·Chapter 155 : Karasuno vs. Nohebi Academy (5)23hShare"Over here!"
"Kageyama!"
Tanaka suddenly roared:
"Pass the ball!"
Hearing his words, Kageyama glanced at the situation on the other side of the net with his peripheral vision.
Nohebi's front row was quietly approaching the net!
Seeing this, Kageyama's pupils contracted sharply.
This is… Are they going for a block?
Without hesitation, he made his decision and set the ball!
Whoosh!
The ball didn't go to Tanaka—it went to Akira, who was sprinting in from the side!
Slap!
At the same time, all three players in Nohebi's front row jumped together!
They jumped ahead of Tanaka's approach!
"Damn!"
"They tricked us!!"
The moment they saw the direction of Kageyama's set, the minds of everyone on Nohebi went blank with shock.
On the other side, Akira launched his spike without hesitation!
Even with a block in front of him, Nohebi couldn't stop the ball!
What's more, at that moment, Nohebi's blockers were covering the wrong target!
Boom!
A deafening sound echoed through Nohebi's court!
Karasuno scores!
Akira's spike further widened the score gap!
"Phew!"
Listening to the commentators outside the court praise the coordination between Akira and Kageyama, everyone on the Karasuno bench exhaled in relief and pride.
"Looks like the snake that thought it was ready to strike ended up biting air this time!"
Kuroo smiled in satisfaction and commented:
"If I'm not mistaken, they originally meant to shut down Tanaka-san with that block."
"But they didn't expect that even when Tanaka was calling for the ball, Karasuno's setter didn't give it to him!"
"At times like this, Kageyama can be surprisingly rational."
Kenma added quietly from the side:
"He'll eliminate anything that doesn't contribute to winning."
"It's just…"
"Tanaka-san's emotions might be a different story…"
…
"Hey!"
"Kageyama, you brat!"
Tanaka turned to Kageyama, face a little red:
"You really left me hanging just now!"
Calling for the ball and not getting it from the setter—despite the team scoring in the end—left Tanaka feeling somewhat awkward.
"Huh?"
Kageyama looked at him, a bit surprised:
"I just thought it'd be easier to score by passing to Akira."
"Besides, if both attackers on the left and right are calling for the ball at the same time… then who should I pass to?"
Tanaka was stunned by his words.
"That's… fair, I guess…"
"That's right!"
Seeing Tanaka's thoughtful expression, Kageyama pointed toward the Nohebi side and continued:
"And more importantly…"
"Doesn't Tanaka-san realize that by drawing all the attention from their defense, he's helping his teammates score?"
"Isn't that even better than scoring yourself?"
"Oh?"
Tanaka paused and looked in the direction Kageyama was pointing.
Nohebi's front-row players were glaring at him with frustration.
They had prepped for such a flashy block, but the setter didn't even set to Tanaka.
They got baited, crept to the net, and all jumped together—only to block the air.
To outsiders, Nohebi's move looked nothing short of foolish.
Secretly preparing a block and then whiffing completely!
While Tanaka was still processing it, Kageyama added calmly:
"In a way, it was like you deceived their entire defense all by yourself."
"So why do you feel embarrassed?"
"The ones who should feel embarrassed are Nohebi."
"You were pretty cool, actually—fooling the blockers like that."
"Oh… hell yeah!!"
Hearing that, Tanaka suddenly felt his throat go dry.
Then, a spark of excitement lit up in his eyes!!
He put his hands on his hips and burst out laughing:
"HAHAHAHA!"
"So that's it!"
"Now that you mention it… that does sound awesome!!"
"I can totally picture how cool I looked!"
Tanaka's eyes gleamed as he smacked Kageyama on the shoulder with enthusiasm.
"Good! Not bad, Kageyama, you brat!"
"That kind of set—make sure you do it again sometime!!"
"Yes!"
Kageyama nodded firmly.
"Got it!"
Before he could say anything else, Tanaka had already run to the net, making exaggerated, disdainful expressions toward the Nohebi players across the court.
"This is the so-called defensive powerhouse?"
"Against the attack of The Tanaka, you're nothing special!"
"Next rally's mine!"
"Trying to sneak up and block again? You guys look like scurrying little rats!"
"BAHAHAHAHA!!"
"YOU…!!"
Isumi Sakishima gritted his teeth and growled:
"We're stopping you on the next ball!!"
…
In the rallies that followed, Kageyama's deceptive sets left Nohebi in shambles.
When they focused on Tanaka, Kageyama sent the ball to Akira or Azumane on the opposite side.
And when they shifted their attention elsewhere, Kageyama would send it right to Tanaka!
After being fired up by Nohebi's provocation, Tanaka was in peak form.
Each time he scored, he celebrated with flamboyant gestures that drew glares from the Nohebi side.
And every time they tried to trash-talk, Tanaka just laughed them off with a grin and another spike.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"did you see that you punks "
"Can't even handle my hits!"
"You might as well give up already!"