[Aoba Johsai 9 VS 7 Wakunan]
Aoba Johsai serves.
Kazunari Matsukawa sends the ball between Kazuya Hanayama and Teppei Naruko. The two hesitate for a moment and miss the best chance to receive it.
"I got it!" Naruko recovers and quickly picks the ball up.
Hanayama barely manages to set it toward Takeshi Nakajima.
"Triple block!" Taichi Kaedehara, Hajime Iwaizumi, and Tooru Oikawa jump up in a line.
Nakajima aims for Kaedehara's hand on the far left and spikes.
But just at that moment, Kaedehara suddenly pulls his hand back. The ball flies over his head and crashes into the back wall.
Nakajima's spike goes out! Aoba Johsai scores.
[Aoba Johsai 10 VS 7 Wakunan]
"Woohoo~ Taichi!" Kindaichi cheers from the sidelines.
Impossible… Nakajima is stunned. He had studied Kaedehara on the opposite side—his jump wasn't impressive, and with such limited airtime, it should've been impossible to attempt such a move. Unless…
Nakajima looks at Kaedehara just in time to meet his sharp, focused gaze. So it was on purpose, Nakajima realizes with a wry smile.
Kaedehara had predicted Nakajima's spike. With a poor first touch, the setter had no choice but to give the ball to their ace. At that point, Kaedehara had figured Nakajima would use his signature move—aiming for a block-out.
So Kaedehara had prepared to pull his hand back mid-air from the start, letting Nakajima's targeted spike miss entirely.
Their eyes meet mid-air, and Nakajima finally identifies the familiar feeling—though the guy's height wouldn't suggest it, his style was definitely like the "Little Giant"!
Aoba Johsai continues serving. Matsukawa once again targets the space between Hanayama and Naruko.
With experience from last time, Hanayama quickly moves aside, allowing Naruko to receive. Hanayama adjusts and sets it again to Nakajima.
"Great set!" Nakajima charges and jumps, his body stretching out mid-air.
A power spike! Kaedehara and Iwaizumi tense up and jump to block with all their strength.
But just as Nakajima is about to spike, he suddenly slows down and lightly taps the ball over Kaedehara's head.
"Damn, he switched it up so smoothly."
Aoba Johsai's defense is completely fooled. The ball lands cleanly in their court.
[Aoba Johsai 10 VS 8 Wakunan]
"Amou was so cool just now!" Kawawatari Shunki with the pineapple hairstyle praised.
"Haha, you could pull that off too." Nakajima quickly returns to his position.
"It's okay, stay focused. Let's hold the next point," Takahiro Hanamaki calls out to refocus Kaedehara.
Wakunan serves. Walking to the service line is freshman Takeshi Matsushima, the tallest in Wakunan at over 180cm. Aoba Johsai braces.
Bang! The ball flies quickly to Aoba Johsai's side.
"Out!" Wataru Watari quickly judges and lets it go.
The serve goes out. Aoba Johsai scores.
[Aoba Johsai 11 VS 8 Wakunan]
"You brat! Practice your serves properly when we get back!" Yuki Shiraishi yells at Matsushima.
"Y-Yes, sorry, senpai!" ...Such a timid personality for someone that tall.
"Let's guard the next ball!" Nakajima steadies the team.
Things look bad for Wakunan—it's Oikawa Tooru's turn to serve again.
Just watching Oikawa slowly walk to the service line with the ball in hand weighs on Wakunan's players.
Oikawa points at Matsushima: "Freshman, better practice your receives when you get back."
Then, he aims his serve directly at Matsushima.
Bang! The ball doesn't hit the floor!
Nakajima knew Oikawa wouldn't just intimidate Matsushima—he had already moved to back him up as the serve came, and barely managed to receive it.
However, the ball rebounds with force and floats into Aoba Johsai's court.
"Free ball!"
Matsukawa calmly receives and sets it to Oikawa. Kaedehara and Iwaizumi begin jumping on the left and right.
Oikawa sets the ball to Iwaizumi on the right—who spikes with full power.
Wakunan's libero, Akihikari Akiho, dives and saves it. Hanayama, in a panic, sets it to Kawawatari on the right.
"Double block!" Kaedehara and Iwaizumi shut down Kawawatari's spike.
"First touch!" Kaedehara yells and begins sprinting left just as he lands.
Oikawa prepares to set, only to realize Kaedehara has already leapt on the left side, clearly signaling he wants the spike.
"Set it here—I'll hit it!" Kaedehara's body shouts his intent.
"This guy…" Oikawa grits his teeth and sends the ball toward Kaedehara.
"Crap, too short." Oikawa realizes the pass is just shy of perfect the moment he releases it.
Kaedehara also sees that it's a bit far. His body is already descending, but with a desperate stretch of his right hand, he just tips the ball.
The volleyball grazes the net and drops into Wakunan's court.
[Aoba Johsai 12 VS 8 Wakunan]
"What was that?"
"Was that even a quick attack?"
"Faster than a normal quick…?" Nakajima muses.
"That looked like Karasuno's 'Freak Quick Attack'… though it didn't quite succeed." Iwaizumi stares at Oikawa and Kaedehara.
Kaedehara, still catching his breath, had just had a sudden thought—if his speed was good enough to follow Hinata Shoyo defensively, couldn't he also use it offensively like Hinata?
Once the idea formed in his mind, his body acted on its own.
Oikawa, being the other party involved, understood it even more clearly. What they just attempted really was like Karasuno's freak quick attack. But Kaedehara didn't have Hinata's insane jumping ability, and Oikawa wasn't as precise a setter as Kageyama Tobio.
Still… they almost pulled it off! That meant—it could be practiced. That freak quick might actually be replicated!
Also, Kaedehara calling for the ball mid-air had startled even Oikawa himself. This guy wasn't joking when he said he wanted to be the ace.
"Taichi, if you're going to try something like that, warn me ahead of time! That was reckless," Oikawa scolded.
"Oh!" Kaedehara, still buzzing with excitement, smiled brightly. "But I knew Oikawa-senpai would send it to me."
"Huh? Why were you so sure?"
"Because if Kageyama can do it, there's no way Miyagi's number one setter can't."
Kaedehara's cheerful laughter was his only reply.
Oikawa was left speechless, staring at Kaedehara's confident expression.
His Aoba Johsai teammates believed in him—there was no doubt about that.
But they only expected Oikawa to do what he'd already proven he could do. As the team's ace, he was already carrying more than anyone else. No one ever asked him to do more.
But Kaedehara was different. He believed Oikawa could get even stronger. If Kageyama could pull something off, then the one Kageyama aspired to surpass should be able to as well.
"…Seriously, you've got no consideration for your senpai at all."
For the first time in a long while, Oikawa felt like someone was pushing him forward.