Goshiki sat silently, head bowed, after losing a point due to his own misjudgment.
Two seconds of silence passed before he suddenly shouted at his teammates and bent deeply at the waist, bowing ninety degrees.
"My fault!!"
"I'm truly sorry! Not just for abandoning my teammates' predicted block, but also for hesitating two whole seconds before deciding whether to apologize!"
"I'm sorry!"
Goshiki's loud voice and genuine sincerity echoed throughout the gym.
Yet, after a three-second pause, the response he got was merciless laughter from his teammates.
"What's with you, Goshiki? Doing something that serious and still trying to apologize?"
"You gotta apologize fast! Delayed apologies like that, I won't accept them!"
"Ahahaha! Goshiki-senpai, you're too funny!"
"Goshiki, even your apology is hilarious! That's so you! Hahaha!"
One by one, the teammates laughed until they were practically rolling on the floor. Some even had tears streaming from their eyes.
"Damn it! If you make me laugh so much I lose energy for the game, I'm giving you a thousand-year kill tonight!"
Feeling the laughter surrounding him, Goshiki, still bowing with his face toward the floor, began trembling all over.
His brows twitched under his bob-cut hair, veins popping, cheeks reddening.
Finally, he couldn't hold it in.
Goshiki straightened up suddenly, face red with anger, pointing at his teammates.
"You damn idiots! I was seriously apologizing! Do not laugh at me!"
"At a time like this, each of you should come up, help me up, and say something like 'That's the privilege of a star player!'"
Hearing this, the teammates, already laughing themselves silly, paused for a second, then laughed even harder, collapsing onto the floor.
"Ahahaha! I can't! I can't!"
"Someone save me, I've entered a weakened state! Hahaha!"
"This junior-high schooler speech… are you really a third-year, Goshiki?!"
"You!!! Your accent coming out now? Hahaha!"
Masata Yori, trying to hold back laughter, made the expression even funnier, causing nearby teammates to almost choke on their own laughter.
"Shota! What's that face?!"
"Don't give him any face. If you want to laugh, just laugh!"
Shiratorizawa descended into utter chaos, all because of Goshiki's antics. The coach, exasperated, had no choice but to call another timeout.
"Don't give up, Guren!"
Hinata glanced at the scene on the opposing side and shouted to Ichinose.
Ichinose returned a puzzled look.
Are you even aware of what you're saying?
"They're having fun laughing! We can't lose either!"
Hoshino appeared behind Hinata, delivering a sharp-tongued commentary.
"Hinata, you idiot. Who competes with the opponent in laughing?"
"This isn't some kind of laughter competition!"
"Ah-pu!" Hinata couldn't help laughing at Hoshino's words.
Hoshino raised an eyebrow in confusion: "?"
"Your sense of humor is… always weird."
Hyakuzawa spoke. Hinata, feeling challenged, frowned.
"Hyakuzawa! You're criticizing me too now?"
Hyakuzawa, apologetic, said,
"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't resist. A 'laughing ball match'? You actually laughing at this is just… too much."
"What?! That's so funny!"
Hinata pointed at Kawashima, Suzuki, and Mori, shouting,
"You three! Isn't it hilarious?!"
The trio had no response.
…
After the timeout, both teams, having fully settled their moods, prepared for the next round of attacks and defenses.
Yukigaoka returned with momentum from their lead, spirits soaring.
Shiratorizawa, having laughed off the pressure thanks to Goshiki, readied themselves with a do-or-die mindset.
From the stands:
"Oh? Both teams look completely calm now."
"Yeah, look at their eyes, they're mentally exhausted, but focused."
Beep!
The referee blew the eight-second serve whistle.
Yukigaoka's Suzuki served with precision, targeting the path of Shiratorizawa's setter.
Unfortunately, the speed and placement weren't enough to seriously threaten the opponent, and the back-row player easily received it.
Damn it.
Seeing his serve cause no damage, Suzuki felt a twinge of frustration.
But he didn't dwell. He knew he'd only been playing volleyball seriously for a few months. Even with two hours of daily practice, he was still a rookie.
He didn't have Kawashima's height or Mori's brain, but Suzuki had a calm mentality and clear self-awareness.
He didn't feel useless when he made a mistake, nor did he feel invincible after one spike or a successful save.
To Ichinose, steady and reliable Suzuki had potential comparable to the other two same-year players.
Retracting his attention, Ichinose focused fully on the upcoming defense.
Finally, the game continued.
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