The gym was buzzing with anticipation when Shigeo and I arrived, but what greeted us wasn't the usual scene of the boys warming up. Instead, the first-years were crowded near the gym door, peeking inside through a crack. Their heads were stacked cartoonishly, one on top of the other.
Shigeo raised an eyebrow. "What are they doing?"
I shrugged. "Beats me."
Before we could investigate further, Hinata's voice boomed behind us. "Hey, guys!"
The sudden noise made the first-years jump in fright, scattering like startled birds. Riku turned, flustered, and stammered, "T-The girls' volleyball team is in there. They're practicing… and they're so… cute."
Shigeo let out a long sigh. "Really? That's why you're acting like idiots?"
Ignoring them, I stepped up to the door, pulled it open, and strode inside. "Good evening," I said, my voice steady as I greeted the girls' team. They turned toward me, and their captain, Takahashi Misaki, walked up to meet me.
Misaki was every bit the composed leader I expected. She had an easy confidence about her, the kind that made you take her seriously before she even said a word. But instead of formal pleasantries, she smirked and said, "So these are the boys' team? They look a little red in the face."
I glanced back to see Hinata and the first-years frozen, their cheeks flaming. Misaki's teasing grin widened.
"Alright, Misaki, that's enough," I said playfully. "You're going to give them heart attacks before the match even starts."
She laughed softly and turned to her team. "Let's see what these boys can do."
Once the initial awkwardness subsided, I turned to Hinata and said, "Remember the surprise I told you about?" His eyes lit up with curiosity, and before he could ask more, I addressed the team and announced, "We're playing a practice match against the girls' team."
The reactions were as varied as I expected. Hinata looked like he might combust from excitement, Riku seemed flustered, Minato nodded calmly, and Shigeo… well, he just shrugged.
"Go get changed," I told them, waving toward the locker room.
In the changing room, the misunderstanding about the third-year resurfaced when Riku hesitated before putting on his jersey. "Wait, Keiji, is that… her?" he asked, still clearly stuck on the idea that Misaki was my girlfriend.
Shigeo groaned. "Yes, that's his girlfriend. Obviously. Didn't you see the way they interact? Totally screams 'couple.'" His teasing tone added even more fuel to the fire.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "For the record, we met up to pitch the idea of this practice match. That's it."
The first-years were still giggling about it as we walked back into the gym, but I chose to let it slide. There were bigger things to focus on.
The teams lined up on opposite sides of the net, and I turned to Misaki. "Ladies first," I said with a slight bow, handing her team the ball and earning a chuckle from her.
Before we began, I addressed both teams. "Alright, just to make sure we're all on the same page: this will be played like a standard match. First to 25 points, but you need a 2-point lead to win. One of the girls will act as the referee to keep things fair. Got it?"
The girls nodded calmly, their expressions focused and composed, while the boys—especially the first-years and Hinata—showed a mix of emotions. Hinata looked like he was vibrating with excitement, Riku's face was bright red, and Daiki looked somewhere between nervous and determined. Even Shigeo's usual calm was accompanied by a faint smirk, as though he was quietly enjoying the chaos.
With the rules clarified, I quickly arranged our team's formation. The boys took their positions, starting with our strongest formation. Shigeo, Hinata, and Daiki stood in the front row, ready for the attack, while Minato, Riku, and I held the backline, balancing defense and offense.
The first serve from the girls' side came flying toward Riku. I held my breath for a moment, but he surprised everyone with a solid receive, sending the ball perfectly toward Shigeo at the net.
Without hesitation, Shigeo set the ball in a quick attack to Hinata. The timing was perfect, and Hinata slammed the ball down, earning us the first point. He leapt into the air, fists pumping in celebration.
"Nice receive, Riku! Great set, Shigeo!" Hinata yelled, beaming.
The girls' team, slightly stunned, hadn't expected much from us. Misaki had briefed them that we'd only just started playing volleyball a couple of months ago. But after that first point, their expressions shifted, and they began taking the match more seriously.
Watching their surprised faces, I felt a spark of excitement. I couldn't help but enjoy proving them wrong, a somewhat sadistic smile creeping onto my face as I took in their newfound focus.
The first-years cheered, their energy infectious, but my focus was on Shigeo. He'd set that quick attack deliberately, not just to score but to send a message. It was his way of saying hello to the other team, and it set the tone for the match.
I couldn't help but grin. "You're such an annoying genius, you know that?" I said to Shigeo.
He smirked but didn't respond. Misaki, on the other side of the net, approached the referee stand and looked over at me.
"Didn't you say this club was founded less than two months ago?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
I crossed my arms and gave her a smug smile. "We wouldn't be here without me. My leadership made all the difference."
Shigeo rolled his eyes. "Don't get too full of yourself, captain."
The banter earned a few chuckles from both teams, but the intensity was building. With the boys scoring off the girls' serve, the ball rotated to their side, and the serve switched. Following the rules, the team rotated positions clockwise before the serve.
Hinata, now up to serve, stepped to the line. Despite all the practice we'd done on serving, I could see the nervousness in his stance. The different match setting and the atmosphere clearly had him feeling the pressure.
I walked up to him, giving a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You've got this, Hinata. Just focus like you always do in practice."
Shigeo, never one to miss an opportunity, smirked. "If you miss, Keiji's definitely making you practice serves for the whole next session."
"Shigeo," I reprimanded, frowning at him. "Don't put more pressure on the poor guy."
Unbothered, Shigeo shrugged. "What? I'm just stating facts."
I sighed in defeat as Hinata flinched slightly, scared to mess up the serve. Shigeo's teasing had clearly gotten to him.