The entire Nekoma team heard that sentence.
Even though it was Aoba Johsai who had been trailing and just mao tie the score, Nekoma found themselves uo refute those words.
Everyone was exhausted…
Oikawa Tōru g the opposing team with an amused look in his eyes. Nekoma's greatest strength y in their ability to maintain stability.
While these feline pyers dispyed remarkable offensive awareness, the fact remaihey didn't have a single spiker who could match Taichi head-on.
Their ace, Yamamoto Taketora, had a ceiling parable to Tanaka Ryūnosuke. Meanwhile, Lev Haiba was still far from reag his full potential.
And that was the limit of Nekoma's team.
Aoba Johsai's serve. Oikawa Tōru stepped onto the service line.
Just as their little monster had said—the game was already over.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crack, the volleyball seemed to vanish from Oikawa's hands, only to reappear at Yamamoto Taketora's feet.
For a brief moment, the ball remained pressed against the court surface, the impact causing it to deform slightly before ung off with eveer force.
Nekoma had no time to react—
Oikawa Tōru's ace serve!
[Aoba Johsai 21 – 20 Nekoma]
This was the first time in this match that someoher than Kaedehara Taichi had scored directly with a serve—and Oikawa's first service a this game.
But to the spectators, Aoba Johsai's eback seemed almost too easy.
"That serve was insane…"
"Could they seriously end the game with a five-point service streak?"
The power of Aoba Johsai's captain was enough to strike fear into anyone. Daishō Suguru had personally experiehis feeling before.
But…this was Nekoma.
And Nekoma would never allow someoo say—"One more serve!"
Daishō Suguru stood up, took a deep breath, and shouted toward the court:
"You guys better not give up!!!"
"Eh…? But why?" Yamaka Miwa turo her boyfriend in surprise. His school, Nohebi Academy, had been eliminated by Nekoma, causing them to miss out on Nationals. Shouldn't he resent them?
Suguru's face turned slightly red—perhaps from the strain of shouting or perhaps from embarrassment at what he'd just blurted out.
"…How should I put it? Maybe I just want them to win for our sake, too…"
Kuroo Tetsurō smirked mischievously. He never expected that guy to be the oo cheer them on.
"Yaku! Did you hear that?" Kuroo called from the sidelines.
With his back turned, Yaku Morisuke simply raised a fist and gave a thumbs-up.
"Nekoma's backcourt is my responsibility. Leave it to me!"
[Ding! Yaku Morisuke has entered Burst Mode]
[Yaku Morisuke (Burst Mode)—Libero: Overall Ability Rating: 89Height: 163 bsp;| Power: 70 | Jump: 88 | Stamina: 97 | Speed: 95Teique: Receive: 100]
"Oh?"
Kaedehara Taichi g Yaku, though his expression carried a hint ret.
"So…Kuroo Tetsurō and Kozume Kenma still aren't quite at this level yet?"
If that's the case, then nothing ges.
Oikawa tossed the ball up for his sed serve.
BOOM!—
This time, not only did the ball pack power and speed, but it even had a subtle curve!
Oikawa Tōru had opped improving!
Pop!
The ball didn't head toward Yaku—it was Haiba who stepped in to receive it.
The moment his teammate made tact, Yaku had already sprioward the sidelihe ball ricocheted in his dire—
Smack!
Yaku adjusted his body mid-run ahe ball toward the .
Boom!
Fukunaga Shōhei leapt and spiked, his shots often nding at tricky angles.
The ball dropped toward Aoba Johsai's baseliari Shinji barely mao dig it up.
The ball veered right, sailing toward the out-of-bounds area. Nekoma pyers were just about to breathe a sigh of relief when—
Oikawa Tōru rushed out.
Still airborne, his body twisting midair, he sent a precise set toward the left side of the !
No breathing room for Nekoma—the pressure was relentless!
A set like this could only meahing.
"Do you eveo ask?"
Kaedehara Taichi charged along the sideline, leaping high on the left wing.
"Three-man block!"
In these final moments of the match, Lev Haiba had returo the .
A pair of outstretched hands suddenly emerged before him. If Taichi had blindly spiked without preparation, this would have been bad news.
Boom!
Smack!
Instead of f his way through, Taichi targeted Fukunaga's hands, using a block-out teique. The ball ricocheted off the blockers, boung at a sharp downward angle.
Pop!
Having just sprinted bato the court, Yaku dove forward, saving it yet again.
Kenma positioned himself beh the ball. Nekoma unched a full-team terattack!
Even if they colpsed after this match, they would run, they would jump—
"Leave the front to me!"
Kaedehara Taichi and Kindaichi Yūtarō both called out, sealing off Fukunaga and Haiba oher side.
Aoba Johsai's iron wall was beginning to take shape!
Kenma's gaze swept across the Aoba Johsai court. With Oikawa keeping a close eye on potential setter dumps, there were no easy openings left.
Even with Nekoma's full offensive lineup in py, they couldn't find a single guaranteed sg option!
Boom!
