Kageyama Tobio's whole body trembled, and he immediately clenched his fists.
"You idiot…"
Through gritted teeth, he shoved away the people around him and charged at Kindaichi.
Seeing Kageyama coming, Kindaichi also shoved his teammates aside and stepped forward to meet him.
Whether Kindaichi wanted to confront him or not, the mere suggestion to the coach to bench him was unacceptable to Kageyama, whose entire focus was on winning.
The team captain planted himself firmly between them, elbows bent, using them to keep the two from getting any closer.
"You two idiots! What are you trying to do?! We're in the middle of a match! Get it together!"
But the two hot-headed teenage boys in the middle of an emotional flare-up didn't listen.
"Captain! He's a burden to this team! Nobody can hit the balls he sets, a setter who gives us balls like this is useless!"
Seeing the situation escalating, Kindaichi ignored everything else and shouted at the top of his lungs, venting all the frustration he'd held since Kageyama became the starting setter.
"You idiot! If you can hit my sets, you can score! If you want to win, run faster! Jump higher! Work harder! Play harder, dammit!"
Kageyama, in turn, spoke without holding back, finally releasing the thoughts he had been suppressing.
"Huh? Nobody can hit your sets? The team isn't yours! Why should we follow your orders on everything?"
Hearing Kageyama's true thoughts only pushed Kindaichi further over the edge. Veins bulging in his neck, he shouted even louder.
"The team isn't yours! Of course, you follow whoever can win! Or are you telling me you don't want to win? If you want to win, do it my way!"
After exchanging words, they glared at each other across the captain, challenging one another with pure intensity.
Teammates on the court and on the bench had no choice but to rush in, grabbing arms, holding waists, locking shoulders, forcibly separating the two.
The referee's whistle blew repeatedly. Since it was an internal dispute, no points were deducted, but the match paused briefly.
In the stands, the three from Karasuno watched.
"Wow~ these two guys really have explosive tempers… almost came to blows in the middle of a match."
Ryunosuke Tanaka was the first to comment.
"What gives you the right to talk, Tanaka…"
Sugawara Koushi, tightening his hold on Tanaka, muttered back, criticizing Tanaka's critique.
"But it looks like the momentum's swinging toward the green team, Yukigaoka, huh?"
"Yeah, that spike from their captain… that contact point is just absurdly high."
Daichi Sawamura casually chimed in, agreeing.
"And his presence is insane too… he's a natural ace."
"Hey, Guren, what are they arguing about? I can't really tell."
Hinata Shoyo, initially intimidated by the fight, had instinctively taken a small step back. The two guys towering over him by ten or twenty centimeters were shouting, and the intensity was scary.
"It's simple. Basically, the setter thinks winning is more likely by doing things his way, but the ace thinks his way is better," Guren explained.
"Huh? Then why not just do whichever way is right?"
Hinata rubbed his chin, thinking he had made a deep observation.
Hearing Hinata's comment, Guren couldn't help but snicker.
"Ha… Shoyo, they're arguing precisely because each of them thinks they're right. If it were you, how would you prove your way is the right one? This isn't a lab, if it doesn't work, the points you lose won't come back."
"Huh?! Huh huh!!!"
Shoyo's expression screamed 'I didn't see that coming… I'm doomed'.
Patting Hinata on the shoulder, Guren gathered his teammates together while the opposing team was still in minor chaos and began outlining his strategy.
"Everyone, from now on, the match starts tipping in our favor."
"The two opposing key players are in conflict. One of them may be substituted."
"If it's the setter, their attack speed will drop significantly, and their choices won't be as sharp, though the attacks might become more varied. We need to be mentally ready for that."
"If it's the ace, their block height and attack power will drop. At that point, we focus on locking down the setter, the setter's intent drives the whole team."
"Don't worry too much about what the other players do. We just need to understand the setter's thought patterns and anticipate plays. If we can do that, we can control Kitagawa Daiichi. Stopping him is equivalent to stopping the whole team."
"I'll repeat the key points: If the setter is subbed, prioritize adaptation and be mindful of their attack choices."
"If the ace is subbed, focus on anticipating the plays and locking onto a single player."
"Is everyone clear?"
Guren looked at his teammates, attentive and processing his instructions. A faint smile appeared on his face, feeling reassured.
"You're amazing, Guren! Your brain's incredible!"
Shoyo's eyes sparkled like he'd seen some rare treasure.
"Shoyo, stop acting like a monkey worshipping human intelligence…"
Katsuri Hoshino suddenly popped up behind Shoyo, giving him a start.
"Hoshino! How do you keep appearing out of nowhere?!"
Shoyo clenched his tiny fists, a little frustrated, questioning Hoshino.
"I've been standing right behind you, didn't you notice…"
Hyodo Hyakuzawa, however, didn't joke around like the other two third-years. After listening carefully to Guren's instructions, he mentally repeated the key points.
"Guren-senpai!"
Mori suddenly raised his hand, looking like a diligent student with a question.
"What is it? Speak up."
"What if neither the setter nor the ace gets subbed?"
Mori, with a sharp Go-player mind, immediately considered the third possibility.
Guren smiled broadly.
"You were the first to think of that."
"And what do you think will happen?"
Mori thought for a moment. "The opposing setter might stop feeding the ace, or they might still set him, but the ace likely won't spike the setter's sets."
"So if neither is subbed, that's actually best for us, six versus five. We have the numbers advantage!"
"Exactly!"
Guren gave Mori an approving glance, then turned to the team. Observing the calming atmosphere on the other side, he rested his left hand on his shoulder and shook his right.
"Everyone, let's go!"
"The advantage is ours."
Naturally, Guren led the team in a unified battle cry. The Yukigaoka players shouted in perfect unison:
"Dominate the nation!"
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