"It's fine, that was a lucky shot. We'll take the next point for sure!" Nakajima Takeshi's calm voice rang out.
"Got it!" Wakunan's players didn't show any signs of panic.
Nakajima kept his eyes fixed on Kazuhara Taichi. The other boy felt strangely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
Aoba Johsai served. Iwaizumi Hajime sent the ball over the net, Nakajima received it, and passed it above Hanayama Kazuya.
"Nice receive!"
Kaedehara Taichi locked his gaze on Nakajima's position, ready to jump in for a block at any moment. But Hanayama Kazuya lightly set the ball to the back row instead. A spiky-haired player sprang from the back — only a single blocker in front of him. Kawawatari Shunki spiked and scored.
[Aoba Johsai 1 - 1 Wakunan]
"Great spike, Kawawatari!" Nakajima praised.
Pineapple-headed Kawawatari Shunki heard his teammates' cheers, turned, and made a victory pose. Wakunan's morale soared.
"So this is Wakunan, always ranked among the top teams in the prefecture. They might not be outstanding in height, but their teamwork is on par with ours," Seijou's team manager Gōguchi said beside Coach Irubata.
Coach Irubata nodded. "They're very well-practiced. With Nakajima Takeshi holding them together, they won't be easily shaken by the flow of the game."
"I didn't expect Hanayama Kazuya, that bearded setter, to have such a soft touch on the ball. What a deceptive appearance," Oikawa shook his hand and glanced toward Kaedehara Taichi. "Taichi, you're paying too much attention to Nakajima. He's not their only ace."
"Yes, I understand!" Kaedehara knew his mistake on the previous point — he focused too much on Wakunan's ace and let his guard down elsewhere.
Wakunan's Shiraishi Yuki served. Hanamaki Takahiro received it.
"Nice receive, Hanamaki."
Oikawa sent the ball to the right. Iwaizumi followed and spiked with power. Wakunan's libero Akiho Hikaru barely managed to dig it out.
"Unstable receive! Cover!"
Hanayama could only bump the ball up toward Nakajima. "Takeshi, this one's on you!"
"Ohhh, no problem!" Nakajima ran and jumped.
"One, two, block him!" Seijou's triple block! Iwaizumi, Kaedehara, and Matsukawa leapt in a row.
Nakajima aimed at the side of Kaedehara palm. The ball hit his fingers and flew out of bounds.
Touch-out! Nakajima scored.
[Aoba Johsai 1 - 2 Wakunan]
Just as he thought. Kaedehara watched the ball fly out and knew it would happen.
Unlike Hoshiumi Kōrai from Kamomedai, who was called the new Little Giant due to his height and strength, Nakajima Takeshi's play style was exactly like the original Little Giant from Karasuno!
Wakunan served again. Kunimi Eiji received the ball, and it flew toward Oikawa. Iwaizumi was already jumping on the left.
A quick attack?
Wakunan's front row rushed to block.
But at that moment—
Oikawa's setting motion changed into a sudden downward push — a setter dump! The ball slammed straight into Wakunan's court.
[Aoba Johsai 2 - 2 Wakunan]
The gym fell into momentary silence.
"Oikawa-senpai's second-touch attack!" came cries of surprise from the bench.
"We didn't see that coming at all…" Wakunan's players felt like they'd been toyed with.
"Oikawa-kun is so cool!" Of course, his fan club chimed in.
Seeing his teammates still stunned by that last play, Nakajima clapped his hands. "It's fine, it's fine! Focus on the next point!"
"Yeah, don't daydream. Be ready for the next ball," Oikawa smiled at them.
Because up next — was Oikawa Tōru's serve. What a devilish guy.
"Don't panic. If we can't block their ace yet, we'll just win through offense."
Oikawa stepped to the back line at position 1 and pointed at Nakajima. "Besides, no matter how strong an attack is, you still have to receive the ball first."
He was in perfect condition today. The feel of the ball on his fingertips was clear and sharp. With a toss and a powerful jump serve, the ball flew at high speed toward Wakunan's baseline.
Thump!
Wakunan's players froze. No one reacted in time.
"On the line! Service ace!"
[Aoba Johsai 3 - 2 Wakunan]
"That guy!" Nakajima's eyes burned as he stared at Oikawa. To face one of the top teams in the prefecture — this was such a rare opportunity.
"One more!" Seijou's players cheered.
Kaedehara felt a wave of reassurance. Oikawa's serve really was something special.
Thump!
Oikawa served again. Wakunan's libero Akiho reacted at the last second and shifted his feet, but the ball hit near his foot and bounced away.
[Aoba Johsai 4 - 2 Wakunan]
"Nice serve, Oikawa-senpai!"
"One more!"
"Ahhh, Oikawa-kun is so dreamy…"
Falling behind so quickly at the start, Wakunan's coach, Onikubi, looked restless and was about to call a timeout.
"Let's receive the ball first!" Nakajima suddenly shouted. "Everyone move back! I'll receive with Akiho and Yuki. The rest of you be ready!"
These kinds of powerful serves couldn't possibly land every time. The key now was to turn the tide as fast as possible.
"Kawawatari, don't be so tense. See that long-haired girl on the second floor? I noticed she didn't cheer for Oikawa. Maybe she's our fan," Nakajima winked at Kawawatari, trying to ease the tension.
"Ohhh, really?!" Kawawatari followed his gaze. "She is cute!"
The rest of Wakunan's players chuckled, their tension eased a bit, and their movements felt less stiff.
"Impressive, Oikawa. See how other captains inspire their teams?" Matsukawa commented from the back row.
"I'm just a different type!" Oikawa pouted. That kind of encouragement was certainly effective — but what if they still couldn't receive?
Oikawa launched his third serve. The power didn't drop — in fact, it was even faster!
In the blink of an eye, the ball was already in front of Nakajima.
Move — move, damn it! Nakajima screamed internally.
In the next instant, Nakajima leaned forward, lowered his center of gravity, and did his best to angle his arms for the receive.
Thump!
The ball struck his arm and rebounded hard — flying straight toward the second-floor railing.
"Ah!" Several girls watching the practice match on the second floor gasped as the ball flew at them.
It bounced back into the court — everyone stunned into silence.
Oikawa had scored 3 straight service points!
[Aoba Johsai 5 - 2 Wakunan]
Tweet! Wakunan calls for a timeout.
The whistle blew. Wakunan's players were still in a daze.
"Takeshi, are you alright?" Coach Onikubi's voice snapped Nakajima out of it.
That last serve… gave him the same feeling as when they faced Ushijima Wakatoshi. In last year's semifinals, Wakunan was crushed 0-2 by Shiratorizawa, and Ushijima's serves alone had scored more than 10 points.
Can we receive it? Can we control it? Oikawa's serves alone were putting massive pressure on Wakunan.