Haikyu!!: Rise of Sengoku

[Veltoria]

Chapter 1: Time to Start Grinding Somewhere New

"Akashi-senpai, it's your turn next."

The voice in his ear pulled Mason Lee's drifting consciousness back to reality. At the same time, the sound of a ball bouncing and sneakers squeaking on the gym floor rushed into his head like a crashing wave.

He opened his eyes.

In front of him was a delicate-looking boy with a slightly nervous expression. Behind the boy, the familiar overhead lights of an indoor gym glowed down.

Mason Lee was completely baffled.

What's going on?
Who am I?
Where am I?

Am I still drunk?

"Akashi-senpai? Are you okay?" the boy asked again, noticing the confusion in Mason Lee's eyes.

He wasn't speaking English. It sounded like Japanese, but somehow, Mason Lee understood him perfectly.

Mason Lee looked at the boy again. As his brain tried to match the face to some half-familiar memory, a flood of images and emotions surged through him, painful yet strangely comforting.

…
Name: Akashi Asuka
Age: 15
Height: 179 cm
Currently a third-year student at Sengoku Junior High, Miyagi Prefecture.
Not long ago, he was blindsided during a fight and hit on the back of the head. For the rest of the afternoon, he'd felt dizzy and groggy, until he suddenly collapsed and blacked out. At that moment, completely Karasunoticed by anyone, Mason Lee had taken over his body.

Position: Volleyball team's outside hitter.
Currently a mid-practice match…

…
Mason Lee quickly pieced together the key points from the overwhelming rush of memories, and ended up even more confused than before.
"Did I just transmigrate? That voice in my head wasn't kidding?!"

…
Name: Mason Lee
Age: 24
After graduating from university, he spent two years working as a basketball coach at a local training center, three of those years were during the pandemic.

The pandemic made everything worse. Every industry was already highly competitive, and now it was even more brutal.

Back in college, Mason Lee had prided himself on being someone who could "grind" that is, work hard and push through. Otherwise, there's no way he would've secured a starting spot on the school team despite lacking natural talent, surrounded by monsters of athletes.

If he hadn't pushed himself so hard and ended up injured, he probably could've had a brighter future.

What he hadn't expected was that after entering the workforce, he'd run into a whole bunch of people who could grind even harder than him.

But they weren't grinding in skill or effort, they were grinding in office politics.

In other words, networking.

And that just wasn't his strong suit.

So despite his genuine efforts, he was constantly outshined by those who spent their time cozying up to bosses and supervisors.

When all your hard work doesn't match your rewards, even someone like Mason Lee starts to burn out.

That's when a mysterious voice suddenly echoed in his head…

"If you can't grind here anymore, how about grinding somewhere else?"

Still drunk off his ass, Mason Lee had no mental capacity to question why a voice was speaking to him. His only thought was:

"Grind? Of course I'll grind! Put me in a fair and square environment, and I'll grind those bastards into the ground."

And then…

He opened his eyes, and saw this scene.

Mason Lee was speechless.

He considered himself pretty adaptable, but transmigrating like this, so suddenly and casually, made him want to complain out loud.

Thankfully, he'd been an orphan in his previous life, with nothing holding him back. So it didn't take long for his brain to start working again, albeit with a dull headache.

Tch.

Young people these days… ambushing a guy in his twenties!

Wait, no, that wasn't me who got hit.

Never mind then.

"I'm fine, Nishimori. I've finished warming up. I'll go in now."

Mason Lee rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head, smiled at the delicate-looking boy, Nishimori Tomohiko, and headed for the volleyball court. He hadn't fully settled into this "Akashi Asuka" identity yet, but that could wait until after the scrimmage.

Nishimori stared at Akashi's retreating back, dazed.

Something about Akashi-senpai… feels different today.

…
"Volleyball, huh…"
Walking onto the court, Mason Lee felt a wave of nostalgia.

He'd studied a bit of volleyball in college, though mostly the theory. His main sport had always been basketball. But with the theoretical knowledge he had, and the muscle memory inherited from Akashi Asuka, he should be able to get through this practice match just fine.

Probably.

Maybe.

"Akashi-senpai!"
"Akashi-senpai!"

As soon as he stepped onto the court, a group of first- and second-year students bowed to him. Judging by their expressions, though, there was more fear than respect.

Understandable.

Aside from being the team's outside hitter, Akashi Asuka had another title, "delinquent."

Although he hadn't done much besides getting into a few fights, in a Japanese school environment, just being labeled a "delinquent" was enough to make most students wary.

In Japan's school ecosystem, the top dogs were: the smart kids, the star athletes, and the delinquents.

Akashi Asuka happened to be at the top of at least two of those categories.

Actually, maybe all three.

Because according to the memories, he was also pretty damn good-looking.

In just over two years of Junior High, he'd already received more than twenty chocolates and love letters on Valentine's Day.

"Please take care of me!"
"Looking forward to playing with you!"

After a brief exchange, the two teams lined up, shouted their greetings, and the match began.

Akashi Asuka was placed on the Red Team. The main players were split across both teams. On his side, two other main players had joined: setter Ryuhei Sanashita and opposite hitter Oda Miki.

Tweet!

The whistle blew.

The Red Team served.

A second-year sub served underhand, a basic serve for Junior High level. The ball arced through the air and landed steadily in the back row.

"Mine!"

The Blue Team's libero, Neko Kurata, shouted as he received the serve cleanly. Their backup setter quickly followed up and set the ball high above the net to the middle blocker, Oomae Masato, who had already leapt into the air.

Boom!

Smack!

Two sharp sounds rang out in the gym.

The first was Oomae's spike. The second, Akashi Asuka's block.

He had the tallest height on the entire team. In most cases, scoring directly past him in a practice match was no easy feat.

At 179 cm, for a third-year Junior Higher, he was already exceptionally tall.

There were taller players his age, sure, but not on the Sengoku Junior High volleyball team. Their overall strength was average for Miyagi Prefecture.

Meanwhile, the top school in the region, Shiratorizawa, was rumored to have an average starting height over 180 cm.

"Hmm... Shiratorizawa. Why does that name sound so familiar?"

The thought flickered by, and Akashi shifted his focus back to defense.

Though he blocked the spike, the point wasn't scored. Neko Kurata, the libero, had managed to dig the ball. The Blue Team was already setting up their second attack.

To be honest, Akashi was a little impressed.

They were only just entering their final year of Junior High, yet the intensity was already this high. He'd always heard Japanese schools were serious about sports, but now, experiencing it firsthand, he truly understood.

At the very least, these kids were serious about volleyball.

"Heh..."

Akashi grinned. He had to admit, he was starting to get excited.

In competitive sports, if you aren't serious, there's no point in playing.

Now he understood why that voice had brought him here. In a way, school sports were a truly fair and intense grind.

The ball soared again. Oomae jumped once more, and Akashi followed his rhythm.

But the next second,

The ball sailed past Oomae and landed on the left side of the net. There, another figure with a nearly identical jump height leapt high into the air.

It was the other middle blocker, Jujiro Kazama.

Smack!

With a loud crack, the ball slammed into the floor and bounced high.

Score: 1–0

"Ha! Got you, Akashi! Today, Kazama and I are gonna take you down!" Oomae laughed, hands on his hips. While most of the younger students were scared of Akashi, the main players had a pretty good relationship with him.

Still…

Both Oomae and Kazama had been eyeing Akashi's "ace" position for a long time.

What can you say?

The grind never stops.

Akashi didn't respond to Oomae's "provocation." Instead, he looked at the spot where the ball had just landed.

He wasn't upset, in fact, the corners of his mouth curled up, and his expression turned... just a little unhinged.

Subarashii.

This competitive atmosphere, this pressure to grind harder than everyone else, this is what really gets him going.

Ding!

[Detected: Host's "Grind Soul" is burning...]

[Activating Grind System...]

 

[Veltoria]

Host: Akashi Asuka
Strength: 73 [Core Strength: 71 | Arm Strength: 75]
Speed: 69 [Explosive Speed: 68 | Reaction Speed: 70]
Stamina: 71 [Endurance: 70 | Cardiopulmonary Fitness: 72]
Vertical: 67 [Jump Height: 72 | Hang Time: 62]
Basic Skills: 55.6 [Serve: 50 | Bump: 54 | Set: 48 | Spike: 70 | Block: 66 | Defense: 46]
Advanced Skills: [None]

A sudden chime echoed in Asuka's mind, an alert from the system. But to his own surprise, he remained completely calm, barely fazed by the intrusion.

After all, he had already been through reincarnation. What's a system on top of that?

"Alright, System, why don't you introduce yourself?"

He asked politely in his mind.

No response.

Clearly, this system wasn't exactly intelligent.

Beep!

Just then, the referee's whistle snapped Asuka's attention back to the court.

A second-year substitute on the Blue Team served the ball to the backcourt. It wasn't fast. Junior high students' bodies were still developing, but they rarely hit powerful serves. In most cases, the receiving side held the advantage.

Oda Miki, the starting opposite hitter with soft, flowing hair, received the ball easily. Seeing this, Asuka quickly stepped back two paces, then sprinted forward and leapt into the air…

From the stats on the system's panel, it was clear: Asuka's strength, stamina, vertical, and spiking ability were already excellent compared to others in his age group.

Especially his arm strength, which was near the top even among Junior Highers.

According to the system, a score of 60 represented the global average for players of the same age. With just a glance, Asuka could tell, this body wasn't naturally gifted for volleyball.

In the original Asuka's memories, he hadn't been the most diligent in training, but he rarely skipped practice either.

Yet after two years, his athleticism had improved, but his volleyball skills; serve, bump, set, spike, block, and defense, had advanced at a snail's pace. As for more advanced techniques? He hadn't even scratched the surface.

At present, only his spike and block skills were above average. The rest didn't even meet the baseline.

And Asuka knew that. If not for the current Asuka taking over, the original would've likely quit volleyball once he entered high school.

Ryuhei Sanashita, the starting setter, had already partnered with Asuka many times. The moment he saw Asuka take flight, he instinctively tossed the ball right above him.

There was no fancy technique.

Truthfully, Asuka didn't have the skills for a technically advanced spike. All he could do was aim for the gap between the two middle blockers, and swing with everything he had.

Boom!

A thunderous crack rang out.

The ball punched through four arms like a missile, tracing a sharp line of light before crashing violently onto the floor.

Silence.

A heartbeat later,

"Yikes~~"

From the sidelines, Nishimori Tomohiko shivered, arms wrapped around himself, and swallowed hard. "Scary… Was it just me, or did Asuka-senpai's spike feel way more powerful than usual?"

Asuka's spiking had always been one of the few things that made their no-name school volleyball team stand out.

So even though he managed to blow past a double block, the team wasn't all that shocked.

But this spike… was different.

Not only was it stronger than any of his previous hits, but more than that, it carried a menacing presence. The two blockers who had faced him head-on probably felt it the most.

How should they describe it?

When that spike came at them, it didn't feel like he was trying to score…

It felt like he was trying to smash the ball right into their heads.

The sheer aggression in the air made them instinctively want to pull back and shield their faces.

If Asuka could read minds or facial expressions, he would've told them: they weren't wrong.

Because in that split second, Asuka had unconsciously used his basketball dunking technique from his previous life.

All aerial power techniques share a key principle:

The use of the core, specifically, the abdominal and waist muscles.

Ground power comes from the legs.

Airborne power? From the core.

The original Asuka had always struggled with this. His spikes relied mostly on arm strength.

But Akashi, his current self, had extensive experience. And that's why he was able to unleash a spike far stronger than anything this body had ever produced.

"Oh?"

Up in the spectator seats, the average-looking middle-aged coach's eyes lit up. He clearly saw the secret behind Asuka's spike.

Now the question was…

Had Asuka truly mastered this technique, or was it just a fluke?

Asuka's sudden explosion on offense certainly shook the Blue Team.

But it didn't change the overall flow of the match.

Everything comes with a trade-off. As Asuka tapped into his basketball background to enhance his spikes...

At the same time…

His lack of volleyball fundamentals dragged down the rest of his game: receive, bump, set, defense… all bottom-tier.

When Asuka rotated to the front row?

He was "King of the Court."

But the moment he rotated to the back row?

He became "Sorry for existing."

…

Twenty minutes later.

Game over.

Thanks to Asuka's breakout offensive performance, the Red Team barely edged out a win, 25–23, in this intense practice match.

"That's it for today. Everyone heads to the track and runs five laps to finish with some endurance work. Then you're dismissed."

"Yes, sir!"

The volleyball club members quickly lined up and jogged out of the gym.

As everyone left, the coach remained behind, staring at Asuka's retreating figure, deep in thought.

If that first spike had made him wonder whether it was coincidence, the rest of the match convinced him, Asuka had definitely learned a more advanced spiking technique.

If that was the case, then their training plan might need a few revisions.

…
Running around the track, Asuka's mind was still immersed in the system panel. He was trying to figure out exactly how to use this thing.

No one understood better than Asuka the importance of talent in competitive sports.

It was a wall. A chasm.

Hard work and training could take a person to 99.

But that final step? That last, invisible barrier?

It cruelly Shigerut out the untalented.

Team sports always preached teamwork and unity. But in truth, when the game was on the line, it was always one person who stepped up and took control.

And those people?

They all had one thing in common: Exceptional talent.

Without a cheat like this system, even as a reincarnator, Asuka knew he'd never beat monsters like Tobio Kageyama or Hinata Shoyo…

Yes.

That's right.

He finally remembered where he had reincarnated.

This was the world of the anime he used to watch, Haikyuu!!

"Hey! Asuka! Practice is over! Are you seriously still running?" Oomae Masato called out, seeing Asuka keep going even after five laps.

But Asuka didn't hear a word.

"We're heading out, then!"

Still no response.

So Oomae and the others just left the track.

Asuka, completely absorbed in the system, hadn't noticed. He was trying to understand the conditions for using this so-called "Grind System."

And just as the last of his teammates disappeared,

Ding...

A clear chime rang through his mind.

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 3: Development

[Ding······]

[To outdo your rivals, you must first outdo your teammates. That's the first rule of being a true king of the grind.]

[Congratulations! You've exceeded your teammates' training load in long-distance running by double. You've completed a Basic Grind.]

