"Huh? Are they going for a quick attack?" Oikawa Tooru blinked in surprise.
Karasuno's sudden offensive caught Aoba Johsai off guard. Compared to their new Monster Quick, the original Old Freak Quick from the Kageyama-Hinata duo was, in terms of sheer speed, even faster.
Now that Hinata Shoyo had clearly leveled up his short-distance explosiveness, their old play, while still lacking in attack-angle control, was proving unexpectedly effective.
"So you're telling me... Kageyama targeting Akashi with his serve earlier was just a decoy? The real plan was to make us think he was trying to suppress Akashi."
"Damn it~~ That brat's as unlovable as ever," Oikawa muttered, his expression darkening.
At that moment, the entire sequence made sense to him.
Using serves to disrupt the opponent's ace was a trick both Kageyama and Oikawa had used before. Back during their match against Shiratorizawa, Karasuno used that exact tactic, and Aoba Johsai had been watching from the stands.
Kageyama knew that.
So he deliberately used it again, counting on Oikawa's memory. The goal wasn't to contain Akashi, it was to mislead him.
While Seijoh focused on their ace being "targeted," Hinata launched a full-frontal quick attack.
In other words,
That entire exchange, where Akashi seemed like the target, was really just a battle of brains between two setters with a combined 1600+ IQ points playing 4D chess with each other.
And judging by the results, Kageyama won this round.
It was a textbook example of serve deception.
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Not long after,
Kageyama launched his second serve.
And this time, he didn't aim at Akashi, he aimed straight at Oikawa.
"I told you, I hate little punks like him!!" Oikawa growled, his expression stormy enough to make it rain. Still, despite the obvious provocation, he had no choice but to receive the serve.
But with Oikawa taking the first touch, someone else had to set the ball.
Kageyama had intentionally served toward the left flank. Oikawa received it cleanly, but the ball veered leftward, while Akashi Asuka was positioned on the right.
The distance was too great, aside from Oikawa, no one else on Seijoh could confidently set the ball accurately to Akashi from there.
So the ball ended up going to Kindaichi Yutaro, or perhaps to a back-row attacker.
Acting as a temporary setter, Hajime Iwaizumi made the safe choice and passed to Kindaichi.
But on the other side, Karasuno had seemingly anticipated all of this, their defense was already in place and tight.
Smack!
Seijoh's spike was dug up cleanly.
Then, in a blur of movement, Hinata launched forward, sprinting across half the court in mere seconds to reach the right-side net.
He stared down Akashi from across the block.
"You're trying that move again!" Oikawa growled, inexplicably furious as he sprinted after Hinata.
And then,
With his eyes shut, Hinata swung his arm in a wild spike.
Only to hit nothing.
"Eh? Where's the ball?" Hinata blinked, confused.
"Damn it, it's a feint!" Oikawa's eyes widened in horror.
He spun around to warn his team not to fall for it, but when he looked, every defender on Seijoh had already taken two steps forward toward Hinata's position, pulled in by sheer instinct.
Some realized it was a trick... but it was far too late.
BOOM!
With the court practically empty, Tanaka Ryunosuke launched a brutal spike and scored.
"OHHHHHHHH!!!"
Overcome with adrenaline, Tanaka let out a triumphant roar, tore off his jersey, and began wildly waving it around the court.
"Nice one, Tanaka-senpai! That was clean!"
"Awesome play!"
"Woooo! That felt amazing! I didn't even score that point, but I'm weirdly hyped up!"
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Karasuno's players erupted in cheers.
On the other side, Aoba Johsai stood frozen, staring at their scrambled formation in confusion.
"What… just happened?"
"It's weird… I reminded myself countless times before the match that the Number 10 on Karasuno is just a decoy. But the moment he moved, my body reacted before my brain could catch up…"
"That little guy's presence is off the charts."
Everyone on Seijoh was stunned. What Hinata Shoyo had just pulled off wasn't just a "decoy", it was more like a game skill: a Forced Taunt.
Akashi Asuka had always relied on a reactive blocking strategy, only jumping after seeing where the set was going.
But even he had instinctively taken a few steps toward Hinata.
Though he corrected himself quickly, those few wasted steps were enough to create a critical opening in a real match.
0–2.
The second set had flipped the script, Karasuno now held the upper hand, just as Seijoh had in the first.
With that momentum, Kageyama served again.
But this time,
The serve was finally received. Iwaizumi passed it cleanly, and Oikawa set the ball for Akashi, who delivered a thunderous spike, putting an end to Kageyama's service streak.
1–2.
Serve change.
Next up: Kyotani Kentarou.
In the first set, Kyotani had blown his serve, costing Seijoh an early point.
But this time, he showcased his true ability.
With explosive control of his core muscles mid-air, his entire body bent like a drawn bow as he unleashed a vicious serve.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crack, the ball shot across the net and slammed toward Karasuno's backcourt.
The speed was insane. Even Nishinoya and Daichi, Karasuno's core defenders, flinched before diving toward the ball's path.
But they were a moment too slow.
Thud!
The ball hit the floor. Seijoh tied the score.
2–2.
"This guy, wait, Seijoh has a third powerful server?"
Karasuno's players stared in disbelief.
In high school volleyball, having even one strong server is already impressive.
But Seijoh had three?
What kind of cracked team composition was this? A pro league squad?
Karasuno was still reeling, while Kyotani was already back at the service line, ready to send them packing.
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Seconds later, Kyotani launched his second serve.
BOOM!
Another powerful jump serve rocketed over the net and plummeted toward Karasuno's court, but this time, Nishinoya dug it cleanly.
Karasuno counterattacked.
Kageyama and Hinata went for their New Monster Quick.
A fast, clean strike.
Point secured.
2–3.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria