Volleyball: The Time of Resonance

The midday hours passed exceptionally quickly, and Yinchuan Mian swallowed the water in her mouth little by little.

The lights inside the venue have been on since 4 a.m. and were still on even at noon because the venue is so large that there is not enough natural light.

The overly strong light actually gave the space a hazy, dreamlike feel.

A row of orange-red 9×18 meter squares, if connected from above, would look like fried tofu.

Yinchuan Mian can't quite describe how she feels right now, but if you really want to know, she feels more motivated than when she plays against other people.

The two teams, who had already warmed up in the auxiliary hall, warmed up again when they arrived at the official competition venue.

Coach Naoki comforted them, saying: "This is a game with an 80% chance of losing, so just do your best to reach that 20%! No matter the result, everyone is great."

But how can a competition have percentages? There are only 1 and 0.

They hope to win the game, but Yinchuan Mian can accept both winning and losing results.

Just like when he's playing a game, he might be willing to give up the game so that the opponent gets extra points because he finds the opponent interesting.

Of course, volleyball is a team sport, and Yinchuan Mian would not allow herself to be a burden.

"Bang!" Iizuna flicked a high ball close to the net.

Sakusho Seishin took three steps and jumped. The wind blowing away the wisps of hair on his forehead as he ran revealed his face. The black-haired boy's wrist bent at an unimaginable angle, and the ball, carrying a strong wind, made a loud thud on the ground.

It's a cross-court shot that requires considerable skill.

Yinchuan Mian also clearly saw the ball's trajectory, and when he finally looked away, he noticed the black knee pads the opponent was wearing.

Sakusho Seishin rarely participates in first pass reception, and he rarely dives, but he wears knee pads in almost every game.

Yinchuan Mian doesn't have that habit either. When he was a main attacker, he would only wear knee pads if Kuroo Tetsuro urged him to. Now that he's a middle attacker, someone who isn't used to wearing knee pads himself is too embarrassed to urge him to wear them.

In Jingtashan, everyone in the academy wore it.

His thoughts had only been wandering for two seconds when the person who had just spiked the ball landed and their eyes met.

Sakusho Seishin frowned, glanced at him briefly, and then looked away.

Yinchuan Mianye: ...I haven't done anything, but I'm always being criticized.

The brown-haired boy casually brushed the hair that had fallen across his forehead back and began stretching on the spot.

The blue-eyed player favored his teammates in his own half, and Kozaki meticulously tossed the ball to them one after another, his movements seemingly listless, yet each pass was incredibly precise.

When it was almost her turn, the sheep obediently lined up at the back of the queue. (◍′˘‵◍)

......

"Please give me your guidance!" Both teams bowed.

The members in yellow-green uniforms filled the entire length of the net, while the red cats were much shorter.

Kozume Kenma looked up to observe the members of Itayama, "...".

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over him, and he couldn't help but recall the half-ripe banana theory that Mianye had mentioned.

A quick glance at this row of people reveals that their yellow-green gradient team uniforms do indeed resemble a bunch of unripe bananas.

Red looks nice.

......

"I hope I can have a great time in today's match." Iizuna stretched out his hand.

Tetsuro Kuroo smiled and shook hands briefly. "Of course, we won't waste a single ball today."

Yamamoto Taketaka unleashed a barrage of harsh words at Sakusho Seishin, but the other party ignored him.

The middle blocker in front of Yinchuan Mianye was very quiet; it wasn't the one he'd met while running that day. When the other player noticed Yinchuan Mianye looking over, he smiled at him.

Before taking their positions, the members of Yinju had already skillfully formed a circle.

Kozume tried to refuse, but his refusal was ineffective.

"We are the blood that flows continuously, ceaselessly, to ensure the proper functioning of the 'brain'!"

A relatively long slogan was clearly conveyed.

Kuzan Grinding: Please pretend I don't exist.

Sakusho Seishin gave the cat in the red team uniform a strange look.

Iizuna chuckled. "Wouldn't it be great if we were like that too!"

Sakusho Seishin silently took a step back, dodging Iizuna's outstretched hand with a look of disgust.

Genya Komori stood in the warm-up area, feeling a little regretful that he hadn't brought his phone. Otherwise, he should have recorded this scene and used it as their embarrassing history 10 years later.

Otoko is really interesting!

In the first game, Jingtaishan served first.

Sakusho Seishin stood at the serve position.

Yinchuan Mian also slowed her breathing, watching the every move in front of her as if it were a replica of a scene from a screen.

The whistle blew!

The ball is tossed, the jump is executed in one fluid motion, as meticulous as if one were debugging some kind of precision instrument.

A powerful jump serve shot straight to the back row of Nekoma, and Yoruichi Eisuke dove to the left to receive it—but the ball spun unusually hard, bouncing off half a circle off his arm!

Kozume Kenma had mentioned this situation before the match, so Ginkawa Mina's body reacted quickly in an attempt to catch up.

Oh no! The volleyball bounced off the ground too close!

The speed of a volleyball is always faster than that of a person. After realizing that the distance was too far, Yinchuan Mian frowned and stopped to watch the ball land.

Sakusho Seishin's first goal was something no one could easily adapt to.

The unique spin can only be imagined by those who have experienced it. One of the reasons why Sakusho Seishin was ranked as one of the top three outside hitters in the country is his serve.

In all major competitions, he has always scored his first goal without ever making a mistake.

Yamamoto Taketora stared at this scene in disbelief. How could this be?! This is Yoru-senpai!

Perhaps it's because the preliminary rounds have gone so smoothly so far, which has elevated the strength of the top-ranked players to the very top.

So even though Yamamoto Taketora knew he was standing beneath a giant mountain, he still believed he could move it. This clean and neat ball was like a bucket of cold water, completely extinguishing any glimmer of confidence he had.

Jingda Mountain......

"I'm sorry," Yoruichi said, somewhat annoyed. "I'll get used to his serve as soon as possible, and I'll definitely be able to return the next one."

The feeling of the volleyball spinning on the inside of my arm hasn't faded yet. Next ball! I absolutely have to receive the next one! I'm going to be the best libero!

"Come again if it's alright! We believe in you!" Hisense reassured him.

"It's alright, Yoru-senpai, don't worry," Ginkawa Mian also said.

Not wasting much attention and emotion on missed shots, Yoru Eisuke's spirit once again came to Sakusaya Seishin.

"I must receive it this time!" Yakueisuke said "must" many times in his mind, his attention extremely focused, as if he wanted to lock the server firmly in place.

Sakusho Seishin remained calm and focused on his task, ignoring the stares, praise, and cheers from the sidelines. The volleyball once again flowed smoothly into Nekoma's half of the court!

This position! Yoruichi quickly retreated and decisively lunged towards the right corner of position 1! The volleyball, spinning powerfully, slammed into his hand, bringing a scorching heat.

The volleyball spun half a circle on my arm before bouncing off, causing the first pass to deviate slightly from its intended trajectory.

I received it!

"Well done, Yoru-senpai!"

"Very handsome!"

Sakusho Seishin's serve was very close to Yinchuan Mianye, and the wind generated by the spin even blew his hair!

His heart felt like it had been squeezed, but Yinchuan Mianye's gaze never left the ball; he saw everything clearly.

Yoru-senpai is amazing... He caught the second ball.

Kuzan took a few steps back, jumped, and caught the ball that was about to fly off the field. The ball separated from his hand as soon as it touched it.

At position 4, Yamamoto Takeo leaps with all his might!

However, Jingtashan's blocking net was already in place, forming a three-person blocking net!

This seemingly predictable action caused Yamamoto Takeo's hand, which was about to spike the ball, to hesitate slightly.

"Bang!"

"Bang—" The ball was blocked solidly, and Yoru made a diving save but missed by a hair's breadth!

Kozume Kenshin's pupils contracted slightly. He chose Yamamoto Takeo because he deduced that position was the most likely place to score with a cross-court shot!

However, the net at Jingtashan seemed to have seen through his thoughts! This oppressive feeling of being completely seen through surged through his body like an electric current.

The cat confronting the weasel bristled, while the weasel casually raised a front paw to play with a stone on the ground, completely ignoring the hiss.

"sorry!"

Yamamoto Taketora gritted his teeth and said that he would never admit that he had been scared for even a moment just now!

Damn it, I'm the ace!

"Again!" Hisense said.

"It's alright! Next ball!" Yoruichi grabbed Yamamoto Takeo's outstretched hand and stood up with the help of the force.

"Don't worry, the next ball," Yoruichiro paused, then said with utmost seriousness, "even if I miss, I can still catch it!"

Fukunaga Shohei patted Yamamoto Taketora, who had come to his side, and said, "The three of them are blocking you."

Yamamoto Taketaka instantly understood Fukunaga Shohei's meaning: he was saying that he was very strong and that the other party was wary of him.

"We'll definitely score if we hit the ball!" Yamamoto Takeo clenched his fist and swung it downwards.

Sakuya's gaze swept across, and the two of them met Ginkawa Mina's gaze.

Despite showing no emotion, Yinchuan Mianye felt a chill run down her spine.

They've been targeted...

Yinchuan Mian also had a feeling that the ball was definitely going to be hit at him.

Because Yinchuan Mianye needed to serve first, he stood in position 1 in the backcourt.

This position isn't particularly difficult to reach. If the person who wants to make a move is Sakusho Seishin, then this "particularly difficult" position will be replaced with "easy".

The same posture was used again, and the height of the ball being tossed up did not change at all. The ball, once hit, hurtled towards Yinchuan Mianye with unstoppable momentum.

The ball, which had initially appeared tiny, suddenly grew larger, and a red figure of number 13 leaped forward with great effort.

Sakusho Seishin had no intention of serving the ball near him to score!

He chose a more forward position, blocking any avenues for others to help! This forced Yinchuan Mian to also participate in the first pass!

Those who train with Sakusho Seishin must have red dots on their arms that are rotating!

The volleyball hit my arm, creating a familiar, almost unnoticed heat. My chest was pressed against the ground, and the sound of my heartbeat seemed to be right next to my ear.

I received it!

Yinchuan Mianye felt a sense of relief.

"You're not the only one who understands me"—the brown-haired boy got up without hesitation.

Kozume's figure appeared in the blue eyes. His movements seemed somewhat lazy, but in reality, all his actions were instantaneous.

He moved his left foot forward, raised his hands as the ball approached, and glanced at Yamamoto Takeo between his golden eyes to confirm his position.

All his movements indicated that he was about to pass the ball to Yamamoto Takeo.

However, the ball was slapped away the moment it touched the palm of the hand!

The person who had just taken a step realized something was wrong and turned around to try to hook the ball that was grazing the net as it fell.

The person, who was making an uppercut motion, missed. Before their emotions could even develop, their other hand appeared on the ground in the next instant!

"boom--"

He is a free man from Jingta Mountain!

Kozume's handsome brows furrowed, and everyone from Iitayama moved very fast, like a sprinter when he had plenty of energy.

To fight against 6 Mianye...

His drooping shoulders seemed even more deflated, but his golden eyes, hidden in the shadows with his head bowed, held a hint of sensuality.

The muscles in his thighs tensed, and Yinchuan Mian stared intently at the ball.

The guy in the team uniform who was different from his teammates moved with fluid and decisive movements! Not many people can spot a grinding motion and react to it immediately!

The libero at Itayama is a third-year student, and Komori Gen, who just switched positions, bypassed the second-year libero in such a competitive environment to become his substitute. That's quite impressive...

It seems that Jingtashan's rear defense is well prepared.

The volleyball has been turned around in Iizuna's hands. Is it going to be given to their main attacker?

In Yinchuan Mianye's mind, a series of dotted lines with different curvatures were constructed.

He could see every detail of the volleyball in motion; in the blink of an eye, countless dotted lines disappeared at the speed of light, leaving only the last one—

Back row attack! Without a second to stop, legs propelled the whole body, catching him in her own zone!

Iizuna's eyes widened in surprise!

The volleyball hits my arm and transforms into an oval shape—I caught it!

Iizuna had certainly considered the possibility that the ball might be caught, but what truly surprised him was that Ginkawa Miya acted even earlier than his senior!

The moment I passed the ball, Yinchuan Mian started running!

"No wonder we gave him a special invitation back then," Iizuna exclaimed. "After observing him up close, I found that his reaction speed was unusually fast."

Anyone who didn't know better would think I passed the ball to him.

"A waste of effort." Sakuya's voice drifted over leisurely.

"?" Iizuna almost laughed.

"Damn it! This kid's got some skill!" The third-year main attacker from Jingtashan couldn't help but grumble after landing.

Kozume Kenma calmly sketched out the positions in his mind, eliminating one candidate after another—

Behind me was the sound of people breathing—

The conductor should now wave his baton.