[Stamina · Grind King Value +0.1]

…
The system alert sounded out of nowhere again, snapping Akashi Asuka out of his trance. When he looked around, he realized that at some point, he had become the only person left on the field. The rest of the volleyball club had long since disappeared.
At the same time,

On his system panel, small "+" symbols appeared next to the "Endurance" and "Cardiopulmonary Function" sections in the Stamina box.

Seeing this, Akashi Asuka perked up.

It felt like he had just grasped the system's XP mechanics.

It was a simple, no-nonsense interface. With just a thought, the 0.1 Grind King Value vanished, and in its place, his endurance stat ticked up from 70 to 70.1.

A moment later,

A faint, warm sensation coursed through his body, but it faded quickly.

Not that he expected much. It was only a 0.1 increase, if his muscles had suddenly bulged and he felt like he could punch out a cow, that would've been weird.

"If twice the team's training volume counts as a basic grind... what happens if I go three times?"

Intrigued by the system's mechanics, Akashi Asuka didn't slow down and kept running. Today's club training hadn't been too intense, so even after jogging ten laps around the 400-meter track, he still had energy to spare.

But as the distance grew, his breathing became heavier, and his legs started to feel like they were made of lead.

Still, giving up never crossed his mind.

Not because he had superhuman willpower, but because anyone who's ever trained seriously knows: real training starts when your body wants to give up.

[Ding······]

[Congratulations! You've exceeded your teammates' long-distance training load by threefold. You've completed an Intermediate Grind.]

[Stamina · Grind King Value +0.2]

The moment he finished his fifteenth lap, the system chimed again.

This time, Akashi Asuka finally slowed to a halt. Hands on knees, he bent over and gasped for breath.

As curious as he was about what counted as an Advanced Grind, his body clearly wasn't up for pushing any further today.

Besides,

He wanted to conserve some strength to explore other ways of triggering the system.

Without much hesitation, he used the newly acquired 0.2 Grind King Value to further increase his Endurance, bumping it up to 70.3.

After a few minutes of rest, drenched in sweat, he dragged himself toward the volleyball gym.

By now, it was already past 5 p.m. Even with the longer daylight hours of early summer, the sky was beginning to dim.

Back at the gym,

Most of the volleyball club had already cleared out. Only one person remained: Nishimori Tomohiko, the junior he had met right after arriving in this world, was still there diligently organizing equipment.

As Akashi entered, Nishimori was just about to wheel the last basket of volleyballs into the storage room.

"Wait, Nishimori!" Akashi called out. "You can leave that basket for now. I'll take care of it later."

"Huh? Senpai, are you planning to keep practicing?" Nishimori asked in surprise.

Akashi nodded. "Yeah, I want to get in a little more. You can head home. I'll clean up afterward."

Saying that, he grabbed the cart and headed to the side of the court, ready to test some new "training styles" with the system.

But then,

He suddenly heard Nishimori's nervous voice from behind.

"Um… If you don't mind, Senpai… I can toss it for you."

"Huh?"

Akashi turned around to see Nishimori fidgeting nervously, clearly unsure of himself. "Are you a setter?" Akashi asked.

"Y-Yes. I'm still not as good as Sanashita-senpai, but if it's just for practice… I think I can manage." Nishimori replied, head down and voice trailing off.

Akashi couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated.

In Japanese schools, the hierarchy between upperclassmen and underclassmen is notoriously rigid, almost like a class system. Add to that Akashi's naturally intimidating aura and Nishimori's shy personality, and it was a miracle the kid had even spoken up.

In truth, Nishimori's inner turmoil was far worse than Akashi imagined.

"Crap, crap, crap! What was I thinking?! Now I've roped myself in! The coach and everyone else are gone. What if Akashi-senpai gets mad? It's just the two of us here!"

"Mom, I think I messed up bad this time…"

Just as Nishimori began mentally drafting his last will and testament, Akashi's voice cut in.

"Thanks. Let's practice spikes. Just stand to the side and toss the ball to me."

"Wha, ?" Nishimori blinked in shock.

"What are you spacing out for? We don't have much time. Let's make the most of it." Akashi said as he wheeled the cart toward the net.

"O-Okay! Coming!"

Snapping out of it, Nishimori ran to the net. As he watched Akashi warm up his shoulder, a realization struck him:

"Maybe Akashi-senpai… isn't as scary as everyone says?"

As Nishimori set the first ball into the air, Akashi jumped high,

WHAM!!!

The entire gym echoed with a thunderous boom. The ball slammed into the floor like a bullet, rebounded violently, and hit the far wall with a loud thud.

It was the first time Nishimori had ever seen Akashi spike up close, and his brain short-circuited.

"…Mom, I'll take it back. Akashi-senpai is terrifying."

…
"Not bad at all. Volleyball might actually be kind of fun."
Akashi swung his arm a bit, satisfied with that last spike.

Originally, if Nishimori hadn't offered to help, Akashi had planned to practice overhand serves. But with a setter now assisting, it only made sense to work on his spike technique.

According to his host body's memories, the Miyagi Prefectural Junior Boys' Volleyball Tournament was less than a month away.

With such limited time, improving his strengths would yield better results than trying to cover weaknesses.

"Akashi-senpai, how many spikes are we doing?" Nishimori asked.

"Let's start with a hundred."

"A hundred?! You're going to spike that many times?!"

"Is that a lot? Basic skills like this only improve through repetition. A hundred's nothing."

"I see…" Nishimori's eyes lit up with a hint of admiration.

…
Half an hour later,
[Ding······]

[Secret extra training is a mandatory trait for any true Grind King.]

[Congratulations! You've exceeded your teammates' training load in spiking by double. You've completed another Basic Grind.]

[Spiking · Grind King Value +0.1]

 

[Veltoria]

"Do you always stay late to practice like this, Akashi-senpai?"

"Only sometimes."

After finishing a hundred spike drills, Akashi Asuka still looked energized, while Nishimori Tomohiko, who'd been setting for him the whole time, was clearly on the verge of collapse.

Asuka glanced over at him.

This guy's stamina is pathetic.

No endurance.

How's he ever going to satisfy anyone like that?

Maybe he sensed the implication in Asuka's look, because Nishimori's face flushed bright red.

"I-I'm fine, Akashi-senpai. I can keep going."

Asuka shook his head. "That's enough for today."

"But, "

"Physical management is just as important as the rest of training. Pushing yourself too hard isn't always a good idea."

Nishimori tried to protest, but Asuka cut him off. "Besides, I'm starting to get hungry. Time to head home and eat."

"Got it. Understood." Nishimori said, voice dropping slightly.

Asuka noticed the disappointment in his tone. After a moment's thought, he added, "No need to look so down. You did a great job with the sets today. Thanks for your hard work, get home safe, alright?"

Nishimori's eyes lit up a bit, and he responded more energetically, "Yes, I will!"

…
After parting ways with Nishimori and leaving the school, Asuka stopped by a store to pick up some groceries. What he'd said earlier wasn't just to comfort Nishimori, he really was feeling hungry.
The energy used by the system to enhance Asuka's physical capabilities didn't come out of thin air. The process worked more like an acceleration of the effects of his training, effective, yes, but also demanding more of the body's own stored energy.

Asuka came from a typical working-class family.

