For some reason, Tendo suddenly thought of a phrase.
"Back in our day, we never had it as good as you kids do."
It was the kind of thing adults often said when lecturing children about studying or practicing volleyball. Tendo hadn't thought much of it when he first heard it, but now he found himself wanting to say the exact same thing.
Back then, Coach Washijō had been nowhere near as emotionally stable as he was now. He had practically been a walking powder keg. Everyone had been yelled at by him, even Ushijima.
But now, Tendo honestly couldn't remember ever hearing Coach Washijō yell at Ryosuke. At most, Ryosuke got a few mild threats, the sort meant to scare children.
He was getting sidetracked.
Back on the court, Ryosuke stood at the service line with the volleyball in hand, looking like he was in excellent form.
Coach Kurosu let out a long, heavy sigh. He was so worried he was practically going bald. That kid's scoring rate on serves was simply too high. Put him together with Ushijima and Reon, and Shiratorizawa practically had three cannons that could hit whatever they aimed at.
He had no idea whether Akagi could hold out.
Even if he couldn't, he had to. Inarizaki didn't have another libero.
Ryosuke stepped into position, and the cheers rose again as usual. Everyone was eager to see what kind of brilliant performance this young player would produce.
Ryosuke held the volleyball with a calm expression. There wasn't a trace of the shy blush from earlier. He even tugged at the wristband on his arm.
Wristband on, everything else forgotten.
Ryosuke tossed the volleyball up and served again.
His waist drove the rotation of his body as he struck the ball.
"Bang!"
Tendo sat on the sideline and caught sight of the small strip of Ryosuke's waist exposed during the serve. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Sakusa, sitting in the stands, had clearly seen it too. His gaze darkened, and his nose suddenly felt itchy. He quickly looked away, only for his eyes to fall on Tendo below.
Tendo was staring straight at Ryosuke without even trying to hide it.
A burst of anger flared inside Sakusa.
He suddenly wanted to smash Tendo into the floor.
Ryosuke, meanwhile, was completely focused on his serve and had no idea about the undercurrents brewing away from the court.
His arm drove his palm hard into the volleyball.
"Bang!"
A thunderous sound exploded from his hand.
The volleyball shot forward like a falling bird.
Spinning fiercely, it tore into Inarizaki's court with unstoppable force.
Akagi felt the ball bearing straight toward his face, and his hands trembled slightly.
Part of it was instinctive fear.
The other part was excitement at the thought that he might actually receive this serve.
Akagi stared intently at the volleyball, carefully studying its arc and judging where it would land.
The previous serve had curved right at the very end, but this one was obviously different.
After crossing the net, the volleyball swayed dramatically from side to side. For a moment, Akagi couldn't tell exactly where it would land, though he could still judge the general direction.
Keeping his eyes on the ball, Akagi backed toward the left.
Judging by the force behind it, there was a good chance it would land deep in the backcourt.
But Akagi didn't dare retreat too far.
If he went too far back, he might not be able to receive it at all.
His entire body was tense.
Akagi tried to force himself to relax, but the more he tried, the stiffer he became.
In the end, he simply stopped thinking about it.
The volleyball quickly arrived in front of him.
Akagi extended both arms, ready to receive.
This time, he had no intention of diving.
A dive might give him a slightly better chance of reaching the ball, but if the volleyball changed direction just before hitting the floor, he would definitely miss it.
Adjusting your receiving angle while sprawled on the floor was simply too difficult.
Not everyone could do what Yamagata did and prop themselves up on their palms to spin around on the floor.
That was beside the point.
The volleyball was already there.
Before it touched Akagi's arms, the ball was still swaying and spinning.
But in the split second before contact, the wobbling suddenly stopped.
Akagi seized that instant and thrust his arms forward.
"Bang!"
Pain shot through his arms.
For one brief moment, Akagi thought he had received it perfectly.
But the instant the volleyball touched him, it twisted at a strange angle.
It turned into precisely the kind of angle Akagi couldn't control and grazed the back of his hand before flying behind him.
Akagi's expression changed instantly.
He reached out, trying to scoop the ball back up, but it was moving too fast.
By the time he reacted and turned around, the volleyball had already hit the floor.
Akagi stared at it with helplessness in his eyes, along with a faint sense of resignation.
He had probably known he wouldn't get that one.
They only had three attempts to adjust to Ryosuke's serve, and now just one remained.
