T.N.: "An endearing and simple-minded form of telepathy" The term "憨憨的心灵相通" uses "憨憨" (hānhān), which is a colloquial and affectionate term for someone who is simple-minded or a bit naive, often in an endearing way. "心灵相通" (xīnlíng xiāngtōng) means "telepathy" or "a deep connection of minds." Together, the phrase implies a naive but heartfelt and genuine understanding or connection between people, highlighting a simple yet sincere form of communication and mutual understanding.

"HUFF, HUFF..."

The heavy sound of panting filled the air. The squeaking of sports shoes against the floor created an ear-piercing noise, and the boys' stamina had already been exhausted after repeatedly hitting the ball with all their might.

Whether it was Kiryuu Wakatsu and Ushijima Wakatoshi's powerful spikes or Tendou Satori and Unnan Keisuke's blocking, it was clear they were all quite tired.

In contrast, Kobayashi Aotori, who was roaming around the perimeter, perhaps had the best stamina, and the pain in his joints had eased slightly due to resting for half a set.

He glanced at the heavily breathing Ushijima Wakatoshi, noticing the beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.

Unconsciously, he remembered his own immersion in the third set against Inarizaki, the way he was truly engrossed in the game and spiking, a stark contrast to his usually rational demeanor.

As if driven by some unknown force, he softly said to Shirabu:

"Set more balls for me."

Everyone was stunned, even Ushijima Wakatoshi looked at Kobayashi Aotori in some astonishment.

After all, it was Kobayashi Aotori who said when he first arrived: "I'm very weak; isn't there Ushijima for spiking?"

The others, accustomed to Kobayashi Aotori's way of speaking, automatically ignored the first part of the sentence, understanding it as him not wanting to spike too much on the court, indicating Shirabu should pass the ball to Ushijima.

Therefore, in normal matches, Shirabu rarely set the ball for Kobayashi Aotori. If the other attackers weren't tightly marked, he usually wouldn't call on Aotori to step in.

And Aotori had always used his high talent and experience to block the angles of the opponents' attackers in matches, leading everyone to unconsciously develop this offensive pattern.

And now—Aotori was actually asking for the ball!

Breathing heavily, Tendou blinked and suddenly revealed a rare gentle smile.

Is it because he saw Wakatoshi-kun's condition declining? Even though his own spikes are being read by the opponents, he still voluntarily made such a request...

Is he preserving the ace's dignity for our ace player...?

You are such a good kid who is not good at communicating, Aotori-chan.

"Mm... okay." A bead of sweat slid down Shirabu's forehead as he looked at Kobayashi Aotori in surprise, glanced at the silent Ushijima Wakatoshi, and nodded slightly.

Kobayashi Aotori quietly looked at Ushijima Wakatoshi, and seeing his tacit expression, he let out a small sigh of relief.

...Why did I say something like that?

Now I can't back out. Fortunately, Ushijima isn't like Kiryuu Wakatsu, an excessively responsible absolute ace who doesn't allow teammates to bear any pressure.

...Haah, no choice now, since I said it myself...

—I'll achieve it even if it kills me.

Until now, neither team had scored consecutively, always keeping the game in a one-point exchange state.

And now, Mujinazaka was leading Shiratorizawa by one point.

Mujinazaka's player served, and everyone thought Ohira Reon on the other side would receive it. However, the next moment left everyone dumbfounded—

They saw Ushijima Wakatoshi suddenly squat down and, amidst the astonished crowd, actually receive!

WHAT? Miya Atsumu on the sidelines slightly frowned, unable to figure out what Shiratorizawa was planning. Was it to indicate that Goshiki or Ohira would attack?

Next to him, Miya Osamu also slightly frowned, having some guesses.

Mujinazaka players were also stunned, watching Goshiki's concentrated focus on the volleyball, staring intently at his movements.

...Hmph, another super diagonal spike...? Unnan prepared himself to block Goshiki's super diagonal spike and score consecutively, winning this set!

However, under everyone's gaze, Shirabu set the ball—

Goshiki didn't jump!

A swift figure suddenly appeared on the side of the net. The volleyball approached that person at an angle that could only be described as peculiar. Kobayashi Aotori, at the very edge of the net, leaped high, accompanied by the astonished gaze of everyone, he swung heavily—

"Bang—!!"

In the back row, Miya Atsumu and the others stood up, eyes wide open, incredulously watching this shot that seemed almost impossible!

Commentator A: (W-What?! What did I just see? It's a super diagonal line right on the edge! No one could possibly receive that ball!!)

Commentator B: (The super diagonal shot is already very tricky, but to also achieve that edge precision, Kobayashi Aotori must be a robot!!)

The audience was stunned for a moment, but as the referee's whistle blew, the entire arena erupted in cheers. Shiratorizawa's cheering squad cheered passionately as always, celebrating the scoring player:

"Shiratorizawa! Shiratorizawa! Aotori! Aotori!"

"Ah—Aotori-kun!! Soar high, Eagle-sama!!"

Kobayashi Aotori: Don't shout like that; it's too creepy!!

ALTHOUGH it was just an ordinary point to tie the score, this miraculous shot made the atmosphere in the tense court boil over. It seemed like all the emotions that had been suppressed for so long were erupting at this very moment.

Yunnan still stood where the ball had grazed past him, staring dumbfoundedly at the boundary the ball had struck.

Is such accuracy... really possible?

Kiryuu Wakatsu's tightly clenched fist suddenly relaxed when he met Kobayashi Aotori's calm gaze.

