Kamomedai's bench.
During the 30-second technical timeout, no one spoke, only the sound of heavy breathing filled the air.
The Kamomedai coach watched his players, worn out and drained, and silently sighed. The chances of winning this match seemed slim.
Across the court, Akashi Asuka sat in his team's resting area, sweating heavily but maintaining a calm expression.
The coach couldn't help but feel a bitter thought creep into his mind: "If Hoshiumi exists, why does Akashi have to be here?"
How can we deal with Akashi Asuka?
While the coach mulled over this, Aikichi Suwa returned to the bench, his mind racing wildly, trying to figure out a strategy against Akashi.
"Stopping their scoring is nearly impossible now... so at least we can't afford to lose efficiency on our own side."
One plan after another surfaced in his mind, only to be discarded one by one.
In the end, even Suwa himself felt a wave of despair.
Because no matter how Kamomedai fought back, it seemed utterly hopeless to turn the tide.
Take serving alone: unless Oikawa and Akashi start making mistakes on every serve, that single advantage would allow Aoba Johsai to pull at least three or four points ahead.
Kamomedai was already at a disadvantage.
Add another three or four points, and the defeat would be all but sealed.
The 30-second timeout ended quickly.
As the referee's whistle blew, signaling the restart, Suwa rose slowly with a heavy, hopeless heart and headed back onto the court.
But just before stepping on, a voice reached his ear.
"Hoshiumi said, 'Captain, let me go one-on-one with Akashi from now on!'"
"What?"
Suwa looked up sharply, incredulous.
"Korai, do you realize what you're saying? Are you sure about this?"
Hoshiumi calmly shook his head.
"No. But... we have to fight with everything we've got, don't we?"
Suwa fell silent for a moment. Then, suddenly lifting his head, a flash of determination crossed his eyes.
"Alright, we'll do it your way. I'll have your back."
As Hoshiumi said, Kamomedai was already one foot over the cliff.
There was no choice left.
To lose without a fight was impossible.
Even if it meant throwing everything into the battle like a last-ditch effort, Kamomedai would fight until the very end.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Back on the court.
Hoshiumi returned to the one-on-one position against Akashi.
Maybe because they had been playing team volleyball all along, Hoshiumi hadn't felt it deeply until now.
But now, face-to-face with Akashi alone, he suddenly realized just how overwhelmingly strong this first-year opponent's presence was.
The last time he felt this way was back in his own first year, as a substitute at his first national tournament, when he came face-to-face with the monster Ushijima Wakatoshi and felt the oppressive pressure.
But now, Hoshiumi was a second-year, and Kamomedai's "ace."
He was confident that even if he met Ushijima head-on now, it wouldn't pressure him this much.
Could it be... this guy has already surpassed that monster Ushijima?
The sudden thought startled Hoshiumi.
But after reflecting carefully, he realized it might not be impossible.
And that scared him even more.
"This is ridiculous... I can't even tell which team is the real dark horse anymore."
The weight of that pressure settled deep inside.
For a moment, Hoshiumi felt like he was back at his first national tournament, nervous but defiant, refusing to back down.
Akashi stood across the net, sensing the shift in Hoshiumi's aura, and barely raised an eyebrow.
"Could it be... he's finally in the zone?"
Whistle!
The match resumed.
Score: 8–5.
Aoba Johsai had the serve; Kamomedai prepared to attack.
Suwa received the serve, dodged Kanedaichi's defense with a glance, then decisively set the ball high to Hoshiumi.
Akashi jumped immediately, facing off one-on-one again.
Both players hovered in midair with incredible hang time.
Akashi tried to read Hoshiumi's center of gravity to guess his attack.
But before Akashi could react,
Bang!
A sharp explosion echoed.
Akashi felt a breeze brush past his ear, then heard a muffled thud behind him.
Whistle.
Score: 8–6.
Aoba Johsai's backcourt players, Hajime Iwaizumi and Watari Shinji, stared blankly, stunned by what they'd just witnessed.
"What just happened?"
Hoshiumi's spike wasn't as fierce as Akashi's usual bombs, but technically and placement-wise, it was nearly perfect, that was Hoshiumi in normal form.
But this last spike went beyond that.
Watari and Iwaizumi clearly saw the strike but couldn't react at all, not because it was too fast, but because it hit the perfect timing, the perfect spot, and exploited a defensive blind spot.
Kamomedai's players also froze for a moment.
Then erupted into wild cheers, as if releasing all the frustration they'd bottled up.
But Hoshiumi, the scorer, showed no excitement or joy, only a calm stillness like a placid lake.
That strange familiarity sent a chill down Oikawa's spine.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Next rally.
Kamomedai served; Aoba Johsai attacked.
As usual, Oikawa set to Akashi.
Akashi jumped and launched a deep diagonal spike straight toward the backcourt line.
But just as the ball flew,
It was blocked by Hoshiumi.
Smack!
Akashi's spike hit Hoshiumi's arms with a crisp sound.
The impact tilted Hoshiumi's entire body midair, but he still held firm, and amazingly, he blocked the ball.
Although the ball bounced out of bounds due to the rebound, Aoba Johsai won the point.
9–6.
Still, this unexpected block shocked everyone on Aoba Johsai.
After all, it wasn't just any spike, it was Akashi's full-power meteor hammer!
Oikawa stared at Hoshiumi's steady landing with a grim expression.
"These guys... still won't admit defeat at this point?"