The whistle sounded while Keiichiro Kanbayashi was still sprawled on the floor.
After Suwa landed, he turned to look at Inube and grabbed his hand, asking worriedly,
"Is your hand okay...?"
Suwa had heard the sound of Konoha's spike at the time. Just from that sound alone, he could tell there was no way the ball had been weak.
But Suwa hadn't known then that the one jumping out was Inube. If he had known it was Inube, Suwa definitely would have blocked that ball himself, because in a certain sense, Inube really was fragile.
Looking at the bright red mark on Inube's palm, Suwa fell silent too. If Konoha's contact point had been just a little higher, Inube's fingernail might have been flipped right off.
Konoha stood on the other side of the net, grinning as he looked at Inube and the others.
"I know Inube is fast. But if I hit hard enough, you still can't block it."
Inube pulled his hand back and looked at Konoha with appreciation.
"You're right. That last ball really was impressive, Konoha. You've improved."
Konoha froze for a moment at Inube's praise, then smiled sincerely.
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Nice job, Konoha."
Konoha had barely finished speaking when Bokuto's voice came from behind him.
Bokuto charged over, hooked an arm around Konoha's shoulders, and dragged him back. Konoha slapped at Bokuto's arm with a twisted expression. This guy was way too strong. His shoulder was almost being crushed.
"Are you okay?"
On Kamomedai's side, everyone also hurried over and gathered around Inube.
Inube found it a little funny. He wasn't made of glass. Why were they being so careful?
"Everyone, back to your positions. What could possibly happen to me? I'm the captain, you know."
Before anyone could even speak, Inube had already chased them back. Hoshiumi could only look at Inube longingly. He wanted to check on the captain too.
Suwa sighed as he watched Inube grin. He knew exactly how much power had been behind that ball. Getting hit on the hand like that had to hurt. Since Inube didn't want to show it, Suwa pretended not to notice.
Only after Inube had driven everyone back to their positions did he take his hand out, grimacing as he shook it.
That hurt like hell! Since when did Konoha's spikes get this strong?
By the time he walked back to his own position, Inube had already smoothed his expression away, becoming that gentle captain again.
When Konoha returned to his team, he was immediately surrounded and questioned by everyone.
"Since when were your spikes that strong?"
Haruki Komi was the first to ask. He knew Konoha had always been hiding his strength, but he had never expected him to hide it that deeply. The sound of that spike just now had almost caught up to Bokuto's.
"Exactly, exactly. Hurry up and explain yourself."
Bokuto locked an arm around Konoha's neck with a serious look, and Onaga quietly shuffled closer too. He was also curious.
The scene looked like a full interrogation.
Konoha guiltily rubbed his nose, then beckoned everyone closer, signaling for them to lean in so he could whisper.
Keiji Akaashi and Washio exchanged a glance. They had a feeling Konoha wasn't about to say anything serious.
"Actually, it's... I'm not telling you! Hahahahaha!"
Konoha said that just as everyone leaned in, then suddenly changed course and ran off. Everyone was still stunned, their ears ringing from his sudden burst of laughter.
Haruki Komi immediately wanted to chase Konoha down, drag him back, and beat him up.
"Beep beep beep---------!"
The referee, unable to tolerate Fukurōdani's noisy mess any longer, blew the whistle to warn them.
Haruki Komi's raised foot paused. Once he heard the whistle, he had no choice but to stop.
When he looked up, he saw Konoha looking at them with obvious delight, grinning as he made a face.
Haruki Komi held back his anger for a long time before finally swallowing it down. Just you wait, you brat. Once this match is over, you won't get a single first pass from me.
As the libero, the team's backbone, Haruki Komi controlled the most important first pass. Konoha had really done an excellent job digging his own grave. Of course, Konoha himself hadn't noticed that yet. Once he did, he would have plenty of time to regret it.
Konoha's ball had successfully scored, so the serve went back to Fukurōdani.
The score on the court was now 20:20.
A tie.
Just like the previous set, no one knew how long this back-and-forth would drag on.
Neither team was giving an inch. Kamomedai had scored three points off their serves, so Fukurōdani had to use the next rally to serve and win the points back.
After seeing Fukurōdani score in a row, Kamomedai refused to fall behind. They pushed forward with all their momentum and scored several points in succession too. Both sides kept clashing, and now that the score had reached twenty-all, it looked like there was still plenty left to play.
