"Oh—Hey!!"

With the resonating, electrifying cheer echoing across the gymnasium, Tōru Oikawa served his second ball.

Bang!

Service ace.

Third ball.

Bang!

Another ace!

Fourth ball.

Finally, Oomisaki High's libero, Masaru Iiō, reacted, positioning himself to receive the incoming volleyball.

Pop!

The ball smacked against his forearm and shot out of bounds.

Aoba Josai scores!

Oomisaki's coach sat uneasily on the sideline, hands clenched together in silent prayer.

In a single set, each team is allowed two timeouts, each lasting 30 seconds. Calling a timeout this early could potentially break the server's momentum—but if it didn't work, it would leave them without an option for later adjustments.

They needed the players to resolve this serve on their own. If they couldn't—then this match was already over.

Oomisaki's coach prayed that his players could receive the next ball—or that Oikawa might make a serving error.

On the court, Oomisaki's players watched as Oikawa stepped onto the service line, casting a looming shadow over their confidence.

They might not have realized it themselves, but after conceding three consecutive points under heavy pressure, they were speechless.

Each player wore a grim expression, as though awaiting another judgment.

Oikawa let out a soft chuckle and tossed the volleyball into the air.

Hmm? This time it's slower. I can get this! Masaru Iiō fixed his gaze on the ball soaring towards him—this was Oomisaki's chance!

Suddenly, the ball dropped sharply right in front of him.

A jump float serve!

Masaru's mind went blank. He couldn't decide whether to receive with his forearms or overhead, and his feet felt nailed to the floor.

Bang!

The volleyball hit the court right in front of Masaru's eyes—though it felt as if it had smashed straight into his heart.

Thud.

His feet finally responded, stumbling forward a step, but his mind was still reeling. He collapsed onto his knees, disoriented.

"Tweet!"

Oomisaki's coach called for a timeout. He could see that his players—especially Masaru—were teetering on the brink of collapse.

This kind of serve….it's too much pressure for a second-year libero.

"Wake up! Calm your minds and take this one point back!" The Oomisaki coach shouted passionately at his team. "We just need to get one point!"

But his players still looked dazed, like they were still on the court, stuck facing that terrifying and unpredictable serve.

For a moment, they hesitated, a creeping fear growing within them.

We're not on the same level.@@novelbin@@

That's an opponent we absolutely cannot defeat.

"Masaru! Masaru!"

Repeated calls finally snapped Masaru Iiō back to reality.

"Don't give up! We'll receive the serves together!" cried their captain, Yuuto Tatsuya, his voice trembling, on the verge of tears. "Let's give it everything we've got—for victory!"

The court fell into brief silence.

"He's right! We won the first match too, didn't we?"

"Yeah! Even if we're the underdogs, we still have to fight when it matters most!"

Oomisaki's players tried to console their libero while rallying their own shattered spirits. Masaru could feel his teammates' attempts to rebuild their confidence, and he joined in with a shout of agreement. Yet, the cloud hanging over his heart did not disperse.

"Tweet."

The timeout ended, and both teams returned to the court.

Aobajosai's players remained laser-focused, refusing to slack off despite their lead or pity the opponents still unable to score.

Because this was a match—and giving it your all

was the greatest form of respect, both for yourself and your opponent.

Aoba Josai serves.

Perhaps the timeout had worked—Oikawa Tōru's jump float serve showed slightly less movement this time.

"Pop!"

Oomisaki's captain, Yuuto Tatsuya, stepped forward to receive the ball, successfully sending it upward.

"Cover!"

Their setter, Risho Touma, sprinted into position and set the ball to the front of the net.

"I got this!"

As the team's ace, Yuuto Tatsuya knew he had to seize this hard-earned opportunity. He rushed to the net, leapt into the air, and prepared for the spike.

"Double block!" Hanamaki Takahiro and Kaedehara Taichi jumped up, erecting a solid wall in front of him.

"Breakthrough them!"

His teammates screamed from the sidelines. Tatsuya adjusted his angle and smashed the ball downward.

Pop!

A pair of hands smothered the ball in front of him, blocking out the last sliver of light in his line of sight.

Tap, tap, tap…

The volleyball fell back into Oomisaki's court.

Block point—Kaedehara Taichi.

"Sorry, but our serving rotation isn't over yet…" Taichi said calmly across the net.

But Yuuto Tatsuya didn't hear him. He stood there, frozen, unresponsive.

"This… this is just cruel…" murmured voices from the audience as an unsettled murmur rippled through the crowd. Even the neutral spectators couldn't help but begin to root for Oomisaki.

"Come on, Oomisaki!"

"Just one point!"

"Don't give up! Keep fighting!"

Encouraged by the spectators' cheers, the match resumed. But everyone already knew the outcome.

Skill gaps like this couldn't be bridged by determination alone. And in terms of sheer willpower, Aoba Josai wouldn't lose to anyone.

[Aobajosai 25 – 6 Oomisaki]

[Aobajosai 25 – 8 Oomisaki]

Everyone had expected Aobajosai to win, but no one thought it would be this decisive. This year's Aobajosai exuded a dominance reminiscent of another powerhouse team from the past two years—Shiratorizawa.

Oomisaki's players sat quietly on the bench in the rest area.

"We didn't slack off during practice…"

"We tried our best in our own way…"

"We watched hours of training videos, trying to mimic the techniques of top players…"

So why did we lose?

It happened so fast….it's only the first day of the tournament…

Yuuto Tatsuya's vision began to blur as he stubbornly lifted his head.

"Was it because our passion faded during the gruelling, monotonous training sessions?"

"Was it because we didn't give our all during conditioning and running drills?"

"If only we'd tried harder to save every single ball…"

"If only I'd taken one more step forward…"

"If only I'd given just a little more effort…"

Maybe….just maybe….we could have played volleyball a little longer.

Tatsuya bowed his head, tears spilling onto the polished gym floor as his body trembled uncontrollably.

'Our summer is over.'

Wiping his tears, Tatsuya looked up just in time to see Aoba Josai's players gathering their belongings, their footsteps light with the pride of victory.

"Of course….their story is still ongoing…"

"Taichi, if you hadn't messed up that jump float serve, we could've had an even bigger margin. I almost thought we'd win by 20 points," Oikawa Tōru teased, a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

"I'm a kind person. Unlike you, I'm not that cruel," Kaedehara Taichi shot back, rolling his eyes. He hadn't forgotten the last play—Taichi had blocked the ace and added a verbal jab for good measure.

"Let's go scout our next opponent," Iwaizumi Hajime declared firmly, radiating determination.

"The next match—we're taking that win too!"

_________

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Link - /Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]