Hirugami was still shouting,
"Three.
"Two.
"One! Jump!"
Hoshiumi followed his body's instincts and jumped together with Hirugami and Nozawa.
At that moment, it was as if the situation had reversed. Fukurōdani's three-man block had turned into Kamomedai's three-man block.
Kawanishi had only lowered his head to eat, but when he looked up, the situation on the court had suddenly changed. He was completely lost. I only looked down for a second. Is the pace really this fast?
Since he had already missed the exciting part, Kawanishi watched for a few moments, then lowered his head again and went back to eating his boxed lunch.
Bokuto looked at the towering wall in front of him, and his gaze grew even more determined. This set had to end here.
Bang!
Bokuto slammed the ball hard at Hoshiumi's arm.
Hoshiumi grimaced from the impact. He suddenly understood just how incredible Hirugami was. Being able to block Bokuto's attacks for an entire set without his expression changing was seriously amazing.
That thought flashed through his mind, but his arm was already being knocked backward. Even with all the strength he had, Hoshiumi could not force this ball back onto Fukurōdani's court.
The volleyball flew out. Keiichiro darted near it and tried to receive, but the ball was like a wild child charging around recklessly. It smashed into Keiichiro's arm, bounced up again, and flew straight out of bounds.
Keiichiro did not even get the chance to turn and chase it.
Bokuto's ball was still a straight shot. It was as if something had suddenly clicked for him, and he had found the best way to use a straight shot. A straight shot had to be extremely precise and extremely fast, ending it in a single blow. Without even realizing it, Bokuto had grasped his own way of hitting straight shots.
Bang!
"Beep------------!"
The moment Kawanishi heard the whistle, he shot his head up with a whoosh, a grain of rice still stuck near his mouth.
Wait, what? I only looked down once, and the set is already over?
His eyes were full of confusion.
Hoshiumi stumbled as he landed. Before he could process what had happened, the volleyball had already hit the floor. When he turned back, he saw that Keiichiro had not caught up to the ball either.
It was not until the whistle rang out that Hoshiumi belatedly realized they had lost the first set.
"The first set between Fukurōdani and Kamomedai has ended, with Fukurōdani taking the win. Fukurōdani's super ace, Kōtarō Bokuto, closed out the set with a perfect straight shot. Kamomedai falls behind by two points and unfortunately drops the first set."
"That's all for our broadcast for now. Please take a short break and continue watching afterward."
Bokuto stood in front of the net and met Hoshiumi's eyes.
"Hoshiumi, you'd better keep giving it your all."
It was originally just a simple word of encouragement, but coming from Bokuto right after he had scored, it somehow sounded like a provocation. Unsurprisingly, Hoshiumi bristled again. He planted his hands on his hips, pointed at Bokuto, and said,
"I'm telling you, you stinking owl! Kamomedai is definitely winning today!"
Hoshiumi was fiercely throwing down a challenge, but Bokuto's eyes suddenly turned into little dots. He raised his arm, sniffed the left side, then the right, and finally looked at Keiji Akaashi pitifully.
"Keiji Akaashi, do I really smell that bad?"
Hoshiumi's eyebrow twitched hard. He nearly started yelling at Bokuto in anger. That was what you focused on? Shouldn't you be paying attention to the fact that I'm threatening you right now?
Hoshiumi was so angry at the sweet, clueless Bokuto that he felt like talking to him would shave years off his life. Then he stormed off the court with the others.
Bokuto was left standing on the court, watching his back in confusion. He had not said anything wrong, so why was Hoshiumi angry?
Keiji Akaashi sighed and led Bokuto off the court. Bokuto-senpai's emotional intelligence and... intelligence really were worrying.
Once both teams came off the court, they realized that the Shiratorizawa players who had been sitting neatly on the bench were all gone. Only their own coaches, along with a few Shiratorizawa and Inarizaki third-years, were left scattered around.
Bokuto circled around Reon.
"Reon! Where did you hide little Ryosuke and Tsutomu Goshiki?"
Bokuto had seen everyone from Shiratorizawa run over to Fukurōdani's bench earlier too, and he was already eager to catch up with them.
Reon patted Bokuto on the shoulder, then helped him turn around and pointed toward the stands.
Bokuto followed the direction Reon pointed in and looked carefully. Only then did he realize that the row of seats in the stands closest to the court was packed with Shiratorizawa and Inarizaki players eating their meals.
Bokuto's eyes widened. He wanted to go up and chat with his friends, but the match was still ongoing, so he could not go to the stands to talk to them. All he could do was stare at them from where he was.
