Miracles Are Rare

BEEP!!!

The referee's whistle pierced through the air, halting the game in an instant.

The sudden incident, the libero from Shinkuuji Junior High had just been KO'd, no, more accurately, knocked down, by Akashi Asuka's serve.

The sheer force of the impact sent the ball flying high into the air, eventually landing up in the second-floor spectator stands.

At first, the Shinkuuji players were stunned. Then panic set in as they rushed over to their fallen teammate, only to find the lower half of his face stained bright red with blood streaming from his nose.

They were, after all, just Junior Highers. Scenes like this weren't something they were used to. Several players were visibly shaken.

Fortunately, Shinkuuji's coach arrived with a medical staff member shortly afterward.

Initial examination:

The assessment pointed to a ruptured nasal capillary. Though the bleeding looked serious, it wasn't life-threatening.

Still, to be safe, and to rule out a nasal fracture or concussion, the medical team recommended the libero be taken off the court for further examination.

The coach agreed without hesitation.

As a seasoned coach, he understood that the violence in volleyball, in its own way, could be just as intense as basketball or soccer.

Even if he had initially doubted that a Junior Higher like Akashi Asuka could serve with such explosive power, that booming sound from earlier was undeniably frightening.

Though the libero himself resisted, under the dual insistence of the coach and medical staff, he had no choice but to be stretchered off the court.

And just like that, five minutes and thirty seconds into the match, Akashi Asuka earned the dubious achievement of scoring the game's "first blood."

Once the injured libero was escorted out, the referee blew the whistle to resume play.

However, Shinkuuji's coach immediately called a timeout.

..

"Don't let it bother you. It was just an accident. Things like this happen in sports. Just keep playing your game." Shimokawa Mitsuto said, worried the incident might rattle Akashi Asuka's focus.

After all, while such incidents do happen... this one wasn't exactly common.

But none of that mattered now.

To Shimokawa, Akashi was still just a Junior Higher. Kids at that age were sensitive. If this left a mental scar, it could be a real problem.

But as it turned out, Shimokawa had been overthinking it.

Akashi Asuka was completely unfazed.

To him, drawing blood, or even causing a more serious injury, was just part of the intense nature of competitive sports. His mind remained calm and focused.

In contrast, his teammates were visibly spooked.

"Yikes… that was scary."

"I mean, I knew his serves were powerful from practice… but that was terrifying."

"Yeah! And I was once hit on the back of the head during training by a serve like that… maybe I should go get checked at the hospital after the match too!"

Oda Miki rubbed the spot where she'd once been hit. It hadn't really hurt at the time, but now, she swore it started aching all over again.

Shimokawa Mitsuto: "..."

Great.

He couldn't tell if they'd scared the opposing team, but his own players were clearly terrified.

That said…

Even Shimokawa himself had to admit that Akashi's serve was on another level.

He'd seen powerful jump serves before, but never from a Junior Higher. In all his years of coaching, this was a first.

As Shimokawa worked to keep Akashi's head in the game…

…

Across the court, Shinkuuji's coach was trying to stabilize his players' nerves too.

But while Shimokawa was telling his player not to be afraid of himself, Shinkuuji's coach was pleading with his players not to be afraid of the other team.

His mood was grim.

Not because they'd lost their libero, though that was certainly a blow to their lineup.

What truly crushed him was the reason they lost the libero.

That single serve hadn't just knocked out a player, it had shattered the team's morale.

Even before this, Shinkuuji had already been feeling the pressure from Sengoku. But after that serve from their "ace", it was as if another massive weight had been dropped on their already collapsing spirits.

If they couldn't turn the tide soon, the match might not even make it to the final whistle. The first set alone could seal their fate.

"All we can hope for now." the coach thought, "is that the opposing team's mentality slips after that unexpected incident and they start making unforced errors."

He racked his brain for a strategy.

But even as the whistle sounded for the match to resume, he came up with nothing.

After all, any tactic is only effective when both teams are on roughly equal footing.

But the offensive threat they faced now was far too sharp.

Even if they pooled their entire defense together, they might still fail to stop Akashi Asuka. And now, they were down a key defensive player, their libero.

…

BEEP!

The whistle blew again, signaling the restart.

Akashi Asuka stepped up to the baseline, gently bouncing the ball a few times to find his rhythm. And then, just as expected, he unleashed another powerful jump serve.

BOOM!

The sound echoed like an explosion.

The ball rocketed over the net at nearly the same speed and force as before, carving a deadly arc through the air before slamming into the back line for a clean point.

BEEP!

The whistle confirmed it, Sengoku scored again. The scoreboard now read 9:3.

Oomae Masato and the rest of the team erupted in cheers. Meanwhile, the Shinkuuji coach slowly closed his eyes.

From the moment Akashi launched that serve, he knew the match was over.

Not because it was just another point on the board.

But because it proved that not even injuring an opponent would shake Akashi's composure or dull his firepower in the slightest.

Shinkuuji's morale was in shambles.

In competitive sports, there's a saying: "It's not over until the final whistle."

That's true.

But there's another truth just as important: "Some matches are decided before they even begin."

Not everyone has the willpower to fight through adversity to the end. In reality, comebacks in tough matches are rare.

And it's because they're so rare… that when they do happen, they become unforgettable.

Most matches, however, are shaped by what happens before the game: in practice, in preparation, in discipline, in time invested.

Whether or not Shinkuuji could pull off a comeback…

Even their coach didn't know.

He believed in miracles. He really did.

But in all their past matches, Shinkuuji had never once seized the moment when a miracle came knocking.

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