Volleyball: The Time of Resonance

March 5——

"The new team uniforms are ready, and the other color will be delivered in three days." Coach Naoi Manabu walked in carrying a pile of clothes.

The setting sun bathed the stadium's glass windows in a warm orange hue, and dust motes swirled slowly in the beams of light.

The seven members of the Yinju volleyball team huddled in the middle of the wooden floor, their shoes scraping against the ground with a soft rustling sound. After whispering among themselves for a while, they obediently focused their attention on their team uniforms.

The volleyball club currently only has 7 members, so why are they ordering over a dozen uniforms this time? Kozaki Kenma is puzzled.

Coach Naoi cleared his throat, his tone solemn: "This year's new team uniforms are still the same design as before—although we only have seven people, from today onwards, you are the representatives of Otokoma!"

"Yes, Coach!" the Nekoma Nekos answered in unison.

The cats that got along well had already huddled together, snuggling close and looking at the coach with expectant eyes.

Naoi Manabu lowered his head, inexplicably finding his teammates all quite adorable.

Yamamoto Takeo was the most restless, shifting left and right, glancing at his team uniform again and again, his neck turning red with excitement.

Fukunaga Shohei found it amazing, and gradually shifted his gaze from the team uniforms to observe his teammates.

It's obvious I'll be a starter, so observing my teammates is more important! (≖ ◡ ≖)

"Kuroo Tetsuro"

"yes!"

The jersey with the number 1 was received by two hands. He ran his fingertips over the number. This was an unsurprising result, and something he had known all along.

But! Kuroo Tetsuro couldn't control his smile and the excitement and thrill inside!

"Thank you, Coach!" Kuroo Tetsuro raised an eyebrow at the other cats, Otoko, as he took the team uniform.

The members of the Otokai group started clapping in unison, and the "clap clap clap" sound didn't stop until Kuroo Tetsuro sat down.

(Otoko: Today is different, let's give the captain some face)

Hisense.

The jersey with the number 2 was picked up. Looking at the jersey in his arms, Hisense suddenly recalled the time when he was ostracized by the upperclassmen.

The screen shattered like glass, leaving behind only red team jerseys and the white number "2".

Hisense bowed slightly, "Thank you, coach!"

"Yoku Eisuke".

The short-haired boy was somewhat surprised. As he stood up, he couldn't help but glance at Yinchuan Mianye on the other side.

Was he number 3? He remembered that Mian also really liked the number 3 and had even gone to find the coach.

"Yoku Eisuke, you are the most indispensable guardian in the team."

Naoi Manabu noticed Yoku Eisuke's subtle movements and spoke up in affirmation.

Holding the red team uniform in his arms, Yoruichi bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Coach!"

Number 4 is usually assumed to be the team's ace number—Yamamoto Takeo stared intently at the coach, waiting for him to call out the name.

Could it be me? Yamamoto Taketora wondered.

Fukunaga Shohei narrowed his eyes slightly, guessing the result, and made a "W" shape with his mouth, silently congratulating himself.

"Yamamoto Tiger."

"Yay!" The mohawk-haired boy's eyes widened instantly, and he couldn't help but jump a little as he stood up, his whole body practically floating with excitement!

"Thank you, Coach!!"

"Haha, so energetic!"

"Grinding with a lone claw".

The boy with the bob haircut slowly stood up, spurred on by the applause around him, quickened his pace, quickly thanked the team members after receiving the uniform, and returned to his original position.

Cat's fur is moderately ruffled.

"Shohei Fukunaga".

The boy whose name was called was very happy, his eyes shining.

Captain Tetsuro Kuroo narrowed his eyes and exclaimed, "Very cool!"

"Thank you, Coach!" Fukunaga Shohei really liked the jersey with the number 6 on it.

Kozume Kenma didn't look at the coach, but immediately noticed the number under the number 6 jersey—13?

The moment I saw this number, an image suddenly flashed into my mind of a boy with long hair leaping across the court.

You really like this number, Mianye.

Actually, compared to the number 13 when I was in junior high school, the number I really wanted was 3. Unfortunately, there were seniors above me in the first year of junior high, so I settled for 13 instead, and ended up using it until the last All-China Championship.

I prefer the feeling of companionship to likes and dislikes...

Actually, he could have changed it in the second year of junior high school, but Yinchuan Mian also refused the coach's suggestion at the time, saying that he preferred the team number he had fought alongside.

The boy with slightly curly brown hair accepted the team uniform with both hands. "Thank you, Coach."

His tone was similar to that of Kozume Kenma, not intense, just a statement of gratitude. The boy quietly pulled his team uniform closer to his chest, and a very faint smile unconsciously curved his lips.

