"Go, Niiyama! Go, Niiyama!"
"Wait, what? Why is everyone cheering for Niiyama Tech? Are they that strong?" Kindaichi Yūtarō asked naively, tilting his head in fusion at the uproar iands.
"That's for the Queen," Yahaba Shigeru replied, his gaze already fixed on the opposite side of the gym.
"The Queen?"
"You don't know? Niiyama Girls' High School has been representing Miyagi iionals for years," Yahaba expihusiastically. "In girls' volleyball, they're scarier than Shiratorizawa. They're practically unstoppable."
Hearing this, Taichi couldn't help but goward the Niiyama Girls' High se.
The pyers stood tall and fident, their well-toned physiques exuding both strength and elegance.
Their aura as a perennial champion alpable, anding attention even from afar.
"They do look strong," Taichi murmured, sing the group when a familiar figure caught his eye.
Kanoka Amanai?
Wasn't she Ryūnosuke Tanaka's childhood friend?
No wohe name Niiyama High sounded familiar. Taichi smirked, thinking about Tanaka's extraordinary luot only having a stunning childhood friend but also eventually marrying the equally dazzling Kiyoko Shimizu.
Taichi chuckled darkly to himself. If we face Karasuno in the finals, I'll target that buzz-cut bastard specifically.
A sharp whistle snapped him out of his thoughts—it was time for Aoba Johsai to begin their .
"Aoba Johsai! Aoba Johsai! We are invincible!""Aoba Johsai! The stro and the best!""Let's go, let's go, let's go, Seijoh! Victory, victory, victory, Seijoh!"
The spectators iands roared, a sea of teal and white cheering fervently. With Coach Irihata's guarantee of championship tention, the school administration had sent students en masse to cheer for the volleyball team at every match.
A massive banner reading "Rule the Court" fluttered proudly from the railings, capturing the spirit of the crowd.
Taichi felt a familiar surge of adrenaline course through him.
"Nothis the thrill of a match where losing means game over," he muttered with a grin.
The crowd was almost double the size of their Interhigh preliminaries, with cheers p in like an uing wave, filling the gym and driving the pyers' energy to its peak.
-----
After a thirty-minute , Coach Irihata gathered the team for final instrus.
"Today marks the debut of our blog strategy in an official match. Don't let yuard down."
"Yes, Coach!"
"Don't uimate any oppo. Secure the win!"
"Yes!!"
"Get out there, Miyagi's new kings."
"Yes!!!"
Aoba Johsai's starting lineup:
Front row—Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Middle Blocker Kindaichi Yūtarō, and Wing Spiker Hanamaki TakahiroBack row—Setter Oikawa Tōru, Middle Blocker Matsukawa Issei (Libero Watari Shinji) and Opposite Hitter Iwaizumi Hajime.
Niiyama Tech's starting lineup:
Front row—Middle blocker Hotta Ryōji, Wing Spiker Izumi Takeo, and Wing Spiker Saijō NaoyaBaiddle blocker Naruse Keie (Libero Kanazawa Tomoyuki), Setter Koike Fumi and Wing Spiker Terazawa Kiyo.
The match began with Aoba Johsai serving.
Iwaizumi Hajime stepped up to the service line.
The first serve was more than just a start—it was a statement.
Although the focus had shifted from Iwaizumi's offensive prowess due to their new blog tactics, his teammates willingly entrusted him with this pivotal moment.
For Iwaizumi, it was aional gesture. He initially saw his reduced offensive role as a sacrifice, but over time, he found fulfilment in shutting down the oppos' ace attacks and tributing to the team's victories in a different way.
We are Seijoh. We are the stro.
He tossed the ball high into the air.
Bang!
The ball rocketed over the , a powerful, urained serve.
It carved a sharp arc through the air and smmed into Niiyama's backcourt. Their libero, Kanazawa, barely had time to react as the ball hit the floor.
[Aoba Johsai 1 – 0 Niiyama Tech.]
It wasn't right—something was definitely wrong!
Kanazawa Tomoyuki's mind was rag.
