"What's wrong?" Asano was too tall, so he had to lower his head to look at Ran Takahashi.
"He just used his right hand."
"Hiss..."
Ran Takahashi's words snapped Asano awake. No wonder something had felt off. It turned out the hand was wrong.
At first, Asano had thought maybe he was just in poor form on the first ball, but Ushijima's jump height had definitely been beyond expectations. He just hadn't expected him to use his right hand.
"When did Senpai Ushijima start practicing with his right hand?" Keiji Akaashi was a little surprised. That ball had clearly been set up for a left-handed quick attack, but after running into Asano, he had stiffly switched to his right hand. It still didn't look very polished, more like he had been forced to use it on the spot.
Bokuto shook his head. They trained together every day, yet even he hadn't known about this. It seemed Ushijima had been secretly squeezing in extra practice every day.
"Hmph! I'm definitely following Ushijima tonight. What if he does extra practice and doesn't bring me?"
That was the only thing Bokuto's little brain could come up with.
Scoring the first point gradually settled the anxiety everyone had felt before stepping onto the court, and things began to get on track.
Ushijima won the serve from the opposing side. Standing at the service line, he fixed his eyes on Tomohiro Yamamoto at the very back of the court, aiming straight for the Libero.
"Bang!" His left hand struck the volleyball hard, sending it racing toward Yamamoto's position like a bolt of lightning.
Yamamoto steadied his lower body, crouched back, and received the ball firmly with both arms.
"Bang!"
Hiss... That's a lot of power. Tomohiro Yamamoto felt the heavy force running through his arms and was a little surprised. This power was almost on par with Ran's.
"Motoki!" Yamamoto called, reminding Motoki to move into position.
"Got it."
Motoki Eiro ran to the net to take the first pass, then jumped sideways facing the net.
"Asano!"
At the shout, Asano sprinted over from the left side of the net. With his tall frame in motion, he looked slightly uncoordinated.
Atsumu Miya and Ushijima both locked onto Asano, preparing to block. They didn't dare underestimate anyone from the national team.
Seeing the two men lined up neatly in front of him, Asano sighed helplessly. Blocking me won't help. This ball isn't even coming to me. The two blockers jumped, landed, and realized it too late.
But by the time they shifted their attention to Shoma Tomita and Ran Takahashi, it was already too late.
Motoki had called Asano's name, then set the ball to Shoma Tomita instead. Shoma Tomita's eyes lit up. He knew it. Whoever Motoki called by name definitely wasn't getting the set.
On the other hand, the people whose names weren't called were the ones who needed to stay alert, because in that situation, it meant Motoki would randomly set to one of them. He was playing purely for the thrill.
Tomita took the set and jumped. Hirugami saw that Ushijima and the others wouldn't make it in time, so he had no choice but to move into position and prepare to block by himself.
Seeing that, Komori and Ryosuke moved as well. One ran forward to cover the route Hirugami might fail to block, while the other stayed behind just in case.
"Bang!" A tool!
The ball struck Hirugami's fingertips and flew off, soaring high into the air. Komori lost his chance to cover it and could only turn back to watch Ryosuke receive.
Ryosuke saw the ball shooting away and immediately chased after it. The ball was about to land inside the court near the boundary line. Ryosuke dove forward, using the force of the dive to slide across the floor like a dragon flicking its tail.
The dive looked perfect, truly like a fish gliding across the floor.
"Bang!" The ball struck Ryosuke's palm and flew up again.
"I've got it!" Wakatsu Kiryū darted to the spot where Ryosuke had bumped the ball up, then lifted his head and jumped. With both hands raised above him, he set the ball directly into a quick attack.
The one cooperating with Wakatsu Kiryū was Atsumu Miya, who had been standing beside him and hadn't joined the offense yet. Even Atsumu Miya hadn't expected the ball to come to him.
The distance between them was extremely close, only one body length apart. A quick attack from this range was the hardest to react to.
"Ha! Thanks, senpai!" Atsumu Miya, eager to show what he could do, jumped up with his eyes happily narrowed.
Kento Asano and Shoma Tomita stepped forward to block, while Yuji Nishida rushed back from the side, trying to join the block as well.
But Wakatsu Kiryū and Atsumu Miya's coordination was too fast, and Yuji Nishida still couldn't make it in time.
For Atsumu Miya, this play was nowhere near the level of his usual coordination with Osamu Miya. But to pull off that kind of speed in a match like this was entirely thanks to everyone's solid physical ability and sharp game sense.
