Chapter 5: Tobio Kageyama

"Alright, you two go stretch. Don't overdo it with the training; you'll only hurt yourselves," Iwaizumi instructed after assessing the two players' states.

"Yes!" Both Taichi and Kindaichi replied in unison before heading to the sideline to begin stretching.

[Host, would you like to exit training mode?]

The mechanical voice of the system chimed in Taichi's mind.

Oh? So considerate—it even asks for confirmation. Taichi silently responded in his thoughts. Yet, in that very instant, it felt like some unseen switch had been flipped. A wave of unprecedented fatigue surged over him like a tidal wave, washing away every ounce of strength in his body.

Taichi felt completely drained, to the point where even lifting his eyelids seemed impossible.

They say sports forge bonds between people, and after some time training together, Kindaichi felt like he and Taichi had hit off well as teammates, maybe calling them friends wasn't out of the question.

As he entertained optimistic visions of fighting alongside Taichi for the next three years, his peripheral vision caught a startling sight: Taichi, mid-stretch, suddenly collapsed onto his side.

"Taichi?!"

Kindaichi's panicked shout immediately drew the attention of the surrounding players, who stopped their activities and turned to look. Within moments, Iwaizumi and Oikawa rushed over, their urgency causing enough of a commotion to alert the team manager and coach.

Iwaizumi quickly checked Taichi's condition and then looked up at Kindaichi with a mix of exasperation and amusement. "He's just fallen asleep. Why are you yelling?"

Kindaichi's face turned beet red. "I-I thought... he just suddenly collapsed!"

The players around them froze for a moment before Oikawa's laughter shattered the silence. His amusement was contagious, sparking a wave of chuckles that rippled through the volleyball club. Even the weariness from training seemed to lighten with the shared humour.

Taichi, for his part, was caught off guard by how quickly things escalated. He quickly realized his body had demanded a deep rest and promptly used a stamina potion before things got worse. By the time Iwaizumi reached him, he had already regained his senses but chose to keep his eyes shut, hoping to avoid the awkwardness.

"What's going on here?" Coach Irihata's voice cut through the commotion.

Hearing this, Taichi knew he could no longer feign sleep. Slowly opening his eyes, he feigned confusion as he looked around at the concerned faces.

Noticing Oikawa winking at him knowingly, Taichi remained calm and played along. "Sorry, Coach. I must have overexerted myself during practice and accidentally nodded off. I'm fine now," he said, sitting up to demonstrate he was unharmed.

"Are you sure?" Coach Irihata asked with concern.

To reassure him, Taichi stood up, hopped a few times, and stretched his arms, appearing fully energetic. The coach nodded in relief, and the incident marked the unofficial end of practice for the day.

While the others dispersed, Oikawa and Coach Irihata huddled together, whispering about something. After a moment, Oikawa's face lit up, and he called everyone into a circle.

"I've got exciting news!" Oikawa announced, his enthusiasm evident. "Next weekend, we're having a training match against Karasuno!"

"Karasuno? I've heard of them—they used to compete in nationals."

"Wait, aren't they that fallen powerhouse? They've been pretty weak lately, haven't they? This match might be boring."

The team members began discussing Karasuno's recent performance. It seemed like an unremarkable matchup, and no one could understand why Oikawa was so interested.

"Don't underestimate any opponent," Iwaizumi's calm but firm voice interrupted, silencing the chatter.

His piercing gaze swept over the group as he continued, "Karasuno might not be at their peak now, but they've left their mark on the national stage. Volleyball isn't just about stats or rankings—it's about adaptability, strategy, team spirit, and even the unpredictable nature of the game. Dismiss them at your own risk."

"Ehem," Oikawa interjected, breaking the intensity. "Actually, the real reason is that one of my super strong—but totally un-cute—juniors joined Karasuno."

"Are you talking about Kageyama Tobio, Oikawa-senpai?" Kindaichi asked, standing abruptly.

"Yep. Didn't you and Kunimi play with him back in middle school?"

All eyes turned to Kindaichi and Kunimi, who nodded in confirmation. "We did," Kindaichi admitted, though the memories weren't pleasant.

Back then, Kageyama was the 'King of the Court,' demanding his teammates follow his orders to a Tee.

A year ago, on the middle school tournament court:

"Kindaichi, move faster!"

"Kunimi, stop slacking!"

Kunimi had muttered under his breath, "Why is he so obsessed when there's no blocker?" while Kindaichi's irritation had reached a boiling point.

"If we're this serious now, what'll we do in the finals?" Kageyama had snapped back, frustration written all over his face.

The memories of his time on the court with Kageyama made Kindaichi want to shake his head. "Senpai, why are you paying so much attention to him?"

"Well~ because his setting skills are probably the best in the prefecture now," Oikawa replied nonchalantly.

"No way!"

"But of course, I still outshine him in serving, blocking, spiking—and teamwork," Oikawa added smugly, scanning the team.

His confidence instantly reignited the team's competitive spirit. "We have to win!" the thought echoed collectively.

For Kindaichi, this was personal. Kageyama was the infuriating king he was determined to defeat. Meanwhile, Taichi felt a different kind of excitement—he was eager to meet Kageyama and Hinata on the court for the first time.

Taichi's mind raced. Historically, Aoba Johsai's main rival had been Shiratorizawa. But this year's Interhigh narrative was shifting. Karasuno would inevitably make waves with their rapid growth.

In the third round of Interhigh-Preliminaries in the original work, Karasuno had pushed Aoba Johsai to the brink, their fiery spirit and relentless effort forcing an intense, nail-biting match. Though Aoba Johsai emerged victorious by the slimmest of margins, it was clear that Karasuno's potential was limitless.

That came true when Karasuno with their continuous growth and evolution defeated not only Seijoh in the Semi-Finals of the Spring High-Miyagi Prefecture Representative Playoffs but went on to trump over Ushiwaka-led Shiratorizawa to announce their resurgence on the National Stage.

And they never had to look back, ever again.

This upcoming training match wasn't just another game—it was a chance to set the tone. Taichi resolved firmly: they had to establish their dominance now.

"We have to win," he thought, his resolve hardening like steel.