Coach Irihata turo the team, his expression serious. "Our blog today isn't sticky enough. You o be mgressive in disrupting Ushiwaka's spikes."

  One of Wakatoshi Ushijima's defining characteristics as a spiker was his sheer power—a force capable of breaking through blocks.

  Right now, Kaedehara Taichi and Kunimi Akira were pletely uo stop it.

  Even Kindaichi, Iwaizumi, and Matsukawa, who had the strength to block him, ofteated at the .

  Ushijima's overwhelming presen the court was enough to shake their fidence, causing a split-sed dey that he exploited.

  Several of today's points had been lost for exactly that reason.

  "The sed issue," Coach Irihata tinued, his tone uncharacteristically sharp, "is receiving Ushiwaka's spikes. Right now, only Oikawa and Watari hahem. Does that mean the rest of you have nothing to do with it?"

  Another hallmark of Ushijima's spikes was the left-handed spin. The unusual rotation ofteo reception errors even when his spikes cked full power.

  "I'll expin the overall situation first, and then we'll discuss our approach." Coach Irihata gestured for Manager-Coach Mizoguchi to hand over the analysis sheet for the day's match.

  "In the first set we won, Taichi scored 9 points, Oikawa 5, and Iwaizumi 3. For Shiratorizawa, Ushijima scored 11 points, Tendou 3, and Kawanishi 2."

  "Our offense wasn't weaker than Shiratorizawa's."

  Taichi, surprised by his own performanodded eagerly as he listened.

  "But in the sed set, Taichi scored 6 points, Oikawa 4, and Iwaizumi 4. Together, the three of you barely matched Ushioints alone."

  The members of Aoba Johsai fell silent, their faces tense. When id out like this, the terrifying dominance of Wakatoshi Ushijima became even more apparent.

  "As for the third set," Irihata's tone grew heavier, "it was a plete breakdown. There's no point in analyzing it further."

  His gaze swept across the room, ster encing. "We at Aoba Johsai are strong in every area, which is why we defeat most teams. But we're not the best in any single area, which is why we 't beat Shiratorizawa."

  "This is the time to seek ge. Taichi is one of our neons, but it's not enough. If we want to reaationals, we need more." His eyes shifted to Oikawa Tōru and Iwaizumi Hajime. "You two are the captain and vice-captain. I need an answer from you tomorrow."

  With that, Coach Irihata turned and walked out of the gym with Manager Mizoguchi.

  "Thank you, Coach!" The pyers called out in unison, their voices eg in the gym as they bowed to send him off.

  Outside the gym, Sadayuki Mizoguchi broke the silence. "Coach, you probably already have a pn in mind. Why not just tell them ht?"

  "Sadayuki," Irihata began, his voice softer now, "I've taken a team to nationals before…"

  "I know. You mention it every time you drink." Mizoguchi cut him off with a deadpan.

  "Do I? Haha..." Coach Irihata chuckled before turning to look at Mizoguchi seriously. "What do you think it takes to make it to nationals?"

  "A strong ace? Unmatched skill?" Mizoguchi ventured, uain.

  "Of course, those are essentials," Irihata admitted with a ugh, "but I think there's something else. Every pyer oeam must know their role and be willing to make sacrifices when necessary."

  Sadayuki Mizoguchi hesitated, unsure how to respond. Irihata didn't leave him guessing for long.

  "Seijoh has been too stable for too long," he tinued. "As I said earlier, that kind of stability won't win against Shiratorizawa."

  "If we had lost the Inter-High preliminaries," Coach Irihata said, "I was already pnning to call Kyōtaarō back. Aoba Johsai needs a ge."

  "But Taichi's arrival gave me hope. His progress has been so rapid that even I've had to accelerate the pace of our team's transformation."

  "However," Irihata's tone softened, "this ge ot e from me alohey o realize it themselves."

  Mizoguchi pohe coach's words for a while before asking, "And the 'sacrifice' you mentioned?"

  Coach Irihata fell silent for a moment, then spoke, his voice steady. "It could be like Karasuno's setter, who stepped baake way for another. Or their quiet, unassuming captain. But most of all, it's like what we saw in Shiratorizawa today. Any one of their pyers could be the a an average team, but on Shiratorizawa, they devote everything to clearing the path for their ace—for the team's victory."

  "Of course," he added with a small smile, "Aoba Johsai isn't like that. Oikawa brings everyoogether as a unit. But even then, we need someone who stand at the forefront."

  Ba the gym, the atmosphere was tense. After a long silence, Iwaizumi Hajime finally broke it.

  "Coach Irihata's message retty clear," he said firmly. "Oikawa needs support as the setter. The first touch 't fall entirely on Shinji."

  "I'll focus more oion practice moving forward," Iwaizumi added with a grin. "You guys will have to hahe offence."

  "Ah, Iwa-…" Oikawa began, but before he could tinue, Hanamaki Takahiro cut in.

  "I'll do it," Hanamaki said suddenly. "Iwaizumi and Oikawa's synergy o bee even sharper. Today's scores make that obvious."

  "Why are the seniors suddenly talking about this?" Kindaichi whispered to Kunimi, his fusion apparent. "Isn't reception something we're all supposed to practice?"

  Kunimi, used to Kindaichi's endless questions, replied in a low voice, "We're short on time. It's faster for the main spikers, who already hahe first touch, to practice reception. It also means sacrifig some of their own offensive opportunities."

  "But you're a spiker too. Why aren't you practising with them?" Kindaichi asked bluntly.

  Kunimi rolled his eyes. "Because I'd get blown away by those spikes."

  "You should practice with them anyway," Matsukawa Issei interjected suddenly. "We o overhaul our attack strategy too. We didn't gain any advantage i two sets." Then, after a pause, he added, "Let's call Kentarō bad see what level he's at now."

  The gym fell silent again. Iwaizumi and Hanamaki's earlier discussion was about dividing roles, but Matsukawa's suggestion introduced the possibility of ging the starting lineup—a move that could signifitly impact the team dynamic.

  The first-years, unfamiliar with the ayed quiet, unsure of what to say.

  "I disagree!" The sudden voice of Yahaba Shigeru, a sed-year, broke the silence. His tone was firm, even though Kentarō's return wouldn't directly affect his position.

  "He's been out of the game for a while now, hasn't he? Plus, he's disruptive and doesn't respect his seniors," Yahaba said, looking to the third-years. "I don't think he'd bring any value to the team!"

  "But his attag skills are strong," Matsukalied calmly.

  "Senpai, I don't think he's better than you!" Yahaba shot back, his voice rising.

  Matsukawa gave a bitter smile but said nothing. No one wao give up their final year of volleyball. But if it was for the sake of the team's victory…

  "Enough," Oikawa said, his voice cutting through the tension. "We don't even know if Kentarō is willing to e back. We'll o ask Coach Irihata about it tomorrow."

  Yahaba ched his fists, but he khe captain's word was final. Relutly, he returo his spot.

  Taichi stood frozen, watg the heated discussion unfold before him. It felt like everything was somehow reted to him, yet at the same time, pletely ued.

  Why hadn't anyone asked for his opinion?

  _________

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