BOOM!
Another explosive spike echoed off Asuto’s hand.
Fukurōdani put up a triple block, but Asuto’s incredible hang time completely threw off their timing in midair. All four players had jumped at the exact same moment, yet by the time Fukurōdani’s three blockers had already started descending, Asuto was still suspended in the air like an eagle soaring overhead.
In the end, the three blockers could only watch in shock as Asuto spiked the ball right over their heads.
[What an incredible play by Akashi Asuto! Aoba Johsai’s first-year Ace powers straight through Fukurōdani’s triple block to score again!]
[Facing a triple block, Akashi Asuto used his incredible contact height and outstanding hang time to attack right over the top. Even Fukurōdani’s libero couldn’t recover the ball!]
[With that point, the score is now 6 – 1!]
[Since the opening whistle, Fukurōdani has managed only a single point against Aoba Johsai’s powerful blocking, while Aoba Johsai has already scored six. Four of those points have come directly from their ace, Akashi Asuto!]
[Without Bokuto on offense, Fukurōdani’s attacking power has clearly dropped. The big question now is: when will Bokuto recover? Fukurōdani is in serious trouble!]
The crowd immediately erupted.
“What’s going on? Fukurōdani doesn’t look like themselves today.”
“You’ve got it backward. It’s not that Fukurōdani’s playing badly; their opponents are just that strong. No wonder they’re the team that beat Shiratorizawa. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Fukurōdani fall this far behind.”
“Hey, Bokuto! How long are you planning to stay depressed? Wake up already, or the match will be over before you know it!”
…
On Fukurōdani’s side of the court, sweat dripped from the defenders’ foreheads. Making sure Bokuto couldn’t hear, several of them quietly gathered around Akaashi Keiji.
“Hey, Akaashi… this isn’t looking good.”
“Without Bokuto attacking, our offense just isn’t strong enough to break through their defense. If the gap gets any bigger, we’re going to be in real trouble.”
“…Has he recovered yet?”
Akaashi glanced behind him. Bokuto still wore the same somewhat vacant expression on his face, but the excitement burning in his eyes was impossible to miss.
After a moment, Akaashi gave a small nod. “He’s almost there. Let’s make the next play. I’ll need everyone’s help.”
“Got it.”
Just then, Aoba Johsai’s serve crossed the net. Fukurōdani’s back-row receiver passed the ball cleanly to Akaashi. The instant he got it, three players, not including Bokuto, exploded into motion.
“Multiple attacks at once?” Oikawa’s eyes widened.
It wasn’t strange that he’d been fooled; their synchronization was simply too good. Just from their approach runs, the three looked almost identical to Morinen’s offensive patterns from earlier. But only for a split second.
“No… that’s not it. They’re all decoys. Watch number 4… the Ace!” Oikawa’s warning came almost immediately.
Unfortunately, it was still a step too late.
Only Asuto, who always preferred reading the attack from behind the block, wasn’t fooled. The other two front-row players, Kindaichi and Hanamaki Takahiro, hesitated for just an instant after biting on the decoys.
By the time they recovered, Bokuto Kotaro was already soaring beneath the gym lights. Like an owl that had finally awakened, he rose high into the air. Facing Asuto’s lone block, he whipped his arm through with incredible flexibility and unleashed a perfect, razor-sharp short cross.
BAM!
The ball hit the floor less than two meters behind the block, bouncing so high it nearly smacked the referee standing in the middle of the court.
After scoring, Bokuto threw both arms into the air, his energy instantly returning.
“OOOOOH YEAH!! That felt AMAZING!”
“Hehehe!”
The crowd exploded with him.
“OOOOOOH! Nice one, Bokuto!”
“We’ve been waiting for that!”
“That’s our ace! What a perfect spike!”
The cheers poured into Bokuto’s ears, making him puff up with pride. With his hands on his hips, he looked at Asuto and burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! See that, you little brat? This is what I can really do!”
Even now, Bokuto was still hung up on how Asuto had tricked him at the start of the match. As for the fact that Fukurōdani was trailing badly, he didn’t seem to have noticed it at all.
It could only be said… he really was Bokuto.
Even though Asuto had warned them beforehand, Aoba Johsai’s players were still left speechless after seeing Bokuto’s emotional swings with their own eyes. It was honestly hard to believe that someone could change their moods so quickly. Even more unbelievable was that his volleyball skills rose and fell right along with his emotions. He was practically a rare species.
“…He’s already back?” Oikawa stared at Bokuto, who had gone from completely depressed to overflowing with energy in an instant. Even his usually composed face showed a hint of disbelief.
“Looks that way,” Asuto nodded. “But it doesn’t matter anymore. Our plan’s already worked.”
…
“What are you so happy about?!” On Fukurōdani’s side of the court, libero Komi Haruki couldn’t help snapping at the grinning Bokuto. “Take a look at the scoreboard! Do you have any idea how many points we’re behind because of you?”
Bokuto turned toward the scoreboard. The instant he saw it, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
“W-What?! H-How did this happen?! Didn’t the match just start?”
“‘Just start,’ my ass.” Komi rolled his eyes. “Do you know how long you were stuck in negative mode?”
“Uh…” Bokuto was instantly at a loss for words. His excitement vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and his shoulders drooped.
The sight gave everyone on Fukurōdani a scare. For a second, they thought he was about to fall right back into negative mode. Fortunately, the very next moment, Bokuto straightened up again, full of energy.
“Don’t worry! I’ll get all those points back! That’s the ace’s job… Hmph!” He snorted confidently through his nose, looking absolutely certain of himself.
Hearing that, Akaashi Keiji really wanted to say: ‘Those points were lost because of you in the first place.’
But after thinking it over, he wisely kept his mouth shut. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally send Bokuto crashing back into negative mode.
Bokuto Kotaro really was an incredible player. The moment he got his spirit back and rejoined the team, everyone, even many spectators who barely understood volleyball, could tell something had changed about Fukurōdani. They were still behind on the scoreboard, but the entire team’s fighting spirit had surged. It was as if, as long as Bokuto was on the court, no one on Fukurōdani would ever be afraid.
Then the next rally began…
BOOM!
It was the same overwhelming spike, with the same familiar feeling.
The ball smashed through the blockers’ hands, forcing a gap between them before crashing into the floor behind. Onaga Wataru and libero Komi Haruki’s eyes widened violently. In an instant, all the memories of Asuto repeatedly blasting through their defense came flooding back like a nightmare rising from the depths of their minds.
The rest of Fukurōdani instinctively looked across the net at Asuto as he landed from his jump. But the moment they saw him, every one of their expressions changed.
Because they suddenly realized… that the aura surrounding Asuto had changed. It had become even stronger than before.
The next second, his calm, icy voice echoed across the court.
“So Bokuto’s back, and you’re all pretty happy about it.”
He looked directly at the Fukurōdani players.
“…But you don’t actually think that just because he’s recovered… you’ll be able to erase this score gap that easily, do you?”
(End of Chapter)