[18] Grade 11: IH National Tournament
"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
Amidst the boos from the cheering squad members in their own half of the field.
"Beep—"
Blackbeard called a timeout.
This is the fifth point scored by Hemingguan.
The current score is Tsurumeikan: Inarizaki 6-0.
On the field, Inarizaki Ace, who made a diving save but failed, stood up in a disheveled state.
There was no smile on his face, and he spoke rapidly, each word like a bullet, bursting forth at his starting lineup.
"Is he a first-year high school student?"
"You're junior high students who graduated just over three months ago, right?" This was said to Akagi and the other first-year high school students.
"You're not a member of the national youth volleyball team, are you?"
Of the five points served by Captain Tsurumeikan, apart from the first point being a no-touch point, Inarizaki managed to touch the volleyball at least once on the subsequent four points, but they failed to get the volleyball over the net.
Even on the fourth ball, thanks to Akagi and Ace's efforts to save it, they didn't even have a chance to get the ball across the net to give Tsurumeikan an opportunity—in the chaotic spin of the volleyball, the middle blocker's spike sent the yellow and blue volleyball to the marker pole.
The ball startled the little chubby bird, which had been hovering on the marker pole, and it flew away from its original position with a "chirp chirp chirp" sound, moving to the scoreboard next to the assistant referee.
Coach Blackbeard strode onto the court, pressing down on the ace's upper arm. "What happened?"
His gaze, however, fell on Akagi: "Although the last two shots were reverse sidespin shots, we analyzed them yesterday. The last shot was almost successful, so what was the reason for the last shot?"
At just over thirty years old, before even turning forty, Kurosu Hōshō had over a decade of coaching experience. He could tell at a glance that Akagi was getting impatient.
As for Akagi's personality, he doesn't need much comforting; he just needs someone to point out his problems directly.
Akagi readily admitted, "It was my fault for not passing the ball properly."
The previous shot, which he failed to dunk, ultimately affected the libero's mentality.
However, Coach Blackbeard noticed in time and stopped his mental state from deteriorating.
"And you too, relax, don't tense your arms too much." Blackbeard patted Ace with his backhand.
Ace grunted in agreement and relaxed his forearm as instructed.
Coach Blackbeard gave a few more technical pointers to the players on the court, and the timeout ended.
Back on the coach's bench, Blackbeard Homō crossed his arms, his brows still furrowed.
They are usually the ones putting pressure on other schools, but this is the first time they have been pressured by a dark horse school that made it to the national competition for the first time.
Director Kurobe looked at the captain of Tsurumeikan with a complicated expression.
The captain of the second setter team at Heming Hall executed this psychological tactic flawlessly.
First, they used a banana kick to surprise the opponent, then they added various types of volleyballs with different spins.
The first two balls established the impression that they were difficult to receive, the third ball added the impression that they were extremely deceptive, and the fourth ball emphasized to the Inarisaki team that even if they received them, they would be difficult to spike, putting pressure on Inarisaki's half of the court step by step.
How could a crane, which seems so noble, have such a black heart?
After Coach Kurosu adjusted the mindset of Inarizaki's starting players, the ball successfully cleared the net, although it became an opportunity for Tsurumeikan.
The seriousness between the black-bearded supervisor's brows lessened slightly.
—It was easily blocked by the No. 4 middle blocker of Heming Hall.
Blackbeard's brows furrowed again.
—Big Ear was rescued by the net!!!
A less-than-standard first pass was received by setter Inarizaki, who then opted to use her ace setter.
...It was a pretty good decision.
Blackbeard's brows relaxed slightly.
—It was blocked again by the No. 4 middle blocker from Heming Hall.
Blackbeard's brows furrowed again.
The angle of the ball that was blocked was very poor, so setter Inarisaki had to receive the first pass, and the other outside hitter at the net barely managed to fill in for the setter.
The ball was lobbed high, and Inarizaki's backcourt ace began his run-up—
It was a feint! A goal for the net player!
Big Ears launched a straight attack at the captain of the setter team in the backcourt of Heming Hall.
A slight smile crept across the black-bearded supervisor's lips.
The choice of target was very appropriate!
Although the captain of the Crane Sound Hall team has not yet demonstrated his first pass skills, the strategy of forcing the setter to receive the first pass is the right one.
Imadegawa had no intention of receiving the ball; he simply avoided its path and stepped to the right front.
The rest of the starting lineup at Heming Pavilion will fill his spot.
The volleyball hit the arm of the outside hitter in position six as he came to receive the ball.
Hearing the sound of a volleyball whistling through the air behind him, Imadegawa took two small steps forward and then turned to the side.
A yellow and blue volleyball flew toward him in the corner of his eye.
The first pass wasn't quite right, but it didn't have much of an impact.
Jin Chuchuan raised his hand, making a gesture as if to hold a ball.
The volleyball seemed to be drawn by gravity, rushing towards his outstretched palms and landing steadily in his hands.
Inarizaki, with his large ears wide open, stared wide-eyed.
Is it a coincidence?
How can you confirm the trajectory of the first pass without turning around?
Without giving him time to think things through, the volleyball had already taken off from Imadegawa's hands once again.
Wait...wait a minute?!
Who is it for?
A loud "bang" rang out beside Big Ear.
The black-haired middle blocker from the opposite corner of the net had already landed.
The volleyball landed in Inarizaki's undefended midfield.
"Aaaaaahh ...
The cheering squad at the Crane Sound Hall enthusiastically shook their light sticks.
"Yuzuru! Yuzuru! Great story!!!"
"Mio! Mio! That was so good!!!"
