A 3-vs-3 match was different from a standard 6-vs-6 game.
With fewer players, there were fewer tactical options for offense and defense, meaning rallies rarely lasted long. Most points were decided within a single exchange.
The fewer players on the court, the more obvious the gap in individual ability became.
Although the Green Team had greater overall stability, Kageyama was still able to carry the Red Team and compete evenly with them thanks to his own skill.
However, the Green Team’s towering blocker, Tsukishima, posed a significant challenge to Hinata’s attacks.
To avoid the block, Kageyama gave a live demonstration of:
“How to evolve suddenly during a match and create a brand-new skill called the Freak Quick Attack.”
To be honest…
When Oda Miki saw that scene, he was completely dumbfounded.
It wasn’t because the ‘Freak Quick Attack’ itself shocked him.
Rather, it was the terrifying speed at which Kageyama Tobio improved during the match; it was as though he were witnessing human evolution in fast-forward, and that left him utterly stunned.
And because of that… Oda Miki finally understood what a true genius really was.
Asuto was not a genius. Oda Miki had realized that long ago.
In fact, everyone at Sengoku Junior High School knew it, too.
A genius wouldn’t need to endure the kind of horrifying training that Asuto did.
Although Asuto had improved extremely quickly during his time at junior high, compared to the amount of training he did, his progress could only be described as ‘quick,’ far from the level of a true genius.
Still, Asuto really was special.
Their coach had repeatedly said that if a normal junior high student trained the way Asuto did, their body would have collapsed long ago.
This was why the nickname most commonly used for Asuto within Sengoku Junior High was:
“Monster.”
Not “genius.”
After being astonished by Kageyama Tobio’s performance, Oda Miki also found himself baffled by Hinata Shoyo.
Even he didn’t really know how to evaluate him.
Whether calling him “stupid” or “naive,” neither description felt completely accurate—yet both somehow fit a little.
After all, it was hard to imagine a normal person playing volleyball with his eyes closed while airborne.
The performance of this “light and shadow duo” during the practice match truly shocked Oda Miki.
And because of that…
The ominous feeling in his heart only grew stronger and stronger.
Half an hour later—
The match ended with the Red Team winning 2:0.
Although the Freak Quick Attack had only just been created, there was no doubt it was already a technique beyond the level of ordinary high school players. Even though the Green Team possessed excellent stability, this single skill alone was enough to shatter every defense.
Of course—
Part of the reason the Green Team lost so quickly was because Oda Miki intentionally held back just a tiny little bit in order to end the match earlier.
But really, only a tiny bit.
······
“Since you won, then according to our agreement beforehand… welcome to the volleyball club.”
Daichi Sawamura accepted the club applications from Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shoyo once again, officially allowing the two of them to join the volleyball club.
Well!
To be precise, from the moment Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shoyo created the Freak Quick Attack during the match, the outcome itself had already stopped mattering that much.
Although Sawamura Daichi’s principles were usually very firm, when faced with the temptation of a ticket to Nationals…
Well, principles weren’t entirely impossible to bend a little.
Since it was Saturday, after the match ended, everyone except Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shoyo prepared to head home directly.
Among them, Oda Miki ran the fastest. After greeting several of the upperclassmen, he immediately prepared to leave for home.
However…
Just as he reached the entrance of the gymnasium, a young teacher wearing sportswear and glasses suddenly came rushing inside excitedly.
“Found it, found it…”
Everyone froze for a moment before looking toward the newcomer and asking:
“Found what? Coach Takeda, what did you find?”
Takeda Ittetsu was panting heavily, but excitement filled his expression as he waved the document in his hand.
“We have an opponent for a practice match! Aoba Johsai High School has agreed to play a practice match with us next Tuesday after school.”
“Aoba Johsai?”
The moment they heard the school’s name, everyone was shocked.
Even Oda Miki, who had already reached the gym entrance, stopped in his tracks.
“No way! Aoba Johsai is one of the top four teams in the prefecture! Coach Takeda, how did you get them to agree?”
“Don’t tell me you used dogeza again?”
Takeda Ittetsu’s face flushed slightly as he shook his head.
“No, not this time. I just sent them a message as usual, thinking I’d give it a try. I never expected Aoba Johsai to actually agree.”
“However…”
At this point, Takeda Ittetsu looked down at the document in his hands. A trace of confusion appeared in his eyes.
“They had one rather strange condition. They want Kageyama Tobio-kun to act as the main Setter during this practice match and play the entire game.”
“Eh?”
Everyone first looked at Tobio Kageyama and then at Karasuno’s current main setter, Kōshi Sugawara.
The atmosphere suddenly turned silent.
· · · · ·
Meanwhile…
Taking advantage of the weekend break, Asuto, who was currently training hard, suddenly heard a notification sound from his phone.
During a short break, he opened the email and glanced at it, only to discover that it was an invitation from a publishing company regarding the manuscript he had submitted the other day.
The general contents stated:
After review, the novel written by Asuto was deemed to have publishing value, so an editor from the publishing company wished to meet him in person to discuss the details of a potential contract.
Japan’s traditional print media industry was fairly developed, so face-to-face meetings for novel contracts like this were extremely common.
Asuto looked through the message a few times. Seeing that the sender’s email address was indeed the publisher’s official account, and that the meeting location was also a well-known café, he could basically rule out the possibility of it being a scam.
A few days ago, Asuto had submitted his manuscript to several publishing companies at once.
This time, the email came from MF Bunko.
Although MF Bunko’s sales currently couldn’t quite compare to Dengeki Bunko, it was still one of the giants of the light novel industry.
Besides, Asuto’s goal in submitting the novel this time was mainly to earn some money for food and living expenses anyway, so he didn’t hesitate for long before agreeing.
After thinking for a moment…
Asuto edited a reply and arranged to meet the editor tomorrow morning.
Once that matter was settled, Asuto tossed his flip phone aside and resumed his training once again…
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(End of Chapter)