The one who had just spoken was Suna, who was scratching his chin as he watched the situation unfold on the court.
"It should be!"
Shinsuke Kita also nodded:
"The reason why they increased their blocking efforts against the other front-row players from Karasuno is to force Kageyama to set to Akira more!"
"Anyway, their blockers can't catch his spikes..."
"It's better to shift the focus of the block to other players and just not block him!"
"In this way..."
"Akira, who keeps attacking, will probably burn through more stamina!"
"And that's exactly what Mujinazaka wants to see!!"
...
Splat!
Yū Nishinoya, positioned in the back row, picked up another powerful spike!
Immediately, Kageyama moved into position at the front row of Karasuno, ready to set the ball!
This time, Mujinazaka's front-row blockers moved directly in front of Tanaka and Asahi Azumane!!
Their intentions were clear to everyone watching!
They aimed to block the attack routes of Karasuno's other front-row players as much as possible—forcing Kageyama to set to Akira!!
And Kageyama did just that!
Because before the game began, they had anticipated this might happen!
Back then, Akira had told Kageyama that if, when he was in the front row, Mujinazaka started targeting the other Spikers...
Then Kageyama should set the ball to him!!
This was all part of the earlier-devised plan!
After all, this kind of performance was necessary to convince Mujinazaka that Akira was running out of stamina!
If Akira didn't participate in the attack at all, then even if he pretended to be exhausted, Mujinazaka would likely see through it!
So it was still essential for him to be involved in the offense to some degree!
Moreover, forcing Akira to launch more attacks was clearly part of Mujinazaka's own strategy!
In that case, any outcome resulting from following their plan would be easier for them to accept!!
If Akira suddenly appeared fatigued without any reason, they might grow suspicious!!
They'd wonder—why didn't you seem tired in the previous matches?
Why are you suddenly running out of energy now that you're playing against us?
Could it be... a setup??
But now, this was all part of Mujinazaka's own design!!
If Akira appeared exhausted, in their minds, it would simply be the result of their strategy taking effect—nothing suspicious about it!
The players of Mujinazaka would believe it completely!!
And that would make it easier for Akira to implement the next stage of his plan!
...
Boom!
Akira's spike scored from the right wing!
Karasuno scored again!!
...
"Something's not right..."
Udai Tenma stared at the court, his brow furrowed.
"Oh?"
Saeko Tanaka, standing beside him, tilted her head curiously and asked:
"What do you mean?"
"Aren't we scoring steadily right now?"
"It's not that."
Udai Tenma shook his head, a troubled look on his face.
"Even though we have the advantage now, I still feel like..."
"Something is a little off!"
"Because the flow of the game right now…"
"It feels too harmonious!!"
"Harmonious??"
At that, both Saeko Tanaka and Akiteru Tsukishima looked at him in surprise!
"It's obviously such an intense match—both sides are going all out to win points!"
Saeko said, puzzled:
"So how can you call it... harmonious??"
Udai Tenma glanced at Saeko, then pointed toward the court and explained:
"Look, Mujinazaka is ramping up their block on the other front-row players from Karasuno. It's clear they're trying to force Kageyama to keep setting to Akira!"
"And Kageyama's doing just that!"
"Which is exactly what Mujinazaka wants!"
"Look at Karasuno…"
"From the beginning of the match, they've been laser-focused on scoring—"
"Whether it's overt points or subtle plays…"
"And Mujinazaka doesn't even seem to care much about the score! They're letting Karasuno take the lead!"
"You can tell from how they're treating Akira's spikes!"
"They're not setting up strong blocks—they're letting him score!!"
At this, Udai Tenma spread his hands:
"Both teams are focused on their own goals!"
"But both sides are also getting exactly what they want out of the match!"
"Isn't that harmony?"
...
Creak!!
As the rotations continued on court, Akira moved to the back row!!
But this time, his serve style clearly changed!
The number of power jump serves decreased—replaced by a mix of more energy-saving float serves!
Though these serves were still difficult to receive...
The players from Mujinazaka, who quickly regained points, weren't as demoralized as they were in the last set!!
Instead, a glint of excitement flashed in their eyes!!
Akira's performance could only mean one thing…
Their plan was beginning to work!
If he still had plenty of stamina, then why wasn't he using the same powerful jump serves as in the previous set?
Seeing this, everyone on Mujinazaka became more energized!!
But they didn't drop their guard!
Because right now, Akira still seemed to have enough stamina to attack!
And the true core of their plan would take effect when Akira was in the back row!!
That was when they could target him with their serves and spikes to the fullest extent!!
...
This time, Akira's serve only scored five points before being picked up by Mujinazaka!!
Then, a hint of joy appeared in their eyes!
Because Mujinazaka's rotation had shifted once again!
Not only was it now their turn to serve, but their ace, Wakatsu Kiryū, had rotated to the front row!!