Haikyuu - Chapter 353 (Patreon)

Most schools hadn't announced the news yet. They had decided to wait until Shiratorizawa returned from the IH before making it public.

Date Tech, however, had already told everyone. Their coach had never been particularly good at keeping things to himself.

"Huh?! So that means next time, as long as we can beat Aobajosai, we'll have a chance to go to nationals?"

Futakuchi grabbed Aone's arm in excitement as he asked. Aone's skin was thick enough that he didn't even seem to feel the pinch. He simply stared seriously at the coach.

When the coach nodded frantically with delight, everyone finally realized it was true.

The whole team immediately started cheering like a pack of monkeys.

Futakuchi was so excited he felt like he could handle an entire extra day of practice.

Everyone was thrilled.

Ukai saw the message almost immediately as well.

He sucked in a sharp breath and even rubbed his eyes, wondering if he'd read it wrong.

While the kids were still outside wandering around the market, Ukai headed straight for Hibarida and asked what on earth was going on.

After all, Miyagi's rules hadn't changed once since the days when his grandfather was still coaching.

Faced with Ukai's questions, Hibarida hesitated over whether he should tell him that Coach Washijō had been the one pushing for this.

Karasuno and Shiratorizawa had never exactly gotten along.

Still, he couldn't let Coach Washijō's effort go completely unnoticed.

Doing a good deed anonymously was one thing, but this was a decision big enough to shake the entire prefecture.

So, under Ukai's puzzled stare, Hibarida told him the truth.

"It was Coach Washijō. He started preparing for this before the tournament. He collected a lot of footage from the kids' training sessions and matches and sent it to the president of the Volleyball Association."

"They discussed it at today's meeting and finally made the decision. I didn't expect the Volleyball Association to move this fast, though. They've already started sending out notifications."

After hearing that, Ukai genuinely wondered if something was wrong with his ears.

The idea was about as unbelievable as Hinata announcing that he was quitting volleyball forever.

Hinata: Huh???

Ukai's expression became extremely complicated.

"Are you messing with me? That old man Washijō actually did something this generous?"

Ukai refused to believe it.

Hibarida pressed a hand to his forehead and smiled bitterly.

Coach Washijō, just how terrible was your reputation?

He'd done something like this and people still refused to believe it.

"Why would I lie to you? Washijō and I aren't even close enough for me to make up something like this just to make him look good."

Only after Hibarida repeatedly assured him did Ukai finally accept it.

Even then, he kept muttering to himself as he walked away.

"Don't think this means... I'm suddenly going to be nice to him or anything..."

Behind him, Hibarida wore an amused smile.

In Hibarida and Coach Washijō's eyes, Ukai wasn't much different from the kids competing in the tournament.

A stick of dynamite that exploded the moment someone lit the fuse.

Honestly, teasing him was pretty entertaining.

After receiving the news, Ukai immediately called every kid who was still running wild outside back for a meeting.

"Ding."

Daichi looked down at the message on his phone, then shouted toward the group still fooling around behind him.

"Enough messing around! Coach says something urgent came up. We have to go back for a meeting!"

"Huh?!"

"But I haven't even had the teriyaki barbecue yet!"

Hinata and Nishinoya complained in unison, pouting so hard you could practically hang bottles from their lips.

Daichi had no intention of indulging them.

He flicked each of them on the forehead, then dragged them away, one in each hand, like two dangling accessories.

Sugawara didn't know what had happened either, but it was rare for Coach Ukai to specifically call Daichi back for a meeting.

It had to be important.

He turned toward Goshiki and Ryosuke with a smile.

"Coach wants us back for an urgent meeting, so we'll head off first. See you next time."

"Awwww..."

Goshiki dragged out the sound unhappily.

He'd finally met friends he got along with this well, and he hadn't had nearly enough fun yet.

Seeing the dissatisfaction on Goshiki's face, Ryosuke quietly reached over and pinched his back.

"Ow!"

Goshiki jolted and glared at him.

Ryosuke gave him an apologetic smile, lips pressed slightly together. With his black hair and red lips, the smile left Goshiki staring blankly for a moment.

Then Ryosuke turned toward Sugawara.

"It's fine, Sugawara-senpai. Once we're back in Miyagi, we can all hang out again. Coach Washijō will probably arrange a practice match, and after that comes the summer festival."

"When the time comes, everyone has to go together."

His voice was soft and his smile looked sincere.

Sugawara smiled back.

The kid might usually be quiet, but when he actually needed to say something, he certainly wasn't mute.

"Of course. Then we'll see you next time!"

Sugawara turned toward Daichi and waved over his shoulder.

The two boys being dragged along under Daichi's arms also looked miserably toward Ryosuke and Goshiki and waved goodbye.

Hinata's head drooped like a dejected puppy's.

Then he suddenly raised it again and began wriggling furiously under Daichi's arm.

