While the Yukigaoka seven trained relentlessly in the gym during the break, one of them quietly pulled out his phone. Using the excuse of going to the restroom, he slipped into the stairwell to make a call.
"Hello, hello. This is XXXX."
"Yes, we've only been texting before, so this is our first phone conversation."
"That's right. I'm still not entirely sure how accurate the information is, but if it really happens, then following what we discussed earlier should lead to a pretty good outcome."
"Oh, not at all. It's just that my family has been supportive, so I've been exposed to volleyball since I was little and know a bit more than most."
"Alright then. See you when school starts."
"Mm-hmm, bye-bye."
Guren's face emerged from the shadows cast by the stairwell railing, exuding a distinctly conspiratorial aura.
Hinata Shoyo, who had also come to the restroom, jumped back at the cold smirk on Guren's face. It was exactly like encountering a villain. He quickly ducked behind the corner, peeking cautiously until Guren entered the restroom. Only then did he dare to peek again, sighing quietly to himself.
What's going on? These past few days, Guren has felt like he's hiding something from us. But nothing's really happened… it just feels off.
Hinata's beast-like intuition was accurate. Guren was hiding something from them.
While the young monkey boy fretted over his teammate's strange behavior, the high school volleyball elite across Miyagi Prefecture were quietly discussing the Junior High player in question.
===========
At Aoba Johsai, in a stylishly renovated cafeteria, Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime were eating ramen together. After years of friendship, Iwaizumi casually said:
"Hey, Oikawa, did you know there's a super talent who appeared in the Junior High tournament this year in Miyagi?"
Oikawa took a casual sip of soup, deliberately ignoring the question's emphasis.
"Let's change the terminology a bit, Iwaizumi-chan."
"Bastard, Oikawa."
"Isn't that just changing from a nickname to a full name?"
Seeing Iwaizumi's black-faced glare, Oikawa immediately stopped teasing and sat up straight, giving a serious answer.
"Ah, Ichinose Guren from Yukigaoka. I saw him in Volleyball Monthly."
"The one titled 'The Greatest Individual Performance', right?"
"Just hearing that makes me annoyed… probably another genius nobody likes."
Oikawa's first two sentences were normal enough, but the last one carried a fake casual tone that masked genuine annoyance.
Iwaizumi, wiping his mouth with a tissue, didn't respond to the "genius" comment. Instead, he voiced a real concern.
"A junior high school student already showing attack power on par with the old volleyball prodigy Ushijima Wakatoshi… he's bound to be scouted by Coach Washijo and recruited to Shiratorizawa without an entrance exam."
"Next, we could be facing a Shiratorizawa team with two Ushijimas in Interhigh and Spring High."
He balled up the tissue and tossed it into the trash, looking at Oikawa silently, waiting for his reply.
"Relax, relax. This year, Kitagawa also has two pretty good players coming to Aoba Johsai. And there's a third-year junior high school students, almost 189 cm tall~"
"Our team's strength has improved a lot. Just wait, I'll make Shiratorizawa and their Ushijimas regret everything at Interhigh!"
Oikawa, who was about to lift his bowl to sip his soup, was met with a raised eyebrow from Iwaizumi, who chose not to press further.
"Rare for you, bastard, to be this motivated about something."
"Oh, come on. I've always been this motivated~"
Oikawa chuckled and picked up his bowl. Hidden behind it, his face radiated mock anger.
Damn Ushijima!
No honor in that!
Getting backup too!
Shameless!
Ugh!
After mentally cursing Shiratorizawa, Oikawa finished the soup in his bowl and smiled at Iwaizumi.
"Let's take a break, then head to the gym and practice 200 jump serves?"
"Okay."
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At Shiratorizawa, in the luxuriously furnished student dormitory:
"Hey!"
Tendou Satori yanked open the door to Ushijima Wakatoshi's two-person room.
"Wakatoshi-kun, did you see the latest Volleyball Monthly?"
"Yeah, I did."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria