Karasuno's serve—Asahi Azumane delivered a powerful jump serve, but Kentarō Kyōtani received it effortlessly.

  Despite his powerful spikes, Asahi's serve cked aggression. Aoba Johsai's Kaedehara Taichi thought that Asahi Azumane, Karasuno's ace, had awakened a little too te.

  "Mad Dog-!"

  Tōru Oikawa set the ball to the right side, where Kentarō Kyōtani spiked straight into three blockers.

  "Oouch!" Koushi Sugawara shouted.

  "Mad Dog, I told you to avoid the block!" Oikawa yelled at Kyōtani. If Karasuno's block had been even slightly strohat ball would have been pletely shut down.

  Daichi Sawamura dove and saved the ball. Sugawara signalled discreetly, and Karasuno's pyers quickly transitioned into attack.

  At the front row, only Kei Tsukishima and Ryūnosuke Tanaka were avaible options for the set. Given Sugawara's skill as a setter, it was uhat he would try anything unventional.

  "Asahi!"

  As expected, Sugawara set a high ball—Asahi Azumane's back-row attack.

  "Double block!" Oikawa and Hajime Iwaizumi leaped to stop him.

  Smack!

  The ball deflected off Oikawa's arm but merely ged dire, still nding inside Aoba Johsai's court.

  Asahi scored.

  [Aoba Johsai 12 – 6 Karasuno]

  Huh? That set to the ace had been just slightly slower.

  Only Oikawa noticed the subtle differehe slightly deyed set allowed Asahi to adjust his strength and angle mid-air, winning the direct frontation.

  Oikawa and Iwaizumi had jumped a moment too early, whiabled Asahi's spike to angle off the blod into Aoba Johsai's court.

  Oikawa goward Sugawara. Is it because he's a third-year, too, and knows his teammates' traits so well?

  pared ties like Tobio Kageyama, Oikawa found himself appreciating pyers like Sugawara more.

  But this wouldn't wihe game.

  As if to prove Oikawa's thoughts, Karasuno failed to close the point gap further after those first two early scores.

  Sugarinted across the court, setting, jumping, and scrambling, as if making up for all the time he had spent on the bench.

  "Whether it's to step in when Kageyama runs out of stamina or to fill in during unforeseen circumstances—call me a backup or whatever. Even if people think it's 'sad' for a third-year to still be a substitute, I don't care.

  As long as I get to py, I'll do whatever it takes.

  pared to Kageyama, I don't have the same teical skills or physical abilities. But I've observed my teammates the lo. In every match, I've imagined myself standing here on this court.

  I'm Karasuno's other setter!!"

  This vi was what kept Sugawara standing strong.

  Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. He looked up—Kaedehara Taichi was already mid-air, poised to spike.

  Boom!

  The volleyball smmed near Sugawara's feet, ricocheting upward. His braiered the moment only after it had happehe lingering image of Taichi's spike still vivid in his mind.

  Taichi scored.

  [Aoba Johsai 13 – 6 Karasuno]

  "Nice spike, Taichi!"

  "One more!"

  Aoba Johsai served again—Yū Nishinoya received the ball, and Sugawara set it to Ryūnosuke Tanaka for the attack.

  Takahiro Hanamaki barely saved the ball, and Oikawa set it high for Taichi once again.

  Their first touch was off. No quick attack.

  Tsukishima and Sugawara jumped to block Taichi. To them, Aoba Johsai's No. 10 seemed like a super-sized Hinata.

  Though Taichi's quick attacks were terrifying, they didn't feel particurly unstoppable in this situation.

  "Double block!"

  Mid-air, Taichi sed Karasuno's block—their form was solid, arms exteraight. He targeted the side of Sugawara's hand and smashed the ball hard.

  The volleyball grazed Sugawara's fiips and soared out of bounds.

  "???"

  "Did he spike it out?" Karasuno's back row looked fused.

  The referee hesitated for a brief moment before ruling the point as a block-out.

