"In this critical final set, Mujinazaka holds a firm grip on the game!"
"Their dominance is rgely due to the timely return of their ember—Usuri Mitsuru. He had a rough time being targeted by Aoba Johsai i set," the entator Aoi chuckled lightly.
"Yet, he quickly adjusted his mi aered the game. Usuri's exceptional court vision has revitalized Mujinazaka's offensive system, making Kiryū's attacks even more menag."
Bang!
"Keisuke Unnan scores with a high-handed spike from the middle! Mujinazaka's twin towers aren't just effective blockers; they're breaking through on offence as well."
The scoreboard reads: [Aoba Johsai 6 – 8 Mujinazaka]
"It's Kiryū Wakatsu's turn to serve now—this couldn't be worse news for Aoba Johsai..."
Boom!
"A service ace! Mujinazaka extends their lead to three points!"
[Aoba Johsai 6 – 9 Mujinazaka]
"Time-out!" The referee's whistle blew.
------
"Offense is the best defence!" Coach Irihata decred sternly during the break. "We must keep them in check. As long as we stop them from widening the gap with secutive points, we'll find our ce to turide."
"Yes, Coach!"
"Shinji, trust Oikawa. Just get that first pass up; leave the rest to him."
"Yes!" Watari Shinji replied with an unwavering expression. "That's always been my job."
Oikawa grinned, ruffling Watari's short hair. "Thanks for the hard work, Shinji."
The timeout ended, and the match resumed.
Kiryū's sed serve was a fastball, spinning with incredible force as it zipped across the court.
Boom!
Watari braced himself and absorbed the impact head-on, falling to the ground as the ball shot upward.
"That's enough," Oikawa muttered, quickly positioning himself. Aoba Johsai unched a synized attack.
Whoosh!
The ball was set to the tre. Kaedehara Taichi leaped high.
"I saw that ing!" Keisuke Unnan jumped in tandem, f a t wall in front of him.
Taichi tipped the ball over Keisuke Unnan, sending it behind him. Ezota dove to save it, and Hondo Subaru reached out with one arm, managing to send the ball over the .
Oikawa received the free ball perfectly a up Taichi for arike in the middle.
"This won't work!" Keisuke Unnan followed him closely, once agaiing a barrier.
Smack!
Taichi lightly touched the ball, which bounced off Keisuke Unnan's hands and back toward Aoba Johsai's side.
"A Rebound?"
Taichi's expression finally shifted as he quickly sprioward the right side of the court.
"Damn it, you cheeky brat!" Keisuke Unnan gritted his teeth and gave chase. At the edge of the court, he mao catch up to Taichi.
As Taichi bent his ko jump, Keisuke Unnan pushed off hard, his hands already reag over the o block.
"Got you!"
But there was no ball.
Keisuke Unnan began desding, and only then did Kaedehara Taichi leap. Oikawa's set floated precisely into his striking raimed perfectly.
Bang!
"A one-man tempo dey!"
Kaedehara Taichi spiked the ball over Keisuke Unnan's head, sg a point.
[Aoba Johsai 7 – 9 Mujinazaka]
"Were the first two pys just bait? His real target was this?" Keisuke Unnan recalled the sequenoves.
With that speed, the opposing #10 barely outran him. If Keisuke Unnan didn't jump immediately, he wouldn't be able to block the quick attack.
"So, he avoided my blocks during the first two pys, lured me in with wide movements, and then exploited my overitment ihird attempt?"
Keisuke Unnan ched his teeth. No way, could this first-year really think that far ahead?
"Twin-Tower-senpai, your blocks are so predictable~." Kaedehara's lips curled into a faint, sly smile.
No! This wasn't just a bsp;Keisuke Unnan realized. This kid…
"Don't overthink it, Keisuke Unnan-senpai!" Usuri Mitsuru called out. "This guy got me with the same trick earlier."
"Just stick to your usual blog style. The reason he's using these eborate setups is that your blocks are w!"
Keisuke Unnan blinked in surprise, then g Usuri with gratitude. Good thing I wasn't the first victim.
The match tinued, with Iwaizumi's serve crossing the with a heavy spin.
Bishin Haruma barely mao keep the ball up, and Usuri quickly set it to the left wing.
Taking two steps to gather momentum, Kiryū leapt into the air.
Even with the set ing from a sharp angle, he hammered the ball down with uing power.
Bang!
"Oouch!" Kyōtaarō shouted, gritting his teeth. As long as it's high enough, this ball isn't getting through!
Kindaichi Yūtarō dove to save the ball with one arm, sending it back toward the .
"Spike it!"
Usuri jumped, ready to finish the overpass. Just as his palm reached the ball, a rge hand appeared between him and the ball.
Smack!
Oikawa sent the ball toward the right side with a single-handed pass.
"No way, I 't match him one-on-one…" Usuri's eyes flickered with admiration before quickly refog.
