122: The Feeling of Being Targeted

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AFTER ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS, the first move still belonged to the opponent. Aotori looked in astonishment at the expressionless Ushijima Wakatoshi.

Has Ushijima's luck run out recently? Or is he biding his time for a greater impact? It seemed that next time, he should use Ushijima's hand to press the button for drawing cards.

Unaware that he had inadvertently become someone's "card-drawing ambassador" for the next time, Ushijima Wakatoshi calmly returned to his position. He half-crouched and almost instantly entered battle mode.

This series of smooth actions made Kobayashi Aotori's expression slightly serious. He almost turned his head at the same time, his body slightly sinking. The movement was identical to Ushijima's, yet there were some differences.

If Ushijima's stance emphasized stability, then Aotori's preparatory movements were even more stable.

Compared to that already set up "turret," Aotori perfectly embodied the nickname others had given him. He could appear anywhere on the court and explode unexpectedly at your feet when you least expected it.

At this moment, everyone in Shiratorizawa was extremely tense, not for any other reason but because the person standing behind the Itachiyama serving line was none other than Sakusa Kiyoomi.

Standing behind the service line, Sakusa held the volleyball in both hands, his eyes lowered, looking at the ball in his palm. His expression was so minimal that he almost seemed devoid of emotion.

He was silent, as silent as the court around him.

"Beep—"

A sharp whistle sounded. The next moment, he finally stopped retreating and stood still.

With a flick of his wrist, the volleyball instantly flew from his hand into the air—

One step, two steps, in an instant, a few quick strides, the opponent skillfully arrived at the boundary, leapt, and his body immediately formed an almost perfect arc. His palm met the volleyball's height, and at this moment, he was the protagonist on this court.

In the fraction of a second he was airborne, his eyes darted around Shiratorizawa's court.

His gaze fixed on Ushijima Wakatoshi in the distance. A hint of an inexplicable emotion flashed through his calm eyes. If one looked closely enough, perhaps Aotori could have noticed—

—That emotion was identical to the one in Ushijima's eyes when he looked at him before leaving the gym.

At this moment, Sakusa suddenly recalled the words spoken by the opponent's setter at the end of yesterday's match against Kumano.

【"...Why do you play volleyball?"】

Sakusa's gaze paused, and then, unexpectedly, shifted from Ushijima Wakatoshi's side to—

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