Volleyball: The Time of Resonance

Yinchuan Mian had no objection to cleaning the volleyball room.

Just like taking turns sweeping the floor, every freshman in high school will clean, so there's no problem with that.

Fukunaga Shohei was wiping the corners of the volleyball with a rag when a senior high school student who had appeared behind him pointed and gestured at him, saying that it wasn't clean enough.

Yamamoto Taketaka was criticized for being too slow while carrying the equipment.

Yinchuan Mian also picked up the mop and started mopping the floor. Yamada Ichiro, like a wild dog that had finally seen meat, jumped up to his side.

"You're so slow even picking up a mop, are you useless?"

"..." Yinchuan Mian didn't really want to talk to someone who wasn't thinking straight, so she activated the automatic mute mode.

"How can you mop the floor like that? You can't even get it properly wet! Do you think you're some pampered young master?"

Can I sleep at Moyan's place tonight? My house feels so far away. (Actually, it's only one house away.)

"It's disgusting to have long hair like a girl."

Why hasn't the comic been updated yet? I've already spent so much money, why can't I show it to him in advance...?

"Yamada-senpai, aren't you going home today?" Kuroo Tetsuro stopped wiping the volleyball and approached.

"Of course I'll go back!" Yamada Ichiro said with a smirk, but swallowed his words when he saw the other's slightly dangerous smile.

"What's it to you? Weren't you helping them wipe the volleyballs? What? You're not being a good Samaritan anymore?" Not wanting others to discover that he was somewhat afraid of Kuroo Tetsuro, Yamada Ichiro said with a tough exterior but a weak interior.

"Kuroo, go and compile the volleyball club's report."

Murakamori, who had been pretending not to see anything, walked over.

"No, this is something only the captain can touch." Kuroo Tetsuro refused, not because of this made-up reason, but because he was worried that his childhood friend would be bullied.

"What's wrong with that? The captain will give it to you after I leave."

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

In the end, no data was taken. It was originally agreed that the volleyball room would be cleaned before taking the data, but after the event, the volleyball players refused, using the excuse that it had already been cleaned and that it would be too much trouble to clean it again.

The only thing that wasn't infuriating today was that because Yinchuan Mianye was so outstanding, Kozume Grinding was completely ignored and not targeted.

But this isn't exactly something to be happy about.

"Mianye, I'm sorry."

Kuroo Tetsuro heard what Yamada Ichiro said, and he thought it was very offensive.

"Why should you apologize to me? It's not like Xiao Hei did anything wrong."

Upon noticing that Kuroo Tetsuro had raised his hand, Ginkawa Mian also offered his head to the other's hand to indicate that he was alright.

Kuroo Tetsuro, who took on the role of caregiver, is actually very soft-hearted.

"Sorry, Kenma." Seemingly finding courage in Miya's actions, Kuroo Tetsuro said to his childhood friend on the other side.

"Xiao Hei, Mian is right." It's not your fault, so you don't need to apologize or feel guilty.

Kuroo Tetsuro understood what Kozume Kenma meant and gave a slightly bitter smile.

I brought the two of them into the world of volleyball, and my purpose was definitely not to let them suffer here.

Feeling incredibly guilty, Yinchuan Mian narrowed her eyes and asked expectantly, "Then... can I skip the meat for lunch tomorrow?"

"no."

Wow, Xiao Hei's refusal was so decisive! Yinchuan Mian also pouted.

Swallowing back his words, "Can I play games for two more hours today?" Kozume Kenma pretended he hadn't thought about it at all.

"Eating more meat will make you healthier. Mianye, you're not a sheep; you can't just eat grass."

"oh......"

"What did Matsukami Ichiji say to you today?" Kozume Kenma asked.

Kuroo Tetsuro listened intently, waiting for an answer.

"It's the National Tournament," Mianye replied.

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

Junior high school volleyball, national competition scene, 2010.

The outside hitter, wearing jersey number 13, moved like an agile cat across every corner of the volleyball court.

"Bang!" A back-row attack scores!

The boy remained indifferent, as if he had already anticipated the outcome, and calmly high-fived his teammates.

He'd been outmaneuvered again. The opposing blocker looked at his hands with a hint of despair, having failed to block once more...

Nekoma Junior High School scores consecutive points!

The main attacker from Yinju Junior High School, whose jersey number is 10, continued to serve, while Yinchuan Mian also stood at position 5, crouching low, ready at any moment.

"Bang!" The ball was hit and sent flying, then bounced up again in the next moment.

The opposing team launched a backline attack. Position 4, like a dragon taking flight, stomped the ground, jumped, and—"Bang!"

The referee's whistle blew loudly! Nu Suo Middle School scores!

The score of the junior high school was 15-15.

Yinchuan Mian frowned. He hated Sakuza Seishin's ball the most, with its special spin and tricky position.

It's impossible to guard against.

......

1-1

The score was 28-27, with Yinju Junior High School leading.

"Mianye, you need to play the entire game today," the coach of the junior high school division of Yinju said helplessly.

"The new students haven't developed their skills yet, and without your support, they're bound to panic..."

Yinchuan Mian, whose request to change personnel had been rejected, rubbed his arm and said, "Fine."

