After a few minutes on the road, the Karasuno players could be seen stepping off the bus under the sunset alongside their cheer squad's bus.
"Good win today! Win tomorrow too!" said a boy who had just gotten off the bus.
"Don't even think about losing!" shouted another kid, followed by the rest of the cheer squad as they stepped down, praising Karasuno's victory.
"HOW COULD WE LOSE!?" yelled Tanaka, startling a group of students who scurried away from the spot.
"Guys, as usual, we'll have a quick meeting before you all head home," announced Takeda.
"Sure!" the Karasuno players replied in a quieter tone, worn out from the game, before heading toward the gym. Once inside, they sat on the floor as usual, waiting for Ukai's speech.
"The first day went well, just as expected! We even got to use some players who are technically reserves, so there's no way to call it anything but a success," Ukai began.
"And as you saw just before we left, we'll be facing Date Tech in the next round… a team we've already played earlier this year and again last year—and the last time, we beat them," Ukai pointed out.
"We did it once… we can do it again! We'll win no problem!" Tanaka said, pumped up.
"I'm confident we can win too, but judging by the coach's face, I think he saw what I did…" Hinata commented with a grin, glancing at Ukai, who'd had a reluctant look while speaking earlier.
"Yeah… right before we left, I got a quick look at Date Tech's game, and they seem to have a new member who might be a bit of a problem," Ukai noted.
"What kind of player are we talking about?" Daichi asked, curious.
"His name's Koganegawa. I faced him in a middle school tournament. He's like a giant setter… probably around my height…" Hinata mused thoughtfully.
"A giant setter!?" Kageyama blurted out, mildly shocked.
"That's seriously weird! The tallest setter I'd ever seen was that jerk Oikawa! And from what I remember, it only helped him pull off some spikes every now and then!" Tanaka said, veins popping on his forehead just thinking about Oikawa, who he found unbearable.
"Well, back then, his setter skills were pretty rough, to be honest. It seemed like he'd just started training as one, but he knew how to use his body to block, so I think it's a style that fits Date Tech's game," Hinata remarked.
"That's the issue. Now with a setter over 190cm tall alongside those two other blockers, their iron wall is stronger than ever. But I believe in our team—we'll win tomorrow!" Ukai declared.
"Yeah! From what I can tell, their blocking got tougher, but our attack's gotten stronger too… they're not the only ones who've leveled up," Daichi observed.
"I worried for nothing!" Ukai said, looking at the Karasuno players' faces—none of them seemed nervous or anxious. Maybe only Kageyama was more curious about facing such an odd setter.
"We're not stopping tomorrow! We'll win and move forward!" Daichi said, forming a circle and putting his hands in, followed by the rest of the team.
"KARASUNO FIGHT!" Daichi shouted.
"LET'S GO!" they all yelled in unison. The next day, the Karasuno players had just stepped off the bus at the Sendai City Gymnasium and headed to the court to warm up.
"Futakuchi-san! There goes Aone messing with our opponents again!" Sakunami said, watching Aone walk toward the Karasuno players practicing spikes before the match. The tall boy stopped in front of Hinata and struck his classic pose, pointing right at him.
"Hey, let's have a good showdown today!" Hinata said with a grin, enjoying Aone's attitude. Aone nodded in agreement, still pointing.
"You know there's no stopping him from doing that, right?" Futakuchi commented as he approached. Unlike the former captain Moniwa, he was more laid-back.
"No problem! I see it more as him recognizing I'm the most dangerous player on the court…" Hinata teased.
"HEYYY! YOU REMEMBER ME!?" Koganegawa asked energetically, bounding over to join the conversation.
"Of course! We had a pretty fun match last year in middle school, and you were already training as a setter!" Hinata replied.
"So that's him?" Kageyama asked, whispering in Hinata's ear from behind.
"Yup," Hinata confirmed, whispering back as Kageyama stared at Koganegawa with a mix of curiosity and confusion.
"I'd just started training back then, but I think my skills have gotten way better!" Koganegawa said confidently.
"Improved my foot!" Futakuchi cut in, smacking Koganegawa on the head with an open hand.
"WHY'D YOU DO THAT!?" Koganegawa yelped, rubbing his head.
"Let's get back to warming up. Good chatting with you guys!" Futakuchi said, dragging Koganegawa and Aone—who'd finally stopped pointing at Hinata—away.
"GO! GO! LET'S GO! DATE TECH!"
"GO! GO! LET'S GO! DATE TECH!"
"GO! GO! KARASUNO! PUSH IT! PUSH IT! KARASUNO!"
"GO! GO! KARASUNO! PUSH IT! PUSH IT! KARASUNO!"
"Looks like the cheer battle's gonna be extra intense this time! They've got a seriously loud crowd!" Sugawara noted.
"Yeah, but our squad's not far behind," Daichi said, glancing at the cheering sections that seemed to be competing.
"Alright, guys… the next match on the road to nationals starts now. Despite that new first-year wildcard, the setup for this game stays the same. We all know they're a team with strong blocks, so they usually start with a hard serve to mess up our formation and force a sloppy attack for an easier block. Just like last time, we'll start with Hinata and Daichi on defense to stop that opening serve," Ukai explained.