The tension at the match venue tio mount.

  With Kuroo Tetsurō stepping up his offensive pys, Nekoma High's attack became smoother and more versatile.

  This, in turn, provided Kenma Kozume with more opportunities and space to deploy his diverse array of strategies.

  Their seamless teamwork resembled a sharp, deadly bde—precise ahal—leaving their oppos scrambling to keep up.

  Oher side, Aoba Johsai gained a surprising edge with the addition of Kyōtaarō in the sed set.

  Though Kyōtani's coordination with the team was still rough and unpolished, his raw, aggressive pying style was akin to an uable storm, relentlessly hammering Nekoma's defensive line.

  This disrupted the rhythm Nekoma had painstakingly adjusted to in the first set, leaving them momentarily overwhelmed.

  The scoreboard alternated as the two teams traded points, each rally keeping the audien the edge of their seats. Both teams poured every ounce of effort into offend defence, refusing to give their oppos even a moment to breathe.

  The score was now [20–21], with Nekoma leading by one point, prompting Aoba Johsai to call a timeout.

  "Nobody's panig, right?" Coaekomata asked as he sed the team.

  "Nope!"

  "Good. Stay ected as one."

  "Yes, sir!!"

  As they prepared to return to the court, Kenma suddenly stopped Kuroo. "Kuroo, that number 16 from the sed set…"

  "Yeah, don't worry. I've got him figured out," Kuroo replied with a fident grin.

  Kenma rusting Kuroo's instincts.

  He khat Kuroo had already analyzed how to ter Kyōtani's spikes and saw o eborate further. Such silent uandiweewo was a on occurrence, even if their cryptic exges often baffled their teammates.

  The game resumed with Nobuyuki Kai serving a powerful jump float.

  Iwaizumi Hajime fwlessly received the serve, sending the ball s toward Oikawa Tōru.

  Iwaizumi felt his receive being smoother and more natural. It wasn't an illusion—his ret gruelling, position-specific drills had seamlessly ied skill and instinct.

  Much like Sawamura Daichi of Karasuno, Iwaizumi was a well-rounded pyer.

  However, anyone who had watched both teams closely could tell that Daichi leaned more toward defence, while Iwaizumi was more offence-oriented.

  This differeemmed from their respective team needs.

  At 179.3 cm, Iwaizumi had a slight height advantage over Daichi's 176.8 cm, but such a minor difference wasn't enough to signifitly elevate his attag prowess.

  At Karasuno, Azumane Asahi and Tanaka Ryūnosuke excelled as offensive pyers, providing Daichi the solid foundation to focus on defend bee the team's defensive pilr.

  The addition of Hinata Shoyo and Tsukishima Kei further bolstered their offensive line, allowing Daichi to dedicate himself fully to guarding Karasuno's backcourt.

  In trast, at Aoba Johsai, Oikawa Tōru, as the setter and the team's core, was already stretched thin. With no designated ace, Iwaizumi had to shoulder more offensive responsibility.

  Additionally, Iwaizumi was one of the team's best receivers, apart from the setter and libero. This dual responsibility forced him to juggle defend offence, anch the defensive system alongside Hanamaki Takahiro.

  This multifaceted role made Iwaizumi invaluable on both ends of the court, but it also limited his ability to specialize in any single area—particurly in defence, where further refi remained elusive.

  While his height strained his offeential, it had no such effe his defensive capabilities.

  Now, with the inclusion of fresh talents like Kunimi Akira, Kyōtaarō, and Kindaichi Yūtarō, Aoba Johsai's offeructure had gained noticeable depth.

  The turning point came after their loss to Shiratorizawa during a practice match. That night, Coach Irihata's words struck a chord with Iwaizumi. Determio improve, Iwaizumi had called the coach for advice ter that same evening.

  "Iwaizumi," Irihata had said, "you've always been searg for the perfect role withieam, and that's endable. But high school volleyball is fleeting. Every moment ts. You have incredible defensive instincts and solid offensive capabilities. What you o figure out is how to maximize your strengths within this limited time to tribute the most to the team."

  Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Coach Irihata had been unusually talkative that evening. His tone was more serious than usual, and every word carried weight, leaving a profound impression on Iwaizumi Hajime.

  That night, Iwaizumi made a pivotal decision. He resolved to shift his focus more heavily toward defence, leveraging his speed, reflexes, and sharp instincts for volleyball to bee the team's most dependable guardian in the backcourt.

  At the same time, he uood this didn't mean abandoning offeirely. Rather, it was about maintaining high-quality defence while striking uedly when opportunities arose, catg oppos off guard.

  With the pressure of being a primary attacker lifted, Iwaizumi trated on refining his defensive skills. During receive drills, he became the pyer who successfully handled Oikawa Tōru's serves the most.

  Maybe I really do have a natural talent for defence, Iwaizumi often thought during the training camp.

  "Nice receive, Iwa-!"

  Oikawa's voice rang out as he watched the ball float perfectly into his setting zone. He knew how much effort Iwaizumi had put in to make such a pass possible.

  "Take that!"

  Hanamaki Takahiro roared as he delivered a thunderous spike. The third-years, having pyed together for so long, uood each other on a near-instinctive level.

  Thwack!

  The ball smmed onto Nekoma's side of the court.

  Point for Aoba Johsai.

  [Aoba Johsai 21 – 21 Nekoma]

  "It's fine! Let's block the one!"

  Even Nekoma couldn't help but aowledge Iwaizumi's earlier receive. The ball had sailed perfectly to Oikawa, who set up a fwless quick attack, capitalized on by the pink-haired spiker with a A-tempo quick.

  It was now Aoba Johsai's turn to serve. Oikawa stepped up to the service line.

  Today, Oikawa's serves had been subpar.

  Partly due to the exhaustion building up from the training camp, and partly because Nekoma's receivers were just that good.

  But after witnessing Iwaizumi's impeccable effort on that st rally, Oikawa felt pelled to step up. He couldn't let Iwaizumi's hard wo to waste.

  Holding the ball in both hands, Oikawa exhaled slowly, letting his body rex.

  Then, with a burst of energy, he tossed the ball high and took his approach. As the ball reached its peak and began its dest, Oikawa leapt powerfully into the air.

  With a sharp swing of his arm, he smashed the ball down with all his might.

  Boom!

  The sound reverberated across the court as the ball exploded like a missile at Kenma Kozume's feet. All Kenma caught was a fleeting blur before the ball detonated onto the floor.

  Service ace!

  [Aoba Johsai 22 – 21 Nekoma]

  Kenma shifted subtly toward the left sidelirying to avoid the ball.

  "Kenma! Stop moving to the side! Receive the ball!" Coaekomata's voied from the sideline.

  Kenma lowered his head, avoiding eye tact with the coach. There was no way he could take that serve—it might actually break his arms.

  "It won't break!" Coaekomata yelled again, as though reading Kenma's thoughts.

  "Great serve!"

  "Another one!"

  "Oh~" Oikawa smirked, thhly eained by Kenma's subtle retreat. Pig up the ball again, he pointed directly at Kenma.

  "The one's ing to you, too!"

  _________

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