I've been played!"
This was the only thought in Keiji Akaashi's mind at this very moment.
Until this moment.
Keiji Akaashi finally understood what had felt off before: when Bokuto started throwing a tantrum, the Seijoh players didn't show even a hint of surprise.
And now, seeing the change in Akashi Asuka's aura before and after, he fully understood that Bokuto's emotional fluctuations had clearly been exploited by the opponent.
"They want to use Kōtarō Bokuto's entry into 'depressed mode' to widen the score gap. What a good scheme. But… how did they know when Kōtarō Bokuto would enter 'depressed mode'?" This was Keiji Akaashi's biggest question.
You see.
As a top-tier National Tournament powerhouse.
It wasn't as if other teams hadn't specifically studied Fukurodani in the past, including using Bokuto's dozens of weaknesses to counter Fukurodani, but the outcomes had generally been failures.
Because, let alone others, even Keiji Akaashi, who had studied "The Owl Rearing Handbook" for so many years, still hadn't fully mastered Bokuto's habits.
He was truly curious how the opponent had managed to thoroughly understand Bokuto in such a short time. This talent simply left him utterly impressed.
He even felt the urge to ask for guidance, if it weren't for the fact that they were still in the middle of a match.
However, if he knew that even Oikawa Tooru, who had originally planned for this, hadn't anticipated Bokuto's sudden entry into 'depressed mode' this time, he probably wouldn't have had such thoughts.
...
...
"Score!!!"
"Motoyasu Kotaro, continuous scoring."
"As expected of a top-five Ace in the nation! Mr. Oda… Bokuto's skills have already reached the national top-tier level. If it weren't for his drastic fluctuations in performance, Bokuto might even have a chance to break into the top three!"
"That's right! Mr. Oda… But it's a pity that although Bokuto has consecutively scored 11 points since recovering his form, the score difference between the two teams hasn't narrowed at all!"
"Well, that's understandable. After all, Seijoh's Ace is also a top-tier national-level player. The offensive power of both players has now reached the super-high school level, and Akashi Asuka also has the assistance of a setter like Oikawa Tooru behind him. It's incredibly difficult to stop Seijoh!"
After nearly half an hour of offense and Defense, the score on the court had reached 23:19.
Since Bokuto exited 'depressed mode,' Fukurodani's score had steadily climbed, with Bokuto's individual score alone reaching an astonishing 11 points, accounting for more than half of Fukurodani's total score.
Despite this, the score difference between Fukurodani and Seijoh showed no sign of narrowing.
Because while Motoyasu Kotaro's recovery significantly boosted Fukurodani's offensive power, it didn't bring much improvement to Fukurodani's Defense itself.
Moreover, since Oikawa Tooru and Akashi Asukahad already formulated the tactic of 'widening the score gap by utilizing Bokuto's entry into 'depressed mode', they naturally wouldn't easily allow Fukurodani to catch up.
Whoosh!
The volleyball flew from Oikawa Tooru's hand at an almost parallel angle, its Speed like a bullet, landing directly in front of Akashi Asuka before Fukurodani's Defense players could react at all.
With a bang.
The volleyball was slammed down by Akashi Asuka's palm, hitting the floor hard.
Beep!
The referee blew his whistle, and the scoreboard flipped.
24:19.
The score difference between the two sides returned to 5 points.
At the same time, Seijoh officially entered the set point of the first game.
"Damn it! Why can't we catch up?" Fukurodani's other middle blocker, Tatsuki Washio, angrily swung his arm, his face filled with unwillingness.
"Phew~ Calm down, Tatsuki."
Fukurodani's outside hitter, Akinori Konoha, exhaled, calming his rapid heartbeat slightly, then continued: "Since the opponent has already planned to use Bokuto, it's naturally not going to be easy for us to catch up."
"Moreover…"
At this point, Akinori Konoha paused slightly, turning his head to look at the opposite side of the Seijoh court, at Akashi Asuka, who was expressionlessly walking with the ball towards position one, and Oikawa Tooru, who was standing in the backcourt, smiling towards them and casually waving hello.
He slowly said, "Moreover, with those two guys on the other side, even if Bokuto hadn't had his 'episode' in this game, we might not have easily won."
...
...
Thud!
Accompanied by a thunderous hitting sound, Akashi Asuka once again served a ball exceeding 100km/h, successfully securing the final point of this set.
"Beep~~~"
The referee blew the whistle.
National Tournament Second Round Promotion Match, First Set, Seijoh wins.
Both teams' players exited the court. Unlike the qualifiers, in the National Tournament, neither the winners nor the losers made any celebratory gestures until all matches were concluded.
Because everyone knew that in the National Tournament, until the very last moment, no one could be sure who the ultimate winner would be.
...
"We've been outmaneuvered!"
Irihata Nobuteru, the Fukurodani coach, stroked his chin as he watched his players walk off the court, then looked towards Seijoh's side and murmured, "It seems Seijoh has a very good strategist!"
"I'm sorry, Coach! I didn't see through their scheme." Keiji Akaashi said.
"No, that has nothing to do with you."
The Fukurodani coach waved his hand, "This is an unavoidable problem with our team itself; it's just that previous opponents weren't able to successfully exploit it."
"But speaking of which, this Seijoh team is truly impressive! Both that first-year Ace and that setter are incredibly skilled. I've never heard of such players before; it's truly remarkable."
Irihata Nobuteru himself found it somewhat unbelievable as he said this.
After all, they already possessed such players, yet they had never participated in the National Tournament before. It was truly hard to imagine what kind of hellish qualifying district these guys had been in.
"Coach, now isn't the time to praise the opponent! If we can't figure out a way to deal with Seijoh in the next game, we'll be heading home!"
One of Fukurodani's female team managers covered her forehead, reminding him helplessly.
"A solution?"
The Fukurodani coach paused, then waved his hand, "We don't need that kind of thing. After all, it's the Ace's responsibility to help the team win, don't you agree, Bokuto!"
Motoyasu Kotaro, who was sitting on the bench with a towel covering his head, slowly looked up. Under the shadows of the lights, a pair of sharp, owl-like eyes gleamed.
Motoyasu Kotaro grinned and said, "You're absolutely right, Coach."
...
On the other side.
Seijoh's resting area.
"Well done, everyone played very well in this set. Maintain this rhythm in the next game, and don't let the opponent interfere, understood?" Irihata Nobuteru said.
"Understood!"
Everyone responded loudly.
However, just then, Akashi Asuka looked towards Fukurodani's side, his eyes slightly narrowed, and suddenly said, "No, I think in the next game, we might need to be prepared to face another Ushijima Wakatoshi, because the real match is only just beginning now."
...