"Tch!"

Even though he scored, Tōru Oikawa still seemed dissatisfied.

After two deceptive float serves, Kazuya Sugimoto suddenly switched to a powerful jump serve.

The university players hadn't expected Akira Kunimi to react in time to receive it. Yet, when Shinji Watari stepped in to set up the ball, they had enough time to organize their response—but they failed to execute a proper block.

"The seniors are still holding back, huh? How leisurely," Oikawa said through gritted teeth, addressing the three players in the front row of the university team.

Caught on, huh? And here I thought they'd celebrate scoring.

Ichisuke Takahashi, the university team's ace, looked seriously at Oikawa. "We're not holding back. We're just testing how far you can go."

Oikawa didn't reply. Instead, he focused and got into position. This match would be tougher than he initially thought.

Aoba Johsai's serve. Kentarō Kyōtani unleashed a ferocious jump serve.

"That's a powerful one," someone murmured.

Yuri Kobayashi adjusted his stance and quickly moved to the ball's landing spot.

Thwack!

The ball rebounded high—he managed to receive it, though some of its force wasn't fully absorbed.

"I got it!"

Heiji Morita stepped under the ball and set it steadily toward the net.

"Triple block!" Hanamaki Takahiro, Oikawa Tōru, and Kindaichi Yūtarō jumped as one, forming a solid wall.

Boom!

On the right side of the net, Takahashi's powerful spike broke through, slamming into Kindaichi's arms.

"One touch!"

The force was overwhelming. Kindaichi barely absorbed the impact, and Iwaizumi Hajime had to scramble to keep the ball alive. Oikawa quickly set it to the left side.

Kindaichi leapt for the spike, aiming high, but three towering university players formed an impenetrable wall in front of him.

"Damn it…"

He spiked with all his might, but the ball was blocked and rebounded to his feet.

[Aoba Johsai 2 vs. University Team 4]

"Sorry!" Kindaichi hung his head.

Oikawa immediately spoke up, as if to cover for him. "It's my bad, Kindaichi. The set was a bit low."

"Huh? Not at all, Oikawa-senpai! It was a great set!"

"Kindaichi, if you need the ball in a specific spot, just tell me. On the court, it doesn't matter who's senior or junior—we're just a setter and a spiker. Got it?" Oikawa said.

Kindaichi wasn't a starting player, and as a substitute, he rarely had the chance to lead an attack.

Oikawa wanted to use this opportunity to better understand his offensive style.

"I'll deliver the ball exactly where you want it. But in return, I expect you to push yourself to reach every set I send your way!"

"Yes!" Kindaichi replied seriously.

"Jump with everything you've got!"

The university team's serve. Ichisuke Takahashi stepped to the service line.

What if this 190-centimeter ace wasn't great at serving? Akira Kunimi speculated absentmindedly.@@novelbin@@

Bang!

The serve struck the court with thunderous force. Takahashi scored directly.

[Aoba Johsai 2 vs. University Team 5]

"Everyone's serves are monstrous…" Kunimi groaned internally.

Compared to the high school players still in their volleyball club, the university students had superior stamina, power, speed, and endurance.

Years of specialized training also gave them sharper technical skills in serving, setting, passing, spiking, and blocking—not to mention their tactical understanding and ability to read the game.

Of course, individual talent and hard work meant some high school players had already reached advanced levels, rivaling or even surpassing certain university players. But for the vast majority, the gap in skill was evident.

Bang!

[Aoba Johsai 2 vs. University Team 6]

Bang!

[Aoba Johsai 2 vs. University Team 7]

Takahashi's serve brought in three consecutive points before he missed his fourth serve, sending the ball out of bounds.

[Aoba Johsai 3 vs. University Team 7]

With a serve rivaling Wakatoshi Ushijima's raw power and Oikawa's pinpoint accuracy, Aoba Johsai could only hope for Takahashi to make an error before they could rotate him off.

"Coach Irihata, isn't this a bit harsh on them? Nationals are less than a month away—what if they lose their confidence?" Sadayuki Mizoguchi, usually the loudest on the bench, unexpectedly showed concern.

"That's precisely why I called these guys back. Getting them all to agree to this wasn't easy," Irihata replied with a chuckle before turning serious. "If we replayed the prefectural finals now, would you guarantee we'd still win?"

"Well…no. Shiratorizawa is still incredibly strong, and we barely edged them out," Gōguchi admitted sheepishly.

"Exactly. And even a powerhouse like Shiratorizawa hasn't made it past the quarterfinals at Nationals these past two years," Irihata said grimly. "We've got no room for complacency. There's still so much to improve."

"In the third set of the finals, Ushijima's late-game serves brought Shiratorizawa to match point. At that level, the smallest lapse opens the door to infinite possibilities."

"Let them experience a higher standard of play firsthand. Make them hunger to grow stronger. We need Aoba Johsai to become a tree deeply rooted in solid ground!"

Aoba Johsai's serve. Tōru Oikawa stepped up.

No matter the opponent, serving was the most effective way to score directly.

Boom!

The ball rocketed over the net, cutting a sharp arc before slamming into the backline of the university court.

Oikawa fired back with a direct service ace!

[Aoba Johsai 4 vs. University Team 7]

"Great serve, Oikawa-senpai!" Kindaichi shouted, as if finally catching his breath.

Takahashi's gaze revealed his admiration. As expected of a team that made it to the nationals. Even that ferocious blond earlier had an impressive serve, but this setter was on another level.

No wonder Coach Irihata often mentioned this name. Tōru Oikawa was undoubtedly an elite-national-level player during high school. Takahashi felt genuinely proud of his alma mater, Aoba Johsai.

"Ha! So strong!" Kazuya Sugimoto grinned at Oikawa. It had taken him until university to specialize in two types of serves, yet his jump serve still didn't compare to this younger schoolmate's.

No wonder I never made it to Nationals. These guys are monsters.

"Thanks for the compliment, senpai~" Oikawa responded with a cheeky grin.

That grin irked Sugimoto for reasons he couldn't quite explain.

Oikawa served again.

Bang!

Yuri Kobayashi anticipated the ball's trajectory and dove to save it with a perfect dig.

"Cover!"

The ball soared high, passing over the net and landing back in Aoba Johsai's court.

"Chance ball!" Watari shouted, as Kindaichi and Hanamaki moved into position.

Oikawa glanced at Kindaichi, silently signaling him: Redeem yourself.

Kindaichi sprinted forward, leaping into the air. The ball rose to meet his extended hand at its optimal hitting point. He felt every part of his body move in perfect harmony—his shoulders, wrist, and fingertips—free from the restrictions of hesitation.

I'll get this point no matter what!

"Triple block!" The university's front row reacted swiftly.

But Kindaichi's spike soared past the blockers, slamming into the opponent's court.

[Aoba Johsai 5 vs. University Team 7]

"YES!!" Kindaichi roared in triumph, his teammates rushing to pat his back in celebration.

"Nice one, Kindaichi!"

"Great spike!"

"Well done!"

"One more ball!" Oikawa Tōru extended his hand toward Kindaichi, and the two exchanged a confident high-five.

"Yes, Oikawa-senpai!"

Kindaichi felt a surge of warmth and a faint tingle in his palm—not just from the joy of scoring, but from the trust radiating from his teammates.

He raised his gaze, locking eyes with the university players across the net. But this time, unlike before the match, he didn't nervously avert his eyes. Instead, he studied their movements carefully.

Aoba Johsai's serve—Oikawa switched up his strategy and unleashed a jump float serve.

Uchida Subaru reached out and dug the ball with a low stance.

Morita Heiji moved in to set the ball, sending it to the left side, where Sato Ryo spiked a sharp, line-hugging attack past Iwaizumi's defense.

"Your float serve still needs work~" Uchida Subaru taunted Oikawa playfully, wagging his finger from side to side.

[Aoba Johsai 5 - 8 University Team]

-----

[Aoba Johsai 18 - 25 University Team]

[Aoba Johsai 20 - 25 University Team]

Two sets down, the university team secured a clean 2-0 victory. The gap between the teams was apparent.

Aoba Johsai only managed to put up a solid fight during Oikawa's service rotations or when Kyotani Kentaro was at the front row.

Unfortunately, the opposing ace, Takahashi Ichisuke, rotated to the front at those critical moments, intensifying the defensive pressure on Aoba Johsai and limiting the quality of their sets to Kyōtani.

At times like this, they couldn't help but miss that sharp-tongued teammate of theirs.

Somehow, when he was around, it always felt like there was a way to claw back a few more points, even against seemingly impossible odds.

"Their spirits seem pretty steady, even after the loss," Morita Heiji remarked with a smirk. "Should we have gone even harder on them?"

The university players—mostly juniors and seniors—were unfamiliar with the current Aoba Johsai lineup. The only one among them who had played alongside this batch was second-year libero Kobayashi Yuri, who smiled awkwardly.

"Morita-senpai, isn't it a bit harsh for a first meeting?" Kobayashi laughed. "Playing like this makes it feel like we're back in high school."

As the university players caught their breath, Takahashi Ichisuke turned to Uchida Subaru and Sugimoto Kazuya. "I didn't expect to see you both still playing volleyball!"

"Yeah," Uchida replied curtly, his cold exterior hiding his warmth as always.

"Ha, same here. Didn't have anything else I was passionate about, so I just stuck with volleyball, I guess..." Sugimoto said wistfully. It was rare for the high school teammates to reunite like this after everyone went their separate ways.

Sato Ryo, the ever-thoughtful one, glanced around and smiled. "Aoba Johsai's made it back to Nationals for the first time in five years, and Coach Irihata went through the trouble of gathering us here. We've got to give it our all!"

"Of course!"

Though they hadn't achieved it themselves, they all shared the dream of seeing the words Rule the Court proudly unfurled on the national stage.

"Um...Senpai, I'm Oikawa Tōru," Oikawa interjected cheerfully. "Since it's rare for you all to come back, how about we play something fun before the day's over?"

Thus, Oikawa joined the university team for a friendly 4v4 match after a brief rest.

Morita's Team: Takahashi Ichisuke (Wing Spiker), Matsumoto Kentaro (Middle Blocker), Morita Heiji (Setter), Kobayashi Yuri (Libero).

Oikawa's Team: Sato Ryo (Wing Spiker), Uchida Subaru (Wing Spiker), Sugimoto Kazuya (Middle Blocker), Oikawa Tōru (Setter).

Thrown into a team with far more experienced players, Oikawa showed no outward signs of unease.

However, it was clear that he struggled initially. With little understanding of each player's style and capabilities, even Oikawa's movements seemed slightly rigid.

"Come on, Oikawa! If you're going to play like that, this isn't fun," Morita jeered without holding back.

Kobayashi, however, could see through Oikawa's intentions. After all, he had been there in Oikawa's first year, watching the freshman snatch the starting setter position from a third-year with his exceptional skills.

"My bad—would it help if I set a little further from the net?" Oikawa suddenly asked Sato after one of his spikes was blocked.

"Uh, yeah, that'd be great," Sato replied, slightly taken aback by Oikawa's candid question.

"Thanks, senpai! I'll adjust my sets accordingly," Oikawa said with a dazzling smile.

"Uchida-senpai, would you prefer higher sets?"

"...Yeah," Uchida admitted, a bit uncomfortable with Oikawa's unexpected enthusiasm.

Gradually, the initial awkwardness faded. With each rally, Oikawa refined his sets to perfectly suit his teammates, his confidence spreading throughout the team. His presence was like a catalyst, elevating the group's synergy to unexpected heights.

As their coordinated attacks began to rival those of seasoned teams, both Uchida and Sato couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder.

"It feels like we've been playing together for years. Every set feels just right," Uchida mused.

"This kid...he's amazing," Morita grumbled. If they had been on the same high school team, Morita thought bitterly, he might've spent his entire career as a backup setter.

Oikawa's ability to hypothesize, test, and adjust in real-time allowed him to bring out the best in everyone around him. By the end of the match, Oikawa's team had found a rhythm that felt unstoppable.

-----

After about thirty minutes, the match drew to a close.

[Morita's Team 25 - 21 Oikawa's Team]

Yet, as Morita watched his team secure the final point, a nagging thought lingered: If we played one more set, the outcome might've been different.

"Thank you for the guidance, senpai!" Aoba Johsai's team lined up after the match to express their gratitude.

"Make sure you perform well at Nationals!" the university players replied.

"Yes, we will!"

As the seniors began to leave, waving goodbye, Oikawa suddenly called out.

"Senpai! Let's play again before Nationals!"

The university players stopped and turned, waiting for him to elaborate.

"You haven't met our ace yet. He'll make things much more interesting~" Oikawa said with a mischievous grin.

Takahashi glanced at Coach Irihata, who nodded approvingly. This must be the other player the coach often spoke so highly of.

"Alright then, two weeks from now," Takahashi replied, seeing no objections from the others.

"Thank you, senpai!" Oikawa's smile deepened, brimming with determination.

"Next time, we'll win!"

_________

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