Kunimi Akira wiped his hands on his shorts. In that fleeting moment when Ushijima Wakatoshi served the ball, Kunimi found himself overwhelmed by the sheer force of his presence.
His body froze, unable to react in time.
Sweat drenched his palms as he stood there, stunned. The ball had slammed into the ground and rebounded past his face, close enough to feel a wave of heat in its wake.
Ushijima walked back to the service line, bouncing the ball forcefully on the floor in a steady rhythm.
"Phew—" The three-man back row of Aoba Johsai braced themselves under immense pressure, adjusting their stances to receive the next serve.
So this is how other teams feel when they face Oikawa's serves? Taichi grimaced, his expression bitter.
"Go, Ushijima-senpai! Show them a killer serve!" Goshiki's enthusiastic cheer echoed through the gym.
With that, the volleyball shot toward Aoba Johsai like a cannonball.
"I got it!" Iwaizumi Hajime rushed forward, managing to dig the powerful serve. The ball flew straight up into the air.
"It's a chance ball! Taichi!" Oikawa Tōru's voice rang out as he sprinted to position himself under the ball, ready for the set.
"Got it!" Taichi stepped back, taking a running start from the back row.
The ball was set high—a classic toss. It was clear there wouldn't be time to execute a quick attack. Even so, Oikawa chose to send it to Taichi, a first-year with limited vertical jump ability.
The Shiratorizawa blockers quickly locked on.
"Double block!" Ōhira Shion and Tendo Satori leapt into position, forming a solid wall in front of Taichi.
Taichi knew Tendo's sharp reflexes and near-psychic blocking ability made him a formidable opponent. So, he aimed for Ōhira's hand, targeting the side of his palm.
This time, there was no mistake. The ball ricocheted off Ōhira's right hand and flew toward the second-floor railing.
It hit the railing and dropped to the floor.
No spectacular jump or extraordinary power. But that doesn't mean I can't score at the net! Taichi shot a defiant look at Ushijima.
The attack had gone out of bounds off the block—Kaedehara Taichi had scored with a tool shot.
[Aoba Johsai 3 – 3 Shiratorizawa]
"Hey, did you see that? That first-year with the black hair just scored two points in a row!" The audience buzzed with excitement.
"Wasn't that a tool shot? I remember a guy from last year's semifinals who was great at those."
"Oh yeah, Nakashima Takeru from Wakunan. That little guy was impressive."
"But this first-year isn't even short. Why is he playing like that?"
"Judging by that block earlier, his jump must not be great…"
Although Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa had clashed in the finals of the Miyagi Prefecture tournaments for two consecutive years, Shiratorizawa held a perfect win record against them in official matches.
Teams that couldn't beat Shiratorizawa—no matter how skilled, like Nakashima Takeru—rarely left a lasting impression.
This practice match drew a significant crowd, many treating it as a preview of the upcoming Inter-High prefectural finals. Yet, even with such stakes, few had expected Aoba Johsai to hold their ground in a power duel right from the start.
What was even more astonishing was that their rising offensive player was just a first-year.
Unconsciously, the audience's attention had shifted to this match, which many had assumed would be a one-sided affair. Their whispers and chatter grew louder.
"Don't let the crowd get to you," Matsukawa Issei said calmly to the younger players on the court. "In real matches, the cheering is a hundred times more intense."
Aoba Johsai's serve. Taichi stepped up to the service line.
Oikawa Tōru, Hanamaki Takahiro, and Matsukawa Issei all quietly cradled the backs of their heads with their hands.
"Hey! I get it if Oikawa-senpai does that, but why are Hanamaki-senpai and Matsukawa-senpai doing it too?" Taichi grumbled, slamming the ball against the floor in frustration.
Hanamaki Takahiro and Matsukawa Issei exchanged a glance and chuckled quietly. They had been waiting for a chance to mess with the 'hot-headed' first-year.
Kaedehara Taichi aimed his serve at Ushijima Wakatoshi, delivering a bland, unimpressive shot.
Even with such a harmless serve, Ushijima chose not to receive it. Ōhira Reon quickly moved toward his position, bumping the ball to Shirabu Kenjirō.
He's opting for a back-row attack and still won't handle receptions? Taichi thought, retreating swiftly back into position.
"Send it to me!" Shirabu was about to set the ball to Tendō Satori when he suddenly heard Ushijima's request for the ball.
Without hesitation, Shirabu sent the ball toward Ushijima.
The spike came from a back-row attack—an explosive, cross-court shot that flew straight toward Taichi.
If it's a back-row attack, it shouldn't be as powerful.
Taichi dug the ball, but the spinning projectile struck his arms with incredible rotation, causing it to fly out of bounds.
[Aoba Johsai 3 – 4 Shiratorizawa]
Damn, I almost forgot—Ushijima's a lefty.
Taichi shook his hands, feeling the lingering sting.
The ball's rotation, influenced by a left-handed spike, was entirely different from what he was used to. For players accustomed to receiving spikes from right-handed opponents, adapting to this kind of spin was exceptionally difficult.
The unique rotation, if mishandled, could create massive deviations in the ball's trajectory after contact.
Perhaps no one was more surprised than Tendō Satori.
As someone who thrived on provoking others, Tendō knew that Ushijima wasn't the type to be fazed by taunts, unlike players like Kawanishi Taichi or Goshiki Tsutomu. Yet, Ushijima had specifically called for the ball against Taichi. Clearly, something unusual was at play.
"Wakatoshi, did you really lose a long-distance run to that first-year last time?"
"Hmm, we didn't officially race, but he did return to school before I did," Ushijima replied calmly.
"That's enough to make you take notice of him?" Tendō asked, puzzled. After all, even with Goshiki's constant antics, Ushijima never paid him much attention.
"He said he's Aoba Johsai's ace and that he's going to lead them to defeat me and reach Nationals," Ushijima paused. "I want to know why he's so confident."
Tendō clicked his tongue in amusement. "Now that's interesting."
Shiratorizawa's serve. Ōhira Reon, a powerful jump server, unleashed a serve that forced Kunimi Akira to falter.
Oikawa Tōru quickly moved into position, receiving the ball and setting it to the net. Matsukawa Issei spiked it at an angle.
"Got it!" Tendō, having anticipated the shot, successfully blocked it, sending the ball into Shiratorizawa's backcourt.
Kawanishi Taichi chased it down, setting the ball to Shirabu.
With Ushijima still in the back row, Shirabu opted to set the ball to Goshiki on the right wing.
"Double block!" Hanamaki and Oikawa jumped together, forming a wall in front of Goshiki.
Finally in the front row, Goshiki, full of pent-up energy, took a running start and leapt to deliver a powerful straight shot.
Goshiki's spike was sharp and precise, skimming the sideline—a line difficult to block but demanding great control from the attacker.
The ball struck Taichi's arm with a resounding crack!
For the past two weeks, I haven't just been practising spikes. Taichi had read Goshiki's spike trajectory perfectly, making a clean receive.
Oikawa jumped in place, setting the ball with precision across the entire court, from one sideline to the other—a flawless cross-court set.
Matsukawa leapt for another attack and spiked the ball.
The ball deflected off Kawanishi's arms and sailed out of bounds.
Aoba Johsai refused to let Shiratorizawa build momentum!
[Aoba Johsai 4 – 4 Shiratorizawa]
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