With the break over, the second set began.
In terms of personnel, Ukai replaced Tanaka with Daichi, prioritizing a more defensive approach.
This way, when Akira rotated to the back row, Karasuno's blocking wouldn't be as vulnerable.
After switching sides, Shiratorizawa served first in the second set.
"Goshiki! Give them a solid serve!"
"Got it!"
...
From the very beginning of this set, everyone could clearly feel the shift in Shiratorizawa's energy.
Perhaps losing the first set had awakened this powerhouse team of Miyagi Prefecture.
Now, their desire to win was burning brighter than ever.
They were determined to wipe away their earlier embarrassnt.
And Ushijima was in his best form yet.
His serves beca an even bigger threat to Karasuno's defense.
"Huh?"
Kunimura Naoto, a forr player observing the match, spoke with surprise:
"Watching Ushijima's serve just reminded of sothing!"
"Why is it that Akira has such powerful spikes... but he hasn't used a jump serve?"
"So far, he's only done a few float serves, and the rest were just standard ones."
"Hah!"
Hearing this, Mitsuda, another observer, smirked.
"I've seen him do jump serves before."
"Huh?"
Kunimura Naoto turned to him, intrigued.
"I thought he couldn't do it?"
"Is his jump serve so bad that he's embarrassed to use it?"
"Tch! Kunimura, you definitely don't want to face his jump serve."
Mitsuda Musashi, another spectator, chuckled.
"I can tell you for sure—none of the three of us here could receive it."
"Oh?"
Heiji Yoshino, another forr player, leaned forward with interest.
"How strong is it?"
Mitsuda Musashi's expression grew thoughtful, his mind drifting back to a previous match.
"I rember... in that ga, he only used three jump serves. Three. Consecutively."
"And the opponents were professional players. Even Arai-san, who played for the national team, couldn't receive a single one."
"W-What?!"
Kunimura Naoto's eyes widened in shock.
"Not even once?!"
"You're kidding, right?" Yoshino Heiji asked in disbelief.
If a receiver missed a serve once, that was understandable.
So players had unusual serving habits, and it was natural to misread an unfamiliar trajectory the first ti.
Even if Akira's serve was unique, missing it once or twice could just be due to a lack of familiarity.
But if it happened exactly as Mitsuda described…
That ant Akira's serve was truly on another level.
A group of professionals, including a forr national team player like Arai—
And none of them could adapt?
"I wouldn't make this up."
Mitsuda Musashi shook his head at their skepticism and continued:
"The first two serves? They didn't even touch the ball."
"The third ti, Arai-san managed to get a hand on it, but even then, the ball still hit the floor."
"No way..."
Kunimura Naoto and Yoshino Heiji exchanged stunned looks, montarily speechless.
After a long pause, Yoshino finally asked:
"So... does his serve have any special characteristics?"
"Sigh..."
Mitsuda Musashi let out a slow exhale.
"A special characteristic?"
"It's fast. Indescribably fast."
"From the mont he makes contact with the ball to the mont it lands—it's instantaneous."
Hearing this simple but powerful description, Yoshino Heiji and Kunimura Naoto locked eyes again.
If a player like Arai couldn't even receive it after three attempts…
Then the speed had to be unreal.
...
While they were discussing, the ga on the court continued.
The second set was being played at an even higher level than the first.
Shiratorizawa was fighting tooth and nail for every single point.
But Karasuno wasn't backing down either.
Faced with Shiratorizawa's relentless offense, they responded with just as much intensity.
The score remained neck-and-neck, neither team letting the other gain a significant lead.
And amid this fierce battle, Shirabu Kenjirō was beginning to show signs of fatigue.
"Hah... Hah..."
After setting the ball, he bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air.
Sweat dripped from his forehead, rolling off his chin onto the polished court.
That last point—they had made a clear mistake.
His set was too low.
The spiker had been forced into an awkward position, leading to a lost point.
Tweet!
The referee's whistle snapped him back to reality.
Looking toward the bench, he saw Semi Eita holding up the substitution board.
"Good work!"
As Shirabu walked off, Semi patted him on the shoulder.
"I'll leave it to you, Semi-san."
Even as he left the court, Shirabu was still trying to catch his breath.
Just as he was about to join the bench, Coach Saitō stopped him.
"Shirabu! Sit and rest right away!"
"We need you to conserve your stamina for the next set."
Shirabu blinked in surprise, then turned to look at Coach Washijō.
Seeing no objections, he nodded and sat down.
anwhile, Semi Eita stepped onto the court—a third-year setter, now taking over the match.
The reason he had lost his starting position to the second-year Shirabu wasn't because he lacked skill.
If anything, Semi was exceptionally skilled.
But his problem was his inability to suppress his own desire to shine.
Rather than prioritizing the ace, he often tried to take matters into his own hands.
That was why he wasn't a regular starter.
And why he had so few opportunities to play.
Now, standing on the court, Semi could feel the heat of competition rising in his veins.
He clenched his fists, his sharp gaze sweeping across Karasuno's formation.
Alright...
Let's see just how strong you really are, Karasuno.
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