[36] Grade 11: IH National Tournament
The free agent from Jingtashan is a senior third-year player with experience in numerous national competitions.
After Imadegawa's sixth serve, he successfully passed the ball to setter Izuna in a half-pass.
The volleyball was delivered by Iitsuna to the attacking area of Itayama's number 6 attacker.
Saotome's view encompassed the first half of the Tsurumeikan match and the second half of the Itayama match—
Aoyagi has already blocked Itayama No. 6's straight attack route in the front row, so Itayama No. 6 will most likely launch a diagonal attack or a mid-range attack on this ball.
The pink-haired free spirit quickly made a decision in his mind.
Saotome and the rest of the starting lineup from Tsurumeikan advanced side by side, pressing forward into Tsurumeikan's half to form a defensive formation that followed up on the flanks.
As expected, Jingtashan No. 6 avoided Aoyagi's block and spiked a low attack.
Saotome reacted instantly.
He bent his knees slightly and lowered his center of gravity to almost parallel to the ground.
"Bang!"
A muffled thud.
Now, I listen intently to the sound of the volleyball cutting through the air.
The golden-eyed setter leaned back slightly, his fingers slightly spread.
The volleyball slipped into his fingertips.
Those in the front row of Jingtashan subconsciously tensed up.
—They need to observe exactly how the setter at Heming Hall passes the ball, analyze his passing motion frame by frame on the court, and identify his weaknesses and shortcomings.
Jin Chuchuan twisted his wrist slightly.
Bandaged fingers brushed against the volleyball.
He almost stopped the volleyball, which was still slightly spinning when it flew in.
The volleyball flew out of his hand with a steady speed.
...The method was too subtle.
It was indeed difficult to discern what ball he was trying to pass.
Iizuna, who was positioned opposite Imadegawa, shifted his gaze from Imadegawa's wrist to the trajectory of the volleyball.
However, the ball had a high arc, so it wasn't a fast break.
……etc.
High curvature...
—Does the setter from Heming Hall have to start the game with his "instant stop ball control"?
Izuna's heart skipped a beat.
The black-haired middle blocker from Heming Hall is taking a running start.
The middle blocker with turquoise eyes slid his shoes across the floor as he bent his knees and leaped upwards using the momentum of his run-up.
The volleyball flew into the air just above and in front of him.
Jingtashan's front row blockers also jumped up hastily as the volleyball and Hemingguan's middle blockers went up.
"Don't jump—"
In that split second, Iizuna suddenly spoke up.
But it was too late; the front-row double net of Jingtashan was already off the ground in front of Qingliu.
However, the No. 4 middle blocker of Heming Hall only jumped lightly.
He didn't jump very high at all, and his feet touched the ground again not far off the ground.
At this moment, the front row of double-person netting at Jingtashan reached its highest point of contact in the air.
Aoyagi bent his knees again to gather strength, and bounced up like a spring.
As he moved upwards, the Jingtashan double block began to descend.
As one side falls and the other rises, three pairs of eyes, in different potential energies, are momentarily at the same horizontal level.
Upon meeting two pairs of eyes burning with fire, Aoyagi's pupils trembled slightly, and he quickly looked up at the volleyball.
...They're looking at me again.
...What use am I now?
On the volleyball court, the most important thing is to watch volleyball.
When he was in the air, the black-haired middle blocker's eyes, which were always lowered due to timidity, did not appear out of place.
Green Willow overlooks half of Jingta Mountain.
—This is the place.
Aoyagi's palm pressed against the volleyball that was obediently suspended in the air, waiting for him.
"Bang--"
The numbers below the Crane Pavilion on the scoreboard have changed again.
Amidst reassuring shouts of "Don't mind!" from their own half of the court.
Iizuna stood silently in place.
His gaze swept past the group at Heming Hall and landed on the tall, slender figure walking toward the service line at the back of Heming Hall's half of the court.
...Is this really something a first-year high school student could come up with?
Even though I had seen Imadegawa's "divine move" of stopping the ball instantly on videotape, Izuna was still in disbelief when he actually faced the ball on the field.
Izuna can't imagine.
—How exactly does Imadegawa manage to control his wrists and fingers so precisely?
