Chapter 107 Volleyball 67

Oikawa Tooru's face was filled with disbelief.

"Kuri-chan was clearly invited by me to come to Miyagi Prefecture to watch my competition, but that guy Xiao Feixiong actually jumped the gun!"

Iwaizumi, unable to tolerate it any longer, slapped him on the back. "It was clearly you who was a step too slow. Would this have happened if you had gone to pick her up yourself? Why don't you go and invite her to the front seat! That way you can see better!"

"I know, Iwa-chan!"

Looking at the back of their captain running towards the black-haired girl, the members of Aoba Johsi looked at each other in surprise.

If it was just Oikawa-senpai saying this, then there's a chance he was just joking, but now that even Iwaizumi-senpai is saying it, it can only be true—

It turns out Captain Oikawa wasn't kidding; he actually knew that beautiful celebrity, Sana-chan! He knew her so well, so well that he invited her all the way to Miyagi Prefecture to watch him compete!

Yakini Hide was stunned, "Oikawa-senpai and Iwaizumi-senpai, how did you know Sana-chan?"

Iwaizumi was silent for a moment, then answered honestly, "We met while traveling in Hyogo Prefecture."

Everyone: “……!!”

What?! There's such a good thing about traveling!

Hanamaki Takahiro recalled, "I seem to have some recollection. The captain said he wanted to organize a weekend trip for the club to Hyogo Prefecture, but we weren't interested, so we didn't go..."

Matsukawa Kazushige: "That's right. No one responded at the time, and in the end only Iwaizumi and him went."

Iwaizumi: "..."

Yakini Hide: "Damn it! If I had known I'd meet Sana-chan, I would have gone too!"

Kyotani Kentaro, who had been frowning silently, finally joined the conversation: "Is that person a celebrity?"

"Yeah, you don't know Sana-chan?"

Yakini Hideki looked at him in surprise. He had never expected that the guy who was usually quiet and only knew how to smash the ball would actually take the initiative to join in on this topic. "This is the first time I've seen you say something other than 'Give me the ball'! Is Sana-chan really that pretty?!"

Kyotani Kentaro: "..."

Kunimi Hideo, who was also relatively taciturn, looked towards the audience, frowning in thought.

Kindaichi Yuutarou, who was good friends with him, opened his mouth into an O shape and expressed his inner doubts: "That Kageyama actually took the initiative to talk to a girl, and Kunimi, if I'm not mistaken, Kageyama's ears seemed to be red?!"

“…You’re not mistaken.”

Kindaichi Yuutarou was shocked: "It's unbelievable that such a dictatorial guy actually has a girl he likes..."

Guo Jianying: "..."

It should be said that it is difficult not to like Sana-chan.

But wait, how did Kageyama get to know Sana-chan?

…

*

On the other side, in the audience.

"I heard from Oikawa-senpai that I came here today because he invited me." Kageyama Tobio lowered his eyes and looked at the girl in front of him, clenching his fists tightly. "But no matter what, I will definitely win."

"I will show all my strength - today, I will let the senior see the real me."

For a moment, Kurikawa Sana was also stunned.

"Also... after the game, I have something to say to you, Senior."

As he said this, the color of the boy's ears hidden behind his smooth black hair changed silently.

Kurikawa Sana: "!!!"

Is it coming? Is it coming? A special event that will break through the long-stagnant favorability?!

However, given Kageyama-kun's unexpected personality, Kurikawa Sana felt that it would be better not to hold too high hopes.

Maybe Kageyama solemnly asked her to meet him at a place, and then seriously recommended the latest volleyball to her, "Senior, this is the latest volleyball I bought that is of super high quality. It is really great, so I want to recommend it to you"... or something like that.

If it were someone else, they might not be so abstract, but Kageyama feels like he can really do it, and his actions are completely unpredictable.

But Kurikawa Sana still nodded, "Okay, I understand, Kageyama-kun."

"Wait, Kuri-chan!" Oikawa Toru slammed on the brakes and rushed in front of him, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "That's too much, Tobio-chan. It was me who invited Kuri-chan to Miyagi Prefecture—"

Kageyama Tobio thought for a moment, "...Oikawa-senpai doesn't allow me to talk to Kurikawa-senpai?"

Oikawa Toru: “…”

Yes, but also no... Damn it, Xiao Feixiong actually said such scheming words without any scheming at all. How did he do it? He seems so petty!

Oikawa Toru twitched his lips, pushed Kurikawa Sana's shoulders and walked forward, "Let's not talk about that for now, Kuri-chan, come sit in the front. Iwa-chan and I have reserved a seat for you, it's better to sit in the front - you can clearly see how I defeated Xiao Feixiong~"

Kageyama Tobio: “…”

The fist hardened again.

…

In the stadium below, the members of the Karasuno team also looked towards the audience in surprise.

After the Tokyo expedition training session during the summer vacation, everyone in Karasuno got to know Kurikawa Sana, so they were a little surprised that she was led by Toru Oikawa to sit closer to the west grounds of Aoba Castle.

"Sana-chan is here..." Sugawara Takashi looked at his teammates in surprise, "Shouldn't Sana-chan be more familiar with Kageyama and Hinata? Why did she go to Oikawa's place?"

Hinata Shoyo: “…”

"Senior, she does know the king..."

Tsukishima Hotaru pushed her glasses expressionlessly and glanced casually in the direction of the audience.

After leading Kurikawa Sana to sit down, Toru Oikawa quickly returned to his own court to continue warming up and preparing to start the game.

After sitting down, the black-haired girl glanced in the direction of Karasuno.

Then, he met his eyes.

The moment their eyes met, the black-haired girl curved her eyes and smiled sweetly, dazzling and eye-catching.

“…”

The blond boy paused in adjusting his glasses.

…really.

A disturbing guy.

"Everyone—" Karasuno's captain, Daichi Sawamura, clapped his hands, "The game is about to begin, everyone, be alert!"

"oh!!!"

The lights in Sendai City Gymnasium were bright, the referee was in place, and the whistle sounded.

The fateful showdown between Aoba Johsai High School and Karasuno High School has begun again.

Sitting in the audience, Kurikawa Sana looked quietly at the court below, watching every minute and every second very carefully.

In order to better understand the game, she had done her homework in advance and had memorized the names and positions of every player on Aoba Johsi.

There was a loud "bang" sound!

——The first to sound the clarion call of war was Oikawa Toru's powerful serve.

The Karasuno High School third-year players were all very solid in their receiving. Sawamura Daichi caught the ball and it flew straight back to the opposing court. Aoba Johsai's off-spinner Kindaichi Yuutarou smashed it in, but Kageyama Tobio caught it. With Kageyama unable to dribble the ball, Karasuno's libero Nishitani Yu made a clean dribble, and ace Tomine Asahi spiked it in for the score.

It is quite rare in high school games for a libero to fill in the gap and dribble the ball, and then score directly and exhilaratingly, which is unexpected and pleasing to the eye.

The first ball at the beginning of the game was of such high quality. In just a few tens of seconds, there were several back and forth confrontations. It was so exciting that it seemed like the Spring High School Finals, instantly igniting the large number of spectators present.

After breaking Toru Oikawa's serve, it was the turn of Tobio Kageyama and Shoyo Hinata to show their prowess - Tobio Kageyama made a precise and quick pass, and the ball miraculously "stopped" at the highest hitting point that Shoyo Hinata could reach, and finally the latter smashed it down with a "bang"!

The whole audience was silent.

Kurikawa Sana also opened her eyes wide in surprise.

Finally, Kageyama and Hinata overcame it, successfully improving their original "Monster Quick Attack" that had been blindfolded. Now, Hinata can open her eyes and freely judge and choose the direction of the ball in mid-air, making the already formidable weapon evolve to a point that is enough to intimidate any opponent.

Looking at their current seamless chemistry, who would have thought that during summer vacation they were still fighting over whether or not to open their eyes during a monster's quick attack? Kurikawa Sana suddenly felt quite relieved.

Everyone has evolved during that brilliant and warm summer training.

