NOVEL WEB Chapter 5: Chapter 5 - The Match
The volleyball appeared like teleportation at the back boundary line of the opponent's court, leaving a clear semicircular imprint on the line before bouncing high into the air and crashing against the second-floor railing with a loud clang.
"..."
Silence. Deathly silence.
"...What the hell was that?!"
After a long pause, everyone heard Oikawa's voice cracking with disbelief.
"Why can a first-year kid deliver such a powerful jump serve too?!"
On the rookie team's side, Kindaichi, standing in the front row, belatedly clutched his head with a pale face.
"Damn..."
His voice carried the relief of someone who'd narrowly escaped death. He'd felt the air current lift the hair on his head moments ago, thinking an artillery shell had just grazed his scalp. Turned out it was just a volleyball... haha...
Outside the court, Coach Mizoguchi shot to his feet, dumbfounded.
"...That serve's power is already on par with Oikawa's... A first-year with this level of skill...?"
Coach Irihata chuckled knowingly, remaining perfectly calm on the bench as he waved encouragingly at both teams. "Don't worry! Volleyball rarely kills people!"
Everyone on court: Coach, are you listening to yourself?!
Since the serve scored, it remained Yuma Kikuzawa's turn to serve.
The tall boy curled his lips slightly, his soft silver hair falling gently as he looked around with kind eyes and natural movements - the very picture of a harmless, well-behaved child.
But both teams who'd witnessed his previous serve had already seen through the demonic nature beneath that angelic appearance, bracing themselves with full concentration.
If Oikawa's serves brought heart-pounding pressure - flamboyant and dazzling - then Yuma Kikuzawa's serves gave them a chilling sense of crisis creeping up their spines. There was no initial pressure, just sudden cardiac arrest when they least expected it.
"I'll take this one." Iwaizumi pushed Oikawa aside, planting himself firmly in the backcourt.
Having grown up with Oikawa, Iwaizumi had received more jump serves from him than meals eaten. If the team's best receiver was libero Watari, then Iwaizumi was undoubtedly second.
"Iwa-chan! You better receive this! Show the rookie what seniors can do!" Oikawa cheered for his childhood friend.
That first serve had been an accident - who'd expect a first-year to have such powerful serves? They hadn't even reacted before the ball landed. But now was different with Iwaizumi prepared. Just a jump serve...
Boom—!
Slightly lighter than the first, but still sounding like artillery fire.
A mistake...?
Iwaizumi's confidence surged as he tracked the ball's trajectory with sharp eyes.
But just as he positioned himself at the predicted landing spot...
The spinning ball suddenly changed course midair, floating past Iwaizumi in an erratic path before landing with a thud between him and Oikawa.
"?!"
"A JUMP FLOAT SERVE?!"
The third-years felt their worldviews shattering.
An excited Kindaichi swarmed Yuma again. "Woah! Kikuzawa, you can do jump floaters too?! Amazing!"
"So you're ambidextrous, huh!" He enthusiastically patted Yuma's back.
"...Cough, it's nothing special..." Yuma coughed, subtly dodging his teammate's enthusiasm.
"Beep—!"
Oikawa called for a timeout, shooting accusatory looks at Coach Irihata along with the other third-years.
Coach! You never mentioned the rookie had ambidextrous serves! You just sat there waiting to watch us suffer, didn't you?!
Oikawa's expression was particularly complex, as if condemning some fickle, heartless adult.
Under their stares, Coach Irihata coughed awkwardly before rising from his steadfast bench. "Well, Yuma was the best server in this year's junior high league. This level is normal for him."
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO EARLIER?!" came the collective shout.
"Beep—!"
After the brief commotion, the match resumed.
Yuma picked up the ball and returned to the service zone. The rookie team's frontliners Kindaichi and Yuuki wisely covered their heads and retreated to either side of the net, leaving a wide open space in the middle.
They couldn't afford carelessness - Yuma at the service line radiated terrifying pressure, looking less like he was about to serve and more like launching mortar fire.
Seeing Yuma's fully serious stance, Oikawa and the third-years swallowed hard, doubling their focus.
Hanamaki: "Fight fire with fire! You must receive this, Iwaizumi!"
Matsukawa: "Oikawa, stop spacing out! If we miss this one I'll lose all respect for you!"
They staked their senior pride on this receive.
Boom—!
The explosive impact came almost the instant Yuma's palm struck the ball, the blue-yellow blur already before Oikawa.
A jump serve! This time we've got it!
Oikawa, being one of the team's best receivers, positioned himself perfectly, arms raised to meet the incoming ball head-on.
His form was textbook - no one could've done better.
Yet the next moment, Oikawa felt the ball spinning unnaturally, completely unlike a normal jump serve.
With a sharp smack, the ball deflected off his straining arms and flew out of bounds.
Why couldn't he receive it?
This question echoed through everyone's minds.
The positioning, timing, and form were all perfect... so why?
Oikawa's pupils contracted as he whipped his head up, staring intensely at the figure landing gracefully on the opposite court.
"THIS GUY'S LEFT-HANDED?!"
His near-hysterical shout snapped everyone to attention.
Oikawa pointed a trembling finger at Yuma, looking utterly constipated with frustration.
"...You bastard... you're ambidextrous too...?"
Due to human brain asymmetry, most people have only one dominant hand.
Left and right-handed serves create completely opposite spins - for players accustomed to right-handed serves, facing a left-handed one is nightmare fuel.
Shiratorizawa's Ushijima Wakatoshi had tormented Japanese high schools with his masterful left-handed serves and spikes.
"Ah, I'm not ambidextrous," Yuma corrected immediately.
"I just trained both hands."
Seeing their complicated expressions, he elaborated, "When practicing receives against my dad's spikes as a kid, my right hand got fractured, so I trained left-handed serves during recovery. After healing, I kept using both - Yuuki and I both do this." He smiled wryly.
"COACH!"
Oikawa finally exploded.
"YOU NEVER SAID THE ROOKIE'S QUADRUPLE-THREAT!"
The tables had turned - where Oikawa usually crushed opponents with his serves, now he tasted the bitterness of unreturnable serves.
"Er..."
Coach Irihata scratched his chin awkwardly. He hadn't expected Yuma's serves to improve so dramatically since nationals. What was supposed to be a simple assessment match now had his ace players on the verge of mental breakdowns.
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