Exclusive BGM Only a Boss Called the Great King Deserves

The third set began amid an eerie atmosphere.

Compared to the fierce offense and defense on the court, the figure at the sidelines drew even more attention. Oikawa Tōru did not take the court immediately. Like some rich young master out on a picnic, he casually draped his jacket over the bench and began stretching at the sidelines.

Leg stretches, waist twists, wrist rotations. Every movement was textbook-perfect, yet so leisurely it was infuriating.

The girls in the second-floor stands clearly did not think so.

"Why isn't Oikawa Senior going on yet?"

"Idiot, he's protecting his body. If he doesn't warm up properly, serves at that level could strain his muscles."

"That's true! Oikawa Senior looks so cool even when he's warming up—!"

The shrieks pierced Tanaka Ryūnosuke's ears like needles.

The veins on Tanaka's forehead throbbed wildly. His already fierce-looking face twisted into the likeness of some demon from an ukiyo-e print. He glared fiercely at the pretty boy stretching at the sidelines, the volleyball in his hands creaking under his grip.

"Damn it... damn it!" Tanaka gritted his teeth. "Why does that guy with the awful personality get treated like that? It's not fair! Is the God of Volleyball blind?"

Lu Ren stood beside him with his hands on his hips, looking at his bald upperclassman with near-pity.

"Tanaka Senior, this is what they call a difference in initial settings," Lu Ren said faintly, delivering a finishing blow. "Cruel as it is, you have to admit that he put all his skill points into 'charisma' and 'volleyball skills.' And you..."

Lu Ren looked Tanaka up and down, then sighed. "You probably put everything into 'facial expressions' and 'taunt.' With a face that screams villainous lackey, you usually wouldn't survive past the first chapter in an otome game."

"Huh? Who are you calling a villainous lackey?!"

Tanaka's rage was instantly doused with a bucket of oil, and his whole body caught fire.

"Bastard! I'll show those shallow people what a man's true coolness is! It's power! It's scoring!"

The whistle blew.

Enraged, Tanaka Ryūnosuke transformed into an untiring spiking machine. Kageyama Tobio seemed to sense Tanaka's indomitable momentum and repeatedly set the ball to him.

"Take this—!!"

Tanaka roared as he leaped, his arm leaving an afterimage as it swung. The volleyball slammed into Aoba Johsai's floor like a cannonball, producing a dull boom.

Point!

"Yeah!!" Tanaka bellowed after landing. He even stripped off his shirt and swung it around twice—though the referee warned him for it—then struck a pose toward the second-floor stands that he thought was cool but was actually even more ferocious.

Lu Ren silently covered his face in the back row.

It was embarrassing, but incredibly effective. Riding Tanaka's inexplicable blaze of fury, Karasuno actually kept pace in the third set and even faintly suppressed Aoba Johsai, who lacked their core commander.

The score climbed back and forth, the battle deadlocked.

21:24.

"Just one more point!" Sawamura Daichi clenched his fist, excitement seeping into his voice. "Take this point, and we win!"

The mood on Karasuno's side instantly soared. Even Hinata Shoyo, who had been so nervous his stomach hurt, wore a foolish grin, feeling that victory was right before them.

Only Lu Ren could not smile.

He stared at the scoreboard, then looked toward the opposing rest area.

A premonition called a Plot Kill sent a chill down his back. It was like playing an RPG: you thought you had defeated the final boss, only for it to suddenly transform after its health bar emptied, while the BGM shifted into an even more rousing symphony.

Sure enough.

Aoba Johsai requested a substitution.

The chestnut-haired man who had been warming up leisurely at the sidelines the entire time finally stood. He removed his training vest, revealing the uniform beneath it—and the number that symbolized the absolute core: No. 1.

The referee blew the whistle and circled his hands in front of his chest, signaling the substitution.

Yahaba Shigeru walked off the court with a relieved expression and high-fived Oikawa Tōru.

"Good work," Oikawa Tōru said with a smile, his tone as casual as if he were heading to a convenience store. "Leave the rest to me."

The moment he stepped onto the court, Lu Ren even felt as though the surrounding light had dimmed a shade, with every spotlight falling upon this man.

The Aoba Johsai players, who had been somewhat flustered, instantly lost all their anxiety when they saw their captain take the court. Kindaichi straightened his back, Kunimi Akira no longer looked half-asleep, and even Iwaizumi Hajime's expression became more focused.

Was this what they called Leader's Aura?

Lu Ren's mouth twitched. That buff was way too obvious. Was this the difference between paying players and free players?

"Hey, Kageyama." Lu Ren shifted two steps to the side and asked quietly, "I've got a bad feeling. Are we about to lose this set?"

Kageyama Tobio stared fixedly at Oikawa Tōru across the net, his face even uglier than before. "As long as we receive his serve... as long as we can receive it..."

There was not the slightest confidence in those words.

Watching Oikawa Tōru walk to the service line, Hinata Shoyo shuddered for some reason. Instinctively, he shrank back behind Tanaka. "That Great King... he looks terrifying."