Line up, bow, and start the match.
For the coin toss this time, Ichinose Guren finally faced his first failure, Goshiki correctly guessed the coin's outcome without a hitch.
"I'm amazing, even guessing coins like a pro," Goshiki thought, smirking with a hint of teasing toward Guren.
At that moment, Goshiki felt like a child who wanted to show off but had someone else steal the spotlight, his mind focused entirely on displaying his own coolness and skill.
"Lucky, huh!"
Guren didn't hesitate to give a thumbs-up in response. Seeing even his opponent acknowledge him, Goshiki felt a surge of pride.
Even the captain of the other team is impressed with my luck…?
Darn, it's that guy again, hiding a teasing subtext under his admiration.
Good thing I saw through it. Otherwise, he might actually think I'm a nice guy!
Guren, perplexed by Goshiki's proud expression, had no idea that Goshiki was having this internal monologue, he just thought, "This Shiratorizawa guy… seems a bit slow in the head."
After the moment of pride, Goshiki quickly made his decision: he would choose to receive first and select the court. He wanted to spike first on this court, which meant letting the other team serve and then having his own team receive.
Masata Yori delivered a comfortable set. Goshiki happily soared into the air, spiking the ball perfectly, restoring the pride he had lost from Yudai Hyakuzawa's previous powerful kill.
A small grin of excitement appeared on Goshiki's face… only to be immediately scolded by his coach and teammates.
"Goshiki! What are you doing?! Who told you to choose to receive?!"
"Giving the first serve to that Yukigaoka cannon? What are you thinking?!"
The smile vanished instantly as he received a verbal beating.
"You even laughed! Didn't I tell you not to watch the video?!"
Shitty words aside, Shiratorizawa's middle blocker aimed a kick at Goshiki's backside.
"Thinking you're Ushijima, huh?!"
Goshiki, confused and clutching his rear, asked innocently,
"What? Is their serve really that strong?"
"Idiot! In the first match against Kitagawa Daiichi, he scored five points in a row purely from serve and disrupting formations!"
"And in the previous match, nine points straight at the start, almost crushed the other team!"
Goshiki's confident expression quickly faltered.
"99 points? That's impossible… even pros can't get nine points from serving alone."
"Who said it's a joke? Even Kitagawa Daiichi's top player barely kept up with his serve by the fourth ball."
Finally realizing his mistake, Goshiki looked over to the other side of the net at Ichinose Guren.
Guren, caught off guard by receiving first, was also bewildered. Did these people not know he could jump serve?
Seeing Goshiki turn toward him, Guren couldn't help but grin. If you're so eager… I won't hold back.
Guren's neatly slicked-back hair announced his presence: Master of psychological warfare, full-level taunt, expert in body language, volleyball hand signal genius, Ichinose Guren is ready to stir things up.
A serve to kick things off.
The ball spun lightly in Guren's hand, feeling just right. With a flawless approach and jump, he inhaled sharply, holding his breath.
His left hand swept across, transferring part of the swing's momentum to his body. His core, strengthened through relentless functional training, powered a precise rotation.
Deltoids, pectorals, triceps, forearms, all engaged simultaneously.
The ball, smashed with unmatched force, deformed slightly into a crescent. A split-second later, the serve shot across the net.
"An electromaster railgun?!"
That was Goshiki's first, and last, thought.
Because the ball had already hit the ground.
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