Inube tossed the volleyball into the air and immediately jumped after it.
In the backcourt, Haruki Komi kept his eyes locked on Inube, not daring to relax for even a moment. If his attention slipped at all, the ball would be in front of him before he knew it.
"Bang!"
The volleyball shot from Inube's broad palm so quickly that only a blur remained, like a stone plummeting from a great height, fast and dangerous.
Haruki Komi still could not make out the ball's trajectory. However, there had been a slight hesitation in Inube's jump, and his arm swing looked somewhat stiff. From that single instant, Haruki Komi determined the ball's approximate direction.
He sprinted to the right.
He had started moving the moment Inube jumped and swung his arm. To anyone unfamiliar with Inube's serves, Haruki Komi's head start would have seemed far too early.
But those who had seen Inube serve before would not think so.
His timing was perfect. Against Inube's serve, Haruki Komi needed that much of a head start.
The volleyball tore toward Fukurōdani's court as though trailing smoke behind it. Haruki Komi reached the spot a split second before it struck the floor.
He had been running so fast that he stumbled. Rather than fight his momentum, he dropped to his knees and slid across the floor, extending both arms just in time to receive the ball.
"Bang!"
The volleyball rebounded from Haruki Komi's forearms and shot upward at tremendous speed.
He had no time to absorb the impact. The ball had been moving so quickly that merely reaching it was already an achievement. Controlling the receive was impossible.
That left Keiji Akaashi in a difficult position.
Even after the first pass, the ball was still moving extremely fast, and Keiji Akaashi did not possess Haruki Komi's speed.
Worse, it was flying toward the net. If he arrived even a step too late, it would cross straight back into Kamomedai's court.
When Haruki Komi saw how far the ball had flown, his heart sank.
This was bad.
He had let Keiji Akaashi down. Keiji Akaashi would have to salvage the ball somehow.
Keiji Akaashi also knew that if he was even a moment late, the ball would become a free chance for Kamomedai. He immediately rushed forward.
Bokuto followed him toward the net.
If Keiji Akaashi did not want to send the ball directly into the opposing court, he only needed to redirect it lightly with his fingers. Bokuto could meet the set and attack immediately.
Seeing Keiji Akaashi approaching, Suwa and Hakuba rushed to the net to block him.
When Hoshiumi noticed Bokuto coming forward, he followed and positioned himself directly across from him.
Bokuto had obviously moved there to receive Keiji Akaashi's set. Hoshiumi planted himself along Bokuto's hitting lane, ready to stop him.
Keiji Akaashi was still slightly faster than Suwa and the others. By the time Suwa reached the net and prepared to jump, Keiji Akaashi was already airborne.
His fingers touched the volleyball, though the effort showed on his face.
Bokuto watched from nearby, hoping Keiji Akaashi would set to him. At that moment, he was the only attacker at the net. None of the others had arrived yet.
But Keiji Akaashi had no intention of giving him the ball.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi and Inube were positioned behind Hoshiumi. Setting to Bokuto would almost certainly fail to produce a point.
While Keiji Akaashi hesitated over whom to set, Konoha began an approach from the three-meter line and reached the space behind him.
Keiji Akaashi sensed the movement at exactly the right moment.
Konoha bent forward and whispered, "Give it to me."
Keiji Akaashi's eyes shifted.
The next instant, he lightly flicked the ball toward position three beside him.
Hakuba followed the direction of the set and found no one there.
He frowned in confusion.
Had Fukurōdani's setter finally lost his mind?
Just as Hakuba began to look away, Konoha jumped from behind Keiji Akaashi. Using the setter's body to hide his approach, he emerged for the attack.
Hakuba caught sight of someone rising from the corner of his eye and whipped his head back in alarm, just in time to see Konoha swinging at the ball.
"Bang!"
Hakuba was too late to move over and jump.
They were only about one body length apart, but simply reaching sideways might not be enough to touch the ball.
Hakuba stood over six foot two and had long arms. Even so, he had no idea whether he could reach it by stretching out his hand.
"Bang!"
The volleyball brushed Hakuba's fingertips and slammed into the floor with such a deafening sound that his ears rang.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi had remained on Hoshiumi's side. Even if he had run over, he would never have reached the ball.
Hakuba, who was at the net, had barely noticed Konoha. Keiichiro Kanbayashi had been completely focused on Bokuto, so there was no chance he could have spotted the attack in time.
"BEEEEEP!"
Fukurōdani scored, ending Kamomedai's turn at the service line.
Now it was Fukurōdani's serve.
"Not bad, Komi. You received Inube's serve on your second try."
Konoha looked delighted as he approached Haruki Komi.
Haruki Komi smiled sheepishly.
"Come on, don't praise me too much. I only managed it because I've received Inube's serves before. Honestly, though, it feels like he's improved again."
Even so, Haruki Komi had also continued improving over the past two years. He was no longer the inexperienced first-year he had once been.
"I think Inube might've made a mistake on that serve."
Bokuto walked over while scratching his hair.
Haruki Komi paused, remembering the brief stiffness in Inube's motion. Still, he found it difficult to believe that Inube had actually made a mistake.
"I don't think so."
The three stood together, looking from one face to another, but reached no conclusion.
Washio came over and urged them to return to their positions for the next rally.
They nodded and moved away while Washio headed behind the service line.
He lightly bounced the volleyball in his hands, focusing on it before using the space around it to locate the opposing libero.
Sensing Washio's gaze, Keiichiro Kanbayashi looked up.
Their eyes met briefly.
The next moment, the whistle sounded.
"BEEEEEP!"
Washio moved with the whistle.
He tossed the volleyball upward, began his approach, and jumped.
Swinging his arm with tremendous force, he aimed directly at Keiichiro Kanbayashi.
"Bang!"
His palm struck the volleyball hard, sending it flying across the court.
It was a simple, powerful jump serve.
But when something simple was practiced again and again, it became refined to its purest form.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi's pupils contracted.
He had already received Washio's serves during the previous two sets, so why did this one feel so different?
The volleyball was suddenly right in front of him.
To Keiichiro Kanbayashi, it felt like a combination of Bokuto's power and Inube's speed.
Washio's serve was not as fast as Inube's, but compared to almost anyone else's, it was still exceptionally quick.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi did not need to move far. The serve was aimed directly at him, so he only had to take a few steps and adjust his position.
Even so, after setting himself to receive it, he failed to control the ball.
"Bang!"
The volleyball slammed into Keiichiro Kanbayashi's forearms with enough force to knock them aside.
His arms were driven backward completely against his will.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi: What?
Keiichiro Kanbayashi was completely baffled. Why was this serve so different from the earlier ones? The power was on an entirely different level.
Had Washio been holding back for the first two sets?
Was this how everyone played now, saving their trump card until the final set?
Fine. So that was how it was going to be. Everyone else had been showing their hand honestly, while this guy had kept his hidden.
"BEEEEEP!"
The whistle awarding the point interrupted Keiichiro Kanbayashi's thoughts.
He straightened and rubbed his arm.
Ouch... It had gone numb.
"What happened?"
Inube walked over and asked. Keiichiro Kanbayashi shook his arm a few times.
"I'm fine. Washio was holding back with his serves before. That last one felt a lot like Bokuto's."
Inube patted him on the shoulder.
"Just do your best. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Keiichiro Kanbayashi nodded. Hearing that from the captain put him at ease.
This was Inube's first match since returning, and Keiichiro Kanbayashi was afraid that a poor performance would drag him down. If he failed to make the first pass, they would not be able to organize an attack afterward.
Inube's words helped him relax a little. He looked across the net at Washio, who gave him a nod in return.
Once the next whistle sounded, Washio raised the volleyball and prepared to serve again.
It was another powerful jump serve. This time, Washio put everything he had into it.
He knew that if he did not use his best weapon now, he might not get another opportunity. Keiichiro Kanbayashi had always been a libero with exceptional discipline and adaptability. A serve like this could probably take three points from him at most.
No more than that.
So Washio had to score as many points as possible while he still could.
"Bang!"
The volleyball tore into Kamomedai's court with tremendous force.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi had been ready, but the sight of Washio's serve still shocked him.
If this guy had shown this kind of ability earlier, wouldn't he already be considered a national-level player?
There was no time to dwell on it. Keiichiro Kanbayashi sprinted toward the ball's landing point and extended both arms without hesitation.
The volleyball dropped rapidly and slammed into his forearms with overwhelming force. Once again, he felt something resisting his attempt to lift his arms.
He could not raise them at all.
"Bang!"
Keiichiro Kanbayashi's arms were knocked aside again. The ball ricocheted off his crooked platform and flew out of bounds.
"Bang!"
"BEEEEEP!"
"Another point! Fukurōdani's Washio has now scored twice in a row with his powerful jump serve, opening an early lead over Kamomedai! What an intense start to the set. Will Kamomedai manage to end Fukurōdani's service run on the next ball?"
Keiichiro Kanbayashi stood and rubbed his arm, which had gone numb yet again.
Hakuba ran over in disbelief.
"Is it really that bad? Is Washio's serve actually that powerful? You couldn't receive either of them."
Keiichiro Kanbayashi gave him a bitter smile.
"Why would I lie? His serve is comparable to Bokuto's."
Hakuba's eyes gradually widened. He glanced across the net at Washio, then hesitated as though preparing to comfort Keiichiro Kanbayashi.
Before he could, Suwa dragged him away.
"Don't disturb Keiichiro. Let him think about how to receive the next serve."
The rest of Kamomedai was not particularly worried. Whenever Keiichiro Kanbayashi struggled with a serve, he usually figured it out by the third attempt.
There was little reason for concern.
The widening score gap, however, would be difficult to recover from.
When the third serve came, Washio once again stepped behind the service line. The Fukurōdani players immediately began cheering him on.
"Washio, give us another one!"
"Washio, take five points off them!"
They shouted at the top of their lungs, looking like a group of elementary school children challenging someone to a fight.
Coach Takuro could barely stand to watch.
Fukurōdani's players were excellent in every respect, but they never seemed capable of behaving seriously for long.
Even Washio looked embarrassed. He gave his teammates a brief nod.
The referee's head was beginning to ache from all the noise, so he promptly blew the whistle.
Everyone fell silent at once. The players near the net placed both hands behind their heads. Washio's serve carried so much force that a direct hit might give someone a concussion.
Washio quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Because he rarely spoke, he often felt strangely out of place among the rest of Fukurōdani.
He walked behind the service line and accepted the volleyball from the ball boy. He turned it twice in his hands, searching for the right feel.
Once he found it, Washio tossed the ball into the air and smoothly began his approach.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi shook out his arms and prepared himself.
This was the third serve.
He had to receive it.
By now, he had mostly grasped the characteristics of Washio's serve. It carried tremendous power, but very little spin, and its trajectory was easy to read.
As long as he kept his arms firm at the instant of contact and absorbed the force in time, he could receive it.
"Keiichiro, you've got this."
Inube turned and gave him an encouraging smile.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi smiled back.
Washio jumped and once again struck the volleyball with all his strength. The impact visibly distorted the ball. Just looking at it was enough to understand how much force the serve carried.
"Bang!"
Keiichiro Kanbayashi moved the moment he heard Washio make contact.
He sprinted to the right, quickly settled into position, and crouched into his receiving stance.
Even if the actual landing point differed from his prediction, it should still be nearby. He would only need to adjust by a few steps.
Sure enough, the volleyball flew toward his position.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi's nerves tightened further. Its path was slightly offset from where he stood.
He made a small adjustment step and shifted into the correct position.
"Bang!"
The instant he moved, the volleyball was already upon him.
Keiichiro Kanbayashi extended both arms. The impact nearly knocked him to the floor.
He gritted his teeth and held firm, driving his heels into the court to support his body. His upper arms strained as he lifted his forearms.
As the volleyball rebounded upward, he deliberately adjusted the angle of his platform.
The ball flew toward Kazuyoshi Bessho.
"Great receive!"
"Nice ball!"
Everyone celebrated the successful pass.
Kazuyoshi Bessho's expression improved considerably.
Now that was a good first pass. At the very least, he would not have to chase it halfway across the court.
He ran easily toward the net and jumped to set.
Kazuyoshi Bessho was still considering who should attack when he suddenly remembered what Hirugami had told him before leaving the court.
"If you don't know who to set to, send the ball somewhere without a block and call for the captain. He'll fly over and hit it. Trust me. The captain is fast enough to reach any set."