[Nekoma's Rest Area]
"How is it possible that a team like Aoba Johsai hasn't made it to Nationals in the past two years?" Yūki Shibayama couldn't hide his astonishment as he turo the uppercssmen for answers.
"It's more than that," Yaku Morisuke replied, sharing some intel he'd gathered from other schools. "I heard they lost to Shiratorizawa both times, 0-2, without even putting up a fight."
"You haven't seen Wakatoshi Ushijima, have you? Shiratorizawa was already a powerhouse, but now they have that monster as their ace," Kuroo Tetsurō remarked casually, leaning against the wall.
Inuoka Sō's eyes lit up with reition. "You mean Wakatoshi Ushijima? The ace ranked among the top three iire try? I just read about him in this month's Volleyball Monthly!"
"Yeah, along with Sakusa Kiyoomi from Itachiyama and Kiryū Wakatsu from Mujinazaka. They're all in the magazine!" Inuoka leaned in toward Kuroo. "Have you seen Wakatoshi Ushijima in person, Kuroo-senpai?"
Kuroo pushed Inuoka's face away with a firm hand, keeping him at arm's length. "Of course. Shiratorizawa's been iop 8 for the st two years. I've watched their matches."
A somber expression crossed Kuroo's face. "Ushijima's spikes....I'd say we'd be lucky to block him even on aire set."
Hearing this, Inuoka immediately grasped just how formidable Ushijima was.
"No wonder Aoba Johsai couldn't even take a si…"
"If we end up fag Shiratorizawa, wouldn't we be just as helpless…?" Yūki muttered, visibly worried.
Kuroo chuckled bitterly, unsure if they were overfident or too self-depreg. On one hand, they assumed Nekoma could make it to Nationals. Oher, they seemed vihey'd lose to Shiratorizawa.
"That's not necessarily the case," Kenma Kozume interjected, his voice calm and analytical. "Back then, Taichi wasn't on Aoba Johsai, right? He's only a first-year now. And that #16… He looked awkward in their rotations, like he just joihe team retly."
The group paused to sider this. Kenma had a point. It was hard to say who was stronger now, but in any case, these were matters beyond Nekoma's immediate s. They had their own formidable oppos to deal with just to make it out of their prefecture.
The sharp whistle blew, signalling the end of the break. The mattered its third set.
Nekoma noticed that Aoba Johsai had once again altered their starting lineup.
Their new lineup sisted of:
Front row: Middle blocker Kentaro Kyōtani, setter Toru Oikawa, and wing spiker Takahiro Hanamaki.Back row: Middle blocker Matsukawa Issei, middle blocker Taichi Kaedehara and outside hitter Iwaizumi Hajime (libero Watari Shinji).
This arra essentially positioned Kyōtani as a powerhouse opposite hitter. However, since high school pyers typically ck all-around skills, the roles weren't always so clearly defined.
Kunimi Akira, who had exhausted his stamina, was substituted by Kaedehara Taichi. The ge also bolstered Aoba Johsai's offense. However, this figuration increased the defensive burden on Iwaizumi, Hanamaki, and Watari.
If they were up against Karasuno or Shiratorizawa, Coach Irihata would never have chosen such a lineup. It was a calcuted move, taking advantage of Nekoma's ck of strong offeions.
Nekoma's lineup remained unged:
Front row: Middle blocker Inuoka Sō, wing spiker Yamamoto Taketora, and middle blocker Kuroo TetsurōBack row: Setter Kozume Kenma, wing spiker Fukunaga Shōhei, and wing spiker Kai Nobuyuki. (libero Yaku Morisuke).
Maintaining Kuroo in the front row for as long as possible was critical for Nekoma. Without him, tering Aoba Johsai's two offensive powerhouses would be an uphill battle.
Yet another new pyer stepped onto the court. The Nekoma team was beginning to grow numb to Aoba Johsai's stant lineup ges. How many tricks did they have up their sleeve? Did pying at home really make them feel this invincible?
Inuoka stepped up to serve, ung the ball across the . Watari received it ly.
Oikawa sed his options, surrounded by eager attackers. With so many choices, he felt almost spoiled for options—this match might have been the most luxurious setting he'd ever pyed in.
The first set went to the overzealous Kyōtani. If Oikawa didn't set for him soon, the fiery middle blocker looked ready to leap straight out of his skin.
Kyōtani's exceptional vertical jump, bined with his incredible core and back muscles, made his approach dynamic.
Every time he leapt, his body would arch powerfully, building tension before releasing it all in a single explosive motion.
Bang!
Once Kyōtani's sharp spike tore through the blockers, there was little the back-row defenders could do.
Kyōtani scored.
[Aoba Johsai 1 – 0 Nekoma]
Hanamaki Takahiro served for Aoba Johsai. Fukunaga Shōhei received it ly, and Kenma Kozume set the ball to the left. Kuroo Tetsurō jumped and spiked it down.
"Cover!" Hanamaki scrambled to receive the ball, but it flew out of bounds.
Suddenly, Kaedehara Taichi dashed out and executed a diving save, sending the ball bato py.
"ce ball!"
Taichi's overexertion caused the ball to sh into Nekoma's side of the court.
Yaku Morisuke positioned himself perfectly, delivering a pass to Kenma.
Meanwhile, Taichi quickly got ba his feet and sprioward the .
Kenma's set floated gracefully in front of Nobuyuki Kai.
"Double block!" Kaedehara and Kyōtaaro formed a wall at the .
But their movements were far from polished.
Nobuyuki, spotting a gap between their hands, spiked the ball directly through the middle.
But, the momeruck the ball, Nobuyuki thought he saw Taichi smirk.
Taichi's hands tilted slightly downward and to the right, angling perfectly to redirect the ball.
Smack!
The volleyball deflected off Taichi's arm, nding squarely on Nekoma's court.
Aoba Johsai scored on a block.
[Aoba Johsai 2 – 0 Nekoma]
"Taichi!" Kindaichi Yūtarō shouted, his voice as eic as ever, "Beautiful block!"
Even the Aoba Johsai pyers realized that Taichi had mimicked the block Kuroo had used earlier to stop Kyōtani.
Kenma's cat-like eyes widened with excitement as he observed Taichi's evolving blog teique.
Kuroo, notig Kenma's i, studied Kaedehara Taichi with a curious smile.
The only o pleased was Kyōtani, who was visibly fuming.
Oikawa Tōru, however, couldn't help but feel proud of his little "monster" for levelling up mid-match.
For once, he refrained from mog the oppo, instead pitying the future pyers who'd have to face Kaedehara Taichi.
The dire of the third set defied everyone's expectations. The anticipated bad-forth battle never materialized.
inally, it seemed like the match would turn into a drawn-out war of attrition. Nekoma's tight-knit defence was expected to slow down Aoba Johsai's offensive rhythm, with both teams g for every point until the bitter end.
Reality, however, painted a different picture. The game's pace abruptly accelerated, evolving into a high-iy csh of offend defence.
Every rally bristled with tension, and each poi as though it could decide the ech.
Both teams appeared to abandon their usual strategies in favour of a more dired aggressive approach.
On Aoba Johsai's side, Oikawa was clearly the happiest person on the court. Whether setting short balls or long ones, he seemed liberated, guiding his team's offeh renewed energy.
For once, he had aire lineup of attackers hungry for points.
Nekoma, by trast, was forced to match Aoba Johsai's frantic tempo. Adapting to such chaos iime was nearly impossible, and by the time they adjusted, the match would have been over.
Their only option was to rely on their offeo keep up with Aoba Johsai.
Coaekomata noticed this shift but hesitated to call a timeout. Seeing his pyers enjoying themselves despite the chaos, he could only chuckle helplessly ahem tinue.
Both teams found themselves pying an uncharacteristic style, leading to a match far removed from their typical strategies.
In the end, the third set cluded with a nail-biting finish:
[Aoba Johsai 29 – 27 Nekoma]
The practice matded with Aoba Johsai narrowly g victory.
_________
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