Akashi was in the back row—he couldn't go for a second-touch attack!
So who was it going to be?
Would it be the left-wing spiker, who had been consistently brilliant?
A quick attack from the middle?
Or... was it going to be Bokuto on the right wing? Was he fully back to form yet?
Or maybe even a back-row attack from Konoha?
For a moment, countless possibilities raced through the minds of Karasuno's front three—Asahi, Tanaka, and Daichi.
Since Akira wasn't at the net to block, the burden of reading the play fell squarely on the three of them.
Facing a team like Fukurodani—full of skilled attackers—if they misjudged and split their block, they'd risk giving away a free point.
After a split-second of hesitation, the three gravitated toward the right.
After all, while Bokuto had been in his slump earlier, it was Fukurodani's left-wing that had stood out most.
And if Akashi did go for a quick set to the middle, Asahi—positioned closest—could at least try to interfere.
As for Bokuto... he hadn't scored a single spike this half. His presence had practically vanished.
Seeing Karasuno's block shift to the right, Akashi's eyes sharpened.
A golden opportunity!
Currently, Karasuno was leading.
And both teams' scores had climbed into the twenties.
Which meant…
Akashi's peripheral vision flicked toward Bokuto, who was watching the court wide-eyed.
'Looks like... this guy's almost fully recovered.'
'Then let's use Bokuto to turn the tide!'
Woosh!
Under the watch of twelve players on court, Akashi's set flew.
And the instant he released the ball, Karasuno's front three sensed something was off.
Deceived!
The ball had gone to the right wing!
By the time they realized, it was too late to shift over—Bokuto was already in position.
They were still too far away!
Bokuto blinked in surprise when he saw the set coming his way—but then his eyes lit up.
'Here it is—my time to shine!'
'So come back to life—ACE!!'
That was the voice of everyone on Fukurodani's side.
Bokuto stared at the perfect set flying toward him and the completely open space across the net.
Another perfect toss.
The setter's decoy movement had misled the blockers perfectly.
Everything was in place.
Bokuto's feet began to move automatically.
Pure instinct.
The scoring instinct of a true ace.
Bang!
He soared into the air!
There wasn't a single blocker in front of him—the view of the opponent's court was wide open!
BOOM!
A thunderous spike ripped through the back row and completely bypassed Karasuno's defense!
Point, Fukurodani!
Bokuto, who had just slammed the ball down, stood in place panting heavily, eyes locked across the net.
Behind him, Akashi shot a quick glance at his teammates.
'Get ready.'
The others immediately understood his signal and nodded.
When it came to handling Bokuto, everyone on Fukurodani was a seasoned expert.
"OH MY GOD, ACE!!"
"SO COOL!"
"As expected! Still gotta rely on our ace to score!"
At that moment, the two Fukurodani managers—Yukie Shirofuku and Kaori Suzumeda—cheered from the bench with big smiles.
"That spike just now was terrifying, Bokuto!"
"What power! Look at that horned-owl head go!"
Clearly, they were already very used to this routine.
Hearing all the voices cheering for him, Bokuto froze for a second—
Then—
"Heh… hehehe..."
"HAHAHAHA!!"
From a barely-contained chuckle to full-blown roaring laughter.
"I really am the strongest!!"
Seeing him in this state, the rest of the team quickly joined in:
"Totally!"
"We can always count on our ace!"
...
Watching the sudden energy shift on the court, everyone else couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their mouths.
Even if they'd seen this happen a hundred times before…
They still couldn't resist the urge to complain.
"What's with this feeling of... kindergarten-level emotional management?"
"Bokuto's like a literal five-year-old."
"Textbook single-celled lifeform."
...
A group of Fukurodani players surrounded Bokuto in the center, orbiting him like satellites around the moon.
It wasn't until the referee's whistle shrilled through the air that they returned to their positions.
From this moment onward, it was as if Bokuto had been injected with pure adrenaline—like a rooster jacked up on energy, his plays burst into brilliance, one after another.
Two consecutive points. The score closed in tight.
But the moment Akira rotated to the front row, Karasuno's momentum snapped back. Ukai seized the moment, calling out adjustments, and they quickly pulled ahead to match point.
Now, the scoreboard : 24–22, Karasuno
In other words, if Karasuno scored just one more point, they would win this set.
But for Fukurodani to stay in the game, they had to clinch at least two points in a row. No room for error.
"Come on! Come on!" Bokuto shouted across the net, practically bouncing on his toes with excitement as Karasuno prepared to serve.
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1st Bonus Chapter - 500 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter -900 Power Stones
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