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POV: Murai Reiko
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I had only just started playing volleyball, but it was fun.
Maybe it’s a little mean to say, but as someone who was practically a beginner, being able to outperform even a portion of those who had been playing for years—it was impossible not to enjoy it.
My height, which had been a disadvantage in gymnastics, became a strong asset in volleyball. I used to think the only things I carried over from gymnastics were my jumping ability and basic physical stamina, but others told me that my flexibility and spatial awareness were proving useful too.
During the prefectural qualifiers for the Inter-High, I (and this might sound a bit self-important) was one of the team’s key scorers, and we advanced to the semifinals thanks in part to that.
I started to believe, just a little, that maybe I had a natural talent for volleyball.
But that illusion was shattered without much effort in the semifinals.
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Bam!
The ball I had just spiked rolled back to my feet. A block straight down—the kind that falls right at the attacker’s feet. A so-called “shut-out” block.
I’ve lost count of how many times it's happened.
In the first set, I managed to land a few spikes. But in the second set, aside from one lucky block-out, I hadn’t scored at all.
The opponent's blockers—a towering wall I had never really paid much attention to before—were suddenly all I could see.
How do I avoid it? How do I get past this wall? A straight shot? A cross? I didn’t know.
I couldn’t even picture the ball going past that wall and scoring.
Before long, Yuuri started playing in place of our libero, Yuki.
She was different from me. That girl...
Smack!
Even on a back-row attack, Yuuri’s spike soared over the opponent’s hands and landed cleanly in their court.
“Set the ball to me! As long as it’s high enough, I’ll score! It’s not over yet! We can still catch up! We can still win!”
“You heard her! We can still win! Let’s keep our voices up!”
It was rare to hear Yuuri speak so confidently. And then Eri-senpai followed up, rallying the team. Everyone nodded. They knew it, too. My attacks weren’t effective against Himesaki. Only Yuuri could score now.
Realizing that truth, I found myself unable to jump for spikes anymore.
Even though spiking was all I could do...
And with me as dead weight, Matsubara Girls’ Volleyball Club lost.
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“Reiko, you tend to go for a tip or feint the moment you get blocked cleanly, right? That’s a waste. You should stop doing that.”
That was pointed out to me about two months later, on the second day of our joint training camp during free practice.
“I’ve noticed that too. It’s a waste. You could challenge the blockers more, Reiko.”
“How do I learn to challenge the blockers and beat them?”
I just couldn’t picture myself getting past Himesaki’s block.
And for me, being able to visualize it is really important.
In gymnastics, I spent a lot of time rotating mid-air.
Before I jumped, I’d imagine what the view would look like during the rotation.
For a basic flip, I’d first see the floor, then the wall, then the ceiling. My field of vision would spin, and just before landing, I’d see the floor again. I’d picture this “view in flight” before each jump. That was essential for me.
It might be for that reason that in volleyball, I also try to visualize how to get past the block and where I’ll spike before jumping.
But I just couldn’t imagine getting past Himesaki’s block.
So how...?
“Well, there’s no magic trick. The only way to beat blockers is through practice.”
“What kind of practice is effective?”
“Hm... You’re a thinker, aren’t you? Alright then. Onee-san will give you some advice.”
When I voiced my question, some senpai from Kurotsubaki High who had been practicing with me (I thought they were my age because they had baby faces despite being tall, but it turned out they were second-years...) beckoned me over to a nearby whiteboard.
“Think back to today’s practice match. We blocked more than half your spikes, right?
Why do you think that is? You’re a few centimeters taller than me, and your jumping ability gives you around 20cm more height. So why did we block you?”
“I don’t know... Maybe because I’m not very good?”
“Hmm... That’s not quite it.”
“Let’s flip it around. Reiko, if you were a blocker, what kind of spikes would be the easiest to block?”
“Spikes with low contact points, maybe?”
She wrote “spikes with low contact points” on the whiteboard.
“What else?”
“Spikes from open sets that give the blocker time to prepare.”
“Good! Keep going!”
“Well, that about covers it.”
In less than ten minutes, the whiteboard had filled up with various notes—not completely black, but close.
“Alright, Reiko. Now let’s reverse all of this. Those are the spikes that will win against blockers. Quick review:
Spike from a higher point than the blocker.
Sure, the only one on your team who can consistently outjump the blockers without worrying is that foreign girl of yours. But with the right approach, we can jump higher too. Like, make sure you get a proper running start.
There’s a usual 10–15cm height difference between blockers and spikers. To make up that gap, get a full approach in.
And stop the other team from getting that approach. You know how sometimes teams have their ace take the first touch? That’s to keep them from getting a good approach.
Catch the blocker off guard. Fast sets, decoys, delayed attacks—all meant to shake the block.
Widen your spiking angles. Don’t just go cross-court—use straight shots, inner angles. The more options, the more chances to break through.
Break through the block directly.
Sometimes you’ll have no choice but to go for a high ball from a standstill.
Even then, go in with a plan.
You’ve heard it before—don’t block with arms straight up like you’re surrendering.
If your arms are too wide, the spike can slip over them.
Then there’s aiming for the blocker’s fingertips to force a block-out.
And you’ve got the strength for that. You can spike hard enough not to lose to their hands.
And then—”
The advice from the senpai at Kurotsubaki High wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but it all made sense.
Asuka and the others had said the same—what set Himesaki apart was their stronger fundamentals.
Yuuri also told us about the All-Japan camp. Even there, while the difficulty was higher, the drills themselves weren’t so different.
