At some point, the spectators on the sidelines realised something—this match was no longer just a battle between the two aces.
It had become Bokuto Kōtarō VS Kyōtani Kentarō.
Sarukui Fūto stood frozen in place.
Bokuto Kōtarō had always been the player he aspired to surpass. Kaedehara Taichi was the opponent he had set his sights on in this match.
But this Kyōtani Kentarō—who the hell was he?!
Why did Aoba Johsai have another monster-level player?!
The serve rotated. Kyōtani Kentarō stepped up to the service line, while Kaedehara Taichi moved into the front row.
"Kid, maybe you're talented. Maybe you think you're strong enough." Taichi stood his ground in the front row. "But in my career, I've defeated guys like you so many times that I can't even count them on both hands."
The referee's whistle cut off Sarukui's response.
Kyōtani Kentarō tossed the ball, sprinted forward, leapt, and struck.
The sheer force of the serve was overwhelming!
Bokuto Kōtarō received it head-on, but the ball rebounded straight back toward Aoba Johsai's side.
Kaedehara Taichi took off.
"Watch for the tip!" Akaashi Keiji shouted.
"So fast!" Sarukui barely had time to react. I was keeping my eyes on him the whole time!
He jumped a fraction of a second late to block.
The ball slammed down past Sarukui—landing inside Fukurodani's three-meter line.
Kaedehara Taichi scores.
[Aoba Johsai 18 - 18 Fukurodani]
The score was tied once again.
"By the way," Taichi added with a smirk as he walked back to position, "that speed you're so proud of? It's nothing special."
Akaashi Keiji scowled. This guy was too much.
"Sarukui—" Akaashi started, hoping to say something to ease the tension.
"I know, Akaashi-senpai!" Sarukui's voice was steady. "Mentality is just as important as skill in a match."
The higher you climbed, the stronger your opponents would be.
Sarukui had always known he wouldn't have a smooth journey. After all, neither his idolized older brother nor Bokuto-senpai had ever won a national championship in high school.
Kaedehara Taichi raised an eyebrow at the fire in Sarukui's eyes. "You're more interesting than I thought."
Sarukui met his gaze head-on. "Someday, I'll beat you. No opponent can stand in my way forever."
Taichi's eyes narrowed, his lips curling into an amused, knowing smile.
Kyōtani Kentarō launched his second serve.
The ball smashed into Naganohara Yukawa's arms and deflected out of bounds.
Kyōtani Kentarō aced the serve.
[Aoba Johsai 19 - 18 Fukurodani]
Kyōtani had suddenly found his rhythm. After struggling in his previous serve rotations, he was now tearing through Fukurodani's reception line.
"Fukurodani calls a timeout."
Now trailing, Fukurodani needed to double down on their offence.
As expected, defensive inconsistencies were a weakness in any team that had lost its third-years.
The timeout successfully threw off Kyōtani's rhythm. When the play resumed, his next serve went out of bounds.
[Aoba Johsai 19 - 19 Fukurodani]
The score was tied once more.
Fukurodani's serve—Onaga Wataru jump-served aggressively.
Nakamori Daiki handled it with ease.
Kaedehara Taichi sprang into the air for the attack.
"Double block!" Akaashi Keiji and Sarukui Fūto went up.
Kaedehara aimed for Sarukui's fingertips and spiked.
The ball brushed off Sarukui's fingers, soaring deep toward Fukurodani's backcourt.
Bokuto Kōtarō's eyes lit up.
He had already moved into position near the baseline.
What seemed like a wildly out-of-bounds ball was intercepted mid-air—Bokuto sent it flying back into play!
Akaashi Keiji quickly adjusted, setting to the left wing.
Sarukui took flight for the spike.
Kaedehara Taichi and Yūki Yōji stood in his path.
Sarukui's diagonal shot to the right was completely shut down by Yūki Yōji.
Aoba Johsai scored off the block.
[Aoba Johsai 20 - 19 Fukurodani]
"Who said I'd always be the one blocking your way? Try beating our middle blocker first," Kaedehara Taichi said with a sly smile.
"You're...Yūki?" Sarukui Fūto looked at the player he had overlooked during middle school. No wonder Yūki had greeted him before the match—he just hadn't remembered him at the time.
"Yes," Yūki Yōji replied without a change in expression. Even if he hadn't been remembered, it didn't bother him.
"Most people don't remember opponents who pose no threat to them," Taichi had told Yūki before the match. "So this time, I'll make sure he never forgets you!"
With the serve rotating, Yahaba Shigeru sent out a jump float serve.
Fujimiya Yoshiro received it, and Akaashi Keiji set the ball toward the middle. Sarukui Fūto leapt for a spike.
Yūki Yōji jumped to block.
"Only one blocker? Did they read our play?" Sarukui glanced at Kaedehara Taichi, who hadn't moved at all.
Akaashi had signalled for a step attack earlier—this ball was actually meant for Bokuto Kōtarō behind him!
This was too good an opportunity.
Sarukui only had a single blocker in front of him. It was obvious that Taichi was focusing on defending against Bokuto's back-row attack instead.
Sarukui forced his spike through.
"Where are you looking?"
The ball was stuffed straight down by Yūki Yōji.
Although he had no idea why Sarukui hadn't followed the play and had gone for the attack instead, the ball was already dropping. Reacting instantly, Bokuto kicked the ball back into the air, and Takeshima Kanjitsu jumped to spike it.
By sheer luck, Takeshima had a completely open net in front of him.
Kaedehara Taichi lunged two steps to the right, jumping at an angle just in time to block Takeshima's spike.
This time, no one could save it.
The ball hit the ground.
Kaedehara Taichi scores with a block.
[Aoba Johsai 21 – 19 Fukurodani]
"When you're in the front row, Fukurodani's attack power really drops," Taichi continued pressing Sarukui. "No matter how strong you were before, if you're making reckless spikes like that, there's no way you'll break through Aoba Johsai's iron wall."
"I'm sorry!" Sarukui bit his lip, sweat trickling down his forehead.
Sarukui didn't feel like himself anymore. He was still thinking, still trying to find a way out of this situation, yet the more he tried, the more mistakes he made. Confusion surged in his mind, and anxiety built up like an unstoppable tide.
Akaashi Keiji exchanged glances with Coach Takeyuki on the sidelines and let out a quiet sigh.
Kaedehara Taichi was too ruthless.
Sarukui's decision had been sound—against a single blocker, his usual ability should have been more than enough. But it was clear that Sarukui had become overly fixated on Taichi, which had made his attacks hesitant and uncertain. It was as if an invisible pressure was binding him, making his movements stiff and unnatural.
Fukurodani requests a substitution—Nakamura Tomohisa IN, Sarukui Fūto OUT.
As Sarukui walked off the court, his eyes remained clouded with confusion and unease.
"Taichi, you're really bullying him," Akaashi muttered, frowning.
"What do you think, Bokuto-senpai?" Taichi asked with a grin.
Bokuto glanced at the dazed Sarukui on the bench. "He's Yamato's little brother, right? Then he'll be fine."
"Someone who grew up aiming for a national championship isn't going to break that easily. If anything, getting an early taste of the final boss will only make him work harder."
"Exactly! Akaashi-senpai should be thanking me," Taichi said with absolute confidence.
"...Sure." Akaashi deadpanned.
"Bokuto-senpai, did you learn that 'final boss' analogy from Kenma?"
"Hahaha, cool, right?" Bokuto beamed proudly. "The whole 'Bokuto Beam' thing also came from one of Kenma's games!"
"Ohh, that does sound cool."
"And, and! My serve is actually a 'Spirit Bomb'—too bad I didn't score earlier, or I would've called it out!"
Akaashi sighed deeply as he watched Bokuto completely forget about Sarukui.
How long was he going to have to keep looking after these guys…?
[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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