The music cut off abruptly, and Atsumu Miya lowered his hand and began his serve.
After tossing the volleyball into the air, Atsumu Miya started his approach and jumped.
Once again, he did not aim at Yamagata.
Atsumu Miya knew when to be practical. If he could not beat someone head-on, he would use strategy instead.
He had never been fond of brute-forcing his way through an opponent.
So Atsumu Miya aimed for the edges and corners of the court.
A jump float was difficult to control precisely. Even the server could only determine its general direction.
But that was not much of a problem for Atsumu Miya.
He only needed to make sure the serve went far enough, landed somewhere awkward enough, and stayed in bounds.
His goal was to wear Yamagata down.
Little by little, without him even noticing, Atsumu Miya intended to drain his stamina.
His palm struck the volleyball lightly, producing a crisp sound.
"Thud!"
The ball flew quickly toward the backcourt.
Yamagata tensed behind the others, his eyes fixed firmly on the volleyball.
After crossing the net, the ball continued racing deeper, looking as though it might sail out.
But Yamagata did not believe for a second that it would actually go out.
He chased after it.
The ball flew fast and deep, passing the three-meter line without showing any sign of dropping.
Yamagata was starting to wonder whether he had misjudged it.
But remembering the serve he had misread earlier, he still decided to go after this one.
Receiving one more ball meant giving the team one more chance.
So Yamagata positioned himself near the boundary.
If the volleyball kept flying deeper, he would leave it.
But if it started dropping around there, he would receive it.
Why would he leave it if it kept going?
Because if it traveled even a little farther, it would be out.
As for a jump float landing perfectly on the line, that was basically impossible to control deliberately.
A jump float was unstable by nature.
The receiver could not predict it.
The server could not fully predict it.
Even the ball itself seemed uncertain about where it was going.
How could anyone intentionally make it land exactly on the line?
If it happened, that could only be called sheer luck.
The volleyball flew toward Yamagata.
As it approached, he backed up several steps and extended both arms.
The ball dropped toward his platform.
Yamagata raised his arms at the same time.
"Thud!"
The volleyball seemed to land lightly against his forearms, but Yamagata could clearly feel the force behind it.
It was much heavier than it looked.
If he had not mentally prepared himself in advance, the impact probably would have caught him completely off guard.
The ball struck Yamagata's arms.
He lifted his platform and sent it back toward the court.
The volleyball rose high and traveled a long distance.
Yamagata shook out his arms and ran back toward his teammates.
Atsumu Miya saw his serve get received.
Even though he had already expected the possibility, he still felt frustrated.
That had probably been his best serve so far.
And Yamagata had received it as if it were nothing.
Anyone would feel annoyed by that.
After the receive, the ball flew toward Shirabu.
Shirabu was near position 3, while Yamagata had received the serve close to the sideline and nearly out of bounds.
Seen that way, Atsumu Miya could hardly complain that the serve had failed to score.
To receive a ball from that far away and still deliver a stable first pass straight to Shirabu required terrifying ball control.
"Ugh, that's scary. Shiratorizawa is full of freaks!"
Hoshiumi's expression twisted after watching the play.
He quickly pulled his legs up onto the chair and rubbed at the goosebumps on his arms like a startled cat with its fur standing on end.
Just imagining his serve being received, then turned into a perfect first pass by the opposing libero, was enough to make Hoshiumi furious.
He wondered what Atsumu Miya was feeling right now.
Atsumu Miya was indeed feeling miserable.
The moment the serve was received, possession shifted back to Shiratorizawa.
If Inarizaki failed to stop this attack, their serving run would end and the score gap would widen again.
So the instant Atsumu Miya landed from his serve, he joined the rally.
Inarizaki absolutely had to score this point.
Yamagata had sent the ball all the way back into the court toward Shirabu.
Shirabu was now close to the net.
Ushijima and Tsutomu Goshiki began their approaches, one ahead of the other.
Tendo immediately moved toward Suna again.
But this time, Suna had no intention of remaining passive.
Before Tendo could get across from him and lock him down, Suna moved first and chased after Ushijima.
It looked like he intended to join the block.
Suna did not know who would actually attack this ball.
But Tendo was already closing in, and Suna had to choose someone.
So he bet on Ushijima.
His instincts told him Ushijima would be the one attacking.
Osamu Miya also immediately moved across from Ushijima.
That left only Aran in front of Tsutomu Goshiki.
