"Hey, Matsukawa, maybe it's just me, but do you think there's a chance that the first-year's serve from the other side might actually be stronger than yours?" Hanamaki Takahiro asked, his expression blank, his neck stiff as he turned his head.
"Hah? No way, absolutely not!"
Matsukawa Issei, clearly frustrated, shook his head fiercely like a kid who just lost his candy
"There's no way a mere first-year rookie could be stronger than me, a third-year senior! That serve just happened to be a lucky shot, that's all!"
"Even if it was luck, it's still terrifying! Damn it, do junior high students these days already serve like that?" Yahaba Shigeru wiped cold sweat from his forehead. It might be hard to believe, but that last serve had just whizzed past him, brushing right by his side. He actually had a chance to touch the ball first, but in the end, he didn't even raise his hand.
Because he was scared.
When that ball screamed through the air, it didn't feel like a volleyball at all, it was more like a cannonball. For a moment, he was honestly afraid he might get hit.
Looking back, it sounds ridiculous, but that feeling has stayed crystal clear in his mind.
"Tch, what's there to be so surprised about? I could serve like that back in junior high!" Matsukawa stubbornly retorted.
"But when you first joined Aoba Johsai, your first serve was caught by your senior." Iwaizumi glanced at him coldly, cutting through his bragging.
Matsukawa's face flushed red with anger. "I was just unlucky, that's all… And it's normal not to beat the seniors when you're a first-year! …Besides, setting isn't about winning or losing, right?"
What followed were some lines about "respecting seniors" and "team unity." but it didn't lighten the mood on the white team.
Because at that moment, Akashi Asuka was about to serve again.
Matsukawa sneered, "Tch, damn genius."
"Akashi, make it a good one!"
"Don't hold back, rookie! Blow those bastards away!"
Ryuhei Sanashita, Watari Shinji, and Akira Kunimi each gave Akashi a shout of encouragement.
Only Yūtarō Kindaichi stayed silent.
At that moment, he was busy shrinking his head down, covering the back of his neck, and dodging toward the edge of the court.
A soft breath escaped as Akashi tossed the ball high into the air, then started his run-up, jump, and swing...
The explosion of the hit echoed as Akashi's eyes lit up.
"Hmm, not bad at all."
That familiar, soft yet springy feel from the ball told Akashi the serve was solid.
The volleyball screamed over the net, heading straight for Yaguchi.
Reflected in his eyes was the ball's trajectory. The rushing wind that arrived before the ball itself blotted out his thoughts. His mind went blank except for one lingering thought:
"What the hell? That last serve wasn't even full power?"
The fear he'd felt before briefly returned, but only for a moment. Yaguchi's gaze hardened.
Who has time for that now?
This is the rookie match! If I get scared by a newcomer's serve, how can I be a senior to others later?
Snapping back to focus, Yaguchi shifted his footing and charged forward to receive the serve.
But the brief lapse cost him the advantage. Before he could get into position, the ball slammed into his chest. His balance shifted, and he plopped down onto the floor...
Two sounds echoed across the silent court.
The first was Yaguchi hitting the floor, the second was the volleyball bouncing off.
Both teams stared at Yaguchi, shock, worry, and disbelief in their eyes, but mostly pure astonishment.
Yaguchi sat frozen, his expression blank, as if he still hadn't processed what just happened.
Maybe it was the shock, because even the white team hadn't noticed yet that their morale, which had been rising with Iwaizumi's encouragement, was already plunging back down to freezing point after Akashi's two direct-point serves.
Only Ryuhei Sanashita quietly imprinted the scene in his memory.
"Volleyball is the only net sport among ball games. Because there's no physical contact, players tend to forget how violent this sport really is."
"Usually that doesn't matter, but when someone suddenly awakens that memory, players will feel unsettled, maybe even afraid."
"And by coincidence, we have a 'super violent player' on our side. His serves aren't just raw power, they're a kind of 'violent conviction' stamped into every hit. His serves are almost merciless. Whether you catch them or not, they always leave a deep psychological impact on the opponent, and sometimes, not just the opponent."
Sanashita glanced back at his teammates. Sure enough, not only the white team, but also his own teammates, Watari, Kunimi, and Kindaichi, had all become slightly dazed.
Meanwhile, Akashi behind the baseline radiated an increasingly intense, restrained aura. From afar, he looked like a bottomless abyss swallowing everything, or a volcano about to erupt. Definitely no warm or inviting vibe.
Sighing quietly, Sanashita thought:
"Well, he is my team's ace. So I guess a fierce aura is just part of the package."
Actually, Sanashita first noticed this trait in Akashi during the final match of the junior high national tournament, right after Sanashita himself had been forced off by injury.
Sanashita still remembered it vividly.
Aoba Johsai had been at a huge disadvantage. The opposing crowd's cheers thundered across half the arena.
But when Akashi served that ball, the entire court fell silent, players and fans alike.
And that day, Sanashita saw Akashi's aura for the first, and last, time in junior high.
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