You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
The second set began.
Kitagawa Daiichi started with the serve.
While most junior high players lack serving technique, Kageyama Tobio was one of the rare exceptions.
With his precise control and considerable power, Kageyama’s jump serve was renowned across the entire prefecture. Today, he seemed to be in particularly good form.
Less than a minute after the start of the second set, the score had already become 0–3.
It wasn’t until the fourth serve that Kageyama finally made a mistake by hitting the net.
The score became 1–3.
As soon as Kageyama stepped out of the service zone, Akashi Asuto felt as though everyone, both on and off the court, including the coach, let out a collective sigh of relief.
Beep!
Kazama Jūjirō of Sengoku High served. The ball arced through the air and was cleanly received by Akira Kunimi, who had moved to the back row. Then Kageyama Tobio took the ball and quickly set it to Yutaro Kindaichi, initiating a quick attack.
As long as Kageyama wasn’t ‘malfunctioning,’ Kitagawa Daiichi’s quick attack success rate was extremely high.
Almost instantly, the ball traveled from midcourt to the right sideline.
By that time, Kindaichi was already airborne. Looking ahead, there was nothing but empty space beyond the opposing block.
Bang!
The ball arrived at the hitting point perfectly, and Kindaichi swung with a relaxed motion.
But suddenly, an arm appeared out of nowhere from the side.
It was just a single arm.
For some reason, a chill ran down Kindaichi’s spine in that instant.
By then, however, he couldn’t stop his swing.
Smack!
The ball made inevitable contact with the unexpected arm. It didn’t get blocked completely, but its trajectory changed, sending it high into the air over Sengoku’s court.
“One touch!”
Still in midair, Oda Miki shouted loudly.
This sudden turn of events came as a shock to Kitagawa Daiichi and Sengoku High’s players alike.
No one knew how Oda Miki had appeared in that position.
Nevertheless, both sides reacted quickly despite the shock.
The ball, deflected by Oda, rose high into the air in a stable arc.
Mishita Ryuhei stepped forward, received it, and immediately passed it to the front row… to Asuto.
“I knew it would be you! Don’t think you can break through our defense so easily!” Kindaichi roared.
After his failed attack, he was stunned for only a brief moment before snapping back to his senses. He quickly coordinated with the other middle blocker in the front row to form a defense.
This alone made it clear that Kitagawa Daiichi’s tactical discipline far surpassed Sengoku’s.
But in the next instant…
Boom!
The volleyball tore straight through the gap between the other middle blocker’s raised hands and slammed heavily onto the floor.
Score: 2–3.
“Damn it!”
After landing, Kindaichi looked at the calm, composed face of his opponent and angrily swung his arm.
From the first set until now, aside from the initial mistake of the opponent setter and the final point where he succeeded under Kageyama’s direction, he had never once managed to block Asuto in a one-on-one situation.
Even with two blockers, it still wasn’t enough.
Only when three players blocked together could they completely shut down his spike.
And that frustrated Kindaichi deeply.
This was especially frustrating since he had lost this point because of his own mistake.
Making it even harder to accept.
“Damn it… Why was that guy there?”
The middle blocker beside him also cursed in frustration.
Though his anger wasn’t directed at Asuto but at Oda Miki.
Although Asuto scored that point, anyone could see that Oda Miki’s sudden appearance had disrupted Kitagawa Daiichi’s quick attack and won them the rally.
Both Sengoku High and Kitagawa Daiichi had one thing in common: their strong offensive power.
However, Kitagawa Daiichi could occasionally block Asuto’s spikes, whereas Sengoku High, on the other hand, had absolutely no way to stop Kitagawa Daiichi’s coordinated plays.
This was the direct reason for the difference in score.
Now, however, Oda Miki had created an obstacle for Kitagawa Daiichi at the net for the first time.
It wasn’t just about a single point anymore. It had the potential to shift the momentum of the entire match.
“Wooooahhh!!!”
“Nice one, Oda!”
“Yeah! Yeah!”
After winning the point, Omae Masato and the others were unusually excited. They surrounded Oda Miki, shouting with exhilaration as their morale soared.
After a while, once the excitement had settled down a bit, Asuto spoke up:
“Oda, how did you know that ball would be set to their number five?”
Unlike Sengoku High, which concentrated most of its attacks on its “ace,” Asuto, Kitagawa Daiichi’s offensive distribution was very balanced.
In that previous play, besides Kindaichi, there were two other attackers positioned on the left and center.
In theory, those two had a higher chance of receiving the set, especially since Kindaichi’s initial positioning wasn’t ideal.
And yet, the ball had still gone to him.
Upon hearing this, Omae Masato and the others fell silent.
They were curious, too.
If it had just been luck, then fine. But if it wasn’t, the implications were entirely different.
Under everyone’s gaze, Oda Miki paused for a moment before speaking.
“Their setter is very strong.”
Mishita Ryuhei thought for a moment before replying, “(；￣д￣)…”
“We already know that; he’s the ‘King,’ after all. You don’t need to point out something so obvious.”
“No.” Oda Miki shook his head. “What I mean is, their setter is incredibly strong. So strong that it’s almost ridiculous.”
“My older brother plays in the V2 League, and sometimes he brings his teammates to play practice matches near my house. You might not believe this, but in terms of passing accuracy alone… that setter gives me the feeling that he’s already close to the setter on my brother’s team.”
Everyone:
…
…
…
…
…
…
“You’re kidding!”
“No way. That is absolutely impossible.”
“Are you serious? He’s just a junior high school student! And you’re saying he’s almost as good as a professional player? You must be mistaken. And wait, your brother is a professional player? Why have we never heard about this before?!”
As Oda Miki finished speaking, the atmosphere in Sengoku High froze for a few seconds before completely exploding.
This time, it wasn’t because they lacked composure.
It was simply that Oda Miki’s words were too shocking.
They didn’t want to believe it.
But they also knew… that although Oda Miki usually had a low profile in the volleyball club, he was never one to joke around.
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395