"Bang!" Atsumu Miya spiked the ball. Shoma Tomita leaped up, tightened both arms, pressed his fingertips downward, and skillfully covered the volleyball with his hands like an umbrella before forcing it down.
Atsumu Miya's face changed drastically. Ah, crap.
In a match like this, losing a point off your own hands was practically a crime.
Komori had already anticipated the possibility of the ball being shut down by the block. From the back row, he slid on his knees straight to Atsumu Miya's feet, arriving at the exact moment the volleyball was about to hit the floor.
"Bang!" He dug it up smoothly again.
Atsumu Miya glanced at the volleyball flying in front of him, stepped back a few paces, and started his approach again.
"Bang!" Atsumu Miya jumped and spiked the ball over once more.
Shoma Tomita had successfully blocked the first ball and thought it was over. He had already moved away to prepare for the next play, never expecting this guy to come at him again.
"Asano!"
Asano was still at the net. Hearing the shout, he sprang up and reached out to stop the ball.
"Bang!" Atsumu Miya's expression shifted. He reached out, wanting to scoop the ball up, but he was too late. The ball slipped past his hand.
Komori hadn't reacted in time either. He hadn't expected there to be a second attack. He had already turned to fall back on defense, so now he could only watch the volleyball roll to the floor.
"Beeeeep!"
"Aaaah, damn it!" Atsumu Miya angrily ruffled his own hair. He wasn't mad at anyone else. He was mad at himself. Damn it! Why didn't that spike get through just now?!
"Don't worry about it. Keep going on the next ball," Hirugami said helplessly, patting Atsumu Miya on the shoulder. This kid really did have a temper.
"Yo, nice work, Asano."
Shoma Tomita gave him a thumbs-up. Asano proudly lifted his chin. Of course. Just look who he was.
"Don't get careless, Asano. This is only the beginning."
Ran Takahashi looked at his tall junior as he spoke. Strictly speaking, Asano and the kids from the training camp were all around the same age. Asano had simply been lucky. He had plenty of talent too, and because he landed on that special date, July 1st, he had been recruited into the national team.
After moving up to the national team, Asano had followed them all over the place for matches. With his seniors shielding him from the wind and rain, his path had been smooth the whole way.
But Takahashi had a feeling that Asano, who had always had things go so smoothly, might not have such an easy time against this group... He hoped Asano could properly understand his own heart.
"Get your mindset under control and keep going."
Ushijima glanced at the somewhat irritated Atsumu Miya, his tone turning stern. His eyes fixed tightly on Atsumu Miya, and that voice was like a bucket of cold water poured straight over Atsumu Miya's head.
Atsumu Miya lowered his head and sighed. He really had gotten impatient.
"Got it... Ushijima-senpai."
Atsumu Miya lowering his head meant he was accepting it.
Only then did Ushijima nod in satisfaction. If this kid refused to follow his instructions and cooperate properly, there would be nothing he could do.
Nakagaichi watched this from below without saying anything, but inwardly, he felt that Ushijima was starting to show the faint air of a leader for the new generation of players.
The consequence of the national team taking a point was that it was now Ran Takahashi's turn to serve from the number one position. Seeing Ran Takahashi walk to the service line, Ryosuke lowered into a half-crouch, his eyes turning alert.
This senior was not easy to deal with.
He had watched some of Ran Takahashi's match footage. When serving, Ran Takahashi had both high explosive power and high precision. His serve did not count as especially distinctive, but it was absolutely difficult to receive. A man who could turn a back-row attack into something as fierce as a front-row attack naturally could not be lacking when it came to serving.
"Beep!"
The whistle for the serve cut off Ryosuke's thoughts. His gaze shifted, and he focused on the volleyball.
The envy in Komori's eyes was impossible to hide. He was so jealous! He wanted to try receiving Senior Takahashi's powerful jump serve too. It looked thrilling just watching it.
"Bang!" Ran Takahashi took a four-step approach, then jumped and swung his arm.
His arm carved a beautiful arc through the air, his muscles releasing the hidden strength within them. It looked like an eagle spreading its wings, filled with a wild kind of beauty.
The ball flew toward Ryosuke like a cannonball. Ryosuke's eyes lit up. Senior Takahashi really was a good person. He had aimed this serve right at him! It was so exciting he could hardly stand it.
The ball was flying incredibly fast, but in Ryosuke's eyes, everything slowed down. The ball's spin, its angle, and the path it took through the air were all perfectly clear.
This was the first time that kind of visual clarity had returned since the prefectural tournament ended. Ryosuke did not dwell on that bit of confusion. He rushed a little farther forward.
Then he lowered into a half-crouch and bent slightly at the waist.
