[Day Two of the Inter-High Preliminaries: Aoba Johsai vs. Karasuno]

"Let's have a great match." The captains of both teams shook hands firmly at the net.

"Seijoh! Seijoh! Seijoh! Let's go, let's go!"

"Victory, victory, victory! Seijoh!"

"Oikawa-senpai, you can do it!"

The cheers for Aoba Johsai carried a new undertone today. Among them, a noticeable number of girls' voices rang out from the crowd—students from other schools waving banners and fan goods dedicated to Oikawa Tōru gathered behind Aoba Johsai's bench.

"Damn it! We can't lose after seeing that! Let's go!" Tanaka Ryūnosuke growled, clearly agitated.

"Uwah, the Great King really has a huge fan club. Even more cheers than Date Tech yesterday!" Hinata Shōyō blurted out, his nervousness visibly spiking.

Kageyama Tobio brushed past him and scoffed, "How does that have anything to do with you, dumbass? Focus on the game!"

Sugawara Koushi, standing off to the side, reminded the team, "Make sure you're loud during warm-up. Let's build our energy!"

"OHHHHHH!"

"YAAHHH!"

"Let's go!"

"Fight!!"

Karasuno's players poured their spirits into the warm-up, gradually regaining their momentum.

On the other side of the court, Oikawa Tōru was keenly observing his teammates' conditions through his spikes.

"Nice, nice! Your spikes are sharp today, Mad Dog-chan!"

"Hmph," growled Kyōtani Kentarō, visibly bristling.

"Sorry, Taichi, that last set was a little high," Oikawa apologized casually.

Kaedehara Taichi nodded indifferently. "It's fine."

"Hey, Iwa-chan, you nervous?" Oikawa teased with a playful glint in his eyes. "No need to act all cool. None of the girls are looking at you, anyway!"

Iwaizumi Hajime shot him a dark glare. "…"

Before Iwaizumi could respond, Kindaichi leapt in, wrapping an arm around him. "Calm down, Iwaizumi-senpai! The match is about to start. Save it for after, please!"

Oikawa chuckled to himself as he stepped aside, satisfied with his antics.

[Ding! Temporary Task Activated: Make Your Mark]

[Task One: Defeat Karasuno.

Reward upon completion: +3 Stamina.]

[Task Two: Be the top scorer of the match.Reward upon completion: +3 Jump.]

Taichi blinked, feeling the familiar system prompt resonate in his mind. "Make your mark…I like the sound of that."

"Yo, Tobio-chan," Oikawa called out as he approached the net, his grin sharp and challenging. "I'm looking forward to crushing you, our so-called 'genius setter.'"

"And you, Hinata," Kaedehara Taichi chimed in, matching Oikawa's energy. "I'm excited to see how much you've improved. Keep up, will you?"

Both members of Aoba Johsai sent clear provocations across the net, targeting Karasuno's first-years.

"Don't you think it's embarrassing for a third-year like Oikawa to be showing off with these first-years?" Matsukawa Issei muttered to Yahaba Shigeru in a low voice.

"Yeah, kind of…" Yahaba responded, unsure.

"We won't lose!"

"We're going to win!"

Hinata and Kageyama shot back, their replies overlapping awkwardly.

As the final preparations wrapped up, Takeda Ittetsu stood before Karasuno's bench. "It's been two months since we lost to Aoba Johsai. But now our ace and our guardian deity are back. Have confidence—we won't lose to anyone!"

"Yes!!" Karasuno roared in unison.

"Keep your eyes on the ball. If you can block it, do it. If you can't, then do your best to dig it up. Taichi, Karasuno's number 10 is your responsibility," Coach Irihata said during the final tactical briefing.

"Yes, sir!"

"Today also, I believe in all of you!"

With those reassuring words, Oikawa Tōru led Aoba Johsai onto the court, their spirits high.

