章 32: Chapter 32
The game is running at a fast pace. Oikawa managed to create chaos for Karasuno's defense several times. But Karasuno is still fighting back. While they were still several points behind Aoba Johsai, they still managed to score a few times with their combination attack and Hinata's super quick.
Unfortunately for Karasuno, right when their opponent hit 20 points, they have to face Oikawa's serve. They gulped, taking a small step back nervously. Only Sawamura and Nishinoya didn't react negatively. The captain was calm as ever, and the libero, instead of afraid, just looks excited about the next serve.
Oikawa took a distance to prepare his next serve. When the referee blows the whistle, he threw the ball high and start running. Right when the ball reaches the highest point and started to fall, the setter jumped as high as he can and hit the ball hard to Tanaka in the right-back who could not react to the serve, resulting in a point for Aoba Johsai.
"Nice serve, Oikawa!" His teammates shouted, praising his deadly serve. But Oikawa didn't bulge from the cheers. Instead, it only makes him more focused on his next serve.
The game started again with another Oikawa's serve. He did the same, but aiming his serve at Nishinoya in the middle. The libero saved the ball shakily, far too high for any Karasuno players to receive the ball. Iwaizumi reacted quickly at the free ball and spiked it hard, resulting in another point for Aoba Johsai.
The setter took his time to prepare his next serve, looking around at Karasuno's side and wondering where to aim. When he hears the whistle from the referee, he served the ball harder than before. But this time, Sawamura managed to save the ball perfectly, sending it straight to Kageyama.
The setter from Karasuno didn't wait too long and sent the ball quickly to Azumane on the left side. Unfortunately for Karasuno, their ace's spike was blocked by Matsukawa, resulting in another point for Aoba Johsai.
On the supporter side, Matheo is getting excited at Oikawa's performance. "He is really on fire! If our coach watches this game, I am sure he will be crazy over Oikawa! I mean, did you see that serve? The combination between his power and accuracy is enough to break the opponent's defense at the professional level. What an interesting player!" Matheo keeps talking with an astonished face. Hiroyuki smiles and decided to sell his friend a bit more.
"Not only that. You see, he aimed his serve at the bald over there," He said while pointing at Tanaka, "The baldy is the one who raised Karasuno's mental. He will be loud on the pitch to ease the tension of his teammates. Oikawa and his team know about that and keep targeting him from the start to pressure him.
Then Oikawa aimed his serve at Karasuno's best defenders, the captain, and the libero. He wanted to make Karasuno think that his serve is invincible by targeting them. If I am not wrong, the next service will be aimed at the ace to break Karasuno. I have to say, Oikawa really knows how to play the mind game on the court." If anything, what Hiroyuki said makes Matheo more impressed with Oikawa.
And just like what Hiroyuki said, Oikawa aimed his next serve at Azumane who cannot receive the ball perfectly.
"Four aces in a row! If he managed to pull the last one, it would be five aces in a row and close the first set! What a player!" Matheo said loudly to Hiroyuki with an astonished face, trying to beat the loudness of the cheers to Oikawa.
For the last one, Oikawa aimed the ball right in the area between Nishinoya and Sawamura. The captain received the ball straight to Hinata, who surprisingly managed to set a decent ball to Azumane. Karasuno's Ace hits the ball hard, only to get blocked by Matsukawa and created a chance ball for Aoba Johsai.
"Chance ball!"
Hanamaki received the ball perfectly, sending it straight to Oikawa who has already been in the front to set the ball. Tsukishima, Azumane, and Kageyama tensed for a moment, scanning their opponents to see who will receive the set.
But once again, Oikawa fooled all the players on the court. While his teammates jumped, he tossed the ball softly to the Karasuno side in the same manner as what Kageyama did at the beginning, resulting in a point for Aoba Johsai to close the first set.
25-18
"NICE PLAY, OIKAWA/CAPTAIN!"
His teammates jumped to hug their captain. The setter took his time to smirk at Kageyama smugly before celebrating with his teammates, leaving Kageyama and Karasuno who can only stare dumbfoundedly.
----------------------------------------------------
"Look at the face of Karasuno teams. They are desperate now, and Oikawa's last play managed to break them. They will have a hard time rising from their position. The game is over right before the second set begins." Hiroyuki said to Matheo with a convincing tone. The scout nodded in agreement.
"So, what do you think of him as a player?" Hiroyuki asked once again. This time, Matheo didn't speak, thinking about what to say. Right at the beginning of the second set, he started speaking once again.
"He is a decent player. While he still didn't meet the standard of Italian volleyball, with his work ethic, I don't think it will take a long time for him to adapt. His personality on the court is also something I noted positively. Look at him, commanding his teammates and encouraging them to do better. He blended very well even with his junior.
The only problem is my team never had a player from Japan, so he would have a hard time with his teammates and supporters in the beginning. The language barrier will also be a problem. While he can speak English fluently, we only have three foreigners right now who can speak English as fluent as he is. The rest of us is Italian, so he has to learn about the language too.
As for him being on the team or not, I cannot say anything as the final decision fall to the head coach. But I can assure you that our coach will give a trial for a setter with ability like Oikawa."
Hiroyuki nodded, feeling a bit relieved at what he heard. 'You better be grateful to me in the future, Oikawa.' He muttered lowly as he looked at Oikawa encouraging his junior, Kindaichi, on the court.
The second set is running at a slower pace, as Aoba Johsai wanted to keep the lead for as long as they can. Interestingly, Karasuno changed their strategy in order to face Oikawa's serve by leaving only Nishinoya and Sawamura, their best defenders, as the sole defender on the back.
That was a risky strategy as the two need to cover more area. But if the two managed to save the ball, the four players in front of them are ready to attack, giving Karasuno the advantage number. With the defense ability of Nishinoya and Sawamura, they managed to prevent Oikawa from getting more ace points.
But Aoba Johsai is definitely the better team today. Their defense is playing well, and they keep targeting Tanaka when they attack to break Karasuno's mental. The second-year opposite hitter didn't shout any word since the beginning of the second set, showing that he was affected by the pressure.
But without Oikawa's ace serve, Karasuno managed to keep the game close. Hinata stepped up the game with several of his saves and his quick with Kageyama. Yamaguchi also comes from the bench and scores several points for Karasuno. But that didn't change anything as the other players could not do more than enough. They still lose against Aoba Johsai.
All of the Karasuno players lay down on the ground with depressed faces. The third-years cried at their loss. But they have no one to blame but themselves for this result. Tanaka and Azumane could not break Aoba Johsai's defense, and Tsukishima is getting frustrated, being fooled by Oikawa from time to time. Honestly, it is a bit sad that one of their best players today is Hinata.
But Hiroyuki knows what kind of team Karasuno is. And they all know what it is that they have to improve. Tanaka and Azumane know about their lack of skillset. Hinata knows he has to strengthen his basics. Kageyama knows he has to improve his communication skill. And Tsukishima knows he has to find the right motivation to play.
With that thought, Hiroyuki knows they will definitely become stronger in the next Spring Tournament.
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Author note:
You can also read:
- Transmigrated Into Anime World as Kiyoko Shimizu's Older Brother up to chapter 39
- Naruto: Ashigaru up to chapter 09
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