"Itachiyama knew Taichi is sharp against blockers, so they deliberately used Iizuna Tsukasa as bait?"
Even Oikawa Tōru hadn't expected that attack to be blocked.
"Looks like they've been preparing for this for a while..."
Kaedehara Taichi landed, momentarily stunned.
He couldn't even remember the last time—
He felt the frustration of being blocked.
Kindaichi Yūtarō was the first to react, stepping forward with concern.
In every match up to now, Taichi's spikes had been nearly unstoppable—
He always managed to pinpoint the weakest spot in the opponent's defence, scoring again and again.
Even against teams with airtight blocking, his attacks would at worst be dug—
But never outright stuffed.
"...Hah. Been a while since I've felt that."
Taichi muttered under his breath, his tone laced with frustration and reflection.
He had reminded himself countless times—
Never underestimate the opponent.
But after winning game after game, marching all the way to the finals—
With the championship right there within reach—
He had let his guard down.
Even the slightest mistake could cost them everything.
A sharp, crisp sound rang through the court.
Kaedehara Taichi had slapped both hands against his own face—
The sudden noise startled everyone.
Both teams instinctively turned to look.
"...No way, you're beating yourself up over one point?"
Komori Motoya muttered, exasperated.
A deep red mark spread across Taichi's cheeks—
A colour as bright as flames.
Was sharper than ever.
Whether it was the overwhelming temptation of victory,
Or the ease with which he had won up to now turning confidence into arrogance—
Komori's eyes held a mix of admiration—
That slap wasn't just for himself.
It was a message to his teammates—
The atmosphere on the court had just started to settle.
Taichi's actions sent a shockwave through both teams.
It was like a massive stone dropped into still water, sending ripples through every player on the court—
A stark reminder of exactly what was at stake.
A chill ran down the backs of Itachiyama's players.
They were being hunted.
Sakano Sawaji blasted a powerful jump serve over the net—
Watari Shinji received it smoothly.
Oikawa adjusted his position and set the ball high to the left.
Kaedehara Taichi took off from the back row, launching himself over the net.
Iizuna, Sakusa, and Mizushima Yū all went up together—
Their hands forming a near-impenetrable wall.
But Taichi kept rising.
Sakusa felt a twinge of disbelief.
This was supposed to be the strongest block formation against him.
No avoiding the block.
Taichi drove the ball straight into Sakusa's arms—
Not even a second passed before—
The ball smashed through.
Sakusa's hand positioning barely wavered—
It was blown open by sheer force.
The ball slammed into Itachiyama's court and bounced high into the air.
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[Aoba Johsai 18 - 14 Itachiyama]
"Taichi charges in and absolutely PUNCHES through Itachiyama's triple block!"
Commentator Ōtomo practically shouted into the mic.
"That last block didn't shake his confidence one bit—"
"No—if anything, he looks even sharper now!"
"Even though he could've easily hit over the top—"
Commentator Aoi was just as excited.
"Taichi chose to go straight through the block instead! That kind of fearlessness is insane!"
"He didn't just adjust his mindset—he turned the pressure back on his opponents!"
"Aoba Johsai reclaims the serve!!!"
"Taichi, that guy…He really makes you feel at ease."
Iwaizumi Hajime stepped onto the service line, exhaling.
"Honestly…even I feel like he's pushing me to break my own limits."
He tossed the ball high—
Every ounce of his offensive spirit—was poured into this serve!
A ferocious jump serve tore through the air, streaking toward Itachiyama's back row.
Takeshita Yūshin barely managed to receive it.
Komori Motoya dashed past the baseline, just keeping the ball in play with a high lob toward the net.
Sakusa Kiyoomi leapt—
Kaedehara Taichi and Kindaichi Yūtarō jumped together.
In a middle attack, the available angles were limited.
But Sakusa did the unexpected—
A cut shot in the opposite direction of his approach.
Iwaizumi dived, arms outstretched—
But the ball deflected off his hands and went out of bounds.
Sakusa Kiyoomi scores!
[Aoba Johsai 18 - 15 Itachiyama]
"No surprise from Sakusa! Aoba Johsai still hasn't managed to cleanly dig his spikes!"
"His topspin is just too tricky to judge," Commentator Aoi chuckled.
"Not to mention—he's the only second-year among the previous Big Three Aces."
"That means Taichi's basically in the same position now, doesn't it?"
Commentator Ōtomo grinned.
"Hahaha, yeah, you could say that..."
Iizuna Tsukasa stepped up to serve again.
If Itachiyama wanted to break through—
This was their chance.
Iizuna blasted a heavy serve.
Iwaizumi barely kept it in play, his reception shaky—
Oikawa Tōru rushed into position.
Kaedehara Taichi raised his left hand from the backline, calling loud and clear.
"He's really trying to take pressure on himself," Oikawa muttered, smirking.
With a flick of his wrist—
The ball soared high into the centre.
Taichi launched off the ground.
Iizuna felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
Aside from Sakusa, no one's serves had been able to slow down Aoba Johsai's attack.
Sakusa, Mizushima Yū, and Nishimura Hiroyuki all jumped together.
Sakusa had a bad feeling—
And the next second, it came true.
The ball ripped through the block—
And slammed into Itachiyama's court.
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[Aoba Johsai 19 - 15 Itachiyama]
"Don't run away now, Sakusa-senpai,"
Taichi grinned, voice light—
"But if you try a little harder, you might just block me again."
Sakusa's expression darkened.
Because in that moment—
A shadow of Ushijima Wakatoshi in Taichi's movements.
Annoyed him even more.
His arms, still tingling from the repeated impacts, twitched slightly.
Sakusa wouldn't let himself react this way.
"You're nowhere near Wakatoshi."
"And even Wakatoshi spikes—I'll block them. Every last one."
Taichi tilted his head, eyes gleaming.
"I'm Kaedehara Taichi, Sakusa-senpai!"
[T/N] - If you guys want to read 50 Chapters in advance of the current story, you can support me on my . Trust me, it's awesome!
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