[88] Grade 11: Spring National High School Competition
The eagle's tail landed steadily back on the ground. The familiar vibrations of the wooden floor beneath its feet resonated.
My knees were slightly numb from the powerful jump and the intense twisting in the air, and the muscles were making a slight protest after being stretched to their limit.
But this soreness now carries an exhilarating sense of reality.
—This is his score.
It was through his intellect and skill that he carved a crack through the fence of the Crane Cry Pavilion.
He heard Sarutobi's incredulous cheers behind him, as well as the relieved breaths of Komi and the others.
The sound contained not only the joy of finally scoring, but also the catharsis of finally breaking free from the suffocating sense of control that had been suppressed for so long.
Xiao Gu had been holding this grudge for far too long.
His teammates surrounded him from all directions, their warm hands patting him hard on the back and shoulders with excitement.
"So good!!!" Xiao Jian's words were filled with barely suppressed excitement.
"Well done!!!" Sarutobi's words were practically shouted right next to his ear.
Washio slowly raised his head, his gaze passing over his jubilant teammates and locking onto the other side of the net—the setter captain, Imadegawa Yuzuru, who was wearing the Tsurumeikan team uniform and whose serve he had taken away.
The other person was also quietly watching him, their face still expressionless, but a fleeting, elusive glint flashed quickly in the depths of their eyes, which always held a warm smile.
It wasn't surprise or panic, but more like... confirmation and reassessment.
It's as if it's saying silently: I see, you've finally shown the value that deserves to be taken seriously.
Don't underestimate people.
He silently recited it in his heart.
—I'm the official member of "Owl Valley".
We, Xiaogu, may not have your precise teamwork or your accurate defense.
Your blocking can see through our attack routes and find the slightest weakness in our formation.
—So, as a regular member of the Fukutani team, I'm the same way.
I can also see through the fleeting gaps in your seemingly perfect defensive formation.
I can also find those subtle weaknesses in your blocking rhythm.
Washio took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions and focusing solely on pure concentration.
He gently pushed away his teammates who were still surrounding him.
"Let's move on to the next goal."
......
As the positions rotated, the next serve for Fukutani fell to the figure who was causing the most anxiety at that moment—Koutarou Bokuto.
"Wood Rabbit..." Konoha's voice was soft, with a cautious probing tone.
The other team members' gazes also fell silently on Mutu, their expressions a mixture of worry and a hint of unspoken expectation.
Wooden Rabbit lowered its head and silently walked towards the service area.
His steps were not as energetic as usual; instead, they were somewhat heavy.
Washio's exhilarating goal just now was like a mirror, reflecting his previous negativity and dereliction of duty even more clearly.
As the ace player, he failed to shoulder his responsibilities and let his teammates break the deadlock...
This realization was like a thorn stuck in his pride.
Hikaru Mokuto (iJXB) Taro stood there, his fingers unconsciously digging into the leather surface of the volleyball.
He could feel the weight of his teammates' gazes from the bench behind him, and he could hear a nagging voice inside him questioning:
...What are you doing, Kotaro Bokuto?
I can't receive the ball well, and I can't spike it over the bar...
You've been losing points the whole round, what kind of ace are you?
As I inhaled the air, a tingling sensation belatedly rose up in my lungs.
Wooden Rabbit lowered its head and blinked involuntarily.
Just then, from some corner of the stands, sporadic, hesitant shouts began to rise:
"Wooden Rabbit—"
"Kotaro..."
At first, there were only a few sounds, so faint that they were almost drowned out by the noise in the venue.
But soon, as if propelled by some force, more voices joined in, converging into a wave that, though not perfectly orderly, was exceptionally persistent.
"Wooden Rabbit—!!"
"Wooden Rabbit—!!!"
That was the Owl Valley support group, and those supporters who never gave up on Owl Valley.
They may have seen his confusion and struggle, but they chose to express their trust in the most direct way.
The wooden rabbit paused slightly as it prepared to throw the ball.
The teammates standing in front of him turned to the side.
They responded softly to the sound.
"Wooden Rabbit—"
The gentle voice of the leaf.
"Wooden Rabbit,"
Xiao Jian's voice was full of youthful vigor.
"Wooden Rabbit".
Washio's calm voice.
"Kotaro."
The setter's gentle voice.
'...Kotaro. '
This silent call came from the coach's bench, where the unseen supervisor had been watching him the whole time.
The experienced coach was now gazing at him silently with eyes that seemed to see into his very soul.
Gently soothe his restless soul.
Believe in yourself.
Bokuto gripped the volleyball tightly. Ignoring the dwindling time limit for serving, he abruptly turned his head and glanced quickly behind him—
He noticed that all his teammates on the bench were staring at him.
There was no blame, no disappointment, only unreserved trust and heavy expectations.
Those gazes, mixed with the increasingly loud shouts of his name from the stands, were like beams of faint yet incredibly warm light, persistently piercing through the gloom, trying to illuminate the corners of his heart.
Finally, Mutu suddenly turned around and looked at the Crane Cry Pavilion team members who were waiting in full battle on the other side of the net.
A scorching stream of air rushed from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.
—I am Kotaro Bokuto!
—It's the only trump card in the valley!
—How can you keep looking so dejected!
