Chapter 41: Shiratorizawa vs. Qingcheng (2) (Includes 2k nutrient solution plus more)...
"...What on earth is going on in Qingcheng?"
Shirabu Kenjiro was silent for a moment, and finally asked this question.
Hearing this, Taichi Kawanishi looked up, then stopped holding the volleyball. It was not their fault, after all, the same situation occurred on the other half of the Qingcheng court: the ace of Qingcheng was blocked by the main attacker Hanamaki with both hands, with a ferocious expression, while Ikawa on the opposite side had a smiling look. No, Taichi Kawanishi withdrew his gaze, and his eyes lingered on Shirabu strangely for a few seconds.
This looks so familiar...
I feel like I've seen this before in Shiratorizawa. Isn't it always like this with Shirabu and Kenjo? Then again, the person who's responsible for breaking up the fight keeps changing.
So Kawanishi Taichi thought for a while and said, "... maybe Oikawa-kun is also a comedian off the court?"
White cloth:.
Baibu had a headache: "I don't want to hear this word for the time being."
He was being tortured by Kenjo's nonsense off the court, but now he had made it to the game. However, after hearing what Kawanishi Taichi said, his brain automatically started to imagine the opposing Ikawa as Kenjo. Shirabu paused for two seconds and even felt that this venue was a bit suffocating. This was too scary.
One Sword City is scary enough, will another one mean the end of the world?
Shirabu Kenjiro glanced to his left, where Kenjo was training Ushijima with the ball. The atmosphere was quite good right now. Looking at the blue-haired setter like this, one might have thought Kenjo Shinichi was a well-behaved person—
The next second after this thought arose, it was shattered by Jiancheng himself, because his conversation with Ushijima was heard by Shirabu and Kawanishi Taichi.
"Niu Ruo, hit the ball a little to the right." The blue-haired first-year student's face was expressionless. "Don't waste my dribbling."
Ushijima Wakari actually obeyed, moving her arm a bit before looking in Kenjo Shinichi's direction, as if asking for his opinion: "Is this so?"
The setter had a blank expression on his face: "Every ball." It was as if he was giving an order.
Ushijima: "Okay, I'll try my best."
Then they resumed their silent warm-up, and it looked quite harmonious just looking at their backs.
Shirabu: ...
Kawanishi:……
Bai Bu clenched his fists and forced a smile: "Jiancheng is such a piece of shit."
Where had he learned respect? Did he swallow the word "senior"? Bai Bu tried hard to suppress the urge to punch Jian Cheng.
The first-year secondary attacker standing next to him said: "...Forget it, forget it, he's not always like this."
During the game, he doesn't consider other people's feelings at all and often hits some unexpected good shots with utmost effort, so you can't say a word of rejection to his decision.
Once he stood on the court, Kenjo Shinichi seemed to be declaring only one idea—
"He is absolute"
He's like a dictator, but his personality off the court is quite divided. Sometimes it feels like no one would tolerate him except in a school like Shiratorizawa where the strong are supreme. But it's just a thought. After all, the strong are welcomed everywhere. So Kawanishi Taichi sighed and changed the subject: "Is this Senami-senpai's first round?"
In Shiratorizawa's current tactical arrangement, apart from Kenjo who is always on the court, the other setter is basically Senmi Eita and Shirabu who rotate with each other. However, in recent times, Shirabu has always been the second-round substitute.
"Yeah," Shirabu sorted out his messed up mood caused by Kenjo Shinichi and nodded, "That seems to be what the coach planned."
——The game will start soon.
[Now let me introduce you to the starting lineup of Shiratorizawa Gakuen High School]
The announcer's voice rang out in the stadium.
[No. 1, Ushijima Wakari]
Ushijima calmly trotted into the stage, high-fived Supervisor Washi Takumi and Coach Saito, and a girl's soft scream of "Ushijima-senpai" could be heard from the stage.
[No. 4, Dahei Shiyin]
Ohira Shion's eyes were firm and he didn't look away as he waved and greeted the cheerleaders of Shiratorizawa.
[No. 5, Tiantong Jue]
Tiantong really enjoyed this atmosphere. He squinted his eyes, stretched out two fingers like a fox, and made a "V" sign to the audience.
