After a brief rest, the second set quickly began.
Karasuno served first. Ennoshita Chikara's serve went straight down the middle, but it was received by Kindaichi. Setter Yahaba Shigeru set the ball for Kunimi Akira.
Kunimi spiked from the left, and Tsukishima Kei from Karasuno barely managed to dig it up.
"Kageyama, save it!"
Hearing Sawamura Daichi's shout, Kindaichi nodded to himself. The first receive wasn't great. Judging from the first set, Karasuno didn't seem to use quick attacks. It would most likely go to the left (Tanaka Ryuunosuke) or right (Sawamura Daichi) for a normal attack.
Suddenly, Hinata Shouyou dashed out from behind Kageyama. A quick attack? No, they hadn't used any in the first set—it must be a decoy!
Kindaichi quickly made his judgment, eyes still locked onto Tanaka and Sawamura on either side.
BAM!
Hinata's spike scored.
[Karasuno 1 - 0 Aoba Johsai]
What? A quick attack? Kindaichi stared in disbelief.
"They actually did a quick from the middle? That shorty from Karasuno seems to be back to normal," the spectators murmured.
"One more!" the Karasuno team shouted in unison.
Karasuno served again. Aoba Johsai returned the ball.
"Free ball!"
Ennoshita easily passed it to Kageyama Tobio. By the time the ball reached Kageyama, Hinata had already leaped into the air. Kageyama instantly set it. Before Kindaichi could jump to block, the ball had already landed inside Aoba Johsai's court.
[Karasuno 2 - 0 Aoba Johsai]
"Ah?"
"W-What was that just now? So fast!"
So that's the "Freak Quick Attack"? Kawahara Taichi watched from the sideline in excitement. He actually got to witness it live—amazing!
"Whoa!!" Cheers erupted from the Karasuno side. The sluggishness from the first set had instantly vanished. The players' morale noticeably rose.
"That number 5 is playing totally different from the first set," Kunimi Akira said to Kindaichi.
"Two quick attacks. I won't let him get away with a third," Kindaichi glared intensely at Hinata.
Sensing the pressure from behind, Kageyama smirked. "Good, they're starting to focus on Hinata. Our counterattack begins now."
The match continued. After a few rounds of offense and defense, Kageyama finally received a decent first touch. He glanced at Hinata, who sprinted toward the right front of the net.
"Mine!"
"Another quick, huh?" Kindaichi, who had been watching Hinata closely, reacted instantly and jumped with him. "Now that I know it's you spiking, there's nothing scary about it!"
Whoosh! BAM!
Instead of setting to Hinata, Kageyama back-set the ball to the left for Tanaka Ryuunosuke, who jumped and spiked hard.
"AAAH! I've been waiting forever!" Tanaka's roar echoed through the gym.
[Karasuno 3 - 0 Aoba Johsai]
"Damn, a decoy again?" Kindaichi slapped his own face in frustration.
"Don't lose your cool, Kindaichi. Don't let them get to you," Iwaizumi Hajime reassured him. But even he couldn't think of a good way to counter it.
"Yeah." Kindaichi nodded slightly.
Easier said than done. That offense was impossible to stop. The score quickly reached [Karasuno 7 - 3 Aoba Johsai].
"Ugh… even we amateurs can see it. Their blockers are being scattered—there's no way to defend Karasuno's attacks," murmured the spectators.
"Was Karasuno always this strong?"
"I don't think so. It's mostly that first-year kid running all over the place—and that setter. His moves are so precise, just like Oikawa-senpai."
Beep. Aoba Johsai called a timeout.
"Hey—Kindaichi, that Kageyama is nothing like how you described him," said Yahaba Shigeru, clearly feeling the pressure from his rival setter.
"I-It's my first time seeing that too… I didn't think anyone could sync with Kageyama's insanely difficult sets." Kindaichi said helplessly.
"That's not it, Kindaichi," Coach Irihata's voice rang out.
"It's Kageyama who's syncing with the spikers—especially that number 5, the little guy. He's got weak fundamentals, you can tell—about the same level as Taichi… but Kageyama turns his speed into a weapon."
Kawahara Taichi, listening quietly by the side, was suddenly called out. Ugh… I'd rather he didn't mention me.
"Kageyama really does have the passing skills Oikawa talked about—he can deliver pinpoint sets to any attacker. But their individual attacks aren't that threatening, so…"
Coach Irihata looked at the eager Kawahara. "Go. Stick close to the little guy."
A first-year monster? Aoba Johsai has one too.
Aoba Johsai makes a substitution—Kawahara Taichi in, Kindaichi out.
Karasuno served. Aoba Johsai's libero Watari Shinji received it. Yahaba set the ball to Kunimi, who spiked it. Sawamura Daichi from Karasuno received it with ease. Hinata had already started his approach.
"He's caught up!"
Besides Kageyama, the person who understood the Freak Quick Attack best was Kawahara Taichi. Right now, Hinata was just jumping and swinging, trusting that Kageyama's set would land right in his hitting zone—something no normal player could do.
Kawahara knew that, at this stage, Hinata played with his eyes closed. He even knew what this quick would evolve into later.
He locked onto Hinata. The two stood opposite each other at the net. Though Kawahara was a bit slower and had lower jump height, he had the advantage in height. As long as he could stop Hinata from scoring, it was enough!
BAM! PAK!
Hinata's spike was touched by Kawahara!
"Touch!" Kawahara shouted.
Watari made a perfect first touch. No one expected the Freak Quick Attack to get blocked. Karasuno was still regrouping when Kunimi spiked from the left and scored.
"Nice touch! Nice spike!" Aoba Johsai rallied.
[Karasuno 7 - 4 Aoba Johsai]
"Damn… was that a fluke?" Kageyama couldn't believe the Freak Quick was shut down on only the second attempt.
"It's okay, we'll keep attacking." Captain Sawamura patted the dazed Hinata.
Coach Irihata tapped his tactical board. "Sharp observation, and a humble, effective block. He didn't go for a stuff—smart move."
"If the shorty can't score, can he still be used as a decoy?" Coach Irihata smiled at Karasuno.
Karasuno looked tense. Their attack was blocked by a rookie. Was it a coincidence or real skill? Kageyama tested it with two more sets.
As expected, the opponent could keep up with Hinata. Though his jumping wasn't as good, his height advantage—around 20 centimeters—completely nullified Hinata's offense.
Even worse, the opponent stuck to Hinata regardless of whether he was actually going to receive the ball. Just one person had completely shut down his threat.
Without Hinata as an effective decoy, Tanaka and Sawamura's spikes were no longer guaranteed finishers. The tide of the game had turned.
"Damn it! If only we had an ace to break this deadlock…"