Volleyball: The Time of Resonance

"Creak—"

That familiar scream from the door; it had been oiled before, but it seemed to have dried out after a few weeks.

Kuroo Tetsuro, with his back to the door, raised an eyebrow. "A third goal! Coach Naoi!"

The footsteps coming from the doorway were much lighter and slower than those coming from Coach Naoki, but they were completely ignored because of the sounds coming from inside the arena.

The others facing the door were stunned when they saw who had come in. Oblivious to this, Kuroo Tetsuro turned around and was about to tell Coach Naoi that they had already cleaned up the venue.

Turning around, however, I didn't see that tall, imposing figure.

The newcomer was short, hunched over, with gray hair and a face covered in wrinkles...

"Nekomata... Coach." Kuroo Tetsuro murmured in disbelief.

"It's Coach Nekomata!" Yamamoto Taketaka shouted, his eyes wide open.

"Coach Nekomata!"

"Good afternoon, Coach Nekomata!"

The kind old man smiled, "I didn't expect that after so long, you would still remember an old man like me."

"Coach Nekomata, you're really Kuro's idol. I've never seen Kuro so... reserved in front of anyone before," Yinchuan Mianye said to the mushroom cat beside her.

"Well, after all, Xiao Hei found his direction in life because of Coach Nekomata." The black-haired boy with a bob haircut thought it was normal.

When the old man arrived at the center of the venue, everyone surrounding him obediently shouted in unison, "Coach Cat!"

Holding a report, Naoi Manabu, who was a step behind, had a gentle expression. What is this... these kids.

"Nekomatsumaru-sensei." The young man respectfully handed the list to Nekomatsumaru Ikushi.

"Don't blame me for taking so long to get here, right?" Nekomata Ikufumi joked with a grin.

The cats in red team uniforms shook their heads one by one, staring at him with bright, sparkling eyes.

"I'm sure you can guess why I'm here today. You're all smart and good kids," Ikushi Nekomata said without keeping you in suspense. "I will be taking over as head coach of Nekoma, with your coach Manabu Naoi as your assistant. We'll be together for the rest of your high school volleyball journey."

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

"This is really terrifying..." Kozume Maki muttered to himself, curled up on the bed.

Yinchuan Mianye, who was hesitating about whether or not to soak her knees in hot water before going to bed, looked up blankly.

Well, "grinding" probably refers to the scene this afternoon.

Everyone was very excited at the time. Yamamoto was yelling very loudly and out of control. He excitedly grabbed Kuzake, who was nearby and hadn't reacted in time, and shook him several times.

At that moment, it seemed as if transparent souls floated out from the top of Mo Jin's head.

Xiao Hei was right next to them, but he was just watching the show.

By the time I realized it, the grinding process was almost completely finished.

Her freshly washed hair was still wet, and a few drops of water fell onto the towel draped over her shoulders. Mian yawned and decided not to cover her knees anymore.

"It's a good thing that the attacker and setter get close!" Kuroo Tetsurou said, his tone still lively as he dried his hair.

Lone Claw, grinding its half-moon eyes, moved further into the bed.

The boy wasn't really unhappy or angry; he was just not used to it. Actually, if he were caught and shaken around a bit, and enjoyed the lively atmosphere with everyone, he could accept it...

Yinchuan Mian looked around before finally lying back on the newly replaced large bed at Kozume's house, her body and legs straight, her hands on her stomach with her fingers interlaced, and slowly closing her eyes.

Yinchuan Mian also moved, her gaze involuntarily drawn to the two people in the distance.

The lone claw grinded, seemingly wanting to speak but then stopping itself.

Kuroo Tetsuro immediately noticed that the other person's hair was not dry. "Maya, don't go to sleep with your hair wet."

"But it's summer." The boy opened one of his blue eyes to look at the black tail, then closed his eyes again after saying this.

He's so sleepy, the Duke of Zhou (a figure in Chinese mythology associated with sleep) is inviting him to play games.

Kozume Kenmo glanced at his phone, then at the scene before finally deciding to cross his legs and watch the spectacle unfold between his childhood friends.

In summary, Mian was unwilling to get up on her own, so Xiao Hei pushed her up and tried to wipe her hair.

However, Mianye was leaning against Xiaohei's chest, and it was difficult to wipe her in that position. So Xiaohei tried to get Mianye to sit up on her own. As soon as he straightened her up and let go, Mianye lay back down on the bed in a strange position.

A big question mark appeared on Xiao Hei's head. He then pulled the person up and tried to find a suitable spot.

Xiao Hei let go, and Mian collapsed onto the bed...

After five minutes of this back and forth, Mian was still on the bed with her neck and head resting on the air beside the bed when she was being rubbed.

The light from the bedroom lamp illuminated his light blue eyes, making them appear like many stars. Perhaps because he was sleepy, his eyes were filled with a thin mist.

Yinchuan Mian just stared straight at the person who bent down to wipe his hair, his black eyes filled with helplessness and amusement, while the other person was still complaining to another childhood friend about his own affairs.

The boy unconsciously raised a hand and poked his cheek.

Kuroo Tetsurou paused, his dark eyes meeting his gaze.

"Huh? What are you doing? It's too late to change positions now."

With calloused fingertips, she slid upwards and tapped the corner of the other person's eye.

"I can see myself in Xiao Hei's eyes."

"Of course, and it's black too." Kuroo Tetsuro couldn't resist the other person's watery eyes. If he really softened, the other person would be the one who would feel uncomfortable if he didn't dry his hair.

A corner of the towel was placed over the blue eyes, and the head was being vigorously rubbed.

She could faintly hear another laugh from her childhood friend, who couldn't help but laugh, and her ankle was pinched by the other person.

......

"Will the three of us stay like this forever?" Yinchuan Mianye, who had rolled to the edge to sleep because her octopus-like sleeping position was likely to disturb Kenma, asked, staring at the dark ceiling.

Without a second's hesitation, Kuroo Tetsuro replied, "Of course."

Logically, shouldn't I be too excited to sleep tonight? Why is this big sheep thinking about all sorts of things?

The three thin blankets on the bed were tightly packed together.

Kozume Kenma thought about it seriously for a few seconds before answering, "Yes."

As long as they are both willing to maintain this relationship, they will remain just as close, even if they are thousands of miles apart.

"No matter how many times Mian asks me this kind of question, my answer will always be yes." Kuroo Tetsuro yawned, his words slow and clear.

"Yes." Kozume Kenma confirmed softly; he thought so too.

"Okay." Yinchuan Mian closed her eyes contentedly.

Goodnight, Grinding Mill; goodnight, Little Black.