It was a completely undisguised shot. Everyone in the venue could see it clearly, from the spectators in the stands to the opponents across the net, even the coaches and referees.
"Block! Block!" the Middle Blocker shouted, calling for the block.
The other middle blocker rushed over as well, and just as they were getting into position, Koya Hayakawa came running in too, clearly intending to join the block.
Sakusa attacked from the back-row position two. Everyone tensed, their arms drawn tight.
"Bang!"
Sakusa reached out and drove a Line Shot straight ahead. A pure, clean Line Shot, aimed directly at Koya Hayakawa's arm.
Sakusa had done it on purpose.
For a split second, panic flickered in Koya Hayakawa's eyes. Then he locked his arm even straighter.
The volleyball slammed into his arm. The spin carried heat against his skin, friction building as it scraped across him. Hayakawa even felt as if the ball were burning hot.
In Hayakawa's eyes, the moment the ball fell to the floor seemed to stretch on forever. All he could see was the volleyball spinning, spinning, until at last it dropped quietly onto the court.
"Beep! ----------"
The referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the second set.
"The second set comes to an end with Sakusa's back-row attack! Inubushi Higashi's three-man block failed to stop Sakusa's attack. As expected of Kiyoomi Sakusa, one of the nation's top five Wing Spikers! Kiyoomi Sakusa, who received an invitation from the national team while still only a sophomore!"
"Itachiyama! Itachiyama! Itachiyama!!"
Itachiyama's cheer squad went completely wild. In their eyes, that play had been unbelievably cool.
"Sakusa!!!"
"What a cool shot! That's our Sakusa!"
Sakusa was met with a wave of enthusiasm.
The instant he landed after scoring, he looked up at Ryosuke in the stands and raised his eyebrows, as if showing off to him.
Ryosuke's face warmed under that gaze. Then he heard a group of girls in the front row start screaming.
"He's looking at me! Is Sakusa-kun looking at me?! He's so handsome!"
Ryosuke: ...
Ryosuke felt a little stifled. He really wanted to stand up and tell those girls,
"He's not looking at you. He's looking at me!"
But Ryosuke was a bit timid. He still couldn't bring himself to talk to strangers on his own, so he could only sit there sulking, angrily waving his cheer stick until it whistled through the air.
Sakusa, in an excellent mood, showed off to Ryosuke, only to realize Ryosuke wasn't smiling. He was a little puzzled, but it didn't matter. Once he finished the last set, he could go have afternoon tea with Ryosuke.
At that thought, Sakusa's eyes turned predatory as he looked toward Inubushi Higashi.
The players of Inubushi Higashi still hadn't recovered from that final ball.
Koya Hayakawa was the one hit hardest. He had thought he could block that ball... He had thought that since they had won the first set, they would definitely win the second too.
But when that final ball landed, he heard the commentator describe Sakusa like this:
"One of the nation's top five Wing Spikers."
"Invited to the national team while still only a sophomore."
The words circled through Hayakawa's mind like a curse.
From junior high until now, everything had gone smoothly for Hayakawa. Before today, he had never really suffered any setbacks.
But in that set, he had seen the blockers' eyes. He had seen Sakusa's completely undisguised Line Shot. There was no comparison at all.
In that instant, Koya Hayakawa realized that he and those seeded teams were not on the same level. At the end of the first set, he had still been feeling smug, thinking, What seeded team? They're nothing special. Once our school beats them, we'll be the national team too...
All the smooth sailing he had enjoyed until now had finally taught Hayakawa a lesson today.
"Let's go. Stop looking."
Their captain, the Setter Kazama Maruyama, patted Hayakawa heavily on the shoulder.
The moment that final spike was struck, he understood. He had believed all along that they would win this set, but that had only been an illusion their opponent had created for them.
Hayakawa had spiked more than sixty times in the second set, but he had only scored a dozen or so points. His scoring rate was nowhere near enough to keep up with how often he attacked. It was just that whenever he spiked, the ball was not blocked. Instead, Komori dug it up and turned it into a scoring chance for Itachiyama.
The block had been leaving gaps on purpose too. Hayakawa's ability to use both his left and right hand was certainly dangerous, so they only blocked his Cross Shots, making him believe that his right-handed Line Shots were extremely powerful, that as long as he spiked, the ball would get through.
Throughout the first and second sets, they had been steadily wearing down Hayakawa's stamina. They were a seeded team. How could they possibly have no way to deal with them? It had all been an illusion.
A complete trap.
All of it had been a trap.
Kazama Maruyama's mood sank as well. He had thought that with Hayakawa as their secret weapon, Inubushi Higashi would be able to rise up. He had never expected that the secret weapon he had counted on would crumble so easily in the face of real strength.
Maruyama returned to the team with his head lowered, looking visibly dejected.
A first-year middle blocker on the team didn't quite understand. They had only lost the second set, so why did the captain look as if they had already lost the match? He couldn't make sense of it.
Maruyama met the coach's eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and lowered his head.
...
Over on Itachiyama's side during the break, Komori was surprised to discover that ever since the second set ended, Sakusa had been smiling.
He looked absolutely delighted.
Araki happened to catch a glimpse of Sakusa's expression and thought he must have seen wrong. He stood there and looked at Sakusa several more times.
Sensing his gaze, Sakusa turned around. His expression changed in an instant, his eyes dark as he stared at Araki. Araki shuddered under the look, quickly waved his hands, and was just about to run when he heard a familiar voice.
"Nice, Araki. You did pretty well."
Iizuna, wearing a mask, looked at him with smiling eyes.
At the sound of his voice, everyone gathered around.
"Ah, you're back."
"Iizuna-senpai!"
"Iizuna-senpai, I was so nervous when I first went on court."
Komori came over too and reached out to touch Iizuna's forehead. Sakusa also quietly moved closer.
"You're all right now, Iizuna?"
Iizuna pulled off his mask and took off his jacket, revealing the training uniform underneath.
"I'm fine. I'm better now. Araki, thanks for your hard work. You did very well."
After they arrived yesterday, Iizuna had gone out for a night run, only to come down with a fever the next morning. For the sake of Iizuna's health, Itachiyama's coach had sent him straight to the infirmary for an IV drip. Naturally, the vacant Setter position had fallen to Araki.
Araki had originally thought that he had only come to this IH tournament to gain some experience. He had never expected Iizuna to get sick, leaving him as the only one who could step in.
When Araki heard the news that morning, he was so panicked that his hands were shaking. He wanted to tell the coach and Iizuna that he couldn't do it, that there was no way he could.
But before he could even open his mouth, the coach said,
"What's there to be scared of? Relax. Your Senpai will have your back. Just treat it as experience."
Iizuna nodded again and again, his voice muffled and nasal.
"Exactly. And after I graduate, the Setter position will be yours anyway. Go on. Don't be afraid."
Araki hesitated as he looked at everyone, then realized they were all watching him with encouraging eyes. Even Sakusa, for once, wasn't giving him the cold shoulder. Clinging to the life philosophy of "well, I'm already here," Araki was pushed onto the court anyway.
Once he actually went on court, Araki realized that an official match was completely different from the practice matches he usually played with the team. The pace was unbelievably fast. Lose focus for even a moment, and the point was gone.
Araki had forced himself to play at 120% today, holding up the team's offense. Now that Iizuna was back, he was practically moved to tears, just short of clinging to Iizuna's leg and sobbing out his grievances.
"You did great. Leave the rest to me."
Iizuna gave Araki's buzz cut a firm rub, his gaze full of relief.
He had been standing by the coach just now, watching the entire second set. He wouldn't say Araki's performance had been shockingly good, but at the very least, he hadn't become a burden to the team. He had even given the team's offense more options. Iizuna thought that this was probably just the difference in each person's playing style.
When he played Setter, he was used to monopolizing the whole court, deciding how everyone would attack. But when Araki played Setter, everyone showed more initiative and had more room to choose. He still wasn't sure which style the team preferred, but it didn't matter. He was about to graduate anyway. In the time he had left, he would give everything he had for the team one more time.
"Beep--------------"
The break ended, and the two teams were about to begin the final set.
"This is the live broadcast of the National High School Boys' Volleyball League. The match currently underway is Itachiyama versus Inubushi Higashi. The set count is now tied at 1-1. The final point of the previous set was taken by Itachiyama's Ace, Sakusa. Let's see what kind of exciting plays this match will bring us."
When Ryosuke heard that the match had started, he turned back to watch. He decided that anything else could wait until after the game. He needed to carefully observe Itachiyama's match. After all, they might end up facing them in the semifinals. He definitely had not come here specifically to cheer for Sakusa.
That was what Ryosuke told himself. Anyone who knew what he was thinking right now would have decided he was just lying to himself. He had obviously come specifically to watch Sakusa.
"Huh? Did Itachiyama switch Setters?"
Reon stared at the court for a few seconds, then suddenly said that. Everyone leaned forward to look at the players on the court, and sure enough, there really had been a substitution.
"Ah, it's Iizuna-senpai." Ryosuke slapped his forehead and explained it to everyone.
No wonder something had felt off. It turned out Iizuna-senpai hadn't been on court today.