His parents were both full-time employees, usually not home until late. Unless it was a holiday, he usually had to fend for himself when it came to dinner.

The original Asuka couldn't cook at all.

But for the new Asuka, that was actually a good thing, he hadn't quite figured out how to deal with this body's parents yet.

In his previous life, he'd been an orphan.

Living alone was something he'd grown completely used to.

Let alone adoptive parents, even if his real parents had shown up back on Earth, he wasn't sure he could've handled that relationship well.

After eating and showering, Asuka returned to his room. It was just a little past 7:00 PM.

He lay in bed and stared at the clock on the wall, stunned.

Back in his memory, he couldn't recall a single time during his Junior High years that he'd gone to bed this early. Now, with life feeling so calm and uneventful, he actually didn't know what to do with himself.

After a while, bored out of his mind, he got up and took a book out of his bag.

To be honest, since starting college in his last life, he'd forgotten most of the stuff from junior high. But the curriculum here in this country was ridiculously simple. At a typical school like Sengoku Junior High, which followed a "happy learning" philosophy, third-year material was basically equivalent to what he'd learned back in seventh grade.

In less than two hours, Asuka had finished an entire textbook.

At this pace, he figured he could start reviewing high school content within two weeks.

…
9:00 PM.
Asuka went to bed on time.

He wasn't particularly tired, but this was part of his self-discipline. His training schedule was intense, and since Junior High School students were still in their growth phase, he needed more nutrients and more rest to recover properly.

The standard recommendation for Junior High School students was eight hours of sleep.

But Asuka budgeted nine and a half for himself to ensure full recovery.

…
The next morning.
6:30 AM.

Asuka woke up right on schedule. As he sat up and casually flexed his arms, he froze for a second.

"Is this… part of the system's assist function?"

He took a moment to assess how his body felt, recovery was far better than expected.

He'd pushed himself hard the night before, way beyond the usual load. He fully expected to wake up sore all over. But aside from some slight muscle swelling, he felt totally fine.

Well, except for being really hungry.

"Actually, yeah, it makes sense. If the system worked like this without safeguards, even the toughest body wouldn't hold up. A built-in recovery buffer is only natural."

"If that's the case, maybe I can bump up the training schedule."

Originally, Asuka had planned to spend 6:30 to 7:30 on low-intensity technical drills.

But if the system really had a safety mechanism like that, maybe he could afford to go even harder.

Like adding another 30 to 60 minutes of physical training.

Junior High didn't start until 8:50 AM anyway. Even without the system, just lying around during all that morning time would feel like a waste.

…
[Ding...]
[The key to effective grinding is seizing in the early morning. Making use of time while others sleep is the mark of a true king of hustle.]

[Congratulations, host. You've completed a "low-tier hustle" by training twice as much as your teammates in the drill: Ball Control.]

[Ball Control - Hustle Points +0.1]

---

[Congratulations, host. You've completed a "mid-tier hustle" by training three times more than your teammates in the drill: Ball Control.]

[Ball Control - Hustle Points +0.2]

---

[Congratulations, host. You've completed a "low-tier hustle" by training twice as much as your teammates in the drill: Jump Training.]

[Jump Training - Hustle Points +0.1]

---

[Congratulations, host. You've completed a "mid-tier hustle" by training three times more than your teammates in the drill: Jump Training.]

[Jump Training - Hustle Points +0.2]

---

8:10 AM.

Asuka wrapped up his hustle, ahem, morning training, and staggered into the bathroom drenched in sweat. After a five-minute shower, he devoured the huge breakfast he'd prepped the night before, and even packed an extra-large lunchbox.

8:30 AM.

He left the house for school.

8:46 AM.

He arrived at his classroom, dropped off his bag, and went out to use the restroom.

8:49 AM.

He returned to his seat, pulled out his textbook.

At that exact moment,

The bell rang for morning reading at Sengoku Junior High.

 

[Veltoria]

3:30 PM.

The bell marking the end of class rang out across Sengoku Junior High. Akashi Asuka arrived early at the volleyball club and began his warm-up routine.

Before long, the rest of the team began trickling in. Soon after, the coach gathered everyone and laid out the day's training schedule.

But just as practice was about to begin, the coach suddenly called out.

"Hold on, Akashi. Starting today, your training regimen is changing."

Then he turned and shouted again, "Nishimori! Get over here. From now on, you're Akashi's setter. Until the tournament begins, you'll be his exclusive setter during all drills, except practice matches."

Nishimori Tomohiko blinked in confusion, then blurted out in panic, "Huh? Me? I'm going to be Akashi-senpai's setter? But what about Sanashita-senpai, "

"It's fine." the coach interrupted. "For the time being, Sanashita and Akashi will train separately. They can work on coordination right before the tournament."

The abrupt decision caught not only Nishimori off guard but also the rest of the team's key players. The only one who wasn't surprised was Akashi Asuka himself.

If his guess was right, the coach was thinking exactly what he was.

Sure enough,

While the rest of the team worked through fundamental drills and scrimmages, Akashi focused on only one thing: spiking.

With less than two weeks until the prefectural tournament, trying to patch up Akashi's numerous weaknesses would be a waste of time. Instead, the coach had chosen to sharpen his strengths, his attack power.

Core strength, spiking technique, vertical leap.

Those were the three areas Akashi would drill relentlessly in the coming days.

And so,

No matter what the rest of the team was doing, whether practicing or scrimmaging, the same thunderous bang! like firecrackers exploding echoed across the gym, again and again.

---

[Ding…]

"Pushing yourself is just a baseline requirement for a true King of the Grind."

"Congratulations, Host. You exceeded your planned spiking reps by 100%. You've completed a Basic Self-Grind."

"Spiking · Grind Points +0.1"

---

Because his training had diverged from the rest of the team, Akashi could no longer farm Grind Points by outworking his teammates. Their regimens were completely different now.

But if he couldn't outdo others, he'd outdo himself.

In his previous life, sneaking in extra reps was nothing new for Akashi. Back then, he had to be cautious about his body's limits, so he never pushed more than 30% beyond the scheduled amount. But now, with the system's support and protection, he could go all out.

After all, aside from earning Grind Points, intense training also improved his real-life performance.

Having grown up with the mantra "waste nothing." Akashi wasn't about to squander a single bonus rep.

Within one hour, he slammed nearly 300 spikes.

His hands were going numb.

The consequence? Nishimori Tomohiko got chewed out by the coach.

Setting 300 spikes in a row was no small feat, even for a seasoned setter, it was exhausting.

Akashi was dead tired, too. But thanks to years of practice, he was a master at hiding it. His poker face was practically bulletproof.

Nishimori, however, had no such skill.

Sorry, bro. This one's on you, Akashi thought as he glanced over at Nishimori, who was being lectured by the coach. I'll make it up to you with a meal next time.

Not that he was afraid of scolding himself, he just didn't want the coach to find out he'd been sneaking in extra training. If he did, he'd probably ban it entirely.

Because,

Unauthorized extra training isn't always a good thing.

Professional coaches design their training schedules based on careful calculations to bring athletes right up to their limit. Pushing beyond that can lead to injury rather than improvement.

Soon, a thoroughly drained Nishimori returned.

"Sorry about that, Nishimori, "

Akashi started to apologize, but before he could finish, Nishimori looked up, eyes sparkling.

