Kaedehara Taichi had never felt such an urgent desire to return to the front row.
Every cell in his body was screaming. Every nerve was firing.
The team needed him to attack—
But first, they had to survive this crisis.
Hoshiumi Kōrai served again.
Boom!—
"What a brutal serve!"
Kamodai's strategy remained unchanged—they were determined to target Kaedehara Taichi with their serves.
Aoba Johsai was already struggling just to handle Hoshiumi's relentless serves. Expanding their defensive coverage to help Taichi was simply out of the question.
Smack!
Taichi lunged forward in a low stance, arms stretched out as he received the ball near the sideline.
"Nice receive, Taichi!"
The ball soared toward the setter's position.
Oikawa Tōru jumped and set.
Now was not the ti to conserve energy—
Iwaizumi Haji, Matsukawa Issei, and Kunimi Akira launched a three-way synchronized attack!
Boom!—
Smack!
"Touch!"
Kamodai's blockers refused to let up—Bessho Kazuyoshi managed to disrupt Iwaizumi's spike.
"Chance ball!" Kanbayashi Keijirō easily controlled the first touch.
Hakuba Gao, Bessho Kazuyoshi, and Nozawa Izuru sprinted toward the net—Kamodai was setting up a multi-angle attack!
Suwa Aikichi set the ball to the left wing.
"It's Hakuba again!!"
Oikawa jumped to block him head-on. Matsukawa arrived a mont later from the right.
Not good—he's too high!
"But I have to go for it! Even if I can't stop him outright, I have to at least disrupt the angle—"
Boom!
Hakuba spiked past the block!
"Damn—!"
Smack!
The ball shot high into the air.
Kaedehara Taichi had saved it!
Even in the back row, he had a role to fulfill!
[Ding! The Host has entered Burst Mode]
"Oikawa-senpai!!!"
Taichi shouted as he pushed himself off the ground.
"I got it!"
Instead of letting Kunimi take the set, Oikawa rushed into position.
"I can't stop now!"
Taichi sprinted toward the net, launching himself from the back row.
"Double block!" Hakuba and Bessho leaped in front of him, while Nozawa stayed locked on Matsukawa in the middle.
"Their defensive focus is sharp—but only Taichi can create this kind of opening..."
Boom!
Oikawa spiked it—an setters dump
Direct point!
[Aoba Johsai 21 - 23 Kamodai]
Both Oikawa and Kaedehara Taichi had been the main targets of Kamodai's defensive strategy.
Their current rotation prevented them from being in the front row at the sa ti.
Whenever Oikawa was up front, he was tightly marked, making it nearly impossible to find an opening for a setter dump.
But this ti—
Because Taichi had dragged away two of Kamodai's defenders with his presence alone—
Oikawa finally saw his chance.
The serve rotated to Aoba Johsai.
They had survived the most dangerous rotation.
Kunimi Akira aid a float serve at Hakuba Gao.
Smack!
"Cover him!"
Hakuba, unaccustod to receiving, barely managed to keep the ball in play.
Suwa set a high ball to the left side—Hoshiumi Kōrai took off from the back row.
"Triple block!!!"
Iwaizumi, Oikawa, and Matsukawa leaped in unison, forming a wall in front of him.
Boom!—
It was a spike filled with sheer desperation—
The ball slamd into the deep corner of Aoba Johsai's court.
Right on the line!
Hoshiumi Kōrai had scored.
[Aoba Johsai 21 - 24 Kamodai]
Kamodai had reached the set point!
And, Aoba Johsai was hanging by a thread!
The serve rotated to Kamodai.
Tension tightened across Aoba Johsai's faces.
The situation was almost exactly what they had predicted during the tiout.
Kamodai's blocking had only grown sharper as the set progressed.
If they didn't win the second set—
Could they still find a way to turn things around in the third?
"Hey, senpai, just because this set is looking rough doesn't an you have to make those faces."
