Things were starting to look bad…
Kaedehara Taichi's expression grew solemn. They were already behind, and now Team B had an explosive momentum shift?
Was Kageyama Tobio breaking free from his restraints ahead of schedule due to the competition?
Right now, Team A's back row consisted of Outside Hitter Katayama Akira, Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, and Libero Hirao Jin.
Would they be able to handle a serve like Oikawa Tōru's?
Kageyama didn't give Team A much time to think. His previous jump serve had already left a deep impression on everyone.
His target was Kaedehara Taichi!
Even with libero Hirao Jin in the back row, Kageyama's preferred challenge remained unchanged!
After an entire set of nothing but powerful serves, Kaedehara Taichi's eyes had adjusted to the speed.
But it was still ridiculously fast!
In an instant, the ball was already in front of him.
If he let it hit his shoulder, it would deflect out of bounds. Taichi quickly judged the trajectory.
But if he dodged, the ball would definitely land in.
His mind raced as he adjusted his stance.
A sound rarely heard on the court.
The ball slammed into Kaedehara Taichi's chest and bounced high into the air.
He gritted his teeth against the pain.
Receiving with his chest made it impossible to control the direction, so the ball merely floated up in front of him.
The closest player, Hoshiumi Kōrai, leapt up, drawing in Matsumoto Dai's block before sending the ball to the left.
Miya Atsumu spiked the ball precisely to Team B's deep cross-court line.
Komori Motoya swiftly moved back, positioning himself perfectly to receive.
Kageyama rushed in. With the ball flying high, he had plenty of time to adjust and consider the next play.
"Sakusa-senpai!" Kageyama called out.
There was no doubt—passing to their strongest ace was the simplest way to score.
Sakusa Kiyoomi jumped from the far right.
Chigaya Eikichi, Miya Atsumu, and Hoshiumi Kōrai leapt up, covering all of his possible attack angles.
No problem. Sakusa spiked straight into the block.
At the very end of the first set, Kaedehara Taichi finally predicted one of Sakusa's spikes correctly.
The ball ricocheted off Hoshiumi's arm, bouncing toward the right.
Hirao Jin barely registered a gust of wind beside him before seeing a blur of movement.
Kaedehara Taichi sprinted from the back row's centre to the right-side boundary.
With one last step, he dove forward, extending a single hand beneath the ball.
The ball hit the back of his hand and bounced up.
Still not enough! The ball wasn't high enough!
A second figure lunged in.
Hoshiumi Kōrai dove, stretching his arm to keep the ball in play.
"Atsumu!" Hoshiumi shouted.
Miya Atsumu exchanged a glance with Chigaya Eikichi.
Team B's front line jumped for the block.
But Atsumu didn't spike.
The ball sailed past him, heading toward Chigaya.
Chigaya Eikichi's left-handed spike secured the point.
[Team A 20 – 20 Team B]
Kaedehara Taichi let out a breath of relief. Shutting down Kageyama's service rotation in just one rally was a huge relief.
A Kageyama in this state was too dangerous at the service line. With only five points left in the set, any mistake could put them at match point.
But now, the situation had flipped.
Next up were two consecutive powerful serves from Hoshiumi Kōrai and Miya Atsumu!
The serve switched sides. Hoshiumi Kōrai stepped up to the service line.
From Coach Hibarida's perspective, this was just a casual practice match to let everyone familiarize themselves with each other.
But for the players on the court, every single one of them was fiercely proud.
No matter the circumstances, as long as they were in a match—even without an audience—they refused to lose.
Hoshiumi tossed the ball into the air and took a few steps forward before leaping high. Even on a serve, his jump height was on par with anyone else's.
His body carved a perfect arc in the air, legs tucked back, right arm pulled far behind—his entire form radiated explosive tension.
The ball snapped off Hoshiumi's fingers, carrying spin and sheer power, whistling toward the opponent's court.
The serve landed on the baseline between Kageyama and Komori. The two hesitated for a split second as their eyes met.
The ball landed half in, half out.
A razor-thin line shot!
Hoshiumi scored directly on serve!
[Team A 21 – 20 Team B]
"Nice serve, Hoshiumi-senpai!" Kaedehara Taichi praised sincerely.
Hoshiumi Kōrai's ball control was definitely stronger than his own!
The two first-years from Miyagi were growing at an incredible pace.
Surrounded by powerful, technically polished opponents, Kaedehara Taichi felt nothing but exhilaration.
Hoshiumi lifted his chin proudly, basking in Taichi's praise.