Down in the stands, Ryosuke let out a slow sigh. He had just checked his phone. It was already one thirty. The match had started at eleven, and it still wasn't over.
If Fukurōdani and Kamomedai kept dragging this out, he had no idea whether their match against Inarizaki would be able to start on time.
Even at this hour, the number of people in the stands hadn't decreased at all. If anything, more spectators were still arriving one after another, packing the venue so tightly that not even water could get through.
At the very edge of the spectator seats, a group of people dressed in yellow-green, looking like a bunch of bananas, walked in.
It was Itachiyama's group, here to watch the match.
Sakusa had already known yesterday that Shiratorizawa had a match this afternoon. After lunch, he couldn't sit still and said he wanted to come over to the venue for a walk first.
The moment Komori heard Sakusa say he was coming over to look around, he wanted to come too. Komori had heard that Fukurōdani and Kamomedai were playing here, and he had originally planned to ask everyone later if they wanted to go. When he saw that Sakusa was heading over, Komori followed along.
Once the others heard that Fukurōdani and Kamomedai were playing, they all made a fuss about coming too. And so Sakusa went from one person to dragging an entire team along with him.
When they set off, Sakusa looked at the crowd following behind him, his face so dark it was almost unbearable to look at.
Now he stood alone in a small corner, radiating a low-pressure aura. His eyes were dark and gloomy, and he looked extremely displeased.
Komori looked at Sakusa like that and guiltily rubbed his nose. If he hadn't insisted on coming, everyone else wouldn't have followed too. Poor Sakusa.
Sakusa sensed Komori's gaze, looked up, and glared fiercely at him.
Komori felt even guiltier under that stare.
"Wow, that's intense. They've dragged it all the way to 23."
Iizuna looked at the scoreboard on the court and sighed in admiration.
Hearing that, Komori stopped caring about Sakusa's dark expression and craned his neck to watch the match below. Sakusa, meanwhile, kept looking around. Ryosuke would definitely come watch a match like this. For all he knew, Ryosuke might be sitting somewhere in the stands right now.
After looking around and still not finding Ryosuke, Sakusa started to grow irritated.
It wasn't until his gaze swept past the coaches' benches on both sides that Sakusa suddenly paused. He saw Ryosuke sitting with a group of people, talking and laughing. Sakusa immediately prepared to go down and find him.
But Komori, quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbed him. He had noticed Sakusa's gaze just now and followed it, only to realize Sakusa was looking at Ryosuke. Judging by the look on his face, Sakusa's feet were practically about to move on their own. He clearly wanted to go find Ryosuke right away.
When Komori stopped him, Sakusa turned back and gave him an accusing look, as if blaming Komori for getting in his way. He was going to find Ryosuke.
Komori explained helplessly,
"There aren't any seats over there now. Look, they're all with their coaches, and our coach didn't come."
Sakusa glanced over again and said disapprovingly,
"The coach for those foxes from Inarizaki didn't come either."
Iizuna laughed when he heard Sakusa say that.
"Inarizaki doesn't need a coach when they go out. As long as they have Shinsuke Kita, they're fine."
Sakusa fell silent. That actually did seem true. Then his mood sank, and black gloom seemed to pour off his entire body.
Komori silently turned his head away. He had no intention of looking at Sakusa. He really couldn't handle Sakusa's gloomy aura.
Just then, Iizuna, who was watching the match, brightened and tugged on Komori.
"Komori, look! Isn't that Inube?"
The name felt both familiar and unfamiliar. Komori turned his gaze to the court, and Sakusa, hearing it too, also looked over.
On the court, a figure was sprinting like a flash of lightning, fast enough to catch up to the volleyball.
In the end, he jumped near the sideline. The area behind it was completely empty, with no one there to block. Inube reached out and slammed the volleyball down.
"Bang!"
"Beep----------"
The sound of the volleyball hitting the floor and the referee's whistle rang out one after the other.
Kamomedai scored again, reaching match point first. The score was now 23:24.
Kamomedai's scoring points were now concentrated on Inube and Hoshiumi, while the others focused on defense.
On Fukurōdani's side, Bokuto and Konoha were leading the attack. Bokuto had a wide range of spike courses, with cross shots, straight shots, and back-row attacks, while Konoha's ball paths were more flexible. He was good with tactics, using timing gaps, spatial gaps, wipes, and tips one after another.