His previously somewhat dim golden eyes were instantly ignited, bursting forth with a sharp light like that of an eagle soaring through the sky.
All the confusion was burned away, leaving only the purest fighting spirit and the pride of being an ace.
Wooden Rabbit grinned, revealing a long-lost, signature, and confidently radiant smile.
The rest of the school members sat amidst the noise.
Yet, one could almost clearly hear the sharp sound of the rubber soles of the wooden rabbit sneakers rubbing against the wooden floor.
The voice was delicate yet sharp, like the clear cry of an eagle.
The little chubby bird quietly watched the radiant wooden rabbit, whose light seemed capable of tearing apart any gloom.
Imadegawa also quietly watched the wooden rabbit Kotaro leaping in the air.
He sighed softly.
...A volleyball fanatic.
......
The members of Owl Valley knew.
There will be no second chance.
On a stage like the Spring High School Finals, facing an opponent like Heming Hall, achieving a comeback against such a huge score difference is almost an impossible feat.
In fact, as early as the second technical pause,
When the undercover supervisor repeatedly emphasized the defensive formation and offensive options in a hoarse voice—
They were already aware of this deep down.
But they were too panicked at the time.
The oppressive shadow pressed down on everyone's chest, the uncertain future blinded them, preventing them from contemplating the impending doom.
—It's as if it will never come if you don't think about it.
But when Bokuto followed closely behind Washio and took the second point from Tsurumeikan.
Every member of the Ooku team on the field had a change in their eyes.
The team that lost points was Tsurumeikan, but the members of Fubuki regained their composure after those two points.
There was no longer the initial probing, no more mid-game anxiety, and not even the despair of being overtaken by a large margin.
All that remains is an extreme, do-or-die focus.
There will be no second chance.
Therefore, every ball could be the last ball.
Then they must treat every ball as if it were their last!
Absolutely not!!!
They left the national stage in a sorry state!
Wooden Rabbit makes more use of route changes, sparing no effort to repeatedly run up and jump, sometimes as a real attack, sometimes as a realistic feint, creating opportunities for the other attackers.
His continued powerful aerial presence kept Tsurumeikan's attention constantly on its heels, forcing the Tsurumeikan's defenses to be constantly distracted by his presence.
The blocking line formed by Washio and others transformed into a tireless moving barrier. Their footsteps echoed rapidly on the wooden floor as they leaped up again and again to meet the whistling volleyball.
Even if their judgment is slightly off, even if their fingertips barely touch the edge of the ball, they will do their best to change the trajectory of the spike, to buy their teammates in the back row those precious fractions of a second of reaction time.
Meanwhile, Xiaojian and others in the backcourt made one extreme diving save after another, desperately side-footing saves, stubbornly pushing many volleyballs that seemed to have already fallen to the ground back into the air.
Their arms and the outside of their thighs rubbed violently against the rough floor, leaving behind shocking bluish-red scratches.
At this moment, Xiao Gu was like a flock of birds flying against the wind, a flock of birds flying against the wind in a storm, their wings already soaked with rain and sweat, each flap of their wings was extremely heavy.
Knowing full well that the road ahead is a one-way street of sudden storms and rain, and knowing that the opposite side is an insurmountable mountain.
They continued to flap their wings again and again, using their beaks, their claws, and every ounce of their strength to bite down on the seemingly unstoppable wings of the Crane Pavilion, which were about to fly towards victory.
They tried to slow their progress, leaving their own traces of struggle in the sky.
And they actually did it at one point.
During that most difficult period, they withstood wave after wave of attacks from the Crane Cry Pavilion, and even seized upon the slightest lapses in their defenses to launch several exhilarating counterattacks.
They kept the score close, stubbornly narrowing the huge gap step by step.
That indomitable spirit won spontaneous, thunderous applause from the entire audience—including many of the original supporters of the Crane Cry Pavilion.
They fought to the very last moment.
The game ended when the referee blew the final whistle.
Amidst the thunderous drums and cheers that nearly shattered the dome of the Crane Cry Pavilion—
Owl Valley was defeated.
————————!!————————
(Sleepy, rubbing paws—) Goodnight, little ones—
After much hesitation, I personally believe that even without Akaashi, Bokuto's negativity could be soothed at some point by the actions of his teammates and the audience. Even as a first-year student, Bokuto strives towards his professional goal. He won't be completely crushed by the pressure from Tsuru and the others.
So this chapter ends with the ending of the Ootori story. The next chapter will completely wrap up the Spring High school arc, and then we'll get back to the slice-of-life scenes.
I probably won't write about Furutani anymore. I've already decided on Itayama, Inarizaki, Odai, and Otokoma for the national finals in my second year of high school. I'm still undecided about the other two. If I don't have any inspiration, I might just cut it down to writing about these four.
The fight with Kazusa is pending. If I write about Kazusa later, I'll probably arrange for Fubuki to fight Kazusa first, and then fight Kazusa. As for Kiryu, I'd like him to fight Bokuto first as a transition. I feel that if he fights Kotsuru directly, it might have a negative impact on the sensitive Kiryu.
It seems I didn't include our Kominato's attributes—actually, the later chapters of Inarizaki would have been perfect for it, but I forgot. I'll put it in the Inarizaki chapter later. (Finally, here's the author's note from chapter 77!)
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