Volleyball: The Time of Resonance

On Monday, a school day, Kozume Kenma, who had returned to the volleyball club, received well wishes from all sides and, with everyone's concern, managed to suppress his urge to run away.

It was early morning training again, and Yinchuan Mian also yawned widely. Should we say that we are glad that, for various reasons, the coach finally gave up mountain running?

He was already exhausted after running five laps around the streets surrounding the entire Yinju campus. If he were to actually run up a mountain, he would collapse halfway there and be unable to get up again.

"Mianye, what are you spacing out for?" Kuroo Tetsurou circled around. Everyone was diligently warming up, but a certain sheep stood out from the crowd.

"Huh?" Yinchuan Mian, whose name was suddenly called, also came to her senses and then found that everyone was warming up, so she quickly joined in.

Unfortunately, because of his absent-mindedness, he received a sinister stare from a black cat.

(If you don't warm up properly, a black cat will come to your aid. Quickly say thank you to the black cat.)

"We were fighting the water conservancy team in the morning, but when we fought the Jingtashan team in the afternoon, the gap in skill was so big that I couldn't even react!" Yamamoto Taketaka, who had already warmed up, stretched and mumbled to himself.

"It's not that the water conservancy is bad, it's just that it's not in the same league as Jingtashan at all."

"There's definitely a gap between the national champion's seeded team and the top eight in the prefecture," Yoruichi Eisuke was indeed caught off guard at the time. "The key is that everyone here is a high school student, so the gap is just too big."

"There was a ball that I saw him hit towards Mina, but the volleyball grazed Mina's head and went into the back row!!"

"Damn it, they've gone too far! What if they accidentally hurt someone?"

Kozume Kenpachi was trying to escape training, but his body honestly stood still, his head turning to look at his surroundings, the ground gradually turning into pixel art from his feet.

There's a 50% chance there's a treasure chest on that house covered in ivy!

"I've never heard Yinchuan swear. He's probably the most polite person around here," Hisense said as he warmed up and chatted with Heiwei Tielang next to him.

"Fukunaga has never sworn at anyone, has he? I don't remember him doing that," Kuroo Tetsuro replied after a moment's thought.

"If that's the case, then it seems there wasn't any grinding involved?"

"...Maybe." She seemed to be recalling a time when she was matched with a random teammate in a four-player game, "They are usually very polite."

"I can't imagine what he would look like swearing." The reliable vice-captain recalled in his mind that even when he was so tired that he was talking nonsense, he didn't swear.

"Wasn't it the time you fought Yamamoto?"

The cat, still a little distracted, bristled and suddenly looked up at the two people chatting.

Yamamoto Taketaka was startled and choked on his own saliva, then began to cough violently.

I really want to say, this happened so long ago, why bring it up suddenly?

But in fact, not long after, Kozume Kenma tried to shut Kuro up with his eyes.

The long-distance run, which was not exactly easy, began. Yinchuan Mian hesitated for a long time, but in the end, she followed behind Heo Tairou.

If you follow in front of the grinder, you'll definitely get punished by Xiao Hei to run...

Little Black.......

Last night, when I went back to my own home to sleep, I couldn't resist playing a few games. When I looked up at the clock, it was already past midnight. Since my legs were sore and I couldn't sleep well anyway, I just gave up and played until 2 a.m.

It was a perfectly normal run, but after two days of rest, my body was subtly protesting.

After my run, when I get back to the billiards room, I'll find a place to hide and take a nap... No one will notice me.

Breathing follows the rhythmic steps, sweat only thinly covering the skin, and a slight coolness is brought by the passing wind.

Running alongside Xiao Hei always gives me a sense of security.

Yamamoto Taketaka learned his lesson and stopped running forward at the beginning. Now he's behind and talking to Fukunaga Shohei.

The first day was relatively relaxed for everyone.

"Meow~"

"?!" Yinchuan Mian also felt like she was hallucinating. Was she just sleepy?

His steps forward faltered slightly. He turned back to look in the direction of the sound, but saw nothing.

"Meow~"

Its voice was so childish, it sounded like a very young cat. Its blue eyes looked around, and its pace slowed down as it ran forward, gradually putting some distance between itself and Kuroo Tetsurou.

Kuroo Tetsuro, who also heard the voice, turned around as if sensing something and found the sheep completely captivated.

