WebNovels

Chapter 145 - 130

Morisen High School made a dejected exit.

After defeating Morisen High School, the Seijoh team, apart from a small celebration at the beginning, immediately showed deep fatigue on their faces once they exited the player's tunnel.

Defeating Morisen High School seemed easy, but in reality, throughout the entire match, the Seijoh players were under immense pressure, especially mentally.

This pressure came not only from their opponents but also from the audience, the venue, the competition format, and even the constantly moving cameras above the court. All of this constantly reminded everyone that this was the National Tournament. Any mistake would not only be embarrassing in front of a national audience but could also lead to immediate elimination.

Under such high pressure, the physical and mental Stamina expended by players during a match were at least three or four times more than in a regular match.

"Everyone, go back to the hotel to rest for a bit, then come back here to gather later," Irihata Nobuteru said.

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison.

Although Seijoh's match today was over, it didn't mean they could relax yet.

This was the National Tournament, and under such a cruel single-elimination system, even a tiny bit of relaxation could lead to a complete loss. Such cases were not uncommon in previous National Tournaments.

Although Seijoh's own match was over for the day, their opponent for the next match had not yet been determined, so now was the best time to observe the enemy's situation.

After returning to the hotel and changing clothes, the Seijoh team's spirits recovered a bit.

"Let's go! Head to the arena to gather and see who will have the honor of being our next opponent."

On the way back to the arena.

Akashi Asuka and Oikawa Tooru, among others, bought some snacks. After all, Seijoh had the first match in the morning, and although they were hungry after the match, there was still some time until lunch.

Naturally.

The money for the snacks was paid by Oikawa Tooru and the other third-years. After all, this was the privilege of being a senior.

Mishita Ryuhei came and sat next to Akashi Asuka, who casually handed him a box of takoyaki.

"Oh! Thanks."

"Has the match started yet?"

"It just started. The two teams are still probing each other, but..."

Snap!

Before Akashi Asuka could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred on the court.

Immediately, the surrounding stands became incredibly lively.

"Nohebi! Nohebi! Nohebi!"

[Oh~~ Nohebi Academy has once again blocked the opponent's attack.]

[It's still a straight line. Nohebi Academy's captain, player number one, Daishou Suguru, is like he can see through people's minds, scoring consecutive block points!]

...

"Oh~~ What a precise read block. It's like the opponent deliberately Spiked right into their block," Hanamaki Takahiro gasped, feeling his teeth ache, as he watched the scene on the court.

As an outside hitter, just imagining himself facing such a block made Hanamaki Takahirofeel terrified.

Seeing this, Yahaba Shigeru, who was beside him, pulled out some documents. These were all collected in advance by Irihata Nobuteru, and the teams included had all participated in at least one National Tournament.

After searching for a while.

Yahaba Shigeru's eyes lit up, and he said, "Found it. Let me see... Nohebi Academy, Tokyo's third representative team, is an old powerhouse in Tokyo. The Volleyball Club's motto is 'Fair and Square,' so Nohebi Academy's playing style throughout the years has centered on steady and solid Defense."

"So it's a Defense-oriented team. No wonder their blocking is so strong."

After seeing the notes in the data, everyone else also realized.

Only Oikawa Tooru couldn't help but be surprised, "Fair and Square?"

He looked down in the direction of Nohebi Academy, stroked his chin, and pondered for a while, then suddenly said, "They don't look like it!"

Akashi Asuka's gaze shifted, and he turned to glance at Oikawa Tooru. He originally wanted to say: You're a good judge of character.

But after moving his lips, Akashi Asuka still didn't say the words, instead changing his mind and saying, "Indeed, they don't. Nohebi Academy's style used to be 'Fair and Square,' but in the past year, this school has gained another nickname in the Tokyo qualifiers—'Viper'!"

"Viper? What does that mean?"

"Did you see Nohebi Academy's number one?"

Akashi Asuka pointed to Nohebi Academy's number one player: "That person is Nohebi Academy's current captain, 'Daishou Suguru.' This person likes to use some rules on the court to do some dirty tricks."

"Including: deliberately aiming for the opponent's defensive player's body when Spiking, or disrupting the opponent's mentality through malicious provocation..."

"It's like a viper catching prey, first injecting venom into the prey, then quietly watching the prey escape until the venom takes effect and the prey becomes disorganized, and finally coming out to swallow the prey whole."

"Eww~~~"

Everyone shivered uncontrollably at Akashi Asuka's words: "Wow, that guy is too insidious!"

"Insidious? Not really, because Nohebi Academy's approach is itself a reasonable use of the game rules. Look at the stands outside the court, aren't there still many people willing to support them?"

"What's more, if you think Nohebi Academy only relies on these schemes, you're wrong. Their style has merely changed, but the team's core itself hasn't. Their team's steady Defense is the key to their entry into the National Tournament..."

At this point, Akashi Asuka changed the subject and continued, "However, the main object of our observation today is not Nohebi Academy, but their opponent."

—"Fukurodani Academy!"

"Compared to Nohebi Academy, Fukurodani Academy, which has entered the National Tournament 27 times in seven consecutive years, is not only a powerhouse in Tokyo but also one of the top teams nationwide."

"And their outside hitter is just like Ushijima Wakatoshi, a super 'Ace' ranked among the top five nationally."

"So, although Nohebi Academy is currently leading in score, Fukurodani Academy is more likely to be our opponent in the next match."

"Gulp~"

As Akashi Asuka's words fell, several gulping sounds immediately echoed around.

Seven consecutive years, 27 entries into the National Tournament.

A 'Ace' ranked among the top five nationally.

"Are we going to play against such a terrifying opponent in the next round?"

"No way!"

"I don't want to fight a second Ushijima Wakatoshi!"

It's no wonder the Seijoh players wanted to run. Fukurodani Academy's record was simply too terrifying. Each of these statistics alone was already frightening enough, and now they were all combined.

Just as everyone else was feeling uneasy because of Fukurodani Academy, Iwaizumi Hajime suddenly spoke with a slightly strange tone:

"Uh~~~ Akashi, is the 'Ace' you mentioned, ranked among the top five nationally, that man with the owl-like hairstyle?"

"Yes..."

The word 'Yes' from Akashi Asuka's mouth stopped abruptly before he could finish it.

Because the moment Akashi Asuka turned his head, he saw that owl on Fukurodani Academy's court suddenly deflate as if struck by a 'Negative Ghost,' completely withered.

Laughter erupted from the stands.

"Ah, this~~~"

Akashi Asuka was instantly embarrassed.

Owl, you're not giving me face! If you do this, it's hard for me to brag about you!

"Fukurodani Academy's 'Ace' is indeed a very peculiar player." Just then, Irihata Nobuteruwalked over and said, "Among the 'Aces' ranked in the top five nationally, Fukurodani Academy's 'Ace' is the player with the most fluctuating condition."

"During his slump, his performance is extremely unstable, sometimes even causing the team to lose consecutive points."

"But once his condition recovers..."

At this point, Irihata Nobuteru's tone paused, and he suddenly turned to look at the center court. Seeing this, everyone subconsciously followed his gaze.

Then, they saw it.

They saw a Spike they had never seen before, one that was extremely shocking and awe-inspiring.

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