Thud!
The second serve flew out of bounds, and the referee's whistle immediately followed.
23–25.
Itachiyama claimed the first set.
Both teams returned to their benches for a brief intermission.
"Just as I thought… that serve was just a fluke after all?" In Itachiyama's bench area, outside hitter Kaoru Takada muttered as he recalled the massive difference between Akashi Asuka's first and second serves.
"Probably, yeah! No matter how you look at it, that kind of serve… it's just not something you can train to master."
The probability of a Banana Serve appearing was extremely low. Normally, it only happened by accident, maybe once or twice in a fluke. To treat it as a standard technique was too much to expect, especially from a high school player. It simply wasn't realistic.
"Still, we need to stay on guard."
"Huh?"
Just then, Sakusa Kiyoomi, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. The others turned to him in surprise.
"Just to be safe, we should prepare for Akashi's Banana Serve–" Sakusa continued, his expression calm. "After all, it's always better to be ready before the unexpected happens."
Everyone else inwardly sighed: Here we go again… this guy and his weird quirks.
Lately, Sakusa's 'condition' seemed to be getting worse. Ever since he read that one novel, he'd grown increasingly… cautious.
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Not long after,
The referee's whistle blew again, and the second set began.
Just before stepping onto the court, Oikawa suddenly called out to Akashi.
"Hey! This is our first match against Itachiyama since Nationals, so don't get reckless out there, alright?"
For some reason, a chill ran down Akashi's spine. He instinctively shivered.
"Uhh… got it. I'll behave. You just watch."
But as soon as he stepped back onto the court, Akashi realized something was off.
What the hell?
Did I just… speak politely to him?
And why did it feel like I was talking to my mom just now!?
He shook his head, trying to clear the strange thoughts, and focused back on the game.
"Thanks for the hard work in that first set, everyone. Now then, let's properly say hello to our long-lost friends."
Akashi's voice rang loud and clear across the court.
BEEP!
With the referee's whistle, the second set officially began.
Aoba Johsai served to start.
The ball crossed the net and was received smoothly by Komori Motoya, who passed it to captain Inagami, and as usual, the final strike was entrusted to Sakusa Kiyoomi.
As Sakusa leapt into the air and readied his spike, Akashi moved.
From across half the court, Akashi closed the distance in just two quick crossover steps, his movement like a phantom. To Sakusa, it felt like a blur passed in front of his eyes, and then,
Akashi's head suddenly appeared directly in front of him.
No,
Above him.
"This guy…"
Sakusa's pupils narrowed as he stared up, yes, up, at Akashi's towering figure. For the first time, he felt a wave of pressure crashing down on him like never before.
Bam!
In that critical moment, Sakusa once again used his incredibly flexible wrists to change the angle of his spike at the last second.
But,
In the very next instant, Akashi's right hand shifted sideways and intercepted the spike, tracking Sakusa's new trajectory perfectly.
Smack!
The volleyball struck Akashi's palm and deflected out of bounds.
"Ooohh, so close!"
The spectators from Shiratorizawa had their hearts in their throats as Akashi intercepted Sakusa's spike, only to let out a collective sigh of disappointment as the ball flew out.
But unlike the relaxed mood in the audience, the players of Itachiyama, both on and off the court, were clearly rattled.
He blocked it? No way.
Even though the point was lost, the way Akashi tracked Sakusa's late spike adjustment had been clear for all to see.
To Itachiyama's players, that moment was simply unbelievable.
Because,
Sakusa had changed his spike direction mid-air. Even the most elite blockers couldn't predict that kind of move.
Unless… that block wasn't based on prediction.
But is it even possible to react in real time to something like that?
"Did you… grow taller again?"
After landing, Sakusa stared at Akashi for a long moment before finally speaking with a serious expression.
"Ah, you noticed?"
Akashi shrugged. "You're right. I grew another two centimeters. I'm 188 cm now."
It had been a few months since his last official height check. During that time, not only had Akashi's physical abilities steadily improved, but his body had also continued to grow.
At this rate, he might reach 190 cm by the time Spring Nationals rolled around.
"No wonder…" Sakusa muttered.
Back at Nationals, Akashi had been shorter than Sakusa, but his explosive jump was enough to match him in offense.
But back then, Akashi couldn't pressure Sakusa much on defense.
Because in blocking, height tends to matter more than jump power, jumping takes time, and the higher you jump, the later you reach the peak. During Nationals, Akashi was always just a fraction of a second too slow.
But this time,
He completely shut down Sakusa's spike path before he even reached the peak.
0–1.
Itachiyama served first.
The serve came over to Aoba Johsai. Iwaizumi received it cleanly and passed to Oikawa, who, with his back turned, set a high ball for Akashi.
Since the fierce battle with Mujinazaka High at Nationals, Oikawa had stopped giving Akashi tricky sets. Now he always left plenty of room for Akashi to choose how he wanted to attack.
Itachiyama, seeing where the ball was going, quickly formed a triple block.
Six arms formed a wall ahead, completely cutting off Akashi's vision of the court. But it didn't matter.
Because to the current Akashi Asuka,
Even with no clear path…
He could still score.
BOOM!
The sound of the spike shifted.
A thunderous impact echoed through the gym, like an artillery shell exploding.
And under everyone's stunned gaze,
A spike like a shooting star pierced straight through Itachiyama's triple block.
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Completed version available on Patreon Patreon.com/Veltoria