The national junior high school tournament featured soft volleyball, which was easy for Yinchuan Mianye, who had been practicing hard volleyball with Kuroo Tetsuro since he entered high school.

However, this relaxed mindset, coupled with an insufficiently warmed-up body, led to a prolonged match.

The troublesome Sakuhasa Seishin!

Enraged, Yinchuan Mian also retaliated with great force against the opponent's block!

Yinju Junior High vs. Nusho Junior High – Score 32:34

The score is tied 1-2.

Nuso Junior High School wins!

As the referee blew the whistle, Yinchuan Mian landed, but the moment she landed, her left foot, which landed first, twisted and she fell to the ground.

My left leg went numb for a moment, followed by a sharp pain that spread from deep within my muscles.

It's not a sprained ankle! It's a muscle strain!

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

An unpleasant memory surfaced in Kuroo Tetsuro's mind.

"Slap!" Kuroo Tetsurou decisively slapped the head of the sheep under his hand, earning a glare from the sheep.

Having successfully released the slight anger rising in his heart, Kuroo Tetsuro turned his head, coughed, and rubbed his fluffy head.

That's the advantage of getting a haircut; it feels great when it's not tied up.

"It was that match where Mina didn't stretch properly before the match, which caused the accident, right?" Kozume Kenma casually added fuel to the fire for Kuroo Tetsuro.

"Grind it!" Yinchuan Mian also called out resentfully, covering the back of her head and trying to get away, but was pulled back by the back of her collar.

That time it wasn't entirely Mianye's fault. The coach had said beforehand that he wouldn't be playing, but he made an emergency arrangement in the middle of the match. There wasn't enough time to begin with, and he thought he would be out after two rounds, but he unexpectedly stumbled.

Even though she's not the shortest (1.75 meters), Mianye OO

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

Yinchuan Mian was very polite. After tolerating the senior members of the volleyball team for three days, she chose to go and have a good chat with the coach.

The supervising teacher was a middle-aged man wearing glasses who taught second-grade math. When Yinchuan Mian arrived, he was looking at the test papers with a worried expression.

"Your homework looks terrible!" The man's yellow skin turned increasingly red.

"Report." Yinchuan Mian also interrupted the ultimate move.

"Please come in."

Yinchuan Mian also changed her aura from being unapproachable to being obedient and stood in front of the supervising teacher, telling him everything in detail.

The supervising teacher frowned more and more as he listened, and finally sighed.

"I rarely go to the volleyball club. I don't know much about volleyball. After Coach Nekomata left, no one comes to me unless it's absolutely necessary."

"I really want to help you, but this is ultimately an internal matter for your volleyball team."

"If I really disciplined the senior high school students, how would they treat you?"

"Indeed, I could give you the captaincy, or anyone in the second year of high school, but a captain who has no one to believe in is just a figurehead."

The supervising teacher shared his opinion, "You're still young. Wait another year, until they graduate. Maybe the volleyball team will be better then."

"Teacher, do you mean we can choose our own team leader?"

"No, that's not what I meant, but the position of captain needs to be respected by someone..."

"Thank you, teacher. I understand."

"?!" The supervising teacher, who was trying to persuade the other party to be patient, was confused.

What do you know?

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

"Let's seize power and kick out those who are occupying the seats but not sitting down." As the three walked to the volleyball club, Yinchuan Mian also made a surprising statement.

"?!"

"If you can't solve the problem, then solve the person with the problem?" Kozume was getting a little tired of thinking about the success rate of this.

How can we get them out quickly...?

"I went to see the supervising teacher at noon today, and he said I could change the team leader myself."

(Supervising teacher: How come I didn't know that was what I meant?!)

Kuroo Tetsuro pondered, "Indeed, without a coach, the captain of the Otokoma volleyball club has always been registered under the head coach's name. If the head coach doesn't intervene, he can indeed change the captain himself."

But would such an act, which carries connotations of insubordination, even work in Japan...?

If he really had to choose, he wasn't sure... whether all first and second-year students were unwilling to believe in the seniors, and whether they all hated this kind of environment.

He had considered kicking those lazy bums out of the volleyball team, but even when Coach Nekomata came back to visit last year, he never mentioned changing the main player.

Coach Nekomata's disappointed gaze pierced Kuroo Tetsurou's heart like a thorn.

"Probably? Anyway, Yamamoto Taketora is really annoying."

Yinchuan Mianye and Fuyong Zhaoping are not in the same class, but Yamamoto Menghu, who is in the same class, angrily cursed the senior students of the volleyball team in the classroom during the day!

"Disliking and wanting to change are two different things," Kozume Kenma said, expressing his thoughts. "It's like you don't like eating meat, but you wouldn't want to change the black dog that always feeds you meat."

"Well, anyway, it's a suggestion worth trying. If we just wait passively, we'll feel like we're running away no matter what the outcome is, good or bad." Kuroo Tetsurou quickly patted Kozume Morinaga's head.

I successfully got a fierce look from the mushroom cat.

Oh dear, she's gotten all worked up.

Kuroo Tetsuro awkwardly touched his nose and continued, "Yakuei and Hishin should support us. As long as one of you two is willing to support us, we can take a gamble."

Just thinking about this kind of thing is really exciting! It's like the underdog overthrowing the superior—a scene that only happens in action anime!