He actually prefers number 13 because it was the jersey number he wore when he, Xiao Hei, and Mo Yan made it to the national tournament for the first time. The first time was special, and the longest jersey number was also special. The two combined made it even more special.

...... ......

Naoki Manabu has finished making them, and the kittens have been meowing excitedly for days because of the team uniforms.

As a result, apart from a few excited chats at the beginning, once training started, no one talked about the team uniforms anymore.

Naoi Manabu: Are all kids these days so mature? He vaguely remembered himself from a long, long time ago, when he was excited for about half a month—

Ah, time really flies.

The truth is—because there was only one set of team uniforms, the liberos couldn't change the color, so no one changed into the new uniforms and continued to use their training clothes.

If we can't even see it, what's there to discuss?

...... ......

After everyone asked about her health, the sheep found herself in a quiet, unassuming corner.

It's actually right under the window—

Sunlight slanted through the window and fell on the bench in front of him. Yinchuan Mian sat on the ground, using the bench as a table, and lay down on it to take a short rest.

I didn't sleep well last night either. Tiny ants are building my bones inside; they work the night shift and are very busy every night...

I need to grow taller! How tall can I grow? I hope to be 1.9 meters tall so that Xiao Hei can call me "brother" in the future.

The world before her eyes gradually darkened, the flesh on her cheeks bulged against her arms, and Yinchuan Mian, bathed in sunlight, went to play the Dreamer's Sleep Simulator.

Guzhao Moyuan was naturally the first to notice that the big sheep that had been rubbing against him was gone again.

"Kenma!! Drag a few more balls for me!!" Yamamoto Takeru followed beside Kozume Kenma, looking like he wouldn't give up until he got what he wanted.

"don't want."

"Grind them!! Three, just three, okay?!"

" reject."

"Hey!! Please, Genmo! You're the only setter on the team!"

"don't want!"

The boy with the bob haircut shook his head frantically; he had already finished his training for the day! Even a god couldn't possibly make him train anymore!

Little Black!!

Kozume Kenma glared fiercely at Kuroo Tetsurou. The tallest captain touched the tip of his nose, looking left and right with a guilty expression, but inwardly he was marveling at how amusing his childhood friend was when he got angry.

A certain culprit always stirs up trouble, causing others to pester him with demands for grinding.

"Well, you can help me carry three balls, right?"

Solitary claw grinding: staring—

Unfazed by the gaze, Kuroo Tetsuro continued to stand with his hands on his hips, maintaining his wicked grin.

The boy with the bob haircut felt inexplicably powerless. Why was Xiao Hei getting more and more...? Kozume Kenma couldn't even find the right words to describe it.

I won't pay attention to you, Little Black...

With slightly heavy steps, Kozume walked straight past Kuroo Tessō, not giving him another glance.

"Hey hey hey?! Kenma! Don't ignore me!" Kuroo Tetsuro said, already catching the volleyball thrown by Yoku Eisuke and patting it on the ground.

"You send it, I'll receive it." Yoruichi looked at Kuroo Tetsuro provocatively.

"Alright, the guardian spirit is going all out!" Kuroo Tetsurou agreed while casually throwing in a provocative retort.

The location where the light fell wasn't very obvious. After finding his bag, Kozume Kenshin took out his game console, looked around, and found the boy sleeping in the light.

Why are you asleep again?

As if he had thought of something, Kozume's eyebrows furrowed. He couldn't keep applying painkillers, but... he couldn't keep sleeping like this.

The fair fingers gently pinched the sheep's nape and found that it was fast asleep.

He then rummaged through another bag and pulled out Kuroo Tetsurou's jacket, covering Ginkawa Mian with it. Kozume Kenma squatted in a dark corner and started playing games.

This is a great spot; you can see the sleeping light-attribute sheep as soon as you look up—hmm, the SSR card is charging.

The volleyball room is filled with the same sounds: rackets hitting the ground or arms, volleyball shoes rubbing against the wooden floor, and players talking, some focused and some casually.

It wasn't exactly quiet here, but miraculously, it gave a sheep a wonderful dream.

Kuroo Tetsuro held the volleyball in his hand and slapped it down. To be honest, he really wanted to master the jump float, but...

The key to a float shot is to reduce spin and make the ball's trajectory unpredictable, while the power generated by the player always carries the momentum from the smash.

With a flick of the wrist, the volleyball flew out of bounds with a noticeable arc, not even touching the edge of the net.

"Hahaha! Is this serve just a way to give the opponent a point?" Yoruichi laughed out loud without any attempt to hide his laughter, mocking them. He had been waiting for the opponent's jump serve for ages, and then their captain delivered a huge one!

