When the whistle blew, Kyotani rolled his shoulders and stretched his joints, preparing to go on. Matsukawa stood nearby, staring at him with a dark expression.
Kyotani turned his head, confused by the glare. Something about that look seemed to set Matsukawa off.
To everyone's surprise, Matsukawa suddenly strode forward, grabbed Kyotani by the collar, and said through clenched teeth,
"Today's the finals. Don't make things difficult for everyone."
His fingers tightened until the knuckles turned red.
Kyotani clicked his tongue and looked away with disdain.
If I score, nobody's going to complain.
Matsukawa choked on his anger, looking like he was about to punch someone.
Seeing things about to escalate, Oikawa quickly stepped in and separated them, still smiling—but with a clear warning in his tone.
"Hey, no fighting before we even get on the court. Nobody gets an exception."
Matsukawa snorted and turned away.
Hanamaki glanced at Kyotani standing alone in the corner and sighed, but in the end he didn't go over to say anything.
On the other side, Reon noticed Goshiki staring intensely toward Aobajosai.
"What are you looking at?"
Goshiki pointed across the court.
"That number sixteen—I've never seen him before."
Reon paused.
Number sixteen? A new player?
When he looked up, he saw Kyotani's sharp, predatory eyes and his fierce expression. After a moment of thought, Reon grabbed Goshiki by the collar and dragged him back.
"You'll see once the match starts."
Goshiki nodded eagerly, still glancing toward Kyotani with restless excitement.
Yamagata felt something was off.
Goshiki right now… looked exactly like a puppy ready to run outside and start a fight.
Ryosuke grabbed Goshiki and pulled him along.
"Come on. Once we're on the court you can play him."
"Oh!"
Goshiki looked like he was practically on fire with excitement.
What nobody realized was that Kyotani hadn't been looking at Goshiki at all.
From the beginning, his eyes had been locked on Ushijima.
If you're going to play, aim big. Go after the ace.
Both teams stepped onto the court and bowed.
The fourth set officially began.
...
On Aobajosai's side, Kyotani had replaced Hanamaki.
Now he and Iwaizumi were the team's two main outside hitters. However, because of the team's formation, Kyotani also had to participate in blocking.
"Beep—"
Goshiki grabbed the ball and jogged to the service line, grinning like an idiot.
In the stands, Coach Washijō covered his face.
Sometimes he really didn't want to admit Goshiki was from Shiratorizawa.
Seeing Goshiki's silly grin, Shirabu simply closed his eyes and stopped looking.
He admitted it—his earlier praise had been far too hasty.
"Beep—"
"Bang!"
Goshiki jumped and served.
After three sets of adjustment, he had finally built up a feel for the ball. The serve came out smooth and solid.
Watching the ball, Watari couldn't help sighing.
Some people got more tired the longer they played.
Others somehow got more energetic.
Life really wasn't fair.
He dashed left, took two quick steps, then dove forward and slid across the floor. His palm cushioned the ball just enough to lift it.
But the ball flew a little too high.
Watari knew it the moment he touched it.
A libero who'd received thousands of balls could judge the outcome from the force and speed alone. That was experience.
"Cover!"
"Coming!"
Kunimi rushed forward first.
What choice did he have?
Matsukawa was blocking, Oikawa was the setter, Iwaizumi had to read the situation, and Kyotani only wanted to spike.
At this rate, Kunimi was the only one who'd end up exhausted.
Frowning, Kunimi bumped the ball back into a usable trajectory.
Oikawa watched it and decided it didn't really need a set.
The ball drifted close to Matsukawa and the net.
Matsukawa jumped to spike—
—and suddenly got rammed from behind.
He staggered.
Kyotani Kentaro. It had to be him.
Seeing that the attacker wasn't Iwaizumi, Kyotani sprinted forward to steal the ball like a hunting cheetah, appearing at the net in an instant and bumping straight into Matsukawa on the way.
"Don't steal the ball."
"Don't trouble your teammates."
All that meant nothing to Kyotani.
As long as the point was scored, what was the problem?
He genuinely couldn't understand why people kept talking about teamwork.
Boring.
"Bang!"
Kyotani's body arched through the air like a flexible crescent bow. His arm whipped forward and crushed the ball.
"Bang!"
Shirabu felt like disaster had just dropped on his head.
The ball ripped past his ear so fast he could feel the heat from it.
His face immediately darkened as he glared at Kyotani.
Nobody had ever dared provoke him like that before.
"Hey! Didn't I tell you not to steal the ball?!"
Matsukawa grabbed Kyotani's collar and roared.
"Let go!"
Kyotani snapped back.
Before things escalated further, Iwaizumi walked up and punched both of them.
"Ow!"
Seeing it was Iwaizumi, Kyotani instantly shut up.
Oikawa flailed dramatically from the side.
"Why does that mad dog only listen to Iwaizumi?!"
...
Over on Shiratorizawa's side, everyone was still slightly confused.
"Are you okay?"
Reon checked Shirabu's ear carefully.
Shirabu shook his head.
"I'm fine."
Ushijima frowned at Kyotani. His own spikes were powerful too, but he rarely aimed at people.
That guy's attitude was nasty.
"That number sixteen…"
Ryosuke trailed off.
Shirabu and Reon looked at him.
"What about him?"
Ryosuke thought for a moment.
"I'll deal with him first. Reon-senpai, help watch the rest of the block."
In other words—
Ryosuke was about to start targeting him.
Reon nodded.
For Ryosuke to personally mark him… what exactly made that number sixteen so special?
Ryosuke kept observing Kyotani.
His eyesight was better than most people's. He could clearly see every movement of Kyotani's spike.
Muscles driving the body.
Explosive motion with barely a second of preparation.
Total control over his body's movement.
So cool.
Ryosuke's eyes sharpened with intense focus.
Come on.
Let me see just how good you really are.
Suddenly Kyotani shivered.
He glanced around uneasily.
For some reason he had the strange feeling someone had locked onto him.
Kyotani's instincts were actually very sharp.
Including the instinct that had stopped him from ever mouthing off to Iwaizumi after joining Aobajosai.
He didn't know why, but he trusted that instinct.
Later, after witnessing Iwaizumi beating Oikawa half to death during practice, Kyotani became deeply grateful for that instinct.
It had probably saved his life.
...
The match resumed.
The sudden appearance of number sixteen made Shiratorizawa instinctively cautious.
Matsukawa stepped to the service line, bouncing the ball as he prepared to serve. Even though Kyotani had scored earlier, Matsukawa still couldn't stand him.
"Bang!"
The serve blasted off.
It almost looked like Matsukawa had poured his irritation into that ball.
Yamagata blinked in confusion.
Wait, what?
Did everyone on Aobajosai suddenly become serving specialists?
That speed was insane.
Yamagata sprinted forward.
Fast ball? So what? I'm fast too.
"Bang!"
He dove and rolled across the floor, absorbing the ball's force while cushioning it.
The return floated up softly.
No problem.
Since Ryosuke wasn't attacking this play, he stepped forward and adjusted the ball with a controlled bump.
Perfect height.
Shirabu ran over with a helpless expression.
Ryosuke had practically stolen his job.
So enthusiastic…
Using that pass, Ushijima charged toward the net and jumped.
Kyotani's pupils shrank as Ushijima's shadow loomed over him.
So this… is the strongest ace?
"Bang!"
The ball smashed into the floor and bounced high.
Kyotani stood frozen for a moment.
Looking at Ushijima's slightly heavy breathing, something ignited inside him.
Right now, the mad dog wanted nothing more than to beat him.
Or earn his acknowledgment.
"Why are you standing there?! Get back!"
Iwaizumi smacked him on the head.
Kyotani quickly moved into position three.
By coincidence, he now faced Ryosuke across the net.
Ryosuke smiled.
"Hi~"
Kyotani looked him up and down, then turned away in clear disdain.
Before the match he'd been sitting alone in the stairwell and hadn't even watched Ryosuke play.
He didn't think much of him.
Ryosuke didn't get angry. He simply turned away, thinking to himself.
Number sixteen looks like he could kill someone.
Scary.
But whatever.
