Chapter 25 Round of 16, Part 1: Resilient on Her Own
The stands were noisy and bustling, but Sawada Tsunayoshi was surrounded by a deathly silence. He felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest, and the atmosphere around him felt sticky and damp, a feeling completely different from his usual practice matches.
As if some unseen hand was slowly pressing down, Tsuna felt his body was heavier than usual.
Suzuki and the opposing coach quickly returned, bringing the bad news that they had received the ball first. The opposing team was probably still a bit nervous, as Matsukawa Saki won the first ball, and the serve was rotated to Kujo Ikeya. He wanted to cheer for Kujo Ikeya as he took his place on the serve, but then Hinata next to him suddenly shouted.
"Go, Ike!" His voice even cracked.
Sawada Tsunayoshi closed his eyes, feeling utterly hopeless. "So why is Sho so nervous? He was perfectly energetic on the way here."
Presumably because he didn't have many reliable teammates, Tsunayoshi, who was the youngest among them, suddenly began to grow rapidly. He was determined to fight with his back against the wall and his mind was full of preventing Sho from making a mistake.
Of course, Kujo Ike didn't let them off the hook either. Under the watchful eyes of his teammates, Kujo Ike tossed the ball high into the air, took a running start, and then jumped.
Seeing the other person prepare to jump, the two coaches who were sitting comfortably on the coaching bench suddenly couldn't sit still anymore. Kujou Hayate stood up, looking completely dazed.
"When did he learn that powerful jump serve?!"
Suzuki exclaimed in disbelief, "Aren't you his father? Why are you asking me!"
A substitute quietly answered, "I heard from Kujo-senpai that he started trying it during the period after the summer vacation ended and the new school term started."
Perhaps because the best attacker was given to the women's team, who had mastered the powerful jump serve, and was even praised by the veteran coach, Kujo Ike also made up her mind to learn how to use the jump serve herself.
"That brat, he used the new technology on the field without even telling us." Kujou Sa gritted his teeth.
The substitute standing to the side even felt that the coach wished he could pick up Kujo-senpai and shake him hard to shake out the water from his brain.
"Thump—"
Amidst the heavy thud of the volleyball hitting the ground, the players on the court, finally realizing they had just experienced a life-or-death struggle with the back of their heads, turned around in stunned silence.
Sawada Tsunayoshi instinctively shrank his neck. "Just now, it was a jump shot, right?"
That's amazing, such a powerful serve!
He nudged Hinata beside him, trying to get his friend's support.
Hinata Shoyo was equally shocked. After a long while, his eyes gleamed, and even his tension was suppressed by excitement. "Kaka-Kakui!"
Kujoike also heard the referee's whistle, raised his right hand and examined it carefully. What? Was this the hand that hit the ball just now?
"Am I really that amazing? Hahaha!" He laughed, hands on his hips.
"Why do you look so incredulous? Didn't you play the ball?" Matsukawa pointed and gestured.
Kujo Sasuke sat down heavily on the sidelines, letting out a long sigh. "Well played! That's how you should play!"
"?" Suzuki looked at him with disdain. "Your face changes so quickly."
When Ikeya Kujo stood on the server's position again, although they had just admired Ikeya's successful powerful jump serve, everyone now obediently clasped their hands behind their heads and waited patiently for their teammates' service games to pass.
There is no trust; all the experience comes from persecution.
The score was 4-1. Actually, apart from not reacting at the beginning, the opposing team was able to receive Kujo Ikeya's serve on the fourth ball. However, the opposing team did not handle it well, and it landed on Tsuna's side of the court, becoming an opportunity ball for their team.
Sawada Tsunayoshi stepped forward and steadily returned the ball. Akaashi Kyoji, in coordination with Kojima Shiro at the net, played a quick shot and held Kujo Ikeya's serve.
The opposing team wouldn't allow them to keep scoring; the fifth ball was slammed down by their ace, who responded with a provocative smile.
Tsuna patted Kujo Ikeya, who had just caught the ball, and comforted him, "There was nothing we could do about that ball. It's normal that you didn't catch it."
Hyuga nodded, clenching his fist. "We'll get it back on the next ball!"
Kujo Ike opened her slightly aching hand and tilted her head, "Why does it feel like the other side is really angry?"
Sawada Tsunayoshi's lips twitched. "Your serve just now was practically rubbing the opponent's face into the ground. They're definitely angry."
Kujo Ike suddenly realized, "So it was because they were jealous of my skills!"
No, that's definitely not the reason. Sawada Tsunayoshi shook his head inwardly, but he didn't say it out loud, hoping that his own attackers could maintain their good form.
Finally, after enduring the serve, the opponent began to fight back fiercely, smashing the ball over and over again.
Sawada Tsunayoshi sensed that the opposing team was very aggressive, even more so than them. He silently focused his mind and concentrated on each ball.
And his predictions of the landing point were almost always accurate.
The commentators were ecstatic. "Oh, oh, oh! We can see that Fukutani's opposite hitter has caught the ball again! Fukutani setter gets the ball, and the ace spikes it in! Fukutani is unstoppable today!"
Suzuki, who was sitting off the court, finally felt relieved and sat down next to Kujo Hayate. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "I didn't expect Tsuna to be the most stable among the lower grades."
Despite being so timid normally—according to Hinata, she even needs a nightlight to sleep at night—this sensitive child is the most reliable one on the official competition field.
