Oikawa Tōru served the third ball.

It was a powerful jump serve. After getting used to the slower float serves in the first two points, Date Tech was caught off guard by the sudden shift in speed and power.

Bang!

Oikawa Tōru scored another service point.

[Aoba Johsai 3 – 0 Date Tech]

"Don't worry about it, stay focused!" Futakuchi Kenji did his best to encourage his teammates.

This kind of scenario was expected; adapting to serves like these always takes some time.

Date Tech's strategy remained solid—Kaedehara Taichi's outrageous cross-court spikes couldn't possibly succeed every time!

"Hey! You troublemaker, get your act together!"

From the stands, the retired third-years of Date Tech were present, cheering loudly.

Kamasaki Yasushi pumped his fists, yelling toward Futakuchi Kenji, "You're stronger than we ever were! Play with everything you've got!"

Moniwa Kaname grabbed Kamasaki's arm to pull him back. "Yasushi, keep it civil! The referee's looking over here!"

"Ugh, seriously? Why are all of you here? Don't third-years have entrance exams to prepare for?" Futakuchi Kenji muttered, clearly reluctant about the attention. "Annoying musclehead senpais…"

"Bring it on!" Futakuchi shouted toward Oikawa, trying to muster some fighting spirit.

"Hahaha…That's the spirit!" Kamasaki crossed his arms, nodding in satisfaction.

Oikawa Tōru served the fourth ball.

It was another powerful jump serve, the volleyball spinning and flying toward Date Tech's court with stunning speed.

"I've got it!" shouted first-year libero Sakunami Kōsuke as he moved to receive the ball.

Bang!

The immense force pushed Sakunami back, making him roll to absorb the impact. Although the ball was successfully received, it flew over to Aoba Johsai's side.

"Spike it!"

Kindaichi Yūtarō jumped in the front row, ready to finish the point with a direct spike.

Suddenly, a large hand appeared between his hand and the ball.

It was Koganegawa Kanji!

With a slightly higher reach and far superior jumping ability than Kindaichi, Koganegawa Kanji managed to tip the ball upward.

As both Kindaichi and Date descended, a figure leapt up behind him.

Bang!

A powerful spike from Aone Takanobu scored the point for Date Tech!

[Aoba Johsai 3 – 1 Date Tech]@@novelbin@@

"Yes!!" Moniwa Kaname cheered from the stands, his voice the loudest among them.

Kamasaki bellowed triumphantly, looking around at the other spectators. "See that? That's our school's juniors! Take a good look at how awesome they are!"

Standing beside him, Sasaya Takehito quietly stepped back a couple of paces.

Don't look at me. I don't know these guys…

Kaedehara Taichi glanced across the net.

In a normal situation, Kindaichi would have scored directly. Koganegawa Kanji's quick jump and exceptional vertical leap were truly something to watch.

It was Date Tech's turn to serve, and Koganegawa Kanji stepped up to the service line.

Bang!

It was a slightly forceful, but otherwise unremarkable overhand serve.

Watari Shinji received it perfectly.

Taichi had already leapt up on the left wing, and Oikawa's set reached him a moment later.

Bang!

Thud!

"First touch!" Aone Takanobu shouted as he managed to block the spike.

Taichi wasn't surprised—fast attacks like his weren't as effective when Aone was in the front row.

Obara Yutaka quickly retrieved the ball, and Koganegawa Kanji set it toward the far-right wing.

It's not a highball? Aoba Johsai's blockers were momentarily caught off guard but quickly adjusted to follow Date Tech's outside hitter.

On the right, Onagawa Tarō jumped. Facing him was Aoba Johsai's double block.

Standing under 180 cm tall and with only average jumping ability, Onagawa had worked tirelessly on his technique to make up for his physical limitations.

Aiming for the edge of Hanamaki Takahiro's arm, he spiked with all his strength.

Smack!

Bang!

The ball deflected off the block and flew diagonally out of bounds.

Date Tech scored another point.

[Aoba Johsai 3 – 2 Date Tech]

"Oh?" Hanamaki Takahiro looked at Onagawa Tarō, a hint of curiosity in his gaze.

"Go, go, let's go Date Tech!"

"Go, go, let's go Date Tech!"

Despite being up against the reigning champions, Date Tech's cheering squad was spirited and loud, motivating their players on the court.

Koganegawa Kanji served again.

Oikawa received the ball, delivering a perfect pass to the left wing.

