"What's wrong, Leal?"

Reilly noticed that after watching the match between San Juan and Trentino, their ace was even more silent than usual. Well, he could roughly guess why.

"...It's nothing." Yoandy Leal hesitated for a moment before slowly asking, "Has he gotten even stronger than before?"

Yoandy didn't say the name out loud, but Reilly obviously knew who he meant.

"Probably, yeah. Just watching the match was so suffocating it felt hard to breathe," Reilly said. "Wait—don't tell me you're—"

"Yes." Yoandy nodded calmly. "Position-wise, I'll be facing Taichi directly."

"For some reason, I can clearly feel that I'm afraid right now."

"Huh?" Reilly looked at Yoandy in shock. The other still had a perfectly calm expression on his face.

"We lost to Trentino on the first day of the Club World Championship, but we pushed it to five sets, so I felt like the gap between us wasn't that big."

Reilly nodded at that. He firmly believed that if they played again, São Paulo would definitely win.

"But that same Trentino could only barely snatch a single set against San Juan." Yoandy stated it flatly. "You saw the fourth set too—Trentino had absolutely no power to fight back."

"Id—idiot!" Reilly shouted. "You're the ace of the team! If even you think like that, how are we supposed to win?!"

"Whether we can do it or not, the first step is to give it everything we have."

"Yeah." Yoandy didn't argue.

Yoandy was a genius. As the ace of a top-level club in the world, he stood at a height admired by countless people.

But he knew—this was not the summit.

Years ago, Yoandy Leal had seen the showdown between Wallace Souza and Wilfredo León at the World Championship, and at that time, he realised that only a handful of players could stand at that pinnacle.

In his eyes, Kaedehara Taichi was already faintly approaching that realm.

More versatile than Peak Wallace, more aggressive than León of that era...

Because he stood close enough and could see clearly enough, that fear seeped in.

Reilly looked at the silent Yoandy, a deep unease rising in his heart. He hadn't expected their ace to become so pessimistic.

-----

In another player room at São Paulo Club.

"Shorty, you don't seem surprised," Wallace said with interest, "about your partner losing that match."

"Yeah." Hinata Shoyo responded as he "played" with a volleyball. "After all, we've never beaten Taichi even once."

"Hahaha! Really?" Wallace burst out laughing. "That's pretty tragic."

"Maybe so. But whether it's me or Kageyama, our determination to beat Taichi has never changed."

"Ohh, I see. That thing!" Wallace snapped his fingers. "That 'utterly meaningless resolve.'"

"..."

Hinata fell silent. He was used to Wallace's sharp-tongued commentary during training, but sometimes, it really struck a nerve.

Smack!

The volleyball bounced off Hinata's face and flew behind him.

Just when Wallace thought the ball would hit the floor, Hinata, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, hooked his right foot backwards and kicked the ball straight up into the air.

Whoosh! Smack! Pop...!

Hinata continued to juggle the ball without changing his expression at all, as though nothing had happened—just an everyday motion.

A grin crept onto Wallace's face. This was exactly what made this guy so interesting.

"Tomorrow it's our turn to face San Juan. What do you think?" Wallace asked. "Do you think we have a good chance?"

Hinata held the ball in silence. As a professional player, he knew very well how to assess relative strengths. Besides, unlike Trentino, they weren't facing San Juan for the first time.

"Looks like you already know." Wallace spoke casually. "Judging from the previous two matches, we're definitely the underdogs here."

"It doesn't matter."

"I want to win, so I'll fight. That's all." Hinata caught the ball and stared straight at Wallace. "No matter what happens, until the very, very end, I won't run away."

-----

December 18th, Day 3 of the Club World Championship.

Group A, Match 5: CA San Juan Vs. ASAS São Paulo.

Kaedehara Taichi was walking through the players' tunnel. As soon as he entered the venue, he noticed the massive crowd there to watch Group A's match today. Well, it made sense—the morning match in Group B was Poland vs. Qatar, which had little suspense.

He was still quite satisfied with yesterday's match against Kageyama Tobio; it had been an intense back-and-forth, truly

enjoyable.

Though he didn't know why Kageyama ignored him after the match—it wasn't like it was the first time he lost. And as a pro, how could he still be so petty?

Taichi let out a helpless smile. He thought he'd wait until the group stage ended to hang out with Hinata and Kageyama.

The San Juan players walked together into the arena, chatting and laughing as the announcer introduced them one by one.