"Ryosuke! Ryosuke! You have to tell me when you're back!"

"We're having a cultural festival at school too! You absolutely have to come!"

Hinata's huge smile was like the sun, his words open and childishly earnest.

Ryosuke waved back.

"Okay! I'll come find you when we're back!"

Then Ryosuke watched Sugawara and Daichi lead the entire Karasuno group away in a noisy procession.

Only he and Goshiki remained.

Goshiki touched his chest.

Something felt strange.

For the past couple of days, his heart had kept racing for no obvious reason.

Maybe he really should find time to go to the hospital.

He remained completely unaware that his ears were bright red too.

Ryosuke looked at the strangely behaving Goshiki in confusion.

Was he too hot?

Why were his ears red too?

Thinking about it, Ryosuke decided it would be better to take Goshiki back and let him rest.

It would be bad if he wore himself out.

"Come on, Goshiki. Let's go back."

Ryosuke started walking.

When he noticed Goshiki was still standing there, he couldn't even be bothered to ask why.

Goshiki was probably just dazed from the heat.

So Ryosuke grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.

Goshiki stumbled before following.

Soft strands of Ryosuke's hair brushed across his face.

The warmth around his wrist was impossible to ignore, seeming to burn all the way from his skin into his chest.

Goshiki stared at Ryosuke walking ahead of him.

The boy wore a simple white T-shirt.

His back looked slender, but beneath the fabric were strong muscles shaped by years of training.

His cool, pale skin stood out sharply.

Looking at the difference between their complexions, Goshiki muttered internally.

Why doesn't Ryosuke ever tan?

The difference is ridiculous.

Maybe I should ask my sister how to lighten my skin when we get back.

When the two returned to the waiting room, they found every Shiratorizawa player already gathered there.

Nobody was speaking.

The atmosphere was strangely heavy.

Ryosuke slowly withdrew the foot he'd just stepped through the doorway with, a question mark practically appearing over his head.

He had no idea what had happened.

But this atmosphere was definitely strange.

Goshiki, on the other hand, casually grabbed Ryosuke by the hand, found a sofa, and dropped into it.

"What happened?"

Ryosuke finally asked.

The mood was strange, but it probably wasn't anything serious.

Right?

Ushijima was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Miyagi now has two qualifying spots."

Ryosuke and Goshiki froze.

Two teams?

That meant the other schools had a chance now too.

Wasn't that a good thing?

Then why was everyone acting so strangely?

Ryosuke was genuinely happy for them.

One more qualifying spot meant one more chance.

Reon nodded and briefly explained what had happened.

"Coach Washijō collected a lot of footage. After discussing it with the Volleyball Association at today's meeting, they decided to make the change."

Then Reon paused.

His expression turned serious.

"But that's not what we're talking about."

"Fukurōdani lost."

"They lost to Ichibayashi."

Ryosuke: ???

"They lost?"

"That can't be right. Fukurōdani is one of the best teams in the entire country. They just... lost?"

Ryosuke was still processing it when Goshiki practically launched himself to his feet.

His voice rose sharply.

Ryosuke silently rubbed his ears, which had gone numb from the volume.

Tendo noticed and quietly reminded him, "That's what happened, but Goshiki, maybe keep your voice down a little. That's not exactly something to shout about."

Under Tendo's narrowed eyes, Goshiki awkwardly scratched his head and sat back down.

"Ichibayashi was already weird when we researched them before. They were so mysterious, like they'd suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

"It's really strange."

Ryosuke thought so too.

A group of nationally renowned talents being defeated by a dark horse that appeared out of nowhere sounded like something that only happened in novels.

Seeing it happen here felt strangely disconnected from reality.

The Hanyu family's business network was enormous.

Even Keigo Atobe's connections hadn't managed to uncover much useful information.

Ichibayashi was supposedly just a school from some small regional city.

For more than a decade, they'd been completely unremarkable.

Then this year, they suddenly burst onto the scene.

Everything about it felt odd.

The more Ryosuke thought about it, the more absorbed he became.

He leaned forward and propped his cheek on one hand, slightly squashing the faint baby fat there.

"Why don't we go over to Fukurōdani and check on them now? We can ask what happened while we're there."

Seeing everyone fall silent, Yamagata scratched his head and suggested it.

He actually wanted to go.

He wanted to ask Haruki Komi exactly what kind of serves had put them in a situation even he couldn't salvage.

As the team's final line of defense, a libero at that level had to be close to professional quality.

Yamagata couldn't believe Haruki Komi had simply been helpless.

"Oh, right. What was the match actually like?"

Ryosuke suddenly remembered to ask.

He straightened and looked toward Ushijima.

Ushijima shook his head.

"I'm not sure. I only just heard the result from Itachiyama."

Everyone fell silent again.

Since none of them knew what had actually happened, the simplest solution was to go look.