Now both the players preparing to attack and those who were not had someone watching them.
Atsumu Miya stared intently at Shirabu.
The moment Shirabu moved, Atsumu Miya would call for the block.
Shirabu knew Atsumu Miya was watching him.
He was not worried in the slightest.
He was not the one attacking, after all.
Atsumu Miya could not block him.
Seeing so many people gathered around Ushijima, Shirabu knew he could not set to him.
Suna was a capable blocker.
Besides, Ushijima had carried much of the offense through the first two sets, so his stamina had already taken a considerable hit.
Shirabu decided to set to Tsutomu Goshiki instead.
Tsutomu Goshiki was running behind Ushijima.
When Ushijima reached the net, Tsutomu Goshiki emerged from behind him and moved to a position about two body lengths away.
Tsutomu Goshiki had assumed that all the defensive attention would be drawn toward Ushijima.
That should have left no one blocking his side.
But to his surprise, Suna, who had originally been heading toward Ushijima, suddenly slammed on the brakes halfway there and turned toward Tsutomu Goshiki instead.
As Suna ran, he remembered the previous point.
It had been exactly the same.
Ushijima had been used as a decoy, while Tsutomu Goshiki delivered the actual attack.
Suna refused to fall for that twice.
Shirabu's hands froze for a moment.
He had already been preparing to send the ball to Tsutomu Goshiki when Suna suddenly appeared.
If Shirabu changed his setting motion now, there was a good chance he would make an error.
Just as Shirabu was wondering what to do, Reon burst forward from beside Tsutomu Goshiki.
He was moving quickly.
If Shirabu set the ball now, Reon would arrive at exactly the right moment.
Shirabu did not hesitate.
He sent the volleyball toward Tsutomu Goshiki.
It looked like a set for Tsutomu Goshiki.
In reality, it was meant for Reon.
Tsutomu Goshiki heard the volleyball approaching and crouched in preparation to jump.
Suna stayed locked on him, ready to jump at any moment.
Tsutomu Goshiki still had no idea he was acting as a decoy.
So after the point was over, Suna sincerely told him, "Nice acting."
The volleyball arrived in an instant.
Tsutomu Goshiki jumped to attack.
Suna jumped with him to block.
Tsutomu Goshiki swung hard.
He knew Suna was difficult to deal with, so this attack needed both technique and power.
He swung.
"Thud!"
But Suna never felt the ball hit his hands.
For a moment, he thought Tsutomu Goshiki had simply hit around the block and scored.
Then he looked down.
There was no volleyball on the floor.
Suna's expression darkened again.
Shiratorizawa had fooled him once more.
Tsutomu Goshiki was still in the air.
Having failed to make contact with the ball, he looked around in confusion.
He had thought the impact sound came from his own hand.
But now it was obvious.
He had not hit the ball at all.
At that moment, Shinsuke Kita, who had already rushed over to receive the attack, shouted.
It was unclear who he was calling to.
"Cover!"
Everyone turned toward Shinsuke Kita.
He was half-crouched with one knee on the floor, the volleyball already rebounding from his arms.
Looking across the net, they saw Reon standing there.
He had clearly just finished attacking.
So that last ball had been Reon's spike.
Suna hurried to reposition, frustration rising inside him.
Why had he failed to notice Reon?
On his own, Reon was an extremely dangerous attacker.
But surrounded by so many other threats, his presence had somehow faded into the background.
Suna could not blame Reon for that.
He could only blame himself for failing to observe carefully enough.
But he had no time to dwell on it.
He had already spotted Tendo.
Suna sprinted over at full speed and planted himself across from Tendo for one reason.
He was going to mark him.
Tendo had spent all this time sticking to Suna, causing him to miss plenty of plays.
Now their positions were reversed.
Suna had no intention of wasting the opportunity.
Tendo narrowed his eyes and looked at Suna across the net with an amused smile.
So Suna wanted to stop him?
Then he could watch how an upperclassman shook off a blocker.
Sparks practically flew between Tendo and Suna.
On the other side, the moment Shinsuke Kita called for cover, Aran, Osamu Miya, and Atsumu Miya all rushed over.
Osamu Miya was the fastest.
Shinsuke Kita did not care why all three of them were coming.
He knew they understood what they were doing.
Seeing Osamu Miya arrive first, Shinsuke Kita did not hesitate.
He sent the ball toward him.
Either twin could handle the second touch.
The important question was who would attack afterward.
"I've got it!"
Osamu Miya shouted as he ran forward and jumped to adjust the ball.
When Atsumu Miya turned and saw his younger brother preparing to set, his eyes immediately lit up.
He looked like a child who had finally been given a toy he had begged for forever.
Aran glanced sideways at Atsumu Miya.
He knew exactly what that expression meant.
Atsumu Miya wanted this ball.
So Aran backed up several steps and pretended to begin an approach, trying to draw attention away from Atsumu Miya.
Sure enough, the move attracted Tsutomu Goshiki, who was clever enough in some ways but still easy to lure at times.
Reon saw Tsutomu Goshiki move toward Aran and did not stop him.
An extra layer of defense was never a bad thing.
Then Reon fixed his attention on Atsumu Miya and did not look away.
He did not trust him.
Atsumu Miya had attacked plenty of balls before.
Reon guessed this one was probably going to him.
The expression on Atsumu Miya's face made it obvious.
He was itching to attack.
Osamu Miya jumped to set.
He saw Atsumu Miya repeatedly glancing back at him and immediately understood.
If Osamu Miya did not set this ball to him, Atsumu Miya would definitely sulk after the rally.
Only Reon stood in front of Atsumu Miya.
That did not make the situation easy.
Reon was difficult to deal with.
Osamu Miya worried that if he sent the ball to Atsumu Miya and Atsumu Miya failed to score, things would become troublesome.
Then it would no longer just be about losing a point.
Atsumu Miya would probably become dejected too.
Truthfully, Osamu Miya did not really want to set to him.
But right now, Atsumu Miya was still the best option.
So Osamu Miya reached out and sent the volleyball toward him.
Feeling the ball rise into position, Atsumu Miya backed up several steps and began his approach.
Reon, who had been watching Atsumu Miya the entire time, immediately became alert.
So he really was going to attack.
Reon kept his eyes fixed on him without looking away for even a moment.
Tsutomu Goshiki was still focused on blocking Aran.
When he sensed the ball moving elsewhere, he instinctively wanted to glance up.
Aran noticed.
To keep Tsutomu Goshiki from interfering with Atsumu Miya, Aran backed up a few steps and jumped.
That immediately drew Tsutomu Goshiki's attention.
Seeing Aran leap as if to attack, Tsutomu Goshiki no longer had time to check where the ball actually was.
He jumped to block.
Truthfully, Tsutomu Goshiki knew Aran might not be the one hitting.
But he had no choice.
He had not seen where the ball was going.
Any movement that looked like an attack had to be treated seriously.
People kept calling Tsutomu Goshiki foolish.
In reality, he was simply meticulous.
It was surprisingly hard to imagine someone as straightforward as Tsutomu Goshiki having such a careful side.
Aran jumped as if to spike.
Naturally, Tsutomu Goshiki blocked nothing.
Over on Reon's side, he watched Atsumu Miya back up several steps and begin his approach.
He was about to jump.
Reon immediately rushed to the net.
He bent his knees slightly, ready to take off at any moment.
Atsumu Miya jumped.
The volleyball arrived right beside his hand.
A familiar set.
Osamu Miya's sets really were comfortable to hit.
Reon jumped with him.
Once airborne, Atsumu Miya glanced beyond the block.
Yamagata was crouched behind Reon.
If Atsumu Miya hit too deep, Yamagata would receive it.
If he hit too close, there was always the risk of making an error.
But the ball was already there.
He had to attack.
And Atsumu Miya loved the thrill of moments like this.
He raised his arm and swung hard.
Everyone behind Atsumu Miya watched the play unfold.
Reon raised both arms to block.
The ball initially looked like it was going straight down the line.
But if Atsumu Miya changed his wrist at the last instant, Reon would have to cover the cross-court angle instead.
So Reon remained completely tense.
Atsumu Miya twisted his wrist slightly.
It looked like he was about to hit cross-court.
Reon immediately shifted his left hand toward that angle.
That movement opened a gap between his hands.
At that exact moment, Atsumu Miya changed his motion again.
He abandoned the cross-court shot and switched back to the line.
The volleyball slammed straight through the gap between Reon's hands.
Reon was genuinely stunned.
He was already starting to descend.
How was Atsumu Miya still in the air?
And how had he managed to change his hitting motion twice before contact?
Was this guy cheating?
That made no sense at all!
...
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