Taichi leapt for the spike.

"Double block!" Futakuchi and Aone jumped together to form the wall.

—Whoosh!

Instead of spiking, Taichi set the ball toward the right wing. Hanamaki, waiting above Onagawa Tarō, slammed it down for the point.

[Aoba Johsai 4 – 2 Date Tech]

"Cowardly brat!" Futakuchi taunted Taichi.

"Hm?" Taichi tilted his head innocently, feigning confusion.

"You won't face our block head-on? Is that all Aoba Johsai's ace has to offer?" Futakuchi tried to rile him up.

"Oh—" Taichi suddenly looked as if he had an epiphany, then gave an apologetic smile.

"Sure, breaking through your block is satisfying, but I enjoy playing with the blockers much more. It's sooo…fun!"

What?! Futakuchi's brow twitched.

"And you know," Taichi added with a smirk, "watching seniors like you stay calm after being outplayed? That's truly impressive. Admirable, really."

...This brat…Futakuchi frowned slightly.

"Actually," Taichi said with a cheeky grin, "it's almost inspiring how you can act so composed while being toyed with. Senpai, are you by any chance, a 'M'?"

Aone silently glanced at Futakuchi, worried he might lose his temper. But words weren't Aone's strong suit.

"Haha…" Futakuchi laughed suddenly, with veins visibly popping on his forehead, looking at Taichi. "You're pretty interesting."

He thought back to their joint training camp and the times they worked well together.

"Honestly, you'd fit right in at Date Tech. I kinda like you, kid."

Iwaizumi Hajime grabbed the collar of Taichi's jersey, dragging him backwards. "Focus on the match."

Seriously, first it was Shiratorizawa's Ushijima clinging to Oikawa, and now our own troublemaker being recruited by Date Tech?

This is exhausting.

-----

Aoba Johsai's serve. Hanamaki Takanobu launched a powerful serve over the net.

Obara Yutaka received it cleanly, and Koganegawa leapt forward to set the ball.

"Futakuchi-senpai!"

"You…you're not…" Futakuchi Kenji was caught off guard by Koganegawa's sudden decision to execute a quick attack.

Despite his effort to jump, he failed to make contact with the ball.

The volleyball arced through the air and landed directly in the hands of the score-tracking staff.

[Aoba Johsai 5 – 2 Date Tech]

Score-tracking staff: "..."

Futakuchi Kenji: "..."

Koganegawa Kanji: "Don't mind it, Futakuchi-senpai! Let's get the next one!"

"You were the one who messed up!" Futakuchi bellowed. "Could you at least pretend to care?! Ugh, I can't believe I'm more frustrated with my rookie than the opposing team…"

"Hah, Futakuchi! Now you know how tough it is to mentor a rookie," Kamasaki Yasushi quipped smugly.

"Kamasaki, why don't I remember you helping when I was doing all these...?," Moniwa Kaname muttered, exasperated.

-----

Even against Date Tech, Aoba Johsai's strategy remained as clear as ever: play steady, control the match's tempo, and steadily expand their lead.

This confidence in their ability reflected their maturity as a team.

Centred around their ace, Kaedehara Taichi, every player knew their role, and by following their well-laid plans, victory seemed inevitable.

In contrast, when faced with a stronger opponent, Date Tech's weaknesses began to show.

While the team's rookies brought fresh energy, their chemistry still needed work.

First-year Sakunami Kōsuke played a fixed role, primarily focused on covering additional lanes for their "Iron Wall" defence.

His consistent performance and lack of errors provided some stability, easing the team's overall burden.

However, Koganegawa Kanji's situation was different.

Tasked not only with blocking but also setting and attacking, his immense potential was evident. However, his current lack of polish led to frequent mistakes on the court.

The score advanced to [Aoba Johsai 16 – 10 Date Tech].

Futakuchi Kenji stepped up to the service line.

Though still developing, Date Tech needed to unleash some new weapons.

Tossing the ball high, Futakuchi took a few quick steps and launched a powerful jump serve.

The target: Oikawa Tōru.

Smack!

Oikawa received the serve effortlessly. Though the serve had more power than before, Oikawa had no trouble handling it.

The first pass veered a little too close to the net. Kaedehara Taichi leapt up as Aone Takanobu blocked on the other side, leaving no clear lane.

With no other options, Taichi set the ball to the right. Kindaichi sprinted forward and jumped to spike.

"Double block!"

