“Holy…!”
As Kiryū Wakatsu’s serve came flying over, everyone on Aoba Johsai had expected it to be terrifying. Even so, seeing it in person still felt like getting hit by a bolt of lightning.
Their libero, Shinji Watari, especially felt the overwhelming urge to run away on the spot. He had never imagined that one day, outside of practice matches, he’d have to receive another serve that felt as murderous as Asuto’s.
But in the end, Watari forced down his fear. He slid one step sideways, putting himself directly in the ball’s path.
‘Smack!’
A crisp, satisfying sound echoed through the court. Kiryū Wakatsu’s serve shot perfectly up into the air.
“…Huh?”
Every player on Mujinazaka High’s face changed instantly. Their eyes widened in disbelief.
“How is that possible? Kiryū’s serve got received?”
Not only were the rest of Mujinazaka stunned, even Kiryū Wakatsu himself froze for a moment.
He knew exactly how powerful his serve was. Based on everything he’d learned before the match, Aoba Johsai’s libero was supposed to be fairly average. There was no way he should have handled that serve so easily.
“Oooooohhh!”
[Unbelievable! Kiryū’s very first serve has been cleanly received by Aoba Johsai’s libero! No. 7, Shinji Watari, has been relatively quiet throughout the tournament, but at this crucial moment he’s stepped up and saved his team, putting an end to Mujinazaka’s momentum!]
[Mr. Oda, what do you make of Watari’s receive?]
[Well… uh… that’s… probably because… um… yes, something like that…]
It wasn’t just Mujinazaka that was caught off guard. Even the two commentators in the booth were completely speechless. They had always considered themselves pretty good at analyzing matches, but this receive had genuinely left them dumbfounded.
Watari’s perfect pass dropped right into Oikawa’s hands. With a clever look-off, Oikawa drew the opposing setter out of position before sending the ball to Asuto. Asuto immediately hammered a cross-court spike for the point.
3–3.
Despite being at such a disadvantage, Aoba Johsai had somehow pulled the score even.
On the very next rally, it was finally Asuto’s turn to serve.
‘Boom!’
A thunderous impact echoed across the arena. Crushed by the force of the hit, the volleyball visibly deformed before screaming through the air toward Mujinazaka’s court like a cannonball.
Standing directly in its path, Mujinazaka’s libero, Haruma Bishin, stared at the all-too-familiar serve flying toward him.
“…Damn it!”
At that moment, everything clicked. He finally understood why the opposing libero had been able to receive Kiryū’s serve so calmly.
They were kindred spirits!
Just as Shinji Watari dreaded receiving Asuto’s serves every day in practice, Haruma Bishin lived in fear of Kiryū Wakatsu’s. After all, whether you could receive these cannonball serves was one thing, but getting hit by one?
That ‘really’ hurt.
Asuto’s raw strength wasn’t quite on Kiryū Wakatsu’s level. However, when it came to serving, his ability to convert every bit of his strength into power more than made up for the difference. Haruma Bishin might have been terrified, but in the end, he made the same choice as Shinji Watari.
‘Smack!’
“Oooooohhh!”
[An incredible receive! Mujinazaka’s libero, Haruma Bishin, has done exactly what Aoba Johsai’s Shinji Watari did! On his very first attempt against Akashi Asuto’s cannon-like serve, he’s managed to receive it perfectly… uh…]
The commentator suddenly realized something was off and trailed into an awkward silence. If he hadn’t caught on after the first perfect receive, there was no way he’d miss it after the second. Anyone who knew even a little about volleyball could figure it out by now.
“Hahaha… This is hilarious. Seriously, this is too good.”
Near the back of the stands, Keiji Akaashi and Bokuto Kotaro, both dressed casually, had returned to the arena after going home the previous day. They arrived just in time to witness the unexpectedly comedic scene on the court.
“Come to think of it, I never realized before just how similar Asuto’s and Kiryū’s serves are. The defensive players on their teams must be absolutely sick of receiving those cannonballs during practice.”
…
After that amusing sequence, the score became ‘4–3’. Aoba Johsai was behind once again.
From that point on, they were never able to take control of the match. Once Asuto rotated into the back row, Aoba Johsai’s offense lost a noticeable amount of firepower. The only reason they managed to keep the score somewhat close was because of the pressure created by Oikawa Tooru’s and Asuto’s serves.
Other than that… in a straight-up battle, Aoba Johsai was clearly a step behind Mujinazaka.
…
‘7 minutes into the match.’
The score was ‘9–6’. The gap between the two teams continued to grow.
…
’13 minutes into the match.’
Thanks to the continuous coordination between Asuto and Oikawa , Aoba Johsai barely managed to keep the deficit from getting any larger. But they still couldn’t cut into the lead.
’16–13.’
…
’21 minutes into the match.’
Kiryū Wakatsu turned up the pressure again, blasting through Aoba Johsai’s blocks with one cannon spike after another and stretching the lead even further.
’22–17.’
…
Finally, ’27 minutes’ after the match began, the first set came to an end. Mujinazaka comfortably took it ’25–20′.
The players from both teams headed to the bench during the break. Aoba Johsai’s substitutes hurried over with water bottles and towels. Everyone took a few drinks, wiping the sweat from their faces, their expressions noticeably grim.
[It looks like Aoba Johsai is in a tough spot today.]
[On offense, Mujinazaka High’s Kiryū has completely broken through Aoba Johsai’s defense. Meanwhile, on defense, Mujinazaka’s Twin Towers have even given Aoba Johsai’s ace a difficult time.]
[Compared to an established powerhouse like Mujinazaka, Aoba Johsai still seems to be a level behind.]
[That’s true, Mr. Oda. But this is Aoba Johsai High’s first appearance at the Nationals. Reaching this stage is already an outstanding achievement.]
As the match went on, even the two commentators had begun to see that things weren’t looking good for Aoba Johsai.
In fact… it wasn’t just the commentators. Even spectators who knew very little about volleyball could tell there was a clear gap between Aoba Johsai and Mujinazaka.
Aside from the opening few rallies, where Aoba Johsai had managed to keep pace, they had been under pressure for almost the entire first set. They hadn’t even gotten a real chance to launch a comeback.
(End of Chapter)