"Yes!"
Iwaizumi nodded as well.
"In this way…"
"Kakugawa's back row doesn't even want to touch his attack!"
...
As the game progressed, the situation on the court unfolded exactly as they predicted.
Even with Kakugawa's adjustments, it was still extremely difficult for them to handle the back row!
This wasn't just because of Akira.
Even the attacks from Tsukishima and Tanaka were difficult to deal with!
After all, during this time without any matches, everyone had improved significantly.
Now, Tanaka and Asahi could break through Kakugawa's block with ease.
Whether using brute force or clever techniques, they were scoring relatively easily.
...
Thud!
As a straight shot from Tanaka landed hard on Kakugawa's flank, the whistle of the referee shrilled again from the sideline.
At this moment, the score stood at Karasuno 15:2 Kakugawa!
The tactical adjustment that Kakugawa had just made now seemed completely ineffective.
Yūdai Hyakuzawa, who started in the back row, had struggled and was now rotated to the front row.
...
"These guys are really impressive."
Ikkei Ukai, seated in the audience, rubbed his chin and watched the court intently.
"Yeah."
Shimada beside him added emotionally,
"You can tell—after they won the championship, they didn't become arrogant in the slightest."
"Otherwise, they wouldn't have made such obvious progress!"
Hearing this, the rest of the Ukai family nodded in agreement.
"Even if you're number one in the world, if you keep clinging to old habits…"
"You'll be kicked out of that number one spot sooner or later!"
"And Karasuno, who's only ever taken first place in the nation once—if they keep living in the past…"
"Then what will their tomorrow look like?"
"Just imagine it."
"At Nationals, I really liked that banner from Inarizaki."
"Oh?"
Takinoue blinked, startled.
"I think I remember that banner too!"
'We Don't Need Memories!'
"That's the one, right?"
"That's right."
Ukai nodded and continued,
"Everything happened yesterday."
"We're looking toward the future now. Keep your eyes on what's about to happen!"
"All the countless yesterdays we've experienced have built the people we are now!"
"Champions or not—whether we stop in the first round or second round—those yesterdays are gone!"
"They've been digested into our muscles, and they're what make us stronger."
"But if you keep your gaze fixed on the vanished yesterday…"
"Then when the sun rises again tomorrow, what may await us ahead is only defeat."
...
Thud!
As the referee's whistle blew again and again, the game gradually came to an end.
Kakugawa's ideas were sound, but Karasuno's current strength was simply too overwhelming.
The massive gap in raw power was no longer something that formations or strategies could make up for.
In the end, under Akira's jump serve, Kakugawa still lost the match.
And Karasuno successfully secured their first qualifier victory!
They advanced to the second round!!
"Everyone played well today."
Keishin Ukai held his notebook in hand and smiled as he spoke.
"Still, there are a few issues."
"We'll talk more about them when we get back."
"Yes!!"
...
"It's okay, everyone…"
On the opposite side of the court, Yuzuru Komaki wore a wry smile.
"Didn't we already consider this outcome before the match?"
"Ahh…"
"There really wasn't much we could do. Even Hyakuzawa's attacks were completely neutralized this time."
"We'll take it back next time…"
Just then, Hyakuzawa suddenly spoke up:
"I just realized—volleyball is actually a really interesting sport."
"Oh?"
His words caught the rest of Kakugawa off guard.
After all, during practice, Hyakuzawa had never shown much enthusiasm.
Every day he simply followed the schedule: train, go to school, leave school…
When playing volleyball, the expression on his face was always blank.
...
But this time, even though they lost, everyone clearly saw a smile on Hyakuzawa's face.
It was a confident smile—one sparked by the thrill of a challenge.
...
"Wow…"
"So this is Karasuno's strength now…"
In the audience, the members of Aoba Johsai also sighed quietly.
They had watched the entire match.
Compared to when they played practice games against Karasuno, the team had improved drastically.
Especially in this second match—most of the players didn't even use their full strength, yet Akira and Kageyama's serves alone accounted for more than half the points!
In the first set, even the other attackers had looked difficult to defend against.
If they met Karasuno on the court again, it would be extremely hard to stop them.
There was also Hinata and Tsukishima's improved serving, Hinata and Kageyama's evolved quick attack with new run-up patterns, Tsukishima's leap-read blocks…
Just the strength Karasuno had shown today was enough to demonstrate how far they'd come.
And that's not even counting the others—are we really sure they haven't improved too?
How strong is Karasuno right now?
--------
1st Bonus Chapter - 400 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 800 Power Stones
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