Haiba soared from the back row and spiked—
Iwaizumi Hajime dug it up effortlessly!
Oikawa delivered a perfect set.
Nekoma's three-man bloed once more.
BOOM!
"What a ruthless attack! The ball drops directly onto Nekoma's baseline!"
"Even against a triple block, Kaedehara Taichi still mao spike an on-the-line winner! His ball trol is absolutely terrifying!"
[Aoba Johsai 22 – 20 Nekoma]
"So cool!!!"
Yamamoto Akaruggled to suppress the furious pounding of her heart, her face flushing bright red.
Alisa, who had little uanding of volleyball, was only here to support her younger brother, Lev.
Even so, she could tell just how difficult that st py was—clearing the blockers, avoiding every defender, and nding it precisely on the baseline for a direct point.
Though Akane's love for volleyball had already made her swoon over numerous impressive pyers, seeing her in this state, Alisa couldn't help but wonder—
"Akane, you don't have to fight it! Even if he's the oppo, love is always an option!"
"What the hell are you talking about?!?!" Akane fired back without hesitation.
-----
The expression on Kozume Kenma's face twisted in frustration.
If it were only Taichi Kaedehara, perhaps Nekoma could still find a way to tain him.But Aoba Johsai had Oikawa Tōru as well.
Nekoma had practically given up ohird set already—there was no other choice. If they didn't go all in for the sed set, there wouldn't even be a third set.
Even Kenma himself had started running more, c for his teammates mid-game.
Before, he avoided doing so—partly out of ziness, partly because he cked the stamina to sustain that level of py for three full sets.
For just a moment, he had dared to believe that he could push himself a little further, that Nekoma might have a ce…
But in the end, he was still a step behind someone who had always pyed at that level.
"I don't want the game to end like this…"
—
Aoba Johsai tiheir serve.
Oikawa Tōru unched his third serve.
BOOM!!
The power behind it was imme this time, he sent it directly toward Yaku Morisuke.
SMACK!
A perfect pass. Kenma quickly set the ball to the right wing for a quick attack. Lev Haiba leaped—
…Too high? No—he had jumped too low!
In su intech, the first to reach his limit was the first-year, Lev Haiba.
"No way!"
Lev's eyes remained locked on the ball as it sailed past his fiips. As he and the ball desded together, he swung his left arm up in desperation.
Smack!
He made tact!
But before he could evehe excitement—
A massive hand from the other side of the smothered the ball.
BAM!
Kindaichi Yūtarō's block scores the point.
[Aoba Johsai 23 – 20 Nekoma]
"HAHAHA! Nie, Kindaichi!"
"Thank you, Oikawa-senpai!" Kindaichi beamed.
Aoba Johsai's first-year talent wasn't limited to just Taichi.
—
Oikawa's fourth serve.
A jump float—aimed straight at the front-row Lev Haiba!
Still distracted by Kindaichi's block, Lev reacted half a beat too slow.
THUD!
An ace.
Oikawa Tōru scores another direct point.
[Aoba Johsai 24 – 20 Nekoma]
Ever siaichi decred, "The game is over," Nekoma hadn't won a single point.
Aoba Johsai now the match points by four.
"I'm sorry!" Lev shouted.
It suddenly dawned on him—one more point and Nekoma's journey in the Spring High tour would be over.
They had fought through so many matches, and endured so many hardships to reach this point…
But what terrified him the most was that only now—only at this very moment—did he realize…
This might be the st high satch for his third-year senpai.
No—not might be.
It definitely was.
Lev hung his head. What have I even been doing in this match?
His senpai were s. He had wao bee Nekoma's ace, to be their pride.
A, in this crucial match—he had been the weakest link.
"Lev!" Kuroo Tetsurō called from the sidelines.
Lev turned.
What he saw was Kuroo's familiar smirking expression—but this time, there was no trace of anger or disappoi.
Only acceptance.
"Don't overthink it," Kuroo said. "Just py with s."
"Yeah, idiot!" Yaku shouted behind him. "What the hell are you still w about? If you're on the court, then focus on pying!"
"…Seriously," Kenma mumbled, clig his tohis is why you should practice more than just spiking…But it's not your fault we're being targeted. It just means your offence is a threat."
"Senpai…" Lev's voice trembled.
But there was no more time for Nekoma to reflect.
The whistle blew.
Oikawa Tōru's serve came rocketing in.
Everyone on Nekoma khis robably the st ball.
So they pushed their bodies to the limit—receiving, running, jumping, attag—giving everything they had left.
Pop!
The ball soared high above Aoba Johsai's side of the court.
For a moment, time seemed to slow.
And then—
Through the air, Taichi Kaedehara's figure appeared.
Kenma, too exhausted to even jump for a block, simply lifted his gaze.
"You really are incredible, Taichi."
BOOM!!!
The ball smmed into the dead tre of Nekoma's court, boung high into the air.
[Aoba Johsai 25 – 20 Nekoma]
"Tweet—!"
The referee's whistle blew long and sharp.
Set 2: Over.
Match Winner: Aoba Johsai.
_________
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