This isn't a beauty contest.
...
The rally continued.
Shirabu floated a tricky net serve.
Watari muttered under his breath.
What a schemer.
But they were prepared this time.
If we're talking schemers though…
Nobody beats Oikawa.
Watari was basically lying to himself.
Oikawa received the pass and deliberately set from far off the net, spreading the block wide before sending the ball to the edge for Iwaizumi.
No blockers.
Iwaizumi spiked without hesitation.
But Reon was nearby and dug the ball up.
"Nice!"
Goshiki suddenly shouted excitedly.
Reon glanced at him helplessly.
Still, getting praised felt nice.
These days, as a third-year, he rarely heard compliments anymore.
Ushijima couldn't spike that ball—it was too far from the net.
That left only the two first-years.
Goshiki was too hot-headed.
Ryosuke…
Reon had rarely seen him spike.
Goshiki stood on the right side.
Ryosuke on the left.
After a moment of hesitation, Reon bumped the ball toward Ryosuke.
"Ryosuke!"
Ryosuke looked up in shock.
Why me?!
Didn't Coach Washijō say I wouldn't be spiking this season?!
But there was no time to think.
In that instant, his vision sharpened.
He saw Kunimi hiding behind Iwaizumi.
Matsukawa charging from the left.
The libero rushing forward from the back.
And Kyotani flying in from the right.
Matsukawa and Kyotani jumped together to block.
Then something felt wrong.
He's jumping too high.
Matsukawa stared in disbelief as Ryosuke rose above the block.
Kyotani was equally stunned.
Ryosuke smiled midair—
—and smashed the ball over their hands.
A clean spike above the block.
Unlike his serves, Ryosuke could control where he spiked.
Deliberately, he sent the ball straight between Watari and Oikawa.
Both of them moved to receive.
Both froze.
They stared at each other.
Too late.
"Ha!"
Oikawa immediately realized what had happened and laughed in frustration.
Ryosuke still looked perfectly cheerful.
Kyotani clenched his fists.
Twice now.
Twice someone had scored right in front of his block.
Humiliating.
For someone with Kyotani's pride, this was unbearable.
Until now he'd rarely faced strong opponents.
Today Shiratorizawa had given him a proper lesson.
Matsukawa felt conflicted.
Missing the point annoyed him.
But watching Kyotani get shut down felt oddly satisfying.
What a complicated man.
...
"He jumped so high!"
Sugawara blurted out.
Ryosuke's jump had caused an uproar.
It was ridiculously high.
Goshiki also tried estimating it.
Did Ryosuke's reach increase again?
Ryosuke himself had no idea.
He hadn't even intended to jump that high.
Sugawara slapped Daichi's shoulder.
"Did you see that?! Ryosuke jumped higher than Tsukishima and Hinata!"
Daichi's face turned green.
Sugawara's grip was getting stronger every day.
Tsukishima adjusted his glasses.
"Not 'maybe.' That looked like around 340."
He replayed the jump in his mind.
He had assumed Ryosuke specialized in defense.
Turns out his offense was terrifying too.
But that spike placement…
Was it really accidental?
Tsukishima carefully analyzed the play.
Everything lined up too perfectly.
The blocker moved.
The libero's sightline got blocked.
The setter stepped into the viewing lane.
Then the spike landed exactly between them.
Intentional?
Or coincidence?
Tsukishima narrowed his eyes.
If Ryosuke could aim his spike, why not hit the empty backcourt?
Instead he chose the one spot guaranteed to cause confusion.
Tsukishima clicked his tongue.
Interesting.
He deliberately targeted the setter.
Oikawa's expression was ugly.
Only now did he realize the problem.
His position gave him a perfect view of the court—
until Ryosuke spiked.
At that moment, it turned into the worst possible place.
Watching Ryosuke's cheerful face, Oikawa cursed him internally.
What a sneaky guy.
Without missing a beat, Oikawa set again.
"Iwa!"
Then he suddenly dumped the ball over on second contact.
"Bang!"
He grinned provocatively at Ryosuke.
"Hmph. What's wrong, Ryosuke? Couldn't block it, huh?"
...
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