Score: 18 - 18.
The gymnasium was suffocating. Every point felt like lifting a boulder.
Ryuu rotated to the service line. He bounced the ball.
'If I can break them here,' Ryuu thought, 'we win in straight sets. I can go eat dinner.'
He tossed the ball. He jumped.
He unleashed a jump serve with massive topspin.
Yamagata was ready. He didn't try to be a hero. He just bumped it high.
"Shirabu!"
Shirabu ran under the ball. He had options. Goshiki on the left. Ushijima on the right.
Ryuu watched from the back row after his serve.
'Shirabu relies on the Ace. When it's tight, he goes right.'
Shirabu set the ball... to the middle.
Tendou Satori was already in the air.
"Time difference!" Tendou shouted.
He delayed his swing, letting the Nekoma blockers fall, and then snapped the ball down.
Shiratorizawa 19 - 18.
Tendou landed, pointing at Ryuu. "You were looking at Wakatoshi-kun! Eyes on the road, Monster-kun!"
Ryuu clicked his tongue. "Annoying redhead."
____________
Score: 20 - 19 Shiratorizawa.
Nekoma was trailing by one. They couldn't close the gap.
Shirabu served. Kai received.
"Kenma!"
Kenma set to Yamamoto.
Yamamoto spiked. Reon dug it.
"Counter!"
Shirabu set to the left. To Goshiki Tsutomu.
The first-year ace with the bowl cut had been quiet. Ryuu had dug his shots easily earlier.
Goshiki approached.
'They think I'm the weak link,' Goshiki thought, his eyes burning. 'They think only Ushijima-san matters.'
Goshiki jumped.
Ryuu and Kuroo blocked. They left the line slightly open, expecting a cross shot because Goshiki was young and usually favored power.
Goshiki saw the line.
He didn't hesitate. He hit a Super Straight.
It was a razor-sharp shot that hugged the antenna, bypassing Ryuu's block entirely and slamming into the corner.
BOOM.
Shiratorizawa 21 - 19.
Goshiki landed and roared. "ALRIGHT! I'M THE ACE!"
Ryuu stared at the mark on the floor.
"Clean," Ryuu admitted. "The bowl cut can bite."
____________
Score: 23 - 21 Shiratorizawa.
The pressure was mounting. A two-point gap against Shiratorizawa felt like a ten-point gap against anyone else.
Ryuu was in the front row.
"Kenma," Ryuu said. "High."
Kenma set it.
Ryuu jumped.
Ushijima and Tendou blocked.
Ryuu saw the wall. He saw the "Guess Monster" waiting for his decision.
'I'll go over.'
Ryuu swung. He aimed for the very top of the block, trying to hit a block-out.
But Ushijima jumped. And for the first time in the match, Ushijima jumped higher.
He had been conserving energy. Now, at the end of the set, he unleashed his max vertical.
Ryuu hit the ball.
It hit Ushijima's palms.
It didn't deflect out. It slammed straight back down.
ROOF.
The ball hit Ryuu's shoulder and fell to the floor.
Shiratorizawa 24 - 21. Set Point.
The crowd erupted.
Ushijima landed. He looked down at Ryuu.
"Height," Ushijima said simply. "And timing."
Ryuu grit his teeth. "You held back?"
"I paced myself," Ushijima corrected.
__________________
Score: 24 - 21.
Nekoma was on the ropes.
Shiratorizawa served. Yaku received.
"Kenma! Ryuu!"
Kenma set to Ryuu again. He trusted his Ace.
Ryuu approached.
'I won't be stuffed twice.'
He jumped. Ushijima jumped.
Ryuu saw the straight block was solid. He snapped his wrist outward, hitting a sharp cross cut shot.
It was fast. It was nasty.
But Yamagata was there. The libero dove and dug it.
"Chance ball!"
Shirabu set to the right.
"Ushijima-san!"
It was the inevitable end. The Grim Reaper was coming.
Ushijima approached.
Ryuu and Kuroo jumped to block.
Ushijima hung in the air. He saw the block sealing the straight. He saw Yaku in the cross.
He didn't care.
He swung with maximum power, aiming right between Ryuu and Kuroo's inner arms.
KABOOM.
The ball broke through the seam of the block. It hit the floor so hard it bounced into the rafters.
Game Set.
Shiratorizawa Wins Set 2: 25 - 21.
Set Count: 1 - 1.
The whistle blew.
Ryuu landed. He stared at the net, chest heaving.
He had lost the set. He had been blocked. And Ushijima had finished it with a spike that felt unstoppable.
"Damn it," Ryuu whispered.
Kuroo walked over, slapping Ryuu's back. "Don't sulk. It's 1-1. We drag them into deep water in the third set."
Ryuu looked at the Shiratorizawa side. Ushijima was drinking water, looking as fresh as he did in the first minute.
"He's not tired," Ryuu noted.
"He's a monster," Kuroo agreed. "But so are you."
Ryuu wiped his face with his jersey.
"I'm inefficient," Ryuu muttered, recalling Ushijima's insult.
He walked to the bench, his golden eyes glowing with a dangerous light.
Ryuu sat down. He looked at Coach Nekomata.
"Coach," Ryuu said, his voice serious. "I want to mark him."
"Mark him?"
"Man-to-man," Ryuu said. "When he rotates, I rotate. I want to block him every single time."
Nekomata raised an eyebrow. "That will drain your stamina. Jumping against Ushijima is exhausting."
"I don't care," Ryuu cracked his knuckles.
"I want to be the one who shuts the machine down."
End of Set 2.