BAM!!!
A thunderclap suddenly erupted over the court.
Before Kageyama Tobio, the Libero, or the Opposite Hitter in the Kitagawa Daiichi backcourt could react, a loud whistle rushed past their ears. By the time they regained their senses, the volleyball had already pierced their defense.
BEEP~
The referee blew his whistle, and the line judge emphatically pointed his flag toward the ground.
Senkoku scored on the serve.
13:11.
Kageyama Tobio froze, listening to the referee's scoring whistle. For a moment, he felt as if the entire world had gone silent.
He looked up across the net. Akashi was just descending from the air, standing tall. At that moment, Kageyama Tobio suddenly felt an immense pressure sweeping over him.
"No, I cannot lose. I absolutely cannot stop here..."
...
The Kitagawa Daiichi coach quickly called a timeout.
Just like in the previous set, the sole purpose of this timeout was to disrupt Akashi's serving rhythm. With a genius like Kageyama Tobio on his own team, the Kitagawa Daiichi coach well understood the massive impact a 'monster' like this, once in his groove, could have on the momentum of the game.
Perhaps he was also momentarily stunned by Akashi's sudden, powerful serve.
For a moment, the Kitagawa Daiichi coach failed to notice Kageyama Tobio's abnormal behavior.
Maintaining 'State' is an extremely difficult feat for any athlete.
Often, a one-minute timeout is enough to break a player's hot streak.
When the timeout ended and Akashi served the second ball, he clearly felt his focus drop somewhat. However, relying on sheer power, the second ball still crossed the block with astonishing velocity.
BAM!
In the nick of time, Kitagawa Daiichi's Libero managed to touch the volleyball, but the angle it flew at was completely off-target for the setter's position. In the end, Kitagawa Daiichi's Opposite Hitter could only manage to set a high, floaty ball.
Kindaichi was not Akashi. He struggled to score with a set that possessed nothing but height, relying only on his technique.
BAM!
THUD!
The spike was completely shut down by Senkoku's triple block.
The score reached 14:11.
Akashi faulted his third serve into the net, bringing the difference back to two points.
14:12.
This difference may seem only one point greater than before, but the overall momentum of the match had been broken.
In volleyball, a two-point lead is required to win.
Furthermore, the next serve belonged to Kitagawa Daiichi, which meant another chance ball for Senkoku.
The score reached 15:12.
The light of victory seemed to appear before the eyes of the Senkoku players, and their morale soared instantly.
For a moment, the fatigue on all the Senkoku players seemed to lessen.
Senkoku regained the serving right, though it wasn't Akashi's turn. The volleyball floated over the net, was lightly received by Kitagawa Daiichi's Libero, and sent to Kageyama Tobio's hands.
This was a perfect receive. With Kitagawa Daiichi's strength, they should have been able to secure this point easily.
But the moment the volleyball left Kageyama Tobio's hands, the error occurred again.
Kindaichi leaped and swung his arm, but he failed to make contact with the ball.
THUD!
The volleyball landed on the floor out of bounds.
The referee blew his whistle, and the number on the scoreboard changed again, becoming 16:12.
The Collapse
"I told you multiple times to take off for the quick attack a little earlier! If you want to win, then cooperate with my sets!" Kageyama Tobio yelled furiously.
Surprisingly, Kindaichi Yutaro did not refute Kageyama Tobio's words this time. He merely gave him a cold look, then turned and walked away.
Everyone present assumed Kindaichi had swallowed his pride, but only Kunimi Akira felt a vague sense of dread.
Senkoku retained the serve.
After a brief, enthusiastic celebration, Senkoku served again.
Kitagawa Daiichi's Libero received the ball and passed it to Kageyama Tobio. Watching the volleyball fly toward him, Kageyama Tobio had only one thought in his mind.
"Faster. The set must be faster. Only then can I bypass the opponent's block, only then can I score. I must keep winning, keep moving forward..."
WHOOSH!
The thought spun faster and faster in his mind. Kageyama Tobio's fingertips lightly tapped the ball, and the volleyball flew out rapidly.
"Good. The set felt right."
Kageyama Tobio felt the touch was good. Without a doubt, this ball should be successfully scored.
He thought so...
But the next moment, the sound of the volleyball hitting the floor rang out again.
This was not the sound of a spike, but merely the sound of the ball dropping.
What happened?
Was there a mistake?
Kageyama Tobio turned his head in confusion, only to see Kindaichi standing in place, motionless, letting the volleyball drop.
"Kindaichi..."
"I... will no longer hit any ball set by you," Kindaichi said coldly, looking at Kageyama Tobio.
At that statement, Kageyama Tobio initially froze, seemingly unable to process what had just happened.
But when he looked at the other members of his team, he saw faces that were utterly indifferent. In that moment, it was as if a massive chasm had opened between Kageyama Tobio and everyone else.
His brain suddenly plunged into chaos. Kageyama Tobio's mind went instantly blank.
After an unknown length of time, the referee's whistle finally blew. Kageyama Tobio turned his head, and he heard the coach say: "Kageyama, you are to leave the court and rest."
...
"Are they... fighting again?" The sudden incident at Kitagawa Daiichi stunned the spectators, and also left Omae Masato and the others confused.
"I think this time, it's more than just a fight," Kazama Juujirou replied.
While they didn't know the exact internal conflict at Kitagawa Daiichi, the importance of Kageyama Tobio's setting ability to the team was undeniable.
For the Kitagawa Daiichi coach to make the decision to substitute Kageyama Tobio at such a crucial moment suggested that the problem was clearly significant.
"But that setter on the other side is a bit too fierce. He's very skilled, but with that personality, others probably don't want to play with him much," Omae Masato noted.
"True. He feels even fiercer than our 'Ace's' serve." Omae Masato nodded in agreement.
Akashi: "???"
What kind of strange comparison is that?
Akashi naturally understood the reason for Kageyama Tobio's substitution, but he didn't react much.
The problem with Kageyama Tobio at this moment was more than just the psychological sensitivity of a teenager. The world of a genius is inherently different from that of an average person. Unless he met his destined partner, even the Kitagawa Daiichi coach would struggle to correct Kageyama Tobio's mindset now.
...