After the Kitagawa Daiichi players saw that even their own libero had no way of receiving Hank's serve, their composure instantly fell apart. This was the first time they had ever run into a situation like this, and it had completely caught them off guard.
Any volleyball team would feel immense pressure when faced with something like that.
As the defensive hub of the entire team, the libero carried the primary responsibility for receiving the ball. Although the libero was usually the least naturally gifted player on the team, there was no doubt that his receiving ability was the best.
Under the rules of volleyball, as long as the ball didn't touch the floor, then even if the setter organizing the offense was poor, or the wing spiker had run into physical problems, the libero could still forcibly keep the team alive.
That kind of player was the team's final pillar of support.
And yet, right after the match began, he had been crushed by that North River Middle School Ace who had just stepped onto the court.
Anyone would feel overwhelming despair in a situation like that. It was like being stripped bare in front of a crowd, left standing in full view of everyone around you.
There wasn't even the slightest sense of security left, only deep humiliation.
Just now, Hank hadn't merely taken a point off their libero—he had ripped away the defensive line in every one of their hearts.
And because of that, Kitagawa Daiichi allowed Hank to score two more points in a row. At this moment, the score had become 10:4, and the set score was tied at 1:1.
North River Middle School now held a clear advantage. Although they were still some distance away from fully sealing the win, the ball was still in Hank's hands. No matter what happened next, anything was possible.
"Don't screw around. This is the court, you idiots!"
When Tobio Kageyama saw that Yutaro Kindaichi and Akira Kunimi beside him had actually started to slack off, he couldn't help but curse at them.
Just because they had failed to receive one serve, they had started spreading negative emotions through the team and had even dropped several points in a row. That infuriated him, and he didn't care in the slightest how that sounded.
What use were people like that, anyway?
And they were supposed to be on the same team as him?
"It's not like we didn't want to receive it. Even the libero couldn't get that ball. There's no way we could've taken it."
"That ball had already been dug way out of bounds. No matter how you think about it, nobody could chase it down."
Kindaichi and Kunimi both clearly had no desire to keep talking to Kageyama. They simply turned their heads and went back to their positions.
The current situation hadn't been caused by them alone. Even Kageyama himself found Hank extremely troublesome to deal with, so how could they possibly be exceptions?
At this point, Kageyama's words held no authority at all in their eyes.
"If I jumped with my full strength, I could probably go straight from the service line to the three-meter line... So this is what top-level vertical jump feels like."
"..."
Looking at Kitagawa Daiichi in front of him, Hank quietly judged where to send his next jump float serve.
Very quickly, he fixed his attention on the space between Kitagawa Daiichi's libero and Kindaichi.
The reason he chose that target was entirely because of a bit of experience from his previous life.
If the serve was sent right into the middle, the two players would hesitate over who was supposed to take it.
And that tiny moment of hesitation was already enough for him to claim the point.
Bang!
After a crisp sound of contact rang out, Hank's serve dropped straight into the gap between the two players in Kitagawa Daiichi's back row.
Just as expected, the two of them really did hesitate for an instant over who should receive it.
And in that instant, Hank successfully scored yet another point.
11:4.
That could already be considered a locked victory.
"I didn't expect North River Middle School to produce such a talented player. It looks like things are going to get very interesting in Miyagi Prefecture from here on out."
"That's right. There's no doubt about it—this Hank who suddenly appeared is absolutely going to leave his mark on high school volleyball in the future."
The referees in charge of scoring all looked toward Hank at the same time.
Although his technical skills were still rough in every area, and his volleyball fundamentals were far from solid, that astonishing vertical jump and his considerable height alone were enough to make people stare.
With just a bit of polishing, he could become a breathtaking gem in the rough.
After both teams continued serving back and forth, the final score on the board between Kitagawa Daiichi and North River Middle School reached 17:24.
North River Middle School had already secured match point. As long as North River scored one more point, the match would immediately end in victory for them.
But if Kitagawa Daiichi wanted to win, then they would need to score eight points in a row.
Only then would Kitagawa Daiichi be able to snatch out a difficult win in this match.
"Sorry, I didn't receive it properly!"
After Hank had rotated from the back into the front row once more, North River Middle School's libero still had no way to handle Tobio Kageyama's attack. He sent the ball flying out of bounds, and possession returned to Kitagawa Daiichi once again.
The score became 18:24.
As long as Kitagawa Daiichi scored seven more points, the score would be tied.
"We dropped way too many points. Sorry, Hank. We dragged you down. If you had even slightly better teammates, you'd be crushing Kitagawa Daiichi."
"Yeah, it's all because of us. I alone gave away eight points. I'm really sorry."
"Hank, sorry!"
The moment the referee awarded possession to Kitagawa Daiichi, apologies came from Hank's teammates at North River.
To be honest, they had personally witnessed Hank nearly erase the gap between Kitagawa Daiichi and North River all by himself on the court.
It might sound easy when said out loud, but the truth was anything but.
As a volleyball powerhouse, Kitagawa Daiichi's players had all gone through high-intensity training ever since they first entered junior high.
But what about North River?
They had only ever treated volleyball as an interest.
For Hank not only to bring them this far, but even to force Kitagawa Daiichi down beneath them, was already enough to show just how monstrous his talent really was.
(End of Chapter)
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