Inter-High Prefectural Qualifiers, Rounds 3–4 – Day of the Matches
Today, each block's representative will be decided, and the top four teams in the prefecture will be determined.
It’s a big day, but…
“Ughhh, it’s so hot!!”
“So hot!”
“This is all because Yuuri’s too cute!”
“Yeah, that’s right!”
“It’s Yuuri’s fault for being cute enough to get hit on!”
“Being a pretty girl is a crime!”
“Ehh~…”
Grumbling voices rose around me. Whether or not I’m actually cute is beside the point—normally, being a pretty girl isn’t a crime, right?
“Sorry about that. Our little Yuu-chan has no self-awareness. Come on, Yuu-chan, apologize.”
“What am I apologizing for?”
“Hmm… maybe ‘Sorry for being so cute’?”
“I think that would just make them even more annoyed.”
It’s a little past noon. The sun’s high in the sky, and it’s even hotter than it was in the morning. I really don’t want to be moving around in this kind of heat, but there’s a rule that no one involved in the girls' volleyball tournament is allowed to enter the venue before 1:00 PM.
But the first match is scheduled to start at 2:00 PM. Factoring in time to change and warm up, that’s cutting it way too close.
Does the tournament committee not realize how long it takes for girls to get changed? Seriously.
By the way, the reason for this mess is because I knocked out a player from another school with a slap last week, and that set off a butterfly effect that completely screwed up the match schedules for both boys and girls.
Originally, the girls' first match was supposed to take place in the morning, but now it’s been pushed all the way back to 2:00 PM. What’s more, the second match—between the winners of the first-round games—is scheduled to start at 4:00 PM.
In girls’ matches, rallies tend to last longer, so one set can easily take 40 to 50 minutes. Two sets might be manageable, but if it goes to a third set, there’s no way they’ll be able to start on time at 4:00...
Or so I thought, but apparently there’s a guaranteed minimum 30-minute break between matches.
The boys have it rough, too. Their first match starts at 9:30 AM, the second one at 11:30 AM, and by 1:30 PM all boys’ volleyball participants have to be out of the venue—right when the sun is at its peak. Brutal.
The worst part today is how short the interval between the two matches is. Last week, we had over three hours between matches, including the lunch break. That meant less total time stuck at the venue, but this time, the recovery window is way too short.
Matsujo (Matsubara Girls') has a shallow bench—we don’t have the luxury of resting our tired players in the second match. So yeah, we’re in a tight spot. Even if the opposing team is under the same conditions, whether this ends in our favor or not is anyone’s guess.
And to top it off, our likely second match opponent today is Tamaki Commercial High School, the strongest of the public high schools. According to Coach Saeki, we match up poorly against them. Since both of our teams are offense-heavy, it’s going to be an all-out slugfest.
Our first match is against Tsurudome High School. They’ve also made it this far after winning two matches, so they’re not to be taken lightly, but according to Asuka, “Kurakami High was stronger,” so we should manage.
Even so…
“Saeki-sensei, don’t you have a car or something?”
Right now, we’re hauling our uniforms, knee pads, volleyball shoes, and gear like ball bags and baskets—all by hand, splitting the load between us. Most other schools bring their stuff in by bus or van.
“Don’t expect a newbie teacher in their first year out of college to own a car. Besides, I only have a standard driver’s license—I can’t drive a minibus.”
““““Ehhhhh!!””””
Saeki-sensei is young and passionate, but this is definitely a weak point...
And before we knew it, we arrived at today’s venue. The time was 12:55.
Standing at the entrance was someone in a tracksuit who looked like your stereotypical “I’m on the tournament committee” type, urging male students to leave promptly.
The entrance plaza was a chaotic mix of boys’ volleyball teams and their supporters finishing up and heading out, and girls’ teams and their supporters trying to enter.
…This chaos is kind of my fault, isn’t it…
Hm?
“Hina-nee! Look at that!”
I pointed ahead at a high school girl wearing a pale lavender blouse and a checkered pleated skirt!
“!! Yuu-chan! Good eye! That’s—”
“She’s super cute! Do you know what school she’s from?”
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“Take that!!”
For some reason, I got smacked on the head with a karate chop! Why!?
“What the heck, Hina-nee?! That was totally uncalled for!”
“You’re the one in the wrong, Yuu-chan. I must’ve been crazy to even think of complimenting you for a second.”
“Yuu-chan, that uniform is from Himesaki High School. Do you know about them?”
Asuka chimed in to help. Himesaki High School?
!!
“They’re the strongest girls’ volleyball team in the prefecture!”
“Yep. Today they’re playing at a different venue, but the winners from today will face them next week. So they probably sent someone here to scout us.”
So that’s the Himesaki High uniform. Now that I think about it, Mika-nee wore something like that five to seven years ago. Back then, I didn’t care about my clothes or anyone else’s, so I didn’t really notice.
“Hina, Yuuri, Asuka! We’re allowed in now! We’re short on time, so let’s go!”
Eri-senpai called us over. Well, before worrying about Himesaki, we’ve got to take down Tamaki Commercial—and before that, Tsurudome. This is a tournament. We have to approach each match like it’s do or die.
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So, while they’ve split the boys’ and girls’ matches into different time slots, that doesn’t mean everyone instantly switches out by gender. Since I’m a girl now, I obviously can’t change in some random hallway—I need to use the girls’ locker room…
I knew it, but… the girls' locker room is crazy packed. All four schools playing today were allowed to enter the venue at 1:00 PM, with matches starting at 2:00 PM. With that tight schedule, of course everyone rushed into the changing rooms at the same time.
And hey, if your team wore uniforms under your tracksuits, go change somewhere else! Some of us actually need to use this space!
This day marked the first time I ever changed clothes—bra and all—outside of my own home since becoming a girl.
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The main arena of this venue can accommodate up to four volleyball courts. And today, there are four girls’ volleyball teams playing. So it looks like each team gets a court to warm up on.
That’s surprisingly generous.
Having finished changing into my uniform, I was about to head to the court with Hina when—
“Hina! Yuuri-chan! It’s been so long! If you two are playing volleyball, you should’ve told me!”
Suddenly, someone hugged me from behind! That voice—!
“Huh? Sayaka?! Long time no see!!”
Sayaka Yokota
A classmate of Hina’s from middle school. Since Hina brought her over a few times back then, I’m familiar with her too. For some reason, she took a liking to how I looked and every time we met, she’d gush, “So cute! Wanna come live with me?”
She also insisted I call her “Onee-chan.” It was a hassle if I didn’t, so I just go with “Saya-nee.”
She was a handful in many other ways too.
Whenever she came over to our house, she’d always call me over, and insist I either sit in her lap or directly in front of her. If I resisted, she wouldn’t listen. And then she’d hug me from behind. Constantly.
In fact, even now, Sayaka jumped on me from behind, and with a smooth motion, locked me in place with just her left arm, pulling me tightly against her.
It’s like she’s saying, Your place is in front of me. Of course, my opinion has no bearing in this.
“Hina, you started playing volleyball again? Since when? You said back in middle school you were done with it.”
“Well, a classmate was really persistent, and I ended up reluctantly joining again—”
“And knowing you, I bet you’re charging ahead without even looking around at anyone else, right?”
“Ugh… That stings a bit, but actually, all the girls in the current team keep up just fine. Honestly, I feel like I’m the one getting left behind.”
“No way! That’s so not like you, Hina—you’re super competitive, aren’t you—?”
Above my head, Hina and Sayaka are having a typical girls’ catch-up session. I don’t know her exact height, but Sayaka is definitely taller than Hina. She might even be taller than Reiko.
As for me, I’ve been placed right between the two of them. Sayaka is pressed right up against my back. I want to get away, but her left arm is securely locked around my waist—no escape.
Her right hand has been casually stroking my hair, my cheeks, and even my chest.
Between lines of the girl talk, she throws in comments like:
“Aww, Yuuri-chan, your hair is still so silky~♪”
“Wow, your skin’s so smooth and springy~”
“Hmm? Did these get a bit bigger? Why don’t you tell your onee-san all about it?”
No matter how you look at it, this is sexual harassment. Compared to the guy who hit on me last week, Sayaka is way worse, yet Hina doesn’t say a word.
Like, if brushing a butt counts as groping, then Sayaka fondling my chest should definitely be a crime, right? This is clearly gender discrimination.
For the record, my head only reaches up to Sayaka’s chest, and since she’s hugging me tightly from behind, my head is firmly pressed into her soft... yeah, those.
Sayaka clearly doesn’t mind this.
As for me—I don’t feel happy about it. It’s just hot and annoying. And that, as a guy, is kinda depressing.
Maybe the problem is that Sayaka’s size is about the same as mine.
When I was still a guy, I liked the bigger kind.
Okay, what if it wasn’t Sayaka-sized, but more like Hina’s?
