Haruki Komi was caught off guard too. He had been preparing to defend against Hoshiumi's spike, but he had not expected Nozawa to suddenly appear.
Nozawa's presence was too faint, much like Fukurōdani's Washio, so no one reacted in time.
This back-row attack was extremely fast. It flew straight past Hirugami and Konoha in position two, then shot toward the backcourt at high speed.
Konoha and Haruki Komi turned at the same time and chased after the volleyball, trying to receive it. But before either of them could get there, someone else moved even faster. Bokuto shot out like a white whirlwind, sprinting to save the ball.
His speed was almost enough to match the ball itself.
Just as the volleyball was about to hit the floor, Bokuto finally caught up. He crouched down, used his knee as a pivot, and slid across the floor for a stretch as if drifting, circling around to the front of the ball.
He stretched out both hands and received it.
"Bang!"
The volleyball struck Bokuto's solid, powerful arms and flew back up.
"Nice ball!"
"Great job, Bokuto!"
Cheers rang out across the court.
The moment Bokuto finished receiving, he immediately adjusted his posture, turned, and ran toward the net.
As he ran, he was still shouting,
"Keiji Akaashi! Set it to me!"
Keiji Akaashi had never been able to refuse Bokuto when he called for him. He jumped at once and sent the ball directly to Bokuto's position.
Seeing Bokuto coming again, everyone from Kamomedai began a new round of blocking.
Hirugami's vision was partly blocked by Konoha, and for an instant, he could not clearly see where Bokuto was going to run from. But he heard the footsteps, and from that, he confirmed which side Bokuto would head toward.
Bokuto had now run to position three. That position was the most suitable for hitting a cross.
Suwa and Hakuba also ran that way, but they were not as fast as Bokuto. By the time they reached the net and prepared to jump, Hirugami and Bokuto had already met head-on in the air.
When Bokuto saw that Hirugami was the one blocking him, he only felt that it was a little troublesome. But he did not think much more of it. No matter how strong the block was, he, Bokuto, would definitely spike through it.
"Bang!"
Bokuto aimed at the tips of Hirugami's blocking fingers and went for an overhand spike.
Hirugami saw Bokuto's arm suddenly stretch out even farther and instantly understood what he was trying to do, so he raised his own hand upward as well.
The ball that should have brushed past Hirugami's fingertips, or missed them completely, ended up striking the very tips of his fingers and flying out.
The force that came through his fingertips made Hirugami think for an instant that his hand was about to break.
A wave of soreness and numbness shot through it.
That overhand spike had been forcibly turned into a block touch out of bounds.
Hirugami quickly landed and looked back. When he saw that Keiichiro behind him was already chasing the volleyball to save it, he finally relaxed and stayed near the net.
The others also began reorganizing their formation, preparing for the next attack.
"Bokuto's spike went to the other side, then returned to Fukurōdani's court after Hirugami's block and the Libero's receive. But Bokuto picked it up again, then worked with the setter for a quick attack! He aimed a hand-off spike at Hirugami's fingertips and sent it back into Kamomedai's court!"
"What a brilliant rally! The two teams are now completely neck and neck!"
The spectators in the stands stared with wide eyes, their heads turning back and forth like sunflowers, while the sun was the volleyball still flying all over the court.
"That ball wasn't a hand-off spike, was it?"
Tsutomu Goshiki rubbed his eyes and asked Ryosuke beside him, not quite certain.
Tsutomu Goshiki was very confident in his eyesight. He did not think he had seen it wrong.
Ryosuke nodded, pulled his gaze away from the match, and looked at Tsutomu Goshiki as he explained seriously.
"Actually, that ball just now should have been an over-the-block spike. Bokuto-senpai was trying to hit over the block, but Hirugami-senpai noticed what he was going for. Maybe some small movement from Bokuto-senpai gave it away. Then Hirugami-senpai raised his arm a little higher because he didn't want to let that ball score so easily.
"Neither of them had actually reached the limit of their jump."
"Tch. Actually, I think Bokuto was originally planning to hit a different ball, but then he probably realized that route had been completely sealed off and was forced to change his attack."
Yamagata stood to the side, stroking his chin as he analyzed.
"That's possible. With Bokuto's level, if he really wanted to secretly hit an over-the-block spike, Hirugami probably would have had a hard time noticing. But if he changed his motion at the last second in a rush and didn't handle the small details properly, then being noticed makes sense."
Reon also agreed with Yamagata's analysis. Apart from occasionally going negative during matches, Bokuto's skill level was still very strong.
