"Whoa, that scared the life out of me! Did Inarizaki really lose to Aoba Johsai in straight sets?!"
When Aoba Johsai defeated Inarizaki with a decisive 2-0 score, it instantly sent shockwaves through the entire Spring High Volleyball Tournament.
Among all the teams, the one most focused on Aoba Johsai now was undoubtedly Nekoma High.
For one, Nekoma had supported Karasuno multiple times this year, hoping to help fulfill Coach Nekomata's long-standing wish, to have the long-awaited "Battle at the Garbage Dump" before his retirement.
But in the end, that dream never came true. The team that eliminated Karasuno in the prelims? Aoba Johsai.
Second, according to the tournament bracket, Nekoma's next opponent was none other than Aoba Johsai High.
"I think I finally get why Karasuno lost to Aoba Johsai."
Even as one of Tokyo's powerhouse teams, Nekoma couldn't help but feel a bit awkward recalling how Karasuno was eliminated in the Miyagi Prefecture qualifiers.
During the qualifiers, Nekoma had been in constant communication with Karasuno. When they first heard that Karasuno had managed to defeat Shiratorizawa, every member of Nekoma assumed Karasuno was almost guaranteed to make it to Nationals this year.
After all, Shiratorizawa, led by Ushijima Wakatoshi, was a regular top-eight team in the national tournament.
If Karasuno could beat a team like that, then theoretically, they could go toe-to-toe with any top team in the country.
And yet, they didn't even make it through five full sets in the finals. Karasuno was eliminated by Aoba Johsai in just four sets, 3-1.
Nekoma hadn't been particularly familiar with Aoba Johsai before.
Like Karasuno, they hadn't made it to the Inter-High Nationals during the first semester. Their knowledge of Aoba Johsai came mostly from Volleyball Monthly and televised matches, nothing firsthand.
But now, having witnessed Aoba Johsai's complete domination of Inarizaki up close, Nekoma's players finally understood how Karasuno lost to them.
The fact that even last season's national runner-up couldn't last three full sets against Aoba Johsai said everything, they had become a truly terrifying team.
"What the hell is in the water in Miyagi Prefecture?! First Shiratorizawa, now Aoba Johsai? That place is crawling with monsters," said Yamamoto Taketora, rubbing his arms as goosebumps popped up.
"Seriously! Thank god we're from Tokyo."
And he wasn't wrong. Tokyo, being the country's capital and economic hub, was already considered a brutal battleground for any sport.
Despite having three available spots for Nationals, the level of competition for even one of them was as fierce as any region in the country.
Nekoma had barely scraped through a series of grueling matches to claim the third slot as Tokyo's representative.
And yet here they were, relieved they didn't have to go through Miyagi's qualifiers. That said a lot about how terrifying this year's Miyagi tournament had become.
But when you really think about it, it makes sense.
Miyagi only had one ticket to Nationals, and to claim it, a team had to defeat national-level aces like Akashi Asuka, Ushijima Wakatoshi, and Oikawa Tooru, plus a national-class setter.
That wasn't just difficult, it was hell.
"So… how exactly are we going to play the next match?"
After sparing a brief moment of sympathy for Karasuno, the players of Nekoma had to face reality.
Their next match was against Aoba Johsai.
And the question was: how were they supposed to win?
First off, "giving up" wasn't an option.
Any team that makes it to Nationals is aiming for the championship. No matter how strong the opponent, no school comes here to surrender.
But even knowing that, the situation left Nekoma speechless.
"…Hey, Kuroo, can you block Akashi Asuka in the next match?" Kenma suddenly asked, his voice as flat as ever, but the question itself was completely unrealistic.
"Hah? Are you kidding me? No one can block that monster!"
As expected, the moment Kenma lazily posed the question, Kuroo Tetsurou practically jumped out of his seat like he'd been jabbed with a needle.
Nekoma was, at its core, a team of hardworking mortals.
They didn't have many standout geniuses. But if you were talking about blocking, Kuroo was easily among the nation's best.
Even against Kotaro Bokuto from Fukurodani, Kuroo didn't always succeed, but at least he could put up a solid block.
But just because he could block Bokuto didn't mean he could block Akashi Asuka.
According to Volleyball Monthly, both Akashi and Bokuto were ranked among the top six aces in Japan, with Bokuto even ranked higher, within the top five.
But that was based on interviews conducted after the summer Inter-High.
Anyone who still believed that data now… was just plain dumb.
Let's not forget,
Aran Ojiro of Inarizaki was also ranked in the top five, and anyone who had just watched that match could tell what happened to him when he faced Akashi.
He got absolutely wrecked.
Akashi Asuka's current level was easily top three in the country.
Nekoma had experience facing top-three level aces before. During the Tokyo qualifiers, they had lost to Itachiyama and Fukurodani before barely claiming the third spot.
Against Sakusa Kiyoomi of Itachiyama, ranked top three, Kuroo had tried everything. And while his blocks weren't entirely useless, he never managed to stop Sakusa head-on.
That wasn't a matter of tactics or intelligence.
It was a much simpler issue: height.
The top three aces in the nation, Ushijima Wakatoshi, Kiryu, and Sakusa, were all around 190cm tall.
By comparison, Kotaro Bokuto and Aran Ojiro were only 185cm.
Five centimeters might seem like nothing, but at the elite level, that difference could mean everything.
For Kuroo, too, those few extra centimeters defined the maximum height he could cover when blocking.
Back in June, Akashi Asuka was still only 185cm, which was why he'd been ranked outside the top five.
But now? He stood at 190cm.
Which meant that to a blocker like Kuroo, Akashi Asuka was now playing on a whole different level.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria