Atsumu Miya had no intention of receiving the ball. Akagi was the libero and far better suited to the job. Even if Atsumu managed to dig it, he could not make a perfect first pass from that position.
He would have loved to bump the ball directly to Osamu Miya and let him spike it, but it was not a matter of willingness. He simply could not do it.
The moment Atsumu Miya stepped aside to clear the path, Akagi dove into the space he had just vacated.
Akagi planted his right hand against the floor as the volleyball dropped toward it.
"Bang!"
The ball struck the back of his hand and flew upward. Somehow, he had managed to keep it in play.
As soon as Ryosuke saw the ball rise, he sprinted toward the net. Considering the force behind Ushijima-senpai's serve, an uncontrolled first pass like that was bound to rebound tight against the net.
It was a perfect opportunity for Inarizaki to attack, but also a perfect opportunity for Ryosuke to block.
Sure enough, the force of the serve sent the ball soaring straight up along the net. For a moment, no one could tell which side it would fall on.
"Cover it! Cover it!"
Osamu Miya was standing beside Akagi.
Before Akagi even called out, Osamu found an opening and slipped in from the side, coming face-to-face with Ryosuke, who had just reached the net.
With the volleyball between them, both players jumped.
Osamu Miya had heard his brother talk about Ryosuke before. He was handsome, a genius, and had nearly left his idiot brother completely infatuated.
Osamu raised both hands as though he intended to joust for the ball.
Without thinking too much about it, Ryosuke raised both hands as well.
Before Osamu's hands touched the volleyball, however, he suddenly pulled his left hand away. What had looked like a two-handed joust instantly became a right-handed attack.
Ryosuke's heart tightened, but he quickly calmed down.
Switching to his right hand would not make a difference. Ryosuke could still block him.
Osamu had originally intended to spike, but the motion would have been too obvious. Instead, he lifted his right hand and prepared to tip the ball.
Ryosuke narrowed his eyes.
A tip?
He was no longer in a position to adjust his block properly, but he had no intention of letting Osamu score so easily.
In that split second, Ryosuke remembered seeing Yamagata's position while running toward the net. Based on where everyone had been, Yamagata-senpai should now be behind him and slightly to the right.
Once he realized that, Ryosuke knew what to do.
He subtly shifted his blocking hand, deliberately leaving an opening on his right.
When Osamu saw the gap, there was no reason to waste effort on a tip. Still, what if it was a trap?
Osamu became cautious, but there was no one visibly coordinating with Ryosuke. How could it be a trap?
He might as well spike it.
With that thought, Osamu swung his hand down.
"Bang!"
The volleyball flew through the gap beside Ryosuke's arm.
Atsumu Miya's eyes widened. He refused to believe Ryosuke had simply missed the block. There had to be a trap.
Sure enough, the sound that followed was not the ball striking the floor.
It was the sound of the ball hitting someone's arms.
Yamagata appeared in the opening and dug the ball cleanly.
Ryosuke landed and immediately retreated into position.
"Thanks, Yamagata-senpai."
Yamagata used the force of the impact to send the ball upward.
"No need to thank me. You handled that well."
From his position, Yamagata had been able to see Ryosuke's movements clearly. The moment Osamu reached for the ball, Yamagata had started running.
He had originally planned to move directly behind Ryosuke, worried that Ryosuke might lose the joust. As he ran, however, he noticed the obvious gap beside Ryosuke's arm and hesitated.
Ryosuke would not make such a basic mistake.
Once Yamagata ruled out the possibility that it was an accident, the only explanation was that Ryosuke had left the gap deliberately.
After reaching that conclusion, Yamagata immediately ran toward it.
Sure enough, the ball came straight to him.
Yamagata's dig did not travel directly to the net. Instead, it rose slightly farther back, giving Shirabu more options.
When Shirabu saw the ball approaching, he took two steps backward and prepared to set.
Once it reached the right height, Shirabu jumped and raised his hands.
Ushijima was already approaching from the back, while Tsutomu Goshiki came running in from the left side of the backcourt, preparing to jump and attack.
Tsutomu Goshiki did not know which of them would receive the set. He felt that Shirabu would probably send it to Ushijima.
After all, during official matches, Shirabu rarely set to him. Tsutomu Goshiki also felt that he had not yet earned that level of trust.
When the Inarizaki players saw both attackers begin their approaches, most of them moved toward Ushijima. They also believed Shirabu would not set to Tsutomu Goshiki.
