In a situation like this, where there was nowhere to spike, it was time to bring in Inube.
The main reason was that spiking from the current positions probably wouldn't score. The other reason was that Kazuyoshi Bessho wanted to experience calling Inube out for a spike again. It felt amazing, like summoning a Pokémon. Kazuyoshi Bessho thought it was incredibly cool, though he would never admit to being that childish.
He checked out of the corner of his eye. Hoshiumi was standing very close to the edge of the net, but Kazuyoshi Bessho wasn't sure whether Inube could spike from that spot. There was barely enough room there for one person to stand. Asking Inube to spike from there felt like too much.
He glanced around and saw that Haruki Komi wasn't following anyone right now. He was just moving around in the backcourt, in a position where he could easily go anywhere to receive.
Kazuyoshi Bessho was still a little worried. Haruki Komi's movements felt like a deliberate precaution against Inube's spike.
There was no opening at Suwa's current jumping position either. After thinking it over, Kazuyoshi Bessho still decided to send this ball near Hoshiumi.
There really was no one blocking in the middle, and the backcourt behind it was wide open.
But Kazuyoshi Bessho was cautious. In a match like this, against a team like Fukurōdani, he didn't think they would make such a basic mistake. This had to be a trap.
And the truth was exactly as Kazuyoshi Bessho thought.
Fukurōdani had already discussed their plan earlier. They wanted to test Inube's strength, but Bokuto's spike at the time had been cut off by Suwa, so they hadn't been able to see much. It wasn't until Bokuto quietly told everyone afterward that Inube's spiking and blocking were both pretty average that they finally had a clearer idea.
So Keiji Akaashi came up with a plan. They would set a trap for Inube when he spiked, guide him into hitting toward what looked like an empty spot, then block him at the critical moment.
But while they had calculated around Inube, they had forgotten about the setter, Kazuyoshi Bessho. Where the ball went still depended on Kazuyoshi Bessho. Inube's spiking had limits, at least according to Bokuto.
Everyone thought Inube probably wasn't very good at spiking, which was why he relied on his speed to specifically target places no one was covering.
Kazuyoshi Bessho didn't set the ball to the middle. Instead, he chose the spot beside Suwa.
With a swish, he sent the ball toward Suwa.
Kazuyoshi Bessho was just about to shout and warn Inube, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Inube had already started running toward Suwa. Kazuyoshi Bessho closed his mouth again.
Suwa saw the volleyball coming his way and jumped to spike.
Across from Suwa was Konoha. Suwa had originally planned to keep Konoha in check, but now he was the one being watched by Konoha.
Suwa jumped to spike, and Konoha jumped with him to block.
The moment Suwa swung and hit nothing, he realized the ball wasn't meant for him. Kazuyoshi Bessho knew his hitting points clearly. There was no way he would misplace the set like that. So this ball was not for Suwa to hit.
Suwa and Konoha landed at the same time. The instant Suwa landed, he moved aside.
Inube had already run up from behind and arrived right behind Suwa. The volleyball had reached the top of the net, slightly behind Suwa's position. As soon as Suwa stepped aside, Inube jumped and spiked.
After Konoha landed, he jumped again. He also knew the set couldn't have been empty. He had just seen the volleyball coming this way. The only possibility was that it had been set to someone else, and it was most likely Inube.
But Konoha's takeoff was a little late. He wasn't as fast as Inube, and Inube had also jumped earlier. The volleyball brushed past Konoha's ear right as he jumped.
"Bang!"
The volleyball hit the floor. Haruki Komi also dove onto the ground after it, and the ball landed not far from his palm.
From Haruki Komi's position, he could see Inube's approach and jump. The moment he saw it, he took off running, but he still couldn't catch up to Inube's speed. Before, just watching from the side, he had already thought Inube was incredibly fast.
Now that he had experienced it himself, Haruki Komi felt that Inube didn't look like a volleyball player. He looked like a professional runner. With that kind of speed, wouldn't he be guaranteed to win if he entered a race?
"Beep-------"
Inube loosened his wrist, looked at Konoha, and said,
"Konoha, you were just a little short."
Konoha knew what Inube meant. He meant Konoha had almost blocked him.
Saying something like that was pretty arrogant.
Konoha answered with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Well, then I really have to thank you."
Inube chuckled and waved a hand.
"You're welcome."
Konoha turned away, his face instantly going blank.
Haruki Komi got up and scratched his hair.
"Sorry. I couldn't get that one."
"It's fine. Keep going on the next ball."
"Point to Kamomedai! Kamomedai's libero received the serve from the opposing ace, Bokuto. Setter Bessho and player Inube used Suwa as a screen and successfully scored with a spike. The serve is now back in Kamomedai's hands!"
This time, Hoshiumi was serving for Kamomedai. When Haruki Komi saw Hoshiumi walk to the service line, he couldn't help sighing again.
It really felt like he was constantly receiving. Kamomedai's serves were seriously hard to handle.
Honestly, Keiichiro Kanbayashi now admired Haruki Komi more than ever. He was amazing. He could receive any kind of serve. Every time, he complained about how troublesome it was, but when it came time to receive, his hands never hesitated at all.
"Come on, come on! Side out in one, Haruki Komi!"
Konoha shouted from the side. Haruki Komi didn't hold back either and nodded toward Konoha.
"I'll receive it. Don't worry. Leave it all to me."
The two of them weren't speaking quietly, and Konoha had outright shouted his line. Naturally, Hoshiumi heard every word from the other side.
A little angry, he gripped the volleyball in his hands and slammed it hard against the floor several times, making it bang loudly. A fierce light flashed in his eyes.
"Beep---------!"
The referee's whistle sounded. Everyone silently stopped talking and quietly waited for Hoshiumi to serve.
Over where Inarizaki was sitting, a group of them were quietly discussing which team was stronger and who would win in the end.
"I think it'll be Kamomedai,"
Ōmimi whispered, sneaking a glance toward Coach Takuro as if afraid someone might hear him.
"Why do you say that?"
Michinari Akagi also leaned in and asked Ōmimi, looking like he was ready to listen closely to the gossip.
Ōmimi glanced at Michinari Akagi, then said,
"Look. First of all, Kamomedai's overall strength is already really high. Every player is good at serving. That alone already puts them ahead of Fukurōdani. On top of that, they have Inube in the third set. Inube is really fast, and his scoring ability isn't any worse than Hoshiumi's. I feel like Kamomedai might win in the end."
Akagi thought about it carefully and realized that really did make sense. Then he nodded several times.
At that moment, Riseki also turned slightly and said,
"I feel like Fukurōdani has a better chance. Bokuto's level may go up and down, but when his condition is stable, he's really strong. And there are the others on Fukurōdani too. They haven't been playing at full strength before this.
"Konoha and Washio are also pretty skilled. Haruki Komi's reaction speed is really fast. He almost caught up to Inube's ball just now, and Konoha also blocked Hoshiumi's spike earlier."
As soon as Akagi heard that, he also felt Aran made a lot of sense and nodded repeatedly again.
A large hand reached out from behind and pressed down on Akagi's bobbing head.
Aran looked at Akagi's head, bobbing around like a roly-poly toy, and said with some amusement,
"It's really hard to say who'll win. Fukurōdani and Kamomedai have been rivals for years. One year Fukurōdani wins, the next year Kamomedai wins. Stop trying to guess and just sit down and watch the match."
Once Aran spoke, everyone nodded and stopped talking.
Seeing everyone quiet down, Aran nodded in satisfaction. Then he glanced at Suna and Atsumu Miya sitting silently in a small corner, so still they looked dead. Aran felt like the whole world had finally gone quiet, and he sat down contentedly to watch the match.
"Bang!"
Hoshiumi jumped and served. The volleyball flew from his hand, looking fierce as it came over.
Haruki Komi shifted his feet to receive. This ball was headed for midcourt.
As he ran over, Haruki Komi deliberately checked Keiji Akaashi's position so he could send the first pass to him.
He reached the front court, crouched down, and stretched out his arms to receive. The volleyball reached him quickly and slammed into the crook of his arms.
It had to be said that Haruki Komi was excellent at predicting where the volleyball would land. His read was so accurate that he didn't even need to adjust his position. He could receive it directly.
Haruki Komi grimaced from the impact. Hoshiumi's serves were getting better and better. By the time that kid reached his third year, there probably wouldn't be many people who could receive his serves.
Thinking that, Haruki Komi forced his arms upward, his chest rising with the motion. The muscles hidden beneath his sleeves bulged, releasing a burst of power that let him lift the ball up.
"Bang!"
The volleyball bounced off Haruki Komi's arms, and everyone began moving to organize the attack.
After receiving and standing up, Haruki Komi rubbed his chest. He always felt like one day he was going to be killed by a volleyball. That was not a great sign.
