Washio and Onaga had already reached the net, ready to block at any moment.
Onaga moved directly in front of Hirugami, trying to obstruct his view and make it easier for the hitter behind him to attack.
Meanwhile, Bokuto and Konoha were considering where they should spike to score. One lingered in the back row, preparing for a back-row attack, while the other ran to position three at the net, ready to jump.
Keiji Akaashi glanced at them but did not set the ball to either one. Instead, as soon as he received the pass, he jumped.
Keiji Akaashi was facing Bokuto's side. When Bokuto saw the direction of his arms, he confidently assumed the ball was coming to him and leaped.
Hirugami spotted Bokuto taking off. He immediately slipped past Onaga, who had been blocking his view, and rushed toward position one, directly across from Bokuto in the back row. He was certain that was where Bokuto would send his back-row spike.
Bokuto raised his right hand high and swung down with all his strength.
"Thud!"
The volleyball hit the floor, and Bokuto landed at the same time. He stared blankly at his palm.
He had not touched the ball.
"BEEEEEP!"
The referee awarded the point.
Hirugami immediately realized something was wrong and turned toward position three. Hakuba shook his head, indicating that Konoha had not hit the ball either.
That left only one possibility...
Keiji Akaashi rotated his wrist and smiled at Hirugami.
Hirugami finally understood. Keiji Akaashi must have sent the ball directly over the net himself.
"Fukurōdani has managed to reclaim a point while trailing by three! And the player who scored was not Fukurōdani's Bokuto, nor was it any of their other attackers. It was their setter!
"In that last play, Keiji Akaashi used Bokuto and Konoha, who had moved to position three, as decoys. They drew away Kamomedai's two formidable blockers, Hakuba and Hirugami.
"Keiji Akaashi then sent the ball directly over the net from near position six! Kamomedai's libero rushed forward to receive it, but he was too far from the front court and failed to reach the ball!"
Everyone in the stands and on the benches had seen what happened. Hirugami was the only one who had missed it.
He had moved to cover Bokuto and ended up with the play hidden in his blind spot.
Hirugami looked toward Keiji Akaashi and gave him a thumbs-up under everyone's watchful eyes.
That had been impressive. Keiji Akaashi had even fooled his own teammates. Losing the point to a play like that did not feel unfair at all.
Hirugami then turned to Kazuyoshi Bessho and raised an eyebrow.
The message was obvious. He should learn from Keiji Akaashi. That was how other teams' setters played. Instead of spending every day doing nothing but setting, he should try scoring himself once in a while.
Kazuyoshi Bessho rubbed his nose and said nothing.
Of course he understood what Hirugami meant, but that style simply did not suit him. Kazuyoshi Bessho only knew the techniques expected of a setter. This kind of second attack clearly went beyond the usual role of one.
It practically looked like a spike.
Kazuyoshi Bessho knew he could not do it. He might practice it for fun during a private scrimmage, but using it in an official match was completely out of the question.
"What a luxury."
Ryosuke was getting sleepy again. He rubbed his eyes as he watched the play, his voice slightly nasal.
His first thought was that it had been extravagant.
Using a national-level attacker as a decoy was far too luxurious. Ryosuke immediately wanted to try it himself and turned to look at Ushijima.
Ryosuke was not a setter, but he was a middle blocker. He could still use his beloved Ushijima-senpai as a decoy.
The idea alone seemed incredibly entertaining.
Ushijima turned to Ryosuke in confusion. Ryosuke had been staring blankly at him for a while.
What was wrong with him? Had he become delirious from exhaustion?
Ushijima had no idea that Ryosuke had already set his sights on him.
After watching Ushijima for a moment, Ryosuke slowly turned back toward the court. He was already planning how to use Ushijima as a decoy during their afternoon match.
Ryosuke was a man of action. Once an idea occurred to him, he had to put it into practice.
Seeing Ryosuke focus on the match again, Ushijima continued calculating how long they might be able to sleep if they returned to the dorm now. Ryosuke looked so tired that Ushijima was worried he would not have enough energy for the afternoon match.
Ushijima had no idea that he had become just like Reon, an overly concerned father figure. He was not even remotely aware of it.
"Keiji Akaashi, that was amazing!"
Bokuto approached Keiji Akaashi with sparkling eyes. He was not upset in the slightest about being used as a decoy. His mood remained perfectly stable, and he genuinely thought Keiji Akaashi's play had been incredibly cool.
"Thank you. You were amazing too, Bokuto-senpai."
Keiji Akaashi was never stingy with praise.
When the whistle sounded, Keiji Akaashi headed toward the service line while his teammates called out encouragement behind him.
"Keiji Akaashi, give us a good serve!"
"Keiji Akaashi, don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Unlike the others, Komi was more concerned about Keiji Akaashi feeling overwhelmed. They were still several points behind, and expecting him to recover the entire deficit by himself was hardly realistic.
That was why Komi only told him not to feel pressured.
Keiji Akaashi nodded to show that he understood, then stepped behind the service line and accepted the volleyball from the ball boy.
He took a deep breath.
It was his turn to serve. Claiming that he felt no pressure would have been a lie.
What could he do to make the situation look less hopeless?
Keiji Akaashi's eyes swept over the Kamomedai players on the court, his thoughts hidden from everyone else.
Keiichiro and Izuru Nozawa were the only two players remaining in Kamomedai's backcourt. They had probably stayed there specifically to receive the serve.
The others were standing in their assigned positions for now, but they would begin moving as soon as the serve was made and the formation would change. There was little point in targeting them.
That left Keiichiro and Izuru Nozawa.
Just as Keiji Akaashi made his decision, the referee's whistle sounded.
He raised the volleyball in his right hand. Through the gap between the ball and his arm, he looked once more at Kamomedai's backcourt and confirmed the positions of Keiichiro and Izuru Nozawa.
Keiji Akaashi tossed the ball into the air and began his approach. He lowered his center of gravity and looked up at the rising volleyball.
He had always known that he possessed no exceptional natural talent, whether in serving, setting, or spiking.
Even so, he would always do his utmost to perform whatever task was in front of him. Whether he was setting or serving, the goal was ultimately the same.
To score.
As long as this serve earned them a point, it would be a good serve.
Keiji Akaashi jumped and aimed for the space between Keiichiro and Izuru Nozawa.
His accuracy was quite reliable.
This was a powerful jump serve, though it was nowhere near as forceful as Bokuto's or Washio's. Setters really were delicate creatures. Well, except for that dual-wielding fox from Inarizaki.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi's thoughts wandered as he saw the volleyball flying toward his right. He turned to move after it, only to find Nozawa's face suddenly filling his vision.
Startled, Keiichiro Kanbayashi jerked his head back and completely missed his chance to receive the ball.
Nozawa was just as stunned. He had not expected Keiichiro Kanbayashi to suddenly turn toward him while going for the receive.
From Nozawa's perspective, the serve had been aimed directly at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he had seen Keiichiro Kanbayashi glance at the ball without moving, so he assumed Keiichiro Kanbayashi was leaving it to him. He went for it without hesitation, only to come face-to-face with Keiichiro Kanbayashi when he turned.
"Thud!"
Both of them froze.
The volleyball struck the floor directly between their feet, scoring the point.
"BEEEEEP!"
When Haruki Komi heard the whistle, he desperately wanted to laugh. Standing at the back of the court, his shoulders shook as he struggled to hold it in.
Coach Aaron nearly choked on the bench when he saw what happened. Even with his usual composure, he almost lost control.
How could they make such a basic mistake?
Those two were definitely cleaning the toilets when they got back.
Coach Aaron silently added several items to their upcoming training regimen. The two poor boys had no idea what kind of miserable ordeal awaited them.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi covered his forehead and complained gloomily.
"Why did you come so close?"
Their foreheads had collided, and Nozawa rubbed the bright red spot on his own.
"I was receiving the ball. Wasn't that serve aimed at me?"
Ouch... Is Keiichiro-senpai's head made of iron or something? That hurt like hell. But Nozawa couldn't cry. That would be way too embarrassing.
Nozawa lowered his head and silently rubbed his forehead. After a moment, Keiichiro Kanbayashi realized that his forehead must have been so hard that he had hurt him.
Amused and exasperated, he told Nozawa to lower his head, then reached out and rubbed his forehead while speaking earnestly.
"Leave every serve to me. Even when it's aimed at you, let me receive it. Understand? You need to trust me."
Keiichiro Kanbayashi's tone was gentle, and Nozawa nodded to show that he understood.
He really had lost control for a moment. After all, who would not panic when a volleyball came flying straight at them?
Because of that, Nozawa had forgotten Keiichiro Kanbayashi's earlier instruction to leave every ball to him. His attempt to receive it had been pure instinct.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi nodded in satisfaction, only for Hoshiumi's unrestrained laughter to ring out behind him.
"Hahahahaha! How pathetic! I can't believe you made a mistake like that!"
Keiichiro Kanbayashi turned and glared fiercely at Hoshiumi.
"You say that like you've never made a mistake. Who was it that let Bokuto spike the ball right over his head earlier?"
