Chapter 41: End of the Game

Taichi Kaedehara slumped in the farthest corner of the bus, his body swaying with the vehicle's bumps and jolts.

He was utterly exhausted both physically and mentally, zoning out as he rested while checking the system for updates on his task completion.

[Ding! Temporary mission 'Finals Rehearsal' has concluded.]

Aoba Johsai lost to Shiratorizawa with one win and two losses. Top scorer of the match: Ushijima Wakatoshi with 35 points, scoring 11, 14, and 10 points in the three sets respectively.

[Mission Goal 1: Defeat Shiratorizawa (Mission Failed).]

[Mission Goal 2: Become the match's top scorer (Mission Failed).]

[Mission Goal 3: Limit Ushijima Wakatoshi's single-set score to 10 points or less. Completed for one set.]

[Reward: +2 to Receive.]

[Ding! Temporary mission 'Only One Taichi' has concluded. The host scored 17 spike points across three sets, while Kawanishi Taichi scored 7 spike points in the same period.]

[Mission Successful. Reward: +1 to Spike.]

[Ding! Temporary mission 'Surpassing the Ace' has concluded. The host's overall performance exceeded Goshiki Tsutomu's.]

[Mission Successful. Rewards: +1 to Receive, +1 to Strength.]

Shiratorizawa was far tougher than expected. Goshiki Tsutomu was still raw, and Kawanishi Taichi's serves lacked precision, still, this team put Aoba Johsai through significant trials.

However, it wasn't just Taichi who would grow stronger—any team aiming for the championship would continue to improve.

Taichi leaned back in his seat, replaying scenes from the match in his mind. Despite acting as a surprise weapon in the first set and giving his team an early advantage, the overall gap in strength made it impossible to maintain that edge.

In the original story, Karasuno managed to defeat Shiratorizawa through this very method: combining diverse weapons and strategies.

If Shiratorizawa were given even one more set, the outcome would have been unpredictable.

For Aoba Johsai to progress further in upcoming matches, they would need to develop and cultivate more potent offensive options, building a diversified attack system.

Lost in thought, Taichi soon drifted off to sleep.

...

"Hey, Taichi, wake up! Come on, get up!" A familiar voice roused Taichi from his slumber.

Startled, Taichi's first thought was that he had somehow travelled to another world again. He quickly realized that the voice belonged to the same well-meaning teammate who had dragged him off the bench earlier in the game.

Kindaichi's face twisted slightly as he caught Taichi's indescribable expression, shivering a little. "He doesn't have a bad temper when he wakes up, does he?" he wondered.

Despite his tall frame, Kindaichi Yutaro's straightforward personality was almost endearing.

"Everyone else is off the bus already. Coach wants us to head to the gym for the review," Kindaichi explained.

"Oh," Taichi replied, stretching before grabbing his bag and following Kindaichi toward the gym.

"Gather up!"

As soon as they arrived at the gym, they heard the commanding voice of Manager-Coach Mizoguchi, calling the team to order.

The players quickly assembled in a tight semicircle at the centre of the gym, surrounding Sadayuki Mizoguchi.

Coach Irihata stood by the whiteboard, writing down statistics from today's match. The first thing to catch everyone's eye was Ushijima Wakatoshi's score: 35 points.

With Shiratorizawa's total team score at 74 points, Ushijima alone had contributed nearly half.

"Our first challenge is figuring out how to limit Ushijima's scoring," Coach Irihata began. "Of course, completely shutting him down isn't possible. Our goal must be phased and strategic."

"First, we need to make it harder for him to score so easily. Focus on touches and receptions during his spikes. In the first set, we should aim to drain his stamina as much as possible."