"Ushijima is without question the number one ace in Miyagi Prefecture! A super ace!"
"No doubt about it. In this match, Aoba Johsai is about to meet the greatest rival of their lives!"
"Tear them apart! Aoba Johsai is going up against a true powerhouse. Their only ending is defeat!"
As Shiratorizawa's main lineup was announced one by one, Shiratorizawa's side of the stands instantly grew lively. Everyone began cheering for their own team. After all, Wakatoshi Ushijima no longer represented only their ace.
He could already be considered the face of Shiratorizawa.
The soul of Shiratorizawa Academy!
...
"Now announcing Aoba Johsai's starting lineup!"
"Number 23, Hank!"
...
As Aoba Johsai's starting lineup began to be introduced, the venue, which had been quiet for a long while, erupted into cheers once again. Most of Aoba Johsai's clubs had come here together, all cheering for Hank.
Many of them had never been involved with volleyball, but since Aoba Johsai had reached the final in this event, they still wanted to come and show their support.
And as for Hank himself, he was currently a famous figure at Aoba Johsai. Even the teachers had already heard about what he had done.
As the strongest rising star of this generation, his name would continue to be passed around Aoba Johsai for a long time.
"So it really is him."
Tendō glanced at Hank, who was now standing in position four, and a trace of caution suddenly flashed through his eyes. His main goal in this match was to block Hank. If he could do that, then no one on Aoba Johsai would be able to withstand Wakatoshi Ushijima's attacks.
It looked like they would have to crush him from the very beginning.
"Pheeet!"
As the whistle sounded, Goshiki, standing in Shiratorizawa's back row, sent over a serve.
The ball carried tremendous power. Even Hank could tell that it was a highly difficult jump float serve. It seemed very possible that every player on Shiratorizawa could perform serves like this.
If that was true, their serves would put enormous pressure on Aoba Johsai.
"Thud!"
A dull receiving sound rang out. In Aoba Johsai's back row, Kunimi failed to withstand the pressure and sent the ball flying away with his forearm pass. The volleyball sailed all the way into the stands.
Seeing that, Shiratorizawa's side let out a long breath of relief. This counted as a good start.
"Looks like the ball didn't even make it to you."
Tendō had been keeping an eye on Hank, intentionally or not. When he saw Kunimi fail to receive Goshiki's serve, his expression relaxed quite a bit.
From here, things would be easy to handle.
"Aoba Johsai really is only at this level. Against the other teams in Miyagi Prefecture, they might look decent, but once they face a true powerhouse, they clearly aren't good enough."
Someone in the stands threw cold water on them, believing that Aoba Johsai would probably lose the first set very quickly. In a five-set match, Aoba Johsai would at most be able to take one set.
They might even be shut out completely.
The flow of the match that followed was almost exactly as they had expected. Aoba Johsai was under far too much pressure from Shiratorizawa's serves. Only five minutes had passed, yet they had already given up four points.
Seeing this, although Oikawa wanted to steady the team's situation, he was still extremely anxious inside...
(End of Chapter)
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