"It looks like the real match is finally starting," Wallace said with a grin. "Thanks for those 3 points."

"No need to thank us. Just thought I'd add a bit of fun to the match," Taichi replied.

"You really dare to say that, kid."

"Just stating the truth, old man."

The two glared at each other, sparks already flying.

"Tweet!—"

Lucas served the third ball!

Conte received it steadily, perfect pass.

Oikawa set the ball to the left wing. Taichi jumped for a spike!

"Double block!" Yoandy and Souza jumped together.

BOOM!!!

SMACK!

The ball ricocheted off the block and flew out of bounds. Yoandy tried to dodge but couldn't avoid it.

Off the hands and out.

Taichi scored with a spike!

[San Juan 1 - 3 São Paulo]

San Juan finally broke the serve and gained service rights.

Oikawa tossed the ball up, ran, leapt, and smashed it!

Santos received it, but the pass was only half-accurate. Hinata stepped in to support as the setter, and São Paulo's front row launched a three-point attack simultaneously!

"Seriously, their setter looks happiest when he's spiking instead of setting."

Fernand on the left side drew Bruno's block, while Taichi and Ramos marked Yoandy and Souza one-on-one at the net.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew high to the centre. Yoandy avoided the block and spiked it down.

BOOM!!!

Smack!!!

The ball shot past Taichi's left side, hit Santiago's arm, and bounced out of bounds.

Yoandy scored!

[San Juan 1 - 4 São Paulo]

The serve switched easily back to São Paulo.

Fernand jumped and served a floater.

BANG!!!

Both teams knew each other well, so Fernand didn't target Taichi or Oikawa as usual. Instead, he aimed unexpectedly toward the front left.

"Coming to me?"

Ramos jumped forward, took it with his hands before the ball dropped too much, and managed a half-decent pass.

Oikawa faked a back-row attack but was ignored completely.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew to the centre. With Wallace waiting in front, Oikawa didn't dare get cocky.

Taichi jumped for the spike!

"Triple block!" Yoandy, Souza, and Wallace all jumped together.

BOOOM!!!

The ball smashed into the block and popped high, flying out of bounds.

Hinata chased it out, but it landed in the stands.

Off the hands and out.

Taichi scored again!

[San Juan 2 - 4 São Paulo]

—"São Paulo's block has been sticking closely to Taichi from the start, but even so, they still can't stop him from scoring!"

—"It looks like São Paulo's block against Taichi has been more effective than even Nizhnev's attempts."

—"After all, these two clubs have faced each other many times in the South American Championship, including matches that went to five sets."

—"Of course, when it comes to familiarity, San Juan is no exception."

-----

Serve switched. San Juan's turn.

Ramos fired a powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!!

—"That ball has so much weight! So fast!"

—"But Hinata Shōyō still received it steadily!"

The ball slammed into São Paulo's court centre.

Ramos scored from a back-row attack!

[San Juan 12 - 13 São Paulo]

—"A brilliant fake!"

—"Taichi drew up all three São Paulo blockers as bait!"

—"San Juan scores consecutively, they keep the serve!"

Ramos served again!

BOOM!!!

Fernand received it solidly, perfect pass.

—"The setter's been pinned, but São Paulo's attack rhythm remains steady."

Hinata jumped from the back row for a spike!

"Is it a fake spike into a set? Or a real spike?!" Loser watched Hinata intensely but couldn't decide, and even Taichi didn't give a clear signal in time.

BOOM!!—

It was a real spike!

Incredibly fast, almost a second-touch attack!

—SMACK!

The ball was blocked back hard and landed in São Paulo's court.

—"Kaedehara Taichi's block came out on top!!!"

—"With similar speeds, height and reach become the deciding factors!"

"I've been watching you this whole time, Shōyō."

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a block!

[San Juan 13 - 13 São Paulo]

San Juan tied the score!

"Sorry!"

Hinata shouted in frustration. He thought he had a good chance, but ended up wasting the opportunity when both Yoandy and Wallace were in the front row.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault," Sanhos comforted.

"Adjust your mindset. Next ball!"

"Yes!"

San Juan continued to serve. Ramos served a third ball!

BOOM!!!

Hinata received it, perfect pass.

Fernand jumped in the front row to set and lofted it openly to the right wing.

Wallace soared high!

Loser and Taichi both jumped to block.

—BOOM!!!

Over-the-block spike!

The ball flew past the block, landed near Ramos's foot, and bounced up.

Wallace scored!

[San Juan 13 - 14 São Paulo]

—"A clean and decisive power spike! From Brazil's legendary opposite hitter—Wallace!"

