Of course, Kuroo was only entertaining the thought. Having one Lev on the team was already enough to give him a headache. If several more players like Lev showed up, they would probably tear the entire gym apart.
Tsutomu Goshiki's spike had been an enormous success, and it meant a great deal to him. This was the first time he had truly scored through his own spike.
He had faced Inarizaki's double block alone, kept his composure, and still managed to put the ball away.
Tsutomu Goshiki had grown.
Watching from the sidelines, Coach Washijō nodded in satisfaction.
Not bad. The boy was finally showing some improvement. If he hadn't improved soon, Coach Washijō would have had to call him in for a talk.
"Inarizaki took the previous point and moved into their serving rotation, but Shiratorizawa immediately answered and reclaimed the point! That attack came from Shiratorizawa's first-year, Tsutomu Goshiki!
"Facing Inarizaki's double block, Goshiki displayed remarkable skill. His razor-sharp Cross Shot broke through the block and scored!"
The commentator praised Tsutomu Goshiki's spike so enthusiastically that he started to feel embarrassed.
"Come on, Atsumu Miya. There's still another rally. Stop looking so miserable."
Aran studied Atsumu Miya's expression and cautiously tried to comfort him.
Atsumu Miya certainly didn't look happy. He had originally planned to score three points during his serving rotation. Instead, the libero had received his serve, and that first-year on the other side had spiked the ball back for a point.
Now Atsumu Miya looked thoroughly annoyed.
"Aran, you don't need to comfort him. He'll sort himself out."
Osamu Miya walked over and quietly spoke to Aran.
No one understood Atsumu Miya better than he did.
He knew Atsumu Miya was only irritated and getting caught up in his own thoughts, probably because his serving rotation had been ended after a single rally.
No matter what, the match still had to continue. Atsumu Miya would never let his negative emotions affect his play.
"Phew..."
As expected, Atsumu Miya took several deep breaths and quickly calmed down.
He had been careless just now.
It seemed there wasn't a single easy opponent on Shiratorizawa's side.
The look in Atsumu Miya's eyes gradually sharpened with a seriousness even he hadn't noticed.
Both teams adjusted their positions and prepared for the next rally.
It was Shiratorizawa's turn to serve, and Tsutomu Goshiki was up.
Holding the volleyball thoughtfully, Tsutomu Goshiki realized Ryosuke had been right. He had to fight for his own serving rotation.
At Shiratorizawa, self-reliance was everything.
"Give us a good serve, Tsutomu Goshiki!"
"Tsutomu Goshiki, score another point!"
Tsutomu Goshiki listened to his teammates cheering, then looked expectantly toward Ushijima.
More than anyone else's encouragement, he wanted to hear Ushijima support him.
Ushijima noticed Tsutomu Goshiki staring at him but didn't understand what he wanted.
Seeing this, Reon jabbed Ushijima hard with his elbow.
Ushijima turned toward him, looking even more confused.
Reon lowered his voice.
"Encourage Tsutomu Goshiki!"
Understanding dawned on Ushijima.
So that was what Tsutomu Goshiki's expression meant?
Why didn't he simply say so?
Ushijima looked at Tsutomu Goshiki and opened his mouth, but he soon realized that he genuinely had no talent for this sort of thing. He had no idea what to say.
Faced with Tsutomu Goshiki's expectant gaze, Ushijima could only offer a stiff, "Do your best."
Everyone could visibly see Tsutomu Goshiki's eyes light up.
His entire presence changed. The flames in his eyes looked hot enough to burn a hole through the volleyball.
Tsutomu Goshiki nodded earnestly at Ushijima.
"Right! Leave everything to me!"
Reon studied the suddenly fired-up Tsutomu Goshiki.
So Ushijima really was Tsutomu Goshiki's strongest buff.
It seemed they would have to get Ushijima to praise him more often. Just look at how excited the boy was. Even his face had turned red.
Tsutomu Goshiki carried the volleyball to the service line.
His gaze swept across Inarizaki's players one by one before finally settling on Akagi.
After staring at him for two or three seconds, Tsutomu Goshiki signaled to the referee that he was ready.
The referee blew the whistle.
"Beep-----------!"
As the whistle sounded, Tsutomu Goshiki spun the volleyball twice in his hands.
He had originally intended to use those two spins to find his touch, but the heated feeling from his previous spike was still there.
So he simply tossed the volleyball into the air, bent his knees, lowered his center of gravity, and began his approach.