"Little Blackie, there's a kitten over there!" The blue-eyed man successfully found the little creature he was looking for.

Following the direction pointed by the fair finger, a kitten stumbled out of the grass and walked step by step toward the cement road.

The kitten is yellow overall with a white tip on its tail. It looks to be only about a month old and is only slightly larger than a hand.

"Where did this little guy come from?" Yoruichi stopped and walked closer curiously.

......

The red horse surrounded the kitten.

Even the last remaining claw, Grinding, ran over to them and crouched down to observe the little kitten.

"Where did this little guy come from? Where's its mother?"

Unable to contain his excitement, Yamamoto reached out to touch the kitten, only to have the kitten, whose fur was damp, spit out a "hiss" at him.

"It's so tiny, its teeth have just come in, what's the use of being fierce?" Kuroo Tetsurou said, squatting on the ground to the still panting kitten.

He stretched out his right index finger and tapped the kitten's head, successfully seeing the kitten lying on its back, trying to hook Kuroo Tessou's hand with its paws, but scratching at empty air.

"You even bully kittens," the upright Yoruichi said, hands on his hips.

"It's all wet, did its mother abandon it?" Yin Chuanmian tentatively stretched out her hand in front of the kitten, observing whether the little kitten would stick to her hand.

His hands were warm.

Kuroo Tetsuro joined the line of people reaching out, hoping the kitten would lie in his palm.

"Maybe so. This kitten looks listless. If it weren't for the fact that it's June, it probably wouldn't survive if left here unattended."

It would be unbearably hot in April and unbearably cold in August, thankfully it's June now.

Fukunaga Shohei squatted down and observed for a while before extending his hand as well.

Perhaps it is human nature to imitate. After a while, all the hands that everyone in Yinju stretched out blocked the kitten's paths in all directions.

The poor, weak, and helpless kitten shivered in the wind, meowing pitifully.

"I feel like its mother really doesn't want it anymore." Not focusing all his attention on the kitten, Kuroo Tetsurou occasionally looked around to see if there was any movement in the bushes.

Unfortunately, no.

"We can take it back." Hisense looked at the little guy on the ground with some affection.

"What if its mother just wandered a little too far away?" Yinchuan Mian didn't want the kitten to lose its mother at such a young age; the mother cat would be very anxious if she couldn't find her kitten.

"Otoko isn't far from here. If we follow his scent, we should be able to find him." Kuroo Tetsuro felt that leaving him here unattended wouldn't do. "His fur is all wet. We should at least get him dried off when we get back to the volleyball club."

Ultimately, the young kitten chose Lone Claw Grinding as its vehicle.

Kozuma was a little bothered by the fact that he was dirty, but he still put the cat in his pocket.

The group returned to the volleyball room.

The morning training couldn't be completely wasted on the cat. Everyone worked together to rummage through drawers and cabinets for a while and found an empty cardboard box. They lined it with a lot of toilet paper before gently putting the cat inside and then moved the box to a corner where it could be exposed to the sun.

On his way back, Yamamoto Takeo noticed that something had started being built in a corner of the campus.

Out of curiosity, he asked Senior Hai, who had been there for a year.

"It's probably the drama club preparing for the school festival in early July." Hisense thought about it seriously. So far, only the drama club had built a stage last year.

The drama club's stage is made of various wooden frames, so to prevent damage, it is usually disassembled and put back after use.

"Otokoma's school festival is in July!" Yamamoto Taketora's eyes lit up instantly, and he pressed on, "What activities does our volleyball club have?"

"Last year's event was a ball-passing competition, I think. The winner would get 5000 yen for a 200 yen bet, but it seems they lost money because there weren't many participants."

"Huh...?" Yamamoto Taketaka's eyes instantly turned into beady ones. How should I put it? It was outrageous, but it was indeed something that those senior high school students would do.

"I guess volleyball is just something to play now, isn't it?" Kuroo Tetsuro, who had already put the matter out of his mind, stroked his chin.

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

When the lunch break bell rang, a pretty girl stood in the 5th group of the second year of high school.

"Hello, who are you looking for?" a boy passing by the classroom door stammered.

"Hello," the girl greeted him with a smile, "I'm looking for Kuroo Tetsuro from your class. It's about the volleyball club. I need to discuss something with him. Could you please pass this on for me?"

