Tsukishima, who had rotated to the front row, prepared to serve. As he stepped forward, Hayato patted him on the shoulder.
"Relax."
"Yes, but I think Hayato-senpai should relax more—you still look a bit nervous."
Trust Tsukishima to see through him so easily. Hayato let out a laugh.
"You caught that? Yeah, facing a strong opponent like Seijoh is bound to make anyone nervous."
"You still have the mood to joke, so there's nothing to worry about."
"You brat."
Knowing Tsukishima was just trying to ease the tension, Hayato bumped his shoulder with a fist.
"Hizume, Tsukishima-kun—the one you like—is about to serve."
Koyuki leaned over, teasing as she remembered Hizume mentioning him earlier.
"I see."
Hizume nodded with her usual calmness, though her eyes followed Tsukishima closely. In the previous match, he hadn't made mistakes, but he also hadn't shined. His height and blocking were solid, but nothing had stood out yet.
Tsukishima's serve floated over the net—steady, but nothing special—easily handled by Seijoh. Hizume, watching, knew this was typical of him. His real strength was in the front row, where his calm blocking could turn the tide.
Seijoh moved into a quick attack, the ball set for Kyotani. The "Mad Dog" leapt for a standard jump spike, aiming at the blockers' hands. The ball ricocheted off and spun toward Karasuno's backcourt—Tsukishima stepped in, arms firm, and received it cleanly.
"Give it to me!"
Hinata, now in the front row, sprinted forward the instant he landed. Kageyama's eyes tracked him, setting up the quick attack, but Seijoh was ready. Their third-year middle blocker, Matsukawa, shadowed Hinata and managed to dig it up.
"Chance ball!" Seijoh called, and the ball swung back into their control.
This time Kindaichi took the attack. With attention still drawn to Kyotani, the middle lane opened wide. Kindaichi fired without hesitation, but Hayato intercepted, steadying the ball with both arms.
"Don't underestimate us!"
He neutralized the spike, though he gave up his chance to counter. Hinata took off again, Tanaka leapt with him, and Seijoh's blockers shifted—only for Tsukishima to spring up from the back row.
Kageyama read the timing perfectly and sent a precise set behind him.
Back-row attack.
The gym erupted as Tsukishima's spike tore through, scoring clean.
"It's Tsukishima-kun's back-row attack!"
"When did they even practice that?"
"Nice play!"
The unexpected strike left everyone stunned. Even Hayato blinked in surprise.
"You two… When did you start practicing that?"
Hinata's jaw dropped. "Wait—Kageyama, Tsukishima, you guys don't have a fever, right?"
"What nonsense are you spouting, idiot!" Kageyama growled, clamping Hinata in an iron claw.
"As a middle blocker, it's normal to sync with the setter," Tsukishima replied coolly, as if nothing was unusual.
In truth, after the first prelim round, Tsukishima had approached Kageyama to practice privately. Thanks to Hayato's influence, he had grown more willing to connect with teammates. Kageyama had been suspicious at first, but he agreed. The two trained in secret until this very moment, when Tsukishima signaled, and Kageyama delivered.
Now, Karasuno had a new weapon.
"Seriously… even Glasses-kun is evolving." Oikawa exhaled, watching Karasuno celebrate. Their threat was rising with every play.
On Karasuno's bench, Ukai and Takeda were equally stunned. Tsukishima—the same boy who once celebrated just passing—was now pulling out hidden tricks in a high-stakes match.
This back-row option not only covered Karasuno's weakness but forced Seijoh to account for Tsukishima as an attacker no matter where he stood. Their offense was diversifying, becoming harder to predict.
"Everyone's improving today! It's my first time seeing Tsukishima-kun do a back-row attack." Hitoka beamed, turning to Kohane beside her.
With the reminder, the audience realized it was true—Tsukishima's highlights had always been his blocks. This attack opened a new side to him.
The game pressed on. Tsukishima served steadily and fell back into defense. Seijoh countered with three attackers in the front row: Iwaizumi, Kindaichi, and Kyotani.
Kageyama studied their formation, predicting. It's Kindaichi. The others are bait.
Sure enough, Iwaizumi and Kyotani drew the blockers aside, and Kindaichi hammered through the middle lane.
"Give it to me!"
Captain Daichi slid in, arms firm, to receive the spike. The ball flew cleanly up. Hinata launched into another sprint.
"Running faster than before, little shorty," Oikawa muttered from the back row, already positioning himself to receive. He dug Hinata's shot but couldn't pass it forward.
Even so, Seijoh's rock-solid fundamentals carried them. Hanamaki called out for Iwaizumi, who surged in for the kill. Karasuno couldn't save it.
"Damn it. As expected of Seijoh—their fundamentals are unshakable."
Ukai crossed his arms, shaking his head.
As if to emphasize the danger, Seijoh's "Mad Dog," Kyotani, rotated to serve. With his raw athleticism, there was no doubt what he'd choose.
The whistle blew—he soared.
A brutal jump serve rocketed across the court like a cannonball. Hinata was up front, Nishinoya was off-court, and Daichi stepped forward to receive. If Hayato took it, he'd be pulled out of the attack.
But Kyotani's serve wasn't something you could tame easily. The ball slammed into Daichi's arms and ricocheted wildly.
Seijoh scored again.
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