Coach Washijō waved Shinsuke Kita off, signaling for him to handle his own business. That brat Atsumu Miya was always pulling this kind of stunt. What if he frightened Ryosuke?
After receiving permission, Shinsuke Kita smiled pleasantly, then turned toward the trembling Suna and Atsumu Miya. Before him, the two men standing over six feet tall somehow looked small, pitiful, and helpless.
Shinsuke Kita walked over, grabbed both of them by the back of the neck, and forcibly dragged them away.
Osamu Miya sat frozen in his chair, too terrified to move.
Tsutomu Goshiki stared at the muscles bulging in Shinsuke Kita's arms as he hauled the two men away and swallowed hard.
Being able to drag two grown men around with his bare hands required terrifying arm strength. Tsutomu Goshiki did not even want to imagine how much it would hurt if Shinsuke Kita spiked a ball into him.
Everyone chose to pretend they had seen nothing. After all, this was an internal matter for Inarizaki.
A short while later, several of Atsumu Miya's screams rang out from the corner.
The rest of Inarizaki grew even more frightened. They huddled like plucked quails, none of them daring to raise their heads.
By the time Ryosuke managed to pry Ushijima's hand away, there was nothing left to see.
Ryosuke gave an annoyed huff.
Ushijima silently withdrew his hand, its palm now bright red from Ryosuke's efforts to pull it away.
He lowered his gaze to his palm, utterly confused.
Was Ryosuke really that strong?
Ushijima had nearly failed to keep Ryosuke's eyes covered. Ryosuke had almost wrenched his hand off with just one hand.
For the first time, Ushijima began to doubt his own strength.
Tendo watched from the side, struggling not to laugh.
Ryosuke sat huffily in his chair, his pretty face still marked red where Ushijima's hand had covered it. Beside him, Ushijima stared at his own hand in deep contemplation, looking strangely pitiful.
Tendo knew Ushijima was probably questioning everything he thought he knew.
Ryosuke could receive Bokuto's spikes. How could he possibly be weak? Tendo had even seen Ryosuke snap a spoon in half with one hand during meals when he was in a bad mood.
Their match that afternoon was going to be interesting.
It would not be fair for only their own teammates to suffer. It was time for someone else to experience it too.
The thought brought a mischievous smile to Tendo's face.
"Bang!"
"BEEEEEP!"
The sharp whistle once again drew everyone's attention back to the court.
At some point, the scoreboard had changed to 23 to 24.
Ryosuke remembered that Kamomedai had already been at 24 points the last time he looked. They had reached set point, yet they were still stuck at 24.
Had Fukurōdani caught up?
"Nice ball, Bokuto!"
"Bokuto-senpai, that last play was incredible!"
Bokuto stood in the middle of his teammates, laughing and chanting, "Hey, hey, hey!" He looked absolutely delighted.
Hirugami, however, stood at the net with an extremely grim expression.
They had been on the verge of winning, only for Keiji Akaashi to score with his serve. Then Bokuto had taken another two points with his spikes.
Now Fukurōdani was only one point away from tying the score.
Hirugami sighed as he looked at his battered arms.
He should have been able to block that last spike, but when he made contact with the ball, he had been unable to put any strength into his arms. He failed to stuff it, and Bokuto forced the ball straight through his block to score.
Hirugami knew he was no longer in good condition.
He and Keiichiro Kanbayashi had suffered the most during this match. They had been constantly repositioning and defending, draining their stamina at a rapid pace.
Meanwhile, Bokuto, that stamina monster, did not seem tired in the slightest. The force behind his spikes had not weakened at all.
Hirugami looked at his reddened palms and closed his eyes for a moment.
They had to win this set.
If they failed to finish it at twenty-five points, they would have to rely on Hoshiumi and the captain.
Hirugami turned toward Inube on the bench and found him smiling back.
When Inube noticed Hirugami looking at him, he paused, then raised an arm and patted his biceps, showing off the muscles there.
He was telling Hirugami that if he could not hold on any longer, Inube was ready to take the court.
Hirugami nodded toward him, then turned back to the scoreboard, his eyes growing more determined.
They could not make a substitution.
They had to win this set with the players currently on the court. Substituting now would put far too much strain on the captain once the third set began.
That was not an option.
"BEEEEEP!"
Once everyone had returned to their positions and was ready, the referee blew the whistle.
The match resumed.
Keiji Akaashi was still serving.
He had not expected to remain at the service line for so long. His teammates had fought to give him every one of these opportunities, and the thought made him quietly happy.
Even after the whistle sounded, Keiji Akaashi did not move. He had also begun using the tactic of waiting until the last moment to serve.
The longer he delayed, the harder the serve became to receive.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi crouched in the backcourt, his expression turning sour.
Why did everyone seem so fond of last-second serves today?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Keiji Akaashi moved.
He began his serve at the eight-second mark.
"Bang!"
The volleyball flew from Keiji Akaashi's hand.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi quickly judged its trajectory. As soon as he confirmed that it was heading left, he took off in that direction.
Suwa spotted him out of the corner of his eye and backed away several steps, clearing a path for him.
Seeing the ball about to hit the floor, Keiichiro Kanbayashi dove forward to receive it.
"Thud!"
He lifted the volleyball with the backs of his hands, sending it toward the space between Kazuyoshi Bessho and Hirugami.
At the sight of such a normal first pass, Kazuyoshi Bessho nearly burst into tears.
Finally, a receive that did not force him to run all over the court to salvage it.
Deeply moved, Kazuyoshi Bessho immediately jumped to set.
He surveyed the court and considered who should receive the ball.
He had originally wanted to imitate Keiji Akaashi and send the second touch directly over the net. However, since Fukurōdani already knew that Keiji Akaashi used that move, they would certainly be watching for Kazuyoshi Bessho to try it as well.
Sure enough, Kazuyoshi Bessho clearly saw Keiji Akaashi rushing over and watching his hands.
Fukurōdani's two blockers were already in position, while Bokuto moved through the back row, ready to attack at any moment.
On Kamomedai's side, aside from Hirugami and Hakuba at the net, none of the others had reached their positions. They were either still moving or lingering in the back row.
After a moment of thought, Kazuyoshi Bessho set the ball toward Hakuba.
Hakuba had been standing at the net preparing to block. When he heard the volleyball cutting through the air, he realized that he would probably need to attack this ball himself.
Just as he prepared to jump, Suwa appeared from behind him.
The two took off one after the other, with Hakuba jumping first.
Hakuba did not touch the ball.
Across the net, Washio and Konoha had wisely chosen not to jump. They had seen the play clearly.
Kazuyoshi Bessho's set had never been intended for Hakuba.
Although the placement was close, it was roughly one body length away from Hakuba's usual hitting point. The set certainly looked as though it was meant for him, but since the position was wrong, he was almost certainly not the real attacker.
Washio and Konoha remained crouched before the net, as steady as rocks, without moving an inch.
Sure enough, after landing, Hakuba stepped sideways to clear the way for Suwa, the true attacker behind him.
Washio and Konoha waited for Suwa.
As he approached, Washio called out the timing, and the two prepared to jump together.
"Three.
"Two.
"One... Jump!"
At Washio's call, Konoha jumped alongside him, both arms extended straight above the net.
Facing the two-man block, Suwa refused to back down.
He swung his right arm, stirring the air around it, then struck the volleyball with all his strength.
"Bang!"
It was a cross-court spike.
The instant Washio saw Suwa's arm swing, he made his judgment. His hands immediately shifted from covering the line to blocking the cross-court angle.
Konoha remained responsible for the straight shot, keeping his arms perfectly still.
"Bang!"
The volleyball slammed into Washio's palms.
Washio tried to stuff it straight down, but failed.
Perhaps Suwa's spike had been too powerful, or perhaps Washio's point of force had been slightly off when he shifted to cover the cross-court angle.
Whatever the reason, he had failed to stop the ball.
"One touch! Cover it!"
After clipping Washio's block, the ball lost much of its power and did not travel far.
There was no need for Komi to receive it.
Keiji Akaashi ran toward the ball with his head raised.
He reached the back row and jumped to set, watching the players moving across the front court as he hesitated over whom to send it to.
Setting to Bokuto would give them a good chance of scoring. However, Keiji Akaashi was worried that Bokuto-senpai's condition might deteriorate again if he failed to score.
Washio backed up several steps and prepared for his approach.
Konoha ran toward the net and jumped. Hirugami immediately moved forward to block him, but Konoha did not attack. After landing, he moved across to the other end of the net, apparently trying to create a positional gap.
Hirugami frowned but followed him without hesitation.
That left Hoshiumi facing Washio, while Hakuba kept his eyes fixed on Bokuto.
Keiji Akaashi did not set the ball to Bokuto. Instead, he redirected it toward Washio.
He had already seen Hirugami realize something was wrong and start moving toward Bokuto.
