With Sugawara on the court, Kageyama was finally freed up—and it was no surprise that he immediately landed such a sharp straight shot.
This boy, whose life had revolved solely around volleyball, was brimming with natural talent. He had picked up the sport at just three years old, long before anyone else on this court.
Passion was what kept him working tirelessly—and now, with Sugawara supporting as a second setter, Kageyama could finally show another side of his fundamentals.
"The Double Setter tactic is working!"
"Kageyama's spike is incredible. Before, he could only set the ball, but now…"
Coach Takeda's voice rose with excitement, while Coach Ukai coolly broke down the play. The quick string of points proved that subbing Sugawara in was the right move.
"That was the Double Setter," Hitoka explained, notebook in hand, as she jotted down notes furiously.
Saeko leaned over curiously. Hitoka quickly explained what she had written: the Double Setter's strengths and weaknesses.
"The advantage," she said, "is that when a free ball is received, the offense becomes more unpredictable. The disadvantage is that if one setter is forced to receive, he's just a regular attacker until the rally ends."
"How about we call it… the 'Tactical Key Point Double Setter'?" Saeko suggested proudly.
The name was long, but before anyone could laugh, Sugawara launched another serve—again aimed at Kyotani.
Forced on the defensive, Kyotani stumbled into the receive. His awkward posture ruined his rhythm, preventing him from going for his signature running spike.
Daichi read the quick counter perfectly, keeping the ball alive. Then, in perfect sync, Hayato, Tanaka, Hinata, and Daichi all broke forward. With two setters on the court, Seijoh couldn't tell who would toss until the last instant.
"Hayato! It's yours!"
Sugawara sent the ball to the teammate he trusted most. They had drilled this countless times together, and the set came at Hayato's perfect striking angle.
The Black Falcon soared. Hayato's back-row spike ripped clean through Seijoh's defense before anyone could react.
"Good set, Sugawara-senpai!"
"Ohhh!"
Hayato grinned, slapping Sugawara's hand in celebration. The chemistry between them was obvious, and both were satisfied with the clean execution.
On the sideline, Hinata and Kageyama pouted slightly.
Kageyama, in particular, felt a small pang of jealousy. Thanks to his talent, he adapted to new attackers quickly, but in practice, Sugawara was usually the one who worked with Hayato on spiking drills. Seeing them connect so seamlessly now stirred something inside him.
Still, Hayato always took the time to communicate with him too. That envy came and went like a shadow.
Hinata, simpler as always, just wanted one thing: "I wanna spike too…"
"Calm down."
Kageyama had to reel him in, knowing Hinata could easily lose focus if he got carried away.
Karasuno's momentum forced Seijoh to call a timeout.
"Right now, our front row is Hinata and Tanaka," Coach Ukai reminded the team. "The block is weaker, but we've got Daichi and Hayato in the back row. Even if the block breaks, we can cover it. Just maintain the flow."
The players nodded firmly. They couldn't let their guard down—after all, Seijoh had been behind in the first set, only to claw back to a tie.
Across the court, Seijoh's huddle was already buzzing.
"So, how do we handle their Double Setter?"
"Easy. We avoid it. If Sugawara keeps serving at Kyotani, someone else takes the ball. Simple."
Sure enough, when the game resumed, Sugawara once again targeted Kyotani. This time, Kyotani stepped aside.
"I got it!" Hanamaki shouted, stepping forward to make the receive.
"Maki, nice one!" Oikawa called, and in the blink of an eye, Seijoh shifted into offense.
Freed from the serve pressure, Kyotani charged in and unleashed a monster cross shot, blasting it past before Hinata and Tanaka could even reach their peaks.
"Tch, their response is still that quick."
With the point conceded, Sugawara was immediately rotated out. Tsukishima re-entered, while Nishinoya returned to the court.
"I wanted at least two more…" Sugawara muttered, disappointed.
Ennoshita patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. You were great out there."
"Eh? Already pulling him out?" Saeko blinked in surprise.
Shimada, ever the explainer, pushed up his glasses. "They lost serve. Against Seijoh's serve, you need a Libero. That's why Nishinoya's back."
"Ahhh, makes sense," the girls murmured in unison.
Back on the court, Nishinoya proved their faith right, sprawling for a spectacular dig.
Kageyama zipped the set straight to Tanaka. Facing a double block, Tanaka gambled—not with a safe cross shot, but with a razor-straight line that whizzed just past Kyotani's hand.
The Libero couldn't reach it. Point to Karasuno.
"Sorry!" Kyotani barked, glaring daggers at Tanaka.
The bald spiker's smug look only made him angrier. To Kyotani, Tanaka had just written his name onto his hit list.
"That 'Mad Dog' doesn't seem like he thinks much when he plays," Hinata observed as they rotated.
Kageyama, embarrassed to agree, muttered under his breath, "I don't need you to tell me that."
"Eh? Too quiet, I didn't catch that," Hinata teased, darting away as Kageyama glared at him.
"If you're scared, don't provoke him in the first place," Tanaka sighed, shaking his head.
Unbothered, Kageyama strode to the service line.
"Ohhh, Kageyama-kun's serving!" Hitoka squeaked, notebook in hand. In the stands, Hayato and the others were already cheering loudly.
"Kageyama, nail it!"
The ball soared high. Kageyama leapt, smashing a thunderous jump serve across the net—but Seijoh's Libero, ready and steady, absorbed the blow.
"Free ball!"
Kyotani streaked in on a run, and Oikawa's pinpoint toss met him perfectly. He carved a devastating cross-court spike, brushing past Kageyama's arm and out of bounds.
"Damn it."
"Don't worry. Next ball."
Seijoh's sharpness was undeniable. They had faced countless jump serves, even from university players stronger than Karasuno's best. It wasn't surprising they could handle Kageyama's after only a few attempts.
They had even adjusted to Hayato's power serve after just two tries. That was Seijoh's true strength.
But Karasuno wasn't backing down. Not here, not now.
They unleashed their synchronized attack again—Hinata flying as the decoy, Hayato soaring as the spear.
"Here it comes, the Decoy Operation!"
"Nice feint, Hinata!"
From the bench to the stands, everyone roared.
Point by point. Blow for blow.
Neither side would give an inch.
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