"Right side! Keisuke Unnan-senpai!"
Kaedehara Taichi surged forward as Keisuke Unna to meet him at the . However, wary of a tip, Keisuke Unnan pressed his hands forward mgressively than usual.
"Got you~."
Taichi targeted the edge of Keisuke Unnan's hand, spiking the ball into his fiips. The ball ricocheted out of bounds.
Kaedehara Taichi had scored off-the-block.
[Aoba Johsai 8 – 9 Mujinazaka]
The deeper one advances iional tour, the strohe blockers they face—taller, faster, with fwless teique.
Taichi knew his ability to spike off hands wasn't on the level of pyers like Udai Tenma or Sakusa Kiyoomi.
He would struggle to find the right angle for some shots they could easily score with.
But as the match progressed, Taichi's vision sharpened. He started notig subtle ges—fatigue in his oppos' movements, hesitation in their blocks, and minor fws in their form.
These nuances became vivid in his mind.
------
Kindaichi's jump serve created another opportunity for Mujinazaka. Bishin Haruma received the ball fwlessly, setting up Usuri for an ideal position just off the .
Step, step, jump—Kiryū executed a textbook approach, his perfe rising into the air.
For Mujinazaka, with Kindaichi still in the back row, this ball seemed destio score.
Bang!
"Oouch!" Taichi shouted, his arms stinging from the impact.
Starting his approach from the back row, he pushed himself off the floor to barely reach the ball.
It hurt—a lot.
But Taichi's mi empty of everything else—no fear, no panic.
Only volleyball remained.
The entary, the crowd and even his teammates' voices faded away. All he could see was the ball.
Even the sudden, unfamiliar voice eg in his head went unnoticed:
[Ding! The host has entered Burst Mode]
[Kaedehara Taichi (Burst Mode):Height: 185 bsp;| Power: 95 | Jump: 85 | Stamina: 90 | Speed: 95Teique: Serve: 85 | Receive: 85 | Set: 80 | Spike: 90]
Hanamaki Takahiro saved the ball with a one-handed dig, sending it back to Oikawa, who immediately set it high to the left.
Taichi locked his eyes on the ball, sprinting to time his approach. After a siep ihe three-meter line, he unched himself into the air.
"Double block!"
Oher side of the ood Mujinazaka's ace, Kiryū Wakatsu, and one of their Twin Towers, Ezota Nobuharu, creating an imperable wall.
"Taichi!" Oikawa Tōru shouted anxiously. It was clear that after the st few rallies, Mujinazaka had begun targeting Kaedehara Taichi, i on shutting him down.
This error was on Oikawa himself.
Yet, Kaedehara Taichi remained pletely posed, as if he hadn't heard Oikaanicked cry.
The moment he jumped, time seemed to slow.
The sounds around him faded, leaving only his heartbeat and the rhythm of his breathing.
The blog stance was fwless, but…
Taichi aimed for Kiryū Wakatsu's fiips and swung lightly. The ball nded exactly as he envisioned, hitting the upper portion of Kiryū's palm and rebounding high into Aoba Johsai's side of the court.
Still calm, Taided and quickly stepped back, creating space for another run-up.
"Once more."
Iwaizumi Hajime had barely mao dig the ball, and Oikawa g Mujinazaka's positioning, preparing to set it to the right wing.
"Once mive it to me."
Taichi's voice, though calm, carried a anding tone.
Oikawa instinctively sent the ball high toward the left wing.
"Damn, it's a bit too high," Oikawa thought with a sinking feeling. To his dismay, he'd allowed nervouso seep into his py.
"Perfect!"
For some reason, Taichi's mind jured the image of Ushijima Wakatoshi's approach. His body angled slightly, his steps accelerating steadily, culminating in an explosive final push-off that unched him upward.
"Three-man block!"
Mujinazaka's pyers weren't giving up! Ezota Nobuharu, Kiryū Wakatsu, and Nozomu Mami rose together, determio shut down Aoba Johsai's No. 10.
In mid-air, Taichi adjusted his body slightly, bending his legs to absorb impad maintaining a perfect bance. His upper body leaned back slightly, primed for a powerful swing.
Eyes locked onto the ball, he identified the optimal point of tact.
fronted by Mujinazaka's ferocious triple block, Taichi felt a profound sense of trol over his body.
It was as if nothing was beyond his reach! A surge of exhiration filled him, and his posure deepened further.
Harnessing the full strength of his body, he rotated his torso, his left shoulder driving his arm into a fluid and powerful motion. At the moment of tact, his wrist snapped downward, adding speed and force to the ball.
B O O M ! ! !
For the first time, Taichi heard such a sharp sound from one of his own spikes.
The ball bsted past Ezota's block, smming into Mujinazaka's boundary line and boung high.
"This…this is…"
"A devastating straight shot! Kaedehara Taichi shatters Mujinazaka's triple block!"
