Volleyball: The Time of Resonance

Jingtashan won the championship.

Yinchuan Mian watched the entire match with a blank expression.

Even in the finals, the black-haired outside hitter remained calm and composed.

He was training at the club yesterday and didn't want to watch the final. Now that he's watching, he's noticed that Inarisaki has twins.

"Well, we also have a practice match to play today."

Kuroo Tetsurou leaned closer to look and saw that the other person's screen was still lit up, displaying a video of yesterday's IH finals. Without hesitation, he rubbed Mianye's head.

The sheep rubbed against me obediently.

......

Yinchuan Mian also participated in the club's internal training match for the first time. The field was temporarily divided into two halves, and the players were randomly assigned to teams by drawing lots.

His team included a middle-aged man with a unique spiking style, a muscular college student, a quiet high school student, and two amateur enthusiasts who seemed to be regulars at the club.

The opposing team also had a variety of players, including a young office worker who could jump very high and an experienced former college player.

Xiao Hei and Mo Yan were assigned to another group. Before the competition started, Xiao Hei winked at him and gave him an OK sign.

The game started off a bit chaotically, with frequent poor ball reception and numerous adjustments to the passing, leaving attackers mostly to find their own ways to score.

It's like a pot of porridge with a bunch of random, sticky things that are all stuck together.

Fortunately, in the second half, everyone became more familiar with each other, and their performance was passable.

The training match ended, and sweat still clung to his body. Normally, a single match wouldn't make him feel very tired or even sweat.

However, he did improve his movements today according to the coach's instructions.

Although my calves were still a little sore, I realized something more clearly: I seemed to be starting to get the hang of it.

"How's it going? How's the new weapon for our classmate Mianye doing?" Kuroo Tetsuro's smiling voice chimed in, having somehow joined the conversation.

Kuroo Tetsuro's side also finished quickly, since everyone had just started working together and it was all a mess, so they drank it while it was still hot.

"I'm alright." Yin Chuanmian could also feel that she was feeling better.

Kozume, who was a step behind, had just arrived. He sighed and hadn't even had a chance to say anything when Kuro spoke up.

"Are we going to have to redraw the lots for the next round?" Kuroo Tetsuro nudged the sheep and raised his voice towards Coach Morikawa, "Coach, can the three of us play together this round?"

Coach Morikawa turned his head and looked at the three high school students with different personalities.

It's really amazing, to be honest.

One was laughing mischievously and looking radiant; another had slumped shoulders and looked listless; and the third just stood there quietly, giving the impression that he had been in a daze for quite some time.

He nodded: "Okay."

"Thanks, Coach!" Kuroo Tetsurou wiggled his wrists and ankles, turned to Kenma, and smiled mischievously. "Kenma~ Remember to pass some good balls to us later, okay?"

Mushroom Cat has begun to reflect on why she agreed to come to this club and is starting to regret it.

"...Little Black is so noisy."

"Huh!!! How could that be? I'm super quiet." Kuroo Tetsuro lied through his teeth.

"...It's very noisy."

"Grinding will hurt me if you say that!"

After putting down the water bottle, Yinchuan Mian didn't join in the bickering. A familiar feeling enveloped her, and the vague loneliness she had felt while groping around alone among unfamiliar teammates had unknowingly dissipated.

A new game begins.

After taking their positions, Kuroki was in the front row, slightly to the right of center, while Maki was in the back row, slightly to the left.

It was the turn of a tall, thin player on the opposing team to serve.

The way the person threw the ball was very special; the ball flew high, almost touching the ceiling, and then fell almost vertically.

Seeing the opponent's underhand serve, Yinchuan Mianye had already guessed what was going on, and carefully observed the opponent's movements.

It's a serve from the ceiling.

"Ceiling serve!" someone whispered from the sidelines.

Mian stood in the back row, her eyes fixed on the ball's trajectory. This serve had a high arc, but its landing point was difficult to predict.

When the first ball came, he moved a little too slowly, and the ball grazed past his arm.

Is this what a ceiling serve looks like in reality?

There are subtle differences in the movements of the beach volleyball league players, even without watching on television.

"Don't rush," Kuroo Tetsuro said, turning around from the front row, "Make sure you're sure before you move."

Kozume Kenma added softly, "It was thrown very high... and it took longer to fall than it looked."

Yinchuan Mian also nodded.

He had been learning about ceiling serves before, but he hadn't practiced them because the volleyball hall in his apartment wasn't high enough.

When the next serve came, he took a deep breath and watched the ball fall from its highest point. Sure enough, he found that its trajectory was straighter than a normal serve, but it floated a bit at the end.

He steadied himself and managed to get the ball up.

"What a great pass!" Kuroo Tetsuro exclaimed.

The ceiling serve can be a surprise tactic, but if you serve the same ball repeatedly, it will be easy for your opponent to spot your weakness.

Kozume Kenma set the ball to Kuroo Tetsuro, and the two quickly scored a point with a short, quick attack.

"Not bad!" Kuroo Tetsuro turned around and gave Maru an approving look.

Kozume Kenma, however, looked at the ground as if nothing had happened, as if his beautiful pass had been just a casual gesture.

Both sides start with the setter serving first, so after the opponent's serve, it's Kozume Grinding's turn.

As soon as the whistle blew, he immediately tossed the ball up and served it with his hand.

The serve seemed ordinary, but the trajectory of the ball caught both of the opposing players off guard.

The ball landed at a moderate speed, right between the two of them.

"Me?" "Yours!"

With that moment of hesitation, the ball fell rapidly.

"Thump!"

A point is scored from a serve.

"Well done! You've got a knack for it!" Kuroo Tetsuro praised Mushroom Cat.

"The grinding is excellent!" Yinchuan Mian also turned around and praised.

It was just a training match, and not even a formal one... Mushroom Cat, looking very awkward, lowered his head even further.

The three of them gradually picked up the pace of the game.

The opposing team started to get a little anxious. The young man who jumped very high once again aimed at Mianye, took a running start and jumped, trying to use his height to force his way through.

This time, Mian was much calmer.

He paid attention to his opponent's movements and the angle of his shoulder, and predicted in advance his preferred spiking route.

He didn't let the opponent's high jump lead him astray. Instead, he seized the opportunity, jumped a little later, and stretched out his arms early towards the place where he expected the ball to pass, trying to reach that position that once seemed a bit far away.

"Snapped!"

A crisp, loud sound of the ball being touched! He steadily blocked the ball back, sending it crashing heavily onto the opponent's side of the field.

The young man swayed slightly upon landing, his eyes conveying, "You weren't like this just now!"

"Well done, Mianye!"

Without hesitation, Kuroo Tetsuro praised loudly, his eyes shining slightly. Their sheep had made remarkable progress!

Even Kozume Kenma couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Yinchuan Mian also stood in front of the net, slowly adjusting her breathing.

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

The training match ended quickly, and Coach Morikawa chatted with a few acquaintances first.

The three people not far away could still vaguely hear the other asking him where he had found such a capable little guy.