"Quick attack in the middle!"
Hiroshi Nishikai shouted loudly.
But just as all three front-row blockers jumped at the net, Kageyama sent the ball to the back!
Akira's back-row attack!
Boom!
The players from Matsukawa Tech could only watch as the ball was slammed hard into their backcourt!
A perfect back-row crimping smash!!
Tweet!
The referee's whistle blew—Karasuno scored!
Several players from Matsukawa Tech exchanged glances and reluctantly returned to their positions.
"Ugh..."
"Fake-out and real strike!"
"I'm afraid Matsukawa Tech is already completely dazed out there!"
In the stands, all eyes from Nohebi Academy were glued to the court.
Their match wasn't until the afternoon, so they had plenty of time to observe.
"What if we end up facing Karasuno tomorrow?"
Izumi Maejima asked with a trace of worry as he watched the unfolding match.
"What do we do about that number 7?"
"Obviously, we'll just have to see what happens!"
Suguru Daishō shrugged and answered with slight helplessness.
"What else can we do?"
"We can't shut down his skills."
"Everyone realizes that, right?"
"Quit spouting useless worries!"
Kazuma Numai said from the side, shaking his head.
"Don't tell me you don't have a plan already?"
At those words, all of Nohebi turned their attention toward Daishō.
"Well, I've got a few ideas, but I can't guarantee they'll work..."
A flicker of thought passed through Daishō's eyes.
"The skill gap this time feels... pretty wide."
"Tactics work best against teams evenly matched with us."
"If the opponent's weaker, it helps tip things in our favor."
"But when they're flat-out stronger, tricks barely make a dent."
"Yeah..."
Numai sighed.
"But..."
"If there's even a small chance it raises our odds, it's worth trying."
"Exactly!"
Everyone from Nohebi chimed in together.
"As long as it boosts our chances! Any method is worth a shot!"
Hearing that, a smirk tugged at the corner of Daishō's mouth.
"Alright then, the method's simple and direct."
"If we can't break down number 7, then let's find our breakthrough with the rest of Karasuno!"
"Why can't we target number 7?"
A hesitant voice came from the corner—it was Akihiko Kuro, the second-year middle blocker.
"I heard he's just a first-year."
"Compared to the rest of the team, his mentality should be weaker."
"And honestly..."
He raised his hand, continuing:
"Instead of targeting five players, why not focus all our effort on one?"
"It'd get results faster!"
At his words, Numai and Takayoshi Takachiho exchanged glances and sighed.
"That won't work."
"We've used psychological tactics plenty of times. We know who they'll work on and who they won't."
"That number 7 from Karasuno seems like someone with an unshakable heart."
"If it's him, I doubt he'd even flinch."
"Huh?"
Akihiko looked surprised.
"Really?"
"Absolutely," Numai nodded.
"You saw the Shiratorizawa match, right?"
"Ushijima Wakatoshi—one of the top three aces in the country!"
"Look at his expression. If we ever faced Shiratorizawa, do you think he'd be fazed by psychological mind games?"
"I doubt we could rattle him even if we talked ourselves hoarse."
"But... that number 7 is only a first-year!"
"Just because Karasuno beat Shiratorizawa doesn't mean he's stronger than Ushijima!"
"Strength isn't just about power," Daishō said, gesturing toward the court. "You can tell from his presence."
At that moment, Akira had just completed another explosive spike. Matsukawa Tech's libero dove desperately to save it, but still missed.
The score now stood at Karasuno 17:11 Matsukawa Tech.
Under the arena lights, from Nohebi's viewing angle—
What they saw was Akira's perfect profile, eyes deep and unwavering like still water.
Without a hint of emotion.
"From the start of the match, number 7 has had that same expression."
"That calm... like everything is under control."
"No matter what tactics Matsukawa uses, no matter how fierce their offense, they can't make his expression twitch."
"To be honest, I think he's just like us."
"Someone who understands tactics deeply."
"Thinking he'd fall for a few sharp words is laughable."
"If he does react, it's probably us falling into his trap!"
"...Is that so?"
Akihiko was stunned by the realization.
"Now that you mention it... that really does seem to be the case."
The rest of Nohebi murmured in agreement:
"After the captain explained it like that, it's obvious!"
"Haven't we faced someone like that before?"
"No matter how we tried to provoke him, he didn't budge."
"Eventually Hiroo got impatient, raised his voice, and got warned by the ref."
"That backfired on us—totally lost the advantage!"
"Hahaha..."
Yukiko Hiroo scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
"So!"
Daishō clenched his fist with determination.
"Our target will be the rest of Karasuno!"
"Their second setter, that little number 10—he's someone we can work with."
"If we shake up the others, no matter how solid number 7 is, he can't carry the whole team alone!"
"That's true," said Takachiho with a nod.
"But first, we'd better win our match."
"If we don't even qualify to face Karasuno, we'll become the laughingstock."
"Yeah!"
"So..."
"Let's go all out!!"