Spiking past a triple block and hitting the edge of the line, Akashi Asuka used to pull off moves like that all the time… back in junior high.
But high school is a different beast entirely.
Even for someone like Asuka, pulling off such extreme spikes in an official high school match is rare. It's not just about skill anymore, there's a huge mental barrier too.
And this time, the set to Ushijima was barely even decent.
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Both Asuka and Kindaichi found Ushijima's spike almost absurd. Only Iwaizumi seemed to take it in stride.
Still, the match, no, life, had to go on.
With Oikawa done serving, it was now Ushijima's turn. Aoba Johsai considered copying Shiratorizawa's reception strategy, but quickly realized it wouldn't work.
Ushijima's serve is nothing like Oikawa's.
Oikawa's serves are elusive, you can't even touch them. Ushijima's left-handed spin serve, on the other hand, invites contact, only to tear through the receiver.
Boom.
The ball whistled past the net. Seijoh's libero, Watari Shinji, read the trajectory and moved in, but the moment the ball touched his arm, that wicked left spin sent it flying off course.
2–2. Shiratorizawa equalized.
Shinji was frustrated. But this was like meeting someone online only to find out they're a tank, no turning back now. Eyes full of tears, he charged forward again.
And got blasted by Ushijima's cannon twice in a row. Still no reception.
2–3.
Only on Ushijima's third serve did he finally misfire, and Aoba Johsai got the point back.
3–3.
Shinji looked like he was about to cry.
So far in this game, he felt like he hadn't done anything but be a moving target for Shiratorizawa's artillery.
He looked at Asuka with tear-filled eyes. And Asuka, who was much softer on people than he looked, said, "Don't worry. I'll try to get revenge for you."
Try, because… well, he couldn't exactly control his serve direction perfectly.
And sure enough, when the rotation came around, Asuka's first serve launched straight at Shiratorizawa's libero, Hayato Yamagata.
Each Seijoh server had their own style.
Oikawa? You saw it but couldn't touch it.
Ushijima? You touched it but couldn't receive it.
Asuka? You couldn't even see it.
His latest evolution had made his serves ridiculously fast, so fast that most liberos couldn't even track them.
And so…
WHAM!
A loud thud echoed through the court.
But it wasn't the sound of the ball hitting the floor, it was the ball smacking Yamagata straight in the forehead.
His brain went blank. Just one thought echoed:
"Why the hell are you taking revenge on me?! Go after Ushijima!"
Before everyone's eyes, Yamagata staggered backward and collapsed. Miraculously, though, the ball bounced up, his face had made a perfect receive.
In fact, it was better than any of Goshiki's earlier sets.
A beautiful high ball soared into the air. Ushijima didn't wait for his setter, he jumped from the back row and blew straight through Seijoh's patchwork double block.
3–4.
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"Is this guy even human…?" Matsukawa couldn't help but wonder.
They'd faced Ushijima before. Aoba Johsai's block was considered one of the best in the prefecture. And yet, their block success rate against Ushijima wasn't even worth calculating in percentages anymore, it could be counted on one hand.
Literally.
Since their second year, they hadn't blocked more than five of his spikes. Total. Including practice matches.
"C'mon now~~ We already knew how ridiculous Ushijima was, right?" said Shinji, surprisingly cheerful.
After all, Asuka had said he'd take revenge, and he did.
The match went on.
Since they had already taken the first set, Aoba Johsai's morale hadn't dropped too much.
But as the second set progressed, especially the first-year players started to understand why Ushijima Wakatoshi was known as one of Japan's "Big Three Aces."
Shiratorizawa's strategy was brutally simple: five-man reception. Almost every ball on offense went to Ushijima.
And somehow, that one guy was enough to break Seijoh's spirit.
Tooling the block. Tooling again. Cross-court. Tool again. Power spike. Tool. Tool.
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What is "height"?
What is "power"?
Ushijima Wakatoshi gave Aoba Johsai the perfect answer.
The second set lasted nearly twenty minutes, but not once did Seijoh manage to block one of Ushijima's spikes. Not even with Asuka and Oikawa jumping together.
This wasn't about technique or experience.
If Ushijima's spike reached its peak height, no one on Seijoh could stop it.
Even Kindaichi, their highest jumper, couldn't reach that apex.
In the end, Aoba Johsai dropped the second set.
BEEP~~
As the referee's whistle signaled the end, Seijoh walked off the court, heads down.
One man had crushed an entire team's momentum.
That was Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Watching Seijoh's crumbling morale, Coach Washijo remained unfazed:
"With power and height alone, one can conquer any opponent."
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The score was now tied 1–1.
After a short break, the third set began.
But as both teams returned to the court, murmurs started to spread through the crowd.
"Hey… don't you think both teams are sweating way more than usual?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? They've already played two sets. If this were a regular match, they'd be going into the deciding set now. Sweating's normal."
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, "
The spectator who raised the question was about to explain further…
when a sudden gasp from the seats cut him off.
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