[No. 12, Taiyi in Western Sichuan]
[No. 3, Seni Eita]
Neither of them was a very flamboyant person, and they just nodded in response to the cheers in the venue.
[No. 9, Kenjo Shinichi]
"Master Shinichi!!!" The roar was like a tsunami. "Please lead us to victory today too!" It was the group of strange humans who were holding Shinichi's life hostage who were screaming.
Kenjo Shinichi didn't walk fast, with a handsome look that was almost sharp between his brows. His blue hair was tied up with a hairband, revealing his smooth forehead and smooth profile. After he nodded to the crowd who came to cheer him on, the noise in the venue became louder.
Xiaoshan, who was sitting in the audience, felt his ears hurt from the noise: "Why are there still boys shouting along?"
Mori Yukitaka stared at the court: "It's the atmosphere, it's the atmosphere."
[No. 14, free man, Hayato Yamagata]
Yamagata shouted to himself as if to cheer him up.
[Supervisor, Eagle Blacksmith]
When Coach Jiujiang heard his name, he waved to the audience.
"Isn't Shirabu-senpai the starting lineup today?" Hinata hadn't known when he had mixed into Shiratorizawa's cheering team again. At this moment, he was holding a small loudspeaker and asking Midorikawa, his eyes full of confusion. He still remembered this friendly senior who gave him candy.
Midorikawa pursed his lips and said, "It's the coach's arrangement. Recently, Senmi-senpai has always been the starter."
Hinata uttered a blank "Oh" and then looked at the second team to appear, Aoba Johsai. He didn't know much about high schools, so as the announcer continued to introduce the starting lineup of Aoba Johsai High School, he continued to sigh, "The opponent looks really strong."
The first person to appear in Qingcheng was Oikawa, who waved to the stands with a gentle smile.
Lu Chuan explained to him: "Qingcheng has been very strong in recent years, but recently Beichuan seems to be the number one source of students." He said this with the idea of popular science.
When Hinata heard this familiar school, he coughed twice, his voice a little distorted, and grabbed Midorikawa Yuki's arm: "Kitagawa No. 1?!"
Midorikawa was startled, and when he looked down and saw Hinata's expression, he couldn't help laughing: "Yeah, what's wrong?" He looked like he was suffering from a deep hatred.
Hinata realized that he had gone too far, so he rubbed his head and said sorry, and finally uttered a few words: "Our school had a competition with Kitagawa Daiichi."
Ah... Midorikawa could understand that. After all, Kitagawa First Volleyball Club was a strong junior high school. However, as if he had thought of something, Midorikawa added, "By the way, they lost to Guangxian Academy in the finals."
Hinata was shocked.
"How could a school with a king like that actually lose?"
Midorikawa: "The King...? Ah, are you talking about Kageyama-kun?" He had heard of him in junior high school; he was, after all, a player known as a genius setter. Oh, and Midorikawa pointed at the people from Aoba Castle West Middle School who were already lined up and said, "That number one, Oikawa-kun, is his direct predecessor."
Hinata looked in the direction of the finger, "The King's Senior...isn't that the King?!"
[No. 7, free man Watari Shinji]
While the announcer was still mumbling, he had already called out the final coaching segment.
【Director: Shinteru Irihata】
Coach Irihata greets the audience.
Dear audience, please give the contestants your warm support. (Note 1)
"I feel a little nervous just watching them play," said Dongfeng Xu, who was sitting on the left of Sugawara Koji. His face was pale and he held his stomach while saying this.
After being sad for a while after losing the game, Karasuno started to cheer up again, so a few people discussed it and finally decided to watch the game between Shiratorizawa and Aoshiro. When they arrived at the venue, they found that it seemed that they were not the only team that thought so. So now on their left was Jozenji and on their right was Dateko. When the people from Jozenji saw the Karasuno group, they greeted them warmly and did not feel embarrassed at all about winning against them.
Sugawara:…
What is this? A college hodgepodge?
Sugawara held his forehead and turned his gaze back to the court. It seemed that the captains of both teams were guessing which side would start, and in the end, Ushijima had a slight advantage.
