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The timeout ended quickly, and both teams returned to the court.
After consecutive scores, Sengoku Junior High still had possession of the ball.
As the eighth rally began, Kitagawa Daiichi’s No. 1 Opposite Hitter, the ‘Captain’, once again cleanly received the serve from Sengoku Junior High School. The ball was then set to Kageyama Tobio.
“Are they planning to switch up their attack? Or will they keep using the Quick Attack (Fast Tempo Attack) to dodge the block?”
Standing at the net, Akashi Asuto fixed his gaze on Kageyama’s fingers. In the next instant, the ball shot out from the setter’s hands. Asuto instinctively abandoned the opposing middle blocker in front of him and quickly shifted sideways towards Kindaichi.
Bang!
But this time…
Asuto had only just reacted when he heard a dull thud. By the time he turned his head back, the ball had already landed on his team’s side of the court. This sudden turn of events left every member of Sengoku Junior High School frozen in place.
“What an annoying opponent!”
Asuto glanced at the spot where the ball had landed, the corner of his mouth curling slightly upwards. When he turned to look across the net, his gaze met a pair of eyes that seemed to carry both pride and provocation.
…
Score: 4–4.
“Whoa! That was close, I almost missed it! Hey, Kageyama, how many times have I told you? Don’t use those reckless sets during a match!” Despite having just scored, Kindaichi showed no excitement; instead, he shouted with lingering fear on his face.
Ultimately, Kageyama Tobio still failed to follow the coach’s advice to trust his teammates.
Instead, he chose a different approach for a setter.
He increased the speed of his passes. Since the opponent could keep up with his current quick attack and form a block, he simply went even faster to shake them off.
To be honest… This kind of reckless passing style wouldn’t be allowed on almost any other team.
After all, a high level of coordination is demanded of volleyball offense. The timing between the setter and the attackers, in particular, usually takes months, or even longer, to refine. If either side suddenly changes the rhythm, it can easily result in miscommunication and errors.
Yet Kageyama Tobio relied purely on his talent to deliver a perfect set.
Even with the sudden change in tempo, Kindaichi still just about managed to spike the ball past the block.
“So this speed can still be caught up with? In that case, maybe I can make the next set even faster.”
Faced with Yutaro Kindaichi’s reprimand, Kageyama Tobio gave no response whatsoever. Instead, right after scoring, he sank immediately into his own world, already thinking about how to handle the next attack.
Seeing that Kageyama had completely ignored him, Kindaichi flew into a rage, looking ready to charge forward and start a fight, but Akira Kunimi and a few other teammates held him back firmly.
“Hey! Kageyama, did you even hear what I said?! You bastard…!”
…
“Uh… are they okay over there?”
“They should be fine, I guess.”
“Don’t overthink it. We’re not in a position to worry about them right now. We should focus on how to deal with the next few rallies instead.”
The argument on the other side briefly drew Sengoku Junior High School’s attention, but Oda Miki quickly pulled their focus back.
The next few rallies would not be easy.
If Sengoku Junior High School scored just one more point and gained the serve, their formation would rotate again.
And the problem was… After this rotation, Asuto would move to the back row.
As the current core player for both offense and blocking at Sengoku Junior High School, Asuto was under immense pressure. Setting aside his offensive skills, once he moved to the back row, only Omae Masato and Kazama Jujirō remained in the front row with any real blocking ability.
However, their blocks posed almost no threat to Kitagawa Daiichi’s Quick Attack.
There was another issue as well.
Once Asuto rotated to the back row, Sengoku Junior High School would see a decline in both offensive and blocking strength.
Their overall reception and defensive capabilities would decline too.
After all, aside from spiking and blocking, Asuto’s other basic techniques hadn’t reached even a basic level yet.
Among the Sengoku Junior High School Volleyball Club substitutes, there was no suitable replacement. So, even if they wanted to make a substitution, they simply couldn’t.
Whistle!
The referee blew his whistle, and Kitagawa Daiichi served the ninth ball.
After Sengoku Junior High School’s libero received the ball, Mishita Ryuhei set it to Kazama Jujirō for a spike, but unfortunately, it was blocked by the opponents.
The score became 4–5.
Tenth rally.
Following Kitagawa Daiichi’s serve, Sengoku Junior High School organized an attack. Asuto eventually feinted past the block and scored with a powerful spike.
The score was tied at 5:5.
Sengoku Junior High regained the serve and rotated positions. Asuto moved to Position 1 on the right side of the back row.
Position 1 was the service zone.
Asuto took this serve.
His serving ability could be summed up perfectly by the number 51.7 on his stat panel.
Strength, speed, accuracy, spin… He lacked almost everything.
The only thing he could do was to send the ball into the opponent’s court.
Bang!
Kitagawa Daiichi received the ball and quickly organized an attack. Their main attacker targeted Asuto’s area and scored directly with a spike.
Score: 5–6.
Twelfth rally.
Kitagawa Daiichi once again targeted Asuto and scored again.
Score: 5–7.
Thirteenth rally.
Kitagawa Daiichi aimed at Asuto again. This time, he managed to return the ball by sheer luck, but it flew straight back to the opponents’ court. After reorganizing their offense, they spiked again and scored.
Score: 5–8.
Fourteenth rally:
Kitagawa Daiichi made a serving error, failing to clear the net. Sengoku Junior High picked up a free point. After that, Asuto rotated clockwise from Position 1 to Position 6, to the center of the back row.
Then came the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth rallies…
As time passed, the score fluctuated with several close exchanges. Overall, however, Sengoku Junior High remained at a disadvantage.
Twenty-three minutes into the second set, the score reached 19:24.
It was match point for Kitagawa Daiichi.
The situation couldn’t have been worse.
Yet at that very moment, it was the opponent’s setter, Kageyama Tobio, who stepped up to serve.
Even worse… Asuto had just rotated into the back row.
Even with his rich match experience from his previous life, at this moment, Asuto still felt an overwhelming pressure closing in from all directions.
There was no hiding it.
The moment he stood in the back row and met Kageyama Tobio’s gaze after the block, he already knew.
This ball would definitely be aimed at him.
Behind him was a sheer cliff.
There was no way out.
One ball would decide everything.
…
“Haah…”
Kageyama Tobio let out a soft breath as he stood behind the baseline, gently tossing the ball high into the air.
Then came the approach, the jump, the gathering of strength, the swing…
Boom!
With a heavy, impact-like sound, the volleyball shot past the block and flew straight towards Asuto.
In the backcourt of Sengoku Junior High School… From the moment Kageyama began his approach, Asuto focused all his attention on the ball in his hand.
The instant the ball was struck, he suddenly felt as if time around him had slowed down. He could clearly see the ball’s trajectory in midair, even the patterns on its surface.
Following its path, Asuto adjusted his footing and prepared to receive it perfectly.
And then… As if a miracle were about to happen… The ball landed in his arms…
… and bounced away.
Thud… thud… thud…
The volleyball hit the floor, bouncing several times before finally rolling to a stop at the edge of the wall.
Just like the frozen expressions of the Sengoku Junior High School players.
Whistle…!
(End of Chapter)
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