Yamagata crouched and drove his arms upward.
"Thud!"
The volleyball rose cleanly off his forearms, and he made it look effortless.
Osamu Miya sighed inwardly. This was the first time he had ever faced a libero who left him completely out of ideas.
The ball traveled toward Shirabu.
Watching it approach, Shirabu took several steps back to adjust his position and prepared to jump and set.
Yamagata's first passes were incredibly easy to work with. No matter the situation, the ball always seemed to arrive at exactly the right place.
There were a few rare exceptions, of course. Even when those happened, Shirabu would never blame Yamagata. Compared to what setters on other teams had to deal with, he already had it far too easy.
Tsutomu Goshiki and Ushijima were still leading the attack.
If Shiratorizawa failed to score here, Inarizaki would retain the serve. Shirabu didn't believe Osamu Miya's serve posed much of a threat to Yamagata, but as long as the opposing team controlled the serve, Shiratorizawa had lost the initiative.
They had to score this point.
Suna had blocked Ryosuke's view throughout the previous rallies. Now it was time for some payback.
Ryosuke charged straight in front of Suna and obstructed his vision, immediately putting what he had learned into practice.
Ryosuke had studied how to keep track of setters and middle blockers before, but this was his first time dealing with a blocking-oriented middle blocker like Suna.
Still, it didn't seem too difficult.
Suna raised an eyebrow when Ryosuke appeared in front of him.
So the kid was getting revenge?
He didn't have time to dwell on it. Suna looked past Ryosuke to see whether anyone behind him had jumped, ready to move into the block at any moment.
Omimi-senpai was certainly reliable at the net, but Suna didn't have nearly as much faith in Aran or Osamu Miya's blocking.
Aran was positioned opposite Tsutomu Goshiki.
There was no chance he could stop Ushijima. That would have to be left to Suna. All Aran needed to do was contain Tsutomu Goshiki.
Even so, Aran knew Tsutomu Goshiki was hardly an easy opponent.
His flexible shot selection and viciously sharp Cross Shots repeatedly left Aran stunned. The kid was only a first-year. Once he matured, he might become the next Ushijima.
Shirabu surveyed the court.
Ryosuke seemed to have tied up the opposing middle blocker. Tsutomu Goshiki had someone marking him, while Ushijima faced a double block from Omimi and Osamu Miya.
Normally, Omimi didn't join the block, but the situation was unusual. Suna had been occupied by Ryosuke, and no one knew whether he would make it over in time.
Omimi and Osamu Miya both expected Shirabu to set Ushijima, so they were already preparing a double block.
Shirabu quickly grasped the situation.
Choosing who to set was genuinely difficult. Had his position been better, he might even have attempted a setter dump himself.
He let out a quiet sigh, then flicked the ball away with his fingertips.
The atmosphere on the court instantly tightened.
Everyone's eyes locked onto the ball.
Ushijima glanced back, retreated several steps, and began his approach.
Tsutomu Goshiki made the same movement.
Both prepared to attack at once, which meant one of them had to be a decoy.
When Ushijima prepared to jump, Osamu Miya tensed. He and Omimi readied themselves to block.
Atsumu Miya observed from the backcourt, refusing to let any opportunity slip past him.
Then he suddenly noticed Reon beginning his approach from the back row.
Was Reon the real attacker?
Atsumu Miya quickly assessed the court.
Omimi and Osamu Miya were already preparing to block. Suna, who had been tied up by Ryosuke, was moving toward Osamu Miya's side. Aran had only Tsutomu Goshiki in front of him.
Atsumu Miya didn't care whether it was a trap.
How did that saying go?
Better to stop the wrong person than let the right one through.
Yes, that was it.
With that thought, Atsumu Miya sprinted directly toward Reon.
Omimi and Osamu Miya jumped.
Ushijima swung his left arm down.
Osamu Miya had already braced himself for Ushijima to smash his arms apart, only to realize that no ball came his way.
He almost felt disappointed.
There was no time to think about it. As soon as the two landed, they turned toward Aran.
It seemed they had never considered that anyone else might attack.
Then they saw that Aran had also jumped for nothing.
All three widened their eyes.
A figure rose beneath the lights overhead, casting a shadow across the court.
Everyone turned.
Reon was already in the air, bringing his right hand down hard on the volleyball.
Atsumu Miya jumped at the same instant.
He knew his blocking wasn't particularly strong, but there was no other choice.
If he rushed in and jumped carelessly, there was no way he would stop the ball. He had to time his block precisely to improve his chances.
Atsumu Miya rose just as Reon struck.
Only then did Reon notice him appearing out of nowhere.
Still, Reon didn't hesitate.
He drove the volleyball directly toward Atsumu Miya's hands. Atsumu Miya had appeared too suddenly for Reon to change his target.
"Thud!"
The ball struck Atsumu Miya's fingertips and deflected into the backcourt.
Akagi immediately raced over from Ushijima's side.
Watching the ball fly deep, he felt a lingering chill. Had Atsumu Miya reacted even a moment later, they would have lost the point.
Akagi sprinted into the backcourt.
Just before the volleyball touched the floor, he slid across the court and positioned himself directly beneath it.
He lifted both arms and dug it up.
"Thud!"
The volleyball rose once more.
Atsumu Miya spun around and ran toward the backcourt to set.
Osamu Miya reset his approach and prepared to jump again.
It looked like the ball was going to him once more.
Ryosuke was about to move over and mark Osamu Miya, but the situation had reversed.
Ryosuke had kept Suna occupied earlier. Now it was Suna's turn to shadow him.
The two stared each other down across the net again.
Seeing something was wrong, Reon and Tsutomu Goshiki both ran toward Osamu Miya's approach.
Throughout this set, Suna had constantly kept Ryosuke tied down, making it difficult for him to block and leaving him in a passive position.
"Ryosuke still lacks experience."
Hirugami rested his chin on his wrist as he spoke.
Konoha nodded in agreement.
"The biggest difference between Ryosuke and us is experience. He's incredibly talented, but he's still only a first-year. Compared to Suna, he has a long way to go in that area."
Hirugami nodded.
He completely agreed with Konoha.
Suna had once again locked onto Ryosuke, who searched for a way to shake him off.
But Suna had no intention of giving him the chance.
The two remained locked in a standoff at the net.
Neither moved until Atsumu Miya set the ball toward Osamu Miya.
Ryosuke immediately sprinted toward the attack.
Suna froze for a moment before chasing after him.
He had assumed that, since Ryosuke was already being marked, he wouldn't still try to reach the block.
Yet Ryosuke had chosen to go anyway.
Watching Ryosuke rapidly pull away, Suna cursed inwardly.
Was this guy some kind of rabbit?
How could he run so fast?
There was no way to catch him.
Why hadn't Ryosuke moved like that earlier?
Ryosuke had no idea whether Suna was following him.
His attention was entirely on the block, so he didn't care.
Osamu Miya received Atsumu Miya's set and jumped at the net just as Ryosuke was closing in.
He immediately swung down at the volleyball.
He couldn't wait for Ryosuke to arrive.
Once Ryosuke got there, the point would probably be lost.
"Thud!"
The volleyball brushed past Tsutomu Goshiki's arm and slammed into the court.
Tsutomu Goshiki had sensed where Osamu Miya intended to attack the moment he raised his hand.
His arm simply couldn't keep up with his thoughts.
He was one step too slow.
By the time he deliberately moved his arm into place, the ball had already gone past him.
Ryosuke saw it falling and threw himself forward into a dive, but he couldn't reach it.
In the end, Inarizaki scored.
"Beep------------!"
Inarizaki successfully held their serve again.
"Nice one, Samu."
Aran grinned and patted Osamu Miya on the shoulder.
Atsumu Miya gave a smug hum.
"Of course."
Osamu Miya rolled his eyes.
"I'm the one he praised. What are you so proud of?"
Atsumu Miya answered as though it were obvious.
"Praising you is the same as praising me."
Atsumu Miya was truly shameless when he wanted to be.
"It's a good thing we don't have another match this afternoon. Otherwise, we'd have to rush off. This one doesn't look like it'll end anytime soon."
Komori sighed.
He had expected the match to take a while, but even after more than forty minutes, the first set still wasn't over.
