Volleyball: The Time of Resonance

From other people's perspectives, Yin Chuanmian's already cold and hard expression became even sharper.

Mo Yan nodded, his breathing more rapid than usual: "Jingtashan's setter, Fan Gang, always checks three points before organizing an attack: our blocking position, the libero's position, and the open space in the back row. His assignments aren't random; they're calculated."

"What should we do then?" Yamamoto asked.

"Disrupt the calculations." Kozume Kenma looked down at his knees, trying to calm his erratic breathing. "Next ball, Mina, deliberately stand a little off-center."

There are no free agents in this rotation, so they will be watching Yinchuan Mianye.

"How much more off?"

"Take half a step to the left to create space on the right flank."

Yinchuan Mian was stunned: "Isn't that letting them fight?"

"Yes." A glint flashed in Kozume's sharp eyes. "Let them exploit that opening. Then, Fukunaga, you cover for them."

Fukunaga Shohei blinked: "I understand, it's a trap."

Back on the field, Itayama indeed found that "gap".

Iizuna passed the ball almost without hesitation to Sakuya Seishin, the ace player who was a first-year student but whom he could trust.

Saku jumped up, and when he saw the opening, the thought of a trap flashed through his mind for a moment. However, Ginkawa Mian's increasingly poor condition made him ignore his momentary thought.

smash--

But Fukunaga appeared, rushing out from the back row and saving the ball with an incredible diving save just before it hit the ground!

His dark pupils were unsettling; he'd been tricked...

The ball flew high. Fukunaga Shohei's first pass is not particularly good at the moment. Kozaki grinded forward, took a few big steps, and then decisively launched a back pass under the watchful eyes of a group of people!

Mianye——

The sudden back row attack, despite the fact that the front row's fast and quick attack had the advantage, did indeed disrupt Izan's thinking.

Instead of jumping blindly, Yinchuan Mian waited a moment, until the moment Jingtashan's blocker began to fall, before leaping with all her might.

At this moment, the height of the volleyball is just right – an overhand attack!

"I'm sorry," Sakusho Seishin apologized, admitting he shouldn't have been careless.

"Again," Iizuna, who had also been tricked, licked his palate. "Who would have thought they'd be so shrewd even in this situation?"

"Nice!" Kuroo Tetsuro shouted.

This point ignited Sound Horse's comeback. In the next five points, they used equally cunning defensive traps and change-of-pace offense to gradually close the gap.

Kozume began to frequently use secondary attacks, making his timing increasingly unpredictable.

Tetsuro Kuroo's blocking hand shape is constantly changing, sometimes opening and sometimes closing, interfering with the spiker's judgment;

In the back row, Yinchuan Mian also cooperated with Fukunaga Shohei to receive the ball in defense. Yinchuan Mian also managed to receive two sure-fire balls thanks to his familiarity with Sakuya.

Seeing the other person's seemingly expressionless face, but one that was definitely showing displeasure, Yinchuan Mianye suddenly broke into a smile.

A commotion arose from the front row of the audience members who were nearby; the clamor sounded like an encouraging wave of energy.

Sakusho Seishin paused for a second, then frowned and stopped looking at the person.

"Tch!" Yin Chuanmian muttered to herself.

As he was about to be moved to the front row, the sheep felt a wave of nausea. His knees were about to give out. Could someone tell him why he had to receive the ball after becoming a middle blocker?

During the gap after the ball landed, Kuroo Tetsurou rubbed Sheep's head, sighed as he looked at her reddened knees, and thankfully, Ginkawa Mian also learned the fish leap well.

"I'm fine." Yinchuan Mian also noticed that her knees were red and swollen.

Free people are truly great.

Images flashed through my mind of Yoruichiro, showing him falling to the ground several times in an attempt to catch a ball; the sound of those falls looked painful.

At 18:20, the score difference narrowed to two points.

But Mount Itayama is Mount Itayama after all. Just as Otoko's momentum reached its peak, Iizuna called for a pause.

Yinchuan Mian also slightly raised her head to drink water, her bright blue eyes sweeping over her childhood friend before unconsciously turning to the rest area across the way where people were gathered.

He could see every ball clearly in front of him, and he could see the details of their movements.

Such an advantage should be invincible in all situations... but it only comes into play when you're in the back row.

Because of power?

Yinchuan Mian placed the water glass on the bench and unconsciously rubbed her wrist.

No, it's when blocking that I'm more easily misled by the opponent's movements.

Kozume Kenma, who was about to talk to the sheep, noticed that the other was thinking in silence and pulled back Kuroo Tetsurou, who was also going to find the sheep.

Kuroo Tetsuro must have been the most direct to discover the problem with Yinchuan Mianye.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have deliberately skipped one rotation and left Mina in the back row, since Yoru-senpai's stamina is definitely much better than Mina's.

The cats here are huddled together, rubbing and licking each other, maintaining a warm atmosphere even under pressure.

On the other hand, Jingtashan, who had become a villain, came up with a very practical but very evil trick.

After hearing this, Komori Gen raised an eyebrow. It was the same tactic that Seishin used against Onoma—targeting the setter.

Iizuna and Sakusho both thought of this method at the same time. After explaining some precautions, Sakusho turned around and gave Otokoma a deep look.

A house cat that always curls up in its comfortable cat bed is no hunter.

Yinchuan Mian also turned around as if sensing something, and they looked at each other again.

"......" What's wrong with him?

Sakusho, who also felt that the other person was wrong, thought that her eyes were dirty. Occasionally, even if the two of them didn't move their heads, they would make eye contact when they moved their eyes to observe the situation on the other side.

After the timeout, Itayama changed their tactics. They no longer pursued a one-hit kill, but instead began to fight a "war of attrition" - extending the rallies as much as possible with each ball, using long, drawn-out shots to wear down Kozume Kenshin and Yoku Eisuke's stamina.

When Kuroo Tetsuro was substituted out, he sensed something was wrong, but Nekoma only had one timeout left in this match, so he chose to trust Kenma.

It won't be easy to counter Kozume's grinding ability, Sakusho Seishin thought. Nekoma's libero is excellent. If he can handle every first pass used to disrupt the rhythm well, then this tactic will not be able to be implemented.

Sakusho, who had just reached the highest point of his jump, stared at Ginkawa Minaya, who appeared in front of him at the same height and blocked his way with both hands.

The setter is hidden in the very center, positioned slightly behind the left side of the number 13 jersey.

Yoru Eisuke was positioned behind Ginkawa Myaya, ready to save the ball at any moment.

Yinchuan Mianye's heart skipped a beat as he watched the other person's movements—no! He wanted to strike Moyan!

He swung his arm quickly, trying to block the ball!

"Smack!" The volleyball struck his left little finger hard, and a sharp pain shot through him.

Ignoring his badly injured hand, Yinchuan Mianye turned around as soon as he landed and found that Kozume Grinma had caught the ball.

The ball, which hadn't been handled properly, came to the net, and Yamamoto's spike was blocked.

Jingtashan scores with a block!

Yinchuan Mian also simulated the scene in his mind. Yagu-senpai was standing behind him. From that angle, Yagu-senpai would have to go through a process of refinement to save the ball.

However, from Makoto's perspective, Yaku-senpai cannot catch that position—Makoto has to catch it himself.

Yinchuan Mian also saw it; when he stood in front of the net, he saw every move and every detail of Sakusho Seishin.

But... the body couldn't keep up!

Almost there! If he had swung his arm a little faster, the ball would have hit his palm!

The pain in my left little finger felt like it was connected to my heart.

Another ball, Yinchuan Mianye stood at position 2. He saw Izan's movements clearly and moved urgently to position 4 to try to block Itayama's middle blocker.

"Bang!" Sakusho Seishin jumped midway and intercepted the ball!

Yinchuan Mianye's pupils dilated. He had subconsciously deduced the landing point by following the direction of the ball, guessing that Jingtashan's middle blocker would spike the ball.

However, that was wrong...

They formed a three-person blocking formation, but they blocked the wrong target!

Yoru Eisuke made a timely save, and Kozume Kenma passed the ball to the back row. Hisense's Otoko's blocker failed to get back in time, as did Itayama's.

Otoko scores with a spike!

22:19 Jingtashan is in the lead!

Sakusho Seishin and Ginkawa Wataru jumped at the same time again, at almost the same height. To block the cross-court ball, Sakusho Seishin bent his wrist even harder, and the volleyball went out at an incredible angle through the gap between Ginkawa Wataru and the net.

Yamamoto's diving save attempt failed.

A spike scores!

23:19 Jingtashan scores, just one point away from set point!

The electronic organ played rhythmic music, with trumpets and trombones filling the entire stadium.

The support from Jingtashan was well-organized and full of enthusiasm for their team.

"Charge bravely to Jingta Mountain, be invincible at Jingta Mountain, Jingta Mountain is the king!!"

"Great shot! Great shot! Saint Chen, another one!"

......

The irritability and annoyance that had been so hard to dispel returned.

The scent of his own sweat, the Seronpas sprayed on his knees by Kuroo Tetsuro during his rest, and the strong smell of disinfectant from Sakusho Seishin filled his nostrils.

The ghost lingers...

He forgot that the volleyball court itself is disinfected, so the smell of disinfectant in the air is normal.

Why am I becoming more and more abnormal...?

Yoru Eisuke noticed something was off. He saw that Kozume Kenma was also looking at Ginkawa Mina, and Kuroo Tetsuro in the warm-up area was also looking at him with concern.

"Mianye, as long as you stand in front of him, your block will be effective."

This is an undeniable fact. Even if the effect is different from the psychological expectation, it will definitely make the other party hesitate even a little, and they will change their route or want to forcefully open the net.

"Understood, thank you, Yoru-senpai." Ginkawa Mian also nodded obediently.

He knew it was effective, but... it wasn't enough!

When two people start on the same starting line with identical scores, the distance between them begins to grow. Watching the other person's even breathing while one's own becomes chaotic, that strange, unavoidable feeling is hard to shake off.

Biting her lower lip, Yin Chuanmian forced herself to be a fraction faster with every step.

"..." Kuroo Tetsuro's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, then suddenly relaxed. "I never thought I'd see Wataru get all worked up while playing volleyball."

"This might be a good thing." The more you care about volleyball, the more effective your efforts will be.

Although Kuroo Tetsuro also wanted to believe that Ginkawa Mian had also fallen in love with volleyball, the person who had been with him for half his life could still tell that he was just being stubborn.

It's still a little short, but perhaps this shortcoming will be made up after this match.

......

Itayama wins the first game.

As expected, the players were encouraged by the band's performance and cheers.

The atmosphere at Otoko was better than I had imagined; it wasn't particularly depressing.

"Well, it was the result I expected from the beginning anyway." Yoruichi Eisuke consciously broke off a banana and started chewing.

"Damn it!!" Yamamoto Taketora practically squeezed the water bottle into a water gun and sprayed it into his mouth.

Kozume, his face deathly pale, sat in the coach's chair, taking a quick rest while muttering some incoherent things to himself.

Yinchuan Mian also sat down next to him, trying to shake off her chaotic thoughts and shift her attention to her childhood friend, attempting to understand what he was saying.

Therefore, too much success is not necessarily a good thing. Naoki briefly explained the details that the team members had not noticed and then gave them time to rest.

Kuroo Tetsurou stood next to his two childhood friends, listening to Hai Xinxing speak.

"I wonder if anyone who hasn't joined a club will be able to join the volleyball club before the spring high school season."

"Indeed, if we had one or two substitutes, we wouldn't be in such a passive position."

The lone claw was so exhausted from grinding that it was even talking nonsense due to lack of oxygen.

"It depends on the situation. Even if they come, they may not have the foundation."

Yamamoto Taketora muttered to Fukunaga Shohei, "Doesn't anyone even consider what to do next?"

"Damn it! I really want to smash that smug guy's head in!!" After muttering that, it was time to cheer up, and flames roared around Yamamoto Takeru.

"?" Fukunaga Shohei was feeling dizzy from participating in so much passing and attacking, and was puzzled by the sudden increase in temperature around him.

"It's a bond." After some thought, Fukunaga Shohei revealed his conclusion.

The one who was puzzled was Ginkawa Mya, who tried to hear what his childhood friend was saying but failed.

He overheard Fukunaga Shohei's question: "Why are they talking about manga?"

Yinchuan Mian also inquired about Guzhao's grinding.

"?" Mushroom Cat looked up, its confusion not disappearing, but shifting.

The breaks between sets were short, and both sides quickly returned to the court.

The leadership of Jingtashan has changed!

Gen Komori also officially took the stage.

Are they using Nekoma as a whetstone? Kuroo Tessou was itching to get his teeth clean.

The 1.8-meter-tall free agent successfully caused a stir in the audience.

"Changing positions is normal, but is it normal for an attacker to switch to a libero?!" asked a person who had watched many of Yinju's games.

"...That's normal," the person traveling with them responded.

"But he's already 1.8 meters tall!!"

"Very courageous, worthy of praise."

......

Standing opposite Ginkawa Minaya was still Sakusho Seishin. Kuroo Tetsuro had suggested switching places with Ginkawa Minaya, but was refused.

Yinchuan Mian clenched her fists, feeling the tension in her arm muscles, and didn't pay attention to DouDou's Shiba Inu.