"Akashi-senpai, you're amazing!"

"…Huh?"

"Your stamina is incredible!"

"…What?"

What's with this guy? Something's definitely off…

…
Training is a monotonous process.
Though athletes seem full of passion and fire on the court, behind the scenes, it's an endless repetition of the same motions, over and over again.

Spiking.

Jumping.

Strength work.

Every single day, Akashi drilled these three things with laser-focused discipline. His unwavering dedication even drew curious glances from the coach.

In his mind, the Akashi from before had never slacked off, but this level of seriousness was something new.

As for the rest of the team, they didn't fully grasp what had changed.

Because Akashi had been training separately, all they noticed was that, match after match, his spikes were getting more and more powerful.

And before anyone knew it,

The day of the Prefectural Sports Festival had arrived.

…
The moment the coach led the team into Miyagi Prefectural Gymnasium, a wave of noise surged from all directions. The screech of sneakers on the polished court, the roar of the crowd's cheers, it all hit at once, making everyone's scalp tingle.
Even Akashi felt a rush of excitement.

He had competed in big tournaments before, but none had ever drawn this many spectators.

Junior High volleyball didn't normally attract much attention, especially compared to the high school level.

But today was different, this was the opening ceremony of the entire tournament. Nearly half the seats were already filled.

Like most opening ceremonies, it followed a standard format:

Line up. Group photo.

Then someone stepped up to the mic to give a "brief speech."

Two hours later,

The ceremony finally ended, and the tournament officially began.

According to the draw, Sengoku Junior High's first match was against Haneishi Junior High.

Just like Sengoku, Haneishi was a low-profile team with no particular reputation in Miyagi.

In the waiting area, the players changed into their uniforms.

When the staff came to notify them, the team walked toward the court; nervous, jittery, and brimming with tension.

------------
Note: This is a backlog. If you guys want to read up to 70+ chapters in advance of the current story, you can support me on Patreon. You can read up to chapter 89 there! Patreon.com/Veltoria

 

[Veltoria]

"Is Sengoku Junior High any good?"

"Hmm… no idea."

"I feel like I've heard of them before. Probably the same as us, eliminated in the first round."

"That's good news for us then! We might actually make it to the second round this time!"

In the waiting area, the players from Haneishi Junior High were visibly excited. Despite their school's weak track record and consistent first-round exits, even underdogs had dreams.

"All right, enough speculating. No matter who the opponent is, let's stay focused and take the first set." the Haneishi team captain clapped his hands and rallied the team.

"Yes, sir!"

"Let's give it our all!"

…

The players from Haneishi Junior High stormed out of the tunnel with high spirits and confident smiles, until…

Boom!

With a thunderous crack, the volleyball soared over the net with unimaginable force, breaking through six outstretched arms before slamming hard into the floor.

In an instant, every face on Haneishi's side froze.

"It… it went through a triple block."

"So strong…"

"Who is that guy? I've never heard of him before."

The audience erupted into loud discussion after a moment of stunned silence.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." their captain quickly recovered and clapped his hands. "That might've just been a lucky shot. Let's focus on our defense."

The other Haneishi players slowly snapped out of it.

Yeah, maybe that spike was just a fluke.

Tweet!

The whistle blew again. This time, Sengoku's right-side hitter, Oda Miki, served a standard overhand serve, nothing special. It was received easily by the opponent.

Haneishi set up for their attack. The setter passed the ball to the outside hitter. Sengoku's middle blockers, Oomae Masato and Jujiro Kazama, jumped to block,
But the spike never came.

Instead, a shadow rose behind the spiker, leaping into the air against the backdrop of the gymnasium lights.

"It's a decoy! It's Akashi!"

Oomae Masato, already descending from his block, turned sharply to shout a warning,

But before he could get the words out, two sharp sounds echoed through the gym. First, the slap of the ball hitting an arm. Then, the loud thud of it crashing to the ground.

When he turned around, he saw Akashi Asuka, wearing the number 1 jersey, landing gracefully, while the ball rolled across the opponent's court and their stunned expressions said it all.

Tweet!

The whistle blew again.

Akashi had scored with a solo block.

Score: 2–0.

Using an attacker as a decoy to mislead the defense was a common volleyball tactic. In fact, back when Akashi had first joined the team, Oomae and Kazama had scored on him with that exact strategy during practice.

But that was then. Back when he had no experience. After nearly two weeks of intense retraining, that trick wasn't going to work again.

…

Cheers erupted from the Sengoku side. The entire team swarmed Akashi.

"Yo! That was amazing, Akashi!"

"Nice one!"

"Great block!"

Meanwhile, the fire that once burned in Haneishi's eyes was gone. Their previous bravado had completely vanished.

Seeing this, their coach quickly called a timeout.

Spectators began murmuring from the stands.

"Whoa, a timeout already? Only two rallies in and they're already shaken up? Kids these days are intense."

"Yeah, things aren't looking good for Haneishi."

"That third-year kid… his presence is insane. Could he be another Ushiwaka?"

…

Haneishi's coach hadn't planned any new strategy during the timeout. The main goal was to break Akashi's momentum and reset his own team's rhythm.

After all, the match had only just begun.

When play resumed, Sengoku served again. Haneishi's libero received the ball cleanly, and the team set up their offense once more, this time wisely avoiding Akashi and going for a power spike between Kazama and Oomae.

The ball was blocked, but not completely.

Kazama didn't jump as high as Akashi, and his timing was slightly off. So while they managed to touch the ball, it deflected high into the air on their own side.

"Free ball!"

Sengoku's libero, Neko Kurata, shouted a warning, but also a cue.

Everyone quickly returned to formation. Once the defense was in position, Neko passed the ball to the setter, Ryuhei Sanashita.

And Akashi was already in motion.

Unlike Haneishi, Sengoku had no use for "decoys" anymore.

They used to, but not today.

Before the match began, their coach had issued a simple tactical plan:

"Hold the defense. Feed the ball to Akashi."

Just two sentences, but it effectively removed Oomae and Kazama from the offensive rotation.

At first, neither Oomae nor Kazama were happy about it, and even Sanashita was confused.

But now, he understood.

With a soft flick of his fingertips, Sanashita sent a high, perfect set to the front of the net, right where Akashi was flying in.

"Block him!"

Haneishi's players shouted in desperation.

Their outside hitter and both middle blockers jumped together, three men giving it everything they had. Their expressions were fierce, as if this block was a final stand.

They knew:
If they couldn't stop this next point, their morale would collapse.
This wasn't just about stopping Akashi anymore, it was about saving their team's pride.

In a flash, six arms formed a wall in front of Akashi, blocking the gym's ceiling lights like a towering cliff face.

But Akashi's expression didn't change. Calm and composed, he formed a graceful arc in midair, drawing his right arm back like a bow.

And then,

Bang!

He struck.

The ball exploded off his hand and slammed into the triple block.

For a split second, Haneishi's front row thought they had it.

"We stopped it…!"

But the next moment, an incredible force surged through the ball. One player's eyes widened in shock as his arms were flung apart by the sheer power. The ball broke through, soaring behind him untouched.

A shaft of light pierced through the gap in their broken wall and lit up Akashi's face.

The wall… had cracked.

