Chapter 57: Training Camp 20

Those attending the training camp gradually noticed something strange. For the past few days, Shiratorizawa had been sneaking off every night to the gym for extra practice—well, “sneaking” wasn’t quite the right word. No one actually knew what they were training. With the camp nearing its end, the other teams still hadn’t figured out what Shiratorizawa had been doing all this time.

Some of the more enthusiastic players were so curious it was driving them crazy.

Among them, Bokuto and Kōrai Hoshiumi were the most curious of all—both were born battle maniacs.

During the recent practice matches, they could clearly see that Shiratorizawa had changed. It had gone from a style dominated by a single powerhouse to one where every player felt like a king on the court.

Because the evening self-practice sessions were split between the First Gym and the Second Gym, Itachiyama and Fukurōdani had been training together at the Central Gym these nights. No one knew what Shiratorizawa was doing over in the Second Gym.

That day at lunch, Bokuto and Kōrai Hoshiumi huddled together, whispering excitedly as they plotted to skip evening practice and sneak over to spy on Shiratorizawa.

“We’ll get chewed out by the captain, won’t we?”

“Relax! I am the captain. It’s fine.”

“Damn it! You’re not my captain! What are you talking about?!”

Bokuto scratched his head. “Ah, it’ll be fine! I’ll just go beg your captain for mercy later. Come on, come on—aren’t you curious?”

Kōrai Hoshiumi’s gaze drifted away. After struggling internally for a long moment, he finally gave in.

“But… they’ve been asking us for advice too. Maybe they’re just putting what they learned into practice.”

“Are you coming or not?!” Bokuto complained, his golden eyes sparkling as he stared at Kōrai Hoshiumi.

“…I’m going!” Kōrai Hoshiumi gritted his teeth and agreed, fully aware of the risk of being caught by his captain.

“Yes!” Bokuto let out a quiet cheer.

He jumped up happily with his tray, casually snatched the chicken drumstick off Kōrai Hoshiumi’s plate, and bolted.

“Hey, owl, stop right there!! Give me back my chicken leg!”

Kōrai Hoshiumi chased after him in a rage, instantly throwing the cafeteria into chaos.

Wherever they ran, it was like a tornado had swept through.

Moments later, Akaashi dragged Bokuto back by the collar, his face dark. You could practically see anger pouring off him.

Poor Bokuto trembled like a soaked owl as Akaashi stared at the soup-soaked mess on his clothes, forcibly suppressing his fury.

“Bokuto-senpai, you’re not a child anymore. Please stop causing trouble for everyone.”

Bokuto looked utterly pitiful as he curled himself into a ball and crawled under the table.

On the other side, Kōrai Hoshiumi was also hauled away—by Hirugami.

The moment Hoshiumi saw Hirugami, he knew he was doomed. Before Hirugami could even speak, he slid to his knees, hugged Hirugami’s calf, and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

“I was wrong…”

Hirugami clenched his fist, then slowly relaxed it under Hoshiumi’s horrified gaze. In a flat tone, he delivered the words that shattered Hoshiumi’s dreams.

“Your kappa shrimp snacks at night are gone. All of them.”

Kōrai Hoshiumi’s dream of secretly eating snacks at night collapsed instantly. The light left his eyes.

In the end, Hirugami and Akaashi brought the two troublemakers together and took turns lecturing them. The punished pair trembled, looking utterly victimized.

Watching the entire scene unfold, Reon wore a complicated expression. Thank goodness his own team didn’t have kids this troublesome. He really was blessed.

Rubbing his sore legs, Reon shook his head and walked off.

…

The changes from these past few days of training were obvious.

Reon’s legs were sore every morning when he woke up, but at the same time, he could clearly feel himself jumping higher.

Reon, who had felt stuck for so long, was finally starting to change. He’d always thought this was his limit, but by changing his approach, he realized he still had a long road ahead.

That realization filled him with renewed motivation.

The biggest changes, though, were in Tsutomu Goshiki and Ushijima.

Tsutomu Goshiki might not look very bright most of the time, but he was willing to spend enormous amounts of time on volleyball to make up for his shortcomings.

