Ichinose Guren was slightly out of breath, but his gaze was icy as he looked at Nakashima Takeru, still exhausted yet unwavering in focus.
"Thank you for taking care of my cousin before. I'll make sure to properly thank you on his behalf."
Though Ichinose generally followed the "If I'm not here, they wouldn't even play volleyball, would they?" laissez-faire philosophy regarding training and setbacks, at heart, he was fiercely protective of those he cared about.
Across the net, Nakashima Takeru simply turned away, ignoring Ichinose's words, and spoke to his teammates instead.
"It's fine! There's still a chance. Just focus on your assigned coverage. I've already read his path. The next ball, we'll catch it for sure!"
Everyone on Karasuno understood perfectly well that Nakashima was provoking Ichinose. From ignoring his words to confidently assuring his teammates he'd "catch it next time," he was trying to anger Ichinose, to make him lose focus and give Wakutani a chance to catch up.
But looking at the Karasuno players' faces, that mix of fear, pity, and a pinch of schadenfreude, Nakashima felt a sense of unease.
Maybe he shouldn't have provoked Karasuno's #15.
The fact was… he definitely shouldn't have.
Even as Nakashima moved to the front row, scoring with his signature tool-out spike once again, Wakutani's morale lifted.
Karasuno 24 : 22 Wakutani.
But then,
Ichinose locked his sights on Nakashima, putting immense pressure on him.
Tall, agile, fast, with lightning reflexes, Ichinose's physical gifts completely outclassed the 1.73m Nakashima.
In sports, skill can decide matches, if the players' natural abilities are relatively equal.
But when facing someone whose physical gifts surpass your own in every way, and your only edge is years of practiced technique… the odds are brutally stacked against you.
Still, Nakashima was never one to give up easily.
Even if he lost, he would fight with everything he had until the very end.
This airborne one-on-one was his chance for revenge.
Ignoring exhaustion and muscle pain, he sprinted and leapt with all his strength, keeping his posture stable in the air, eyes locked on Ichinose's blocking arms.
Three years of perfecting timing with Hanayama gave him the chance to face Ichinose head-on.
No hesitation. No fear.
He unleashed another spike, honed over years of airborne combat.
But at the exact moment Nakashima struck, Ichinose's eyes flicked, and his reflexes read Nakashima's hunt for the spike angle.
His arms pulled back at lightning speed.
If a spike lacks resistance midair, the ball could easily become a home-run out-of-bounds point.
But Nakashima's years of training weren't just about hitting tool-outs, they'd given him body control midair, the foundation of his aerial technique.
He immediately adjusted the spike's force.
Even so, as Ichinose pulled back his arms, Nakashima's hand made contact with the ball.
0.3 seconds. Too long, normally a held-ball violation.
In a split second, he flicked his wrist, dissipating most of the force and converting it into a rotational movement.
Pain shot from his wrist to his brain,
the strain immense,
Yet the volleyball did not fly out of bounds as Ichinose anticipated.
Instead, with a nimble redirection, it slammed near the net floor.
This was Nakashima risking injury to score.
If successful, Wakutani's morale, and their chance to catch up, would surge.
But Karasuno's reception far exceeded Nakashima's expectations.
SLAP.
Nishinoya Yuu, replacing Hinata in the back row, lifted the ball with a precise front-foot kick.
The spark of Wakutani's hope was extinguished.
As long as the ball hadn't touched the ground, Karasuno could retrieve it.
For any team facing Karasuno, this ace libero was a flame of annihilation.
Even an unexpected foot pass, perfectly angled and powered, he made it work.
Caught it?
Even Nakashima, pouring 150% of his spike power into that ball, felt doubt creep in.
Can we really beat this team?
Their stats, height, reception, offense, blocks… there's nothing we're stronger in.
Do we really need to keep fighting?
I nearly injured myself, muscles pulled to the limit even if my wrist wasn't sprained.
This sense of hopelessness didn't just affect Wakutani.
Spectators, other teams, media, and professionals could all feel it.
"They can't beat Karasuno, right?"
"Feels like it. Like adults playing with kids."
"But their captain… he's amazing. Small, but he has his own system for reception and spikes."
"Too bad he ran into Karasuno."
"The ace and libero together… that's the ceiling of Miyagi volleyball."
Discussion rippled through the crowd.
And though soft, Wakutani heard it all.
There was no time for sadness.
Kageyama passed Nishinoya's foot-lifted reception sending a high-speed, accurate ball to Karasuno's unspoken ace.
Ichinose Guren.
No arrogance.
No shortcuts.
Just the best he could do.
Another rocket-like jump, higher than before.
The ball and his arm descended simultaneously, crashing down with immense force.
Even Nakashima, prepared for a full spike, couldn't handle the velocity.
The ball shot seven, eight meters away.
The first set, Karasuno took it.
Wakutani expected Ichinose to ignore them, but he returned to the net, firing off trash talk once more.
Soft enough not to reach the referee, but loud enough for nearby Wakutani players to catch the words and lip movements.
"Hey, someone just tried to block me? Send someone at me!"
Nakashima paused, then smirked, he wasn't belittling Ichinose.
"Then I won't hold back."
A brief glance exchanged.
[I see you as my opponent.]
[Then watch out.]
Smiles shared, and both turned toward the bench to rest, ready for the next set.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria