Reon sprinted toward Tsutomu Goshiki.
Tsutomu Goshiki had been a little flustered at first, but he quickly calmed down. This wasn't the first time he had faced a situation like this. There was nothing to panic about.
Osamu Miya and Atsumu Miya both backed up and began their approaches, crossing paths as they ran, one in front and one behind.
Tsutomu Goshiki stood at the net, his eyes locked on Osamu Miya and Atsumu Miya as he tried to figure out which twin would attack. The sight was enough to make his head spin.
The twins were already difficult to distinguish at a glance, and both Osamu Miya and Atsumu Miya were moving fast. Anyone would get confused watching them.
As Reon ran, he kept an eye on Tsutomu Goshiki and could tell the first-year was already struggling to judge which twin would spike.
Osamu Miya moved ahead of Atsumu Miya, reached the net, and jumped as if to attack.
Tsutomu Goshiki jumped with him. Even if he couldn't tell who was actually going to spike, matching the jump couldn't be wrong.
But Osamu Miya landed almost as quickly as he had taken off, so fast that Tsutomu Goshiki barely had time to react. Tsutomu Goshiki was still in the air when Osamu Miya was already back on the ground.
The moment Osamu Miya landed, Atsumu Miya jumped right behind him and swung for the volleyball.
The entire sequence happened in an instant.
Just as Tsutomu Goshiki landed and prepared to jump again, another figure suddenly burst into the air, even faster than him.
"Bang!"
Reon felt the force slam into his arms and pressed down hard with both hands.
By then, Akagi and Shinsuke Kita were already rushing toward them.
Atsumu Miya's expression changed dramatically. He jumped again, facing Reon across the net, clearly intending to fight him for the ball.
Atsumu Miya rose to contest it, with Osamu Miya and Aran closing in behind him.
Reon had to act quickly.
He raised an eyebrow at Atsumu Miya, then applied just a little pressure with his wrists, guiding the volleyball into a spin against Atsumu Miya's hands.
Then it dropped gently to the floor.
Osamu Miya and Aran had been ready to save it again, but the ball had landed in an impossible spot, between Atsumu Miya's feet and the net.
How were they supposed to receive that?
Reon had handled it beautifully.
With a single touch, he ended the struggle that had dragged on through several exchanges.
"Bang!"
"Beep-----------!"
"Nice ball!"
Tsutomu Goshiki landed nearby and pumped his fist in celebration.
Good thing that ball hadn't scored.
Now it was Shiratorizawa's turn.
After landing, Reon smiled and ruffled Tsutomu Goshiki's hair.
"You did well too, Tsutomu Goshiki. You're already starting to hold your own out there."
After being showered with praise, Tsutomu Goshiki's eyes practically sparkled.
He looked delighted.
"Stop praising him so much. Keep this up and his tail's going to stick straight into the sky."
Yamagata walked over from behind with his hands spread helplessly, clearly exasperated by how much Reon spoiled the younger player.
"This is so frustrating."
Atsumu Miya stood at the net with his fists clenched.
If Reon hadn't suddenly appeared just now, that attack might have scored.
If it had, Inarizaki could have tied the score.
What a waste.
Just thinking about how Reon had leaped in and casually pressed the ball back down made Atsumu Miya feel stifled with frustration.
It was infuriating.
This was actually one of the first times Atsumu Miya had lost a contest like that at the net.
Why the first time?
Because back around this time last year, players his own age hadn't been much of a match for him, while the talented players two years above him had no interest in going out of their way to bully a younger student.
As a result, Atsumu Miya had barely suffered any serious setbacks up until now.
He never expected to run straight into a wall during this match.
The fact that something which had always worked for him had failed this time left him genuinely irritated.
Shinsuke Kita walked over and patted Atsumu Miya on the shoulder.
The guy looked like he was getting stuck in his own head again.
Put simply, Atsumu Miya was sulking.
"All right, Atsumu. Give us a beautiful set on the next ball and win that point back."
Shinsuke Kita's words just barely managed to pull Atsumu Miya out of his mood.
Atsumu Miya turned toward him and replied with his usual stubborn confidence.
"Of course. Just watch me."
Seeing that Atsumu Miya had recovered, Shinsuke Kita shook his head with an amused smile.
No matter when it was, Atsumu Miya always seemed like a child.
Even his sulking was childish. His temper came quickly and disappeared just as fast.
After getting some encouragement from Shinsuke Kita, Atsumu Miya strutted back to his position with his chin held high.
Over on Shiratorizawa's side, Reon shooed away Yamagata and Tsutomu Goshiki, who had crowded around him, like he was herding chicks.
"Back to your positions. Stop standing around talking."
Both teams returned to their places and prepared for the next rally.
The people in the stands started discussing the score and the state of the match again.
Hoshiumi stared intently toward Inarizaki.
"I feel like Inarizaki could still turn this around."
Hirugami patted him on the head.
"Don't just look at the score. Look at everyone's condition on the court too."
Hoshiumi shook his head in annoyance, trying to escape from under Hirugami's hand.
He clearly wanted to argue back and had already opened his mouth to complain.
Seeing Hoshiumi's unconvinced expression, Hirugami calmly added,
"Besides, Ushijima is serving next."
Hoshiumi immediately fell silent.
His expression soured as he reluctantly let Hirugami mess with his hair.
If Ushijima was serving next, then the gap might widen again.
Hoshiumi felt like Inarizaki was already standing at the edge of a cliff.
The pressure Ushijima exerted when he took control of the court was no joke.
Hoshiumi remembered the fear of being dominated by Ushijima before and fell quiet.
Once both sides had returned to their positions, the referee looked left and right.
Everyone was ready.
He blew the whistle.
"Beep------!"
The match had reached its most intense stage.
Both the spectators in the arena and the people watching on television held their breath.
Some people with weaker nerves looked like they practically needed medical assistance just to keep watching.
Take one elderly man sitting in Inarizaki's cheering section.
His face had already gone pale. One hand kept rubbing his chest as he tried to catch his breath, while the other pulled blood pressure medication from his pocket and swallowed it.
Then he raised his cheering stick, stood up, and roared,
"Inarizaki! Go!"
His voice was astonishingly loud.
Looking at him now, no one would have guessed how sickly his face had looked a moment earlier.
Several medical staff were already waiting behind him with a stretcher, ready to carry him away at any moment.
The old man's shout stood out sharply in the suddenly quiet arena.
Everyone turned toward him.
Coach Kurosu covered his face helplessly.
The old man certainly had energy, but what were they supposed to do if he actually fainted during the match?
Sometimes Coach Kurosu really did get a headache from these overly enthusiastic fans.
Atsumu Miya glanced toward the stands.
Then he gave a short laugh, turned back around, and his eyes lit with renewed fighting spirit.
Atsumu Miya recognized that old man.
He was at every Inarizaki match, no matter whether it was a major tournament or a minor game.
The thought that there were still people supporting Inarizaki, and supporting him, instantly brought Atsumu Miya back to full strength.
Tendo clicked his tongue with a frown.
Inarizaki's morale had clearly been starting to sink.
Who would have thought one shout from the stands could bring it all back?
Tendo had been hoping Shiratorizawa could use that momentum to finish the match in one push.
Apparently not.
Ushijima stood calmly at the service line, preparing to serve.
For Ushijima, only sudden, unexpected incidents were enough to distract him.
Anything else barely registered.
He glanced toward the commotion once, then withdrew his gaze and tossed the volleyball into the air.
Everyone watched Ushijima tensely.
Every eye was fixed on this serve.
This was the final set.
They had to seize every opportunity.
The same thought passed through everyone's mind.
Ushijima tossed the volleyball upward, and everyone's gaze followed it.
Akagi in particular felt as though he had forgotten how to breathe.
There was nothing in his eyes except the ball.
For a moment, it felt as though the entire court contained only him and Ushijima.
After tossing the ball, Ushijima began his approach.
When the volleyball reached the right height, he jumped.
His left arm rose high, then slammed down hard.
"Bang!"
The impact exploded through the air.
Tendo, standing closest to Ushijima, felt as though his ears had gone deaf.
The volleyball visibly deformed under the force of Ushijima's hit before shooting toward Inarizaki's court.
Ushijima's serve was as straightforward as ever.
Simple, brutal, and powerful.
Akagi took a deep breath and began judging where the ball would land.
Before crossing the net, Ushijima's serve was rotating toward the right.
Since Ushijima served left-handed, that meant the ball would eventually curve in the opposite direction.
Akagi didn't immediately commit to the left.
Instead, he watched carefully.
Only after confirming that the ball truly was curving left did he explode into motion.
Everyone standing along Akagi's path immediately cleared the way.
They all understood that at a moment this critical, no one could afford to interfere with him.
The volleyball and Akagi raced toward the same point.
Everyone watched with complete concentration.
Akagi was almost keeping pace with the ball.
But in the end, the volleyball still beat him there by one step.
