"Karasuno vs. Aoba Johsai, the match is officially underway!"
"Karasuno will serve first."
As the referee blew the whistle to start the match, the atmosphere in the gym instantly grew tense and focused.
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"All right~ let's go out there! Today, I… believe in you all!"
At first, Tooru Oikawa's tone was casual, almost playful. But as he finished the sentence, his expression sharpened, becoming deadly serious.
That simple shift immediately transformed the entire Aoba Johsai team's mood.
On the bench, Ryuhei Sanashita stared, impressed.
"That's amazing!" he breathed.
Yahaba Shigeru glanced at him, surprised. "What?"
Sanashita replied, "I mean, Oikawa-senpai is incredible, just one sentence and he completely changes the team's atmosphere. He's a born setter!"
Only a fellow setter could truly appreciate Oikawa's skill.
"Do you think Oikawa-senpai really worries about losing to Kageyama?"
"Hm? Well… I'm not entirely sure. But I heard from Iwaizumi-senpai that back in Junior High, Oikawa went through a rough patch because of some 'genius.'" Yaguchi paused, then added, "Genius? Maybe technically, but in my opinion, Kageyama still has a long way to go before catching up to Oikawa's current level."
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The match began.
Aoba Johsai's formation placed Akashi Asuka, Tooru Oikawa, and Yūtarō Kindaichi in the front row, while Hajime Iwaizumi, Watari Shinji, and Matsukawa Issei guarded the back.
Their front three measured 185 cm, 184 cm, and 189 cm respectively.
Yes, that's right. Since joining Aoba Johsai, Akashi Asuka had grown over a centimeter taller, a fact discovered only last night.
This news hit Iwaizumi, whose height hadn't changed for a whole year, like a punch to the gut.
Across the net, Karasuno's front row stood at 178 cm (Tanaka Ryūnosuke), 162 cm (Hinata Shoyo), and 181 cm (Tobio Kageyama).
The height difference between the teams was striking.
Karasuno served the first ball.
The ball flew over, caught by Iwaizumi, who passed it to Oikawa above his head.
In an instant, both Akashi and Kindaichi sprang into action, while Iwaizumi took a running jump from the back row.
Their fake maneuver completely fooled Karasuno's defense, no one could tell who would make the final attack.
Then suddenly, Oikawa slapped the ball down onto Karasuno's court.
Thud.
The ball struck the floor with a heavy thump.
The gym fell completely silent for a moment.
Then erupted into loud cheers.
"A setter's attack right from the first ball!"
"Amazing!"
"Oikawa is so cool!"
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"Hey, don't just stand there daydreaming! Stay alert, I'll use the same attack next ball! Defend properly!" Oikawa smiled and taunted from the net.
His blatant provocation instantly fired up Kageyama and Tanaka on the other side.
"Uh… has Oikawa-senpai always been this obnoxious?"
"You'll get used to it."
Aoba Johsai scored first.
1–0.
The serve went back to Aoba Johsai, who sent the ball over again. Karasuno's libero, Nishinoya Yuu, received it, then Kageyama set up a quick attack with Hinata.
But this time it was just a regular quick, and Aoba Johsai's back row defender Watari managed to dig the ball up.
Aoba Johsai reorganized their offense.
Oikawa once again pretended to set for a quick attack. When Karasuno's defense shifted to cover him, Oikawa suddenly changed direction mid-air and passed the ball to Akashi .
"Damn it!" Tanaka and Hinata scrambled back, but it was too late. Akashi hammered a straight spike, scoring another point for Aoba Johsai.
2–0.
They kept the serve.
The third serve went out from Aoba Johsai. The ball crossed the net and was caught by Karasuno's Daichi Sawamura, who passed it to Kageyama.
At the next second, Karasuno's players sprang into motion, just like Aoba Johsai's trick on the first ball.
Once Aoba Johsai's attention was drawn, Kageyama launched his own "setter attack."
But just as the ball left Kageyama's hands, a hand suddenly shot out from behind the block, slapping the ball back onto Karasuno's side.
Thwack!
The ball hit the floor sharply.
Kageyama's eyes widened as he looked across the net. At that moment, Akashi landed lightly from his jump.
Akashi glanced at Kageyama calmly and said, "Sorry, setter attacks don't work on me."
Back in Junior High, Akashi had already suffered from Kageyama's setter attacks in a match against Shiratorizawa, so he'd learned to anticipate this tactic.
But it wasn't until joining Aoba Johsai that Akashi became truly alert to the threat.
Well, if you had a teammate who tried the setter attack three or four times in a single practice game, you'd be wary too.
"Oho~ So Kageyama's trying to copy my style, huh? Too bad, it looks like you failed."
Oikawa smirked, having been tricked by Kageyama just moments ago. As a setter who rarely shows weakness, he couldn't resist the chance to taunt.
His jab hit its mark.
Kageyama clenched his fists, almost losing his cool.
But at the last second, he restrained himself, turning back to defend.
The referee blew the whistle for the next serve.
Aoba Johsai served for the third time.
The ball flew over, caught by Nishinoya, and set up Karasuno's third attack. Akashi stood by the net, watching Hinata begin his approach.
But in the blink of an eye, Hinata suddenly shifted sideways at lightning speed, almost like teleporting.
Bang!
The ball grazed Akashi 's side and dropped onto the floor.
Oikawa blinked, a flicker of doubt crossing his face.
Akashi felt the rush of air from the ball and his eyes sparkled with a new realization.
"So this is the 'Freak Quick'… The speed really is incredible!"
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