Ushijima Wakatoshi's sudden display of serve-receive technique was somewhat disruptive to the Seijoh players' 'mindset.'
They knew that the main reason Shiratorizawa employed this strategy was to help Ushijima Wakatoshi conserve energy and focus more power on offense.
But from another perspective, the fact that Ushijima Wakatoshi had never shown such a skill before meant that Seijoh had never truly pushed Shiratorizawa to its limits in previous matches.
No.
I can't think about that anymore.
If Oikawa dwelled on it, the shadow that he had finally managed to subdue would resurface.
...
Ushijima Wakatoshi's serve-receive not only helped Shiratorizawa maintain their score advantage but also broke Akashi's service run.
On the next ball, after Shiratorizawa served, Seijoh still maintained the right to attack.
Akashi was now in the backcourt, significantly limiting his offense, but Oikawa himself in the front court posed no less of a threat to Shiratorizawa.
The attack ultimately went to Iwaizumi Hajime, whom Oikawa trusted. Iwaizumi Hajime did not disappoint, utilizing Seijoh's signature 'tempo attack' to bypass the two blockers in front.
And then... the ball was once again received by Ushijima Wakatoshi.
"Set me the ball!" Ushijima Wakatoshi demanded after receiving the ball.
Shirabu Kenjiro heard him and, without hesitation, sent a high set to Ushijima Wakatoshi.
"An attack straight from the backcourt! That's severely underestimating us!"
Ushijima Wakatoshi's completely undisguised intention to attack immediately infuriated Iwaizumi Hajime and Oikawa in the front court. The two instantly rushed to block directly in front of Ushijima Wakatoshi.
The next second, Ushijima Wakatoshi jumped and struck the ball.
His almost perfect body posture made him seem to freeze in mid-air for an instant. Although Oikawa and Iwaizumi Hajime jumped at the same time as him, Ushijima Wakatoshi remained suspended in the air even as their bodies began to descend.
BAM!
A dull strike sound rang out. The descending Oikawa and Iwaizumi Hajime watched, helpless, as the volleyball flew over their heads, tracing a super steep cross-court angle across the Seijoh side of the court, finally landing near the outer corner sideline in the backcourt.
This super steep cross-court shot, attacked directly from the backcourt.
Akashi, let alone the others, was somewhat dumbfounded.
Asking himself, Akashi knew he absolutely could not hit a spike like that right now, unless there was no block in the front court, in which case there might be a slight chance.
16:18.
In just an instant, the lead Seijoh had just managed to close was returned to the original deficit by Ushijima Wakatoshi's two receives.
"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."
Iwaizumi Hajime and Oikawa landed, gasping for air.
Even the two of them felt a sense of despair now.
He was too well-rounded.
Not only was his offense powerful, but his defense also seemed flawless.
While Oikawa believed he wouldn't lose to Ushijima Wakatoshi in terms of overall versatility, Oikawa was still slightly inferior to Ushijima Wakatoshi at his strongest point.
The Grinding Game
The match continued. The serving right remained in Shiratorizawa's hands.
After the serve went over the net, the volleyball was steadily received by Watari Shinji. This time, Oikawa chose to give the offense to Akashi. A similar backcourt attack, facing Tendo Satori's jump, Akashi did not hit a super steep cross-court like Ushijima Wakatoshi but a straight shot tightly pressing the sideline.
17:18.
Seijoh won back a point.
But before they could celebrate for long, on the very next ball, Ushijima Wakatoshi took the point back again with his utterly unreasonable attack.
17:19.
Next point: Akashi acted as a decoy, creating an opening for Kindaichi in the front court. Seijoh won back another point.
18:19.
Then, it was Ushijima Wakatoshi's offense again. With exquisite technique that belied his high school physique, Ushijima Wakatoshi once again tore through the Seijoh defense alone, winning back the point.
18:20.
...
The two sides went back and forth, engaging in a point-scrambling battle. Shiratorizawa relied on Ushijima Wakatoshi's 'absolute power,' while Seijoh relied on the combination and interweaving attack techniques of Akashi and Oikawa.
This continued until the end of the match.
Ultimately, Seijoh failed to reverse the score. Shiratorizawa was the first to reach 25 points.
23:25.
This practice match still ended with Shiratorizawa's victory.
...
The Absence of Despair
"Did we lose again?"
When the referee blew the final whistle, Oikawa, Iwaizumi Hajime, and many other Seijoh third-years fell silent. The group looked up at the gym ceiling lights, letting the sweat drip from their chins.
Truthfully, this was only a practice match.
But everyone's emotions were complex. Even the most resolute heart can't help but feel disappointment and despair after being continuously defeated by the same opponent.
Upon returning to Seijoh, Irihata Nobuteru did not continue the training and announced immediate dismissal.
The third-year players left individually, many with a look of confusion in their eyes.
The first-years didn't feel as deeply about the result of the practice match. Once the coach announced the dismissal, Akashi immediately took Mishita Ryuhei to training.
"I thought you'd be dejected for a while, at least?"
Mishita Ryuhei looked at the highly motivated Akashi during training with unconcealed astonishment.
Akashi looked puzzled: "Dejected about what?"
Mishita Ryuhei counted on his fingers: "There are many reasons! Like losing the match, and the fact that your serve was received quite a bit today..."
Akashi stroked his chin and mused: "If it were before, I might have been dejected about those things."
In his previous life, Akashi often experienced various negative emotions after losing a match.
But those negative emotions weren't simply because he lost the match. They were because, after losing, Akashi would easily become anxious and obsessed, with self-doubt uncontrollably creeping into his mind.
For example:
Doubt about whether he was actually improving.
Doubt about whether he would succeed in the future.
Doubt about whether he had the talent.
In competitive sports, this kind of psychological tribulation is often the biggest obstacle hindering an athlete's progress.
However, for the current Akashi, these problems no longer exist.
Because he has the system.
In Akashi's view, the greatest help the system provides is not the [Top Student Value] but the panel that quantifies his various attributes.
Because through the data on these panels, Akashi can clearly see the improvement in his various abilities, so he is never confused now.