The scoreboard glared: Arakawa 1 | Seiwa 1.
The match was even.
But on the court, it didn't feel even.
Arakawa Prep's players barely spoke.
They didn't shout after points or celebrate kills.
They simply adjusted positions, eyes forward, ready for the next serve.
Nao Yamasaki didn't need words to lead them.
He had the entire rhythm of the match in his fingertips.
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Between Sets
Coach Sato paced slowly during the break, his voice low but firm.
"They've taken control of the rhythm," he said. "They're not reacting—they're dictating."
Yuuto clenched his fist. "Then we change the rhythm."
"Not with speed," Coach corrected. "With trust."
Renji lifted his gaze.
He remembered the beach training.
The laughter, the chaos, the spark they'd rediscovered as a team.
Misaki—or Seiwa now—had always been strongest not when perfect, but when connected.
And that was what Nao didn't believe in anymore.
Renji stood. "Let's play our game again."
Yuuto nodded. "Our way."
---
Set 3 Begins
The whistle blew.
Yuuto served first—hard, fast, cutting through the air.
A clean receive from Nao. A perfect pass to the setter. A spike—blocked by Arai!
"Nice!" Renji shouted.
For the first time that match, Seiwa's bench roared.
The energy rippled across the court.
Arakawa didn't flinch—but Renji saw it.
Nao blinked. His focus flickered.
They had cracked something—not strategy, but silence.
---
A New Rhythm
Seiwa began to play differently.
No longer rushing to match Arakawa's tempo.
No longer trying to match precision for precision.
Yuuto slowed down his sets.
Kenta varied his spikes, using feints and delayed swings.
Renji called out positions, reading Nao's shifting angles like a second heartbeat.
And then it happened—
Nao dove for a dig that hit the tape and died.
Point for Seiwa.
"Again!" Yuuto barked, smiling.
The bench roared again.
The noise was back.
Nao's eyes narrowed.
He wasn't used to this—the noise, the emotion, the unpredictable tempo that refused to fit inside his perfect metronome.
---
The Clash of Liberos
Midway through the set, it became a duel between two minds.
Nao shifted left; Renji mirrored right.
Nao changed his rotation—Renji adjusted before the serve even came.
Each dig, each rally, became a test of anticipation versus instinct.
When Nao dove for a rolling save, Renji countered with a backhand receive that turned the play into offense in a single motion.
Yuuto finished the rally with a reverse dump.
Seiwa: 16 — Arakawa: 14.
Nao gritted his teeth.
Renji smiled slightly.
For the first time since the match began—it wasn't Arakawa controlling the rhythm.
It was them both.
---
Emotions on the Line
After a timeout, Asuka approached Renji with a towel.
"You're holding your own against him."
Renji took it, breathing heavy. "He's stronger than before. Sharper."
"Then why do you look calm?" she asked softly.
Renji smiled faintly.
"Because I'm not afraid this time."
He glanced toward Nao, who stood alone, arms crossed, watching in silence.
"Last time, I played to prove something," Renji murmured. "Now… I'm playing to protect something."
Asuka nodded. "The team."
"The heart," he corrected quietly.
---
The Turning Point
Late in the set, Seiwa led 22–20.
Nao adjusted his defense, calling a triple block.
Yuuto, reading the move, whispered, "Renji, now."
The serve came fast.
Renji moved early—cutting off the libero zone and diving crosscourt.
The dig was perfect.
Yuuto set a quick to Kenta—who slammed it off Nao's arms and out of bounds.
Point.
Set.
Seiwa wins Set 3: 25–21.
The gym erupted.
Renji lay on his back, staring at the ceiling lights. His chest heaved, his body burning.
But in that exhaustion, there was something else.
Satisfaction.
He had matched Nao—not through perfection, but through faith.
---
Across the Net
Nao stood quietly, his team gathering around him.
No anger. No shouts. Just stillness.
He turned, locking eyes with Renji across the court.
"Not bad," he said, voice calm. "But don't mistake noise for strength."
Renji smiled faintly. "And don't mistake silence for control."
For a moment—just a moment—Nao's composure cracked.
Then he turned away.
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End of Chapter 75
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To Be Continue