"Smiles" (Japanese:
Overview[]
Both teams are throwing up attacks one after another, until Oikawa is up to serve again. Iwaizumi reprimands him of thinking too much of Ushijima and reminds him that they need to defeat Karasuno first before facing Shiratorizawa. Meanwhile, Kageyama ponders at the thought that Oikawa is better than him, but Sugawara boosts up his morale, noting that his teammates are undoubtedly strong.
Plot[]
With Oikawa's serve ended and Karasuno at match point, Hinata is next to serve. Iwaizumi deflects a spike off the block to tie the score. He raises his teammates spirits when he tells them that either way it's done, a point is a point.
Coach Irihata silently praises Iwaizumi's act of keeping the team together, having seen how the players responded so well to his words. Shimada is amazed that Seijoh has never made it to Nationals before considering how strong they seem to be.
For several plays, each team continues to score and tie until it eventually reaches 31-31. Shimada and Takinoue see that Karasuno is reaching their limits physically but Seijoh is even closer to their limits mentally. With the rotation having gone full circle, Oikawa is next to serve.
As Oikawa readies himself to serve, Iwaizumi warns him that if he is concentrating too much on the next opponent then he will be blindsided by the one before him. Oikawa suddenly becomes calm and focused, an act that does not go unnoticed by Daichi. The Karasuno captain is able to receive the serve but it heads right back to Seijoh. While many of the players believe that Iwaizumi will get the ball, Kageyama sees that it is given to Kunimi instead. He remembers during the middle school game when Kunimi seemed to not be taking things seriously and now sees that he's putting in more effort than ever before.
Kageyama receives Kunimi's spike and the first-year wing spiker calls for it again when the ball heads right back over. Oikawa had utilized Kunimi's conservative ways after noticing it in practices and informed Kunimi that he would use the first-year during later parts of a game because he would still have energy while the other might be too worn out to do anything.
Kunimi gets the ball again and scores with a feint shot. While Seijoh celebrates their point, Kageyama is unnerved at seeing that Kunimi is smiling during a game when he had never seen his former teammate do that during the three years they played together.
Hinata calls out to Kageyama when the setter starts to lose focus. He points out that it's understandable that the "King" would be nervous about going against the "Great King". Daichi and the rest of the team rally around Kageyama, promising to get the ball to him and follow his lead.
Appearances[]
- Shiratorizawa Academy
- Wakatoshi Ushijima (Flashback)
Chapter notes[]
Character revelations[]
Trivia[]
- In celebration of the incoming climax of the Karasuno High vs. Aoba Johsai High, a center color page of Oikawa and Kageyama starring off while their team members are in the background is included. The text reads: "The setter showdown reaches its peak!!!"