Just as Taichi stepped onto the court, an overwhelming wave of cheering erupted from the stands.

"Hm?" Taichi paused in his tracks, curiously looking toward the audience.

"Il Diavolo! Taichi!!!"

"Il Diavolo! Taichi!!!"

Tens of thousands of spectators roared in unison, their rhythm perfectly synchronised, their voices nearly tearing the roof off the arena.

He had thought the big crowd was there for the Group A match, but now it seemed...maybe they were here for him? Except—

Taichi turned to his teammates and asked, "Do I really look like a villain or something?"

Rationally speaking, Kaedehara Taichi had a refined face, a tall, slender build, and a bright, sunny smile. If not for his 198 cm height, people unfamiliar with him might even guess he was two years younger.

Normally, someone like that wouldn't be associated with the word "villain."

However, anyone who had witnessed his ruthless play on court—and seen the despair on his opponents' faces after losing—knew that calling him a "villain" wasn't really an exaggeration.

"Say something!" Taichi complained. "Why is it that rookie gets called 'Saviour,' even Oikawa is 'King,' but I get labelled a 'Demon'?! There should at least be a cooler title for me..."

Conte's mouth twitched slightly. Was that "rookie" referring to Alexander? He wondered what the Italian fans would think if they heard that.

"Taichi! What do you mean 'even' me?!" Oikawa shouted. "Obviously it's because of each person's playing style!"

"Bullshit! Everyone knows how dirty you play on court!"

"What did you say?!"

"Ahh...they're at it again..."

The other San Juan players smoothly steered clear of the two of them, entering the arena one by one to greet the cheering crowd. Conte hesitated for a moment, then quietly pretended he hadn't heard anything and moved away from those two troublemakers.

At the referee's whistle, the players began warming up. Since this match was crucial for São Paulo's advancement, neither Hinata nor Wallace went over to chat with the San Juan players.

-----

"Beep—!"

The whistle signalling the start of the match echoed. The players lined up on their respective sides.

ASAS São Paulo's lineup:

Front row—Middle Blocker Lucas Saatkamp, Setter Fernand Colin, Outside Hitter Yoandy Leal.

Back row—Outside Hitter Hinata Shōyō, Opposite Hitter Wallace Souza and Middle Blocker Darlan Souza (Libero: Sanhos).

San Juan's lineup:

CA San Juan's lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Middle Blocker Martín Ramos, Setter Oikawa Tōru.

Back row—Opposite Hitter Bruno Lima, Middle Blocker Agustín Loser (Libero: Santiago Danani) and Outside Hitter Facundo Conte.

Lucas, positioned directly opposite Taichi (position 2 vs. 4), accidentally locked eyes with him while scanning the San Juan side. The fierce gaze made Lucas's breath catch for a split second.

"I was actually in a pretty good mood today," Taichi said irritably. "Damn it, just watch me tear you all apart..."

Lucas: "???" Who pissed off this demon? He hadn't even said a single word!

The match began with San Juan serving first.

BOOM!!!

Conte launched a powerful jump serve, and Hinata Shoyo received it, though the pass was only half-accurate.

Fernand leapt in the front row to spike the ball. Oikawa jumped for a solo block.

BOOM!!!

A real spike?!

The ball slipped past the block and slammed into the centre of San Juan's court.

An unexpected second-touch attack—Santiago couldn't save it in time.

Fernand scored with a spike!

[San Juan 0 - 1 São Paulo]

"Beautiful spike!"

—"The first point of the match is claimed by São Paulo's setter Fernand with a kill!"

—"I thought it would be a feint—São Paulo is coming out aggressively today!"

Serve switched. São Paulo served.

Lucas fired a powerful jump serve.

Smack!!

Bruno received the ball, but it was only a half-accurate pass.

Oikawa quickly moved in to set it to the middle. Ramos jumped to spike!

"They didn't set to Taichi?"

Giving the first attack to someone else was quite rare for San Juan.

Yoandy and Souza quickly formed a double block.

BOOM!!!

The ball deflected off Souza's hands and was popped up. Libero Sanhos easily picked it up, and the pass was perfect.

Hinata sprinted along the left sideline and launched into a back-row attack!

Fernand jumped to set.

Taichi was pulled to the left side, and the ball flew to the right wing. Wallace jumped from the back row and spiked with full force!

BOOM!!!

The ball shot past Ramos's left side of the block and crashed inside San Juan's court.

Wallace scored with a spike!

[San Juan 0 - 2 São Paulo]

"Nice spike!"

Scoring two straight points, São Paulo's momentum ignited instantly.

Kaedehara Taichi frowned deeply.

São Paulo continued serving. Lucas served again.

BOOM!!!

The ball fell between Bruno and Santiago.

"I got it!"

Santiago dashed over and barely received it, but the pass was poor.

Oikawa ran in to cover and managed an overhead set.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew high above the left wing. Taichi leapt to spike!

"Double block!" Yoandy and Souza jumped together.

BOOM!!!—

The ball shot between them and slammed toward São Paulo's right sideline.

Smack!

Wallace saved it!

Fernand rushed in to set it back up to the left wing. Hinata soared from the back row again!

"Double block!" Taichi and Ramos jumped up together.

BOOM!!

The ball brushed Ramos's fingertips and flew far away.

Smack!

Conte jumped at the deep corner and returned it to the front row.

Too high!

Oikawa jumped and tried to set with one hand, but he couldn't reach it.

"Free ball!"

Sanhos calmly bumped it up to the front row. Wallace leapt from the back row for a spike!

"Double block!" Taichi and Ramos quickly formed a wall in front of him.

Whoosh—!

A fake spike into a set!

The ball floated up in the middle. Yoandy jumped for the kill!

Taichi jumped diagonally for a second time and barely paired up with Oikawa to block Yoandy.

—BOOM!!!

Smack!!!

The ball passed over both blockers and struck Santiago's arm, flying out of bounds.

Yoandy scored with an over-the-block spike!

[San Juan 0 - 3 São Paulo]

"Huh—?"

The situation wasn't quite what the audience had expected.

"Beep! San Juan calls for a timeout."

—"São Paulo starts with three straight points, forcing an early timeout!"

"What the hell are you doing?!" Coach Jose smacked his tactics board and roared. "Don't tell me you think you're already guaranteed to advance, so you can just play however you want?!"

It was the first time the players had seen him this furious, and no one dared to speak.

"Oikawa, why didn't you set to Taichi on the first ball?"

Facing Jose Blanco, who was practically his mentor, Oikawa hung his head low without daring to argue.

"Coach, I was the one who didn't score. Oikawa might've wanted to create pressure in the middle—" Ramos tried to speak up for Oikawa but was immediately silenced by Jose's glare.

Jose snorted. "Then ask him why he didn't help you draw away the blockers!"

"I'm sorry!" Oikawa obediently apologised.

"Hmph!" Jose turned his gaze to Taichi. "And you—why are you playing so impatiently? Getting tricked by that little shrimp and shaken up by Wallace?!"

"Sorry." Taichi also lowered his head honestly.

"I believe your skills are stronger than theirs, but that's no reason to underestimate them." Jose's eyes swept over the players. "At least in the past three minutes, I saw that their desire to win is far stronger than yours."

All the players hung their heads, not daring to breathe.

"Raise your heads. Defeat your opponents," Jose said clearly and forcefully. "Can you do it?!"

"Yes!"

"Get out there."

"Yes!!!"

-----

"What, feeling sorry for them?"

In the stands, Iwaizumi Hajime glanced at the slightly frowning Chiba Kaho with a laugh.

"No way!" Chiba Kaho looked flustered for an instant but quickly regained her usual cool tone. "Iwaizumi-senpai."

"Cough, cough, I was just joking." Iwaizumi coughed lightly and changed the subject.

"Oikawa and Taichi are players who get more focused the more critical the moment is. So it's necessary to knock them back into rhythm early on."

Even if Iwaizumi didn't see any obvious mistakes from the two, giving them a stern scolding was effective. After all, they usually set the tone for the whole team.

"Mm." Chiba Kaho nodded calmly, showing she understood.

Iwaizumi: "..." Sometimes, he felt Chiba's personality was pretty similar to Taichi's.

-----

Timeout over. The match resumed. São Paulo continued to serve.

"They're really not as bad as you made them sound," Assistant Coach Frey whispered to Coach José as the players returned to the court. "Weren't you being too harsh on them?"

"Finally got a chance to scold them properly—of course I had to go all out," Jose said with a laugh, a sly glint flashing in his eyes.

"Haha, fair enough." Frey couldn't help but agree.

"To be honest, I do have some concerns," Jose continued gravely. "Taichi is growing too fast. The other players are slowly struggling to keep up with him."

"They need to understand that they're still a team," Jose said seriously. "Our goal is not just to get out of the group stage."

_________