Not long after, the second set officially began, and the teams switched sides on the court.

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, Wing Spiker Sawamura Daichi

Back row—Middle Blocker Tsukishima Kei (Libero: Nishinoya Yū), Outside Hitter Azumane Asahi, Setter Kageyama Tobio.

Aoba Johsai's formation remained unchanged, but Karasuno adjusted to deal with Oikawa Tōru's serves by positioning Sawamura Daichi in Zone 2. This way, Daichi would rotate into the back row earlier, just before Oikawa reached the service line.

Kyōtani Kentarō stepped up to serve for Aoba Johsai.

Clearly unsatisfied with his performance in the first set, Kyōtani had a fierce look on his face as he launched his first serve.

"So fast!"

Bang!

The ball flew toward Azumane Asahi's direction, but he didn't react in time.

"Out!"

Kyōtani's serve sailed out of bounds, giving Karasuno a fortunate point.

[Aoba Johsai 0 vs 1 Karasuno]

"Whew—"

The Karasuno players exhaled deeply, but their hearts remained heavy. One point wouldn't be enough to relax them.

So Aoba Johsai had another powerful server.

Karasuno couldn't help but wonder: how had Aoba Johsai transformed so drastically in just two short months since their last practice match?

Oikawa Tōru's serves, capable of scoring directly; the offensive power of Number 16, strong enough to break through a triple block; and Kaedehara Taichi, whose versatility and aerial battles made him a formidable presence.

These three issues were already unresolved. Now, they had discovered that Number 16 also possessed a devastating serve, and toward the end of the previous set, Kaedehara Taichi's back-row attack—was that a coincidence, or something more?

Even the rest of Aoba Johsai's players could not be underestimated…

On the sidelines, Coach Ukai Keishin tugged at his hair in frustration. Karasuno always struggled against defensively strong teams.

If it were an attacking battle, he was confident they could keep up.

But now, while Aoba Johsai's defence wasn't on the same level as Nekoma's, it was more than enough to handle most of Karasuno's offence.

Conversely, Karasuno had yet to grasp Aoba Johsai's offensive strategies.

...

[Aoba Johsai 7 vs 5 Karasuno]

Oikawa Tōru's serves had only netted a single point, and Kaedehara Taichi's attacks in the front row had lost some of their sharpness. Karasuno managed to keep pace with their own offensive plays.

"Whew—"

Azumane Asahi stood at the service line, taking a deep breath.

Losing a match was the responsibility of the entire team, but as the ace, not scoring points would be his personal failure.

Asahi was a pessimist. Volleyball wasn't exactly his greatest passion. But he wanted to spend his high school volleyball career alongside Sawamura Daichi and Sugawara Koushi.

Standing in this position, he had to make the corresponding effort.

"Something's….different about Asahi," someone murmured.

Bang!

Azumane Asahi unleashed a powerful serve that struck Kaedehara Taichi directly. The ball rebounded out of bounds, and Taichi nearly lost his footing.

Asahi scored an ace!

[Aoba Johsai 7 vs 6 Karasuno]

"Sorry!"

Taichi winced, almost letting out a choice swear word, while across the net, Asahi frantically apologized.

"Who apologizes during a match?" Taichi muttered with a bitter smile, signalling that he was fine.

However, Asahi's second serve, though just as powerful, sailed out of bounds.

[Aoba Johsai 8 vs 6 Karasuno]

Coach Ukai's eyes lit up on the sideline. Even though Asahi's serve had struck someone, he had put his full strength into it. While his mental fortitude still needed work, his willingness to change was clear.

The second set turned out to be a surprisingly close battle.

Taichi deliberately held back from relying on his powerful attacks, instead choosing to blend more seamlessly into the team's rhythm. Even while in the back row, he actively participated in the offence.

Indeed, even if he refrained from attacking, there wasn't much use for him defensively. It was surprising that Taichi hadn't realized this earlier.

-----

"Hey, King, when you set the ball for me, can you push it a bit farther from the net? I'd prefer not to get blocked," Tsukishima Kei suddenly said to Kageyama Tobio.

"Hah?" Kageyama blinked, momentarily confused, but quickly understood. "You're so hard to please."

"Hah?" Tsukishima glared at him, visibly annoyed.

Kageyama sighed. "Fine. I got it."

"No, no, that's not what you meant," Tsukishima shot back. "You just hate being bossed around by a 'commoner' like me, don't you? Admit it."

Sawamura Daichi, who initially felt reassured seeing the two communicating, now wore a dark expression.

Nevertheless, Kageyama adjusted his set as requested, delivering the ball exactly where Tsukishima needed it.

Bang!

Tsukishima's high-handed spike broke through the defence, and Karasuno scored a point.

[Aoba Johsai 18 vs 16 Karasuno]

Could there be hope? The score remained neck-and-neck, and a comeback wasn't out of the question.

Each Karasuno player persevered, their eyes sharp with determination. Not one of them was ready to give up.

"Tweet—" Aoba Johsai called for a timeout.

"A timeout when they're leading again?"

"Karasuno really is strong this year, but I didn't expect Aoba Johsai's offence to be this incredible."

"They might even have a chance against Shiratorizawa!"

"No, no, Ushijima Wakatoshi is still on another level…"

Karasuno was stronger than the audience had expected, but after the first set, most spectators were already convinced that Aoba Johsai's victory was inevitable.

"How's the teamwork going?" Coach Irihata asked.@@novelbin@@

"Not bad. Oikawa-senpai's sets are spot-on. I feel like I've integrated smoothly," Kaedehara Taichi answered calmly when everyone turned to look at him.

"Good. Let's mix in some variation and finish this match in one go," Coach Irihata nodded. "Don't let it drag into a third set. We still have matches this afternoon and tomorrow, so we need to manage our stamina."

"Yes!"

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

Karasuno served, and Hanamaki Takahiro received the ball.

Kyōtani Kentarō charged toward the net with an overwhelming presence.

"Whish!"

Oikawa Tōru set the ball with precision, maintaining constant pressure like bait.

"Double block!" Tsukishima and Kageyama quickly followed Kyōtani's move, leaping to block.

Smack!

Kyōtani's spike was blocked and deflected toward Aoba Johsai's backcourt.

Taichi didn't move, but Hanamaki rushed backwards, diving to save the ball.

"One more!" Oikawa shouted as Kyōtani surged forward again, leaping with even greater intensity.

"Block him!" Tsukishima and Kageyama jumped up once more, determined to shut him down.

At that moment, a figure from Aoba Johsai's back row flashed across the court, darting from one side of the net to the other.

A player leapt up from the back row, and Oikawa's set appeared precisely in front of Taichi.

Bang!

Kaedehara Taichi's spike hammered through the block, scoring a point for Aoba Johsai.

[Aoba Johsai 19 vs 16 Karasuno]

With their lightning-fast offence, Aoba Johsai shattered Karasuno's illusions.

What comeback? Stop dreaming! Wake up to reality.

_________

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