Suguru Daishō had been watching the match from the very start. Nekoma and Sarukawa Tech were both ruthless, each one more stubborn than the other, refusing to let the ball hit the floor.
It reminded him of that match between Nohebi and Nekoma. Throughout the entire match, the ball had barely gotten a chance to touch the ground. Thinking about it now, Suguru Daishō felt like he was about to throw up the breakfast he had eaten that morning.
Mika Yamaka's pretty little face was full of worry.
"Suguru, are you okay?"
Suguru Daishō waved weakly.
"I'm fine. Just a little nauseous."
Mika Yamaka: "......."
Mika felt a little helpless. Was the "nauseous" he meant the same kind of nauseous she was thinking of?
In the few minutes they had been talking, the ball had already gone back and forth across the court countless times, but the second point still had not been decided.
Mika looked at the court in confusion. This seemed different from the volleyball match she had watched yesterday. Holding firmly to the admirable principle of asking when she did not understand, Mika spoke directly.
"Suguru, why is this match so different from the one I watched yesterday? They don't seem to be in any hurry to score."
Daishō froze when he heard that. Then he suddenly leaned over the railing and stared fixedly at the court. After watching for several minutes, he finally realized something was wrong.
"Mika, you're a genius!"
The way Daishō looked at Mika became surprised and intense. Mika felt a little embarrassed under his gaze and turned her head away, her face slightly red.
Then she urged Daishō to explain what exactly was going on.
Daishō carefully watched the court again before confirming that something really was off.
"I heard the broadcast say earlier that Sarukawa Tech and Nekoma come from the same line of teaching. Looking at it now, that really does seem to be the case. Neither side is rushing to score. It feels like they're trying to wear each other to death. And Sarukawa Tech... it feels like every one of their attacks is draining the setter's stamina."
Mika nodded in sudden understanding.
"I know what a setter is. It's the person who usually touches the ball second and sets it."
"Yeah."
Daishō nodded solemnly.
"They're deliberately wearing down the setter's stamina."
The first set was already past the halfway point.
Nekoma was indeed ahead in points, but Kai, sitting below the court, kept feeling uncomfortable as he watched. Something about it felt strange.
"Bang!"
"Beep----------"
"A spectacular net-hugging spike! Nekoma's Yamamoto faced a three-man block and did not hesitate to hit a net-hugging spike. He scores successfully!"
"Ahahahaha! I'm seriously amazing!"
Yamamoto did not feel embarrassed at all about praising himself.
But Kuroo's expression did not look good. He dragged Yamamoto, who was still laughing foolishly, to the side and whispered to him,
"Don't use the net-hugging spike again on the next ball."
Yamamoto had still been in high spirits, but hearing that was like having cold water dumped over him. He instantly calmed down.
"What's wrong?"
He was usually a little hot-blooded, but when it was time to be serious, Yamamoto was the most reliable person there.
Kuroo looked toward the opposing ace, and his expression darkened in an instant, making him look a little like a villain.
"Something's wrong. In this set, Fukunaga and I have both used net-hugging spikes, and now you used one too. Sarukawa Tech's defense isn't so weak that they can't receive balls like that. They're definitely planning something."
Inuoka had overheard them and scratched his head.
"Isn't that overthinking it?"
He sounded uncertain, but everyone was already preparing for the worst.
"Beep--------"
The whistle sounded, and everyone lined up again. This time, Yamamoto was the server.
Yamamoto tossed the volleyball, took his approach, and slammed it down.
The opposing Libero received it, then sent it to the setter. The setter once again gave the ball to Kitamura.
Kitamura spiked. Kuroo and Lev blocked. One touch. Yaku picked it up. Kenma ran to set it...
Something was wrong.
Ryosuke watched it several times, and in that instant just now, he suddenly understood what was going on.
That rally had been just like the first ball at the start of the match, dragging back and forth. Everything seemed fine. The only problem was Kenma.
If this cycle continued into the next set, with Kenma's stamina, he definitely would not be able to hold out.
Kenma almost never ran when setting. Yaku and the receivers always passed the ball right to him, so Kenma only needed to take a small adjustment step. He did not need to run at all.
But Sarukawa Tech's entire process, from the first pass to the set to the attack, seemed designed in advance. They were widening the distance between the Libero and the setter, slowly putting pressure on Kenma for the second touch. It was as if Nekoma had been surrounded from every direction.
The match had only been going for a dozen minutes, yet Kenma had already run back and forth several times.
Kenma was being targeted.
Ryosuke grew tense, his fists clenched tight.
In the past, when he watched other teams fall into danger during matches, he had never found it unusual. But when the team falling into a disadvantage was the team he supported, Ryosuke felt awful.
The match was still continuing. Although the situation was not good, once the match had started, it could not simply be stopped. With Nekoma currently leading, Coach Nekomata would not rashly call a timeout.
Everything depended on how everyone performed now.
"The current score is 20:19, with Nekoma temporarily in the lead. Sarukawa Tech does not seem to have any especially outstanding attacks at the moment, but their defense truly is impressive. Facing Nekoma's three-point offense from Kuroo, Yamamoto, and Fukunaga, they have not fallen behind at all.
There is only a one-point difference."
Kenma also sensed that something was wrong. He had been running all over the place for so long. Logically, they should not be leading by only one point. Something had definitely gone wrong. Usually, he was the only one who schemed against other people, yet this time, someone had schemed against him.
Kenma still had the presence of mind to make fun of himself.
Then he jumped to receive the pass. With a light movement of his left hand, Nakata and Kitamura immediately assumed it was a second attack. They could not be blamed for being so wary. Against a strong opponent, they had no choice but to be.
"Sigh..."
In midair, Kenma let out a small sigh. He was really too tired. Not only did he have to run back and forth, he also had to act for them. This was not something he should have to endure. It was so annoying.
"Kenma fakes a spike and sets it instead! He successfully tricks two blockers from Sarukawa Tech. So it wasn't a setter dump after all, but a back set! Jumping in from behind is none other than Nekoma's captain, Kuroo. The two of them pull off a beautiful quick attack together. The opposing Libero rushes in from the backcourt but can't reach it! Congratulations to Nekoma for scoring another point!"
Kenma leaned back and sent the ball behind him. He had no idea who would get to it, but that did not really matter. Someone would always connect with him.
When Kuroo saw Kenma's "whatever, whoever gets it gets it" attitude, he knew Kenma had to be seriously annoyed right now.
Yamamoto wanted to charge out, but when he saw that Kuroo had already moved first, he had no choice but to follow behind and cover for him.
Kuroo's back-row attack was still very good. The arc of his back-row attack was relatively high, since Kuroo's contact point was among the best in Nekoma, or even in the entire IH.
"Beep----------"
The scoring whistle sounded. The current score was 21:19.
Two more points and it would be set point. Yet at this moment, Coach Nekomata called a timeout. It was the first timeout of the match.
Everyone left the court one after another.
Nakata looked toward Nekoma's side and felt that they had probably been found out.
Kitamura patted Nakata on the shoulder.
"It's fine even if they noticed. We've pretty much figured them out in this set."
Nakata said nothing and only nodded. The group headed over to their coach together.
On Nekoma's side of the court, Coach Nekomata looked at everyone's different expressions and let out an almost invisible sigh.
That child Shishio really did have the bearing of a coach now. This plan of his was perfectly aimed at Nekoma.
As long as they broke down Kenma, their core, the others could be as strong as they liked. Without their core setter, Nekoma would immediately fall into a disadvantage.
The deadliest part was that Nekoma had no substitute setter. There was only Kenma. That meant no matter what, Kenma had to play all three sets.
The first set had lasted a full forty minutes. Kenma's stamina really was not that good.
"Kenma, tell us what you think."
Coach Nekomata threw the question to Kenma.
Kenma slowly took the towel off his head, then sighed with a great deal of resentment.
"They're targeting me. From the first pass to the second touch, they've been dragging this set out bit by bit. They never planned to score in the first set."
Once they heard Kenma say that, even the people who had not reacted yet finally understood, no matter how slow they were.
Especially Lev. He had already felt guilty over possibly dragging everyone down, and now that Kenma was being targeted, he had no way to help at all.
Nekoma's first rule was to protect the precious setter on the court.
Lev had failed to do that.
He lowered his head, looking pitiful.
Kenma noticed everyone's gazes and felt his scalp go numb. What was with those looks, like they were caring for a child?
He could only speak quietly.
"I'm fine. I can hold on.
Sarukawa Tech's plan is nothing more than trying to drag this out with us. Now it's a competition of endurance. Fukunaga and Tora, remember to find the right chances to attack. Don't leave even the smallest opening. In the next rotation, I'll be in position one. When I serve, I'll disrupt the balance between their Libero and middle blocker.
Kuroo and Lev, make your blocks more reliable. Try to let me stay in position one for a while longer."