Hirugami truly understood Fukurōdani well. Keiji Akaashi's first instinct had indeed been to set the ball to Bokuto. Hirugami had probably played against them so often that he had immediately guessed what Keiji Akaashi was thinking.
Keiji Akaashi sent the ball to Washio.
Washio heard it approaching and looked at Hoshiumi across the net, a faint smile forming on his lips.
As the volleyball reached the highest point above him, Washio backed up several steps, began another approach, and jumped.
Hoshiumi narrowed his eyes and leaped with him to block.
The two confronted each other in midair.
Hoshiumi fully extended his arms above the net. Washio drew back his hitting arm.
He was not aiming cross-court, nor was he going for a tip.
Washio intended to hit straight over Hoshiumi's hands.
Hoshiumi's pupils contracted.
Damn. It was aimed right at him.
He stretched his arms as high as possible, trying to touch the volleyball. Even the slightest contact would be enough. Keiichiro Kanbayashi was behind him, so as long as he got a touch, the ball could still be recovered.
Washio gave him no such opportunity.
He drove the volleyball directly over Hoshiumi's head.
"Bang!"
The ball passed over Hoshiumi and entered Kamomedai's court.
When Hoshiumi landed, his face twisted with anger.
He stared at Washio, both irritated and speechless.
Was that really necessary? He had only tipped a ball at Washio earlier. Did the guy have to hold such a grudge?
Keiichiro Kanbayashi had assumed Hoshiumi would block the spike. He had not expected Washio to hit it straight over his head.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi was stunned.
Hoshiumi was probably furious enough to pass out.
Washio really was ruthless.
As the thought crossed his mind, Keiichiro Kanbayashi ran from the left side of the court to the right. Once he found the correct position, he lowered his center of gravity and extended his arms to receive the ball.
"Bang!"
The volleyball slammed into Keiichiro Kanbayashi's forearms.
Instead of becoming the perfect first pass he had expected, the impact nearly knocked him to the floor.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi was dumbfounded.
How could the spike be that powerful?
Even if Hoshiumi had blocked it, he might not have been able to stop it. Still, this was the first time Keiichiro Kanbayashi had received one of Washio's full-power spikes without a block weakening it first.
For the first time, he realized that everyone on Fukurōdani, with the exception of their setter, was ridiculously strong.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi was no pushover either.
He braced his lower body, stabilized his center of gravity, and thrust his arms upward.
The volleyball rebounded off his forearms and shot into the air.
It flew incredibly high.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi watched it rise and sighed.
Aside from Keiji Akaashi's serves, he had barely received a single normal ball throughout this match.
He could only hope Kazuyoshi Bessho would understand.
Kazuyoshi Bessho was genuinely irritated.
Another ridiculously high pass.
In his head, he had already cursed Keiichiro Kanbayashi from beginning to end, then gone back and done it several more times.
Even from the backcourt, Keiichiro Kanbayashi could feel the oppressive atmosphere surrounding Kazuyoshi Bessho.
He hovered timidly in the rear, deciding to wait until Kazuyoshi Bessho finished setting before moving forward.
Kazuyoshi Bessho rubbed his neck, which felt ready to snap, then looked up at the ceiling lights.
A tiny black shadow hung beneath them.
It was the ball Keiichiro Kanbayashi had just received.
Kazuyoshi Bessho ran beneath it with his head tilted back, waiting for the volleyball to descend to a manageable height.
As soon as it reached the right point, he jumped and set it.
Without hesitation, Kazuyoshi Bessho sent the ball to Hoshiumi.
At this moment, only Suwa and Hoshiumi were available as attacking options.
They had to score and reduce the burden on Hirugami. His arms were already in terrible condition.
If they failed to score and Fukurōdani returned the ball, Hirugami would have to block again. His arms would only suffer further.
After Washio had hit over his block, Hoshiumi had already left his previous position.
He needed to find a more favorable place to attack from. If he remained where he had been, the angle would be difficult, and Washio might block him outright.
Hoshiumi began his approach near the three-meter line, moving toward the space between positions one and two.
Hirugami was currently at position three, facing Bokuto.
Just as Hoshiumi approached and prepared to jump, several Fukurōdani players rushed toward him.
Washio, Onaga, and Bokuto.
Bokuto shook off Hirugami's marking and ran beside Washio to join the block.
All three stood over six feet tall, with some nearly reaching six foot three. As they towered before Hoshiumi, they resembled a mountain he could never cross.
At barely over five foot two, Hoshiumi looked incredibly small in front of Bokuto and the others.