Oikawa Tōru pressed his hands against the volleyball firmly, feeling the perfect state of the ball in his grasp.
Repeating the movements of his previous serve, he added a bit more power this time. The volleyball cut through the air in a graceful arc, heading straight toward Kozume Kenma.
Yaku Morisuke swiftly intercepted, moving sideways to take the ball instead of letting Kenma receive it.
He really pampers his setter, huh.
Oikawa couldn't help but wish his teammates would learn a thing or two from Yaku.
With a sharp smack, the volleyball bounced off Yaku's forearm and flew high into the air.
Though the initial reception wasn't perfect, Yaku still managed to pick up Oikawa's powerful second serve.
This left Aoba Johsai's players convinced—this libero from Nekoma was the strongest they'd faced yet.
Kenma set the ball to the front row, where Yamamoto Taketora slammed it down with all his might.
"Ah, but they picked it up again!"
Kunimi Akira dove forward in a spectacular save, keeping the ball alive.
"Mad Dog-chan!" Oikawa called out loudly, setting the ball high toward the right wing.
Kyōtani Kentarō rushed in from the side of the net, building momentum with every step before launching himself into the air for a thunderous spike.
This time, Nekoma's blockers had one less person at the net. Only Kuroo Tetsurō and Inuoka Sō stood ready, leaving a wider angle for Kyōtani to aim a cross-court shot.
Without hesitation, Kyōtani seized the opening and spiked the ball down the open line.
A pair of hands angled precisely across Kyōtani's spike path, stopping the ball dead in its tracks. The volleyball ricocheted off Kuroo's arms and dropped back into Aoba Johsai's court.
Kuroo's trademark mischievous smirk spread across his face.
Nekoma scored off the block.
[Aoba Johsai 22 - 22 Nekoma]
Kyōtani said nothing, but the sharp glare he directed at Kuroo could have killed him a hundred times over.
What a sneaky bastard!
Oikawa glared at Kuroo in frustration. If that had been a triple block, Kyōtani would have aimed for an even sharper angle. But Nekoma had deliberately left a tempting opening, baiting him into an easy spike only to trap him in Kuroo's block.
Kyōtani, of course, wasn't about to make things harder for himself. Predictably, he fell right into their trap.
As Nekoma prepared to serve, Yamamoto delivered an ordinary jump serve.
Nekoma's real threat on serve was Kuroo. The others were competent jump servers, but their serves weren't particularly difficult for skilled receivers to handle.
Nekoma wasn't a team that relied on aces to score. Instead, they focused on minimizing errors. As long as the ball didn't hit the floor, they would eventually secure the point.
Yaku received the ball with ease, and Watari Shinji set it up. Iwaizumi Hajime, Hanamaki Takahiro, and Kyōtani all charged forward simultaneously.
A synchronized attack.
Nekoma's players locked their eyes on each attacking spiker.
Oikawa jumped up to set but twisted his torso mid-air at the last second, smashing the ball down instead!
Kenma dove to the left rear, just managing to save the ball with an outstretched hand.
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Kuroo spiked the ball decisively.
Aoba Johsai's players, heavily committed to their attack, were caught completely off guard by the sudden counter.
[Aoba Johsai 22 - 23 Nekoma]
Oikawa's eyes narrowed, locking onto Nekoma's deceptively frail-looking setter. What a tricky player.
Oikawa flinched as something hit the back of his head.
"Who was that?!" He spun around angrily.
"Oops, slipped," Iwaizumi said nonchalantly. There was no mistaking it—this guy was trying to keep Oikawa's ego in check again.
Oikawa could only pretend nothing had happened.
"It's fine, it's fine! We'll get the next point!"
Aoba Johsai's players: "…"
"You were the one who lost that point in the first place! What's the point of comforting us now!?"
Yamamoto Taketora served the ball for the second time.
Kunimi Akira received it cleanly, though fatigue was evident in his movements. The two sets they'd played so far had drained him more than three matches against any other team.
