"Huh?"
"Karasuno? I've never heard of that team before!"
In the stands, a team in blue and white jerseys turned their attention to Karasuno's court.
Among them, a short player with white eyebrows stood out particularly.
Not far from them, a team in yellow-green uniforms also looked toward Karasuno's court.
"Huh?"
"Is that the team that eliminated Ushiwaka?"
"Was Ushiwaka just in bad form that day?"
"Or is this team really that strong?"
...
Within one of the groups, a young man with curly hair wearing a mask was staring intensely at the court.
Thoughts poured out of him nonstop, and the teammates around him couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
There were also teams from Nohebi, Inarizaki, and Mujinazaka watching…
At this moment, the entire stadium's focus was on Karasuno!!
————————————-
Smack!
"Left!"
With just two words, Kageyama sent the ball directly in Akira's direction!
Boom!
A powerful and violent spike flew over the net!
It landed directly on the boundary line of Matsukawa Tech!
Tweet!
Karasuno scores again!!
"Damn it!"
"If this keeps up…"
Hiroshi Nishikai clenched his teeth.
"It's over!"
On the surface, this opponent looked even more in form than the team that beat them yesterday.
But only the players of Matsukawa Tech knew—
Under Karasuno's fierce offense, they were already collapsing!
They were standing on the edge of a cliff!!
One wrong move, and it would all be over!
"Coach!"
Nishikai suddenly turned to the sidelines and gave a hand signal!
"Got it!"
Matsukawa Tech's coach immediately signaled for a timeout!
Tweet!
After returning to the court, Haruto Kyunai was just about to speak when he saw Nishikai glaring at him with deadly eyes.
"Eh… I'll shut up…"
"Zip it."
Nishikai gave a satisfied nod, then addressed the team:
"I'm sure you've all seen it!"
"In the last play, our blocks had absolutely no effect on Karasuno's No. 7!"
"In that case, we're going to use the same tactic that Sarukawa Tech used yesterday!"
Yuki Sifang's eyes lit up slightly.
"You mean, no more blocking—everyone falls back for the receive?"
In the previous plays, his blocking had been utterly destroyed by Akira's spikes!
Anyone would start to unravel after being repeatedly overwhelmed at the net.
"Exactly."
Nishikai nodded.
"Everyone focus on receiving the ball, and let's create more chances for counterattacks!"
"Yes!"
"Let's go!"
After that, Nishikai pulled Kyunai aside.
"You better take this seriously, got it?!"
"Don't think I didn't notice you slacking off a few times just now!"
"Ah…"
Seeing that his laziness had been caught on video, Kyunai immediately started stammering.
He could've made better choices in his sets and blocks earlier…
But to conserve stamina, he held back.
He thought he'd been subtle—but Nishikai noticed everything.
"You're the one who said it: if you give it your all, it's worth it even if you lose!"
"So at least try! Kyunai!"
"You've got more talent than any of us!"
"Don't leave regrets in your high school career!"
"Otherwise, when you look back, you'll only feel remorse!"
"I…"
A flash of surprise passed through Kyunai's eyes.
"I'll give it my all, captain!"
With that, he took off running.
"Haha! That guy…"
Nishikai chuckled and returned to the court with his teammates.
Timeout over!
The game resumed!
"If I'm right, they're not going to block me anymore,"
Back on court, Akira glanced at Matsukawa Tech's new formation and said calmly.
"Huh?"
Karasuno's players lit up.
Every time an opponent is forced to stop blocking Akira, it means—
They're close to breaking!
If even Akira's spikes can't be stopped, then whatever adjustments the opponent makes afterward won't matter!!
Kageyama's eyes sparkled with excitement.
If the opponent isn't blocking Akira, that gives him far more options in his setting!
Whether it's running a quick, launching a second attack himself, or setting up another attacker—it opens up everything!
Whenever Karasuno's opponent gives up blocking Akira, it's a celebration for the whole team!
No block means not only Akira benefits—but everyone else does too!
Because when opponents decide not to block Akira, it creates delays in how they respond to Karasuno's other attackers.
For instance, if Akira is in the front row and Karasuno is on the attack—
Before Kageyama sets, the blockers have no idea who will swing!
They don't know whether to jump at the net or fall back to receive!
They're caught in limbo.
If Kageyama suddenly dumps it or sets someone else—
The blockers won't have time to react!!
In this way, not only can Akira conserve energy, but Karasuno can also run a more varied offense!
That's the hidden advantage Akira brings to the team!
...
Tweet!
The referee's whistle blew—Karasuno serve!
Smack!
Matsukawa Tech received the ball from the back row, and Kyunai followed up with a sharp back set to Nishikai on the right wing!
A surprising play—no one saw it coming!!
In previous matches, he hadn't shown this kind of finesse in setting!
"Huh?"
"Did Matsukawa Tech's setter suddenly level up?"
On the sidelines, Yaku and the others were visibly shocked.
"Huh?"
Even Karasuno's players didn't expect that play!
Smack!
Nishikai's spike came flying!!
But in Karasuno's back row—
Nishinoya dove with a desperate dive and managed to save the ball just before it hit the floor!
"Sorry!"
But the receive went off course!!
There was no time to hesitate—Kageyama sprinted to the falling ball!
Across the net, every Matsukawa Tech player held their breath!
Smack!
Kageyama got to it!
He managed to set the second touch!
At that moment, Nishikai and the others all looked to Akira in the front row!
They knew—on a broken play like this, the ball had to go to Number 7!
Only he had the ability to turn that kind of pass into a clean point!!
To be continued…