Inside the hotel where everyone from Karasuno High was staying, the day's tactical meeting was in full swing.
Keishin Ukai stood in front of the projector with a serious expression, scanning the team in front of him.
"I don't need to explain how important tomorrow's match is!"
"Just like the match against Nekoma, I hope everyone stays sharp!"
"Don't let your guard down just because we know this team well!"
"If you rely on assumptions, you're likely to suffer for it!"
"I'm sure you realized that during the match with Nekoma !"
"Yes!"
Everyone responded in unison.
Though Karasuno and Fukurōdani were familiar with each other, they hadn't played a practice match in quite a while.
Both teams had evolved significantly.
Whether it was Karasuno or Fukurōdani, they had each developed entirely new strategies.
And this time, everyone agreed the match would be no different.
It was the fourth and second-to-last day of the Spring High Tournament.
Today's venue had changed from the Musashino Gymnasium to the prestigious Central Gymnasium.
It could accommodate more fans—naturally, the energy in the air was electric.
As game time approached, the empty seats grew fewer and fewer.
"Go, Ryū! Let's go, Karasuno!"
As soon as Karasuno entered the venue, they heard a familiar voice from the stands.
Saeko Tanaka leaned over the railing, her body nearly halfway over, waving enthusiastically with a huge grin.
Beside her were Udai Tenma, Akimitsu Tsukishima, and others.
"Do your best, Kei!" she shouted next.
Caught in Akimitsu Tsukishima's sharp gaze, Kei faltered slightly but still managed a smile.
Elsewhere in the crowd, Shimada and Takigami, who had come all the way from Miyagi Prefecture, were also shouting cheers.
Farther back, the cheer squad stood in perfect formation.
Most of them were Karasuno students who had come to Tokyo during the holiday just to cheer for their school's volleyball team.
Across the court, Karasuno's opponent, Fukurōdani Academy, began to take the stage.
After warm-ups, the players from both teams took their positions on the court.
Spring High School Semifinals: Karasuno High vs. Fukurōdani Academy!
At the referee's whistle, the game officially began.
Karasuno served first, with Shōyō Hinata opening the game.
In the back row for Fukurōdani, Akinori Konoha stepped forward and received the serve smoothly.
Fukurōdani's formation differed from the current mainstream style but had some similarities to Karasuno's—especially in its goal of keeping their ace in the front row as long as possible to maximize impact.
"Akaashi! Akaashi!"
In the first set, Kōtarō Bokuto was already on fire.
He raised his right hand high, calling for a set.
However, Keiji Akaashi, who had jumped into position to set, wasn't so straightforward. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Karasuno's blockers across the net, determined there was no immediate opening, and then passed the ball to Bokuto.
Fukurōdani was taking this game very seriously.
Precisely because they were so familiar with Karasuno, they approached the match with a solemn focus.
As a team that had trained with them extensively, they knew what Karasuno was capable of when they got serious.
The moment Akaashi's set left his hands, Bokuto's eyes lit up.
Across the net, Akira and a few others seemed to anticipate the set to Bokuto.
They knew their blocking line was solid, and if the setter couldn't maneuver around it, the ball would inevitably go to the player with the highest scoring potential.
And on Fukurōdani's side, that person was undeniably Bokuto.
Boom!
A loud crack echoed from Bokuto's spike.
He'd aimed carefully, trying to power the ball past Karasuno's block, but just as it was about to clear, Akira suddenly extended his right hand sharply to the side—
—sealing the gap perfectly.
Smack!
The ball struck his hand cleanly and ricocheted toward the back row of Karasuno.
"First touch!"
"Got it!"
Ryūnosuke Tanaka stepped back and steadied the ball with a clean receive.
Up front, Tobio Kageyama was already scanning Fukurōdani's defense out of the corner of his eye.
This was a crucial skill every setter needed.
If you didn't understand your opponent's defensive setup and just passed recklessly, your attacker could run headlong into a trap.
This time, Kageyama chose to set the ball to Akira.
He hadn't found any clear gaps in Fukurōdani's formation, so the only choice was to set it for the player most likely to score.
Boom!
Akira didn't disappoint. He leapt and spiked the ball straight at the Fukurōdani block.
The ball slammed against Akaashi's arms—but instead of bouncing back onto Karasuno's side, it deflected far out of bounds.
Tweet!
The referee's whistle sounded from the sidelines.
Karasuno scores!
"Nice block-out!"
If anyone had the clearest understanding of this match, it was the players from Itachiyama.
As past participants in joint training camps with both Karasuno and Fukurōdani, they knew both teams in detail.
During those camps, Fukurōdani had actually won more matches against Karasuno than they'd lost.
But that didn't mean Karasuno was necessarily weaker.
The outcome of those matches had often hinged on one person—Bokuto.
During practice games, Bokuto would often lose his rhythm for one reason or another.
But when Bokuto played consistently through an entire match, Fukurōdani had a strong chance of winning against Karasuno.
Of course, that referred to the level both teams had been at right after Interhigh.
At this point in the season, even Nekoma players couldn't predict the outcome.
After all, Karasuno had been crowned Interhigh champions not long ago.
But Fukurōdani's track record was just as impressive.
As one of Tokyo's powerhouse schools, they never missed a national tournament.
In Tokyo's internal qualifiers, they could even win decisively against the likes of Itachiyama.
And in recent matches, Bokuto had been at the top of his game. Fukurōdani had even made Itachiyama eat their words more than once.
Which is why, watching the intensity of today's match unfold, the Nekoma players couldn't help but feel conflicted.
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