"Whoa~ Aoba Johsai's setter is nasty!"
Spectators murmured uneasily. While the players on court were too caught up in the match to notice, those watching from the sidelines were quick to catch on to Oikawa Tooru's cunning. It was enough to send shivers down their spines.
But that comment didn't sit well with the Aoba Johsai players.
"Hey now, that's a bit much. Nasty? Come on, every setter has a twisted mind, that's basically common knowledge nationwide. Be honest, are your team's setters really any better?"
"Uh… well…"
The players from Itachiyama and Itachiyama looked at each other, then glanced at their own setters… and fell silent.
After all, they knew their own teammates. Maybe their setters weren't as devious as Oikawa, but let's be real, it was just a matter of degree. They were still sneaky devils in their own right.
The players from Shiratorizawa looked toward their own setter, Shirabu Kenjiro, then hesitated, wanting to say something, then choosing not to.
Because the issue wasn't that their setter lacked brains,
It was that Coach Washijo's strict system didn't allow Shirabu to show what he was truly capable of.
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Back on the court,
The Blue Team was still in a tough spot.
Oikawa's serve had thrown off Wakatsu, Sakusa, and Komori all at once. The three hesitated for a moment, uncertain who should act.
That was when Sakusa suddenly lifted his arm in a deceptive back-set motion mid-air, drawing a subtle pause from Akashi and Ushijima.
"That motion… Is he still planning to have Komori take the final hit? …No, he's going for it himself!"
Sakusa's feint managed to fool the Red Team for a split second. But Akashi and Ushijima weren't slow to catch on, they both leapt up to block without hesitation.
Boom!
Smack!
Sure enough,
Just as they jumped, Sakusa launched a back-facing attack.
And just as predicted, their block connected. They shut him down.
But,
The ball didn't fall.
Instead, it rebounded up, flying higher and higher into the air.
"A back attack and a rebound shot?"
"What kind of wizardry is this!?"
A back-facing spike is usually considered a last resort, something only pulled off when the set is wildly off-target. Most players wouldn't even attempt it.
But Sakusa had used it deliberately, turning himself into a decoy mid-air, then attacking right off the second touch.
And not just any attack, he'd calculated the trajectory in advance, predicting that both Akashi and Ushijima would jump to block.
A battle of brains.
With pure strategic finesse, Sakusa Kiyoomi dismantled Oikawa Tooru's play.
The Blue Team rallied again.
This time, the final ball went to Wakatsu Kiryu. While Sakusa and Komori were far from perfect setters compared to Oikawa, it didn't matter.
Because for Wakatsu Kiryu, it didn't have to be a perfect toss.
No matter how bad the set was, he could still score.
That's just the kind of player he was.
BOOM!
Before the Red Team's blockers could get into position, Wakatsu spiked the ball straight through the defense. Even Oikawa, who had already read the landing spot, couldn't absorb the force of the hit cleanly.
He watched helplessly as the ball bounced out of bounds.
2–2.
The match was tied once more.
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"Ooh~ Looks like Wakatsu and Sakusa are both in top form today!" said the Itachiyama coach, eyes lighting up as he watched the court.
"They've probably been waiting for opponents like this for a long time."
"Strong opponents push you to your limits. These kids, every one of them, are already among the best in the nation. Win or lose, each individual player only accounts for one-sixth of the result. But only against an opponent like this… can you truly feel the limits of your power."
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Fifth serve.
Sakusa Kiyoomi stepped up to serve for the Blue Team.
His serves were infamous for their brutal spin. While the Red Team's three players had solid fundamentals, when it came to serve receive, they still weren't at a national elite level.
Boom!
First serve, ace.
2–3.
Sakusa's second serve, Oikawa managed to track its path, but the vicious spin sent the ball flying upon contact.
2–4.
Two consecutive points,
The Blue Team's momentum was skyrocketing.
On the third serve, Sakusa's accuracy dipped slightly, and the spin was noticeably weaker. This time, Oikawa successfully received the ball.
Unfortunately, the first touch was way off the mark.
Akashi barely managed to chase it down. But among all his volleyball stats, setting was still his lowest. Even after nearly two years of training, he'd only just passed the 70-point mark.
He could handle a normal pass, sure.
But this kind of off-target receive?
There was no way he could set it perfectly to Ushijima.
But that was fine.
Akashi's job wasn't to perfectly set the ball.
He just needed to toss it high, right above Ushijima's head.
No spin, no angle, no clever trickery.
Just height.
"Nice toss–" said Ushijima flatly.
It wasn't flattery.
Knowing Ushijima, he probably didn't even understand the concept of flattery.
He said it was a good toss… because it was.
That was all.
For Akashi and Ushijima, that kind of ball, just a high toss, was all they needed.
Because no matter how strong the wall in front of them, they would break through.
Boom!
Facing a double block from Wakatsu and Sakusa, Ushijima didn't flinch.
He swung hard,
A devastating cross-court cannon shot.
A lefty's angle, bypassing the block,
And with raw force, he flattened Komori.
The ball flew off Komori's chest at an angle, sailing right into the arms of an unsuspecting bystander outside the court.
"Uhh…"
Everyone, especially the Aoba Johsai players, fell silent for a moment.
What could they even say?
That single point made something crystal clear:
Ushijima is still Ushijima.
Even when facing two of the nation's top three aces,
He was still the most terrifying of them all.
The players from Shiratorizawa were stunned too.
"Hey… Tendo… just now… did Ushijima… smile?"
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria