"We're 6 points behind…we have to close the gap somehow." Kageyama Tobio anxiously surveyed the court.

"Right side! Right side!"

"Nice one, Daichi-senpai!"

Sawamura Daichi scored with a spike from the left side.

[Aoba Johsai 8 vs. 3 Karasuno]

"Damn it! That was a double block just now. We were this close to getting blocked again." Even though they'd managed to score, Kageyama Tobio couldn't shake his anxiety.

"Hanamaki! Nice ball!"

"Oh!"

Hanamaki Takahiro smashed through the centre to score, proving his strength as a wing spiker.

[Aoba Johsai 9 vs. 3 Karasuno]

"Cover!"

"Tsukishima! Spike it!"

"Double block!"

Smack!

Tsukishima Kei's spike was blocked by Iwaizumi Hajime and Kyōtani Kentarō.

[Aoba Johsai 10 vs. 3 Karasuno]

"The gap has grown to 7 points….This won't work. I have to at least make the blockers split up!" Kageyama gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Whoosh!"

Bang!

"Nice! Asahi-senpai, great spike!"

Under Kageyama's guidance, Azumane Asahi managed to barely pull off a quick attack.

[Aoba Johsai 10 vs. 4 Karasuno]

"That was so fast…" Asahi wanted to point something out to Kageyama but froze when he saw the intense look on his face.

"Whoa—Kageyama's sets seem sharper than before!" Kunimi Akira's comment immediately caught Oikawa Tōru's attention.

"Good. We've avoided the block. We'll close the score just like this!" Kageyama muttered, completely immersed in his own world.

Thud!

Kyōtani Kentarō's spike slammed into the floor with a resounding bang.

He'd broken through two blockers to score.

[Aoba Johsai 11 vs. 4 Karasuno]

"We need to catch up. Fast!" Kageyama set the ball to the left side.@@novelbin@@

"Nice block, Iwa-chan!" Tsukishima's spike ricocheted off Iwaizumi Hajime's arm.

"I've got it!" Nishinoya Yū received the ball steadily.

"One more time!"

"Coach, Karasuno's attack rhythm seems to be getting faster and faster," Mizoguchi Sadayuki observed from the sidelines. He leaned toward Coach Irihata and added, "But overall, they look like they're rushing more and more…"

"It's that setter, isn't it…" Coach Irihata quickly pinpointed the issue. "In his desperation to avoid the block, he's begun prioritizing speed over easily hittable sets. Little by little, he's pushing the tempo faster, which creates a massive gap in execution."

"Take it slow! Slow down!" Ukai Keishin yelled from the sidelines with all his might.

But by now, Kageyama Tobio couldn't hear anything around him—

"Not enough. I need to go faster….even faster!" Kageyama's inner voice screamed.

"Whoosh!"

Kageyama Tobio set the ball, but the sound of a spike hitting the floor—one he had imagined—never came.

He turned back, just in time to see the ball land out of bounds.

Tap, tap, tap…

A setting error? The Karasuno players couldn't believe something like this had happened to Kageyama Tobio.

Karasuno ball out, Aoba Johsai scores.

[Aoba Johsai 12 vs. 4 Karasuno]

"Tweet!"

Karasuno made a substitution—#2 Sugawara Koushi in, #9 Kageyama Tobio out.

Kageyama stood frozen, only snapping out of it after Daichi called his name twice. He reluctantly walked off the court, exchanging places with Sugawara.

"Sorry," Kageyama said, frustration written all over his face.

"Don't worry. We're just switching up the rhythm a little," Sugawara reassured him, though it didn't seem to help much.

"Kageyama, calm yourself down. Sit out and observe how your seniors are playing," Coach Ukai's firm voice carried over.

"Yes." Kageyama lowered his head. The gap had grown from 6 to 8 points, and his misguided strategy had failed to help the team claw back any points.

"Hey, your face looks terrifying right now," Hinata Shōyō blurted out with his usual bluntness.

"My face always looks like this! It's—always—like—this!" Kageyama finally snapped, his pent-up frustration bursting out.

"Well, that expression just makes everyone feel on edge. Then you stop talking completely, and it's game over…"

Kageyama calmed down slightly.

"I get that you're thinking hard about stuff, but if you don't say it, we have no idea what's going on in your head." Hinata's words were direct, as usual.

"Huh? I didn't say anything?" Kageyama asked in disbelief.

"Nope. You've talked less in this game than in any other one!"

"…"

Kageyama hadn't realized that, of all people, he was the one most tightly wound on the court. The realization hit him hard—he'd been tense enough that even Hinata was giving him advice now.

"Looks like they've subbed in a cheerful guy," Oikawa Tōru muttered, his eyes locked on Sugawara Koushi. Being Kageyama Tobio's substitute must be exhausting.

"Don't worry! Let's get those points back!" Sugawara called out confidently as he stepped onto the court. Karasuno's players visibly relaxed at his presence.

"Daichi, you're awfully quiet today," Sugawara teased as he pulled Sawamura Daichi aside. "If even the captain looks tense, how are the rest of us supposed to feel?"

"Ah, sorry," Daichi admitted, realizing his own mindset wasn't right.

"There it is! The only player who can lecture Captain Daichi," Azumane Asahi and Tanaka Ryūnosuke whispered to each other from the sidelines.

After a brief exchange with his teammates, Sugawara nodded to the referee, who signalled for the game to continue.

Aoba Johsai served.

Kunimi Akira targeted Karasuno's current offensive powerhouse—Azumane Asahi.

Asahi managed a shaky receive, and Sugawara set up Tanaka Ryūnosuke for the spike.

"Nothing special?" Oikawa watched carefully but couldn't pinpoint any particular traits in Karasuno's new setter. Judging by the warm-ups earlier, his speed and jump weren't on Kageyama's level, so his blocking must be weaker too.

Hanamaki Takahiro picked up Tanaka's spike, and Oikawa set the ball to the middle for Iwaizumi Hajime.

Iwaizumi glanced at the blockers—Sugawara Koushi and Tsukishima Kei. Aiming for the lower block, he swung down hard, but a pair of hands suddenly appeared in his path.

"Iwa-chan!"

Smack!

Iwaizumi's spike was blocked back into Aoba Johsai's court.

Karasuno scored with a block.

[Aoba Johsai 12 vs. 5 Karasuno]

"My bad!"

"It's fine!" Oikawa called out reassuringly, though his gaze lingered on Sugawara. Did Karasuno's strategy just outthink him?

Before the block, Sugawara and Tsukishima had subtly switched positions—something they must have planned in advance.

"Nice block, Tsukishima!"

"No…it was Sugawara-senpai…" Tsukishima started to correct him.

Sugawara waved a hand and whispered, "In matches against strong teams, blockers like me with lower height usually become targets, so this time was no exception."

Then, with a grin, he patted Tsukishima's shoulder. "It's reassuring to have tall teammates like you around!"

"Uh…sure…" Tsukishima mumbled, a little embarrassed.

"Look, look! Sugawara-senpai is so good at complimenting people!" Hinata said, beaming enviously at Tsukishima.

Kageyama Tobio: "…"

Maybe…I should also try complimenting them next time?

_________

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Link - /Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]