Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

As Inarizaki steadily caught up, overcoming their initial deficit to equalize and then take the lead, their cheering squad erupted with renewed fervour. The deafening roar of their supporters reverberated through the arena, shaking the very air as they chanted in unison.

Even in the final moments, when Inarizaki trailed by a single point, their voices only wavered slightly. Beneath that fleeting hesitation lay an unwavering belief—

Since they had already staged a comeback from a five-point deficit, what was one more point? Just a minor obstacle on their path to victory.

Yet, just as they prepared to witness another miraculous turnaround, the figure standing at the net shattered all of their illusions.

Aoba Johsai's first-year ace—an immovable mountain that stood between them and triumph.

The entire arena fell into stunned silence.

The first to recover was commentator Otomo.

He stared blankly at the court, where the very player he had predicted to be a rising star in this Inter-High Nationals was now shining in full brilliance.

Too fast. His growth was simply astonishing.

The blocking abilities on both sides might differ, but anyone watching that moment would have felt the same thing—

Kaedehara Taichi had won a direct confrontation against one of the top five aces in the nation, Ojiro Aran!

"At the climax of the first set, Aoba Johsai's ace secured victory with a solo block and two consecutive spikes, scoring three points in a row to close out the set!"

A moment of stunned silence passed, and then the realization hit.

The Aoba Johsai supporters erupted into cheers, their voices rising in waves, merging into an unstoppable force that swept through the entire gymnasium.

"Rule the court!"

"Rule the court!!"

"Rule the court!!!"

Every single Aoba Johsai student shouted at the top of their lungs, pouring all their passion and conviction into those four words.

—

As the first set neared its conclusion, two players clad in black-and-white jerseys stood watching from the sidelines.

"Aoba Johsai actually took the first set?" Akaashi Keiji remarked coolly.

His expression remained unchanged, but only someone as familiar with him as Bokuto Kōtarō could detect the slight surprise hidden in his tone.

"See, Akaashi! I told you Taichi was amazing!" Bokuto declared, brimming with pride.

"No, Bokuto-san, no one would understand just from your vague descriptions," Akaashi replied flatly. "And also, please don't act like this is some personal achievement—you're not even that close with Kaedehara Taichi."

"No, no, no, Akaashi! Have you forgotten?" Bokuto said mysteriously. "Taichi personally told me—he's my fan!"

Akaashi frowned. "…???"

"You really forgot?!" Bokuto gasped in horror. "No, no, no, Akaashi—!"

"Please don't call me like that, Bokuto-san."

"It was at the Tokyo IH qualifiers! Kuroo brought him to meet us!!" Bokuto was practically wailing now.

"Oh. Right." Akaashi remained impassive. So it was from that time. Come to think of it, Kaedehara Taichi had changed a lot. Back then, he still had a bit of raw inexperience.

But wasn't that whole 'I'm a fan' thing just a polite gesture?

Considering that Fukurodani still had a match in the afternoon, Akaashi took precisely 0.07 seconds to weigh the pros and cons before deciding not to shatter Bokuto's delusion.

"Well then, Bokuto-san, who do you think our opponent will be this afternoon?" Akaashi smoothly changed the subject.

Indeed, on this brutal third day of Nationals, Fukurodani had been the first team from the East to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. The winner of Aoba Johsai versus Inarizaki would be their opponent in the next round.

"I really want to face Taichi! And if I beat Taichi, then it's me > Taichi > Ushiwaka!" Bokuto looked torn. "But the twins seem fun too! I've never played against twins before!"

…You really can't compare things like that. Akaashi could only sigh inwardly.

"Akaashi! You think the same, right?!" Bokuto suddenly turned to him.

…Think the same about what? That beating Taichi would make him stronger than Ushijima? Or that playing against twins would be interesting?

He hadn't missed a single word Bokuto said, but somehow, understanding him was always an unpredictable challenge.

"Yes," Akaashi answered after 0.53 seconds, already planning how to guide the conversation toward a more logical topic.

-----

As the second set commenced, both teams switched sides.

Inarizaki's lineup:

Front row—Setter Miya Atsumu, Outside Hitter Ginjima Hitoshi, Middle Blocker Suna Rintarō.

Back row—Outside Hitter Miya Osamu, Outside Hitter Ojiro Aran, and Middle Blocker Ōmimi Ren (Libero: Akagi Michinari).

Aoba Johsai's lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Middle Blocker Kindaichi Yūtarō, Outside Hitter Iwaizumi Hajime.

Back row—Outside Hitter Kunimi Akira and Middle Blocker Matsukawa Issei (Libero: Watari Shinji) and Setter Oikawa Tōru.

Both teams had made certain adjustments to their rotations.

Aoba Johsai had separated Oikawa Tōru's service rotation from Kaedehara Taichi's front-row attack presence, ensuring a more balanced offensive setup across rotations.

Meanwhile, Inarizaki determined not to let Aoba Johsai's serves dictate the pace of the game, let out a small sigh of relief upon seeing that Oikawa and Taichi were no longer positioned consecutively.

Facing two powerhouse servers back-to-back would have been an overwhelming ordeal for any team.

-----

The Second Set Begins

Aoba Johsai was up to serve first, with Oikawa Tōru stepping onto the service line.

Although their formation had changed, the starting lineup remained intact.

During the break, Coach Iribata had contemplated subbing in Kyōtani Kentarō to bolster their offensive firepower. However, noticing Taichi seated nearby with his eyes closed in quiet focus, Oikawa suggested maintaining their current lineup.

Judging by the end of the first set, Taichi was still in peak condition, showing no signs of struggling under the attacking pressure.

In fact, Oikawa secretly hoped that Inarizaki would apply even more pressure. It had been a month since Taichi returned from the U19 National Team training camp, yet Oikawa still hadn't seen the change he was anticipating.

Oikawa tossed the ball into the air, took three powerful strides, and swung.

Boom!

With a thunderous crack, the second set between Aoba Johsai and Inarizaki was officially underway.

Pop! Ojiro Aran received the serve cleanly.

As the match progressed, the players were gradually adjusting to the ball's speed, making their receptions more controlled.

Miya Atsumu quickly stepped into position and set the ball toward the right-wing attacker.

Without realizing it, Inarizaki had already begun deliberately avoiding Kaedehara Taichi's blocking presence.

On the far right, Suna Rintarō leapt into the air.

"Double block!" Kindaichi Yūtarō and Iwaizumi Hajime jumped simultaneously to intercept him.

Bang!

Twisting his torso with incredible flexibility, Suna avoided the block and spiked the ball downward.

Smack! Kunimi Akira received it with precision.

Aoba Johsai had fully adapted to his attacking style.

"Here you go, Taichi!" Oikawa swiftly positioned himself and sent the ball soaring toward the left wing.

"Triple block!"

Miya Atsumu, Ginjima Hitoshi, and Suna Rintarō all leapt to contest the attack.

It was just a standard offensive play, yet Inarizaki instinctively chose to commit three blockers to it.

What unsettled them even more was the pressure they still felt despite the triple block.

As that figure rose steadily on the other side of the net, an inexplicable sense of helplessness washed over them.

This unease was an echo of what they had experienced at the end of the first set.

They had thought that the break would allow them to reset and recover, but Kaedehara Taichi had already engraved himself into their psyche—his attacks felt inevitable, almost impossible to stop.@@novelbin@@

BOOM!

A straight-line super spike, perfectly placed along Inarizaki's left sideline.

Kaedehara Taichi's razor-sharp line shot secured the opening point for Aoba Johsai.

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 0 Inarizaki]

_________

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