"While you've still got the feel for it, let's keep it going with the next ball."
Kageyama Tobio stared at his hands, the subtle sensation at his fingertips not yet gone. He was like a player who'd just unlocked a new skill, itching to find a training dummy and test its damage again.
Standing beside him, Lu Ren rolled his wrists and added, cuttingly, "We really should hurry. If this kid's CPU overheats and reboots, and he goes back to that 'serve-to-the-head' form from the first set, we can pretty much call it quits for this game."
Hinata Shoyo had been as excited as a husky just let out of its cage, but at those words, his fur practically stood on end. His face turned beet-red. "N-no, it won't happen again! That definitely won't happen again!"
"Let's hope so." Lu Ren shrugged. "My head isn't as hard as Kageyama's."
The referee's whistle blew, and the game resumed.
The score was 1–1.
Sawamura Daichi took the ball to the service line. The captain's serve didn't have the killing intent of Kageyama's or the fancy tricks of Oikawa Tōru's, but it was reliable.
The volleyball traced a smooth arc and dropped into Aoba Johsai's backcourt.
"I've got it!"
Their libero, Watari Shinji, stepped forward with clean, decisive movement. The ball struck his forearms and was sent steadily toward the net.
A perfect first pass.
Aoba Johsai's backup setter, Yahaba Shigeru, quickly got into position. He didn't have the suffocating presence of Oikawa Tōru, but his fundamentals were solid. He pushed the ball up with both hands, sending it toward the right wing.
That was where Kunimi Akira was.
The first-year, who always looked half-asleep with his eyes half-lidded, had an exceptionally clear approach. He didn't jump especially early, and his height wasn't remarkable either.
At the net, Tanaka Ryūnosuke and Tsukishima Kei had already formed a double block.
"You're not getting through!" Tanaka roared, driving his arms down.
Kunimi Akira stayed perfectly calm in the air. He didn't try to overpower the block. Instead, he deftly turned his wrist and lightly brushed the side of the ball with his palm.
The ball didn't fly toward the floor. It clipped the tips of Tsukishima Kei's outstretched fingers, then bounced back high into the air and dropped onto Aoba Johsai's side.
A block-out? No, he'd used the block to create an opportunity ball.
"You can do that?" Hinata stared, as if he'd just seen some unbelievable move.
"That guy..." Lu Ren narrowed his eyes. That kind of play was a classic case of exploiting the mechanics. Instead of going for a one-hit kill, he reset the attack and looked for an opening. Kunimi Akira was an old hand at PvP, too.
Aoba Johsai reacted quickly. Hanamaki Takahiro easily bumped the rebound back up and sent it toward the net again.
"Let's set up another attack!" Yahaba Shigeru called.
This time, the ball went to the left wing.
Iwaizumi Hajime had already finished his approach.
Aoba Johsai's ace had a presence completely unlike the slacker Kunimi Akira. Each step thudded against the floor, and he charged toward the front like a heavy tank.
"Stop him!"
Tanaka and Tsukishima jumped again.
Iwaizumi Hajime tensed his abs in midair and swung his arm in a wide arc. There were no fancy tricks—just pure, unleashed power.
"Bang!"
The ball slammed into the outside of Tanaka's forearm. The tremendous impact broke straight through the block, sending the ball flying off course and crashing onto the floor out of bounds.
The referee raised a flag. Aoba Johsai scored.
The score was 2–1.
"Nice shot, Iwaizumi!"
Aoba Johsai's players cheered loudly. After landing, Iwaizumi Hajime simply exchanged high-fives with his teammates, his face composed, as if to say, "Just the basics—nothing to get excited about."
"Now that's the kind of intensity a boss fight should have." Lu Ren glanced at the scoreboard. That last point hadn't been a blocking mistake by Karasuno; it had simply been numerical domination. The power check had failed, and their defense had been forcibly broken.
It was Aoba Johsai's turn to serve.
The ball came in fast, spinning fiercely.
"Captain Daichi!"
"Leave it to me!"
Sawamura Daichi lowered his center of gravity and moved quickly, intercepting the ball before it hit the floor. His receive was a little awkward, but the ball still obediently sailed toward the setter's position.
"Nice first pass!"
Kageyama Tobio stood at the net, his eyes sweeping across the court in an instant.
At that very moment, an orange figure suddenly took off.
Hinata Shoyo didn't charge straight ahead. Like a startled rabbit, he cut a bizarre zigzag across the court. He darted in from the left side, cutting sharply toward the middle, his shoes screeching against the floor.
Fast.
Too fast.
He sprinted at full speed, with the reckless confidence of someone who believed he could reach any ball as long as it hadn't hit the floor.
Across the net, Kindaichi Yutaro tensed instantly. The image of that eyes-closed quick attack still lingered in his mind.
"Is it that move again?"
His body reacted before his mind could catch up. Kindaichi followed Hinata's run, moving sideways. Beside him, Iwaizumi Hajime was swept up in the momentum and instinctively closed toward the middle, too.
Hinata planted his foot in the center and leaped into the air.
"Cover the middle!" Kindaichi shouted, jumping after him.
The two blockers' arms formed a high wall at the net, sealing off every route Hinata could use to spike.
But Hinata's arm swung at empty air.
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