Volleyball: The Time of Resonance

As the center of gravity of the middle blocker of Jingtashan was shifted to the inside, a hint of a smile flashed in the golden eyes of the lone claw.

A stealthy back pass flies quickly to the outside of position 2!

——Mianye!

The Jingtashan deputy attacker opened his eyes wide!

Yinchuan Mian also started simultaneously, jumped to the side, caught the ball in the air, and delivered a clean and neat back-row spike!

The libero from Jingtashan failed to recover; the middle blocker lost his footing, blocked the setter's shot, and scored with a spike!

Sakusho Seishin's serve is over!

The moment the referee blew the whistle, half of the large dark cloud hanging over Soundhorse's head dissipated.

Yinchuan Mian also raised its paws.

"Well done!!" Yamamoto Tiger was in high spirits! He forcefully raised one of his tiger paws and slammed it down.

"Snap"

The palms quickly become congested and turn red after the two hands are separated.

Yinchuan Mian also stared intently at Yamamoto Menghu, but the newcomer did not notice anything amiss.

Kozume Kenma turned around and patted Miya's head. "Go stand in line."

"Okay! Alright!"

Although she gave a high five to the slightly sweaty hands, the sheep, who had enjoyed the smash, arrived at the serving area in a good mood.

The sheep-like cat, who really wanted to provoke Sakusho Seishin in the service area, discovered that Sakusho Seishin, who had been rotated to position 2, preferred to look at the net rather than at him.

I'll smash you!

The volleyball was in my hand, the familiar touch patted it twice on the ground, then spun it around in my palm twice, trying to find the most suitable feeling through these movements.

"Unnecessary movements..." Sakusho Seishin commented on the person who kept moving the volleyball. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that the other person had looked at him and then lingered on Kozume Kenma for a long time.

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Yin Chuanmian also lowered his body. He had also noticed that Jingtashan's overall speed was quite good.

So let's go for a jump float for the first ball.

"His first shot is very likely a jump float," said Sakusho Seishin, narrowing his eyes.

"I know, Sakuhaya. You should also be careful; I bet he'll send you a message."

Firstly, since Sakusho Seishin is the captain, forcing him to receive the ball would only bring benefits, not harm. Secondly, this love-hate relationship has lasted for two years, and Sakusho Seishin just served at the opponent, so it wouldn't be right not to return the ball.

Sakusho Seishin took a deep look at his captain and setter.

"Um."

Yinchuan Mian also tossed the volleyball into the air as always. His jump float and jump serve were not much different in terms of movement. The height of the ball toss, the number of steps, the size of the stride, and the height of the jump were all the same.

Therefore, in most cases, the players standing opposite him can only rely on their knowledge of him and luck to guess.

So much so that even if his jump serve is just fast, he can still get a good score and achieve a good effect by switching back and forth, and his jump float is even more effective.

His teammates, coaches, and childhood friends who have been with him the longest have never hesitated to praise his talent.

To master the middle blocker position, he has focused all his energy on blocking and quick attacks since the start of the semester.

After leaving the club in his senior year of high school, apart from daily physical training, he also went to open volleyball courts under the supervision of Tetsuro Kuroo. Playing pickup volleyball was something he never did.

So much so that—

The volleyball, seemingly floating lightly over the net, was pushed out with force, but in the next moment it fell straight behind Sakuya Seishin.

The boy's pupils contracted rapidly, and he mentally pushed the difficulty of this ball to its absolute limit.

Sakusho Seishin quickly turned around and his right hand appeared just in time to hook the volleyball upwards.

The moment his arm touched the volleyball, Sakusho Seishin's barely perceptible tension vanished.

— Unchanging.

The black-haired boy mentally assessed that the first pass wasn't top-notch; Iizuna ran a few steps before passing the ball.

Yinju remained vigilant, quickly setting up a defensive stance as soon as the ball was received.

The volleyball was deflected by Itayama's middle blocker and then caught by Yoru Eisuke with a diving save.

Yamamoto Takeo felt the chill on his back from the wind he was moving, and his back was soaked with sweat, but the match had only just begun.

It's nerve-wracking—they're now facing the formidable King Jingta Mountain!

This is truly a lucky and exciting thing!! Along with the tension comes an irrepressible excitement.

As time goes by, the initial discomfort quickly subsides.

Kozume Grinding's hands moved slightly but precisely. Yamamoto Takeo, who had received the signal, lit up and took off with a running start, exuding an air of determination!

"Bang!"

Jingtashan High School is better than Yinju High School, 2-1

Even though everyone knows that the hope of winning against Jinggang Mountain is slim—

The initial discomfort dissipated completely above Nekoma as the ball disappeared.

"Well done, Yamamoto!!"

"That was awesome! Yamamoto, as expected of Otokoma's ace!"

Even though getting this far is already quite an achievement, who didn't dream of winning the championship?!

If we can defeat Jingtashan and advance to the national tournament!!!

"Go, Otokoma!!"

"Good shot, Yamamoto!"

The support from Yinju was minimal; the shouts of around 40 people couldn't match the orderly cheering of the hundreds of people at Jingtashan.

The girls' voices still penetrated the distance and other sounds, reaching the boys in red team uniforms on the field.

"Ahhh!" Yamamoto shouted excitedly, and his teammates who were passing by gave him a high-five.

Yamamoto was incredibly strong. Ginkawa Mian also gripped his hand tightly, which was a little sore from Yamamoto's fierce slap. His gaze remained fixed on Sakusho Seishin as he looked across the field.

The opponent's expression was calm, as if he didn't care about the ball at all. The adult, strong ferret looked down at the staggering cat that had just learned to walk.

The following matches did not go smoothly; instead, they became a pressure test for the Otoko defensive system.

Jingtashan's offense is not ferocious or flashy, but precise—every ball hits the most difficult position for the defense, and every spike avoids the most powerful area of ​​the block.

In the fifth minute, Sakuya made his first spike from position 2.

His approach run was unique: it wasn't a full-speed sprint, but a precise three-step run, with the last step being extremely deep, as if he wanted to stomp through the floor.

The body doesn't lean back much when jumping, but the height of the jump is astonishing. The most terrifying moment is the instant of impact—the wrist flick is so fast it's almost invisible, and the ball leaves the hand with a strong spin, drawing a strange arc in the air.

Yinchuan Mian followed him without hesitation, and the two appeared at the net at almost the same time, their steps nearly synchronized.

With his outstretched hands blocking the straight shot, Sakusho Seishin did not choose to change the shot's trajectory, but instead aimed at the hands in front and forcefully slammed the ball down.

His blue eyes widened uncontrollably, and he felt a violent spinning sensation in his palm, as if he had caught not a volleyball but a rapidly spinning top.

The rapidly spinning ball successfully opened both hands, but Yakuei, who was on guard at all times, managed to make a timely intervention.

"Sorry!" Yinchuan Mian also stumbled when she landed and turned around to apologize.

"Have you been training diligently?"

"What?"

He received the pass and made a second pass to Fukunaga Shohei, who scored.

3:2

Yinchuan Mianye's serve was terminated after he only scored one point. His blocking skills can only be described as excellent. With only two points obtained with the help of his teammates, Sakusho Seishin asked him a sharp question.

"Yinchuan, what have you done for your team?"

A single-claw grinds and serves.

The cat, mocked for no reason across the net, hissed at the weasel on the other side!

"You're not on my team, so what's it to you?"

"If you don't strive for improvement, you're just wasting your time playing volleyball."

"..." Yinchuan Mian was also very angry. How could someone become more and more annoying as they grow up?

However, he had to admit that he was gradually feeling powerless in the face of Sakusho Seishin.

The referee's whistle drew the two players' attention back.

Kozawa's serves are usually only intended to limit the opponent's attack. When the ball is returned, no one is surprised; they are already prepared.

However, anxiety gradually spread.

......

Sakuya scores with a spike!

—Score 4:2!

Jingtashan scores with his serve!

—Score 5:2!

Sakuya scores after his hand goes out of bounds!

—Score 6:2!

Yinchuan Mianye scored on a fast break!

—Score 6:3!

Sakuya was like a ruthless machine, accurately finding the weak points in the defense with every spike.

When Otoko tries to block him with a double block, he will deftly tap the ball out of bounds. When only one blocker remains, he will spike the ball powerfully, and when the back row is heavily defending, he will drop the ball.

The scoreboard was turned page by page, and sweat made my skin itch.

Black eyes meet blue eyes, and what was originally just a crack in the gap widens until it forms an abyss.

This isn't the first time I've lost to him; I wasn't really that concerned about it before...

Kozume Grinding frowned; he noticed that something was wrong with Ginkawa Mianye.

"Mianye, don't overthink it."

"it is good."

With hair reaching his neck, the ends damp, and his golden eyes, sharpened by a lone claw, looked at Ginkawa Miya. Even childhood friends couldn't possess the exclusive ability to read minds and see through each other's thoughts.

"You just need to follow my instructions."

No matter what happened to Mianye, or what caused his already slow-thinking brain to wander into a jumble of thoughts, just listen to yourself.

Whether he scores or loses, it's not solely his fault.

Tetsuro Kuroo stood in the warm-up area observing the situation on the field; he would be substituted in the next rotation.

"Yinchuan Mian is also anxious," Naoki Manabu said to Kuroo Tetsuro.

"Hmm, I feel a bit lost around everyone at Shangjing Mountain." Kuroo Tetsuro hesitated for a moment before choosing his words.

"We haven't had enough time to gel as a team, so getting this far is already an unexpected result for many people."

If the kittens of Otoko still harbored a sliver of hope that they could defeat Itayama.

Naoi Manabu, on the other hand, more objectively ruled out this possibility.

First of all, Jingshan is a school that values ​​strength above all else. They do not discriminate against first-year students. Izuna, for example, squeezed out the starting setter when he first entered high school.

Therefore, their second and third year students must have had more time to gel together than Yinju, and their strength should not be underestimated.

Although Jingtashan didn't win the championship last year, the two runners-up titles are still quite prestigious, as their current third-year students have already touched the championship trophy.

Experience from major competitions and one's mindset are difficult to change after just a few matches.

Otoko does have some very talented members, but talent isn't everything, and there are plenty of talented people out there.

The gap in experience is difficult to bridge.

The impact of a disastrous failure following high expectations will definitely be greater than what was anticipated.

"Tell them to relax, that learning is the best thing, and that they still have time."

Naoi Manabu's voice was calm, and the words he uttered seemed to be the result of a long period of preparation.

"Yes, Coach."

Kuroo Tetsuro and Naoi Manabu share the same idea: being too preoccupied with something doesn't necessarily lead to good results.

The cats in red team uniforms in my sight seemed to be in a hurry with every step.

"You said you didn't care." The black-haired boy with his hands on his hips stared at a cat who had been misled and quickly returned to jump to block the net, only to have his hand hit out of bounds.

The referee's whistle blew—

12:7, Jingtashan is in the lead.

Naoki made a gesture to request a substitution.

Kuroo Tetsuro picked up number 3 and faced Yoruichi Eisuke.

"Anyone who didn't know better would think you went swimming." Kuroo Tetsuro patted his free agent on the shoulder.

"Good luck," Yoruichi said.

Black Tail Iron Ryo rotated to the front row, while Yinchuan Mian also moved to the back row.

Logically, Yinchuan Mian should rotate with Ye Jiuwei, but for Yinju, who is short of players, it is not a wise choice to consume a lot of free players' stamina in the early stages.

"Are you alright?" Kuroo Tetsuro asked, looking at Ginkawa Mianya.

The brown-haired boy lowered his head and took a couple of breaths, jumping around until his legs started to ache.

"It's alright." Yin Chuanmian didn't feel anything was wrong either.

Yinchuan Mian raised her head and looked at the back of the person with the number 1 on their back. Her chaotic heartbeat gradually calmed down.

"The coach said to calm everyone down and not act like a cocky rooster," Kuroo Tetsuro said to everyone in a joking tone. "If you can't fly, how can you catch an eagle?"

Hearing this from across the net, Izuna raised an eyebrow, a slight sense of admiration in his heart.

The appearance of Kuroo Tetsuro stabilized the morale of the team to some extent, and he also performed very well in Yinchuan Mian, scoring a point with a spike.

Kozume Kenma narrowed his eyes, his golden pupils noticing a pattern. "Kuro, pause."

In each game, each team has two timeout opportunities, and even if the time is only 30 seconds, it can be the key to turning the tide of the game.

Before the referee could blow the whistle to serve, Tetsuro Kuroo made a hand gesture to Coach Manabu Naoi.

Without hesitation, Naoi Manabu stood up and made a pause gesture.

The referee in the center of the field blows his whistle, raises one arm with his elbow bent and finger pointing upwards, places his other palm on the tip of that finger, and then points at the horse.

Iizuna glanced at Kuroo Tetsurou, who had just entered the arena, with surprise.

Yinchuan Mian also found that he and Sakusho were either staring at each other or on their way to staring at each other.

"..."

I don't really want to have this kind of tacit understanding.

The frustration in my heart is like a tangled ball of yarn that a cat has been playing with; the more I try to untangle it, the tighter it gets.