Sometimes, just a single look was enough to make Kageyama and Hinata rush forward in anger.
And today, it was also a single glance that made everyone on the other side of the net—those masters of mockery—leap to their feet.
"I've played in so many matches, but I've never seen anyone like that!"
The one who had just been provoked by Tsukishima's stare was Nohebi's setter, Isumi Sakishima.
Under Tsukishima's cool gaze, he nearly lunged under the net in a fit of frustration.
"Don't let it get to you!"
Suguru Daishō remained composed as ever.
"Looks like that glasses-wearing guy from Karasuno is going to be a problem."
"Then, when their back row rotation changes, we switch our target!"
"Got it!"
Tweet!
On the other side, the referee's whistle echoed. Karasuno was up to serve again!
'This referee seems like the type who never smiles,' Daishō thought, his heart sinking as he glanced at the expressionless man at the edge of the net.
Generally, referees like that weren't swayed by outside influence.
Out is out. Net touch is net touch.
So even if he played nice to leave a good impression, it was unlikely to influence this guy's calls.
Still...
There's a difference between doing nothing and doing something that doesn't work.
With his mind made up, Daishō gave his teammates a subtle look. The others responded with a silent nod—they understood.
———
Smack!
Hinata's serve shot across the court, only to be cleanly received by Nohebi's back row once again.
Sakishima moved in to set!
Whoosh!
Kōji Hiroo was already sprinting forward. This was clearly going to be a quick attack.
However, on the opposite side of the net, Akira had already read the play.
Just as Hiroo jumped, Akira leapt with him.
Tsukishima, who was closer to Hiroo, quickly shifted over to support the block.
Kageyama realized it was too late to join them, so he retreated swiftly to cover the diagonal.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Faced with such tight defense, Hiroo was genuinely surprised.
This attack had been organized with impressive speed!
But he hadn't expected Karasuno's front line to catch up so quickly on the quick!
This number 7...
He's terrifying.
He read Sakishima's set perfectly!
Still, Hiroo didn't panic.
Smack!
The ball struck Tsukishima's arm during the block attempt.
At that moment, something clicked for Tsukishima.
He tried to lower his hands, but—
Too late.
The ball bounced high off his arm, rebounding toward the back of Nohebi's court.
"One more ball!" Hiroo shouted.
This had been intentional.
Hiroo had executed this kind of rebound play countless times—it was one of his specialties.
Seeing the ball soar into familiar territory, the players of Nohebi smiled confidently.
In the back row, Sō Akama picked up the ball with ease.
Sakishima initiated another attack.
But this time, he set to Daishō, who was already leaping at the wing!
"Watch the tip!" Tanaka rushed behind the blockers, his eyes fixed on every motion Daishō made.
Even though Daishō had just used a tip earlier, who said he wouldn't use it again?
Maybe that's exactly what he was counting on—catching them with their guard down.
But this time, facing Akira and the others at the net, Daishō didn't go for a tip.
Boom!
He targeted the fingertips of Karasuno's blockers, aiming for a tool-off.
As long as the ball brushed their fingers, it would land out of bounds—and Nohebi would score.
But just as Daishō's spike was mid-air...
The three Karasuno blockers simultaneously pulled their hands back from the net!
Nohebi's side was stunned!
Daishō's spike smashed through—only to soar straight out of bounds!
Karasuno scored again!
"What..."
"What just happened??"
Everyone on Nohebi's side gawked, mouths agape.
And it wasn't just them—the entire audience was wide-eyed with disbelief.
How did the three Karasuno blockers seem to know in advance?
It was like they were clairvoyant!
The moment Daishō aimed for the tool-off, they pulled their hands back as one.
If they made that judgment independently, how did they react in perfect sync?
Had they planned it?
That doesn't seem possible!
Actually... that's exactly what happened.
The reason the three of them were able to judge it at the same time was thanks to the pre-game video analysis Karasuno had done on Nohebi.
Just a few days ago, while reviewing footage of Nohebi's matches, Akira had picked up on something.
He'd noticed subtle habits—tiny tells in Daishō's body language.
When Daishō went for a regular spike or tip, his body tended to tilt more toward his hitting arm.
But when he was going for a tool-off, the angle was noticeably smaller.
It was such a subtle distinction—how could anyone possibly catch that?
Even Daishō himself likely didn't realize it.
It might've just been a subconscious quirk.
But Akira, through repeated observation, spotted it.
And he even devised a clever visual trick to help his teammates recognize it.
If Daishō's arms formed an angle greater than 180 degrees during his approach, he was likely going for a regular hit or tip.
But if the angle was 180 degrees or less...
Then he was probably aiming for a tool-off.
That's when the front-row blockers could bait him into attacking—and then pull back at the last second.
Even if their guess was wrong, the back row would still be there to cover.
But if they were right again and again—it would crush Nohebi's morale.
Just before this block, the three Karasuno players had all been watching Daishō closely.
As he jumped, they saw the angle of his arms—tight and narrow.
And instantly, they understood what was coming.
Sure enough—
They withdrew their hands from the net.
And the ball flew straight out of bounds.