The scoreboard displayed: [Team Irihata 14 – 12 Team Washijō].
For the first time, Team Irihata held the lead past the halfway point of a match. The advantage they had built early on gave them control over the game's tempo.
Tendō Satori stepped up to serve.
His serve wasn't particularly powerful, and Kunimi Akira easily received it.
"Hyakuzawa!" Oikawa Tōru called, setting the ball high toward the middle of the court.
Since arriving at the training camp, Hyakuzawa Yūdai had been working on one thing and one thing only—spiking.
What made Shiratorizawa's players feel a mix of emotions was the sight of Coach Washijō personally training Hyakuzawa every single day during the camp.
Though most players feared the stern coach, holding him in reverence more than affection, there was also simmering envy.
After all, everyone wanted to be a player worthy of Washijō's focused attention.
Hyakuzawa leapt into the air.
Oikawa had been carefully gauging Hyakuzawa's maximum reach for days. If his calculation was correct—
"Double block!" Koganegawa Kanji and Aone Takanobu's iron wall rose before him.
Even two blockers standing over 190 cm couldn't stop a spike that soared past the 200 cm mark.
Hyakuzawa scored over the top of their hands.
[Team Irihata 14 – 13 Team Washijō]
"Beautiful hit, Hyakuzawa!" Oikawa praised sincerely.
"Th-thank you, Oikawa-senpai." Despite his imposing frame, Hyakuzawa always seemed shy when receiving praise.
Coach Washijō had told him: it wasn't his spiking power that made him formidable—it was Oikawa's setting that allowed him to hit with such force.
Ever since his defeat to Kaedehara Taichi and being assigned to this team, Hyakuzawa had been treating himself as the weakest player on the court.
Next serve—Washijō's team took aim at Kaedehara Taichi.
While Taichi was versatile in his offensive strategies, his receiving skills were average at best. Targeting his first touch was the optimal plan.
Forced into action, Taichi handled the serve. Koganegawa followed up with a set to Aone, who prepared to spike.
"Double block!" Hyakuzawa and Ushijima formed a towering defence at the net.
Despite Hyakuzawa's clumsy blocking form, their sheer height and power compelled Aone to switch tactics.
Aone sent the ball skimming diagonally.
Kunimi dove, delivering a perfect pass directly to Oikawa.
Taichi's eyes narrowed. The precision of that receive placed the ball squarely in Oikawa's hands, opening countless offensive options.
"Goshiki!" Taichi shouted a warning.
Before Goshiki Tsutomu could react, Oikawa performed a lightning-fast setters dump over the net.
[Team Irihata 14 – 14 Team Washijō]
"You're sharp, Taichi." Oikawa grinned.
Their lead had vanished in an instant, and the score was now even.
Taichi returned his gaze, feeling the oppressive presence that Oikawa brought as an opponent—so different from the reassuring figure he had once trusted as a teammate.
Team Washijō's second serve stayed consistent—again aimed at Taichi.
Kenji Futakuchi preemptively moved to assist with the receive, securing the first touch.
The ball soared into Koganegawa's zone. Precision didn't matter; as long as it was high, Koganegawa could handle it.
He took one large step, positioning himself under the ball before leaping.
From behind, Taichi and Aone both approached from opposite sides.
Taichi was attacking from the back row, which would lower his striking point. Moreover, executing a backset to Taichi would carry significant risk given Koganegawa's level of accuracy.
The logical choice was Aone on the right.
But the sheer intensity in Taichi's posture made Hyakuzawa falter.
After a single moment's hesitation Hyakuzawa chose to split—single-blocking both attackers with Ushijima.
The ball crashed between the two blockers, slamming into the floor.
Koganegawa had gone for a quick attack after faking a set, earning a point!
[Team Irihata 15 – 14 Team Washijō]
"Whoooaaa—!" Koganegawa Kanji roared with excitement.
"Did you see that, Futakuchi-senpai?"
"Did you see that, Aone-senpai?"
To Koganegawa, setter dump was the ultimate move for a setter—the coolest trick in the book.
He had dreamed of pulling it off countless times before, but his attempts were always read by the opposing team.
Seeing Oikawa score with a setter dump just now had sparked his impulsive side, and this time, he had learned a valuable trick: he kept repeating to himself, "Set, Set, SET," right up until the moment his hand made contact.
The result? No blockers marked him, and for that brief moment, he felt like the centre of attention in the entire gym.
Futakuchi, while impressed, simply smirked without offering any praise.
Aone's reaction was more reserved; after a long pause, he nodded slightly and uttered a quiet "Mm."
"Well done, Koganegawa!" The voice came from Kaedehara Taichi.
Hearing the compliment, Koganegawa's face lit up with a grin as radiant as a field of blooming flowers.
Team Irihata served next. Goshiki Tsutomu's serve had sharpened significantly since their match against Aoba Jōsai.
Kunimi received it flawlessly, his composure unshaken.
This time, Taichi watched Kunimi's reception intently.
Before the ball even touched Kunimi's arms, he had already begun positioning himself, tracking its trajectory and anticipating its landing point.
By the time it arrived, he was perfectly aligned, reducing what could have been a challenging serve into an ordinary one. Those unaware of the intricacies would think the serve had simply been easy to receive.
The ball sailed smoothly into Oikawa's hands.
This time, even Koganegawa watched Oikawa with hawk-like focus.
The set shot toward the left wing—Team Washijō's most reliable scoring option. It could only be one man:
Koganegawa, Aone, and Taichi leapt together, forming a unified wall of muscle and determination.
Taichi gritted his teeth as the impact from Ushijima's spike reverberated through his arms. The ball ricocheted high, soaring across the court and landing just beyond the baseline on Irihata's side.
Out-of-bounds. Team Washijō scored.
[Team Irihata 15 – 15 Team Washijō]
No matter how many times they saw it, Ushijima's spikes were in a class of their own—undeniably one of the best in the nation.
But it was just one point.
"Shake it off, next one!" Iwaizumi Hajime called out, rallying his teammates with calm authority.
He had a feeling—just a fleeting one—that he might have been able to catch that ball himself.
As the other matches wrapped up, all eyes turned toward the battle between Irihata and Washijō's teams.
The intensity of the match wasn't the only reason for the growing crowd—it also showcased the pinnacle of Miyagi Prefecture volleyball.
With nearly half the players having competed on the national stage, it wasn't an exaggeration to call this a national-level match.
The air grew heavier with tension, each rally heightening the stakes and drawing players and coaches alike into a trance-like focus.
For the coaches, this game was a barometer—an opportunity to evaluate how far their players had come during the training camp and determine how best to push their development further.
Ushijima smashed another point.
[Team Irihata 24 – 25 Team Washijō]
With a narrow lead, Washijō's team had seized match point.
And now, stepping up to serve—
The air grew still. Every player, spectator, and coach fixated on the figure at the service line.
Ushijima stood with a calm, unshakable presence. His eyes revealed his intent—focused, relentless, ready to close the game.
For Team Washijō, this was their moment to strike and end the match.
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