"Tsukki—!" Tadashi Yamaguchi called out, overwhelmed with emotion.
"Now go earn another point with your serve," Tsukishima Kei said, calm as ever.
"Right!"
Yamaguchi stepped onto the service line again, his heart calmer than before. Even standing in this high-stakes position, he knew he wasn't fighting alone.
Bam!
Yamaguchi's sed serve flew out, more precise than the first. Shiratorizawa quickly noticed the erratic trajectory of his jump float serve.
But—
Hayato Yamagata dashed forward, positioning himself perfectly before the ball's uable movement could throw him off. He reached out and ly bumped it upward.
"Ushijima-senpai!" Shirabu Kenjirō set the ball high to the left wing.
Ushijima Wakatoshi approached the ball, taking off from the back row.
"Three-man block!"
Tsukishima Kei, Kageyama Tobio, and Ryūnosuke Tanaka jumped in unison, f a wall.
Even for Ushijima, hitting through a triple block from the back row wouldn't be easy.
—Boom!
The ball smmed into Tsukishima's hands—but rebounded with such force that it flew into the sed-floor stands.
[Karasuno 21 – 23 Shiratorizawa]
"This...this is insane..."
Blog wasn't enough. Ushijima's incredible strength was just as formidable as his height.
"Tweet!—"
Karasuno called for a substitution—Shōyō Hinata came ba, repg Yamaguchi.
Yamaguchi walked off the court with regret written all over his face. He'd served beautifully o py, yet it hadn't secured a point.
"Yamaguchi! That was an awesome serve! You'll get them ime!" Hinata cheered, his siy radiating.
"Yeah!" Yamaguchi replied with determination. "ime, I'll score five points in a row!"
"Idiot! At least aim for ten!" Sugawara Kōshi ughed, weling him back to the bench.
With the serve switg sides, Shiratorizawa took ain.
The two-point gap meant Karasuno still had hope, but just as that thought crossed their minds—
Goshiki Tsutomu unleashed a sharp line shot, skimming just ihe sideline and earning Shiratorizawa a set point.
[Karasuno 21 – 24 Shiratorizawa]
"Hmph!" Goshiki Tsutomu flipped his hair dramatically, casting a smug g Ushijima. "See that, Ushiwaka-senpai? My super line shot!"
"Mm. Good job," Ushijima replied stoically.
Goshiki's expression froze. "…."
While Shiratorizawa's morale seemed to skyrocket, Karasuno's energy grew heavy.
Shiratorizawa now had three set points. Just one more point and the first set would end.
Bam!
ōhira Reon served again, his jump float spinning dangerously.
Nishinoya Yū received it perfectly, sending the ball straight to Kageyama. Karasuno's entire front row surged forward.
Multiple attackers sprang into a simultaneously!
In the air, Kageyama's movements were fwless, giving no hint as to where he would set.
Smack!
The ball was set to Tsukishima on the left. He struck, but a pair of hands rose to meet him.
Thwack!
The ball was blocked and fell bato Karasuno's court.
[Karasuno 21 – 25 Shiratorizawa]
"I may not talk much, but I hold grudges," Kawanishi Taichi smirked, direg his words at Tsukishima. "sider it returned, first-year."
"Taichi, you're on fire today!" Tendō Satori excimed, his face lighting up with glee.
"Yeah," Kawanishi nodded briefly. Remembering Semi Eita's earlier advice, he bowed slightly toward Tendō. "Thank you, Tendō-senpai."
"Wha—?!" Tendō shrieked, leaping back. "What are you plotting?! You're not getting my pudding!"
Kawanishi walked off without another word, leaving Tendō scratg his head in fusion.
"I 't believe they stopped a multi-protack!" Hinata excimed, still processing the final rally.
"There was nothing wrong with my set," Kageyama stated coldly, his stubbornness showing.
"Huh?!" Tsukishima shot him a gre. "So you're saying my spike was the problem, King?"
"It's not you," Kageyama responded, unbothered by the niame. "It's their blocker."
Tsukishima fell silent, repying the sequen his mind.
"He guessed," Tsukishima muttered, his teeth ched.
It was hard to believe, but Kawanishi had abandoned his usual trag-style blod acted purely on instinct, just like Tendō would.
It wasn't just Ushijima they had to face.
Karasuno suddenly grasped the obvious but dauntiy—they had to tend with aire team of threats.
After a short break, the sed set began.
Shiratorizawa's rotation:
Front row—Middle Blocker Tendō Satori, Outside Hitter Ushijima Wakatoshi and Wing Spiker ōhira ReonBaiddle Blocker Kawanishi Taichi, Wing Spiker Goshiki Tsutomu (Libero Yamagata Hayato) aer Shirabu Kenjirō.
Karasuno's rotation:
Front row—Wing Spiker Tanaka Ryūnosuke, Middle Blocker Hinata Shōyō aer Kageyama TobioBack row—Wing Spiker Sawamura Daichi, Middle Blocker Tsukishima Kei (Libero Nishinoya Yū ) and Outside Hitter Azumane Asahi.
Both sides had adjusted their lineups.
Shirabu started the set with a sharp jump float serve, f Nishinoya into a diving receive.
"Get it up!"
Nishinoya mao stabilize the ball, and Kageyama quickly moved to cover. But instead of rushing to set, he hesitated.
"Huh? No quick attack?" Tendō raised an eyebrow, surprised by Kageyama's ge in tempo.
Smack!
The sound of sneakers squeaking drew Tendō's attention. On the opposite side of the , a small figure leapt into the air. Despite his height, the speed and power of his jump made him seem to defy gravity.
"Such height?!" Tendō barely had time to react. Ag on instinct, he jumped to block, stretg his arms high.
At the same moment, Kageyama's set reached its peak, perfectly timed with Hinata's ast.
Bam!
The ball soared over Tendō's outstretched fiips and smmed into Shiratorizawa's court.
Hinata Shōyō, standing at 163 cm, had just scored ahe-block spike against the 188 cm Tendō.
[Karasuno 1 – 0 Shiratorizawa]
Tendō stared in disbelief. "That tiny guy… jump that high?!"
The crowd erupted.
"Amazing!"
"He's like the Little Giant reborn!"
Cheers reverberated through the gym as the audience was swept up by the spectacle.
After five years, the title of Little Giant was being spoken again in Karasuno's matches.
Hinata's incredible leap erased the first set's gloom, filling the audieh hope for another miracle.
-----
Iands, Oikawa Tōru's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"You're dying to set for him, aren't you?" Kaedehara Taichi smirked, gng back at Oikawa.
Oikawa stiffened, worried he'd actally voiced his thoughts. "No, no, not at all, hahaha…"
Taichi turned back to the court, his tone light. "Well, it doesn't matter to me. Kageyama doesn't seem any worse than you, senpai."
"Taichi!" Oikawa bristled like a startled cat. "Kageyama is nowhere near as good as me!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
-----
Down on the court, Kageyama Tobio walked to the service line.
_________
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