Volleyball: The Time of Resonance

"So," Kuroo Tetsurou sat cross-legged in the middle, asking with great interest, "tell me, what did you all do during summer vacation?"

"Kuroo, you're too noisy," Yoru said while adjusting his knee pads.

On the first day of school, there were no chores to do. After cleaning the volleyball room, which had been deserted for a long time, everyone sat on the wooden floor in twos and threes instead of leaving immediately.

Yinchuan Mian also thought for two seconds, then sat down with her back against the cold wall of the gymnasium. The wooden floor felt slightly cool through her thin sports pants.

The students in the first year of high school were initially a little unfamiliar with each other, but now, because of one sentence, that familiarity has completely disappeared.

Yinchuan Mian also tilted its head slightly, its fluffy back of its head against the wall. What a formidable little black dog.

A slight weight came from his side, and a quiet mushroom cat sat down next to him, their shoulders gently touching.

Before the blue-eyed cat could even turn around, Kuzaki had already lowered his head and was rapidly swiping his fingers across the phone screen.

Ah, it's this single-player game. You haven't finished it yet?

A few strands of dark brown hair fell down, partially obscuring her face, creating a small, private space isolated from the surroundings.

Yinchuan Mian could even feel the slight rise and fall of her childhood friend's shoulders as he breathed, and the warmth of another person's body that emanated through his clothes.

Yoruichi adjusted his knee pads, put his hands on his hips, and smiled. "What else can I do? I spend most of my time training. I did spend a few days at my relative's brother's university training camp, and the defense there was really tough."

Hisense smiled gently and slowly rolled up the tape in his hand. "I went back to my hometown to help with farm work."

"Oh! As expected of Yoru-senpai!" Yamamoto Taketora immediately chimed in, his eyes shining. "My sister and I, my family, went to the beach! It was a huge beach! The sand felt so nice to walk on! I planned to go for a run the first day, but I couldn't keep going after only half of it!"

Shohei Fukunaga stated that he was helping out at the noodle shop and did not go out to play. (Translated by Tetsuro Kuroo)

"Kuroo, what about you? You three must be together again, right?" Yoru Eisuke asked curiously.

"Yeah, Kenma, what about you guys?" Yamamoto Taketora looked over.

Kozume Kenma stared at his phone screen, seemingly not hearing anything, but his body subtly moved closer to Ginchuan Mianye.

Hisense looked on with amusement at Kuroo Tetsurou, who was watching the commotion without saying a word, and asked the other little guy.

"Shouldn't you tell us about Mian too?"

"I went to a club to play ball." Yinchuan Mian blinked her blue eyes, looked up at everyone, and said in a steady voice.

"A club?" Yoruichi looked over, intrigued. "The kind with gangsters? What's it like?"

"Yes." Yin Chuanmian nodded. "There are all kinds of people."

"Oh! All kinds of people?" Yamamoto asked curiously.

Yinchuan Mianye's gaze swept over the wear and tear on Yejiu's knee pads, recalling the taut lines of the young office worker's calves when he jumped at the club.

He played countless training matches, constantly adjusting himself, understanding himself, and adapting to himself.

"There are office workers who jump very high, but their spikes are very direct," he said slowly.

After being caught off guard by a sudden opening of the net, I successfully stopped the person.

Yamamoto Taketaka's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh! A power type! The kind that wins head-on?"

"Sort of." Yinchuan Mian paused, "There are also... sisters whose balls float a lot and it's hard to predict where they'll land."

"Anything else?" Kuroo Tetsuro asked as if he were listening to an interesting story. Although he was also one of the parties involved, he rarely saw Ginkawa Mian talk about his own affairs in front of so many people.

A sense of relief welled up within me.

"And another thing," Yinchuan Mianye's gaze wandered, finally settling on the person beside her, "the setter who likes to deceive people with his eyes and feints."

The sly glance that former college player gave before passing the ball, and the profile of Makino intently staring at the game screen at this moment, overlapped in my memory for a moment. He looked a little like Makino.

Kozume Kenma seemed to sense his gaze, looked up from his phone screen, met his eyes quickly for a second, and then became engrossed in the sea of ​​numbers again.

"Wow—" Yoruichi crossed his arms. "Sounds like a pretty chaotic place. Facing unfamiliar opponents and fighting styles, it'll really test your on-the-spot reactions, right?"

"Mmm," Yinchuan Mianye responded softly.

At first, we were indeed at a loss, and everyone's coordination was a complete mess.

He recalled those "strange balls" that initially left him bewildered, and how his body later almost automatically adjusted its angle to meet those tactile sensations that were either spinning, elusive, or heavy.

He recalled the astonishment on the young man's face when he landed after the young man's spike route was predicted.

"I've also learned a new serve." Yinchuan Mianye suddenly looked up as if she remembered something, her blue eyes shining brightly as she looked at the libero not far away.

"Huh?" Yoruichi was stunned for a moment. Saying he had learned to serve and was watching the libero was a kind of provocation, wasn't it? But the other party's eyes were a little too innocent.

"Quite a harvest!" Yamamoto Taketora gave a thumbs up.

"What about grinding? Why don't you tell us about grinding too!" Kuroo Tetsuro turned the conversation to Mushroom Cat, who was still playing games.

Kozume Kenma finally turned off his phone screen and muttered in a tone that said "This is so troublesome" but wasn't really angry, "...Kuro is so annoying. We were clearly together...we only played ball a few times."

"He only played a few rounds?" Kuroo Tetsuro deliberately raised his voice and turned to everyone. "You didn't see it, but over there he almost squeezed himself into the ball cart to avoid talking to strangers."

A lone claw grinding: A cat with slightly ruffled fur and a speechless expression. (JPG)

(This is a black cat mother worried that her kitten won't fit in with the other kittens.)

Yoruichi laughed without giving him any face. "That's definitely the style of Grinding."

Hisense nodded gently, "However, encountering all sorts of playing styles is a very good experience."

"That's right!" Yamamoto Taketora echoed loudly, clenching his fist. "No matter what kind of opponent you face, you have to overwhelm them with your presence! But..."

He suddenly thought of something and looked intently at Mianye, "That office worker who jumps so high, what does it feel like to receive his spike? How does it compare to those powerful attackers we know?"

Yinchuan Mian thought for a moment and answered honestly, "It's not quite the same, it's more... aggressive, but there are few changes."

Yoruichi nodded. "Different forces and different ways of receiving are good."

Suddenly remembering something, Hisense asked, "Has anyone seen Coach Naoki?"

One by one, the cats of Otoko shook their heads.

"Speaking of which, I didn't see the coach when I opened the door today either." A question mark also appeared above Kuroo Tetsuro's head. "He probably has some things to take care of at school. When we went for joint training during the holidays, all the other teachers were on holiday. I guess he didn't submit that report."

The conversation gradually drifted off to other topics, such as the games they watched during the summer vacation, newly discovered snacks, or other trivial matters.

Moyan lowered her eyelashes again and quietly stayed in the small bubble next to Mianye.

The conversation gradually subsided.