The ability of strong schools to maintain their leading positions isn't merely a matter of luck or ce; it's the result of various factors w together. The quality of their coaches and the skill level of their pyers are just some of the many pos of a strong school.

  Winning major tours and bringing honour to their schools acts like a mag, attrag talented middle school pyers who dream of tinuing their volleyball careers at such prestigious institutions.

  For example, Shiratorizawa's out-of-prefecture special recruit, Goshiki Tsutomu, and Inarizaki in Hyogo Prefecture scouted Suna Rintarō from Aichi Prefecture.

  This creates a positive feedback loop: outstanding achievements attract more exceptional talent, and the influx of new pyers further strehe team, solidifying the school's position as a powerhouse.

  Kakugawa Academy's pyers stood inside Shiratorizawa's gymnasium, gng at the other schools present. They felt pletely out of pce.

  "The weakest of these schools is still a prefectural top-eight team…" murmured Kakugawa's libero, Taishi Minamida.

  Shiratorizawa, Aoba Johsai, and Date Tech—these were teams frequently seen on TV.

  "Aoba Johsai made it to the top eight at this year's Inter-High Nationals," setter Yuzuru Komaki said, adjusting his gsses with a calm expression.

  After learning that their school had been io Shiratorizawa's training camp, Yuzuru had stayed up te researg the other teams. The only clusion he could draw was:

  "They invited us because of Hyakuzawa," said outside hitter Kaito Asamushi. While it was a bitter pill to swallow, it was the truth.

  "Oh…is that so?" The 2-meter-tall Hyakuzawa Yūdai, who had only been pying volleyball for three months, had little cept of things like "prefectural top eight" or "national top eight."

  Havily mastered the basics of spiking, Hyakuzawa found volleyball to be a fairly straightforward sport. Aside from receiving, which he found challenging, he felt that spiking alone was enough to score points.

  "Don't worry, Hyakuzawa. Even these strong teams don't have anyone who matches your height. Just py like you do in practice!" Minamida said loudly, trying to reassure Hyakuzawa, who looked fused.

  During their time together, Kakugayers had discovered that this 2-meter giant, who looked intimidating when silent, was actually a gentle and introverted boy.

  However, his overly straightforward nature and ck of tact often led him to uionally offend others.

  "I'm not worried, but, Minamida-senpai…your hands are shaking."

  "Hahaha!" Kaito Asamushi and Yuzuru Komaki burst out ughing, while Minamida wore an embarrassed expression.

  "Gather up!" Coaabara from Johzenji called out as the partits had mostly assembled.

  "Coach Washijō, please say a few words."

  Despite being a coach himself now, Anabara Takaaaki still maintained an attitude of resped humility toward his former coach.

  Washijō Tanji sed the gathered pyers and nodded slightly.

  "I know some of your teams are rivals in the preliminaries, but there's o act so antagonistic during this camp."

  "Training with people you wouldn't usually i with is a valuable opportunity frowth. Learn as much as you , even if it's by 'stealing' teiques. Push each other to improve."

  "For today, we'll stick to your inal teams and py matches against each other to assess gaps and identify weaknesses. Starting tomorrow, I'll mix up the teams for training."

  "Yes, sir!"

  The first-round matchups were announced quickly:

  [Aoba Johsai vs. Kakugawa Academy]

  [Shiratorizawa vs. Date Tech]

  Johzenji High had a bye.

  "What?" Aoba Johsai's pyers whispered amongst themselves, surprised at the ce to face the 2-meter giant so soon.

  "So that's the 2-meter behemoth in the flesh. What a sight!" Oikawa Tōru ented in a deliberately cheeky tone.

  "Yeah, you don't o search hard to spot him," said Iwaizumi Hajime with a casual gnce, his rea subdued upon seeing Hyakuzawa.

  "Shinji, go stao that guy for a sec—I want to take a picture," Oikawa said with a mischievous grin.

  Shinji Watari, Aoba Johsai's libero and the shortest oeam at 171 cm, was 30 cm shorter than Hyakuzawa. Standing side-by-side, the visual trast would undoubtedly be striking.

  "Huh?" Shinji looked thhly embarrassed.

  Without a word, Iwaizumi walked up to Oikaunched him lightly in the arm.

  "Ow! That hurt, Iwa-!" Oikawa whined, feigning innoce. "I wasn't trying to be mean, I swear…"

  Iwaizumi, maintaining a cold expression, tio hit Oikawa in silence.

  "Iwaizumi, with that level of force, Bakakawa won't learn anything," said Hanamaki Takahiro, fanning the fmes with a smirk.

  "Wait, Hanamaki! Ow—!" Oikarotest was cut short by another punch from Iwaizumi.

  On the sidelines, Aoba Johsai's Ace, Taichi Kaedehara, watched the se unfold with indifference.

  He had also inteo snap a photo earlier.

  "Why does Oikawa-senpai always mao make Iwaizumi-senpai angry? He looks so cool during matches…" pondered Kindaichi, his mind couldn't fathom why his cool senpai often got beaten up like that.

  -----

  Although Kakugawa Academy's team didn't seem particurly hy apart from Hyakuzawa, Taichi couldn't resist taking a look at the tall first-year's stats:

  [Hyakuzawa Yūdai—Outside Hitter. Overall Rating: 79; Height: 202.3 cm, Strength: 90, Jump: 78, Stamina: 88, Speed: 65. Teique: Spike: 75.]

  "Definitely a gift from the heavens," Taichi muttered to himself. Despite only three months of training, Hyakuzawa's raw physical attributes already gave him a solid foundation.

  "Pleased to meet you!" Both teams' captains shook hands.

  Judging by the results of the retly cluded Inter-High tour, Aoba Johsai was undoubtedly the stroeam present.

  But, how big would the gap between Kakugawa and Aoba Johsai turn out to be?

  While it was clear they couldn't beat Aoba Johsai, Kakugayers couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope as they looked at their 2-meter-tall rookie.

  Aoba Johsai's lineup was as follows:

  Front row— Setter Oikawa Tōru, Middle Blocker Kaedehara Taichi, Outside Hitter Kunimi Akira.

  Back row—Outside Hitter Hanamaki Takahiro, Opposite Hitter Kyōtaarō (Libero Watari Shinji) and Wing Spiker Iwaizumi Hajime.

  Kakugawa Academy's lineup:

  Front row—Middle Blocker Yoshiaki Nurukawa, Setter Yuzuru Komaki, Outside Hitter Hyakuzawa Yūdai

  Back row—Wing Spiker Isao Inagaki (Libero Taishi Minamida), Middle Blocker Eiji Makodo, Outside Hitter Kaito Asamushi.

  "Shouldn't we let Kindaichi hahis?" Kunimi pined, clearly relut.

  "He's way too tall—even Kindaichi couldn't block him," Taichi said quietly. "But volleyball isn't just about blog."

  With his sharp volleyball IQ, Kunimi's eyes lit up as soon as Taichi spoke. That's true—while they couldn't limit Hyakuzawa with height alone, what kind of spikes could he produce with his beginner-level skills?

  Still…he felt a bit uneasy.

  _________

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