After returning to the match venue, Jin quickly calmed his breathing. The match was about to begin.
Coach Ukai gathered the starters and explained the rotation in detail.
Starting lineup: Jin, Hinata, Kageyama, Asahi, Nishinoya, Daichi.
For the first rotation change, Hinata and Tsukishima would swap, and Nishinoya would rotate with Tanaka.
The referee's whistle echoed, and both teams stepped onto the court.
Front row, Jin and Hinata stood side by side against Date Tech's Aone. The difference in height was brutal.
"Three first-years in the front row… one of them looks like a grade-schooler. Karasuno must be desperate."
"Standing next to Aone-senpai, they look like kids."
"Shh, don't let them hear!"
From the Date Tech bench, the substitute players snickered, their mocking voices floating to Karasuno's side.
Hinata and Kageyama clenched their fists, glaring furiously, but couldn't fire back.
Jin only smirked, patting both on the shoulders. "Relax. Volleyball isn't a sport where height rules everything. Let them laugh, what matters is shutting them up with actions."
Hinata and Kageyama exchanged a glance, then nodded firmly. "Got it!"
Up in the stands, Shimada and Takinoue leaned forward anxiously, watching Karasuno's setup.
Date Tech's "Iron Wall" defense had a terrifying reputation. Breaking through it would determine not only this match but the momentum of Karasuno's entire run.
Just before the serve, Jin leaned toward Kageyama and muttered a few words. Kageyama blinked, surprised, then nodded quickly.
The match began.
Date Tech's third-year setter, Kamasaki, launched the opening serve.
It wasn't a jump serve, just a tricky low-speed spin aimed deep into Asahi's corner.
"I got this!" Asahi flinched. Spin serves were rare now, most players preferred fast rotations for power. But this one twisted oddly, difficult to read.
"Sorry, cover me!" Asahi called.
Kageyama hustled forward, taking it clean, and set the ball high toward Jin.
Kageyama couldn't run a quick, too risky off a broken receive so Jin adjusted, backing two steps to widen his approach.
Aone and Kamasaki's middle blocker leapt together, massive shadows rising. Date Tech's specialty "selective blocking". They read the set, then shifted as one, sealing the angles with precision.
This was the Iron Wall.
Jin's eyes sharpened. 'The first point sets the momentum, I'll break through this one.'
"Flexibility MAX, activate!"
A notification flared in his mind. The buff from Ushijima's quest. Duration: 10 minutes. Perfect.
To Aone, Jin's air-time suddenly looked strange. In mid-air, Jin twisted, his waist snapping his body a third of the way around, carving out an impossible angle.
"Stop me with just two? Not enough!"
Jin roared, his shoulder rotating inward, arm whipping down at a vicious slant. The spike cut past the inside of the double block, slamming untouched into Date Tech's court.
*Boom!*
The Iron Wall cracked on the very first swing.
"W-What the hell was that angle?!"
"Is that guy really a first-year!?"
Even Date Tech's bench all shocked, their earlier playful turning to disbelief.
Shimada and Takinoue in the stands jumped to their feet, fists clenched. "He broke through! He actually broke through!"
Aone stared at Jin, wide-eyed.
But Jin only swung his arms like a kid and shouted playfully. "Hey, Aone-san! Weren't you the one who said you'd be the first to stop me? Go on try it!"
The taunt was loud.
Half a year ago, Karasuno's offense had been crushed by Date Tech's Iron Wall. But now, Jin stood as the spear to pierce it.
Asahi's eyes burned as he watched Jin's back. Jin glanced over, raising a thumb behind him a signal.
Their code.
Asahi nodded, then stepped to serve. His ball floated slightly off-line, targeting the libero.
"I got it!" Date Tech's libero read it perfectly, setting it to their wing spiker.
Kamasaki set high to the front row, right over Hinata. The smaller blocker, the obvious weak point.
"Hinata!" Jin yelled. "If you can't shut them down, they'll keep targeting you because you're small!"
Hinata's spirit activated instantly. He bent low, legs coiling like springs, then exploded upward.
"Wha-?!" The Date Tech's spiker's eyes widened. Hinata's head suddenly rose above the net, his jump startlingly high.
The spike slammed against Hinata's hand, deflecting it mid-court.
"One touch!" Hinata shouted.
Kageyama reads it, goes under the ball, then tosses it to Jin.
Jin grinned, touching the bridge of his nose. "Heh. Things are going smoother than expected."