"LET's GO!! LET's GO!! Inarizaki!!"
"LET's GO!! LET's GO!! Inarizaki!!"
Just by standing at the service line, Miya Atsumu filled the Inarizaki cheering squad with unshakable confidence.
They actually managed to push the ga to a coback situation…
Atsumu slowly raised his left hand and clenched his fist.
—!!!
The Inarizaki supporters' chants ca to an abrupt halt.
"He's coming!"
Without any unnecessary theatrics, Atsumu tossed the ball up, took his approach, and struck.
Bam!
The sound of contact wasn't particularly loud, but by the ti Iwaizumi Haji tried to track the ball's trajectory, it had already dropped to his hand level.
So fast!
More importantly, he didn't even see how the ball got there!
Iwaizumi reached out to receive, but the mont the ball hit his wrist, it didn't rebound upward. Instead, it plumted straight to the floor.
Iwaizumi Haji: "!!!"
The ball landed—Atsumu had scored directly off his serve.
[Aoba Johsai 23 – 23 Inarizaki]
They…they caught up!!!
From the very start of the set, Aoba Johsai had been in the lead, with the largest gap reaching five points on two occasions!
But at so point, without anyone realizing, Inarizaki had clung onto the score and finally evened it out in the closing monts of the set!
And it was still Atsumu's serve!!
The Inarizaki supporters grew even more frenzied, their cheers reaching a fever pitch at this critical juncture. The surging lody of their brass band crashed over the stadium in waves, intensifying the already electrifying atmosphere.
Atsumu was brimming with confidence. The thrill of making a coback like this—honestly, it was even more exhilarating than steamrolling an opponent from start to finish.
He clenched his fist again, and the roaring stadium seed to freeze for a mont.
Maybe… maybe this was what he enjoyed the most—control.
Atsumu tossed the ball again—his second serve!
Bam!
The ball shot toward the gap between Iwaizumi Haji and Watari Shinji.
Judging by its trajectory, both of them had the sa thought—"Out!"
But—
Neither dared to gamble on it.
"I got it!" Iwaizumi and Watari both shouted at the sa ti.
Yet in that brief mont of hesitation, as their eyes t, the ball was already behind them.
There was still one last hope—if it really was out!
Smack!
Half of the ball landed flush on Aoba Johsai's end line before bouncing out.
"IN!" The referee signaled.
Atsumu scored another ace!!
[Aoba Johsai 23 – 24 Inarizaki]
They took the lead…
"YEAAAAHHH—!!" Atsumu clenched both fists and let out a triumphant yell.
"ATSUMU!! ATSUMU!! That was sick!!!"
"ATSUMU!! ATSUMU!! Keep going!!!"
"Another service ace! Atsumu Miya is absolutely unstoppable at set point!!"
"To be honest, I thought for sure that was going out!"
"The Master of Serves from Inarizaki, the nation's No.1 high school setter, Miya Atsumu has single-handedly forced Aoba Johsai, who had been leading all this ti, into a corner with his serves!!!"
Calm down...Calm down…You have to stay calm.
Iwaizumi stood in the centre of the back row, scanning his teammates' faces.
He had seen it clearly—both of Atsumu's serves had an even sharper downward dip when they were about a ter off the ground. The ball changed trajectory so fast that his reactions felt sluggish, his feet stuck to the floor…
I have to get the ball up!
As long as I can receive it, Oikawa and Taichi will find a way to score!
-----
Atsumu stepped up to the service line again, his expression turning ice-cold.
One more.
Take the first set in one go!
Bam!
A third float serve!
Iwaizumi saw its trajectory and imdiately moved forward to et it. Even if his hands couldn't make solid contact, he'd at least use his chest to pop the ball up!
Smack!
He got it!
"Hehe, nice try." Atsumu grinned at Inarizaki's end line.
The ball had bounced off Iwaizumi's hands, veering toward the backcourt.
Smack!
"Taichi!!!"
Kunimi Akira dove desperately, his entire body stretched out behind Iwaizumi. This ball CANNOT be lost!
The ball was sent high into Aoba Johsai's back row.
Kaedehara Taichi sprinted from the front row to the back, leaping into the air in a single stride—sideways, single-handed—spiking the ball over.
Bang!
"Wait, that actually worked?!!"
The ball shot toward Inarizaki's backcourt at an extrely tricky angle!
Smack!
"Osamu!" Atsumu twisted his body mid-air, managing to get a hand under the ball. Osamu Miya followed up, jumping into position.