Haruki Komi bumped the ball into the front court, but it flew a little far. The main reason was that Hoshiumi's serve had too much power. Even after the first pass, it still bounced a long way.
Keiji Akaashi ran over to set, and when Bokuto saw that, he began his approach.
The moment the players on the other side saw Bokuto start moving, every pair of eyes locked onto him and couldn't look away. The threat Bokuto posed was simply too great.
Suwa and Hakuba kept their eyes fixed on Bokuto the whole time, while the others watched Konoha and Washio. It looked as if Bokuto was the only one they truly cared about, and everyone else barely mattered.
Bokuto had already reached position six in his approach and was about to run toward position one, with a whole crowd still watching him.
Konoha had already reached the net, while Washio was still in his approach.
Keiji Akaashi considered the situation. If he sent this ball to Bokuto, it would definitely be blocked. So many people were watching him, and even if they couldn't stop him at the net, Keiichiro Kanbayashi was still waiting in the back.
He couldn't set this ball to Bokuto. At a moment like this, scoring was more important.
It would be safer to set this ball to Konoha. Right now, Konoha was facing Suwa, and Keiji Akaashi felt Konoha should be confident he could break through Suwa's block. Otherwise, he wouldn't run toward Suwa's side every time he attacked.
With that thought, Keiji Akaashi became even more certain that this ball should go to Konoha.
Bokuto was now approaching from midcourt and looked like he planned to jump from position two. Hoshiumi and Hakuba were already moving that way.
Konoha was at position three. Keiji Akaashi aimed at Konoha, raised his hands, and sent the volleyball over.
Bokuto jumped in front of the net and made the motion to spike. On the other side, Hoshiumi and Hakuba jumped with him. As they rose, Hoshiumi realized this was a decoy. The real spiker definitely wasn't Bokuto. If it were Bokuto, the volleyball would already have smashed into his arms by now.
The volleyball went to Konoha. Konoha narrowed his eyes. Now it was his turn to spike. His gaze locked onto Suwa, who was blocking.
Then he took a few steps back, preparing to jump. When Suwa saw Konoha's posture, he instinctively glanced back toward Hoshiumi. Hoshiumi was already sprinting toward him. In that instant, Suwa confirmed that this ball was for Konoha.
Suwa kept his eyes on Konoha, watching every one of his movements carefully. The moment he saw Konoha jump, he jumped too.
His hands formed a blocking stance.
Konoha looked at the arms in front of him, reached out with his right hand, and was about to slam the volleyball down when he caught sight of a shadow darting over from the corner of his eye.
The only person who could run that fast in a match was Inube.
Konoha could already guess what Inube wanted to do.
He was going to rush over at high speed, then jump at the exact moment Konoha spiked and block him with precision.
Even if the block didn't score, at the very least, he would touch the ball.
Seeing Inube about to arrive, Konoha raised an eyebrow and smiled. You want to block me? That's not going to be easy.
Since you want to touch my ball that badly, go ahead and try.
Konoha gathered all his strength into his right hand and swung hard, aiming at the edge of Suwa's arm.
Suwa's eyes flashed, and he was just about to move his arms sideways to block.
At that moment, Inube appeared. Suwa sensed someone jumping up beside him, so his hands stopped moving.
When Inube saw Konoha spike, he came up from behind and placed his palm in the path of the ball to block it.
"Bang!"
Inube, who had suddenly appeared, did indeed touch the volleyball with a loud sound.
But just as Bokuto had said, Inube's spiking and blocking really were average.
When he reached out, he had intended to block the ball. Even if he couldn't block it, it would have been fine if the ball went out.
But when Inube saw the smile on Konoha's lips as he jumped in midair, he knew something was wrong. That expression definitely meant there was some kind of trick. But where exactly had things gone wrong?
In the next second, Inube found out.
The ball that slammed into his palm carried spin, and it knocked his hand open directly.
"!"
Inube felt the pain in his fingers, and his eyes widened. Before he could even react, the volleyball had already smashed his palm aside and flown out.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi was terrified by what he saw. What was going on? The volleyball just flew out like that? That shouldn't have happened.
The captain's blocking really was pretty ordinary, but it shouldn't have been bad enough for his palm to be knocked away like that.
Then the problem could only be with the person who spiked it.
Thinking that, Keiichiro Kanbayashi ran over to receive, but in the end, he still couldn't reach the ball.
"Beep----------"