"What's that first-year's name?"
Hirugami turned and asked Hoshiumi.
He thought number eight looked extremely skilled as well.
"His name is Tsutomu Goshiki. He's pretty good."
Hoshiumi's cheeks puffed as he ate a banana.
He hadn't realized before just how good the kid was.
Shiratorizawa really didn't keep anyone useless around.
"His serve and spike are both excellent. Look at his serving motion. There's no hesitation at all. You can tell he practices it constantly with his team."
Hirugami rested his chin on his hand as he spoke.
Sitting upright in his chair, Hakuba replied, "We practice plenty too."
Hirugami smiled.
That was true, but none of them had been at Tsutomu Goshiki or Ryosuke's level when they were first-years.
Tsutomu Goshiki tossed the ball, began his approach, and jumped.
He raised his right hand and struck the volleyball with all his strength.
"Bang!"
Tsutomu Goshiki aimed the serve directly at Akagi.
His philosophy was the same as Ushijima's.
A serve that wasn't aimed at the libero might as well not have been served at all.
From the backcourt, Akagi could clearly feel Tsutomu Goshiki staring at him.
He looked up and saw the volleyball flying toward Inarizaki's court.
Almost instantly, Akagi knew it had been aimed at him.
He raised an eyebrow.
Number eight really did have the makings of a young ace.
Akagi judged that the ball would land on the right side of the court and immediately ran in that direction.
Once he reached the predicted landing point, he bent his knees and crouched, preparing for a forearm pass.
Akagi no longer dared underestimate anyone from Shiratorizawa.
He treated every player's serve with complete caution.
The volleyball screamed through the air toward him.
Although there was still some distance between them, Akagi could already feel its power.
Its speed and the sharp sound it made cutting through the air proved that this was no ordinary serve.
Akagi's heart rose into his throat.
The volleyball reached him in an instant.
He lowered his body and extended his arms.
The ball came crashing toward him.
"Thud!"
It slammed into Akagi's forearms.
Akagi clenched his teeth.
The force behind the serve was ridiculous.
As expected, there wasn't a single easy opponent on Shiratorizawa's team.
The impact nearly knocked Akagi over.
Gritting his teeth, he desperately forced his arms upward. The ball felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds.
The volleyball rose into the air.
Akagi had barely managed to receive it, so there had been no time to control the first pass.
Seeing the ball fly toward the backcourt, Atsumu Miya cursed under his breath and chased after it.
Nothing had gone smoothly during this set.
His serves weren't working, and neither were his sets.
Had he forgotten to check his luck before leaving home today?
The volleyball reached the backcourt in the blink of an eye.
Atsumu Miya gauged the distance between himself and the ball.
He could still reach it.
He broke into a sprint, moving so fast that his legs almost blurred.
Akagi looked toward the backcourt apologetically.
That receive had been a mess.
Still, the kid from Shiratorizawa really was impressive. That serve had left his wrists numb.
"Sorry, Atsumu!"
"Get lost!"
Atsumu Miya roared, refusing to accept Akagi's apology.
Akagi didn't get angry. He merely smiled, his eyes curving.
Atsumu Miya jumped as the volleyball approached the three-meter line.
The timing was far from ideal for a set, but he had no other choice. If he waited any longer, they would lose the ball.
Osamu Miya was running at the front, but he didn't seem to be preparing for another back-row attack.
Omimi was lingering in the backcourt instead.
Aran had run to the net alongside Osamu Miya and was now facing Reon directly.
Ryosuke tried to move in for the block, but Suna once again obstructed his view.
Suna met Ryosuke's deep, lake-like eyes and froze for a split second before quickly recovering.
With Suna blocking him yet again, Ryosuke could only think that this man was unbelievably troublesome.
Throughout all the matches he had played, he had never encountered anyone quite like Suna.
He was skilled, persistent, and impossible to shake.
That was already the highest praise Ryosuke could offer him.
The moment Ryosuke saw Suna obstructing him, he shifted his feet and tried to lose him through movement.
But Suna refused to be shaken off.
No matter how Ryosuke moved, Suna's gaze remained glued to him without wavering for even a second.
Atsumu Miya sent the ball from the backcourt toward the front.
It looked like a set for Osamu Miya.
Ryosuke was still being shadowed by Suna.
Tsutomu Goshiki and Reon stood opposite Osamu Miya.
Ryosuke trusted Reon, but he was worried Osamu Miya would target that little idiot Tsutomu Goshiki.
