(Honestly… what on earth am I doing?)
Coach Otomo of Kinhouzan muttered to himself.
The timing and format of the Spring High preliminaries vary slightly from prefecture to prefecture.
In Osaka, the preliminaries are scheduled for next weekend. The teams that make it through will earn a spot in the national Spring High tournament in January. Well, two schools can advance from Osaka, so it's not like you have to take first place…
The final weekend before the matches. Starting next week, there’s barely enough time for anything more than light conditioning. Intense training is out of the question. Today is the last chance for any high-load practice.
It was also a good time to check carefully if anyone was hiding an injury. His players all take volleyball seriously—so seriously that some even try to play through injuries. Spotting those students with the wrong kind of dedication is also part of his job… so why was he here?
“If this turns out to be nothing special, I won’t even have the luxury of crying about it…”
Today, right here at this venue, Matsubara Girls’ High School—home to the much-talked-about Tachibana Yuuri—was taking on the second-round qualifier for a ticket to Spring High.
Despite it being just a local prefectural match, the crowd was bigger than expected.
Most of them, probably, were here for the same reason he was: to watch Tachibana Yuuri.
“Tokuchi, Genshuin, Ritsunan Daiichi… Whoa! Even Kohei Academy’s here! They probably had to take a flight, not the bullet train, huh?”
It wasn’t just the local powerhouses. From the team tracksuits and familiar faces, it was clear that some regulars from the national stage were here too. And not only that—
“Makes sense. Of course they’d be here.”
Kanto University of Physical Education, Tokyo Education University, Sakuranada Women’s University…
Some of the top women’s volleyball colleges were in attendance.
“With this kind of turnout, I bet some pro team scouts are here too.”
Otomo muttered under his breath.
Coach Otomo had come all this way by bullet train—failure wasn’t an option. He made sure to be at the venue the moment it opened. Even so, plenty of other coaches had the same idea, and he couldn’t secure a prime seat.
Still, he planned to film the match using a high-spec digital camcorder on a tripod. Good angles, good zoom—no problem.
“Compared to how empty the boys’ match next door is, this is something else.”
Both the boys’ and girls’ first and second Spring High prefectural qualifiers were being held that day.
With four courts available, the venue had been split evenly. The first and second matches of the first round would be played in the morning, followed by the second-round third match in the afternoon after a lunch break. Despite that, the stands on the girls’ side were packed, while the boys’ side was sparse.
And now, the center of attention—Matsubara Girls’ High—entered the court for their official warm-up.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me…”
The first thing that bothered Coach Otomo was their hair.
Not all of them, but most had long hair that probably reached below their shoulders if let down.
(They're teenage girls. I get wanting to look good. But still… how much time do they spend taking care of that hair every day? My girls at Kinhouzan sacrifice that sort of thing for volleyball. They use that time to train. They’re giving everything they’ve got to this sport.)
He wanted them to win.
He wanted to win for the students who faced volleyball—and his coaching—with everything they had.
That resolve solidified once more in his heart.
Then practice began… starting with light receive drills.
(Who cares about that? Come on, just start practicing those spikes or serves that Tobita said were terrifying already…)
His wish wasn’t exactly granted, but the practice moved on to spiking drills.
And then—
BOOM!!!
In that instant, Coach Otomo felt time stop throughout the entire arena.
(Wha… what the heck?! What the heck?! What the heck?! What the heck?! What the heck?! What the heck?! What the heck?! What the heck?! What the heck?! What the heck?! What the heck?! WHAT WAS THAT??)
A casual observer might not notice, but that was clearly out of the ordinary.
(Is that net… a junior size? Two meters? No way! That small girl jumped and spiked from… 350? Maybe even 370? That’s insane…)
Her jumping ability made you wonder if she had surpassed not just the limits of female athletes—but human beings entirely. And the spike unleashed from that height was like a cannon.
(Tobita, you liar… You said “like a boy,” but even most male pros can’t do that!)
The atmosphere in the gym shifted. The people murmuring were those who truly knew high school girls’ volleyball. Only someone well-versed in the sport could recognize how unnatural this was.
Coach Otomo bit back the urge to join in the commotion. He fixed his eyes on the match that was about to begin.
＝＝＝＝＝
(I see. So that’s how it is. Yeah, no wonder they didn’t make it to Nationals.)
The first set was taken by Matsubara Girls’ High School.
(Their defense is awful. Totally out of the question—#10 Nabekawa. Then there’s #6, the younger Tachibana sister. She’s got great reflexes and range, but her returns never go cleanly to the setter. A bit better than the others, but even being generous, they’re only at a mid-to-high level within the prefecture. Nowhere near good enough for Nationals—#3 Murai, #4 the older Tachibana sister, #7 Tohei, and #11 Maejima. I haven’t seen #9 Shirasagi off the bench, but if she’s on the bench, that tells you her level. The only receiver who’s actually National-level is that little libero. Seriously, she’s working her butt off out there.)
Judging from this match, the libero who surprised them back at the National Sports Festival was probably chosen not for being “strong against power attacks,” but for her exceptional covering ability.
(In contrast, though—offensively, there probably isn’t a single school in the country that can stop them. That insane offensive power. If the ball is even remotely set high anywhere on the court, #6, the younger Tachibana sister, slams it back with a powerful spike. There was even a moment when she spiked the ball back from beyond the service line—froze the whole crowd of coaches and staff. That was just illegal. #6 tends to overshadow the others, but #3 Murai’s a monster too. She’s definitely one of the top spikers in the country. #7 Tohei and #10 Nabekawa are also National-level spikers. Even though they’re setters, #4 the older Tachibana and #11 Maejima are excellent spikers in their own right.)
If it were up to him, Coach Otomo thought, he’d only train #6 and, if he were being really generous, #3 as spikers. The rest, he’d drill relentlessly on reception.
The two-setter system that always keeps three spikers on the court isn’t even necessary if you have a true ace. With spikers of that caliber, there’s no need to focus on sheer numbers.
What matters is how to give that ace the best possible ball—everything else should be tailored toward that goal...
That’s what Coach Otomo believed was the optimal strategy for Matsubara Girls’, but he also knew he wasn’t in any position to criticize another school’s training philosophy.
(Their serves are great, too. Just as expected, #6 Tachibana’s serve is nasty. But the real discovery is #3 Murai. Tobita’s going to flip when he hears. That guy thinks he’s the best high school server in Japan—he’s not wrong. But here, you’ve got two who might be even better—#3 and #6. The other four all have vicious serves in their own ways.
#11’s serve is interesting. Using an overhand drive serve in high school? That thing’s completely viable as long as you’ve got the power behind it.)
From all this, Otomo concluded that Matsubara Girls’ strategy relied on overwhelming offensive firepower to string together break points in quick succession.
First, they break the opponent with a tough serve. Even if it doesn’t lead to an ace, if the return is soft, they crush it with a brutal spike. And even if the opponent gets off a spike of their own, Matsubara has decent enough block height to handle it.
Their weakness, however, is their painfully fragile defense. This time, their opponent didn’t have a powerful server, but if someone did launch a strong serve, they’d probably fall apart immediately and start hemorrhaging points. That’s likely what happened during the Inter-High qualifiers—they racked up too many losses before their overpowering offense could take control.
(This is a team that’s changing the norms of girls’ volleyball. Winning matches without even rallying? That’s a bold new approach—)
“Coach Otomo! Coach Otomo, isn’t that you?”
Just as he was analyzing Matsubara Girls’ play and wondering how best to face them, a familiar voice called out to him.
“Oh! If it isn’t Coach Onuki from Tenma! What brings you all the way out here?”
Coach Onuki was from Tenma University—one of the powerhouses in women’s volleyball.
