Chapter 45

Qingcheng Training Ground

"After coach Tianhai came back, everyone mustered up their energy."

Coach Mizoguchi smiled and looked at the players on the court who became more energetic.

In the four or five days since Coach Tianhai left, everyone from the coach to the players felt that the training was empty, as if something was missing.

It wasn't until they faced Tian Hai's familiar gaze again that they realized that what was missing was this scanning gaze of "I'm staring at you."

Touji took advantage of Tenkai's turn and secretly said to Machii next to him: "Tell me, what did Coach Tenkai go through when he was in the Youth Intensive Camp... The current coaches are so scary."

Ziyi was leaning over for training . The man tilted his head, "Maybe we saw too many outstanding students? The standards have also been raised."

Other team members who were undergoing extra training also thought so. I couldn't help but feel two or three more pressures and motivation to move forward.

If Tianhai knew what they were thinking, he would definitely accuse them of being wronged.

He just tried his best not to let students leave regrets for "that decision" in his heart.

He would be more worried about Oikawa's condition than himself. You must know that the setter who personally understands the abilities of his teammates is the one who is most sensitive to the changes in his teammates.

"Don't take chances when attacking. If you can't find a chance with this shot, find a way to hit it again."

Nakakaku and Iwaizumi stood next to Oikawa, calmly telling about the strong players from foreign schools they saw in the dormitory. Goal scoring habit.

"Especially Idayama and Koseka High School. Iizuna and Kiryu have terrible control over the game. Once we score from a bad angle, we will quickly seize the opportunity and lose the point."

He said in his tone His seriousness and earnestness made Chukaku want to rub his eyes—is this really Oikawa?

Oikawa just explained a few words casually. He still remembered Tianhai's book full of staycation records. Both the details and understanding were more comprehensive than his own.

Iwaizumi looked at Oikawa's leaving back and frowned.

·

"How is it? Can you still adapt?"

After instructing a circle of students, Tianhai walked up to Oikawa with a smile in his eyes - he naturally noticed the worried expressions of the team members looking at Oikawa.

The lifter he was watching kept moving his hands and sent out another perfect jump serve.

Oikawa shook off the sweat from his forehead, hugged the ball and emphasized, "It would be too bad to not adapt to teammates who have been together for several years because of a short four or five-day stay together."

His current emotional adjustment ability is enough to solve this problem. situation.

Seeing the end of the conversation between the two, Coach Irihata and Coach Mizoguchi walked towards Tenkai

. "Tenkai, this is the list of players who will go to your training ground to train as discussed by Mizoguchi and I."

Less than a month before the start of Spring High School, the three The coaches unanimously agreed to do what they did before the finals of the qualifiers - Tenkai and Mizoguchi would take the members participating in the competition at Tenkai's house, and coach Iriyata would go after the club activities.

After the winter vacation, unified training can still be continued.

"In Harugao, we need to increase the number of substitutes.

In addition to the members of the qualifiers, Naoto Toijima, Kaneo Onda, Heisuke Shido, Takahiro Hanamaki and Kazushige Matsukawa. They will all participate in this training."

Coach Irihata said Coach Mizoguchi explained:

"A lot of students have been injured at Spring High School in previous years. Although we don't want this to happen, we still have to be prepared."

The three coaches gathered together to discuss the arrangements for the Spring High School competition. The rest of the team members were in disbelief at the scene in front of them.

"It feels like we just had the qualifying match yesterday. It's going to be high in the blink of an eye." Ueda put his hand on Maebashi's shoulder, and the sweat on his arm flowed down the curve of his muscles.

In winter, Miyagi Prefecture, located in the northeast, is naturally not warm, it can even be said to be cold.

"Put on some clothes!" Machii, who was sitting in the rest area drinking water, threw Ueda's clothes away. The very responsible libero has decided to keep an eye on these players before the end of the spring high school season, and no one is allowed to get sick.

Maebashi, who had been silent all this time, pursed his lips - in the next month, his fishing career seems to be over...

·

"Goodbye, master!"

"See you tomorrow."