Kaedehara Taichi spoke from the back row, his tone lighthearted. "It's only the second set, isn't it? Though, I would prefer to finish things here."
Oikawa Tōru shot him a glare. "Do you even understand the situation, brat? This second set will determine how the third goes. If—"
"We won't lose!" Taichi cut him off. "I'll protect Aoba Johsai's backcourt!"
"Hah?"
Iwaizumi Haji, Oikawa Tōru, and Matsukawa Issei all turned to look at him.
"…You do realize you're the worst at receiving in our lineup, right—?"
Wait.
That wasn't entirely true anymore.
Sowhere along the way, Kaedehara Taichi's receiving had beco damn good.
Even with Kamodai targeting him nonstop, he had rarely let a ball drop…
"No problem." Taichi grinned. "That 2-ter giant is in the back row now. That ans it's our turn!"
"Hmph. Obviously." Oikawa turned back toward the court, fully locked in.
The whistle blew.
Hakuba Gao stood in position and sent a standard overhand serve.
Smack!
"Chance ball!" Watari Shinji sent a perfect pass.
Kaedehara Taichi had already launched from the back row—
Bessho Kazuyoshi could only stare in shock.
"Even our senpai can barely keep up with that kind of spike…"
BOOM!
The ball slamd into the court behind Bessho.
Hakuba, who had just re-entered from out of bounds, was a fraction too late.
In the blink of an eye—
Oikawa and Taichi had pulled off an ultra-fast backrow attack.
[Aoba Johsai 22 - 24 Kamodai]
"This is ridiculous…" Hirugami Sachirō muttered, staring at Kaedehara Taichi across the net. "He can attack like that from the back row too?"
And—sohow—his speed seed even faster than before.
But now, it was Kamodai's turn.
The serve rotated to Aoba Johsai.
Matsukawa Issei felt nervous. Hakuba's serve had just been converted into an instant point for Seijoh—
And now it was his turn to serve.
"Matsukawa-senpai, you got this."
Kunimi Akira spoke up unexpectedly.
Matsukawa blinked, then grinned.
Who would've thought a first-year would be more reassuring than him?
"If we lose this set, I'll buy everyone ran." Matsukawa decided to reverse his luck with a flag of his own. "So don't go scamming for free food, got it?"
"Just serve already."
Oikawa looked conflicted. After all, squeezing free food out of his childhood best friend was never easy.
Matsukawa tossed the ball and slamd a jump serve.
Boom!
Smack!
Hoshiumi Kōrai received it cleanly. Suwa Aikichi set the ball to the left.
Here it cos!
Hakuba leapt from the back row—determined to make up for the point he had lost!
"Triple block!"
Kindaichi Yūtarō, Iwaizumi Haji, and Oikawa Tōru ford a wall in front of him.
Boom!—
Smack!
"Touch!" Kindaichi called out as the ball rebounded.
"Taichi! I got it!"
Kunimi Akira shouted.
Kaedehara Taichi kept sprinting forward.
He didn't slow down.
He didn't stop.
He trusted—there would be a ball coming from behind him.
BAM!
Taichi took off—
And whoosh—!
The ball shot toward him from behind at lightning speed.
He needed to hit it—right at the instant it passed his left side!
"Triple block!"
Bessho Kazuyoshi, Nozawa Izuru, and Suwa Aikichi jumped, but—
They were a fraction too late.
BOOM!
The ball smashed straight down the sideline—
A line shot!
Kaedehara Taichi had scored!
[Aoba Johsai 23 - 24 Kamodai]
"Perfect set, Kunimi!" Taichi grinned, slapping Kunimi's palm.
Kunimi didn't reply.
Because, honestly—
"The fact that you even hit that is way more insane."
At that mont—
He hadn't even thought about the possibility of failure.
The second set ending right then and there?
For so reason, that never crossed his mind.
Because, deep down—
He knew.
If it was Taichi—
He would make it work.
Aoba Johsai was only one point away from tying the score!
_________
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