With all ten practice matches completed, Team Irihata had only managed to secure that one victory in the end.
Futakuchi Kenji, who had hoped to sound the horn of a counterattack, was left bitterly disappointed. He dreaded returning to his school, where Kaneme Moniwa would undoubtedly make fun of him.
On the final day of the camp, all players returned to their original teams. Just like the first day, the teams faced off in pairs:
Shiratorizawa—7 wins, 1 loss—defeated once by Aoba Johsai.
Aoba Johsai—7 wins, 1 loss—defeated once by Shiratorizawa.
Date Tech—4 wins, 4 losses—losing every match against Shiratorizawa and Aoba Johsai but winning all others.
Johzenji—1 win, 7 losses—their only victory was against Kakugawa Academy.
Kakugawa Academy—1 win, 7 losses—their only victory was against Johzenji.
Although the outcomes of the matches didn't differ much from before, nearly everyone felt they had improved. When progress happens across the board, the gaps between teams don't close easily.
Among the teams, Kakugawa Academy displayed the most noticeable change, largely due to Hyakuzawa Yūdai.
His handling of spikes and defensive judgments had improved so much that it was as if he were a different player.
Date Tech also stood out.
Koganegawa Kanji had fully integrated into the team's famed "Iron Wall" defence. However, his setting skills showed little improvement, giving Coach Oiwake some headaches.
Johzenji's individual players showed fewer visible changes, but their teamwork had matured. Compared to their previous chaotic and unpredictable style, they now exuded a newfound steadiness, taking a significant step toward becoming a more disciplined and powerful team.
For Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa, even though their skills didn't seem markedly different, their presence on the court was overwhelming. A palpable sense of invincibility radiated from both teams.
The kind of unspoken pressure usually associated with Shiratorizawa had now spread to Aoba Johsai as well.
Simply standing on the court, their players conveyed a formidable aura.
"Is this what happens after playing at Nationals?" Coach Oiwake of Date Tech murmured in awe.
He held high hopes for his team's future, but deep down, he knew the truth: with a little more than two months left before the Spring High qualifiers, it would be difficult for Date Tech to defeat either of these teams.
During the camp, the players had momentarily set aside their rivalries.
But when they stood together on the final day, the players from Kakugawa Academy, Johzenji, and Date Tech felt the weight of the pressure from Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa.
"See you in the finals, Ushijima-chan," Oikawa Tōru teased with a grin.
"Mm." Ushijima Wakatoshi finally accepted the nickname.
Oikawa waited for a comeback that never came. Words were unnecessary—Ushijima preferred proving his points on the court.
"Kakugawa still has to go through the preliminary qualifiers, right?" Taichi suddenly asked Hyakuzawa Yūdai.
More precisely, he recalled that Kakugawa would face Karasuno in the preliminaries.
"Yes, about a month from now," Hyakuzawa answered honestly.
As the prefectural Interhigh tournament winner, Aoba Johsai had bypassed the initial rounds and would enter the representative playoffs directly in October.
The first preliminary had many teams, but with eight spots available, avoiding a match against Date Tech would make advancing for Kakugawa manageable.
"The preliminaries shouldn't be a problem for you guys. It's a shame we didn't get to play you at Interhigh," Iwaizumi Hajime said, addressing Aone Takanobu and Futakuchi Kenji.
Even after their third-years had retired, Date Tech hadn't lost much strength. Most of their core players were second-years, and their talented first-years had already become dependable.
The six months between their entrance and the Spring High qualifiers were more than enough to transform them into key assets.
Aone nodded silently.
"Yes, Iwaizumi-senpai," Futakuchi replied politely. "We'll do our best to defeat Seijoh in the finals."
"Haha," Iwaizumi laughed heartily.
Shortly after, the teams boarded their buses for the return journey.
Inside the bus, a heavy silence settled. Exhaustion from a week of gruelling training and intense matches finally found an outlet.
"Oikawa-senpai, have you noticed that even players with difficult personalities act well-behaved around Iwaizumi-senpai?" Taichi whispered from the seat behind Oikawa.
Oikawa pondered this observation. "Our own mad dog, Date Tech's Futakuchi…yeah, they all do respect Iwa-chan."
"Think about how they treat you, though. Compared to Iwaizumi-senpai, you barely qualify as a senior."
"Barely!?" Oikawa's reflexive indignation kicked in.
"You too! You have no respect for me!" Oikawa lunged at Taichi.
"Stop!" Taichi raised his hand to halt Oikawa's charge. "Don't you want to know why?"
"I think it's because Iwaizumi-senpai has been training difficult people for so long that he exudes an intimidating aura."
"You're still insulting me!" Oikawa dove forward again. "Taichi, you're dead today! Even pudding can't save you!"
"You two! No fighting on the bus!"
After receiving two punches from Iwaizumi, both Oikawa and Taichi settled down.
The quiet that followed felt oddly lighthearted. When Oikawa and Iwaizumi exchanged a glance, a shared moment of understanding passed between them.
Since Nationals, Kaedehara Taichi had carried an inexplicable heaviness in his demeanour.
Though he trained harder than ever, showing no signs of discouragement or defeat, there was a new calmness about him that unsettled his teammates.
Throughout the camp, no one mentioned it, fearing it might affect his mood.
But on the fifth day, when Taichi sealed the final match with a precise service ace, the unshakable confidence seemed to return.
It was as if that decisive point had unlocked something within him.
Taichi was back—the same energetic, mischievous spirit his teammates had known.
As the bus rolled onward, Oikawa leaned back, closing his eyes at last, a weight lifted from his heart.
"Taichi, we won't lose again."
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