This first year had some redeeming qualities, after all!
Team B all took a step back.
Hoshiumi's serving pattern tended to drop sharply toward the baseline—if they didn't retreat in time, they'd never reach it.
He sent out his second serve.
This time, the ball targeted Kageyama.
Kageyama cleanly received it.
And the ball went straight to Sakusa Kiyoomi.
"This brat…" Miya Atsumu's eyes gleamed.
Previously, Kageyama had avoided taking first touch while in the back row—since that would prevent him from setting.
But now, he was actively receiving and setting up an ideal pass.
Komori must have influenced him.
When teammates were strong enough to handle slightly imperfect sets, precise passing allowed the spiker more options.
Sakusa jumped. With both a spike and a set as options, Team A's blockers had to hedge against other attackers.
"Double block!" Miya Atsumu and Chigaya Eikichi jumped.
Two blockers weren't enough to stop Sakusa. His deep crosscourt spike slammed into Team A's floor.
Sakusa Kiyoomi scored.
[Team A 21 – 21 Team B]
Even in Team A with no established synergy, Sakusa played like a true ace.
Kaedehara Taichi was once again reminded—if they couldn't contain Sakusa, they wouldn't win this match.
The serve switched. Kawakami Tomota stepped up.
Even with Team A's two biggest offensive threats, Kaedehara Taichi and Hoshiumi Kōrai, in the back row, Kawakami still hesitated.
Normally, serves targeted wing spikers or setters to limit attack options.
But both Kaedehara Taichi and Hoshiumi had proven themselves capable receivers.
Especially Hoshiumi—even his sets rivaled some second-years.
Kawakami locked onto libero Hirao Jin and sent a powerful jump serve.
Hirao Jin received the ball with precision. He knew exactly why the opposing team had chosen to target him.
The set was nearing its conclusion, and although everyone here was called up to the Youth National Training Camp, a hierarchy had already begun to form among them.
The volleyball soared toward the net, directly above Miya Atsumu.
Two players in Team A's back row exchanged a fleeting glance before launching their approach from opposite sides.
On the left—Kaedehara Taichi.
On the right—Hoshiumi Kōrai.
A sharp "Boom!" rang out as both players' jumps synchronized perfectly.
A brief moment, yet unforgettable.
Who should he set to?
Miya Atsumu had never hesitated when setting before. Yet, for the first time, uncertainty crept into his mind.
But man, this is exciting!
A bold idea flashed through his mind. He sneakily glanced toward the opposing side—only to lock eyes with Kageyama Tobio, who had been watching him intently.
Atsumu made his choice and set the ball to the left.
Kaedehara Taichi delivered a sharp straight-line spike, grazing the sideline for a clean point.
[Team A 22 - 21 Team B]
Landing lightly, Taichi shot Hoshiumi a meaningful smile.
"Atsumu!" Hoshiumi's voice carried a distinct note of displeasure. "You don't trust me, do you?!"
Atsumu, unfazed, answered smoothly, "Of course not. But Motoya was right in front of you. I was just making sure we scored."
Team A regained the serve. Atsumu strolled to the service line, grinning.
It was already the final stretch of the set—an extremely dangerous situation for Team B.
Yet, with Sakusa Kiyoomi, Kageyama Tobio, and Komori Motoya on their side, the remaining three players didn't seem particularly tense.
It was just a serve. As long as they received it, everything would be fine.
Atsumu tossed the ball, took a short approach, leapt, and struck.
Kageyama stepped forward, calmly setting the ball with his hands. The volleyball arced stably into the air.
Sakusa Kiyoomi took off from the front row and spiked with ease.
[Team A 22 - 22 Team B]
That was…way too easy?!
Hoshiumi shot Atsumu a disdainful look—rookie.
Atsumu's serve rotation lasted barely five seconds, immediately shifting the momentum toward Team B.
Outside of serving, Team A struggled to find an area where they held an advantage.
Team B's Matsumoto sent a powerful serve over. Hirao received it cleanly.
Atsumu set the ball high to the right wing, where Hoshiumi sprang into the air and spiked.
With Komori momentarily off the court, the ball landed easily at the backline, bouncing out.
[Team A 23 - 22 Team B]
Just two more points.
If Team A failed to close the set in this rotation, they would have to face Sakusa Kiyoomi's serve again.
Unlike standard powerful jump serves, his uncanny hybrid serve didn't quite fall into either the jump float or power serve category.
Whether or not it could be received was…well, a matter of luck.
