Left-handed, right-handed, left-handed...
Michiko Kusumi's brows twisted tightly into a knot.
"Why is it different??"
"Is it just this match, or is it…"
"Was it like this in Karasuno's previous matches too??"
"The last game…"
Michiko Kusumi carefully recalled every Karasuno match she had watched.
She couldn't afford to miss a single detail!
As she thought about it, she suddenly realized something terrifying.
Even she found it hard to believe.
Don't tell me…
Akira's Spikes can constantly change their spin??
Once that idea took hold, it wouldn't leave Michiko Kusumi's mind.
It sounded ridiculous, but if it were true…
It would explain everything they'd been dealing with.
Why did each of their three players receive a completely different kind of Spike ?
Why was there always someone who failed to stop his spike?
Why even powerhouse teams like Inarizaki and Shiratorizawa couldn't do anything against his attacks?
...
It was because his Spikes kept changing!!
There was simply no way to adapt!!
And if you can't adapt, you can't strategize against it!!
That also explained why Shiratorizawa kept switching setters and still looked so clumsy trying to deal with it!
And why Inarizaki was forced to use such a strange double-setter system!!
Because they, too, couldn't deal with this kind of smash at the root!!
So the only thing they could do was adapt!!
Instead of fighting the changing spin head-on, they had to accommodate it!
Because there was simply no way to resist it!!
After figuring out this key detail, Michiko Kusumi began explaining it to her still-confused team.
When they first heard it, the rest of Mujinazaka looked skeptical.
But eventually, they had to accept it.
There was simply no other theory that explained that last smash!!
"So…"
"How are we supposed to deal with that??"
Subaru Hondo hesitated as he asked.
That was the crucial question!!
Just knowing what it is isn't enough!
They needed a countermeasure!!
And this time, even Michiko Kusumi fell silent.
Because she truly couldn't think of any way to receive that kind of ball!!
Unpredictable, ever-changing spin?
It was just too bizarre!!
If someone had told her this before the match, Michiko Kusumi would have thought they were joking.
But now, with the facts right in front of her, she couldn't deny it.
They weren't like Inarizaki, with the Miya twins and their exceptional volleyball IQ.
Their team didn't have anyone at the same setting level as Usuri.
They didn't even have a backup setter!!
In other words…
If Michiru Usuri ran out of stamina from all the movement during the match, they'd be facing the nightmare of having no setter at all!!
And everyone knew—their original plan had been to push the match to five full sets!!
If they'd gone with Shiratorizawa's approach from the start—letting the setter run around like mad to keep up with Akira's attack—
Then even an iron man wouldn't be able to endure it!!
Michiko Kusumi clenched her teeth, a helpless glint flashing in her eyes.
"At this point, there's nothing else we can do!"
"Either we exhaust Akira's stamina first, so he can't keep Spiking like that…"
"Or our setter burns out first!!"
Hearing her words, everyone's expressions turned heavy.
And once they reached that conclusion, they realized—
Behind them was the abyss.
There was no way back!!
If Akira kept up his attack rhythm, it would be them losing in the end!!
"So…"
Michiko Kusumi slowly exhaled and said:
"In the second set—we can afford to lose it!!"
"Even if our attacks get blocked by Akira, even if the rest of Karasuno scores…"
"We must still direct all our offense at Akira!!"
"Please remember!!"
"Only by crushing their ACE do we have the right to keep fighting Karasuno!!"
"Yes!!"
...
Creak!!
With the referee's whistle, both teams returned to the court.
"Why do they all look so tense after that timeout?"
Atsumu Miya asked with a puzzled expression.
"They were in such high spirits even when they were losing just now."
Mujinazaka's sudden shift had confused them all.
They'd seemed so calm when they were trailing.
Just earlier, Atsumu had been envious of their mental fortitude.
But now, after just one break, why had their expressions turned so grim??
"Ahem."
Shinsuke Kita gave a dry cough and spoke with a complicated expression:
"Did you forget?"
"When we ran into Akira's blocker-out-of-bounds trick, we were pretty optimistic too."
"Pfft!!"
"Ahem!!"
...
His words left everyone around Inarizaki feeling like they'd just choked.
"Seriously, Captain!"
Atsumu shot him a look of mock resentment.
"Do you have to be so savage when you speak?!"
The others looked at Shinsuke Kita like they were seeing him for the first time.
"Hey, hey…"
Kita chuckled awkwardly and scratched his head.
"I'm just telling the truth."
"Didn't you all think that at the time?"
Before they learned about Akira's ' out of bounds' technique, they'd all assumed…
As long as they figured out how to receive his spinning Spikes, they'd be able to stop him.
But the moment Akira used that thug-out-of-bounds move…
They realized—
It wasn't that simple!!
"I'm guessing they must've figured something out during that break—that's why their faces look so serious now."
Shinsuke Kita turned his gaze toward the Mujinazaka players on the court and continued:
"This might be what they mean when they say…"
"The stronger the opponent—the deeper the despair."