"No need to apologize. You've already done everything you could. Leave the rest to me."
Hank gave the North River players beside him a reassuring look. He had expected this from the start. North River Middle School and Kitagawa Daiichi were operating under completely different training systems. The fact that the former had even managed to hang on against the latter for this long was already impressive enough.
Even if his presence had forcefully kept the match alive, these players had only picked up volleyball because they liked it. Many of them would choose to give it up once they reached high school.
He had no real complaints about them. If anything, he was far harsher on himself. If he had made fewer mistakes earlier, they might have already won by now.
"Then next, it all comes down to this one ball."
"The final kill!"
Hank looked at Kindaichi, who was serving, and anticipation flashed across his face. As long as the next ball came to him, he could finish it. He would put this match away with his own hands.
"You... do you never get nervous?!"
Standing at the net, Kageyama looked at Hank, tension written all over his face. He did not know why, but as long as Hank was on the court, everyone on his side could feel an overwhelming pressure pressing down on them.
It was the first time he had ever felt something like this. The aura coming off Hank alone was enough to prove it—as if he really could carry North River Middle School to victory all by himself.
"As if! There's no way I'm letting you steal all the spotlight!"
Once Kindaichi's serve cleared the net, North River's libero barely managed to dig it up. The arc was not ideal, but it was still a successful receive. The moment he saw that, Hank immediately signaled for the setter beside him to move.
"Who should I send this to... Do I really set it to Hank again?!"
"All three of Kitagawa Daiichi's front-row players are already locked onto Hank. Can I really give it to him?!"
North River's setter watched Hank charging toward him, squeezed his eyes shut, and sent the ball straight to him anyway. The instant the set left his hands, the three Kitagawa Daiichi players in the front row—
—including Kageyama—took their approach and jumped together, both hands pressing forward hard. There was no doubt about it: they had completely sealed off the hitting lane.
There should have been no possible way to get that ball through.
Seeing that, nearly every eye in the gym locked onto Hank. Everyone wanted to see how he would deal with it. If this point was scored again, then North River Middle School would successfully advance.
They would pull off the biggest upset of this junior high tournament and defeat powerhouse Kitagawa Daiichi!
"With the three tallest players on our team sealing the net, no matter how talented you are, you still won't break through!"
Coach Sumi was tense to the limit as well. Under normal circumstances, if the opposing team's Ace was trapped in a triple block by his own players, then the final result should have been obvious—they should have stopped him.
But for some reason, when he was facing Hank—
—that certainty vanished. He could sense a possibility, a possibility that Hank might simply break through that wall head-on!
Screech!
As the rubber soles scraped against the court, Hank launched himself upward with all his strength and hammered the ball down toward the court in front of him. For anyone else, this kind of block would have been fatal.
But for him, it was nothing of the sort.
The moment he jumped, everything in front of him became completely clear.
The entire back court of Kitagawa Daiichi opened up before his eyes, without the slightest obstruction!
Boom!
With a heavy thud, the ball Hank hit smashed straight through the space between the three blockers' arms. Kageyama felt that force firsthand; both his arms instantly went numb...
...and his whole body was knocked backward uncontrollably.
And right beside him, the ball Hank had just blasted down hit the floor. Dazed—completely dazed—Kageyama could not believe what had just happened, or why the volleyball had fallen right next to him.
The other side had actually managed to score through a three-man block!
And with that, he had killed the match. That kind of power... it simply did not feel like something a junior high schooler should possess!
"Whoa! North River Middle School really won! The final victory goes to North River Middle School! That was incredible! A comeback from the brink!"
"One person led the entire team to victory. That takes more than extraordinary skill—it also takes unbelievable nerves. Did you see that? Hank never looked anxious from start to finish!"
"An unquestionable leader! The future soul of the team!"
"A genius! The absolute Ace of the future!"
The moment Hank finally ended the match, the entire venue erupted into cheers. Nearly everyone in the stands rose to their feet and applauded him. They did not know Hank, but there was no doubt that they had been completely won over by the strength he displayed.
It was not just his individual ability. His personal charisma had also brought out an unprecedented sense of unity from a weak team that had originally played only out of interest.
(End of Chapter)
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