The first game was won by Karasuno in one go. In the second game, the coach of Aoba Jonisi sent out Kyotani Kentaro, who looked and played in a style equally fierce. Kurikawa Sana was sitting close to him and could clearly hear Oikawa calling the opponent's nickname "little rabid dog".

Before going on stage, "Mad Dog" Kentaro Kyotani glanced towards the audience.

Kurikawa Sana: "...!"

When her eyes met the other person's, Kurikawa Sana couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

The boy had a short, spiky blond haircut with two lines of black stripes on both sides of his head.

As his name suggests, he has a "mad dog" temperament, a unique hairstyle, and fierce and sharp facial features with dark black eyeliner. Just one glance at him leaves a deep impression on people.

Following the direction of Kyotani Kentaro's gaze, he saw Kurikawa Sana and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Sure enough, even a rabid beast whose mind was filled with only thoughts of fierce attack would be attracted by the unusually beautiful flowers.

"Little mad dog, focus on scoring." Oikawa Toru couldn't help but remind him.

The other party completely ignored him.

Iwaizumi also noticed the direction of Kyotani Kentaro's gaze and frowned, but felt that this was perfectly normal.

Iwaizumi said, "Kyouya, prepare to serve."

This time Kyotani Kentaro actually reacted, and responded very quickly: "Oh, I see."

Oikawa Toru: “…”

Why does the little mad dog always listen to Iwa-chan? Is it because Iwa-chan is so strong that she defeated him in the arm wrestling competition? Damn, does he still have any dignity as a captain?

Kurikawa Sana in the audience also came to her senses and continued watching the game.

The system asked in her mind: [What's wrong, Sana? Were you scared by his eyes just now? ]

Kurikawa Sana: [No, I just feel...]

System: [What do you think?]

Kurikawa Sana: [His hair looks like Adidas! The kind with one stripe missing!]

system:【……………】

This mad dog boy, whose hairstyle resembles the Adidas version with one stripe missing, was full of momentum when he came on the court. The power and angle of each ball he shot were quite amazing, making him the heavy hitter who scored the most points in the game.

But unlike traditional and reliable ace like Ushijima Wakari, Kyotani Kentaro deserves the nickname "Mad Dog". His playing style is really like a rabid dog, rushing around recklessly. When he is excited, he can even knock his teammates away just to score.

Although Karasuno used the precious double setter tactics, sending Sugawara Takashi and Kageyama Tobio to the court at the same time, Kageyama Tobio has excellent height, strength and skills, while Sugawara Takashi used his serve to restrain Kyotani Kentaro who was in good form.

And with Sugawara Takashi on the court at the same time, it was difficult for the opponent to tell whether Kageyama would pass the ball or attack and score. Through the rhythm of the double setter and Yamaguchi Tadashi's increasingly skilled jump floater, Karasuno recovered a lot of points.

But in the end, after an unstoppable smash from Aoba Johsai's ace Iwaizumi, the second game was still won by Aoba Johsai, with the total score at 1:1.

Kurikawa Sana took a deep breath.

The real deciding game is here. This game will determine who will face Shiratorizawa and who will have the ticket to go national and step onto the Spring High School stage.

At the beginning of the third game, Kyotani Kentaro was seen through by Tsukishima Hotaru.

Taking advantage of the opponent's irritable personality, Tsukishima Hotaru induces Karasuno's senior Tanaka Ryunosuke to provoke Kyotani Kentaro, successfully making the opponent angry and reluctantly spike many balls that he knew were impossible, completely destroying the Aoba Johsai team's originally excellent rhythm.

After Aoba Johsai lost points consecutively, Kurikawa Sana saw that Tsukishima Hotaru seemed to look in her direction.

The young man in the black and orange uniform of the Karasuno team had platinum eyes that were calm and full of rationality, but he soon turned away in a haughty manner, hiding his achievements and fame.

Only the system's "ding" sound prompted [Tsukishima Hotaru, Favorability +1], proving that the other party's gaze just now was not her illusion.

Kurikawa Sana was silent for a moment.

I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but I always feel like Tsukishima-kun was just... asking for praise?

But soon, Toru Oikawa turned the situation around with just one ball.

