The tide on the court had already shifted in Aoba Johsai's favor. The substitution worked quite well—but the one defending Shoyo Hinata, Taichi Kagehara, was about to hit his limit. Shoyo Hinata just wouldn't stop running; his stamina stat of 99 was on full display in this moment.
Kagehara had to chase Hinata across the court, from left to right, constantly jumping. Both his body and mind were exhausted. He could only hope that the still-scoreless Hinata would take a short break.
Kagehara glanced at Hinata, only to see his eyes filled with laser focus. Noticing Kagehara's stare, Hinata turned and looked back at him. In that instant, Kagehara's heart trembled—it felt as if he were being hunted by a wild beast.
And in that brief moment of distraction, Hinata had already dashed to the other side of the court and leapt into the air. Kagehara rushed to follow and jumped after him—but that tiny delay had already cost him. He couldn't reach Hinata's height.
At that exact moment, Tobio Kageyama's set came perfectly into Hinata's hands—right on target!
Hinata spiked—and scored!
As a decoy, Shoyo Hinata had only been attracting Kagehara's defense, which clearly wasn't enough. But if he kept running away from confrontation, then there was no point in him being on the court.
That crazy fast attack... how fascinating. Kagehara hadn't realized a smile had crept onto his face. That's more like it—like it would be that easy to stop him. Kagehara's eyes stayed locked on Hinata, not relaxing for a second.
The score was neck and neck. With Daichi Sawamura and Ryunosuke Tanaka already being strong players, plus a genius setter in the mix, Karasuno's offense was now flowing smoothly. Meanwhile, Aoba Johsai hadn't even put Oikawa on the court yet. Their current offensive power was nowhere near their usual level—they could only rely on steady, balanced play to grind out each point.
[Karasuno 16 – Aoba Johsai 15]
"Whoa now, the score's really this close?" a lazy voice called out.
The girls in the second-floor bleachers erupted in cheers. "It's Oikawa-senpai!"
"We asked them to put Kageyama in, but now we're not even using our own regulars. That's not a good look, is it?" Coach Irihata said with clear discontent as he looked at Oikawa.
"Hahaha… Sorry about that, coach," Oikawa said sheepishly.
"But Karasuno really is an interesting team," Coach Irihata commented while Oikawa began warming up.
"Kageyama's tosses and that shorty's weird quick attack are a real threat. And then there's Tanaka—he's brash and reckless, but full of power and momentum. Tsukishima, the blocker, lacks energy but makes up for it with smart plays. And their captain, Daichi, can cover multiple defensive gaps on his own. It's a team with uneven skills, but their offense is flexible and unpredictable."
The coach paused. "Good thing we've got a solid freshman. If Taichi hadn't been able to keep up with that little guy and limit him, we might've already lost the second set."
"Oh?" Oikawa raised an eyebrow. To be praised like that by Coach Irihata—looks like Kageyama isn't the only first-year worth paying attention to.
"Still, no matter how strong the offense," Oikawa said as he finished his warm-up, "if it can't keep going—if there's no continuity—then it's meaningless, right?"
Tweet!Aoba Johsai substitution: Oikawa in, Kunimi out.
[Karasuno 24 – Aoba Johsai 23]
Aoba Johsai to serve.
Oikawa pointed toward Tsukishima and Hinata. "Even though I started watching halfway through... tall guy and shorty—you both aren't great at receiving, huh?"
With a sharp look in his eyes, Oikawa focused completely on Tsukishima. His wrist flicked slightly as he tossed the ball up. Then, he took a deep breath, ran three steps, and leapt into the air. The ball flew like an arrow off the string—loaded with spin and pinpoint accuracy, aimed straight at Tsukishima.
Smack! A clean hit! The ball ricocheted off Tsukishima's arm and bounced away.Oikawa scored on the serve.
[Karasuno 24 – Aoba Johsai 24]
"We have to hold them off!" Daichi shouted, trying to steady his teammates.
"Second serve!" As soon as Oikawa's voice dropped, the ball flew at Tsukishima again. Tsukishima stepped back and barely managed to receive it, sending the ball floating back over to Aoba Johsai's side.
"Not a great receive," Oikawa noted, eyeing his eager middle blocker.
Kagehara had already predicted that Tsukishima wouldn't handle the serve well. He tracked where the ball was returning, jumped, and spiked it right back down.
[Karasuno 24 – Aoba Johsai 25]
Just one more point! They were so close to winning, and now the tide had turned. Daichi looked toward Kagehara and Oikawa on the other side—one had shut down Hinata, and the other had boosted Aoba Johsai's offense significantly.
We absolutely cannot let them win with another serve!
"Tsukishima, move back a bit—closer to the right sideline."
Oh? The reliable captain had expanded his coverage area. Oikawa saw right through Karasuno's formation. Then let's test the captain's receive.
Oikawa launched a powerful serve. Daichi bent his knees and, at the moment of contact, absorbed part of the impact, sending the ball high into the air.
"Nice receive, Daichi!" Sugawara shouted.
Kageyama knew exactly how difficult that reception was. His eyes sharpened. I have to end Oikawa-senpai's serve here and now. It's all or nothing!
"Hinata!" Kageyama set the ball toward an empty part of the court.
A mistake? No—definitely not!
Hinata's beast-like instinct kicked in. He bolted toward the ball's direction and arrived underneath it in an instant, leaping upward. But—someone had followed him over. Waiting right in front of him.
Oikawa finally understood what Coach Irihata meant when he said if Taichi hadn't been limiting Hinata, they'd have lost the second set. He's too fast. That kind of leap, crossing more than half the court—no one could keep up with that.
In mid-air, Hinata's eyes opened wide. A spike alone wouldn't be enough. He saw the defense already in place in front of him. Sensing the block, Hinata adjusted and swung his arm.
Tap.
The ball hit the floor. Hinata had swung and missed.
[Karasuno 24 – Aoba Johsai 26]
Tweet! Tweet—With the sound of the whistle, the victor was declared: Aoba Johsai.
They lost. The scoreboard's stark numbers mercilessly confirmed Karasuno's defeat. Kageyama stood in the center of the court, dazed, staring at the scoreboard. His mouth parted slightly as if he wanted to speak, but no words came to express his confusion and disappointment.
"Let's go again!" came Hinata's voice from the court. Kagehara turned around to see Hinata's face full of stubborn determination.
"Let's play one more match."Though Hinata's voice was calm, it carried a deep unwillingness to accept defeat.
"Hinata, don't be silly. It's time to head back," Daichi said, pushing down on Hinata's head.
"Shorty, we'll have another match next time. It was just a practice game anyway." Oikawa waved at the Karasuno team.
Seeing Hinata frozen in place, Kagehara walked straight up to him and looked him in the eye.
"Hinata… Get stronger. I'll be waiting for our rematch."
Hinata lifted his head, his eyes burning with hunger for strength."I will!"
Ding!System notification: Host has successfully altered Shoyo Hinata's career trajectory. Reward: +3 Jump stat.