"Bang!"
Sure enough, the exact thing Ryosuke feared happened.
Osamu Miya struck an extreme Cross Shot directly at Tsutomu Goshiki, almost as though he were deliberately trying to reclaim the point from the previous rally.
Seeing the ball descend, Ryosuke's heart tightened.
He no longer cared that Suna was still watching him.
Ryosuke bent low and launched himself across the floor in a beautiful dive.
He stretched his arm as far as it would go, sliding his palm beneath the ball a split second before it touched the ground.
"Thud!"
The volleyball struck the back of Ryosuke's hand and rebounded upward.
Osamu Miya hadn't been watching that side. He had assumed Suna had successfully tied Ryosuke down.
But when he heard the impact, he immediately knew something had gone wrong.
The volleyball bounced off Ryosuke's hand and flew toward the net.
The moment Tsutomu Goshiki saw it rising, he reacted.
He jumped with the ball and brought his right hand down over the net.
Osamu Miya was late to jump and could only watch as Tsutomu Goshiki slammed it down.
"Bang!"
At times like this, Tsutomu Goshiki and Ryosuke showed remarkable coordination.
The volleyball was driven into Inarizaki's court and began falling toward the floor.
Suna dove to receive it, but his timing was slightly off.
He failed to reach it, and the ball landed just beyond his hand.
"Beep-------------!"
Shiratorizawa scored again.
Osamu Miya and Atsumu Miya now looked absolutely furious.
The score was currently 20 to 17, with Inarizaki trailing Shiratorizawa by three points.
That three-point gap seemed impossible to cross.
No matter how hard Inarizaki fought, the difference remained firmly fixed at three.
Whenever Inarizaki scored, Shiratorizawa immediately took the point back.
They refused to give Inarizaki even the slightest opening.
Sitting on the sidelines, Shinsuke Kita couldn't help smiling.
It was rare to see the twins so frustrated.
Shinsuke Kita didn't think Inarizaki's situation was particularly dire.
If a setback this small were enough to crush the twins, he would seriously suspect that something had possessed them.
Atsumu Miya and Osamu Miya would adjust quickly.
Shinsuke Kita trusted the two of them almost blindly.
And just as he thought, Atsumu Miya and Osamu Miya only looked angry because their serves and attacks had been neutralized.
They were irritated, nothing more.
Anyone else might have lost their composure after several rallies like these, but that would never happen to the twins.
They might usually look unreliable and carefree, but when it came to volleyball, they were extraordinarily persistent.
They had displayed a stubbornness unlike anyone else's since childhood.
Shinsuke Kita believed they would lead the team to victory.
"Damn, this is annoying, Samu."
Hearing his name, Osamu Miya let out a long sigh.
"Yeah, Pig Atsumu."
The two stood at the net, staring darkly at Shiratorizawa's players.
Tsutomu Goshiki turned around and found himself directly facing their undisguised glares.
They nearly frightened him out of his skin.
Omimi walked over and smacked both twins once.
"Tone down those looks. You're scaring him."
Atsumu Miya pouted resentfully, but Omimi was his Senpai, so he ultimately said nothing.
Osamu Miya wore the exact same displeased expression.
"Shiratorizawa scores again! First-year Tsutomu Goshiki has delivered a spectacular performance, using both a Cross Shot and an overpass kill to secure two points for Shiratorizawa! How will Inarizaki respond? Let's find out!"
The commentator continued his diligent play-by-play.
From the sidelines, Shinsuke Kita glanced at the coach.
"Coach, shouldn't we call a timeout? Are Atsumu and Osamu really all right like this?"
Coach Kurosu waved him off.
"There's no need. They can play perfectly well in this state. It's good for young people to have a strong desire to win."
Hearing that, Shinsuke Kita fell silent.
He didn't seem to have such a powerful competitive streak himself.
Could there really be an old man living inside him?
Shinsuke Kita sank into thought.
"Beep-----------!"
While the two of them were still talking on the sidelines, the whistle sounded again.
Tsutomu Goshiki was serving once more, and everyone's attention returned to him.
Tsutomu Goshiki spun the volleyball in his hand, his gaze still fixed on Akagi across the net.
It looked like he intended to target Akagi again.
Akagi immediately tensed and watched the volleyball in Tsutomu Goshiki's hands with caution.
That look filled Tsutomu Goshiki with excitement.
Being regarded with such wariness was, in its own way, a form of recognition.
...
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