【Miyagi University 15 vs 10 Aoba Johsai】
After a brief silence, the Aoba Johsai players erupted in a huge cheer.
"Nice! Taiichi, well done." Oikawa slapped Maple Field Taiichi on the back. Although it was only one point, it stopped the opponent's momentum, and the team's previously dull atmosphere was immediately broken.
Maple Field Taiichi looked at his hand, recalling that instant, adrenaline surging, so exhilarating... no, so painful!
"Next, let's show them our serve too." Oikawa slowly walked to the service line, exhaling softly.
"Cover your head," Iwaizumi said to Maple Field Taiichi, who was still dazed.
Maple Field Taiichi also felt the atmosphere on the court become heavy, so he turned to face the net, and along with his teammates, crouched slightly, hugging the back of his head tightly.
With a "bang!" the volleyball cleanly hit the wall on the opposite side...
Pfft, a home run, very much Oikawa-senpai's style.
【Miyagi University 16 vs 10 Aoba Johsai】
"My bad, my bad..."
"Idiot, don't serve that kind of ball when your hand isn't warmed up yet." Iwaizumi went up and hit Oikawa.
It was the opponent's turn to serve again. After a different person served, Watari Shinji finally received the first pass easily. After Oikawa gave Maple Field Taiichi a look, Maple Field Taiichi immediately rushed to the net and jumped up, ready to spike.
Unexpectedly, the two opponents reacted quickly, jumping up to block. Maple Field Taiichi felt as if there was a solid wall in front of him.
But the ball didn't come over! Oikawa had only used a glance to trick the opponent's defense to Maple Field Taiichi's front, while the ball was tossed to Iwaizumi on the other side.
Iwaizumi scored with a spike.
【Miyagi University 16 vs 11 Aoba Johsai】
"Well done, good decoy." Oikawa gave Maple Field Taiichi a thumbs up.
Maple Field Taiichi returned a smile to Oikawa, secretly grumbling to himself, "Darn it, he even tricks his own teammates with his tosses!"
Aoba Johsai served. The players on Aoba Johsai's court now were Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime, Hanamaki Takahiro, Watari Shinji, Kindaichi Yutaro, and Maple Field Taiichi.
Kindaichi's onion-head hairstyle was really noticeable; Maple Field Taiichi couldn't help but glance at it a few times. Could it be that he used that hairstyle to make himself look 1.9 meters tall?
"What are you doing?" Kindaichi noticed this new first-year teammate kept staring at him.
"Ah, nothing." Maple Field Taiichi withdrew his gaze. Was he staring that obviously?
"Kindaichi, Taiichi wants to see your brilliant performance too." With just one sentence, Oikawa made Kindaichi excited.
"Yes, Oikawa-senpai!"
In the next few spikes, Oikawa clearly intended for Kindaichi to try more, but each time he was blocked.
"Kindaichi, you can jump more confidently." Oikawa gently pushed Kindaichi's back.
"Yes, Oikawa-senpai!"
So, in the next offensive rally, Maple Field Taiichi clearly felt Kindaichi jumped higher. No, it should be said that the ball Oikawa tossed to Kindaichi was higher. Under Oikawa's encouragement and guidance, Kindaichi's jump was more composed, and his spike point significantly increased slightly. This sudden improvement directly bypassed the opponent's block, and Kindaichi scored with a spike!
【Miyagi University 16 vs 12 Aoba Johsai】
Watching Oikawa's tosses up close was truly a treat. This kind of setter who could guide people to become stronger, I really want to try it! After a few rallies, Maple Field Taiichi felt he was starting to adapt to the rhythm of the game. He looked at Oikawa Tooru, his eyes sincere: "Oikawa-senpai, I want to spike!"
Oikawa smiled. This year's first-years were really passionate.
However, it wasn't as easy as he imagined. After all, the opponents were still a university team and quickly adjusted. Both sides went back and forth, and Maple Field Taiichi didn't get a chance to spike.
The score reached 【Miyagi University 19 vs 15 Aoba Johsai】.
Darn it, I haven't scored a spike yet. If I lose one more point, I'll be substituted. I have to think of something, Maple Field Taiichi's mind was racing.
"Defense, defense." Iwaizumi cushioned the first pass, his figure blending into the attackers. Multiple people attacked simultaneously!
The opponents couldn't determine the direction of Oikawa's toss, so they had to mark Aoba Johsai's attackers one-on-one.
"Here it comes, here it comes," Maple Field Taiichi was a little excited, eager to try. He caught a glimpse of Maeda, the opponent's blocker, from the corner of his eye. Maple Field Taiichi crouched slightly to gather strength, and as his body moved upwards, Maeda hurriedly jumped with him.
But Maple Field Taiichi, as if by a strange impulse, paused for a moment before jumping again, a "One-Person Time Difference"! When he jumped, the opponent Maeda's body was already in the process of descending.
Oikawa's eyes flickered, and he cooperated by tossing the ball above Maple Field Taiichi.
Maple Field Taiichi easily spiked the volleyball down over Maeda's head to score.
【Miyagi University 19 vs 16 Aoba Johsai】
"This kid." Maeda gritted his teeth. He had actually lost two points while facing a rookie. As an Ace, this was absolutely unacceptable. He said to the setter, "Miyamura, toss the ball to me next time!"
Aoba Johsai served.
After a few rallies of offense and defense, the ball was tossed high by Miyagi University's first pass. Maeda ran towards the net, Miyamura tossed the ball to Maeda, and Maeda noticed that the kid from the opposing team had already followed to block.
"Come on, kid!" Maeda jumped heavily. Maple Field Taiichi and Hanamaki, who were blocking, could only follow suit, their arms held straight up. This was a normal block, meant to restrict the ball's path so their libero could better receive the first pass.
Maeda smiled. The one who dominated the aerial battle was the Ace. He found an open spot in the air and swiftly swung his arm at the ball.
That strange feeling came over Maple Field Taiichi again. The changes in Maeda's gaze were clear in his eyes! He felt as if time had slowed down. Maple Field Taiichi forcibly shifted his upward arm to the left in mid-air, directly blocking Maeda's ball path.
"Smack!"
The volleyball hit Maple Field Taiichi's arm and dropped back into Miyagi's court.
Block score!
【Miyagi University 19 vs 17 Aoba Johsai】
"Kid!" Maeda felt a bit irrational.
"Maeda, why are you competing with a first-year kid? Observe your opponents more!" the opposing Coach shouted from the side. Although the opponent was a strong team within Miyagi Prefecture, they were still just high school students after all. It was unacceptable for a group of university students to be scored on consecutively like this.
"Yes." Hearing the Coach's shout, Maeda lowered his head and slowly calmed down.
One time could be called a fluke, but twice? And it was a quite technical block! Aoba Johsai's team leader, Guchi Sadayuki, was already excitedly holding a whiteboard and walking to Coach Irihata: "Coach, a good prospect, definitely a good prospect. Taiichi can definitely take our defense to the next level."
Coach Irihata gestured for the team leader not to get excited. He tapped his hand on his roster, where several names were highlighted.
Kindaichi Yutaro: Middle Blocker, decent power and stamina.
Kunimi Akira: Wing Spiker, high game sense, balanced static abilities.
Maple Field Taiichi: Middle Blocker, fast, excellent at blocking.
This might be the last chance. Before the third-years graduate, we must make it to Nationals.