[27] Grade 11: IH National Tournament
"...Judging from the precise interception trajectory of the Tsurumeikan player, the defense of this level of Tsurumeikan can no longer be simply described as 'impregnable'—it's practically a moving Great Wall, an absolute defense that leaves all attackers in despair!!!"
The commentator's voice echoed throughout the stadium.
The Shiratorizawa stadium was quiet in the first half. After Ushijima's powerful spikes were repeatedly caught by the libero at Tsurumeikan, the Shiratorizawa stands would fall into silence again and again.
When Ushijima Wakatoshi's spike was successfully blocked by Tsurumeikan's block, the cheering squad in Shiratorizawa's half fell into a deathly silence, as if the air had frozen.
"That Ushio Island..."
"Weren't you very good in junior high school...?"
"I don't understand..."
Is it a coincidence?
There was some spectators in the stands behind the cheering squad talking amongst themselves.
"The defense at Heming Hall is too tight. It's one thing for the libero to be able to receive the ball, but now even the middle blockers can block spikes with this kind of power."
"It makes sense that No. 4 from Tsurumeikan was able to get a touch on Ushijima's spike right from the start, and was able to block Ushijima in the third set."
"This type of school is very rare."
"Shiratorizawa's monotonous 'one-point attack' is too easy to counter. As long as the opponent can block their ace main attacker, the whole team is like a snake with its vital point pinched."
Viewers who support Shiratorizawa freely expressed their dissatisfaction.
"Shiratorizawa has quite a few attackers, so why did the setter only pass the ball to Ushijima?"
"What was the setter thinking? Ushijima's scoring rate isn't good either. He's being heavily guarded and blocked by Tsurumeikan. Tsurumeikan's first touch on his spikes is so secure. Tsurumeikan's libero is getting better and better at receiving his balls. Shouldn't the ball be given to the other attackers first?"
"If Ushijima isn't going to pass the ball, why let him get it to the net? He knows Tsurumeikan is watching him..."
"That ball should have been given to Taira, what's wrong with Seti?"
...
Why wasn't that ball passed to Taiping?
Setmi asked himself.
Why was Ushijima given the best attacking position first, when Ohira was clearly the optimal target?
...If the craftsman is supervising, is it necessarily correct?
Should we continue to focus on Udo Island as the "core" of our strategy?
Ushijima's spike is no longer a game-winner for Tsurumeikan.
So, should we continue to pass the ball to him?
A jumble of thoughts, like an unmanageable ball of yarn, tangled up Seti's mind.
Ushima's expression remained unchanged after being stopped, but the light in his eyes shone even brighter.
Tendou exclaimed in surprise, "Eh? Eh? Eh?" and looked Aoyagi up and down.
Taihei and Soekawa pinched each other's arms, exclaiming in surprise.
Supervisor Lu Jiang's gaze was fixed on the No. 4 middle blocker in the Crane Cry Pavilion, his lips pressed into a straight line.
The spotlights of the Nagoya Municipal Volleyball Hall shone directly on the players in Shiratorizawa, each in a different state.
It also stared directly at Semi and the scoreboard on the sidelines, which had been turned over.
——
Tsurumeikan: Shiratorizawa
20:16
——
No one noticed the wavering in Eita Semi's heart.
Only the sharp, knife-like light seemed to dissect him inch by inch from the top of his head.
Imadegawa turned his head to the side, his gaze sweeping lightly across Semi's face.
...It's almost done cooking.
——————
...Terrifying.
Even heavy artillery can be stopped.
Kakuna was relieved that he had given up on using Imadegawa to "threaten" his black-haired senior so early on.
If he really goes, the black-haired senior might block him and "threaten" him to stay far away from Sichuan.
Grateful to have left Sichuan today.
When he gets back, he'll help Jin Chuchuan edit a highlight video and post it on the forum.
The Inarizaki team behind him.
"See? I told you that black-haired guy at the Crane Pavilion's netting barrier was disgusting!!!"
Ignoring the strange looks from the audience around him, Inarizaki Ace loudly chirped.
