Bang!
Oikawa Tōru's serve was straightforward yet effective—precise trol bined with impressive power.
In every match against Shiratorizawa, Oikawa's serves sistently earned crucial points for Aoba Johsai.
Smack!
Shirabu Kenjirō barely mao receive the ball. After nearly half an hour of intense gamepy, the pyers had gradually adapted to the ball's velocity.
However, without their setter tahe offence, Goshiki Tsutomu scrambled to keep the ball in py, leaving ōhira Reon with no choice but to send it over as a free ball.
Watari Shinji delivered a perfect pass, setting up both Kaedehara Taichi on the left and Kyōtaarō on the right for simultaneous attacks at the .
Oikawa's movements were steady and posed, giving nothing away. Shiratorizawa couldn't dis his move.
—Whoosh!
Oikawa set the ball to the right side again. Kyōtaarō began his approach from the edge of the , his first step into the court explosive.
As he leapt, his body extended fully, creating a reverse ar midair. His right arm tensed, muscles taut as he spiked the ball with ferocious power!
"Double block!"
Ushijima Wakatoshi and ōhira Reon jumped to form a solid wall.
Tendō Satori, staying in position to guard against Kaedehara Taichi on the left, couldn't make it over in time. However, even against Ushijima and ōhira, the pressure oacker was immense.
While Shiratorizawa sidered the undersized, sharp-featured Kyōtani to be overly reckless, Aoba Johsai believed the opposite—Shiratorizawa had gravely uimated their Mad Dog.
Bang!—
It was hard to imagine such power ing from that lean frame. The peculiar flexibility in his arm left Shiratorizawa stunned.
In fog too mu Kaedehara Taichi's brilliahey had overlooked the relentless ferocity of Kyōtani.
A cross-shot spike!
The ball sliced between the blockers' outstretched arms and the , nding sharply inside Shiratorizawa's three-meter line.
[Aoba Johsai 19 – 17 Shiratorizawa]
Aoba Johsai's Mad Dog, silenced for so long uhe pressure of Ushijima and Kaedehara's dominance, had finally bared his fangs again today.
-----
While Shirabu had recovered his posure, it wasn't enough to close the gap.
Offensively, Shiratorizawa could rely on Ushijima to score sistently, but defensively, they struggled to stop Aoba Johsai's relentless attacks.
The score now stood at [Aoba Johsai 23 – 21 Shiratorizawa].
It was Aoba Johsai's serve, and Kindaichi Yūtarō stepped up.
Even in the final moments of the set, Kindaichi, who had served his energy earlier, remained vigorous and full of life. However, his serve was just average. ōhira Reon received it with ease.
Ushijima had already spiked nearly 30 balls in the first set. Though this number wasn't unusual given his usual training load, delivering that many spikes in a si was unpreted.
Shirabu's most logical decision at that moment was to send the ball to Goshiki on the left.
Aoba Johsai's blockers, predictably, focused most of their attention on Ushijima.
Goshiki's straight shot from the left wing easily bypassed the blod scored.
[Aoba Johsai 23 – 22 Shiratorizawa]
Not enough! Kindaichi silently bmed himself for allowing the point.
Even if he couldn't be like Kaedehara Taichi, Kindaichi refused to let himself g behind the other first-years.
"Don't sweat it! ball!"
Exging positions with libero Watari Shinji, Kindaichi felt a reassuring pat on his shoulder.
The team held immense fondness for this ear, dependable, and driven boy—han they did for Taichi.
The serve switched sides, and Goshiki stepped onto the service line.
I must secure secutive points! Goshiki uood the stakes perfectly.
He hadn't grown enough. Not yet. Only now did he realize he still couldn't truly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ushijima-senpai.
It was also in this moment that he became painfully aware: today might be his final ce to fight alongside Ushijima-senpai in high school volleyball.
We have to win!
Goshiki executed a fwless approach, jump, and serve.
Thwack!
