[32] Grade 11: IH National Tournament
The score in the fourth game rose steadily amid a close battle between the two sides.
Just like in the third game, Hemingguan once again reached match point first.
—This is not the game point of this set, but the match point of this game. As long as we win this point, Hemingguan will win this match.
In the quarterfinals match between Tsurumeikan and Shiratorizawa, Tsurumeikan led Shiratorizawa 2-1 with a score of 25-23 in the first game, 19-25 in the second game, and 25-19 in the third game.
Director Eagle Artisan used the second regular timeout at this crucial moment.
Amidst the clamor of the first half of the performance at Tsurumeikan, the second half at Shiratorizawa was quiet to the point of near desolation.
The starting players at Shiratorizawa all had serious expressions, including Ushijima.
The scoreboard stands at one end of the net, and the overhead lights of the Nagoya Municipal Volleyball Hall cast a faint, cool white halo around the black Arabic numerals on the board.
——
Tsurumeikan: Shiratorizawa
24:22
——
"The point difference is still within reach!"
The supervisor, Eagle Craftsman, crossed his arms and his sharp gaze swept over each team member.
"Listen—even if it's the last ball, we'll make them catch the ball so hard they can't lift their arms! Slam dunk and crush them fair and square!!!"
"Make every ball a painful one for them to receive! Make every point a hard-fought victory for them!"
"yes!!!"
Daping and the others responded in unison.
Finally, Director Washi patted Semi on the shoulder.
"Stay calm."
"There is no opponent that cannot be defeated."
...
Imadegawa's gaze swept over Shiratorizawa's ace.
Is Ushijima Wakatoshi a robot?
The golden-eyed setter slowly exhaled.
The stray red hairs at the ends of his head were stuck to his neck by the unstoppable sweat, and the hot breath he exhaled burned his cheeks. His calves and right wrist were already sore and trembling from the tens of minutes of the match.
The matches against Shiratorizawa were a huge challenge to Imadegawa's stamina.
He was even more tired than Inarizaki was in the third inning yesterday.
Not just physical, but also mental.
My overloaded brain is like an overclocked computer, the scalding heat spreading from my temples to my entire forehead, and the heat on my cheeks can't hide the blush on my forehead.
Shiratorizawa's powerful spikes and Tsurumeikan's defense are like a spear and a shield; once the spear is sharp enough, even the thickest shield will be breached.
In the match against Shiratorizawa, Imadegawa needed to think more than yesterday, considering the scoring points of each attack, the defensive arrangements, and the individual targeting of Shiratorizawa's starting lineup...
In seemingly unintentional confrontations, the sharp spear of Shiratorizawa is slowly dulled.
But Ushijima Wakatoshi's spearhead still shines brightly.
Shiratorizawa's unwavering focus on volleyball made him difficult to distract, and even when Tsurumeikan blocked his shots, the effectiveness of his powerful spikes was reduced.
But every time the setter passes him the ball, Ushijima Wakatoshi will continue to spike with unwavering focus, thinking, "I must score a point for the team with this ball."
This is also why Imadegawa never considered attacking Ushijima.
Mental state has little impact on Wakatoshi Ushijima's spiking performance.
They are not afraid of failure, nor are they confused by temporary setbacks.
...A volleyball fanatic.
I sigh as I leave Sichuan.
...
Shiratorizawa, like a flock of migratory birds clinging to their only food for winter, pulled the score to 24-24 under intense pressure.
Despite having their match point broken, the players from Heming Hall showed no signs of anxiety. Guided by their captain, the setter, they calmly and gently scored another point.
Heming Hall, having arrived at the match point again, cautiously pressed down on the line, probing the target area.
...
What should have been a tense and anxious situation turned into a calmer atmosphere at the halftime of the Heming Arena as the match drew closer to its end.
Even the originally cold spotlights seemed to be infected by their atmosphere, softly and gently enveloping the scoreboard.
——
Tsurumeikan: Shiratorizawa
27:26
——
It's another match point at Heming Hall.
Time and again, the Crane Cry Hall broke through to the match point.
Seti twisted her wrist, trying to stop the trembling.
The broad silhouette of Shiratorizawa Ace, leaping high into the air, was once again reflected above his pupils.
Can this shot break Tsurumeikan's match point again?
Aoyagi skillfully jumped with number 9 to block Ushijima's diagonal attack route.
The players in the back row of the Heming Pavilion followed up and filled in the gaps along the sidelines of the field.
The volleyball was blasted away by the cannon.
"Thugs!!"
Aoyagi calmly reminded him.
—It struck number 9's hand hard.
Emergency wrist tuck in, shoulder forward.
"One touch!!!"
The volleyball, touched by number 9 in the front row, flew diagonally towards the sideline outside position 5 in the backcourt.
Saotome rolled over and used one arm to catch the ball that was almost ruled out of bounds due to a slight misstep.
Imadegawa stood on the right side line of the Tsurumeikan, with one foot stepping into the three-meter line.
He looked up at the volleyball flying from the left half of the Heming Hall to the right half.
Now, as he leaves Sichuan, he raises both hands.
The volleyball and Imadegawa's palm seemed to be the two poles of a magnet. As soon as Imadegawa reached out, the volleyball was attracted by gravity and fell into his open palm.
...What is he going to fight this time?
Is it a fast break?
Is it a flat, quick attack? Is it a short, fast shot? Is it a close-range quick shot? Is it a back-row attack? Is it a back quick shot? Is it a high lob?
Or... was it his "instant stop and drop shot" that made him famous in this match?
What is it?
What is he asking for?
In the front row, Shiratorizawa's gaze was fixed intently on Imadegawa, like someone drowning and on the verge of death trying to grasp at the only piece of driftwood.
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
—What exactly is he trying to ask for?
Fragmented, chaotic, and noisy thoughts darted around in his mind, as if someone were shouting in his ear.
He could barely hear any sound from inside or outside the arena; only the repeated question, "What is it?" echoed repeatedly in his ears.
—What exactly is it?
...It was the seemingly ordinary setter captain of Heming Hall again, standing still and delivering a topspin pass.
"Ordinary and unremarkable" "starting from the ground"
Taihei gritted his teeth.
...You can't tell at all!!!
There's absolutely no way to anticipate what serve the setter from the Hemingguan stadium will make by observing his movements!
He never uses hand gestures with his teammates!
How exactly do the attackers at Heming Hall determine what ball the setter intends to set?!
...If only Tendo were still here, his intuitive anticipation and blocking would be the perfect counter to the Kakumeikan setter's subtle ball-setting moves.
However, Tendo was so exhausted from the high-intensity match that he almost fainted and was forced off the field by Coach Washi.
The Shiratorizawa front-row players present can only observe the trajectory of the volleyball after it leaves the hands of the Tsurumeikan setter.
—It's not a back-row attack or a high ball to position two. The volleyball's trajectory is forward, and it's not a high ball either; the flight trajectory is very flat.
What kind of ball was that? A close-range quick shot? A short, flat quick shot? A flat, wide shot?
Numbers 4, 8, and 9 from the Crane Cry Pavilion stepped forward together.
Three tall attackers pressed forward to cover the attack.
They hit it off at number 9 in Taihei and Tsurumeikan.
Crane Cry Hall No. 9 grinned, and using the momentum of his sprint, raised his right arm and leaped forward—
...Is it near-body speed?
Crane Cry Pavilion No. 8 stomped heavily on the ground and leaped high into the air like a spring.
...Or something quick and easy?
Crane Cry Hall No. 4 bent his knees to gather strength, and his entire body soared into the air like an arrow released from a bow—
...Why are you jumping from such a distance from the volleyball?
The three people from Heming Pavilion jumped together.
Shiratorizawa's successful front-row blocking was disrupted by their multi-pronged attack.
Taihei jumped in front of No. 9 to defend against the quick attack, while the third-year middle blocker captain, Soekawa, leaped in front of No. 8 to try to block the quick attack with a double block.
—Actually, it's a flat stretch.
