HAIKYŪU: SHARPEST VISION [OC INSERT]

CHAPTER 019

THE SENDAI CITY GYMNASIUM was a behemoth. It felt like a concrete jungle, vast and intimidating to the eyes.

As Hinata and the rest of the Karasuno team walked in, the buzz of anticipation was thick in the air.

"Whoa! Those guys are huge!" One of the players gasped, his eyes fixed on a group of players across the gym.

"Date Kogyo," another player confirmed, his voice filled with a mix of awe and concern. "And... that guy was missing eyebrows."

Hinata, on one hand, felt his own stomach clench with nervous excitement at the sight of these towering figures.

On the other hand, he couldn't help but chuckle at the strange quirk of one players - lack of eyebrows.

The tension thickened as the teams passed each other in the hallway. One Date Kogyo player, tall and imposing, pointed a finger directly at Asahi. "You got a problem?!"

Before things could escalate, a senior Date Kogyo player quickly intervened, his voice a mix of apology and warning. "Sorry about that. Aone here... he likes to pick on opponents, so be ready!"

The situation cooled slightly, but the underlying tension lingered. The Karasuno players traded uneasy glances.

"They're the ones who beat us, right?" Hinata asked Sugawara, his voice a little shaky.

"Yep. They've got one of the best blocks in the prefecture," Sugawara replied, his tone serious.

"Guys, don't get nervous like last time!" Daichi urged, but Asahi remained tense, the memory of their previous defeat still fresh in his mind. "What's wrong with you? I'm supposed to be the one worrying about the blocking!"

Sugawara patted Asahi on the back, "Don't sweat it, Asahi. Walter's not the type to get rattled. Besides, those Date Kogyo players, they've already got their eyes on him."

______｡･ﾟ･(ﾉ∀')･ﾟ･｡______

KARASUNO FINISHED their warm-up routine, their movements synchronized and confident.

They watched as Aoba Johsai took the court, their coach, Mr. Irihata, barking out instructions.

"We need to watch them closely," Coach Irihata said, his eyes focused on the Karasuno players. "Especially that quick attack and that powerful spike from their first-year."

"Hai," his assistant coach, Mr. Mizoguchi, affirmed.

"Where's Oikawa?" Coach Irihata asked, his gaze sweeping the court.

"Um..." Yahaba, their anxious libero, stammered. "He's... surrounded by girls from other schools."

A chill ran down Coach Irihata's spine. The moment he realized Oikawa was getting distracted by the girls, a dark cloud of irritation settled over him. "Iwaizumi."

Iwaizumi, their steadfast defender, knew what was coming. "Hai," he replied, already stepping forward.

This was a familiar scene - Oikawa, with his charming smile and his tendency to get caught up in conversations with admirers, often needed a reminder to focus on the game. Iwaizumi was the only one who could reliably pull him back to reality.

"This is delicious. You really made this?" Oikawa voice drifted across the gym, followed by a flurry of praise.

"Hai, I stayed up late past night making it." The girl replied modestly.

"Oikawa-San, can I take a picture with you?" Another girl asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Sure, no problem," Oikawa smiled, oblivious to the growing tension. But as they posed for the picture, he flinched, a ball coming out of nowhere and striking him in the back of the head.

"Oikawa-san!" the girl exclaimed.

"Ouch! Not even the coach hits me like that...," Oikawa grumbled, rubbing his head.

His irritation was short-lived. He felt the cold steel of Iwaizumi's gaze on him, a silent warning.

"Sorry, let's do the pictures another time," he muttered, scrambling to avoid any further trouble.

Back in the warm-up area, Hinata spotted the Aoba Johsai players.

"Hey, it's turnip head!" he shouted, drawing a few confused looks from the other players.

"Turnip head, what's that?" one of them muttered, confused by what they meant by the term.

Kindaichi, who was walking next to Kunimi, sensed something was amiss and turned to stare at the opposing players, doubting the reason for their comment. "It's you who else?"

"What?" Kunimi snarky remark caught Kindaichi's attention, and he asked who else they were referring to. In response, Kunimi responded with an evil smile.

"Yahoo!... Tobio-chan, shrimp-chan. How's the freak duo doing?"

Oikawa, ever the showman, responded with his trademark smile and provocations, directly addressing Kageyama and Hinata from above the crowd of players.

"It's the Great King," Hinata addressed Oikawa in his unique way, calling him the Great King.

"And you, Walter-chan, don't cry if your team has been eliminated in the next game." Oikawa's response was equally provocative, telling Walter to remember not to cry if his team is defeated during the next match.

"You better worry about yourself team first, Oikawa-san," Walter didn't shy away from the challenge, confident in his skills and experience, and fired back, urging Oikawa to worry about himself first.

Oikawa's charismatic, confident, and arrogant personality was also somewhat Walter was used to encountering when facing a powerful player like him.

Both teams are aware of Walter's powerful spike from their previous practice match, and his presence causes a certain degree of alertness among the opposing team.

"Ouch, that hurts, Iwa-chan." Oikawa complained about Iwaizumi's playful slap, which he claims to be painful.

"Huh? They have a libero he wasn't there for the practice match." As the team looks at Karasuno, they take note of their players, particularly the libero and the tall player.

"And that big guy wasn't there, either." They comment that the libero was not present during their previous practice match and that a tall player had not been seen either.

The tension was thick, the air crackling with anticipation. This was the real deal-the Interhigh tournament, where the best teams in Miyagi Prefecture would clash for a shot at the national championship. The atmosphere was charged with excitement and a hint of fear.

The first match was just around the corner, and both Karasuno and Aoba Johsai were ready for the challenge.

They were both ready to prove their strength and show the entire prefecture what they were capable of.

TO BE CONTINUED...