"Don't say sorry next time. Just think about how to get the point back," Wallace said casually.

"Got it!"

Serve switched. São Paulo served, with Hinata moving to the front row.

Yoandy tossed the ball high, big jump serve!

BOOM!!!

The ball flew into San Juan's court in an instant. Santiago barely received it, close to the net.

Taichi jumped and single-handedly set it to the left wing.

Loser jumped to spike!

BOOM!!!

The ball slammed into Souza and Wallace's double block and popped up.

Sanhos made a perfect pass. Fernand jumped to set.

Wallace and Hinata launched simultaneous attacks!

Whoosh!—

The ball went to the right wing. Hinata met Taichi at the net one-on-one!

"Bold move!" Taichi smirked with a mocking expression.

Hinata felt as if he had been completely seen through.

BOOM!!—

—SMACK!

The ball hit Taichi's arm and fell back into São Paulo's court.

But—

Hinata landed and immediately scooped it up with one hand!

Fernand rushed in to set it to the left wing. Wallace leapt for the spike!

"Was that on purpose?!" Taichi didn't have time to think.

Loser jumped for a solo block, and Taichi shifted right to help.

BOOM!!!

The ball flew past Loser's left side and hammered down the sideline.

A line shot!

Wallace scored!

[San Juan 13 - 15 São Paulo]

—"Hinata managed to save the ball he just got blocked on, instantly turning a failed play into a counterattack!"

"Well done, Shōyō," Miya Atsumu praised from the stands, propping up his chin.

The save was crucial, but more importantly, Hinata had sensed the danger in advance and had already thought of a countermeasure.

"To face Taichi at the net, you've got to be smart," Kunimi Akira drawled lazily.

However, no one expected that Taichi's solo block threat had grown so strong that even Hinata had to find ways to avoid it. For Japanese attackers, that wasn't good news.

-----

São Paulo continued to serve.

Yoandy clearly targeted, serving a second ball!

BOOM!!!

Smack!!

Oikawa received it, but it was only half accurate.

Bruno stepped in to set. Taichi jumped for the spike!

"Double block!" Souza and Wallace jumped together, Hinata pulled back to receive.

BOOM!!!—

A sharp diagonal spike landed on São Paulo's left sideline and bounced out.

Kaedehara Taichi scored!

[San Juan 14 - 15 São Paulo]

—"Too bad São Paulo couldn't maintain their momentum to pressure San Juan further."

—"Taichi's shot was vicious. Yoandy was stuck at the three-meter line and couldn't save it."

—"The score gap has been constantly tugging between one or two points. The match remains deadlocked."

-----

Serve switched—San Juan to serve.

—"Taichi hasn't scored off a serve yet today. Let's see what happens this time!"

BOOM!!!

—"Oh! That serve was vicious, but Yoandy still managed to receive it."

—"The pass isn't ideal—it's too close to the net..."

—"Battle at the net!"

Loser and Wallace both pressed their hands on the ball at the same time.

SMACK!

The ball dropped toward San Juan's side.

"Damn it!" Loser had already lost to Wallace in these net battles multiple times.

Santiago lunged forward, keeping the ball alive.

Bruno stepped in and propped it up one-handed. Taichi jumped from the back row for a spike!

"Double block!" Bruno's set height was too low, and Souza and Wallace completely sealed Taichi under the block.

BOOM!!!

Taichi twisted his wrist, threading the ball precisely through the tiny gap between the block and the net.

Smack!

Yoandy picked it up!

Fernand quickly followed up to set up an attack.

Hinata Shōyō sprinted laterally behind two front-row players, emerging on the left wing.

"Double block!" Conte and Loser both jumped.

Hinata targeted Conte's fingertips and spiked hard. Conte quickly pulled his hands back —

BOOM!!

This time Hinata's spike was just a fraction faster, brushing off Conte's fingers and flying out of bounds.

Off the hands and out.

Hinata Shōyō scored!

[San Juan 20 - 22 São Paulo]

—"That was close!"

—"Hinata Shōyō's spiking technique is truly refined—he once again helped São Paulo survive a dangerous rotation."

"Pfft!" Kuroo Tetsurō couldn't help but burst out laughing. He never thought he'd hear a commentator describe Hinata as "technically refined."

"You're too much." Kenma gave him a side-eye and elbowed Kuroo in the ribs.

"Ah—" Kuroo let out an exaggerated scream, but before anyone looked over, he quickly straightened up. "Still, even though Hinata's side is leading, the commentary clearly favours San Juan."

