"Huh?"
"Akira? Do you know that person?"
"Why did he suddenly talk to you?"
After the award ceremony, everyone walked down the corridor leading to the outside world.
Hinata suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Akira.
Hearing his question, everyone else also turned their heads and looked at Akira with curiosity.
"Uh..."
"It can't really be called knowing each other… You could say we've had a connection before."
"But he's really good at playing."
Akira spoke with a nostalgic expression.
"Oh?"
Hearing that, Hinata's eyes sparkled with interest.
"If you say someone plays really well, they must be strong!"
"If we ever get the chance, I definitely want to play against him!"
"You moron!"
Daichi smacked him on the back of the head.
"That guy is already a big deal in the prefecture! Why would he play a match with you for no reason?"
While everyone was chatting and laughing, they stepped outside the Sendai Gymnasium.
But...
The moment they exited the venue, they noticed the square outside was surrounded by a group of people.
Seeing the scene, Tanaka seemed to recall something.
"Wait a second..."
"Could it be...?"
"Do I, Tanaka, actually have fans now?"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, muttering to himself:
"Maybe they saw my cool plays during the match and are here for autographs!"
Hearing that, Nishinoya perked up immediately.
"Yeah, totally!"
"It has to be that!"
"Among this crowd, there must be some fans of Nishinoya Yū too!"
The more the two thought about it, the more excited they got, practically bouncing with anticipation.
"Even though they all look like regular people and older uncles, and there aren't any cute underclassman girls, I can accept this for now!"
"That's right! This is just the beginning! The pretty girls will come later!"
"If they're asking for autographs, we can't let them down!"
"Hahaha..."
Everyone nearby just stared at the two clowns in speechless silence.
"I swear, you two... When will you ever calm down?"
Sugawara finally snapped. He walked up behind them and grabbed both of them by the collars, trying to drag them away.
Meanwhile, the people who had been waiting outside the venue seemed to notice the commotion.
"There they are! They're coming out!"
"They're here!"
The leader of the crowd shouted excitedly.
His words instantly drew everyone's attention.
"Whoa!"
"It's true!"
"I'm here to get an autograph!"
"Wait up! Me too!"
...
In an instant, the entire group surged forward.
Hearing their excited voices, Tanaka and Nishinoya immediately tried to break free, thrilled beyond belief.
"Let go of me, Suga-san!"
"Can't you see my fans are already calling for me? I need to greet them with style!"
"Exactly! We're doing this for your sake! What if they're not polite to you?!"
The two wiggled out of Sugawara's grip and ran proudly to the front of the crowd.
"My beloved fans!"
"Kneel before Lord Tanaka!"
"And the great Nishinoya-sama!"
But unfortunately...
The charging crowd completely ignored the two of them and ran straight past, heading toward the back where Akira was.
"Sign this!"
"Akira-kun! I've admired your skills for so long! Can I get your autograph?"
"Me too! I passed the ball to you once in a match! Do you remember me, Akira-kun?"
"Here! I want one too! Please?"
The thoroughly confused Akira was immediately swarmed and surrounded by the excited crowd.
"Uh..."
Nishinoya and Tanaka stood frozen on the sidelines, completely petrified, with tears of envy and jealousy welling in their eyes.
"I hate this..."
"Hehehe! Use your brain next time. Obviously, they weren't here for you two!"
Tsukishima smirked, covering his mouth with a smug grin.
"Tsukishima, you jerk!"
"Shut up right now!"
The two immediately spun around, glaring daggers at him after being so cruelly exposed.
...
The autograph chaos continued longer than anyone expected.
At first, it was just the initial group that swarmed Akira.
But then, curious onlookers nearby also came over to see what was happening.
Later, the spectators who had been inside the gymnasium started exiting and heard about someone being asked for autographs.
When they learned it was Akira, they quickly joined in too.
Over time, the crowd didn't shrink — it only grew larger!
Eventually, the Karasuno team had no choice but to ask the venue staff for help in dispersing the crowd.
It was getting late, and they still had to return home.
"Hey, hey!"
"Akira, how did it feel to be mobbed for autographs like that?"
On the bus, Yamaguchi turned in his seat and asked Akira curiously.
"That's the kind of treatment reserved for real stars!"
Akira, slumped weakly in the back seat, let out a deep sigh and replied:
"It's more exhausting than playing an entire match!"
"If that ever happens again, you better not leave me alone in there!"
"Hahahaha!"
...
The sound of happy laughter echoed inside the bus.
Hinata, gazing out the window, said with hopeful anticipation:
"If we make it to Nationals, we'll get to face Nekoma again!"
"I really want to go up against them one more time!"
On the side, Coach Keishin Ukai smiled and replied:
"Well, they still have to get through the Tokyo qualifiers first!"
"There are a lot of powerhouse schools in Tokyo — it's not easy to represent that region!"