The scoreboard blinked.
Seiwa: 15 — Arakawa: 17
The first set was nearing its end, but the game had felt endless. Long rallies. Off-speed shots. Serves that twisted in the air.
And in the eye of the storm—Renji and Nao, locked in silent battle.
Renji wiped the sweat from his brow as the team huddled during a timeout. Coach Sato spoke quickly, clearly. "You've stabilized the chaos. Now take control. Dictate the pace."
Renji nodded, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
Nao hadn't scored in the last three rallies. His last spike had gone long. His grin had started to twitch.
Was he slipping?
Or was he… setting something up?
---
Back on Court: Shift in Momentum
Yuuto served sharply, forcing Arakawa's libero to stretch wide for the pass. The ball floated high—too high.
Opportunity.
Kenta rushed in. "Mine!" he called.
But before he could jump, Nao leaped out of nowhere, skying over the middle for a setter's spike.
Bang.
Point, Arakawa. 18–15.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Even Renji flinched.
He'd read the ball perfectly. But not the attacker.
"That's his second weapon," Asuka whispered from the bench. "Nao isn't just a playmaker… he's a finisher too."
---
Mind Games Begin
After the next rally, Nao walked past Renji near the net.
"Still a step behind," he said, barely above a whisper. "Some things never change."
Renji didn't respond.
But the words echoed anyway.
In middle school, Nao's insults had shattered him.
Now?
Now they fueled him.
---
Renji's Counterattack
He made the adjustment.
No longer reacting to the ball—but to Nao.
He studied his body language.
How he leaned forward on short sets.
How he flared his elbows when planning to spike himself.
Then came the test.
Arakawa ran a fake double set again. Nao went airborne—
And Renji was there.
Not to block. Not to dive.
But already in place.
Nao's spike slammed into Renji's dig and bounced high.
Arai smashed it down on transition.
Point Seiwa.
18–16.
---
Cracking the Fox
From there, something shifted.
Nao's movements slowed just a bit.
His sets lost their sting.
And Seiwa started hunting patterns in the chaos.
Yuuto crushed two in a row. Arai faked out a block. Kenta landed a diving save that sent the bench on their feet.
Seiwa tied it at 20–20.
And for the first time all tournament—
Nao Yamasaki scowled.
---
Set Point
24–23.
Set point for Seiwa.
Yuuto served it short.
Arakawa barely passed it up.
Nao scrambled for the second ball. He jumped again—going for another deceptive spike.
Renji stepped forward—
Then at the last second, dropped back.
Nao's tip floated forward—
And landed harmlessly into Renji's waiting arms.
"Free ball!" he shouted.
Kenta passed.
Renji set.
Yuuto soared.
Spike.
Set won.
25–23. Seiwa.
---
After the Whistle
Renji exhaled, chest rising and falling with relief.
Across the net, Nao didn't look smug anymore.
He looked... curious.
Like he'd just been solved for the first time in a long time.
As the teams switched sides, Nao passed Renji again.
This time, he didn't taunt.
He only muttered, "That was clever."
Renji looked at him, calm and steady.
"You're not the only one who's changed."
---
End of Chapter 73
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To Be Continue