Aura has always been a mysterious thing. At this moment, as Kageyama tracked the descending volleyball, he felt the force radiating from Hayato Kuroha on the left side of the court—the unshakable confidence of an Ace.
"Give me the ball! I'll score!"
The sheer intensity of Hayato's presence made Kageyama instinctively call his name and set the ball to him.
The toss landed perfectly at Hayato's hitting point. He had no doubt in Kageyama's skill—if the ball had come to him, he would finish it. What kind of Ace would he be if he couldn't shoulder the team now?
"Take this!"
With a roar, Hayato spiked, threading the ball through a narrow gap between Aoba Johsai's blockers, driving it down close to the sideline. It slammed onto the floor. Point for Karasuno.
"Alright!"
"Good hit, Hayato!"
"Hayato Kuroha!"
The arena rang with cheers. It was the kind of point that boosted morale, but Hayato himself felt the strain. That last swing had lacked its usual power. It was only natural—after a morning match and a short midday break, his body hadn't fully recovered. Two consecutive deuce sets had drained not only their stamina but also their focus. Even telling yourself not to think about exhaustion still cost mental energy.
And it wasn't just him—everyone on Karasuno was carrying fatigue. Aoba Johsai, though, was no fresher. If anything, having clawed their way back from behind might have piled even more pressure on them. Still, their third-years had the edge in stamina control, something only experience could teach.
Hayato gave a bitter smile. He had thought his knowledge and experience would allow him to keep calm no matter what, but after transmigrating and becoming Hayato Kuroha, things weren't so simple. With memories and personalities merged, he found himself swept into the same burning rivalries as any young athlete.
And right now, that rivalry had locked onto Kyotani.
He pushed the thought away, exchanging high-fives with his teammates. No one noticed the flicker of determination hidden in his eyes.
With the serve regained, the rotation brought Tsukishima to the front row. Nishinoya, the libero, had to leave. As he passed Yamaguchi on the bench, he paused.
"Yamaguchi, don't forget this failure."
His tone was serious, not comforting. Sugawara and Ennoshita had already tried that. Yamaguchi met his gaze and nodded firmly.
"Yes!"
On the court, Karasuno's back row was now Kageyama, Hinata, and Tanaka—defensively their weakest rotation. But the front row of Tsukishima, Hayato, and Daichi could hold the line with their blocking.
"Tanaka, good serve!"
Cheered on, Tanaka launched his serve. Aoba Johsai responded sharply. Tsukishima tracked Oikawa's eyes—he'd studied this before. Nekoma's setter Kenma had used eye feints, looking one way while sending the ball another. So when Oikawa glanced toward Kyotani, Tsukishima dismissed it as a feint.
But that was exactly what Oikawa wanted. The set went straight to Kyotani.
The spike thundered off Kyotani's hand. Hayato, positioned perfectly behind the block, braced for the dig. But the sheer force overpowered him. The ball ricocheted off his arm and flew out of bounds.
"Damn it!" Hayato cursed, bowing his head as the score tied again.
With serve in hand, Aoba Johsai targeted Hinata in the back row, relentless in exposing Karasuno's weakness. Coach Ukai clenched his fists. Hinata's receiving was still undeveloped—it wasn't something months of training could fix.
Tanaka covered him, shouting for the ball. Hinata apologized as he pulled back. Karasuno managed to set up a chance ball. Once more, Kageyama found Hayato, but this time Aoba Johsai's back row picked it up cleanly.
Then, trusting Kindaichi for the quick, Oikawa delivered—and Kindaichi scored.
27–28. Karasuno trailed by one.
The entire stadium leaned forward, breathless, palms damp with tension.
"One more point!" Aoba Johsai's cheering squad thundered.
Their serve screamed across the net. Tanaka moved for it but mishandled.
"Sorry, cover!" he yelled.
"Adjust and re-attack!" Hayato barked, rallying them. Kageyama tossed again. Hayato's spike met the block, the ball floating back weakly onto Karasuno's side.
"Give it to me!"
Multiple spikers surged forward—synchronized attack. Kageyama had options everywhere. At that instant, he chose the surprise second attack.
But Oikawa was waiting. Anticipating it, he lunged, tipping the ball just over the net. It dribbled down vertically along the tape.
No one had time to react. Hayato stretched a leg, trying to kick it up, but the ball slid off and dropped lifelessly to the floor.
27–29.
The whistle blew. After a grueling battle, Aoba Johsai had taken the second set.
"Alright!"
"Oikawa!"
The stadium roared with Oikawa's name.
"Aoba Johsai ties the match!"
"Karasuno had the lead, and still lost… this will weigh on them."
Karasuno's players bit back frustration. To give everything and still fall short—it stung. But as Hayato had reminded them, the match wasn't over. They had one more set.
Though their faces were tight, their eyes still burned with resolve.
"Change your mindset. Get ready for the third set," Daichi commanded, leading them off.
On the bench, Kiyoko handed out water and towels. They wiped sweat in silence, staring at their rivals across the court.
"Leading two sets and then being caught up… it's rough," Daichi admitted.
"Yeah. And this was with our best lineup," Sugawara added lightly, trying to loosen the mood.
No matter how strong the opponent, their goal hadn't changed.
"From the practice match to the Inter-High preliminaries, every step brought us here," Daichi said firmly. "This is the toughest battle yet—but we'll win the last set!"
"Oh!"
Their voices rose together. Even Hayato cast aside his doubts and roared with them. They could not stop here.
Just then, Coach Ukai called him over.
"I'm bringing in Azumane for the third set, alongside you. A dual Ace strategy. Can you do it?"
Hayato had been ready to argue that he still had stamina. But hearing the words dual Ace, he only nodded with fierce determination. Karasuno had more than one trump card—and they would need them all.
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