We reached 1st milestone guys! Thank you for the support!
Here's the bonus chapter, enjoy!
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"W-Watch the road!"
Tsuna croaked, his voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid any louder sound might distract her and seal their fate.
Machida didn't seem to hear him—or care. Her grin stretched wider as she slammed her foot on the accelerator.
"Ahahaha! Would you believe it? We made it to Miyagi an hour faster! This is a new personal record!"
'This woman is completely insane!'
Tsuna stared at her in horror.
He could've sworn he saw a police car chasing them a few blocks back, but somehow, they'd lost it—probably because no one could keep up with this level of speed.
Tsuna squeezed his eyes shut and silently prayed to every deity he could think of.
"Hang tight, Tsuna-kun! We're almost there!"
'Almost where, to the grave?!'
He cracked one eye open, only to see Machida gleefully spinning the wheel, completely unbothered by the honking horns and the chaos left in their wake.
Tsuna sighed, leaning back in his seat with a defeated groan. "Fuck... this is why women shouldn't fucking drive, goddammit!"
Back at Aoba Johsai High School...
Everyone who came to watch the practice game between Karasuno and Aoba Johsai had their eyes glued to the court.
Their expressions were slowly turning into disbelief.
'Tanaka's words really worked, huh?'
Daichi looked at the familiar figure moving across the court and jumped into the air, believing the ball would come.
"Ha! Look at him. The King hasn't changed at... all... huh?"
Kindaichi would never have dreamed of this moment as his eyes stared at Kageyama, who sent the ball flying so fast toward the net that his smug expression faltered.
'What?'
He realized there was someone jumping up to spike that ridiculously fast toss.
All the players on Aoba Johsai froze, their eyes locked on the small, short figure rising high above the net.
Hinata Shoyo.
He swung his arm in perfect sync with the fast toss Kageyama had sent him, meeting the ball at its peak.
CRACK!
The sound of the spike echoed through the gym like a thunderclap, followed by the thud of the ball slamming into Aoba Johsai's court.
It struck so fast that no one even managed to react.
The ball ricocheted off the floor, bouncing high once, then slowing with a gradual roll until it lazily came to a stop near the edge of the court. Every single player from Aoba Johsai was looking at the ball in disbelief.
"What was that just now?"
"Did you see how fast that toss was?"
"No, the spike, though. Isn't that the most impressive part!?"
The murmurs rippled through the gym, disbelief spreading among the crowd.
"Let's gooo!"
Tanaka's booming voice shattered the silence as he rushed toward Hinata, both of them grinning ear to ear.
Hinata exclaimed, "Whoa, Tanaka-senpai! That's my first point today!"
"Hahaha, you totally did!"
Both of their faces lit up like a kid who'd just scored his first goal in soccer. The two jumped and bumped fists, celebrating exaggeratedly.
"Huh? They know how to do a quick attack?"
Assistant Coach Mizoguchi leaned forward, his arms crossed as his eyes narrowed at the players celebrating loudly.
Irihata was also equally surprised by that freak quick attack.
'That spiker, Hinata Shoyo, isn't it? He didn't even look at the ball...' He thought, his sharp gaze fixed on the small orange-haired player. Irihata then furrowed his brow, his attention drifting to Kageyama.
'Kageyama synced his toss perfectly with that spiker… and somehow, they made it work.'
Karasuno had come to the game without some of their key players, and Irihata had thought this would make the match easier. Their libero, Nishinoya, who had left a strong impression on him last year, was absent.
Irihata still vividly recalled the crucial save Karasuno's libero had made that led to their crushing defeat.
'And that wing spiker with the man-bun…'
Asahi Azumane.
Although Asahi hadn't stood out too much during that match, the data they had on him described him as a powerhouse hitter—a player capable of delivering strong spikes.
Without them, both Karasuno and Aoba Johsai should have been struggling to keep up, especially since Aoba Johsai didn't have some of their key players either.
"Hmm..."
Yet, as Irihata's eyes drifted back to the court, he couldn't help but hum thoughtfully.
"Hey! Stop arguing with each other!"
"..."
Daichi shouted at Kageyama and Tsukishima exasperatedly. The two were locked in a heated argument but immediately turned silent—if only for a second.
"...Idiot."
"You are..."
It just wasn't the right time to bicker. Daichi looked up as Aoba Johsai's setter tossed the ball high into the air.
Iwaizumi quickly leaped into action and cursed in annoyance, "Don't take me lightly, fuckers!"
But just as the ball descended and he swung his arm, something unexpected happened.
"...!"
Iwaizumi widened his eyes as he swung his arm and felt intense pressure crashing down on him.
Three Karasuno players—Kageyama, Tsukishima, and Daichi—had jumped in perfect synchronization, their hands forming a solid wall above the net.
Thwack!
The ball slammed into their block and ricocheted back into Aoba Johsai's court, hitting the floor with a resounding thud.
"I blocked that..."
"Ha? I was the one calling the jump. What are you on about?"
"Huh?!"
The two immediately resumed bickering, their voices rising like a pair of unruly siblings.
"..."
Iwaizumi looked at them, speechless, as he didn't even have time to be frustrated.
Fortunately, Daichi came in clutch. With a smile that was far too cheerful to be genuine, he grabbed both of them by their jerseys.
Back on the bench...
"They're still making basic mistakes," Irihata muttered, his eyes following the flow of the game.
He shook his head as Hinata failed to receive a serve properly, the ball smacking him squarely on the forehead.
"Their first years need to work on their foundation still. Their coordination is still off... but it's definitely improved since the first set."
Despite their rocky teamwork, Karasuno had managed to take the lead. Their captain had tirelessly covered for his team's slip-ups, holding them together like glue.
Irihata glanced at the scoreboard.
The numbers didn't lie—Karasuno was ahead.
"It seems we made a miscalculation…" he murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
His gaze drifted back to the court just in time to see another lightning-fast attack from the Kageyama-Hinata duo managed to land another point for Karasuno.
A chuckle escaped Irihata as he leaned back in his seat. "Ha! Seems like we underestimated them. Those kids really had us, huh?"
"Head Coach, should we call a timeout?"
Mizoguchi's gaze flickered to the scoreboard. It read 20–14, with Karasuno firmly in the lead during the second set.
Despite the numerous mistakes Karasuno had made—and the quick attacks that were sometimes used more as decoys than actual plays—they had managed to pull ahead.
But…
"Let them be. This is only a practice game. There's no need for a timeout," Irihata said calmly, shaking his head.
Mizoguchi blinked, surprised by the response. "But, Head Coach…"
"Don't you see their faces?"
"Huh?"
There, on the court, Aoba Johsai's players stood ready. While their expressions carried traces of annoyance, their eyes burned with determination.
"Ah…"
Mizoguchi's lips parted as he realized what the Head Coach meant. They were looking at Karasuno's players like a serious threat right now!
"The pressure is no joke..."
On the sidelines, Suga watched the match with a thoughtful expression.
Even though some of Aoba Johsai's key players, including their captain Oikawa, weren't present today, the new players they had brought in were proving to be no pushovers.
Suga's gaze shifted to Daichi and Tanaka, who were both locked in on the game. They were focused, but Suga could detect a faint hint of frustration on their faces.
'They've noticed it too,' he thought grimly.
They realized...
...they realized just how big of a hole Tsuna's absence was for the team to actually play against a top team.
'We have a long way to go...'
Suga clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white.
Bam!
The sound of a loud, heavy thud echoed through the gym as Hinata landed hard on the floor.
For a moment, he blinked in surprise, then turned to see the ball bouncing off the other side of the court.
His eyes sparkled with excitement as he jumped to his feet, "Yosha!"
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Aoba Johsai players murmured among themselves as they retreated to their bench.
"Urgh... who would've thought someone could spike against Kageyama's toss like that..." one of them muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
Both of the teams went to their respective bench as they were going to discuss their strategy for the last set.
However...
Just as voices began to rise in conversation, the entire gym fell silent.
Slide.
The sound of the gym door opening broke through the quiet, and everyone turned toward it instinctively.
"…!"
Aoba Johsai's players froze, their expressions shifting to pure shock. Mouths gaped open as they stared at the figure stepping into the gym.
Tap. Tap.
The sound of his footsteps echoed in the quiet gym.
Though his expression seemed calm, the figure's very presence sent a chill down Aoba Johsai players' spine.
On the other hand, Karasuno's players reacted the opposite way.
"Why are you all so quiet?"
The figure stopped in the middle of the gym and shook his head, "Go on, keep talking..."
Spotting a stray ball, he crouched to pick it up, spinning it idly in his hands. His gaze wandered across the players, finally landing on one of Aoba Johsai's team members.
The player visibly flinched.
"Oh, before you continue," He quickly added, tilting his head with a faint smile, "mind telling me where the toilet is?"
"Tsuna!"
Karasuno's players erupted with excitement, bolting toward him with wide smiles.
The monster—the very source of their nightmares.
The one they believed was completely out of the picture.
Tsunayoshi Matsumoto.
He's back!
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