11 The Spiders 5

[This chapter will be told on a player's perspective]

--

Hiro

*

We are now at the third set and everyone is obviously on the edge – which isn't a good thing. I've long since known that in this game of constant motion, setting the momentum influences greatly the outcome of the next set. We got that momentum, but looking at our opponents right now, they don't seem to be fazed about that advantage, if it could even be called as such. Now is not the time to chill.

Both our teams employed the same rotation we used in the previous sets. Kouen, Gaito-san, and Maki-san are in the back row while Toshiro, me and Kouha are at the front. For the Spiders, they started with Hiragi, Nishiki, and Shishio at the back, while the squirt Sumeragi, Katsuki and Yama are in their front.

Both formations are reinforcements of the back court defense and front court offense of each team. Neither coach is backing down on this strategy.

Kouen served, Nishiki got it up and the sleepyhead setter threw the ball immediately in the air upon contact, where the spike form of the squirt was already flying from the right.

Fast, that was too fast, right off the bat.

Before we could even react, the ball already landed with a soft thud on the floor.

That was definitely the fastest quick I've seen today. It was different from the ones in the previous sets. The timing, as well as the angle of the toss was so precise. I'm sure, it wasn't the spiker who got the ball.

It was the ball which got to the spiker.

The squirt just jumped there believing the ball will come to him.

And it's all because of the setter's incredible control. Kouen must've realized the same as he eyed Hiragi. He was squinting at the sleepyhead, as if studying how the hell he did it. The spike by the squirt isn't even that powerful, but it was too fast.

The same sleepyhead made the next serve, and a tricky one at that, since it was a net-in. In the last second, I managed to hit it with my elbow, but it flew too far for anyone to get a follow.

"My bad." I said, though I really thought it was frustrating.

Hiragi served again but Maki-san raised it this time. He got the ball to Kouen, and Toshiro and I both jumped for the toss. Toshiro hit it but Katsuki touched it.

"One touch!" the falling ball was raised by their libero, and it bounced high enough for Shishio to spike it back in our side. Luckily, Gaito-san was there for the save. He yelled, "Kouen!"

Kouen gave me a look before he got the ball. The glint in his eyes says it all.

'Don't slack.'

I hate this, but I jumped nonetheless. Kouen motioned for a toss towards me. Sumeragi, Katsuki and Yama jumped to block me, but I knew better. Someone else's raging presence is behind me.

As my jump and the triple block was starting to fall, Kouen released the ball, and the presence behind me intensified. "Do it, Kouen!" He said.

Kouha reached his perfect spike point and the wall is cleared before him. It was a blistering straight. We scored our first point of the set, 1 – 2.

The brothers, the squirt and the troublesome captain stared at each other in between the net. "Ya thought only ya can do pipes?" Kouha said.

"Piss off, Ginoza." Katsuki said.

The squirt also got annoyed that we also had that move. As for me, I tried to get over the fact that I was once again used as a decoy.

3 – 4. We exchanged points in the next four rallies. Now, it's my turn to serve. Kakuzo went in and Gaito-san returned to the bench. I aimed a strong one at the squirt because he annoys me the most in this game. He was there for the receive, but my nasty southpaw spin must've done its magic as the ball flew out of his hands. I served again aimed at him, but he got it this time.

"Get the next touch!" He screamed to no one. Hiragi got a hand under it and he passed it low to Katsuki, who had no choice but to just return the ball to our side.

"Chance ball!" Maki-san said as Kouen got the next touch. He tossed it to Fukuzawa, but he was caught in the double block of Katsuki and Yama. 4 – 5, Kurokumogi.

Katsuki aimed his serve at me and I got it up with much difficulty. I'm not so clean in doing receives, so the arc was low and it didn't get to the setter. "Sorry, follow!"

Maki-san was there to pick up the slack, and he tossed it to Kakuzo. His spike went out of the sidelines.

I thought that was a point for the Spiders, but the referee blew his whistle as the lineman raised a flag. Apparently, the ball lightly touched the tip of Yama's finger before it went out. A lucky break for us as we tied at 5 – all.

