After using a little "big pressure on the small fry" tactic, the tension that had built up in the four nervous players at the start was eased.
That was a clever way to relieve some stress… though it did eat up a good portion of warm-up time. Not that it mattered much, these weren't professional adults who needed half an hour to loosen up before hitting the court. A little movement was enough to get their bodies ready.
Each team lined up, and the neatly-dressed announcer formally introduced all the players to both the broadcast and live audiences. The match was about to begin.
At the coin toss, Ichinose Guren continued his legendary winning streak, claiming the right to choose first. But this time, Yukigaoka didn't follow their usual strategy of taking the first serve to disrupt the opponent with a powerful attack.
Instead, they let the other side serve first and casually chose their side of the court.
The Kousen coaching staff immediately took note.
"Looks like Ichinose Guren wants to strike first after receiving the serve, seizing the initiative and momentum."
"Yeah, it seems like they're preparing to go on offense right away."
"Don't worry. His height is intimidating, but with our block height and soft-style blocking, we can handle his spikes."
"Underestimating our floor defense will cost them dearly."
The Kousen head coach crossed his arms, a sly smile tugging at his lips. But his assistant's shifting gaze betrayed their uncertainty, they weren't fully confident this setup would restrict Guren's play.
Though unsure of its effectiveness, the coaches had clearly anticipated Yukigaoka's strategy, preparing a positioning plan to counter any spike attempts after the serve.
When Yukigaoka's lineup appeared on the court, both coaches furrowed their brows. Things weren't unfolding as they expected.
Yukigaoka's front row featured Yudai Hyakuzawa, Mori, and Hinata Shoyo, while the player Kousen had predicted would take the lead, Ichinose Guren, quietly positioned himself in the back row.
The assistant rushed to instruct his players, attempting to enforce the planned strategy: block the spikes and watch for Guren's back-row attacks.
Mori's face was serious, but inside he felt a surge of joy, a "I predicted your prediction" thrill.
"Of course, the other team would assume the captain would start with a strong spike, so they placed the three tallest players upfront."
"And by positioning the captain in the back row, they're pressured to question their assumptions, dividing their focus to cover the back-row threat."
"Perfect. Now it's time for the fast-attack tactic the captain and I devised last night."
In Hinata Shoyo's imagination, he pictured a chessboard-like gymnasium, with the players as pieces and four masterminds on each side controlling every move from the shadows.
"A duel of intellects! Guren versus the Kousen coaching team!"
A shiver of excitement ran down Hinata's spine. This was his first glimpse into strategic thinking on the volleyball court.
"So cool! Powerful spikes are cool, but mind games are also cool!"
"I want to be an attacker who can spike and outthink the opponent!"
"I want to play chess too!"
===========
The referee checked the volleyball, now in Kousen's setter's hands, and blew the eight-second serve whistle. The setter closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and adjusted his rhythm.
Three seconds later, he opened his eyes, fully focused on the ball.
"No matter what you plan, if you can't receive my serve, all your strategies are castles in the air!"
"You want to play chess? I'll flip the board!"
With years of rigorous training behind him, the Kousen setter executed a powerful jump serve.
"Huh?"
With a slight awkwardness, Hoshino Katsuri received the serve perfectly, his motion textbook, rating it a 90% perfect pass.
So much for flipping the board without skill.
Hoshino ignored what the opponent was thinking, focusing only on controlling the ball and motivating his teammates.
"What a receive! Ice cream's on me if you can't match it!"
"Yeah!"
"I want egg-mixed rice flavor!"
"Yudai-senpai!"
Aside from Hinata's clueless response, only Asen cheered for Yudai Hyakuzawa.
Kousen's number one and seven players' eyes flashed as they locked onto the tall players, refusing to be baited by their calls.
"I got this!"
A loud, confident shout drew the attention of the two blockers, who instinctively leaned toward Hyakuzawa. Even Ichinose Guren in the back row subtly moved a few steps forward, also noticed.
"Footwork is reacting, but that's intentional. A little trap for you."
Hyakuzawa leapt, but the blockers didn't move, and the ball never reached Mori's hands.
"This fake move? Save it for Kita River First and Shiratorizawa."
"Zero effect!"
The two Kousen middle blockers silently criticized the feint, yet remained unmoved.
The timing of Guren's run-up perfectly matched Mori's hands contacting the ball.
"So smooth!"
"Exactly what I was waiting for!"
"Yukigaoka's captain!"
The two blockers charged Guren with immense pressure, while Nagamatsu Yumeto rushed to cover, forming a tight net of defense.
"What!?"
The volleyball soared past Guren's swing, the blockers' jump completely misjudged.
"A mistake?"
"No, impossible!"
Their expressions looked like three startled kittens, eyes locked on the flying ball.
Nagamatsu, who landed too early, scrambled awkwardly to intercept, but in the spike-block battle, half a second's delay meant losing rhythm.
From behind, a small orange-haired figure, Hinata Shoyo, approached with a running jump, swinging with graceful power learned from thousands of wall hits.
He tore through Kousen's supposedly impenetrable defense.
BOOM! BOOM!
The sharp, resonant sound marked Yukigaoka's first successful spike. Hinata Shoyo had struck against "giants" twenty centimeters taller than him with his own lightning-fast attack.
Yukigaoka 1:0 Kousen.