BACK IN THE RESTING AREA, Shiratorizawa's players gathered in a circle, discussing the match they had just played.

Kobayashi Aotori sat on the side, taking a sip of water, but not too much—he didn't want to feel uncomfortable during the intense movements that were to come.

Coach Washijo, on standby, kept an eye on Kobayashi Aotori's expression, his face stern. He stare lingered for a few seconds, then shifted his gaze away.

The advisor beside him pushed up his glasses, finding it amusing that Coach Washijo was clearly very concerned about Kobayashi Aotori's state, perhaps afraid that he might be feeling unstable after his first serve was received.

However...observing Kobayashi Aotori's undisturbed expression, the advisor nodded quietly to himself.

Very reliable, Kobayashi.

The timeout quickly ended, and both teams returned to the court. However, this time—

Kobayashi Aotori noticed that the opposing team had made some adjustments, introducing a somewhat unfamiliar face.

This person had dyed yellow hair, a buzz cut, and fierce eyes, looking like a highly alert wild dog ready to bite.

...Who is this again?

Noticing Kobayashi Aotori's gaze lingering on Kyoutani Kentarou, Oikawa Tooru smiled, "What's the matter, Mr. Dynamite? Got a problem with our little mad dog?"

Little mad dog?! Ah, so it's him!

Kobayashi Aotori suddenly understood. However, when he came back to his senses, he found that due to Oikawa Tooru's provoking words, he seemed to have drawn the attention of the "mad dog" himself.

Feeling the intense stare that couldn't be ignored, Kobayashi Aotori turned his head, forcing himself to ignore the strong presence of that gaze.

However, from Kyoutani Kentarou's perspective, Kobayashi Aotori, upon hearing Oikawa Tooru's words, merely glanced at him indifferently before turning his head with little interest, never casting his eyes back on him.

...Damn it! He dares to underestimate me?!

So, in the ensuing progress, as Kobayashi Aotori moved beside the net, he constantly felt a figure closely following him, like a curse on his back, making him very uncomfortable.

Ignore... ignore...

Kobayashi Aotori looked left and right, deliberately avoiding directing his gaze at Kyoutani Kentarou, much to the latter's increasing anger.

Noticing that Kobayashi Aotori never jumped, instead positioning himself along with Tendou Satori under the net, causing headaches for the Aoba Johsai players every time they tried to attack.

Because of those intense hazel eyes watching, several points were lost due to being blocked.

"...Tch." Kyoutani Kentarou's spike was once again blocked by the high wall formed by Tendou Satori and Kobayashi Aotori, forcefully rebounding into Aoba Johsai's side. This made him snort disdainfully, feeling very displeased.

During the rotation, Kobayashi Aotori felt the fierce hostile gaze behind him.

The match became increasingly tense, reaching a point that was disadvantageous for Shiratorizawa, with their key attackers gathered at the back. Aoba Johsai's ace, Iwaizumi Hajime, had returned to the front row, a favorable position for attacks.

Kyoutani Kentarou lightly shouted, ruthlessly spiking the ball at the edge of the net. During the spike, his sharp eyes locked onto Kobayashi Aotori in the back row.

...Hey, hey... don't provoke that guy...

Kindaichi Yuutaro, who had his position snatched multiple times, thought helplessly.

Seemingly influenced by Kindaichi's inner thoughts, as Kyoutani Kentarou's spike was received mid-air by Yamagata Hayato, who leaped up. "Sorry!"

The ball was set high, causing the setter Shirabu Kenjiro, some headache. His face darkened, but his eyes remained focused on the volleyball flying high in the air.

Kyoutani Kentarou and Iwaizumi Hajime stood in the front row, ready to launch a counterattack at any moment—

Shirabu Kenjirou snorted lightly. As the team's setter, he keenly felt the undisguised fighting spirit emanating from the newly entered player on the opposite side. The intensity of which made his brain ache and his heart slightly annoyed.

...Tch. Kobayashi Aotori's usual yin-yang attitude really makes any cat or dog feel like challenging him!

