At this moment, the score on the court stood at 6–0, with Yukigaoka leading Kitagawa Daiichi.
"Wow! Daichi-senpai! That number one from Yukigaoka, his serves and spikes are insane!"
Ryunosuke Tanaka rested both arms on the railing again, once more taking on his usual role as the mood maker. He was the first to start talking about Ichinose Guren's incredible spike and the four powerful jumps before it.
Sugawara Koushi nodded as well, frowning slightly as he began to think about what they would do if they faced this player next year.
"Yeah. Even the timeout didn't cool his rhythm down, he just kept scoring. Facing someone like that... sounds like a nightmare."
Daichi Sawamura rested his chin on his hand, eyes focused on the match below.
"True, having no serve errors is impressive. But playing like that might overstimulate the opposing defenders' nerves all at once."
"For example, say he gets three points, then rotates. Then another three, and rotate again. He might keep getting three points each time."
"But if he scores five points in one go, it actually helps the defenders adapt faster to his serve's power."
"Momentum-wise, a five-point run feels stronger. But getting three points at a time feels more... stable."
Sugawara and Tanaka stared at Daichi in shock as he started analyzing like a coach.
"Daichi! What's up with you?"
"Daichi-senpai! You okay? This isn't like you!"
Daichi scratched his head with an awkward smile after being interrupted.
"Ahaha, guess I got carried away listening to you two getting all serious about it."
"No matter what, and no matter who our opponent is next year, we've just got to play our best on every ball!"
Sugawara's expression was full of determination, his eyes burning with resolve.
That passion spread to Daichi, who was about to enter his third year, and to Tanaka, moving up to second year.
"Yosh! After this, I'm doing a hundred spikes in training!"
Tanaka rolled up his sleeves and shouted energetically.
"Alright, alright, quiet down a bit, don't disturb their match."
"Ohhh!"
Meanwhile, the game between Kitagawa Daiichi and Yukigaoka didn't stop just because of Ichinose Guren's last spike.
The players on the court were fully focused, unaware of the three Karasuno boys watching from the second-floor stands.
The last point, a perfect tactical spike, meant Yukigaoka still held the serve.
But Guren's next powerful jump serve went out of bounds. Maybe it was because his rhythm had been broken after attempting a back-row attack.
Still, it didn't matter much.
The score was now 6–1, Yukigaoka in the lead.
With a five-point advantage, even in an exchange of attacks, Guren was confident they wouldn't lose ground.
But volleyball wasn't a one-man game.
Hinata Shoyo and Yudai Hyakuzawa might have been able to make up for their lack of experience with raw athleticism and height, but...
Three first-years, no matter how well they followed Guren's tactical calls, couldn't yet match the fundamentals and conditioning built over three years by their opponents.
Now, the serve had rotated to Kitagawa's side.
The number 4 stepped up to serve, small eyes, thick lips, an honest-looking guy at first glance.
But once he served, he was anything but simple, his serves were sharp and cunning.
Though it was a standing serve, the ball was both fast and precise.
He perfectly predicted Mori's movement path in the back row.
As Mori ran forward, he had no choice but to make a quick, unbalanced reception.
And since Mori was the setter, he couldn't touch the ball again, under volleyball rules, that meant he'd be out of the play for a moment.
With Mori out, only Guren and Hyakuzawa remained for offense, both with stronger attacking potential.
In an instant, Mori decided to retreat to the back row instead.
Seeing that, Guren nodded slightly to himself.
Smart move. Mori's quick thinking fits a setter's role perfectly.
Without hesitation, Guren tried to bump the ball high into the air himself.
He knew that even if the set wasn't perfect, as long as it went high enough, Hyakuzawa could at least get a good hit, maybe even a kill.
At the very least, it'll put pressure on their formation.
Unfortunately, compared to his other skills, Guren's passing technique was his weakest.
Without any skill "badges" to boost him, and with the least training time spent on passing,
His receive and dig skills were decent, but delivering a controlled set after a poor first touch was... just too hard.
The ball floated right over the net,
"Chance ball!" the opposing team shouted.
Kageyama Tobio didn't waste the opportunity.
He leapt up instantly, hammering a sharp diagonal spike past Hyakuzawa and Suzuki's block.
It tore right through the gap left behind by Guren's failed pass,
Point!
"Nice one!"
Kageyama let out a rare shout, venting the frustration of being pressured earlier.
Then, glaring straight at Guren, his eyes burned with fierce intent.
I've found your weakness.
Guren smirked in return, his gaze unwavering.
Then come test it if you dare.
6–2.
Kitagawa's coach clapped his hands, shouting encouragement.
"Good! Stay calm! Let's use this service game to take all the points back!"
On the other side of the net, Guren gathered his team and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry, guys. I broke our rhythm there. Looks like you're more reliable than me."
Mori was the first to answer.
"No way! Ichinose-senpai's serve earned us five points! That was the best serving performance I've ever seen!"
"Yeah! Without your guidance, my blocking would've been crushed by their tall guy already!"
Hinata jumped in too. "Exactly! That serve was so cool! Damn it, Ichinose, you have to teach me that later!"
He started mimicking Guren's jump serve right on the spot, even adding sound effects with his mouth.
"Boom! Swoosh! BAM BAM!"
"Too cool!"
Hinata's antics made everyone on Yukigaoka laugh uncontrollably.
"Whoa, Hinata-senpai's impression is actually pretty close."
"Yeah, but don't do it in a match, I really don't wanna get hit in the back of the head."
Having gotten comfortable with his teammates, even the usually quiet ones were joking around now.
They weren't huddled up for a timeout, but even while standing in their defensive positions, laughter filled Yukigaoka's side of the court.
The sound of it made the Kitagawa players' veins pop.
What's so funny?! This is a match! Are you mocking us?!
The number 4 server glared across the net, his irritation boiling over.
Keep laughing. Let's see if you'll still be smiling after this serve.
As the referee's countdown began, he tossed the ball and fired off another quick, precise serve, aimed straight at Yukigaoka's setter.
Mori, whose movement had been read, could only sigh inwardly. Experience made the difference, after all.
Still, he had been ready this time, and the receive wasn't bad at all.
Guren immediately stepped in as the temporary setter.
After all, between a libero, two untrained rookies, and two attackers with barely any setting experience,
He trusted his own connection with Hyakuzawa far more.
Time to strike back.
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