"How can this be!!"
Lev Haiba stared at the court, frustration coloring his tone.
"It's too obvious from Mujinazaka!"
"Why are they sending every ball at Akira?!"
Hearing his outburst, Morisuke Yaku let out a sigh and said to him:
"You've got to remember, Lev!"
"In a match like this, targeting a specific player is completely normal!"
"If you become the ace scorer for our team in the future, this kind of pressure will be directed at you too!"
"That's right,"
Tetsurō Kuroo, standing beside him, chimed in:
"If you don't believe me, ask Bokuto over there!"
"Isn't it the same in every game?"
At that, Kōtarō Bokuto turned his head, smiling as he added:
"Even if you're being targeted, it's usually not this intense!"
"Right now, Kiryū doesn't care about scoring at all—he's focused entirely on going after someone else…"
"I don't have that kind of influence to make a team do that!"
"Really?"
Lev looked confused after listening to the explanation from the others.
"But…"
"If Akira is being targeted this hard, won't it wear him down completely?"
"Even if Karasuno wins this set, what happens in the next one…"
"Uh-oh!!"
The others all turned to look at Lev with an odd expression.
"You really think…"
"Akira's just being targeted like that?"
"Do you honestly buy that?"
"Huh??"
Hearing Yaku's words, Lev blinked, a little stunned.
"Isn't he…?"
"Sigh…"
Kuroo gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
"Oh, you innocent kid!"
"You're still so green!"
"When we trained together last week, he could go for half a day without resting!"
"Why would he suddenly fall apart in just the second set??"
"This…"
Lev stared at the court, bewildered.
"Could it be… the serves are just that exhausting?"
"Tch!"
Yaku clicked his tongue, frustration clear on his face as he ground out:
"I thought you were smarter than this!"
"Why can't you see it now?"
"Ah… Yaku-senpai…"
Lev scratched his head, looking a little sheepish as he turned to Yaku.
He really didn't understand what they were implying.
"Cough, cough!"
Yaku cleared his throat and said:
"Think it through!"
"There's no way Akira's stamina is that poor!"
"And those serves? You think a few of them are enough to wear him out?"
"What a joke!"
"Even if Mujinazaka's been targeting him since the start, he wouldn't be looking this rough!"
"You of all people should know how tough Akira is!"
"Hmm…"
Hearing that, Lev rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Now that you mention it…"
"That's true…"
"But…"
Just as he was about to argue that it still didn't explain why Akira looked so drained, Yaku sighed again and continued:
"Can't you tell yet?"
"Akira's pretending!"
"Pretending?!"
Lev's eyes widened, completely caught off guard.
"Yes!"
Bokuto nodded in agreement.
"I think Karasuno figured out Mujinazaka's plan a long time ago, so they're using this to turn the tables!"
"Don't look at how Mujinazaka's not worried about giving up these two points…"
"If Karasuno takes this set, they're going to regret it in the next one!"
"Exactly!!"
Kuroo grinned, slapping the stunned Lev on the back.
"Little Lev!"
"When you're on the court in the future, remember to use your head!"
"Sometimes, just thinking one step ahead of your opponent…"
"Can flip the entire game!!"
Lev nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression settling on his face.
"So that's what's going on…"
......
CREAK!
As the match progressed, the gap between Karasuno and Mujinazaka only widened!
The scoreboard now read: Karasuno 17, Mujinazaka 9!!
Almost double the score!!
And this was the finals!!
BOOM!!
The sound of Akira's spike echoed through Karasuno's side of the court!
Even though he looked utterly exhausted, the players of Mujinazaka still couldn't stop that shot!
Yet the Mujinazaka team didn't seem particularly shaken—they returned to formation with surprisingly light steps.
Because the player who had just received the ball noticed—
Akira's spike had less power than before!
......
The match had reached a point where even the casual spectators were starting to notice something unusual.
And it wasn't because the two teams were uneven in strength.
It was because Mujinazaka's performance was too strange!
Yes!
To the spectators in the stands, the situation felt… off.
It was as if Mujinazaka's hearts weren't fully in the game anymore!
Only those with experienced eyes could see the truth hidden beneath it all.