Iizuna fully agreed.
A match between Shiratorizawa and Inarizaki was bound to be even more exciting than the one they had played at noon.
The match continued.
Tsutomu Goshiki looked dejected after the spike had gone past him.
"I'm sorry. I should've blocked that."
He felt guilty.
Why was his blocking so poor?
Had he been a little better, he could have stopped that ball. Then, even when Ryosuke wasn't there, someone else would still be able to block.
Seeing Tsutomu Goshiki like that made Ryosuke feel guilty as well.
Ryosuke believed the problem was his.
If he had shaken off Suna sooner, he could have gotten to the ball.
"I..."
Seeing that Ryosuke and Tsutomu Goshiki were about to start apologizing to each other, Reon quickly cut them off.
"That's enough. It wasn't either of your faults. You win some rallies and lose others. Stop blaming yourselves. That point is over, but we still have the next one."
Ryosuke and Tsutomu Goshiki sighed at the same time.
Neither said anything else.
What they were thinking, however, was another matter.
Ryosuke was frustrated because Suna had been clinging to him throughout the match and refused to be shaken off.
Tsutomu Goshiki was frustrated because the match had shown him exactly how poor his blocking still was.
Each lost in his own thoughts, they steadied themselves and returned to position.
Osamu Miya walked toward the service line, tossing the volleyball in his hands.
The music in the stands didn't start.
Perhaps someone had spoken to the cheering section. After all, the serving music belonged exclusively to Atsumu Miya.
Everyone on Inarizaki, including Osamu Miya, complained about Atsumu Miya constantly.
In truth, however, Atsumu Miya was the most pampered person on the team.
Even the coach favored him a little.
The moment Osamu Miya settled at the service line, Atsumu Miya's loud voice rang in his ears.
"Samu, give us another one! Show them what you can do!"
Osamu Miya smiled helplessly before shouting back, "Of course!"
He couldn't understand why Atsumu Miya was so childish despite being the older brother.
Still, it didn't matter.
Atsumu Miya was his brother.
If even Osamu Miya rejected him, Atsumu Miya would be far too pitiful.
"Beep--------------!"
The whistle interrupted his thoughts.
Osamu Miya looked up at the opposite court.
Then he tossed the volleyball into the air and began his approach.
Once the ball reached the right height, he pushed off with both feet and jumped.
He raised his right hand and struck the volleyball with all his strength.
"Bang!"
The ball flew directly toward Yamagata's face.
Yamagata could tell it was aimed at him.
He remained where he was, making only a few minor adjustments to his posture to ensure a clean receive.
The ball rushed toward him.
Yamagata extended both arms, and the volleyball slammed directly into them.
"Thud!"
He received it cleanly.
Seeing the ball go up, Osamu Miya sighed helplessly.
This didn't even feel like serving anymore.
It was more like they were playing a simple game of "I serve, you receive."
For once, Osamu Miya felt genuinely frustrated.
The match was still underway, however, so he quickly pushed the feeling aside and moved in to join the attack.
Yamagata easily passed the ball toward Shirabu.
As far as he was concerned, the only Inarizaki server who posed any real threat was Atsumu Miya.
Everyone else's serves felt more or less the same.
Shirabu saw the ball approaching, took a few steps, and jumped to set.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ushijima flash past him.
Ushijima even spared a moment to glance at him.
Shirabu immediately understood who wanted the ball.
Ushijima rarely asked him for a set directly.
Shirabu didn't know why he was doing so now, but if the ace wanted the ball, he was more than happy to oblige.
After judging Ushijima's position, Shirabu sent the ball to him without hesitation.
Ushijima rushed toward position two and jumped.
He made no attempt to conceal his intention to attack.
Anyone could see what he was doing.
Suna sprinted toward position two and joined Aran in preparing the block.
Ryosuke saw Suna move and instantly realized he was too late.
If only he had marked Suna sooner, Suna wouldn't have noticed Ushijima's attacking position so quickly.
It was too late to regret that now.
Even so, Ryosuke believed Ushijima would score.
Suna and Aran rushed into position.
As Ushijima jumped, they rose with him.
...
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