The crowd was electric.
The gym buzzed with an energy that made every serve, every breath, feel like a drumbeat.
Set Four.
Seiwa led two sets to one.
One more win, and they'd advance to the championship.
But across the net, Arakawa Prep looked anything but defeated.
Nao Yamasaki stood still, his hands behind his back, eyes locked on Renji.
He wasn't angry. He wasn't shaken.
He was calculating.
---
The Pressure Builds
From the first rally, Arakawa came out swinging.
Nao dove early—his reaction speed uncanny—setting up perfect counterattacks.
Their ace, Kenta, smashed spike after spike, hammering through Seiwa's blockers.
Arakawa: 6 — Seiwa: 2
Renji dove left, his hands stinging from another brutal save.
Yuuto rushed in, sweat dripping down his chin. "They're reading us again!"
Renji shook his head. "Not reading—remembering."
Nao was replaying every previous move, reconstructing Seiwa's rhythm piece by piece.
It wasn't chaos. It was adaptation.
---
The Silent Clash
Renji locked eyes with Nao before the next serve.
Two liberos. Two philosophies. Two hearts.
The ball flew in.
Renji moved early—cutting off the angle.
Nao read it instantly—shifting the offense in real-time.
Spike.
Dig.
Spike again.
Save.
Rally after rally. Each longer, faster, more brutal than the last.
"Cover left!" Yuuto shouted.
"I got it!" Renji dove—his forearms burning.
The ball popped up, but Yuuto tripped over Kenta's foot. The set went wide.
Point, Arakawa.
Nao straightened slowly, staring across the court.
"You're slipping," he said under his breath.
Renji clenched his jaw. "Then catch me if I fall."
---
Yuuto's Struggle
Midway through the set, the tension reached its peak.
Yuuto's serves began to falter.
His timing was just slightly off.
Renji noticed it immediately—the stiffness in Yuuto's wrist.
Between points, he whispered, "You okay?"
Yuuto waved him off. "Just a cramp. Keep focus."
But Renji wasn't convinced.
He remembered the words from Chapter 15—the beach, the laughter, the promise to trust one another.
Now, Yuuto was hiding something again.
---
The Rally That Changed Everything
Score: Arakawa 18 — Seiwa 17
Arakawa's serve screamed over the net.
Renji dove, sending it clean to Yuuto.
Yuuto jumped—set high—and winced mid-air.
The ball spun off his fingers awkwardly.
Kenta leapt to save it, sending a soft tip over the block.
Nao dashed forward and slammed a diving dig that ricocheted straight to his setter—
—and Arakawa's ace crushed it down the line.
Point, Arakawa. 19–17.
Yuuto landed wrong.
His right wrist bent inward, and he fell hard.
"Yuuto!" Renji shouted.
The whistle blew. The crowd gasped.
Yuuto clutched his wrist, face twisted in pain.
The gym went silent except for the sound of his sharp breathing.
---
The Huddle
Coach Sato rushed in.
Yuuto's wrist was swelling fast.
"I'm fine," Yuuto hissed. "Just tape it."
But Asuka's voice broke through.
"Yuuto, stop pretending. You can't set like that!"
Her eyes shimmered—not with frustration, but fear.
Renji's heart ached at the sight.
Coach looked toward Renji. "We need a call, Captain."
Renji froze.
Pull Yuuto out—and risk losing their rhythm?
Keep him in—and risk making it worse?
Yuuto met his gaze.
"Renji… trust me."
Renji clenched his fists, trembling.
He wanted to believe him.
But he remembered their promise—to never hide pain again.
He took a deep breath.
Then, quietly: "No. I trust the team."
Yuuto's eyes widened.
---
The Decision
Coach nodded. "Backup setter, prep."
The bench erupted in motion.
Yuuto sat down, head low, sweat dripping from his jaw.
Asuka knelt beside him, taping his wrist, whispering softly.
Renji stood near the sideline, watching silently.
Nao's expression across the court didn't change—but Renji caught it.
A flicker.
A shadow of… empathy?
No. Pity, maybe.
Renji turned away.
---
The Final Stretch
With the substitute setter in, Seiwa's coordination faltered.
Their timing wasn't sharp, their patterns off by half a beat.
But Renji refused to crumble.
Every receive, every cover—he took command.
"Left! Rotate now!"
"Block ready!"
"Watch the wipe!"
The voice that once trembled now commanded.
Even without Yuuto, Seiwa refused to die quietly.
But Nao?
He smelled weakness.
And with a perfect no-look dig, he set up Kenta's final spike of the set.
Arakawa wins Set 4: 25–19.
---
Aftermath
The score was tied. Two sets each.
The crowd roared in anticipation for the final set.
But Seiwa's bench was silent.
Yuuto sat with his wrist wrapped.
Asuka leaned beside him, silent tears in her eyes.
And Renji—he stood in front of them, breathing hard, heart pounding.
He looked toward Nao, who was walking off the court.
"You think you've won," Renji murmured.
Nao paused, turning slightly. "No," he replied. "I think you've finally learned."
Renji's expression didn't waver.
Because he had.
He had learned that strength wasn't just about playing through pain—
It was knowing when to protect the ones who can't.
---
End of Chapter 24
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To Be Continue