Update: We're Back On!
Hey everyone,
I have some unexpected but amazing news to share—thanks to the generous support of two new patrons, Gilgamesh and Jonas Orvik, I've decided to continue uploading chapters!
Their support means a lot, and it's a reminder that even a small push from the community can keep a story alive. So if you were enjoying the fanfic, you can thank them for helping bring it back!
New chapters will resume as usual. Let's keep the momentum going!
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In Shiratorizawa's backcourt, Hayato Yamagata, Tsutomu Goshiki, and Kenjirō Shirabu all wore serious expressions, their muscles taut and rea
In Shiratorizawa's backcourt, Hayato Yamagata, Tsutomu Goshiki, and Kenjirō Shirabu all wore serious expressions, their muscles taut and rea
In Shiratorizawa's backcourt, Hayato Yamagata, Tsutomu Goshiki, and Kenjirō Shirabu all wore serious expressions, their muscles taut and ready.
Hayato Yamagata and Tsutomu Goshiki covered most of the defensive territory, while Kenjirō Shirabu, as the setter, retreated near the sidelines.
The best-case scenario was having libero Hayato Yamagata receive the serve, or alternatively the main attacker Tsutomu Goshiki could receive it as well. To ensure the integrity of the subsequent offensive procedure, it was best to avoid Kenjirō Shirabu as the first pass receiver.
Wanting the setter to stay out of the play? Nice thought, but don't count on that happening next time.
Yuma Kikuzawa smirked and slapped the volleyball against the ground.
Oikawa had originally planned to remind Yuma Kikuzawa to aim at the opposing setter for the serve, but when he turned back, he caught the mischievous grin on the junior's face and silently turned away again.
Looks like his reminder was unnecessary.
Standing in the serving area, Yuma Kikuzawa casually spun the volleyball a couple of times in his hands.
The feel was crucial for serving. Take Oikawa as an example: when his touch was good, he could score eight points in a row; when bad, he might miss the net with a single ball.
During matches, coaches often call timeouts to interrupt opponents with excellent serving states. This is not against the rules; all coaches do it. To counter this, many players train specifically to maintain their touch.
For instance, in the original story, when Oikawa called a timeout at Karasuno, he would sit alone in the resting area holding the ball, speaking to no one, keeping his body poised to maintain optimal serving form until the timeout ended.
However, Yuma Kikuzawa didn't need to deliberately maintain serving touch because his "routine motion" could instantly activate his touch anytime.
"Sorry, timeouts don't work on me."
Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, Yuma tossed the ball up.
The third serve was a right-handed jump float aimed at Kenjirō Shirabu, scoring a point.
The fourth was a powerful right-handed jump serve that smashed past Tsutomu Goshiki, scoring again.
The fifth grazed a defensive blind spot on the line, scoring once more.
The sixth barely touched the net but was received by Hayato Yamagata, who passed it to Wakatoshi Ushijima, resulting in a quick attack and a point for Shiratorizawa.
The score: Aoba Johsai 9, Shiratorizawa 2.
The devilish serve that made Shiratorizawa break into a cold sweat was finally over.
Yuma Kikuzawa let out a soft breath: "I thought a sudden net brush serve might startle them."
Oikawa teased, "You did scare them. Didn't you see the libero's face turn pale?"
"Yuma did well, three points better than that jerk Oikawa," Hajime Iwaizumi said, patting Yuma Kikuzawa's shoulder over Oikawa's head, expressing approval of the junior's skill.
Yuma Kikuzawa was about to smile back, but when he saw Wakatoshi Ushijima holding the volleyball and walking behind position one on Shiratorizawa's side, his smile quickly faded.
It was Ushijima's turn to serve, and the situation wasn't looking good for Aoba Johsai. In the backcourt were Yuma Kikuzawa, Oikawa, and Iwaizumi—two main attackers and one setter, with no libero.
