"This guy really was holding back!"
Toru Oikawa looked at the expressionless Wakatoshi Ushijima in front of him, his expression extremely displeased. He did not know why, but every time he saw Ushijima, he felt like the guy looked down on all of them. That face alone was enough to irritate him.
Someone like that had to be crushed.
But he had to admit that Aoba Johsai High's depth was not as strong as Shiratorizawa Academy's. No matter how much they relied on Hank from here on, there were still some things they could not change.
On top of that, the strategy the coaching staff had just given them was to conserve their strength and prepare for a drawn-out battle.
Now that Wakatoshi Ushijima had found his rhythm, Shiratorizawa's coach might very well let him go straight on the offensive.
"Next, it'll be Hank and Ushijima trading blows. But we still have to be careful."
Akira Kunimi looked at Wakatoshi Ushijima, who was already close to going all out, and he already had his own plan in mind. Normally, in any sport, once an athlete went all out, they could not keep it up for very long. Exhaustion would set in quickly.
Even Wakatoshi Ushijima should not be an exception to that.
And Aoba Johsai had already won one set. Even if they lost this set, they would still have two more chances, so there was no need to panic.
From here on, they would receive whatever they could. If they could not receive it, then there was nothing they could do.
Both coaches on the sidelines had their own analysis of the current situation, but both of them had already reached the same judgment. They were both placing their focus on the deciding set. It was clear that this match would very likely drag all the way to five sets.
And the situation on the court was exactly as they had predicted. Almost everything revolved around Hank and Ushijima spiking at each other.
As long as either of them launched a spike that landed on the opponent's court, that ball would score.
So far, from the start of the match until now, there had been no exception.
The spectators nearby were also extremely shocked by this. As expected of the absolute aces of their respective teams. But from the way things looked now, who would claim the final victory had become a very difficult question.
After all, to them, both Hank and Ushijima seemed impossible to stop.
"Damn it. We've fought for so long, but we still can't close the gap."
Oikawa rose up once again and directly tipped the ball over the net, but he still could not completely open up the score. The score had now reached 14–17.
Without a doubt, Shiratorizawa Academy held the advantage.
This was not because there was a gap in Aoba Johsai High's offense. More than anything, it came from the back row libero. The difference between Aoba Johsai's defense and Shiratorizawa's defense was simply too large.
Right now, if no one could step up, Aoba Johsai would slowly be dragged to death.
Oikawa watched the spike dropping in front of him and instinctively jumped up to block. Then, without hesitation, he placed unconditional trust in Hank and sent the ball directly to the position most suitable for him to spike.
And yet, that tiny, subtle movement—just that slight improvement—stirred something inside Hank.
He could tell that, in this instant, Oikawa was about to break through his limit and begin showing his talent.
"A perfect position. I don't know if you can do it every time, but for this ball, your placement doesn't lose to Kageyama's."
It was as though a certain improvement had begun to emerge between the two of them.
(End of Chapter)
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