—How exactly did Imadegawa manage to control the speed and spin of the volleyball, keeping it suspended in the air for a long time?
In the audience seats behind the support seats at the Crane Sound Hall.
"Whoa~ Whether it's inside or outside the arena, Tsuru-chan's move is super—scary~"
Tendo drawled out the words while shaking his head, his red hair swaying playfully with his movements.
"Hey, Eita~" Tendo suddenly called out the name of Shiratorizawa's starting setter, "Look at Tsuru-chan's expression, doesn't it look like she's playing a 'guess what ball I'm going to pass' game?"
"but--"
He turned to face Seni, his playful smile fading slightly: "Our Shiratorizawa ball-holding technique is an art that can even fool yokai~"
"Next time, let's show those guys what real 'scary' means!"
......
In the following matches, Izuna remained completely baffled.
He observed the setter of Heming Hall repeatedly from top to bottom and left to right, from all angles and perspectives.
Even Iizuna noticed that the bandages on Imadegawa's right hand fingers were wrapped two more times than those on his left hand fingers.
The setter from Jingtashan with golden eyes practically used his gaze to transform into a sharp blade and slice the setter from Hemingguan in two.
They still haven't figured out exactly how Imadegawa managed to pass that incredibly high-hanging ball.
They couldn't even guess much about Imadegawa's passing moves and habits.
—The passing motions and habits of the first-year setter at Heming Hall are so rigid and inflexible, it's as if they were copied from some beginner volleyball instructional video.
But it was precisely these disciplined and rigid movements that he managed to produce a variety of back passes, quick passes, short passes, and close-range passes, as well as his "instant stop and dribble".
After studying the game for more than half a set, Izuna could only tell that the setter at Tsurumeikan had small movements and fast speed when passing the ball.
After the first pass was perfect, in a moment of distraction, the volleyball was already passed to Imadegawa. <(kZDc)br>
Such a quick passing reaction gave the referee no chance to call a violation on him with the ball.
—Nearly zero errors in passing and an extremely high setter accuracy rate.
...Who exactly is the first-year setter who was voted the best setter in junior high school?
Why was such a talented setter completely unknown during junior high school?
Izuna secretly bit the soft flesh inside her mouth.
......
The game made Coach Iitayama on the sidelines look serious, as did Coach Kinzan in the stands at the Heming Hall.
I watched all three matches over three days, from the quarterfinals to the semifinals and today's final, plus the videotape of Inarisaki's match.
In these four matches, the teamwork between the players from Imadegawa and Tsurumeikan was truly impeccable.
But in the stage from first pass to second pass—
Despite rarely looking back, Imadekawa could easily determine the location where the volleyball would be passed by his team.
Without needing to specifically look back to observe the ball's trajectory, the setter from Heming Hall can effortlessly receive the first pass from his teammates simply by occasionally turning to the side—this effortless ball-receiving style of the setter puts immense psychological pressure on the opposing team.
It was like a silent declaration: Your attack had already been anticipated by the Crane Cry Pavilion.
—But this success rate can no longer be explained by tacit understanding.
It can't be explained by mere coincidence. If it happened only once, twice, or a few times, it could be barely understood. But this wasn't just once or twice; it was an unusually confident pass between the first and second setters every single time.
Coach Jinshan's fingers tapped unconsciously on his knees.
...Is it the tacit understanding developed over a long period of time combined with an innate spatial perception?
Spatial perception can be explained, but this strange tacit understanding is hard to explain.
Jin Chuchuan is only a first-year student. Can he really develop such amazing chemistry with his teammates in just three months of training?
Or did they start training together back in junior high? But if they were training in junior high, why didn't they participate in any competitions during that time?
Or is it that Imadegawa and Saotome have known each other since childhood, and it took a long time for them to develop this tacit understanding?
So where does the chemistry between Jin Chuchuan and the other players at Heming Hall come from?
It's impossible that he and every player at Heming Hall were childhood friends who had trained volleyball together since they were little, right?
Another attack from Jingtashan was received by the back row attacker from Hemingguan.
Coach Jinshan keenly noticed that before the first pass at Heming Hall, the setter with golden eyes slightly turned his head.
A sudden inspiration struck him—
Was Imaichi Kawa listening to the sound of a volleyball cutting through the air?
