“Damn it! Are they doing it again?!”
The moment he saw how Oikawa and Asuto were positioned, Ukai Keishin immediately understood Aoba Johsai’s plan.
‘Damn it, don’t tell me you think you can do whatever you want just because you have two powerful servers?’
Irihata Nobuteru: ‘Sorry, but when you have two powerful servers, you really can do whatever you want.’
Bang!
In the blink of an eye, Oikawa launched his second serve.
It targeted the gap in Karasuno’s backcourt defense. The volleyball flew straight through the opening and landed untouched, earning them a direct point.
2:0.
The second set had only just begun, yet the pressure on Karasuno had already skyrocketed.
Tweet…!!!
With no other option, Ukai Keishin immediately called for a timeout.
When the timeout ended and the Karasuno players returned to the court, Oikawa instantly noticed the change in their formation.
In the backcourt defensive area, Azumane Asahi had retreated into the corner while Sawamura Daichi and Nishinoya expanded their defensive coverage.
“I see. Just like before, you’re using the two players with the better receiving skills to handle the serves. But is that really enough?”
As Oikawa muttered to himself, his third high-speed serve came roaring over.
It was slightly slower than the previous two serves and aimed directly at Azumane Asahi in the corner.
Smack!
Asahi reached out and returned the ball, sending it high into the air.
Oikawa was stunned.
“Eh?! Σ(Дノ)ノ”
A smile appeared at the corner of Ukai Keishin’s mouth.
“Just as I thought. If Oikawa targets a particular player, the speed of his serve drops.”
Without professional speed-measuring equipment, it is actually very difficult to notice changes in a volleyball’s velocity with the naked eye from outside the court.
Fortunately, Karasuno happened to have a first-year student with exceptionally sharp eyesight who had pointed this out to Ukai.
After Asahi successfully made the first touch, Sugawara Kōshi moved into the setter position and organized Karasuno’s first offensive sequence after the timeout.
The volleyball left Sugawara’s hands.
Several Aoba Johsai defenders were momentarily distracted at first, staying alert for Karasuno’s ‘Freak Quick Attack’. It was only afterwards that they realized that Kageyama Tobio had already been substituted out. Karasuno could no longer use the Freak Quick.
Tanaka and Hinata moved simultaneously, drawing both Kindaichi and Iwaizumi Hajime away as blockers.
However, when Asahi received the set, he was still faced with a towering wall.
It was Asuto.
Although there was only one blocker this time, Asahi felt an overwhelming sense of pressure bearing down on him.
At the moment he was about to spike, he unconsciously held back.
Consequently, his hand slipped, and he accidentally sent a soft tip shot over instead.
Thunk!
The volleyball landed in Aoba Johsai’s court.
Fortunately, Karasuno managed to secure the point.
2:1.
Seeing this, Asahi let out a sigh of relief, although he had already broken out into a cold sweat.
Meanwhile, the Aoba Johsai players clicked their tongues.
“Tch! What ridiculous luck.”
Asuto glanced expressionlessly at Asahi on the opposite side.
To be honest, he was somewhat disappointed. He had originally thought that Karasuno, as the protagonist team of this match, might bring him some surprises.
But the current Karasuno team was still far too inexperienced.
As a result, even though the match had progressed this far, Asuto had barely needed to exert himself before Karasuno were already on the verge of collapse.
This was especially true of Azumane Asahi, his direct opponent.
Asuto could not see even the slightest trace of what an ‘Ace’ should be in Asahi.
Tweet!
The referee blew the whistle, and play resumed with Karasuno’s serve.
After Shinji Watari received the ball, Oikawa organized the attack and set it to Kindaichi.
Ultimately, Kindaichi used his superior hitting power to spike the ball directly over Hinata Shoyo’s head, resulting in a clean score.
3:1.
Aoba Johsai regained serving rights.
This time, the server was Asuto.
The moment the Karasuno players saw Asuto walk towards Position 1, they all became visibly serious.
Except for one person:
The libero, Nishinoya.
Staring at Asuto beyond the net, Nishinoya’s eyes gradually sharpened, becoming as focused as an eagle’s.
His gaze was serious, eager, and filled with anticipation, as though constantly shouting:
‘Come on! Come on! Use your greatest strength! Aim it right at me!’
As if he had heard Nishinoya’s challenge, Asuto was already in the air.
Boom!
The volleyball screamed from his palm.
Its destination was none other than Nishinoya’s position.
In that instant… Nishinoya moved.
As soon as he moved, he resembled a hunting eagle.
In a flash, he appeared directly beneath the ball. Then, gently extending both hands, he absorbed the force of the incoming ball with an incredibly soft touch.
Smack!
The volleyball soared high back into the air.
In an instant, the expressions of both teams, on and off the court, changed dramatically.
While Aoba Johsai’s coaches and players were shocked, Karasuno’s side was filled with delight.
“Nice receive, Nishinoya!”
Ukai Keishin leapt to his feet and pumped his arm excitedly.
“Asahi!”
Just as everyone was celebrating, Nishinoya suddenly let out a loud roar.
“Don’t back down! You’re our ace! Let them attack all they want, I’ll be behind you, providing the strongest defense possible… So don’t retreat, don’t run away! Show them the strength of our ace!”
To everyone else, the tip shot that Azumane had attempted earlier might have seemed like just another mistake.
But what Nishinoya saw was completely different.
After all, they were partners.
Just as the names of Kageyama and Hinata held special meaning… “Shadow” and “Sun”… so did theirs.
The names of Azumane Asahi and Nishinoya also carried special significance.
Nishinoya’s words exploded in Asahi’s heart like a bolt of lightning, setting his eyes on fire.
‘That’s right!’
‘Why am I backing down again?’
‘I’ve already learned that my teammates have my back. So what am I still afraid of?’
“Asahi!”
Sugawara Kōshi’s voice suddenly rang out.
Feeling as though all the blood in his body was boiling, Asahi looked up and saw a volleyball hanging directly above him.
It was a set placed slightly away from the blockers.
A set with extra height.
It was exactly the type of attack ball he excelled at.
“Go, Asahi! Show them the true strength of Karasuno’s ace!”
As the volleyball descended from the sky, Azumane began his approach and leapt.
At the same time, Aoba Johsai’s Kindaichi and Iwaizumi Hajime quickly followed up with a double block. They both reached a sufficient height to stop Asahi’s spike.
But this time…
BOOM!
The volleyball blasted straight through the double block and flew far out of bounds beyond the court, accompanied by a thunderous impact.
Karasuno scored.
3:2.
“OOOOOOOH!!!”
The Karasuno players rushed towards Azumane Asahi, cheering excitedly.
…
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the net, the atmosphere among the Aoba Johsai players became quieter.
This sudden turn of events was clearly something they had not anticipated.
Neither Asahi’s powerful spike nor Nishinoya’s serve receive had been factored into their plans.
“Uh…”
Everyone cautiously turned their heads to look at Asuto.
They had assumed that seeing his very first serve successfully received would be a major blow to him.
However, to their surprise, they saw no disappointment whatsoever on Asuto’s face.
Instead, what they saw was a pair of eyes faintly shining with excitement.
The surprise he had been waiting for… had finally arrived.
(End of Chapter)