Hoshiumi felt completely calm. The spectators, on the other hand, turned away as though they could not bear to watch.
They seemed convinced that Hoshiumi had no chance of scoring.
Hoshiumi was not sure what had changed. When Washio hit over him earlier, he had been furious and determined to get even. Yet now, facing a three-man block formed by Washio, Bokuto, and Onaga, he felt strangely calm.
Beneath that calm was an indescribable thrill.
How should he attack against a three-man block?
Hoshiumi searched his memory.
To be honest, he rarely faced triple blocks. Some schools did not consider him a threat, so they would commit no more than two blockers to him. By the time they realized their mistake and tried to form a three-man block, it was already too late.
Hoshiumi never gave teams that underestimated him another chance. He would tear through their block and end the match.
Fukurōdani's triple block, however, made Hoshiumi feel acknowledged.
Despite standing only five foot three, Hoshiumi had been given the highest form of respect an opponent could show him on the court.
His aerial ability truly was that formidable. A single blocker could not stop him, and even a double block was not guaranteed to succeed. A triple block was just right.
If that could not stop him either, Fukurōdani would have no answer for Hoshiumi for the time being.
Hoshiumi jumped to meet the set.
Against a three-man block, a cross-court shot or tip usually offered the best chance of scoring. Hitting over the block or attacking tight along the net could also work.
Those options might have succeeded against an ordinary team, but Fukurōdani stood on the other side of the net.
Cross-court shots were Bokuto's specialty. If Hoshiumi tried one and his movements were even slightly too slow, Bokuto would notice immediately.
A tip would not work either. Haruki Komi was waiting in the middle of the court, watching Hoshiumi like a hawk and ready to pick up anything that slipped through.
Suspended in the air, Hoshiumi considered his options for a brief moment.
He was not completely confident that he could score.
They had to close out this set. They might not get another chance.
With that thought, Hoshiumi chose the safer option.
His eyes settled on Washio in the middle.
Washio briefly met Hoshiumi's gaze. Remembering the tip Hoshiumi had dropped over his head earlier, his expression immediately darkened.
Hoshiumi raised his right hand and struck the ball hard against Washio's palm, using a flat, controlled shot to rebound it off the block.
The ball hit Washio's palm. Instead of crossing the net, it bounced straight back.
Before Hoshiumi had even landed, he shouted, "One more!"
Everyone reacted at once, scrambling to organize another attack.
Hoshiumi had controlled the shot perfectly. A flat rebound aimed at the blocker's palm would not ricochet unpredictably, and he had deliberately held back his power.
The ball followed almost the same path back into Kamomedai's court.
Washio landed with a bewildered expression. He had expected a tip and could not tell whether he had successfully blocked the ball or not.
He had seen Bokuto use that kind of shot before, but he had never been on the receiving end of one. He froze for a moment.
Only when he looked up and saw the ball returning to Kamomedai's side did he realize Hoshiumi had deliberately used his block for a rebound.
Kamomedai coordinated seamlessly, especially Hirugami.
The moment he saw Hoshiumi play the rebound, he understood what had happened. As Hoshiumi landed, turned, and prepared for another approach, Hirugami moved in from position two to occupy Bokuto and Washio.
Onaga had already shifted to the opposite side. No one could be certain that Hoshiumi would attack again.
Hoshiumi turned and began another approach from the three-meter line.
Kazuyoshi Bessho timed his set.
Hirugami blocked Washio's view, forcing Washio to move sideways in an attempt to shake him off. Only Bokuto remained in place, unsure which direction Hoshiumi would attack from.
Seeing Bokuto alone, Konoha ran up from behind to join him.
Kazuyoshi Bessho's set traveled toward position one, exactly where Bokuto and Konoha were waiting.
Hoshiumi was speechless.
Kazuyoshi Bessho really knew where to set the ball. He had sent it straight toward Bokuto. Could he not have chosen somewhere with no blockers?
After taking another look, Hoshiumi realized he could not really blame him. There was not a single open area on the court.
At least there was no libero behind Bokuto.
Hoshiumi reluctantly accepted the placement.
He curved into a diagonal approach and reached the correct position, only to find that the ball had not arrived yet.
He jumped anyway.
Across the net, Bokuto and Konoha jumped with him.
When Hoshiumi did not attack, they assumed the set was not meant for him.
Hoshiumi landed just as the volleyball arrived. It was now roughly one body length away from him.
He took two rapid steps sideways and jumped again.
Konoha's eyebrow twitched.
Good grief. Hoshiumi had even learned to use a spatial feint now.
Konoha pulled Bokuto over, and the two switched positions. Konoha jumped to block Hoshiumi, but his timing was off. Exchanging places with Bokuto had cost him a fraction of a second.
By the time Konoha took off, the volleyball had already skimmed past his cheek.
"Bang!"
The ball struck the floor.
Haruki Komi appeared from behind Konoha seemingly out of nowhere. Hoshiumi saw him dive for the ball, but he was too late.
The volleyball passed just beyond Komi's fingertips as he hit the floor.
"BEEEEEP!"
"What an incredible rally! Washio hit over Hoshiumi's block, but Kamomedai's libero managed to keep the ball alive. The setter then sent it back to Hoshiumi.
"Hoshiumi attacked, only to find a three-man block waiting for him. Three towering walls stood in his path, so he deliberately rebounded the ball off the block and gave Kamomedai another chance to attack."
The commentator paused for a drink of water, and his partner continued.
"Kamomedai's coordination was flawless. The moment Hoshiumi used the rebound, they began preparing their next attack. The libero sent the ball to the setter, who once again set to Hoshiumi without hesitation. The set was directed near position one.
"Fukurōdani's Bokuto and Konoha jumped to block. On their first attempt, however, they jumped into empty air and failed to touch anything.
"By then, the ball had reached the attack point. Hoshiumi shifted slightly and jumped again. Konoha reacted and exchanged positions with Bokuto beside him."
"But they were still too late. Konoha had only begun to jump when Hoshiumi attacked. Fukurōdani's libero rushed over from position three, but he was also unable to reach the ball."
Hoshiumi landed as the commentators finished speaking. He looked at Konoha and said, "Nice block."
Konoha wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Was this kid showing off?
He gave Hoshiumi a forced smile.
"You weren't bad either."
The compliment immediately lifted Hoshiumi's mood. He turned away with his chin held proudly high.
Konoha watched him leave and sighed.
Had he blocked that last ball, they might have held on a little longer.
The set would not have ended so soon.
"The second set comes to an end with Hoshiumi's spike! Kamomedai takes the set! We'll take a short break and be back shortly."
Kamomedai's cheering section erupted.
"Kamomedai! Kamomedai! Keep charging forward!"
"Nice work, Small Giant!"
Hoshiumi immediately picked out the words "Small Giant" from the crowd. In a rare display, he smiled toward the stands.
The section swept by his gaze erupted all over again.
Bokuto was still standing by the net, looking somewhat dejected. He and Konoha were thinking the same thing. Had they blocked that ball, the set would not have ended so soon.
"Bokuto-senpai, let's go."
Keiji Akaashi could tell that Bokuto was distracted, most likely because he was disappointed about failing to stop the final attack.
He took hold of Bokuto and led him off the court, glancing at Kazuyoshi Bessho before leaving.
Kazuyoshi Bessho met his gaze in confusion. He had no idea why Keiji Akaashi was staring at him.
Keiji Akaashi smiled at him, then walked away with Bokuto without looking back.
Eita Semi rubbed his chin and nudged Shirabu with his elbow. Shirabu irritably moved away from him.
"What?"
His tone was distinctly unfriendly.
Ignoring that, Eita Semi draped an arm around Shirabu's shoulders.
"What did you think of Kamomedai's setter on that last play?"
The question stopped the curse already on the tip of Shirabu's tongue.
Shirabu blinked and hesitated before answering.
"He was... pretty good."
He really did not want to admit that someone else might be better than him.
"The level of that final set was extremely high. Kazuyoshi Bessho didn't simply send the ball toward position one. He had already planned Hoshiumi's next move for him. Attacking from position one against Bokuto wouldn't necessarily have resulted in a point.
"That's why he deliberately slowed the set down and shifted its placement. It looked like a set to position one, but it was actually aimed between positions one and two."
Eita Semi nodded gravely.
"The most frightening part wasn't his accuracy. It was his anticipation. Actually, calling it anticipation doesn't quite cover it. It was more like he ran through everyone's next move in his head beforehand.