Earlier, during the multi-position attack, he'd stayed back, avoiding the action under the guise of strategy—when in truth, he just wanted to conserve energy.
Oikawa set the ball to Hanamaki, who spiked it hard, only for Yaku Morisuke to pick it up again. Back and forth they went, the rally turning into another tug-of-war.
"Kunimi, get the ball!"
Iwaizumi Hajime managed to block Kuroo Tetsurō's spike, but the ball ricocheted off his arms and flew over Kunimi's head.
Kunimi remained rooted to the spot, his focus wavering.
"Even if I get this, it'll just turn into a free ball for the other side, won't it?"
A blur of movement streaked past him.
Watari Shinji sprinted from Kunimi's side and dove, stretching out for a last-ditch save. Yet his hand fell just short of the ball's landing point.
Kuroo scored off the spike.
[Aoba Johsai 22 - 24 Nekoma]
Nekoma had reached match point.
Iwaizumi's roar snapped Kunimi back to his senses.
Then it hit him suddenly—this ball had been saved by Iwaizumi-senpai, and he had just stood there like a dead log!
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Kunimi grew nervous.
Hanamaki Takahiro stepped in front of Iwaizumi, raising a hand to stop him. "Let's finish this set first."
Iwaizumi took a deep breath, calming down. He hadn't truly been angry—he just wanted Kunimi to stop slacking off. After all, he was used to yelling at Oikawa all the time.
Oikawa, blissfully unaware that this was somehow tangentially related to him, sighed to himself. Looks like we've uncovered another problem child.
Watari picked up the ball effortlessly, and Oikawa immediately began calculating how to evade Nekoma's defence.
This Tokyo team was undeniably strong, a completely different kind of strength compared to Shiratorizawa.
Against Shiratorizawa, the goal was to avoid losing points at every rally. Against Nekoma, the challenge was figuring out how to earn points.
Our offence still has a ways to go, huh? Oikawa couldn't help but reflect. But he was also optimistic—Kaedehara Taichi and Kyōtani Kentarō's growth could be something to look forward to.
Kyōtani, still fired up from Kuroo's earlier block, glared at the opposing captain with the intensity of a volcano about to erupt. His entire being radiated a fiery determination.
"Alright, go get them, Mad Dog-chan!" Oikawa set the ball high above Kyōtani.
This time, three blockers jumped to intercept him—Kuroo, Inuoka Sō, and Fukunaga Shōhei. They reached forward, hands pressed together, forming an impenetrable wall.
"Use a tip shot!" Oikawa yelled to Kyōtani.
Kyōtani's arm swung decisively, unyielding in his approach.
The ball struck Inuoka's forearm and rebounded straight back into Aoba Johsai's court.
[Aoba Johsai 22 - 25 Nekoma]
The referee's whistle blew twice, signalling the end of the second set.
"Inuoka, that block was awesome!" Nekoma's players crowded around to congratulate him.
"Haha, it's all thanks to Kuroo-senpai's directions," Inuoka replied cheerfully, making sure to credit his senior.
Nekoma had scored the final four points in a row, securing a clean and decisive victory in the set—and the match.
"You idiot! Against a triple block, you could've used a tip shot! Or at least eased up on the spike to keep the rally going!" Oikawa was furious. He felt like he was losing his mind. "What kind of maniac spikes head-on into three blockers? You're not Ushijima Wakatoshi!"
"You can't call it a real attack unless you spike it with full power!" Kyōtani retorted with complete seriousness, yelling right back at Oikawa.
"You—you…" Oikawa was so exasperated by Kyōtani's simple-minded logic that he was at a loss for words.
Iwaizumi, noticing Kunimi resting with his eyes closed on the sidelines, tugged at Oikawa's arm.
"Oikawa, drop it. We'll deal with this later."
It seemed Aoba Johsai's biggest challenge wasn't their opponents, but figuring out how to handle their own team of problem children…
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