Ryosuke glanced around. Everyone was busy with their own things, and Tsukishima was off to the side chatting with someone. Seeing no one paying attention, Ryosuke quietly slipped over and waved.
"Hinata!"
"Ryosuke!"
The two of them lit up like they'd just found their best friend.
The moment Hinata saw Ryosuke, the anxiety in his chest settled. He quickly greeted him.
Ryosuke jogged over and pulled him behind the door. Hinata was still in his training clothes, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and a big bag slung over his back. Clearly, he had come prepared.
Ryosuke didn't waste time. He rummaged in his pocket, pulled out a dorm key, and stuffed it into Hinata's confused hand, speaking quickly.
"I knew you'd come. The camp lasts a week, and everyone has somewhere to stay. This is my dorm key. I don't really use it anyway. Keep it safe. I'll take you there tonight."
Hinata's eyes immediately grew watery. He hadn't expected Ryosuke to think this far ahead. Shiratorizawa was far from his house. It would take an hour by bike. This was exactly what he needed. Ryosuke really was such a good person.
Ryosuke turned his head away, avoiding Hinata's puppy-like, watery gaze. Anyone would soften at that look.
He ruffled Hinata's hair and said quietly, "Do your best. I'm heading off."
Then he ran off like he'd just done something shady.
Of course he felt guilty. This was the first time he had encouraged someone to do something like this, let alone helped them sneak into the dorms. If Coach Washijō found out, who knew how angry he would be.
Better not let anyone see for now.
As for Coach Washijō's anger toward Hinata… Ryosuke figured he would just try to persuade him not to make a big deal out of it. Teaching one person or teaching a group was basically the same anyway.
Humming to himself, Ryosuke headed to the lounge, ready to meet up with everyone, change, and train together with the others at the Golden Camp.
When he arrived, most of Shiratorizawa's members were already there.
Tendō was slumped in a chair reading Jump. Semi and Shirabu were arguing like usual. Ryosuke truly couldn't understand them. Why were they always at each other's throats every single day?
Goshiki sat obediently beside Reon, a big bump on his head, clearly having just been disciplined. Reon, on the other hand, had already calmed down and was quietly drinking water.
Behind Ryosuke came hurried footsteps and voices.
"We're late, we're late! It's all your fault, Kawanishi!"
"I called you this morning and told you not to oversleep. You didn't listen. Why are you blaming me now?"
Yamagata complained anxiously. Kawanishi had already checked the time before coming and knew they weren't actually late. He just chose not to say anything, watching Yamagata panic with a bit of mischief.
When Yamagata saw Ryosuke standing by the door, he instantly realized they weren't late. He immediately stopped rushing and greeted him in a good mood.
"Yo, good morning, Ryosuke."
Ryosuke smiled and nodded, then shifted his attention to Kawanishi. He walked over and pulled him aside into a corner.
Kawanishi looked at him curiously. He thought Ryosuke had something secret to tell him, though Ryosuke's gaze seemed a little… strange.
Ryosuke pulled out a half-unwrapped piece of chocolate from his pocket. Kawanishi took one look, and his eyes lit up.
"Last year's Christmas limited edition?!"
Kawanishi loved chocolate and knew all the brands and flavors by heart. This was the hazelnut chocolate from last Christmas's limited release. He hadn't managed to get any back then.
Ryosuke nodded with a smile. He had secretly packed it that morning. Since Kawanishi-senpai had given him chocolate before, he wanted to return the favor.
Of course, after hearing about Kawanishi's unique way of storing food, Ryosuke felt a bit uncomfortable.
Still, he was going to give it to him. As for how… that was up to him.
He placed the chocolate in Kawanishi's hand, eyes bright.
"Try it."
Kawanishi didn't hesitate and took a huge bite.
The dark chocolate had a slight bitterness, but it was smooth, with a lingering sweetness. The large, full hazelnuts made it especially satisfying.
Maybe because he had wanted it so badly before but never got it, finally eating it now made it taste even better.
Ryosuke watched him take the bite, then blinked innocently and said in an exaggerated tone,
"Oh right. I went to the bathroom earlier and got something on my hands. I forgot to wash them."
Kawanishi: ?
His chewing stopped instantly. He stared blankly at Ryosuke.
The rich chocolate flavor lingered in his mouth. Swallowing felt wrong. Spitting it out felt just as bad. All he could do was glare.
Kawanishi was furious. Why wouldn't this kid wash his hands after using the bathroom? That's disgusting.
Ryosuke let out a small hum, enjoying his reaction, then happily walked away.
What did I even do to offend him?
Even someone as slow as Kawanishi could tell Ryosuke was just messing with him on purpose. Ryosuke couldn't really do anything to a senior, so this was the only way he could get back at him a little.
Kawanishi blinked. Ryosuke wasn't usually this mischievous… so had he done something wrong?
Then he went "chomp chomp" and swallowed the chocolate anyway.
Since he knew Ryosuke was teasing him, what he said was probably fake too. After all, someone like Ryosuke, who wiped down the table and his seat spotless even while eating, would never do something like that.
Kawanishi wanted to ask what was going on, but when he looked up, Ryosuke had already walked off. With a sigh, he hurried after him.
"Ryosuke, did I do something wrong?"
Ryosuke huffed and ignored him, turning his head away.
Kawanishi circled around and kept pestering him.
Ryosuke grew impatient and slapped his arm.
"Kawanishi-senpai! The chocolate you gave me last time… didn't you keep it in your sock before that?!"
Kawanishi froze, then his face flushed from his neck all the way to his cheeks.
Now he understood why Ryosuke was so mad. He had only remembered it himself when he saw Ryosuke eating it back then.
But if he had said it at the time, Ryosuke definitely would have been furious. And it had been right before a match, so he kept quiet. Later, he completely forgot about it.
He never expected Ryosuke to find out.
Kawanishi felt a bit guilty.
"Ah… sorry. But it's not that big a deal, right? The chocolate was wrapped, and the sock was clean."
That only made Ryosuke angrier. He stomped hard on Kawanishi's foot and walked off toward the lounge without looking back.
Kawanishi winced, leaning against the wall. Ryosuke really didn't hold back. That hurt.
Sigh… looks like I'll have to figure out how to make it up to him.
But how did Ryosuke even find out about this?
Even Yamagata, who shared a dorm with him, didn't know. If Coach Washijō found out he had been hiding snacks, he'd be in serious trouble.
Full of confusion, Kawanishi headed to the lounge as well.
Forget it. I'll deal with it after training.
...
Inside the lounge, everyone had mostly arrived, with only Yunohama coming in late.
Semi slung an arm over Yunohama's shoulder.
"Hey, why so late today?"
Yunohama sighed and shot Goshiki a glare.
"Because he came to my dorm to eat snacks, sat on my bed, and spilled milk everywhere. I had to wash the sheets."
Goshiki, already feeling guilty, shrank even more. It really felt like nothing was going his way today.
Reon turned and glared at him again. This kid really didn't let anyone relax. Why couldn't he learn from Ryosuke instead of causing trouble everywhere?
…Well, to be fair, Ryosuke caused trouble too. Stirring things up between Yamagata and Kawanishi, secretly eating the catfish sushi Semi had hidden, occasionally teasing Ushijima on purpose…
But those were harmless. No one would seriously get upset over that.
Goshiki, on the other hand, somehow managed to get caught every single time doing the exact same things.
Reon decided he would keep Goshiki by his side the whole day. At the very least, within his line of sight. He absolutely couldn't let this kid cause more trouble.
"Alright, go change and gather outside. Coach will be here soon."
Reon gave the order. At this point, he didn't expect anything from Ushijima. Being vice-captain was exhausting. He couldn't help but wonder who would take over this mess in the future.
Everyone obediently changed into their Shiratorizawa training uniforms. The purple and white looked neat and sharp, a clear symbol of strength.