"Hoshiumi may have jumped before the ball arrived to draw out the blockers, but Kazuyoshi had already calculated the timing. That attack involved both a spatial gap and a timing gap."
The two Shiratorizawa setters wore equally serious expressions.
Everyone was used to Shirabu's constant scowl, but seeing Eita Semi wearing the same grim look made Reon laugh the moment he glanced over.
"What's wrong with you two?"
Before Eita Semi could answer, Tendo leaned over.
"They're talking about how good Kamomedai's setter is."
Shirabu's expression stiffened, and he immediately protested.
"When did I ever praise him?"
His face was already red.
Tendo quietly laughed to himself.
"What praise?"
Kazuyoshi Bessho had walked over just in time to hear Shirabu's indignant voice. He was not particularly close to setters from other schools, but they were familiar enough to exchange a few words.
Shirabu's irritated outburst immediately caught his attention. It was the first time Kazuyoshi Bessho had ever seen him lose his temper.
When Shirabu turned and realized it was Kazuyoshi Bessho, his face grew even redder.
He could hardly tell Kazuyoshi Bessho that he had just been insisting the other setter was not better than him.
Shirabu stood there with his face burning, his mouth open but no words coming out.
Seeing that Shirabu looked ready to start steaming, Eita Semi mercifully stepped in.
"Shirabu was complimenting that beautiful final set of yours."
Shirabu gave a sharp huff. He neither confirmed nor denied it, merely glaring at Eita Semi in embarrassment.
Understanding dawned on Kazuyoshi Bessho. He scratched his head and smiled shyly.
"No, not at all. I just suddenly felt that set might work, so I tried it."
Everyone only smiled, paying no attention to the denial. He was obviously being modest, so his words did not count.
"Kazuyoshi, let's go. Coach is calling us."
Hirugami waved to him from up ahead.
Kazuyoshi Bessho nodded, said, "See you later," to Shirabu and Eita Semi, then hurried away.
Shirabu turned toward the still-smiling Eita Semi, then glanced at Tendo. Too embarrassed to say anything to Tendo, he stomped hard on Eita Semi's foot and walked away without looking back.
Even from behind, it was obvious how flustered he was.
Eita Semi immediately understood why Shirabu was angry. He clicked his tongue softly but said nothing.
Shirabu simply did not want to admit that the opposing setter was better than him, and then the person in question had caught him discussing it. There was no reason to get so worked up.
Kamomedai and Fukurōdani were already discussing their strategy for the next set.
The final set would decide everything.
Kamomedai's last secret weapon was Inube.
Then again, he was hardly a secret. Everyone already knew about him. Kamomedai's captain had not come all the way here merely to sit and watch the match. That much was obvious.
Coach Aaron stood before the team with his hands behind his back. His expression remained pleasant, but his voice was extremely serious.
"In the next set, Inube will replace Hirugami. Hirugami, rest for a while. Inube, focus on scoring. Hoshiumi and Inube will form our two-pronged offense.
"Other than the setter, everyone else must concentrate on defense. Hakuba and Suwa, this especially applies to you. I'm leaving the front-row blocking to you two. Keiichiro Kanbayashi and Nozawa, stay ready to receive at all times."
"Yes!"
Their loud response drew everyone's attention. Once the others realized Kamomedai was receiving instructions from their coach, they quickly looked away again.
"Stay alert during the next set. Inube is definitely coming in. He didn't come to the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium just to watch the match.
"Some of the freshmen and sophomores may not know this, but the third-years should understand how troublesome Inube can be when he's in good form. From now on, shut him down at the net. Konoha, you'll keep an eye on Hoshiumi. Yamato Sarukui, you're playing in the next set too."
Caught completely off guard by being called, Yamato Sarukui tilted his head at his coach.
"Didn't you say I wouldn't have to play in this match?"
Takuro genuinely did not want to lose his temper with the players, but Yamato Sarukui's bluntness could be infuriating.
Why was he asking him? Could he not see what was happening on the court? If they did not step things up, they were going to lose. How could Takuro possibly leave him sitting on the bench doing nothing?
Takuro covered his face with one hand and did his best to keep his voice under control.
"That's no longer an option. You have to play in the next set."