In other words, I need to go back and polish my fundamentals.
Reality isn’t like anime—you don’t win by suddenly learning a secret move.
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Perspective Shift
POV: Asuka Tohira
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I know it might sound conceited, but I think I'm pretty athletic.
I've been playing volleyball for a long time, and back in middle school, I prided myself on being one of the top five spikers in the prefecture.
That's why it was such a shock when Himesaki completely wiped the floor with me back in June.
Our stamina should’ve been about the same, but none of my attacks got through.
And it wasn’t just me—Eri-senpai, Yui-senpai, Miho-senpai, even Hina couldn’t do a thing.
Reiko’s attacks got through for a bit, but that didn’t last long either.
By the end, the only person whose attacks were still getting through was Yuu-chan… and she’d barely been playing for six months.
It was honestly devastating.
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“Hey, Asuka. Mind helping me out with some toss practice? I wanna work on parallel tosses and other stuff we don’t get to do much in regular practice or matches.”
Day two of the joint training camp. Official practice was over, and now it was free practice time. Some people had already gone to eat or hit the baths, but I figured I’d take the opportunity to work on my new serve a little more—when Mirai called out to me.
“Just parallel tosses?”
“Nah. Quicks and some other stuff too. Not just to center, but left and right as well.”
In our Matsujo volleyball team, we’ve got two players with less than six months of experience. Four of us have less than two years. That means half the team has under two years of playing time—and even among the remaining four, two had long gaps in their playing history. So normally, we don’t get to do a lot of combo plays or quick attacks.
We’re focusing on the fundamentals first, which makes sense and is probably the right move. But I guess Mirai’s not entirely satisfied with that.
Well, I was the one who invited her to join the team. I guess I can humor her a little. I am the captain, after all!
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Mirai and I used to be in the same volleyball club back in elementary school. But in middle school, she chose basketball.
So technically, this is her first time playing serious volleyball again in three years.
Parallel, semi, A–D quicks, broad...
She can toss them all perfectly.
“C’mon, it’s not that impressive. This is just practice. The ball’s coming in with an A pass, you’re running up for the spike, and there’s no one else around to worry about. Nothing to brag about.”
No, it’s seriously impressive.
Back in elementary school, she didn’t have anywhere near this kind of variety in her tosses…
“Compared to when we were kids, I’ve just gotten better at moving my body how I want to, that’s all.”
Just that? That alone lets you do this much?
It’s frustrating, but maybe when it comes to pure talent for volleyball, Mirai might be on a whole other level compared to me.
...Honestly, if she’d been there with us back in June, maybe we would’ve won.
Hmm… but I dunno. Mirai’s a setter. That’d overlap with someone else…
Personally, I prefer Mirai’s fast tosses, even if they’re a bit rough, over Hina’s carefully placed ones. It feels amazing when a quick attack lands off a toss like that!
But the world’s biggest siscon—who probably even a doctor would give up on—is definitely gonna say Hina-oneechan’s tosses are better. Reiko would probably say the same too.
I mean, Hina is good. Her receives are probably better than mine…
“Hey, Asuka. You’ve been making all kinds of faces over there. What’s up with you?”
Grr! How rude! I’ll have you know that I’m—
“Whatever. Anyway, Asuka, you’ve always been a left-side hitter since elementary and middle school, right? So why are you hitting from the center now? I figured you’d just gotten bad at left, but it looks like you’re still better there!”
“Oh… well, you know. Since Yuu-chan and Reiko are both still beginners, I figured I’d let them hit—”
“Are you stupid? So what, you’re gonna keep hitting weak spikes from a spot you’re bad at just to make it easier for them?
Listen, Ninja aside, Reiko’s amazing. With how high she can jump, that’s clearly just raw talent. But you have a weapon too—you’re left-handed. When a lefty spikes from the left side, they can hit at insane angles.
You’ve been hitting from the left your whole career up through middle school, right? Why throw away that experience, that advantage? Or are you just planning to let everyone else do the scoring forever?”
“!!”
That’s right. Ever since I started volleyball, aside from the summer of my first year in middle school, I’ve always been a starting player, always hitting from the left. I’ve always been the main scorer. Selfish or not, that’s the kind of volleyball I want to play.
“Well, becoming captain just kinda happened, right? But you’re not really the boss type—you’re more like the berserker type. So just go all out. Don’t bother overthinking things with your tiny little brain. Just get greedy for points. That suits you way more.”
…Is this her way of encouraging me? I didn’t feel like I was that down in the dumps, but maybe it was showing on my face or something.
I don’t know for sure. But there’s one thing I do know.
“Thanks, Mirai. So this is what a tsundere looks like, huh?”
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Perspective Shift
POV: Yuuri Tachibana
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Just before 7 PM on day two of the joint training camp. This time block is free time—eat dinner, take a bath, go to bed—whatever you want.
Yesterday, I had dinner and took a bath early, then spent the rest of the evening studying.
But then I heard something that really made sense:
“It might be odd for a teacher to say this, but this is a rare opportunity. You should train with players from other schools. You can study anytime, but you can only practice with these teammates now.”
So today, I figured I’d go train instead…
“…What is that?”
I asked Hina, who was standing next to me.
“The usual, I think?”
Oh, great. That again. I don’t know what the topic is today, but Asuka and Mirai are going at it again with their mock-fighting, girl-talk style.
Honestly, I feel like those two will still be doing this even when they’re grandmas.
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