Preliminary Round 4.
[Aoba Johsai vs. Date Tech]
[Karasuno vs. Shiratorizawa]
Both matches began at the same time, Aoba Johsai and Date Tech faced off on the East Court, while Karasuno and Shiratorizawa clashed on the West Court.
Date Tech's greatest strength lay in their formidable blocking. Within Miyagi Prefecture, they were famously known as "The Iron Wall."
They were a strong team, unfortunately, born in the wrong place.
Had they been in a region with weaker volleyball standards, they likely would've made it to Nationals at least twice in three years. That wouldn't have been a stretch.
"Warm-up is over. Players, bow!"
"Please take care of us!"
"Please take care of us!"
With the referee's whistle and the synchronized greetings from both teams, the match between Aoba Johsai and Date Tech officially began.
Date Tech's team no longer had any third-years, their seniors had retired before the summer break.
Just before the match started,
Akashi Asuka suddenly recalled something and asked across the net, "By the way, does your school hold a summer training camp?"
"Huh?"
Date Tech's current captain, Kenji Futakuchi, had certainly heard of Akashi Asuka. He'd been wary of both Akashi and Oikawa since the start of the match.
So when Akashi unexpectedly spoke to him, Futakuchi mentally braced himself. He was ready to handle trash talk or even outright insults.
But this random, casual-sounding question completely caught him off guard.
He hesitated for a moment.
Feeling that the question didn't seem relevant to the match, he cautiously replied, "Yeah… Date Tech usually holds summer training camps."
"Oh? And how long was it this year?"
"Um, about a week, most high school camps last that long, right?"
Futakuchi answered almost automatically. But the moment he did, he saw the look on Akashi's face visibly sink.
"I see. That's… such a shame."
"…What's a shame?"
Futakuchi was now completely confused.
BEEP!
With the referee's whistle, the match officially began.
Aoba Johsai served first. The starting server was Hajime Iwaizumi, now playing as opposite hitter.
Wham!
A loud thud echoed as the volleyball rocketed over the net and slammed toward Date Tech's court.
"Whoa!"
The libero for Date Tech flinched.
They had already seen from footage that Aoba Johsai's serving had improved dramatically this season, but watching it on screen and facing it in real life were two very different things.
Now that they were actually up against it, they realized, this wasn't just an improvement. The entire team felt like a completely different beast.
The first receive was a mess.
So much so that the setter never even got the ball.
Yes, literally.
Their newly appointed setter launched the ball straight out of bounds. The volleyball soared into the air, flew out of their court entirely, and crashed onto the vacant neighboring court.
The entire gymnasium, including the audience in the stands, fell silent for a moment.
As if in a cartoon, symbols of confusion floated in the air, and the sound of a crow mockingly cawing "Idiot, idiot!" seemed to echo over the heads of Date Tech's players.
Then suddenly,
"Pfft, HAHAHAHA!"
The arena erupted in laughter.
"What was that?! That was supposed to be a set?"
"Incredible! He passed it right into the next court. Good thing no one was playing over there, or the other team wouldn't know which ball to hit!"
────────── ✦ ──────────
Even Aoba Johsai's players were stunned.
Come on now.
They were veterans of the prefectural scene, regulars in the national top eight. They'd seen a lot… but this?
This was a first.
"Ahhhhh! I'm so sorry, Futakuchi-senpai! I'll run 10 kilometers to make up for it when we get back!" came a desperate apology from Date Tech's side.
Aoba Johsai looked toward the voice and saw a blond setter, clearly the one who'd just made that outrageous set. A new face. Must be a freshman.
The apology was loud, sincere, and accompanied by a deep bow.
The only odd part was… the apology itself.
Given how terrible that set was, shouldn't he be saying he'd practice a hundred sets when they got back?
Why 10 kilometers?
Unable to make sense of it, Aoba Johsai's players chalked it up to Date Tech's unique brand of team spirit.
1:0.
Aoba Johsai leads.
Iwaizumi served again. Just as powerful as the first. But this time, the libero was ready and managed to dig it out successfully.
"That serve was fast! What the heck is with Aoba Johsai? They're on a whole new level!"
Although he received the ball, the libero still looked rattled.
Date Tech had played Aoba Johsai in past seasons. They'd lost most times, sure, but back then, Aoba Johsai never felt this overwhelming.
The pass was decent this time, and their new freshman setter, Koganegawa Kanji, successfully got under the ball. But his second attempt at a set was, again, pretty terrible.
"You idiot! Koganegawa, get it together already!"
Futakuchi finally lost his temper and shouted.
Still, yelling aside, he repositioned himself, jumped, and spiked the ball.
Smack!
Thud!
In the next instant,
The volleyball that had just flown out came flying back just as fast, landing cleanly on Date Tech's floor.
Futakuchi's face changed.
He looked up at the net.
And saw three towering walls, each one just as tall as him.
"So tall!"
He was stunned.
It might've been because of preconceived notions, but he hadn't noticed until now. After that block, it finally hit him, Aoba Johsai's players were huge.
Based on current rotations, their front row consisted of Kindaichi, Akashi Asuka, and Oikawa Tooru.
Their heights?
190 cm, 190 cm, and 185 cm…
=============
Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria