After being suppressed for a while, the highly skilled Aoba Johsai team finally began to find ways to respond, but unfortunately for them, this team was built around their supremely offensive setter, Tooru Oikawa.
Without Oikawa, the team's overall performance could only reach about eighty percent of each player's potential. Coupled with the absence of Oikawa, one of the strongest players in Miyagi, Aoba Johsai simply couldn't match Karasuno at that moment.
Additionally, in the early stages, Aoba Johsai wasn't familiar with the technical styles of Karasuno's players. The initial gap was so large that even when the match became more back-and-forth later, they were never truly able to catch up.
At 25:18, Karasuno easily took the first set.
Naturally, Tanaka couldn't resist taunting Kindaichi and Shigeru during the match. After all, hearing the opponents call his face "mindless" before the game had irked him. Now, with Karasuno clearly in the lead, he had the perfect chance for revenge.
Meanwhile, Ichinose Guren quietly stood in the waiting area. The outcome of this first set didn't concern him. He wasn't playing, and the opposing team lacked their absolute core player.
Facing uninteresting opponents in an ordinary match doesn't excite me.
All he wanted to do was watch, to see the look on Oikawa's face when he finally arrived at the gym and saw that Karasuno had already won.
Although… he probably won't show a face that's enjoyable to watch anyway.
In the original story, Oikawa first saw Kageyama and Hinata's "quick attack" precisely when they defeated Aoba Johsai. Even in defeat, Oikawa had only shown curiosity, like a kid seeing something new, a small but genuine spark of surprise.
But things didn't always unfold as Guren had anticipated.
Midway through the second set, Oikawa finally arrived at the gym, slightly out of breath. Seeing the match still in progress, his handsome features lifted into a single raised eyebrow, and a faint, teasing smile spread across his face.
"Whoa~"
After greeting the coach, he spoke:
"On my way here, I saw messages saying we lost the first set. Looks like the opponents are pretty strong."
"I ran all the way here, didn't even bother warming up."
Coach Irihata scolded him sharply.
"Just sprained your ankle and ran anyway? Go warm up properly, and pay attention!"
Oikawa waved elegantly.
"No worries, no worries. It's just a minor sprain, it's been a few days already. I'm fine."
"I'll just stretch a little; I only ran a short distance anyway."
Irihata opened his mouth to argue further but stopped when he saw Oikawa's serious gaze.
Fine… do as you like, just don't get injured again.
"Yup, yup, I've got it under control~"
Oikawa, already walking to the other side of the court, waved goodbye to the coach and began his warm-up.
The female fans in the stands screamed in admiration at Oikawa's effortless, stylish demeanor.
Tanaka, already annoyed at Oikawa's entrance, grew even more irritated seeing him accomplish exactly what Tanaka had always dreamed of doing, graceful, unbothered, and impressive.
Luckily, the match was still ongoing. Tanaka had limited time to glare at Oikawa, only able to lock eyes for the brief moments between digs.
With a plan in place, Aoba Johsai didn't fall behind as drastically as before, even if Karasuno still led early in the set.
When the score reached 19–15 in favor of Karasuno, Oikawa finished warming up. He shed his jacket, revealing a short-sleeved shirt and athletic shorts underneath, and stepped onto the court in a training vest, replacing Shigeru at the serving position.
With a smile, he said to Shigeru before stepping on court:
"Leave it to me from here~"
Shigeru returned the smile, genuinely trusting Oikawa.
"Alright~ then I'll take a break."
Amid the cheers from the girls in the stands, Oikawa entered the court stylishly and confidently, saying with a grin:
"No matter how strong your attack is, it's meaningless if it can't reach me~"
He held the volleyball in one hand and pointed at Hyakuzawa.
"This two-meter guy's receiving isn't bad. His long arms cover much more area than normal."
"But your height, two meters, is a rare weapon for blocking and spiking."
"When it comes to receiving, that massive body and high center of gravity means you can't move front to back quickly enough!"
"Not having a libero replace you, that's Karasuno's biggest mistake today!"
BAM!
The court practically seemed to hum with Oikawa's presence.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria