"We got played!"
That was the only thought running through Keiji Akaashi's mind at that moment.
It was only now that he realized what had been bothering him earlier. From the moment Bokuto started throwing his little tantrum, not a single member of Aoba Johsai had looked the slightest bit surprised.
And seeing how Akashi Asuka's demeanor had changed so drastically, Akaashi finally understood: Bokuto's emotional swings had clearly been used against them.
"They baited Bokuto-san into 'depressed mode' to widen the point gap. Clever plan. But... how did they know exactly when he'd switch into that state?" That was the biggest mystery nagging at Akaashi.
After all,
As one of the top teams in the country, Fukurodani had been analyzed by plenty of opponents over the years. Many teams had tried to exploit Bokuto's numerous emotional weak points, and nearly all of them had failed.
Even Akaashi himself, after years of studying the "Owl Care Manual–" still hadn't fully grasped all of Bokuto's unpredictable behaviors.
He couldn't help but admire whoever had figured Bokuto out in such a short amount of time. Their insight was nothing short of genius.
If they weren't in the middle of a match, Akaashi might've even been tempted to ask that person to take him on as a student.
Though, if he'd known that even Oikawa Tooru hadn't anticipated Bokuto falling into 'depressed mode' at that particular moment, he might've reconsidered that thought.
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[Score!!]
[Koutarou Bokuto scores again!]
[As expected from one of the nation's top five aces! Bokuto's skill is undeniably elite. If his performance weren't so erratic, there's a real chance he'd be in the top three by now!]
[You said it….Still, even though Bokuto has scored 11 points since snapping out of his slump, the score gap hasn't shrunk at all!]
[Well~~ that's not surprising. Aoba Johsai's ace is also a national-level powerhouse. Both players are now performing at a super-high school level, and with Oikawa Tooru supporting Akashi Asuka as the setter, it's no wonder Fukurodani is struggling to keep up!]
After nearly thirty minutes of back-and-forth, the score stood at 23–19.
Ever since Bokuto snapped out of 'depressed mode,' Fukurodani's score had climbed steadily. Bokuto alone had scored an impressive 11 points, making up more than half of Fukurodani's total.
Even so, the point gap between them and Aoba Johsai hadn't narrowed in the slightest.
Though Bokuto's recovery significantly boosted Fukurodani's offense, it did little for their defense.
And since Oikawa and Akashi had already crafted a plan to use Bokuto's slump to pull ahead, they weren't about to let Fukurodani close the gap easily.
Whish!
The volleyball shot from Oikawa's hand like a bullet, flying almost parallel to the floor. Before Fukurodani's defenders could even react, it landed right in front of Akashi Asuka.
Bang!
Akashi slammed the ball downward, crushing it into the floor.
Tweet!
The referee's whistle blew, and the scoreboard flipped.
24–19.
The five-point lead was restored, and Aoba Johsai had reached set point.
"Damn it! Why can't we catch up?!" growled Yamato Sarukui, Fukurodani's middle blocker, as he swung his arm in frustration.
"Easy, Sarukui. Breathe."
Fukurodani's wing spiker, Konoha Akinori, exhaled deeply to calm his pounding heart. "They planned this. Of course they're not going to let us catch up that easily."
"And besides..."
He paused, then turned his gaze to the back of the Aoba Johsai court. There stood Akashi Asuka, expressionless as he walked to the service line, and beside him, smiling calmly and even waving at Konoha, Oikawa Tooru.
Konoha said quietly, "With those two on the other side... even if Bokuto hadn't slumped, I'm not sure we would've won this set."
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Thoom!
Another thunderous serve from Akashi Asuka, clocking in at over 100km/h, crashed onto Fukurodani's side, claiming the final point of the set.
Bweeeep!
The referee's whistle echoed across the court.
National Tournament, Second Round – Set One: Aoba Johsai wins.
Both teams left the court. Unlike in the qualifiers, there were no celebrations yet, not even for the winners. In the Nationals, no one celebrated until the very end.
Because in this stage of the competition, nothing was certain until the final whistle.
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"We got outplayed."
The Fukurodani coach rubbed his chin as he watched his players leave the court. Glancing in Aoba Johsai's direction, he muttered, "Looks like they've got a pretty impressive brain over there."
"Sorry, Coach! I should've seen through their setup–" said Akaashi.
"No, this wasn't your fault."
The coach waved it off. "It's a structural weakness of our team. Other opponents just hadn't exploited it this well, until now."
"But still, that Aoba Johsai team is something else. Their first-year ace and that setter, both incredibly skilled. And the fact that we've never heard of them before? Astounding."
Even the coach seemed baffled.
They already had players of this caliber, yet had never appeared in Nationals until now. He could only imagine what kind of "hellish region" they must've had to survive during the qualifiers.
"Coach, this really isn't the time to be praising the enemy! If we don't come up with a way to deal with Aoba Johsai in the next set, we'll be heading home!"
One of Fukurodani's female team managers clutched her forehead and reminded him with exasperation.
"A plan, huh?"
The coach paused, then waved it off with a grin. "We don't need one. After all, carrying the team to victory, that's what an 'ace' is for, right? Isn't that so, Bokuto?"
On the bench, Koutarou Bokuto slowly raised his head, towel still draped over it. Under the shadows, his owl-like eyes gleamed sharply.
He grinned and replied, "Couldn't have said it better myself, Coach."
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Meanwhile…
In Aoba Johsai's bench area:
"Well done, everyone. You all played great in that set. Let's keep the momentum going and don't let the opponent shake you, understand?" said Nobuteru Irihata.
"Yes, sir!" the team shouted in unison.
But then, Akashi Asuka's gaze drifted toward Fukurodani. His eyes narrowed, and he suddenly muttered:
"No... In the next set, we'd better be ready to face another version of Ushiwaka. Because the real match... is just about to begin."
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