Jin sat on the bench, pressing an ice pack to his shoulder. His muscles ached faintly from the first set, but his eyes never left the court.
Date Tech's lineup was unchanged from the first set. By contrast, Karasuno had rotated, experimenting with different formations. That alone could create surprises.
Beside him, Hitoka hugged a notebook and tapped his arm nervously. "Jin… since you're not playing right now, can you explain what's going on? I want to record it."
Such a diligent little manager. Even if she couldn't fully understand the sport yet, she wanted to learn.
Jin touched the bridge of his nose, adopting a serious act look. "Since you're so earnest, I'll make an exception and explain."
He raised his water bottle like a mic. "Welcome, everyone, to today's exclusive broadcast of 'Ace™ Commentary'! I'm your host, the silver-haired ace of Karasuno's first years - Jin!"
"Hello, Jin!" Hitoka whispered back, raising her hand as if she were a student answering in class.
Her innocent reaction made Jin grin.
"Alright! First up, the serve, Kageyama's jump serve, also known as the 'Poker Face Special.'"
"I know what a jump serve is!" Hitoka interrupted, almost like she was in a lecture. "Skip that part!"
Jin laughed. "Fine, fine. Look, serve's out."
Sure enough, Kageyama's ball sailed long.
"Date Tech's serve is dangerous too. Their middle blocker, Aone, even serves tough. But right now, Kageyama takes the pass at the center line. Normally, the ball would go to the left wing, break through with power. But…" Jin paused dramatically.
"…this time, Hinata bursts in from the right. Even though Aone's eyes sharpen, he still can't keep up with that speed."
Hinata hit the quick, and Karasuno claimed the point.
Hitoka's pen scratched furiously. "Two supernovas… Kageyama and Hinata…"
"Oi, oi." Jin puffed his cheeks in mock offense. "Don't forget me. There's also an ace named Jin who's amazing enough to explain this to you!"
Hitoka blinked up at him. "But Jin is already the ace. Everyone knows the ace is the strongest."
Her guileless tone made Jin chuckle. He reached out to pinch her cheek. "Ohh Hitoka-chan, you're too cute."
From her perspective, his face looked more like a shady comedian on TV than a cool ace, but she didn't complain.
Jin cleared his throat. "Anyway, score's 11–8. Date Tech is still ahead. If we want to flip it, we need a run of consecutive points."
Hitoka tilted her head. "But since they can't stop Hinata, why not just keep setting to him?"
"Good question." Jin's grin faded into analysis. "Just because they haven't stopped it yet doesn't mean they never will. Look, Aone's shifting closer to Hinata's lane. Last block, he almost timed it. Keep spamming the monster quick, and they'll lock it down."
Sure enough, the next toss went to Asahi on the left. Aone ignored Hinata's decoy, reading the pass correctly. Asahi's spike hit Aone's palm and bounced to the backcourt.
"This is called a touch," Jin explained, tone like a TV analyst. "Doesn't count against the three touches. But it slows the spike enough for a counterattack. If Date Tech scores here, Karasuno's momentum could break."
At that instant, Tsukishima's glasses glinted under the gym lights. He read the trajectory of the set, leapt sharply, and cut off the quick in perfect form.
*Boom!*
The block resounded across the court.
"Selective blocking!" Jin declared. "Trusting only the data in front of you. That's Tsukishima for you, the nerdy blocker of Karasuno."
Jin didn't say the rest aloud. 'But he still doesn't love volleyball enough yet…'
The game continued, back and forth.
"See? Karasuno's stabilizing," Jin narrated.
"But Date Tech's block can't be broken forever. Hinata's quick is getting read. It's only a matter of time before Aone stops him."
And right on cue, Hinata rose again, Kageyama feeding the set. Aone moved faster than before, catching Hinata at the peak. The ball stalled at his hands.
The monster quick was stopped.
Date Tech countered immediately, swinging from the right. The scoreboard clicked to 15, Date Tech ahead.
Jin sighed, setting down his water bottle and ice pack. "And that concludes this episode of 'Ace™ Commentary'. If I were the streamer Speed, the chat would be going crazy right now."
Coach Ukai signaled to him. "Jin! You're going in next rotation. Be ready to reset the flow."
Jin stood, stretching. Hitoka scribbled his last words in her notebook, then closed it carefully.
She looked up with a bright smile. "Go get them, Ace."
Jin paused mid-step. Then he turned, made a playful finger-gun gesture.
"Bang."
Hitoka giggled, copying the motion back.
The whistle blew for substitution.
Coach Ukai clapped his back. "Alright, Ace. Enough commentary. Time to drag us back into rhythm."
Jin smirked, walking onto the court.
"Leave it to me."