A solo time-difference attack.
It is one of the Aoba Johsai High Volleyball Club’s signature offensive techniques.
This type of tactical attack placed extremely high demands on the setter, so Asuto rarely used it in the past.
But now…
Bang!
The volleyball slammed onto the floor, scoring cleanly.
The score became 2:1.
“Huh?”
Tendou looked at Asuto with an almost yandere-like gaze, with a faint look of confusion appearing on his face as he wondered where this guy had suddenly come from.
The next rally…
It was Aoba Johsai’s turn to serve.
The volleyball crossed the net and was successfully received. Then, just as before, Ushijima Wakatoshi launched Shiratorizawa’s attack.
Asuto and Kindaichi Yuutarou formed a double block together.
However, despite jumping at the same time as Ushijima Wakatoshi, by the time the two of them had begun to descend, he was still suspended in mid-air, as if time itself had stopped.
Bang!
The volleyball brushed past Asuto’s fingertips, scoring directly with a powerful spike.
2:2.
After landing, both Kindaichi and Asuto had unpleasant expressions on their faces as they watched Ushijima Wakatoshi turn around and walk away on the opposite side of the court.
To be honest, Asuto’s current ‘Hang Time’ stat was already quite high.
However, compared to someone like Ushijima, there was still a noticeable gap.
At most, Asuto’s hang time only gave him an extra split second to think while in the air.
However, Ushijima’s hang time had become a weapon in itself.
“Damn it… what exactly is wrong with that guy? Is that kind of hang time really achievable for a human?”
Kindaichi Yuutarou admitted that he was a little intimidated.
After all, attacks like Wakatoshi Ushijima’s put enormous pressure on the opponent.
Absolute height.
Absolute power.
Even if the result was simply losing the same single point, the pressure created by that kind of attack was on an entirely different level.
“Don’t worry about it. The truly despairing part is still coming.” Asuto patted Kindaichi on the shoulder while speaking.
At first, when Kindaichi heard the first part of the sentence, he thought that Asuto was trying to comfort him.
But then the second half hit him like a heavy blow.
‘So this guy was actually the king of reverse encouragement?!’
However, when Kindaichi saw Ushijima walk towards the Serve line holding the ball, he had to admit that Asuto was right.
The truly despairing part was still to come.
Just like Asuto, Ushijima Wakatoshi also had a Power Jump Serve.
But there was one crucial difference.
Ushijima Wakatoshi was left-handed, so his jump serve had a completely different spin from what people were normally accustomed to.
High speed.
Overwhelming power.
And reverse rotation.
Just imagining a serve like that was enough to send shivers down your spine.
Bang!
The instant he struck the volleyball with his palm, ripples seemed to spread across its surface like shockwaves.
The next second… the volleyball screamed through the air, crossing above the block and plunging straight towards Aoba Johsai’s court.
Just as Shiratorizawa’s libero had grown accustomed to Oikawa’s ‘Super High-Speed Serve,’ Aoba Johsai’s libero, Watari Shinji, had also adapted to Ushijima Wakatoshi’s serves.
To be more precise, Ushijima Wakatoshi’s serve speed was not actually considered exceptionally fast.
In fact, it was slower than Asuto’s serves and could not compare to Oikawa’s ‘Super High-Speed Serve.’
However, the true strength of Ushijima Wakatoshi’s serves had never been their speed.
Thud!
The moment Watari Shinji’s arms touched Ushijima’s serve, the first thing he noticed was the weight of it.
Despite practicing for so long against both Oikawa and Asuto, he had never experienced a serve with this much force.
The second thing he felt was the ball’s bizarre spin.
No matter how hard he tried, he simply could not predict the angle of the rebound.
An instant later…
The volleyball was hit high into the air and instantly flew above the third floor. Only after rising more than ten meters did it finally begin to descend, crashing against the second-floor railing before bouncing back down to the first floor.
The breathing of everyone from Aoba Johsai High Volleyball Club instantly stalled.
Although the player with the best serving technique in the prefecture was undoubtedly their own Oikawa, the sheer dominance of Ushijima Wakatoshi’s scoring method was equally suffocating.
The score became 2:3.
“Don’t tense up, don’t tense up! Relax a little, everyone. It’s not like we haven’t seen his serves before. We’ll definitely defend the next one.” Iwaizumi Hajime clapped his hands together, using his words to dispel the heavy atmosphere surrounding the team.
To be honest, Aoba Johsai shouldn’t have been this nervous.
After all, it was only a practice match.
Even though the coach had told them to treat it like an official game, there would always be a difference between a practice match and a real one. No matter how serious they were, their mentality would inevitably differ slightly.
However, Ushijima’s overwhelming strength had caused everyone on Aoba Johsai’s side to tighten up.
This had nothing to do with the match itself.
It was a more instinctive reaction…
It was like how ordinary humans still find it difficult for their primal instincts to fully relax when a wild beast is locked inside a cage.
Soon… Ushijima Wakatoshi launched his second serve.
It was still brutally heavy, but this time, Watari Shinji managed to return it successfully. After Oikawa got the ball, he used Asuto as a decoy to draw the defense before sending a reverse set to Kindaichi Yuutarou.
Kindaichi spiked into an open court and scored.
The score tied once again at 3:3.
Then the serve rotated back to Aoba Johsai…
…into Asuto’s hands.
“Nice serve!”
“Show them what you can do!”
“Asuto-chan, don’t get too nervous!”
······
The ordinary members of Aoba Johsai were still cheering Asuto on.
Meanwhile, ‘smart’ teammates like Kindaichi had already cautiously covered their heads and retreated to the edge of the court.
As for the two third-year students in the front row, Matsukawa Issei and Hanamaki Takahiro, who had just come on as the libero, they showed their complete disdain for this behavior.
‘Come on!’
‘We don’t even dodge Ushijima Wakatoshi’s serves.’
‘No matter how strong Asuto’s serve is, could it possibly be stronger than Ushiwaka’s?’
‘Kindaichi really is such a weak first year!’
Unlike us…
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion suddenly rang out.
The next second, Matsukawa Issei and Hanamaki Takahiro felt as though a cannonball had roared past them, instantly smashing into Shiratorizawa’s court.
Thud!
The volleyball hit the floor and bounced all the way behind every Shiratorizawa player.
From beginning to end… Not a single Shiratorizawa player managed to react.
Time itself seemed to freeze at that moment.
The players standing on Shiratorizawa’s side remained stunned for quite a while before finally seeming to regain their senses. Their pupils slowly widened as they turned around stiffly, like malfunctioning robots.
“What was that just now?”
In the back court, Ushijima Wakatoshi looked at the volleyball that had flown behind him, his pupils shrinking slightly.
Then he slowly turned around.
From the beginning of the match until now, Ushijima Wakatoshi’s gaze had finally landed on Asuto for the very first time.
······
(End of Chapter)