Suna only entertained that thought for a moment. In the next second, his footwork changed as well. He mirrored Ryosuke's movement, taking a lateral step before shifting position.
Ryosuke heard the footsteps and glanced back. When he saw that Suna was still following him, his frown deepened.
With Ryosuke unable to break free for the moment, Reon and Tsutomu Goshiki moved forward to block. Even so, they were still hoping Ryosuke could get there in time.
In their eyes, Ryosuke's importance as a blocker was already beginning to rival Tendo's. He was gradually becoming the center of their blocking system. Reon could barely imagine what they would do if Ryosuke eventually switched to libero.
They would never find another blocker like him, someone who could block, receive, and serve. Just thinking about it gave Reon a headache.
But that was beside the point.
Atsumu Miya turned his attention to the net. Osamu Miya had already jumped, but Atsumu Miya still hadn't set the ball. He was waiting for Aran to take off.
When Osamu Miya jumped, Reon and Tsutomu Goshiki rose to block him. Osamu Miya swung his arm, but no ball came.
The moment he landed, Osamu Miya moved aside and cleared the way for Aran.
Reon and Tsutomu Goshiki had only just touched down when Aran leaped up, forcing them to jump again.
Reon had no idea how many players were involved in this staggered attack. All they could do was jump every time, because no one knew who would actually receive the set.
Aran rose and swung hard.
Once again, there was no ball.
Reon and Tsutomu Goshiki landed for the second time.
Tsutomu Goshiki was already growing impatient. Whenever he participated in a staggered attack himself, he thought it was fun. Now that he was the one trying to block it, he found it incredibly annoying.
Omimi was the next to jump.
Tsutomu Goshiki let out a quiet sigh. This one was probably another decoy.
But as soon as Omimi rose, the volleyball arrived above his head.
Without hesitation, he drove it straight toward Tsutomu Goshiki.
He aimed directly for the edge of Tsutomu Goshiki's arm.
Tsutomu Goshiki had been convinced that no one would actually spike the ball, so he never expected Omimi to attack him directly.
Reon was too far away to cover his block. There was no one beside Tsutomu Goshiki.
His eyes widened. He swept his hand to the left, trying to stop the ball, but he hadn't turned his head quickly enough to see it. His arm cut through empty air.
Tsutomu Goshiki's heart clenched.
They were finished.
At the last possible moment, Ryosuke appeared. He had finally shaken off Suna.
Just as the volleyball was about to hit the floor, Ryosuke sprang in diagonally, twisted his hips, and knocked Tsutomu Goshiki aside.
He straightened his arms, planted both hands over Omimi's spike, and pressed down with all his strength.
"Thud!"
The ball was stuffed straight back onto the floor with a dull impact.
After being shoved aside without warning, Tsutomu Goshiki turned to look at Ryosuke. Veins stood out across Ryosuke's forearms, yet his hands remained perfectly steady as he forced the ball down.
Tsutomu Goshiki swallowed nervously.
Only now did he realize how frightening his friend really was. How strong did someone have to be to block Ushijima's spike without even changing expression?
Tsutomu Goshiki felt genuinely fortunate that Ryosuke had never squeezed him to death during one of their celebratory hugs.
"Beep----------!"
The block had scored directly.
When Omimi landed, a whole range of emotions crossed his face. It had been a long time since anyone had stuffed one of his spikes for a point. Even Hirugami had only managed it a few times.
That first-year from Shiratorizawa was the real deal.
"Ryosuke, that was amazing!"
Tsutomu Goshiki rubbed his waist as he climbed to his feet, grinning at Ryosuke.
His friend might have been a little too strong, but he had to admit that Ryosuke had looked unbelievably cool just now.
Ryosuke rubbed his nose awkwardly.
"How's your waist?"
Suna had kept him tied up until the ball was almost on the floor, so Ryosuke had charged in faster than he intended. He was well aware of his own speed and strength.
He was worried he might have injured Tsutomu Goshiki's waist.
Tsutomu Goshiki broke into a wide grin.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. That was nothing. I'm built tough!"
Standing behind him, Reon lightly smacked the back of his head.
Tsutomu Goshiki clutched his head and turned around with a baffled expression.
"You're still laughing? That would've been a point if Ryosuke hadn't made it. Don't lose focus or get impatient during a match. What would happen if everyone played the way you just did?"
Reon sounded unusually stern, but Tsutomu Goshiki accepted the criticism without complaint. He nodded and immediately admitted his mistake.
"I'm sorry, Reon-senpai. I underestimated them just now. It definitely won't happen again on the next rally."
His tone was completely serious.
Omimi heard their conversation from the other side of the net and looked conflicted.
So Reon was that strict when teaching his juniors? Shiratorizawa's first-years had it rough.
Then he remembered how the twins on his own team got beaten almost every day and decided that Reon was practically gentle by comparison.
Still thinking about it, Omimi walked toward the backcourt.
Aran saw his expression and assumed that getting blocked had shaken his confidence. He exchanged a glance with Atsumu Miya and found the same concern in his eyes.
For once, their thoughts had aligned perfectly.
Omimi-senpai looked so upset. How were they supposed to comfort him?
"Omimi-senpai, it's okay. You only got blocked once. The rest of us have already been blocked several times."
Aran spoke cautiously, watching Omimi's expression as he did.
"Exactly. Your spikes are incredible, Omimi-senpai. You'll definitely score on the next one. Getting blocked once is no big deal."
Omimi thought for a moment.
They were clearly trying to comfort him, so why did everything they said sound so strange?
Still, he didn't take it to heart.
"I'm fine. I'm not that fragile. Tighten up the defense, and we'll try again on the next rally. Akagi, make sure you receive the next serve."
Akagi immediately straightened.
"Yes!"
Then he suddenly remembered that Ushijima was next to serve for Shiratorizawa.
His confidence began to waver again.
It was Ushijima's serve.
Was he going to get killed?
Despite what was going through his mind, his body obediently returned to position and prepared for the next rally.
Shiratorizawa was nearly ready as well.
"Go for it, Ushijima-senpai!"
"Score five in a row!"
"Ushijima-senpai is the best!"
Yamagata, Ryosuke, and Tsutomu Goshiki had always served as Shiratorizawa's cheerleaders and mood-makers.
Ushijima nodded without expression.
"Don't worry. I will."
Reon tossed him the volleyball.
Ushijima took the ball and walked toward the service line. Even from behind, he looked completely dependable.
"Beep-------------!"
Once everyone was ready, the referee blew the whistle.
Ushijima moved the instant he heard it.
He tossed the volleyball overhead, began his approach, and jumped.
Akagi stared intently at him, keeping his eyes on both hands.
That right-handed spike had proven that Ushijima was already quite comfortable using his right hand. It wasn't as polished as his left, but it was still far better than most players could manage.
Now Akagi was afraid that Ushijima might switch between his left and right hands while serving. Having to guard against both at once was agonizing.
As Ushijima rose into the air, he noticed Akagi's gaze.
Under Akagi's tense stare, Ushijima slowly raised his left hand.
Akagi's eyes followed it up and down.
"Bang!"
While Akagi was completely absorbed in watching Ushijima's hitting motion, Ushijima suddenly hammered the ball.
The volleyball shot toward Akagi as if it had been fired from a gun.
Akagi had clearly seen Ushijima's arm swing toward the right. Since Ushijima had struck the ball with his left hand, the serve would curve in the opposite direction.
There was no doubt about it.
Akagi sprinted to the left.
He had to receive this one. They were already too far behind.
The volleyball flew left with vicious spin.
Akagi reached the spot he had predicted, adjusted his stance, and crouched to receive.
As he extended both arms, he let his upper arms guide his forearms and kept them relaxed, ready to absorb the force on contact.
"Thud!"
The volleyball slammed directly into his forearms.
It looked as though Akagi had predicted its course and moved into position to receive it. In reality, Ushijima had calculated everything before serving. He had accounted for the libero's speed, receiving range, running angle, and likely position when judging the landing point.
Only after making those calculations did Ushijima serve.
In his mind, a serve that failed to hit the libero wasn't a successful one.
It was a strange habit.
The volleyball struck Akagi's forearms squarely and nearly flattened him.
He struggled to lift his arms. Fortunately, Akagi had received Bokuto's serves before. Ushijima and Bokuto were broadly similar players. Both relied on tremendous power.
The difference was that one was left-handed and the other right-handed. One had a more straightforward serve, while the other had greater variety.
Feeling the force nearly fold his body in half, Akagi gritted his teeth and forced himself upright.
He drove the volleyball upward.
"Thud!"
The ball flew into the air.
The tension immediately left Akagi's arms. He looked up at the rising ball and let out a breath of relief.
Honestly, Akagi found powerful jump serves easier to receive than jump floaters or hook serves. He actually preferred Ushijima's serve.
The ball had carried so much force that it rebounded high after striking his arms.
Atsumu Miya was already sprinting toward Akagi. When he saw that the ball had gone up, excitement surged through him.
Akagi had received it.
They had a chance to side out immediately.
Akagi had been incredible.
"Nice ball, Akagi!"
Atsumu Miya ran toward him, and the others immediately began organizing their attack.
This time, Osamu Miya didn't rush straight to the net. He stayed close to Atsumu Miya, making it impossible to tell whether they were preparing a back-row attack or a quick.
The others had already charged toward the net.
Aran was the first to arrive, but Tsutomu Goshiki and Reon immediately marked him.
Omimi moved toward the area near position one, responsible for drawing Ryosuke's attention.
He understood the situation now. Whenever Tendo wasn't on the court for Shiratorizawa, Ryosuke took over his role.
Ryosuke was the center of their blocking system.
Blocking Ryosuke's vision was the same as blinding Shiratorizawa.
Ryosuke was their eyes.
As if they had planned it in advance, Omimi and Suna positioned themselves on either side of Ryosuke and blocked his line of sight.
Facing two towering walls, Ryosuke let out a long sigh.
Inarizaki really thought highly of him.
Before, he had only been double-marked while attacking. Now they were watching him even when he tried to block.
Ryosuke found it incredibly troublesome.
Omimi and Suna were going to great lengths to contain Ryosuke alone, leaving Reon and Tsutomu Goshiki completely unmarked on the other side.
In Suna's opinion, neither of them was an especially dangerous blocker.
Aran had another job now.
He was supposed to spike.
Probably.
Even he couldn't be sure. Atsumu Miya loved messing around and never told them who would receive the set in advance.
In fact, if Atsumu Miya specifically told Aran that the next ball was his, then it definitely wouldn't be.
Aran had long since figured out his troublesome personality.
Aran now stood face-to-face with Tsutomu Goshiki and Reon.
The seasoned presence Reon carried on the court placed considerable pressure on him.
Suna had said there was no need to worry about Reon and Tsutomu Goshiki's blocking, but actually standing in front of them was a different matter.
Aran still felt nervous.
Suna and Atsumu Miya really had a lot of faith in him.
But what was he supposed to do if he couldn't get the spike through?
The pressure on his shoulders felt immense.
Aran was worrying too soon.
The set wasn't going to him at all.
From the back row, Atsumu Miya saw Osamu Miya running ahead of him.
The timing, angle, and position were perfect.
It was an ideal opportunity for a back-row attack.
Excitement gleamed in Atsumu Miya's eyes as he set the ball toward Osamu Miya.
Osamu Miya had his back to Atsumu Miya.
As he ran forward, one thought came to him.
A back-row attack from this position would feel incredible.
Shiratorizawa's blockers and attackers had all been tied down, leaving the center of the court completely open.
Ushijima was approaching from the right, preparing to attack, but Yamagata noticed that something was wrong and sprinted toward the middle.
He still didn't know who would hit the ball, but he knew they couldn't leave the center completely unguarded.
As Yamagata raced toward the middle, Atsumu Miya seemed to read Osamu Miya's mind and sent the ball directly to him.
Osamu Miya had done the same.
The moment the idea entered his head, he jumped.
He wasn't worried that no set would come and that he would make a fool of himself by swinging at nothing.
He knew his older brother would send him the ball.
He and Atsumu Miya hated each other more than anyone else, but they also trusted each other more than anyone else.
The instant Osamu Miya jumped, the volleyball appeared in front of him.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He knew that damn pig Atsumu Miya would understand exactly what he was thinking.
Ryosuke still had no idea what was happening.
Just as he broke free from the players obstructing him, he caught a brief glimpse of Osamu Miya suddenly rising into the air.
Ryosuke's heart tightened.
He glanced toward the back of the center court. Yamagata was the only one sprinting toward it.
By the time Ryosuke turned back, Osamu Miya had already raised his hand.
...
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