"Taichi, serve a good one!"

"Bang!"

This time, his form was perfect! As Kaedehara Taichi struck the volleyball, he felt it; the seemingly slow yet fast float serve swiftly reached the Johzenji side.

"?"

Higashiyama Katsumichi hesitated, unsure whether to move forward or backwards. Suddenly, the ball made a strange lateral drop to the left.

With a 'pop', the volleyball hit the ground.

Kaedehara Taichi scored an service ace.

[Aoba Johsai 2 - 1 Johzenji]

"Whoa…Was that a jump float serve? Amazing!" Higashiyama Katsumichi exclaimed in surprise, not bothered by losing the point but simply astonished by the unfamiliar move.

"Hey, hey!" Next to him, Numajiri Rintarō laughed heartily, ruffling Higashiyama Katsumichi's hair vigorously.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll receive the next one."

"Hahaha!"

Despite losing the point, Johzenji seemed full of energy.

Kaedehara Taichi served again, and just like the previous serve, it was perfect.

After crossing the net, the ball wavered left and right, looking like it could drop at any moment.

Suddenly, the ball dropped sharply to the left again in front of Higashiyama Katsumichi.

"Ha—"

Higashiyama Katsumichi made a diving save, keeping the ball in play as it bounced off the net.

"Hah!"

Futamata Takeharu quickly kicked the ball just before it hit the ground.

"Haha!"

Terushima Yūji jumped up and spiked the ball for the kill!

[Aoba Johsai 2 - 2 Johzenji]

"!!!"

The Aoba Johsai players were completely caught off guard. The bizarre plays from the opponents were beyond their expectations.

"Did he just instinctively use his foot to pass the ball?"

"And that number 1, who reacted instantly and finished with a spike, seems like he's used to such plays."

Typically, in such a situation, just returning the ball is challenging….so they wouldn't even think about jumping to block.@@novelbin@@

...

As the match progressed, Aoba Johsai began to understand Johzenji's playstyle, which they described as 'playing around'.

They never knew what their opponents would do next, making it hard to predict their moves or grasp their rhythm.

For most teams, a situation requiring a save would be an 'exceptional scenario', but for Johzenji, it was just normal.

[Aoba Johsai 11 - 10 Johzenji]

"Tweet!" Aoba Johsai called for a timeout.

Coach Irihata: "Don't let them dictate the pace. Bring the match back to our rhythm. We're stronger than them. If they score with some strange move, we'll respond with a proper attack. Steady and solid, we'll win this match!"

"Yes!"

Coach Irihata noticed that both Oikawa Tōru and Iwaizumi Hajime seemed a bit off but couldn't pinpoint any issues. Normally, they would handle such situations, and he wouldn't need to call this timeout.

Johzenji served, and Bobata Kazuma's serve hit the net.

A service error, giving Aoba Johsai a point.

[Aoba Johsai 12 - 10 Johzenji]

"Idiot, were you trying to clip the net again?" Īzaka Nobuyoshi turned to his teammate, raising his pinky.

"Hehe!"

Bobata Kazuma showed no remorse.

Aoba Johsai served, and Kyōtani Kentarō unleashed a powerful jump serve straight into Johzenji's backcourt.

Smack!

Numajiri Rintarō received it underhand.

—But the reception was too high! The ball was about to fly back into Aoba Johsai's court.

"Chance ball!" The Aoba Johsai players prepared to set up their attack.

Suddenly, a figure shot out from the left side of the net, leaping high with one hand reaching desperately for the volleyball.

Fingertips brushed the ball!

Johzenji's setter, Futamata Takeharu, managed to tip the ball to the right side, where Terushima Yūji had already jumped up.

Bang!

The volleyball slammed onto Aoba Johsai's court.

Terushima Yūji scored with a spike.

[Aoba Johsai 12 - 11 Johzenji]

"He passed the ball with one hand?"

While the audience was stunned by such an unconventional play, Johzenji's coach, Anabara, showed no surprise.

As long as the ball was still in the air, Johzenji believed there was always a way to attack. All the players shared this mindset and were capable of acting on it.

"I've heard Johzenji's volleyball practice is very different from other schools," the discussion among the spectators grew louder.

"Oh? How so?"

"It's said that more than half of their practice time is spent playing continuous '2-on-2' matches."

"2-on-2?! Do they think they're playing beach volleyball?" A nearby spectator couldn't help but remark. "Tch, running around non-stop from start to finish sounds exhausting."

"Because they're used to the 2-player setup, the mentality of 'if I don't get it, someone else will' is very weak. They always stay in an offensive stance…"

"Hahaha....They really are an interesting team."

"Bang!" Two Johzenji players collided while trying to save the ball.

"Hahaha….So that's why we see scenes like this."

Iwaizumi Hajime scored with a spike.

[Aoba Johsai 13 - 11 Johzenji]

Aoba Johsai's serve. Kunimi Akira aimed at the setter who had rotated to the back row.

Smack!

Kunimi's serve was tricky, forcing Johzenji's setter, Futamata Takeharu, to receive it.

Terushima Yūji leapt in the front row.

Was he going to spike without the setter?

"Double block!" Kyōtani Kentarō and Hanamaki Takahiro jumped up in time.

"It's a set?!"

"Bang!"

Terushima Yūji set the ball to the left, and Īzaka Nobuyoshi spiked it for a point.

[Aoba Johsai 13 - 12 Johzenji]

"Huh?!" Kunimi Akira and Kyōtani Kentarō shared the same frustration.

So annoying!

Even after disrupting the setter, Johzenji's attack wasn't affected; the team's ace, instead of spiking, chose to set the ball when faced with a block...

They always played like this, showcasing not only their wild imagination but also an impressive freedom to play as they wished.

"This team looks really troublesome!" Mizoguchi Sadayuki remarked to Coach Irihata.

"Hahaha….Indeed, but both they and the spectators seem to be enjoying it," Coach Irihata laughed heartily.

"Undeniably, they are strong. Being able to control their bodies and the ball so freely and enjoying the game to the fullest is truly a joyful thing."

...

The score on the court was now [Aoba Johsai 21 - 18 Johzenji].

Although Aoba Johsai was leading, they seemed to be the more anxious side.

It was also worrying that Oikawa Tōru's serves hadn't scored any points today.

Twice received and once an error.

In contrast, the trailing Johzenji appeared relaxed, each player's face beaming with joy, as if they were in an amusement park rather than a high-stakes match.

Johzenji served, and Bobata Kazuma still aimed for the net.

The volleyball hit the top edge of the net and fell towards Aoba Johsai's side.

"Damn it!"

"Save it!"

Kunimi Akira dove forward but was a step too slow; the volleyball landed right in front of him.

"Lucky—!" Bobata Kazuma shouted excitedly.

"Hahaha…" The other Johzenji players laughed cheerfully.

Bobata Kazuma scored with his serve.

[Aoba Johsai 21 - 19 Johzenji]

_________

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