The sound rang crisp and sharp.
Another short serve aimed at the front court!
Goshiki was like a model student in a volleyball academy—his form textbook-perfect, his skills well-rounded.
If Taichi hadn't witnessed Goshiki's serves against Karasuerday, he might not have anticipated this tactic.
Smack!
Taichi lunged forward in a diving save, keeping the ball in py.
The ball soared into the air, where Kyōta on the left side. Oikawa jumped alongside to deliver the set.
Taichi quickly got to his feet, but it was too te to joiack.
Tendō swiftly assessed the situation and positioned himself directly in front of Kyōtani.
Bang!
"Huh?!"
A powerful sound echoed from the opposite side.
179.3 cm tall figure of Iwaizumi Hajime desded from the , his timing fwless.
The perfebination—Oikawa Tōru and Iwaizumi Hajime!
Aoba Johsai reached set point first!
[Aoba Johsai 24 – 22 Shiratorizawa]
"You didn't fet about me, did you?" Aoba Johsai's former absp;fixed his pierg gaze on the Shiratorizayers.
"Damn it…" Tendō Satori muttered, frustrated by his subpar performaoday. Despite Iwaizumi being Oikawa's go-to attacker in the past, they had somehow uimated his threat this time.
"After all, as long as us third-years haven't retired, we 't just dump all the pressure on the undercssmen." Iwaizumi exuded the aura of a leader as he stepped up to serve.
If he could end the set with a single serve, that would be ideal. However, he knew better than to take unnecessary risks now.
Boom!
Iwaizumi's powerful jump serve targeted Shiratorizawa's back row, aiming directly at Goshiki Tsutomu.
"I've got it!" Yamagata Hayato stepped in to receive the ball.
"Goshiki!"
"Yes!"
Goshiki sprioward the , maintaining maximum offensive aggression.
Goshiki leapt from the back row, but the ball was sent to the right wing instead.
In that pivotal moment, the set didn't revolve around him. A flicker of disappoi crossed Goshiki's face, but deep dowoo loo see that figure's attack.
Hanamaki Takahiro and Kyōtaarō were briefly distracted by Goshiki's feint, but the high toss gave them enough time to react.
The figure of Ushijima Wakatoshi reached its peak.
—Bang!—
Even with a solid double block, Aoba Johsai couldn't stop Ushijima's overwhelming spike. The ball smashed into the three-meter line on Aoba Johsai's side.
[Aoba Johsai 24 – 23 Shiratorizawa]
"That's fine. oal isn't to block Ushijima; it's to defeat Shiratorizawa."
Shiratorizawa took their serve. Shirabu Kenjirō sent a precise jump float across the .
Kaedehara Taichi moved quickly, smoothly receiving the ball with an overhead pass.
Oikaositioned himself perfectly for the set. In the front row were Hanamaki Takahiro and Kyōtaarō, while in the back row were Kaedehara Taichi and Iwaizumi Hajime.
It was an all-out final assault from Aoba Johsai!
—Whiz!
The ball flew to the left wing, straight into Kaedehara Taichi's waiting hands.
"I guessed right!" Tendō Satori had read the py perfectly. The final ball always seemed to find its way to Kaedehara.
Tendō's block was lightning fast, his hands f an imposing wall right in front of Kaedehara's eyes.
Despite being a solo block, Tendō's preseed immense pressure oacker.
"But you've opped Taichi before," Oikawa murmured, his gaze fixed on the figure s above the .
Taichi's vision was crystal clear. Having anticipated the block, he remained calm, his left arm snapping like a whip from behind his back.
—Bang!—
A scorg straight shot grazed Shiratorizawa's left boundary, sealing the first set.
[Aoba Johsai 25 – 23 Shiratorizawa]
The whistle blely.
First Set Winner: Aoba Johsai.
Ushijima Wakatoshi had scored an astounding 18 points in the first set alone, yet it wasn't enough to secure victory for Shiratorizawa.
_________
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