The instant Akagi realized he was too late, he threw himself forward in a dive.
He slid across the floor on his stomach, stretching his arm out as far as possible.
The volleyball traveled a little farther, then began to drop.
Its landing point was almost exactly where Akagi had predicted.
"Bang!"
The ball slammed hard into the back of Akagi's hand.
Akagi had already adjusted the angle of his palm, but not quite enough.
The volleyball struck his hand and ricocheted toward the outside of the court.
Atsumu Miya's eyes widened.
He immediately sprinted after it, trying to save the play.
But the ball was already too far away.
Atsumu Miya gritted his teeth and ran at full speed.
When he realized he still couldn't reach it, he threw himself into a dive.
Even then, the volleyball escaped his reach and struck the floor outside the court.
"Bang!"
"Beep------!"
Point.
It wasn't the final point yet, but Inarizaki's mood still dipped.
Akagi quickly scrambled to his feet and apologized to Atsumu Miya.
"Sorry! I couldn't receive that one!"
Atsumu Miya pushed himself up and waved dismissively, acting like it was nothing.
"What're ya apologizing for? I'm the one who couldn't catch up to it."
Akagi had lowered his head, expecting Atsumu Miya to complain.
Instead, he heard something completely different.
He looked up in surprise.
Atsumu Miya gave a small huff.
"Just get the angle right on the next receive. Otherwise, setting it is a nightmare for me. Ushijima's serve is terrifying anyway. It's normal not to receive it cleanly."
Atsumu Miya's attempt at comforting Akagi was painfully awkward.
But Akagi wasn't stupid.
He could tell exactly what Atsumu Miya was trying to do.
The words might not have sounded especially gentle, but Akagi appreciated them.
"I'll definitely receive the next one!"
Akagi looked seriously at Atsumu Miya.
Atsumu Miya nodded and patted him on the shoulder.
"I'm counting on ya!"
Aran watched the exchange with great satisfaction.
Not bad.
Even that idiot Atsumu Miya had learned how to comfort someone.
"Get back to your positions."
Shinsuke Kita quietly appeared behind the two of them and reminded them in a low voice.
Both players jolted in surprise, then immediately raced back into position.
The match continued.
The score was now 24–22.
The situation was grim.
Shiratorizawa had reached match point.
If Inarizaki failed to receive this serve, it was over.
The pressure on Akagi was enormous.
But looking at him, you would never know it.
His expression remained composed.
Under everyone's tense gaze, Ushijima returned to the service line for another serve.
"Beep----------!"
Ushijima tossed the volleyball up, ran forward, jumped, and struck it without the slightest hesitation.
The entire sequence was smooth and effortless.
"Bang!"
Ushijima's left hand smashed into the ball.
Tendo quietly turned his face away.
He had the strange feeling that if Ushijima served again after this, he really might go deaf.
The volleyball shot toward Inarizaki's backcourt.
Akagi's expression tightened.
He had already analyzed what had gone wrong on the previous serve.
The biggest problem was that his judgment had been just a fraction too slow.
On a court like this, even a few tenths of a second could decide the outcome.
He had simply been too cautious last time.
This serve's trajectory was completely different.
It was initially traveling toward the left.
That meant once it crossed the net, it would most likely curve right.
This time, Akagi didn't hesitate.
There was no room left for hesitation.
He could only trust his judgment and commit.
Akagi sprinted.
His legs felt heavy, and his breathing became ragged, but his speed didn't drop at all.
This time, he finally managed to keep pace with the ball.
He reached the spot directly in front of where it was about to land, slammed on the brakes, and immediately settled into position.
The moment Akagi arrived, his receiving stance was already set.
Both arms extended forward, his balance centered through his waist.
The volleyball hurtled toward his face.
Then, just before reaching him, it suddenly dropped.
Akagi immediately adjusted the angle of his arms.
"Bang!"
The volleyball slammed hard into his outstretched forearms.
Now came the hardest part.
He had made contact.
But whether he could actually lift the ball was another question.
The receive was only halfway complete.
Akagi felt as though the impact was about to bend his arms.
Every muscle in his body strained against the force.
Veins even stood out across his forehead.
"Get up!!"
Akagi roared, as if trying to force strength into himself.
And with that shout, the volleyball finally rebounded off his arms and flew high into the air.
Its angle carried it toward Atsumu Miya.
Akagi really had taken Atsumu Miya's words, "Get the angle right on the receive," to heart.
Whether Atsumu Miya could feel just how seriously Akagi had taken them was another matter.
...
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