Holding the volleyball in his hands, standing in the service area, Yuma Kikuzawa took a deep breath, filling his lungs completely, then slowly exhaled.
The familiar motion repeated thousands of times instantly put his body into rhythm; all distractions vanished with the exhale. Yuma's gaze was calm and steady as he focused directly on the volleyball.
He tossed the ball high into the air, the speed, angle, and height all perfect. He stepped forward with both legs to follow the ball, jumped, swung his arm, his body stretching into an elegant arc in midair...
Bang!
Like a cannon firing, the moment the volleyball touched Yuma's palm, it left a nearly invisible afterimage as it slammed toward the floor between Kozume Kenma and Morisuke Yaku. The extreme speed combined with a tricky landing point instantly made everyone from Nekoma hold their breath.
"I got it!"
Yaku's pupils contracted as he barely predicted the ball's landing spot. He shuffled sideways, arms stretched out, quickly moving to the left.
But the ball's speed was too fast. Yaku's forearm only grazed the volleyball slightly, its velocity almost unchanged as it slammed hard into Nekoma's backcourt.
"Beep—"
Aoba Johsai scored.
"Sorry!"
Yaku immediately apologized for the lost point.
"It's okay!"
"Don't worry about it! Next ball!"
Nekoma would never be mad at their libero. Taking advantage of the time the opponent took to retrieve the ball and prepare, they gathered to share opinions on that serve.
Kenma thought for a moment and concluded, "The power and speed are both fierce. These two servers from Aoba Johsai are already among the country's top."
Kuroo Tetsurou said, "That was a powerful jump serve. A float serve won't have that kind of power or speed, but its flight path is harder to judge."
Yaku wiped the sweat off his face and smiled, "Got it. I'll watch his motions early to predict the serve direction. Kenma, Fukunaga, give me the right back area. You two cover the left side. If the ball comes your way, try your best to receive it without pressure."
Both teams took their positions and the match continued.
The referee blew the whistle. Yuma stood still with the ball, not serving immediately.
After the whistle, servers have seven seconds to prepare. Many wait until just before the time ends to serve, applying more psychological pressure on the opponent.
Not knowing exactly when the ball will come makes every second agonizing for the receiving side.
"He used a strong right-hand jump serve just now. What will he use this time?"
Yuma dribbled the ball against the ground repeatedly, then caught it and slowly spun it twice in his hands.
Five, four, three...
"As expected, better to switch it up..."
He took a deep breath.
Two, one...
Bang!
A left-hand float serve.
Unlike the previous powerful serve, this ball was slow, but its flight path was enough to make ninety percent of liberos nationwide go dark before their eyes.
Straight, left turn, dropping... then suddenly veering sharply to the right.
Slap!
Yaku's outstretched right palm collided with the volleyball with a crisp sound. Most of the force was absorbed, but the ball's strange spin was undiminished, and the next moment it shot rapidly outside the court.
The ball's flight was too low horizontally. Yamamoto Taketora lunged to save it but was just too late.
The ball hit the ground.
"Damn it!"
Yamamoto angrily punched the floor.
Off the court, Coach Jikui wiped cold sweat for his players and asked Coach Nekomata, "Should we call a timeout to break the opponent server's rhythm?"
Coach Nekomata smiled gently, showing no worry for his team's precarious situation.
"Jikui, look closely. Do the kids seem like they want a timeout?"
Jikui glanced at the court and was startled.
All his players' eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit. Especially Yaku, who, despite consecutive failed receptions, now smiled.
That look of anticipation and excitement was completely sparked by the opponent's challenge.
"As expected of a strong Tokyo school, their mentality is solid."
Oikawa Tooru smiled when he saw their opponent's performance.
"Yuma! Serve a good one!"
"Keep scoring!"
Teammates in the front row tightly clasped their heads, cheering on their promising juniors.
The third serve was a powerful left-hand jump serve.
Its force matched the right hand's, carrying terrifying momentum, but it avoided Yaku's right area and slammed hard toward Fukunaga Shouhei on the left.
Slap!
The ball hit Fukunaga's arm and bounced high, smashing into the second-floor stands.
Fukunaga's arm felt painful and numb; looking down, his skin was already red and swollen.
"Sorry!"
Score 6:2.
Yuma's serves had consecutively scored three points.
Though his teammates celebrated loudly before him, Yuma felt no joy. In his heart, he kept reminding himself: don't be careless, the match has just begun.
Aoba Johsai's defense was incredibly strong. At their current level, scoring points through spikes and blocks against Nekoma would come at a huge cost. But Yuma and Yuuki's stamina was average; they'd have to leave the court in the middle and late stages.
To beat Nekoma, Aoba Johsai had to gain the upper hand through serving.
"At least five points..."
Yuma pondered the condition for victory, then headed to the backline at position one (the service area) for the fourth time.
The familiar figure and position—seeing that silver-haired demon step into the service zone again made everyone from Nekoma sweat nervously.
The ball was tossed high.
Power jump serve? Float serve? Left hand or right hand?!
Yaku watched every movement of Yuma intently, trying to deduce the serve type from subtle body changes, but he quickly rejected this method.
No time.
By the time he judged the serve type, the ball would almost be on the ground, leaving no chance to react. The volleyball flew at over 100 km/h; with human reflexes, even a moment's hesitation meant no touch.
He could only rely on intuition.
Yaku cleared his mind and handed full control to his sixth sense.
...The ball will come from this side!
Slap!
The ball touched his arm and bounced back into the air.
"Sorry! Covering!"
Yaku knelt on one knee, shouting to his teammates.
Seeing this, Kozume Kenma made the first quick move, running beneath the ball with arms raised.
"Left!"
Kuroo Tetsurou loudly called for the ball from the left side of the net, took two steps running, and jumped.
Kenma met his childhood friend's eyes and clearly saw a familiar calculation in them.
Kuroo's goal was to draw the blockers away... I understand.
Kenma immediately caught on. He flicked a finger, sending the ball flying straight toward the center of the net.
...But would the opponent be drawn away as Kuroo planned? He needed a backup plan...
Thinking this, Kenma slid after passing and got ready to receive.
Sure enough, Kuroo only drew away two blockers, and one didn't even look in Kuroo's direction, locking eyes on the ball.
Haiba Lev's spike was blocked by the silver-haired blocker, and the ball fell back onto Aoba Johsai's court.
Prepared in advance, Kenma accurately caught the back-and-forth ball and sent it flying toward Yamamoto Taketora.
"Finally here! This ball's mine!"
Yamamoto flashed a shark-toothed grin, excitedly leapt, and spiked.
"One touch!"
Matsukawa Issei's block slowed the ball down. His wicked expression met Yamamoto's gritted teeth on the other side of the net.
"There's no way we'll let you score easily!"
Oikawa dashed over and passed the ball to Iwaizumi Hajime.
Iwaizumi and Oikawa's coordination was seamless as they executed a perfect back-row attack.
The volleyball flew back with fierce momentum into Nekoma's backcourt.
—Then was saved by Yaku with a flying dive.
"Damn! Why won't this ball ever hit the ground!"
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