Chapter 16 IH Preliminary 2 Let's win this match. ...

The spectators of the other team who received the yellow card warning obviously calmed down a lot, but it only lasted for a few minutes after the whistle. When Rikkai University was in control of the rhythm, there were still people who seemed to be making trouble by shouting words like "Hold the ball, hold the ball".

Not to mention the opponent themselves, as long as the ball is close to the baseline or sideline, no matter what the referee's gesture, saying "out of bounds" first seems to give them an advantage. It was only after the referee expressed his dissatisfaction that they finally restrained themselves a little.

Senior Igarashi was the first to fall into the opponent's carefully designed trap.

Abe-senpai saved a shot from the opponent, but before Matsumoto-senpai could adjust, Igarashi-senpai leaped up, hoping to catch her off guard. The opponent's front row, sensing her eagerness, leaped up and pressed down with both hands, successfully intercepting the ball.

"Rikkai University, huh?" followed by a burst of laughter.

Fortunately, in the next ball, when the opponent organized a fast break again, Senior Abe, who was waiting alertly near the three-meter line, successfully defended. Matsumoto Genon made a passing gesture, successfully deceived the opponent, and then scored a second attack.

A very troublesome and disgusting opponent.

Yuihara Kaoru served. After the whistle blew, a muffled "boo" emanated from the crowd at Shiqiu Private School on her left. She closed her eyes, calmed herself, and used the most successful serve, a standing start.

The ball landed on the opposing setter, successfully disrupting their strategic organization. Rikkai University scored repeatedly, and the opposing coach called a timeout.

"Control the tempo," Matsumoto Genon said, taking in the expressions of each of his teammates. "This is the first time we've encountered an opponent like this. Playing mind games is a bit dirty, but isn't it more satisfying to win?"

"That's right!" Abe Makoto comforted Kotomi Igarashi who was in a bad mood.

Igarashi Kotomi, easily impulsive and overwhelmed, squeezed her sports drink bottle until it creaked. Even during the one-minute pause, strange noises could be heard from the audience across the street.

"Rikkai University's support isn't that great either!"

"Tachikai Orangutan~Tachikai Orangutan~"

Yuihara Kaoru held Igarashi Kotomi's hand, and then Abe-senpai also put one hand on her. Igarashi-senpai's voice was suppressed and angry: "What the hell are these!"

Equally angry, Yuihara Kaoru turned to glance at the other side. The 190cm tall deputy attacker on the other side was also observing them. Following Yuihara Kaoru's gaze, he quietly mouthed, "Nothing more than that~"

Yuihara Kaoru raised half of his mouth and gave her a smile.

Matsumoto Xianyin, who was staring at her, noticed her change sharply and quickly put his arm around her shoulders: "Don't be impulsive!"

"Hmm..."

That familiar feeling of disgust washed over her. In junior high school, whenever Ito won a game, he would deliberately pick on her like this.

She didn't like this feeling, didn't like someone jumping around in her strengths, and didn't like the tactic of disturbing others with trash talk.

Yuihara Kaoru looked up at the iron frames and steel beams on the ceiling, and the glass covered in a layer of black mist. The air coming from the air vents was filled with thick moisture, making her breath sticky.

She lowered her head and adjusted her knee pads, then seemed to calm down and said to Matsumoto Genon, "It's okay, Buchou."

"If... Igarashi-senpai isn't in good shape later, just pass it on to me. I'll find a chance."

Matsumoto Gensune nodded in response.

Yuihara Kaoru made a jump serve, and the opposing libero held the ball up and passed it to the second attacker very quickly. The opponent's 190cm tall deputy attacker only needed to jump lightly, and the volleyball had already passed the net. Kobayashi Megumi blocked the ball and hit the opponent's hand. Senior Abe, who saw the ball's path clearly, was about to chase it, but a shout of "out of bounds, out of bounds" came from the opposite side. Abe, who was disturbed and hesitated for a moment, was unable to catch up.

She hit her leg in frustration: "I'm sorry!"

Matsumoto Genyin shouted sternly: "Senior! Next ball!"

Abe Zhen returned to his seat.

The opponent served, and after receiving the first, Matsumoto Hei pulled the ball to fourth position Kotomi Igarashi. Igarashi's diagonal spike was blocked. The attack was still carried out by the tallest secondary attacker. She jumped over the double block of Kobayashi Megumi and Matsumoto Genon and gently lobbed the ball, and the three back row players of Rikkai University were unable to defend it.

"Oh, Rikkai is really just like that~" People on the other side excitedly high-fived and hugged each other, while Rikkai University seemed a little dull.

Several people patted each other on the shoulders, silently comforting each other.

The score of the first game has reached 23:20, and they still have to ensure that they don't make any mistakes in five balls in order to win the game with difficulty.

At this moment, the sound of cheering sticks waving came from the stands: "Always win Rikkai University! Let's go Rikkai University! Always win Matsumoto! Always win Igarashi! Always win..."

Ms. Kinomoto in the coaching booth and the substitutes in the player's bench all joined in the cheering, shouting out everyone's name.

Yuihara Kaoru looked up, gazing intently at the stands—in the front were her friends, followed by familiar and unfamiliar classmates or seniors, and finally, the one waving the Rikkai University flag was the least visible boy in the class. She didn't even remember if she had ever spoken to him.

