In this situation where Akira didn't say a word, Kageyama and Tsukishima instantly reacted on the opposite side!
The two of them fixed their eyes on the two players positioned at the left wing of the opposing team!
This was exactly what everyone at Karasuno had discussed before the match began!
When Inubushi Higashi used this tactic, if Akira didn't give the signal, then each of them would focus on a specific player!
As for the rest of the court—Akira would handle it with improvisation!
No one at Karasuno had any objections to this arrangement.
Catching a glimpse of Kageyama and Tsukishima's movements from the corner of his eye, Akira immediately dashed to the left of the right wing, closing in on the player nearest to Yōsuke Fumizuki!
This defensive shift caused a significant gap to open in Karasuno's blocking net!
The player on the far right of the right wing was now completely unguarded!
Seeing this, Yōsuke Fumizuki's eyes lit up from across the net.
He couldn't know exactly what Karasuno's three front-row players were thinking—but he knew one thing for sure: the opponent had been tricked by their formation!
No matter what Karasuno's intent was, maybe they had been thrown off by the confusing movement earlier.
Or maybe, under the pressure of four players jumping simultaneously, their coordination had faltered!
But now, their defense was undeniably vulnerable!
There was a teammate open—and no one was marking him!
This was an opportunity!!
Yet Yōsuke Fumizuki didn't act right away!
Because as the team's setter and captain, he understood this was the moment when he absolutely couldn't be impulsive!
If he made the wrong call and Karasuno seized the ball—if they didn't score—
Then all of his teammates' previous efforts would be in vain!!
Through his calm analysis, Yōsuke Fumizuki noticed a detail that sent a chill down his spine.
That was…
Although Karasuno's No. 7 had moved toward the left-side attacker on the right wing, his eyes had never left the player on the far right!
Yōsuke Fumizuki had a hunch—if he set the ball to that far-right attacker, No. 7 would likely launch into a diagonal jump instantly!
And shut that play down!
Based on what he'd seen in Karasuno's previous matches...
With the blocking prowess of No. 7, that ball would definitely be denied!
In that instant, Yōsuke Fumizuki broke into a cold sweat!
If he hadn't noticed that final detail, he would've walked right into their trap!!
But now that he had seen through it—there was no way Akira could stop the next play!
Resolute, Yōsuke Fumizuki finally made his move—the ball he'd just received soared into the air!
And right then, across the net, Akira and the other two dropped into ready position at the same time!
Jump! Block!
But suddenly, Yōsuke Fumizuki did something that shocked the entire court!
He changed his hand position mid-pass!!
The ball that was originally aimed at the right wing was redirected—into an unexpected setter dump!
It was a last-minute decision made by Yōsuke Fumizuki himself!
Since Akira was locked onto the right wing, any ball sent there was likely to be blocked!
Having studied Karasuno's past games, he had no doubt that No. 7 had that level of read and power!
In that case, the spot everyone had overlooked—the center, where the setter stood—was the ideal place to strike!
A sudden dump like this should be impossible to react to in time!
However—just as the unexpected second attack was about to cross the net…
Akira had already leapt in front of him!!
Smack!
Stuff block!!
With all of Inubushi Higashi's attackers involved in the previous motion, no one was left to cover!
And their libero couldn't possibly cover the entire court alone!
So, the ball was blocked cleanly by Akira and slammed straight into the floor!!
The referee's whistle pierced the air!
Tweet!
Karasuno scores!!
"Whoa! That attacker…"
"He's insanely decisive!!"
In the stands, Udai Tenma and Akiteru Tsukishima—who had come to watch the match—both sat up with mouths agape!
The players on the court might not have seen it clearly in the heat of the moment.
But from the spectators' perspective, their vision was totally unobstructed!
When Akira had gone up to block, he hadn't aimed for the right-wing attacker!
Nor had he gone straight up to stop the left-side hitter on the right wing!
Instead, he'd jumped directly to the left!!
The intent was crystal clear!
He was aiming to block the setter's second attack!
But—how did he know that Inubushi Higashi's setter would go for a dump?
And doing so left both right-wing attackers with a completely open net!!
If they'd set the ball there, there was a good chance of scoring outright!
Because with no block in front of them, it would've been incredibly difficult for Karasuno's back row to dig the spike!
At that moment, both Udai Tenma and Akiteru Tsukishima were left stunned!
They'd both thought—that's it, we're losing this point!
But what made their jaws drop was—
The Inubushi Higashi setter actually went for the second attack!
It was like the two of them had made a secret pact in advance!
One shifted the block in that direction, while the other just so happened to execute the attack!
And so—No. 7 blocked the ball perfectly!!
"Karasuno's No. 7! Akira!"
The commentator's excited voice rang out across the gym!
"He just made a decisive diagonal leap and read the setter's second attack flawlessly!"
"He stuffed the ball directly to the floor!"
"He must've been carefully watching the setter's movements!"
…
"Eh??"
A shocked voice came from the audience.
"I don't think those commentators saw the real reason at all!"
"They keep saying it's careful observation!"
"But this was obviously a trap!!"