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Chapter 128: No One Knows Better Than Me...
🕑 Added 2025-01-03 16:00:10 +0000 UTC"Osamu, Osamu, that was amazing!"
"Osamu, Osamu, you jump so high!"
"What a precisely timed set! Miya Osamu's spike was flawless."
"The synchronization between the twins is on a whole other level!"
Aran Ojiro looked more thrilled than the Miya twins themselves. "Ah, brotherly love is truly something special!"
"Only twins could have such unshakable trust in one another!"
"Not at all!"
The twins shouted in unison, instantly disproving Aran's statement.
The irony of their synchronized denial didn't escape anyone's notice. Aran half-expected Shinsuke Kita to chime in with a witty retort, but the Inarizaki captain simply averted his gaze in quiet resignation.
"I just knew the ball would come to me," Osamu suddenly remarked, breaking the momentary silence.
"That's so unfair," Yahaba Shigeru muttered as he observed the opposing setter, unable to hide his frustration.
What stung the most was the likelihood that either of the Miya twins might be a better setter than him.
"Huh? Yahaba-senpai, what are you talking about?" Kindaichi Yūtarō asked, his face radiating cluelessness.
"In the nationals, you get to see so many incredible players with exceptional talent and creativity. Even when facing Oikawa-senpai, they're not at all outmatched," Yahaba explained, his tone tinged with envy.
Still, Kindaichi's confusion didn't waver. Unable to hold back, Yahaba posed a scenario:
"Imagine there's a player who isn't even an attacker, but their spikes are stronger than yours. What would you do?"
Kindaichi didn't even hesitate. "That's easy. We've already got someone like that right here!" He pointed toward the court. "Oikawa-senpai, obviously. Even though he's a setter, his spikes are better than anyone else's."
Yahaba: "..."
He felt an immense urge to sigh.
In truth, Yahaba had a more pressing concern on his mind. After Oikawa and the other seniors graduated, he was poised to inherit the role of Aoba Johsai's starting setter.
Would the team experience a glaring drop in performance after Oikawa's departure? Would they struggle to adjust to his less refined sets?
Especially with Taichi as their ace, Yahaba doubted he could tailor his sets as perfectly as Oikawa could.
But this wasn't the time to be caught up in such worries. Snapping out of his thoughts, Yahaba refocused on the match.
The scoreboard now read [Aoba Johsai 16 – 14 Inarizaki].
After learning a new technique, the Miya twins had become engrossed in it. While it had scored them several points, it had also resulted in two critical errors.
The two-point gap between the teams remained, but at this pace, Inarizaki's attacks would only grow more polished, and countering them would become increasingly difficult.
It was Atsumu Miya's turn to serve again.
Aoba Johsai had studied Atsumu's serves in detail the previous night. Despite Atsumu being a "dual-wielding" server like Oikawa, his choices were far less unpredictable.
With careful analysis led by Oikawa and helped by the meta-knowledge from Taichi, the team had identified a key difference in Atsumu's serves—it lay in his footwork.
Before serving, Atsumu always measured his steps from the baseline. A jump float serve required four steps, while a powerful jump serve required six steps.
The first step to countering Atsumu's serve was recognizing the type based on his footwork!
Atsumu stepped onto the service line.
Four steps—jump float serve!
Aoba Johsai's back-row players adjusted slightly forward in preparation.
"Oh?" Osamu smirked as he noticed the subtle shift in Aoba Johsai's formation. "Looks like they've done their homework on Atsumu's serves. But..." His smile widened. "Even if you've figured out the serve type from his steps, you're just getting to the starting line."
Bang!
Atsumu Miya's serve shot across the court, arriving in front of Watari Shinji in the blink of an eye.
Before Watari could fully raise his hands, the ball zipped past his head and plummeted sharply.
"!!!"
This jump float serves...it's even stronger than Oikawa's!
The ball landed cleanly inside Aoba Johsai's court.
Miya Atsumu's serve earned a direct point!
[Aoba Johsai 16 – 15 Inarizaki]
"It's not just Aoba Johsai's Oikawa who can masterfully execute two types of serves. Inarizaki's Atsumu Miya is just as formidable in this area!"
"What a stunning serve! The movement seems even more unpredictable than Oikawa's."
"The strength of a team and the quality of its serves are closely linked. Up to this point, every single Inarizaki player has posed a serious threat with their serves, but Atsumu Miya undoubtedly stands out the most."
"On the other hand, Aoba Johsai occasionally gives away opportunities with their serves. If they don't reclaim the serve quickly, this could be Inarizaki's chance to overtake them!"
Atsumu, riding the high of his successful jump float serve, would typically switch to a powerful jump serve next to showcase his versatility.
However, having been outperformed in serves by Aoba Johsai's setter at the start of the match, Atsumu wasn't in the mood to show off. He was solely focused on scoring points and letting the results speak for themselves.
Bang!
The second serve—another jump float!
Watari reacted swiftly this time, raising his hands in preparation. But the ball deviated from its expected trajectory, grazing his fingertips and flying out of bounds.
"I've got it!"
Hanamaki Takahiro darted toward the sideline, diving at the last moment to send the ball back into play. Kunimi Akira, forced into an emergency attack, merely sent the ball over the net.
"Chance ball!"
Akagi Michinari received the ball flawlessly, sending it up toward Atsumu, who was already in position for the set.
Kaedehara Taichi and Oikawa Tōru exchanged a glance, the same thought flashing in their eyes.
It's a great technique, isn't it?
Quick attacks that completely bypass the blockers, scoring over their heads...
A brilliant display of the setter's skill and the spiker's speed...
And the shock on the spectators' faces is incredibly satisfying...
They'd learned this move in a match, refined it in a match, and now it was their turn to counter it in a match.
When the first touch is solid, there's no doubt—the ball will be sent to the net for a quick attack!
"Double block!"
Instead of an undefended net, two pairs of hands loomed large in front of Miya Osamu as he leapt for the spike.
Already mid-air and committed to the attack, Osamu had no time to rethink his options. His quick attack was swift and fluid, but—
Smack!
The ball slammed into Kaedehara Taichi's arm and ricocheted back into Inarizaki's court.
"Gotcha!"
"Inarizaki's lightning-fast twin quick attack is no match for the original masters!"
Aoba Johsai's block earned them a point!
[Aoba Johsai 17 – 15 Inarizaki]
"Nice block, Taichi!"
"Nice block, Oikawa-senpai!"
"It seems Oikawa and Kaedehara were absolutely certain the ball would go to the net for a quick attack. What impeccable coordination!"
"I've had enough of you two hopping around in front of me," Oikawa pouted, though his tone was smug.
Taichi, in contrast, maintained a polite expression as he addressed the Miya twins.
"Actually, this move isn't something we came up with ourselves."
"We learned it from someone else."
"Oh, and the original version of the quick attack is even more devastating than ours," Taichi added with a sudden cheer. "But here's the thing—we defeated them to stand here today."
His expression sharpened, his gaze locking onto the Miya twins, whose faces had darkened.
"Senpai, no one knows better than me how to defeat this quick attack!"
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