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“Don’t panic. The Number One on the other side can’t possibly maintain that state forever. As long as his condition deteriorates, we’ll continue with our original strategy in the second set.” The Yamabuki coach spoke calmly.
However, the Yamabuki players in front of him all lowered their heads in silence, clearly lacking spirit.
The coach sighed inwardly.
He also realized that his words sounded somewhat weak and powerless.
What Yamabuki Junior High had just experienced was more than the opponent scoring four consecutive points to win the first set.
Rather… They had been completely unable to resist while the opponent scored four straight points to win the set.
There was a fundamental difference between the two situations.
Put simply… Asuto had already planted the seed of ‘invincibility’ deep within the hearts of Yamabuki’s players.
If they could not overcome this fixed impression, then even if Asuto’s condition declined in the next set, Yamabuki Players would still struggle to display their true abilities when facing his offense… whether in attack or defense.
SMACK!
Yamabuki’s captain suddenly slapped both hands hard across his own face, leaving behind two bright red handprints and startling everyone nearby.
“Captain, what are you doing?”
“Nothing. Just waking myself up a little.”
“All right, Coach is right. The match isn’t over yet. Even if we want to feel disappointed or miserable, we can save that for afterwards. And I also refuse to believe that the number one player on the other team can maintain that level of performance until the end of the match. If he really can, then even if we lose this game, I’ll accept it.”
The Yamabuki players were momentarily stunned, then gradually started to laugh.
“Hahaha… That’s true. If our opponents’ Ace really is that strong, then losing this match would still be worth it. Maybe we’ll even have another story to brag about to our grandchildren in the future.”
“Hahaha! Yamashita, you’re thinking too far ahead. You don’t even have a girlfriend yet, where are these grandchildren coming from?”
“Puhahaha!”
After the laughter, the atmosphere within Yamabuki’s team noticeably relaxed.
Coach Yamabuki also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
What a dependable captain!
“By the way, Coach, I still have one question. About that new Number Nine the other side sent onto the court, although he didn’t really do anything at the end of the first set, I don’t think Sengoku Junior High’s coach would have put him in without reason. I’m a little worried…”
Before Yamabuki’s captain could finish speaking, the coach interrupted.
“You don’t need to worry too much about that. Based on my observations, he should be Sengoku Junior High’s substitute setter.”
“A substitute setter? So Sengoku Junior High is trying to run a ‘double setter’ strategy?”
“You could say that. But the reason I told you not to worry too much is precisely because of that. The Number One on the other side really is a genuine ‘monster’. But because of that, ordinary setters find it hard to bring out his full strength.”
“You should have noticed earlier, even their starting setter, who has the best coordination with their ace, could barely provide suitable sets. So even if this substitute can organise their offence, it’ll still be extremely difficult for him to unleash the Ace’s full power.”
“Unless…”
Unless Number One can use an imperfect set to force his way through a triple block and hit another absurdly curved spike along the sideline.
A spike so ridiculous that it was practically ‘ridiculousness opening the door for ridiculousness’.
Yamabuki Coach did not say the latter aloud.
But in truth, if something like that really happened again, they could only accept it helplessly.
…
“As long as the opponent hasn’t surrendered, we can’t let our guard down either. From the moment the second set starts, give it your all. Understood?”
After hearing the laughter coming from Yamabuki, the Sengoku Junior High players also became serious.
This was not their first competition.
They naturally understood what it meant when a team could still laugh while facing adversity.
Both teams returned to the court.
Yamabuki Junior continued with their original plan.
From the very first serve of the second set, they once again targeted Mishita Ryuhei.
Was there anything wrong with Yamabuki Junior’s strategy?
No.
Or rather… Under normal circumstances, their strategy was sound.
The setter position relied heavily on coordination and chemistry between teammates.
During daily practice, the starting setter naturally played far more matches with the starting players, resulting in much better synchronisation.
Therefore, as long as Mishita Ryuhei was restricted, the balls set by substitute setter Nishison Tomohiko would inevitably be flawed in terms of either timing or precision.
There was nothing wrong with that theory.
However, Yamabuki Players had misjudged one thing.
Asuto, the team’s ‘Ace’, was different from everyone else, both during matches and during daily training. His monstrous physical ability, combined with the system’s protection of his body, enabled him to casually train one-versus-two every single day.
So, although Nishison Tomohiko might lack chemistry with the other starters, his understanding of Asuto’s physical abilities was no worse than that of Mishita Ryuhei, the ‘official partner’.
Mishita Ryuhei cleanly received the first ball and steadily passed it to Nishison Tomohiko.
The moment he got the ball, he did not hesitate and immediately sent a high set to Asuto with excellent timing and angle.
BANG!
The “Clear Mirror Still Water” state had already disappeared, and Asuto could clearly feel his concentration beginning to scatter.
Even so…
With Nishison Tomohiko’s support, the power of his spike remained astonishing.
“Yes!”
Nishison Tomohiko clenched his fist and pumped it excitedly.
Thinking about it, this was actually the first time he had set for Akashi Asuto in an official match.
Although he had played before, those appearances had mainly been to gain experience, so the primary attackers had usually been Omae Masato and Kazama Jūjirō.
However, Yamabuki’s blockers were not feeling so good on the other side of the net anymore.
This was because of Nishison Tomohiko’s decisive set, which had given them a very bad feeling.
Score: 1:0.
The serve rotated to Mishita Ryuhei.
After the ball was received by Yamabuki’s opposite hitter, their setter quickly organised a quick attack.
However, this attack happened to be very close to Akashi Asuto.
Although he moved slightly later than the blocker, Akashi relied on his athleticism to get there first and block the attack.
Score: 2–0.
Mishita Ryuhei served the third ball.
Yamabuki successfully received and organised another attack.
This time, the ball was directed away from Akashi Asuto, but after grazing Kazama Jujirō’s block, it flew high into the air, creating a free ball opportunity for Sengoku Junior High.
After receiving the ball, Mishita Ryuhei made no attempt to conceal his intentions, passing it directly to Akashi Asuto.
BOOM!
The violent spike blasted straight through Yamabuki’s double block.
The ball smashed the blockers’ arms apart and rebounded far out of bounds.
Score: 3–0.
Seeing this, the Yamabuki coach could no longer remain seated.
He stood up quickly and immediately called for a timeout.
“BEEP—BEEP BEEP BEEP—!”
(End of Chapter)
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