On the morning of the third day, there were only two rounds of matches, with both Karasuno and another unknown team playing in the second batch.
As the competition progresses, the level of play—and the tournament's influence—continue to rise!
More and more spectators are showing up to watch the matches!
Today, the stands are already packed!
"Whoa!"
"It's still one-sided on Itachiyama's court!"
"Kamomedai's got a huge lead too!!"
...
From the stands, Hinata's exclamations kept echoing.
Tanaka, meanwhile, was staring intently at Mujinazaka's court—he'd always been interested in Kiryu's performance.
It was just unfortunate that this year's bracket draw didn't allow them to face Mujinazaka.
"It's over!"
"They've finished the first match at that court!"
"Let's go warm up!"
Karasuno left first. The warm-up time allotted today was shorter than the past two days, so every second had to be used wisely.
"Let's do this!!"
"You guys too—bring it!"
By the time Karasuno arrived on the court, Nohebi's players were already in position.
"You all remember what Coach said last night," Daichi addressed the team before taking his place on the sideline.
"I want everyone to stay calm and not be shaken by the opponent's words."
"You've all watched two of their previous matches!"
"When going up against Nohebi, be ready for feints at all times!"
"Also, their spikers aim to get tool out points, and their tip shots are tricky!"
"Back row—pay extra attention to covering behind the block!"
"Yes!"
"Karasuno, let's go!"
"Yeah!"
...
On the other side, Daishō glanced at Karasuno's lineup and squinted.
"They didn't start their most solid captain today?"
"It's that bald guy on the court??"
"What's Karasuno's coach planning?"
"Don't worry about them," Numai clapped him on the shoulder from behind.
"Our tactics are already set."
"Then we just stick to the plan!"
"True, true. I'm overthinking it," Daishō ruffled his bangs.
"So—today's Nohebi! Let's go too!!"
"Let's make them sick of us!!"
"Yes!!"
...
Tweet!!
With both teams lined up and ready, the referee's whistle blew.
Karasuno High vs. Nohebi Academy!!
The match officially began!!
Karasuno served first, with Hinata taking the opening serve!
Thwack!
Nohebi's libero, Akama, received the ball cleanly!
Most teams that face Nohebi only notice their endless psychological tricks.
But in reality, their defense is top-tier too!!
Squeak!
Setter Sakishima leapt up directly!
"Left wing!"
At that moment, the player in Nohebi's front-left position was none other than Daishō himself!!
Boom!
Akira and the other two went up for a triple block!!
Tap!
But what no one expected was that Daishō, who looked like he was going for a powerful spike, only lightly tapped the ball forward at the last second—
A tip shot!!
"To pull that off with the very first ball??"
But Karasuno was more than ready for this!
Tanaka, already stationed behind the triple block, smoothly dug the ball!
Nohebi's players were momentarily stunned.
They hadn't expected Karasuno to be so prepared.
Thwack!
Kageyama, who had just landed, jumped again!
Akira and Tsukishima both pulled back in sync and began their run-ups!
Then—Kageyama's set fired forward!!
The first attack—Akira's spike!
Seeing him approach, the entire Nohebi defense retreated!
They didn't even attempt to block!!
In the stands, Coach Ukai rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Looks like they've done their homework."
"They're not even trying to block Akira from the start!"
Boom!
Even though Nohebi had mentally prepared themselves, Akira's spike still caught them off guard!
Libero Akama, in the back row, didn't even see the ball—just felt a blast of wind rush past his ear!
Tweet!
Karasuno scores!
They take the first point!
"Phew!"
"Even though I was mentally ready, facing No. 7 in real time is still overwhelming!"
"It's fine," Daishō patted Akama on the shoulder.
"You'll get it eventually—just keep trying."
"But… that's not the most important thing right now."
As he said this, he winked at his nearby teammates.
They instantly understood.
"Tch, they're just a team relying on a trump card."
"Right? If it weren't for their No. 7, they wouldn't have even made it to Nationals."
...
They murmured in low voices, just loud enough for Karasuno's front row to hear across the net.
But the referee couldn't catch it!
In Karasuno's front row stood Akira, Tsukishima, and Kageyama.
Naturally, Akira ignored the provocations from Nohebi's players.
For him, giving them a crushing spike spoke louder than a thousand words.
And while Kageyama could be quick to anger, he remained composed—thanks to the team's pre-game talk.
As for Tsukishima—he simply stared across the net with a cold, unreadable look.
There was a trace of mockery and contempt in his eyes.
"This guy…"
Just one look, and the Nohebi players on the other side were forced to swallow their next taunt!
"What the hell is that expression supposed to mean!?"
"Calm down! Calm down!"
You had to admit—when it came to provocation, Tsukishima was in a league of his own.
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