[Good afternoon to everyone here at the arena and everyone watching on television!]
[We’re coming to you live from the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium for the third round of the National High School Volleyball Tournament… the Round of 16!]
[Today’s match features Ōita Prefecture’s representative, Mujinazaka High, against Miyagi Prefecture’s Aoba Johsai High School!]
[Mujinazaka High is a familiar face at Nationals, making their twenty-ninth appearance and qualifying for the tournament for the ninth consecutive year. Over the years, they’ve consistently produced outstanding results, making them one of Japan’s traditional volleyball powerhouses.]
[Their opponents, Aoba Johsai, are appearing at Nationals for the first time. However, in the previous round, they defeated Fukurodani Academy, home of one of the nation’s top five aces, in straight sets.]
[Without question, Aoba Johsai has become the biggest dark horse of this year’s tournament!]
[This promises to be an incredible showdown, so let’s see how it unfolds!]
[As expected, Aoba Johsai will serve first. With three powerful servers on their roster, they seem to prefer keeping the serve in their own hands whenever possible. That’s something that really sets them apart from most other teams, isn’t it, Mr. Oda?]
[Absolutely, Mr. Ota. But today’s opponent also has an excellent serving lineup, so it’ll be fascinating to see how this match develops.]
Tweet…!
As the commentators finished, the referee blew the whistle to begin the match. Aoba Johsai once again opened with Iwaizumi Hajime serving.
Since Nationals had begun, Coach Irihata had rarely chosen to start with either Oikawa or Asuto serving first.
After all, while aggressive serves could win points, they also carried considerable risk. On the national stage, unnecessary risks were best avoided.
The serve crossed the net. Mujinazaka’s libero received it cleanly and passed to the setter. Without any surprise, the setter immediately sent the ball to their ace… Kiryu Wakatsu.
Standing 188 centimeters tall, heavily built, with a shaved head marked by four horizontal scars and a stern, intimidating face, he was the kind of player who created pressure simply by standing on the court.
The moment Oikawa, Asuto, and Kindaichi saw where the set was headed, they immediately shifted over to form a triple block in front of him. As Kiryu rose into the air, all three of them felt their eyelids twitch.
‘He’s so high!’
There was no doubt about it; Kiryu’s spike reach also exceeded 340 centimeters. Fortunately, it wasn’t higher than Asuto’s, so after their initial surprise, the three blockers decisively jumped together and a towering triple block rose in front of Kiryu.
Yet, facing the wall formed by Asuto, Oikawa, and Kindaichi, Kiryu’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. Without the slightest hesitation, he swung.
BOOM!!!
An explosive impact echoed through the gym. For a split second, even Asuto’s mind went blank. Immediately afterward, both he and Oikawa felt an overwhelming force crash into the point where their hands met.
Even though they had been fully prepared, their block was blown apart in an instant. The volleyball tore straight through the triple block without losing any momentum and continued screaming toward Aoba Johsai’s back court.
At the critical moment, Watari Shinji reacted in time and got underneath it. But the instant the ball hit his forearms, his face changed completely.
“It’s… so heavy!”
Bang!
The ball smashed into Watari’s arms before launching high into the air. It soared more than ten meters, flew over the neighboring court, crossed all the way to Court Four, and only then finally began to descend. Meanwhile, after making that receive, Watari’s legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed onto the floor.
For a brief moment, the entire arena fell silent. Every player on Aoba Johsai stood frozen, and the spectators around the arena were just as stunned by Kiryu Wakatsu’s spike.
Several seconds passed in complete silence before the entire gym erupted.
“Whoa… what was ‘that’? That spike was unbelievably heavy!”
“That’s terrifying! He’s even stronger than Aoba Johsai’s ace!”
“What are you talking about? How could Aoba Johsai’s ace compare to Kiryu? He’s one of the nation’s top three aces, and the strongest power hitter among them!”
—
[There it is!]
[Kiryu Wakatsu’s devastating attack! Using overwhelming power strong enough to knock defenders to the floor, he blasts through two layers of Aoba Johsai’s defense to score the opening point of the set!]
[That’s exactly why he’s one of the nation’s Three Great Aces!]
“Hooo…” Standing in the back court, Matsukawa rubbed his aching arms and shivered. “That’s ridiculous. That spike felt even heavier than Ushijima’s.”
Asuto gently shook his head while speaking. “Matsukawa, you can leave out the words ‘felt like.’ In terms of pure hitting power, Ushijima-senpai really isn’t stronger than Mujinazaka’s ace.”
Among the Three Great Aces, Kiryu Wakatsu was the only one who specialized purely in power. Ushijima Wakatoshi was certainly incredibly strong, but in reality, Ushijima was a more well-rounded player. Kiryu, on the other hand, was a true power-type attacker.
Judging by the system’s stats, Asuto estimated Kiryu’s Strength attribute to be around 86… maybe even 87. It was a genuine, superhuman level of power.
Combined with his unique technique of throwing his entire body weight into every spike, Kiryu Wakatsu was the true embodiment of overwhelming strength, the kind of hitter who could treat a triple block as if it weren’t even there.
—
Oikawa clicked his tongue as he watched Kiryu smash straight through Aoba Johsai’s block with a single spike.
“As expected of Nationals. One monster after another.” Then he grinned. “In that case, we can’t just sit here and take it. Let’s get that point right back.”
“Yeah!!”
Kiryu’s spike had been terrifying, but after surviving two rounds at Nationals, Aoba Johsai’s mentality was nothing like it had been at the start of the tournament. They weren’t about to crumble that easily.
Before long, possession changed. Mujinazaka served, and Aoba Johsai earned the attack.
After the serve crossed the net, Watari passed cleanly to Oikawa. The next instant, Oikawa and Asuto executed a quick attack in perfect sync. The ball flashed toward Asuto almost instantly.
But just as Asuto was about to swing, a towering figure seemed to appear out of nowhere on the other side of the net.
A blocker had arrived.
—
(End of Chapter)