[19] Grade 11: IH National Tournament
...They're really difficult to deal with.
Imadegawa echoed the sentiments of the starting players from Inarizaki.
He affirmed the legend that Inari-zaki was protected by the Inari god.
These fox-like attendants under the Inari deity were cunning enough to successfully feint attacks several times, thus getting past the front-row Aoyagi.
—For Aoyagi, who is emotionally sensitive, as long as he doesn't avoid the outside world and calmly observes it, he can easily see through other people's intentions.
His eyes seemed to be magnified, and his opponent's unconscious little movements and emotions were clearly visible to him, like threads of silk.
The cunning fox, however, is a master of concealment. Before it has caught its prey, it can suppress its restless heart and wait for the best "hunting opportunity" to suddenly pounce out from the corner.
Even the perceptive Aoyagi was fooled by them a few times.
Even if he was fooled, he still had an intuitive free agent backing him up.
For the pink-haired libero, no matter how the opponent plays, as long as he sees the ball coming towards him, he will go to receive it without hesitation.
As the match point approached, Inarisaki's offensive became increasingly fierce, so intense that it ignited the stadium, and the tense situation spread from the stadium to the stands in both halves of the court.
Crane Pavilion's No. 1 and No. 4 launched another perfect fast attack.
"My God! How did they even manage to spike that ball?!"
"That's too fast! There's no way to defend against that ball!"
"This speed, this teamwork... these students these days are terrifying..."
As the character listened to the gasps of the audience around him, he thought absentmindedly:
I don't think I've ever seen Imadegawa jump pass...
So it's not just a lack of wrist strength, but also a lack of stamina?
Even without jumping passes, Imadegawa's passing is incredibly consistent, with every lift perfectly placed. Number 4 is practically his other half, hitting exactly where he points.
...I kind of want to dunk his pass.
......
On the court, Wei Bai spiked the volleyball with all his might.
The scoreboard turns to a new page below Inarizaki's name.
——
Tsurumeikan: Inarizaki
24:22
——
Hemingguan reached the point of victory within minutes.
The match point at Tsurumeikan was like a sharp knife hanging over the heads of the Inarisaki players, making their momentum even stronger.
The Inarisaki starters gritted their teeth, holding on tightly to the crane's throat, creating opportunities for the attackers. In the end, Ooshiro tore back this hard-won point for Inarisaki.
Wei Bai wiped away the sweat that had slid down his chin to his neck.
His Inarizaki team uniform was completely soaked and clung to his chest and back.
The extended match length was actually the most exhausting for these attackers. As long as the volleyball didn't touch the ground, they had to jump and spike repeatedly. Even if the ball wasn't meant for them, they still needed to jump to cover for the actual target.
But Inarizaki's attackers could only jump, jump, and jump again!
In volleyball, a sport that defies gravity, only by constantly jumping and throwing their bodies into the air can they touch victory.
Inarizaki's serve landed in the air above the half of the court at Tsurumeikan.
Imadegawa squinted as he watched the volleyball fly over his head.
That's about it.
He said this to himself lightly.
The murmurs of discussion in the stands and the analyses from the commentators faded from Imadegawa's ears; he heard all the sounds from the eighteen-square-foot arena.
The heavy breathing of the players, the screech of their shoes against the floor as they moved across the court, and the whooshing sound of the volleyball spinning through the air at high speed.
Immediately following was a sharp "snap" as Saotome's sneakers scraped the floor from the back row, and a brief "smack" as the volleyball hit his arm.
Finally, there was the "whoosh" of the volleyball breaking through the air once again.
Jin Chuchuan stood still, turned to the side, and raised both arms.
The volleyball was like the head of the No. 4 middle blocker at Heming Hall, eagerly stuffing itself into the outstretched palm of the setter at Heming Hall.
—It was like a slow-motion replay; from the moment Imadegawa received the volleyball, time seemed to slow down very, very slowly.
The audience in the half of the Heming Hall seemed to have a premonition, covering their mouths and watching the setter intently.
Kakuna's gaze was fixed on Imadegawa's hand.
"What a beautiful pass!"
Even the commentator's rapid-fire exclamations seemed to slow down, "The setter's anticipation was simply divine! With absolute trust in his teammates and a keen sense of the ball's trajectory, he received the ball from the first pass with the simplest of movements, as if it were a pre-written script!!!"
"Who will he pass the ball to?"
On the court, Big Ears' eyes were fixed on the setter from Heming Hall.
Are we going to give it to number 4 again?
—The No. 4 middle blocker and No. 1 setter of Heming Hall scored more than ten points in this set with their exceptionally coordinated quick attacks, accounting for more than half of Heming Hall's total score in this set.
The golden-eyed setter held the ball with both hands, her gaze fixed straight ahead, towards the direction of the number 4 middle blocker.
He exerted force through his fingertips and the base of his palm, pushing his arm forward—
Big Ears quickly took two steps to the right.
But his wrist flicked back almost imperceptibly.
The volleyball arced to the left in front of Big Ear's eyes.
The golden-eyed setter withdrew his hand and looked at the other side of the net as if he were observing animals in a zoo.
—Is it a direct transmission from the back of the hand?!?!
Big Ear rushed back to the left and jumped together with the main attacker in position four.
He misjudged the situation and jumped too late; the volleyball grazed the air above his fingertips.
"Smack—"
"Clang..."
Two voices sounded one after the other behind Big Ears.