After leaving Imadegawa's hand, the volleyball's flight speed was stable in the first half, but its trajectory in the second half seemed to be accelerated.
With increasing speed, the yellow and blue ball passed in front of the three front-row blockers, number 9, number 8, and Shiratorizawa, heading straight for the other end of the net.
— He charged into the far left half of the Heming Hall court, into Aoyagi's most comfortable spiking zone.
At this final moment, Aoyagi's soul seemed to detach from the field once again.
He returned to the living room of the suite from the previous night.
(rASR) The members of the Tsurumeikan Men's Volleyball Club sat in a circle, with Imadegawa surrounded by them in the middle.
The videotape on the wall TV paused on Shiratorizawa Ace's body leaning back after leaping up.
Off-screen, Imadegawa was explaining Shiratorizawa to them in detail.
Aoyuki, leaning against Imadegawa, let his quiet voice empty her thoughts.
In a daze, Aoyagi thought of the videotapes that Imaichi had watched over and over again when he was in school, which filled almost the entire room.
—Videos of international competitions and domestic professional leagues from the past decade, as well as videos of all the top volleyball universities that have participated in national competitions for the past three years.
Aoyagi suddenly thought of Imadegawa's training schedule, which was completely different from theirs.
As ordinary people who had never played volleyball before, Imadegawa was different from the members of the Tsurumeikan Men's Volleyball Club.
They all had training records up to high school, but Imadegawa's physical attributes were based on his pre-transmigration stats.
The body data of an ordinary person who is unremarkable, has never participated in any sports club, and whose daily routine is academic research.
In order to catch up with the results of their training over several years or even more than a decade, Imadegawa had the little fat bird arrange the most rigorous training schedule for him, with very little sleep time, to the point of almost exhausting his body.
Under that rigorous training schedule, Imadegawa integrated himself into the tactical plan he had devised in just three months, leading the Tsurumeikan team to victory over Inarizaki.
Although it wasn't spoken to Aoyagi alone, Imadegawa's calm voice felt as if it were right next to Aoyagi's ear:
"Shiratorizawa's defense relies relatively heavily on blocking. The libero lacks flexibility and can be broken through with skillful attacks, so we need to play more feints or quick attacks tomorrow. Saotome should prioritize quick attacks when receiving the ball, while the others can use more drop shots, cross-court shots, and shots that hit the ball out of bounds."
"Tendo's blocking is an intuitive blocking style, which is a bit difficult to deal with. However, his stamina is not enough to last every set. When he is in the front row, pay attention to disrupting his predictions. When he is in the back row, you don't need to be particularly wary of him."
"Prioritize spikes on Ushijima and Tendo to force them to expend energy receiving first passes. Focus quick attacks on Ohira and Soegawa, as these two are slow and can't cover for their positions in time..."
......
"Snap!"
Imaichi Kazukawa sat on the sofa and closed his tactical notebook.
"Snap!"
Aoyagi leaped into the air and struck the volleyball.
The volleyball, detached from his hand, transformed into a precise, sharp blade, piercing Shiratorizawa's weakest point.
"Thump—"
Finally, there was the sound of the volleyball landing, neither too loud nor too soft.
————————
(A tiring day, just a quick pat on the little ones' paws)
I saw your suggestions, everyone! Here's a unified response: we won't be playing against Omodai in the first year of high school; Omodai will be played next year in the second year. I usually list three schools for the national competition. Next year, the tentative list is Itayama, Inari, Sakizaki, and Omodai, with three more to be decided. For this year's spring high school competition, the third school will probably be Kasaka, Tomi, or one of the other schools, but I'm not really sure what to expect, so I'm still undecided. (What's wrong with us foxes? Getting beaten three times in two years!) (Feeling guilty) (Hehe, running away)
The next chapter concludes the Shiratorizawa arc. Since it jumps directly into the competition storyline, it doesn't delve into Xiaohe's efforts. Actually, our Xiaohe truly sacrificed a lot for the IH National Championship. Just over three months ago, he was a clueless college student who couldn't understand any sports and would be out of breath after running a 1000-meter dash (eyes popping).
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