Tianhai stood at the door of the training ground , waving goodbye to Hinata and Goshiki.

Japanese students go on winter vacation in mid-December. A month is enough for these kids to enjoy themselves in the volleyball hall every day.

After seeing off the two students, he turned back to the training ground.

Qingcheng players are still conducting practice matches.

Different from the usual 3v3 practice matches, in the recent games, both the main players and substitutes were on the court.

Each of them needs to adapt to the game before spring high school, adapt to the atmosphere on the court, and adjust themselves into the most suitable state for the game. In the words of coach Irihata - keep your body hot for the game.

And one of them is very special.

A tall figure stood in the Aoye City West team with a cold expression. The ball he dunked hard made the opposing blocker complain.

Iwaizumi looked at Ushijima's face with a calm expression, thinking about the different possibilities of different attack methods.

Now he no longer relies solely on strength to attack like before. He has become more and more sophisticated in controlling strength and has learned more attack methods.

In this way, the opponent's block and first pass also feel the same pain.

After the training match, the players packed their things and prepared to go home. Tomorrow is New Year's Day, and Aoba Castle will leave for Tokyo in two days.

——This also means that they will not conduct unified training until the Spring High Competition.

"Coach, goodbye!"

Zhonghe was the first to rush out of the door. According to his sister, he bought him his favorite game console as a gift. He was so anxious that he wanted to fly.

He just ran away, not forgetting to hold Touji and Kusukawa in his hands.

"I'm going to fall, ouch, ouch, I'm going to fall! Goodbye, coach - don't drag me!"

...

"See you tomorrow, Teacher Tianhai!" "Goodbye, teacher!"

This is an appointment with Tianhai to go to the shrine tomorrow. of Oikawa and Iwaizumi.

The players left one by one, and the training hall gradually became empty.

After Amami saw off the two coaches, he returned to the gym and saw Ushijima putting the volleyball into the frame.

"Thank you, Ushijima."

Ushijima has been training with Aoki since the winter vacation, and stays at the end every day to help him pack his equipment.

Ushijima Wakali raised his head and looked at Tenkai, not quite understanding why he wanted to thank him.

Whether it was providing a training ground or training with Aoba Jonishi, he was helped.

The two quietly packed up the venue.

Before leaving, Ushijima thought of the message Tendo sent last night and said to Tenkai:

"Tendou invites us to go to the shrine to worship together tomorrow."

Tianhai naturally agreed.

The first time I visit a shrine in Japan is also the first time I visit a new year. The Japanese seem to call it "first attainment"?

Tomorrow happens to be Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Hinata and Goshiki. Together with Ushijima and Tendou, Tenkai's students in Miyagi are all here.

As for the distant sea of ​​stars in Nagano Prefecture and Bokuto in Tokyo...he had no choice. We can only contact you by phone at that time.

·

"Good morning, Ruoli, Teacher Tenkai!"

Tendo ran towards Ushijima and the two from a distance wearing a red coat. Although the hair was fixed with hairspray, the ends of the slightly long strands were swaying.

Since it's snowing today, there are still a few snowflakes in the hair.

Ushijima and Tenkai made an appointment to meet in front of their home, and then went to a crossroads not far from Tendo's house to wait.

Since Oikawa and the others were in a completely different direction, they arranged to meet at the steps of the shrine.

"Good morning, Tendo."

Tianhai looked at the other person's thin coat with some worry - it's even snowing now, is it really not cold?

Turning around to look at Ushijima, he was also wearing a simple blue jacket. And himself...

Tianhai lowered his head, his hat, scarf and gloves not missing.

Fortunately, he didn't hesitate for too long, and his attention was attracted by the shrine he was going to.

The shrine is located on Mount Aoba.

Mount Aoba is not the one next to Qingcheng School, but is located in the west of Sendai City.

If you want to go to the shrine to worship, you need to climb a lot of steps and reach halfway up the mountain.

Oikawa and the others were waiting at the foot of the mountain. Seeing the three people coming, he waved to indicate the direction.

As soon as Amami arrived, he was hit by Hinata who rushed towards him. "Master! Happy New Year! Wasn't I the first to say it!"

Tentong looked over with a smile, but the words he said were cruel: "Ruoli and I have already told the teacher first -"

"Ashu! I just It's the first one!"

In fact, the first person to say Happy New Year should be Shiyi, who said it as soon as twelve o'clock.

Hinata stood up straight, "What! Tendou-senpai is too cunning."

...

The people smiled and walked up the steps.

Hinata rushed to the front. I was obviously the first one, but there was no figure shouting "boke" beside me. I was really not used to it.

"Kageyama, why doesn't he come... I even sent him a message to call him, but he refused immediately, really!"

I thought of the message Kageyama sent, "I want to spend New Year's Day with my grandfather who is in the hospital." Tianhai paused for a moment, then pointed to the sign on the side

, "There is a bear, please be careful."

"Xiangyang, run slower, you might encounter a bear."

The five-color worker, who also came from out of town and didn't know that there were bears in Qingye Mountain, When I saw this sign, my face suddenly turned pale.

"Bear... Are you kidding me? How could there be a bear?"

Oikawa's bad thoughts started to rise. He put his arms around Goseki's neck and whispered in his ear,

"There really is one - and it's nearby." Bears can sometimes be seen on university campuses, let alone in the mountains...According to eyewitnesses..."

Until Iwaizumi raised his huge fist, it immediately landed on Oikawa's head. , he finally stopped to threaten the younger students.

After several months of getting along with the little Xiangyang, it was no longer easy to deceive him, but the five colors in front of him were still somewhat interesting.

Ushijima, who was walking in front, stopped and looked at the red torii in front of him.

"We're here."

There is still a flight of steps from the torii gate to the shrine. After crossing the torii gate, there were more people on the steps.

There are even some vendors on the platform, selling small items such as prayer bags and pendants.

"Is there no guardian?"

Tianhai looked around and was a little disappointed when he didn't find the guardian he wanted.

Tendo and Iwaizumi looked at each other.

"Teacher Tenkai, the shrine sells the yamamori, and ordinary vendors don't."

In the end, Iwaizumi stepped forward and explained.

It was only at this time that I realized that Coach Tianhai was an American... and he was actually looking for Yu Shou at the vendor.

Tianhai scratched his head and felt embarrassed when a surprise shout came from behind: "Coach Tianhai! -"

He turned around and saw a group of people from Karasuno standing at the top of the steps.

"What a coincidence. Are you coming to the shrine too?" Tianhai walked over with the students behind him.

Xiangyang even ran over and started chatting with Sugawara Takashi. "Sugawara-senpai, long time no see!"

"Long time no see, Hinata."

Karasuno's team members had a good attitude towards Hinata. They all greeted him and rubbed their heads.

After all, he will be a little crow who will fly into his nest in the future, or a genius little crow.

"We are going to visit the shrine, do you want to come together?" Karasuno captain Tashiro invited.

Tianhai looked at the group of people around him and nodded in agreement.

The team is already so big, a few more people won't matter...

Oikawa volunteers to explain to Tenkai how to visit the shrine.

Everyone came to the water house.

"The first step is to purify your heart." Oikawa rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and rinsed his mouth with water.

Tianhai also took off his gloves, washed his hands and rinsed his mouth.

It's just that the spring water is cold, and there's a stimulating chill the moment you touch it. Even his mind became a little clearer.

After purifying his heart, Oikawa brought Tianhai to the statue. He first demonstrated by putting a few five-yen coins into the cash box. Then the bell is rang to wake up the gods.

Bow twice, clap your hands twice, put your palms together, and then bow again.

He couldn't speak during the worship, and Tianhai stared at Oikawa closely, fearing that he would miss any movement. Even Shi Yi in his mind became nervous.

It wasn't until the visit was over that Tianhai rehearsed it in his mind before taking off his hat and going forward to pay homage.

I need to make a wish to the gods...

what wish? He was very lucky to be able to do it again, and he was very satisfied.

...

'Then I hope that my family and students will be free from illness and pain, and that they will get what they want. '

Tian Hai, who originally just wanted to try new things, became extremely sincere in an instant after saying this in his heart.

He hoped that the gods would realize this wish.

The moment he opened his eyes, he seemed to hear a vague voice coming from his mind. The sound was too fast and too quiet.

"Please..."

Before Tianhai could think about the meaning of this sentence, Hinata and Goshiki rushed in front of him,

"Master! How do you feel! Isn't it interesting?"

Tianhai was interrupted and forgot what he wanted to think about. He stood with the students of Karasuno and talked about the upcoming spring high school and the possible return of Coach Uyang.

Shiyi, who could hear clearly, did not make a sound.

This shows that the consciousness of the world is very satisfied with Ashu, and expresses its gratitude in person by visiting the shrine where there is the best opportunity for communication.

After the worship was completed, everyone went to draw lots and buy royal guards.

It is worth mentioning that Tianhai and his team all drew good luck.

And except for Tianhai and Tentong who drew good luck, the remaining five people clearly drew from different buckets, but their draws were exactly the same.

This made everyone in Karasuno wonder.

Holding the royal guard bought for Kageyama Kazuyo and his parents, Tianhai smiled brightly while holding the "big lucky" sign.

"Click -"

a sound of taking pictures came from not far away. Everyone turned their attention to Dongfengxu, who was behind the Karasuno crowd.

"Sorry, I just think it looks good... I didn't take it on purpose... No, it was taken on purpose. I'm sorry."

Higashikata, who is 1.8 meters tall and looks like a warrior, hid behind Sugawara. His face was filled with tension.

Tianhai quickly came over and took a look at the photo, "Oh, it's good. I look very handsome in the photo! Dongfeng, you are good at taking photos!"

"Let me see! Really, the master is so handsome!" Xu, please take a picture for me too!"

"Please, be more handsome! I'll treat you to dinner when school starts!"

Oikawa looked at Tianhai and calmed down Dongfeng's nervousness. Everyone became familiar and their eyes flashed.

This ability to bring everyone together and coordinate perfectly on the court... sooner or later he will surpass Coach Tianhai in this regard!

"Oikawa, come and take a group photo!"

Tianhai called to the student who was lost in thought and pulled him to his side.

"3, 2, 1——"

"Happy New Year!"

-----------------------

"Bring two pieces of sportswear and a thicker one. Don't forget to wear your uniform.

There are too many other things to bring. Our volleyball coach will bring enough. "

"Everyone will gather at the school gate at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. In addition to us, there will be a support group. There are three cars for students from the Musical Instruments Department."

Coach Irihata and Coach Mizoguchi stood in front of everyone, arranging the final precautions.

We don’t have much to say to make arrangements. We can talk about it in the car after we arrive in Tokyo...

Coach Irihata, who had originally planned to arrange for everyone to go home, suddenly looked sharply in his eyes when he saw Taiyang Nakazuru turning to leave.

"And you... Zhonghe, please don't do your homework this time. It won't last for two days."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Qingcheng volleyball club burst into laughter. The tense atmosphere due to the upcoming competition was also diluted.

Tianhai, who stood quietly aside, smiled.

Coach Irihata's way of relieving everyone's stress is also unique. In an instant, he equated "the first spring high school in Qingcheng" with "the summer camp in previous years".

Watching the team members leave, Tianhai sorted out the information that would be used in the competition.

Dozens of schools have been packed into different categories and have a whole big backpack. While thinking about the exchange between the three coaches of the volleyball department and Principal Qingcheng this morning.

"Grow upward. Aoba Castle West will always be the land beneath these children."

·

"Even though I guessed that half of the cheering group is here for Coach Tenkai and Oikawa, it's still a little sad."

Kusukawa Ang leaned on the chair, Want to cry but no tears. The cheers from the support group just before he got into the car still echoed in his mind. But most of them are -

"Oikawa-senpai! Come on, Harutaka!"

"Come on, Coach Tenkai! Come on, Aoba Johsai!"