When the Shiratorizawa team entered the gym, the crowd fell silent for a moment before breaking into chatter again.
Most students at Shiratorizawa were either from wealthy backgrounds or academically outstanding. And the school rarely interacted with others. Only the volleyball club occasionally arranged practice matches.
So for the players gathered here, this was their first time seeing Shiratorizawa up close outside of official matches. Naturally, they were excited.
"Wow… that's Ushijima…"
Hyakuzawa from Kakugawa stared blankly at the man leading the group. He had never faced Ushijima in a match before.
Seeing him in person for the first time, he could only think that Ushijima had an overwhelming presence.
"Hey, aren't those three in the back first-years?"
"Yeah. Number 6 was really impressive at the prefectural tournament this year. I've heard he's going to the national youth team."
"Number 8 is good too. His plays are flexible, and his explosiveness is strong."
Koganegawa overheard part of the conversation.
"What about Number 7?"
Number 7 referred to Yunohama. Since he hadn't played this year, naturally no one knew him.
"Hey, I know him!" said a player from Mizusawa Academy with slicked-back hair.
"His name is Yunohama. We were in the same middle school. He's really good too. Great at receiving."
"Then why didn't he play?" Koganegawa muttered.
"Let's go," Futakuchi said impatiently, rolling his eyes. What's the point of listening to gossip? Just ask directly.
"Hmph!"
The moment Oikawa saw Ushijima, he let out a displeased snort. Ushiwaka really was annoying. Oikawa was like a kid. The moment he saw him, he wanted to argue.
Still, he walked over on his own. Iwaizumi had warned him before he left. Since he was coming alone, he needed to watch his mouth and not pick fights. That "someone" clearly meant Ushijima.
"Ah, long time no see, Ushiwaka."
His tone was extremely perfunctory.
Ushijima raised an eyebrow slightly, a bit surprised.
"Coach Washijō actually invited you?"
The moment Ryosuke heard that, he knew things were about to go wrong. With Oikawa's personality…
"Hah? What do you mean by that? I can't be invited? Please. Shiratorizawa isn't that amazing anyway. It's not like I even wanted to come…"
Oikawa instantly blew up, jumping around like an angry cat.
Ryosuke lowered his head and stared at his toes, deciding not to get involved.
As expected, it only took one sentence from Ushijima to completely set Oikawa off.
...
Meanwhile, Tsukishima was having a bad time.
He had just been bombarded with messages from Daichi, Sugawara, Takeda-sensei, and Ukai.
All of them were asking the same thing.
Hinata was missing.
And he might have secretly come here.
Tsukishima's temples throbbed. He took off his glasses and rubbed them.
No way… Hinata was bold, sure… but not that bold…
"Tsukishima!"
A bright voice snapped him back to reality.
He put his glasses back on and froze.
Hinata was standing right there.
Like a ghost.
Blood rushed to his head. His brain buzzed. Tsukishima pointed at him, his finger shaking, then grabbed his collar and dragged him into a corner.
"Hinata! Tell me. How did you sneak here by yourself without telling anyone? Everyone at Karasuno is going crazy looking for you. And if Coach Washijō doesn't approve, what are you going to do when you get thrown out?
Can you use your brain for once? Stop acting on impulse. Are you a paramecium? What are you going to do now? Daichi-senpai and Sugawara-senpai are both furious!"
Tsukishima's serious tone genuinely scared Hinata.
Hinata grabbed the hem of his shirt, then pulled out his phone, muttering,
"I remember sending Daichi-senpai a message…"
He frantically opened the chat.
There it was.
"Daichi-senpai, I'm going to the Golden Training Camp! Don't worry!"
Sitting quietly…
In the unsent messages.
Hinata froze.
Oh no.
Daichi-senpai is going to kill me.
But if I go back now… I won't be able to join the training…
And I've already come this far…
After all, there's nothing more convincing than the words, "I'm already here."
After yelling at him, Tsukishima felt a bit better.
But looking at Hinata, his head started to ache again.
Since when was this short idiot so good at causing trouble?
...
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