"Well, your float serve was pretty good, so why did you make a mistake on your first jump serve?" Yoruichi asked, hands on his hips and tilting his head.

Don't ask, the answer is that liberos can only receive the ball on the ground and do not participate in aerial battles.

"It's not as simple as you make it out to be," Kuroo Tetsuro picked up another ball. "Not everyone is like Mianya. Adding the word 'jump' increases the difficulty by more than two or three times."

"Oh~ Kuroo, you're sitting at the commoners' table!" Yoru Eisuke kept talking, his eyes and movements constantly on guard for the ball.

"Ha!" Kuroo Tetsuro chuckled, his gaze turning serious and sharp the moment he tossed the ball into the air.

"Bang—" The ball was smashed hard across the net, landing on the boundary line of the backcourt.

Just by looking at the direction of the ball, Yoruichiro was already mentally simulating a whole host of scenarios: a ball going out of bounds? A ball not going out of bounds? To catch or not to catch?

Despite his small stature, every step he took was decisive and confident. No one would know how many possibilities flashed through his mind during those moments of inner turmoil.

The libero is someone who can't catch up with the ball if he's even a step too slow.

A volleyball is always faster than a person.

Be correct, be decisive, be fast!

The volleyball was caught steadily by Yaku Eisuke and landed at position 3 in front of the net.

Kuroo Tetsuro clicked his tongue in annoyance and then took another ball from the basket.

According to the law of conservation of pleasure, a Kuroo in a bad mood will create a Yoruichi in a good mood.

He tossed the volleyball from the net into the basket and raised an eyebrow at Tetsuro Kuroo.

"Again."

......

"Thinking about it this way, Yinchuan's decision not to go to Jingtashan was also very brave."

Kuroo Tetsuro was drinking water when he suddenly let out a sigh.

Yoru Eisuke: "?"

"Don't you think it's a pity?" Yoruichi asked, something he had never understood since he heard about it.

Yoruichi thought to himself, "Since it was an invitation, I'll be a regular member once I get in. I know it's someone else's choice and I should respect it, but I can't help feeling a little regretful."

What a great opportunity.

"It's probably because Mian doesn't particularly like volleyball either," Kuroo Tetsuro said, his face expressionless, simply stating a fact.

"He's actually quite similar to the grinder."

"Huh??" Yoruichi's grip on the water bottle tightened, almost spilling the water.

"Yinchuan Mian doesn't love volleyball either?? His usual behavior doesn't seem like it?"

After all, not everyone can see through people's hearts at a glance. Usually, Ginkawa Mianye works very hard and never misses a training session. Even though he is not physically strong, he tries his best to keep up with Kuroo Tetsurou.

Although there will be breaks during free training time, free training time itself is free and not mandatory.

Moreover, Yinchuan Mian also worked very hard during the initial period of free training, but she has relaxed a bit in the last few days, probably because she was not feeling well.

How can someone like this not love volleyball?

"Yes, effort and liking something are not the same thing. Do you study hard because you love learning?"

Very well, Kuroo Tetsuro's question stumped Yoru Eisuke.

"Mianye, you're really amazing." Yoruichiro praised sincerely. "So he plays volleyball because of you?"

Of the three, only Tetsuro Kuroo truly loves volleyball.

"Envious, aren't you? Jealous? I have two childhood friends~" Kuroo Tetsuro smugly bent over, shoving his face close to Yoruichi's and making all sorts of cheeky expressions.

"Heh." Yoruichi really wanted to smash the water bottle in his hand over Kuroo Tetsuro's head.

He's the captain... his brain still works... without him, the game can't go on...

After replaying the image in his mind several times, Yoruichi couldn't help but roll his eyes at the other party, but he didn't actually make a move.

"If you have talent and are willing to practice, you'll eventually fall in love with volleyball."

"I hope so." Perhaps it's because they just finished training and there's still time, and the other teammate is someone they've known for over a year and can trust.

After the topic came up, Kuroo Tetsuro unconsciously talked a bit more.

"To this day, I still don't know what he really likes."

"Huh?" This time, Yoruichi was genuinely puzzled.

"All his hobbies reflect the influence of me and Moyan. It feels to me that he likes us because he likes us; it's a kind of connection."

"...That's how childhood friends are, right? I feel like you're showing off to me." Yoru Eisuke's serious expression gradually turned strange as he looked suspiciously at Kuroo Tetsuro, who had a malicious smile on his face.

Don't childhood friends do everything together? Of course they'll like similar things.

"Hahaha! You actually noticed! I thought your brain was as small as your height!"

"Black! Tail! Tetsu! Long!!"