Aoba Johsai's lineup:

Front row—Middle Blocker Kaedehara Taichi, Setter Oikawa Tōru, Outside Hitter Iwaizumi Hajime

Back row—Wing Spiker Hanamaki Takahiro, Outside Hitter Kunimi Akira, Middle Blocker Kyōtani Kentarō (Libero: Watari Shinji).

Karasuno's lineup:

Front row—Middle Blocker Hinata Shōyō, Outside Hitter Tanaka Ryūnosuke, Setter Kageyama Tobio

Back row—Middle Blocker Tsukishima Kei (Libero: Nishinoya Yū), Outside Hitter Azumane Asahi, Wing Spiker Sawamura Daichi.

The match began with Karasuno's serve.

"Tsukishima, send a good one!"

"Kunimi!"

"Nice receive!"

Kageyama Tobio's sharp gaze fixated on Oikawa Tōru—it had been a while since he had seen Oikawa's set up this close.

Where will he send it?

With a sharp thud, Kaedehara Taichi was already soaring over the left side.

"So fast!"

Hinata Shōyō was the only one who reacted in time. He trailed Taichi closely, leaping into the air alongside him.

"Whoosh!"

The ball connected cleanly with Kaedehara's hand.

Bam!

Kaedehara Taichi scored off the spike!

[Aoba Johsai 1 - 0 Karasuno]

Karasuno's players froze, wide-eyed.

"Familiar, isn't it? I'll use the same move next time too!" Kaedehara Taichi called cheerfully to the stunned Karasuno players.

"Hah?!" Tanaka Ryūnosuke growled, baring his teeth.

"Whoa—Seijoh can do that move too?" murmured a spectator in the crowd. Some fans who had watched Karasuno's match the day before looked equally surprised.

"Didn't they show this on TV? Seijoh used this tactic a lot yesterday and scored easily. The opponents couldn't keep up," a boy in the stands added.

"Oh, really? Yesterday's match ended too quickly. I missed it…"

"No big deal," Sawamura Daichi interjected, clapping his hands to refocus his team. "We already knew they'd use that move. Don't overthink it."

Aoba Johsai served next. Iwaizumi Hajime's powerful jump serve smashed into Karasuno's side, but Sawamura Daichi dug it cleanly.

"Cover!"

"Got it!"

Kageyama Tobio shifted quickly beneath the ball as Karasuno's offence spread out into their attack patterns.

"It's coming—Quick Attack!"

Hinata Shōyō darted through Karasuno's formation, bursting onto the right side of the court. His arm swung down in a blur—

"Smack!"

—only for a pair of hands to materialize in his path. Kaedehara Taichi's block smothered the ball, sending it ricocheting back into Karasuno's court.

[Aoba Johsai 2 - 0 Karasuno]

Hinata landed, stunned.

"Shōyō, focus! The match has already started," Kaedehara Taichi said as he stared down at him.@@novelbin@@

Hinata blinked, his mind racing. Kaedehara wasn't wrong. He always took time to settle into matches—starting with nervous energy, shifting to excitement, and only then finding full focus.

But that's not enough. I need to fight him at his best.

A change had come over Kaedehara Taichi's demeanour as well. With growing confidence, he now sought out opponents at their strongest, determined to beat them head-on.

Oikawa Tōru watched the scene with a smile.

Poor little guy, he thought sympathetically. Being targeted by Taichi is a nightmare.

"This wasn't Hinata's fault," Oikawa said, turning his focus to Kageyama. "You understand that, don't you, Tobio-chan?"

Kageyama's jaw tightened.

He understood perfectly—Taichi had read his intent to retaliate with the same tactic and acted preemptively.

Before Kageyama could speak, Hinata's voice cut in, loud and clear:

"I've got it!" Hinata declared, locking eyes with Taichi. His body tensed, every muscle coiled with anticipation. "I'm going to beat you!"

Taichi's smile widened, bright and unrestrained.

"Good. If you think you can, then bring it on."

_________

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