If they couldn't score on the third one, the gap would grow even wider.
None of the Inarizaki players looked particularly good right now.
"It's okay, Akagi. Just do your best."
Facing Akagi's guilty expression, Shinsuke Kita didn't tell him that he absolutely had to receive the next ball.
He only told him to do his best.
The meaning was clear enough.
Even if Akagi couldn't receive it, that was fine.
The rest of the team was still there.
Aran also walked over and patted Akagi on the shoulder.
He could see the unease and worry in Akagi's eyes.
Akagi was probably afraid that this set would end because he failed to receive the serve.
The pressure on him right now was enormous.
But only Akagi could handle the receive.
No one else could really share that burden for him.
All they could do was encourage him.
Shinsuke Kita opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something else, but then closed it again.
He was afraid that saying too much might make Akagi feel as though they were looking down on him.
A libero's pride was stronger than anyone else's.
Akagi nodded seriously.
He was worried that he still might not be able to receive the next serve, but sooner or later, they needed an answer.
Ryosuke returned to the service line and looked across at Inarizaki with the volleyball in hand.
After finishing their brief conversation, the Inarizaki players returned to their positions and waited for the next serve.
Once the referee saw that everyone was ready, he blew the whistle.
"Beep--------!"
Ryosuke heard the signal and prepared to serve.
His eyes were still fixed on Akagi across the court.
Akagi took a deep breath.
No matter what happened, he had to receive this one.
Volleyball God, please bless him!
Ryosuke tossed the ball into the air.
His waist rotated and drove his body, while the force from his arm carried through to his wrist.
He struck the volleyball with all his strength.
"Bang!"
The ball shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, flying straight toward Akagi's face.
Tsutomu Goshiki, standing closest to the net, could even hear the ball cutting through the air as it passed.
It flew directly over the net.
Once it crossed, its spin became faster and faster, the curve widening as it rushed toward Akagi.
Akagi's pupils contracted.
How was it still this fast?
Did Ryosuke never run out of stamina?
Akagi looked up and tracked the ball's path.
He predicted that this serve would probably land somewhere close to where the previous one had.
So he took a few steps back, lowered his body, planted his legs firmly, and stretched out both arms.
This time, Akagi wasn't going to wait for the ball to hit his arms before lifting them.
That worked against most serves, but Ryosuke was different.
His serves were simply too fast.
If Akagi waited until the volleyball reached his arms before trying to lift it, the ball would already be gone.
He wouldn't have any chance to control it.
So Akagi decided to meet the ball early and lift it immediately.
"Bang!"
Akagi's raised arms met the volleyball head-on.
A wave of resistance and pain shot through him.
Without hesitating, Akagi lifted the ball toward Atsumu Miya.
It looked strained, but he had received it.
Ryosuke raised an eyebrow as he looked at Akagi.
Akagi was impressive.
He had managed to receive it on just the third serve.
If Akagi had heard that thought, he probably would have exploded.
What did he mean, "on just the third serve"?
Was that supposed to be praise or an insult?!
But Akagi had no idea what Ryosuke was thinking.
He was simply proud of himself for receiving the ball.
"Nice one, Akagi!"
"Great save!"
Everyone immediately erupted with excitement.
There was none of the calm composure they had shown while encouraging Akagi moments earlier.
Of course they were excited.
Receiving that ball meant they still had a chance to take the lead.
How could they not be?
But right now, the most important thing was turning this receive into a point.
Atsumu Miya ran toward Akagi to adjust for the ball.
Akagi had managed to receive it, but the first pass was nowhere near perfect.
In fact, it was practically a disaster.
Atsumu Miya sighed inwardly.
Whatever.
He would have to make do.
Then irritation rose inside him.
Since when had he, Atsumu Miya, ever been forced to play such an aggravating match?
Shiratorizawa was absolutely infuriating!
While screaming internally, he rushed into position for the set.
After a few quick steps, Atsumu Miya jumped and set the ball.
Osamu Miya and Aran had already moved toward the front.
On the other side, Ryosuke had been watching Suna, but Suna immediately ran in another direction without the slightest hesitation.
He clearly had no intention of getting into a standoff with Ryosuke at the net.
"Oh?"
Ryosuke made a small sound of surprise as he watched Suna run away.
Since Suna was gone, Ryosuke stopped paying attention to him.
Instead, he moved toward the spot where Osamu Miya was about to arrive and lowered himself into position.
He had a feeling Osamu Miya would take this spike.
Aran, who had already jumped, was definitely just a decoy.
On the other side, Aran had already started his jump in front of Reon and Tsutomu Goshiki.
But one glance at Atsumu Miya's set made it obvious that the direction didn't match.
The ball hadn't even reached its target yet.
So there was no way it was meant for Aran.
Osamu Miya naturally spotted Ryosuke as he approached the net.
With Ryosuke's height, there was no hiding him at the net.
Osamu Miya deliberately ran toward Tendo and crouched in front of him as if preparing to jump.
Then, just before taking off, he abruptly pulled back every movement.
He shifted to the spot beside Ryosuke and jumped immediately.
Ryosuke, almost as though he had expected it, took a large step sideways.
He appeared directly in front of Osamu Miya.
Osamu Miya nearly jumped out of his skin.
But he was already in the air and ready to spike.
Ryosuke's sudden appearance only startled him. It didn't cause any actual damage to the play.
Ryosuke's instincts were reliable, but sometimes they lagged just a little.
Compared to Tendo, after all, Ryosuke still had a long way to go.
Osamu Miya jumped and slammed his palm down against the volleyball.
"Bang!"
The ball shot downward hard.
It was a cross-court shot, aimed right beside Ryosuke's feet.
Ryosuke tried to reach it with his foot.
But the corner of his eye couldn't track the ball clearly enough.
By the time he stretched his leg out, it was already about to hit the floor.
Tsutomu Goshiki spotted it immediately.
He wasn't far from Ryosuke's position, so he dove forward and tried to save the ball.
Maybe his diving technique still needed work.
The dive itself was fine, but for some reason, Tsutomu Goshiki's arms were angled incorrectly.
The volleyball struck the edge of his palm, bounced up, then dropped again.
"Thud."
The ball fell lightly to the floor.
Tsutomu Goshiki remained sprawled on the ground, tilting his head toward the volleyball beside him.
He looked a little dejected.
Ryosuke smiled helplessly and bent down, holding out a hand.
Tsutomu Goshiki looked up and reached for it.
Ryosuke pulled him to his feet.
"Sorry. I couldn't protect your serve."
Tsutomu Goshiki apologized awkwardly.
Ryosuke laughed and patted him on the head as though he were petting a puppy.
"I'm the one who should apologize. I only managed to score two points for the team."
"All right, enough. If you two keep apologizing to each other, the next rally is going to start without you."
Reon watched the two of them going back and forth and couldn't help laughing.
Ryosuke looked up at Reon and the others, then waved.
"I'll leave the rest of the match to you guys. Make sure you win."
As he spoke, Ryosuke headed off the court.
Tendo was already waiting by the sideline with the substitution board in hand.
"We will. Don't worry."
Yamagata spoke when he saw how reluctant Ryosuke looked to leave things behind.
Only then did Ryosuke nod and head off.
He jogged to the sideline and high-fived Tendo.
"I'm leaving the rest to you, Tendo-senpai."
"Mm-hm. Of course. You did really well just now."
Tendo reached out and ruffled Ryosuke's hair, praising him as though he were a child.
Ryosuke broke into a grin, his eyes curving with it.
To be fair, he had been a little nervous just now.
He had been sent in specifically to close the score gap.
If he hadn't managed to win at least a few points, Ryosuke really would have been embarrassed to leave the court.
"Good luck, Tendo-senpai."
After saying that, Ryosuke stepped off the court.
The moment Inarizaki saw Ryosuke leave, everyone let out a breath of relief.
At last, that menace was gone.
Who knew how Ryosuke would feel if he found out they thought of him that way?
Tendo stretched his body as he stepped onto the court.
"Did you miss me, everyone~?"
The lilt in his voice made it obvious how cheerful he was.
Yamagata looked at him with open disgust.
"Nope. Didn't miss you at all. Hurry up and get back into position."
"Huh?"
Tendo stared at Yamagata in disappointment.
Then he lowered his head and trudged back to his position, looking pitiful.
Yamagata wasn't fooled for a second.
Pretending to be pitiful was one of Tendo's usual tricks.
There was no way Yamagata was falling for it.
Tsutomu Goshiki, on the other hand, looked a little softhearted, as though he wanted to go comfort him.
But the next rally was about to begin.
Even if Tsutomu Goshiki had something to say, there was no time.
So he returned to his position with everyone else and prepared for the next rally.
...
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