At that moment, Ryosuke saw that Keiichiro had originally been waiting to receive in position six. But Bokuto's ball had not gone to position six, so he had to chase after it.
Ryosuke stood up and looked at the positions on the court again. Only then did he realize that the spot where Bokuto originally intended to hit a cross must have been blocked by Hirugami's hand. Unless it was an extremely sharp cross, with a block like Hirugami's, what cross could he not stop?
His eyes shifted again, and Ryosuke saw Keiichiro in position six, as well as Hoshiumi in position five, ready to move at any moment. Only then did he understand that all of Bokuto's routes had been sealed off.
"From Bokuto-senpai's position, neither a cross nor a straight would probably get through. Hirugami-senpai blocks crosses almost perfectly. Unless it's a cross with an extremely tricky angle, he'll stop it. And a straight shot doesn't have a high chance of scoring either.
"Keiichiro-senpai and Hoshiumi are both behind Hirugami-senpai. They can cover anything unexpected. Even if it were a tip, Keiichiro-senpai could just dive to the floor and pick it up. If that receive was clean, Hoshiumi could easily use that first pass to hit an overpass."
After standing up and sitting back down, Ryosuke whispered a long string of analysis to Tsutomu Goshiki. Then he paused briefly before continuing.
"The most troublesome part is that once that overpass goes back over the net, there's basically no way to receive it.
"KOmimi-senpai is in the backcourt preparing for the opponent's spike, while Washio-senpai and Onaga-senpai have half their attention on Hoshiumi and the other half on Suwa-senpai in position two. Everyone thinks that if this ball crosses the net, the one organizing the next attack will be either Hoshiumi or Suwa-senpai."
Ryosuke thought he was speaking very quietly, but Coach Aaron, sitting in front of him, had heard every bit of his sneaky muttering. The bench had still been a little noisy at first, but once Ryosuke's voice carried over, everyone gradually fell silent in tacit understanding and listened to his analysis.
Coach Takurō kept nodding as he listened. Not bad. That was a very good analysis. Were kids these days all this smart?
But then he thought of the clever little brats on his own team and stopped finding it strange. Maybe kids these days just matured early.
"Bang!"
The sound of a spike drew everyone's attention again, and their eyes returned to the match.
The previous ball had turned into a hand-off spike. Although Keiichiro had not reacted the instant the ball flew over, his powerful game sense made his body move one step faster than his mind. He had already taken off running.
Keiichiro turned and sprinted after it, while Hirugami stopped paying attention to the ball. He trusted that Keiichiro would definitely pick it up.
Keiichiro had no idea Hirugami trusted him that much. Right now, he was busy cursing in his heart. His legs were about to run themselves into pieces.
In this match, the Wing Spikers and Middle Blockers were all spiking harder than the last. The only ones suffering were the Liberos. Receive, receive, and keep receiving. Even Haruki Komi was constantly receiving.
These guys had absolutely no regard for the Libero's life. They really deserved the death penalty.
Keiichiro thought through gritted teeth, then threw himself onto the floor and slid forward for a distance, getting the ball up.
"Bang!"
The volleyball bounced into the air and flew high again, looking very similar to the previous ball.
As the volleyball rose and began to fall, players on both sides of the net started moving, either preparing to attack or preparing to block.
Kazuyoshi Bessho sighed. Forget it. In a match like this, just getting the ball up was already good enough. A perfect first pass could be forgotten. That felt like something no human could manage. Better not to ask the impossible.
Then, keeping his eyes on the ball, Kazuyoshi Bessho also started moving, preparing to set.
Keiichiro had bumped the volleyball up very high. Although it was not a perfect first pass, it was very close to Kazuyoshi Bessho.
Kazuyoshi Bessho reached the spot after only a few steps, then jumped and held the ball with his hands. His ten fingers exerted force without the slightest pause, sending the ball out immediately.
The volleyball flew out, and Hoshiumi flew out too. Hoshiumi looked as if he had grown wings. He truly seemed to take flight.
Washio and Konoha rushed toward Bessho's side to block, but there was no time at all.
By the time they reached the net, Hoshiumi had already jumped.
"Bang!"
Washio jumped to block, but he did not touch Hoshiumi's spike at all. The ball was slammed straight into the small patch of floor beside Konoha.
"Beep--------------!"
The referee's whistle announced that the point was valid.
Konoha looked down at the volleyball that had fallen to the floor, then looked up and saw Hoshiumi grinning at him provocatively from across the net.
"Not bad, Hoshiumi. You'll catch up to Bokuto-senpai soon."
"Hah?!"
