"Hey, Oikawa, maybe it's just my mistake, but do you think there's a chance that the first-year over there has a serve that's even stronger than yours?" Hanamaki Takahiro asked, his expression vacant and turning his neck stiffly.
"Ha? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Oikawa Toru was distraught, like a child whose candy had been stolen. He repeatedly shook his head, firmly denying it: "How could a mere first-year punk be better than me, a third-year senpai? That last serve was just a fluke, just a fluke!"
"Even if it was a fluke, it was terrifying, alright? Damn it, can middle schoolers really serve balls like that now?" Yahaba Shigeru's cold sweat hadn't dried yet. It might sound unbelievable, but that last ball had scraped past Yahaba Shigeru. He had a chance to touch it first, but he ultimately failed to reach out his hand.
Because he was actually scared.
When that ball whistled through the air, it didn't feel like a leather ball at all—it felt like a cannonball. For a moment, he was genuinely afraid that he would be injured by the impact.
It seemed ridiculous in retrospect, but the feeling in that instant was still vividly fresh in his mind.
"Tch, what's there to be surprised about? I could serve like that in middle school too, you know?" Oikawa Toru grumbled defiantly.
"But when you first joined Seijoh, your first serve was received by an upperclassman," Iwaizumi Hajime glanced at him, ruthlessly dismantling his argument.
Oikawa Toru's handsome face flushed red as he argued: "I was just unlucky, just luck... Besides, isn't it normal to be unable to beat the upperclassmen when you first join as a first-year?... For a setter, how can you call that a loss?"
He then launched into phrases about "respecting your senpai" and "unity and friendship." Unfortunately, he failed to lighten the mood for the White Team.
Because at that moment, Akashi Asuka was preparing to serve again.
Seeing this, Oikawa Toru couldn't help but curl his lip again: "Tch, that hateful genius!"
...
The Second Serve
"Akashi, hit another good one!"
"Don't go easy on them, rookie! Blast those bastards on the other side!"
"Go, go, go!"
Mishita Ryuhei, Watari Shinji, and Kunimi Akira all cheered Akashi on.
Only Kindaichi Yutaro remained silent.
This was because he was busy ducking his head, covering the back of his neck, and scurrying toward the edge of the court for safety.
Whew~
Akashi gently exhaled, softly tossing the volleyball high into the air. He began his run-up, jumped, and swung his arm...
BAM!
With an explosive sound, Akashi's eyes brightened.
"Mhm, that feels good."
A soft yet resilient sensation was transmitted from his palm. Recognizing this familiar touch, Akashi knew the quality of this serve was excellent.
The volleyball screamed through the air, bypassing the block, and headed straight for Yahaba Shigeru.
The trajectory of the ball was reflected in his pupils. His ears heard the powerful rush of air arriving before the ball itself. Yahaba Shigeru's mind suddenly went blank, with only one thought remaining:
"Are you kidding me? Was the last one not his maximum power?"
The previous feeling of fear resurfaced in his heart, but this time, after only a brief moment of terror, Yahaba Shigeru's gaze became resolute.
Fear?
Who has time for that right now?
This was an Initiation Match! If he was scared stiff by a rookie's serve, how could he ever act as an upperclassman again?
Yahaba Shigeru instantly snapped out of it. He took a quick adjustment step and swiftly moved toward the incoming serve.
But that momentary lapse had already cost him the initiative. Before Yahaba Shigeru could fully assume his receiving posture, the volleyball had already flown right up to him. Before he could react, Yahaba Shigeru felt a jolt in his chest. His center of gravity shifted, and he landed hard on his rear...
Thud!
DONG~
DONG~
DONG~
Two different sounds echoed in the silent gymnasium.
The former was the sound of Yahaba Shigeru hitting the floor. The latter was the sound of the volleyball bouncing after it hit the ground.
The players on both teams stared blankly at Yahaba Shigeru, their eyes filled with concern, disbelief... but mostly shock.
Sitting on the floor, Yahaba Shigeru's eyes were glazed over. He didn't seem to comprehend what had just happened.
Perhaps due to the sheer shock, the White Team players didn't even notice that the morale which had been surging due to Iwaizumi Hajime's encouragement had now plummeted to absolute zero after Akashi scored two consecutive service aces.
Only Mishita Ryuhei, alone, quietly registered this familiar sight:
"Volleyball is the only major ball sport played over a net. Because there is little physical contact, many players, even professional ones, subconsciously forget that the essence of this sport is also full of brute force."
"Normally, this might not have a major impact, but if someone suddenly jolts that memory, some players are bound to be unable to adapt, and may even develop a sense of 'fear' as a result."
"And coincidentally, we happen to have a 'Super-Brutal Player' on our side. His serve isn't just about raw power; it's a serve imbued with the 'conviction of violence,' almost entirely unreasonable. Such a serve, whether received or not, is bound to have a tremendous psychological impact on a player. And sometimes... it's not just the opponents."
Thinking this last thought, Mishita Ryuhei subconsciously glanced back at his own teammates. Sure enough, not only the White Team players but even his own team—Watari Shinji, Kunimi Akira, and Kindaichi Yutaro—all looked slightly dazed.
Meanwhile, the aura around Akashi Asuka behind the baseline became deeper and more controlled. From afar, he looked like an all-consuming abyss, or a volcano about to erupt—in any case, he projected very little positive energy.
Seeing this, Mishita Ryuhei could only sigh inwardly.
"Oh well, he's my Ace. I suppose his aggressive aura is something I'll have to deal with."
Mishita Ryuhei only discovered this specific trait of Akashi during the final match of the middle school National Qualifiers.
It was right after Mishita Ryuhei had been injured and forced to leave the court.
That one serve.
Mishita Ryuhei still remembered it vividly.
At the time, Senkoku was at a massive disadvantage. The opponent's cheers were overwhelming; you could hear the shouts from their stands across half the gymnasium.
However, the moment Akashi launched that one serve, not only did the players from both teams fall into a sudden silence, but the cheering from the spectators also instantly died out.
The aura Akashi radiated then was the first and last time Mishita Ryuhei had witnessed it in middle school.