Volleyball: The Time of Resonance

In the rest area, Kuroo Tetsurou placed only one hand on Yamamoto Taketora's shoulder, making the other look directly at him.

"Calm down, this is just a practice match."

"Do we have to go through the same thing as last time?! It takes a 2-0 defeat to calm down!" Yamamoto Taketaka, still furious, swatted away Kuroo Tetsuro's hand.

The air fell silent for a moment. Realizing what he had said, Yamamoto Taketora opened his mouth, somewhat at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry, Kuroo-senpai..." Yamamoto Taketora lowered his head. He took a deep breath and slapped his face with both hands, making a loud sound.

The sound startled the cat that was drinking water nearby, causing it to choke and cough!

Equally startled, Kuroo Tetsurou blinked, unsure whether to place his hand on the other's shoulder or on his own waist.

A hand with nowhere to go (JPG).

Soundhorse wins the first game.

When it was Yinchuan Mianye's turn to serve, Tomi's limitations were still too great. Even if Hattori Jiro could receive the ball, as the main attacking point, Hattori Jiro could not consistently receive and pass the ball.

The second game begins – Otoko serves.

Yinchuan Mian also picked up the volleyball that Ye Jiuweifu had thrown to him and went to the service line to bounce the ball twice.

Blue eyes peered through the figures of her teammates, analyzing Tomi's positioning.

Jump and float... ball control is definitely his best skill.

Toss the ball – Run-up –

Jump – Hit the ball!

The volleyball was like a box flying in the air, which was pushed out with great force and stability!

The sphere, which was not spinning, floated leisurely in the air and came near Tomi's free agent!

"Serving error!?" The libero, Tomi, thought to herself, her heart pounding faster than usual. She had to receive this ball well, she absolutely had to receive it!!

He focused intently and jumped slightly to catch the ball, but the ball veered into a position he couldn't adjust to the next second!

His pupils contracted rapidly in an instant. He opened his eyes wide, trying to make amends, but when he leaped forward, he missed!

hateful!!

The first-year libero glared angrily at the figure serving the ball.

1:0

The second ball – a jump float.

2:0

Every time the volleyball whizzed past the libero, he felt he could reach it, but he could never quite get it!

Sweat soaked the free man's hair, and his round eyes, unlike those of the others, revealed a sense of bewilderment and a hint of collapse.

The third ball was a floater. This time the ball didn't curve, but only tilted slightly. The libero instinctively lunged to the other side, only to miss again!

General You, positioned in the front row, could offer no assistance and could only frown as he stared at Yinchuan Mianye!

How outrageous! Who serves specifically to the libero?! She looks quite pretty, how can she be so malicious?!

"Yinchuan-kun isn't just using jump serves to bully newbie liberos, is he?!" General Yu launched into a taunt from the net. "Are you afraid to hit the ball to anyone else because you're afraid they'll return it?!"

"Kuroo Tetsuro is a completely useless captain; they only won because of his teammates!"

"Yinchuan Mian only knows how to do a float jump!" The other team members chimed in, "Yinchuan's float jump is a mistake!"

The members of the Tomi group shouted almost simultaneously, and the words coming from the front brought an invisible pressure.

Kuroo Tetsuro looked at his sheep with concern.

"What, jealous of me? I only win because of my teammates, so what! You guys are jealous of teammates like that, aren't you!"

His tone was smug, but Kuroo Tetsuro's face was dark, with veins popping on his forehead. He really wanted to punch the person in front of him, but he could only respond with sarcastic remarks through the net.

"It's your destiny to be defeated by Mianya!! After all, he's a top-eight attacker in the national competition, how come I've never heard of your Tomi? Oh! You're so weak!"

"Ha! Even with talent, we can only barely make it to the quarterfinals. We're relying solely on ourselves!"

"He's just that good, he's my teammate. Is jealousy making you unrecognizable?"

"He's strong, he's a genius. You're making the genius main attacker switch positions, aren't you just trying to suppress him? What are you thinking? Those who know, know!" General Yu deliberately distorted the facts, trying to provoke Kuroo Tetsurou.

His plan did succeed; Kuroo Tetsuro did feel a bit overwhelmed, but he wasn't the one serving.

Well, let it be! The cotton will be taken care of!

Kozume Kenma was furious at those comments, but he merely glanced at the entire Tomi team with a brooding look, searching for a quicker way to win.

He was very self-conscious about it when he was in junior high school... He was teased for being too thin and small, not like someone who belonged to the sports club.

He would feel very uncomfortable at that time, and he would always feel a little uneasy. Later, Xiao Hei stood in front of him and asked him to apologize, saying seriously that he was the core of Yinju and the most important setter.

Then Mian always clung to his side when they went out, trying to be a sheep who could balance things out. She would worry but say nothing, pretending that she just liked clinging to him.

When those blue eyes turned cold, everyone who looked at them would quietly walk away.

3:0

4:0

On the fifth ball, Yinchuan Mian also used a jump float again—the moment his hand touched the surface of the ball, he knew clearly that there was something wrong with this shot.

He watched the ball glide across the net, wobbling and tilting as it fell, only to be caught by the somewhat distraught libero!

It was a chorus of "Good shot!"

Tomi is quite good to her family...

Yinchuan Mian didn't lose focus while thinking, but her body quickly returned to defense!

Once Yinchuan Mianye moves to the front row, he becomes Kozaki Mamoru's preferred target, and after a few balls, his fastballs become smoother and smoother.

After discovering that verbal attacks on Yinchuan Mian had no effect whatsoever, Hu Mei identified her target and turned all her firepower towards Yamamoto Meng Hu.

The person, who was already blaming himself for making too many mistakes, became increasingly agitated.

Kozakura calmly and methodically distributes each ball to the person who can score.

Yamamoto Takeo has fewer and fewer opportunities to get the ball.

"Yamamoto, hold on!"

As Kuroo Tetsurou passed by him, he patted the other man on the shoulder and moved to the front.

Yinchuan Mian, who had been relentlessly launching fast attacks, was also panting heavily. He moved to the back row to take over from Ye Jiuwei.

There was no particular outcome, so he just sat on a bench to rest. To prepare for the upcoming match, he could only drink water and then stand in the warm-up area, moving around from time to time to keep himself warm.

What I saw before was all an illusion! How can a middle blocker be more tired than an outside hitter?!

The sheep felt a surge of sourness welling up inside.

......

"Haha, look at that attacker! We've targeted him so badly he can't even receive the ball!"

"Why isn't the setter passing to him anymore? So he's been abandoned?!"

"Let's switch positions. We might as well give the main attacker position back to Yinchuan-jun!"

Yamamoto Takeo was panting heavily, sweat trickling down his face and almost dripping into his eyes.

The giant snake was covered in glossy scales that shimmered with a chilling light in the dim light, and its scarlet tongue flickered in and out, sweeping across the air.

In that illusory scene, a powerful, long tail tightly coiled around the cat's body, suspending it in mid-air. The snake's body tightened little by little, choking the cat's weak whimpers in its throat. Slowly, the giant snake opened its blood-red maw, intending to devour its prey completely.

Hattori Jiro unleashed his power, smashing the ball repeatedly from the net.

Yoruichiro ran back and forth in the backcourt, trying his best to receive every ball.

The ball was being passed back and forth anxiously between the two nets, neither side wanting to let it fall!

Yoruichi received the ball with a bent-out motion, while Kozume Kenma stood still and waited for the ball to come to him before passing it to him.

Tetsuro Kuroo was already poised at the net, his knees slamming into the air, his body springing up, his arms swinging out in a sharp, swift arc.

Taisho Yu stood in the front row to participate in the blocking. The two faced each other, staring at each other. Kuroo Tetsuro wasn't particularly strong, but—

The fighter is out of bounds!

Yinju is leading 18:15!

General You chuckled and apologized, while the others said it was alright.

The members of Tomi continued to yell at Yamamoto.

As Kozakura made each pass, he kept an eye on that irritable guy out of the corner of his eye.

It's like having a red-level weapon in front of you, but the other party has silenced and disabled it.

He could understand that he couldn't use it because his level was too low, but even though his level was high enough and the hero could pick up the weapon, the boss disabled it!

That would be really annoying!

His golden eyes were always fixed on the other side, his mind constantly simulating the situation. Lone Claw was grinding away, looking for an opportunity. He wouldn't let his weapon be permanently disabled!

Yakuei once again passed the ball steadily, and Kozume Kenji's wrist flicked slightly, sending the volleyball flying over Yamamoto Takeo's head once more before being spiked by Fukunaga Shohei, who jumped quickly.

Yamamoto Taketora clenched his fists tightly, and overlapping red marks appeared on his palms. He knew that Kozume Grinding was doing the right thing.

Calm down!!!

"Yamamoto, trust our brains." Hisense stood to Yamamoto's side.

Tomi called a pause!

All members left the 9x18 rectangular court and went to the rest area, where they replenished their water and rested.

Yamamoto Takeru was panting heavily. He grabbed a swig of water and looked up in the direction where Kozake was grinding.

The other person was standing on the far side, talking to Yinchuan Mianye, with no expression on their face, seemingly having no intention of passing the ball to him.

Trust him? That's practically giving up on yourself... It's true I played terribly in those two games, which is normal!

As long as we can win...

Ugh! Damn it, I just can't convince myself! He wants to win! But he also wants to contribute as much as possible! He's aiming to be the ace!

Yinchuan Mian also felt a heat around her. She turned around and found Yamamoto Menghu fiercely gripping the water bottle, looking as if he wanted to eat the bottle every time he drank water.

"He seems hungry?" Yin Chuanmian was also full of doubt.

"Pfft—" Kozume Kenma smiled, "Mianya is always so interesting."

The boy with the bob haircut tilted his head slightly, looking at Yamamoto Takeru with a terrifying glint in his eyes, like a stalking feline pouncing on its prey.

Finally, I've pulled myself together—

After regaining his composure, Tomi took charge, and Hattori Jiro began to set the pace.

Tomi's attack was exceptionally fierce. Hattori Jiro, the attacker, was very strong, and his spikes were both powerful and accurate, almost breaking through Otokoma's defense several times.

24:22 Sound Horse is in the lead.

The red-clad cats didn't assume they would definitely win just because they were leading by two points.

The other party is like a snake waiting for its chance to strike; if you're not careful, you'll get bitten and injected with venom!

Kozume Kenma sets up another ball, and Yamamoto Takeo's feet firmly planted on the ground as he sprints to the net. He leaps into the air, forming a bow shape with his feet, and swings his right hand down—but misses.

One of the members of the Humei team, who was still attracted, clicked her tongue. On the other side, Yinchuan Mian had already hit the ball down! Unfortunately, the opponent had already formed a double block, and the ball flew past their hands and into the backcourt, where it was caught by the libero.

Every time Yamamoto Takeshi sees the ball coming towards him, he takes it seriously, runs up and jumps, ready to attack with all his might, even if the ball is still not his!

"Hey! How can you be so presumptuous, outside hitter? Haven't you realized that your setter has already given up on you?"

"Number 6 outside hitter misses!"

"If there were enough substitutes, number 6 wouldn't even be a starter!"

...... ......

Naoki frowned. He wanted to call a timeout many times. This was just a practice match, and he didn't want his players to have any psychological problems because of it.

But... from the very beginning, he handed over the command of this match to Kozume Kenma. He wanted to trust his team members, whether it was Kozume Kenma or Yamamoto Taketaka.

Although he had heard about the conflict between the two, through the training matches over the past few days, he knew clearly that the clever and quick-witted child was rational and did not care much about winning or losing, let alone do anything malicious to harm someone because of prejudice.

Naoi Manabu looked at Yamamoto Taketora's clenched fists and furiously bent-over roar, and realized that Kozume Kenma was doing this because he was looking for an opportunity!

Find an opportunity to get Yamamoto out of this predicament! Make sure his shot lands on the opponent's court!

The whistle blew again, and the score was 24-23!

The atmosphere became tense; if Nekoma could score just one more point, they would win this best-of-three training match.

Hu Mei, on the other hand, will suffer a humiliating defeat, losing 0-2 and making a fool of herself in front of the "friendly school" she had mocked for two games.

"Yamamoto..." Kozume Kenma passed by Yamamoto and softly called out his name.

"What?" The mohawk-haired boy, whose head was a little dizzy, frowned and turned around, asking a question because he hadn't heard clearly.

"Keep jumping," Kozume said softly, looking down at it.

"Huh?! Of course I know, it's just bait!!"

Yamamoto Takeru thought he was being provoked, and a malicious smile curled at the corner of his mouth, indicating that he was perfectly fine!

His golden eyes didn't look up at him until the other person turned around and came to the net. When he looked away, he met the gaze of Mian, who was bending over and tilting her head to look at him.

Her pure, innocent eyes blinked, and she gave a soft smile.

At that moment, an invisible thread connected them, and Kozume, who was inexplicably thinking of Mian, knew what he wanted to do. He said he would cooperate well.

Snakes are on a cat's menu. Besides their venom being difficult to deal with, these small vertebrates are also easy to predict in terms of movement.

From the non-existent phantom, a soft meow rang out, and the snake, which had appeared enormous, gradually shrank while the cat's shadow continued to expand.

The seemingly harmless cat's round eyes gradually narrowed, and it raised its sharp claws—