Maybe they should sub Oikawa out and bring in Tooru Mutou, Aoba Johsai's libero senior, Yuma thought with some disdain toward Oikawa's reception rating of 83.
Both Yuma Kikuzawa and Iwaizumi had reception ratings of 85; Oikawa's 83 stood out awkwardly in the middle.
"Beep—"
With the referee's whistle, Wakatoshi Ushijima tossed the volleyball high, took a running start, jumped… and fiercely swung his arm!
Bang!
The sound was far louder than before, like a cannonball blasted from its trajectory by gunpowder, crashing into Aoba Johsai's backcourt with a thunderous boom.
Power and speed elevated to the extreme—the terrifying serve of Wakatoshi Ushijima. Moreover, being left-handed, his serves possessed not only frightening power and velocity but also an unpredictable reverse spin that was hard to adapt to.
Unexpectedly, Ushijima's first serve didn't target Yuma Kikuzawa, who had just scored five points in a row and handed Shiratorizawa a big loss, but instead slammed toward Oikawa.
Not targeting me, the annoying kid who just took five points? Looks like Ushijima was quite rational in the match.
"I got this!"
Iwaizumi shouted.
Not wanting to delay the precious setter's reception, Yuma Kikuzawa and Iwaizumi raised their arms to rush the ball. In midair, Yuma heard Iwaizumi's voice and swiftly shifted his body aside to give Iwaizumi room to receive.
Iwaizumi's arm reached straight for the ball; he clenched his teeth and tensed his muscles, absorbing most of the ball's force. However, due to the strange spin, the ball still veered off the court, narrowly missing the hands of Issei Matsukawa who tried to save it.
"Sorry, that was my mistake."
Iwaizumi steadied himself and apologized to his teammates.
"It's okay, Iwa-chan, just a bit off. Catch it next time."
Oikawa comforted him.
"Iwaizumi, don't worry, we're still ahead by six points," Takahiro Hanamaki said, gradually smiling.
Who would have thought Aoba Johsai would be leading Shiratorizawa by six points?
"Ushijima-senpai's serve is great! One more!"
"Catch up the score, Wakatoshi!"
Shiratorizawa cheered their ace on. They had just been hammered by Oikawa and Yuma Kikuzawa for a while and were full of pent-up anger. Seeing Ushijima score on serve refreshed their spirits immediately.
—Like they didn't have any powerful servers of their own.
Wakatoshi Ushijima said nothing, silently nodding as he returned to the serving area, preparing for the second serve.
This time, the volleyball flew toward the spot between Yuma Kikuzawa and Oikawa. The ball's speed in the air exceeded 110 km/h, and from contact to landing took just fractions of a second.
Relying on experience, Yuma shifted left with a shuffle step and stretched out his arm toward the predicted landing spot.
At the moment of contact, an incomparable force surged from the volleyball. Yuma felt as if he wasn't receiving a volleyball but a solid cannonball.
Veins bulged on his forehead; every muscle in his body strained as he turned himself into a sturdy platform to withstand the massive force.
Slap!
Yuma fell backward onto the ground, inertia tossing him into a messy heap. His reception form wasn't perfect, but the ball at least flew back over Aoba Johsai's court.
"Good receive, Yuma-chan!"
Oikawa praised, stepping over the fallen Yuma and raising both hands to take the high first pass.
Originally descending in a parabolic curve, the ball transformed into a straight and fast ball through Oikawa's set, rapidly shooting toward the net.
Takahiro Hanamaki was the first to jump, but his movement was just a decoy; the ball was spiked by Issei Matsukawa, who leapt up behind him, toward the opposite side.
"I can see everything clearly~"
A strange figure flashed before Matsukawa. Satori Tendo's arm tilted slightly, blocking Matsukawa's spike despite Matsukawa's unwilling gaze.
Smack! Smack!
Almost simultaneously, two contact sounds rang out—one was Tendo's block, and the other was Yuuki leaping at the three-meter line to receive the blocked ball.
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