THIS TIME, Ushijima Wakatoshi seemed to have exhausted his good luck in previous matches, losing in rock-paper-scissors to Iizuna Tsukasa, giving Itachiyama the first serve.

Standing behind the service line, Sakusa held the volleyball in both hands. In this moment of great anticipation from the audience, his mindset remained completely unaffected. Holding the volleyball, he looked expressionlessly at the opposing court.

...The presence of that navy-blue haired figure is too strong. Sakusa had this thought, his eyes involuntarily narrowing slightly.

He tossed the ball high, then served it fiercely at an almost bizarre angle. With a loud bang, the volleyball, with a cunning trajectory, headed straight towards Shiratorizawa's court —

"Snap!"

As the palms of the hands touched the volleyball, a crisp sound echoed, and the excited voice of the commentator rang out simultaneously: (It's here! That tricky angle serve! I wonder if the Shiratorizawa players can... Oh oh oh!!)

The reason for the commentator's immense surprise was because, on Shiratorizawa's court, a white and purple figure flashed by, moving even before the volleyball had finished spinning in the air—

Kobayashi Aotori stared intently at the tricky-angled volleyball. For some reason, he felt an inexplicable familiarity with this kind of serve!

Just like...

...Just like when he used to practice alone in the training room, serving those balls habitually hundreds or thousands of times!

It's almost as if he knew exactly where the ball would land with just one glance!

So, under everyone's astonished gaze, Kobayashi Aotori precisely moved to an empty spot. Just as the volleyball was about to hit the ground, it spun into an arc, landing perfectly in his arms—

"Boom!"

"Wha-what?"

Even Sakusa had a face full of shock at this moment.

If it were merely a serve being received, that would be fine, but this guy—this guy seemed to foresee the future, knowing exactly where the ball would land.

Komori Motoya also looked at the ball being lifted high, blinked quickly, and a thought instantly flashed in his mind—

It seems that Sakusa has been studied very thoroughly by "Mr. Dynamite".

On the other side, Shirabu tightened his nerves instantly. They clearly didn't have time to dwell on why the ball was received, because the ball had already flown in front of them—!

He unhesitatingly tossed the ball high. Ushijima, positioned on the right wing, jumped without any hesitation to spike, as if completely trusting that the ball would be there, and as if he didn't see the opposing blockers at all—

"Boom—!!"

The cannonball exploded on Itachiyama's court, followed by the commentator's excited shout.

"Ah... sorry, sorry, I was too focused on watching Aotori..." Komori apologized, scratching his head, facing Sakusa's disdainful gaze, immediately lowering his head in defeat.

But... how did he manage to do that?

Looking at Kobayashi Aotori, who was expressionless despite being loudly praised by Tendou Satori, it seemed he was unaffected by his own actions.

Really infuriating.

ACTUALLY, Kobayashi Aotori hadn't recovered yet.

He didn't know why he could predict Sakusa's volleyball trajectory, nor why he felt familiar with those tricky serves.

First speculation, Sakusa was actually at his level of weakness. But that's impossible.

Second speculation, maybe, I do have some skills?

—————

"BEEP—" The crisp whistle sounded. Now standing behind the service line was Kobayashi Aotori.

Even though he hadn't figured out the answer to his earlier confusion, this was the middle of a match. Any uncertainties should be considered after the game.

He lightly tapped the volleyball on the ground, holding it single-handedly, bringing it slowly to the front.

Holding his breath, his eyes slowly opened, meeting a pair of serious eyes with a hint of a smile.

Ah, this angle, no matter how careful I am, I always end up making eye contact with the opposing libero.

...HE'S LOOKING AT ME!

Komori Motoya felt goosebumps rise on his back instantly when he met those indifferent eyes.

...I have to admit, during Kobayashi Aotori's previous matches, it's no wonder the libero felt pressured. On one hand, it's the skill; on the other hand, it's because this guy's gaze is terrifying.

The advisor on the sidelines noticed Kobayashi Aotori's gaze, akin to "staring at pray" and couldn't help but tug at the corner of his mouth.

Hmm... is this what Coach Washijo meant by using eye contact as a weapon?

Haha, it seems to be quite effective...

Unaware that he had already "attacked" someone invisibly, Kobayashi Aotori held his breath, focusing entirely as he tossed the ball up, re-entering his peculiar "selflessness" state.

"Boom—!" Just the sound of the hand hitting the volleyball was deafening.

In everyone's pupils, the high-speed spinning volleyball was reflected. Undoubtedly, this ball was aimed straight at the opponent's libero—Komori Motoya!

It's coming!

Komori Motoya widened his eyes slightly, trying to see the trajectory of Kobayashi Aotori's jump serve. He had studied Kobayashi Aotori's serves, those unpredictable, sometimes powerful, sometimes floaty serves, which were indeed hard to grasp.

However... just like in the match between Shiratorizawa and Inarizaki—

As long as the serves are different, there will always be some clues!

Komori Motoya lightly licked his lips, a hint of excitement on his face. He stared intently at the high-speed spinning volleyball, noticing a slight hint through the white steam generated by air friction.

It seems... I know!

His eyes lit up slightly as he quickly retreated several steps, surprisingly arriving at a position behind the boundary line in everyone's stunned gaze!

This, this position? What a joke, not to mention why Aotori's ball would go out of bounds, but even if it's out of bounds, why would you receive it...

—Komori Motoya actually received it.

And outside the boundary.

Although this move appeared stupid in the finals, evidently, the gain far outweighed the loss of this point—

Commentator: (He received it! Komori Motoya received Kobayashi Aotori's serve!!)

The entire arena erupted in cheers. Kobayashi Aotori's first serve in the match was always unstoppable, yet this time it was received!!

...Even though it was out of bounds.

Komori Motoya looked up excitedly with starry eyes towards Sakusa, only to see a disdainful look from him.

Eh?

Eh—?! It's an out-of-bounds serve!!

I actually received an out-of-bounds serve!!

His face turned ashen, kneeling on the ground, having no intention to care about the ball he had just received.

Though Sakusa felt deeply disdainful of Komori Motoya's action, he still stepped up, leaped high, broke through the opponent's block, and slammed a volleyball hard onto Shiratorizawa's court, followed by thunderous applause.

The teammates behind him helplessly comforted the despondent Komori Motoya:

"...Komori, it's okay, Sakusa just got that point back, didn't he?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine, Sakusa, everyone makes judgment errors sometimes!"

"Don't get carried away trying to receive Aotori's ball, you boke!"

Eh? Seems like something strange mixed in, must be a mistake, everyone should be comforting him, right?

Sakusa frowned, looking down at the pale and seemingly color-drained Komori Motoya, impatiently saying:

"You fool, you fell into a trap."

Komori Motoya was stunned, then looked up blankly: "Eh? Eh...?"

Sakusa, with one hand in his pocket, stood before the kneeling Komori Motoya, speaking indifferently:

"Kobayashi Aotori knew you would try everything to receive this ball, so he chose a serve that would definitely go out, making you think you managed to receive it, only to find out it was a point that could have been easily obtained."

"To achieve the goal of undermining your mentality." Setter Iizuna Tsukasa added quickly, noticing Sakusa's irritation at Komori Motoya's bewildered expression and lengthy explanation.

"Wha-what?! That was close! Almost fell into the trap! Fortunately, my mental resilience is strong! No wonder he's called the 'Libero Killer,' always attacking the libero's mindset first!!"

Although Komori Motoya still felt awkward, it made sense. Kobayashi Aotori, who had never made a mistake in serving on the court, how could he serve out of bounds?

...He could.

STANDING IN THE BACK ROW, Kobayashi Aotori touched his nose, sneaked a glance at his teammates beside him, and saw that they still looked quite calm. Except for the nervous Goshiki, everyone seemed relatively relaxed.

Hmm... he thought he'd turn to stone when he made that mistake just now. Unexpectedly, Komori Motoya received his ball; he's really a libero who cares about the opponent's mindset!

On the other side, Komori Motoya sneezed, feeling puzzled as he rubbed his nose.

ITACHIYAMA'S RHYTHM WAS GOOD. Once they seized the opportunity, they launched continuous attacks fiercely. Moreover, all the players had excellent serving skills, which led to—

Their serves being perfectly received by Kobayashi Aotori.

The commentator couldn't sit still anymore and stood up in shock: (Kobayashi Aotori has once again predicted the landing spot of the volleyball! Itachiyama's proud serves are once again received!!)

(This game is a duel between receiving the ball!!)

Although Kobayashi Aotori was familiar with Itachiyama's serves, receiving them didn't guarantee a point, but it at least created a starting point—

A starting point for Ushijima to have a spiking opportunity.

Thus, time quietly passed, with almost every point was a powerful exchange between the two ace spikers and the rivalry between Komori Motoya and Kobayashi Aotori in receiving.

What? You're asking about Yamagata Hayato?

Well, after being tormented by Aotori these months, he still couldn't receive a single ball from him. Better just watch Aotori perform.

THE ADVISOR on the sidelines was amazed: "...I never realized before that Aotori's receiving skills were this high!"

Coach Washijo stood on the court, arms crossed. He abandoned his usual sitting posture and stood beside his seat with a serious expression. Because it was the finals, he didn't want to miss any crucial points.

After a moment of silence, his stern voice spoke: "No."

Seeing the advisor's puzzled look, he stared intently at the on-court showdown between Ushijima and Sakusa, as well as the unspoken competition between Aotori and Komori, explaining lowly:

"Rather, it's precisely because Itachiyama's players have high-level serving skills that Kobayashi Aotori can predict the landing point of their serves in advance."

"It's precisely because they are strong enough that Kobayashi Aotori can see them."

Saying this, he smiled faintly. Under the advisor's astonished gaze, he slightly turned his face, with sharp eyes gleaming with an undeniable edge:

"An eagle cannot see the movements of insects on the ground—"

"—But is intimately familiar with the tracks of swiftly scurrying field mice."

And Kobayashi Aotori is that hunting eagle.

He saw his prey.