Oikawa Toru-senpai felt a headache coming on.
He strongly suspected his coach had 'transferred his affection' and 'forgotten his old love for a new one.'
Otherwise, if he had any conscience left, he wouldn't have put together such a lineup for the rookies.
BAM!
Iwaizumi Hajime-senpai hit another rebound ball, striking Kindaichi-senpai's arm and bouncing back over the White Team's court, starting the third organization for the fourth point's attack.
Oikawa Toru-senpai caught the ball and began to organize the offense steadily.
After a simple decoy, the volleyball was still set to Iwaizumi Hajime-senpai, but the moment Iwaizumi Hajime-senpai jumped, a huge shadow surged up across the net.
A full six arms appeared. Even Kunimi Akira-senpai's block, who had the lowest jump height, was sufficient to seal off Iwaizumi Hajime-senpai's highest spike point.
Akashi Asuka's blocking is strong, but Kindaichi Yutaro-senpai's and Kunimi Akira-senpai's blocking are also not weak. After all, both of them were players who made it into Seijoh's main roster as first-years in the original story.
It should be known that Seijoh did have reserve players. On the contrary, Seijoh's second and third-year reserves were enough to form an entire second team.
Yet, despite this, these two were still able to enter the main roster in their first year, demonstrating their capability.
Therefore, when Akashi Asuka, Kindaichi Yutaro-senpai, and Kunimi Akira-senpai blocked simultaneously, the pressure created was in no way inferior to the White Team's own blocking defense; in terms of height, it was even superior.
"Don't get too cocky, first-year brats."
Although the Red Team's block was dominant, it was not enough to crush Iwaizumi Hajime-senpai, the (Vice) Captain. While in the air, facing the mountain-like defense in front of him, Iwaizumi Hajime-senpai finally found a gap between Kunimi Akira-senpai's hands and suddenly swung his arm...
BAM!
The volleyball struck an arm, but it wasn't Kunimi Akira-senpai's; it was Akashi Asuka's arm, which quickly moved diagonally to cover Kunimi Akira-senpai's blocking gap at the crucial moment.
DONG!
The volleyball once again bounced back onto the floor behind Iwaizumi Hajime-senpai. This time, Iwaizumi Hajime-senpai's expression finally froze for a moment.
But the next second.
"BEEP~~"
The referee's whistle sounded, and at the same time, an arm pointed toward the White Team.
The block was out of bounds; the White Team scored.
3:1.
"Tch, looks like my luck isn't great today!"
Akashi Asuka clicked his tongue. In reality, it wasn't entirely a matter of luck. Although Akashi Asuka rescued the ball in time, being in the air meant it was impossible to maintain a 100\% control of his body posture. So, managing to block it at all was already dangerous, and the out-of-bounds result was completely normal.
However, attributing the issue to luck at this moment was also a form of psychological pressure on the opponent.
Watari Shinji-senpai: "It's alright, we'll try harder next time."
Kunimi Akira-senpai: "I apologize, that was my mistake. I won't leave a gap in the next play."
Mishita Ryuhei-senpai: "Don't worry about it. We're still ahead!"
Akashi Asuka: "..."
Good grief.
You really are my good teammates.
I said that for the opponents' benefit. Why did you guys take it seriously?
...
Oikawa's New Momentum
"Lucky, lucky!"
"Iwaizumi-chan, good job."
"Let's get another point."
The White Team was also encouraging each other. Iwaizumi Hajime-senpai still maintained a high-spirited facade and exchanged encouragement with his teammates. But Oikawa Toru-senpai keenly noticed a subtle change.
Although Iwaizumi Hajime-senpai's scoring rate in this Initiation Match wasn't low, he failed to capitalize on several crucial scoring opportunities.
If he were merely a spiker, this wouldn't be a major issue.
But Iwaizumi Hajime-senpai has always held himself to the standard of an Ace Spiker. Given the consecutive setbacks, even with Iwaizumi Hajime-senpai's mindset, he was inevitably affected.
Especially when there was a stark comparison in the opposing team.
Oikawa Toru-senpai knew this feeling all too well.
"You pulled me out of the abyss once. Now, it's my turn," Oikawa Toru-senpai murmured.
...
"BEEP~~"
The referee blew the serve whistle.
The right to serve returned to the White Team. After rotation, Hanamaki Takahiro-senpai moved to the backcourt, and Oikawa Toru-senpai moved to the frontcourt.
Although he was the setter, Oikawa Toru-senpai's presence in the frontcourt was no less intimidating than anyone else's; he was a typical all-rounder.
Directly blocking Akashi Asuka's spike was extremely difficult.
This was because, although Akashi Asuka was not yet comparable to the top-ranked Aces in the country, his height, power, and offensive techniques were already quite comprehensive.
Even with Seijoh's main roster defense, it would be almost impossible to stop Akashi Asuka from scoring unless they formed a three-person block.
However, the inability to stop him directly does not mean he cannot be defended by other methods.
Clearly, Oikawa Toru-senpai was a master of tactical defense.
Soft blocks, tactical blocks, single-person blocks to seal off lines, backcourt-coordinated blocks... The varied blocking techniques were almost dizzying to watch.
Under this kind of blocking skill, Akashi Asuka's scoring efficiency drastically reduced, and the number of attack-defense rallies for each point unconsciously increased.
In the blink of an eye, the score reached 21:20.
The gap in fundamental attributes between the Red and White Teams finally began to show.
After playing for well over an hour, three members of the Red Team, apart from Akashi Asuka and Watari Shinji-senpai, were already panting heavily. Yet, the entire White Team was only slightly more sweaty.
And precisely at this moment, it was Oikawa Toru-senpai's turn to serve.
Watari Shinji-senpai said: "Oikawa-senpai... he feels a little different than before."
Akashi Asuka replied: "Perhaps he was triggered by something."
Akashi Asuka didn't know what happened, but he could sense the change in Oikawa Toru-senpai during this time. To describe it simply: the original Oikawa Toru-senpai was serious, but only just serious.
Now, Oikawa Toru-senpai was not only serious during the match, but he seemed to have acquired some new driving force.
Aura is a strange thing.
Although intangible, in a formal match between two equally skilled teams, the side with the stronger momentum can sometimes completely overwhelm the other.
When an individual's aura becomes strong enough, it can even affect the entire opposing team.
For example: Oikawa Toru-senpai right now.
BAM!
Oikawa Toru-senpai, standing on the White Team's baseline, suddenly hit a powerful serve. The volleyball arced through the air and instantly landed on the Red Team's backcourt floor.
The entire time, Kunimi Akira-senpai and Watari Shinji-senpai in the Red Team's backcourt were unable to react at all.
"So fast!"
It wasn't until the referee announced the score that Watari Shinji-senpai finally reacted, his eyes widening in disbelief as he looked across the net.
Across the court, Oikawa Toru-senpai had already gripped the volleyball and walked back to the baseline. His bright eyes scanned the court, his entire body radiating an aggressive presence.
"One more... ball!"