Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium - Quarterfinals.
"Oho? If it isn't the grandpas of Nekoma. Did you guys remember to take your joint supplements?"
Daishou Suguru stood at the net, slouching, with a grin that screamed "I kick puppies for fun." Behind him, the Nohebi team snickered.
Kuroo smiled back, a vein popping in his forehead. "Daishou. Still sporting that haircut? Did you lose a bet with a lawnmower?"
Ryuu walked up behind Kuroo, sipping a juice box he had snuck onto the court. He looked at Daishou, then at the Nohebi team.
"Captain," Ryuu asked loud enough for everyone to hear. "Why is that guy looking at us like he's the villain in a B-tier slice-of-life anime?"
Daishou's smile froze. "Hah?"
"You know," Ryuu gestured vaguely at Daishou's face. "The squinty eyes. The slouch. The green jersey. You look like a Slytherin extra who gets defeated in the first act."
"Pfft," Yaku covered his mouth.
Daishou's eye twitched. "You have a big mouth, rookie. I heard you're a 'Monster.' Let's see if you can play volleyball or if you're just a tall cosplayer."
Ryuu finished his juice and crushed the box. "I don't cosplay. I embody greatness. Try not to cry when you lose, Snake Boy."
The Match Begins.
_______________________
Nekoma vs. Nohebi.
The whistle blew.
Nohebi served. They targeted Ryuu immediately. Obviously.
Ryuu stepped back. He didn't activate some high-tech eye mode. He just looked at the ball.
'Slow. Floater. Boring.'
He bumped it up casually.
"Nice receive!"
Kenma tossed to the left.
Ryuu approached. He jumped. He saw the blockers. He swung.
BOOM.
He smashed the ball past the block. It hit the floor near the sideline. To anyone with functioning eyes, it was In.
"OUT!" Daishou screamed immediately, pointing at the line like he was accusing a witch. The entire Nohebi bench jumped up. "OUT! IT WAS OUT! BY A MILE!"
The line judge, a nervous student volunteer who clearly didn't want trouble, hesitated. The pressure from the Snakes was intense. He raised the flag.
"Out!"
Nohebi 1 - 0 Nekoma.
"Hah?!" Yamamoto roared. "That was IN! Are you blind?!"
Ryuu just stood there, hands on his hips. He looked at the spot on the floor. Then he looked at Daishou, who gave him a quick, sneaky wink.
'Oh,' Ryuu thought, amused rather than angry. 'They're exploiting the game engine. The "Blind Ref" patch hasn't been fixed yet.'
"Don't worry about it, Ryuu!" Kuroo patted his back. "They do this."
"It's fine," Ryuu waved his hand dismissively. "It just means I have to hit it where they can't lie. Like... directly into the center of the court."
___________________
The game continued.
Nohebi was annoying. They soft-blocked, they aimed for fingers, they feinted.
Score: 10-10.
Ryuu went up for a block against Daishou.
Daishou jumped. He pushed the ball into the net tape, causing it to trickle over. A cheap shot. As he landed, Daishou "accidentally" flailed his arm and slapped the net.
SLAP.
The referee blew the whistle. He pointed at Ryuu.
"Net touch! Nekoma!"
Nohebi 11 - 10.
"What?!" Kuroo argued. "That was him! He slapped the net!"
"I didn't!" Daishou held up his hands, looking like an innocent choir boy. "I was just landing! The big guy probably touched it with his aura or something!"
The ref nodded. "Warning, Nekoma #10."
Ryuu blinked. He looked at the ref.
"Sir," Ryuu said, pointing at his own chest. "I am standing a foot away from the net. Unless my nipples extend telescopically, I didn't touch it."
"PFFT—" Yamamoto choked on air.
"Warning for language!" The ref blushed.
Ryuu sighed. He looked down at Daishou, who was smirking.
'Okay,' Ryuu thought. 'This is getting tedious. The mob characters are trying to cheese the boss fight.'
He walked over to Kenma.
"Kenma."
"Yeah?"