Those two matched up against Kamomedai evenly.
The crowd's excitement rose along with every point scored.
After Inube landed, he high-fived Kazuyoshi Bessho, who had run over.
"Bessho, that was an amazing set."
This wasn't Inube forcing a compliment. He genuinely thought Kazuyoshi Bessho's sets were incredible. They hadn't worked together much before, and Kazuyoshi Bessho had only learned about Inube's hitting points from Hirugami.
The very first ball Kazuyoshi Bessho set him after he entered the court had been completely unexpected. Both its angle and speed had been calculated perfectly.
Since Inube came onto the court, not a single set Kazuyoshi Bessho sent him had been off. On the contrary, every one of them had been incredibly comfortable to hit.
Inube couldn't help sighing in admiration. Kamomedai really didn't keep anyone useless around.
At this point, everyone on Fukurōdani had also realized that they had seriously underestimated Kazuyoshi Bessho's ability. This guy could use the other players on his own team to draw away the block, creating openings for Inube to spike through.
He didn't fall for any traps either. Trying to find a weakness through Inube was difficult now. Inube's current situation was simple. Wherever Kazuyoshi Bessho set the ball,
he would spike it. All he had to do was use his speed advantage. Once Inube and Kazuyoshi Bessho linked up, they had turned directly into a ruthless scoring machine.
Even after all this back-and-forth, the score still hadn't shifted much. Kamomedai was now leading by one point, but Fukurōdani would definitely try to take it back on the next ball.
Hoshiumi was starting to feel anxious. His condition was becoming more tense along with the score.
He just didn't show it on his face. Outwardly, he looked calm, but the calmer he appeared, the more it meant waves were already rising inside him.
After Kamomedai scored, Suwa was up to serve.
Suwa once again walked to the service line. As for Haruki Komi, he no longer felt the unease he had felt when he first saw Suwa back in the second set.
He was truly numb by now.
In this third set, he had already lost count of how many of Suwa's serves he had received.
Suwa sighed. He had also lost count of how many times he had served in this set.
The two of them met each other's eyes, both wearing the exact same numb look.
"Beep---------"
After the whistle sounded, Suwa gathered his focus and concentrated on the volleyball in his hands.
Even though he had served this ball so many times, every time Suwa held the volleyball again, he still thought about how to make this serve even better.
He turned the volleyball in his hands a few times, then bounced it against the floor. Once he found that familiar feel, he began his serve.
The volleyball was tossed into the air again, its shadow overlapping with the lights on the ceiling.
Suwa took his approach and jumped, swinging both arms as he rose.
His right hand whipped through the air and struck the bottom of the volleyball.
"Bang!"
The sound rang out clearly.
For a jump float serve to make that kind of sound was impressive. It was almost the same as the sound of a powerful jump serve.
The volleyball flew fast, wobbling through the air.
Haruki Komi had experience now. If the arc stayed smooth before crossing the net, then it was either a sinking ball or a flat-drive ball.
After reaching that conclusion, Haruki Komi ran forward a few steps and got into an underhand receiving stance to wait.
Sure enough, after the volleyball crossed the net, it dropped sharply. Haruki Komi saw that he still wasn't close enough and quickly ran forward a few more steps.
Good thing he had moved early. If he had stood there blankly like he did in the previous set, this ball would already have scored for the other side.
After running forward a few steps, Haruki Komi managed to reach the spot before the volleyball landed.
He received the ball underhand, and the volleyball slammed into his arms.
With a bang, the ball was received.
When the volleyball hit Haruki Komi's arms, it was steady, but when it flew up, it carried a slight wobble.
As Haruki Komi received it, he adjusted the angle of his wrists. This ball was aimed toward Keiji Akaashi.
The volleyball flew up, looking a little high. Keiji Akaashi tilted his head back and took a few steps backward. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have been able to see the ball clearly.
Bokuto ran past Keiji Akaashi and had already begun his approach toward the net. Suwa also ran toward Bokuto's path. His goal was to stop Bokuto, though that sounded a little unrealistic.
Inube and Hoshiumi had already started preparing their approaches from both sides. As soon as this ball was blocked or touched, the two of them would be ready to attack at any moment.
Hakuba saw Suwa go to block Bokuto, but he didn't follow. There was still Konoha left unmarked. So Hakuba's eyes stayed fixed firmly on Konoha.
If Konoha made any move, Hakuba would notice it right away.