"Have you ever heard of a 'blacksmith'?"
Inside Karasuno High's club room, the whole team was gathered together. During the national tournament, Coach Ukai made it a point to carve out time every day for the team to watch recordings of other matches. After all, studying game footage was also a form of training.
However, due to scheduling conflicts, Karasuno hadn't been able to watch any of Aoba Johsai's matches until today.
As they observed Ryuhei Sanashita's performance on screen, someone couldn't help but ask a question. But instead of answering directly, Oda Miki posed a seemingly unrelated one.
"A blacksmith?"
Everyone looked at her in confusion, brows furrowed, question marks practically popping over their heads.
What did blacksmiths have to do with volleyball?
"Sanashita's grandfather used to be a blacksmith–" Oda began. "He once said that a master blacksmith can forge countless famous swords in a lifetime. But a blacksmith with only average talent… might spend their whole life making just one decent blade."
"So for many blacksmiths who aren't gifted but are full of determination, in order to create just one great sword, they often have to give up forging anything else."
Most of the team still looked puzzled by the metaphor, but Kageyama Tobio seemed to pause in thought, perhaps beginning to understand.
Oda continued, "Sanashita doesn't have much natural talent. He's not a genius like Kageyama. But from Junior High until now, after countless rounds of tempering and training, he's forged his own 'famous sword.'"
"He might not be compatible with the rest of his team, but with that sword, Akashi Asuka, he can execute plays just as well as any genius."
This time, the Karasuno team finally grasped what Oda Miki meant.
The reason Ryuhei Sanashita could always hit Akashi Asuka's peak attack point was because he knew Akashi better than anyone. In contrast, he had little synergy with the rest of Aoba Johsai's players.
That's because for all this time, Sanashita had only studied one player, Akashi Asuka.
"So that means… isn't Aoba Johsai in a really risky situation right now?" Sugawara Koushi muttered. "If all of their attacks are funneled through Akashi, and Mujizaka catches on and targets him, "
"They won't–" Oda interrupted calmly. "Sanashita won't let that happen again."
"Again?" The team looked at each other, puzzled.
Oda's mind wandered back to the national tournament during their Junior High days.
It was the final round, the third and decisive set. Just like now. But back then, the one who was forced off the court… was Sanashita himself.
Trying to save a powerful serve, Sanashita had thrown himself toward the referee's stand and accidentally twisted his arm in the process.
With no choice, the backup setter, Nishimori Tomohiko, was subbed in.
Unfortunately, it was Nishimori's first time playing in the national tournament, and nerves got the best of him. His entire performance was off, and in the end, Sengoku lost the match by a narrow margin.
Their journey at nationals ended that day.
Now, the current match between Aoba Johsai and Mujizaka, also in its third set, was almost an exact replica of that fateful game.
That's why Oda Miki believed with unwavering certainty, neither Sanashita nor Akashi would let history repeat itself.
────────── ✦ ──────────
[Beautiful!]
[Another pinpoint 'super high set' spike! That's already the fifth successful super set in this match. Number 10, Aoba Johsai's substitute setter, Ryuhei Sanashita, is displaying incredible passing precision, nearly every toss reaches Akashi Asuka at the very peak of his jump!]
[Thanks to his height advantage, Akashi has been racking up point after point. The score is now 16 to 15!]
[Even with their starting setter off the court, Aoba Johsai's ace, Akashi Asuka, has boldly taken the reins. Facing off directly against Mujizaka's Wakatsu Kiryu, he's showing no signs of backing down.]
[No doubt about it, even though he's only a first-year, Akashi Asuka already carries the aura of a true national-level ace.]
"Huff… huff… Damn it, what is up with this guy?! Why do his spikes keep getting stronger?!"
The Mujizaka players were panting heavily, unable to comprehend the overwhelming pressure radiating from Akashi.
Since the third set began, Aoba Johsai had scored 16 points, 12 of which were directly thanks to Akashi.
The remaining 4 points? They only happened because Mujizaka was so focused on defending against Akashi that other zones opened up, forcing Sanashita to pass elsewhere.
That scoring efficiency… was almost absurd, far beyond anything they'd seen in the previous two sets. Even Wakatsu Kiryu, known as one of Japan's top three aces, couldn't keep up under that kind of targeted pressure.
Akashi Asuka, of course, had no clue what his opponents were thinking.
Right now, he is completely immersed in his own world. Unless it was relevant to the match, his mind filtered out everything else automatically.
After scoring again, and following the rotation, it was now Akashi's turn to serve.
As he stepped into the service area, Mujizaka's libero, Haruma Bishin, felt a chill run down his spine.
A creeping fear took hold.
Boom!
A thunderous impact echoed through the arena.
The ball, nearly compressed from the sheer force, shot across the net like a bullet straight toward the back row, toward Haruma Bishin himself.
But for some reason… Haruma didn't react in time.
His body froze.
Thwack!
With a muffled thud, the volleyball smashed straight into his face.
Instantly, blood gushed from his nose.
"Tweet!"
The referee blew the whistle.
Mujizaka's players rushed to surround their libero, helping him sit down.
Haruma was dazed from the hit. By the time he came to his senses, he found himself surrounded by concerned teammates, and a large red stain had already bloomed across the front of his jersey.
Fortunately, after a medical check, it was confirmed to be just a burst capillary, nothing serious.
But he still had to step off the court and rest for a while.
It would have been nothing more than an unfortunate accident,
Until the announcer dropped a bombshell.
[Incredible!]
[We've just received the official data, Akashi Asuka's serve just now clocked in at a staggering 110 km/h… again!]
(End of Chapter)
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