The ball bounced lightly on the court.
The setter's intention has been read?! Oikawa Tōru whipped his head around, only to see Kuroo Tetsurō grinning slyly at him.
"Hey, don't bully my setter!" Kuroo teased, his voice directed at Kaedehara Taichi.
Wait a minute, Kuroo-senpai, the ball you blocked wasn't even one I spiked…
According to you, Taichi 'bullied' your setter, right? So why are you taking it out on me?!
"Ah, it's been received! But—"
"Kuninami, spike it!"
"Argh—it's been picked up again!"
The ball was sent to Taichi's position. Using a feint, he tricked Inuoka and gently tipped the ball over, landing it right behind him.
[Aoba Johsai 22 VS 18 Nekoma]
"Phew…" The players of Aoba Johsai were breathing heavily, sweat dripping down their faces.
"Senpai, have you noticed? It's getting harder and harder for us to score," Kindaichi fumed, furrowing his brows.
Yahaba Shigeru nodded gravely. "Yeah, they're adapting to our offence. Each rally is dragging on longer and longer."
The ball was becoming increasingly difficult to land.
Nearby, Kyōtani Kentarō's face twisted in frustration. For spikers like him, nothing was more annoying than a team like Nekoma.
Three points left. It was only the first set, yet from midway through, every rally had become an exhausting grind. Each point was desperately fought for, each moment spent wishing the ball would just hit the floor already.
Yet their opponents refused to let go.
Even though Nekoma was trailing, not a single player showed any sign of panic.
"We are the blood that flows, smooth and unyielding, delivering oxygen to ensure the 'brain' functions properly!"
This wasn't just a motivational mantra. Every Nekoma player was giving their all to extend the duration of the first set, creating as much time as possible for Kozume Kenma to think.
Don't let the ball hit the floor!
Until Kenma completed his analysis, this was their only mission.
Now, Kuroo Tetsurō noticed Kenma's slightly tilted head finally lower, his eyes glinting as subtle signals began to radiate toward his teammates. Kuroo knew—Nekoma's "brain" had finished processing.
Aoba Johsai served. Fukunaga Shōhei smoothly passed the ball to Kenma, who set it high above the net. The remaining Nekoma players launched into an attack formation simultaneously.
Which side? Taichi's mind raced. Kenma's delay in moving made it impossible to predict the spiker.
As the ball hovered just above the net, Kenma suddenly jumped and gave it a light push.
The ball's trajectory shifted slightly, veering toward Aoba Johsai's court before naturally dropping into their side.
Kenma Kozume scores with a setter dump!
[Aoba Johsai 22 VS 19 Nekoma]
"Damn it, I completely forgot about that." Kaedehara Taichi stood frozen in place, his mind unable to process what had just happened.
"That was a setter dump right?!" Kindaichi whipped his head toward Yahaba Shigeru. "I remember that's a move Oikawa-senpai loves to use."
"It was," Yahaba replied through gritted teeth, frustration evident in his tone.
Another setter better than me…
Yahaba had always been confident in his abilities. Among Miyagi's Top Four, he believed himself on par with players like Kazumasa Hanayama from Wakunan, Kaname Moniwa from Date Tech, and Kenjirō Shirabu from Shiratorizawa.
What held him back, however, was the presence of an exceptionally talented senior setter. For two years, Oikawa Tōru's brilliance had overshadowed Yahaba, limiting his opportunities to shine.
Yet, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. After all, it wasn't every day you encountered a setter so talented that you had no choice but to admit defeat.
However, Yahaba's recent experiences had shaken his confidence. First, there was Kageyama Tobio from Karasuno—a first-year whose talent even Oikawa acknowledged as superior. And now, today, he was facing Nekoma's Kozume Kenma.
"To think a frail-looking setter could pull off a complex setter dump like that...It's completely unexpected."
"Huh? Why would you say that?"
"Well, someone like Oikawa-senpai has a strong presence, you know? His serves and sets are powerful, and even his setter dumps feel like they're mocking the opponent."
"But Nekoma's setter….he's so unassuming. Even when he does something amazing, it doesn't feel as obvious."
Is that really how it looks to non-setters? Yahaba fell into deep thought.
"It's because of Nekoma's exceptional reception skills," Coach Irihata interjected, having overheard the players' discussion. He was always pleased to see his team thinking critically, though he couldn't help but feel Kindaichi wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.
"To execute such a varied offence, the most important thing is to return the ball accurately to the setter. Nekoma's reception allows their setter to fully unleash his potential."
"Our own reception, however, isn't at that level. Oikawa compensates for it by running all over the court to set, which requires immense skill. Naturally, it makes him stand out more."
Coach Irihata mused silently, If Aoba Johsai is a team held together by Oikawa Tōru's extraordinary talent, Nekoma is a team that connects through collective reception precision.
"By the way, Taichi's earlier misjudgment also stemmed from this. Because Nekoma's first touches are so precise, their setter barely needs to move. With minimal preparatory motion, it's nearly impossible to predict where he'll set the ball."
The sound of the ball hitting the court echoed as Nekoma scored again.
[Aoba Johsai 22 VS 20 Nekoma]
The game was slowly shifting into Nekoma's rhythm. The longer you played against them, the harder it became to break through their defence.
Nekoma served. Inuoka's serve was unremarkable, easily received by Iwaizumi Hajime. Oikawa leapt and set the ball, triggering a multi-directional attack from Aoba Johsai.
Iwaizumi's back-row attack was received by Yaku Morisuke.
Nearly every Nekoma player excelled at receiving, and their one-on-one defensive strategy had a surprisingly high success rate against Aoba Johsai's multi-attacks.
Taichi immediately moved up, this time fixating on Kenma's every action.
As Kenma prepared to set, Taichi noticed a fleeting glance toward Yamamoto Taketora on the left rear side.
Without hesitation, Taichi stepped sideways, positioning himself to block Taketora's potential spike.
"No. It's going to the right."
Kenma's soft voice broke the silence as he set the ball to Kuroo Tetsurō on the right.
Kuroo spiked the ball down.
[Aoba Johsai 22 VS 21 Nekoma]
Was that glance just a trick? Oikawa had also caught Kenma's subtle look toward the left rear earlier.
"Taichi, you're pretty sharp," Kenma said, fixing his gaze on Kaedehara Taichi. "You observe your opponents and think critically during the game."
"And your reactions are quick enough to keep up with your thoughts."
But that's precisely why you were fooled, Kenma thought, though he didn't say it out loud.
Instead, he smiled at Taichi, his eyes brimming with anticipation.
"Do you have something even better up your sleeve?"
[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!
Link - (P)atreon.com/Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]