"Send us a good serve!"
Kawanishi Taichi's serve erfectly received by Watari Shinji, and Oikawa Tōru took the opportunity to spike it down.
Bang!
Oikawa scored with a dump.
[Aoba Johsai 2 VS 2 Shiratorizawa]
"Are you kidding me? A dump right from the start?" ōhira Reon stared at Oikawa in disbelief as he scored with such ease.
Uhe straightforward and ear ōhira, Oikays were often uable. However, when it came to setting for his spikers, he was remarkably stable.
This was one of the reasons Ushijima Wakatoshi couldn't get Oikawa out of his mind.
"After a sluggish m, Oikawa seems to be in eveer form than usual," eam manager Mizoguchi. He could sense Oikawa's excitement.
Coach Irihata nodded, smiling with satisfa. Oikawa and Iwaizumi Hajime's year had been the most trouble-free team he'd ever coached.
Oikawa stepped up to the service line, and Shiratorizayers immediately prepared themselves to receive.
One of the reasons Ushijima Wakatoshi couldn't ignore Oikawa was his national-level serving ability. Ushijima's disdain for the rest of Aoba Johsai stemmed from the fact that Oikawa, a setter, had mao score nearly ohird of his team's total points in past matches against Shiratorizawa.
The ball was gently tossed into the air, perfectly trolled.
Oikawa began with a sloroach, then suddenly accelerated. As the ball desded, he leapt powerfully, his body arg just right. His arm swung back before smashing forward with precision, and the volleyball seemed to deform slightly uhe force of his palm.
It shot across the court like a lightning bolt.
Boom!
The ball pressed against the floor before rebounding high into the air.
Kyōtaarō's pupils tracted as he instinctively tensed. Oikaower was eveer than his own...
It was a serve as devastating as a spike, and it scored directly.
[Aoba Johsai 3 VS 2 Shiratorizawa]
"This time, we're going to crush you pletely!"
Without wasting words, Oikawa unched his sed serve.
Boom!
This time, Shirabu Kenjirō mao get a tou the ball, but the impact forced him back a step. The volleyball veered off course and nded out of bounds.
Shirabu lowered his hands in silence—he simply couldn't ha.
His arms were already tingling from the force.
Aoba Johsai was on a roll.
[Aoba Johsai 4 VS 2 Shiratorizawa]
Usually the oo lift the team's spirits, Oikawa's sudden quiet demeanour created an air of tension.
Shiratorizayers couldn't help but notiething different. Oikawa wasn't here as a challenger—he stood on the court as their equal, determio win.
Boom! The third serve screamed across the court!
"Ah!"
The first to falter uhe pressure was Goshiki Tsutomu. Letting out a shout, he threw himself forward and mao make tact.
With his face.
The ball flew up and hovered above the .
"Push it over!"
"Push it over!"
Ushijima and Kunimi Akira jumped simultaneously, but Ushijima reached the ball first, smming it down into Aoba Johsai's court.
Shiratorizawa scored.
[Aoba Johsai 4 VS 3 Shiratorizawa]
"Damn it!" Kunimi muttered, clearly frustrated. Balls like that were usually golden opportunities for their side.
"Don't sweat it, don't sweat it!" Iwaizumi reassured him. Outpying Ushijima in terms of power a was no easy feat.
"Goshiki, are you okay?"
"Nice save, Tsutomu!"
"I'm fine!" Goshiki replied loudly. His precise receive had broken Aoba Johsai's serving streak, and he felt like a hero.
"Maybe try using your hands ime," came an unimpressed remark from Aoba Johsai's first-year ace, Kaedehara Taichi. "You looked like you were perf a circus act."
Tch! Goshiki bristled. That's because Aoba Johsai didn't have an ace like Ushijima-senpai. Right now, his eyes were on only oarget—Ushijima Wakatoshi.
As Shiratorizawa steadied themselves, their spirits lifted when Ushijima stepped up to serve.
With his own terrifying serve, Shiratorizawa had no iion of losing their momentum.
Standing at the line, Ushijima began pounding the ball with steady, deliberate force.
"Ushijima-senpai, send us a good serve!"
Bang!
The volleyball shot forward like a onball.
Smack!
Watari Shinji dropped his stance low and successfully received the first ball! The results of his month-long specialized receive training were finally on dispy.
Kaedehara Taichi, who didn't freeze in surprise this time, silently praised Watari in his mind as he leapt into the air.
Thwack!
A , decisive spike. Point scored.
[Aoba Johsai 5 VS 3 Shiratorizawa]
…
[Aoba Johsai 6 VS 3 Shiratorizawa]
…
[Aoba Johsai 6 VS 4 Shiratorizawa]
…
[Aoba Johsai 6 VS 5 Shiratorizawa]
…
[Aoba Johsai 7 VS 5 Shiratorizawa]
The match started with an intense bad-forth, but to everyone's surprise, the momentum seemed to be entirely in Aoba Johsai's favour, as if they were suppressing Shiratorizawa pletely.
Aoba Johsai was now serving, with Kaedehara Taichi stepping up to the service line.
Shiratorizayers still remembered his unimpressive serves from their previous enter. But this time, something about his preparatory movements struck them as oddly familiar.
Was it…Oikawa Tōru?!
Just moments ago, Oikawa's devastating serves had caused Shiratorizawa signifit trouble, directly tributing to the current scoreline.
Both Shiratorizawa and Karasuno had been uled by this very same serving form before…
Taichi tossed the ball into the air. Oep, two steps, three steps, and then he unched himself upward.
While airborne, his arm swung bad then whipped forward, with his upper arm driving his forearm. At the final moment, the hard underside of his palm struck the lower half of the volleyball with precision.
Here it es!
The volleyball rocketed toward ōhira Reon's position.
"Out!"
ōhira made his call, stepping aside to let the ball fly past.
The ball streaked toward the left boundary but suddenly veered slightly to the right in mid-air, nding squarely ihe court.
"In!" The referee's call firmed the ball had nded just ihe line.
Kaedehara Taichi scored with his serve.
[Aoba Johsai 8 VS 5 Shiratorizawa]
"A jump float serve?!"
On the sidelines, Semi Eita gritted his teeth. It had only been a month, and Kaedehara was already sg with a newly learned jump float serve?
Had he been practising it back then but hadn't mastered it yet?
Semi was beginning to uand why Ushijima Wakatoshi took Kaedehara so seriously. For those who inteo tinue pying after high school, Kaedehara Taichi's greatest on wasn't just raw talent—it was his terrifying ability to stantly learn and adapt.
Unless someone could excel in a particur area ress at the same pace as him, they would iably fall behind.
"Sorry!" ōhira apologized, frustrated by his misjudgment.
"Don't worry about it! ball!"
Jump float serves were among the most difficult to receive.
It was why many clutch servers chose them. On motion, even the server couldn't predict the ball's precise movements due to its uable trajectory.
_________
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