“Oraaa!”

Pan!

“Whoa!”

Abe skillfully receives the blonde guy’s serve. As the ball loses momentum, I toss it towards Abe.

“Abe, it's yours!”

“Leave it to me!”

Zan!

“Tch…!”

“Point, Abe-Tachihara pair. 18 to 18.”

“Oooooooh!”

As expected of a semifinal match, the level of play is high. I had thought these two were just thugs, but the blonde guy and the pierced-nose guy are playing in perfect sync, matching us blow for blow.

In terms of physical ability, Abe and I, who are both used to athletic club activities, have the upper hand. However, they make up for that with teamwork and experience. They probably have prior beach volleyball experience.

With the match being so even, there's no need for me to exert any extra strength. To be honest, I never expected to make it to the semifinals, so even if we lose here, I'm already satisfied.

“Damn, you guys are good!”

Since this match has deuce rules, if both teams reach 20 points, the first to lead by two points wins. Ideally, we’d want to end this before it gets to deuce.

“Take this!”

“Damn it!”

“Oooooooh!”

Abe lands an attack, putting us ahead 19 to 18. That was a huge point.

“Abe-kun, Tachihara-kun, do your best!”

“Fight!”

I hear Kawabata-san and Sayama-san cheering for us. Since we've made it to the semifinals, the number of spectators has increased, and the crowd is getting excited.

“…Tch, hey!”

“Yeah!”

The two on the opposing team exchange glances. What? Don’t tell me they’ve been holding back until now? Or do they have some kind of secret technique in beach volleyball? No, that’s ridiculous…

Since Abe just scored, the serve switches to us. Abe served last time, so now it’s my turn. I could go for a jump serve, but only a few experienced players in this tournament are doing that, and it has a high chance of failure.

I opt for an underhand serve, focusing on control rather than speed, sending the ball towards the corner of the court.

“Sei!”

“Nice!”

However, the blonde guy skillfully receives it, sending the ball high into the air.

“Here it comes!”

“Yeah!”

The pierced-nose guy sets the ball. The blonde guy is definitely going to spike it.

“Not so fast!”

Abe, positioned near the net, jumps to block the spike. Even if he can’t fully block it, he’s cut off a lot of its potential angles, making it easier for me to defend.

Just before he spikes, I catch the blonde guy and the pierced-nose guy exchanging sly grins.

“Gah!”

The blonde guy’s spike slams straight into Abe’s face.

“Abe!”

“Kyaa!”

“Abe-kun!”

“Pip! Timeout, timeout!”

“Hey, Abe, you okay?”

“Yeah, somehow… Damn, that hurt.”

“Don’t get up! Whoa, your nose is bleeding bad!”

In situations like this, it's best not to move the head. My danger sense isn’t reacting, so at least I know it’s not immediately life-threatening.

“He took a hard hit to the head. He should go to the hospital for a check-up, just in case.”

A volleyball is surprisingly heavy and hard. If it hits your face at full force, anything could happen.

“Nah, I’m totally fine. The nosebleed will stop in no time. I’ve always healed quickly from stuff like this!”

“Just go to the hospital. We’ve got barbecue and fireworks tonight—no need to push yourself here.”

“Alright, alright. You’re always so worried, Tachihara.”

“I sincerely apologize!”

“Is he alright?”

…The blonde guy and the pierced-nose guy approach, feigning concern.

When Abe took that hit to the face, I clearly heard the pierced-nose guy whisper “Yes!” under his breath, just loud enough for himself. That was definitely intentional.

“Oh, I’m totally fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Abe, ever the nice guy, is even being considerate towards the ones who deliberately targeted him.

“We’ll take him to the hospital immediately. Could someone accompany him?”

“I’ll go.”

“Sorry, Watanabe. Take care of Abe.”

“Yeah, leave it to me! Abe-kun, I’m right here with you!”

“Hey, it’s just a nosebleed! I’m not that badly hurt!”

With Watanabe accompanying him, the tournament staff arranged for Abe to be taken to a nearby hospital for a check-up. Kawabata-san and Sayama-san also offered to go, but Abe turned them down, saying they should continue enjoying the beach.

Seriously, what a nice guy. Most guys would jump at the chance to have two cute girls take care of them.

“Unfortunately, this means Abe-Tachihara pair will have to forfeit…”

“…Doesn’t that count as a foul and disqualify the other team?”

“Ah… no, not for an accident like this…”

“We’re really sorry.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

…They may be bowing their heads, but I bet they’re grinning inside.

“Is there no way to substitute a teammate?”

Worst case, Mogi-san can just stand there. I’ll handle the rest. Of course, even if we win the semifinals, I plan to forfeit the finals. I just don’t want these guys to advance.

“I’m sorry, but the tournament rules don’t allow for substitutions…”

“I see… then I’ll continue alone.”