Then Bokuto spaced out for a while. Under everyone's gazes, he waved his arms and shouted,
"Ryosuke! Tsutomu Goshiki! Tsum-Tsum! Let's go eat together after the match!"
Bokuto shouted so loudly that not only the coaches and his teammates noticed, but even the staff and the spectators in the stands looked over. Following the direction of Bokuto's waving arm, they saw the Shiratorizawa group and the Inarizaki players sitting in the stands. In an instant, the people who were eating suddenly found themselves under a lot of unexpected stares.
Hearing Bokuto's shout, Hoshiumi also looked up that way and wanted to compete with Bokuto over who had the louder voice. But at some point, Hirugami had squeezed in beside Hoshiumi, his hand gripping the back of Hoshiumi's neck. The threat could not have been more obvious. Hoshiumi opened his mouth, then closed it again. If he really shouted now, the consequences would be serious.
The three people in the stands who had been called out had originally been eating with their heads down. After Bokuto shouted like that, they all felt so embarrassed they wanted to crawl into a hole.
Atsumu Miya, on the other hand, snapped irritably,
"What are you looking at? Never seen a handsome guy eat before? Keep staring and I'll dump my food on your heads!"
Atsumu Miya had already been so hungry his stomach was going weak. Now that he had finally gotten food, Bokuto's shout had made everyone stare at him. He had originally wanted to be a little nicer and leave the audience with a good impression, but now it seemed there was no fixing his lousy temper at all.
Even though Shinsuke Kita was so far away from Atsumu Miya, the moment Atsumu Miya opened his mouth, Shinsuke Kita seemed to have ears that could hear from miles away. His gaze crossed the court and landed straight on Atsumu Miya.
After speaking, Atsumu Miya realized he had been locked onto by Kita's gaze. He was so frightened that he did not dare move and froze in place. The two of them stared at each other silently for a while before Shinsuke Kita looked away, and Atsumu Miya finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Tsutomu Goshiki did not say anything either. His head was practically about to sink into his boxed lunch.
Being stared at by so many people really did not feel good. No wonder Ryosuke did not like going to crowded places.
Coach Takurō sprang to his feet with a whoosh, then slapped Bokuto on the head with a crisp smack.
Bokuto covered his head and turned around to look at the coach with teary eyes. Before he could complain, Coach Takurō spoke first.
"We're still in the middle of a match, Bokuto. After the match ends, you can go eat with them. Don't do that at a match venue next time, got it?"
Seeing the look in Bokuto's eyes, Coach Takurō's heart softened. With this kid he had personally brought up, he really could not say anything harsh. Who would have the heart to speak harshly to such a big owl?
Bokuto sniffled, then gave a wronged little "Oh," as if he had also realized what he had just done was not quite right.
Takurō sighed, then reached out and ruffled Bokuto's hair.
"All right, don't look so upset. You played incredibly well in the last set. Now go discuss with everyone how to play the second set. Don't let your guard down, Bokuto. We all believe in you."
Takurō held Bokuto by the shoulders and spoke very seriously.
Takurō hoped everyone at Fukurōdani could accompany Bokuto onto an even bigger stage, and he also hoped Bokuto could become an ace who carried responsibility.
Seeing the seriousness in Takurō's eyes, Bokuto was not completely clueless. He nodded with equal seriousness.
"Coach, don't worry. We'll definitely win this match."
The same thing was happening on Kamomedai's side.
Aaron smiled warmly and rubbed Hoshiumi's hair.
"Hoshiumi, don't rush. When raptors hunt, they patiently lie in wait, then wait for their prey to reveal an opening. When that moment comes, that will be your chance. Don't rush, and don't be afraid or worried. Everyone is behind you."
Aaron truly liked Hoshiumi. The boy had a certain drive in him, a refusal to lose. From the first moment Aaron saw him, he had decided he would properly nurture this child.
His gaze on Hoshiumi was extremely gentle. After thinking it over, Aaron worried that they might lose this match, so he decided to prepare Hoshiumi in advance.
"Even if we lose, it's all right. In sports, winning and losing are both normal. Keep your mentality steady, understand?"
"Got it, Coach."
In front of Coach Aaron, the hot-tempered Hoshiumi was like an obedient child, incredibly well-behaved.
Hoshiumi lowered his head and looked at his toes. He knew what the coach was thinking. Coach probably thought they might lose this match and was worried that Hoshiumi's sense of responsibility was too strong, that he would feel awful inside.
Hoshiumi stayed silent. They had to win this match. There would not be another third-year class. Everyone... his Senpai would be graduating too. They had to beat Fukurōdani once. On a court like this, they had to beat Fukurōdani once.
