After Karasuno's first match against Tokonomi and their victories, the players were resting for the next match, which would still take some time. Some were eating, others talking, or simply using their phones. Silence was truly rare among the Karasuno team, but the slight fatigue combined with the gentle mental exhaustion did its job.
"Hey, Daichi. Why don't we watch the other matches going on while we wait for our next game? We might gather some useful information." Sugawara's voice sounded as he spoke to Daichi, Karasuno's captain.
"Mm... that's a good idea, Suga." Daichi said after thinking for a bit, and with the approval of most of the team after hearing Sugawara's idea, the whole team decided to do so.
With some side conversations, the Karasuno team started walking around the gym, watching each of the ongoing matches until, finally, one caught their attention more than the others.
Unlike most of the other matches happening at the moment, this one was between two female teams. One of them was the Niiyama High School team, which was considered one of the top powers in women's volleyball, with Kanoka Amanai being one of the standout players. The other team was the well-known Itachimaya, which had prominence in both its male and female teams.
The score of the game was quite close due to both schools being powerhouses with their women's volleyball teams. The scoreboard indicated the third set, with each team having won one set, and it was currently 18-19, with Niiyama in the lead.
"This game looks pretty interesting." Daichi said as he noticed the number of people in the stands.
"Well, considering that both teams always make it to nationals, it's understandable." Ennoshita replied shortly after.
"Hm? Itachiyama seems to be making a substitution." Suga said as he noticed a girl holding the substitution board. However, upon taking a closer look at the girl, he found himself confused. Both by the girl's appearance and a spark of recognition. He had the impression he knew her from somewhere.
"Ohhh... she's pretty. Isn't she, Ryu?" Nishinoya said as he leaned over the railing of the stands.
On the court, we see a girl with long dark purple hair tied into a high ponytail, waiting for the player who was leaving the court. Besides her distinctive purple hair, she was relatively tall.
~ Change of perspective to the court ~
"This is really annoying... I hope Satsuki-chin gives me my favorite snacks after this game." The girl with purple hair, named Murasakiba Atsumi, said in a bored and lazy tone.
"Good luck, Sumi-chan." Said a girl who had just left the court with a smile. Even though she was substituted, she was fine with it. She had enjoyed herself, but the game was becoming physically and mentally tiring.
"Hai hai..." Atsumi replied with a lazy smile as she walked to the back of the court. It was her turn to serve.
With a yawn and relatively slow steps, she made her way to the back of the court.
"Hmm... I also want some chocolate sticks." Atsumi said as she bounced the ball on the ground a few times.
With one final breath, she tossed the ball up, ran, and jumped... and with one last motion of her hand hitting the ball, a loud crash came from the other side of the court. All the Niiyama players froze as they shifted their gaze to a large dark mark where the ball had landed inside the court.
A referee's whistle indicating the point for Itachiyama was what broke everyone out of their stupor from what had just happened. The strength, speed, and accuracy of that serve were astonishing. So much so that the Itachiyama players on the court, as well as those on the bench, along with their coach, displayed mischievous smiles.
Point after point was gained by Itachiyama with Atsumi's unnaturally powerful and precise serves, but she still maintained her bored and lazy expression. Everyone was stunned by what was happening. The game, which had seemed tightly contested, was now seeing easy points for Itachiyama thanks to Atsumi's serves, which quickly brought the score to 18-24.
Atsumi, though wanting to finish quickly, was getting bored with just that. So, with her next serve, she used the same strength but aimed for Niiyama's libero. Even though she held back slightly, the libero managed to receive the ball with difficulty, but it ended up bouncing back to Itachiyama's side.
Sakura, Itachiyama's libero, received the ball easily and sent it to Fubiki, the setter. And finally, with a relatively simple set, she placed the ball high, very high, and slightly away from the net. With an astonishing speed, Atsumi ran toward the ball and jumped, a surprisingly high leap, and with a loud BAM, the ball broke through the block and landed in Niiyama's court. Because of the force of the ball, two of the three blockers fell to the ground. Atsumi, looking down with a bored expression.
"How boring... Even after serving weaker and aiming for your libero, you couldn't even block a simple direct attack." Atsumi said in a bored voice as she glanced at the two girls and walked back to her team, who were celebrating the point.
After a few seconds of surprise, the Itachiyama crowd erupted in cheers.
"Empress! Empress! Empress!" The voices of the crowd echoed through the court along with the beat and sound of the band's instruments.
~ Outside the court ~
"DID YOU SEE THAT? SHE JUMPED SO HIGH AND THEN BAM!" Hinata said excitedly as he bounced around after seeing the incredible performance of the girl.
It wasn't just him who was impressed. All the Karasuno players were. Both her strong and precise serves and her jump and the power of her attack were incredible.
"Empress... oh! I knew I recognized her." Suga said after a moment of reflection, tapping his fist into the palm of his other hand.
"What are you saying, Suga?" Daichi asked. Like him, all the Karasuno players looked at Sugawara curiously.
"Well, you know that in addition to the magazine that features the top male volleyball players, there's a version of the magazine for female players. So, this girl they're calling the empress is considered the best female high school player, and she plays in the under-19 team just like Ushijima. They call her the Sleepy Empress." Suga said with a smile.
"WOAH. Sleepy Empress?! That's so cool." Hinata, Tanaka, and Noya said excitedly.
"Yeah. From what I read, in most games, she prefers not to be a starter because 'it's too much work' and she 'prefers to eat her snacks.'" Suga said with a laugh as he remembered what he read in the magazine. The player was really eccentric, but that didn't take away from her skill.
After hearing Sugawara's words, some players, particularly the volleyball enthusiasts like Hinata and Kageyama, were confused, while others laughed, as it was indeed a bit strange.
When they looked back at the court, they saw the players leaving the court with Itachiyama, chatting animatedly. And when they looked for the purple-haired girl, they saw her hugging the arm of a pink-haired girl while seemingly whining to her. The pink-haired girl fortunately didn't seem bothered and was smiling kindly at the purple-haired girl.
~ Back with the Itachiyama team ~
"Satsuki-chin... I want the cake you make as a reward." Atsumi, the purple-haired girl, said as she rested her cheek on the shoulder of the pink-haired girl, now known as Satsuki.
"Sure, sure. Anything for my Sumi-chan." Satsuki said kindly as she continued walking with the rest of the team, who didn't even find the situation strange. It was probably something very common between them.
~ Back to the Karasuno players ~
"Well, let's head back to our court. Our game is starting soon." Daichi said after clapping his hands to get the team's attention.
Now, the whole team, excited, followed their captain to their next match.
That day was going to be exciting in its own way...