Although the spectators and commentators were clearly favoring Yukigaoka after their fiery start, the players on Yukigaoka's side noticed something unsettling,
The players of Kitagawa Daiichi no longer looked lost or shaken.
No one was staring blankly at the floor. No one looked confused.
Instead, a quiet, growing spark of fighting spirit began flickering in their eyes.
Because they had realized something important,
Through those three desperate attempts to dig Ichinose Guren's serves, they had gone from total paralysis to gradually tracking the ball's trajectory.
Their bodies were starting to adapt.
The very same bodies honed through three years of constant training were finally heating up, warming into the rhythm of competition.
And that last serve from Guren had almost been received by none other than Kageyama Tobio himself.
Not only that, the libero behind him had already made a move to receive as well.
That meant the entire Kitagawa team wasn't just seeing Guren's serves now, they were starting to move with them.
When Kitagawa's setter and on-court commander, Kageyama, noticed this, he chose to trust his libero for the next ball.
After all, he was a setter.
If he took the first touch himself, he'd lose the chance to control the second.
And for Kageyama, no matter how powerful his own spike might be, it couldn't compare to the precision and satisfaction of setting up a perfect attack.
If he were to compare:
A teammate's 60-point set plus his 85-point spike... versus his own 95-point set plus his teammate's 80-point spike.
Which one would make Kitagawa Daiichi play at their best?
The answer was obvious.
"Tch."
Even so, Kageyama couldn't help but scowl.
If only there were six of me on this court... Kitagawa Daiichi would win every damn championship.
Despite his irritation, Kageyama obediently moved a few steps forward, adjusting his position to prepare for the next rally.
Across the net, Ichinose Guren's eyes gleamed.
He could see it, the spark returning to his opponents' eyes.
And it only made his smile widen.
Serving has never been my favorite way to score points, he thought calmly.
If you really think just receiving my serve means you can beat me... you're too naive.
Boom!
Another jump serve thundered across the court, but this time, the libero from Kitagawa Daiichi managed to dig it up!
It wasn't a perfect receive.
The ball barely cleared the net, wobbling low and slow like a soft cannonball fired from the floor.
Kageyama instantly readjusted his stance, moving with sharp precision as he locked onto his targets.
His eyes swept the court, calculating, searching for an opening,
Found it.
He dropped his center of gravity, twisting into an awkward but stable crouch, and set the ball with a swift, brilliant touch.
The ball flew perfectly, like it was guided by radar, toward its ideal destination: Kindaichi.
Timing his jump flawlessly, Kindaichi rose into the air, ready for a fast attack.
But instead of challenging the towering Yudai Hyakuzawa head-on, he chose to aim at the seemingly weaker blocker beside him, Mori, Yukigaoka's setter.
However, Mori had taken Guren's advice to heart.
Together with Hyakuzawa, he jumped slightly back from the net, perfectly anticipating the quick attack.
They didn't aim to stuff the spike outright, just to touch it.
And it worked.
The touch deflected the ball slightly, throwing off Kindaichi's angle and rhythm.
Lacking elite control and mid-air vision, Kindaichi had no choice but to power through and spike straight ahead, toward Mori.
"One touch!!" Mori shouted sharply, signaling his block had connected, time to follow up!
But even before he yelled, Yukigaoka's back row was already on the move.
In the backcourt stood the team's strongest three:
Hinata Shoyo, Hoshino Katsumi, and Ichinose Guren.
Hinata and Hoshino remembered every bit of Guren's pre-match strategy.
And Guren, of course, knew exactly how his own plays would unfold.
Before Mori even called out, the three had already shifted into perfect positions.
However, perhaps overly wary of a possible tip, Hoshino had moved slightly too far forward.
That left Hinata as the closest to the falling ball.
With lightning speed, he stepped in, arms together, cushioning the dig,
The ball went up, but a bit too far.
It arced toward the net,
If Kitagawa didn't react fast enough, Yudai Hyakuzawa could easily follow up with an attack.
Both teams' front rows rushed forward, ready for a ferocious midair battle.
But then, Mori lightly tapped Hyakuzawa's back twice.
The tall middle blocker nodded subtly.
A quick glance was exchanged between the two front-row players... and the third signal came from the back, Guren.
A brief nod confirmed the plan.
Hyakuzawa began his run-up early, jumping into the air before the ball had even reached its peak.
Kitagawa's blockers couldn't resist, they all jumped with him.
Only halfway through did they realize,
Wait. We jumped too early!
The timing was off.
By the time they were descending, Hyakuzawa couldn't fully reach the ball for a spike.
But he didn't care.
He swung with full strength anyway.
Is he stalling?
That thought flashed through the minds of Kageyama, Kindaichi, and Akira Kunimikichi.
And then,
From behind Hyakuzawa's shadow, Mori appeared.
He had set the ball.
At that same moment, from Yukigaoka's back line, Ichinose Guren launched himself forward from beyond the three-meter line, carrying immense momentum.
The instant Kitagawa's front-row players landed, Guren struck.
A devastating back-row spike ripped through the air.
BOOM!
The ball slammed into Kitagawa's court, unstoppable.
No one even had time to move.
The rally was over.
With three powerful serves, one deceptive quick play, and now a brilliant back-row combination,
Yukigaoka had blown apart the defending champions.
The scoreboard read: 6–0.
A dream starts.
And Guren wasn't done.
Without even glancing at Kitagawa's side, he turned toward the crowd, raised his hand,
One finger. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Five points.
Then, with a graceful spin and a hand pressed to his chest, he bowed elegantly.
His "performance" for the first service rotation, complete.
To Kitagawa Daiichi, it felt less like celebration and more like mockery.
But since Guren hadn't said a single word, the referee had no grounds to call it unsportsmanlike conduct.
Still, the effect was devastating.
Kageyama's expression darkened.
His jaw clenched so tightly that it creaked.
He turned to Kindaichi.
"Next time, move faster! I'm done slowing down my sets for you!"
Kindaichi's brows furrowed. "What did you just say?!"
But Kageyama didn't even pause.
He wasn't trying to argue. He was just stating a fact.
Without another glance, he turned back toward the court, mind already spinning through calculations and strategies.
If adjusting his tempo to match his teammates wasn't working, then he'd set at his own pace instead.
Even if it left his spikers with barely a second to react, as long as they could keep up, they'd tear through any defense.
I didn't come here to make memories.
Whether it's the first match, the fifth, or the final, the one still standing on the court at the end... will be me.
Kageyama's sharp gaze met Guren's across the net.
The orange-haired ace's words echoed in his mind, words filled with blazing confidence.
The fighting spirit in his chest surged higher than ever.
I won't fall here.
Not in the first set. Not in the last.
I'll win, no matter what.
=============
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