The First Set Closes
"What a miserable match rhythm; it feels like you can't even catch your breath."
"So tense."
"The offense and defense are too fast!"
...
On the sidelines, Coach Ukai Keishin watched the match tempo on the court, feeling a subtle premonition of unease.
Fast-paced offense is a common tactic in competitive sports. By accelerating the rhythm of attack and defense, you disrupt the opponent's formation and gain scoring opportunities.
But this kind of offense is a double-edged sword.
Because an excessively fast attacking rhythm can not only defeat the opponent but sometimes defeat yourself.
Furthermore, Karasuno's accelerated attacking rhythm clearly wasn't due to tactical arrangement. It was purely because of the huge score deficit, causing the players to become anxious and unconsciously speeding up their offensive and defensive frequency.
BAM!
A powerful spike flew from Tanaka Ryūnosuke's hand, descending towards the Seijoh court, but it was received by Libero Watari Shinji.
Oikawa Tōru took the set from Watari Shinji and decisively sent a high ball to Akashi Asuka. Akashi jumped, meeting the block in front of him. His chin instantly passed Tanaka Ryūnosuke's eyebrows opposite, and he struck the ball over the top of the block.
BAM!!!
A spiking sound far louder than Tanaka Ryūnosuke's rang out. The volleyball traced a diagonal line over the Karasuno court, finally landing in an undefended area.
24:18.
Seijoh officially reached the set point for the first game.
"Damn it!"
Tanaka Ryūnosuke looked at Akashi Asuka across the net, letting out an angry but helpless roar.
So far in the match, although Akashi Asuka hadn't attacked many times, Karasuno hadn't been able to block his spike even once.
It wasn't that Akashi showed off some extremely advanced technique; it was simply because the sheer spiking height made it impossible for Karasuno to defend.
Of Karasuno's current blockers, only Azumane Asahi and Tsukishima Kei had a remote chance of matching Akashi's height, yet Azumane Asahi wasn't skilled at blocking, and Tsukishima Kei was completely unmotivated.
After all, the current Karasuno is still too green.
They are just a group of hatchlings recently out of the egg, while the current Aoba Johsai is a massive, towering tree with a dense canopy.
It might be possible for the hatchlings to occasionally catch a few bugs on this towering tree, but trying to peck through the bark is clearly too difficult.
BEEP!
The whistle sounded again.
The referee on the court was like an emotionless "killer." Regardless of whether the players' hearts were filled with sorrow or joy during the match, his whistle would sound as usual.
Seijoh served the ball over the net.
The Karasuno Libero caught the ball and passed it high above Kageyama Tobio's head. Staring at the floating volleyball, Kageyama Tobio's mind spun rapidly...
"Six more points! I have to find a way to narrow the score difference. This point absolutely cannot be blocked again; if it is, everything is over. I need to dodge the block; the speed needs to be even faster; I need to set a ball that can evade all defense..."
Whoosh!
In the midst of his frantic thoughts, Kageyama Tobio suddenly set a quick attack.
Hinata Shōyō in the front court, who had already jumped mid-air, swung his arm hard with his eyes closed. However, in the next second, Hinata Shōyō suddenly froze, because he didn't feel the contact of the spike.
THUD~~
The sound of the volleyball hitting the floor was exceptionally harsh at this moment.
BEEP!!!
The merciless whistle was even more attention-grabbing.
The two teams' players stared blankly at the volleyball, which landed out of bounds and was bouncing repeatedly along the floor. For a moment, the court was quiet.
And Kageyama Tobio, who had just set that erroneous ball, stood rooted to the spot, his mind feeling like it had been violently struck by a hammer, instantly buzzing into a state of stunned confusion.
"End of the first set..."
...
Set Two Begins
"It looks like Kageyama is getting a little anxious."
"That's understandable, isn't it? It's normal to be anxious when trailing by so many points."
"I wonder what arrangement the opponent will have for the next set?"
In the Seijoh resting area, the players drank some water and took a brief rest.
Irihata Nobuteru outlined the strategy. Overall, it wasn't much different from the first set; he just told everyone to maintain the rhythm.
Before long, the second set officially began.
When the Seijoh players took the court, they were immediately surprised.
They clearly saw that Kageyama Tobio had returned to the substitute bench, and the player replacing him was someone they had never seen before.
"Who is this new Setter?"
"Let me check... Ah! Found him. Number 2... Eh? This person seems to be a third-year."
"What? Doesn't that mean he had his starter position taken by a first-year like Kageyama?"
"Tch! What's so strange about that? Didn't Seijoh also have a first-year take the 'Ace' position from a third-year?"
Karasuno's newly subbed-in Setter was Sugawara Kōshi. As the starting Setter before Kageyama Tobio joined Karasuno, although Sugawara Kōshi didn't have Kageyama Tobio's talent, he had a higher synchronicity with his teammates.
Oikawa Tōru held the volleyball, staring at the newly arrived Sugawara Kōshi for a long time, finally nodding: "Hmm, he seems like a very refreshing opponent! I just don't know what his personality is like. Ah! This is really annoying! I finally managed to deal with Little Tobio, so why the quick substitution?"
Oikawa Tōru's face seemed to be full of regret, yet Akashi Asuka, looking left and right, only saw the word "Malice."
"Never mind. If I can't figure it out, I won't think about it! After all, no matter how good a Setter is, if they don't get the ball, it's useless."
BEEP!
The referee's whistle sounded, and the second set officially began.
Seijoh's starting server was Oikawa Tōru, and the second server was Akashi Asuka...
That's right.
The strategy for this set was for Seijoh to completely overwhelm Karasuno from the very beginning.
"Now~ let's randomly pick a lucky player! Let me see, who's in the backcourt opposite... Hmm, that Libero seems very talented at receiving, so pass. That captain's fundamentals are also solid, so also pass. In that case, the only one left is..."
BAM!
Accompanied by some background music in Akashi Asuka's mind, Oikawa Tōru lightly tossed the volleyball, then took a few steps, jumped, and violently swung his arm to strike the ball.
The high-speed flying volleyball changed trajectory several times in the air, tracing a crescent-shaped arc, and finally descended straight toward Azumane Asahi's position.
PA!
Azumane Asahi reacted in time, but he ultimately failed to receive the ball. The volleyball struck his forearm, then flew out of bounds along his shoulder, rolling all the way back to the wall.
Score 1:0.
Seijoh takes the lead.
...