Shiratorizawa...
"I didn't expect this team to be so resilient!"
In the coach's dugout, Keishin Ukai squinted his eyes, muttering to himself as he watched the intense battle unfold on the court.
"Yeah!"
Takeda Ittetsu, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.
"In Miyagi Prefecture, their record is nearly flawless. We've hardly ever seen them struggle in the prefectural tournaments!"
"So no one would have expected Shiratorizawa to showcase such relentless strength even when facing adversity."
"But we won't back down either!"
Ukai crossed his arms over his chest, a confident smirk forming.
"The third-years on our team have fought their way up through hardships!"
"And even the first-years, Kageyama and Hinata, have had their fair share of struggles."
"I heard that back in junior high, Hinata didn't even have a proper volleyball team to train with."
"And even Akira..."
At that moment, Ukai suddenly hesitated.
Because, now that he thought about it, what kind of struggles had Akira actually faced?
"What setbacks has Akira had?"
Takeda furrowed his brows in curiosity and turned toward Kiyoko Shimizu, who was quietly sitting on the sidelines.
"Shimizu, as his neighbor, you should know, right?"
"Akira…"
Kiyoko held her notebook close, thinking back.
"He moved to Miyagi Prefecture about six months before the junior high league and lived near my house."
"Then he joined a local junior volleyball club, made it to the finals of the junior league, and won the championship."
"After that, he came to Karasuno."
"And, well, you all know what's happened since then."
"Wait, so that means…"
Ukai and Takeda exchanged glances.
"It seems like he's never really had any major setbacks."
From their training match against Aoba Johsai to this final match in the national qualifiers, no opponent had truly managed to suppress him.
"Forget it!" Ukai laughed, shaking his head.
"That guy is just on another level!"
"I don't think we've even seen him play at full strength."
"Guess we'll have to wait for the day someone can finally push him to his limit."
"That is… if such a person even exists."
Bang!
In the final moments of the set, Ushijima Wakatoshi was playing beyond his limits!
He seemed to have realized that Akira was slowly analyzing his attack patterns, so he abandoned his usual habits entirely.
Every spike now came unpredictably, catching Karasuno off guard!
Under his fierce offensive, Shiratorizawa reached match point first!
Karasuno 23:24 Shiratorizawa!!
Just one more point!
Shiratorizawa would take this set and pull back a win!
But this was their serve.
If Karasuno could receive it cleanly, they would gain the right to attack first!
Kawanishi Taichi stepped up to serve, exhaling deeply.
He knew this was his best shot at securing victory.
It was difficult, but if he could ace this serve, they'd win instantly.
If Karasuno got control of the ball, however, stopping their number 7—Akira—would be nearly impossible.
Closing his eyes, Kawanishi steadied himself.
At the sound of the referee's whistle, he tossed the ball and launched a powerful jump serve straight toward Karasuno's backline!
Right at Tanaka Ryuunosuke!
The ball looked like it might land just outside the boundary—but it was also dangerously close to the line!
For a split second, Tanaka hesitated.
Should he let it go?
But there was no time to gamble!
This was Shiratorizawa's match point!
They couldn't leave their fate up to chance!
Bang!
Tanaka gritted his teeth and made the decision—he dove forward and picked up the ball!
It soared into the air, flying straight toward Sugawara Koushi.
Seeing Tanaka's choice, Kawanishi sighed quietly.
He had hoped the hot-headed player would let the ball drop, but Tanaka had made the right call.
Sugawara, as expected, chose the safest option.
He sent the set to Akira!
It was the most reliable way to score.
After all, Akira had the highest success rate of any player on the court!
Boom!
The entire Shiratorizawa team focused their eyes on him, scanning for any weaknesses.
If sheer concentration could set something on fire, Akira would already be ablaze from the intensity of their gazes!
Swoosh!
As Akira took his final step toward the net, three Shiratorizawa blockers jumped at the same time!
They had to stop him.
Even if they couldn't fully block him, they had to at least slow him down!
They just needed one more chance—one opportunity for their ace to attack!
Smack!
But Akira's spike wasn't as powerful as expected!
Instead, he executed a soft touch, tipping the ball against Semi Eita's blocking hands!
The ball rebounded and flew out of bounds!
No!!
Goshiki Tsutomu's eyes widened in shock. He sprinted under the net and dove, desperately trying to save the ball.
But he was too late.
The ball hit the floor.
The score was tied again!
"Damn, both teams are going all out!"
Oikawa Tooru sighed from the stands.
"At this rate, this match could go on for several more rounds."
"Oikawa, should we leave?"
Iwaizumi Hajime asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't wanna stick around and watch Karasuno standing on the podium."
"Karasuno?"
Iwaizumi glanced at Oikawa, catching the way his rival's smirk widened.
"Hold on. If Shiratorizawa just needs two more points, that means they're about to win, right?"
"Ahh, Iwa-chan…"
Oikawa made an exaggerated, disappointed face and ruffled Iwaizumi's hair playfully.
"You're still too naive!"
Iwaizumi swatted his hand away, scowling.
"Tch, quit messing around. What do you mean?"
"That number 7 on Karasuno… He's way too clever."
"He hasn't even gone all out yet!"
Oikawa leaned forward, watching the court with a knowing grin.
"And guess what?"
"It's his turn to serve next."
"Shiratorizawa won't survive two more points against him."
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I Won't Upload next Chapter 😈😈