We won the first round without any problems and I noticed a few things watching Amasawa-san's team. Nanase-san took the lead in the match, dominating both offensively and defensively.
"Nanase was on point, but the brat isn't as big of a deal as I thought?"
"I certainly don't feel like she's as good as I had thought. I assumed the lack of volleyball experience was a joke, but..."
It's possible that she's cutting corners on purpose, but from what I've seen, she doesn't seem to be. She's better than the students who can't move at all offensively or defensively, but they don't seem to be a threat. However, as the game passed the halfway point, the situation began to change little by little.
Ibuki-san's eyes, which had been somewhat languid, began to turn serious. In less than ten minutes of game time, Amasawa-san was visibly improving. Just as Amasawa-san was beginning to show glimpses of her ability, Nanase-san spiked the ball to end the match.
"The next time we play, she might be even better."
"Yeah but they can't get so much experience in just a few shitty games. We... we can still win."
Too much optimism was dangerous, but with Nanase-san in tow, Amasawa-san was able to have an upper hand on us without touching the ball too much.
We went on to win, and at around 3:40, the final arrived.
At a sports festival, there are many differences from the normal rules of competition. Volleyball was no exception. There is no rotation in the serve, but any player can serve, and the team with the first 10 points or the most points within 10 minutes wins. If time runs out and the score is tied, the team that is ahead will have the right to serve and the game will go into overtime.
"So I guess it's time to see your losing side." Ibuki-san yelled out to Amasawa-san from the our side of the court.
"Can you be satisfied with just winning and losing in volleyball? Ibuki-senpai."
"First, I'll beat you in volleyball. Then, I'll win the fight as well."
"Fufufu~ I don't mind that kind of thinking."
Amasawa-san's presence was eerie, but Nanase-san was the one to watch out for.
"Just like the last game, I'll be the attacker. I'm going to pound everything into their court."
Ibuki-san declares, even more fired up than before.
Although her control is a little difficult, I can't argue with the destructive power of her spikes. At the start of the final, Ibuki-san took the lead with her serve.
We thought we had the momentum, but Nanase-san spiked a point right back. I thought it would be a close game, but it turned out to be a little more in our favor as we finished the first half with a 4-2 lead. As expected, Nanase-san was able to compete with me and Ibuki-san, but other than that, we seemed to have a slight advantage.
The situation changed midway through the game. The time remaining was less than five minutes. After three steps, Ibuki-san jumped up and fired a spike. Amasawa-san, who had scored many points in the past, came out from the other side of the net and prevented the blow. No, she kept his momentum and slammed the ball right down.
The ball slammed into our court, giving the first-year team one point.
"Awww... that's too bad~ Ibuki-senpai! Nanase-chan, what do you call this kind of play?"
"Doshut or something. I don't know much about it, though."
"Whatever. Anyways, I've already seen through your attack pattern, so you can't take one over me from here on out."
"No! I'll definitely block it next time!"
"Calm down. You just happened to get stopped once."
"Damn it. You'll have to pass the ball to me next time."
Then, when the score was 5-3, I started to serve. It would have been easier if it had been decided, but... Because of the rule that if the ball goes out, the opponent is awarded a point immediately, I couldn't aim at an absurd course. If you hit the ball to a solid spot, of course it will be returned. But I'm going to defend well and pass the ball to Ibuki-san.
"This time... sink it!"
She changed her rhythm, took two steps, soared high, and launched the best spike of the day. The two first-year students who jumped to block it couldn't touch it, and the ball fell in a straight line to the court floor.
Amasawa-san blocked it, and as if she knew it was coming, she killed the momentum with a clean receive and sent the ball flying through the air. As her golden hair flowed, Nanase-san jumped up high and shot a spike towards Himeno-san. Kushida-san forced her way in front of Himeno-san, who was stiff and unable to move, and tried to receive the ball, but she could not control the momentum of the ball.
The first-year team began to catch up, and in the final minutes of the game, our two teams were finally level.
With only about two minutes left in the game, we could very well run out the clock at this pace.
"I'll do it again next time!"
Ibuki-san, who was twice prevented from scoring by Amasawa-san, was determined to do it next time. I instructed my teammates to pass the ball around, and the game resumed. As they exchanged receivess, Amasawa-san was ready to spike the ball for the first time.
"No way you're getting past this time!"
Ibuki-san jumps up on the block, but then Nanase-san comes into view from behind Amasawa-san.
"Whoopsies..."
The smiling Amasawa-san was a decoy. It was Nanase-san's plan to spike the ball from the beginning.
Caught off guard, Ibuki-san reached out, but was unable to touch the ball. The ball was aimed at the court floor at an acute angle - and Kushida-san slid in to make a great receive.
"Ibuki-san!"
Everyone's attention turned to Ibuki-san, and the freshmen rushed into a defensive stance.
Amasawa-san was waiting for an attack from Ibuki-san with a relaxed expression.
"Shit!"
Even though the situation was tough, she tried to force a spike, but couldn't find a way. Although Ibuki-san wanted to spike it, she gritted her teeth and switched to a toss.
I understood Ibuki-san's determination and released the energy I had been saving. I ducked under Amasawa-san's block and unleashed a spike that went straight to Nanase-san who was waiting for me.
Nanase-san, who was tired, was unable to scoop up the ball and went off course. If she had been in better shape, she might have been able to volley it in.
It was 7-6, and we had a one-point lead as time was running out. At the end of the game, which would end in about a minute whether I cried or laughed, we had the right to serve.
"Well, I guess it's time to get serious, huh?" Amasawa-san said, as if she hadn't been serious until now.
Nanase-san was wise enough to catch up and prevent Ibuki-san's serve. The ball, having lost its momentum, flew high into the air, and we all stared at it in awe.
"The target is...!"
The released volleyball came at me at a furious speed as it swelled up. Even though I was concentrating on my nerves, my reaction was delayed, and the moment I tried to reach for it, the distance between me and the ball was too wide to reach. The sound of the ball being hit violently echoed.
"Out!"
The unfortunate thing was that I was too late in reacting and could not touch the ball. The ball was half a ball out of the white line that marked the inside of the court.
"Aw shoot. Sorry, Nanase-chan, it seems like you missed. It's pretty hard to have perfect control, isn't it?"
"Thanks for the help anyways, Amasawa-san."
The whistle blew, and Nanase-san, who had lifted the toss, looked up with a startled expression. Amasawa-san, who was about to hit the ball towards us, landed on the floor without swinging her hand down.
"Oh, time's up. It was just starting to get interesting..."
Amasawa-san, who had not the slightest regret and was enjoying playing volleyball, praised the good match.
After a quick chat with Nanase-san, we left the court.
Although they lost, the girls also got points for taking second place in volleyball. And we, of course, managed to get a large number of points as first place.
"I'm not convinced... I don't feel like I won."
"We were pushed pretty hard at the end. I'd be horrified if it wasn't timed."
We were supposed to win and feel better, but we were left with a half-hearted feeling of bewilderment. Still, the win was huge, and it was a fierce battle worthy of ending the sports festival. I noticed that there were quite a few people in the gallery, and they were applauding, albeit sparsely.