"Last one!"
The opponent's left spiker calls for the ball. In response, Reiko and Mirai get into blocking position. Me? I'm in the front row too, but my position is left. From the opponent's perspective, that puts me on their right side.
We're not running a three-person block formation, so as a rule, I don't jump for an attack from their left. Plus, there's a possibility the opponent's setter might set to the center or go for a broad attack and hit from the right, so I can't afford to ignore that possibility.
...Well, depending on the block shift, there are times when I, being tall, will jump on the right side—meaning their left. But considering how in our match against Youkou High, I stuck too close to their ace and they countered by sacrificing their ace and shutting me down, it's probably best I don't jump carelessly on the right side. When I do that, our post-block movement paths get totally messed up.
And just as expected, Himesaki came in with an attack from the left. What wasn't expected was the spike course. Since we sealed off the straight shot, we thought it would go cross-court—or maybe a feint (by the way, if it was a feint, that would've been my moment). But the opponent hit it straight.
Normally, that should have been blocked, but the opponent’s spike passed right over Mirai’s hand.
Their left spiker, Himesaki’s ace, a first-year named Tokumoto or something, used to beat up on Hina and Mirai back in elementary school. In middle school, she beat Yuki, and as for Asuka—she dominated her in both elementary and middle school. In her third year of middle school, even when she dragged the then-inexperienced Mana into matches, she still managed to snatch victory at the prefectural tournament. She's pretty much a volleyball elite.
That volleyball elite finally started getting serious after the timeout before our score reached 20 points in this third set.
You could easily guess what was said in Himesaki's second timeout. Something like, "The ace doesn't need to take the first touch—no, she mustn't. Instead, get enough runway for a full approach. Everyone else, support the ace." Probably something along those lines.
Right after the timeout, their ace started stepping out of bounds the moment she served, and more plays were ending with her finishing the point.
And those spikes—wow, they pack a punch.
Her listed height is 176 cm, which isn’t crazy tall (though coming from me at 156 cm, maybe that’s a bit much), but she’s got hops. Her contact point is high, and the only ones who can properly stop her with a block are probably Reiko and me.
If it’s Hina or Kaori, the ball hits just their fingertips instead of their palms. And with Asuka or Mirai, even a small timing slip like now lets it slip right over their hands. For the record, our team’s known for having solid block height. And yet, she's hitting over our blocks. What kind of trick is that?
And because we were planning to block the straight shot, we didn’t have a receiver in place. Result: lost point.
Not good.
That makes it 24–23.
They've almost caught up.
“Don’t tense up just because we only need one more point. Now’s exactly when we need to stay calm and play clean!”
Coach Saeki calls out from the bench.
"Let’s stop them here. If we get the serve receive right, they won’t even get a spike in."
Asuka encourages the team.
Piiip!
The whistle blows. The serve is coming. From the angle, looks like it's headed my way?
Don't underestimate me.
If you think I’m still bad at receives, you’re way off. And it’s not even that fast.
I receive it cleanly, but the position of the receive makes it tough to start my approach right away.
Considering that Hina is our current setter, they’re probably aiming to shut down a quick attack.
“Hina!”
“Right!”
Reiko calls from the center, and Mirai calls from the right. I can’t join the quick attack either, but I move into a spot where I can approach from the left in case Hina sets an open toss.
The ball goes to the center, and Reiko blasts through the opposing block for the point—25–23.
Phew. We somehow managed to take this set.
＝＝＝
Perspective Change – Same Time
Himesaki High School Girls’ Volleyball Club Perspective
＝＝＝
It was unfortunate they couldn’t take that point, but it’ll lead into the next one.
That was Coach Akai’s assessment of the third set, where the ace had finally started to pick up momentum.
Now, what should the next move be? Just as she was thinking that, she noticed something unusual on the court. The setter and team captain, Nishimura, was crouched down, holding her left hand with her right. No way...
“Nishimura-san. Please show me your left hand.”
Coach Akai approached Nishimura as she spoke.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
“Nishimura-san. This is the second time. Show me your left hand.”
Now she was certain. This wasn’t a good situation.
“Next is the third time. Show me your left hand.”
Reluctantly, Nishimura finally showed her left hand.
And just as she feared—
The pinky finger on her left hand was bent in a completely unnatural direction.
“Get to the infirmary immediately. Higashide-san, please go with Nishimura-san. Okino-san, warm up at once. I’ll be putting you in for Sets 4 and 5.”
“Coach, I—”
“You can’t play volleyball with that hand. And especially not as a setter. You understand, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
The setter position relies on tosses made with both hands. Precise tosses can only happen when all ten fingers are functioning properly. This wasn’t just a jammed finger or something simple like that.
“Chika. I’m sorry. I’m counting on the rest of you.”
With manager Higashide accompanying her, Nishimura began to leave the arena. Her expression was a painful mix of agony, frustration, sadness, and regret. And to her—
“Captain, make sure that finger heals in a month. It’d be unfair if you got to stay the regular without even finishing the fight.”
The first-year setter Okino, who had been entrusted with the role, called out boldly.
“What are you—”
“Captain, head straight to the hospital today. A month and a half from now at Spring High, I’ll be on the court not as your replacement, but by my own merit.”
If you just heard the words, it might come off as arrogant. But seeing her expression made it clear—
“…Got it. I’ll leave it to you. But I’m not giving up the starting spot.”
Nishimura left the arena, holding back her pain, with a smile.
＝＝＝
Spring High School Volleyball – Prefectural Final Qualifiers, Girls’ Finals
After Set 3
From the Commentary Booth
＝＝＝
“Ah—so the player who just left the court, Nishimura, it appears she either dislocated or broke her left pinky finger.”
“…It’s certainly frustrating for a third-year like her, but this is unfortunately one of those ‘unlucky accidents’ you sometimes see in volleyball. When blocking, players spread their fingers to increase the contact area, but volleyballs are larger than the space between fingers. When a powerful spike forces the ball through those narrow gaps, things like dislocations, fractures, or even tears at the base of the fingers can happen—just like now. Of course, players train their fingers with exercises like fingertip pushups to try to prevent it, but that only lowers the risk, not eliminates it.”
“I see. But even so, losing Captain Nishimura at this point is a heavy blow to Himesaki High, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Nishimura had top-tier skills across the board—receives, serves, blocks, tosses—and was the only third-year on the team. Losing her also means losing their emotional anchor.”
“So then, does this mean Matsubara Girls’ High, who took Sets 2 and 3, has a high chance of taking Set 4 as well?”
“Well, not necessarily. Himesaki’s backup setter is a player named Okino. She’s been selected for the U-16 team before—an excellent player.
That said, she has a major weakness: inconsistency. Her performance can vary wildly. I’ve seen her play during her junior high days. When she’s on, she’s already playing at a level above high school.
But when she’s off, it can be really rough.
That inconsistency is probably why she’s still a bench player—”
Spring High – Prefectural Final Qualifiers – Girls’ Finals
Matsubara Girls’ High School vs. Himesaki High School
Set 3: 25–23
Set Count: 2–1
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