The Genius and the Monster

Clang clang clang…

A volleyball soared high into the air and slammed into the second-floor railing with a deafening crash, startling a couple who had been getting a little too cozy.

"Ow!"

Kindaichi shook out his arm. A bright red mark had already formed where the ball had struck him.

"What the hell is this guy? Some kind of monster?"

BEEP!

The referee's whistle blew, and the scoreboard changed: 1–1.

"Tch." Tobio Kageyama clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. He didn't bother to sugarcoat his words.

"Hey, Kindaichi, what are you doing out there? Get your blocking form right! You can't just let the opponent spike past you so easily, got it?"

"Hah!?" Kindaichi's forehead twitched with frustration. He was about to storm over and argue with Kageyama, but before he could, Akira Kunimi stepped in and held him back.

"Chill. We're still in the middle of a match. Save it for afterward."

Grinding his teeth, Kindaichi reluctantly returned to his position.

The match continued.

Sengoku started the next serve. Kitagawa received it smoothly, and Kageyama quickly set up a quick low set. Kindaichi followed up with a sharp spike, tying the score again.

1–2.

Then came the next rally.

After Kitagawa served, Sengoku's libero received it cleanly. Ryuhei Sanashita made a near-perfect set.

Akashi Asuka launched himself into the air.

This spike almost seemed to reach the peak of human limits. Kindaichi, who had been front and center attempting the block, could only stare in shock as Akashi's head rose above his own eye level. The spike itself soared more than a full hand's width above his outstretched hands.

BOOM!

A thunderous slam echoed as the ball pierced through the block and crashed into the floor.

"Uwaahhh!"

"What a monster of a spike!"

"Didn't Kitagawa's front line all have a height of over 185 cm? He still spiked over their hands? Just how high can that guy jump?!"

The crowd on the second floor burst into gasps and murmurs of astonishment.

Among them were several reporters, eyes gleaming with sudden interest.

It was their first time watching Akashi Asuka play in person. Though there had been whispers about a dark horse rising in the Miyagi Prefecture Junior High division, most of them hadn't paid much attention.

After all, reporters weren't just looking for dark horses, they wanted players and teams with star power, the ones who made jaws drop.

And now, it seemed, they'd just found one.

"Damn it." Kindaichi muttered, wiping sweat from his chin. "I knew from the tapes that guy could jump, but seeing it in person… He's not just high, he's ridiculously high."

"Agreed." Kunimi added as he walked over. "Feels like his max reach has gone up at least five centimeters since the spring tournament."

The score was tied again.

2–2.

Both Sengoku and Kitagawa were aggressive, offense-oriented teams.

For Sengoku, it goes without saying, centered around Akashi Asuka, their playstyle was like a spear: fast, sharp, and impossible to stop. From the qualifiers until now, whenever Asuka was on the court, no defense had been able to withstand them.

Kitagawa, while centered around the setter Tobio Kageyama, wasn't any less deadly. Kageyama wasn't just a skilled setter, he was an aggressive, attack-heavy playmaker.

If Sengoku was a spear, then Kitagawa was a trap, deadly in a different way, but just as lethal.

The fifth rally began.

Jujiro Kazama from Sengoku served.

Kitagawa kept the rhythm, Kageyama once again leading the play. Another seamless combination earned them a point.

2–3.

And with that, the match shifted.

Because the next serve would be from Tobio Kageyama.

By now, both teams had realized one thing: standard serves meant nothing in this match. At best, they gave the opposing team a chance to counterattack.

To truly widen the score gap, the outcome would hinge on two players, those whose serving skills surpassed the junior high level: Kageyama and Akashi.

Kageyama stepped to the back line, holding the ball with both hands. He took a deep breath.

In the next moment, every trace of his usual impatience and gloom vanished. His sharp eyes were locked in full concentration.

"Here we go. Everyone stay alert." Ryuhei warned. "The real threat's about to serve."

Not that he needed to say it. The moment Kageyama stepped to the line, Sengoku's back row felt it, a heavy pressure, like facing down a storm.

Kageyama tossed the ball lightly into the air, sprinted forward, jumped, and swung his arm, 

THWACK!

A low, dull boom.

The ball shot across the net like a bolt of lightning, piercing straight into the back corner of Sengoku's court with pinpoint precision.

The defenders, Kurata and the others, barely had time to react.

"Nice one!"

"Beautiful serve!"

Kitagawa erupted in cheers. On the other side, the energy in Sengoku's camp dimmed noticeably.

They had made it through the preliminaries mostly unchallenged, and now they were just one match away from securing Miyagi's sole ticket to the national tournament.

That success had left many of them a bit too relaxed, floating in a dream.

But that last serve from Kageyama? It was a cold slap of reality.

It reminded them of how Yamarashi Technical had crumbled under Akashi's serving streak at the end of the last set.

It wasn't the four points in a row that broke them, it was how those points were won.

And now, Kageyama's serve made them see shades of Akashi.

Maybe the speed and power weren't quite on the same level, but the placement of that serve, the control Kageyama had, and his ability to see through Sengoku's weak spots…

That was something else entirely.

This wasn't junior high-level play.

Hell, even high schoolers would struggle to pull off a serve like that.

Yes, Sengoku had gotten used to having a "monster" like Akashi on their side, but now that such a genius stood across the net from them, it sent chills down their spines.

"Don't panic." Ryuhei called out calmly. "Let's just receive this serve cleanly. If we take back the serve, the next one's ours."

His words brought everyone back to their senses.

That's right.

If they could just reclaim the serve, then it would be their turn again.

They might be facing a genius.

But they had a monster of their own.

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