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Chapter 402: Frightened Off (Triple-Length)
🕑 Added 2025-04-25 20:15:58 +0000 UTCMiya Osamu didn't get angry at Kaedehara Taichi's remark. Though he often squabbled like a child whenever something involved Miya Atsumu, in most situations, he was the more rational and composed of the twins.
It was only natural that they couldn't stop Kaedehara Taichi.
If he allowed himself to be easily provoked and lost his focus, he'd just be revealing a weakness in the upcoming match. That sort of thing had happened plenty during their previous encounters with Aoba Johsai.
Osamu furrowed his brows. What really irritated him was that guy on the other side of the net—Kunimi Akira. Osamu could accept being outdone by freaks like Atsumu or Kaedehara Taichi, players gifted with talent and an unshakable passion for volleyball. But that didn't mean just anyone could challenge his position.
The Miyas' competitiveness was etched into their very bones.
"Still, I am one of the top five outside hitters in the country right now," Osamu muttered, feeling something ignite inside him.
Aoba Johsai continued to serve.
Kaedehara Taichi sent out his fourth serve.
BANG!
And right then, Taichi suddenly switched it up with a jump float serve.
His target was the front-row player—Suna Rintarō!
"Get out of the way!" Miya Atsumu shouted.
Without hesitation, Suna stepped aside. He wasn't confident in receiving that serve anyway. Atsumu would likely have a better shot at it. Rather than wasting a touch, it made more sense to let Atsumu handle it directly.
Smack!
By the time Atsumu reached the front row, the ball had already dropped to about one meter in height. Even with an underhand receive, he didn't give up on the idea of a set.
The ball arced toward the left wing—slightly low and a bit too close to the net.
Osamu sprang up for the spike, as if reading Atsumu's intentions perfectly.
"Double block!" Yūki Yōji and Kunimi Akira both jumped to block him.
In terms of height, Yūki alone would've sufficed. However, both were necessary to shut down Osamu fully at the net.
Swoosh—!
Osamu feinted a spike and instead sent the ball flying back toward the right wing.
Suna leapt up for the attack.
Kyōtani Kentarō went for a single-handed block.
Bang!—
As expected, Suna's spike scored.
[Aoba Johsai 6 – 6 Inarizaki]
—"Inarizaki finally makes it through Taichi's serving rotation—both teams are back on even ground!"
"Let's go, Suna—send out a strong one!"
The serve rotated to Inarizaki.
"Tweet!—"
Almost the moment the referee blew the whistle, Suna Rintarō tossed the ball, took a running start, leapt, and struck.
Boom!!
"I got it!"
That kind of flashy serve was meaningless to Nakamori Daiki.
Smack!
The ball sailed steadily into the front row—perfect first touch.
Aoba Johsai launched a full three-point front-row attack.
Yahaba Shigeru's setting form remained steady, making it hard for Inarizaki to predict who the final attacker would be. But once Kaedehara Taichi retreated to the back row, they instinctively glanced toward the right—at Kyōtani Kentarō.
Whoosh—!
The ball flew left instead. Yūki Yōji jumped, locking eyes with Nojima Nobu across the net.
These two were the tallest middle blockers on their respective teams. Now, they faced off in a one-on-one showdown.
BOOM!—
Even with Miya Atsumu defending the middle back, Yūki chose to take a risk—driving a straight shot past Nojima's left.
Smack!
The shot was sharp and clean. Riseki Heisuke couldn't react in time.
Yūki Yōji scored.
[Aoba Johsai 7 – 6 Inarizaki]
"Nice one, Yūki!"
"He actually managed to strike such a tricky angle?" Nojima's expression tightened. "Though honestly, that ball barely landed in—maybe it was just a lucky shot."
Still, Aoba Johsai regained serve.
Yūki Yōji jumped and served hard.
BOOM!
"Out!" Miya Atsumu read the trajectory instantly.
The ball landed past the baseline.
"Out!"
Yūki Yōji's serve went out. Inarizaki gained a point.
[Aoba Johsai 7 – 7 Inarizaki]
"You're too stiff, Yūki," Kunimi said lazily.
"My bad."
Yūki Yōji switched places with Nakamori Daiki, murmuring to himself. Looked like he still couldn't go full-power on serves right from the start…
-----
"No surprise from Inarizaki—they're holding their own against Aoba Johsai!" someone in the audience called out, full of admiration, prompting nods of agreement from those nearby.
On the court, the game was at a fever pitch.
As last year's Spring High champions, Aoba Johsai had torn through this year's Interhigh like a storm—fierce attacks, seamless coordination. Most teams couldn't even respond.
Somewhere along the way, the image of "the strongest team" had quietly shifted in everyone's mind—from Itachiyama to Aoba Johsai.
And honestly, that shift made perfect sense.
"Hmph. That's what they call keeping up with Aoba Johsai?" on the other side of the stands, Futakuchi Kenji scoffed.
Having just played against Inarizaki, and having faced Aoba Johsai more than once, the boys from Date Tech knew exactly what was happening on the court.
The score might have been neck-and-neck, and Inarizaki was playing tenaciously. But whether it was Date Tech in the audience or Inarizaki on the court—everyone knew this couldn't last.
Why? Because Inarizaki had already pulled out every trick they had.
And yet, Aoba Johsai still played with the calm assurance of a team that knew they'd win.
-----
Inarizaki to serve.
Ginjima Hitoshi jumped and served with power. The ball flew fast and true, aimed at Aoba Johsai's back row—Yahaba Shigeru.
Boom!!—
Smack!
Yahaba handled the first touch cleanly. Kaedehara Taichi moved in to set. Aoba Johsai's front row launched a simultaneous attack.
That kind of setup was exactly what Inarizaki wanted—as long as Taichi wasn't attacking, the pressure on their defence eased significantly.
Whoosh!—
The ball flew left. Kunimi Akira jumped for the spike.
Inarizaki's blockers fanned out—only Riseki Heisuke was in front of Kunimi.
Sakurai Shōta scrambled in from the back, eyes locked on the ball. Kunimi's attacks weren't all that powerful. Even if he got past the block, they had to keep the ball in play.
Boom!—
Smack!—
"?"
But Kunimi didn't spike the ball past the block like they expected. Instead, he lightly brushed the ball off Riseki's hand.
The ball ricocheted out of bounds.
Touch out!
Kunimi Akira scored.
[Aoba Johsai 18 – 17 Inarizaki]
—"Amazing! Rather than avoiding the single blocker, Kunimi went for the harder option—targeting the touch out!"
"Who's the real trickster now, huh?" Osamu said sourly.
Aoba Johsai's serve.
Kunimi aimed his jump float serve at Riseki Heisuke.
"Let's cut off Inarizaki's left wing first."
Smack!
—"Riseki's being locked down by Kunimi's serve!"
Atsumu shifted into position. Osamu leapt on the right.
"At this moment, they have to—"
Boom!
Smack!
"The twins' lightning-quick attack is blocked by Kindaichi!!!"
"Touch!" Kindaichi shouted.
"Chace ball!" Taichi easily received it and got into position again.
Yahaba leapt to set. Inarizaki's block was forced to spread out once more.
Boom!!!—
On the far left, Kyōtani Kentarō spiked the ball cleanly.
[Aoba Johsai 19 – 17 Inarizaki]
—"Aoba Johsai scores consecutively—both sides finally begin to widen the gap as they approach the end of the set!"
—"Looks like Aoba Johsai, who's been waiting for their moment, is ready to strike Inarizaki with a fatal blow."
"Inarizaki shouldn't have used that kind of quick attack against Aoba Johsai," Kimura Ryōta said casually. "They're already lucky that last ball didn't get blocked straight down."
"Kid, take a better look." Futakuchi Kenji's tone was serious. "The only reason that ball wasn't stuffed was because Miya Osamu adjusted midair."
"We're both teams that have lost to these guys. If you keep holding on to that smug attitude, nothing's going to change once Spring High comes around."
"Don't just keep your eyes on Taichi and Miya Atsumu. You need to learn the strengths and weaknesses of everyone on the court."
Kimura Ryōta pursed his lips slightly at Futakuchi Kenji's words. On the surface, Kenji always acted laid-back and hard to read, but as the backbone of Date Tech, it was rare to see him this serious.
-----
Aoba Johsai continued their serve.
Kunimi Akira sent out the second ball.
Riseki Heisuke had somewhat adjusted, and his receive was more stable this time.
Miya Atsumu moved into position and sent the ball toward the right wing. When it came down to it, Miya Osamu wasn't the type of attacker who won through sheer speed. Even though their sync allowed them to pull off flashy quick attacks, it wasn't necessarily better than letting Osamu make full use of his freedom in the air.
Thud!
Osamu jumped to spike.
"Triple block!" Kyōtani Kentarō, Kindaichi Yūtarō, and Yahaba Shigeru all jumped together.
Avoiding Yahaba's block with a straight shot wouldn't have been difficult—but Osamu didn't have much confidence in scoring past Kaedehara Taichi's defence. He couldn't believe someone's stare could actually shake him like this.
Boom!!!—
Osamu spiked cross-court.
The ball flew past Kyōtani's left side and fell inside Aoba Johsai's three-meter line.
Smack!
Kunimi Akira received it. Aoba Johsai's ball receiving power was no longer what it used to be.
Nakamori Daiki moved in and set the ball. Kaedehara Taichi leapt from the back row and spiked.
"Triple block!" Riseki Heisuke, Nojima Nobu, and Miya Osamu jumped together.
BOOM!!!
Smack!
The ball blasted past Osamu's right side and slammed into the arm of Ginjima Hitoshi in the back row, flying out of bounds.
Kaedehara Taichi scored with a back-row spike.
[Aoba Johsai 20 – 17 Inarizaki]
Aoba Johsai reached 20 points first.
"Tweet!—"
"Inarizaki calls a timeout."
Normally, when Kaedehara rotated to the back row, Aoba Johsai's offence and blocking would both weaken noticeably, and most teams could bite into the score—or even catch up—during that phase.
But the moment Aoba Johsai's back row formed a defensive lineup of Kaedehara Taichi, Nakamori Daiki, and Kunimi Akira, their presence on the court transformed.
They were airtight.
The front-row offence could be entrusted to Kyōtani Kentarō, with Kindaichi Yūtarō leading the block—and everything else could be safely left to the three in the back row.
"We should've noticed sooner," Coach Ōmi muttered, his expression grave. "This rotation isn't a coincidence. Their priority is clearly defence."
"Hitoshi, Heisuke—you two focus your efforts on the front-row blockers. Atsumu, don't force the attack. First, break their formation. Then deliver the final blow."
"Yes!"
Riseki Heisuke responded quickly, though blocking was far from his strong suit.
"Heisuke," Miya Atsumu called to him. "You can—"
"I got it!" Riseki nodded. That, at least, he could manage.
-----
The timeout ended, and the match resumed.
Kunimi Akira served his third ball.
Bang!
Riseki Heisuke immediately stepped aside, allowing Miya Atsumu—who had hidden behind him—to rush forward and make the first touch, sending it cleanly to the far right.
Miya Osamu was already airborne at the net.
Another minus-tempo quick!
"Not happening!" Kindaichi stuck to him like glue. In this set, Coach Irihata's instruction for him wasn't to coordinate the front-line—his job was to mark Osamu one-on-one!
Whoosh—!
But Osamu redirected the ball midair, setting it high toward the middle.
Nojima Nobu leapt and spiked.
"Double block!" Kyōtani Kentarō and Yahaba Shigeru jumped together—but it wasn't nearly enough height to stop him.
Boom!!
Nojima Nobu spiked cleanly over their hands!
Smack!
Nakamori Daiki dove and saved the ball.
"Ball's up!"
Kaedehara Taichi moved in and set the ball to the left. Kyōtani ran in for a feint—but Inarizaki wasn't fooled.
Kunimi Akira leapt from the back row and spiked.
"Triple block!" This time, Miya Osamu had swapped places with Riseki, lining up directly in front of Kunimi.
Tap.
With no clear angle to attack, Kunimi safely tipped the ball toward Inarizaki's back row.
"I got it!"
That kind of delay meant nothing to Atsumu. He turned and sprinted toward the back line, sending the ball cleanly back up to the front.
Osamu jumped once more.
"Double block!" Kyōtani and Kindaichi jumped on time.
—Boom!!!
The ball slammed down along the centerline and bounced off Aoba Johsai's baseline.
Miya Osamu scored.
[Aoba Johsai 20 – 18 Inarizaki]
"Pulling Aoba Johsai's defence toward the front row with the first wave, then targeting the baseline with the second spike…" Futakuchi Kenji couldn't help but praise, "Inarizaki adapted fast."
"But they wouldn't be able to pull that off without Miya-senpai's setting," Koganegawa Kanji added. "If his sets were even a little slower—or less accurate—Aoba Johsai's defence would've already reset."
"You noticed that?!" Futakuchi looked at him, clearly surprised. He was unfamiliar with this version of Koganegawa.
"I'm still a long way from these top-tier setters," Koganegawa said seriously. "I know you'd say losing the match wasn't all my fault, senpai—but I was definitely the one with the biggest mismatch on the court."
"We were this close. Just a bit more, and we'd have broken through."
Futakuchi Kenji: "…"
This kid…he really might be someone Date Tech could entrust their future to.
-----
Serve changed—Inarizaki to serve.
"Tweet!—"
As the whistle blew, Miya Osamu launched the ball at the very edge of the 8-second limit.
Every little thing that could be used—must be used!
BOOM!!
Smack!
Osamu's serve was already powerful, and adding the timing distraction only scattered Aoba Johsai's focus even more.
Nakamori Daiki received it, but the first pass was off.
Yahaba scrambled and set the ball to the left wing. Kyōtani leapt and spiked.
"Triple block!" Atsumu, Heisuke, and Nojima jumped together.
BOOM!!!
The ball slipped past Atsumu's left and slammed down hard towards Inarizaki's left sideline.
Smack!
Sakurai Shōta received it—but the ball shot high and bounced back over Aoba Johsai's side.
Thud!
Atsumu jumped and stretched his arm out to reach for the ball with one hand.
"Kindaichi! Stop him!" Yahaba shouted.
Kindaichi jumped in front of Atsumu, and just as it looked like Atsumu was about to attempt a setter dump, Kindaichi's arm pressed down and blocked the ball straight back into Inarizaki's court.
Bang!
The ball hit the floor.
[Aoba Johsai 20 – 19 Inarizaki]
"——What?"
Did Inarizaki just score?
The Aoba Johsai players all turned toward the referee, who raised a hand to signal:
"Over-the-net foul."
Just as Miya Atsumu was about to touch the ball, he pulled his hand back.
It wasn't a second attack, nor a one-handed set—it was a bait to lure the opponent into committing a foul!
Aside from his technical prowess, Miya Atsumu's volleyball IQ was also among the very best for a setter!
Inarizaki closed the gap to just one point!
Miya Osamu stepped up to serve again.
BOOM!!
The ball came in faster than his first—Osamu was putting everything he had into this serve!
Smack!
"Damn it!" Nakamori Dai failed to receive cleanly again—the ball veered off toward the right side.
Kaedehara Taichi was forced to cover.
"Nice serve!" Managing to throw Taichi off-position meant Inarizaki now had a chance to strike back!
Whoosh!—
All eyes followed the ball as it soared high and cleanly toward the left wing of Aoba Johsai's front row.
"Nice set," Kyōtani Kentarō muttered, unusually straightforward in his praise for Taichi.
The cross-court set spanned diagonally across half the court—yet landed with flawless precision, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Thud!
Kyōtani charged parallel to the net and leapt up, his body stretching to the limit until it almost seemed to fold backwards.
His right arm coiled behind him—then snapped forward with explosive force.
BOOM!!!—
"Triple block!"
Even Miya Osamu, stationed on the right side just past the three-meter line, couldn't follow the ball's path.
The ball slammed into the court a full meter inside Inarizaki's right three-meter line.
A super-sharp, inside-angle line kill!
Kyōtani Kentarō scores!
[Aoba Johsai 21 – 19 Inarizaki]
"—KYŌTANI KENTARŌ!!!"
"With an unbelievable posture! An equally unbelievable spike!"
"And the ball landed inside the three-meter line?! This point single-handedly cut off Inarizaki's momentum!"
The serve switched hands. Aoba Johsai to serve. Kaedehara Taichi rotated to the front row.
"Hey, hey, hey, get it together! At this rate, you guys are dropping the first set!" Futakuchi Kenji shouted with no concern for restraint.
"Huh?" Koganegawa Kanji blinked. "Aren't we supposed to be cheering for Aoba Johsai, Senpai?"
"Hah?" Futakuchi glared. "Haven't they won enough already?! What the hell are we cheering them on for?!"
"Koganegawa, that's a bad take. A thousand extra sets for that," he snapped.
"Ughhh—" Aone Takanobu started to raise a hand to intervene.
"It's fine, Aone-senpai," Kimura Ryōta held him back. "Futakuchi-senpai's just being dramatic."
"But Inarizaki beat us just the other day," Koganegawa muttered innocently. "Shouldn't we not be cheering them on…?"
"Hehe, the harder they try, the worse it'll feel when they lose," Futakuchi grinned wickedly.
Onagawa Tarō cast him a sideways glance. What on earth twisted this guy into the mess he is now…?
-----
"Tweet!—"
The whistle blew.
Kyōtani Kentarō tossed the ball and launched a jump serve.
BOOM!!!
Smack!
"Cover!" Miya Osamu managed a shaky receive.
Atsumu quickly moved in, setting the ball to the left. Riseki Heisuke jumped to spike.
"Triple block!" Kindaichi Yūtarō, Yahaba Shigeru, and Kaedehara Taichi all went up.
Heisuke barely managed to spike the ball over Yahaba.
"Mine!"
Kunimi Akira received it cleanly. Nakamori Daiki moved in to set, sending the ball to the right side.
Kaedehara Taichi ran laterally, timed his jump, and spiked.
"Double block!" Atsumu and Nojima Nobu both went up together.
BOOM!!
Riseki Heisuke had just landed, too slow to rejoin the block—and the ball came flying straight at him.
Smack!
It hit his hastily raised arms and ricocheted out of bounds.
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[Aoba Johsai 22 – 19 Inarizaki]
—"Taichi just flipped his body around to spike it in the opposite direction! The sharp angle completely caught Inarizaki off-guard!"
…There it was again—that feeling.
Beads of sweat slowly formed on Miya Atsumu's brow, gathering into little streams that trickled down his temple, blurring his vision.
Aoba Johsai continued serving. Kyōtani launched his second serve.
BOOM!!!—
The ball traced a perfect arc through the air.
Thud!
It curved hard with a brutal sidespin—landing dangerously close to the right sideline on Inarizaki's side.
"Damn it!" Miya Osamu clenched his teeth.
Kyōtani Kentarō with no-touch ace!
[Aoba Johsai 23 – 19 Inarizaki]
"Do these guys even know what pressure is?"
"The closer we get to set point, the more fired up they get…"
"They're terrifying."
"Don't let it get to you—"
"Osamu! You should've gotten that one!" Atsumu shouted, cutting off Ginjima Hitoshi's encouragement. "We're being treated like jokes out here!"
"Shut up, I know!" Osamu snapped, eyebrows deeply furrowed.
First it was Itachiyama, now it's Aoba Johsai—each one more annoying than the last.
"Let's go. Next serve."
Kyōtani Kentarō took a deep breath. That last serve had been more lucky than he intended—it landed way closer to the sideline than he'd aimed for.
"This time...focus harder!"
BOOM!!!
Kyōtani fired off his third serve.
Smack!
The ball struck Ginjima Hitoshi's arm and ricocheted out of bounds. Miya Osamu sprinted after it.
Smack!
Osamu barely saved it and pushed it up high to the right wing. Every chance to attack counted now.
Nojima Nobu jumped.
"Double block!" Kindaichi and Taichi leapt up.
He's getting stuffed?!
The look in their eyes made Nojima flinch—as if they could see the fear in him.
His gaze flickered. Instinctively, he angled the ball toward the right to avoid the block.
Boom!!—
The ball zipped past Taichi right—but he didn't even move.
From the back row, Nakamori's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed.
Thud!
The ball hit the floor.
"OUT!"
It landed at least two ball widths outside Aoba Johsai's right sideline.
Nojima Nobu's spike was out. Aoba Johsai scores.
[Aoba Johsai 24 – 19 Inarizaki]
"That guy totally flinched at Taichi's block," Futakuchi said flatly. "The pressure at the net completely killed that spike."
Aoba Johsai reached 24 points first—they now held five set points.
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