With Aoba Johsai losing points and falling behind thanks to Kyotani Kentaro, every point was crucial. Knowing that the third game would directly affect whether or not they could qualify for the nationals in their final year of junior year...

When his teammates, opponents, and the audience all looked down on Kentaro Kyotani, and when even he himself was in self-doubt—

Oikawa Toru still chose to pass the ball to him without hesitation.

The setter's long, powerful fingers, like a conductor, lifted the yellow-blue volleyball, and Oikawa Toru shouted the other player's name: "Little Rabid Dog!"

The ball drew a graceful arc in the air. Kurikawa Sana clearly saw that when Kyotani Kentaro looked up at the ball, his eyes became clear and no longer confused.

Instead, the boy's eyes were filled with a hidden emotion of realizing that he had been completely embraced and accepted into the team, as well as unparalleled confidence and determination to repay the opponent with points.

Kurikawa Sana couldn't help but hold her breath.

Even if she closed her eyes and didn't watch the next game, she could foresee that Kentaro Kyotani would definitely score with this shot.

Suddenly I felt the strength and charm of Oikawa Toru.

As a setter, he dares to use attackers that others dare not use. He can perceive the status of the players every minute and every second, and mobilize and stimulate the strongest potential that even they themselves have not realized.

Furthermore, Oikawa Toru redeems his teammates' souls. When his juniors are completely lost, his unhesitating, trusting dribbling ball seems to tear apart the dark sky and bring unprecedented light.

But such a person as Toru Oikawa never made it to the national level once during his six years in junior high and high school.

Kurikawa Sana suddenly felt as if her heart was stung by a tiny insect, causing a sour and painful sensation.

With this devastating goal, Kyotani Kentaro was completely integrated into the team. He no longer focused on himself and fought alone. His offensive power and stability increased by more than one level.

Oikawa Toru's powerful serve was once again powerful. While it had shocking power, it also maintained the accuracy of ball control. He successfully scored directly without anyone touching the ball, making the opponent fall into the fear called "Oikawa Toru's serve" again.

The game was still going on, and the score was at a breathtaking 25:24 - Karasuno 25, Aoba Jonasai 24.

Everyone was as tense as a string that would break if pulled, and even the audience in the auditorium were stunned.

The reason is simple, it's just that this game was so exciting. From the beginning to the end, everyone gave 120% of their effort and gambled all their strength. Every time the ball landed, it was the roar of the young souls on the field.

As soon as the last ball was sent out, it went through two rounds of first pass, spike, reception, and then another pass in just over ten seconds...

Aoba Johsai tried his best to save the ball from the pass, but the opponent's spike was too powerful and the ball flew far outside the court.

Kurikawa Sana saw Oikawa Toru running towards the ball with all his might, pointing his finger at Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumi Kazuya instantly understood what Kokunen Ran meant. Over a decade of friendship and unconditional trust propelled him to the highest point! Meanwhile, Oikawa Toru unleashed a perfect, ultra-long, swift pass from the outside of the court!

The tremendous speed and inertia caused Oikawa Toru to fall backwards after scoring that goal, his back hitting the sidelines hard, and he fell to the ground completely! But he seemed to feel no pain and got up immediately without a second of hesitation.

The moment he got up, Toru Oikawa's shoes slipped because he stepped on the cloth under the tables and chairs, but he still struggled to stand up again and ran towards the Aoba Castle West Stadium.

The boy, who has always been free and easy, doesn't care at all whether he is in a mess at this moment. His heart and eyes are filled with the yellow volleyball that carries all his dreams and love.

“……!”

Looking at this scene, Kurikawa Sana felt that her eyes seemed to become a little sore, and also brought a burning heat, as if tears would flow out in the next second.

Oikawa-kun…

The ball that Iwaizumi spiked was caught by Karasuno's Daichi Sawamura and Ryunosuke Tanaka. The ace Asahi Tomine also spiked it with force, but was caught by Kentaro Kyotani with an extremely low horse stance and reverse wrist move.

Then it was Kageyama Tobio's turn to spike the ball, but it was blocked by Kindaichi Yuutarou. The ball bounced onto Sugawara Takashi's forehead, and Sugawara Takashi completed an unexpected pass with his forehead!