 

[Veltoria]

"Whoa~"

"Another three-man block? Doesn't that guy ever get tired?"

"Seriously, how many times has that been now? Gotta admit, Yuishi Middle is pretty tenacious!"

…
Inside the gymnasium, the crowd near the Sengoku Junior High side had unknowingly grown larger and larger.
On the court, the match between Sengoku and Yuishi was nearing its conclusion. The scoreboard displayed the clear results:

First set: 25–13

Second set: 23–15

Wait, no, it was already 24–15 now.

"Wow, I didn't notice it earlier, but doesn't it seem like Akashi's spikes have gotten a little stronger than they were two weeks ago?"
Perhaps because the match was nearly over, the atmosphere on the Sengoku side had become noticeably more relaxed.

And just then, Oomae Masato suddenly blurted out this comment, instantly quieting the whole court.

Even Akashi Asuka himself couldn't help but glance back at him.

The team: "???"

What kind of wild nonsense was that?

Was that even something a normal person would say?

Everyone turned to look at Oomae Masato with strange, doubtful eyes, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Hey, what's with those looks? I'm being serious here! You guys seriously didn't notice anything?"

"Sure, during practice before, we couldn't block Akashi even with two people, but now the other side can't stop him with three. Isn't that proof he's improved?"

The team: "…"

Honestly… that actually made a lot of sense.

Without saying a word, they all slowly turned their heads away, acting indifferent, but subtly shifted a few steps away from Oomae.

They were worried his IQ might be contagious.

Only his childhood friend and longtime teammate, Jujiro Kazama, patted him sympathetically on the shoulder and said with a serious face,

"Promise me this, Oomae, once we get to high school, don't join any sports that require brainpower, okay?"

Oomae Masato: "???"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

…
While the Sengoku players were reeling from Oomae's intellectual bombshell, another burst of excitement suddenly erupted in the audience.
"Is that Kitagawa? Did their match already end?!"

"Kitagawa? The school known as 'The Kings of the Court'?"

"That's right! Look, over there, it's him. Tobio Kageyama."

At first, the chatter outside the court didn't really catch Akashi Asuka's attention. But the moment he heard the name "Tobio Kageyama." he instinctively looked up.

Not out of any desire to size up a future opponent, just pure curiosity.

Kitagawa clearly wasn't here to watch Sengoku play. Honestly, with Sengoku's current level, they probably weren't even on their radar.

They were just passing by.

Kitagawa's team moved with strict discipline, radiating an overwhelming presence. At the head of their formation walked a boy with a balanced frame and a stern, serious face.

Akashi Asuka couldn't help but reflect. After spending the last couple of weeks adjusting to this world and slowly blending in, suddenly seeing Tobio Kageyama, the literal protagonist of a manga, right before his eyes brought back a wave of unreality he thought he'd shaken.

"Man... it really does feel like a dream."

Clicking his tongue, Akashi leapt into the air just as a volleyball soared perfectly into his path.

Yuishi still went for a three-man block.

But their confidence had already been shattered in the first set. Now, their triple block lacked height, timing, and above all, conviction.

In other words…

The block only looked intimidating. In practice, it was little more than a decorative wall.

Boom!

The ball launched off Akashi's spike, deflected off the defenders' hands, then rocketed upward, crashing into the rail of the upper spectator seating.

And just behind that railing, Kitagawa's team happened to be walking by.

For a brief moment, even Tobio Kageyama turned his head to watch, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.

But that was all.

Moments later, Kitagawa's players moved on.

On the court, Akashi Asuka didn't think much of it either. After a brief glance at Kageyama, he turned away and began lining up with his team as the referee blew the final whistle.

For Akashi, his tireless effort in training wasn't about chasing some rival or proving something.

He simply loved the raw competition on the court.

It was exhausting. It was demanding. But at least here, wins and losses were decided on skill, nothing more, nothing less.

As for Kageyama? Sure, he was curious. But beyond that, he was just another stranger.

And that powerful spike that happened to land right in front of Kitagawa?

Total coincidence.

Akashi was never the type to provoke his opponents outside the court.

If he ever did, it would only be as part of a strategy.

…
Match complete.
Sengoku Junior High advances to the second round with a 2–0 victory.

After the game, Oomae and the others were visibly excited, this was the first time in three years that Sengoku had made it past the first round of a formal tournament.

The last time they did?

Well… none of them were even enrolled in Sengoku yet.

Even the volleyball coach had a rare smile on his face. After all, this counted toward his performance.

His name was Shimokawa Mitsuto, and he hadn't actually been with Sengoku Junior High for long.

In Japan's public school system, there was a long-standing policy of rotating teachers across schools within the same district at regular intervals.

To maintain the strength of their sports teams, more competitive schools often assigned one faculty member as supervisor, and brought in an outside specialist as coach.

In most cases, the coach was the one truly in charge of training and game strategy.

But Sengoku Junior High's volleyball program wasn't exactly elite, so the school hadn't gone so far as to hire an external coach.

So in this case, Coach Shimokawa had to juggle both roles.

That meant even if he didn't achieve any great results, no one would blame him. But if the team did well under his watch… it would definitely make his résumé look better.

And if they could go even further...

Maybe even bring obscure Sengoku Junior High to the national tournament...

Ohoho~~

He didn't dare dream too far.

If he kept going, he might start drooling.

"But... maybe it's not completely impossible."

The thought ignited something in Shimokawa Mitsuto, a man in his thirties whose spirit hadn't quite grown old yet.

As he looked at Akashi Asuka, standing at the head of the lineup, bowing with the team,

A seed called "ambition" quietly took root in his heart…

 

[Veltoria]

On the ride back to school.

Though they had just won a match, no one on the Sengoku Junior High team felt tired.

There were two reasons for this.

First, because the main force behind the match had been Akashi Asuka. The others mostly played supporting roles, so their energy expenditure had been minimal.

Second, and more importantly, this was the first time in three years they had advanced to the second round of a tournament. That excitement alone was enough to override any fatigue.

As for Akashi Asuka, he sat quietly in the back of the school bus, eyes closed. On the surface, it looked like he was resting, but in reality, he was examining his status panel.

---

Host: Akashi Asuka
Strength: 75 (Core Strength: 74, Arm Strength: 76)
Speed: 70 (Explosive Speed: 69, Reaction Speed: 71)
Stamina: 72.5 (Endurance: 71.2, Cardiopulmonary: 73.9)
Vertical Jump: 69.8 (Jumping Power: 74.6, Hang Time: 65)
Basic Techniques: 59.4 → (Serving: 51.7, Bumping: 57.4, Setting: 51, Spiking: 75.1, Blocking: 71, Defense: 50.6)
Advanced Techniques: [None]

---

Half a month of intense training had gradually improved most of Asuka's stats to some degree.

Which was to be expected.

Although he had focused primarily on strength, vertical jump, and spiking, the human body doesn't work in isolated parts, it functions as a unified system. So when he pushed his legs and core through rigorous training, naturally his speed, stamina, and other attributes saw some spillover improvements.

Then there was "ball sense", something not directly reflected on the panel.

Even though Asuka hadn't deliberately trained it, his sheer amount of contact with the volleyball over the past few weeks had increased dramatically compared to before. This naturally sharpened his instincts.

