"I didn't expect you to fall for Taichi's provocation, Kuroo." Kozume Kenma g Kuroo Tetsurō with a hint of disdain.
"That brat used to pester me to teach him teiques! And now he's ag all cocky—how could I let that slide?!" Kuroo retorted, clearly dissatisfied.
"But Nekoma only has one real serving threat—you," Kenma sighed. "And now that it's finally your turn to serve…you only got one point? Seriously?"
Kuroo pulled a face, sighing i. "That's like saying, 'Ahh, one bag of chips is too little' when Mom already told you there's no money left for more…"
Kaedehara Taichi let out a quiet breath. Disrupting Nekoma's rhythm before they could fully establish their game was a huge relief.
Just like he would never uimate Karasuno, Taichi had aken Nekoma lightly.
In the inal story, Karasuno, after evolving signifitly, barely mao defeat Nekoma in the Spring High quarterfinals.
But before that, Nekoma had maintained a 90% win rate over them.
Kuroo Tetsurō, one of the top three middle blockers in the try.
Yaku Morisuke, one of the top three liberos.
And Kenma, who—if he were serious—could easily be ranked among the top five setters in Japan.
With an almost libero-level team defend the addition of their neon—Lev Haiba—Nekoma had only suffered losses against Itachiyama and Fukurōdani so far.
Uimating them was the greatest mistake one could make in a match.
-----
[Midway Through the First Set]
Nekoma, pying a steady and calcuted game, had gradually closed the scap.
[Aoba Johsai 15 – 14 Nekoma]
It was Aoba Johsai's serve. Iwaizumi Hajime unched a powerful jump serve, but Nobuyuki Kai easily received it.
Kenma stepped forward ahe ball to the far left. Fukunaga Shōhei leapt and swung hard for a spike.
Boom!
Smack!
"Oouch!" Kyōtaarō called out.
Watari Shinji received the ball, and Oikawa Tōru swiftly moved into positioing it up for the right wing.
Fukunaga, who had just attacked, had no time to react defensively. Along the sideline, Matsukawa Issei struck the ball down.
Boom!
Smack!
Nobuyuki Kai once again received it.
Kenma moved forward with small, trolled steps and lifted the ball high.
From the back row, Lev crouched low, coiled like a feline ready to pounce. His movements were sleek, trolled, and explosively fast—perfectly timed for the ideal attack point.
His sharp gaze locked onto the ball. As it reached peak height, Lev unleashed his full power—his leg muscles tensed, propelling him upward like a spring.
The fathered in his arms, ready to strike.
"Triple block!" Kyōtani, Oikawa, and Matsukawa jumped simultaneously.
Lev's eyes darted across Aoba Johsai's block. Having already been stuffed by Taichi ooday, he was much more cautious this time.
Boom!
Lev's arm whipped through the air at an astonishing speed, his wrist snapping at the st moment to add a sharp downward spin to the ball. The volleyball shot forward in a low, fast arc, targeting the deep er of Aoba Johsai's court.
Super High Reach Spike!
The ball soared past Kyōtani's hands, heading straight for the back row!
Smack!
Despite the tight ce from the triple block, Taichi dug the ball ly.
"Damn it! It's him again!" Lev groaned in frustration. He had executed a near-perfect attack, yet still failed to score.
Oikawa barely had time to move, but Watari leapt from the back row, setting the ball high into the air.
Kyōtani twisted his body mid-air and hammered the ball down.
Smack!
Once again, Nekoma's defence held firm!
Oikawa's brows furrowed. Nekoma had reached their rhythm far too early. Many of Aoba Johsai's best attacks had beeralized.
The first set wasn't just about winning points—it was also about adapting to the court. In hindsight, getting a bye in the first round might not have been such a great thing.
The ball arched above Kenma.
Aoba Johsai's front-row blockers immediately noticed his subtle goward the left.
Nekoma's two front-row spikers—one on the left and one on the right—were deliberately spaced far apart, aiming to pull apart Aoba Johsai's blog line.
"Damn it! This guy is all fake-outs! The more we try to predict him, the more we get tricked—!"
Smack!
Just as Oikawa hesitated, Kenma jumped lightly and tapped the ball over the in sync with its downward arc.
Not to Fukunaga on the left.