T.N.: 阴阳的那股劲儿" (yīnyáng de nà gǔ jìn'r) yin-yang attitude: This refers to someone's sarcastic or snarky attitude.
"阿猫阿狗" (āmāo āgǒu) any cat or dog: This is a slang phrase that translates to "any Tom, Dick, or Harry," referring to random or insignificant people.

For some psychological reason, he suddenly shouted, "Aotori!"

Wakatoshi Ushijima's footsteps timely halted, and Tendou Satori glanced surprisingly at Shirabu Kenjiro. Meanwhile, Kobayashi Aotori, ready to follow up after Ushijima's spike, was startled—

No one expected Shirabu Kenjirou to make such a sudden decision . But as mentioned earlier, the seemingly unassuming setter was, in fact, the true brain of the team.

All weapons are commanded by him—

So, in Kyoutani Kentarou's view, Shirabu suddenly set the volleyball to an almost impossible height, and at that height, there was no one at the moment.

For...!

Just at this moment, filled with confusion, Kyoutani Kentarou suddenly heard the serious voice of his respected senior, Iwaizumi Hajime, "...Get ready!"

What...? He clearly made a passing error, and Kobayashi Aotori's position is on the side...

Before his thoughts could settle, a huge shadow suddenly covered him. He stared blankly ahead—

A tall figure leaped into the air, navy-blue short hair fluttering slightly due to the impact. His expression was serene, and his hazel, narrow eyes focused solely on the volleyball, calm as water, without a ripple.

When did this happen?!

Gathering his energy, he barely managed to catch up with Iwaizumi Hajime's jumping motion. Regardless of whether he was willing or not, he had to admit, he hesitated.

He hesitated when he saw Kobayashi Aotori's figure.

"Whoosh—"

Then, he felt the sound of air rushing past his ears. The first to be attacked was his right ear, which exploded with an intense ringing. His facial expression blanked for a moment.

The next moment, with a loud "bang," his right ear instantly recovered. In disbelief, he turned his head to see the volleyball hitting the court, bouncing high from the impact.

What was that just now...?

"Oh, our Superman 'Kobayashi Aotori,' also known as 'Mr. Dynamite!' Has arrived!" Oikawa Tooru imitated Kobayashi Aotori's voice from the back, saying things he would never say in his next life.

...Such a strong out-of-character feeling! Ohira Reon suddenly turned his head in astonishment.

Meanwhile, Kyoutani Kentarou stared blankly at the figure that had just scored. There was no cheering, no joy, only calmness.

At the moment he jumped high, Kyoutani Kentarou finally understood why the challenges he had repeatedly initiated in the first half had always been met with indifference.

It wasn't that he was cowardly, and it wasn't that he looked down on Kyoutani Kentaro.

It was just that, at this very moment, there was nothing in Kobayashi Aotori's eyes but volleyball. No one else could catch Kobayashi Aotori's attention.

Suddenly, his dazed gaze was occupied by a figure—

Shirabu Kenjirou frowned, wearing an expression as if looking at garbage, blocking the view of Kobayashi Aotori. Meeting Kyoutani Kentarou's gaze, he suddenly sneered, turned back to his position.

Iwaizumi Hajime noticed that Kyoutani Kentarou was still standing there in a daze and immediately reassured him, "It's okay, Kobayashi Aotori is like a monster...try harder to block him next time."

Although he had no confidence in his words.

Oikawa Tooru noticed Iwaizumi Hajime's tense expression and slightly dimmed eyes, and his smile slightly faded a bit.

On the other side of the net, just after silently mocking Kyoutani Kentarou, Shirabu turned around. Suddenly, Tendou Satori rushed over and grabbed his shoulder. He struggled to break free but failed...

"Oh my~ Our Kenjiro is so concerned about Aotori-chan~ Ugh, what a touching senior love!" Tendou's exaggerated voice made Shirabu's expression darken. However, he still suppressed his anger, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible:

"Tendou-senpai, please don't say such nauseating things."