Ryosuke stood up, already about to suggest it.

He was genuinely curious.

After all, Itachiyama would be facing Ichibayashi that afternoon.

A long-established powerhouse against a sudden rising force.

That kind of matchup might as well have been specifically designed to lure Ryosuke in.

At that moment, the door opened with a sharp bang.

Coach Washijō walked in wearing a foul expression.

Behind him was Keigo Atobe, whose expression was somehow even worse.

"Pack everything up. We're going back to school after lunch!"

The room immediately erupted.

"Huh?!"

"We're not watching the final, Coach?!"

"I don't want to go back yet!"

The room filled with complaints.

Coach Washijō's mouth twitched.

These brats were getting less and less afraid of him.

In the past, nobody dared talk back when he gave an order.

Now he said one sentence and they answered with ten.

A bunch of spoiled little bastards.

They were getting completely out of control.

Keigo Atobe behind him was equally unhappy.

He had planned to take Ryosuke out for dinner that evening and feed him something good.

The kid had gotten so thin.

Instead, this short old man suddenly announced that he had to return to school for a meeting.

And because he didn't trust a group of half-grown boys to remain here by themselves, he insisted that everyone go back together.

Keigo Atobe wanted to point out that he was, at the very least, an adult.

The Hanyu estate was large enough to house ten volleyball teams without difficulty.

Apparently, even that wasn't enough for Coach Washijō.

In Coach Washijō's eyes, it didn't matter how capable Keigo Atobe was.

He was still a brat.

There was no point trying to understand how an elder's mind worked.

Reason simply didn't apply.

Worse still, Keigo Atobe couldn't exactly curse him out.

The frustration was unbearable.

There had only been a handful of occasions in his entire life when the young master had been forced to swallow his pride.

At least half of them had involved Coach Washijō.

So the young master graciously decided to lower himself and eat in the cafeteria with everyone first.

The next time Ryosuke had a vacation, Keigo Atobe would go straight to Coach Washijō's house himself.

Watching everyone complain, Coach Washijō felt his temples throbbing.

"All of you, shut up!"

"I know what you're going to say. We'll talk about it after we get back."

"I have to return to Miyagi for a meeting today. We leave after lunch."

"Once my meeting is over, then I'll settle everything with you."

The loudest few immediately went quiet.

So this hadn't been forgotten.

The reckoning had merely been postponed.

Looking at the suddenly obedient group, Coach Washijō smiled in satisfaction.

Hmph.

A bunch of brats thought they could outplay him.

Everyone exchanged looks.

Then Reon waved a hand and sent them all off to pack.

Keigo Atobe followed his younger brother like a shadow, planning to help with Ryosuke's luggage.

Once everything had been packed, the whole group gathered again for lunch.

Inside the cafeteria, Keigo Atobe stared at the food on the table with undisguised disgust.

A large metal tray held three meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a bowl of miso soup.

The soup looked so thin it was practically clear water.

For the first time in his life, the young master, who had been raised in luxury, suffered this kind of culinary shock.

His expression darkened immediately.

Then he looked over.

Ryosuke seemed completely used to it.

He wasn't struggling to eat at all.

He simply sat there obediently eating, cheeks slightly puffed with food.

Keigo Atobe felt an immediate pang in his chest.

Was this what Ryosuke had been eating since he started school?

Even at the Hanyu family's lowest point, they'd eaten better than this.

Their meals had always been individually prepared by chefs.

From childhood onward, Keigo Atobe had never compromised when it came to food.

No wonder Ushijima had mentioned before that Ryosuke was a little picky.

If this were Keigo Atobe, being picky would be the least of it.

He would have thrown the entire tray away.

Keigo Atobe had never been someone who made himself suffer.

He took a few symbolic bites and set down his chopsticks.

Forget it.

If he kept eating this kind of commoner's food, he felt like even his stomach might turn black.

So for the rest of the meal, Keigo Atobe simply stared at Ryosuke.

Seeing him in person felt completely different from talking over video calls.

The Ryosuke sitting in front of him felt much more vivid and alive.

Before long, everyone finished eating, returned for their luggage, and prepared to board the bus.

The whole group moved together in a noisy procession.

"What a shame. I really thought we might have had a shot at the top three this time."

Yamagata sounded a little disappointed.

Still, they'd already done much better than last year.

"Oh, come on, Yamagata-senpai! We already got fourth this time. Next time, we're definitely taking first!"

After a long internal struggle, Goshiki had completely thrown the thought of Coach Washijō's future extra training out of his mind.

He'd decided to enjoy the present while he still could.

Just like that, he was back to his usual carefree self.

Yamagata looked at Goshiki's confident expression.

He opened his mouth to argue.

Then closed it again.

Actually...

Goshiki had a point.

With the way Shiratorizawa was developing now, maybe first place next year really wasn't impossible.