Not to Lev on the right.
Kenma went for a setter dump—right down the middle!
[Aoba Johsai 15 – 15 Nekoma]
Nekoma has finally caught up!
"This little brat…might be even craftier than me!" Oikawa Tōru muttered, staring at Kozume Kenma. He hadn't been this aggressive even during their st practice match.
Oikawa g his teammates. It was about time to ramp up their offensive…
Serve rotation ge—Nekoma to serve.
Fukunaga Shōhei's jump serve cked power, allowing Watari Shinji to receive it effortlessly.
"Let's go, Mad Dog-!"
Oikawa sent the ball s toward the right wing.
Kyōtaarō's eyes locked onto the ball's trajectory—his engine was finally r to life.
Boom!!
"What a monstrous cross-court spike from Aoba Johsai's number 16, Kyōtaarō!" entator ōtomo shot to his feet.
"If you watched st year's Nationals, you'd never fet his devastating cross shots!"
entator Aoi ughed, pig up the thread. "In a pre-matterview, team captain Oikawa Tōru mentiohat Kyōtani has a special niame—'Mad Dog'. And now, that 'Mad Dog' is baring his fangs!"
"Absolutely incredible! And once againess Kozume Kenma's exceptional reception skills—this ball nded right ohree-meter line, yet he still mao pick it up! Without a doubt, he's one of Nekoma's stro defenders!"
"Nekoma mao keep the ball in py, but without a setter taheir offehey have no choice but to send a weak returhe ."
"ce ball!" Iwaizumi Hajime called out, his voice sharp. The first touch erfect.
Oikawa sent the set high into the air.
Boom!
The moment that sound echoed through the court, the Aoba Johsai pyers instinctively smiled.
Here it es!
Kaedehara Taichi soared from the back row!
"Three-man block!" Nekoma reacted swiftly—even Kenma joihe wall!
Kozume Kenma, Haiba Lev, and Yamamoto Taketora formed a solid line, hands stretched high to deny Kaedehara's spike.
Bang!
"Another over-the-block spike! Aoba Johsai's ace, Kaedehara Taichi, domihe airspace!!"
Smack!
"A thunderous shot! But Yaku Morisuke reacts instantly, maki another crucial dig!"
"Fukunaga Shōhei scrambles to recover, sending the ball bato Nekoma's court! Nobuyuki Kai from the back row delivers a no-attack return!"
"Nekoma's resilience is impressive, but against Aoba Johsai's relentless attacks, they're barely keeping up!"
The ball arced high auro Aoba Johsai's side.
Nekoma's pyers swiftly reset their positions—no matter how desperate the situation, as long as they kept the ball alive, the game wasn't over!
All eyes locked onto the desding ball.
"ce ball!" Watari delivered a perfect first touch, and Oikawa leapt into position.
A shadow suddenly streaked forward.
"Not good!" Kenma's mind barely registered the movement before the figure was already airborne.
For half a set, Aoba Johsai had held back this teique.
In the instant Kaedehara Taichi sprang into a, it was as if he had momentarily broken free from time itself.
Just as Nekoma's nerves reached their peak, he struck—appearing suddenly at the .
At that moment, only one figure soared in midair.
BOOM!
The ball smmed into the floor, nding right by Haiba Lev's feet.
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[Aoba Johsai 16 – 15 Nekoma]
"Un-un-unbelievable!!"
"After that intense bad-forth rally, Aoba Johsai seamlessly transitions into Oikawa and Taichi's signature move—the ultra-fast attack!"
"Even the cameras couldn't keep up with that ball!!!"
The areed in deafening cheers, the crowd's energy surging to a fever pitch!
"Is…is this even the same sport we py in school? It feels like a pletely different game…"
The sheer brilliance of the attack was a stark remihis was Nationals.
Just a single point was regained, yet it felt as though the scales had pletely tipped in Aoba Johsai's favour!
Nekoma's pyers, however, remained unfazed by the electrified atmosphere. Their eyes turoward the figure standing ahead of them.
Kenma.
"It's fine. We kly what kind of team Aoba Johsai is before ing here…"
"So we'll do what we always do—observe, adapt, ahrough them."
Kenma's goldeayed sharp. The 'brain' of Nekoma was still calmly thinking.
_________
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