I got to the bench as Gaito-san switched with me to strengthen our back court defense. Kouha served. I slung a towel on my shoulders and intently fixed my gaze towards the ongoing game, figuring out stuff, studying the opponents' movements, playing mental replays and next moves…..

"How do you plan on stopping them, Oh, Great Wall of Arakata?" Someone poked my side with a water bottle. It was the manager.

"I'm figuring things out right now." I calmly said as I took it from her. I fixed my eyes back to the game again. But somehow, I can't concentrate.

9 – 8. We got the last point and it's now Kakuzo's turn to serve. I switched with Gaito-san at the front.

Their libero, Nishiki got it up and he passed it to their setter, who tossed a quick to the squirt. Me, Toshiro and Kouen jumped for it but the troublesome midget got us again with his blockout. I really need to do something about those annoying wipes.

Nishiki rotated out for their half-Japanese, half-Canadian player, Spencer Brown who served this time. It was cleanly received by Kouen, who called after his brother for the emergency set. "On it, Toshiro!" Toshiro jumped from the left as he spiked an extremely wicked inner cross. I thought we'll get that point.

But Nishiki was there. He got it up. Using his foot. His damned foot.

He extended his leg to the side and it was able to bump the ball up. If it weren't for this guy's long legs, we would've gotten the lead now. Why is he even a libero with that height? Then again, he can't be their defensive guardian if he doesn't have those mad skills.

"Alright!"

"Sosuke nice save!" Shishio tossed it to the right and another unexpected play happened. Hiragi, the setter, spiked the ball. So the sleepyhead can spike too. Kakuzo got a hand on it, but it flew out of bounds. 9 – 10, Kurokumogi.

Brown served once more and Kouha got it up this time. He passed to Kouen and I jumped for the opportunity. There was no need to call me out and he understood. The ball reached over my head and I spiked it towards the opponent's side of the court.

I thought the ones in front of me were the squirt and the sleepyhead, but apparently, in the last second, the two switched places with their captain, and the gremlin face of Katsuki is now right before me. I wasn't able to adjust my torso to the sudden appearance of the behemoth, so I just widened the breadth of my left-hand spike without bending.

He had the same thing going on in his mind. He adjusted to the direction where my dominant arm was gonna spike. As a result, I got stuffed.

I wanted to wipe the smirk off his face when we both landed on the floor. "Don't get too cocky after winning just one joust from me, Hiro-boy. I'm still the master of sticky-sticky blocks, after all."

"Piss off, Katsuki." I spat back at him his words earlier towards Kouha.

"Yer gonna need to jump higher, Hiro. Ya need to hit the ball above the block for a surefire way to score. Ya hafta do it." Kouen told me like a boss telling his employees to meet a deadline. I scoffed at his demand.

Brown's next serve was targeted at Kakuzo, who yelled, "Fukuzawa-san!" Toshiro immediately went for the cover, but the pass was still bad. I got the last touch and just returned it to the opponent's side. Katsuki was there for the dig, and Hiragi tossed to Brown, who jumped for another back attack.

Luckily, the captain was there. He commanded, "Counter!" and Kouen got the ball. Toshiro, Kouha and I jumped at the same time. I'm not sure where the toss will go. So I looked at Kouen and his eyes were fixed to mine.

Shit.

It was the same ugly toss that he gave me earlier. The one I can't hit. The one I can't reach. The higher-than-usual toss, which forces me to jump even higher. And again, I was not able to reach it.

The outcome this time is even uglier than the one before. I totally wasn't able to touch the ball and it just landed on our side of the court.

"What the hell, Kouen?" I grabbed the setter's jersey front.

"I told ya to jump higher!" he fired back at me.

"Calm down, you two." Maki-san said and we instantly shut up.

It's almost comical. I averted my eyes from the bleachers because I know people are laughing at it thinking that it's lame.

This is bad. 9 – 12, Kurokumogi.

Coach Soma sued for time.