The two went straight for each other's sore spots. Hoshiumi was so angry that he started hopping in place, but he could not come up with a response.
Seeing Hoshiumi rendered speechless put Keiichiro Kanbayashi in an excellent mood. Feeling thoroughly refreshed, he dragged Nozawa, who had been enjoying the show, back into position.
Hirugami had watched the entire exchange without stepping in. It was hardly the first time those two had argued. They did it every day, and as long as they did not go too far, Hirugami had no intention of interfering.
"Keiji Akaashi, give us another one!"
"Keiji Akaashi, that was great, but don't push yourself too hard!"
His teammates called out to him one after another, sounding almost excessively concerned.
Keiji Akaashi was speechless.
Did they think he was made of porcelain? He was only serving. What was there to worry about?
On the other side of the court, Kazuyoshi Bessho frowned when he heard them.
How sappy. It was unbearably sappy.
But why did no one treat him like that?
Comparing yourself to others really was enough to drive a person mad.
Kazuyoshi Bessho stopped dwelling on it and obediently returned to his position, waiting for the next rally to begin.
Naturally, everyone sitting off the court had also heard Fukurōdani's players.
Atsumu Miya looked over with obvious envy, then quietly glanced at Osamu Miya and Aran.
He was about to start causing trouble.
He pressed himself against Osamu Miya in an affected manner and spoke in a high-pitched voice.
"My dear little brother and teammates, when are you going to care about me the way Fukurōdani cares about each other~?"
The drawn-out, twisting lilt at the end of his voice struck Osamu Miya's brain like a bolt of lightning.
Every Inarizaki player present shuddered in disgust, including Atsumu Miya himself.
Osamu Miya immediately kicked him.
He knew Atsumu Miya had also disgusted himself. They were twins, after all.
Naturally, their physical revulsion was perfectly synchronized. That did not stop Osamu Miya from wanting to kick his brother to death for acting obnoxious wherever he went.
"Atsumu, you disgusting idiot! Quit grossing me out!"
Aran looked as though he had been struck by lightning. He silently turned away and covered his ears as quickly as possible.
As long as he blocked his ears fast enough, the disgust could not catch him.
Osamu Miya's kick sent Atsumu Miya tumbling off the bench and onto the floor.
Atsumu Miya stared blankly for two seconds before climbing back up. He seemed to grow angry and prepared to kick Osamu Miya in return.
Shinsuke Kita shot him a sharp look, his voice carrying a clear warning.
"Atsumu Miya, if you keep fooling around, you won't get any dinner tonight."
To Atsumu Miya, those words were a bolt from the blue.
A growing teenager would be starving after missing even one meal, let alone someone as fond of food as Atsumu Miya. Every day, he looked forward to proper meals as his only chance to satisfy his cravings. He was constantly checking the time and eagerly counting down until he could eat.
Atsumu Miya immediately wilted.
Belatedly realizing just how disgusting he had been, he stood there and shuddered again.
He rubbed his nose and sat back down on the bench. For once, he did not argue with Osamu Miya.
At that moment, Suna appeared with his phone in hand.
Atsumu Miya's instincts warned him that something was terribly wrong. He lunged forward to snatch the phone, but before he could reach it, Suna tapped the playback button.
The volume was extremely loud.
"My dear little brother and teammates, when are you going to care about me the way Fukurōdani cares about each other~?"
"My dear little brother and teammates..."
"My dear little brother..."
The recording played over and over.
Now it was not only Inarizaki who heard it. Everyone else sitting nearby heard it too, including the three coaches.
Ryosuke even poked his head out from behind Ushijima to watch curiously.
Atsumu Miya had already grabbed Suna by the collar. He pulled so hard that the neckline slipped down and nearly exposed Suna's chest.
...
Sometimes silence was even more suffocating than beating Atsumu Miya senseless.
When Ushijima saw what was happening, he solemnly reached out with one large hand, covered Ryosuke's face, and pushed him back.
This was unsuitable for children. Ryosuke was still young and should not be seeing such things.
Ryosuke, who had been pushed back: ???
He frantically tried to pry Ushijima's hand away from his face, scratching and clawing at it.
Suna's hand trembled.
Oh no.
He had accidentally pressed the volume-up button instead of turning it down.
Aran and Ōmimi had both jolted when Suna played the recording.
Was he fearless, or did he simply want to die?
The veins on Shinsuke Kita's forehead throbbed visibly.
Atsumu Miya and Suna truly never stopped testing the limits of his patience.
Shinsuke Kita stood, gave everyone a gentle smile, then walked over to the three coaches and bowed.
"Coaches, please keep an eye on our children. I need to take care of a family matter."