"Okay, okay!"

The boy's face turned bright red instantly, and he stumbled back to the classroom, his hands and feet moving in unison.

"Kuroo Tetsuro!! You're so lucky, there's a super pretty girl waiting for you at the door!! She wants to talk to you about the volleyball club! I told you guys would become famous after making it to the indoor semifinals!!"

Suddenly, a loud slap was slammed on the table, followed by a long string of words from Kuroo Tetsuro. He seemed to have a very good temper. I thanked him, got up, and went to the classroom door.

"Hello, I'm Kuroo Tetsuro." Kuroo Tetsuro saw the girl his classmates had mentioned as soon as he stepped out of the house.

"Hello, Kuroo-kun. I'm Ye Yingyingzi, the vice president of the drama club. May I speak to you privately?"

"Of course, Ye Ying."

The corner of the stairs, a less crowded area.

"So, you're hoping the volleyball club and the drama club can collaborate on a play?"

"Yes, we sincerely invite everyone in the volleyball team to participate in our upcoming program."

"The Nightingale and the Rose, I've read this story by Oscar Wilde. It requires very few characters, doesn't it?"

"Yes, but we have made some changes to the original story. Based on our discussion, we will split the profits from this performance with the volleyball team on a 30/70 basis." The girl spoke with a smile, her pace was even and clear, and it was very pleasant to listen to.

Kuroo Tetsuro thought to himself, "As expected of someone from the drama club," and then began to inquire whether the 30/70 split of profits meant the total profits or something else.

Both of them were very organized. With no preparations made by the volleyball club, the drama club's invitation was very sincere, mainly because of the generous pay. When Kuroo Tetsuro learned that it was a gender-swapped version of "The Nightingale and the Rose," he agreed without hesitation.

"Don't worry, we won't make you dress as women!"

After the last collaboration with the swimming club, which resulted in a bunch of bizarre-looking guys appearing after the swimming club members dressed as women, the club president declared that he would never allow boys to dress as women again.

"That's good, that's good!" Kuroo Tetsuro replied with a smile. Actually, cross-dressing was fine too, as long as the money was good, he could be as graceful as a tree.

After saying goodbye to the vice president of the drama club, Kuroo Tetsuro, on his way back to the classroom, pondered how to tell Kenma about it, since it seemed like everyone was going to have a chance to perform.

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

"W-what?! I have to dance with the girls from the drama club?!"

After evening training, Yamamoto Takeo, his face flushed, awkwardly repeated the question.

"Yes, all members will start by dancing in pairs for about 30 seconds."

Kozaki's eyebrows furrowed tighter and tighter, his entire being a clear sign of resistance.

"Oh dear, it's just a dance, and you're wearing a mask, so no one will know it's you!"

"The drama club went to the trouble of building the stage and preparing the props, and they were even willing to split the profits 30/70 with us, the participants. They're really being generous!"

"Our volleyball team is dirt poor~ grinding—"

Kozume Kenma sighed. He wasn't one to make a fuss unnecessarily. "I understand, Kuro."

"Wataya!"

After dealing with one, she took care of the other, because she stopped smiling and went to Yinchuan Mianye, who was drowsy and with her kitten.

The kitten stuck to the edge of the cardboard box, and Yinchuan Mian also stuck to the box, the two cats separated by a thin layer of cardboard.

"I heard you, Xiao Hei. I'm okay."

"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you for your hard work, Mianye!"

A question mark appeared on Yinchuan Mianye's head. Her blue eyes blinked as she watched Xiao Hei leave after saying those words. She then silently closed her eyes and continued to rest.

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

"But I think it would be better to make Yinchuan-kun the male lead!!" Ye Ying, a first-year student who is usually gentle and generous, said excitedly.

A second-year student leader declared, "No way, the male lead is a jerk! Besides, we're producing a gender-swapped version; if I were the male lead, he'd have to wear women's clothing!"

"Oh, right! So, the female lead, that young lady!"

"Great! Shorts, we absolutely have to get those! The last time I watched him warm up, his thigh muscles were absolutely perfect!"

"Damn it, our support this time was completely ineffective. We absolutely have to get another wave of people before the Spring High School Championship!"

"There's nothing we can do since all the conductors are in the vocal department. Never mind, let's think about the play first!!"