Although his serve wasn't as sharp and powerful as a jump serve, it had been honed through tireless practice!
On the opposite side of the net, the moment they saw Tanaka's serve, several players in the back row couldn't help frowning.
They didn't have much time to think—because the ball was fast!
Some players from Nohebi could only vaguely feel...
This ball landed in a spot that made them especially uncomfortable!
Crack!
The libero in the back row, Sō Akama, along with another back-row player, dove for the ball at the same time!
Smack!
But Tanaka's serve still hit the floor just before their desperate dive!
Tweet!
The linesman lowered his flag!
In bounds!
Seeing this, the referee at the net immediately blew the whistle!
Karasuno scores!
Their score is 25!
The match is over!
Seeing the result, Tanaka stood stunned on the other side of the net!
He truly hadn't expected his serve to score the final point!!
Before he could react, everyone rushed toward him!
"YEAH! WE WON!"
"Tanaka-senpai! So cool!"
"That's right! And not just because of that serve!"
"Hahaha! Tanaka!"
"That one was amazing! Even better than the last one!"
"Yeah! You shone even brighter this time!"
…
Tanaka was completely exhausted, but when he heard everyone's cheers, he couldn't help but grin.
"Hahaha!"
"Of course!"
"When have you ever seen me, Tanaka, admit defeat?!"
"All right, all right!"
At that moment, Coach Ukai walked over from off the court.
"Don't all crowd around Tanaka!"
"Hurry up and take a break! We'll go eat in a bit!"
"After all, we've got another match this afternoon!"
"Yes, Coach!!"
———————————————
"Ugh…"
The players from Nohebi collapsed onto the court. The intense match had been a huge test for them.
"Our tournament run ends here."
"Feeling regretful, Captain?"
"Haha... Not really," Daishō replied, though he could feel a sting at the tip of his nose.
How could people like them—so obsessed with victory—not care about the outcome?
"Honestly…"
"When we first started the tournament, I didn't expect we'd make it this far."
"But even knowing that... now that we've lost, it's still hard to accept."
After resting for a few minutes, the players from Nohebi helped each other to their feet.
In the end, Daishō couldn't help glancing back at the court behind them.
"If we had kept going, it would've been the quarterfinals next…"
"Maybe we just weren't ready for that kind of glory yet."
…
Nohebi Academy—eliminated in the third round of Nationals!
———————————————
"One more bowl!"
"Same here!"
…
The restaurant near the tournament venue was packed, like every noon. It was nearly impossible to get a seat.
Karasuno was lucky to find a table.
"You two idiots, are you even chewing?!"
Everyone at the table looked over at Kageyama and Hinata, a bit exasperated.
The two were frantically shoveling rice into their mouths, glaring at each other like rivals.
It was like whoever ate slower would lose!
"Gulp!"
"Nom nom!"
As they ate, Hinata suddenly coughed, slapping his chest and gasping wildly.
"Idiot! How do you eat that fast and not choke?!"
"Get him some water, quick!"
Thud...
Seeing this, Kageyama—his mouth also full of food—let out a laugh.
But halfway through, his face suddenly turned pale!
"Water! Get more water!"
"He's choking too!"
…
After lunch, everyone returned to the venue.
Just like the previous two days, they sat in the sparse stands and rested for a while before the afternoon matches.
"Hey!"
"You two—where do you think you're going?"
Daichi frowned.
Ever since what happened at lunch, he felt like Kageyama and Hinata were especially unreliable.
"Haha!"
"We're just going for a walk!"
"Yeah, our match is in the second group this afternoon!"
"We've got time!"
"You two…"
Daichi was about to scold them, but then sighed and held back.
He figured it probably wouldn't make a difference anyway.
Now, only eight teams remained!
That meant four matches would take place this afternoon.
But they wouldn't be held all at once—
Instead, they were divided into two blocks. Two matches per block.
And Karasuno's match was scheduled in the second block.
Daichi glanced at the others, who were already resting nearby, and could only tell the two of them in resignation:
"Be back soon!"
"Thanks, Captain Daichi!"
Hearing that, Kageyama and Hinata looked at each other and bowed cheerfully.