With a "thud," came the sound of the volleyball hitting the ground; with a "thud," came the sound of the Inarizaki back row player diving to save the ball and his body slamming onto the floor.
The first referee blew his whistle.
"I'll tentatively..."
At the same time, Tsurumeikan No. 9 smiled at the two players in front of Inarizaki.
"She's a middle blocker who can play fast breaks, huh?"
......
When the final ball from Hemingguan landed in the third set, cheers erupted in the Hemingguan half of the court.
The commentator's voice cracked with excitement: "--Back pass fast attack!!! Tsurumeikan setter fooled Inarisaki's defense with a ghostly back pass! The precision, the courage, it's simply art!"
The gong of the Crane Pavilion cheering squad rang out with a long blast, followed by a series of powerful drumbeats, and the music of Gagaku also rang out briefly and cheerfully.
Flag bearers waved the school flag, while cheerleaders held up support fans.
"Crane Cry Pavilion, we've won a round!!!"
The third game is over.
The atmosphere at the Inarizaki half of the match was somewhat somber.
However, apart from the Inarisaki supporters who looked the most frustrated, the audience members in the Inarisaki stands who supported Inarisaki didn't seem too upset, they just sighed with a hint of regret.
After all, Inarisaki had already won two of the first three games, and the score difference in the third game was not too large.
The fourth game started quickly.
Hemingguan had the right to serve at the start of this game.
Now, Chuan has once again taken the number one spot.
When serving in the previous game, since it wasn't the opening serve, the Tsurumeikan cheering squad only briefly and quietly struck the taiko drum.
In this game, after the captain of the team stood on the service line at the Heming Hall and the referee signaled the start of the game,
The support team at Heming Hall continuously struck gongs and drums, accompanied by elegant music playing uplifting melodies. Flag bearers held high the school flag, while cheerleaders simultaneously unfurled crane-patterned fans.
Unlike the Inarisaki Brass Band's highly penetrating cheers, the Tsurumeikan cheers group's combination of various instruments creates a bright, solemn, and sharp effect.
The crisp sound of the gong, the deep resonance of the taiko drum, and the gentle melody of the gagaku all combine to create a seemingly restrained yet incredibly powerful effect.
The golden-eyed captain of the Crane Cry Hall pressed down to stop the volleyball spinning in his palm.
The cheering squad's voices abruptly stopped.
The audience inexplicably held their breath.
Imadegawa throws and bats the ball——
The volleyball hits the ground!
A point is scored with a no-touch serve!
The gongs sounded simultaneously, as bright and cheerful as the cry of a crane.
Even though Inarizaki's starting players tried their best to save the ball, they were still outscored by Tsurumeikan by six points at the start of the fourth inning.
Tsurumeikan continued to battle Inarisaki with this six-point lead.
In the fourth inning, Inarizaki's starting lineup was exhausted and their overall performance declined, allowing Tsurumeikan to pull ahead by two points in the middle of the game.
Coach Kurosu once again sensed the uncontrollable restlessness emanating from Inarizaki's starting players.
Blackbearded Dharma Master sighed inwardly.
...Still not calm enough.
Coach Kurosu tried to ease the players' mentality during the intervals between sets, as well as during several regular and technical timeouts in the previous and current sets, but it was not very effective.
When facing such a tough opponent, the most important thing is to keep a steady mindset and not be led by the nose.
Inarizaki has faced strong teams before, but most of them rely on a violent, break-through strategy, emphasizing "breaking the rules with force."
Some schools with strong defenses also rely on a "wall of iron" composed of tall middle blockers as a means to counter strong attacks.
However, the situation at Heming Hall was different. Apart from the No. 4 middle blocker who made some progress in blocking, the blocking level of the other players was ordinary.
The school stabilized the score with its unassuming yet gentle and steady first pass, slowing down the overall pace of the game.
However, Inarizaki's pace accelerated after Captain Tsurumeikan entered the field. The chariot that should have been charging towards victory was now being pushed out of control by the enemy from behind, crashing and ramming around the field.
As Tsurumeikan attempted probing fast breaks and spikes, and as Tsurumeikan repeatedly received their spikes, the restlessness in the hearts of Inarizaki's starting players involuntarily spread throughout their own half of the court.
Captain Tsurumeikan is like a psychology professor who can cleverly step on Inarizaki's baseline and then probe down three points each time, quietly and gradually breaking through Inarizaki's starting lineup's psychological defenses without arousing the players' vigilance.
Blackbeard, the supervisor, was biting his handkerchief inwardly.
—With such manipulative skills, why bother playing volleyball? You could dominate a chess tournament instead.
Director Kurosu completely believed what Director Yamazaki Tachibana had once guessed—that the captain of Tsurumeikan might have a powerful background, which was why he was able to be parachuted into a high position in the department as soon as he enrolled.
A family that can raise someone with this kind of mindset is definitely not an ordinary family. Maybe their prenatal education started with books like "The Art of Kingship" and "The Thick Black Theory"...
That's outrageous!!!
————————
I should be able to finish writing about the match against Inarisaki in about one or two more chapters.
Aside from this national tournament, they'll likely face Inarizaki at least twice more in the next three years. (A moment of silence for the foxes in advance.)
My opponent in the quarterfinals is Shiratorizawa. Shiratorizawa's storyline will probably be a bit longer than Inarizaki's; there are quite a few people from Ushijima this year. And there's a really great plot point I really want to write about—please let me write about Shiratorizawa!
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