This wasn't how it was supposed to go! Wasn't the pn to sub in Satori Tendō after Eita Semi to activate the other pyers?

  Instead, Ushijima Wakatoshi opened with two secutive spikes, showing no iion of serving energy.

  Team Manager Akira Saitō stole a g Coach Washijō.

  Notig the team manager's gaze, Coach Washijō sighed and expined, "With a pyer like Ushijima, you use him to score whenever you ! Tendō's role is to leverage Ushijima's presence as a threat t out the best ihers."

  Saitō nodded and shifted his focus back to the court.

  Ohird serve, Goshiki Tsutomu actally hit the ball into the .

  A serve error—Aoba Johsai snatched a point.

  [Aoba Johsai 1 - 2 Shiratorizawa]

  "Goshiki, do you think this is a practice match?!" Coach Washijō barked from the sidelines.

  "One more serve error and you're off the court!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  Goshiki, who feared nothing more than being benched, instantly so attention.

  "Do you know why Coach Washijō scolds you the mht now?" Semi Eita said suddenly, addressing Goshiki.

  "Because I'm the worst oeam," Goshiki replied.

  "No. It's because he has the highest expectations for you."

  That single sentence ignited a fire in Goshiki.

  "That's right! I'm going to challenge Ushijima-senpai for the ace title!"

  Aoba Johsai's Oikawa Tōru switched to a float jump serve for his first attempt, catg Shiratorizawa off guard.

  [Aoba Johsai 2 - 2 Shiratorizawa]

  For the sed serve, Oikawa's ball soared over, f Shiratorizawa's Hayato Yamagata into an overhead pass. Semi Eita set it up for Taichi Kawanishi with a precise back attack.

  "Oouch!" Although Kaedehara Taichi hadn't anticipated the quick set, his agility allowed him to disrupt the spike slightly.

  Watari Shinji raised the ball again, and Oikawa immediately set it back to Taichi.

  Kaedehara Taichi leapt high for the spike, only to find Kawanishi already positioo block.

  Smack!

  A moment's pse, and a block out was iable. Kaedehara's spike grazed Kawanishi's hand a out of bounds.

  [Aoba Johsai 3 - 2 Shiratorizawa]

  Shiratorizawa's ōhira Reon found an opening and scored from the right fnk.

  [Aoba Johsai 3 - 3 Shiratorizawa]

  Tendō Satori pulled off a clever one-matack, sg another point.

  [Aoba Johsai 3 - 4 Shiratorizawa]

  Taichi answered with a bzing quick atta the far right.

  [Aoba Johsai 4 - 4 Shiratorizawa]

  "I think I'm starting to feel it…" Tendō muttered to himself while standing still.

  "Is that so?" Semi g him, but Tendō was already too absorbed to respond.

  Aoba Johsai served again, with Hanamaki Takahireting Ushijima to disrupt his approach. Ushijima still managed a solid reception, and Yamagata quickly covered. ōhira spiked the ball over, but Watari's perfect dig reset the rally.

  Oikawa and Taichi moved simultaneously, the tter rag to the far right. Just as Taichi reached position, the ball was set exactly as expected.

  But in that instant, Tendō leapt diagonally, blog Kaedehara's line of attack.

  Blocked Route!

  Taichi's instincts screamed at him. He adjusted, gently tipping the ball toward the far side of the instead.

  Tendō, however, wasn't finished. He nded, spun, and unched himself bato the air. Leaning slightly backwards, he reached for the ball and miraculously scooped it up just as it started to drop past his side.

  The volleyball arced back toward Aoba Johsai's court, nding a step ihe sideline.

  [Aoba Johsai 4 - 5 Shiratorizawa]

  "What was that weird move?"

  "Did he just jump again right after nding?!"

  "No way..."

  "Ohhhh...Tendō!!"

  Tendō Satori basked in the cheers from the crowd before suddenly turning to face Kaedehara Taichi.

  "If you want to defeat Ushijima Wakatoshi, you'll have to step over my dead body first."

  Taichi repyed the previous py in his mind. He was fident his judgment wasn't wrong—if he had spiked directly, the ball would have been blocked ly.

  "This is going to be a real headache..."

