...?"

Ichiro's interest was piqued.

TWEET!

Another whistle blew, and Aoba Johsai scored yet another point.

Seeing this, he raised his eyebrows as he asked, "How strong are they compared to Date Tech?"

"Date Tech...?" Both Shimada and Takinoue looked at each other, confused by the sudden question.

"Hmm..."

After a moment, Shimada answered, "Date Tech is only top 8, but Aoba Johsai is top 4."

"No, actually," Takinoue cut in, "I'd argue they're the second-best team at the moment."

Despite losing to Karasuno in the previous tournament, Aoba Johsai had secured second place in the next one—where Karasuno hadn't participated.

Their only loss had been to Shiratorizawa, the reigning champions.

"So they're stronger, huh?"

Ichiro smiled, his curiosity growing. He walked to the edge of the stands, his eyes fixed on the ongoing game.

The ball was rolled back to the serving area, and Oikawa, Aoba Johsai's star setter, picked it up.

"Kyaa!!!"

"It's Oikawa-senpai's turn to serve!"

The girls' cheers exploded like fireworks, filling the gym with high-pitched excitement. Among the crowd, Karasuno's players were weaving through, trying to find empty seats.

"Ha! I don't like that guy..."

Tanaka clicked his tongue, his face scrunched in annoyance. 

"That's because you can't win against him in both looks and skill, Tanaka-san," Tsukishima said while adjusting his glasses.

"Oh, shut up, Tsukishima!"

Tanaka roared as Tsukishima just sneered in response, clearly enjoying the reaction.

"Whoa, The Great King is so popular..." Hinata mumbled, his eyes wide as he watched the scene. He couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to be that popular.

The cheers, the attention—it was like Oikawa was a celebrity.

"Eh, Tsuna's not coming with us?"

Suga suddenly asked, looking around.

"...?"

Everyone stopped and glanced around, only to realize Tsuna was nowhere to be seen. Daichi shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he had something to do?"

"Speaking of Tsuna-san," Hinata said, tilting his head, "he's got the looks, so why isn't he as popular as Oikawa-san?"

"..."

The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere froze. Everyone turned to stare at Hinata, their expressions a mix of disbelief and amusement.

Hinata stepped back, startled, "H-huh? Why is everyone looking at me like that!?"

"Hinata..."

Kageyama stepped forward, his face serious. He tapped Hinata on the shoulder and then pointed to his own face, "What do you see?"

"EH?"

Hinata squinted, noticing the faint bruises on Kageyama's face—likely from what happened earlier in the game.

"Agree..."

Suga nodded solemnly as if this explained everything.

Everyone chimed in at once, their voices overlapping. "That guy is totally unapproachable unless you approach him first, you understand?"

"Ah..."

Hinata nodded slowly, pretending to get it. But in reality, he was completely lost.

'Unapproachable unless you approach him first? What does that even mean?'

He scratched his head, still confused, but decided not to ask further.