[Aoba Johsai 23 – 17 Nohebi]

"Why can't we stop them?!" Nohebi Academy's middle blocker, Seguro Akihiko, stared at the widening score gap with growing anxiety.

"Hold the line! We won't fall here!" Their captain, Suguru, shouted with determination as he received the serve.

Sakishima Izumi set the ball to the right wing, and their spiker, Naoyasu Kuguri, prepared for the attack.

"Double block!"

"One Touch!" Taichi yelled toward the backline.

Hanamaki Takahiro dove and saved the ball, sending it back into play. Taichi sprinted toward the net.

"Block him!" Hiroo Kōji cried out urgently. In the front row, Seguro Akihiko leapt up to form a wall.

But the ball never came.

"One-man tempo delay!"

As Seguro's figure began to descend, Kaedehara Taichi soared above him, spiking the ball effortlessly over his head for the point.

[Aoba Johsai 24 – 17 Nohebi]

"Ah, so this is all you're capable of without resorting to your little tricks?" Taichi's gaze pierced Seguro Akihiko, devoid of any emotion.

On Nohebi's bench, Coach Kiyoshi Ōmizu clenched his hands tightly. Under normal circumstances, we'd have seen through a 'one-man tempo delay' like that. But our usual tactics have been countered, and the players' composure is slipping as the set reaches its climax…

Most critically, their timeouts had already been used up.

Coach Ōmizu glanced at Aoba Johsai's #1 and #10. Their calm and composed execution of this tactic in a pivotal moment was nothing short of remarkable.

Aoba Johsai had taken control, scoring repeatedly.

"Calm down!" Their ace, Numai Kazuma tried his best to steady his teammates. "We'll take it back, one point at a time!"

Aoba Johsai's serve.

Kunimi Akira launched the third ball, which was perfectly received by Nohebi's libero, Akama Sō. The ball was passed to the centre.

Numai Kazuma rushed forward and spiked with all his might.

Smack!

Watari Shinji dove to save it, and the ball was returned to Nohebi's court.

"Free ball!" Sakishima Izumi yelled, quickly running toward the net. He leapt mid-air and set the ball to the right wing.

"Naoyasu!"

First-year player Naoyasu Kuguri understood the weight of this ball. Following the set, he jumped high, aiming for Watari Shinji, who was still recovering from the last dig and hadn't fully reset his stance.

Boom!

Smack!

The ball collided with Kaedehara Taichi's forearm and ricocheted back into Nohebi's court.

"You guys are far too obvious," Taichi remarked calmly as he landed.

The ball rolled lifelessly on the court.

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 17 Nohebi]

"The final point comes from Kaedehara Taichi's block! A perfect read!"

Tweet! The referee's whistle signalled the end of the match.

"That feeling of targeting someone's weaknesses—I understand it very well," Taichi smirked with his characteristic mischievous grin.

"Yes! We won!!!"@@novelbin@@

Coach Irihata stood and clapped with a smile, while the players on the bench rushed onto the court to celebrate with their teammates.

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 22 Nohebi]

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 17 Nohebi]

Aoba Johsai secured their first match of Nationals in straight sets—an impressive start to their campaign!

-----

"You're good at provoking opponents and influencing the referee's decisions—that's fine," Coach Kiyoshi Ōmizu addressed his dazed players. "But remember, the most important thing on the court is still skill."

The faces of Nohebi's players were filled with frustration. At last, they realized they had lost sight of their priorities during the match.

"Alright, let's head back and review," Coach Ōmizu turned and walked away.

"Yes…"

First-year player Naoyasu Kuguri turned to take one last look at the Nationals arena.

After enduring gruelling battles, we barely managed to rise above the competition in Tokyo…

We came here with the dream of making our school's name known nationwide, only to face an unexpectedly strong opponent on the very first day...

His legs felt as heavy as lead and his breathing laboured. The familiar sensation of playing volleyball had slowly slipped away, and by the time he regained his composure, the whistle signalling the end of the match had already sounded.

"What was I even doing out there…" Tears streamed down his face before he realised it.

"Let's go, Naoyasu." Captain Suguru patted his back gently. "Finally, I see the expression I've been waiting for. We'll come back for Spring High next year!"

[Date Tech's Computer Lab]

Several tough-looking students were crowded around one of the computers—none other than the current starting lineup of Date Tech's volleyball team.

Regardless of whether Aoba Johsai scored or lost a point, second-year captain Futakuchi Kenji always wore a sour expression as he watched the match.

"Tch, Seijoh's #10 is becoming harder and harder to stop…"

Aone Takanobu nodded in silent agreement. "Hm."

First-year setter Kanji Koganegawa, full of curiosity, pointed excitedly at Kaedehara Taichi on the screen. "Futakuchi-senpai, have you ever played against Seijoh?"

"No, but we've seen their matches against Karasuno and Johzenji," Futakuchi replied gruffly.

"Hm," Aone affirmed again.

"Then why are you paying so much attention to them, Senpai?" Kanji asked innocently, his confusion evident.

First-year libero Kōsuke Sakunami tugged at Kanji's sleeve and whispered, "Because their #10 taunted us during the preliminaries…"

Bang!

Futakuchi slammed his hand on the table, his voice dripping with frustration. "An utter humiliation!"

Aone calmly pushed Futakuchi's hand away, gesturing for him not to scare the underclassmen, but nodded in agreement. "Hm."

Kanji, oblivious to the tension, continued, "But we didn't even play against Karasuno, so we never got the chance to face Seijoh…"

Before Kōsuke could cover his mouth, it was too late.

"Kanji! Add 500 tosses to your evening training!" Futakuchi barked.

"Oh, sure, Senpai!" Kanji agreed enthusiastically, completely unaware that it was a punishment.

Futakuchi rubbed his temples. At this rate, could Date Tech ever hope to defeat Aoba Johsai?

On the screen, Taichi was shown blocking the final spike from Nohebi.

Futakuchi's expression turned inexplicably complicated. "That kid's blocking has improved a lot. If he came to Date Tech, his skills would go up another notch for sure."

"Hm," Aone agreed yet again.

"Tch…" Despite Aoba Johsai's victory, Futakuchi remained visibly displeased.

"Futakuchi-senpai, the match is over! Let's get started on our afternoon training!" Kanji exclaimed, itching to get back on the court.

"Fiiine…" Futakuchi's drawn-out reply was interrupted as Aone hoisted him up and dragged him toward the gym.

-----

"Taichi, congrats on making it to the second round," came a familiar voice.

Kozume Kenma and Kuroo Tetsurō approached the Aoba Johsai's team.

"Kenma! When did you get here? I didn't even notice!" Taichi beamed as he hurried to Kenma's side.

"At the end of the first set," Kenma answered softly, his usual calm demeanour unchanged.

Then, as if something had suddenly occurred to him, Kenma's eyes narrowed, locking onto Taichi.

"Taichi, the next time we meet, I'll defeat you."