  Sugawara nodded, firming the call.

  Taichi scored.

  [Aoba Johsai 14 – 6 Karasuno]

  "Whew—close one." Kaedehara Taichi let out a breath of relief. Even he hadn't expected Koushi Sugawara to drop down so quickly.

  Aoba Johsai tiheir serve. Daichi Sawamura received the ball ly, and Sugawara once agai for Asahi Azumane's back-row attack—but this time, it failed to succeed.

  "Oouch!"

  Taichi blocked the spike, and as soon as he nded, he sprioward the opposite side of the . Shōyō Hinata wasn't in the front row—there was no o on Karasuno's side who could match his speed!

  Whoosh!

  The ball arrived perfectly on cue, and Taichi hammered it down.

  Smack!

  But Yū Nishinoya had already anticipated the location. He dove into a rolling save, his hands eg with the ball.

  "Cover!"

  Nishinoya shouted, but Daichi was already running. Despite his effort, the ball ricocheted off toward the floor.

  Kaedehara Taichi scored.

  [Aoba Johsai 15 – 6 Karasuno]

  Taichi blinked, surprised. Nishinoya had tracked his spike—what a terrifying libero.

  After all, chasing a pyer in the front row and chasing a ball in the back row were two entirely different challenges.

  Oikawa gnced back at Taichi, hoping the py wouldn't affect his focus.

  But Taichi wasn't even looking at Oikawa. His eyes remained locked on Nishinoya, a flicker of excitement gleaming in them.

  "That little monster…"

  Nishinoya noticed Taichi staring him down. Missing that save only fueled his resolve—he felt challenged, as if the gau had been thrown.

  "Bring it on!" Nishinoya shot back, deg his io meet the spike head-on.

  Aoba Johsai served again. The ball grazed the and dropped sharply toward Karasuno's court.

  Sugawara dove forward, saving the ball as he hit the floor.

  "Cover!"

  Daichi bumped it upward, and Tsukishima sent it over the .

  "ce ball!" Akira Kunimi called, lifting the ball for Oikawa.

  Whoosh!

  A blur shot past Sugawara.

  Sugawara and Tsukishima both scrambled to follow, but Kaedehara Taichi beat them to the leftmost position, leaping into the air.

  This time, it was different—Nishinoya was already waiting in Karasuno's back row, perfectly positioo receive Taichi's spike.

  Oikawa noticed three Karasuno pyers being pulled toward Taichi. He smirked faintly, preparing to set for Hajime Iwaizumi on the right.

  "Give me the ball!"

  Taichi's sudden shout froze Oikawa's hands mid-motion. Logic told him that setting to Iwaizumi would almost certainly secure the point.

  But Taichi hadn't even g Oikawa. His focus remaiirely oher side of the .

  The intense, poised stance he held was enough to tell Oikawa that the shout hadn't been a mistake.

  Fihen…

  Whoosh!

  Oikawa set a fastball—not the 'stopped' variety Kageyama used, but one of his cssic quick sets.

  For Taichi, this kind of speed left little room for strategy—he could only make slight adjustments to his spiking ahat was the differeween him and Hinata Shōyō, who could still pinpoint defensive gaps mid-air.

  When Oikawa aichi to aim for a 'block-out' py, he typically set a higher ball.

  This time, the ball was in front of Taichi in an instant. He swung rapidly but paused for the briefest of moments as his fingers met the ball. Instead of smming it, he tapped it delicately over the .

  "A tip?!?"

  What happeo their head-on showdown?!

  Nishinoya dove forward in desperation.

  Thud!

  The ball hit the floor.

  Taichi scored again.

  [Aoba Johsai 16 – 6 Karasuno]

  The scap stretched to ten points.

  Taided and looked down at Nishinoya, who was still sprawled on the ground.

  "Too bad," he said coolly, his lips curling into a faint smirk. "I'm not some hot-blooded idiot."

  _________

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