This method sounded very easy on Kenma, and in fact, it was. Everyone on Nekoma was also more than willing to cooperate with Kenma.
Over on Sarukawa Tech's side, the atmosphere was cheerful and relaxed, without the slightest feeling of disappointment from being behind. It was as if they did not care at all.
"Alright, everyone, take this seriously! Don't get smug just because the plan worked. What truly decides success or failure is still the result of the match. Since we've already lost the first set, we have to take the second!"
"Yes!"
Sarukawa Tech had only just finished responding to their coach when the whistle sounded again.
Shishio's expression softened a little.
"Go on, children."
No matter what, I am with you.
Everyone walked onto the court again. Behind them, Nekomata and Shishio looked at each other through the crowd. No one knew what emotions their eyes carried at that moment.
Once they returned to the court, it was already the end of the set. Without any suspense, Nekoma took the first set directly.
Sarukawa Tech had more or less deliberately given up the first set in exchange for a chance to win the second. It was a rather risky method.
If they failed to seize the second set, Sarukawa Tech's run at Nationals would end here.
It was a huge gamble.
Shishio knew very well that if they clashed head-on, they could not beat Nekoma.
"Beep————"
The whistle of victory sounded, and the first set ended.
"Congratulations to Nekoma for taking the first set of this match. Nekoma, the masters of defense, truly live up to their name. But Sarukawa Tech is also an excellent school. To be able to go back and forth with Nekoma like this, Coach Shishio must have been extremely strict with their receive and defense training."
"That's right. Now, let's take a short break. Please look forward to the continuation of Sarukawa Tech vs. Nekoma."
As the broadcast faded, the cameras inside the venue temporarily stopped operating as well.
Kenma collapsed onto the floor, completely motionless. He liked using this method to conserve his strength.
Everyone tactfully avoided disturbing Kenma. At a time like this, they had to let Kenma's brain cool down. Otherwise, who would come up with strategies for them? A group of rough guys could not outwit those scheming monkeys.
Yes, they called the Sarukawa Tech players monkeys. Kuroo had started it. He thought it was far too fitting.
Slippery, hard to catch, and full of little tricks.
After watching the first set, Ryosuke's instincts told him this match would be hard to play. But he also wanted to go see Fukurōdani's match live. Although Ushijima-senpai had said he would record it for him, Ryosuke still really wanted to be there in person to cheer for Bokuto-senpai.
Thinking that, Ryosuke stood up, ready to go take a look. But then he wanted even more to watch the second set here, so he stopped again.
He froze in place, completely still, torn beyond belief.
In the end, after thinking it over, he took out his phone and sent Bokuto a message saying, "Good luck in the match." Then he sat back down and focused on watching the game.
The situation over at Fukurōdani really was not very good right now. They were already in the second set, and when Coach Takuro saw that Bokuto was out of form, he had no choice but to call a timeout.
They had won the first set, but Bokuto's condition had stayed neither good nor bad the entire time. Watching it made Takuro feel like he had a breath stuck in his chest, unable to go up or down.
The team currently playing against Fukurōdani was Shōhei Academy from Saitama Prefecture.
During the timeout, several players gathered together and whispered about Bokuto.
"Feels like that Bokuto isn't as amazing as everyone says."
The middle blocker's words voiced what everyone was thinking at that moment. Although they had lost the first set, they really had not felt much of a threat from Bokuto during it. Instead, Fukurōdani's teamwork had been quite good, allowing them to take the first set in one go.
"Everyone says Bokuto is one of the top three Wing Spikers in the country. Are they really not just fooling people?"
Some people had already begun questioning Bokuto's strength.
Keiji Akaashi looked at Bokuto, whose mood had clearly sunk, and truly felt powerless. This time, Bokuto-senpai's condition seemed even worse than before.
Bokuto sat alone in a small corner, mumbling to himself. No one knew what he was saying, but if they leaned closer, they could hear it.
"I want to play in the main arena..."
After hearing that, Konoha rubbed his nose and said nothing. There really were not many people in the side venue, and it was the morning too, so even fewer people had come.
Keiji Akaashi thought for a moment, then decided to comfort him again.
He walked over and crouched down.
A pair of beautiful eyes stared straight at Bokuto.
"Bokuto-senpai, are you upset because of the side venue?"
Keiji Akaashi knew why he was upset, but he still wanted to hear Bokuto-senpai say it himself.
When Bokuto saw Keiji Akaashi come over, he finally lifted his head. His expression was gloomy as he slowly gave an "mm."
...
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