Touji has long been used to it. From the moment pre-match interviews and post-match reports spread across social networks during the qualifiers, he had already resigned himself to his fate.

"The Aoba Castle West Volleyball Club has been occupied by Ikemen. We are losing, so we have to leave first."

Tianhai, who was sitting in the front row, raised the corner of his mouth when he heard the two playing tricks.

"When the spotlight comes on the court at the Spring High School, don't be too nervous and jump to catch the ball from your teammates."

Both words were teasing Machii, who caused a series of laughter in the qualifying finals.

"Coach Tianhai! You're too much!"

The boy, who had closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, stood up, sat upright and looked at the front row.

Seeing the chaos on the bus getting more and more chaotic, Coach Mizoguchi quickly stood up to maintain order, and at the same time gave Tianhai a very hateful look.

This little coach who smiled quietly must have done it on purpose. If he wanted to, he could calm everyone down in a minute.

I really don’t know how Tianhai’s coach could subdue him before.

"After arriving at the hotel, we first put our luggage in the room. Then we gathered in the lobby and went to the gymnasium to take a look at the venue."

Coach Irihata picked up the arrangement written by Tianhai and explained to everyone.

They set off in the morning and will arrive at the hotel at two noon. Sufficient time can even allow the players to adapt to the court and hit the ball twice.

"Yes! Coach!"

...

As soon as he got off the bus, Tianhai received a call from his parents.

Mari's voice came out softly from the phone:

"Xiaoshu, we are getting ready to get on the plane now. It may be early morning when we arrive at the residence, so there is no need to wait for us. See you tomorrow morning."

The background sound of the phone was a little noisy, and after a while Then it became quiet. It should have gone through customs.

"Okay mom, I miss you so much. See you tomorrow." Tianhai unconsciously rubbed his head against the phone, as if he could touch his parents half a world away.

The person on the other side was probably preparing to board the plane, and hung up the phone after saying a few words.

Tianhai put away his mobile phone and looked up to see a group of Aoba Jonishi with complicated expressions.

"What?" He was a little confused.

Iwaizumi covered his face, not daring to look at Tianhai.

——Unexpectedly, Coach Tianhai, who rules the entire volleyball club during training and is mature and gentle in life, actually has a coquettish side.

Everyone in Qingcheng followed Coach Irihata into the hotel and found their room with dull eyes.

Coach Mizoguchi, who was walking at the front, had a complicated heart.

He kept repeatedly forgetting that Coach Tianhai was a nineteen-year-old boy, and would always think of it under different stimulations...

Considering that everyone had been sitting in the car for several hours, his health must have been affected. Uncomfortable. The three coaches also asked them to rest in the room for half an hour before gathering in the lobby.

"After we have packed up, we are ready to go to the venue."

It feels really special to take a large group of teenagers to the venue. The distance from the hotel to the venue is not far, no more than twenty minutes.

Amami picked up Chukaku, who rushed to the front, and pulled Oikawa, who was waving to a female high school student on the roadside to exude charm.

Fortunately, the journey was not long, and we soon arrived at the entrance of the Tokyo Stadium.

"This small room belongs to Japan's Fuji TV?"

Maebashi pointed to the makeshift room next to the venue. Through the window, he could see a bunch of reporters standing inside.

Looking at the familiar sign in front of him, coach Mizoguchi gave a positive answer.

"If you win or perform well, you may even be interviewed one-on-one by reporters."

Although he has never been here, he has never missed the spring high every year. Naturally, he is very familiar with the process.

Not to mention that he has been preparing for this spring high school for a month this year.

"Oh oh oh! - Interview!!"

How could a boy who was only sixteen or seventeen years old not be excited when he heard words like "interview" and "one-on-one".

Imagining my face appearing on the big screen, or even in the volleyball weekly, is simply stunning!

When Tianhai saw that Coach Iriyata's identity had been verified by security, he stretched out his arms and hugged the teenagers in front of him who were unable to leave.

"Okay, okay - the interview will definitely happen if you perform well. Now let's go see the venue."

With that, he led the people to prepare to enter the venue.