"His ability to predict spikes with such precision is one thing, but now he can even block those powerful spikes—that's even worse!!!"
"He can see through the attacker's spike trajectory and withstand powerful spikes—is he some kind of alien?"
“Senior, thinking about it from the other side makes me feel more at ease—” Wei Bai looked at the figure on the field, his voice filled with relief.
"He can block even those cannonball-like spikes without flinching. It's no wonder he shut down all our shots yesterday."
Wei Bai rubbed his wrist, which felt a little numb and dazed. The frustration of being blocked repeatedly yesterday turned into a strange comfort.
——————
In the next (NAEC) match, Aoyagi blocked two more spikes from Ushijima in the front row, proving that his previous block of the powerful spikes was not just due to luck.
The atmosphere at Shiratorizawa's halftime was somber. Most of the starting players looked grim, while the substitutes unconsciously gripped their towels. The usually enthusiastic cheering squad fell silent.
Ushijima, who was under blockade by Tsurumeikan, simply wiped the sweat from his brow calmly, his eyes showing no sign of wavering.
—It was an aura unique to Ushijima, as if it were the composure of someone who had been through countless battles, the resolve of a strong person who would jump with all their might even if they were blocked ten times.
Supervisor Heron watched his ace player's retreating figure and nodded to himself.
However, Semi was not affected by Ushijima's composure. After the third goal he passed to Ushijima was blocked by Tsurumeikan, he became the starter with the most unstable mentality in Shiratorizawa's half.
The rest of the starting lineup were at most just heavy-handed, while their setter, the centerpiece of the team, was looking at the scoreboard frequently like a novice.
——
Tsurumeikan: Shiratorizawa
22:17
——
Both Imadegawa and Semi, playing in the halftime of the game at Tsurumeikan, were looking at the scoreboard.
...We only need three more points to win this game.
Imaichi's gaze lightly swept across the opposite half of the field.
Winning this game shouldn't be difficult...
Should we try to increase our visibility in this event?
Whether it's Shiratorizawa or Heavy Gun, their role in the storyline and their importance are both significant.
Imadegawa pinched his wrist with his fingers, pressing his fingertips against the slightly hot tendons.
Captain Golden Eyes seemed to be deep in thought.
——————
After scoring three points with a block in the front row, Heming Hall's number 4 player rotated to the back row.
Semi breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Apart from number 4, none of the other players at Tsurumeikan have the ability to stop Ushijima in the front row.
Although there is a libero in the back row of the Crane Pavilion who can receive Ushijima's powerful spikes, the libero cannot completely cover the entire situation if the blocking in front is not in place.
A five-point difference isn't actually that bad...
Setmi comforted himself.
—But the defense of the Crane Cry Pavilion was flawless.
Wearing a black team uniform that was completely different from the other starters, the pink-haired libero had become quite adept at dealing with Shiratorizawa's spikes after the first two sets.
Even if Ushijima spikes a cross-court ball that lands right on the line, the opposing libero can skillfully roll over to save the ball and adjust the direction of force after the ball touches the arm, so as to pass the volleyball steadily to the setter captain of Tsurumeikan.
Then the setter skillfully orchestrated the attacks from Heming Hall, using either quick attacks or high lobs to maintain a five-point lead and reach set point early.
Yu Guang, who just left Sichuan, swept past the scoreboard next to the net – 24:19.
The previous game ended with a score of 25:19, so let's end this game with that score as well.
Now, I leave the river and look towards Saotome.
—For the next ball, give me your most consistent first pass.
Without speaking or making any movement, he simply gave the order to the pink-haired free agent with his eyes.
Saotome's eyes shone brightly, and she nodded without hesitation.
The volleyball was perfectly delivered to the captain's hands by his soldiers, just as the captain intended.
It was still the same unremarkable, technically unskilled ground pass.
But Saotome and Aoyagi, who were in the middle of this passing connection, knew exactly what was going on.
This goal—is their commander's declaration to the world.
It was announced that Imade Kawa Yuzuru was about to be born.
The announcement was made that the Crane Cry Pavilion would soon resound throughout the heavens.
...
Tendou stared intently at the half of the Crane Sound Hall.
The volleyball flew in a perfect arc from the setter's hands at Heming Hall, heading straight for the best spiking spot for the No. 4 middle blocker at Heming Hall.
Number 4 took a running start, but the ball's spin wasn't very fast.
...Are you trying to exploit a time difference?
Tiantong's intuition predicted this for him.
So he deliberately paused for a moment before leaping into the air.
But number 4 hasn't jumped yet—
Tendo looked slightly confused.
Was it a mistake?
If you don't jump and spike now, given the speed of the volleyball's flight, you'll miss the best spiking opportunity at this position.
The height and arc of this ball are clearly not from a flat, open shot, so the ball cannot belong to the number 8 attacker from the Hemingguan stadium next to it.
With a gaze overhead that seemed to hold a dessert knife about to slice him apart, Aoyagi shrank back.
Why are you looking at him?
Watching volleyball—
Look at this perfect set of the ball, a second pass perfectly timed to him, as if from the same mind!
At this moment, Aoyagi felt even more exhilarated than when he blocked Ushijima's spike.
If Aoyagi were an extrovert, he might have been flashing his most carefree and arrogant smile as he stared at Tendo.
But Aoyagi was ultimately too reserved. Just like every time he spiked the ball before, he waited for the volleyball to come to him with no expression.
Apart from Saotome, no one noticed that Aoyagi was trembling slightly with intense excitement.
As Tendo reached its highest point, it was about to fall after a brief period of airtime.
At this moment, the opposing middle blocker hadn't even made a knee-bending preparation move.
The volleyball had already reached the air between Aoyagi and Tendo.
—It must have been a mistake.
Tian Tong thought to himself.
But everything turned out differently than he expected.
The volleyball, carrying momentum as it hurtled through the air, paused slightly at the optimal spiking point of the No. 4 middle blocker in the Heming Hall, as if it were being held up by an invisible thread.
As if time had been stopped by a single person, the yellow and blue spheres remained suspended in the air.
That near-one-second hover was almost a luxury, freezing the noise of the entire stadium.
Tiantong's pupils suddenly contracted sharply—
Just as his body was about to hit the ground, Aoyagi's sneakers suddenly rubbed against the wooden floor, making a sharp "squeak" sound.
The volleyball remained obediently suspended in the air, like a sticker in a game world, pressed there by the player in an illogical way.
Until the soaring green willow caught it in its hands and forcefully sent it flying—
"Thump—"
"Beep—"
The sound of the volleyball hitting the ground and the referee's whistle rang out in succession, announcing that Hemingguan had won the last point of the third set.
Seti stared intently at Tsurumeikan, the setter who had just delivered the ball.
The setter with golden eyes also expended a lot of energy in this match. At this moment, his chest rose and fell with his rapid breathing, and his sweaty temples stuck to his forehead, but his face showed a calm and composed expression.
Noticing Semi's gaze, his clear, golden eyes looked over.
Their eyes met through the mesh, and Seto squinted, seeing his own tense reflection in the other's pupils.
————————
(Frantically patting it)
I was able to finish this chapter before 9 PM thanks to an extremely leisurely day. I spent the whole day slacking off and only finished this chapter around 8 PM... My writing speed definitely broke the lower limit (I dare not look at the software usage time).
It seems like I'll have to start including pre-orders before I can get on the platform. Ugh, I'm terrible at writing copy, I really don't want to write anything, it's going to be torture again (liees down)
They've elevated our little crane's signature skill—after all, our Crane Cry Hall relies on the little crane's fame to make a living (poor, poor school).
The most pressured player in the match against Kozuru is actually the setter. I didn't go into too much detail about Inarizaki in the last match because her third-year setter role was a self-created character and didn't get much playing time. Therefore, this time, Setsumi will shoulder that pressure. Plus, Shiratorizawa's setter position was somewhat targeted and exploited by Kozuru in this match, so Eita will be under even more pressure than Inarizaki in the last game.
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