Chapter 77: Physical Training

The day after returning from the training camp, Ryosuke and Yunohama officially put their physical training plan into action.

Both of them were only sixteen—still not fully developed—which made this the most suitable time to focus on conditioning. Once the training phase ended, it would coincide perfectly with their growth period, allowing their bodies to store strength and muscle more efficiently, like charging a battery and greatly extending its endurance.

Ryosuke understood the reasoning, so he could only lower his head and train.

These days, Yunohama and Ryosuke were both busy like spinning tops. They had just come back from camp when a round of small exams hit. Ryosuke managed alright—the Hanyu family had always placed great importance on academics.

Yunohama, on the other hand, was suffering. He’d long forgotten where studying even fit into his life. Now, not only did he have to train, he also had to get tutoring from his seniors.

In the gym, Tsutomu Goshiki watched Ryosuke and Yunohama doing basic conditioning drills on the other side of the court, itching to run over and join them. But when he remembered Coach Washijō’s criticism of his technical flaws, his enthusiasm deflated, and he obediently stayed with Kawanishi for training.

Eita Semi clicked his tongue as he watched the two of them, slinging an arm over Yamagata’s shoulder.

“Have you noticed? Everyone in the gym is competing with each other now.”

Yamagata blinked. “Huh? What?”

…Right. Talking in circles with Yamagata was pointless.

Eita Semi shrugged and continued.

“Didn’t you see? At first, it was just Ryosuke and Yunohama pushing each other, seeing who could train more. They even started adding extra work on top of their usual routines.

After that, everyone else started feeling the pressure. Ryosuke’s basically a genius-type athlete, and he’s working this hard—of course people are getting a sense of crisis.”

Yamagata grinned noncommittally.

“Isn’t that a good thing? Even Shirabu hasn’t skipped regular training these past few days.”

That might’ve been true, but Reon was filled with quiet indignation.

Talent alone was one thing, but spending twelve hours a day practically living in the gym? Was this level of obsession really okay? Did they not care at all about how their seniors felt?

These old arms and legs of mine… just watching that reckless drive gives me a headache.

He looked at the three first-years with a mix of resentment and pride. When juniors worked this hard, it became a sweet kind of burden—if you weren’t careful, these little brats would catch up to the seniors in no time.

Ryosuke rubbed his shoulder and let out a sigh. Seeing Yunohama beside him wearing the same long-suffering expression made him feel a little better.

Yunohama wasn’t just training—he also had to control his diet. His build wasn’t bulky to begin with, but setters needed to be especially light and agile. These days, all he could eat was chicken breast and vegetables; his face was practically turning green.

“Does your shoulder still hurt?” Yunohama asked when he noticed Ryosuke looking at him.

Ryosuke snapped out of it, the soreness rushing back into focus.

“It’s okay. I’ll go get some therapy from the team medic later.”

Yunohama shuddered violently, shaking his head like a rattle drum.

“No, no, no. I’m not going. Don’t even say it.” A triple rejection.

Ryosuke teased him.

“That won’t do. If you skip treatment, lactic acid builds up and you’re more likely to get injured. Better short pain than long pain—don’t even think about running.”

Yunohama’s face turned deathly pale. He looked like he wanted to destroy the world.

Ryosuke wasn’t having it easy either. While working on muscle gain, he also had to strictly control the fat in his lower body.

A few days earlier, Coach Washijō had pulled him aside.

“You’re a middle blocker now. Do your job. While you’re training, work on your hang time. Stop trying to steal balls from Yamagata all the time. Keep that up, and he’ll be out of work.”

Then he walked off without explaining how to train for it.

When Ryosuke went to ask, Coach Washijō only said, “Figure it out yourself.”

Ryosuke had gone through considerable trouble to get Ushijima-senpai to connect him with a senior from a professional team. Only then did he finally start proper hang-time training.

That’s when he realized how demanding it was. Training hang time required incredibly precise body control—both physical conditioning and technique had to be perfectly in sync.

The amount of hair Ryosuke had lost these past few days far exceeded before. He was practically stressing himself bald.

He had to reduce fat in his legs while building muscle and maintaining balance. At this point, even in his dreams, he saw Coach Washijō coming at him with a stick, forcing him to train.

...

Several days passed like this.

Ryosuke gradually adapted to the high-intensity training and began to handle it with increasing ease.

One day after training, Tsutomu Goshiki came bouncing over to ask Ryosuke out.

“Ryosuke! There’s a new udon place near school! Ushijima-senpai says it’s super good—want to go together?”

Ryosuke considered his schedule and ultimately declined. Tsutomu Goshiki’s disappointment was obvious; it was like his invisible tail drooped straight down.

Amused, Ryosuke reached out and ruffled his hair.

“Alright, we’ll go together next time.”

Tsutomu Goshiki froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard, then nodded quickly.

