Losing the first set wasn't anything unusual for Nekoma.
Whehey faced a strong oppo, their first set was always a struggle. This was because Nekoma's rhythm was naturally slow to warm up, and they also ime for Kozume Kenma to analyze their oppo.
However, today was different.
Fet about gradually adapting—the so-called "defensive Nekoma" had been torn apart by a single pyer at the end of the first set.
This feeling...was eerily simir to fag Sakusa Kiyoomi.
"No, no," Kuroo Tetsurō shook his head. "He's just a first-year, and he's already at this level?"
Kuroo goward the Aoba Johsai bench. That figure sitting there...he really was like a monster.
"Kenma, do you know how to stop Taichi?" Kuroo turo Kenma, who was slouched on the bench, gulping down water.
"I don't know." Kenma shook his head.
"Then why do you look so happy?" Kuroo asked, exasperated.
"You know, Kuro," Kenma's golden eyes sparkled with excitement, his smile unusually bright. "Sometimes, pared to game over...clearing the game is even more frustrating."
The teams switched sides. The sed set began.
Aoba Johsai's lineup:
Front row—Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Middle Blocker Yūtarō Kindaichi, Outside Hitter Kentarō Kyōtani.Back row—Outside Hitter Hajime Iwaizumi, Middle Blocker Issei Matsukawa (Libero: Shinji Watari) aer Oikawa Tōru.
Nekoma's lineup:
Front row—Setter Kenma Kozume, Middle Blocker Lev Haiba, Outside Hitter Taketora YamamotoBack row—Outside Hitter Nobuyuki Kai, Middle Blocker Tetsurō Kuroo (Libero: Morisuke Yaku) and Outside Hitter Sōhei Fukunaga.
Nekoma served first.
"The sed set officially begins with a float serve from Nekoma's Fukunaga!"
"It's a short drop shot aimed at the front row!"
"The ball barely clears the —an incredibly tricky pt!"
"As we see, Nekoma is clearly targeting Taichi! Unlike receiving in the back row, where he still adjust his rhythm and participate in the offence, if a front-row pyer is forced to receive, they'll struggle to retreat and gain momentum for their approach."
"By restrig Aoba Johsai's aekoma signifitly ease the burden on their defence—"
"But—"
"Kaedehara Taichi receives the ball and, in one fluid motion, sprints straight to the right-wing!"
Taichi leapt on the right side, his arm swinging back fiercely!
"Damn! He still do that?!" Lev and Yamamoto scrambled to follow and jumped diagonally to block.
Bam!
Taichi's swing hit nothing but air.
The sound came from the left wing—Kindaichi had spiked the ball!
[Aoba Johsai 1 – 0 Nekoma]
"A and decisive point!"
"Aoba Johsai's offehreats go beyond Kaedehara Taichi!"
"Oikawa Tōru silently ters Nekoma's strategy with his as—this kind of trickery is pletely iive against Seijoh!"
"Aoba Johsai takes the first point of the sed set!"
The serve switched sides.
Kyōtaarō unleashed another powerful jump serve.
Kai received it ly. Kenma set the ball high. Lev sprinted and jumped.
"Double block!"
Taichi and Kindaichi formed a wall in front of him.
"Damn it!"
The two blockers pletely sealed off Lev's angle. He twisted his wrist and barely mao ahe ball cross-court.
Watari easily dug it up.
"Again?!"
As soon as Taided, he dashed terally, leaping up on the far left.
Boom!
Oikawa's set inpoint-accurate.
The ball soared over Kenma's head, smming into Nekoma's court.
[Aoba Johsai 2 – 0 Nekoma]
"Damn it, Lev 't keep up with his speed after attag..."
"We o disrupt their first touch—if we let them receive too easily, we'll be crushed by their rapid offence..."
Kyōtani served again.
Pop!
Yaku delivered a perfect reception.
"Yamamoto!" Kenma set the ball to the far right.
"Double block!"
Yamamoto jumped—and when he saw Taichi and Kindaichi t in front of him, he finally uood the suffog pressure Lev had been fag.
This was a solid iron wall!
Boom!
Yamamoto Taketora's powerful spike bsted against Kindaichi's hand.
Smack!
"Oouch!"
Kyōtaarō scrambled to save the ball, and Oikawa Tōru quickly stepped in to set it high.
Kaedehara Taichi leapt, his arm tensed, fully charged with power, before swinging down with force.
"Triple block!" Kozume Kenma, Haiba Lev, and Yamamoto Taketora all jumped up together.
Boom!
Taichi adjusted his spike mid-air, smashing the ball straight against Kenma's arms.
Pa!
The volleyball ricocheted off Kenma's forearms, boung directly onto Nekoma's court.
[Aoba Johsai 3 – 0 Nekoma]
"This way, you feel it more clearly, right, Kenma?" Kaedehara Taichi grinned. "Do you have a way to stop me?"
Kenma lowered his arms, which were slightly red and tingling from the impact.
In the first set, Nekoma failed to adapt to Aoba Johsai, but Aoba Johsai had already adapted to Nekoma.
Rather than fog on disrupting Nekoma's receptions, they were now attag through blog instead. It wasn't like no team had ever tried tet Nekoma this way before.
But how many had actually succeeded?
And right now, Nekoma's current offerategies could no longer break through Aoba Johsai's block…
There were more issues to solve.
Kenma let out a sigh. This was not the time to serve energy for a possible third set.
At the very least, they had to take a set from Aoba Johsai.
—
Boom!
Kyōtaarō's serve.
"Out!"
Nekoma mao take back a point.
[Aoba Johsai 3 – 1 Nekoma]
For Aoba Johsai, serving was where they felt the most pressure. Their previously dominant serves were much less effective against Nekoma's reception.
The more they tried to sharpen their serve trajectories, the higher the risk of errors.
Of course, if they pletely gave up on targeting, it wouldn't matter.
—
Serve rotation.
Kenma aimed his serve at Oikawa Tōru's front zone.
Pa!
Oikawa stepped forward and received the ball.
"How obvious…This kid…"
Watari Shinji jumped from the back row, setting the ball high.
Kaedehara Taichi took his approad soared—any high set would do!
"Double block!" Yamamoto Taketora and Kai Shinsuke jumped up.
Fewer blockers?
Taichi go the side and smirked—Haiba Lev was standing all the way at the left sideline.
Looks like he was entirely focused on attag.
Boom!
Taichi avoided the block, spiking a sharp diagonal shot.
Smack!
Fukunaga Shōhei received it ly.
"You're really amazing!" Taichi couldn't help but praise.
Kenma stepped up to cover, and all of Nekoma's pyers rushed toward the .
Multi-position simultaneous attack!
They had to split Aoba Johsai's blockers—this was the only way.
Kenma's movements remained fwless.
Bang!
Haiba Lev smashed ahe-block spike over Iwaizumi Hajime's head for the point.
[Aoba Johsai 3 – 2 Nekoma]
"Yeahhhh!" Haiba Lev shouted, exhirated.
Just moments ago, Kenma-senpai had told him not to block Taichi. He had been holding a bit of a grudge over that, but now he realized—his senpais really kheir stuff!
Kenma's sed serve maintaihe same strategy.
Oikawa received it again, and Watari set the ball high.
"They wouldn't keep attag like this every time…right?" Oikawa eyed the formation across the , sensing that Nekoma was dead serious.
Kaedehara Taichi took flight, increasing the power in his swi again.
Boom!!
Fukunaga predicted the shot correctly but couldn't absorb all the force—
The ball bounced high into Aoba Johsai's court!
"Lev!" Kenma called out.
Kenma-senpai was actually this proactive?!
Lev was so moved he nearly teared up. He sprinted in from the sideline a up.
Kenma was already moving, jumpihe with one hand reag for the ball.
"You wish!"
Iwaizumi and Kindaichi jumped as well, their arms reag over the , pletely c Kenma's angle.
Pa!
Kenma abruptly withdrew his hand—
The ball struck Kindaichi's arm and fell onto Aoba Johsai's court.
Kindaichi Yūtarō: "???"
"Tweet! Over-the- viotion. Point for Nekoma."
[Aoba Johsai 3 – 3 Nekoma]
Kenma fshed a triumphant smirk at Kaedehara Taichi.
"Wait, Kenma—" Taichi stared at him in shock.
"You actually…move?!"
"Mm…I am a living person, you know."
_________
[T/N] - If you guys want to read 50 Chapters in advance of the current story, you support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome!
Link - (P)atreon./Iseebck [Remove the brackets]
