“Right side! Right side!”
“Watch their setter! Read where he’s passing!”
“Defense! Stay sharp!”
…
Forty-five minutes into the match.
After Oikawa gradually adjusted to the environment, he and Asuto worked together to quickly take the first set. Not long after the second set began, the rest of the Aoba Josei players shook off their nerves and started showing their true level.
Ever since Oikawa’s “miraculous pass” in the first set, Morinen High had raised their guard against him to the absolute highest level. Their coach even used the team’s second timeout specifically to redraw their defensive tactics.
However…
“Watch the high ball! Number 8 is coming!”
Oikawa was forced into serve receive on this rally, so the setting duties fell to Shinji Watari instead. The moment Watari sent up a high set, Morinen’s defenders immediately understood what he was planning.
“Don’t let it through! Block him together!” A player at the net shouted.
The next instant, three figures appeared directly in front of Asuto. They jumped together, six arms spreading wide like a giant net. Even the lights above the court seemed to disappear behind their block. For any attacker, a triple block like that was enough to create immense pressure.
But Asuto’s expression didn’t change at all.
Facing the wall of blockers head-on, he leaped into the air. Like a great bird spreading its wings, he swung his arm and fired a sharp cross-court spike.
Morinen’s middle blocker, Chikadoya Eiji, saw it and a flash of light appeared in his eyes. Instantly, he shifted his arms sideways, placing them directly in the spike’s path.
Yet in the very next moment…
The volleyball suddenly seemed to bend in midair. It curved around Chikadoya’s arms and slammed down onto Morinen’s court, right near the three-meter line.
[Great point!]
[Another incredible cross-court spike! This is already the fourth cross-court attack Akashi Asuto has used in this set. It’s practically a magic ball at this point, Morinen High has no answer for his offense!]
[And with that point, Aoba Johsai officially reaches 20 points!]
[20–17!]
[Aoba Johsai has led throughout the second set. It looks like the outcome is already decided!]
“That guy just now… it looked like he managed to read your spike trajectory,” Iwaizumi Hajime said as he walked over, frowning slightly.
Iwaizumi had personally experienced how difficult Asuto’s spinning spikes were to defend. Yet someone had managed to start tracking them after seeing only a few attempts. Even he found that surprising.
“That’s right. Their middle blocker reacts very quickly,” Asuto replied with a slight shake of his head. “But his technique is still pretty rough. Right now, he’s not much of a threat.”
Because Morinen High didn’t get much screen time in the original story, Asuto’s impression of them wasn’t particularly strong. Still, he vaguely remembered that Morinen’s first-year middle blocker had, like Kageyama Tobio, been invited to the All-Japan Youth Training Camp.
But not everyone was Kageyama Tobio.
Although Chikadoya Eiji was talented, he was still far from the realm of true geniuses. If he were a second-year or third-year player already, he might have caused Aoba Johsai quite a bit of trouble. Unfortunately, as a first-year, Chikadoya still lacked experience.
…
“Let’s go.”
“Huh? We’re leaving already? The match isn’t over yet!”
“There’s no point watching anymore. The winner has already been decided.”
At the back of the stands, a man wearing a mask and carrying a shoulder bag spoke in a gloomy tone. His entire appearance gave off a dark, intimidating aura.
“Besides, I’ve already seen what I came to see. That guy isn’t as good as Wakatoshi. But… that team isn’t bad.”
“This year’s Inter-High is going to have another interesting opponent.”
With that, the masked man turned and left. Behind him, a boy with only two dots for eyebrows hurried after him.
“W-Wait for me…!”
…
At the same time…
In the stands near Court 2, several players wearing different team uniforms reacted the same way as the gloomy masked man. A stern-looking bald player, a pair of twins, a short white-haired boy, an owl-like player…
All of them were members of powerhouse-seeded teams at the National Tournament. And they had all come here for pretty much the same reason: to scout the competition.
After all, while Aoba Johsai wasn’t particularly famous on the national stage, they had defeated Shiratorizawa to qualify for Nationals. That alone made them a team worth paying attention to.
And now, most of them had gotten the answer they came looking for. Whether it was the answer they wanted… was another matter.
…
The match continued. Above the court, the commentator’s excited voice echoed through the arena.
[Aoba Johsai High is launching another attack! Morinen High continues to assign a double block to keep a close eye on Aoba Josei’s ace. It seems Akashi Asuto’s offensive power has become a major threat to Morinen’s defense!]
[Oikawa has received the first touch. Who will he entrust with the final attack? Will he continue relying on his ace, Akashi Asuto, or will he choose another route to break through?]
[The set is up! Oikawa doesn’t send it to his ace, Akashi Asuto. Instead, he’s chosen a back-row attack. What a bold decision!]
[…]
[Number 4! Oikawa sends the ball to Number 4, it’s a point!]
[Iwaizumi Hajime delivers when it matters!]
[What a pity for Morinen High. In the end, they still failed to predict Oikawa’s choice of attack. They couldn’t defend the ball, and Oikawa’s pinpoint set tore a gap straight through Morinen’s defense!]
[As expected of the team that defeated Shiratorizawa in the qualifiers! The combination of Oikawa and ace Akashi Asuto is simply flawless. Even against Morinen High’s outstanding teamwork, they break through as if no one is there, effortlessly shattering Morinen’s defensive line!]
Beeeeep…!
A sharp whistle rang out across the court. This wasn’t the whistle for a point, it was the whistle signaling the end of the match.
The moment it sounded, Morinen High’s libero, who had been bending down to pick up the ball, froze in place. He turned to look at his teammates, who stood motionless like statues, and for a moment he seemed unable to process what had happened.
Only after the referee announced the result did he finally come back to his senses and realize that everything was over.
“Match over!”
“The winner is Aoba Johsai Private High School, by a score of 2–0!”
“The set scores are 25–20 and 25–21!”
(End of Chapter)