With improved ball sense came incremental gains in all of his technical skills, even if the jumps were small.

But for someone like the former Akashi Asuka, whose technical stats were previously below passing level, even minor improvements were meaningful progress.

And that was just the bonus from training.

More notably, Asuka's arm strength and spiking had both crossed the 75-point threshold.

In the system's classification, 75 was a major milestone.

For a third-year Junior High Schooler whose body was still developing, 75 represented the upper limit of normal human potential. Anything beyond that marked the realm of those with true talent.

For the old Akashi Asuka, reaching 75 would have required him to recklessly push himself, risking injury just to break past his limits.

But with the system's help, Akashi Asuka had shattered that wall with ease.

It was this breakthrough that allowed him to deliver such overwhelming offensive power, single-handedly blowing apart Haneishi Junior High's triple block.

A sobering truth, really.

Only after tasting the strength of someone truly "gifted" did Akashi Asuka understand just how cruel competitive sports could be. In the end, raw talent really could crush everything else.

Still...

Of all the progress he made in the past two weeks, strength and spiking weren't even his biggest leaps.

No, the most shocking gains came in hang time and blocking. Each of those stats had jumped by over ten points, a frightening increase.

But those weren't results of training alone.

In fact, it was more like he had cashed in on the perks of his past life.

Many factors affect hang time; core strength, coordination, body control, and so on.

Physically, the original Akashi Asuka had a decent foundation. But the old Asuka had never known how to use those advantages, nor did he ever consider hang time as a viable weapon on the court.

But former basketball player Mason Lee, Akashi's past self, had plenty of experience in that department.

So once he fully merged with this body, his hang time stat naturally surged.

As for blocking...

While technically a skill, blocking was more of a tactical ability, one that relied heavily on brainpower.

Which the old Akashi Asuka, well... let's just say he was academically challenged.

To be blunt: more than half of his subjects were usually below passing grades.

And mind you, the passing score at Sengoku Junior High was only 40.

Well, it was a "joy-based education system," after all. Emphasis on joy.

So, yeah... it all tracks.

…
Since it was the weekend and everyone had plenty of time, Coach Shimokawa kindly drove the school bus and dropped each team member off at their homes one by one.
Before Asuka got off, the coach repeatedly reminded him to rest and absolutely not train, lest he risk injury.

Naturally, Asuka nodded and agreed wholeheartedly.

"Never argue with someone you can't explain things to. It's better to just go with the flow, don't push back, especially not verbally."

That was one of the key lessons in human relations Asuka had learned after graduating in his previous life.

So, instead of wasting words trying to explain the existence of the "system." he simply played along.

…
After arriving home, Asuka dropped off his bag, grabbed a volleyball, and ran straight to the nearby park.
Not train?

Impossible.

Not in this life.

With the tournament underway, the volleyball club had entered full try-hard mode. Everyone was training intensely to catch up. This made it much harder for Asuka to stay ahead.

His only option now was to squeeze in extra practice during weekends or when the others were resting, just to maintain his edge.

That afternoon, he focused solely on improving his vertical jump.

By the end of the session, his legs felt completely detached from his body.

And yet... he had only managed to trigger one instance of [Low-Level Inner Grinding], earning just +0.1 Jump · Try-Hard Points.

Upon seeing that result, Asuka immediately realized: someone else on the team must've ignored the coach's advice and gone off to secretly grind too.

"Ugh. Gross. That volleyball slut. I can tell they're definitely not a hero-type."

Asuka silently spat in his mind.

…
Several kilometers away...
At a local park field, Nishimori Tomohiko, who had spent the entire match as a benchwarmer, was running drills to improve his stamina. He hoped that with better fitness, he'd be able to support his admired Asuka-senpai more effectively during future practices.

Suddenly, he sneezed.

"Achoo!"

Sniffling, Nishimori rubbed his nose, confused. "Weird. Is someone talking about me?"

After a moment's thought, he shook his head and muttered, "Ah, whatever. No time to worry about that. I need to keep training. With Asuka-senpai leading us, I'm sure our team will go far in this tournament. I have to do my part too."

Thinking back to how inspiring Senpai had looked on the court today, Nishimori's heart filled with hope.

As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Nishimori felt renewed energy coursing through him once again.

 

[Veltoria]

On the second day of the county sports tournament, Sengoku Junior High faced off against the private Aoba Johsai High.

It was immediately clear that Aoba was on a whole different level compared to their previous opponent, Haneishi. Their defensive stability in particular far exceeded that of Haneishi, making yesterday's strategies ineffective.

Against a triple block, even Akashi Asuka would have difficulty breaking through.

So this time, Sengoku Junior High adapted. They deployed coordinated movement, positional disruption, and multi-player attacks to spread out Aoba's defense.

Because no matter what, Akashi Asuka's offensive power was undeniable.

A triple block could hold him back, but unless all three blockers were focused on him, stopping his spikes effectively was nearly impossible.

BEEP!

Twenty-five minutes into the match.

Score: 22–19.

This match was much tighter than the previous one, with neither side giving an inch.

Following a service error from Akashi Asuka, Aoba regained possession and promptly called a timeout.

…
"Damn it, who even is that guy? I've never heard of him before." muttered Aoba's libero bitterly, glancing toward the Sengoku side while sipping water.
As the libero, he'd been the one receiving most of Akashi Asuka's spikes.

His hits weren't just powerful, they were fast and precise. The ball would flash past the blockers, and before the libero's body could even react, it would slam into the ground.

Even when he could predict the ball's trajectory, the sheer force behind it made control nearly impossible. The moment it made contact, his arms would be knocked out of alignment, and the ball would ricochet wildly out of bounds.

"No kidding." Aoba's setter added, frowning thoughtfully. "That guy's power and technique have to be top-tier in the county. But it's weird, his name's totally unfamiliar. Even Sengoku Junior High was never on the radar before."

"Coach, have you heard of Akashi Asuka before?" someone asked.

The coach squinted toward Sengoku's bench and nodded slightly. "I've heard the name once, a while back. At the time, people mentioned he had decent power in his spikes, but nothing else really stood out."

"Decent power? Are you kidding me?" the libero snapped, glaring at his now-reddened arms.

"Yeah… his power now is far beyond decent. My guess is he must've made a major breakthrough recently. That would explain this sudden leap in strength."

The coach paused, then gave new orders. "Forget everything else for now. Spiking power can improve quickly with training, but solid fundamentals like passing take time. His basics are still weak, and now he's rotating to the back row. Focus your attacks on him for the rest of the match."

"Understood!" The team responded in unison.

…
The game resumed with Aoba's serve.
Their opposite hitter launched a straightforward overhand serve straight at Akashi Asuka.

On the sidelines, Coach Shimokawa's eyes narrowed.

"So they've figured it out."

He sighed inwardly. As the coach, he knew better than anyone the strengths, and weaknesses, of his team.

There was no denying it: thanks to Akashi Asuka's breakthrough, Sengoku Junior High's offensive power was now at the county's top level.

But the rest of the team? Completely out of sync.

Whether it was teamwork or individual technique, they were nowhere near the standard of a truly strong team.

To put it simply, Akashi's offensive strength had outgrown the team's overall capability.

