"So that's how it is!" Ukai Keishin nearly jumped to his feet, unable to hide his excitement.

Even after such a long and grueling tug-of-war, with blockers focusing entirely on Hinata Shōyō, it shouldn't have been so easy for Tanaka Ryūnosuke to score.

No wonder Aoba Johsai has been able to consistently defend against Hinata and Kageyama's 'new freak quick.'

On the surface, it seemed like Kaedehara Taichi alone was defending against Hinata. In reality, Taichi was merely restricting Hinata's shot trajectory, intentionally leaving space for him to spike—space where their libero was waiting to receive.

So that's what they're up to. Sneaky Aoba Johsai.

Ukai shot a glance at Aoba Johsai's coach, Irihata Nobuteru. The older, the wiser, huh?

Smack!

Hinata leapt up and high-fived Kageyama Tobio. Although it wasn't his point, a strange thrill surged through him.

Kageyama noticed Hinata's exhilarated expression and smirked.

"Are you starting to enjoy it, 'Ultimate Decoy'?"

Karasuno's turn to serve. Kageyama stepped onto the service line.

"Looks like Kageyama's pretty happy," Sawamura Daichi said to Azumane Asahi with a smile.

"Yeah, he seems completely relaxed now."

"After sitting on the bench for so long, he finally got another chance to be on the court. That pride—every player feels it the same way."

"Let's go! A killer serve!" Hinata yelled, clutching his head dramatically.

"Score this one!"

"Bring it on!" Aoba Johsai's players braced themselves, ready.

Kageyama took a deep breath, channeling all his focus into the serve. He closed his eyes, listening to everything around him—the roaring background noise, the cheers of his teammates, the shouts of his opponents.

All of it became crystal clear. His heart was calm, entirely focused on the ball in his hands.

Kageyama's eyes snapped open. He locked onto the target, tossed the ball, and after a quick approach, leapt into the air. His right arm swung with a fluid, powerful motion, all his strength converging in that single moment.

Smack!

The volleyball shot out of his hand like an arrow loosed from a bow, slicing through the air with precision and force, straight through the gaps in Aoba Johsai's formation.

"Watari!"

Smack!

Watari Shinji managed to receive the ball, but the sheer power of the serve sent it ricocheting out of control. This power...It's nearly as strong as Oikawa-senpai's usual serves...

"!!!" Hinata gawked.

"Nice serve!" Tanaka cheered.

A service ace!! And against Aoba Johsai's libero, no less!

Karasuno scored consecutively.

[Aoba Johsai 17 – 9 Karasuno]

"I'm really sorry!" Watari bowed apologetically.

"Don't worry about it!" Iwaizumi Hajime quickly reassured him.

Tanaka raised both arms and approached Kageyama.

"Yeah—!!"

Kageyama: "...?"

"It's a high-five, you idiot!" Hinata piped up from the side. Seriously, wasn't their high-five earlier completely natural?

"Yeah—!!" Kageyama finally high-fived Tanaka, their hands slapping together in triumph.

"Let's go again!"

"You guys know you're still trailing by 8 points, right?" A calm but mocking voice rang out. Across the net, Kaedehara Taichi stood quietly, his tone sardonic. "If someone didn't know better, they'd think you just won the first set."

...

The Karasuno players collectively turned their attention toward Taichi. This guy...This guy is...so irritating!

"Alright, Taichi's right," Oikawa Tōru said nonchalantly, spreading his hands. "There's no need to rush. They're still far behind. Let's just take the next point."

"Yes!" Aoba Johsai responded in unison.

Iwaizumi shot Oikawa and Taichi a glance. These two...even as teammates, their expressions and antics are annoying.

Kageyama's second serve began.

Iwaizumi received the ball, and Oikawa set it straight to Kaedehara Taichi in the middle. Hinata reacted immediately, stepping up to block.

"Another tip shot?!"

Kaedehara Taichi gently tipped the ball over the block, but Nishinoya Yū dove and saved it just in time.

"Cover it!"

Kageyama sent a high set, and Azumane spiked the ball back toward Aoba Johsai.

Watari received it cleanly.

"Again!"

Kaedehara Taichi leapt up for another attack. This time, Hinata ran and jumped even higher to block, while Nishinoya instinctively stepped forward to guard against a tip.

Smack!

"Blocked? No!"

The volleyball struck the side of Hinata's hand, deflecting out of bounds. Nishinoya scrambled backwards, but it was too late.

Kaedehara Taichi scores.

[Aoba Johsai 18 – 9 Karasuno]

"Tweet!" Karasuno called for a timeout.

Kageyama had only just returned to the court, and their momentum seemed strong. Calling a timeout now risked breaking their rhythm. However, after Kaedehara's point, Aoba Johsai's rotation placed Oikawa Tōru back on the service line.