“I—I got it! Next time, together!”

He turned and ran off without giving Ryosuke any chance to respond. What was up with him today?

Watching it all, Kawanishi clicked his tongue softly and walked away, shaking his head.

“Ah, youth…”

Ryosuke scratched his head, completely confused. Tsutomu Goshiki’s face had been really red earlier—was he feeling sick or something?

Thinking it was better to be safe, Ryosuke pulled out his phone and sent a message to the team medic, asking him to check on him.

Ryosuke then looked down at the note Mr. Yamamoto had given him, muttering as he read it.

“Sendai Sports… Gymnasium, children’s coaching area… Tenma Udai…?”

Below was a phone number. Mr. Yamamoto usually used a landline, and since he was away sourcing goods these past few days, he’d written everything down instead.

This was the temporary coach Mr. Yamamoto had found for him. He’d already heard Mr. Yamamoto praise this person over and over.

The handwriting was a little smudged, but still readable.

But… Tenma Udai… That name felt familiar.

Unable to place it, Ryosuke decided to head to the gym first.

It was right after school let out, and the streets were getting crowded. After a moment’s thought, Ryosuke went back to school and rode out the bicycle he’d left there earlier.

The weather had turned warm. Wearing a hoodie under his uniform jacket, he still felt a bit hot.

Along the way, some people did double takes when they saw him. One girl in a school uniform even raised her camera and snapped a photo.

Looking at the image, the girl’s eyes curved with a smile. In the photo, the boy rode his bicycle with a backpack, the wind lifting his soft black hair to reveal a neat forehead. His features were striking, and cherry blossom petals kicked up by the wheels scattered along his path.

She’d meant to photograph the scenery, but it seemed she’d captured the most satisfying shot of the day instead.

Ryosuke knew none of this. He coasted to a stop in front of the Sendai Sports Gymnasium.

Staring up at it, he thought: in just one month, he would be setting out from this very place.

For a moment, his chest swelled with ambition.

Then he went inside—and immediately got lost.

After pacing around anxiously several times, he finally took out his phone and dialed the number on the note.

The person on the other end seemed surprised that Ryosuke had managed to get lost.

With a laugh in her voice, she said, “Wait there for a bit. I’ll come over.”

Frustrated, Ryosuke found a bench and sat down.

What if the coach thinks I’m too dumb and refuses to teach me…? I was in such a rush I didn’t even bring a gift for our first meeting…

He spiraled into his thoughts.

Head lowered, he sat there until a pair of volleyball shoes entered his field of vision. A smiling voice sounded above him.

“Hello, Ryosuke-kun.”

Ryosuke looked up—and froze.

The appearance didn’t match the voice at all. The tone was gentle, but the eyes and brows carried a sharp, intimidating edge. Like Ryosuke, she had curly black hair, soft and drooping around her shoulders. Compared to most volleyball players, she was much shorter, yet when she looked down at Ryosuke, her fierce brows softened in an almost unbelievable way.

Ryosuke scrambled to his feet.

“S-senpai! Hello! I’m Ryosuke Hanyu!”

Wow… Udai-senpai looks even more like my brother than my actual brother. Same black curls—are they really not related? Could my dad have had a secret child…?

Far away in Tokyo, Keigo Atobe suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

“Get me a jacket,” he said to Matsukawa Bones. “It’s a bit cold today.”

Matsukawa Bones looked up at the blazing sun. “?”

Tenma Udai looked at the boy now a full head taller than her and exclaimed,

“Wow, are high schoolers all this tall these days?”

“Um…” Ryosuke hesitated, afraid of touching a sensitive topic. His green, cat-like eyes were filled with tangled emotions, fingers unconsciously twisting his clothes.

Udai watched the nervous teenager, every thought written plainly on his face, and laughed softly.

“No need to be nervous. I may look scary, but I don’t eat people,” she said, using the classic tone meant to soothe kids.

Ryosuke’s tension eased almost magically.

Udai clasped her hands behind her back.

“Let’s go. I still have a class, so I’ll need you to wait over there for a bit.”

Ryosuke hugged his backpack and followed behind her, noticing how the smaller figure ahead walked with a slight stiffness in her right leg—probably an old, lingering injury.

Ryosuke kept turning the name over in his head.

After a long moment, his eyes slowly widened in realization.

...

Udai walked along in high spirits. Before coming, she’d heard the kid was from Shiratorizawa. She’d been worried it might be a talented but ill-tempered problem child, but the reality was the complete opposite. Maybe her own stereotypes had gotten the better of her.

Ryosuke followed Udai into the children’s area. Seeing the 2.24-meter volleyball net designed specifically for kids in the center of the court, he finally snapped back to reality.

He obediently sat to the side, watching as Udai walked off with one child on each side.

“Coach! Coach! I can spike cross now!”

“Coach Udai~ My knee pads won’t stay on!”

“Coach Udai… why can’t I jump higher?”

The moment Udai stepped onto the court, a group of children in red uniforms swarmed her, chattering nonstop. She crouched down and patiently answered their questions one by one.

Wow… she’s really popular.

As Ryosuke was spacing out, something warm suddenly wrapped around his leg.

Startled, he looked down and met a pair of big, clear, dark eyes.

A little girl, three or four years old, with twin ponytails. Her fine, soft hair looked incredibly touchable. The two of them—one big, one small—stared at each other.

In a babyish voice, she said, “Big brother! Pretty!”

Ryosuke laughed helplessly, gently peeling her off his leg and holding her to calm her down.

“Where’s your mom?”

“Dunno~” she replied, playing with her fingers.

Then she looked up again. “Big brother! Pretty~”

Ryosuke sighed and stood up, planning to take her to Udai and ask whose child she was.

From far away, he heard Udai calling,

“Meizi! Where are you? Time to come out!”

The little girl’s ears twitched. In a tiny, trembling voice, she replied,

“Meizi is here~!”

Udai turned and saw Ryosuke standing stiffly with a child in his arms, finally relaxing.

“Sorry about that, Ryosuke-kun. Her parents brought her here to learn volleyball, but she’s too young to be on her own. Thank you for looking after her.”

As she reached out to take Meizi, the girl twisted around and clung to Ryosuke’s neck.

“No! Pretty big brother~!”

She puffed out her cheeks, sulking.

Feeling the warm weight against his neck, Ryosuke broke out in goosebumps. He hadn’t experienced such close physical contact since he was little.

Udai was both amused and exasperated. It took some candy to finally coax her down.

Holding Meizi, she looked apologetically at Ryosuke.

“I’m really sorry.”

Ryosuke waved his hands frantically.

Only then did Udai carry the child away.

About thirty minutes later, class finally ended. Parents arrived one after another to pick up their children.

Ryosuke sat motionless on a small bench, watching Udai report each child’s progress to their parents.

Once hailed as a prodigy, now working as a coach at a children’s volleyball club—it sounded bittersweet. But seeing the satisfied smile on Udai’s face, she was probably happy.

When most people had left, Ryosuke stretched, stood up, and went to the restroom to change.

Standing in front of Udai in his Shiratorizawa training uniform, Udai even had to tilt her head slightly to meet his gaze.

“Wait a moment. I’ll grab my protective gear—won’t take long.”

Ryosuke noticed Udai’s unconventional way of wearing her gear, pulling the knee pads directly over her pants. It looked a little odd, but Ryosuke said nothing.

Seniors always had their reasons.

After finishing up, Udai bounced lightly in place a few times. Only after confirming everything felt fine did she walk over.

“Mr. Yamamoto explained things over the phone, but I still need to see whether your current level and physical condition are suitable for a hook serve. Start with a normal serve and let me take a look.”

Ryosuke nodded, holding the volleyball he’d brought.

He stepped into the service area, bouncing the ball a few times as random thoughts crossed his mind.

It’s been a while since I practiced serving… I hope I don’t mess up. After all this conditioning, maybe my power’s increased too.

Without realizing it, he tossed the ball into the air and took a few running steps.

With a sharp whoosh, he leapt up, his body forming a beautiful full-moon arc in midair.

Udai nodded appreciatively.

Ryosuke engaged the muscles in his arm and smashed the ball forward.

Boom!

The sound exploded through the enclosed court like a cannon blast, the echo reverberating off the walls. Udai even heard a brief, electronic-like ringing in her ears.

Ryosuke looked at his reddened palm and nodded in satisfaction.

Not bad. All that training wasn’t for nothing. His stamina had gone up, and his core explosive power was much better than before.

Unfortunately, the force was too great—the ball flew out of bounds, leaving him a little disappointed.

Udai watched him, light slowly igniting in her eyes.

Truly impressive. Agility, explosive power, flawless form.

In that instant of release, the muscles along his arm were nothing short of perfect.

Others might think that kind of muscle mass was nothing special, but to Udai, that shape was the very embodiment of explosiveness and agility.

A textbook demonstration.

If she’d had a serve like that back in the Spring High…

Udai cut herself off. Enough. No need to dwell on that.

She clapped her hands, openly praising him.

“Good, very good. Nearly perfect. But you don’t serve very often, do you?”

Ryosuke nodded.

“I’m an opposite middle blocker. Before, my serves just needed to get over the net or pressure the setter.”

Udai stroked her chin thoughtfully.

“Alright. I have a general idea of your technique and serving now. Before we start proper training, I need to find your physical limits.”

Ryosuke nodded, confused. He didn’t fully understand, but nodding felt like the right response.

Seeing that obedient nod, Udai broke into a grin.

“Then let’s get started.”