6.5
“All right, leave it to me!”
Sudou, looking up at the ball as it arced down, jumped into the air. Then, using his incredible body like a spring, he slammed the ball at the opposing team, as fast as a bullet. Ichinose tried her absolute hardest to keep the ball in play, but her movements in the water were slow and dull. She didn’t make it in time.
No one on the sidelines cheered for Sudou, but his power seemed greater than or equal to Nagumo’s.
“Yeah!”
Sudou struck a victory pose. I guessed that this was what they meant when they talked about “taking to something like a fish to water.” Horikita watched Sudou in apparent admiration.
“Wow, that was an amazing shot. You really got us good!” said Ichinose, scooping up the ball and handing it back to Sudou.
“Heh. Well, I guess a girl couldn’t really repel my attack. Suppose I need to dial it down, huh?” he boasted.
“Are you being sexist now? Don’t underestimate us girls,” said Ichinose, with a smile on her face and not a hint of anger in her voice.
The game started with Class B serving the ball, but Sudou’s incredible, furious skills got our team to a seven-to-three lead.
“Sudou-kun has a wide defensive range and really high attack power. We need to avoid his area as much as possible,” observed Kanzaki. He was clearly growing increasingly cautious of Sudou, who was pulling our team forward.
“Okay, Ichinose. Give me the ball. I’ve found our target!” shouted Shibata.
“Roger!” responded Ichinose.
Ichinose received the ball and courteously guided it along. Shibata leapt up to strike it. Sadly, he aimed at the space right in front of me. If that wasn’t a coincidence, then he considered me our team’s weakest link.
“Get it, Ayanokouji!”
I took a step forward, as Sudou ordered. The ball wasn’t really moving fast. It shouldn’t have been difficult for me to touch it. I extended my arm.
Bap. The ball made a dull sound as I hit it.
“Geh.”
It sailed away magnificently in the wrong direction.
“Yay!”
On the other side of the net, Ichinose and Shibata high-fived. Naturally, Sudou shot me a furious glare and stormed over.
“The hell was that?!” roared Sudou.
“Er, I guess it showed the virtue of scoring quietly, rather than flamboyantly?” I replied.
“Don’t screw around. It’s fine if your angle’s bad, but at least get the ball into the air.”
This was the first time I’d ever played volleyball in my life. I couldn’t just become a natural in five minutes.
“Hey, hey. Calm down, Sudou. I’ll get things back with my astonishing serve. Check it,” said Ike, picking up the ball.
“Yeah!”
The ball awkwardly sailed towards our opponents’ territory. The girls caught it, and Ichinose leaped up to pitch it at us.
“You guys are useless!” shouted Sudou.
He blocked the ball that Ichinose sent back and returned it to Class B’s side once again. This time, Kanzaki sent the ball into the air, and another girl lobbed it in my direction. The ball sped toward me, but Sudou took advantage of his height to try and intercept it. Covering me, he charged forward and successfully tossed the ball back.
“Eat this!” shouted Ichinose. She jumped upward, her breasts jiggling, which instantly snatched the attention of Ike, Yamauchi, and I.
“Back!” shouted Sudou. Horikita received Ichinose’s shot, and sent the ball back up, guiding it to a more ideal spot. The game had just begun, but already, Sudou was calling the shots.
None of the girls could stop Sudou’s attacks, considering his overwhelming power. Kanzaki and Shibata managed to hang on, but Sudou had both superior technique and greater strength, so they were on the defensive.
Class B’s only viable strategy was to deny Sudou the ball. On Class D’s side, Horikita and Kushida had above-average offensive and defensive power. A stable lineup. On the other hand, the weak links included me, Ike, and Yamauchi.
“Gyah! Sorry!” shouted Yamauchi.
Instead of scooping up the serve, Yamauchi let Class B score another point. Every time they scored, Sudou’s frustration grew, and he clicked his tongue at us. Then again, all Class B’s points were because of us three.
“Calm down, Sudou-kun. You’re doing your best, and it’s better if you don’t waste your energy.”
“But if we lose because of these useless guys, this’ll all be for nothing,” Sudou lamented.
Still complaining, Sudou returned to his original position. When Sudou couldn’t see him, Ike flipped him off. Yamauchi followed suit.
“Hey, Haruki. You’re gettin’ the death sentence later.”
“Gyah!”
Unfortunately for Yamauchi, Sudou had caught him in the act. This really wasn’t Yamauchi’s lucky day. When we resumed playing, the ball once again came flying straight toward him.
“No way, no way!” Yamauchi gurgled, falling face down in the water. “Gluuub!”
“It’s pathetic that the girls are more useful than you!” said Sudou.
Talk about kicking us when we were down. No one wanted to look uncool in front of girls, but just as you couldn’t improve you grades overnight, we couldn’t become stellar athletes right here and now.
The ball once again came to me. Remembering my previous failure, I tried to figure out how best to receive it. I thought that by watching my arm placement, and the ball’s rotation, getting it back into the air shouldn’t be difficult. Theoretically.
However, I noticed Ichinose gazing intently at me from the other side of the net. I decided to receive the ball in a deliberately clumsy manner, without moving from my spot. I let my feet slip and fumbled the ball into the water.
“God. You’re awful, Ayanokouji!”
As I resurfaced, Ike laughed at me.
“Even if it’s bad, it’s okay, as long as you get the ball up! Good job!” shouted Sudou.
Sudou, who’d been shadowing me, showed off several fierce jumps. Even though he should’ve used up quite a bit of stamina, he unleashed his finishing attack over and over again. His strength alone made us a match for Class B, even with their superior teamwork. While I observed Sudou, I decided to amuse myself by actually playing some volleyball.
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