…
All I feel is murderous intent.
W-Wait, bad example—she’s family! Of course I don’t see my little sister that way. Then how about someone bigger—Yuki-sized?
…
I’d probably punch her. Big boobs should just fall off—seriously.
“Yokota. What do you think you’re doing?”
A voice rings out in the hallway leading to the courts—a low voice for a girl, but high for a guy. Cool, androgynous. Handsome.
“!! Ichikawa-senpai!”
Sayaka, who had been all squishy and relaxed, instantly snaps to attention with an audible snap. The air tightens immediately.
“Yokota. Is that girl your friend?”
“Y-Yes! She’s my best friend from middle school!”
“Judging from the uniform, I’d say she’s from Matsubara Girls’ High. Getting too chummy before a match might come back to bite you.”
“It’s fine! Hina is my rival, so meeting like this just fires us up! Like, ‘I won’t go easy on you in match two!’ That kind of thing!”
This is the first I’ve heard about Hina having a rivalry with Sayaka. But now’s not the time to interrupt.
“I see. That’s fine, then.”
With that, the tense atmosphere loosens slightly.
“It would be rude not to introduce myself now. Nice to meet you—I’m Makiko Ichikawa, third-year at Tamaki Commercial. Let’s have a good match today.”
She holds out both hands.
“I-I’m Hina Tachibana, first-year at Matsubara Girls. This is my sister, Yuuri.”
“I’m Yuuri. Pleased to meet you.”
“Yes, nice to meet you. But don’t expect me to go easy on you in the match.”
Even as she says that, Ichikawa-senpai shakes hands first with Hina, then with me. It’s a gentle handshake with both hands, and I naturally return it the same way.
Wow, up close, she really is handsome. Her voice is low for a girl, but it only adds to her charm. If she went to an all-girls school like ours, I bet she’d be super popular.
“Hina, Yuuri! What are you doing?! Warm-ups are starting!”
—That’s Miho-senpai’s voice!
“Coming! See you later, Sayaka!”
“Later, Saya-nee!”
Hina and the others went off when their teammates called for them.
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Once they were out of sight, Ichikawa-senpai spoke up.
“Yokota. Was that the rumored foreigner from Matsubara Girls?”
“Probably. Hina—the taller one—said, ‘Yuuri’s the only halfie, the rest are all Japanese.’”
“I see.”
“Senpai, do you believe in that urban legend?”
The legend came out of nowhere: supposedly, Matsubara Girls had a foreign player who could spike from over three meters.
Ridiculous. For a girl to hit from over three meters—that’s pro-level. I mean, maybe a tall foreigner could do it, but Yuuri-chan doesn’t even look 160 cm tall. She’d need to jump more than a meter to do that.
Even among high school boys, very few can jump a full meter. For a girl to do it? No way.
“I thought it might be worth considering, but with that height and those legs? Definitely an urban legend.”
“Her height aside—what about her legs?”
“Well, it’s obvious, but to jump high, you need strong leg muscles. Did you see that little girl’s legs? No way she’s jumping high with those skinny legs.”
“Senpai, you notice everything…”
Ichikawa-senpai has the sharpest eye on the team.
She can tell when someone’s off, slacking, or doing well just by watching. And during matches, she spots the opponent’s weaknesses right away.
If even she says it’s just a rumor, then it probably is—just a false story spread by Nanba High.
Honestly. They get knocked out cold by a girl’s slap after failing to flirt and spread dumb rumors out of spite? What trash.
“…By the way, Senpai, what are you doing?”
Ichikawa-senpai had been rubbing her palms together the whole time.
“Just comparing. The thickness of my skin with that little girl’s—Yuuri-chan, was it? I’m comparing her palms to mine.”
…?? What?
“When I shook hands earlier, her older sister felt normal. But the younger one—her right and left palms felt different. I’m guessing she’s been doing intense training with her dominant right hand.
Given her height and build, she’s not suited for ace spiker. Probably a big server. Her arms were thin too, so it’s unlikely she hits with raw power. Maybe a jump float server?”
!!
That’s our Ichikawa-senpai!!
To figure out that much just from a handshake?!
But—as it turns out—her guess was partly right, partly wrong. And as we found out during the official warm-up…
The urban legend wasn’t a legend at all.
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Apologies if the honorifics for Mr. Saeki seem inconsistent—it's the same in the original, where she's sometimes referred to as Kantoku (Coach) and other times as Sensei.
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