This isn't the first time in this match.
It's just a small mistake right now—but they believe in it firmly.
Because once enough small mistakes pile up...
It's enough to crush someone!!
"Phew!"
"One more point!"
And Ryūnosuke Tanaka, who had just made a receiving error, wasn't blaming himself like everyone from Nohebi expected.
In fact, to him, making a mistake like that was probably just the beginning!
Tanaka has always seen himself as just an ordinary guy.
Not a genius. Not a monster.
In this match, with Nohebi going all out, he knew he wouldn't shine as much as he did in the last game.
He might even mess up more often than not.
But so what??
Even if he makes mistakes—even if his performance is totally average…
That's no reason to give up!!
Starting to blame himself for mistakes, then playing worse and worse...
That kind of downward spiral? That's for suckers!!
That won't happen to me—Ryūnosuke Tanaka!!
Everyone has their highs and lows.
That's completely normal!
In the last match, I already hit my peak.
So isn't it totally normal to hit a low point this game?
If someone falls apart just because they're in a slump...
Then that's not Ryūnosuke Tanaka!!
Smack!
Across the net, Nohebi's attack had already begun!
"Left wing!"
Akira shouted from the side.
Tanaka snapped out of it immediately and rushed forward to block!!
Seeing this, a gleam of excitement flashed through Suguru Daishō's eyes as he prepared to spike.
That bald guy from Karasuno had just spaced out. Does this mean…
Their plan is already starting to work?
Daishō specifically aimed his spike at the zone closest to Tanaka, hoping to break through his block.
To deal a fresh blow to an already fragile mindset…
A wicked gleam lit up Daishō's eyes.
Smack!
A powerful straight spike shot toward the opening in Tanaka's block!!
But...
At that moment, Akira, who had jumped beside Tanaka, moved his hands sideways as if he could see the future—
And shut down the spike right in front of Daishō's stunned eyes!!
"Huh…"
"Don't you think your eyes gave it away a little too much?"
Even under normal circumstances, it's hard to get past Akira's block.
But just now, Daishō had locked his gaze on Tanaka's position before he even jumped.
Akira had already seen what was coming.
So stopping the spike? Piece of cake.
Whoosh—
Daishō exhaled heavily, then walked back to regroup in silence.
He'd finally come to his senses.
That last attack—he'd rushed it.
He hadn't even taken time to check the rest of the court.
He was too obsessed with shaking up Karasuno's bald player.
And now? Had his own focus been shaken instead?
Realizing this, a cold sweat ran down Daishō's back.
When did that start…?
Whoosh—
"You good, Daishō?"
"It's just a point. Don't overthink it!"
Seeing the look on his face, his teammates assumed he'd been hit by the ball just now.
"I'm fine! I'm fine!"
"Just a little distracted," he replied, shaking himself out of it.
"Stick to the original plan."
"Yes, sir!"
"This Karasuno team…"
"They're not going to be easy to deal with."
In the stands, the teams who had just wrapped up their own matches had arrived to watch.
Among them was the team that had topped Group C—Ichibayashi High.
They had just defeated their opponents and secured a place in the top 8.
Which meant that this afternoon, they would face the winner between Karasuno and Nohebi.
Naturally, they'd shown up early to scout the match.
"Nohebi's cheap tricks... don't seem to be working."
"Hmph. Only teams without real strength would resort to those kinds of tactics."
Ichibayashi's captain and setter, Yōsuke Fumizuki, snorted coldly, clearly unimpressed by Nohebi's antics.
"As a volleyball player, I find them shameful."
"Hahaha!"
Their main attacker, Keiichi Daigo, laughed and said:
"So it looks like we'll be facing Karasuno this afternoon?"
"They don't seem easy to beat."
At that, the group fell silent.
From where they sat, it was obvious how powerful Karasuno was.
After watching the match for a while, Yōsuke Fumizuki spoke again:
"Building the entire team around individual strength alone…"
"Just like Shiratorizawa used to."
"There's no cohesion at all!"
The moment he mentioned Shiratorizawa, all of Ichibayashi tensed up.
Because last year at Spring High, their team had been completely crushed by Shiratorizawa.
Before that match, almost every one of them believed they'd win.
From their perspective, Shiratorizawa was a one-dimensional team.
No teamwork. No finesse.
Just brute force—relying solely on Wakatoshi Ushijima's monstrous spikes to win.
How could a team like that ever beat them??
But once they actually stepped on the court, reality slapped them hard.
Their supposedly flawless team play didn't win them the game like it had in the past.
In fact, when none of them could even receive Ushijima's spikes…
What good was their teamwork?
Because if you can't even make the first touch, what's the point of your passes, attacks, or "perfect" coordination?
It's all meaningless!!
In that match, the formation they'd thought was seamless had been shredded by Ushijima's sheer power.
And they'd been humiliated.
Badly.
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