“This match pace is suffocating. It feels like I can barely breathe.”
“So tense.”
“The offense and defense are happening way too fast!”
…
On the sidelines, Ukai Keishin watched the rhythm of the match and felt a faint sense of unease growing in his heart.
High-tempo offense is a very common tactic in competitive sports. By accelerating the pace of offense and defense, a team can disrupt the opponent’s formation and create scoring opportunities.
However, this style of play is a double-edged sword.
Because an excessively fast tempo can defeat not only the opponent, but sometimes your own team as well.
What’s more, Karasuno’s increasing pace wasn’t the result of any tactical arrangement.
It was simply because they were trailing behind by too much. The players were growing anxious, causing them to unconsciously speed up the tempo of both their attacks and defense.
Bang!
A powerful spike launched from Tanaka Ryunosuke’s hand and plunged toward Aoba Johsai’s court.
But it was dug up by Aoba Johsai’s libero, Shinji Watari.
Oikawa received Watari’s pass and decisively sent up a high set to Asuto.
Facing the blockers in front of him, Asuto jumped.
For an instant, his chin rose above Tanaka Ryunosuke’s eyebrows on the opposite side of the net.
Then he swung over the top of the block.
BOOM!!!
An impact far louder than Tanaka’s echoed across the court.
The volleyball traced a sharp cross-court trajectory over Karasuno’s side before landing in an undefended area.
24:18.
Aoba Johsai had officially reached set point in the first set.
“Damn it!”
Tanaka stared at Asuto across the net and let out an angry yet helpless roar.
Up until now in the match, Asuto hadn’t attacked particularly often. Yet Karasuno had failed to stop even a single one of his spikes.
It wasn’t because Asuto displayed some extraordinary technique. It was simply because the height of his attacks was so overwhelming that Karasuno had no way to defend against them.
Among Karasuno’s blockers, only Azumane Asahi and Tsukishima Kei even had a chance of competing with Asuto in terms of height.
However, Asahi wasn’t particularly skilled at blocking, while Tsukishima lacked any real motivation.
After all, the current Karasuno was still far too immature.
They were merely a flock of newly hatched chicks.
Aoba Johsai, meanwhile, was a towering tree with a dense and flourishing canopy.
A chick might occasionally catch a few insects living on such a giant tree.
But pecking through its bark?
That was a completely different matter.
Tweet!
The whistle sounded once more.
The referee on the court was like an emotionless executioner.
No matter whether the players were experiencing joy or despair, his whistle would always blow at the proper time.
Aoba Johsai served the ball over the net.
Karasuno’s libero received it and sent it toward Kageyama Tobio.
Watching the volleyball float overhead, Kageyama’s mind raced at incredible speed.
‘We arfe six points behind! We have to close the gap somehow.
‘This ball absolutely cannot get blocked again.’
‘If it gets stopped, everything’s over.’
‘Avoid the blockers.’
‘The tempo has to be even faster.’
‘I need to send a set that can evade every defender…’
Whoosh!
As countless thoughts flashed through his mind, Kageyama Tobio suddenly fired off a lightning-fast set.
At the front row, Hinata Shoyo had already jumped into the air.
With his eyes closed, he swung his arm with all his strength.
But in the very next instant, Hinata froze.
Because he never felt the sensation of hitting the ball.
Thud…
The sound of the volleyball hitting the floor was unbearably harsh at that moment.
BEEEEEP!!!
The merciless whistle was even more attention-grabbing.
The players of both teams stared blankly at the volleyball that had landed out of bounds and was still bouncing across the floor.
For a moment, the court fell silent.
As for Kageyama, who had just made the errant set, he stood frozen in place.
It felt as though a hammer had struck his brain.
With a buzzing sensation in his head, he became completely dazed.
“The first set is over… It looks like Kageyama got a little too anxious.”
“That was only natural, wasn’t it? Being that far behind on the scoreboard, it’s normal to panic.”
“I wonder what kind of adjustments they’ll make for the next set.”
Inside Aoba Johsai’s bench area, the players took a few sips of water and rested briefly.
Meanwhile, Irihata Nobuteru reviewed the team’s tactics.
Overall, there were no major changes from the first set.
The players simply needed to maintain their current rhythm.
Before long, the second set officially began.
As Aoba Johsai’s players stepped onto the court, they were momentarily stunned. Because they suddenly discovered that Kageyama Tobio had returned to the bench.
In his place was a player they had never seen before.
“Who’s this new setter?”
“Let me check… Ah! Found him. Number 2… Huh? He seems to be a third-year.”
“What? Doesn’t that mean a first-year like Kageyama took his starting position?”
“Tch! What’s so surprising about that? Doesn’t Aoba Johsai also have a first-year who stole the position of a third-year Ace?”
The new setter who had entered the match for Karasuno was Sugawara Kōshi.
Before Kageyama Tobio joined Karasuno, Sugawara had been the team’s starting setter. Although he lacked Kageyama’s extraordinary talent, he possessed much better chemistry with the rest of the team.
Holding the volleyball in his hands, Oikawa stared at Sugawara Kōshi for a long time before finally nodding.
“Hmm, he looks like quite a cheerful opponent! Though I wonder what kind of personality he has. Ah, this is troublesome! I finally managed to deal with Kageyama, and now they’ve already switched players.”
His face seemed full of regret.
Yet when Asuto looked at him from every angle, all he could see were the words ‘malicious intent.’
“Forget it. Since I can’t figure it out, I won’t bother thinking about it. No matter how good a setter is, if nobody can get the ball to him, he’s completely useless.”
Tweet!
The referee’s whistle sounded.
The second set officially began.
Aoba Johsai’s first server was Oikawa.
The second server was Asuto.
That’s right.
Their strategy for this set was to crush Karasuno completely right from the opening.
“Alright~ Let’s randomly select one lucky player.”
“Let’s see who’s in their back row…”
“Hmm, that libero seems to have excellent receiving instincts. Skip.”
“That captain’s fundamentals are also very solid. Skip him too.”
“In that case, the only one left is…”
BANG!
As dramatic background music seemed to play inside his mind, Oikawa gently tossed the volleyball upward.
After a short approach, he leaped and swung his arm powerfully. The rapidly spinning volleyball changed trajectory several times in midair.
Drawing a crescent-shaped curve, it ultimately descended straight toward Azumane Asahi.
Smack!
Asahi reacted in time.
But he still failed to receive the ball.
The volleyball struck his upper arm, glanced off his shoulder, and flew out of bounds before rolling all the way toward the back wall.
1:0.
Aoba Johsai took the lead.
(End of Chapter)