At first, he had truly envied Kamomedai’s Kōrai Hoshiumi—his incredible jump height and his natural physical gifts.

For a long time, Tsutomu Goshiki’s heart had been restless. Teammates his age who were stronger than him, teammates who kept improving, and opponents who never stopped growing—

A few nights ago, he finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and secretly cried in the bath. He’d thought coming to Shiratorizawa would mark the beginning of his conquest of the national stage, only to realize it was merely his first step.

He chose to swallow those negative emotions on his own. He didn’t want his teammates to think he was someone consumed by jealousy.

Tsutomu Goshiki cried his heart out. Meanwhile, Kōrai Hoshiumi, who had been quietly soaking in the bath the whole time, was completely baffled.

Why is someone crying in the bathroom? That’s terrifying, okay?

With a dark expression, he noticed Tsutomu Goshiki sobbing under the showerhead.

He could vaguely understand what was going on. Maybe, without realizing it, he’d put pressure on Goshiki.

When you’re not improving, everything around you feels painfully glaring.

Kōrai Hoshiumi walked over and smacked Goshiki on the back with a loud slap. Goshiki looked up in confusion.

Seeing Kōrai Hoshiumi, he hurriedly wiped his tears and opened his mouth to explain—

Only to be cut off forcefully.

“I know a lot of you think I’m too short,” Kōrai Hoshiumi said, “but I’m lucky enough to have an 18-centimeter Achilles tendon.”

He paused, searching for the right words.

“Luck is a kind of strength too. If I didn’t have this kind of talent, it might’ve taken me a long time to even meet you guys.

You already have way more than I do. I haven’t even cried yet—what are you crying for?!”

By the end, Kōrai Hoshiumi was getting irritated. Ugh! Why am I even comforting him? This is so annoying! Can’t he just deal with it himself? I’m terrible at comforting people… If only Suwa were here.

Tsutomu Goshiki gradually calmed down. The two of them soaked together, and Goshiki ended up talking about a lot of the things that had been weighing on him lately.

Those thoughts he’d considered too shameful to ever voice didn’t seem so important anymore.

Kōrai Hoshiumi turned out to be a great person to talk to.

“I really envy you all,” Tsutomu Goshiki said quietly, covering his face as he sank into the water, leaving only his head above the surface. “Your jumping, Ryosuke’s talent, Yunohama’s calmness… It makes me feel like such a failure. I only wanted to get better in the first place.”

Kōrai Hoshiumi, always straightforward, replied, “It’s fine. I get stuck in my own head like that all the time too. Don’t feel ashamed. I just go talk to them, then challenge them again after I improve.

When I first joined the team, I really hated Hakuba. He was so tall—he could block me just by reaching out. I had no choice but to jump higher. I sat on the bench for two years. Only by working harder could I make everyone notice me.”

Tsutomu Goshiki stared at him in shock.

So Kōrai Hoshiumi had been benched before too?

Unbelievable.

That night’s conversation marked the start of their friendship. After that, the two of them became noticeably more proactive when asking others for advice during practice. Everything was moving in a better direction.

…

As for Ushijima’s progress, the most shocking change was that he had started training his right hand.

When Ushijima first brought it up, the entire team was stunned.

Tendo grabbed Ushijima by the shoulders and shook him. “Ushi-waka, are you really going to train your right hand?!”

Ushijima nodded seriously. “Yes.”

He slowly clenched his fist.

“Everyone knows I’m left-handed. Next time, I’ll use my right.”

Kawanishi rushed forward and slung an arm around Ushijima’s neck. “Oh! So you’re saying your right hand will be able to fire off heavy cannons too?”

“Yes.”

In the end, Ushijima did mention this decision to Coach Washijō.

As expected, he was scolded thoroughly.

Coach Washijō was so angry he nearly keeled over.

“Why do you want to train your right hand?” he demanded.

“Because Shiratorizawa is too weak,” Ushijima replied calmly. “I need a stronger weapon to lead Shiratorizawa.”

Coach Washijō: !!! This brat is saying the Shiratorizawa I raised is too weak?!