“Haha, same reason as you, Coach Otomo. I came to see Tachibana. She’s really improved in these five months. Compared to June, she’s become a proper volleyball player.”
“...You mean that girl?”
“Yes. She was a total beginner when she started in April. And Murai as well—you wouldn’t know the name, right?
She’s #3 on Matsubara Girls’ team, also started in April, but she’s already caught up to the rest of her team. Truly astonishing.
Compared to her, Tachibana Yuuri’s development might seem underwhelming, but honestly, it’s Murai’s progress that’s out of the ordinary—”
“W-wait a sec. What? You’re telling me Matsubara’s #3 also started playing volleyball in April?”
If that’s true—and there’s no reason Coach Onuki would lie about it here—then his evaluation of #3 Murai needed a major revision.
To play at that level with only seven months of experience is rare. Tachibana, too, was plenty impressive for seven months in, but Murai’s performance completely overshadowed her.
#6 was a physical beast. #3 seemed to be pure talent incarnate.
(They’ve got their weak spots, sure—but if they hit their stride, they’re terrifying. And the fact that they’re still so inexperienced means they’ll improve rapidly with the right trigger. He even said they’ve improved since June. Thinking about our team, I really hope that old hag Akai can shut them down somehow... but if we’re talking about the future of volleyball as a whole—)
“What’s especially good is how much fun they seem to be having. Calling out to each other, helping each other, fighting as one team—it’s wonderful.”
“Is having fun really that important in volleyball?”
It was an awkward question, but he asked it anyway.
“Yes. Especially for Tachibana Yuuri. Compared to the athletes we work with—those who want to be the best in Japan or compete on the world stage—her ambition is much lower. She’s only playing volleyball because a friend invited her.”
“…Huh?”
You gotta be kidding me.
That was Otomo’s first instinct, but he knew that wasn’t fair.
Choosing what sport to play is up to the individual. You can’t force someone into it just because they’re talented. Whatever she chooses—or even if she chooses nothing—that’s her right.
“That’s why I hope that by having fun like this, she’ll fall in love with volleyball. If we’re being crude, there are plenty of sports that pay better than volleyball. If she’s in it for money, she should go there. But if we lose her to another sport, it would be a huge loss for the volleyball world. So I think it’s great that she’s enjoying herself. If I can be greedy, I hope she gets addicted to volleyball in the next two years and chooses to come to Tenma for college.”
“Man, Onuki—you’re a greedy bastard.”
Coach Otomo couldn’t help but laugh. But at the same time, he thought:
(Lately, I’ve been all about winning... and I’ve kind of forgotten how fun the sport is. Yeah. Volleyball’s tough, but it’s also a hell of a good time.)
He thought back to that first set. Maybe it wasn’t the most efficient way to win, but it was the kind of volleyball where everyone got to shine—and they all looked like they were having fun.
(That kind of playstyle... that kind of approach exists too. Enjoyment leads to motivation. Motivation leads to ambition. Ambition leads to skill. I still got a lot to learn.)
After that, Coach Otomo continued watching Matsubara Girls’ match with Coach Onuki, the two exchanging thoughts throughout.
After the match—
“Yo, Hiroshi. It’s me—Otomo. Can you do me a favor next weekend? Come down here. What? What about our game against Kinhouzan? Idiot. Osaka’s got this even without our scout team. But if we don’t lock down intel on Matsubara now, Spring High is gonna be scary.
What if Himesaki shows up? We’ll deal with that if it happens. Just get over here—”
Coach Otomo had decided: it was worth skipping their own official match to dispatch their elite Kinhouzan scouting team to cover Matsubara Girls.
All-Japan High School Volleyball Championship
Prefectural Second Qualifiers – Block C, Round 1
Matsubara Girls’ High School vs. Hakusan Girls’ High School
25–15
25–13
Set Count: 2–0
Matsubara Girls advances to Round 2 of the Second Qualifier.
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