The thunderous battle cry from Yukigaoka caught the attention of Kitagawa Daiichi, while Kageyama Tobio, already benched, didn't have the mood to care about what was happening on the court.
This was the first time he had ever been taken off the court without losing a match. Not due to injury, accident, or a timeout, he had been substituted out by the coach.
Ever since Kageyama became the starting setter, this was the worst he had ever felt.
There were still plays to make, balls he could strike, yet he couldn't step onto the court. Not even to finish the first set, he had been benched before that.
Meanwhile, Kindaichi, still on the court, wore a conflicted expression. During their argument, the intensity of his emotions had given him a look that screamed "I knew I was right!", completely unmasked on his face.
At the same time, as the adrenaline faded, a new feeling emerged: "How did it get this far?"
Tch. I didn't do anything wrong. If the sets can't be hit, then no matter how fast they are, it's meaningless.
Even without Kageyama on the court, Kitagawa Daiichi managed to push forward. Using the height advantage of the first-year blockers, they could occasionally make effective attacks.
But as the first-year players became more familiar with the match rhythm and executed Ichinose Guren's pre-game touch-defense strategy more decisively, Yukigaoka's defense became increasingly solid.
When Yudai Hyakuzawa or Ichinose Guren were at the front, they became the defensive core, implementing suppressive blocks. Especially with the opposing substitute setter unable to deliver fast sets like Kageyama, Kitagawa's attacks were usually neutralized by Hyakuzawa, Guren, or both together.
Even when first-year players and Hinata Shoyo positioned in the front, the small-step touch-style blocks plus back-row defense could, to a certain degree, slow Kitagawa Daiichi's offense.
After losing the first set, Kitagawa Daiichi's coach still didn't immediately put Kageyama back on the court. Although he didn't want his team to fall behind in the first round, Kageyama was a setter who could severely disrupt team coordination, and the coach felt his temperament still needed refining.
Leadership on the court shifted from Kageyama to Akira Kunimi and the team captain. Every time the ball was out of play, they constantly discussed the next attack or defensive strategy.
For Junior High coaches, tactics and winning weren't everything. They focused more on the overall athletic development, discovering potential and building growth steps to foster improvement.
Still, Kageyama was a famously talented setter from Miyagi Prefecture, and Kitagawa Coach didn't want such a volleyball prodigy to wither away on the bench.
With arms crossed, he looked at Kageyama on the bench, towel over his face, unresponsive, and shook his head. Then he glanced at the scoreboard.
Yukigaoka 5:2 Kitagawa Daiichi.
The first timeout of the second set was called.
The younger players, puzzled but still gathered around, wiping sweat and drinking water, drew the coach's attention. He cleared his throat and called Kageyama's name.
"What?"
Kindaichi, surprised, paused his sweat wipe, confused. But glancing at the scoreboard, he understood why the coach wanted Kageyama back on the court.
Kitagawa Coach noticed Kindaichi's initial confusion followed by silent acceptance, he had agreed to the decision.
After all, the first set had already shown that without Kageyama, Kitagawa Daiichi could not match Yukigaoka's star players and their competent supporting cast.
From the final few plays of the first set, it was clear. The initial points went to Kitagawa Daiichi, but mid-set rallies were drawn-out exchanges, and Yukigaoka's teamwork proved just as strong.
With Guren as a powerful attacking arrow, Yukigaoka suppressed Kitagawa Daiichi's offensive efficiency and took the first set 27:25.
Kindaichi knew clearly that in the later stages, a team's upper-limit strength determined the outcome. And Kageyama was the one who could single-handedly raise that ceiling.
Hiding behind a towel, Kageyama wrestled with his emotions. He didn't even react when the coach first called him.
It wasn't until the coach called a second time that he pulled the towel off, his expression dark, and walked over to him.
"Kageyama! I don't care what you're thinking, but what happened in the last set will not happen again."
"If it does, you'll sit on the bench for the rest of the match!"
"Understood?"
Kitagawa Coach, usually calm and approachable, now wore a black look, scolding Kageyama.
Kageyama paused, but didn't argue. He simply replied quietly:
"I understand."
From then on, Kageyama cherished the second chance the coach gave him. But unfortunately, although he could see Yukigaoka's weakest defensive points, he deliberately suppressed the speed of his sets to coordinate with his teammates.
Many sets were perfectly blocked by Hyakuzawa and Guren, or intercepted by the smaller front-row members and then recovered by Yukigaoka's back-row.
When receiving, the first pass was instructed by Guren: don't worry about speed, just get it high. Even if quality was poor, as long as Mori could receive it, Kageyama adjusted as best he could, setting a high ball within a controlled distance from the net.
These high sets allowed the two high-spiking attackers to strike comfortably, well above Kitagawa's block height.
With advantages in both offense and defense, Yukigaoka steadily pushed past 20 points, leaving Kitagawa Daiichi's defense and offense unable to make any impact.
By the time Yukigaoka reached 20 points, Kageyama could no longer suppress his competitive spirit. He could not tolerate continuing with the same approach, knowing it would lead to a loss.
If this slow death continues, being benched is better than watching the team play like this.
He gradually began increasing ball speed according to his own plan, silently thinking that every extra point mattered.
Kitagawa's attackers, sensitive to speed, noticed his adjustments by the second rotation.
Though unwilling to be dominated by Kageyama, they refused to follow the previous comfortable but losing style.
They started giving their all to match his sets, but Kageyama, still fixated on victory, ignored their limits, expecting them to follow his rhythm.
Consequently, Kindaichi couldn't keep up with the speed on a fast attack.
He had endured Kageyama's domineering sets before, thinking it was acceptable if the speed pushed their limits for victory.
But now, the sets exceeded their capacity, centering on Kageyama himself as the standard.
When teammates couldn't match his ability, a huge gap appeared.
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