"Just do what we're supposed to do. When the time comes, you just step in and finish the match, Guren~"
"We've always done it like that, haven't we?"
"Right, Hyakuzawa?"
After speaking, Hoshino Katsuri gave Yudai Hyakuzawa a firm pat on the back.
"Mm."
Hyakuzawa, as always, tall, quiet, and expressionless.
"You two…"
Ichinose Guren could only smile helplessly.
At the same time, elsewhere, the eccentric duo announced their plan to "take down the Great King," and the childhood best-friends pair shared a quieter moment.
"Yamaguchi."
Tsukishima Kei called out just as Yamaguchi Tadashi was heading off for jump warm-ups.
"Tsukki? What is it?"
Yamaguchi turned back, clueless as always.
Tsukishima didn't dodge around the topic. He casually removed his glasses and began wiping them, speaking in an offhand tone.
"How's your jump float serve coming along?"
Yamaguchi froze like he'd been struck by lightning.
"Eh?! How did you know I was practicing that!?"
Tsukishima went silent for a moment… as if wondering how he ended up with a friend this obtuse.
"…Do you think I'm blind? Even during team practice, your serve motion is clearly that of a jump float."
"Ah… was it that obvious…?"
Yamaguchi scratched his cheek in embarrassment. Before high school, he'd never been the hardworking type, yet now he was secretly practicing jump floats, asking upperclassmen for advice, and had even been found out.
So, with his little secret exposed, Yamaguchi shyly but also somewhat proudly shared where he currently stood:
"Well~ it's… okay, I guess."
"I can land it seven or eight times out of ten now. It's thanks to the training equipment Guren provided. And Master Shimada's training method works way better because of it."
"And Guren also helped me with strengthening my jump and improving my serving power."
Tsukishima looked at the childhood friend who had always been behind him… always following him.
It feels like… he's finally catching up.
===========
After warm-ups, it was time for the match to begin.
Line up. Bow. Coin toss.
Throughout the whole process, Kageyama Tobio's gaze remained fixed on that man.
Meanwhile, the whole of Aoba Johsai glared, quietly but intensely, at the one who had insulted their entire team: Ichinose Guren.
Right now, Guren looked like a warrior who had activated a full-map taunt, drawing all hostility straight toward himself.
But to Guren, such looks were nothing. He was long accustomed to them, they were not harm, but fuel.
The stronger the pressure, the fiercer the fire.
No wasted words.
Karasuno held the first serve, and as the referee's whistle blew, Sawamura Daichi sent out his strongest opening serve.
But Aoba Johsai's libero Watari Shinji received it with ease.
The ball floated perfectly to Oikawa Tooru. A clean, accurate first touch gave Oikawa every option he needed. As Karasuno watched for his set,
Oikawa launched a surprise setter attack.
But before the ball could be struck, a shadow shot upward, fast, coiled, predatory, like a king cobra exploding into motion.
Ichinose Guren was already in front of Oikawa, arms rising like a wall of iron, blocking out the sky itself.
The pressure was so overwhelming that for a moment, Oikawa felt certain his attack was already sealed.
What kind of monster is this!?
At the last instant, Oikawa used the core strength refined from years of training. He altered the swing midair, power fading to a gentle fingertip touch.
The ball slowed, floated, then dropped sharply.
It slipped past Guren's fingertips,
And hit the floor.
Only Guren had reacted to the surprise attack; no one else made it in time to receive the tip.
Oikawa exhaled through his nose.
Thank god it wasn't blocked.
What the hell… if I'd been even a second slower, I would've been crushed.
The footage didn't show it, but this guy's jump speed and height might actually surpass Ushiwaka…
Despite the caution rising inside him, his handsome face lifted into a smug smile.
"My my~ That was scary. I was this close to getting blocked."
Then, his expression shifted.
Gone was the playful grin.
In its place bloomed the confident smile of a dominant player.
"Be careful. Next time, I'm definitely doing a setter attack again."