They had to win this rally!
Inarizaki initiated a full-team synchronized attack!
Osamu's set was flawless—so flawless that it was impossible to tell where the ball would go. Behind him, Ojiro Aran had already taken off.
—Whoosh!
The ball sailed toward the middle—the spiker was Suna Rintarō!
Boom!
A dark shadow lood over Suna's approach. Kaedehara Taichi had sohow made it from the back row to the net, jumping up for the block.
But this was exactly why Osamu had chosen Suna—his torso twisted mid-air, and despite his spiking hand remaining unchanged in angle and direction, he forcefully redirected his attack.
Thinking you can stop alone—how naive.
Smack!
Taichi's originally straightened arms snapped down and to the left, perfectly cutting off Suna's new attack trajectory!
The ball dropped back into Inarizaki's court, where none of the players, all involved in the attack, could react in ti.
Kaedehara Taichi scored on a block!
[Aoba Johsai 24 – 24 Inarizaki]
"...So at the end of the day, this is just another way to redirect the ball, isn't it?" Taichi looked at the stunned Suna. "Compared to Sakusa-senpai's spikes, yours are way more predictable."
A rare flash of irritation crossed Suna's normally fox-like face. A subtle but unmistakable glint of anger flickered in his eyes.
For the longest ti, he and Sakusa Kiyoomi had been constantly compared—both were second-years, both renowned for their flexibility.
In the beginning, their nas had often been ntioned together by rival schools and dia alike.
But as ti passed, Sakusa's growth had far outpaced Suna's. Their skill gap beca undeniable, and soon, people stopped ntioning their nas in the sa breath.
Suna had never minded. It was just a fact. Everyone had different talents and developntal paths—growth was never uniform.
But to have the gap so bluntly pointed out in his face—to be taunted about it like this—even Suna couldn't remain unaffected.
This was the first ti he had ever been so openly challenged.
Of course, Taichi had no idea he'd just stomped right on Suna's sore spot.
Or rather—if he had known, he probably would've said it even earlier.
"Oh? You sound like you know Sakusa pretty well." Suna narrowed his eyes.
"Eh, we were teammates for a few days, that's all." Taichi blinked innocently. "Didn't Atsumu-senpai tell you?"
Rintarō Suna's breath hitched for a mont. Now that he thought about it, that little brat really was among the most gifted players in the entire country…
He recalled that brief instant just now—those arms stretching over the net were like a manifestation of terror itself. Instinctively, he had altered his spike to avoid the block, relying on his usual technique.
But his opponent's ridiculous reaction speed made him feel as though he had frozen in midair…
A block that doesn't inspire fear isn't a true block.
In that sense, perhaps the mont he hesitated was the mont he had already lost that exchange.
Sothing within Suna shifted slightly. Had the gap between him and Sakusa Kiyoomi already ford the mont he hesitated against him as well?
For the first ti in a long while, an intense desire surged from the depths of his heart—a desire to compete with Sakusa Kiyoomi.
But before that, he had to win this match first!
Suna, whose eyes always seed half-lidded with drowsiness, now opened them wide, fixing his gaze on Kaedehara Taichi.
"Thanks. Let's keep going."
Kaedehara Taichi: "???"
Is this guy okay? He got blocked and then thanked ? The players at Nationals really are sothing else…
(Miya Atsumu: So Rintarō's eyes can actually open that wide, huh?!
Ojiro Aran: Dumbass, this isn't the ti for jokes!)
-----
The serve rotated, switching offence and defence as Oikawa Tōru stepped onto the service line.
"Tsk Tsk, Atsumu, you didn't appreciate the opportunity I gave you, huh? Then I'll be taking this match for myself."
"Oikawa-senpai, if you're that confident, you're in for a rough ti."
Oikawa spun the ball in his hand before suddenly halting, tossing it into the air—
"OHH—HEYYYY!"
A terrifying serve shot off from Aoba Johsai's baseline, hurtling toward Inarizaki's back row in an instant.
Smack!
Akagi Michinari dropped to one knee, absorbing the impact and successfully receiving the ball.
"Save it!"
Miya Atsumu sprinted out of bounds, mind racing—not just to keep the ball in play, but to orchestrate a flawless counterattack.
Aran was still in the back row. The strongest front-row attackers available were Suna and Miya Osamu.
But Suna had just been blocked…
Who should he choose?
Atsumu took his final step. At this mont, he was three-quarters of the court away from the net, yet the thought of an errant set never even crossed his mind.
Whoosh—!
A long-distance set flew from beyond Inarizaki's baseline toward the net.
"Aran!!!"
In a team like Inarizaki, being called upon by a setter of Atsumu's calibre was the highest honour for a spiker!
Aran charged forward, leaping from the back row.
"Three-man block!" Iwaizumi Haji, Kindaichi Yūtarō, and Kaedehara Taichi jumped in unison.
Aoba Johsai's iron wall!
Boom!!
Smack!
The ball slamd into Kindaichi's arms, failing to pierce through the block!
"One touch!"
Kaedehara Taichi quickly retreated to the back row, making space for an approach.
"Give the ball!!!"
He raised his right hand high and shouted.
It was a direct challenge to Inarizaki's block—and a bold declaration to Aran, a national Top 5 top-tier ace!
Watari Shinji received the ball, and Oikawa moved into position.
He could sense it—Kaedehara Taichi's demand wasn't just for this rally. He wanted the ball every single ti until they secured the first set!
Because he was Aoba Johsai's ace!
Whoosh—!
The ball soared toward the right-wing high above the court.
Kaedehara Taichi started his approach from near the baseline.
Boom!
Feeling his body surge with power, he ascended like a hawk soaring from the forest into the sky.
"Three-man block!!!" Ginjima Hitomi, Suna Rintarō, and Miya Osamu leapt together.
Yet Taichi's ascent was still incomplete. A heartbeat later, the block disappeared from his vision, leaving him with an open view of the court.
"Bring it on!!!"
From Inarizaki's back row, Akagi Michinari, Miya Atsumu, and Ojiro Aran locked onto the airborne figure.
With unshaken composure, Taichi swung his arm from behind, his wrist slightly flexing upon contact.
BANG!
The ball whizzed past the three blockers, carving a sharp trajectory through the air like a bullet, striking Inarizaki's baseline with a crisp thud.
Smack!
The ball was in!
Ignoring both block and defence, Kaedehara Taichi scored!
[Aoba Johsai 25 – 24 Inarizaki]
"That was terrifying…It felt like Inarizaki clawed their way back only for everything to collapse in a single point."
"Aoba Johsai's #10 doesn't even seem like he's going all out."
"It's just one point, but losing it feels suffocating for Inarizaki. If this happens again, they won't be able to stop him."
"Don't hesitate! Get back out there and take the point back!!!" Atsumu roared.
"Defend with everything you've got!!!"
Oikawa stepped up to the service line again. Aoba Johsai was a team ant to stay on this court until the very end.
There was no way they'd fall here.
Boom!!
Oikawa sent another serve flying.
"Urgh!" Atsumu received it. "Cover!!!"
Miya Osamu retreated to assist.
"Aran!!!"
Aran launched into another back-row attack. Failing to score in his previous attempt was his greatest sha as an ace!
"Three-man block!"
Aoba Johsai's iron wall remained steadfast!
Boom!
Aran twisted his wrist, spiking a sharp cut shot!
The ball barely slipped through the narrow gap in front of Iwaizumi.
Smack!
"Kunimi Akira receives it! But the ball deflects to the left and flies out of bounds!"
"Oikawa rushes in!"
"He doesn't opt for an easy set—he sends a long cross-court pass to the far right!"
"He's feeding it to the ace—Kaedehara Taichi!!!"
Once again, Taichi charged along the right sideline, leaping high.
"Three-man block!"
This ti, Inarizaki's blockers jumped with all their might, completely cutting off his view of the court.
"Sotis, knowing too many techniques can be a hassle."
—!!!?
On the other side of the net, Suna Rintarō felt a sudden chill—he was being targeted!
His gaze t Taichi's, and it felt like a sharpened blade was about to pierce through him. Instinctively, he tensed his arms, lowering them slightly.
Taichi swung his arm down, and at the mont of contact, every muscle in his arm tensed explosively.
BOOM!!!
Unlike before, this spike carried raw, unrelenting power.
Suna barely had ti to react before the ball slamd into his arms, instantly blowing them apart.
The ball plumted straight to the floor.
Atsumu, Akagi, and Aran dove simultaneously—
THUD!
The ball struck the ground before they could reach it.
Kaedehara Taichi, standing tall, looked down at the fallen trio.
"You can't stop ."
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[Aoba Johsai 26 – 24 Inarizaki]
"Tweet—!"
First set over.
Winners: Aoba Johsai.
_________
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