"How's it look, old man?"
The suited gentleman sat straight and composed in the stands, his eyes filled with quiet admiration as he observed the two teams below.
Though he asked the question to the man in the floral shirt, his eyes flicked to his old friend the instant the words left his lips.
The floral shirt man remained sprawled in true Yakuza style, one leg crossed over the other, a hand lazily draped over the back of his plastic seat.
His face wore a disinterested expression, but his words carried a depth entirely at odds with his posture.
"The strongest setter born in Miyagi in 1990, if nothing goes wrong, "
"Should have been decided between the 'King' of Karasuno and Aoba Johsai's captain, Oikawa."
"But as it stands, Oikawa has the upper hand in terms of overall dominance over Kageyama."
"Even if his setting precision doesn't match Kageyama's, as the soul of his team, Oikawa's command and control as a setter far surpass him."
"You can see in this match how Oikawa has spiritually suppressed Kageyama."
"Through relentless pressure, he's forced Kageyama into that reckless state once more."
"Oikawa's other volleyball skills and physical attributes are also unquestionably among the top in Miyagi."
The floral shirt man's praise for Oikawa caught the attention of his old friend.
"Oh?"
The suited man glanced with mild surprise at Oikawa, who sipped water while discussing strategy for the second set with his teammates.
"It's rare to hear you speak so highly of a setter."
"How does he compare to you back in the day?"
The floral shirt man paused, then replied grumpily,
"Of course he's nowhere near me."
"Kinoshita, how dare you compare him to me?"
Kinoshita Fujichiro chuckled at his friend's words.
"Saburo, you used to list out every single advantage when I compared a youngster to you. Why skip it this time?"
Uesugi Kichisuke scratched his head, watching Karasuno's #15 with some consternation.
"Just call me Master Kichi. Hearing 'Saburo' from your lips sounds weird."
"I've got nothing to do about it."
"I hate guys like you."
The floral shirt man leaned sideways, glaring at the suited man across the seat, eyes wide with mock shock.
"Did I hear that right? Am I really old enough to be hallucinating?"
Seeing the suited man feigning elegance, Uesugi didn't argue, just let out a light snort.
"Ha."
That simple sound confirmed to Kinoshita that his old friend had genuinely conceded this round.
"I never thought I'd hear 'got nothing to do' from your mouth again in my lifetime."
Rolling his eyes, the floral shirt man shifted his posture, slightly uncomfortable under Kinoshita's intense stare.
"Take a look at Karasuno now, what kind of guys are they?"
"Their #4, such a smart receiver, and the captain, #1, so steady and reliable."
"By itself, #4 elevates their back-row defense several notches. Together, they form Miyagi's top-tier back-row defense."
"Not to mention #15, filling gaps where needed."
"At the net, that 2-meter guy and the 1.9-meter lanky one? Put them on any other team, and they'd be ace middle blockers. Karasuno has both."
"Technically, they still need improvement, but physically, their talent is off the charts."
"And #15? His speed at the net is monstrous."
"Not to mention their lightning-fast quick attacks. Karasuno's defense, both block and reception, is arguably Miyagi's best."
"If it weren't for Oikawa commanding a group of capable players so effectively…"
"I couldn't even imagine how Karasuno could lose."
Kinoshita listened to his friend's relentless chatter, deep in thought.
'Indeed.'
Oikawa has done his best. Unless he can improvise mid-game and operate even more smoothly…'
'Individually, Karasuno's players seem stronger than Aoba Johsai's.'
'But…' Volleyball isn't about six strong individuals. It's about the team.'
After a match that felt almost hopeless for Aoba Johsai, the team atmosphere had become far less relaxed than at the start.
Ever since Guren's serves, Aoba Johsai felt pushed to the brink by Karasuno.
Yet, seeing Oikawa remain calm, the team wasn't overly tense, after all, their captain was still in control.
But was the situation truly as reassuring as they thought?
Beneath his composed exterior, Oikawa was slightly anxious.
Even though he had forced Kageyama off the court, and preheated Kyotani Kentarou's attacking engine, he was experimenting with power-focused serve points.
His serves were becoming increasingly precise.
Still, uncertainty lingered.
'If only Karasuno's #15 weren't here…'
The thought flashed through Oikawa's mind, but he immediately dismissed it.
'Thinking like that, we can't win.'
'That guy is tough, but not unbeatable.'
'Alone, I'm not a match for a super-ace like him.'
'But six strong players together, that's what wins matches.'
With that in mind, Oikawa waved his slightly distracted teammates together.
"We do it like this, like this, like this!"
"It's risky, but we have to do it!"
"Watari!"
After syncing the team on the second set strategy, Oikawa focused on his libero.
In this Defensive System, the libero was critical. If Watari slipped up, no one else could sustain the defensive system.
The Anti-Guren Defensive System.
Meanwhile, Oikawa's right hand lightly tossed and caught a volleyball repeatedly, maintaining constant feel for serving.