"Is this really the semifinals? Why does it feel like Aoba Johsai is having an easier ti than in the quarterfinals?"
From the stands, as the match tilted heavily in Aoba Johsai's favour, murmurs of confusion spread among the spectators.
"Uh…maybe Kamodai is just weaker than Fukurōdani?"
"That makes sense…"
Yamaka Mika tugged on Daishō Suguru's sleeve, looking up at him with curiosity.
"Suguru, is that true? If Fukurōdani was actually stronger than Kamodai, then isn't it a sha they didn't make the top four…?"
"Well…it's not that simple," Daishō Suguru scratched his head, unable to hold back a chuckle. "After all, Inarizaki only made it to the Round of 16 this ti."
"Honestly, whoever runs into Aoba Johsai in this tournant is just plain unlucky…"
"Besides, it's hard to say whether Kamodai or Fukurōdani is stronger without them actually facing off."
"Hmm? You can't compare them like that?" Mika tilted her chin slightly, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"So cute…Ah, no, I an—" Daishō Suguru's face reddened before he quickly continued, "If the skill gap isn't overwhelming, matchups between teams can co down to playstyles countering each other."
"Then…" Mika had been about to ask how Daishō Suguru's own team would fare, but she quickly realized that Nohebi Academy hadn't even qualified for nationals this year. She stopped herself before finishing the question.
Suguru imdiately understood her hesitation. After all, it was because of him that Mika had even developed a slight interest in volleyball.
Smiling indulgently, he said without concern, "If we played Fukurōdani, we'd probably only have about a 20% chance of winning. And that's assuming Bokuto Kōtarō isn't in peak form. Against Kamodai…Nohebi would probably stand no chance at all."
"I can't even imagine how we'd break through Kamodai's blocking." Daishō Suguru's expression grew serious. But then again, he was graduating soon, so it wasn't sothing he needed to worry about anymore.
"Not like Nekoma would stand a chance either—hah!" He laughed again.
Seeing that Suguru's mood hadn't soured, Mika chuckled along, nodding repeatedly. The two continued watching the match in harmony.
-----
The score reached [Aoba Johsai 15 – 11 Kamodai].
Aoba Johsai had the serve. Kaedehara Taichi stepped onto the service line.
In his previous turn at serve, Taichi's left-handed jump serve had been successfully anticipated by Hoshiumi Kōrai, and Hakuba Gao had capitalized on the reception with a powerful back-row attack, imdiately ending his service round.
"This ti, you won't be so lucky."
Taichi pointed a finger at Hoshiumi, then slowly moved it toward Hakuba.
"Are you ready, Hakuba-senpai?"
Hakuba wasn't sure what he had done to earn this much attention from Aoba Johsai's number ten, but it was painfully obvious—he was being targeted.
Taichi tossed the ball.
Boom!
A powerful right-handed jump serve—ordinary in form, but its speed was extraordinary!
Nozawa Izuru had positioned himself slightly in front of Hakuba, ready to assist in reception. But the serve ca straight down the line, appearing in front of Hakuba in an instant.
Pop!
Caught off guard, Hakuba barely managed to raise his arms. The ball ricocheted off them and shot straight back into Aoba Johsai's court.
"Did I aim too directly?" Taichi thought as he rushed back onto the court.
"Chance ball!"
Watari Shinji delivered a clean pass.
Oikawa Tōru set the ball to the left wing.
Kyōtani Kentarō sprinted diagonally into position and leapt into the air.
Boom!—
"Three-man block!"
Kamodai's front line—Suwa Aikichi, Bessho Kazuyoshi, and Nozawa Izuru—jumped up in unison.
Kyōtani slamd the ball into a sharp cross-court angle, grazing Kamodai's right sideline before bouncing out.
Kyōtani Kentarō scores.
[Aoba Johsai 16 – 11 Kamodai]
-----
"That blocking setup was awful…" Kuroo Tetsurō muttered from the stands, watching with interest. "Kamodai's middle blocker is a first-year who leans more toward offence. Do they seriously think all they have to do is shut down Taichi?"
"But they haven't even shut Taichi down yet," Kozu Kenma responded calmly.
"This doesn't seem right. At this rate, Kamodai is going to lose the first set outright." Kuroo wasn't particularly rooting for Kamodai—he just found the match less exciting than he had expected.
Kenma's gaze sharpened.
"For Kamodai, it's too difficult to improve their blocking precision without falling too far behind in points…"
"After all, Taichi isn't soone you can figure out just by watching film. At this rate, they might not have enough ti to adjust before the first set ends."
-----
Taichi tossed the ball again.
Bang!
A left-handed float serve.
Nozawa Izuru quickly positioned himself in front of Hakuba Gao.
"!!!"
As the ball descended, it suddenly veered to the right, grazing Nozawa's fingertips before landing on Kamodai's court.
That much deviation?! Nozawa stared at Kaedehara Taichi at the backline of Aoba Johsai, still in disbelief. If he hadn't gone for the ball, it might have gone out of bounds entirely...
Kaedehara Taichi had scored directly off his serve.
[Aoba Johsai 17 – 11 Kamodai]
"Tweet!— Kamodai requests a tiout."
Coach Aaron Murphy turned to Hirugami Sachirō. "Have you figured out a way to contain Kaedehara Taichi yet?"
"It'll take a little more ti, but we can start targeting the other spikers first," Hirugami replied with an easygoing smile.
Coach Murphy nodded. "Korai, Gao, focus entirely on offence for now. They're leading by a wide margin, so they'll probably let their guard down."
"Yes!"
The first step—cutting Kaedehara Taichi off from the rest of his team.
—
The tiout ended, and play resud.
Kaedehara Taichi stepped up for his third serve.
Boom!—
A left-handed power jump serve!
Smack!
"Damn it!"
The mont Nozawa's arms made contact with the ball, he knew sothing was wrong. The left-handed spin was even trickier than he had expected!
The ball veered out of bounds.
Hakuba reacted belatedly, preparing to chase it down—
But a figure had already darted past him.
"Gao! Right-wing!"
Hoshiumi Kōrai's voice rang out as he sprinted past the boundary line.
Hakuba steadied himself and rushed forward. Hoshiumi had caught up to the ball, leaping with both hands to send a high set toward the net.
No way...he managed to set that? Even Oikawa Tōru felt challenged.
Thud!
Hakuba stomped hard before launching into a back-row attack, this ti with no trace of hesitation.
"Triple block!" Kyōtani Kentarō, Matsukawa Issei, and Iwaizumi Haji jumped together.
Even though Hakuba had jumped from the back row, his contact point was still higher than any of Aoba Johsai's blockers!
Even my height isn't enough?! Matsukawa's eyes widened in shock. Compared to Hyakuzawa Yūdai, Hakuba Gao was undoubtedly a more complete attacker.
Boom!
The ball soared over Matsukawa's outstretched hands, slamming straight into Aoba Johsai's court.
A no-nonsense over-the-block kill. Even with three defenders prepared, they had no ti to react.
Hakuba Gao had scored.
[Aoba Johsai 17 – 12 Kamodai]
_________
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