"So the one who played the first two sets was a substitute?" Tsutomu Goshiki asked with a mouthful of banana, chewing as he spoke. It was honestly impressive that he could still get the words out clearly.
"Hiss... He really was a substitute," Reon said, rubbing his chin.
"He really was a substitute."
"Definitely a substitute."
Kawanishi and Yamagata added with equally serious expressions. Tsutomu Goshiki was the only one still out of the loop.
He asked in confusion, "Why are you saying it like that? What's wrong with him being a substitute?"
That question earned Tsutomu Goshiki a round of sympathetic looks. Yunohama seemed to have long since gotten used to Tsutomu Goshiki's unreliable way of thinking. He pushed up his glasses and explained,
"If he's a substitute, then that's a huge problem. A first-year substitute went on court and actually kept up with Itachiyama's offensive pace. He even controlled the rhythm. That means he's most likely a genius on the same level as Ryosuke."
Tsutomu Goshiki's eyes went wide, and he even forgot to chew the banana in his mouth.
Then he looked at the others, and every single one of them had the same grave expression.
Yamagata hated seeing them look so serious. Their faces made it seem like the sky was falling. He shrugged.
"What's there to get anxious about? Yunohama said it too, a genius like Ryosuke. Don't we already have Ryosuke? Besides, it's not like the other first-years are useless either."
"Exactly, exactly."
For some reason, Tsutomu Goshiki immediately perked up again.
"Itachiyama has always been a powerful opponent. The one that could truly become a dark horse is that Inubushi Higashi from earlier."
Reon's expression did not relax at all. If anything, he looked even more serious.
Ushijima nodded as well. He genuinely thought that first-year from Inubushi Higashi was very good. He had traces of Asano-senpai in him, especially with that ambidextrous style. Give him some time to develop, and he would definitely become a strong opponent next year.
Once everyone realized the conversation wasn't going anywhere, they turned their attention back to the match.
From the expressions on Inubushi Higashi's players' faces, it was impossible to tell anything. No one knew what they were thinking.
Not that anyone was going to focus on that anyway.
"Beep-----------"
The first serve of this set belonged to Sakusa.
When the spectators saw Sakusa standing at the service line, the entire venue erupted.
"Sakusa! Give us a good serve!"
"Five points in one go!"
Cheers and shouts rose one after another.
Sakusa's face remained calm. Just before he tossed the ball, he lifted his eyes and glanced at the seat where Ryosuke was sitting. Ryosuke had been waving his cheer stick with plenty of energy, but that single glance made his face turn red again.
The corner of Sakusa's mouth lifted slightly before he quickly forced it back down. But when he thought of Ryosuke sitting obediently in the stands, waving a cheer stick and cheering for him, Sakusa simply could not help it. The corner of his mouth rose again.
The coach below saw it all clearly. You brat. That grin is harder to suppress than an AK's recoil.
Soon, Sakusa's attention returned fully to the match. Everyone on Inubushi Higashi's side was extremely alert, especially their Libero.
He truly hated Sakusa's serves. He couldn't receive them at all.
Sakusa tossed the volleyball up, then took a few steps back, ran in, and jumped.
"Bang~!"
His flexible wrist shifted angle as it struck the volleyball, sending it flying out at a tricky angle with spin added on top.
The moment Inubushi Higashi's Libero saw the serve, he went numb. What kind of hellish serve was this? He couldn't receive it. There was no way he could receive it.
Gritting his teeth, the Libero moved forward and roughly estimated where the ball would land. Whether that estimate was accurate was another matter. After all, there was no way to read the path of that spinning curve.
The Libero ran toward the left side. A first-year Middle Blocker happened to be positioned there.
The first-year knew he couldn't help much in this situation. All he had to do was avoid getting in his Senpai's way. Thinking that, he quietly took a few steps to the side and cleared a path for the Libero.
Fukuda Sei, Inubushi Higashi's Libero, ran over to receive. He could not predict this ball. Everything about it was unknown. Maybe even the person who served it had no idea exactly what kind of ball it would turn into, let alone the one receiving it.
Fukuda Sei darted forward and positioned himself slightly below and to the left of the volleyball. From his perspective, as long as nothing went wrong before the ball landed, there should be no problem.
Of course, whenever nothing is supposed to go wrong, that is exactly when something does.
The instant Fukuda Sei tried to receive, he finally saw that the volleyball was spinning at high speed. There was no stopping that kind of spin.
"Bang!"
The volleyball slammed down not far from Fukuda Sei's feet. He had not touched it at all.
"Beep--------!"
"Itachiyama's Sakusa takes the first point of the third set! A no-touch service ace!"
...
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