Just Being Alive Is Amazing: Starting Life Over in a Chastity-Reversed World - Chapter 193: Spring High & New Encounter ②

Chapter 193: Spring High & New Encounter ②

It’s the final day of Arisa and the team’s national tournament. They’ve advanced smoothly, and now it’s the championship match. Their opponent is…

“Izumin~ ♡”

“Aki-san!”

Mimori Aki’s Harabi High. A private co-ed school, they say it’s “Keisei in the East, Harabi in the West.”

“I’ll show ya a great match today! ♡”

“Yup! I can’t cheer for Harabi High, but I’m rooting for you, Aki-san!”

“What’s that? ♡ Kinda weird, huh? ♡”

“Oh, Aju and Takuya got close~ ♡”

“For real ♡ Comin’ all the way to Tokyo ain’t bad ♡”

Cheering for both Keisei and Harabi these past few days, I’ve gotten friendly with Aki-san.

“If there’s a guy this great, I shoulda applied to Keisei!”

“From Osaka to Tokyo?”

“I’m originally from Hyogo, y’know. Got a volleyball scholarship to Harabi. Coulda probably done the same at Keisei.”

I heard Nana got into Keisei on a badminton scholarship, so Aki-san likely could’ve too.

“Hmm… how’re the guys at your school, Aju?”

“Well, same ol’, lifeless. They just don’t wanna deal with girls.”

With men’s declining libido these days, it’s no surprise. Even our school’s like that.

“Gotcha…”

“That’s why meetin’ you’s such a thrill, Izumin ♡”

“Th-Thanks…”

“Well, see ya, Komine, Kosaka. We’re winnin’ this time!”

“Yup ♡ We ain’t losin’ either ♡”

“Let’s do this ♡”

Everyone heads to the court, warms up, and the whistle blows. Harabi High serves first. If they score, Arisa’s up next. Her serves have been on fire this tournament, so I hope she nails it.

The first point goes to Keisei due to Harabi’s serve error, luckily handing Arisa the serve without effort.

But Arisa’s powerful spike-serve is cleanly received by Harabi’s four-player defense. As expected from a defense-driven powerhouse, it’s not easy.

As two blockers jump to stop a middle quick, the setter tosses to the left.

It looks like a free spike with the block outmaneuvered, but Honami-san steps in, blocking it.

Honami-san, a former powerhouse middle blocker, reads tosses and blocks like a pro.

The ball lands in Harabi’s court, scoring for Keisei.

“Nice kill!!”

Arisa’s serve restarts the match. Her fierce serve lands just inside, seeming to score, but Aki-san dives in, getting it up.

It’s a chance ball, not clean, but Arisa must feel that hit. Her serves aren’t landing cleanly—they’re barely returned.

Keisei takes the second point, aiming to ride the momentum, but Harabi’s not letting it happen easily, sparking a fierce battle.

Keisei narrowly wins the tight exchanges, taking the first set.

The second set starts with Arisa’s serve. Known for powerful serves, she switches to a short one, disrupting one of Harabi’s spikers.

This narrows where the toss goes, and Keisei’s block catches it. But Aki-san, the defensive cornerstone, isn’t done. She scrapes the ball off the floor, keeping it alive.

Keisei thought the block sealed it, but Harabi sends it back, probably rattling them.

“Chance ball!!”

Keisei’s libero receives cleanly, the setter takes the second touch… and instead of setting, fakes a two-attack, dropping it into Harabi’s court.

The crowd buzzes at the setter’s non-spiker score, and Harabi’s players look frustrated. Expecting a spike, their defense was back, and the setter exploited it.

With Harabi’s floor defense troubling Keisei’s spikers, this must feel satisfying.

Arisa’s next serve is another explosive spike-serve, blasting past the opponent’s arms.

“Arisa-chan’s power’s up again ♡”

Mei-san, who trains with her, analyzes Arisa’s growth spot-on.

“For a first-year to be this good… next year, the year after, she’ll be unstoppable.”

Satsuki-san seems impressed by Arisa’s recent growth spurt. Her muscles and height are indeed increasing.

“But Takuya-sama’s grown taller and muscled too, right? ♡”

As Moka-san says, I’m growing at about the average female rate. I even princess-carried Rin-san recently.

