The ball arced perfectly into Kageyama's hands. At that instant, he felt the burning intensity radiating from Hayato. Without hesitation, he sent the set soaring behind him.
"Hayato-senpai!"
It was a crisp, precise back set—right into Hayato's strike zone.
"Score for me!"
With a thunderous shout, Hayato's arm whipped down. His cross-court spike ripped over Shiratorizawa's blockers, a brutal line of power crashing into the back row.
The ball smacked Reon's hands, but the sheer force overwhelmed him. It ricocheted clumsily back across the net—an error.
"Chance ball!"
Hinata was already in motion, his small frame exploding forward. In perfect sync, Kageyama leapt beside him. The moment Hinata reached his peak, the ball was already in his strike path.
So fast!
The orange-haired first-year swung with lightning speed, the ball slamming into Shiratorizawa's court before anyone could even blink.
"Hinata!"
"Good hit!"
"Even seeing it again, number 10's quick is unreal!"
The arena erupted, the crowd's roar echoing like a storm. Even the gruff, cap-wearing spectator who had criticized Karasuno earlier blinked in disbelief.
"The ball was already there before Shiratorizawa could react… unbelievable. Is Karasuno really this strong this year?"
A student nearby laughed. "You haven't seen their matches recently, huh? They've gotten really strong."
Back on the court, Hinata rotated to serve. His serve was steady, but Shiratorizawa quickly secured possession—meaning one thing:
Ushijima's turn.
"Block, one-two!" Tsukishima barked.
He, Tanaka, and Hayato rose together, arms reaching skyward.
BOOM! Ushijima's spike crashed into Hayato's fingertips.
"One touch!"
The ball deflected sharply, spinning out of bounds. The crowd thought it impossible to save—
—but Hinata blurred into motion. His legs pumped like pistons, tearing across the wide central court.
"HINATA!"
Sugawara and the substitutes yelled, voices straining.
Hinata lunged, body stretching beyond its limits, and barely managed to pop the ball back into play.
But saving it meant he couldn't recover in time to attack.
Kageyama knows.
The set didn't go to Hinata. Instead, it sailed to Tsukishima.
A feint—light, deceptive. Tsukishima dumped the ball over.
But Shirabu had anticipated it, his hands already there.
"Ahhh! What a waste!" Saeko slammed the railing.
"But… look!" Akiteru pointed sharply. "Their setter's out of position!"
The ball went up anyway. Even with someone else feeding him, Ushijima launched.
"Block!"
Three arms rose—but Ushijima's spike ripped straight through, slamming past Tsukishima's hand and blasting off Daichi's arms.
"Sorry!" Daichi grimaced.
"No worries—next ball!"
Rotations continued. Hinata rotated out, Nishinoya rotated in.
With Karasuno's guardian back on court, the energy shifted.
"Leave the back row to me!" Nishinoya grinned, pounding his chest.
The whistle blew—serve to Karasuno.
Nishinoya dove and absorbed the force with perfect control.
"Nice receive!"
Kageyama lifted his hands, orchestrating a synchronized attack. Multiple Karasuno spikers surged in unison.
"Impressive…" Tendō muttered, eyes gleaming. He tilted his head, voice eerie. "But I smell it… a strong scent of pleasure, right here."
As Hayato swung, Tendō was already there.
BAM! The ball smacked his arms. A perfect read.
"What?!" Saeko gasped. "How could he possibly know where it was going?!"
Hayato froze for half a second. Tendō hadn't reacted—he had anticipated.
The counter came fast. Ushijima's set. Karasuno, mid-transition, was late to block.
"Can Noya save it—?!"
THUMP!
The sound rang—not of the ball on the floor, but on an arm.
"NISHINOYA!!"
The libero roared as he dug Ushijima's spike, his body skidding back but the ball floating high and controlled.
"Chance ball!"
"Leave it to me!"
Hayato steadied himself, his breath ragged, legs coiled. He leapt high, meeting the ball head-on.
His eyes locked on Tendō.
Guess my path all you want. This time, you don't need to guess—it's coming straight for you.
Hayato's hand slammed into the ball.
BOOM!
The spike streaked like a meteor. Tendō braced, arms out—but the impact blasted him back two steps. His arms gave, the ball flying diagonally out of bounds.
"Tch… tough Ace, huh?" Tendō muttered, shaking his arms with a crooked grin.
Karasuno exploded.
"KARASUNO~!"
"Push forward, Karasuno!!"
On the court, they swarmed Hayato and Nishinoya, hands clapping in a flurry of high-fives.
"Nice receive, Noya!"
"If not for you, we wouldn't even have that attack."
Kageyama nodded, eyes serious. "Senpai's right."
The rotation continued. Tanaka stepped back to serve, his sister's cheer booming from the stands.
"Ryu—GO FOR IT!!"
Tanaka inhaled, tossed, and drove the ball in.
But Shiratorizawa was ready.
"Chance ball!"
"Ushijima-senpai!"
The set went up again. Ushijima cut past the block, slamming straight into Nishinoya.
Even Nishinoya was forced back, dropping to the floor as the ball scorched past.
"Ushijima! Ushijima!"
The chant thundered once more.
The head-to-head between Karasuno and Shiratorizawa's Aces had only just begun.
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