This final point, after six rounds of first and second passes and spikes, still couldn't decide the winner! Everyone present—players, coaches, and spectators—held their breath, their hearts in their throats.

What broke the tense atmosphere was Hinata Shoyo's almost voice-breaking shout.

“Pass it to me!!!”

It was almost uncontrollable, and Kurikawa Sana had to use all her strength to suppress the urge to tremble in her fingertips.

Facing the ironclad three-man block formed by Iwaizumi Ichi, Kindaichi Yuutarou, and Kyotani Kentaro, Hinata Shoyo focused intently, his orange eyes clearly reflecting the direction the winning ball should take—

Two sounds of "bang" and "bang"!

The yellow-blue volleyball first hit the fingertips of Aoba Johsai's blocker, then flew backwards, hitting the hand of Oikawa Toru who was stretching out to catch the ball, and flew out of the court again.

The hitter was out of bounds.

26:24, the whistle sounded.

When the dust settled, Karasuno won.

After a brief silence, the audience in the venue burst into warm cheers, cheering for Karasuno's upset victory and cheering for this extremely exciting game!

In stark contrast to the jubilant Karasuno team, the Aoba Castle West team was filled with desolation and sadness, with some of the younger team members already in tears.

Iwaizumi Kazuya lowered his head and clenched his fists, feeling regretful for not being able to score the last goal.

Sana Kurikawa, who watched the entire game, felt mixed emotions. She put her hat back on, stood up and left the stadium.

Let's go outside first and give some time to the members of Aoba Johsai.

Oikawa-kun and Iwaizumi-kun must both want some quiet time of their own right now.

…

*

The evening twilight dyed the sky a fiery red. The setting sun climbed in through the glass windows of the Sendai City Gymnasium, shining on the iconic golden human face on the first-floor wall of the gymnasium, and on this golden sculpture that witnessed and recorded the youthful memories of too many young boys and girls fighting hard on the field.

After the game, on the first floor of the gymnasium, Tetsugo Oikawa saw off Wakari Ushijima with an expressionless face.

That guy Ushijima just said some classic lines like "Oikawa, you've taken the wrong path", "Give up your insignificant self-esteem", "Come to a better place and display your true strength"... It's really infuriating.

Over the years, he didn't know how many times he had heard Ushijima say these words, but every time the guy persisted, and every time Oikawa Toru heard it, he felt a new sense of anger.

But the next second, when he saw the black-haired girl under the golden statue on the wall, Toru Oikawa clearly felt that his anger seemed to have suddenly dissipated a lot.

...It's her.

The setting sun cast a dreamy and beautiful hue on the girl's waterfall-like black hair. Toru Ikawa saw the golden human face statue on the wall behind the girl every year, but he had never left this place and had no chance to see the venue of the Spring High School finals, Tokyo Musashino No Mori Gymnasium.

Every year he would come to the Sendai City Gymnasium and lose to Shiratorizawa Academy where Ushijima Wakari was. This year he lost directly to Karasuno High School and even lost the chance to play against Shiratorizawa.

He also personally invited Kurikawa Sana and let her see the whole process of his loss to Karasuno.

Kuri-chan... must think he's lame, right? Oikawa Toru gave a helpless, wry smile.

As soon as the game ended, when he came back to his senses from the pain of losing the last game in high school, the first thing that came to his mind was that the person he invited from afar might still be waiting for him.

But when he looked towards the audience, the girl was no longer there.

Oikawa Toru was stunned for a moment.

Did she leave early because of work? But seeing the empty message on her phone, she seemed unsure.

So, are you disappointed in him?

Looking at the dazzlingly beautiful girl in front of him, Ikawa Toru forced a smile with some effort and said, "I'm sorry, Kuri-chan, for letting you see me in such a shabby state..."

Before he could finish his words, he saw Kurikawa Sana slightly shaking her head.

"That's not the case. Oikawa-kun is nothing inferior."

She strode towards him and took his hand.

The girl looked up at him, her jewel-like blue eyes reflecting his surprised face.

"Oikawa-kun is the best setter in the world."