The gym wasn’t usually meant for sleeping, but that night it was transformed.

Coach had arranged something unusual—an overnight team bonding session in the very place where most of your blood, sweat, and effort went each day.

The high ceiling echoed differently with laughter and voices instead of volleyballs slamming against the floor.

Everyone had dragged their futons, pillows, and blankets into a loose circle at the center of the polished wooden floor.

A few battery-powered lanterns and string lights that someone (probably Hanamaki or Matsukawa) had snuck in cast the space in a warm, cozy glow.

The smell of instant ramen and convenience store snacks lingered in the air, mixed with the faint tang of gym polish.

Oikawa sat near the head of the circle, blanket draped over his shoulders like a cape, already fussing over the order of events.

“We should play a game first! Something to build trust and teamwork,” he announced, only to be interrupted by Iwaizumi tossing a pillow square at his face.

“Don’t make it into another practice, Shittykawa. We’re here to relax,” Iwaizumi said, stretching out on his futon with his arms behind his head.

Hanamaki leaned over with a grin. “Trust falls in the middle of the night? Sounds like a great way to give Oikawa a concussion.”

Matsukawa snorted. “Better idea: ghost stories. Let’s see if our captain screams louder than Kyotani.”

Kyotani, sitting cross-legged with his blanket wrapped like a hood, glared at them all. “I don’t scream.”

Kindaichi and Kunimi had staked their futons side by side, Kindaichi chattering nervously about the idea of sleeping in the gym while Kunimi scrolled lazily on his phone, unfazed.

Every now and then, Kunimi poked Kindaichi in the side just to watch him jump.

The night stretched into a strange, easy rhythm. You all ate too much convenience store food, passing around chips and candy until the pile of wrappers grew ridiculous.

Someone had brought a speaker, and songs drifted through the space—upbeat tracks that turned into sing-alongs, then quiet background music when the energy finally dipped.

At one point, the inevitable pillow fight broke out. Oikawa had tried to organize a “structured” match, but it quickly devolved into chaos…

Iwaizumi wielding two pillows like weapons, Hanamaki and Matsukawa teaming up to ambush from the side, and Kyotani swinging wildly at whoever got close enough.

You ended up laughing breathlessly, ducking flying cushions and trying not to trip over futons.

When the chaos died down, the group collapsed back into their makeshift beds. The string lights glowed dimmer now, casting long shadows across the rafters.

Someone—probably Matsukawa—started telling a ghost story, his voice dropping low and eerie as everyone huddled closer.

Oikawa made a show of clutching his blanket dramatically, while Kindaichi kept glancing nervously toward the dark corners of the gym.