The match progresses to the second set’s endgame. One more set for Keisei’s triple crown. Harabi’s not giving up, connecting with tenacious receives.

Honami-san uses her height to spike over blocks, maintaining a high scoring rate. Despite many tosses, she shows no fatigue.

But when Aki-san joins floor defense, the scoring rate drops. As the defensive anchor, she doesn’t let points come easy.

Keisei wants to score without involving the libero.

Arisa’s spike shines here. Her height can’t yet overpower blocks, but she’s skilled at using them. She smashes balls sideways off blocks or fakes when opponents drop back, balancing power with cleverness. The broadcast booth’s probably praising her.

By neutralizing the libero, Keisei Academy achieves the triple crown, etching their name in history.

“Arisa! Honami-san! Congrats!”

“Thanks~ ♡ Takuya~ ♡”

“So happy…”

Arisa’s all smiles, Honami-san’s sobbing. The team, especially third-years, are in tears.

After the closing ceremony, while cleaning up, Arisa calls me over.

“Hey, Takuya. Aju wants your contact, what do ya think?”

Aki-san, in front of me, looks more nervous than during the match. I’m hesitant too—rarely exchange with someone outside school.

“Hmm… I think it’s fine with Aki-san since we’re close… if you can keep a promise…”

“Promise…?”

“Yup, don’t misuse it, don’t leak it.”

“That’s obvious! I got enough sense to get into a co-ed school!”

“It’s just… really scary adults will get mad… if it’s just getting mad…”

“O-Oh…”

Aki-san nods, intimidated by the towering trio of Satsuki-san, Mei-san, and Moka-san behind me.

“Then let’s exchange, Aju.”

“You finally call me Aju, Izumin ♡”

She’s been asking me to call her Aju, and since we’re close enough to swap contacts, now’s the time.

“Aju, Takuya’s busy, so don’t pester too much.”

“I get it! I’ll be polite!”

“Sorry if I reply late.”

“No prob, no prob! ♡ Just swappin’ is enough to make me happy ♡”

This vibe reminds me of Honami-san, Nana, or Yuika-san.

“Aju~ time to go~”

“Got it~!”

A teammate calls, and Aju starts packing. Coming from Kansai, they’ve got a bus or shinkansen schedule.

“Oh, Aju, here.”

I hold out both hands.

“Oh, yeah~! ♡ High-five! ♡”

“Good job, Aju.”

“Thanks ♡”

After high-fiving, Aju runs to her team. Only a few days, but her thick Kansai dialect feels endearing.

“What’s your take on Aju, Takuya?”

“Hmm… maybe ‘I’d marry her’ level…”

“Well, you don’t get that close that fast~…”

“Yup, but I’d like to meet again as friends.”

“I’ll bring her here again, so you’ll see her ♡”

“Yup, I’ll cheer.”

After high-fiving the team and seeing them off, I watch the broadcast recording at home. As expected, Komine Arisa, Kosaka Honami, and Mimori Aki are frequently highlighted.

“Keisei High uses many first-years. Your thoughts?”

“Well, Komine’s powerful serves and clever spikes are her strengths. Kosaka’s height as a first-year is unmatched! It might embarrass her as a woman, but it’s every volleyball player’s envy.”

Honami-san worries her height might scare me, but there’s no issue. Her height’s all advantage.

“Next, Harabi High. They also start a first-year?”

“Mimori, entrusted as libero in a defense-strong school, is a massive rookie. Calling her the generation’s No. 1 libero isn’t an overstatement.”

Seeing my friend Aki-san praised makes me happy. A first-year starter at a powerhouse is No. 1 material…

Aju: Yo~ good work, 5 days were fun~

Takuya: I had fun too.

Aju: On the shinkansen back, wanna chat a bit?

Takuya: ‘Til dinner time.

Aju: Thanks~ Next time I’m at Keisei, I’ll hit ya up~

Osaka to Tokyo’s a trek—about 7 hours by car.

Takuya: You come to Keisei?

Aju: Every year, we camp at Keisei and a few other schools.

Takuya: Got it. I’ll come see.

Powerhouse schools have connections, huh… Top contenders practicing together, leaving others in the dust.

Aju: Hell yeah!

I chat with Aju until dinner calls, ending our talk. I don’t know how she feels about me, but I think she’s great and want to stay friends.