—Can Imadegawa determine the trajectory of a volleyball by its "sound"?
Coach Jinshan unconsciously leaned forward.
His eyes suddenly shone with an astonishing brilliance, his burning gaze like a spotlight from the top of a volleyball court, locking onto the figure on the court with almost tangible penetrating power.
Jingtashan's volleyball attack went over the net.
At halftime in Heming Hall, the golden-eyed setter turned his head slightly.
His ear was pointed towards the volleyball.
......
After nearly twenty minutes of observation.
Coach Jinshan clenched his fist and slammed it into his palm.
If his conjecture is correct, then Imadegawa Yuzuru of Tsurumeikan is undoubtedly a true genius.
...No, even the word "genius" cannot fully encompass his talent.
He is a true monster.
......
The score in the second game slowly rose as both sides traded blows.
Jin Chuchuan stood in front of the net, raised his arms high, and leaned back.
The volleyball fell between his hands after Saotome's first pass.
The golden-eyed setter's arm moved her wrist, applying slight force to the volleyball.
As the rotation shifted to the front row, Itayama Ace's gaze swept to the right, observing the starting state of the Tsurumeikan attacker.
Number 4, closest to the setter, takes off and jumps, while number 8, not far away, begins their run-up...
Heming Hall always likes to use multi-point attacks to confuse the blocker.
But I guess the ball will still go to number 4.
The quick attack system of the No. 4 setter and the second setter at Heming Hall is the most complete.
Their close-range, fast-paced attacks are also the most coordinated.
Jingtashan's ace player decisively jumped to block the ball.
The golden-eyed setter smiled slightly in the light.
The cool-toned stadium lights shone on his soft, plump cheeks, giving him a strangely obedient and gentle appearance.
With his bandaged left hand, he gently flicked the volleyball upwards—
The volleyball, lifted by the golden-eyed setter, gently sailed over the net.
Passing by the ace of Jingtashan who leaped to block the net,
They landed on the open ground in the middle of Jingtashan, at the feet of the two people.
—A second attack.
It was a second-chance attack that hit the game point.
"Beep—"
Supervisor Jingtashan slammed his eyes shut at the sound of the whistle.
Hemingguan won another game.
With this game over, the final score of the IH finals is Hemingguan: Jingtashan / 2:0.
"hateful!!!"
Jingtashan's second-year ace grabbed the net, his handsome face contorted with rage.
He gritted his teeth and threatened Imadegawa fiercely.
"A cunning and ruthless junior!"
"I'll remember you!!!"
————————
(Ta-da!) (Surprise appearance!) Let me touch your paw!
I managed to write today's chapter smoothly.
Next year, this ace who was tricked by our Xiaohe will team up with Xiaozao and the others to beat up Xiaohe (what a strange way of putting it).
This chapter also briefly mentions Xiaohe's skill of sound localization—there was a little foreshadowing of it earlier. This skill actually originated from my earliest dream. In my dream, Xiaohe casually took two steps back, turned sideways to receive the first pass, and then set up a super beautiful setter (super cool) (starry eyes)
The syllabus originally called for this skill to be introduced in the spring semester, but it inexplicably popped into my writing (Xiao He, you really have a soul stealing my pen). But it seems to make sense this way, since the national youth team coach couldn't possibly not have noticed, right? (Questioning my existence) (So it really was Xiao He who stole my pen) (Shaking with fear)
Furthermore, sound-based ball positioning isn't too far-fetched. Many table tennis and badminton players can pinpoint the trajectory of the ball by sound, and volleyball players can certainly do the same. Besides listening to the ball's trajectory, there's also the sound of the ball contacting the body, using different sounds to determine if the first pass is accurate and what kind of spike the opposing attacker is about to make. (This is something only highly professional players train for; it's not very efficient for ordinary high school students to practice this.)
Our Xiaohe is a genius, with genius-level physical abilities and exceptional hearing—a bonus attribute, of course. However, hearing is actually secondary; she relies more on her eyes. As for why Xiaohe doesn't look—it's because that creates a stronger sense of pressure! (Genius Xiaohe has amazing ball control and isn't afraid of making mistakes! Yay!)
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