"Bang!" The ball carried tremendous force, no weaker than Senpai Ushijima's. Ryosuke felt the pain spreading through his arms.
He was ready to absorb the force, but at that moment, something unexpected happened. Before he could take the impact out of it, the ball bounced high into the air.
"Hm?" A rare trace of confusion appeared in Ryosuke's eyes. That wasn't right. Based on his usual receiving speed, he should not have been too late to absorb the force. Besides, he was in pretty good condition today. He should not have made such a basic mistake.
After the ball flew out, Ryosuke did not chase it, because a figure shot past him with a whoosh. The moment Komori saw the ball fly off, he immediately ran over to receive it.
This had also been agreed on beforehand. As long as a ball was mishandled, Komori would take it.
Ryosuke kept moving while still thinking about what exactly had gone wrong. Komori, meanwhile, was sprinting like a dog let off its leash.
The grip on the soles of his shoes was excellent. Komori did not feel himself slipping at all, and the more he ran, the faster he got.
Seeing that the ball was about to fly out of bounds toward the coaches' side, Komori copied one of Ryosuke's moves. He dove and slid close along the floor, then used the strength in his hands to pull off a Dragon's Tail. Komori was not very familiar with this move yet, but a Libero was just as agile, so receiving the ball was still no problem for him.
"Bang!" The ball bounced off the back of his hand and flew back into the court. In volleyball, each side could touch the ball up to three times. Now it was up to everyone to figure out how to deal with this one.
The ball flew high into the air. Ushijima looked around and realized Hirugami had the best angle for it. It was a little far, but he had seen Hirugami's movement while blocking before, and he felt Hirugami definitely would not be slow.
"Hirugami!"
Hirugami, who had originally been preparing to run to the number three position to block, snapped back to himself at the shout. He looked up and saw the volleyball flying to his left. Atsumu Miya's attention was currently on blocking, and he was a little too far away.
Hirugami sighed helplessly and went for it despite himself. Spiking in practice and spiking in a match were two different things.
Hirugami had a strong sense of responsibility. He only wanted to play the middle blocker position well. He wanted to become the team's sturdiest shield and protect every point for everyone.
But once he was placed in a position he was unfamiliar with, Hirugami started to shrink back. Being unable to create a favorable situation for the team made him afraid of himself.
"Hirugami! Go!" Hoshiumi got annoyed watching Hirugami hesitate like that. Where was all that energy he usually had when lecturing him?
Hirugami snapped out of it at Hoshiumi's shout. He suddenly realized Hoshiumi was watching from below, and his fighting spirit abruptly ignited. He absolutely could not embarrass himself in front of Hoshiumi, or it would be mortifying once they returned to school.
Hirugami judged the distance. Ran Takahashi and Kento Asano had already moved up to the net. This situation was extremely unfavorable.
Hirugami took a few running steps and jumped, still weighing the opposing block.
A double block. He had never seen Ran Takahashi's blocking, but he could see a few things from Kento Asano's. Asano was too tall, and his block had huge openings. On top of that, at the moment, he only seemed to know the simplest blocking method, pressing down with both hands. Hirugami had never seen him seal off a hitting lane or adjust his arms or anything like that. Of course, that did not mean Asano could not do it. It was very possible he simply had not used those skills yet.
But Hirugami decided to gamble. He had always trusted his instincts.
Hirugami jumped and used his usual blocking technique, twisting his wrist and driving the ball straight through the gap between Asano's arms. The space between his arms was practically wide open.
Asano: "?"
He felt a sudden chill, as if something had flown right between his arms. After freezing for a moment, he saw Hirugami's smiling eyes in midair and his empty hands. Only then did he react, then clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had been caught.
Behind Asano, Tomohiro Yamamoto ran nonstop to the front court and dove to receive the ball. He knew this kind of thing would happen. Even Ran sometimes got beaten by a dump.
He was long since used to it.
"Why have they been dragging this out for so long?" Kōrai Hoshiumi crouched on the ground, his eyes fixed without blinking on the two groups of players on the court.
The way he saw it, in a match between the training squad and the national team, the gap between the two sides should be pretty big. Either they kept losing, or they won outright. This kind of back-and-forth deadlock was honestly unexpected.
"Because Ushijima and the others aren't bad either."
Sakusa was watching very seriously. During this period of time, everyone had improved. They might not be able to beat the national team, but they would not lose too badly either.
The seconds ticked by, and the score on the court continued to seesaw back and forth.
Since everyone on the training squad was playing outside their strongest positions, they could still hold up in the first half, but later on, they began to fall behind. A few small problems also started to show.
...
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