"Itachiyama knew Taichi is sharp against blockers, so they deliberately used Iizuna Tsukasa as bait?"
Even Oikawa Tōru hadn't expected that attack to be blocked.
"Looks like they've been preparing for this for a while..."
Kaedehara Taichi landed, montarily stunned.
He couldn't even rember the last ti—
He felt the frustration of being blocked.
"Taichi, you okay?"
Kindaichi Yūtarō was the first to react, stepping forward with concern.
In every match up to now, Taichi's spikes had been nearly unstoppable—
He always managed to pinpoint the weakest spot in the opponent's defence, scoring again and again.
Even against teams with airtight blocking, his attacks would at worst be dug—
But never outright stuffed.
"...Hah. Been a while since I've felt that."
Taichi muttered under his breath, his tone laced with frustration and reflection.
He had reminded himself countless tis—
Never underestimate the opponent.
But after winning ga after ga, marching all the way to the finals—
With the championship right there within reach—
He had let his guard down.
And at this stage—
Even the slightest mistake could cost them everything.
Smack!
A sharp, crisp sound rang through the court.
Kaedehara Taichi had slapped both hands against his own face—
Hard.
The sudden noise startled everyone.
Both teams instinctively turned to look.
"...No way, you're beating yourself up over one point?"
Komori Motoya muttered, exasperated.
A deep red mark spread across Taichi's cheeks—
A colour as bright as flas.
But his gaze—
Was sharper than ever.
Whether it was the overwhelming temptation of victory,
Or the ease with which he had won up to now turning confidence into arrogance—
None of it mattered.
He had to wake up.
"...This guy."
Komori's eyes held a mix of admiration—
And wariness.
That slap wasn't just for himself.
It was a ssage to his teammates—
We go all in.
The atmosphere on the court had just started to settle.
And in an instant—
Taichi's actions sent a shockwave through both teams.
It was like a massive stone dropped into still water, sending ripples through every player on the court—
A stark reminder of exactly what was at stake.
"Again."
A chill ran down the backs of Itachiyama's players.
It felt as though—
They were being hunted.
-----
The serve rotated.
Sakano Sawaji blasted a powerful jump serve over the net—
Watari Shinji received it smoothly.
"Taichi!"
Oikawa adjusted his position and set the ball high to the left.
BAM!
Kaedehara Taichi took off from the back row, launching himself over the net.
"Triple block!"
Iizuna, Sakusa, and Mizushima Yū all went up together—
Their hands forming a near-impenetrable wall.
But Taichi kept rising.
His contact point—
Above the block.
"Unreal..."
Sakusa felt a twinge of disbelief.
This was supposed to be the strongest block formation against him.
—BOOM!!!—
No wipe.
No tool.
No avoiding the block.
Taichi drove the ball straight into Sakusa's arms—
SMACK!
Not even a second passed before—
The ball smashed through.
Sakusa's hand positioning barely wavered—
And yet—
It was blown open by sheer force.
THUD!
The ball slamd into Itachiyama's court and bounced high into the air.
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[Aoba Johsai 18 - 14 Itachiyama]
"Incredible!!"
"Taichi charges in and absolutely PUNCHES through Itachiyama's triple block!"
Comntator Ōtomo practically shouted into the mic.
"That last block didn't shake his confidence one bit—"
"No—if anything, he looks even sharper now!"
"Even though he could've easily hit over the top—"
Comntator Aoi was just as excited.
"Taichi chose to go straight through the block instead! That kind of fearlessness is insane!"
"He didn't just adjust his mindset—he turned the pressure back on his opponents!"
"Aoba Johsai reclaims the serve!!!"
-----
"Taichi, that guy…He really makes you feel at ease."
Iwaizumi Haji stepped onto the service line, exhaling.
"Honestly…even I feel like he's pushing to break my own limits."
He tossed the ball high—
Every ounce of his offensive spirit—was poured into this serve!
BOOM!!
A ferocious jump serve tore through the air, streaking toward Itachiyama's back row.
Smack!
Takeshita Yūshin barely managed to receive it.
"Save it!"
Komori Motoya dashed past the baseline, just keeping the ball in play with a high lob toward the net.
Sakusa Kiyoomi leapt—
"Double block!"
Kaedehara Taichi and Kindaichi Yūtarō jumped together.
In a middle attack, the available angles were limited.
Bang!—
But Sakusa did the unexpected—
A cut shot in the opposite direction of his approach.
Iwaizumi dived, arms outstretched—
But the ball deflected off his hands and went out of bounds.
Sakusa Kiyoomi scores!
[Aoba Johsai 18 - 15 Itachiyama]
"No surprise from Sakusa! Aoba Johsai still hasn't managed to cleanly dig his spikes!"
"His topspin is just too tricky to judge," Comntator Aoi chuckled.
"Not to ntion—he's the only second-year among the previous Big Three Aces."
"That ans Taichi's basically in the sa position now, doesn't it?"
Comntator Ōtomo grinned.
"Hahaha, yeah, you could say that..."
-----
Iizuna Tsukasa stepped up to serve again.
A crucial rotation.
If Itachiyama wanted to break through—
This was their chance.
Boom!—
Iizuna blasted a heavy serve.
Iwaizumi barely kept it in play, his reception shaky—
Oikawa Tōru rushed into position.
"Middle—high set!"
Kaedehara Taichi raised his left hand from the backline, calling loud and clear.
"He's really trying to take pressure on himself," Oikawa muttered, smirking.
With a flick of his wrist—
The ball soared high into the centre.
BAAMM!!
Taichi launched off the ground.
Iizuna felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
Aside from Sakusa, no one's serves had been able to slow down Aoba Johsai's attack.
"Triple block!"
Sakusa, Mizushima Yū, and Nishimura Hiroyuki all jumped together.
Sakusa had a bad feeling—
And the next second, it ca true.
BOOM!!!—
The ball ripped through the block—
And slamd into Itachiyama's court.
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[Aoba Johsai 19 - 15 Itachiyama]
"Don't run away now, Sakusa-senpai,"
Taichi grinned, voice light—
"But if you try a little harder, you might just block again."
Sakusa's expression darkened.
Because in that mont—
He had seen it.
A shadow of Ushijima Wakatoshi in Taichi's movents.
And that—
Annoyed him even more.
His arms, still tingling from the repeated impacts, twitched slightly.
Normally—
Sakusa wouldn't let himself react this way.
But—
"You're nowhere near Wakatoshi."
His voice was flat.
"And even Wakatoshi spikes—I'll block them. Every last one."
"Is that so?"
Taichi tilted his head, eyes gleaming.
His smile widened.
"But—"
"I'm Kaedehara Taichi, Sakusa-senpai!"
_________
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