Volleyball: The Time of Resonance

The cheers of the cheering squad, the referee's whistle, the screams of shoes scraping the floor, the dull thud of the ball being hit—all of these were dissected into distractions in Yinchuan Mianye's ears.

He needs to focus, he needs to concentrate on the ball, and on the person on the other side.

When it rains, it pours; Jingtashan serves.

Sakusho Seishin relaxed his hands, which, from other people's perspectives, looked like he was being tortured.

The ball speed wasn't top-notch, but the spin was unpredictable, heading straight for the left corner of the back row of the Sound Horse.

"I'll do it!" Yoru's voice was crisp and clear. He took two steps to the left, lowered his center of gravity, and as he brought his arms together, he steadily placed the ball in front of the three-meter line.

After a full game of adjustment, Yoruichiro was able to handle Sakusho Seishin's spins.

A solid first pass led to a good start for the counterattack.

"Yamamoto!" Kozume Kenmo shouted, his every movement clean and efficient.

Seeing his movements, the members of Itayama immediately took action and tried to stop Yamamoto Taketora.

The volleyball, about to be passed forward, was gently flicked by a finger and fell just short of the net.

Second attack!!!

No one expected that at the very beginning of the match, with Nekoma already having lost a game, Kozume Kenma would suddenly choose to launch a second attack!!

"That was awesome, Grinding!" Kuroo Tetsuro shouted loudly, his hands cupped around his mouth in the warm-up area!

Kozume Kenma's second attack successfully ended Sakusho Seishin's serve, boosting Nekoma's morale!

Thinking about how he was dominated by Sakusho Seishin in the previous game, Yamamoto Taketaka made a face at the opponent.

Kozume Kenzan, who witnessed everything, thought: How embarrassing...

Having become familiar with the attack methods of Jingta Mountain, Otoko used his most proficient tactics.

Few people may remember them, but they were—kind-hearted cats!

He played as if he had given up on the third game, desperately trying to return every ball, his stamina draining away like water.

No matter how fierce Itayama's attack was, the ball would always be saved in some way. Yoru's defensive range covered most of the field, Fukunaga always appeared in the most unexpected positions, and Ginkawa Mina was even marking Sakusho Seishin one-on-one.

"What are they doing?" The black-haired boy asked with a dangerous look in his eyes.

Yinchuan Mian couldn't stop Sakusho Seishin from dying, but the sticky feeling on his hands was disgusting.

"It's probably a desperate gamble." Iizuna wanted to comfort his junior, but his hand was dodged far away as soon as he raised it.

Everyone was drenched in sweat.

Feeling rejected, Iizuna touched his nose and then, feeling even more rejected, moved further away.

Komori Gen, who had successfully taken the field, also smiled and smoothed things over, trying to reconcile the relationship between his cousin and his teammates.

Unaware of the situation, Yamamoto Taketora looked at the other side with a puzzled expression, "What kind of strange combination is this?"

Fukunaga Shohei looked at the gloomy Sakusho Seishin, who seemed to be spraying the world with disinfectant, and the smiling, optimistic and cheerful Komori Genya.

He opened his mouth, about to speak, when he was interrupted.

Yamamoto Taketora interrupted, "Fine, don't say anything! I don't understand!"

To distract himself from his fatigue, Yamamoto Kogo rubbed his mohawk, his head feeling both hot and cold from the sweat.

Yinchuan Mian was equally frustrated, as he was always just a little short of stopping Sakusho Seishin, only managing to touch the ball – his impact was minimal.

In the shadowy image, a cat and a weasel tumbled and fought, the cat's ears pressed back and it growled softly. The weasel crouched and lunged at the cat's belly, its sharp teeth biting at the back of its neck.

The blue eyes and the black eyes both carried the same ferocity, as if they wanted to devour the other party completely.

"Bang!" Sakusho leaped high once again, forcefully slamming the ball down against Ginkawa Mina, who was sticking to him all the time.

Yinchuan Mianye's fingertips were already red and swollen, but he adjusted his posture without hesitation to meet the powerful ball.

The volleyball, spinning rapidly, bounced off my palm after rubbing against it once!

The thug is out of bounds!!

Before she could even register the feeling in her hand, Yinchuan Mian quickly turned around to watch the ball's trajectory after landing.

Yakumae rushed towards the "GG" sign and retrieved the ball with one hand just before it hit the ground.

"Yaku-senpai!!" Ginkawa Wataru's heart pounded, and he couldn't help but shout loudly.

There's still a chance if it hasn't landed yet!

Kozume Kenma set up Hisense, but his back-row attack was blocked by two opponents!

Damn it!! Hisense, panting, managed to steady himself.

Jingtashan scores with a block!

Score 10:7

"Useless effort." Sakusho Seishin's voice wasn't exactly clear, but its soft tone unexpectedly carried across the net.

That shady guy! Perhaps due to excessive exercise, Yinchuan Mian was a little oxygen-deprived and, in a fit of anger, gave him the middle finger.

Even if it was only for a moment, Sakusho Seishin saw it clearly.

"...?"

Sakuhachi's eyes narrowed slightly, radiating a dangerous aura.

"Pfft—" Komori Gen also swore that he did not do it on purpose.

But hahahahahaha!!!

The scene was so funny that Komori Gen also took the opportunity to turn his head and suppress his laughter during a break in his position. His shoulders were shaking, and anyone could tell what he was doing.

This should have been a serious and tense scene... how come it's so absurd?

Kozume Kenma felt his legs trembling, while Ginkawa Mian, who had also exhausted most of his strength, seemed to still have energy.

It seems Nekoma won't be able to hold on much longer. Iizuna has been watching Kozume Kenma's every move, and the core is about to collapse...

"boom--"

No one knows why, even though there were two people involved in the blocking, Sakuha kept stubbornly aiming at Ginkawa Wataru.

A burning sensation came from his palm. Having clearly seen Sakuya's intention, Ginkawa Ken slightly closed his hand, stopping her—

Komori Genya, who had somehow appeared in the frontcourt, dove and caught the ball just as it grazed the net!

The ball returned to Iizuna's grasp, and seeing Sakuha, who had landed and was back in position for his run-up, he decisively passed the ball to him again.

The ball hovered in his palm for a brief second, and Izuna couldn't help but wonder, "Will Ginchuan Mian also be driven to despair?"

Ginkawa Mina, who was constantly watching the other's movements, followed Sakusho Seishin's movements closely, feeling the pain in his lungs caused by the side stitch.

Yamamoto was a step too slow and failed to keep up, and the situation at the top of the net once again became a 1v1.

Muttering a curse under his breath, Yamamoto Takeo jumped, and the ball had already broken through Yinchuan Mianye's block.

The impact caused the brown-haired boy to lose his balance and almost fall to the ground. He stood there, his chest heaving violently, his team uniform soaked with sweat.

The referee's whistle blows, signifying a point lost, but it also gives everyone a few seconds of brief respite.

Each ball took an incredibly long time to travel—

Yinko has requested a suspension!

The referee made a professional move, and the boys' tense bodies relaxed a little at that moment.

Mo Yan bent over, supporting himself on his knees, his black bangs falling down to cover his eyes. His breathing hadn't calmed down, his mind was in chaos, and his temples seemed to be throbbing slightly.

Yinchuan Mian also came to Kozume Grinding's side and led him to the rest area.

"Grind it," Kuroo Tetsuro said, handing over water and a towel. "Take a break."

Kuroo Tetsuro was in slightly better condition than the others. He looked at Kozume Kenma's outstretched hand, his fingertips trembling, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

"Otoko is like a flexible net," Iizuna said, "but it's not strong. If you stretch its elasticity to the limit, it will snap."

After saying that, he glanced at Sakusho Seishin, who was drying his hair a little distance away from his teammates.

"Good job, Komori, keep it up." Iizuna patted the Shiba Inu with the bean-shaped eyebrows on the shoulder.

Otoko is pretty good...

With positions rotated, Sakuha moved to the back row, and they began to frequently use back row attacks, deliberately hitting the ball into the defensive area of ​​the groundwork—to wear down Otokoma's stamina.

To ensure the game could continue, Yinchuan Mian, who had moved to the back row, switched places with Ye Jiuwei.

The tired sheep came to the warm-up area for a short rest.

As Yoru watched Kozume Masami's trembling fingers, he expanded his defensive range during the next defensive play, reminding Kozume Masami not to participate in the first pass and to conserve his energy.

比分继续胶着16:14，19:17，22:20——

Perhaps because of their all-or-nothing effort, Otoko didn't fall too far behind in this game.

Watching the ball fly overhead, Kozume Kenji's gaze swept across the net, and the volleyball was passed out!

Blacktail leaped directly at the net and slammed the ball down—

They've been rescued!

Genya Komori made an incredible save, sending the ball flying back into the backfield.

Saku rushed towards the baseline and spun to smash the ball just before it went out of bounds.

The thug went out of bounds?

The referee hesitated for a moment before pointing his whistle at Jingtashan.

Jingtashan scores, making the overall score 1-0 and the minor score 24-22.

Kuroo Tetsuro was panting heavily, feeling the pain coming from his fingertips.

He tried to avoid them as soon as he realized what they were about to do, but it was too late...

Kozume Masami stood on the field, feeling as if his legs were filled with lead, and he didn't even have the strength to move his eyes.

Seeking a landing – Yoru's new position is in the forward area, Otoko blows the whistle to make a substitution, and Ginkawa Mian also returns to the field.

No free agent rotation for Nekoma—Match Point—Lone Claw's brain starts to develop and he's dizzy...

Yinchuan Mian also stared directly at Sakusho Seishin, determined to stop him—

Iizuna serves, Hisense successfully receives the ball, and Kozume Kenma passes the ball to Kuroo Tetsurou from the nearest position!

The volleyball did not land successfully, and Gen Komori caught it in time.

At this moment, all 11 people on the field were staring at the sky above Izuna's palm.

It's Sakuhachi! That was Ginkawa Mina's first thought. Watching the other person's movements, he took two steps to the left, then suddenly realized something was wrong and rushed back.

It's a second attack!!

With a deft push of three fingers, the volleyball was sent towards Nekoma's half of the court, as if in retaliation for Kozume's first second attack at the start of the game.

The volleyball fell in less than a second. Due to his haste, his dive was not very good, and it made a clattering sound on the ground. Yinchuan Mianye's hand was tense, but the volleyball grazed the tip of his middle finger, landed on the ground, and bounced up.

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

Thank you for your guidance!

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

It wasn't until she had packed her things and entered the corridor that Yinchuan Mian's wildly beating heart finally calmed down.

To be honest, he was exhausted. Kozume Kenma leaned against Kuroo Tetsurou, as if he was about to faint at any moment.

Yinchuan Mian also thought she would feel bad, but she didn't expect that after losing the game, it was just a loss.

Perhaps this is what dignity is? Yin Chuanmian also looked at each of Yin Ju's members one by one.

Yes, no one cried.

Perhaps there are many more matches to come, or perhaps this result was expected.

"Coach, I need to go to the bathroom."

"Okay, hurry back." Naoki took the water cup from the sheep's hand.

We'll go back together after the match.

The waiting area was cooler than the volleyball court. Yinchuan Mian pushed open the white door and entered the restroom, where she met someone's eyes in the dark.

"..."

Yinchuan Mian also hesitated to speak.

Sakusho Seishin looked at him expressionlessly with a slight frown. Perhaps it was because there were only the two of them here that he felt the urge to speak.

"You're very talented. I thought you weren't here because I was here."

"But you didn't choose Akatsuki, nor did you choose any other strong schools; instead, you stayed at Otoko."

"Just because we're friends."

Sakusho Seishin's tone was flat, but it carried a hint of incomprehension.

"What do you mean? Is this mockery after winning the game?" Yinchuan Mianye's eyes were filled with incomprehension.

He was already exhausted, and then he lost the game. And the guy who won is blocking him from going to the bathroom!

Would I get suspended if I punched him?

"You lack fighting spirit and ambition. You're wasting your talent. You'll never beat me like this."

Yinchuan Mian suddenly understood why Moyan hated the word "fighting spirit" so much.

It's really annoying to hear him say those words!

"It's not like I necessarily have to beat you!" Yinchuan Mian wanted to say that too, but subconsciously he felt that if he said that, he would lose!

The boy gritted his teeth, his mind racing with rebuttals, but none came up with a suitable one. All his words, once spoken, sounded like feeble excuses.

Sakusho Seishin looked at him and said, "Your reaction speed is much faster than others. You could have easily caught up with those balls."

The sight of Ginkawa Mianya leaping did indeed attract Sakusho Seishin's attention for a time, and he initially thought he was one of their kind.

"It's because you didn't train with all your might that you wasted your talent."

This person did indeed become one of the few targets he wanted to surpass and strive for during that period, adding a touch of color to his time as a volleyball player who was simply trying to achieve perfection.

"You see the ball, you see its trajectory, but you can't catch it, so you can only make a prediction the moment you see the ball."

"You have a chance to catch the ball 100% of the time."

Has Yinchuan Mianyang not made any progress? Of course it has!

But there are too few of them, which does not match his extraordinary talent. How many people can achieve a relatively stable jump serve and jump float in junior high school?

How many people can easily resolve their shortcomings by using a more agile approach?

He's changed positions now and is a middle blocker, but looking at the lineup of the Yinju team, he feels that he shouldn't be the one who should change positions, even if the other team is indeed more suited to middle blocker.

If he had gone to a different school, he would still be an excellent outside hitter.

Instead of a middle blocker who is lacking in all aspects and whose strength remains unchanged after re-familiarizing himself with the path.

"You don't like volleyball," said Seishin Sakusho.