The commentator explained the incredibly fast attack to the audience: "Without a jump pass, the setter from Heming Hall delivered this quick, flat, and precise first-rhythm pass with precision. The ball was sent to the hitting point with just a flick of the wrist, and the attacker didn't need to adjust his footwork at all! The middle blocker did not disappoint with this standard pass, and cleanly and decisively scored the point!"
The commentator exclaimed, "60% of the points scored in this fast break came from the setter at Heming Hall. Even without a jump pass, she could quickly and smoothly deliver the ball to the middle blocker's hitting area in the frontcourt. The fast break was executed so subtly!"
No one expected that the setter in the back row of the Heming Hall would choose to launch such a sudden first attack against the middle blocker in the front row.
—A hand gesture for passing the ball from a stationary position without any preparatory force.
Tsurumeikan: The scoreboard at Inarizaki has changed again – 7:0.
The right to serve remains in the hands of the No. 1 captain of Heming Hall.
Blackbearded Dharma Master's brows furrowed completely, concealing his dark eyes.
The starting players of Inarizaki stood one by one on the Inarizaki half of the field, their expressions mirroring those of the Foxes' leader on the coaching bench, their eyes dark and fixed on the field.
The fox cubs from Hyogo Prefecture were no pushovers; they managed to wrest the serve back before the first technical timeout.
The score is gradually closing in.
However, with the arrival of Imadegawa's Tsurumikan, things have become even more difficult.
The two sides battled fiercely through both technical timeouts in this game.
Until Crane Cry Pavilion took the lead in reaching the second-ranked gate.
——
Tsurumeikan: Inarizaki
20:16
——
"It's even harder to spike than the last set." Big Ears wiped the sweat from his face, clutching the hem of his shirt. "Not only is it hard to spike, it's also very difficult to spike over."
His words were a bit abstract, but the people in Inarizaki could understand them very well.
“Good…disgusting…” Inarizaki Ace said through gritted teeth.
"The netting at Crane Cry Pavilion No. 4 is disgusting."
In the third set, the middle blocker from Hemingguan, who had performed only moderately in the first two sets and in the videotape, unleashed 300% of her blocking power.
Whenever Tsurumeikan's number 4 player rotates to the front row, there is a 70% chance that she will appear in the hitting path of Inarizaki's attacker.
Moreover, the people in the front row of Heming Hall have great trust in the judgment of the first-year middle blockers. Once the black-haired middle blocker reaches out and jumps somewhere, there will definitely be one or even two people in the front row who will jump at the same time as him, forming a double block or a triple block that is more difficult to break through.
If you manage to avoid hitting the ball the moment you see Heming Hall's No. 4 blocker, it will most likely go out of bounds. Even if it doesn't go out of bounds, it will be received by Heming Hall's libero in the back row.
What's even more infuriating is that Tsurumeikan No. 4 never trash-talks them—Tsurumeikan No. 4 in front of the net didn't even say a word to Inarizaki, completely ignoring their resentment and provocations, and was extremely arrogant.
But No. 4 of Heming Hall is not the kind of person who doesn't have emotional fluctuations. Every time he blocks a ball, he will look at the captain of the setter team on his own court with bright eyes, like a puppy trying to please its owner.
"Is he some kind of puppy?" Ooshiro, whose previous shot had been blocked again, pointed at the opposing middle blocker, Tsurumeikan, who was receiving a pat on the head from the captain, and said to Ooshiro incredulously.
It really looks like a puppy wagging its tail.
"Then what are we? Little dogs playing catch with him?" Before Big Ears could reply, Tail White continued speaking.
After uttering that rhetorical question, he himself found it absurd and somewhat laughable.
Da Er, whose expression was originally somber, almost couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth.
Akagi burst out laughing.
"If it's an animal sculpture, I'd still prefer to be the fox. You can be the dog, Ooshiro." Inarizaki Ace was successfully drawn to the conversation between his first-year juniors.
Big Ears: "If the white-tailed dog is a dog, what breed would it be?"
"Black, tall, and big, but not very bright..." Akagi stroked his chin, looking thoughtful. "I didn't expect that dogs are all so smart."
Big Ears patted Tail White: "It's okay, Tail White, even if you're a not-so-bright puppy, we'll still be good friends! There's an idiom that says foxes and puppies can be good friends!"
"Is it 'good-for-nothing friends'? That's a derogatory term." - Inari-saki, third-year student, second classmate.
Big Ears quickly took two steps back: "Never mind then, I still want to be the fox god's messenger under the protection of Inari, so I won't be friends with the white-tailed puppy for now."
Tail White, who was the target of concentrated fire: ......
The heavy atmosphere dissipated slightly amidst the banter.
Coach Blackbeard watched with satisfaction as the fox cubs on the field adjusted themselves.
His gaze followed Akagi as he looked toward the captain of the Tsurumeikan.
Black-bearded Dharma Master gripped his knees with both hands and leaned forward slightly.
The players on the field might not have noticed, but Coach Blackbeard on the sidelines saw it very clearly.
The rhythm of the set was controlled by Tsurumeikan's setter, and every counterattack that Inarizaki organized was easily neutralized.
and......
Blackbeard, the supervisor, thought with some concern.
...Inarizaki's individual starters are almost out of stamina.
————————
Hyogo Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture are adjacent, so Inari-zaki's appearances in daily life should be quite frequent? (Not sure yet, I haven't written that much).
Thank you again to all the little ones for the lightning bolts and nutrient solutions! And thank you for all the comments and praise, I'm so happy! My current writing speed is at most 1000 words per hour, and when I'm really stuck, I might not be able to write 500 words in half a day. But seeing all the little ones' contributions every day makes me feel that there's nothing I can't grit my teeth and write.
Thank you so much everyone for your love and support for our little crane! [heart][heart][heart]
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