"Stop setting me near the lines," Ryuu said lazily. "And stop worrying about the block. Just put the ball high."
"Why?"
"Because," Ryuu cracked his neck. "If I hit the ball into their faces, they can't call it 'Out'."
_______________________
Nekoma Serve.
Kai served. Nohebi received. Daishou called for a toss on the left.
Ryuu was blocking.
Daishou jumped. He aimed for Ryuu's fingertips, trying to wipe it out of bounds again.
Ryuu saw it coming a mile away. His Emperor's Eyes made Daishou look like he was moving in slow motion.
'He's going for the wipe. How original.'
Ryuu didn't shove his hand forward aggressively. He just... opened his hand wide and pressed it over the ball like he was palming a basketball.
As Daishou tried to push the ball, Ryuu just pushed back harder.
It wasn't a technique. It was just an adult overpowering a child.
SPLAT.
Ryuu shoved the ball right back into Daishou's chest. Daishou tumbled backward, landing on his butt.
"One," Ryuu muttered.
He looked down at the sprawling captain.
"My bad," Ryuu deadpanned. "I thought you were going to hit it, but you just sort of... gave it to me."
Daishou scrambled up, red-faced. "Shut up!"
Next rally.
Kenma tossed to Ryuu.
Three Nohebi blockers jumped. They were tight together, trying to screen the ref again. Hiroo, the middle blocker, stuck his elbow out to nudge Ryuu.
'Dirty tricks,' Ryuu thought. 'Cute.'
Ryuu cocked his arm. He didn't aim for a gap. He aimed for the highest point of the block—their fingertips.
He swung with pure, unadulterated violence.
BOOM.
The ball smashed into the tips of their fingers. The force was so great it bent their fingers back.
"OW!"
The ball rocketed off their hands and flew high—way, way high—into the ceiling rafters.
It stayed up there for a solid three seconds before crashing down into the stands.
Block Out.
Ryuu landed. He looked at the ref.
"Sir," Ryuu called out casually. "Is that 'Out'? Or did it touch them? I think I heard bones cracking, so it probably touched them."
The ref looked at the Nohebi players clutching their hands. "Touch out! Point Nekoma!"
Ryuu turned to Daishou.
"See?" Ryuu grinned, but it wasn't evil. It was the grin of a guy who just figured out the easy mode exploit. "If I hit it hard enough, the physics engine breaks. No more line calls."
_____________________
Nekoma 20 - Nohebi 15.
Daishou was sweating.
His tricks weren't working. When he tried to trash talk, Ryuu just agreed with him sarcastically.
"You're slow, giant!"
"I know, right? My rendering speed is terrible today." Smash. Point Nekoma.
"You're clumsy!"
"Total klutz." Block. Point Nekoma.
Ryuu was treating the match like a warm-up. He was yawning between points.
It was Ryuu's turn to serve.
He walked to the back line. He spun the ball.
"Hey, Snake Captain," Ryuu called out.
Daishou flinched. "What?!"
" catch."
Ryuu tossed the ball. He jumped.
He unleashed a jump serve that sounded like a thunderclap.
Daishou stepped in to receive it. He had to. He was the captain.
The ball hit his arms.
WHAM.
It blew through his platform. Daishou flew backward, landing on his butt again. The ball bounced off his chest and into the net.
Ace.
Ryuu walked forward, spinning the ball for the next serve.
"Man," Ryuu shook his head, looking genuinely disappointed. "You spend all this time leveling up your 'Cheating' skill tree, you forgot to put points into 'Defense'."
Daishou's face went purple. "SHUT UP! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"You can try," Ryuu tossed the ball again. "But I have plot armor."
BOOM.
Another ace.
The crowd was laughing now. It wasn't a tense battle anymore. It was a comedy routine where Ryuu was the straight man and Nohebi was the punchline.
Daishou Suguru, the master of psychological warfare, was having a mental breakdown because his opponent simply didn't care about the mind games.
Ryuu landed after his third ace.
"Boring," Ryuu whispered to himself. "I hope the next boss has better AI."