novelnext Chapter 86: Playground
Chapter 86: Playground
"Taichi, serve a good one!"
"Bang!"
This time, his form was perfect! As Kaedehara Taichi struck the volleyball, he felt it; the seemingly slow yet fast float serve swiftly reached the Johzenji side.
"?"
Higashiyama Katsumichi hesitated, unsure whether to move forward or backwards. Suddenly, the ball made a strange lateral drop to the left.
With a 'pop', the volleyball hit the ground.
Kaedehara Taichi scored an service ace.
[Aoba Johsai 2 - 1 Johzenji]
"Whoa...Was that a jump float serve? Amazing!" Higashiyama Katsumichi exclaimed in surprise, not bothered by losing the point but simply astonished by the unfamiliar move.
"Hey, hey!" Next to him, Numajiri Rintarō laughed heartily, ruffling Higashiyama Katsumichi's hair vigorously.
"Sorry, sorry. I'll receive the next one."
"Hahaha!"
Despite losing the point, Johzenji seemed full of energy.
Kaedehara Taichi served again, and just like the previous serve, it was perfect.
After crossing the net, the ball wavered left and right, looking like it could drop at any moment.
Suddenly, the ball dropped sharply to the left again in front of Higashiyama Katsumichi.
"Ha—"
Higashiyama Katsumichi made a diving save, keeping the ball in play as it bounced off the net.
"Hah!"
Futamata Takeharu quickly kicked the ball just before it hit the ground.
"Haha!"
Terushima Yūji jumped up and spiked the ball for the kill!
[Aoba Johsai 2 - 2 Johzenji]
"!!!"
The Aoba Johsai players were completely caught off guard. The bizarre plays from the opponents were beyond their expectations.
"Did he just instinctively use his foot to pass the ball?"
"And that number 1, who reacted instantly and finished with a spike, seems like he's used to such plays."
Typically, in such a situation, just returning the ball is challenging....so they wouldn't even think about jumping to block.
...
As the match progressed, Aoba Johsai began to understand Johzenji's playstyle, which they described as 'playing around'.
They never knew what their opponents would do next, making it hard to predict their moves or grasp their rhythm.
For most teams, a situation requiring a save would be an 'exceptional scenario', but for Johzenji, it was just normal.
[Aoba Johsai 11 - 10 Johzenji]
"Tweet!" Aoba Johsai called for a timeout.@@@@
Smack!
Kunimi's serve was tricky, forcing Johzenji's setter, Futamata Takeharu, to receive it.
Terushima Yūji leapt in the front row.
Was he going to spike without the setter?
"Double block!" Kyōtani Kentarō and Hanamaki Takahiro jumped up in time.
"It's a set?!"
"Bang!"
Terushima Yūji set the ball to the left, and Īzaka Nobuyoshi spiked it for a point.
[Aoba Johsai 13 - 12 Johzenji]
"Huh?!" Kunimi Akira and Kyōtani Kentarō shared the same frustration.
So annoying!
Even after disrupting the setter, Johzenji's attack wasn't affected; the team's ace, instead of spiking, chose to set the ball when faced with a block...
They always played like this, showcasing not only their wild imagination but also an impressive freedom to play as they wished.
"This team looks really troublesome!" Mizoguchi Sadayuki remarked to Coach Irihata.
"Hahaha....Indeed, but both they and the spectators seem to be enjoying it," Coach Irihata laughed heartily.
"Undeniably, they are strong. Being able to control their bodies and the ball so freely and enjoying the game to the fullest is truly a joyful thing."
...
The score on the court was now [Aoba Johsai 21 - 18 Johzenji].
Although Aoba Johsai was leading, they seemed to be the more anxious side.
It was also worrying that Oikawa Tōru's serves hadn't scored any points today.
Twice received and once an error.
In contrast, the trailing Johzenji appeared relaxed, each player's face beaming with joy, as if they were in an amusement park rather than a high-stakes match.
Johzenji served, and Bobata Kazuma still aimed for the net.
The volleyball hit the top edge of the net and fell towards Aoba Johsai's side.
"Damn it!"
"Save it!"
Kunimi Akira dove forward but was a step too slow; the volleyball landed right in front of him.
"Lucky—!" Bobata Kazuma shouted excitedly.
"Hahaha..." The other Johzenji players laughed cheerfully.
Bobata Kazuma scored with his serve.
[Aoba Johsai 21 - 19 Johzenji]
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