"Mhm. That's because Taichi left a really strong impression on them in the last two days," Kenma said calmly. "Most of the spectators today came mainly to watch them."

"Also," Kenma glanced at the other side of the stands where the Trentino players were watching, "whether Taichi wins today will also affect whether Italy can advance."

"Hah, Group A really is a group of death." Kuroo chuckled. "Well…only for the other teams."

-----

Serve switched—São Paulo to serve.

Souza's powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!!

The ball clipped the tape and bounced up. Conte dove to save it.

Oikawa quickly filled in, setting to the right wing.

Thump!

Taichi jumped from the back row for a spike!

"Double block!" Wallace and Lucas jumped together.

The ball soared over their hands and smashed down in front of Souza, bouncing up sharply.

Over-the-block sharp angle!

Kaedehara Taichi scored!

[San Juan 21 - 22 São Paulo]

"Nice ball!"

"Beautiful spike!"

As the crowd erupted like a crashing wave, Kenma shrank back suddenly like a startled cat, his whole body tensing and shoulders shaking slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"I just have a really bad feeling." Kenma curled up in his seat, feet drawn in. "Even when the first pass is messy, Oikawa can still perfectly deliver it to the right wing, and even facing that massive two-meter block, Taichi can still score from the back row."

"It's like hell-level difficulty," Kenma muttered. "It's like you finally chip away most of the boss's HP, but the moment you slip up, you get one-shotted..."

"Gaming again?"

"And it's even worse than games—you can't memorise patterns, and the boss upgrades faster than the player!" Kenma got more and more riled up. "It's a trash game!"

"Yeah, yeah." Kuroo rested one hand on Kenma's head, trying to calm him down.

"Hmph! That's why I refuse to play!"

"Right, right." Kuroo gave a wry smile.

-----

Serve switched—San Juan to serve.

Bruno targeted Lucas with a jump float serve. Both teams' float serves targeted each other's reception weak points.

The ball dropped toward the front row.

"I got it!"

Lucas stepped aside. Hinata stepped up to set the ball with his hands—perfect pass.

Fernand jumped to set. Wallace in the front row and Yoandy in the back row both launched attacks!

"Left wing!" Taichi shouted loudly.

Without hesitation, Loser abandoned Yoandy in the middle and moved left.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew left. Wallace leapt to spike!

"Double block!" Conte and Loser jumped together.

BOOM!!!

The ball smashed against Conte's arm and bounced back toward São Paulo's side.

THUD!

Off the block and out, bouncing beyond São Paulo's left sideline.

Wallace scored!

[San Juan 21 - 23 São Paulo]

—"The lead widens again. São Paulo keeps a 2-point advantage heading toward the end of the set!"

Serve switched—São Paulo to serve.

-----

"Hey, Leal—before the match, Reilly came to talk to me," Wallace said casually as he walked to the service line.

Yoandy turned his head, a bit confused.

"He said you didn't have any confidence in this match today and asked me to encourage you."

"Yeah. From a pure strength standpoint, San Juan is stronger." Yoandy's voice was calm, completely flat.

"So you think we're going to lose?"

"…Yeah."

"Hahaha, you're still the same as ever." Wallace laughed. "That's why I used to think you were at least half an interesting guy."

Yoandy didn't get what he meant and slowly replied, "If the captain doesn't have fighting spirit, it will affect the whole team. Reilly is probably worried about that. I also think, now that you're back, you should be captain again."

"No way I'd want such a troublesome job." Wallace looked utterly disgusted.

"Reilly still doesn't understand you," Wallace said, an unkind grin appearing on his face. "Maybe to others, it looks like you're scared of facing San Juan, like you're giving up before the match even starts."

"But actually, the one who cares the least about opponent strength…is you, isn't it?"

"…Hm?"

"No matter who the opponent is, your performance on the court barely changes."

Wallace recalled their old internal team scrimmages. Yoandy always claimed he would lose to him, but when it came time to win, he never once hesitated.

Strong or weak, Yoandy Leal was always São Paulo's most stable player. In Wallace's eyes, that made him a bit boring, but it definitely wasn't a sign of no fighting spirit.

-----

Wallace stepped up to the service line.

"If we compare it to a relay race, someone like you would never be the star final anchor."

"…Hm?"

"But for every leg before that, giving the baton to you would make anyone feel reassured."

"Tweet!—"The referee blew the whistle.

Wallace tossed the ball high and launched a powerful jump serve!

BOOOM!!!

Smack!!

Taichi received it, pass only half-accurate.

Oikawa quickly adjusted, sending it high to the middle. Conte leapt to spike!

"Double block!" Lucas and Fernand jumped together.

—BOOM!!!

Over-the-block spike!

The ball sailed past Fernand and hammered deep into São Paulo's back row.

Yoandy calmly received it!

Santos followed up, setting it high to the left wing. Hinata sprinted and jumped!

"I got it!"

Wallace sprinted up the sideline and leapt from the back row!

—"What's going on?! Fighting for the ball?!"

Conte and Loser both jumped to block.

Hearing the shout from behind, Hinata Shōyō pulled his arm back just in time, twisting his body to the side.

BOOM!!!

Wallace's powerful spike slammed into Loser's arm and flew far beyond San Juan's end line.

"It's coming to me!"

Taichi realised Wallace's intention almost simultaneously and was forced to chase it all the way to the baseline.

Smack!

The ball returned to San Juan's court. Oikawa ran in to cover and set it up toward the net. Conte jumped again for a spike!

"Double block!" Lucas and Fernand blocked him once more.

BOOM!!!

The ball slipped past the left side of the block—

Smack!

A smaller hand happened to catch the ball right there!

---

Rewind to the moment before: Wallace and Hinata Shōyō landed at the same time.

"Block the cross!"

As Wallace lightly pushed Hinata toward the middle, he quickly called out, then retreated to the back row himself.

"Got it! One touch!"

The ball was propped up by Hinata.

Wallace signalled to his teammates. Sanhos bumped the ball forward, and Wallace soared from the back row for a spike!

Yoandy also started his approach from the right back row.

"Single coverage! Mark your man!" Taichi had already returned to San Juan's back row and shouted loudly.

If they went for a double block on Wallace, the ball would definitely be redirected to the right wing—and faced with an open net (or Oikawa defending solo), Yoandy would almost certainly score.

Taichi quickly decided: he would gamble on Conte's solo block and his own reception to stop Wallace's attack!

"You're way too confident," Wallace thought with a hint of resignation in his eyes.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew to the right wing.

"No spike?!" Taichi was shocked—Wallace actually "avoided" this showdown!

BOOM!!!—

Faced with Loser and Oikawa's double block, Yoandy hammered a sharp straight shot.

The ball cut past the right side of the block, slammed onto San Juan's sideline, and bounced out.

Yoandy cleanly scored!

[San Juan 21 - 24 São Paulo]

São Paulo snatched set point first!

"Sorry, kid," Wallace laughed. "Rather than just having fun today, I'd rather face you in the finals."

"You won't get that chance," Taichi answered seriously.

"Well, gotta try anyway." Wallace's tone was casual. "We can't keep losing to you guys forever."

"Beep! San Juan calls for a timeout."

The players returned to their benches.

"Wallace!" Reilly shouted angrily. "How could you pull such a dangerous move?!"

"Huh?"

Wallace, who was about to celebrate with his teammates, froze, then noticed Reilly walking quickly toward Hinata Shōyō.

"Oh, right." Wallace cleared his throat. "Hey, Shorty, you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Hinata answered energetically. "That was incredible just now, senpai! Predicting their spike, and then that fake-out at the end too!"

"See? Shorty's coordination is great. I knew he could handle it," Wallace said with a laugh.

It was precisely because Hinata was so good at praising others that São Paulo's team atmosphere was always so positive. Everyone cared about this smallest and youngest teammate, both in physique and age.

"It turned out fine this time, but if either of you got hurt, this match would've been over!" Reilly was still furious.

"Alright, alright, I got it," Wallace rubbed his temples. "You're starting to sound more and more like my mom."

"Bastard!"

"Enough," Coach Rezende interrupted. "Reilly has a point, but the match isn't over yet."

"Don't let your guard down. Plenty of teams have been overtaken by San Juan in the final moments."

"Yes, sir."

The players gathered around Rezende, listening carefully to the final tactical adjustments.

-----

Timeout ended. The match resumed.

São Paulo continued to serve.

"Tweet!—"

Wallace tossed the ball high and unleashed a powerful jump serve!

BOOOM!!!

The ball sliced through the air like a scimitar, crashing into San Juan's back-right corner.

THUD!!!

Bruno's arms froze in midair.

No contact at all.

Wallace scored a direct service ace!

[San Juan 21 - 25 São Paulo]

"Huh?"

"It's over?!"

The fans on-site hadn't even processed it yet. Just now, São Paulo's set point had been so hard-won, and after San Juan called a timeout, the set ended so abruptly.

"Beeeep!—"A long whistle blew.

The first set ended.

Winner: ASAS São Paulo.

-----

On the final day of Group A matches, the first set—an upset!

_________