"It was definitely the right decision to have Tsunayoshi as our backup. He was like a pillar of strength there. We were even thinking that if he lost his composure, Matsukawa and Kyoji would be there to support him."
However, it seems their worries were unnecessary. He did a great job. The young boy on the court, with his legs slightly bent, had a calm and collected look in his eyes. He was as steady as a hunting leopard. He received the opponent's spike with a single shot, and his focus made the two coaches on the sidelines secretly amazed.
Kujou Hayate remarked, "Tsuna is a competitive player; I've never seen such focus in training matches."
Suzuki watched the child rush to catch the ball and suddenly remembered that Nakajima had said that the boy would sway a few times after catching the ball because he was afraid of getting hurt. But today the boy didn't move at all. Was it because he was afraid that the slightest sway would distort his catching motion?
"His ability to withstand pressure is indeed very strong," Suzuki couldn't help but admit.
It seems that Sawada Tsunayoshi always silently supports any suggestions made by his friends.
This gentle yet firm acceptance allows teammates to disregard defense and launch attacks without hesitation.
The tense and oppressive atmosphere in the team at first quietly disappeared. After playing a few balls, Hinata quickly regained his form, jumping left and right and spiking one ball after another with great enthusiasm.
The opposing coach couldn't help but clench his fist. He turned to the assistant coach next to him and said, "Give me a report on the opposite hitter's accuracy after the game."
"That's ridiculous," he thought. "He's still a receiving player, but his positioning rate is almost on par with that of a libero."
He turned to look at the two coaches chatting and laughing on the opposing coaching bench, and felt a pang of sadness. Was it really necessary to field two defensive stalwarts in the first game, as if afraid other teams wouldn't know how well they mopped the floor?
If Suzuki knew what the other party was thinking, he would cry foul. They had no idea that their child was so promising, becoming a reliable carry in the team in the very first game!
So, amidst the envious and jealous expressions of the opposing coach, they waited for the first technical timeout, then smiled warmly as their promising young talent returned.
"That laugh is disgusting, Dad," Kujo Ike chimed in, adding insult to injury.
Kujou Sa immediately stopped smiling, her anger flaring. "I haven't even said anything yet, but you dared to use a new move during the competition without saying anything. You've got some nerve!"
Kyoji Akaashi picked up his water glass and took a sip. He pondered the style of the people opposite him. "They seem to be more skilled than us. Are they all upperclassmen?"
Suzuki shook his head. "Not entirely. The reason they seem more relaxed is because they've already played one match."
Tsuna poked his head out: "Hey, isn't this only the first round?"
After lecturing her son, Kujo Sa turned around and said, "To be precise, no. Larger clubs like Fukutani, which have a good track record, have a direct admission mechanism and don't need to participate in the first round of club selection. The other club is a club that was only established in the last few years, so they don't have that qualification."
When Aoyama Kaede recalled receiving a flyer from a first-year student offering a 50% discount on tuition for a club's opening, he nodded and said that was indeed the case.
Suzuki laughed and said, "So if you win this game, you'll advance directly to the quarterfinals."
"Eh!" Tsuna exclaimed.
Behind him, Kujo Ike was also calculating with Hyuga, "If the top three get prize money, then if we make it to the quarterfinals..."
"Wow, the prize money isn't far off!" Hinata chimed in, giving him face.
How did you even arrive at this conclusion? Did you guys swallow the whole process?! Sawada Tsunayoshi really doesn't understand his teammates' jumpy thought processes.
The break was short, and the opposing coach quickly gave his players some tactical instructions: "Next time you serve, aim for the right angle. That number seven on the other side is really good at receiving the ball. Don't just stand there and serve straight at him; at least don't let him receive the ball so easily..."
The young players nodded, but wasn't it possible that even if they didn't spike the ball at the opponent, the opponent would still pounce on it and catch it?
Finally, as the break ended, Coach Suzuki gave some suggestions for improvement: "You played well in the first half. Keep playing like that and just keep a calm mindset."
Hinata, no longer looking tired, jumped onto Tsuna's back with boundless energy and clung tightly to him, shouting, "We will!"
Sawada Tsunayoshi shuffled towards the field step by step under the heavy burden. In the end, Aoyama couldn't bear to watch any longer and grabbed Hyuga by the back of his collar, successfully rescuing Sawada Tsunayoshi.
Qingshan kept his peers by his side, whose legs swayed and didn't touch the ground.
Hinata:?
The short action was incredibly ironic; he bared his teeth and claws, trying to get back onto Tsuna's back, where he would feel safer. But how could Aoyama allow that? There was only one Tsuna; if he were crushed, where would Aoyama find a reliable, gentle, and sarcastic person to come and get him?
Sawada Tsunayoshi watched the two playfully bickering from the sidelines with a helpless smile on his face. So even if it was for his teammates, he would definitely catch every ball they threw!
And so, the opposing team finally managed to get Matsukawa Saki off the court, and Tsunayoshi once again took on the responsibility of receiving the ball. Although they followed the coach's advice to find the right angle to spike the ball, the opposing team's number seven player still seemed to have a cheat code and had a good prediction of the landing point.
They can even guess correctly every time.
The attackers are in hell; the opposing ace feels like he could be killed in an instant.
A note from the author:
----------------------
I'm planning to go VIP tomorrow! I want to do it on Little Sun's birthday, hehe. I'll update early tomorrow. The next chapter is chapter 27, and I'll add more chapters if possible. Birthdays and the 27th are both worth updating a lot! [cat emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