Only Suna hesitated.
To him, Tsutomu Goshiki was an unpredictable factor, so he did not dare lower his guard.
Ushijima had not yet reached the net, but Osamu Miya and Aran had already followed his approach and positioned themselves in front of him.
Only Suna remained on Tsutomu Goshiki's side.
Ushijima and Tsutomu Goshiki were attacking from opposite sides of the court, one on the right and one on the left.
Any movement Shirabu made would immediately reveal his choice.
After considering his options, Shirabu decided to set to Tsutomu Goshiki.
If Ushijima attacked, the result would simply be a point or no point. Giving the ball to Tsutomu Goshiki, however, would at least allow him to experience what kind of opponents he was facing.
Tsutomu Goshiki needed opportunities to train and grow. Practice alone was not enough.
Coach Washijō had said the same thing before the match.
Unlike Tsutomu Goshiki, Ryosuke received far more opportunities to play.
A small part of that was because Coach Washijō was somewhat biased, but the greater reason was Ryosuke's adaptability. Regardless of the situation, Ryosuke could maintain his usual level of play and stay composed.
Tsutomu Goshiki, on the other hand, was more impulsive and still needed refinement.
Shirabu looked toward Tsutomu Goshiki on the far right side of the court, jumped, and sent the volleyball toward him.
Tsutomu Goshiki was still completing his approach and was about to reach the net when he heard the ball flying in his direction.
He looked back in disbelief.
The set really was coming to him.
Shirabu-senpai had actually set the ball to him this early in the match!
The excitement was almost overwhelming.
Tsutomu Goshiki had been wondering how long it would take before he even touched the ball in this set. He had never expected the opportunity to come so quickly.
Everyone saw Shirabu send the ball across the court. Following its path, they realized the attacker was Shiratorizawa's other first year.
When Osamu Miya saw the set, he immediately ran over to join the block. Suna might have been enough by himself, but Osamu still did not feel comfortable leaving him alone.
On the court, no one could guarantee how a rally would end.
Tsutomu Goshiki also noticed Osamu approaching, but he was slightly faster.
A double block would be difficult to handle. Tsutomu Goshiki needed to spike and score before Osamu arrived.
He reached the net and met Suna's gaze.
Then he planted both feet and jumped.
Osamu was still on his way.
Tsutomu Goshiki had heard Ryosuke talk about Inarizaki's players before. The middle blocker in front of him was particularly skilled at stopping cross-court shots and had an extremely flexible body.
He looked like a difficult blocker to beat.
The volleyball reached Tsutomu Goshiki's hand.
He had no time to think.
He aimed straight down beside the net and spiked.
"Bang!"
Reon had once told him that if he did not know where to hit, he should use a net-hugging spike. It offered a better chance of scoring.
This was Tsutomu Goshiki's first touch of the match. It was understandable that he was nervous and had acted without thinking.
Coach Washijō sat beside the court with a dark expression, but said nothing.
He would treat this rally as Tsutomu Goshiki's chance to learn from a mistake. Hopefully, the boy would remember to use his head for every spike after this one.
Suna froze for a moment, clearly not expecting a net-hugging spike.
He absolutely hated that kind of attack.
It was difficult to receive and equally difficult to block. It was thoroughly irritating.
Suna's assessment of Tsutomu Goshiki's spike was that it had more than enough power. From the sound of his hand striking the ball, Suna could tell how hard the spike was.
The angle was also extremely precise.
Tsutomu Goshiki had driven the ball directly toward the floor in front of Suna's feet. Even a libero diving in would struggle to receive it.
Suna also had to move out of the way immediately, or he might step on the libero coming in from behind.
It was an incredibly troublesome attack.
Tsutomu Goshiki had no idea that a spike he had hit without thinking had received such a high evaluation.
Had he known, he would have been unbearably proud.
Suna frowned and extended one foot in an attempt to save the ball. His foot swept through the air, but failed to make contact.
The volleyball was about to hit the floor.
The instant Suna landed, he took a large step toward the back right. He had heard movement coming from the left, which meant Akagi was approaching.
A moment later, Akagi dove directly beneath the net. He braced one hand against the floor to adjust his position, and the volleyball struck the outer edge of the back of his hand.
"Bang!"
The ball popped straight upward, still directly in front of the net.
Tsutomu Goshiki gathered himself and jumped again, preparing for a second attack.
