On the weekend, the volleyball team of Wakunan Minami High School boarded a bus bound for Aoba Johsai High School. Though Wakunan had initiated the practice match invitation, their gymnasium was unavailable due to the basketball team's usual weekend usage. As such, the match was scheduled to take place at Aoba Johsai.
Upon arrival, the Wakunan team disembarked in an orderly manner under the coach's supervision. Dressed in their matching team uniforms emblazoned with the na "Wakunan" across their chests, the players radiated a spirited energy.
As they chatted amongst themselves, their curious gazes road over Aoba Johsai's gymnasium and facilities, clearly intrigued by the renowned stronghold of one of the prefecture's powerhouses.
"Hey, Takeru, what made you think of arranging a practice match with Aoba Johsai?" asked Shunki Kawatabi, the team's wing spiker.
The question was directed at Takeru Nakashima, Wakunan's ace and pride of the team. At that mont, Nakashima was busy taking pictures of Aoba Johsai's campus with his phone, intending to share his 'excursion' stories with his younger siblings later.
He grinned. "Because Aoba Johsai is strong!"
His straightforward response left his teammates speechless for a mont, though it was perfectly in line with his personality.
The team's setter, Kazumasa Hanayama, suddenly chid in, "Speaking of which, how did you even have ti to co to a practice match today? Don't your siblings need you to watch over them?"
"My big brother's at ho helping out today, so I'll just head back in the evening," Nakashima replied casually.
Just then, two players in Aoba Johsai uniforms approached them.
"Welco to Aoba Johsai High School!" one of them greeted warmly. "We're mbers of the volleyball team. I'm Shigeru Yahaba, a second-year, and this is Taichi Kaedehara, a first-year."
Taichi had volunteered to et their opponents today. After his previous experiences, he'd decided it was better to gather so preliminary insights on their rivals as early as possible.
What's more, he had a particular interest in Wakunan. Among their current roster was Nakashima Takeru—a player whose style most closely resembled Tenma Udai's, and arguably the second-best ace in Miyagi Prefecture after Shiratorizawa's Wakatoshi Ushijima. eting such a player was an opportunity Kazehara didn't want to miss.
"System, activate," Kazehara silently murmured to himself. Instantly, glowing data panels appeared around each mber of the Wakunan team, displaying their stats.
[Takeru Nakashima]
Overall Ability:90,Height:173 cm,Strength:88,Jumping:90,Stamina:95,Speed:88,Key Attributes:Receive - 88, Spike - 92.
Wow, a 90 overall for a spiker! A spike stat of 92, and even his receiving is at 88. No wonder….Taichi recalled vaguely that Nakashima had later transitioned into playing libero in the V3 League.
[Yūki Shiroishi]
Overall Ability:81,Height:177 cm,Strength:85,Jumping: 82, Stamina:94,Speed: 75, Key Attributes:Receive - 80, Spike - 80.
Decent stamina, but otherwise pretty average.
[Kazuteru Akiu]
Overall Ability: 80,Height:173 cm, Strength: 70,Jumping:82,Stamina:85,Speed:84,Key Attributes:Receive - 80.
…No impression whatsoever.
[Shunki Kawatabi]
Overall Ability:80,Height: 174 cm,Strength: 72,Jumping:84,Stamina:78,Speed:85,Key Attributes:Receive - 75, Spike - 85.
A pineapple head? Turns out that being morable is half the battle.
[Teppei Naruko]
Overall Ability: 79, Height:185 cm, Strength:80, Jumping:82, Stamina:78, Speed: 78, Key Attributes: Receive - 78, Spike - 82.
[Kazumasa Hanayama]
Overall Ability:79Height:177 cmStrength:85Jumping:75Stamina:78Speed:80Key Attributes:Receive - 80, Set - 82.
Wow, a setter who looks like soone's uncle. Put him next to Asahi Azumane, and no one would guess either of them is a student.
[Tsuyoshi Matsushima]
Overall Ability:77Height:186 cmStrength:72Jumping:78Stamina:75Speed:88Key Attributes:Receive - 80, Spike - 82.
After scanning through everyone's stats, Kazehara found himself with a burning question: How on earth did Wakunan make it to the top four?!
Aside from Nakashima, the other players seed comparable to those at a riff-raff Academy.
It wasn't that Taichi underestimated Wakunan; rather, he fully understood how challenging it was to perform well in a prefecture like Miyagi, with its 'one titan, many giants' dynamic. Relying on just one strong player wasn't enough to achieve good results.
-----
Stepping into the spacious, brightly lit gymnasium and facing the vast court, the Wakunan players instinctively took a deep breath.
"What a huge gym! It really feels like the ho of a powerhouse!"
Coach Onikobe of Wakunan stepped forward, clapping his hands to grab everyone's attention. "Alright, warm up imdiately. No matter how strong the opponent is, rember this: our only goal is to give it everything we've got and leave no regrets!"
The players responded in unison, their loud voices echoing throughout the gym. Without delay, they launched into a thorough and precise warm-up routine. Every jump, every spike, and every agile move reflected the relentless training and seamless teamwork they had cultivated.
Watching them prepare, Taichi felt his lingering underestimation of Wakunan dissipate.
After a while, the referee's whistle echoed crisply through the gym, signalling the start of the practice match.
[Ding! Temporary Task: Successor of the Little Giant.]
The system's voice suddenly rang in Kazehara's mind.
[The host has already acquired part of the essence of the Little Giant's techniques. However, Nakashima Takashi is widely recognized as the player whose style most resembles the Little Giant. In this match, if the host scores more points via touches-out (hitting off blockers) than Nakashima, the task will be deed successful. Otherwise, the task will be considered failed.
Task Reward: Jump 5; Task Failure Penalty: One random player experience card will be deducted.]
What?! This is way too sudden—and there's a penalty for failure?!
Taichi's mind raced. My skills aren't refined enough to score a lot of points just yet. The key must be finding a way to limit Nakashima's touches-out!
Feeling a gaze directed at him, Nakashima turned to look across the net and spotted the first-year from earlier at the gate. eting his eyes, Nakashima smiled faintly at Kazehara.
Taichi felt provoked.
"Let's have a good match!"
There was no ti for further contemplation. After the captains shook hands, both teams took their positions, each player brimming with anticipation.
Aoba Johsai's lineup:
Front row: Outside hitter Takahiro Hanamaki, outside hitter Akira Kunimi, middle blocker Taichi Kaedehara Back row: Middle blocker Issei Matsukawa (libero: Shinji Watari), setter Tooru Oikawa, outside hitter Haji Iwaizumi.
Wakunan's lineup:
Front row: Middle blocker Yūki Shiroishi, middle blocker Tsuyoshi Matsushima, outside hitter Shunki Kawatabi Back row: Setter Kazumasa Hanayama, middle blocker Teppei Naruko (libero: Kazuteru Akiu), outside hitter Takeru Nakashima.
Wakunan served first.
Hanayama aid his serve at Iwaizumi, disrupting Aoba Johsai's offensive rhythm right from the start.
"Great serve, Hanayama!"
Iwaizumi received the ball cleanly, sending it up perfectly for Oikawa. Oikawa's sharp gaze locked onto Taichi as he gestured subtly: Let's test out our new weapon on the first play.
Taichi had already started his approach, timing it perfectly as Oikawa's set arced precisely into his path.
The set was exquisite—not too fast but perfectly placed. On the other side, Shiroishi and Matsushima leapt to block, their hands forming a formidable wall. Yet in mid-air, Taichi's vision sharpened, and he targeted Shiraishi's fingertips, spiking the ball with precision.
Smack!
The ball rebounded off Shiraishi's hand and landed back in Aoba Johsai's court. Oikawa imdiately set the ball again, this ti to Iwaizumi in the back row. Iwaizumi leapt and hamred the ball down, scoring cleanly.
[Aoba Johsai 1 – 0 Wakunan]
Damn it! Kazehara clenched his fists in frustration. I wanted to aim for a touch-out on the blockers' fingertips, but it didn't go as planned.
His vision in mid-air had been clear, but his spiking technique wasn't yet polished enough to execute the move perfectly.
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