"That Kageyama Tobio—he's Oikawa-senpai's juniht?" Kawanishi Taichi asked Tendō Satori during the timeout.
"Yup, that's right. Why do you ask?"
"I feel like the sets he's giving Karasuno's #10 are a bit...stra's almost as if the ball stops mid-air for just a moment," Kawanishi said hesitantly. "Maybe I'm just imagining it. Oikawa-senpai never set balls like that during training camp."
"Nonono!" Tendō wiggled his finger with a pyful grin. "Kageyama Tobio and Oikawa Tōru are pletely different pyers. Just because Oikawa couldn't do something doesn't mean Kageyama 't."
Tendō tinued, "I had a simir feeling earlier, but since you were the one blog the tiny guy, you'd have seen it more clearly than me."
"But if that's the case, even you wouldn't be able to block that kind of spike on your own, would you, Tendō-senpai?" Kawanishi asked bluntly.
"Uhhh…" Tendō scratched his head, deep in thought.
Watg Tendō struggle for an answer, Kawanishi thought to himself, Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.
"Kawanishi!" Tendō suddenly called out, his voice loud and sharp.
Startled, Kawanishi turo look at him, unsure why his name had been shouted.
"Have a little more fiden yourself! You're strohan you think!" Tendō said, gesturing wildly.
There it was again—Tendō-senpai's habit of blurting out inprehensible ents. Kawanishi nodded half-heartedly and stepped aside.
"And you're Taibsp;too, aren't you? At least when it es to blog, don't lose to him!"
Kawanishi paused mid-step. Maybe Tendō was the only one in Shiratorizawa who noticed that beh his aloof exterior, Kawanishi cared deeply.
"And by the way, I'm in perfebsp;form today!" Tendō beamed, holding up both hands in a "V" gesture, his grin as cheerful as ever.
-----
"Azumane, shift your position back a little. Nishinoya and Sawamura, widen your ce for receiving," Ukai Keishin instructed, revising Karasuno's deferategy against Ushijima Wakatoshi's serves. "Sawamura, we'll o rely on you more in defence."
"Got it!"
"As for Ushijima's spikes—even if he spikes over the block, we're not ging our strategy. He 't possibly deliver at that level every siime."
"We o make him feel the presence of Karasuno's blockers. Seal off his cross-court angles; leave the straight shots tuardiay!" Ukai's gaze nded on Nishinoya Yū. "Once again, the burden falls on you. you ha?"
"Of course!" Nishinoya gave a thumbs-up, pointing fidently at himself. "I'm the shield of Karasuno!"
"Good! Maintain ression. No matter how we fare in defence, I want you all to give it everything you've got in attack!"
"Yes, coach!"
-----
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
Ushijima's serving rhythm seemed slightly disrupted—his serve hit the .
[Karasuno 2 – 4 Shiratorizawa]
"Hmph," Oikawa Tōru smirked proudly as he watched from the stands. Lately, his own serve timing had bee immuo interruptions like timeouts.
The serve rotated, and Hinata Shōyō stepped up to the service line.
Bang!
A simple overhand serve—not even a jump serve.
"ce ball!"
With Ushijima and Hinata both in the back row, Shiratorizawa still had the offensive advantage.
Yamagata Hayato received the serve ly, sending the first touch perfectly to the setter.
Kawanishi Taichi jumped for a quick attack.
"Double block!"
Tsukishima Kei and Kageyama Tobio rose to meet him at the .
But Kawanishi feinted, sending the ball toward the left wing instead. ōhira Reon fihe py with a powerful spike, sg for Shiratorizawa.
[Karasuno 2 – 5 Shiratorizawa]
"Sorry!" Kageyama shouted.
He hadn't read the py correctly—or rather, he had been too focused on the middle blocker's quick attad uimated the oppo.
From Aoba Johsai's and Shiratorizawa's game footage, #12 Kawanishi had seemed like an ordinary pyer.
On the sideliendō Satori cheered enthusiastically for Kawanishi, whose expression remained calm.