His movements at this moment gradually overlapped with those of Yukimura Seiichi on the day of the barbecue competition. She heard Yukimura Seiichi say, "Let's cheer for Rikkai University!"

Yes - they are nothing special, but aren't the opponents more afraid, so they try to defeat them in this way?

"Rikkai University," she heard her voice echoing throughout the venue: "Keep going!"

Oh my goodness, it suddenly lit up. Matsumoto Genon thought, how can I be more passionate than the minister!

But the next second, she couldn't help but shout out with everyone else: "Come on!"

Yuihara Kaoru's eyes pierced the net, closely following her opponent's every move. Forgetting herself... forgetting her opponent... and forgetting the noisy, almost subtle personal attacks from the opposing crowd...

There is only that volleyball in her eyes, her grandfather's smile and praise when she blocked the ball more than ten times for the first time when she was young, her parents' pride and glory when she was successfully selected for the school team at the age of ten, and her own joy and excitement when she stood at the top of the national competition at the age of fourteen - these are more important than the behavior of her opponents.

So, she saw Abe-senpai successfully pass the ball, saw Matsumoto-senpai pass it to her from behind, saw herself suddenly leap high, saw that the opponent's defense was just so-so - and then dunked it with determination.

The sound of the volleyball hitting the opponent's court again and again, "dang, dang, dang", is always so beautiful.

I want to crown myself in every game.

The moment she landed, her teammates surrounded her. She was overwhelmed by the smiling faces. The thunderous cheers and shouts of "Jiehara Jiehara" from her own stands overturned the black fog brought by the rain.

Grasping a ray of sunlight that broke through the sky, she looked towards the stands again.

The smile on Yukimura Seiichi's face was exactly the same as hers.

She looked at Matsumoto Genon again, who was also looking at the audience. With her eyes drooping, Yuihara Kaoru put away her previous emotion and returned to her seat in silence.

Win the game!

This goal blew the horn of Rikkai's counterattack. Matsumoto Genon also learned to act like a true team brain, occasionally reminding everyone with simple words what to do. For a moment, everyone seemed to forget the initial setbacks and, like Yuihara Kaoru, only focused on the ball and their teammates.

26:24, Rikkai University won.

At the beginning of the second game, they still maintained their good form, and the opponent gradually became embarrassed in the face of such tight defense and efficient attack.

The 190cm tall secondary attacker, the climax of the match, was still searching for opportunities. As long as Rikkai University gave them a chance to breathe—for example, now!

With no one guarding her, she passed the signal to her teammates, who understood it immediately and diverted the firepower for her. The setter pretended to pull the ball to the fourth position, but actually passed it flatly, and the deputy attacker immediately drove the ball to the ground.

"Shiqiu is first! Shiqiu is first!" The audience, who had been suppressed for a while, finally started shouting again.

Matsumoto Genyin calmly instructed: "Don't be confused, keep the rhythm."

"receive."

Only Abe Makoto was staring intently at where the ball had landed.

The opponent, having tasted the sweetness of the secondary attacker's fast break, attempted to break through from this point for several subsequent balls. Rikkai University's front row players had to divert their attention to blocking, and the back row libero Abe Shin became the most important defensive shield.

The passive counterattacks were not going well, and the opponent scored several goals in a row. Abe Shinya began to get impatient. The score was now 19:16, and Rikkai University fell behind again.

Don't be disturbed by that fast break!

Matsumoto Gensune and Yuhara Kaoru thought of this problem at the same time, but the opponent's 190cm tall deputy attacker had already hit the ball, and Kobayashi Megumi and Igarashi senior didn't even have time to jump again.

The ball was going too fast, and Senior Abe, who had just lost the ball, rushed forward again without hesitation.

In just a moment, Yuihara Kaoru discovered with horror that the volleyball hit Senior Abe directly in the face, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground with no way out.

No one cared where the ball flew to, but just ran as fast as possible to Abe Makoto, who was lying on the ground with his hands covering his face.

"Abe!" Kotomi Igarashi put her arms around Abe Makoto's neck and helped her sit up, while Genon Matsumoto tried to pull her hands away from her face.

Abe Makoto's voice came muffled from between his fingers: "It doesn't matter... continue the game!"

Blood was already dripping down her palms and wrists, and Yuihara Kaoru quickly waved for Miss Kinomoto and the medical staff to come over.

"It seems that the blood vessels in the nasal cavity were hit. It needs to be treated. You absolutely cannot do any strenuous exercise now." The doctor judged.

Matsumoto Gensune bowed to Miss Kinomoto and said, "I'm counting on you, teacher."

Miss Kinomoto didn't expect something like this to happen. She covered her chest and her face turned pale, but she still responded firmly: "Leave it to me!"

Matsumoto Genon also arranged for manager Kobayashi Anne to accompany her and Sakurai Rika to warm up.

Abe, with a towel covering his face, was helped out, leaving behind only a sentence full of regret and unwillingness: "Come on, everyone, come on Rika!"

The shocking red bloodstains on the floor were quickly cleaned up, but there—everyone looked at that spot, as if they had burned a hole in the floor.

Rika Sakurai, who came on as a substitute, stood in the libero's position with a serious look on her face.

Win this game.

For the audience who supported them, for their teammates who were forced to leave, and for themselves.

The author has something to say:

----------------------

[Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head] It’s really hard to write about the competition. I’ll send you super sweet cookies after I finish writing about it!