"What? That guy lied to me?!" Kotaro Bokuto shouted in disbelief.
"That's right."
Keiji Akaashi nodded firmly. After years of study, he considered himself a master of The Owl Care Handbook. But now, he was seriously considering adding a chapter on "How to Prevent Child Abduction."
Otherwise, Akaashi genuinely feared that the owl he was raising would one day get tricked, sold off, and still help count the money for the scammer.
As he hesitated over this dilemma, the "owl", no, Kotaro Bokuto, exclaimed in awe, "That was some incredible trickery! I didn't notice at all!"
Keiji Akaashi: "..."
Alright.
Now there was no more hesitation.
"That damn brat! How dare he fool me? Just wait, I'm coming for you, I'll crush you so hard you'll be picking up your teeth!"
Bokuto was furious.
And when Bokuto gets mad, the consequences… are serious.
But exactly who would suffer those consequences? That was a bit unclear.
Bokuto rolled up his sleeves, ready to throw down. But Akaashi, watching this unfold, suddenly had a bad feeling in his gut.
Ah crap... This can't be good.
"Um, Bokuto-san, once the match starts, please make sure to stay calm and follow the strategy, "
He tried to remind Bokuto not to act recklessly, but he was cut off mid-sentence by Bokuto's impatient voice.
"Yeah, yeah, you're so naggy. I got it, follow the game plan, right? No problem... Just wait for me, damn Aoba Johsai!"
Seeing Bokuto's fired-up expression, Akaashi facepalmed. "Here we go... He's hyped."
Quickly, he sent a meaningful glance to the rest of the team, signaling them to get ready.
The other players noticed and were startled.
Huh?
So fast? Did we break a new record today?
Still, while surprised, the rest of the Fukurodani players didn't hesitate. They got into position quickly.
After all, no one doubted Akaashi's judgment. Within the entire Fukurodani team, Bokuto might know himself second-best, but Akaashi knew him best.
Tweet!
With a sharp whistle from the referee, warmups ended and the match officially began.
Aoba Johsai once again claimed the right to serve. Hajime Iwaizumi stepped up for the first serve. The ball soared over the net and was cleanly received by Fukurodani's libero.
Fukurodani's fundamentals were solid. As one of the top teams in the country, they clearly didn't rely on just their ace to get this far.
"Akashi! Set it to me!"
The libero had barely finished the receive when Bokuto's voice thundered from behind.
Akaashi's stomach dropped. That bad feeling only grew stronger.
In that instant,
Akaashi even considered not setting to Bokuto. But that thought lasted only 0.5 seconds before being dismissed.
The reason was simple.
If he set to the now overly-hyped Bokuto, there was a 50% chance the spike would fail.
But if he didn't set it to Bokuto? The guy would sulk, and that was an even bigger problem.
So in the end, Akaashi sent the set flying toward Kotaro Bokuto.
"Here you go, Bokuto-san!"
As the ball arced toward him, Bokuto spread his arms wide and leapt high into the air.
"You little brat, how dare you trick me! I'll end this in one shot!"
Across the net,
Akashi Asuka saw Bokuto rise into the air, his brows twitching slightly.
That jump...
Something about the movement felt off. But after carefully observing, Asuka found nothing wrong. The height, form, posture, everything was textbook perfect.
Against such a spike, a solo block had a low success rate.
So Asuka merely jumped to cover the diagonal, hoping to limit the angle and give his backline a clearer read on the spike trajectory.
But then,
Smack!
With a sharp sound, Asuka felt a light tap on his arm. Before he could even register what had happened, the ball dropped softly into Fukurodani's court.
··
···
"Huh?"
Kotaro Bokuto blinked in confusion, his eyes turning into dots.
Akashi Asuka stared at his own arm, stunned. He hadn't expected such a sloppy block attempt to actually shut down the spike. It made no sense.
The rest of the players on court were frozen. Both Aoba Johsai and Fukurodani looked at each other with wide, questioning eyes.
Even the spectators in the stands fell into stunned silence.
Only Keiji Akaashi slapped a hand to his forehead.
"It's over...!"
────────── ✦ ──────────
A solid three seconds passed before the announcer's voice finally broke the silence above the court:
[There it is, Fukurodani's ace, Kotaro Bokuto, and one of his legendary spikes.]
[Against Aoba Johsai's ace, Akashi Asuka, who clearly aimed to shut down the diagonal, Bokuto opted for brute force, but sadly failed to break through.]
[As expected of the most unpredictable 'Ace' in the league…]
"Pffft, HAHAHAHA!"
"What the heck was that?! You actually aimed right at the block? That's so you, Bokuto!"
"Guehahahaha, hic!"
The announcer's attempt to cover for Bokuto only made it worse. The entire crowd burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Many fans of Bokuto had long since grown used to his chaotic plays. But this time, even by Bokuto standards, the ridiculousness reached new heights.
Combined with the commentator's failed attempt at sugarcoating, the stadium exploded into a wave of laughter.
"Akashi…"
A ghostly voice escaped Kotaro Bokuto's lips, sending a chill down Akaashi's spine.
No way…
Is it happening already?
"Don't set it to me anymore!" Bokuto declared dramatically, waving his arm with tragic conviction.
Keiji Akaashi: "…"
Fukurodani team: "…"
"Ah, here it is, Bokuto's Passive Mode. That was fast. This must be a new record."
Seeing Bokuto throw a mini tantrum, the rest of Fukurodani sighed with practiced exasperation. And within a second, they all collectively chose to ignore him.
"Whatever, he'll bounce back soon enough. Let's focus on the match–" one of them said as they turned away.
Keiji Akaashi: "Senpai... You guys are too dependable!"
Kotaro Bokuto: "Eh?! (△;)"
==========
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