Score: 4–1.
Date Tech was already in deep trouble.
And this was only the beginning.
Oikawa Tooru's second serve came flying in almost immediately.
Every Date Tech defender locked eyes on the ball, fully focused on Oikawa's serve trajectory. But when the ball suddenly sped toward them,
They still couldn't react in time.
Thud!
The ball landed perfectly between Date Tech's libero and their outside hitter, an exquisitely placed serve that neither could reach. They could only stare helplessly as the ball struck the ground.
Aoba Johsai scored again.
5–1.
It wasn't until Oikawa's third serve that he finally made a mistake, giving Date Tech their second point of the game.
5–2.
Date Tech regained the serve, but they barely got one shot in before Akashi Asuka hammered the ball right through their block, reclaiming possession for Aoba Johsai with a vicious counterattack.
6–2.
And next up… it was Akashi Asuka's turn to serve.
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"Damn it... how did it come to this?"
Date Tech's players were panting heavily on the court, sweat sliding down their cheeks. The pressure from their opponents was suffocating. Even though the game had just begun, their bodies already felt sluggish and weighed down.
This wasn't just a difference in skill anymore.
Since the start of the match, Date Tech hadn't even managed to launch a single proper counterattack.
Aoba Johsai had taken six points.
And the only two points Date Tech had were thanks to Aoba Johsai's own serving errors.
"We need to find a way to break this momentum. First and foremost, we've got to start receiving their serves."
Futakuchi Kenji's eyes were locked on Akashi Asuka, who was now walking toward the service zone with the ball in hand. His mind raced.
Then, Futakuchi gave a subtle signal to his teammates. All six players, front and back, began to shift deeper into the court.
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"Oh? So they're going all in on defense now?"
Oikawa immediately noticed the adjustment, but didn't seem particularly concerned. "Six players? You really think that's enough?"
In the service area, Akashi Asuka casually rotated his wrist. It had been several days since he removed his training weights, but his arms still felt strangely light.
The sensation no longer affected his spikes much, but it still threw off his serve just a little.
Tweet!
The referee blew the whistle for serve.
Akashi waited a few seconds. Once he felt slightly more in tune with the ball, he gently tossed it into the air...
BOOM!!!
A terrifying explosion-like roar thundered above Aoba Johsai's court.
Their front-row players had already backed off before Akashi even served, hands over their heads, clearing out instinctively.
After all, the old jokes about "going to the hospital" if you got hit by one of Akashi's serves in the back of the head used to be exaggerations.
Now? If that ball did hit someone? It'd be a literal trip to the ER.
Even with everyone keeping their distance, the sheer sound of the ball's impact sent shivers down the spines of his own teammates.
The ball distorted from the impact of his palm. With a shockwave trailing behind, it blasted through the air like a missile, streaking toward Date Tech's court in an instant.
The sheer pressure was suffocating.
The libero facing it head-on felt his eyes widen in terror. This wasn't a volleyball anymore, it was a roaring, man-eating beast bearing down on him.
"I can't take that. No way I can take that."
His rational mind screamed it's just a volleyball!, but his body acted on instinct, flinching away.
Fwoosh!
The ball sliced through the air, barely missing his ear. In that split second, the libero's heart plummeted.
"Crap!!"
Even as he dodged, regret washed over him. But it was already too late to recover.
Thud!
A loud crash came from behind him.
The libero's heart seemed to stop, until, in the next second, the referee blew his whistle and raised his hand toward Date Tech.
"Out of bounds. Point for Date Tech."
The call was like rain falling after a long drought, yanking the libero back from the edge of despair.
Suddenly, the world was full of color again.
He turned around stiffly, only to see a clear volleyball imprint just one centimeter outside the baseline.
Even the Date Tech players froze for a second, then erupted in cheers.
"OOOOOOHHH!"
"Nice judgment!"
"Talk about luck, maybe fortune's with us today!"
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Their teammates' praise made the libero a little uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to confess the truth, only to see a hand quietly reach out and stop him.
He turned. The hand belonged to their captain, Futakuchi Kenji.
Kenji gave him a nearly imperceptible shake of the head, silently telling him not to say anything. Let the others believe it was your judgment.
Date Tech's morale was dangerously low. Even if that last point came from sheer luck, it had still lifted their spirits. Letting the team believe it was a well-judged play was better for everyone.
That said, even Kenji himself felt the weight of that serve.
Truth be told, he had been just as shaken by it.
That kind of power… they hadn't even experienced it when they faced Ushijima Wakatoshi.
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While Date Tech was celebrating, Aoba Johsai's side was also buzzing.
"Pffft, hahaha~~!"
"How lame, Akashi! First serve of the match and you go out of bounds? That's not very fitting for someone with your reputation, is it?"
"Hahaha, serves you right! That's what you get for secretly doing weighted training behind our backs!"
No one was laughing louder than Oikawa Tooru.
His silent rivalry with Akashi Asuka had never truly stopped. Like just now, who could get more aces in a match was one of their many running competitions.
Usually, they were about even. If Oikawa landed three service aces, Akashi would usually score three or four himself.
And vice versa.
But this time… Akashi had totally fumbled.
Botching the very first serve?
That was something that hadn't happened to Akashi Asuka in a very long time.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria