Kageyama Tobio stood on the end line, spinning the volleyball in his hands.
The kid's aura had changed. In the first set, he'd been on the verge of exploding with rage over Hinata's "back-of-the-head serve." Now, that emotion had cooled and compressed into pure focus.
He tossed the ball and ran up. The floor shook.
"Boom!"
It wasn't some flashy float serve. This was a full-power jump serve. The volleyball shot toward Aoba Johsai's backcourt like a cannonball, its trajectory dipping sharply.
"I've got it!"
Aoba Johsai's libero, Shinji Watari, read the ball's path with pinpoint accuracy. Just before it hit the floor, he darted into position and brought his arms together.
A dull thud.
The ball was heavy. Shinji Watari's body rocked backward, but his heels stayed planted, and he absorbed the impact. The volleyball bounced high. It hadn't gone straight to the net, but for a team like Aoba Johsai, adjusting to a pass like that was second nature.
"Shigeru Yahaba!"
Backup setter Shigeru Yahaba quickly moved near the three-meter line and set the ball overhead.
At the same time, Hanamaki Takahiro in the front row had already started his approach.
A three-man attack.
Tsukishima Kei and Tanaka Ryūnosuke quickly closed ranks, forming a double block at the net. Hanamaki jumped, arching his body backward in midair as he raised his right arm high. He was taut as a drawn bow.
That posture made it clear: he was going to force his way through.
"Spike!" Tanaka roared, pressing his arms down hard.
At that instant, Lu Ren's eyelid twitched.
Something was off.
From Lu Ren's perspective, Hanamaki's movement looked powerful, but in the frame before his arm swung, the "charge bar" hadn't filled. It felt like a fighting game opponent starting up a heavy attack with a long windup—looking like they were going to break your guard, when really they were trying to bait you into using a special move.
It was a mix-up.
A throw after baiting out a block, or— a drop shot.
Lu Ren's body moved faster than his brain. As Tsukishima jumped, he didn't stay back to cover the front line. Instead, he surged two steps forward, charging straight into the empty space inside the three-meter line.
In midair, Hanamaki Takahiro didn't smash his palm into the ball. His wrist turned with remarkable softness, and his fingertips gave the underside a gentle flick.
His aggressive-looking spike instantly became a delicate drop shot.
The volleyball traced a very short arc, just clearing Tsukishima Kei's outstretched fingers before wobbling down into the gap behind the block.
Tsukishima was still descending and couldn't turn around in time.
"I've got you." Hanamaki's mouth had just begun to curl into a smile when he saw a figure in a black jersey suddenly dart into the gap.
Lu Ren was like some camper who'd been crouching in the grass all along. He locked his hands together and steadied them beneath the ball.
"I've seen plenty of feints into quick attacks like that in the arena."
Lu Ren sneered inwardly. After playing too much PvP, he saw every move as a special move input. That kind of feint might trick innocent high schoolers, but it wouldn't fool a grizzled veteran like him, hardened by countless beatings.
The volleyball popped up. It didn't rise very high, but it went in the right direction.
Kageyama Tobio didn't even need to move his feet. The ball obediently dropped right above his head.
"Hinata!"
No signal was needed. The orange-haired kid had already darted forward the moment Lu Ren received the ball.
No room for a run-up? Didn't matter.
Bad angle? Irrelevant.
Hinata Shoyo pushed off with both feet, springing into the air like a weightless coil.
Kageyama's set was as fast as a laser, threading through Aoba Johsai's defense before it had taken shape and meeting Hinata's swinging palm.
"Smack!"
A sharp crack rang out.
The volleyball slammed into the middle of Aoba Johsai's court and bounced toward the ceiling.
16:12.
After landing, Hanamaki Takahiro watched Lu Ren get up from the floor and brush off his pants. His brows furrowed into a deep crease.
A coincidence?
No. Number eleven had moved with far too much conviction. He'd started running forward before Hanamaki even swung his arm, as if he'd been certain Hanamaki wouldn't spike. What was going on in that guy's head? A radar?
"Don't worry about it! Next ball!" Iwaizumi Hajime clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back.
The match continued.
For the next few minutes, the game took on a strangely... "peaceful" feel.
There were no more unbelievable plays that made everyone's heart skip a beat. Both teams settled into a battle of fundamentals.
Aoba Johsai showed why they were one of the strongest teams in the prefecture. Even without their demon king, Oikawa Tōru, on the court, the team still ran with the precision of a Swiss watch.
Their first-pass success rate was extremely high. Their setter might not have been dazzling, but he was absolutely steady, and their hitters made very few mistakes.
Tsukishima Kei got a touch on the block, slowing the ball.
Sawamura Daichi dove to save it and popped it up.
Tanaka Ryūnosuke scored with an out-of-bounds shot.
The teams switched sides.
Kunimi Akira scored with a soft tap into the blind spot.
Iwaizumi Hajime powered through the block.
The teams traded attacks, and the score kept climbing.
Karasuno's offense was sharp, especially the Monster Quick Attack between Hinata and Kageyama, which remained a reliable way to score. But Aoba Johsai's ability to adapt was absurd. They stopped trying to keep up with the ball's speed and began compressing their defensive formation, using their positioning to limit Hinata's attack angles.
Before you continue