The scouti clearly stated that Aoba Johsai only had one and a half strong servers to watch out for.
One was, of course, Oikawa Tōru, whose serves were arguably the best in the prefecture.
The "two half" pyers referred to Kaedehara Taichi's jump float serve and Kyōtaarō's powerful jump serve.
So what was going on with Aoba Johsai's #4, Iwaizumi Hajime?!
The report from Niyama Tech clearly described him as a strong defender with limited offensive capabilities.
But what was happening now?!
Iwaizumi, of course, remained oblivious to the libero's internal panic. Aoba Johsai's eeam had e to uand one undeniable truth after peting at Nationals: there were no weak servers on strong teams.
Even if they couldn't match Oikawa or Taichi's level, none of Aoba Johsai's serves would ever be an easy opportunity for the opposing team.
Iwaizumi stepped up to serve for the sed time.
Thwack!
Even though Niyama Tech -16 team in the prefecture, Kanazawa Tomoyuki only mao follow the ball's trajectory without successfully receiving it.
[Aoba Johsai 2 - 0 Niyama Tech]
"Iwaizumi! Iwaizumi's serves are fierce!"
"Iwa-! Iwa- is the best!"
The Aoba Johsai cheeriioed with enthusiasm.
Iwaizumi ched his fist triumphantly, his gaze briefly sweeping over Oikawa and Taichi. Whose idea was it to e up with that cheer? He barely suppressed a sigh before calling out, "One more!"
"Great serve, Iwaizumi-senpai!"
The referee blew the whistle, and Iwaizumi prepared for his third serve.
Niyama Tech's pyers had already adjusted their formation. They stepped back as a unit, spreading the ce of their two front-row spikers to alleviate pressure on the back-row receivers.
Smack!
This time, Kanazawa finally mao receive the serve. The ball rebounded high into the air—fortunately, it didn't cross the .
"Mine!" Fumi Koike, the setter, darted into positioh the ball.
Niyama Tech's wing spiker Takeo Izumi and outside hitter Saijō Naoya readied themselves to attack.
Whoosh!
The ball sailed to the left wing. Koike misjudged the pass slightly, and the ball ended up too close to the .
"That's enough," muttered Izumi.
As his team's ace, he had no trouble dealing with imperfect sets. Despite the two first-years standing tall in Aoba Johsai's front row, he trusted his own 188cm height.
With a well-timed approach, Izumi leapt into the air and hammered the ball down with all his might.
"Double block!" Kaedehara Taichi and Kindaichi Yūtarō rose together.
In an instant, Izumi sensed danger.
So high. So fast.
The two sets of arms extended above the , casting a formidable shadow that covered nearly all his attag angles.
There was no way through…
A split-sed of hesitation seized Izumi as he swung. His spike collided with Kindaichi's arm and ricocheted straight bato Niyama Tech's court.
Aoba Johsai scored with a block.
[Aoba Johsai 3 - 0 Niyama Tech]
Kindaichi's blog had improved signifitly over the summer, but even he couldn't ighe immense pressure that Taichi's block exerted.
Taichi's hands had stretched over the , parallel to one another, his arms taut with uing force. He hadn't even tried to stuff the ball—he simply positioned his block as an imperable wall.
Kindaichi felt a chill. If the spike had gone in Taichi's dire, there would have been no escape.
"Nice block, Kindaichi!" Taichi grinned, his eyes gleaming.
Kindaichi scratched his head sheepishly. There was still so much to learn.
The serving rotation wasn't over. Iwaizumi returo the service line.
A collective tension gripped Niyama Tech's pyers as he prepared for his fourth serve—an inexplicable sense of suffog pressure.
Thud!
The ball nded just outside the bae.
[Aoba Johsai 3 - 1 Niyama Tech]
The missed serve was a clear sign that Iwaizumi had been rattled by Kanazawa's earlier reception.
The more he tried to trol the ball, the harder it was to find the right touch.
"Don't worry about it! one!" his teammates called out calmly.
Iwaizumi took a deep breath auro his position. The real battle was only beginning.
_________
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