As expected, Hoshiumi instantly bristled. To him, that sentence was more effective than any provocation.
Hoshiumi was so angry that he looked ready to tear open the net and beat Konoha up.
Hakuba arrived just in time. He grabbed Hoshiumi under the arms with both hands and lifted him up. Hoshiumi's legs swung back and forth in the air as he pointed at Konoha, opening his mouth to curse, only for Nozawa, who came up right after, to cover his mouth.
"￥%#&#@! I @@##￥￥%...!"
Hoshiumi made a bunch of muffled noises no one could understand.
Konoha picked at his ear and turned his head away. This kid sure had a filthy mouth.
Hoshiumi was still furious. He angrily pulled Nozawa's arm away, then struggled free from Hakuba's hands and jumped down. When he landed, he even stomped hard on Hakuba's foot.
Then he turned and walked away, his steps so heavy they looked like they might stomp holes through the floor.
He was so mad, so mad! What did "catch up to Bokuto-senpai soon" mean?! Why Bokuto-senpai? Wasn't he just one year older than him?! Damn it!
Even the coaches on the bench could feel Hoshiumi's gloomy anger. Coach Takurō finally found his chance to speak.
"Tsk, tsk. Young people really can't keep their cool."
Coach Aaron snorted and crossed his arms as he looked at Takurō. His face twitched, and he looked like he wanted to curse, but in the end, he held it back. The kids were still here. He could not get angry. He could not get angry.
That brat Hoshiumi's temper really needed to be fixed.
Konoha walked back to his position in a very good mood. Keiji Akaashi looked at him helplessly. What was he doing, provoking him out of nowhere? Was this some new tactic?
Facing Keiji Akaashi's gaze, Konoha rubbed his nose and said nothing.
Hoshiumi really was a little powder keg. One spark and he exploded. Konoha had simply wanted to be annoying.
The referee blew the whistle and told everyone to return to their positions. The next rally was about to begin.
Kamomedai had scored, so now Hoshiumi was serving.
Hoshiumi's small figure walked to the service area. The ball boy handing him the ball looked about the same height as him.
He took the volleyball with a fierce air, then slapped it hard against the floor a few times, his eyes flashing with aggression.
Although he had indeed scored the last point, Hoshiumi did not feel satisfied at all. After Konoha said that, Hoshiumi felt that one point was nothing special. At the very least, he had to take five. Then he would see whether the Fukurōdani lot could still laugh.
Hoshiumi placed the volleyball in his hand and raised it. Three seconds after the serving whistle, he tossed the ball.
Lowering his center of gravity, Hoshiumi prepared to strike.
He swung both arms, pressed his body's center of gravity down, then suddenly jumped, like a seagull taking flight from the surface of the sea.
It was hard to tell whether the vast ocean or the volleyball before him was reflected in his eyes.
"Bang!"
His arm exerted force, his palm wrapped around the volleyball, and he slammed it out hard.
In that instant, the volleyball seemed to come alive, flying toward the opposite court with its own path and arc.
"Hoshiumi-senpai's path in volleyball must have been really hard."
Tsutomu Goshiki said this while watching Hoshiumi jump. No matter how many times he saw Hoshiumi take off, Tsutomu Goshiki was still shaken by it.
Reo Inube glanced at Tsutomu Goshiki, then rubbed his hair and said,
"Hoshiumi's path in volleyball has always been difficult. He's too short, so people often dismissed him before he even got on the court. He sat on the bench for two years. His palms are also very small, so he can't fully wrap them around the volleyball.
"A lot of people told him that with his build, he could only be a Libero, and that spiking was just wishful thinking."
Coach Aaron also heard their conversation and smiled as he teased Reo Inube.
"Don't make Hoshiumi sound that pitiful. He may not be as tall as other people, but his jumping ability, speed, and learning ability can easily crush all of you. He's only walking a little more slowly on the path of volleyball. You're the ordinary ones."
Reo Inube and Tsutomu Goshiki immediately felt as if invisible arrows had pierced them. A moment ago, they had still been sighing over how difficult Hoshiumi's path in volleyball must have been. Then they turned around and realized they were the ordinary ones.
Seeing the two kids rendered speechless, Coach Aaron laughed with a wicked sort of amusement.
Hoshiumi's serve completely exceeded Haruki Komi's expectations. Judging by its speed and angle, it was an extremely troublesome ball.
But Hoshiumi's serve had not been like this during the last training camp. Had he been hiding his strength? Or had he improved again in such a short time? No matter which reason it was, the way Haruki Komi looked at Hoshiumi changed, becoming incredibly serious.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.