Only the slight twitch of his eyebrow hi the satisfa he felt inside.
-----
The match remaiense, with Ushijima Wakatoshi rotating to the back row, giving Karasuno some breathing room.
Tanaka Ryūnosuke wo secutive sharp cross-court spikes, f Shiratorizawa's defeo shift toward him. Taking advantage of this, Tsukishima Kei executed a well-timed high-point spike, catg Shiratorizawa off guard and seg a point for Karasuno.
Oher side, Shiratorizat the pressure on with Kawanishi Taichi's quick attacks and Ushijima's back-row spikes, which tio pose a signifit threat despite his position.
The score climbed to [Karasuno 7 – 10 Shiratorizawa].
Shirabu Kenjirō stepped up to serve. He had spent his summer training inteo improve his serves.
A sharp jump float serve darted into Karasuno's court, the trajectory uable.
Smack!
Nishinoya Yū took a decisive step forward and ly received the serve. His movements had beore refined sihe match against Aoba Johsai, where he realized how mu he still had to grow.
Before the arrival of the first-years, Karasuno had been like warm water—gradually dulling the edge of someone who had once been the best libero in junih.
But never uimate the growth of a prodigy. Sometimes, their transformation happens in an instant.
Nishinoya's perfect receive sent the ball s into Kageyama Tobio's set zone.
Although Hinata Shōyō had learned a lot during training camp, nothing gave him the same thrill as the super quick attack.
In the moment, Hinata leapt toward the . Across the court, the only one quiough to react was Tendō Satori.
Uhe first quick attack, which had caught him off guard, Hinata now had the posure to analyze Shiratorizawa's defence mid-air.
—Whoosh!
The ball came perfectly into Hinata's strike zone. Log onto the opening in the block, he swung decisively.
Bang!
Thwack!
Hinata's pupils stricted as familiar hands suddenly closed off the once-clear path. Tendō Satori's mischievous grin loomed rger in his vision.
The ball ricocheted off Tendō's hands and nded ba Karasuno's court.
[Karasuno 7 – 11 Shiratorizawa].
Why?
For the first time, Hinata entered a situation like this. Uhe initial super quick attack, the improved version—where he trolled the dire—ecifically desigo bypass blockers.
In fact, previous oppos had only ever mao adjust their defen the backcourt to pensate for the quick attaone had ever blocked it so precisely, as if they kly where the ball was going.
On the sidelines, Kawanishi Taichi was equally stuendō-senpai had actually do—he had blocked a quick attack that Kawanishi himself thought was unstoppable.
At this moment, Kawanishi and Hinata shared the same fusion.
"It's the eyes," a voice said from beside him—it was Semi Eita.
"As a setter, you're extremely sensitive to the dire someone is looking. A skilled setter even manipute the oppo's blockers or receivers just with their gaze."
"That little guy's iion to avoid the block was clear as day. Tendō iionally left an open path for him, and the moment he itted to spiking there, Tendō sealed the deal."
Kawanishi mulled over Semi's expnation and, realizing he had stopped mid-thought, quickly thanked him.
Semi waved him off. "Save your thanks for Tendō. He pulled off that block specifically to show you something."
Kawanishi looked back at the court. Tendō was ughiily, his hands f gun shapes, which he held above his head and poioward Kawanishi in a mock salute.
Why?
Kawanishi had always seen Tendō as an etriarched to the beat of his own drum, albeit a kind one.
Semi sighed softly. "Your blog biendō's style with Aone's from Date Tech, doesn't it? Among the sed-years, you're one of the most talented blockers we've got."
"Every match we py from now on could be our st as third-years. Shiratorizawa's future will depend on you."
"And, even if it doesn't show, the ones who care about you guys the most are Tendō and Ushijima."
"Even Ushijima-senpai?" Kawanishi was genuinely surprised.
"You'll see someday. Though I hope that day doesn't e too soon."
Semi smiled, but there was a faint traencholy in his expression.
_________
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