Right now, Sengoku Junior High was like a spear with only a tip. That tip might be enough to pierce through weaker teams, but against stronger opponents, the lack of a solid spear shaft, the rest of the team, would be painfully obvious.

Still...

Coach Shimokawa's lips curled into a strange smirk.

"Aoba... Even if it's only the tip of a spear, are you sure you can handle it?"

…
WHAM!
The ball struck Akashi's wrists and bounced high. The angle was off, but it stayed in play.
His passing, specifically, his digging, had nearly reached the level of a passing grade.

He wasn't a reliable first passer yet, but against a weak serve like that, just keeping the ball alive and within his team's zone wasn't much of a problem.

"I got it!"

Setter Ryuhei Sanashita called out, dashing beneath the ball.

As he positioned himself, he hesitated for a split second, who should he set it to?

Then a firm, resonant voice echoed from the back row:

"Give it to me."

He couldn't see who spoke, but he knew the voice. Though rare during games, whenever that voice spoke, Sengoku usually scored a point.

Even before his brain could finish processing the command, Sanashita's body responded.

With a light flick of his fingers, he sent a high but gentle toss toward the back row.

The next moment, a tall, powerful figure soared into the air, and swung.

BOOM!

The explosive sound of the spike rocked the entire court.

Everyone watched as the ball arced through the air, sailed past the fingertips of Aoba's blockers, and slammed into the floor, then bounced high.

The gym fell dead silent.

Several seconds passed.

Then,

"OOOOOOOH!!"

The crowd erupted.

"Back-row attack!"

"No way, is that even something a Junior Higher can do?!"

…
Akashi Asuka's thunderous back-row spike set the arena ablaze.
Since it wasn't opening day, the stands weren't packed, only a smattering of spectators sat in the upper level, but the atmosphere had been dull and subdued.

That one spike changed everything.

Even casual spectators could feel the sheer violence behind that hit.

While the crowd roared, Aoba's bench remained frozen in stunned silence.

 

[Veltoria]

Competitive sports are a form of warfare governed by strict rules.

And morale is one of the key factors that determine victory or defeat.

Facing adversity and never giving up.

These eight words are easy to say, but to truly live by them requires a level of willpower and conviction that goes far beyond what most people can imagine.

If the players of Aoba Johsai High had that kind of resolve, then no matter the opponent, beating them would never be an easy task.

Yet in reality, the stronger the team, the more resolute their mindset tends to be.

It's often the average teams that just coast along.

As a result,

The strong grow stronger, while the weak fall further behind.

Bam!

Akashi Asuka spiked the ball again, same power, same force, but this time, he broke clean through a triple block. The ball slipped right between the outstretched arms of two blockers and slammed into the ground.

Aoba's libero stood passively on the court, arms at his sides, watching the ball fly past without making a move.

Tweet!

The whistle blew.

The referee made the call.

"Match over. Sengoku Junior High defeats Aoba Johsai High. Final score: 2-0. Sengoku wins."

"Thank you for the game!" ×2

Both teams quickly lined up at the net, bowing and shaking hands.

During the handshake, the players from Sengoku were understandably overjoyed with their victory, yet strangely, Aoba's players seemed even more cheerful than they were.

Seeing this, the smiles on the faces of the Sengoku team suddenly faded a little.

…

On the ride back in the school bus, everyone from Sengoku wore complicated expressions. The excitement of yesterday's win was nowhere to be found.

Maybe it was because today's match had been more exhausting. Or maybe because yesterday had marked their first-ever win, and their first advancement to the second round.

"It's weird… We won again, but I don't feel happy at all." Oomae Masato said, reclining in his seat with his hands behind his head.

"Well yeah, that's normal. We're not just some clueless nobodies like we were yesterday."

"Haha… Don't tell me you're already tired from this?"

As the conversation picked up, the bus started to come alive again with banter, until a quiet voice suddenly cut through, silencing the whole bus.

"There's nothing to celebrate about beating a team that had no will to fight in the first place."

The one who spoke was the team's opposite hitter, Oda Miki. It was strange, he was probably the second most handsome guy in the team after Akashi Asuka, but somehow, his presence in the club was almost nonexistent.

Even during practice matches, teammates would sometimes forget he was even on the court.

"A team that loses but shows no disappointment or frustration… that can only mean one thing: they never really tried in the first place."

"Because they never made the effort, it was easy for them to accept failure without pain."

Oda Miki's voice was calm, emotionless even, but his words hit hard. The entire bus fell silent.

Because at that moment, everyone understood why today's victory over Aoba felt so hollow.

There was only one reason.

It was because of the way Aoba walked off the court today… reminded them far too much of themselves in the past.

Coach Shimokawa, who had been driving, listened to Oda's words from start to finish, his eyes gleaming with thought.

Meanwhile, sitting in the very back, Akashi Asuka gave a slight smirk after hearing Oda's monologue.

"Well, well... So you're the one sneakily trying to outwork me, huh?"

…
As always, the school bus kindly dropped off each student right at their doorstep.
But this time, before they got off, Coach Shimokawa didn't say his usual, "Rest up, no sneaky training."

According to school rules, unless it's a national-level tournament, club activities can't interfere with regular classes.

Sengoku's next match wouldn't be until the following weekend, which meant Akashi Asuka had five days to continue his personal training.

And he had already mapped out a plan.

Over the next week, his focus would be on improving his vertical leap. On his stats panel, he was already close to reaching the threshold of 75. If he could make a breakthrough in his jump height this week, his offensive capabilities would become even more terrifying.

Thanks to the system's data, Akashi could set clear, targeted goals.

But… well, plans are always perfect, until reality gets in the way.

---

[Ding...]

[Congratulations, Host. During your holiday training, stair jumps, you completed twice the training volume of your teammates. You have achieved a minor internal competition milestone.]

[Gained: Jumping Skill +0.1 "Competition King" points.]

---

On the steps of a local park,

Akashi Asuka's legs trembled as he completed his final set of stair jumps.

2 hours and 40 minutes.

He had completed 12 sets in total, five laps per set. Aside from standard rest breaks, he was averaging one full set every two minutes.

This training volume was nearly three times that of a standard school practice session.

And yet…

The system's message made it painfully clear, he had only done double what others had.

At that moment, Akashi Asuka was shaking with fury.

Seriously?!

Can this world please just have a little trust?

Back at school, everyone was saying how they were going to head home and play video games, catch up on anime...

And yet now, you're all secretly grinding behind my back?

"Oda Miki, you damn dog, I knew it! I knew you were shady the moment you opened your mouth on the bus!"

…
Achoo!
At a public volleyball court, Oda Miki, seated on the bleachers watching a group of older players, suddenly sneezed.

"You okay, Miki? Catching a cold?"

Next to him, a young man who looked about five or six years older, and bore a striking resemblance, asked with concern.

Oda rubbed his nose and shook his head. "It's nothing, bro. Probably just the pollen around here."

"Pollen, huh?"

His brother glanced at the surrounding plants and flowers. "Makes sense. Just take it easy, alright? If you start feeling worse, don't push it, head home early."

"Got it, bro. You go ahead. Sanashita and the others are probably waiting."

"Alright!"

Oda's brother nodded and jogged off.

Only after he left did Oda Miki shift his attention back to the court. In his clear eyes, the entire scene of the match ahead gradually came into focus…

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