Chapter 224 : Mujinazaka Vs Karasuno (23)
Amid the constant chatter and attention of the spectators, the two teams returned to the court once again!!
To the audience watching from outside the venue, this match could be described as a battle of life and death for Mujinazaka!!
To be precise, even if they win this set, every set from here on could mean life or death for them!!
No more mistakes!
One lost set, and the entire final is over!!
And of course, the players from Mujinazaka, who were slowly walking back onto the court, fully understood this!
However, they weren't nearly as nervous as one might expect.
First, because they're an extremely experienced team in national competition!
Mujinazaka High School has always been a traditional powerhouse in Ōita Prefecture.
Counting this year…
They've made it to Nationals nine consecutive years!!
Nine years—without missing a single tournament!!
For third-years like Wakatsu Kiryū, this marks their third time competing at this level!!
The experience they've built up over the years is an incredibly valuable asset.
It's what supports Mujinazaka's continued push forward.
And there's another reason they're not panicking right now: they had mentally prepared for this before the match even started!
Even before the game began, they anticipated a full five-set battle!
In their discussion after the first set, Coach Michiko Kusumi had already told them:
If they want to win this final, there's a high chance they'll have to drop the first two sets and then grind it out with Karasuno in an endurance war!
And now, the players of Mujinazaka could see the dawn of victory!!
After the first two sets of steady preparation, they believed they had neutralized the biggest threat.
Akira!!
From the moment the teams first entered the court, the Mujinazaka players were carefully observing Akira's condition.
After the court switch, he seemed to have improved a little.
His previously pale face had regained some color, and his shaky steps now carried a bit of strength…
But Mujinazaka wasn't worried in the slightest.
They knew it was only superficial.
Once the set went on for a bit longer...
Gradually, he would wear down again!!
After all, just moments ago, Akira looked as though he was already on the verge of collapse.
Even if he suddenly fainted on the court, Mujinazaka wouldn't be surprised at all!!
How could someone on the brink of exhaustion make a full recovery in such a short time?
It's just not possible!!
Without Akira's devastating spikes and unpredictable serves, Mujinazaka felt—
They could finally go toe-to-toe with Karasuno!!
In the first two sets, every critical point had come from Akira's serve!
And his wickedly spinning smashes—whenever he launched an attack, there was a high chance of scoring!
But now—
With Akira's stamina spent, the players of Mujinazaka no longer had to fear his attacks!
So in their eyes…
This set would mark the beginning of their comeback!!
...…
"Sigh."
"Karasuno's current situation looks pretty rough."
Atsumu Miya observed the court with interest.
Even though they understood why Akira's stamina had been drained so quickly this time...
The reality was right in front of them.
Just looking at Akira's current awkward movements, it was clear that he was in poor shape.
"If Akira's completely out of gas, then losing their trump card puts Karasuno in a tough spot."
"Agreed."
Aran Ojiro nodded beside him.
"Let's see how their coach responds."
"I don't think it's that urgent just yet…"
Shinsuke Kita, standing nearby, sounded a bit uncertain.
"I feel like Karasuno might still have something up their sleeve."
"Do you really think they'd go down that easily?"
"You're overthinking it, Captain," Atsumu said with a smirk.
"No matter what kind of plan they have, no one can just recover their stamina out of thin air!!"
"And if they had another strategy, it should've been put into motion earlier, right?"
"You don't wait until it's this bad!"
"Akira's done. No matter what Karasuno plans, he's not in it anymore!"
...…
Tweet!
As the referee's whistle blew, Karasuno resumed the serve!
Shōyō Hinata stepped up past the service line and sent the ball flying toward Mujinazaka!!
Smack!
The serve was cleanly received by Haruma Bishin in the back row!
Seeing the ball, Michiru Usuri quickly moved beneath it to set.
Whoosh!
The set soared toward the left flank of Mujinazaka!
Subaru Hondo leapt into the air for a powerful spike!!
But across the net, Karasuno's blockers rose like shadows in front of him!!
Thud!
Hondo's spike was blocked by Akira and his teammates!!
Tweet!
The referee's whistle echoed again!
Karasuno scores!!
Exhale…
Hondo, whose attack had just been stopped, let out a quiet breath.
In today's final, it wasn't the first time his spike had been blocked by Karasuno.
But this time… he felt a flicker of excitement.
Because Hondo knew this situation wouldn't last forever.
"Don't worry."
A voice came beside him. Wakatsu Kiryū gave Hondo's shoulder a light pat, noticing the moment of hesitation.
"It's normal to get blocked right now."
"Your chance to strike will come soon enough."
Hearing this, Hondo chuckled and nodded in relief.
"Yeah."
Tweet!
Off the court, the referee blew the whistle again.
Karasuno to serve once more!
On the other side of the net, the eyes of the Mujinazaka players narrowed with focus.
Because—
They had to win this set.
Every point, every rally—it was all on the line!!
They couldn't afford to let the score slip like they did in the last set!!
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