If Oikawa served and scored, the gap would widen to double digits. At this point, they'd have to practically concede the first set.

But conceding a set without resistance and losing after deciphering the opponent's strategy were two very different outcomes.

They had to find a way to crack Aoba Johsai's offence in the remainder of the first set.

Karasuno's players huddled around Coach Ukai.

"Right now, the biggest threats are Oikawa Tōru's serves and Kaedehara Taichi's spikes. In the time we have left, we must overcome these two challenges."

"Aoba Johsai may look superior right now, but if we solve these problems, we can fight back!"

"Yes!" Karasuno responded in unison.

"So, I have an idea," Tsukishima Kei suddenly spoke up.

"Hm?" Ukai Keishin and the rest of the team turned their eyes toward him.

Up to this point, Karasuno had been completely helpless against Kaedehara Taichi's spikes. The only one who could keep up with his quick attacks was Hinata Shōyō, but Taichi could easily switch to tipping the ball or targeting the blockers' hands for an out-of-bounds deflection.

With Oikawa Tōru's precise sets as a foundation, Taichi had been reading Karasuno's defence perfectly, switching his arsenal of moves effortlessly and toying with their blockers.

"Let's give up blocking," Tsukishima's first sentence was shocking.

"Blocking that can't stop the opponent's spike only ends up interfering with the view of our receivers. Since the opponent excels at using the blockers to deflect the ball out of bounds, we'll stop blocking entirely and let Nishinoya-senpai handle his spikes one-on-one."

Everyone turned to Nishinoya Yū. The idea was feasible, but it seemed like a lot of pressure to place on him.

"I'm fine with it!" Nishinoya pounded his chest with confidence.

"But what about the quick attacks?" Sawamura Daichi pointed out another issue. If Karasuno only had to deal with one type of attack, things wouldn't have been this difficult to begin with.

"I'm guessing Kaedehara Taichi's quick attacks are the same as Hinata's. They're incredibly fast, but once he's airborne, he can't really change the direction of his spike. At most, he can switch to a tip shot."

"So let Hinata perform a soft block to disrupt his direct spike. If he avoids it, Nishinoya-senpai should be able to handle the ball."

"Leave it to me!" Even with another layer of responsibility, Nishinoya showed no fear.

Ukai watched Tsukishima, impressed by his ability to keep thinking critically even in such a tough situation.

"Alright, let's try Tsukishima's method for Kaedehara Taichi's spikes," Ukai clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention. "Next up is Oikawa's serve, and I plan to rely on a small elite group to handle it."

"Until now, we've been using a four-person serve receive formation to widen our defensive coverage. But against Oikawa's serves, it's not enough to merely touch the ball—we need to receive it cleanly."

"When facing serves as fast as his, even a moment's hesitation can be fatal. So, I'm going to have Nishinoya and Sawamura focus solely on receiving the serves. If it's you two…"

"Leave it to us!" Nishinoya and Sawamura Daichi spoke in unison.

"So cool!" Hinata Shōyō looked at Nishinoya with starry eyes, clearly awestruck.

"Idiot. What are you daydreaming about?" Kageyama Tobio shot Hinata a glance.

"We're both short guys, but Nishinoya-senpai carries so much responsibility. I want to—"

"Just focus on getting stronger. The team's offence relies on you right now, doesn't it?" Kageyama stated calmly.

"Right!" Hinata nodded determinedly.

------

The timeout ended, and the match resumed.

Oikawa Tōru stepped onto the service line. Glancing at Karasuno's formation, he couldn't help but smirk. "The captain and libero, huh? You must be pretty confident in your receiving skills."

Boom!

With a deafening sound, the volleyball rocketed between Nishinoya and Sawamura.

"I got it!" Nishinoya yelled, quickly shifting into position and diving.

Smack!

He made the receive, but the ball ricocheted back toward Aoba Johsai's court. Kaedehara Taichi was already airborne, and with a powerful swing, he sent the ball straight back.

They received it, but it wasn't clean enough.

Aoba Johsai scored another point.

[Aoba Johsai 19 – 9 Karasuno]

The point gap had stretched to double digits, but Karasuno's goal in this first set had shifted. Now, they were actively looking forward to Oikawa's serves and Kaedehara Taichi's spikes.

"How annoying," Oikawa muttered under his breath. Why won't they just break already?

Oikawa's second serve flew straight toward Sawamura Daichi.

Smack!

"Nice receive, Daichi-senpai!"

The ball soared high, and Karasuno's front line prepared to attack.

Boom!

Tanaka Ryūnosuke spiked the ball, scoring a clean point.

[Aoba Johsai 19 – 10 Karasuno]

"OHHHHH!"

"YESSSSS!"

"Tch. Not bad….for a captain," Oikawa mumbled grudgingly.

From the sidelines, Coach Takeda shot up in excitement. "Did we just break through the first wall?!"

"It's just one point," Ukai exhaled, though relief was evident in his tone. "But it's a start. We're seeing some hope now."

"Let's go!"

Karasuno's energy surged.

On Karasuno's serve, Tanaka surprisingly sent the ball between Iwaizumi and Oikawa.

"I got it!" Iwaizumi shouted, but the receive disrupted Aoba Johsai's rhythm.

No quick attack. Karasuno immediately read the situation.

Oikawa hesitated slightly before setting the ball to the right.

Kaedehara Taichi leapt for the spike.

No blockers?

Kaedehara Taichi aimed for a direct shot, but Nishinoya lunged forward and made the receive.

"Got it!"

As expected, Taichi's general spiking ability wasn't as threatening when isolated from his aerial tactics.

Kageyama set the ball to the right, where Azumane Asahi charged in from the back. He leapt with all his might.

"Triple block!" Kunimi Akira, Hanamaki Takahiro, and Kaedehara Taichi formed a wall in front of Asahi.

Boom!

Asahi's spike struck Kaedehara Taichi's arm with such force that it knocked his hand away. The ball blasted through the block and slammed into Aoba Johsai's court.@@novelbin@@

Asahi's spike scored!

[Aoba Johsai 19 – 11 Karasuno]

Was it a coincidence? Or had Karasuno found a way to handle Taichi?

For the first time, Oikawa's expression faltered. He glanced at Kaedehara Taichi, but Taichi's face remained calm.

Taichi noticed Oikawa's gaze and gave him a slight nod. "Let's try it again. I want to confirm something."

"Alright."

Tanaka Ryūnosuke served the second ball, and Watari Shinji received it effortlessly.

At that moment, Oikawa Tōru and Kaedehara Taichi sprang into action simultaneously. In the next instant, Kaedehara Taichi spiked the ball from the right side.

"One Touch"

As expected, Hinata Shōyō had already caught up. The ball sailed toward Karasuno's backcourt, where Nishinoya Yū saved it with ease.

Kageyama Tobio set the ball once again to the right side, and Asahi Azumane leapt up for the spike.

"Triple block!"

Aoba Johsai's three front-row players rose together to block.

Kaedehara Taichi gritted his teeth, standing resolutely in front of Asahi Azumane.

Thud!

"One Touch!"

A jolt of pain shot through Taichi's arms as he felt a dull numbness spreading. Blocking two consecutive powerful spikes from Asahi was starting to feel personal.

Iwaizumi Hajime dove to save the ball, and Oikawa quickly set it to the middle.

Hanamaki Takahiro spiked the ball against Tanaka Ryūnosuke's hands, sending it ricocheting out of bounds.

Aoba Johsai shifted the momentum back in their favour.

[Aoba Johsai 20 - 11 Karasuno]

Although Aoba Johsai had won another point, Taichi realized something crucial—Karasuno had found a way to counter him.

However, it just so happened that Kaedehara Taichi rotated to the back row, while Kyōtani Kentarō moved to the front.

"Tweet!"

Aoba Johsai called their first timeout of the set.

Even with a comfortable lead, coach Irihata knew that any issue on the court needed to be addressed immediately. After all, a player's condition during the match was the key to victory.

"Taichi…"

The team gathered around Kaedehara Taichi (with the exception of the "Mad Dog," Kyōtani).

They had seen Karasuno's strategy to target Taichi and were worried that consecutive blocks might have shaken him. But for a moment, no one knew how to break the silence.

"I'm fine," Kaedehara Taichi said nonchalantly, a warm feeling spreading through his chest. "Karasuno's libero is really something, huh? He truly deserves to be called their Guardian Deity."

The team continued to silently stare at Taichi.

"I said I'm fine! It's normal to get blocked sometimes. It's not like I'm arrogant enough to think I can score every time without fail. I'm not that amazing," Taichi said with an easy smile, his expression sincere and unshaken.

"No, you're pretty amazing."

Iwaizumi Hajime gave Taichi a reassuring pat on the shoulder, though he left the second half of his thought unspoken.

Before coach Irihata could say anything, he realized there was nothing left for him to resolve. This was enough—Kaedehara Taichi, their first-year ace, was Aoba Johsai's hope for winning the championship.

"Alright, let's take this game steadily."

Coach Irihata, as always, was composed.

"Yes, sir!"

Aoba Johsai's players prepared to return to the court. The third-years led the way.

"Don't stress too much, rookies. Just watch how we play," they called out confidently to the younger players.

_________

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