And luck was the last thing Team A wanted to rely on.
Chigaya Eikichi stepped up to serve.
Normally, his left-handed power serve would stand out, but next to Kaedehara Taichi's Quad-Wield, it looked rather ordinary.
That said, Kawakami Tomota still positioned himself at the farthest edge to receive.
Komori Motoya received the ball.
The impact was softer than expected. As he neutralized the spin, much of the ball's force dissipated as well.
"Sorry! It's short!" Komori called out.
The ball rose slightly but began to drop rapidly.
Kageyama lunged forward, saving it just before it hit the ground.
Nakamoto Shigeru leapt to spike, but Atsumu was there to dig.
Hoshiumi jumped and set the ball high.
Taichi soared from the back row—the set felt perfect.
At that moment, he couldn't help but think—Hoshiumi would make an excellent libero or setter. But instead, he chose to be an attacker, the position that demanded the most out of his height.
Sakusa Kiyoomi, Mochida Riei, and Nakamoto Shigeru all jumped.
Taichi had already demonstrated multiple weapons in his arsenal—super high reach, left-handed power spikes, sharp straight-line hits, and wipe-offs.
Team B's defence had no choice but to treat him with the respect he deserved.
The ball sailed through the narrow space between the net and the blockers' arms.
However—someone was already waiting.
No one understands you better than your rival.
Kageyama Tobio was positioned perfectly on the right boundary.
The ball ricocheted off his arms and flew out of bounds.
Landing smoothly, Taichi turned and waved at Kageyama with a grin.
A sudden sharp cross, combined with the spin of a left-handed spike—it wasn't that easy to receive.
Point—Kaedehara Taichi.
[Team A 24 - 22 Team B]
Team A had reached the match point.
So, Taichi is more of a technical player?
Not as refined as Sakusa Kiyoomi, but—he had so many options!
Komori watched with growing interest. I'd love to face him in an actual match.
Chigaya Eikichi served again.
This time, Kageyama received it cleanly. Without hesitation, Sakusa Kiyoomi began his approach.
It didn't matter who set the ball. He was going to score.
Komori jumped from the back row, setting the ball backwards over his head.
Sakusa took off—his form in midair was incredibly stable.
Kondō Masato, Kaedehara Taichi, and Katayama Akira jumped simultaneously.
If they blocked this, the match would be over.
But Sakusa Kiyoomi's expression remained cold, calculating. To him, this was just another ball.
He aimed for Taichi's extended arms, swinging with precision. His right arm snapped forward—a perfect sequence of shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers—striking the ball at the last moment like the tip of a whip.
A wipe-off target—right at Taichi's outstretched hands!
Yet—the familiar sound of a wipe-off didn't come.
The ball traced a high arc through the air—landing far beyond the baseline.
Kaedehara Taichi had moved his arms at the last moment, dodging the attack.
Sakusa's spike went out.
[Team A 25 - 22 Team B]
The whistle blew. Match over.
Sakusa landed, his movements halting abruptly. His eyes widened slightly, locking onto Taichi.
"You knew I was going for a wipe-off?" His voice was heavy.
He had watched Taichi's gaze. He had been focused entirely on the ball.
Sakusa's technique was flawless.
The time from reading the trajectory to executing the spike was mere milliseconds. Even if Taichi had guessed his intent, his reaction should have been too slow to avoid it.
"You predicted it in advance?"
Even before Taichi could answer, Sakusa continued questioning himself.
…No, that wasn't right either. He could have spiked in so many ways, not just a wipe-off.
Why would Taichi preemptively dodge it?
Sakusa fixed his gaze on him, waiting for an explanation.
"Ah, I just guessed~" Taichi replied slyly.
"You little—" For the first time, Sakusa felt a flicker of irritation.
"Let me ask you, why did you choose to wipe-off, Sakusa-senpai?" Taichi suddenly asked.
Sakusa hesitated, recalling his thought process.
"Because in that situation, a wipe-off was my most efficient and your hardest-to-defend option."
Taichi grinned. "Yeah. And I happen to know that trick pretty well."
Sakusa murmured, "…So, it was bait."
Taichi had deliberately extended his arms. He had deliberately avoided locking eyes with him.
All to make him think he had a perfect target.
"Kaedehara Taichi…you're interesting."
Sakusa's lips turned upward into a strange expression.
"I hope to meet you at the Spring High Nationals."
[T/N] - How Taichi feels after fooling everyone into believing he's just a 'Technical Type': 🗿
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