  But the real headache was yet to e—Ushijima Wakatoshi had stepped up to the service line.

  Boom!

  As always, his serve was calm, powerful, aless. No one could guarantee a receptioime. Ushijima's serve earned a direct point.

  [Aoba Johsai 4 - 6 Shiratorizawa]

  The momentum of the match seemed to shift.

  Ushijima's sed serve came flying in, f Watari Shinji into a desperate reception.

  "Cover!"

  There was no time for a quick attack, so Oikawa Tōru opted for a high set toward Kaedehara Taichi.

  Taichi dashed, leapt, and aimed his spike at Tendō Satori, who was ready to block. With precision, Taichi targeted Tendō's fiips and drove the ball hard.

  But Tendō suddenly pulled his hands back. The volleyball, pletely unobstructed, sailed out of bounds.

  Shiratorizawa scored another point.

  [Aoba Johsai 4 - 7 Shiratorizawa]

  "Tendō, you're the best! Tendō, you're the best!"

  "Wakatoshi, I think I'm more popur than you today!" Tendō called out with a smirk.

  "Hmm, seems that way," Ushijima replied, entirely unbothered.

  Kaedehara Taichi's two most effective offerategies had just been tered in two secutive pys.

  Whether it iking or blog, ohey were read, there was always a way to ter them. That's why pyers o stantly expand their arsenal and refiheir teiques.

  Tendō Satori wasn't just predig Taichi's moves—his body reacted accly, too.

  When fag Karasuno, it had taken two or three pyers to tain Kaedehara Taichi. But Tendō, in top form, was shutting him down single-handedly.

  At the national level, there were bound to be more monsters like him.

  Oddly enough, the tougher the challehe more exhirated Taichi felt. New ideas kept springing to his mind, but he also felt an unusual sense of calm.

  "Taichi, are you okay?" Oikawa Tōru called out a few times before Kaedehara snapped out of his thoughts.

  "I'm fine." Kaedehara noticed even Kyōtaarō was nervously watg him, which made him feel both touched and slightly amused.

  "Let's focus oing the point first and then look for opportuer," Oikawa advised.

  "Got it!"

  Ushijima unleashed another fierce serve, which Oikawa barely mao receive.

  Watari moved in to set the ball, but an er Kyōtaarō's spike was blocked by three defenders.

  [Aoba Johsai 4 - 8 Shiratorizawa]

  In a critical moment, Iwaizumi Hajime's spike stabilized the situation, giving Aoba Johsai a mueeded point.

  [Aoba Johsai 5 - 8 Shiratorizawa]

  Semi Eita surprised everyoh a setter dump, catg the blockers off guard and earning Shiratorizawa another point.

  [Aoba Johsai 5 - 9 Shiratorizawa]

  Kyōtani scored with a sharp diagonal shot.

  [Aoba Johsai 6 - 9 Shiratorizawa]

  Finally, Goshiki Goshiki's signature straight spike broke through Kyōtani's block, earning Shiratorizaoint.

  "Ushijima-senpai! I'll bee an ace who surpasses you!" Goshiki decred fidently.

  "Mm, good luck," Ushijima replied simply.

  [Aoba Johsai 6 - 10 Shiratorizawa]

  Shiratorizawa served, and Kaedehara Taichi received the ball ly, setting up Oikawa uhe ball.

  A multi-position attack began. As Oikawa observed his teammates in motioiced Taichi's eagero strike. At the st moment, Oikawa set the ball high for Taichi.

  Kaedehara Taichi leapt from the back row, stretg his body fully. With his teammates drawing away the blockers, he faced an open court ahead.

  Boom!

  His spike nded awkwardly near Shiratorizawa's baseline and bounced out.

  "Phew—close oaichi let out a sigh of relief when the ball was firmed in.

  "What was that?" Iwaizumi wondered aloud. He suspected Taichi was either off his game or possibly ihat spike had seemed like a standard attack, yet it had nearly go of bounds.

  Oikawa suddenly stopped Iwaizumi, shaking his head. If his observation was correct, Kaedehara Taichi's spike just now...had been with his left hand.

  _________

  [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./Iseebbsp;[Remove the brackets]