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"Is Sengoku Middle any good?"
"Dunno. Never heard of them."
"Wait... I think I've heard the name before. Probably just like us. First-round exit material."
"Eh? So we actually have a shot at making the second round this time?"
In Haishi Middle School's waiting area, the volleyball club members' eyes lit up slightly. Their school was weak. They'd always been eliminated in the first round. But even bottom-feeders had dreams.
"Alright, stop daydreaming. No matter who we face, we play steady and take the first set." Haishi's captain stood up, clapped his hands, and shouted encouragement.
"Yes!"
"Let's do this!"
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The Haishi team marched out of the tunnel with fire in their eyes. Faces bright, confidence high.
Until...
BOOM!
A thunderous crack split the air. The volleyball shot over the net with terrifying force, punched straight through six outstretched arms, and slammed violently into the floor.
In an instant...
Every Haishi player's expression froze solid.
"It... it went through a triple block."
"So strong!"
"Who is that guy? Never heard of him before."
After a brief silence, the stands watching Sengoku vs. Haishi erupted in excited chatter.
"It's fine, it's fine! That was probably just luck. Don't panic. Focus on defense!" Haishi's captain was the first to snap out of shock. He clapped his hands rapidly, trying to steady his teammates.
The others slowly came to their senses.
Right.
That spike was probably just a fluke.
Tweet!
The referee's whistle blew. Sengoku's opposite hitter Oda Miki stepped up to serve. A normal jump serve with no special power. Haishi's libero received it easily.
They organized their attack. The setter tossed the ball toward their main spiker. Middle blockers Omae Masato and Kazama Yujiro quickly jumped to form a double block. But...
The opposing spiker didn't hit.
Instead, from the spiker's side rear, a figure launched skyward beneath the gym lights...
"It's a decoy! Akashi!"
Omae, already descending, changed color and twisted to warn Akashi Asuka.
But before the words left his mouth, two sharp sounds rang out in quick succession. The first: ball meeting arms. The second: ball hitting floor.
When Omae turned back, he saw Akashi Asuka, jersey number 1, landing softly. On the other side of the net, the ball rolled away as Haishi players stood frozen.
Tweet!
The Whistle blew again.
Akashi Asuka scored on a solo block.
Score: 2 to 0.
Using an attacker as bait to misdirect the block was a common volleyball tactic. Back when Li Mingshi first transmigrated, Omae and Kazama had used this exact move to score over Akashi Asuka during practice.
But that was then. He'd been green, with zero real match experience. After nearly two weeks of relearning the game? No way that trick worked twice.
······
After a moment of stunned silence, the Sengoku side burst into cheers. Everyone swarmed toward Akashi Asuka.
"Y-Yo! Nice job, Akashi!"
"Nice!"
"Great block!"
Meanwhile, Haishi's earlier confidence had completely disappeared.
Seeing this...
Haishi's coach immediately called a timeout.
Spectators in the stands started murmuring.
"Whoa. Timeout already? Two points and they're calling timeout? Kids these days are a bit too timid."
"Yeah... Haishi's in trouble."
"That third-year's aura is intense. Don't tell me he's another prodigy..."
······
Haishi's timeout had one real purpose: break Akashi's momentum and reset their own morale. No complex tactics were discussed. After all, the match had barely started.
When the play resumed, Sengoku served again. Haishi's libero received cleanly, and they launched another attack. This time, they were smart enough to avoid Akashi Asuka entirely, aiming their spike at Kazama Yujiro and Omae Masato's double block instead.
The ball got blocked, but not cleanly.
Kazama Yujiro's jump height couldn't match Akashi's, and his timing was slightly off. The ball deflected high into Sengoku's court.
"Chance ball!"
Sengoku's libero Kurata Neko shouted.
It was both a warning and a command.
At his call, teammates scrambled back to formation. Once positions stabilized, Kurata passed to setter Mishita Ryuhei.
And by then, Akashi Asuka was already ready.
Unlike Haishi...
Sengoku's offense had zero decoys. Or rather, it used to, but not anymore.
Because right before this match, their coach had laid down the tactic for this round: "Play solid defense. Get the ball to Akashi."
Two simple sentences. And just like that, Omae and Kazama's attacking rights were basically revoked.
At first...
Not just Omae and Kazama were unhappy. Even setter Mishita didn't fully get it.
But now? He was starting to understand.
Fingertips brushed the ball.
A set far higher than usual arced toward the net in front of Akashi Asuka.
"Block him!"
Haishi players yelled in unison.
Their main spiker and two middles jumped with everything they had. Faces fierce, like warriors burning their boats behind them.
They knew it. Those first two points had nearly shattered their morale. If they failed to stop this spike too, the match would be over before it really began.
This block wasn't just about stopping a point.
It was about saving their entire team and defending their pride as front-row defenders.
In a flash...
Six arms formed an unbroken wall before Akashi Asuka, blocking out the overhead lights completely.
But facing this defense, Akashi Asuka's expression didn't change at all. His motion stayed perfectly smooth. Body arching midair, right shoulder pulling back like a drawn bowstring.
Then, violent swing.
BOOM!
The ball shot forward and crashed into the wall.
Haishi players felt the impact on their palms. And for a split second, hope flared.
"We blocked it..."
But the next instant, unimaginable force exploded from the ball. The player's eyes widened in shock. He fought to hold the block, but against that power, his arms were forced apart uncontrollably. The ball punched through and flew straight behind him.
A sliver of light slipped through the broken wall and fell across Akashi Asuka's face.
The wall had cracked.
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*(End of Chapter)*