"Bang!"
Osamu Miya suddenly leaped diagonally into the play and slammed the volleyball down.
He moved so quickly that Tsutomu Goshiki did not even have time to react.
Yamagata saw the danger and rushed forward from the backcourt, but he already knew he could not reach it.
"Bang!"
The volleyball struck the floor.
"BEEEEEP!"
The referee awarded the point.
Tsutomu Goshiki stood frozen.
He had known the attack might not score, but losing the point still hurt.
Suna looked at him.
"You hit the ball well, but your reaction time isn't very good."
Tsutomu Goshiki stared blankly at Suna, tilted his head, and answered,
"Thanks?"
Suna: ...
Atsumu Miya approached just in time to hear the exchange. He burst out laughing and slapped Suna on the shoulder.
"I told you that you can't be so subtle when you're taunting someone."
So Suna had been trying to provoke him.
Suna sighed helplessly.
He simply could not behave like Atsumu Miya, who could taunt someone while insulting them personally at the same time.
Reon walked over, nodded to both of them, and led Tsutomu Goshiki away.
Tsutomu Goshiki followed behind him with his head lowered, looking somewhat dejected.
Reon sighed.
He had known the boy would become too excited and make a mistake, but seeing him so discouraged was still worrying.
Reon turned around, preparing to comfort him.
Before he could speak, Tsutomu Goshiki suddenly raised his head and exclaimed angrily,
"Damn it! So he was taunting me just now? I didn't even insult him back! Aaaah, I completely missed my chance!"
Reon: ...
Reon swallowed the comforting words he had been about to say.
Never mind. Sometimes being slow to react was not necessarily a bad thing.
"Make sure you win that point back next time," Shirabu said when Tsutomu Goshiki returned to his position.
Tsutomu Goshiki kept his eyes fixed on Suna across the net and nodded seriously without looking back.
"I'll definitely win that point back."
...
"That was a great play, my dear little brother~"
Atsumu Miya slung an arm around Osamu Miya's shoulders and spoke in a bizarrely affectionate tone.
Osamu Miya rolled his eyes and shrugged Atsumu's arm off. He genuinely found his brother irritating.
"Suna and Akagi set it up well."
Osamu credited the point to the work the other two had done before him.
Suna waved a hand and walked past them.
Aran and Ōmimi watched him go, then quietly began commenting again.
"Aran, our second years are so impressive. They can already handle everything on their own. We third years aren't much use anymore."
Aran fell silent before replying,
"Ōmimi-senpai, I might also be a second year."
Ōmimi froze, then hurriedly corrected himself.
"Sorry, sorry! You're impressive too, Aran. That was just a slip of the tongue. Please don't take it personally!"
Aran's maturity and reliability often made people forget that he was only a second year as well.
Aran sighed helplessly.
Although he was used to it, it was still frustrating. Shinsuke Kita was the only reliable upperclassman on the entire team.
"Inarizaki scores! After Shiratorizawa opened the match with two consecutive points, Inarizaki has secured its first! What an excellent rally. Shirabu and Tsutomu Goshiki combined on a long set.
"Facing Suna's block, Tsutomu Goshiki chose a net-hugging spike. Suna attempted to save it with his foot, but unfortunately failed to touch the ball.
"As Suna landed, he immediately moved backward, allowing Inarizaki's libero, Akagi, to dive in and save the ball.
"The volleyball popped back up in front of the net. Osamu Miya reacted one step faster than Tsutomu Goshiki, leaping diagonally into the play and successfully spiking it down! Tsutomu Goshiki could not react in time. Point to Inarizaki!"
"The entire sequence required extremely precise coordination. A single mistake at any stage would have ruined the play. Inarizaki's teamwork is truly remarkable."
The commentators continued taking turns analyzing the rally.
Music erupted from Inarizaki's cheering section as they celebrated the point.
"Inarizaki! Inarizaki! Inarizaki!"
"Inarizaki! Inarizaki! Inarizaki!"
The perfectly synchronized chanting stunned everyone.
It was perfectly normal for supporters to cheer for their favorite players, but there was no need to scream at the top of their lungs like a fanatical celebrity fan club.
Atsumu Miya winced as the noise assaulted his ears.
"They're so damn loud. What a bunch of idiots!"
"Atsumu!"
Ōmimi heard him and turned around with a warning glare.
Atsumu Miya clicked his tongue, but surprisingly, he did not say anything else.
...
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