THE SETTING SUN illuminated the roadside, warm and golden. A large yellow dog lazily lay on the ground, basking in the lingering warmth of the sun.

A tall figure crossed by at a leisurely pace, and the dog lazily lifted its eyes. In the next moment, the person had already appeared in the distance.

Seemingly unable to comprehend how such a leisurely pace could be so fast, the yellow dog tilted its head, then gave up thinking with a "woof," lying back down on the ground.

The figure running past was none other than Kobayashi Aotori.

He was still clad in Shiratorizawa's club uniform, today's training finished a bit earlier and he decided to take a run, detouring to the slightly more distant Sakanoshita Market to buy a bento.

His navy-blue hair swayed with the wind, and the length of his wolf tail reached his neck. With hazel eyes fixed ahead, sweat trickled down his face and into the air, while the warm sunlight caused him to squint slightly.

HE ARRIVED.

Stepping into the Sakanoshita Market, the shop owner Keishin Ukai glanced up at him, noticing the sports uniform on him with the academy logo. He raised an eyebrow but didn't show much expression.

After all, what does the world of volleyball have to do with him?

Kobayashi Aotori instinctively ignored Ukai's gaze. He turned into the aisles, bending down to look at the various bento options on the shelves. After a moment of contemplation, he picked up one that suited his taste and grabbed a few bottles of energy drinks.

Not forgetting the embarrassing incident from last time when he spent too long pondering, he headed to the checkout right after making his selections.

Suddenly, his ears twitched, catching the clamor of voices from outside.

"Hinata!! Slow down a bit!" It was a breathy, gentle voice.

"AHAHAHA! It's rare for Daichi to treat us today, hurry up, or there won't be any buns left!" said by a rough voice.

Kobayashi Aotori didn't catch the content of their conversation, and he didn't think much about it. Carrying his items, he walked towards the counter, but the person in front of him suddenly came to a halt—

Daichi stared at the familiar face before him in astonishment. The teenager with navy-blue hair lowered his head to pay. He tilted his head, massaging his stiff neck. Without lifting his eyes to look at Daichi, he neatly completed the payment, preparing to leave with the shopping bag in hand.

Suddenly remembering that Kageyama and the others were outside, Daichi, unable to react in time, subconsciously grabbed Kobayashi Aotori's sleeve—

Caught off guard by the resistance, Kobayashi Aotori furrowed his brows, turned around, and was met with the sight of a familiar black sports uniform. He blinked, a hint of confusion flickering in his hazel eyes, along with a well-concealed sense of unease.

This person... is Daichi, right?

He blurted out, "Are you from the Karasuno Volleyball Club?"

Daichi stiffened for a moment, seemingly not realizing the impoliteness of his actions, nor did he grasp that the other person recognized their team uniform.

"Hey—Daichi-senpai, you're too slow—it's just buying some b-...gah." A figure barged in, rudely swinging the door open. Mid-sentence, he choked on his words.

Because he saw their composed captain, Sawamura Daichi. At this moment, he had an unpleasant expression, tugging at someone's sleeve as if looking for trouble.

And the person Daichi was pulling turned out to be none other than the "volleyball genius" who gained tremendous fame in the junior high school competitions with astonishing explosive power – Kobayashi Aotori!

Not only Tanaka Ryuunosuke, but Sugawara and the three people outside the door also suddenly spotted the two inside. Sugawara clearly noticed Kageyama Tobio stiffening behind him, feeling a headache coming on.

"Ah!! It's Mr. Dynamite!!"

A sudden untimely exclamation rang out, drawing everyone's attention. All eyes turned towards the source of the sound—Hinata Shoyo.

Hinata Shoyo also realized that he unintentionally gave the other person a nickname and called it out in front of the person himself. He immediately stood up straight in embarrassment, awkwardly scratching his head.

"D-Daichi..." Sugawara frantically signaled to the frozen Daichi, who, looking as if waking up from a dream, quickly released his tight grip on Kobayashi Aotori's wrist. "S-Sorry!"

Ah...? What? 'Mr. Dynamite'? Are they calling me that?

Kobayashi Aotori felt a bit bewildered as he looked at himself inexplicably surrounded by the members of Karasuno. He hadn't expected to encounter anyone from Karasuno, and he partly blamed his choice of living in a slightly remote area compared to Shiratorizawa. Even when he jogged, he intentionally picked less crowded routes.

Kageyama clenched his fists, his gaze chilling, focused on the tall man casually holding a bag inside the store, Kobayashi Aotori, though somewhat confused, sensed that the atmosphere had become tense.

He tried to relax his body as much as possible, placing one hand on his waist. He tilted his head towards Kageyama Tobio outside the door, seemingly asking him with his eyes.

Hmm... Is it my turn to say hello now?

He raised his hand in a friendly manner and spoke calmly in front of the nervous group:

"Nice to meet you, the 'crows' of Karasuno. I'm Kobayashi Aotori, not 'Mr. Dynamite.'"

Seeing that his words didn't ease their tension, his dark blue ahoge slightly perked up, showing his confusion.

"...I am Karasuno Volleyball Club's captain, Sawamura Daichi." Daichi stepped forward, moving from behind Kobayashi to stand in front of Karasuno's members, and took the initiative to continue the conversation.

Kobayashi Aotori nonchalantly nodded on the surface, but inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He wasn't good at socializing, even among the protagonists.

Just as Daichi was about to put on his socializing smile and exchange a few pleasantries to conclude the conversation, a familiar shout from behind left him petrified:

"Nice to meet you for the first time, Mr. Dynamite! Things are different now that we're in high school! This time, I'll team up with Kageyama to defeat you! On the national tournament stage!!"

Sugawara's smile froze, Kageyama's clenched fist loosened, and they both looked unexpectedly at Hinata Shoyo standing straight beside him, who wore a bright smile.

...Saying tough words with that kind of expression... What an idiot.

They nervously looked at the protagonist, Kobayashi Aotori, who had been declared a rival. His expression remained unruffled, showing no signs of anger, only mild confusion as he questioned, "National... Tournament?"

"But only one school between Shiratorizawa and Karasuno can enter the national tournament, right?"

"Eh? Eh—?!" Hinata Shoyo lost color and stood petrified in place.

Sugawara shook his head helplessly, feeling a slight throbbing in his temples.

Tanaka Ryuunosuke looked at the inexplicably dejected Hinata Shoyo with irritation, forcefully grabbing the latter's shoulder.

"I-idiot! Even if you know we have to defeat Shiratorizawa to get to the national tournament, don't let it get you down, idiot!!"

T.N.: Original text used "baka" but I still translated it as other people might not like it.

However, to everyone's surprise, the previously soulless Hinata suddenly regained color. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he raised his hand and shouted:

"Exactly!! This means we can defeat Mr. Dynamite before the national tournament! Yay!"

Daichi and the others were immediately dumbfounded.

Where did this overly confident attitude come from? He's like a single-celled organism!

Daichi's expression darkened, and he delivered a punch to the enthusiastically cheering Hinata, knocking down the exuberant head. He sternly admonished, "Don't give people weird nicknames!"

That's not the point, Daichi! Sugawara looked at him helplessly.

However...

Looking at Daichi's eyes also shining brightly, Sugawara remained silent for a moment before breaking into a smile.

AT THE ENTRANCE, Kobayashi Aotori looked at Hinata Shoyo with surprise. However, his thoughts weren't about the latter's overestimation of his abilities but rather—

As expected of the 'protagonist,' such cool words have nothing to do with me, right?

However, now being the one challenged by the protagonist, does that mean my status has risen a bit from being just an ordinary passerby?

Crossing his arms, the packaging bag filled with food rustled. He didn't mind; instead, he smiled slightly, happy with the slight elevation of his status.

But in Sugawara's eyes, this undoubtedly looked like Kobayashi Aotori found Hinata's so-called "arrogant" words amusing.

UNLIKE HINATA SHOYO'S SINGLE-CELLED PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTACK, Kageyama Tobio, who had been unusually silent all along, seemed to have a more direct approach.

Stepping forward under the gaze of everyone, he stood in front of Hinata Shoyo, who was being scolded by Daichi. Slowly lifting his head, he fixed his gaze on Kobayashi Aotori, who found the situation "amusing." In a clear and distinct tone, he said:

"Karasuno will enter the national tournament."

His confident statement made Kobayashi Aotori tilt his head in confusion.

Hmm? I know, I've read the manga.

So what?

His indifferent gaze made Kageyama Tobio clench his teeth. He lowered his head, recalling the match during junior high when Kobayashi Aotori looked at him with surprise and amusement from the bench.

That gaze, unforgettable at any time, had become a towering wall in front of Kageyama.

It filled him with fear, unable to play even against formidable opponents, he could only watch in agony as the team was defeated.

Sugawara furrowed his brows slightly, looking concerned at the trembling and lowered head of Kageyama who was clenching his fists. He took a deep breath, then looked at Kobayashi Aotori, seemingly unaware of the situation. A sense of amusement involuntarily rose within him.

—How could he not be aware that he has become the shadow for so many people?

Or is it that he simply doesn't care about the opinions of those he's defeated?

WATCHING FROM THE SIDELINES, Hinata Shoyo, with a serious expression, observed Kageyama's fierce words toward Kobayashi Aotori without any response. He then glanced at Sugawara and the others, who seemed lost in thought, and an involuntary sense of frustration welled up within him.

"Mr. Dynamite." Hinata Shoyo, putting aside the headache-inducing thoughts, took a step forward. With a serious gaze, he looked directly at the person in front of him. His calm voice echoed through the quiet street:

"Kageyama is a very strong setter. During junior high, not being able to face him was a big regret for you."

Although the words were calm, they struck like thunder, instantly plunging into the heart of Kageyama Tobio, stirring up a vast and tumultuous waves of shock.

His pupils contracted, and he stared blankly at the upright figure of Hinata Shoyo standing beside him, countless thoughts raced through his mind.

Tanaka, who had been feeling quite troubled, immediately let out a triumphant "Hah!" He stepped forward with an air of superiority, puffed out his chest, "Now that Karasuno has Kageyama, you guys at Shiratorizawa better be careful!"

Sugawara smiled and placed his hand gently on Kageyama's back. In a soothing tone, he added, "Indeed, with Kageyama here, Karasuno has undergone quite a transformation~"

Daichi Sawamura stood behind Kageyama, and though he didn't speak, the confidence in his eyes was unmistakable.

Kageyama Tobio lifted his head, looking at the people around him, his eyes gleaming. Although he felt a bit embarrassed by the words of these fools, the fist at his side tightened once again.

Kobayashi Aotori looked at the group who stood in front of him, which had now become a perfect representation of the "Kageyama Fan Club," and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Of course, he already knew. After all, he is the 'protagonist,' it's not something he could compare himself to without thinking.

He smiled, the hazel eyes squinting for the first time. Watching the surrounded figure of Kageyama Tobio, his deep voice now light and cheerful, he remarked, "It seems like you've joined a volleyball club with a great atmosphere."

The team members seem to get along well. Truly befitting a protagonist's group.

With a smile, Kobayashi Aotori made his move, patting Kageyama's shoulder before gracefully passing through Karasuno's human wall. And left with a light-hearted remark:

"Well then, enjoy yourselves."

The group of people stared blankly at Kobayashi Aotori as he gradually disappeared from their sight.

"Hey hey... what does he mean by 'enjoy ourselves'?" Tanaka Ryuunosuke grumbled, turning away in frustration. Suga also shrugged helplessly, suppressing the fiery Tanaka, and comforted him, saying:

"That's just how Kobayashi Aotori speaks, after all."

Hinata Shoyo and Kageyama Tobio silently watched the departing figure of Kobayashi Aotori. The two of them breathed evenly, their gazes focused.

In your eyes... is this just "playing"?

—IN FACT, they misunderstood Kobayashi Aotori.

For him, anything that could bring joy was akin to playing.