The IH Prefecture Preliminaries were set to begin on June 2nd, sting for three intense days. With two matches per day, the tour was bound to test the stamina of every partit.

  With two weeks left until the petition, everyone was steadily following their training routines.

  In the Aoba Johsai Volleyball Club's dedicated locker room, Kindaichi was in the middle of ging into his practiiform. He gnced around, firming there was no one else in the room, then tiptoed to the mirror behind the door, carefully adjusting his signature high-standing hairstyle with his hands.

  "Pfft. So that's why you sprinted off so fast today," a voice suddenly broke the sileartling Kindaichi.

  He jolted, whipping his head around in panic. "W-who's there?!"

  A flurry of noises—g, thump, baed from one of the lockers, and out sprang Kaedehara Taichi with a smug grin pstered on his face.

  "Who else could it be but me?" Taichi said, brimming with self-satisfa. "You came here ahead of us, just to fix your hair? Man, I thought it'd be something more exg."

  "You—you!" Kindaichi's face flushed a deep red. "Ramen for three days—no, a week! Please, Taichi, I'm begging you—don't tell anyone about this!"

  "Uh…" Taichi scratched his head, looking like he was about to agree, but—

  Bang!

  The door swung open, and a group of eavesdroppers tumbled into the room oer another.

  "Kindaichi, e on, what's there to hide?" Hanamaki Takahiro teased with his usual carefree attitude. "This is so unlike you. You're always the serious one, and here you are fussing over your hair? It's kind of refreshing."

  Kindaichi wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and disappear.

  Holy, it wasn't a big deal. Kindaichi wasn't the only oing unusually today. Some members were even more keyed up, judging by their overly formal attire.

  And it made seoday, a popur local program, Hello, Miyagi, was ing to film a feature on Aoba Johsai.

  They were pnning a close-up interview with the team captain and one of the trepieces of the IH Preliminaries, Oikawa Tōru.

  "o get so worked up," Coach Irihata had told them earlier. "They're here to film Oikawa, not the rest of you. Just act like you normally would."

  Kindaichi had been doing a good job of staying calm—until the whole hair-fixing debacle.

  Turns out, he's just a closet show-off. Taichi stifled a ugh, gng at Kindaichi's murderous gre.

  "Alright, let's head to the gym. Oikawa's still in the middle of his interview," said Iwaizumi Hajime, frowning. Ever sihe interview was firmed, he'd beeless. Uhe other members, his agitation wasn't from excitement but from unease.

  Iwaizumi had known Oikawa Tōru since elementary school. A "close-up interview"? He could already imagihat idiot doing or saying something ridiculous.

  I o keep an eye on him…

  Spurred by Iwaizumi's urging, the team made their way to the gym.

  " you tell us why you chose to attend Aobajohsai High School?" a woman holding a microphone asked. Behind her, a cameraman focused the lens on Oikawa Tōru.

  "Because the uniforms here look the best on me," Oikalied, fshing a wink and pyfully stig out his tongue.

  "…"

  The reporter hesitated but quickly shifted gears. "What's the most exg part of participating in a major tour like the IH Preliminaries?"

  "There are tons of oppos who shake with fear when they see us, and then there are those who get all sulky after losing. It's so much fun!" Oikawa said gleefully.

  The reporter froze, momentarily at a loss for words.

  "Do you have a personal motto when it es to pying volleyball?" she ventured.

  "If we're going to py, we'll crush them pletely!" Oikawa decred, with an almost frightenihusiasm.

  "…"

  "Well then, what are your thoughts on your long-time partner and vice-captain, Iwaizumi Hajime?"

  "He's here just to make me look eveer!"

  Bang!

  A powerful volleyball struck the back of Oikawa Tōru's head with pinpoint accuracy.

  "You idiot, Oikawa!"

  Iwaizumi Hajime stormed over, radiating fury. Oikawa, reizing the source of his misforturied to flee, but Iwaizumi grabbed him by the colr.

  Bowing apologetically to the staff, Iwaizumi said, "Please, I'm begging you—cut that part out of the broadcast."

  The film crew, still taken aback by the chaotic se, exged gnces. Seeing Iwaizumi's ear expression, the female reporter nodded. "Alright, let's switch to filming a group shot, then."

  Relieved, Iwaizumi gave a small nod of thanks and quickly rounded up the team to start their usual volleyball practice. The TV crew moved to the er of the gym, setting up their cameras with care to avoid disrupting the pyers.

  "We'll leave it to you now!"

  "Got it!"

  Initially, some of the pyers seemed overly aware of the cameras, their movements stiff and awkward.

  But ohe practice session began, everyone fell into their usual rhythm, ag as naturally as ever. As one of the top four teams in the prefecture, Aobajohsai's practice sessions were nothing short of intense and captivating.

  Swish!

  A blur of motion caught the attention of the film crew. The cameraman instinctively shifted focus to a pyer wearing jersey number 10.

  "He's so fast!"

  In the blink of an eye, Kaedehara Taichi had finished his approach, leaping into the air with a fluid motion.

  Whoosh!

  The ball, set perfectly by Oikawa moments ago, zipped through the air and nded squarely in front of Taichi.

  Boom!

  The ball smashed down onto the court, leaving a white streak on the polished floor.

  "What was that?!" The female reporter, who had covered numerous sports features, was taken aback by the sheer porecision of the spike.

  "Oh, that? It's Aoba Johsai's secret on," Iwaizumi said with a grin.

  "Is it alright for us to air that footage?" The reporter's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

  "What do you think, Taichi?" Iwaizumi called out, signalling for Oikawa and Taichi to e over.

  After a moment of thought, Taichi replied with a bright smile, "Of course! Go ahead!"

  "Really? That's fantastic!" The reporter's admiration for the fident and talented high school pyers grew even more.

  Oikawa, standing beside Taichi, couldn't help but admire his teammate's quick thinking. The truth was, this quick attack had already been seen by other teams who knew how to ter it.

  Revealing it now wouldn't make much of a difference.

  The true strength of this attack wasn't just in its sg potential—it was in its ability to distract the opposing team, f them to divide their focus. The more attention it drew, the easier it became for the team to execute other strategies.

  Seizing the opportunity, the reporter turned her attention back to the interview.

  "So, in this year's preliminaries, is there a particur oppo you see as a rival? I imagine Shiratorizawa's Ushijima Wakatoshi would be at the top of the list."

  "Ushiwaka?"

  Oikawa's smile vanished for a split sed before he regained his posure.

  "...Ah, yeah, sure. But we're more focused oing Shiratorizawa as a team. I don't really care about him personally," Oikalied, his tone carrying an unmistakable edge.

  Sensing the subtle hostility in his words, the reporter quickly flipped through her notes, ging the topic.

  "Actually, I interviewed Ushiwaka earlier, and he mentiohat the newer he's most ied in is Kaedehara Taichi from your team. Who's the newer you're most ied in?"

  "That would be Tobio-," Oikawa said, arg an eyebrow.

  "Do you mean Kageyama Tobio? I read up on him beforehand—he used to be your undercssman, didn't he? What do you think of him?"

  "Tobio- like foie gras."

  "...Huh?"

  Everyone, from the staff to the pyers, froze with wide eyes. Oikawa, clearly pleased with their bewildered expressions, raised a finger, fshing a cheerful smile.

  "Because the more you nurture him, the better he gets."

  "Ha…ha ha…How poetic," the reporter stammered, unsure how to respond.

  "Foie gras just happens to be my favourite food," Oikawa added nontly, his tone pletely serious.

  _________

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