While Nekoma was busy discussing how to deal with Aoba Johsai, Aoba Johsai, on their end, was also having a strategy meeting on how to handle Nekoma.
However, compared to Nekoma's frustrations, Aoba Johsai didn't spend much time before calling it a night and disbanding to rest.
Don't get the wrong idea.
It wasn't because Aoba Johsai was underestimating Nekoma, it was just that there was so little information available on them, there wasn't much to analyze in the first place.
Just like Karasuno before, Nekoma also carried the label of a "fallen powerhouse" in Tokyo. The only recent match footage they could find was from the three previous rounds of Spring Nationals. The rest? Matches from several years ago.
But high school volleyball isn't like the pros.
In professional leagues, even footage from years ago can hold strategic value. In high school, though, a few years is enough for an entire team to be replaced by new players.
So even after watching Nekoma's recent footage several times over, Aoba Johsai couldn't find anything particularly surprising. All they could tell was that Nekoma had excellent defense.
But that much was already common knowledge.
Even without watching game footage, both Nobuteru Irihata and Akashi Asuka could name several signature elements of Nekoma's defensive style, it was their long-standing identity as a team.
At that point, Aoba Johsai finally understood what it felt like to be in the shoes of last year's national teams that had to face them.
Because when your opponent is too obscure, and there's no reliable intel? That's when things really get tricky.
To be fair, Aoba Johsai could have found a workaround. For example, Karasuno has always had a good relationship with Nekoma. If they really wanted to, they might be able to squeeze out some useful information from them.
But Aoba Johsai wasn't going to do that, because there are unspoken rules in high school volleyball.
Before official matches begin, it's perfectly fine for two teams to play practice games. If one team unveils a new move or tactic during that match, and the opponent learns from it or comes up with countermeasures, that's fair game.
But if you leak that information to a third team?
That's considered a dirty move.
If word ever got out, the school's reputation in the volleyball community could tank completely.
So after weighing all the pros and cons, Coach Irihata clapped his hands and made a decision:
"Alright, forget it. We'll play it safe tomorrow. Let's feel them out first before making our move."
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The Next Day
Aoba Johsai took the court with a rarely used tall lineup.
Front Row:
Akashi Asuka (190cm)
Matsukawa Issei (188cm)
Hanamaki Takahiro (184cm)
Back Row:
Hajime Iwaizumi (183cm, sub: Kunimi Akira)
Watari Shinji (sub: Kindaichi Yutaro, 190cm)
Oikawa Tooru (184cm)
This formation had an average height of over 186cm. Ever since Kindaichi joined the team and Iwaizumi switched to opposite hitter, they hadn't used this kind of height-heavy setup in a long time.
But today, as a precaution against any surprise tactics from Nekoma, Coach Irihata had no choice but to bolster the team's defensive wall.
As the announcers in the stands began listing each team's lineup…
And as Nekoma finally stepped onto the court and faced Aoba Johsai across the net,
The Nekoma players were stunned.
"Wait, hang on. Aren't we supposed to be the defensive team here? Why do they look more like it?!"
Nekoma has always prided itself on defense. But they've always followed a ground-based, agility-focused style. Aside from their two middle blockers who were over 185cm, even their three starting wing spikers weren't even 180cm tall.
Well, there was one exception.
The Russian-Japanese newcomer who joined the team this year, Lev Haiba.
This guy stood at a towering 196cm, which was indeed impressive. The problem?
He was a true rookie.
He had potential and could handle himself during practice games, but in a high-stakes national match like this, Lev could only be used as a secret weapon.
If he stayed on court too long, his lack of refined technique wouldn't just be a weakness, it could easily become the opening the enemy would exploit.
"Oh-ho-ho~ Looks like they really are taking us seriously!"
Nekoma's jovial and cat-like Coach Nekomata laughed, his decades of experience allowing him to stay calm, even in the face of a towering opponent.
BEEP!
["Alright, to all the fans in the stadium and watching at home! With the referee's whistle, the fourth round of the Spring High School Volleyball Nationals officially kicks off!]
[Today's match features Miyagi's representative, Aoba Johsai High, against Tokyo's third representative, Nekoma High School!"]
["Aoba Johsai is opening with an extremely rare lineup. We're not sure what Coach Irihata has planned, but we're about to find out!"]
Aoba Johsai won the coin toss and would be serving first.
The first server of the match?
Oikawa Tooru.
The moment Oikawa stepped into the service zone, the atmosphere on Nekoma's side turned tense.
They'd seen his serves in videos and magazines, this wasn't a player you could take lightly.
Nekoma's serve receive was strong, but serving is always the most unpredictable of all offensive skills.
BOOM!
As everyone was still mentally bracing themselves, Oikawa unleashed his first serve.
The volleyball streaked across the court like a meteor, landing squarely in Nekoma's back row, right in the narrow gap between the libero and wing spiker.
Smack!
In that crucial instant,
Nekoma's wing spiker stopped just in time, leaving it to the libero to receive. While the libero managed to barely make contact, the speed was just too much. The ball deflected and shot off wildly.
But even that slight contact was enough to shock Aoba Johsai's players.
"No way! They actually touched Oikawa's first serve?!"
Although Oikawa's serve had recently dropped from "best in the team" to "second best," that didn't mean his skill had declined.
Quite the opposite.
After a summer of special training and several months of focused development, Oikawa's current serving ability was a tier above what it had been in the original timeline.
In the regional qualifiers, most teams never even touched his serves, unless he made a mistake himself.
Even in the Nationals,
If Oikawa was in good condition, opponents often had zero chance of receiving his first few serves.
This was the first time Aoba Johsai had encountered a libero who could read and track the exact landing spot of Oikawa's serve on the very first ball.
"No need to be surprised," said Akashi Asuka. "Sure, Nekoma's full of 'ordinary guys,' but that libero is the one exception."
His eyes locked onto Nekoma's defensive cornerstone, Yaku Morisuke.
Among a squad of mostly average talent, Yaku might be the only player you could call a genuine genius.
If Akashi remembered correctly, after graduation, this guy would go on to join the Russian Super League, eventually becoming part of a world-class volleyball club.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria