The announcer's voice echoed throughout the massive stadium, cutting through the noise of the crowd and settling over the two teams lined up on the court.
"Miyagi Prefectural Karasuno High School versus Shiratorizawa Academy!"
"The match is about to begin!"
As the starters from both teams took their positions, the announcer's voice carried on.
"For today's finals, we have two special guests in attendance."
"They are… Member of the Miyagi Prefecture Volleyball Development Committee, Mr. Arai !"
The moment the words fell, from the commentators' bench next to the court, a middle-aged man in a formal suit stood up. He had a sharp demeanor, a cold expression, and a short beard. He waved briefly to the audience and the players before sitting back down.
His presence was met with a wave of cheers from the crowd.
"Arai !"
"I can't believe Mr. Arai is here! This is huge!"
"This is amazing! I started playing volleyball because of him!"
Arai's popularity in the volleyball community of Miyagi Prefecture was undeniable. Even Shiratorizawa's coach, Tanji Washijo, momentarily turned his attention toward the commentators' area.
"Mr. Arai! I never thought I'd see him in person!"
Takeda Ittetsu, Karasuno's faculty advisor, was visibly excited, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.
But the announcer did not linger on the moment. As the cheers settled, he continued.
"Our second guest is the Vice Chairman of the Miyagi Prefecture Volleyball Development Committee, Mr. Yuta Takano!"
Sitting next to Arai, a slightly stockier middle-aged man stood up and waved, offering a reserved smile before returning to his seat.
"What? Mr. Takano too?"
"He actually came?"
Some spectators who were less familiar with the scene voiced their curiosity.
"I didn't expect two committee members to show up! What's so special about this match?"
"I thought this was just a high school final, but it's clearly a bigger deal than I realized! My friend didn't come today, he's definitely regretting it now!"
Yuta Takano had once been a volleyball player himself, but at a young age, he realized his limitations and shifted his focus to developing the sport in Miyagi Prefecture. His contributions to the volleyball scene were invaluable.
"We'd like to thank both committee members for gracing us with their presence and adding prestige to this competition!"
"They will also be presenting the awards after the match, handing out the championship trophy and medals to the winners!"
With all announcements complete, the referee blew the whistle.
The match had begun!
Shiratorizawa won the coin toss and chose the side, leaving Karasuno with the first serve.
"Give them a strong serve, Hinata!"
"Got it!"
Despite the encouragement, Hinata's serve was still light, an easy pick-up for Shiratorizawa's libero, Taichi Kawanishi.
"Ushijima-senpai!"
Shirabu Kenjirou instinctively set the ball towards the powerhouse ace, Wakatoshi Ushijima.
Just as Karasuno expected.
Like Karasuno's own strategy, Shiratorizawa's first point was usually given to their ace. The sheer power of Ushijima's spike could set the tone for the entire match, boosting his team's morale and shaking his opponents.
Hearing Shirabu's call, Ushijima's expression sharpened as he entered his attacking stance.
Eyes locked onto the ball, he leapt into the air.
Seeing the approach, Akira and the front-row blockers immediately positioned themselves.
"Watch his angle!" Akira called.
Ushijima's signature left-handed spike came from an unusual angle. For players facing him for the first time, it was almost impossible to react in time.
But…
Thanks to Akira's detailed breakdown during last night's meeting and his last-second reminder, neither Tsukishima Kei nor Kageyama Tobio were caught off guard.
Reading the approach, all three blockers jumped in unison.
BAM!
The impact rattled through Akira's arms as the ball made contact with his block.
Despite the sheer force behind Ushijima's spike, the ball was successfully stopped and sent straight back onto Shiratorizawa's court.
The whistle blew.
"Point, Karasuno!"
"What?!"
"He actually blocked Ushijima-senpai's spike?!"
Shiratorizawa's players were visibly shocked.
As teammates, they were all well aware of the sheer power behind Ushijima's attacks. Even if he wasn't at his absolute best yet, his spikes weren't something just anyone could block!
"He actually stopped Ushijima's spike…"
"Who the hell is that guy?"
"I must be dreaming. No one in the prefecture has ever blocked Ushijima-senpai's first spike before!"
A collective gasp echoed through the Shiratorizawa audience.
The impact of what they just witnessed was enormous.
To the students of Shiratorizawa, Ushijima was an unstoppable force. Even at the national level, few players could challenge him head-on.
While their losses in previous tournaments had been team-related, Ushijima's ability as an ace had never been questioned.
And yet, today, in the very first rally of the match, someone had blocked his spike cleanly.
What did that mean?
It meant the opponent didn't even need time to adjust to Ushijima's attacks. They already understood how to counter him.
Could it have been a fluke?
Or was it sheer skill?
As the ball rolled to a stop behind him, Ushijima turned his head, eyes lingering on Akira.
He could have adjusted his spike's angle to avoid the block, aiming for a sharper crosscourt shot.
However, his initial goal had been to shatter the opponent's morale with his first attack.
But instead, the opposite had happened. His spike had been read and countered.
Looking into Akira's eyes, which held a slight smirk, Ushijima said nothing.
He simply turned back toward his team.
The match continued.
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I'll upload remaining chapters tomorrow