The members of Nekoma were overcome with emotion!
Kenma! The reserved Kozume Kenma, who usually avoided interacting with people, had actually taken the initiative to speak with an opponent on the court!
Yaku Morisuke dramatically wiped away nonexistent tears as he exchanged a knowing glance with Kuroo Tetsurō.
Kuroo nodded firmly. I get it.
Unbeknownst to everyone, the score gap between the two teams had quietly narrowed to just one point.
Inuoka Sō's serve hit the back of Yamamoto Taketora's head...
[Aoba Johsai 23 – 21 Nekoma]
"Inuoka....!" Yamamoto turned, glaring furiously.
"Yamamoto-senpai! I'm sorry—!" Inuoka bowed repeatedly, looking like a frightened puppy.
"You'd better work on your serves when we get back!" Yamamoto said, exasperated.
Aoba Johsai's turn to serve. Kunimi Akira's sharp and precise serve disrupted Nekoma's reception just enough to throw them off balance.
Kozume Kenma set the ball to the middle, and Nobuyuki Kai spiked it hard.
Kunimi dug the ball out, and Oikawa Tooru's gaze shifted to Kaedehara Taichi. But Taichi...was just standing there, staring off into space?
Oikawa shrugged it off and set the ball to the left side. Hanamaki Takahiro spiked it down hard.
Fukunaga Shōhei successfully received the ball. Kenma quickly set it to the middle again, but his peripheral vision caught something odd.
Kaedehara Taichi—he hadn't been moving much throughout the rally—was....smiling?
Taichi felt something change within himself. His usual attacking strategies were no longer enough to break through Nekoma's solid defence.
Nekoma's defence wasn't just well-organized; every player displayed extraordinary synergy, as though they could read the opponent's intentions in advance, effortlessly neutralizing even the fiercest of attacks.
Facing Kenma, Taichi felt a pressure unlike anything he had experienced before.
This wasn't the kind of strength he had faced against Ushijima Wakatoshi of Shiratorizawa, whose overwhelming power and regal aura delivered straightforward but crushing dominance.
Kenma Kozume, in contrast, was like a patient hunter lurking in the shadows. Every movement, every glance seemed calculated, as if he was meticulously analyzing every weakness. He didn't rush, but the unrelenting precision of his strategy pushed his opponent closer to the edge, step by step.
Under this kind of pressure, Taichi found himself strangely exhilarated. His control over his body sharpened; his vision became crystal clear. It was as if everything he had learned up until now was finally clicking into place.
His teammate's shout snapped him back to reality. Taichi's eyes focused on the ball flying in the air. For a split second, Nobuyuki Kai's spike from the middle replayed vividly in his mind.
Without overthinking, he chose to trust his instincts. He stepped forward, leapt high, and stretched his arms diagonally forward like a looming storm cloud blocking Nobuyuki's path.
Nobuyuki's spike collided with Taichi's arms and ricocheted straight into Nekoma's court.
Kaedehara Taichi scored with a block!
[Aoba Johsai 24 – 21 Nekoma]
Coach Nekomata opened his eyes, his mind replaying the scene from moments earlier. The Nekoma players couldn't shake the sense of familiarity—they had just witnessed a blocking stance identical to their captain, Kuroo Tetsurō's signature move!
Interestingly, the Aoba Johsai players found it familiar as well.
To them, it resembled Tendō Satori's blocking style from their match against Shiratorizawa just a few days ago.
Coach Irihata suddenly remembered something. Wasn't Kaedehara Taichi originally trained as a blocking middle blocker? he thought. When did he turn into a primary scorer?
In reality, while Kuroo Tetsurō and Tendō Satori had vastly different blocking techniques, they shared one critical similarity: the ability to apply immense pressure on attackers and the capacity to shift the momentum by turning defence into offence.
Tendō relied heavily on his uncanny intuition for blocking. His technique was predicated on his exceptional observational and reactive skills, but since it was purely instinctive, there was always the risk of errors.
Tendō's blocking was a gamble—zero points or a perfect score.
Kuroo, on the other hand, combined intuition with careful observation and strategic judgment.
Whether blocking solo or as part of a coordinated defence, he seamlessly integrated his blocks into Nekoma's defensive system. While minimizing the risk of conceding points, Kuroo also excelled at creating opportunities to score directly from his blocks.
Kozume Kenma's eyes widened in fascination. Kaedehara Taichi had genuinely brought something new to the table. How interesting!
Aoba Johsai's serve began, and Kaedehara Taichi stepped up to the service line. Nekoma's players tensed, ready to receive.
Taichi smirked. "No need to be so serious…"
He aimed his serve toward Kozume Kenma.
Kenma immediately judged the ball as heading out of bounds and stepped aside.
The ball landed just outside the court. Nekoma scored.
[Aoba Johsai 24 – 22 Nekoma]
Kenma straightened up, a puzzled expression on his face as he looked at Taichi—That's all you've got?
Taichi, keeping a straight face, didn't reply, though he silently resolved, Next time, I'll make sure to master a killer serve!
Nekoma's Yamamoto Taketora followed with a powerful jump serve, but the ball trajectory was too predictable. Iwaizumi Hajime easily received it.
Oikawa Tōru jumped, positioning himself to set the ball. Noticing Nekoma's blockers hadn't jumped with him, he suddenly shifted his position mid-air and spiked the ball himself!
Kuroo Tetsurō, having anticipated Oikawa's move, dove and managed to dig the ball out.
Kenma swiftly recovered it, setting it to the right side. Fukunaga Shōhei took the shot.
Matsukawa Issei's block slowed the spike's momentum. Kunimi Akira received the ball and passed it to Oikawa, who set up Kaedehara Taichi with a swift back attack.
Taichi burst out from behind Matsukawa's shadow, soaring high as the volleyball hurtled toward him.
Inuoka Sō, stationed in Nekoma's back row, could only watch helplessly as Taichi's back-row attack smashed the ball into their court.
[Aoba Johsai 25 – 22 Nekoma]
The referee's whistle blew twice, signalling the end of the first set.
"Hah….I thought we could have kept the score tighter in the first set," Kuroo sighed.
Yaku Morisuke plopped onto the bench beside Coach Nekomata, rolling his eyes. "I told you already—they're one of Miyagi's top four teams. You guys underestimated them too much."
"We weren't that overconfident," Nobuyuki Kai argued, defending his teammates. "Their offence is just harder to deal with than most teams."
Kenma, seated quietly nearby, glanced at Taichi on the opposite side of the court. In a low voice, he muttered, "Kuroo, I think Taichi saw your blocking and used it as inspiration to break through."
"Really? You're saying that block on Nobuyuki's spike was just improvised?" Kuroo raised an eyebrow, finding it hard to believe. Taichi's blocking presence didn't seem like something a rookie could pull off on a whim.
Coach Nekomata approached them, smiling as he said, "In matches , where players push each other to their limits, it's not uncommon for someone to shine brighter than usual. That's what it means to meet a worthy rival."
"Kuroo," Nekomata continued, his tone calm but commanding, "show us what you've got next set. Let's turn the score around."
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