Akashi Asuto was a very strong blocker.
Of all the basic techniques, his blocking stats were second only to his spiking.
In the first set, however, Asuto did not demonstrate much of his blocking ability. One reason for this was exactly as Oikawa had guessed: to deliver a fatal blow at a crucial moment.
Another reason was that Asuto did not want his opponents to adapt too quickly to the rhythm of his blocks.
After all, a volleyball match is a constant process of adaptation.
No matter how outrageous, absurd, or unbelievable your serve or offense might be, once the opponent adapts to your rhythm, the threat posed by your offense or defense gradually decreases.
Conversely, a ‘new technique’ was often at its most dangerous when it first appeared.
And so…
Bang!
Thunk!
A powerful spike slammed into Asuto’s arms and rebounded with a loud bang onto the floor behind Iwaizumi Hajime.
2:0.
The Red Team scored another point.
After landing, Asuto looked at Oikawa, his face full of exaggerated surprise.
“No way. No way! Oikawa-senpai, you didn’t actually think I was going to defend against Senior Hanamaki just now, did you?”
At the start of the second set, Asuto had used the Tactical Taunt on Hanamaki Takahiro, angering him visibly.
The moment Oikawa noticed this, he realized that Asuto was trying to psychologically provoke them.
So Oikawa simply played along.
During the second attack rotation, he intentionally used Hanamaki Takahiro as bait before suddenly setting the volleyball to Iwaizumi Hajime instead.
However, Oikawa had overlooked one thing.
Asuto had always had a clear understanding of himself.
From the outset, he had viewed his role in matches as that of an unstoppable frontline general… not a commander or strategist.
He had occasionally used tactics like [Tactical Taunt] ever since his previous life, but he had never expected them to achieve some grand strategic objective.
He knew very clearly that he was not the kind of genius mastermind who could flawlessly calculate every possibility.
He used Tactical Taunt for only one reason:
To mess with the opponent’s mentality.
It was simple and direct.
But tricks like this were often surprisingly effective.
Asuto himself had never expected his Tactical Taunt to produce an effect like this.
Honestly, it caught him off guard too.
“Well, this is a rare sight. I don’t usually believe in my own provocation tactics, but somehow the enemy believed in them completely. Interesting. Far too interesting.”
Asuto shook his head and muttered to himself as he turned around.
Oikawa: “······ヽ(#`Д)┌┛〃”
Hearing those words, Oikawa instantly suffered massive emotional damage.
This wave…
This was truly a case of the clever being outsmarted by their own cleverness.
Setter players all had black hearts. That much was beyond doubt…
Except for Mishita Ryuhei.
Mishita Ryuhei: “??? Are you praising me or insulting me?”
Oikawa Tooru was one of the best setters around.
After witnessing Asuto’s blocking technique at the end of the first set, he predicted that the Red Team would focus heavily on blocking defense in the second set.
In response, Oikawa Tooru also strengthened the White Team’s front-row offense.
However, perhaps precisely because of that final block from the first set, Oikawa ended up making a tiny little mistake in judging Asuto’s way of thinking.
He believed that Asuto had strengthened the front-row blocking in the second set as part of an elaborate scheme.
But in reality, Asuto’s strategy was simply to force the White Team into a direct clash and win the match in one set.
As for schemes and conspiracies?
Honestly, if you cut open the chests of all five Red Team members combined, the amount of ‘darkness’ you’d dig out of their hearts probably still wouldn’t equal what Oikawa carries by himself.
……
The Red Team had scored two points in a row at the start, so Mishita Ryuhei still had the right to serve.
Mishita Ryuhei was utterly speechless.
He never imagined that, despite his poor serving skills, he would get the chance to serve three times in a row during a single set.
The volleyball crossed the net.
After the White Team received it, they organized their third attack.
Asuto stood at the net, his eyes fixed on the ball in the air. He did not relax just because they had scored two consecutive points.
On the contrary… Asuto knew that this was precisely when the opposing side was at its most dangerous.
Iwaizumi Hajime, Hanamaki Takahiro and Matsukawa Issei moved simultaneously as attackers.
Their movements were almost perfectly synchronized, making it impossible for Asuto to predict who would win the next set.
He had no choice but to focus completely in order to…
Tap!
A light sound rang out.
Without warning, Oikawa Tooru suddenly performed a setter dump.
Not a single one of the three Red Team blockers, including Asuto, had predicted it.
They could only stare helplessly as the volleyball flew past the block and rapidly descended towards the floor.
But at the critical moment… a figure burst out from the backcourt, sending the volleyball back into the air with a loud bang.
It was none other than Watari Shinji.
Oikawa Tooru had deceived Asuto and the others, but he failed to deceive his good teammate, Watari Shinji.
As Aoba Johsai’s starting libero, the teammate Oikawa had trusted deeply just half an hour ago mercilessly stabbed the White Team in the back at the most crucial moment of the match.
And what a vicious stab it was.
Forget the White Team players… Even coach Irihata Nobuteru slapped his forehead at courtside, unable to bear watching anymore.
Too ruthless.
Whether in terms of timing or execution, that play had been a perfect attack by Oikawa.
Yet it still got received.
Hell, even in an official match, Shinji Watari probably had never performed this well before.
The key point was that after digging up that ball, Shinji Watari looked ridiculously happy about it. He was grinning so hard his gums were practically showing.
The volleyball soared high into the air.
Mishita Ryuhei decisively sent a high set to Asuto.
The White Team’s three front-row blockers rapidly formed their defense.
Asuto leaped high into the air, and the three blockers could only watch helplessly as Asuto’s chin rose above their foreheads.
Bang!
The timing of the set was perfect, dropping exactly into Asuto’s maximum hitting point of 341 cm.
Thus, as the shortest blocker among the three, Iwaizumi Hajime could only watch helplessly as Asuto performed an overhand spike directly above his head.
The volleyball flew past his fingertips and smashed onto the floor for a point.
Without question…
This was a spike that dealt tremendous emotional damage to Iwaizumi and even greater humiliation.
3:0.
At this point, even Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime felt their mentality starting to crack a little.
They would never fear an opponent, no matter how strong they were.
But when there was a traitor among the opponents… How the hell were they supposed to deal with that?
No matter how fancy Oikawa’s tactics were, there was no way he could deceive both the enemy and his own teammate at the same time.
Especially when that “traitor” happened to be playing absurdly well today.
Oikawa Tooru’s mouth twitched several times as he turned to look toward coach Irihata Nobuteru in the resting area, hoping his coach would at least give him some sort of reasonable explanation.
But at that exact moment, Irihata Nobuteru just happened to feel a little thirsty.
So he decided to go drink a cup of water first.
······
(End of Chapter)