"He's Aoba Johsai's absolute ace—Kaedehara Taichi!"
With Taichi's spike, Aoba Johsai evehe score for the first time ihird set.
[Aoba Johsai 18 - 18 Mujinazaka]
Oikawa stared at Taichi's ba silence.
There was no doubt about it—this little monster had evolved again.
"Following that pierg straight shot, Kaedehara Taichi delivers a superb cross-court kill!"
"The ball nded just inside Mujinazaka's three-meter line! What an aheir back row didn't stand a ce!"
"Aoba Johsai takes the lead!"
[Aoba Johsai 19 - 18 Mujinazaka]
"He's really strong," Kiryū Wakatsu murmured as he watched the figure oher side of the .
"Waka-, what are you talking about? Obviously, you're the stro!" Nozomu Mami decred fidently, adjusting his hair.
"That's not it…" Kiryū muttered quietly. "They're really strong, too."
L his head, Kiryū's lips curled into a wry smile. Weak as hell, but still trying to act tough, huh?
Watg Taichi's figure, Kiryū couldn't help the thoughts rag through his mind.
Fag oppos like him left no room to hide his own fears and insecurities.
There were too many things he was afraid of—his teammates' encement, their expectations, the cheers of the crowd—all of it weighed on him.
"Wakatsu-senpai, you're the best today too!"
Kiryū exhaled deeply, grounding himself.
"I'm someoh zero fiden myself, but I wholeheartedly believe in my amazing teammates. Sihey've said as much, there's no point in running with my tail between my legs. Better to be overfident instead!"
"Kiryū Wakatsu will be the strooday!"
[Ding! Kiryū Wakatsu has entered Burst Mode]
[Kiryū Wakatsu (Burst Mode): Overall Ability Rating: 94.5Height: 188.3 bsp;| Power: 100 | Jump: 92 | Stamina: 92 | Speed: 90Teique: Serve: 100 | Receive: 98 | Set: 95 | Spike: 100]
Taichi's gaze so Kiryū. Though he had anticipated this moment, seeing those perfect 100s still shocked him.
Taichi had also noticed his own transformation. Beyond the improvement in his state, he felt a newfound ease in trolling his body.
His eyes burned with fierce determination. Bring it on, Kiryū Wakatsu!
Boom!
"Mujinazaka's ace, Kiryū Wakatsu, stabilizes the game with a heavy spike to tie the score!"
[Aoba Johsai 19 - 19 Mujinazaka]
"Kaedehara Taichi catches Mujinazaka off guard with a soft tip after the rebound! What an incredible py!"
"#10, Taichi's performan the final set is extraordinary. He's both patient and adaptable!"
[Aoba Johsai 20 - 19 Mujinazaka]
Boom!
The ball flew past Aoba Johsai's block, crashing onto the court before boung high into the air.
"Unbelievable! This is the power of a top-three national-level ace! At this critical point ihird set, Kiryū Wakatsu delivers a devastating spike!"
[Aoba Johsai 20 - 20 Mujinazaka]
Boom!
"Kiryū Wakatsu nds another cross-court shot! While fog on power, he showcases his incredible teique!"
"Kaedehara Taichi anticipated the ball's trajectory, but he couldn't ha—it flew out of bounds!"
"Holy, that felt beyond high school-level strength! Even attempting to receive it was endable…"
[Aoba Johsai 20 - 21 Mujinazaka]
"Afraid? I don't have time for that anymore. Just keeping up with this man in front of me has already drained me pletely," Taichi thought, his aut as he analyzed the pyers' positions and possible attacks.
"Taichi!" Oikawa called out to him.
Oikawa could tell that Taichi was in his best dition, but the match had now devolved into a duel between Taichi and Kiryū.
Still, in a one-ochup, Taichi wasn't enough.
"I know!" Taichi shouted back. He was fully aware of the gap between them. In this state, his uanding of the situation was sharper than ever.
He o find a way to score, but Kiryū? He ignored defences eo score.
"So, don't fall behind us, Oikawa!" Taichi yelled at him.
Winning this game alone was impossible.
Oikawa froze for a moment.
This kid had beeing way too cheeky tely. Not that Oikaarticurly cared about seniority anyway.
Still, he's not very cute, is he?
Bending down, Oikawa lowered his tre of gravity, his gaze sharpening.
At least he knows he 't win alone. He hasn't let the situatioo his head.
Well then, it was time for the senpai to step up.
Sometimes, the incredible states of both teammates and oppos could pull others into their rhythm.
[Ding! Oikawa Tōru has entered Burst Mode]
[Oikawa Tōru (Burst Mode): Overall Ability Rating: 95Height: 184 bsp;| Power: 99 | Jump: 90 | Stamina: 95 | Speed: 90Teique: Serve: 99 | Set: 99]
_________
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