"Eh—! Shirabu you're hurting senpai's heart~~"

Ohira Reon, seeing Shirabu's increasingly dark expression, quickly pulled away the overly dramatic Tendou Satori, smoothing things over, thus avoiding a war between the team's middle blocker and setter.

As for the root of the conflict, Kobayashi Aotori remained in his state of "ignorance is bliss, focused only on playing volleyball," returning to his position.

Everyone from Aoba Johsai held their breath, and the spectators and students were excitedly watching the court.

Their gazes were focused. Kindaichi swallowed, and even the usually unstoppable encouragement from Oikawa Tooru couldn't help at this moment.

Their gazes were focused, Kindaichi swallowed nervously, and Watari Shinji, under the greatest pressure, breathed with a slight tremor. At this moment, even the usually unstoppable encouragement from Oikawa Tooru couldn't help at this moment.

The reason was simple—

It was all because of the figure that stood back on the serving line, Kobayashi Aotori, gripping the volleyball, casually patting it on the ground, holding it with one hand, raising it high, facing the net.

"Shiratorizawa! Shiratorizawa! Kobayashi! Kobayashi!" Shiratorizawa's cheering squad were particularly enthusiastic, with two vigorous drumbeats hitting the ground, the place fell silent.

They knew, what the server needed most was not encouragement, but a completely quiet environment.

Kobayashi Aotori raised the volleyball, entering a state of concentration, unaware that all eyes in the arena were on him.

Hinata Shoyo and Kageyama Tobio, unable to hold back, moved to the front row, gripping the railing tightly.

Tomoko Ito clenched the prop in her hands, nervously watching the blue-haired youth who had become the center of attention on the court.

Exhaling a breath, his hazel eyes narrowed slightly. The next moment, the volleyball soared high—

"Bang——!!"

No suspense.

"Nice, Aotori-chan!" Tendou Satori praised with his signature cheerful voice.

That tone, is he treating me like a kindergarten kid?

But...

He tilted his head slightly, looking at the scoreboard beside him.

24:20

Match point for Shiratorizawa in this set.

The spectator seats erupted in commotion, and the players from Aoba Johsai looked grim.

At this crucial moment, it had to be Kobayashi Aotori's serve.

The man who, once on the service line, dominated the court.

Hanamaki Takahiro, although helpless, earnestly crouched down. No matter how difficult, they still have to fight with 100% concentration!

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Kobayashi Aotori slowly tossed the ball, and just as they saw the ball flying up, a "Bang!!" resounded, instantly detonating the entire court.

Cheers and sighs intertwined, the intense atmosphere of the fierce competition made it seem as if this wasn't just a small intra-prefecture match in Miyagi, but rather an international global competition!

W-what happened?!

H-how in the blink of an eye, the ball was already behind us?!

Oikawa Tooru was so shocked his neck was about to sprain, but still staring in disbelief as the volleyball rolled into the distance.

A sudden realization hit Oikawa Tooru's mind. Suddenly, he recalled the move that Kobayashi Aotori used during the Shiratorizawa's match against Ohgiminami High School that he stayed up late to watch yesterday.

It was... that ultra-fast serve!

The one without any cumbersome or unnecessary movements, using the simplest actions to deliver a serve that no one could react to!

A skill built solely on personal experience and abilities, devoid of any technicality, a skill transcending dimensions!

With a whistle, the scorekeeper flipped Shiratorizawa's score forward, revealing the first set's result!

Shiratorizawa won the first set with a score of 25:20, and in this set, Kobayashi Aotori's serves and Ushijima Wakatoshi's spikes practically dominated the entire set!

The audience in the arena went wild, and at some point, it had become overcrowded.

This seemingly ordinary intra-prefecture preliminary match had reached an atmosphere far beyond the usual competition, all thanks to the spectacular performances of the players!

Hidden among the audience, Reporter Ozawa excitedly directed the cameraman behind her, not missing a single moment worth capturing.

This match... would definitely become a sensation!

Indeed, she didn't guess wrong. Wherever Kobayashi Aotori is, there's bound to be heat.