"That Qingcheng commander," Sawamura paused, "even though he was smiling, his face looked like he was gritting his teeth."
Sugawara stared at Oikawa's face for a moment as he spoke, then made a sound of agreement with a subtle sigh, "It wasn't an illusion. He seemed to glare at Ushijima when he turned around."
How should I put it? Sugawara thought for a moment, and finally thought to himself—
Are all these wealthy setters so naive?
This is also true, and so is Jiancheng.
Speaking of Kenjo Shinichi, Sugawara noticed that he had already consciously walked towards the serving point, nodded slightly, and stared at the position on the other side of the court, as if he was waiting for the referee to blow the whistle and then jump up.
Sugawara was silent for two seconds: "Is this guy trying to be cool on purpose?"
Sawamura and Tomine: ...
It seemed so, the corners of their mouths curled up, and the cheering group outside the stadium screamed even louder when they saw this scene, and the mixed screams with conversations made the venue boil.
We must have argued too much today, and I always feel that Jiancheng is like a peacock spreading its tail tail towards Qingcheng. It's so weird. Let me take another look.
*
You have completed the Spring and Summer Collection Packs.
You have completed the Vault 2500 and 5000 collection packs.
You have completed the Spring Crop Collection Pack.
How wonderful! The farmer showed a gratified expression as he watched the Junimos working hard. His backpack had just been credited with collected rewards. If it weren't for the fact that it was just summer and his funds were really limited, he would have unlocked the vault long ago so that he could travel in the desert. Unfortunately, he was still a little short of it.
But just as the farmer was sighing, the taskbar beeped twice, and a new opportunity to make money popped up.
Lewis's Purple Shorts: Lewis's purple shorts seem to have been lost on the 100th floor of the mine. This has made Lewis anxious. Please help Lewis get his belongings back!
【Reward: 35,000 yen】
Farmer:!
The farmer suddenly turned around and looked at Lewis with a shocked expression. How much had this damn Lewis embezzled from Pelican Town?!
Coach Jiujiang, who was suddenly stared at:?
He was willing to spend so much gold to ask a great player to help him get back a pair of purple shorts. Could it be that they are bordered with gold?
The farmer was in deep thought, puzzled.
“Beep—”
The whistle woke him up. The farmer scratched his face as he looked at the sudden negative state, stared at his hands for a while, and thought to himself, I didn’t see any monsters, why was it red and green?
The farmer started taking bombs out of his backpack. He had done a lot of them this time.
The players are full of confidence.
"...I've been warned." Midorikawa had a complicated expression on his face. He looked in the direction of Kaji Uchihashi and found that the old man's face was not very good at the moment. No wonder, after all, this is the final, and Kenjo Shinichi's serve was almost timed out. "Should I say it's worthy of Kenjo..." At this time, they can suddenly make a mess of things.
Hinata Shoyo: "Hey! Is that a timeout?"
The little orange-headed boy's eyes sparkled: "But the ball flew right over to the king and the others in a flash. If I hadn't been watching closely, I wouldn't have been able to react."
What a fast ball, and the arc is particularly powerful! Hinata's heart and reality were applauding Jiancheng crazily.
Midorikawa: ...
It’s a big filter, but it’s indeed a beautiful serve.
In the final seconds, Kenjo Shinichi sent a ball, which hit Qingcheng's baseline like a meteor, successfully scoring the first point for Shiratorizawa. Amid the thunderous cheers from the audience, he even slightly curved his eyes, looking like he was in a very good mood.
Anyway, Shiratorizawa cheered even louder because of this goal, but Midorikawa didn't see the reaction from Qingcheng.
"That was close, wasn't he just jumping at the very end?" Midorikawa said, having successfully secured a point. "But generally speaking, no one serves at the last second."
On the one hand, if the server does not have enough confidence in his own ability, he will easily fall into a nervous mood. On the other hand, it requires a very high accuracy in hitting the ball.
Jiancheng almost committed a foul just now, but he also caught Qingcheng on the opposite side off guard. The disadvantage is that Shiratorizawa was also frightened.
After realizing what was happening, the team leader started shouting, "Jiancheng! Another goal!"
The stadium was completely boiling and the atmosphere was completely heated.
"One more goal!"
The commentators for the finals were still Nandu Shu and Matsumoto. Nandu pinched his earphones and said, "The match against Qingcheng looks like Jiancheng-san is incredibly excited. Is it because he saw Oikawa?"
Matsumoto smiled and said, "This is the mutual respect between two top setters."
"That first ball was a powerful jump serve," Nandushu continued. "Perhaps it was a declaration of war against our senior, Oikawa. Kenshiro-kun is quite ambitious."
"Speaking of which, Miyagi has produced quite a few promising setters in recent years," Matsumoto said with emotion. "I really hope that one day I can see them stand on a bigger stage and announce their arrival to the world."
"Yes, I'm really looking forward to that day." Matsumoto also said.
"Kenjo is preparing for his second serve. Let's wait and see if it's a jump serve or the floater that Kenjo has always loved. We're also looking forward to Aoba Johsai's counterattack."
Second goal.
Watari lowered his center of gravity and tried hard to observe the movements of the opposing setter. The ball just now was completely beyond their expectations. No. 9 Shiratorizawa had never had a precedent of serving at the last second in the existing games, which really surprised them.
I'd been wondering if this was a new tactic from Shiratorizawa, but the expressions on the bench didn't seem to indicate that. So, was it just the setter acting on his own? How could there be such an unruly player? Watari Chikaji took a deep breath. It seemed like the other members of Shiratorizawa weren't angry, but rather, helpless.
Why do they all seem so familiar with each other?
Watanaji:……
What a terrifying dominance.
At that moment, number 9 took off, another jump serve. Before he could react, the ball came hurtling straight at him. Was it a mistake? A serve wouldn't normally drift toward the free man. Regardless, he was about to reach out to catch it when the ball took an odd deflection in front of him, barely brushing his ear and heading for the baseline.
Wait a minute?! Which hand did he just use? His left?
The Qingcheng Freeman's eyes suddenly widened, and he turned his head in disbelief to look at the ground where he had just been hit.
"It's a sidespin shot!!!" the commentator excitedly said, "Perfect spin and arc, such a beautiful crescent moon! Jiancheng-san has surprised us once again, serving with his left hand!"
The Shiratorizawa school song sounded in the audience at the right time, but it was just ironic to the Qingcheng players.
Using them to experiment with new serving techniques? This person is so mean!
At this moment, the blue-haired setter on the opposite side had an expression on his face that could be called a smile.
*
"That guy," Erkouchi leaned back in his chair, a puzzled look on his face, "actually has this hidden trick up his sleeve?"
Can serve with both hands? It's a monster setter.
"Watari-kun is so miserable." Koganei bit his handkerchief, completely immersed in the role of Watari Kinji, as if the one receiving the serve from Kenjo Shinichi was not the Qingcheng libero but him, and wailed again: "So miserable!"
Maoting:......
Mao Ting was helpless: "Where did you get this handkerchief from?!"
Qinggen crossed his elbows on his knees and stared at the court with a serious face, wondering what he was thinking.
Onagawa patted Koganei and said, "It's okay, Senpai. There will be another chance to catch the ball like this in November during the spring high school."
Actually, the earlier one should be the national tournament, but Miyagi Prefecture is different from other regions. Usually, the winner of the IH preliminaries is selected to participate. If Qingcheng can't win this time, it is estimated that Shiratorizawa will represent it again. (Note 3)
Koganei:……
Xiao Jinjing coughed twice because of the choking, and said with grief and anger: "Can't you just look forward to it?!"
Do you want such a blessing?
Mao Ting: "Haruka, your nose is about to run..." This scene is simply horrible, there is not a trace of image at all. Anyway, let's pray that it doesn't be recorded in Shiratorizawa's memoirs.
"What?!" Koganei urgently managed his image.
Erkouchi said indifferently: "Senior is so dirty."
Koganei, KO
Unlike the chaos at Date Industries, Karasuno seemed more harmonious, but that might also be because a few noisy first-year students didn't come.
Tohno showed Sugawara his phone, "Nishiya said he saw it on TV, and he wanted to have a volleyball match between men and Kenjo."
In short, I just want to catch the ball!
Sugawara:…
Sugawara: "It's great that he and Ryunosuke didn't come because they had something else to do."
Sawamura was silent for a few seconds, then raised his hand: "...Is it really okay to say that?"
"Sorry, sorry." Although it was a bit immoral, he couldn't imagine whether he would have a moment of peace if Nishitani and Tanaka both came, and how noisy the scene would be. After all, no one could stop Nishitani and Tanaka, two horses that were easily unbridled, and Sugawara's conscience was secretly fighting.
*
"Don't mind, it's okay! Just catch the next ball!" Iwaizumi clapped his hands, comforting the somewhat frustrated libero, and shouted, "Come on!"
The current score on the field is 3:0, and the gap between Qingcheng and Shiratorizawa is further widening.
Although that's what I said, it would be a lie to say I didn't feel anxious. Their defense was originally weak, and Shiratorizawa happened to be the type who attacked strongly. It was already difficult enough that everyone was immature in the first year, and now there was a super offensive setter, which was like a spear that had been sharpened.
If we can't break Kenjo Shinichi's serve quickly, I'm afraid the score of the first game will definitely not be good, Iwaizumi frowned.
"Calm down, Xiaoyan," Oikawa's voice rang in his ear, "We have to trust our teammates."
"Volleyball is not a one-person sport."
Oikawa Toru's eyes were fixed on Shiratorizawa No. 9, trying to find a way to break the deadlock. The higher the pressure, the more he had to use his brain. They had studied Shiratorizawa's tactics so many times, and even if they were to change, there would definitely be some shadows of the past.
Iwaizumi exhaled, his gaze firm, "You're right, I was too impatient."
It would be a lie to say that we didn't want to score immediately to break the deadlock, but the more we wanted victory and the more we felt that victory was just around the corner, the more likely we were to fail when we reached the highest point.
Calm down, think, and observe.
Shiratorizawa Stand——
"...That's amazing," Midorikawa sighed, "Oikawa-kun calmed down the somewhat impetuous Qingcheng with just one sentence. This is the role of a good setter."
Hinata looked towards Qingcheng again after hearing this, "Midorikawa-senpai, can you tell what the king said?"
He can only see the movements clearly here, but not the expression at all.
"Look at their feet. When Jiancheng scored the third point just now, their footwork got messy and they couldn't adjust properly. They must be feeling guilty. You can understand how they want to score a point for the team on the court. The more pressure they put on themselves, the more likely they are to perform poorly," Midorikawa explained. "But after Oikawa-kun finished speaking, they unconsciously adjusted their center of gravity, and the whole atmosphere changed."
So even if you can't see clearly what the other person said, you can still understand it. It must be the setter who played a role.
Hinata seemed to understand, "What about Kenjo-nii?"
Midorikawa: ...
Midorikawa scratched his cheek, "You can see for yourself what he said."
Kenjo Shinichi is not the type to comfort others, but it is better not to say such words to a child. Let's give Kenjo some face in front of Hinata.
Hinata then turned her attention back to the blue-haired setter.
-----------------------
Author's words: Note 1: This is what was said during the broadcast of the match against Karasuno on TV.
Note 2: Stardew Valley Sacrifice Collection Pack, not very important, you can search for it if you are interested
Note 3: The National Sports Festival, Spring High School, and IH are collectively known as the Three Majors, but some regions hold competitions, while others allow students to be directly selected. I don't know the rules for Miyagi, but considering there are no specific plots in the manga, it should be that schools are directly selected.
Finally: I said I would give out red envelopes in the last chapter, but I forgot because I was scared by cockroaches, so I will give out red envelopes in this chapter, and I will give out 20 random ones.
P.S.: I am catching up on yesterday's chapters and adding 2k nutrient solution. I was so tired from walking that I fell asleep in the hotel (…) I woke up in the early morning and started writing furiously until six o'clock. Anyway, I finished it. But Yami is leaving Zhejiang to return to Jiangsu today. Maybe I will be able to finish it in the evening. If not, it will be hell again (…), but if you calculate it this way, there are only 80, 100, and 30 extra chapters left to write (why are there still so many) (I'm lying down)
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