"Great ball!!!!"
Yukigaoka had reached match point, the score standing at 24-19.
On the other side, Shiratorizawa's team had just suffered a devastating blow. The ball, painstakingly prepared and crucial, was completely shut down by the opposing block.
The finger wag and "no-fly zone" trash talk after the block only added fuel to the fire, sending the two players responsible for organizing the attack into a mental spiral.
Once morale wavered, a routine play could easily go wrong.
"Sorry!! My bad!!! Damn it!!!"
The first set ended with Goshiki's service error hitting the net, giving up the point.
A little dejected, Goshiki predictably got scolded by his teammates.
After being well-lectured, he promised he would carefully review match footage before the next round and not make the same mistake again.
Naturally, this triggered another round of teasing.
"Already thinking about the next round after losing the first set?"
"Of course, it's you, Goshiki."
"No one else could pull this off."
Goshiki's composure faltered again, barking at his teammates like a scolded Pomeranian.
With his shouting in the background, both teams switched sides and prepared for the next set.
This time, Ichinose Guren began actively participating in the block, taking Yukigaoka's defense up a few notches.
In the previous set, he had only started blocking seriously at the very end, clearly holding back, or perhaps underestimating Shiratorizawa.
For Ichinose, the match's greatest value lay in training his teammates, giving them space to grow and learn.
His serious blocking now was forced by Shiratorizawa's powerful attackers. If either Goshiki or Masata Yori weren't present, he would gladly let his teammates take more chances instead of stepping in himself.
In a sense, this was also Ichinose's form of respect for Shiratorizawa.
Even though Shiratorizawa had Goshiki, a player capable of energizing the team, with both skill and mental fortitude, and their overall level was very strong,
to Yukigaoka, they still resembled a slightly weaker Kageyama-like playmaker with an amplified organizing ability, while Goshiki compensated for the weaker attack.
But even a strong junior high-level team wasn't enough against Yukigaoka at this level.
They possessed some of the highest hitting points in the national high school volleyball scene.
Bang!!
"This kid is strong! And he makes it look so effortless."
"You're right. Every time Shiratorizawa's attack begins, he calls for the setter, ignores the defense, and spikes in a way that crushes the opponent's spirit."
"At this height for junior high, it's just bullying."
"Is he playing below his level? He could play in college easily."
Ichinose landed from midair, ignoring the envious looks of opposing players. After a high-five with teammates, he returned to his position and dove into the next offensive and defensive round.
On Shiratorizawa's bench, the coach sipped from his thermos, hiding his face, but his gaze was locked on Ichinose.
This kid is starting to control the court.
Is he using us to level up his teammates?
Annoying.
Only when you're a few steps above the opponent can you truly exert this level of control.
Usually only seen in elementary school, when everyone has predictable habits.
Players who've been playing since childhood sometimes do it just to prolong the game or for fun.
And now it's happening to Shiratorizawa?!
This is utterly humiliating!
The coach gripped the thermos tightly, the creaking sound startling his assistant.
But!
Seconds later, the thermos was safely placed back on the bench.
A genius like this, such a super attacker, if he goes to high school… and doesn't come to Shiratorizawa, where else would he?!
As long as he studies in Miyagi Prefecture, Shiratorizawa will definitely be his best choice!
The junior high coach already imagined the possibilities: Ushijima and Ichinose together could break past national top-eight records. The probability of contending for the championship was high.
The thought alone made his hands itch to make a call to Head Coach Wajima, reporting the discovery of a talent rivaling Ushijima.
Even his assistant, expressionless, sensed the mixture of pride and excitement emanating from the coach as the team faced elimination.
It was a complicated feeling, excited, yet also uneasy. The assistant could almost guess the coach's thoughts, but that made it feel unfair to the players.
They still had a chance to fight, yet while the players battled fiercely, the coach was already thinking about recruiting the opposing talent for high school.
Strategically sound, perhaps, but unfair to his own team.
But neither Shiratorizawa's coach nor Ichinose seemed concerned with his assistant's feelings.
Another spike from Ichinose scored.
Shiratorizawa's players were beginning to lose heart, even resilient Goshiki started to waver.
Is all this effort really worth it?
Seeing Ichinose spike so high, nearly past his fingertips, and celebrate with teammates, Goshiki for the first time doubted his own volleyball talent.
"You guys…"
The assistant took a deep breath.
"What are you doing!!!!"
"You idiots!!!!"
The volume was enough to draw the attention of every spectator.
Even Shiratorizawa's head coach, about to scold, was frozen by the ferocity in the assistant's face.
The assistant, cheeks red, ignored the coach entirely, shouting at the players on the court.
"Are you really going to give up at this level?"
"Think about all the training you've done! Damn it!"
"All that sweat, all those sacrifices for games, love, food, rest!"
"In this scorching summer, you could be at home with ice cream and air conditioning, but instead you drag yourselves here to train hard in the gym, why?"
"Ah!!!!"
Even with the referee watching, the assistant had no idea.
"Do you want to quit volleyball? Then go home, shower, sleep, and never touch anything competitive again!!!"
"Understand?!!!"
Breathing heavily, voice hoarse, the assistant grabbed the coach's thermos and drank it dry.
Once he caught his breath, he realized everyone in the gym, players, staff, coaches, referees, spectators, was staring at him, astonished.
Only then did he start bowing, apologizing profusely.
"Sumimasen! Sumimasen!"
Then, he quietly lowered his head and sat on the bench, saying nothing more.
Hinata Shoyo's eyes sparkled.
"The head coach's got no aura, but the assistant sure does."
"Respect," said Hoshino Katsuri and Yudai Hyakuzawa
"Pretty cool speech," Ichinose commented.
If a coach had spoken like this, it would maximize team morale and increase the chances of miracles.
Ichinose glanced at the empty coach's bench.
Next time, we need the coach here. Skipping timeouts feels like a waste.
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