Although there was some fatigue visible on his face from the match, those smiling eyes remained unchanged. If at the beginning, when he repeatedly scored through serving, Kiryuu Wakatsu only felt arrogance and ridicule from that smile—

At this very moment, he felt the other person's happiness that had never been revealed in those smiling eyes.

...So I wasn't mistaken.

That guy, he's clearly happy about scoring too, isn't he? He's not someone who doesn't care about anything.

Kiryuu Wakatsu, who unintentionally uncovered the truth, thought he was the only one who realized it. Little did he know, he was indeed the only one who noticed this trivial truth.

Ah, and one more to add: Ushijima Wakatoshi, who speaks the truth but is mistaken for being innocently naive, and Hinata Shouyou, who sees through but says nothing joyfully.

So, what exactly is similar about Ushijima Wakatoshi, Hinata Shoyo, Kiryuu Wakatsu, and Kobayashi Aotori that leads to their souls being connected?

The answer might be quite simple.

—————

IT WAS SHIRATORIZAWA'S match point again, and now everyone held their breath, waiting for the top electronic scoreboard to change from 26:25 to a new number.

Shiratorizawa served, received by Bishin, and quickly returned to the setter Usuri Michiru's hands. Usuri's eyes focused intently on the volleyball in front of him, his gaze falling on the opponent's blockers. Tendou, who was taller by a head, stood in front of the net, with a faint, elusive smile on his face.

...This jerk.

Usuri squinted his eyes, but... he just had to do his job!

The ball was set high, quickly disappearing from everyone's view. A tall and sturdy figure suddenly appeared, delivering a thunderous spike—

"Bang—!"

But to everyone's surprise, the ball was blocked by a pair of large hands—!

It wasn't a touch, nor a soft rebound, but a direct block—!!

"Bang!!"

The crisp yet powerful sound echoed swiftly under the net. Mujinazaka's players were stunned, Kiryuu Wakatsu staring blankly at the ball rolling away and the pained expression on Kobayashi Aotori's face on the other side.

Seeing his dazed look, Tendou raised an eyebrow.

Hmm, he looks more like Wakatoshi-kun now.

But it's different.

Because—

We won.

MEANWHILE, the top electronic scoreboard seemed to freeze for a few seconds before the numbers on Shiratorizawa's side slowly changed.

From 26 to 27.

The moment the numbers changed, the entire arena erupted into deafening cheers and screams—

"Oh—!! We won! Shiratorizawa won!!"

"Aotori-kun, I love you—!@#￥％!"

The shouts of the spectators, who had endured prolonged mental strain along with the players, were earth-shattering. In Shiratorizawa's cheering squad, Ito's eyes were red with excitement. The victory in this match was truly hard-fought.

...Aotori-kun's hand... after blocking Kiryuu Wakatsu's spikes head-on so many times...

Looking at Kobayashi Aotori's slightly pained expression on the court, Ito stood still, seemingly out of place with the cheering crowd around her.

She suddenly clenched her fist and ran out of the venue without looking back, clutching a phone tightly in her hand.

"Eh? Ito!... Forget it, don't mind her! We won!" The captain beside her looked at the black figure running away in surprise, blinked, and then immersed in the joy of victory again.

"LET'S GO." Miya Atsumu suddenly stood up, hands in his pockets, his expression somewhat complicated as he looked at the court where Mujinazaka and Shiratorizawa were shaking hands and bowing. In front of him, Kita Shinsuke glanced at him lightly and said nothing.

Inarizaki's arrival and departure were low-key and calm, so much so that Kobayashi Aotori never noticed them from start to finish.

"Wahoo!!"

—BEHIND THE SCREEN, Nishinoya Yuu and Tanaka Ryuunosuke hugged and cheered. Although they didn't know why they were so happy, it was probably because of the orange head's aura beside them. Cheering when Shiratorizawa scored and sighing when Mujinazaka scored made them unknowingly root for Shiratorizawa's perspective.

"TCH, what's so good about this."

—Seeing the commentator announce Shiratorizawa's victory and preview the next match between Itachiyama and Shiratorizawa in the finals, Oikawa Tooru suddenly looked uninterested, waving his hand and leaving under Iwaizumi Hajime's angry stare.

Bastard! Who was the one yelling just now!!

—————

KOBAYASHI AOTORI HELD HIS PHONE, puzzled by the new contact added—Kiryuu Wakatsu. What's this about future exchanges? Why would such a big ace want to exchange with me? If it's about studying, he might have something to offer, but in volleyball, it's better not to bother.

Maybe this guy has some collecting hobby? Likes to gather opponents' contacts? Since Shiratorizawa is an old rival, the contact information of the former members should already be collected, so he wants to complete the whole collection.

Goshiki: ?? What about me then?

NOT FAR AWAY, Kiryuu Wakatsu and his teammates came out of the resting room with their bags. Holding his phone with very few contacts besides his team and parents, one name stood out—

The note "Shiratorizawa · Kobayashi Aotori" seemed out of place.

"Wakatsu, what's wrong? Time to leave." A teammate called out, seeing Kiryuu Wakatsu staring at his phone in a daze.

"Mm, coming."

Kiryuu Wakatsu responded steadily, put away his phone, inserted his hands into his pockets, carried his backpack, and followed his teammates out of the venue.

Before leaving, Kobayashi Aotori's words—relax a bit with the ace pressure, what did it mean?

He paused slightly, then, under the urging of his teammates, walked steadily out of Tokyo Gymnasium step by step.

Kobayashi Aotori, I hope our next duel won't be too far away.