"I don't know why, but when those two words are put together, it always makes my heart race!"
At that moment, Kenma hesitated slightly.
"I heard that venue is slightly bigger than this one!"
"Plus, the matchup between Itachiyama and Fukurodani..."
"There's definitely going to be a huge crowd!"
"Which means the chance of something going wrong is pretty low!"
Kenma paused, then added, "But we can't rule it out completely."
"After all, Bokuto-senpai is so unpredictable."
"You never know when he'll suddenly fall into one of his frustration modes."
...
While everyone from Nekoma was wondering about the outcome of Fukurōdani's match, over on another court, Karasuno's game was the first to get underway!
Since the morning match had taken a toll on their stamina, Daichi decided to rest Tanaka and take his place on the court.
On the opposite side of the net, a player from Inubushi Higashi stepped into position.
After the referee confirmed the jersey numbers on both sides, the whistle blew!
Karasuno High vs. Inubushi Higashi High—Quarterfinals! Officially underway!!
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Karasuno had won the coin toss earlier, so the first serve went to Inubushi Higashi.
"Nice ball, Yokoyama!"
"Yes!"
Yokoyama's voice trembled slightly, but even in that tense moment, he managed to steady himself.
After a quick breath, he launched his serve hard toward the other side of the net.
However, just as the ball left his hand, he felt something was off.
Thud!
The ball clipped the edge of the net and dropped straight down in front of him.
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The referee blew the whistle—Inubushi Higashi's serve hit the net. Karasuno scores the first point!
"..."
Yokoyama froze, staring blankly at the ball lying on the ground.
"Fumizuki-senpai... I..."
He smiled bitterly, the kind that looked more painful than crying.
"It's fine!"
"Don't get nervous!"
Tetsuya Harada came over and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"We've played so many matches to get here! What's there to panic about?"
"Fumizuki, when he first started playing, he was worse than you!"
"When it comes to mindset, losing a point means nothing."
Yosuke Fumizuki turned his head and added from the front:
"Shake it off and refocus!"
"The team still needs you!"
"Yes!"
As a team built on coordination, every player and every link in the chain mattered.
Since Inubushi Higashi lost the point on their serve, Karasuno now had the ball.
"Hinata!"
"Don't serve like that guy!"
As Hinata turned to head to the service line, Kageyama threw a smirk over his shoulder.
"You jerk!"
Hinata immediately exploded in frustration.
"I'm aiming right for the back of your head with this one!"
"You wouldn't dare!"
...
"You two idiots! Quiet down already!"
Daichi, from the back row, looked exasperated. Their constant bickering had become routine at this point.
Just watching the two of them was exhausting.
Tweet!
The referee signaled. Time to serve!
Whap!
This time, Hinata didn't mess up like Yokoyama had. While it wasn't a flashy serve, it cleared the net cleanly.
Harada, in the back row, held his breath and received it smoothly.
"Here we go!"
Setter Yosuke Fumizuki shouted low, and then, in their formation, all four players—excluding the libero—took off running simultaneously!
A synchronized multi-player attack!
But Inubushi Higashi's version of a multiple attacker assault was different from the standard.
As their four players charged forward, they didn't move in a straight line—they crossed paths in staggered patterns!
Then, once that chaotic formation was complete, they all surged back toward Fumizuki at center court.
It looked like the stars were orbiting the moon.
To any ordinary setter, the chaos would be disorienting.
Who do you pass to? What kind of set? Mistaking a front-row player for a back-row one could be disastrous.
But Fumizuki wasn't just any setter.
They'd rehearsed this formation countless times—his mind was clear.
Not only was he already calculating the best attack route, but he still had the capacity to observe Karasuno's defense across the net.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
A flurry of jumps erupted beside him!
All four attackers jumped at once!
Surprisingly, the two back-row players were faster and jumped higher than the front-row ones.
Which meant…
Now, all four attackers were at nearly the same height!
Two on the left, two on the right.
Like a dense fog rolling in!
"It's here!"
"Inubushi Higashi's signature Fog Attack!!"
The commentator shouted from the stands, excitement in his voice:
"First, chaotic running patterns to disrupt the blockers!"
"Then!"
"Four simultaneous jumps, perfectly in sync!"
"That way, regardless of when the setter decides to strike, or who he passes to…"
"They retain full control over the initiative!"
"Karasuno's blockers!"
"What will they do?!"
Even Sugawara, watching from the bench, didn't call out any instructions right away.
This offensive formation was tricky.
The setter had all the options in his hands.
Even though Karasuno had studied it in video footage before, stopping it on the first try would be no easy task.
Akira thought they might need three rallies just to observe the minute details of Fumizuki's sets…
To pinpoint the cues hidden within this highly deceptive strategy.
Right now, it was a gamble.
But…
A grin tugged at the corner of Akira mouth.
Even if it was a gamble, this wasn't about blindly picking a side.
In the delicate battle between attack and block, it wasn't only the attacker's setter who held the advantage.
People often praised brilliant setters for outsmarting blockers, letting their hitters score freely.
But what many overlooked—
Was how blockers could read, deceive, and outplay them too.