With the determination to win in his heart, Hoshiumi looked firmly at his coach.
"Coach, don't worry. I'll lead everyone to victory."
Aaron sighed helplessly. From Hoshiumi's tone, he could tell the boy had not truly taken what he had said to heart.
Forget it. The kid was still young. No matter how far a team went, there would always come a day when they lost. They could deal with it once the result came out.
Still, Hoshiumi's fearless attitude somehow made Aaron feel more at ease.
After the coaches finished giving instructions, everyone gathered together and chattered about the next set. Right now, neither side looked particularly tired.
Because the two benches were very close, almost right beside each other, both teams kept glancing up at the other side while discussing how to play the next set, afraid someone might come over and eavesdrop.
Bokuto pouted.
"Hoshiumi is definitely guarding against us."
On Kamomedai's side, Hoshiumi gave a huff.
"Bokuto is definitely saying we're guarding against him."
Keiji Akaashi: "..."
Hirugami: "..."
Sometimes, being too familiar with each other was not exactly a good thing.
It had to be said that Bokuto and Hoshiumi did have a bit of a strange connection.
Once both sides had more or less finished discussing, the whistle for the match sounded.
Hearing the whistle, everyone immediately stood up, lined up, and returned to the court.
In the stands, the group heard the whistle and suddenly started shoveling food into their mouths, clearing their lunches like a storm so they could go back down to watch the match. They could not stay in the audience seats. Those were other people's seats, bought with tickets, and it really was not proper for them to sit there.
Tendo ate so fast his eyes rolled back, and he looked like he might choke to death in the next second. If Shirabu had not been right beside him and quickly handed Tendo a bottle of water, their "Miracle Boy" would have died on the spot.
After finishing their food, everyone held their stomachs and walked back toward the bench. As they walked, for some inexplicable reason, they started running.
Ryosuke stumbled after Tsutomu Goshiki yanked him along, then asked in confusion,
"Why are we running so fast?"
Tsutomu Goshiki said with exasperation,
"Are you stupid? If we run too slowly, Inarizaki will steal our spots."
For some reason, Tsutomu Goshiki felt like he and Inarizaki were simply incompatible. At first, he did not know why, but once he stepped onto the court for that afternoon's match against Inarizaki, Tsutomu Goshiki understood. Inarizaki really was an unbelievably annoying school. No contest.
The group rushed back to the bench in a noisy wave. The thing Tsutomu Goshiki had worried about, having their spots stolen, did not happen.
Ushijima and Reon stood near the bench like guardian statues, waiting for everyone to finish eating and come back.
Only after Reon finished counting everyone and confirmed that not a single kid was missing did he finally relax enough to go eat. Reon had truly worried himself into becoming an old father.
No matter where he went, he could not stop worrying about the people on his team, afraid they would cause some new trouble the moment he looked away.
Reon rubbed his rumbling stomach, looked up at the ceiling, and sighed.
Ah, what a damn life.
At that moment, the commentator's voice once again rang out from the broadcast, still using that familiar, boring opening line.
"Welcome, everyone, to the National High School Boys' Volleyball League. We are currently at the Round of 16 match between Fukurōdani and Kamomedai. The current set score is 1:0, with Fukurōdani leading by one set. Let's see whether Kamomedai can come from behind in the next set, or whether Fukurōdani will ride this momentum to take the match in one go and successfully advance to the top eight!"
The commentator's voice was impassioned, as if he was afraid no one would hear him.
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted from the stands on both Fukurōdani's and Kamomedai's sides. Everyone was cheering for the team they supported.
"Fukurōdani! Victory! Fukurōdani! Victory!"
"Kamomedai, Kamomedai! Charge forward!"
Hoshiumi followed Hirugami onto the court. Hearing the voices from the stands, he curled his lip in boredom and muttered quietly,
"Our school's cheer is so lame. It sounds like they're cheering for kindergarten kids."
Hirugami's ear twitched. He had clearly heard that. With amusement in his eyes, he turned back and said,
"Yeah. They are cheering for a kid."
Hoshiumi: "??"
Then Hirugami glanced at Hoshiumi teasingly, and Hoshiumi instantly understood that the "kid" Hirugami meant was him. He puffed out his cheeks in anger, clearly unconvinced.
After teasing Hoshiumi, Hirugami felt refreshed. He straightened his back and walked onto the court, where he was met head-on by Bokuto leading the Fukurōdani team. Sparks crackled in everyone's eyes, and neither side was willing to back down.
...
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