Aone Takanobu, landing from his previous block, rushed to the right and jumped again, colliding slightly with Obara Yutaka as they both secured their positions.

In front of Kindaichi, two iron walls fused seamlessly.

Smack!

Kindaichi's spike struck Aone's arm and rebounded into Aoba Johsai's court.

[Aoba Johsai 16 – 11 Date Tech]

"Sorry!"

"My bad!"

Taichi and Kindaichi apologized simultaneously.

Taichi mused silently: I underestimated Aone's blocking ability. His reactions are just too sharp, and my sets alone can't evade him.

"Nice serve!"

"Great Block!"

Date Tech's third-years in the stands cheered enthusiastically for their juniors.

Futakuchi Kenji waved back with a grin.

While Date Tech didn't have a server like Oikawa Tōru who could score outright, achieving the second-best result was enough for them.

The two ideal goals for serving:

Directly scoring – powerful serves that impact the opponent's confidence and create uncertainty in their performance.

Disrupting the opponent's first pass or attack rhythm – forcing unstable receptions or difficult offensive setups to lower their efficiency.

Futakuchi's aim was simple: make Aoba Johsai's attack uncomfortable and capitalize on Date Tech's defensive prowess to turn the game around.

Coach Irihata frowned from the sidelines. Date Tech was undeniably a team to watch out for.

The towering setter, Koganegawa, already showed promising growth, and if they developed more powerful serves…

Next year, Date Tech could become a formidable force.

Futakuchi served again.

"I got it!" Watari Shinji moved laterally to assist Oikawa, receiving the ball successfully.

Oikawa, realizing he was being targeted, quickly adjusted his position and delivered the set.

Kaedehara Taichi leapt at the net.

"Double block!" Aone and Obara awaited him.

Smack!

The ball slammed into Obara's arm, and he winced from the impact.

"So heavy!" Obara shouted. His arm nearly recoiled from Taichi's spike.

"First touch!" Obara yelled, recovering to keep the ball in play.

Futakuchi saved the ball, and Koganegawa lightly set it high.

Aone jumped and spiked.

"Double block!" Taichi and Kindaichi rose to meet him.

A wall just as tall and impenetrable as Date Tech's own.

Thwack!

Aone's spike ricocheted off Kindaichi's arm and fell back into Date Tech's court.

[Aoba Johsai 17 – 11 Date Tech]

If we lose points, we'll reclaim them ourselves. Even in blocking, Aoba Johsai isn't backing down.

"How's our blocking, Aone-senpai?" Taichi grinned smugly.

Aone nodded silently, a glimmer of respect in his eyes as he looked at Taichi and Kindaichi.

He hesitated, preparing to say something.

But Iwaizumi Hajime suddenly stepped between them. "Kindaichi, serve. Taichi, focus on the game."

"Yes!" Kindaichi obeyed and walked to the service line.

Aone: "…"

Forget it, I'll keep my thoughts to myself.

-----

As the match progressed, Aone and Futakuchi rotated to the back row.

During this period, Aone's serve became significantly more aggressive, though a missed serve handed Aoba Johsai a free point.

Date Tech's second defensive lineup, with Obara Yutaka at the forefront and supported by Koganegawa and Fukiage Jingo, took over.

While their height was comparable to the first lineup, they fell short in areas like anticipation, footwork, and coordination.

Aoba Johsai took advantage of this and widened their lead.

[Aoba Johsai 24 – 16 Date Tech]

Kaedehara Taichi stepped up to serve.

Unlike Aoba Johsai's previous opponents, Date Tech had witnessed Taichi's growth during training camp. From the beginning, they treated his serves with the same respect as Oikawa's.

Even so, Taichi had already scored five points off serves in this set alone.

Date Tech knew they weren't on Aoba Johsai's level yet, but acknowledging this gap was the first step toward growth.

This match, though inevitably a loss, wasn't meaningless. They wanted to discover ways to counter Aoba Johsai.

On this point, Karasuno and Shiratorizawa, seated in the stands, shared the same thought.

Taichi tossed the ball high, but the sound of the hit was soft. The Date Tech players immediately recognized it as a float serve and moved forward to adjust their positions.

Suddenly, the ball dipped sharply just in front of the net.

"Won't make it over?"

But the ball floated just over the tape, grazing the net and continuing its descent.

"Damn it!"

Obara dove forward but couldn't reach it.

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 16 Date Tech]

Without much fanfare, Aoba Johsai comfortably took the first set.

_________

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