Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

Aoba Johsai's victory in the first set had been anything but easy. They had trailed early on, exchanged leads throughout the mid-game, and just when they were about to push through for the win, Bokuto Kōtarō's sudden surge had nearly led Fukurōdani to a dramatic comeback.

Based on this single set alone, Irihata Nobuteru didn't think Bokuto Kōtarō was merely one of the top five aces—far from it.

If he factored in how seamlessly Bokuto meshed with his team, Irihata would even say that this version of Bokuto was the strongest ace Aoba Johsai had faced so far.

"Good thing we have Taichi—Aoba Johsai really hit the jackpot with him," Irihata mused with a satisfied smile.

"What's up with Mad Dog-senpai?" Kaedehara Taichi asked as he drank from his water bottle. Ever since stepping off the court, he had noticed Kyōtani Kentarō sneaking glances at him, looking like he was on the verge of baring his teeth.

Oikawa Tōru rolled his eyes at Taichi. Unbelievable—this guy has no awareness at all. Other teams' aces scared the opposing players, but this one? He managed to provoke players on both sides.

"It's nothing. Just think of it as a little pup guarding its food," Oikawa said lazily.

"Guarding its food?" Taichi frowned, thinking back. Kyōtani was strangely protective of his fried chicken. "That's not a good habit…"

-----

"Nice set on that last point, Hanamaki!" Iwaizumi Hajime handed water bottles to Hanamaki Takahiro and Matsukawa Issei. "And Matsukawa, that was a solid block!"

The first years were undoubtedly strong, but Iwaizumi felt a different kind of satisfaction seeing his longtime teammates still making an impact. They had been together since their first year, training and competing side by side. Watching them shine in their final high school tournament filled him with pride.

"It was decent, I guess. Probably a little better than Oikawa," Hanamaki said as he took a sip.

"Better than who?" Oikawa suddenly appeared, throwing an arm around Hanamaki's shoulders.

"Iwaizumi," Hanamaki called out immediately.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa—" Oikawa quickly let go. "When did you guys even practice that? I never noticed."

"Ever since Kindaichi and Kunimi got back from the training camp, they started dragging me and Matsukawa into extra practice," Hanamaki explained.

"Yeah," Matsukawa added. "Kindaichi and I focused on improving our blocking, while Hanamaki and Kunimi worked on their receives and sets."

"I see…" Oikawa murmured. Most of his extra training had been with Iwaizumi and Taichi. Taichi had too many attacking options—even Oikawa needed frequent practice to sync up with him properly.

"Speaking of which, aside from Taichi, Kindaichi and Kunimi have improved a lot too," Hanamaki said, looking over at the first years with a mix of admiration and amusement.

"Kindaichi still has some details to fine-tune in his blocking, but his attacking has already surpassed mine," Matsukawa admitted seriously.

"And Kunimi? That kid's even scarier," Hanamaki continued. "He always looked like he was slacking off before, but when it comes to actually learning things, he picks them up stupidly fast. At this point, the only things I still have over him are strength and stamina."

Iwaizumi nodded. "Honestly, it feels reassuring to leave Aoba Johsai in their hands."

Oikawa: "???"

"Hold on! The match isn't over yet! Why do you guys sound like you're passing down your legacy or something? And—aren't I the captain of Aoba Johsai?"

"Idiot," Iwaizumi shot him a withering glare. "Even if we make it all the way to the last day of Spring High, we only have two or three days left. Don't tell me you haven't thought about this at all? Can Yahaba sync up with Taichi yet?"

Oikawa: "…"

"Well…Taichi should be able to sync up with Yahaba…"

"Damn it, Oikawa!"

"AAAAAH—"

-----

The short break between sets quickly came to an end.

Both teams switched sides, and the second set was about to begin.

Aoba Johsai's lineup:

Front row—Setter Oikawa Tōru, Middle Blocker Kindaichi Yūtarō, Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi.

Back row—Outside Hitter Iwaizumi Hajime, Middle Blocker Kyōtani Kentarō (Libero: Watari Shinji) and Outside Hitter Kunimi Akira.

Fukurōdani's lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Konoha Akinori, Outside Hitter Sarukui Yamato, Middle Blocker Washio Tatsuki.

Back row—Middle Blocker Onaga Wataru (Libero: Komi Haruki), Setter Akaashi Keiji and Outside Hitter Bokuto Kōtarō.

Since height wasn't the most critical factor when blocking against Bokuto, Coach Irihata had adjusted the lineup to reinforce their receiving formation.

With Oikawa responsible for blocking at the net, Kunimi would serve as a secondary setter to maintain offensive flow.

Fukurōdani, leveraging their first serve, had positioned Bokuto and Washio in a strong service rotation to exert maximum pressure while maintaining a solid defensive formation in the back row.

Bokuto Kōtarō stepped up to the service line.

Despite what he had said at the end of the first set, his teammates were still a little worried. They had never seen him go an entire match without an episode before.

Placing him in Position 1 also made it easier to keep an eye on his condition.

Bokuto tossed the ball up, took his approach, jumped, and struck.

BANG!

The ball exploded off his hand.

"Ah—!"

But—

It grazed the edge of Sarukui Yamato's right ear and slammed into the net.

Fukurōdani: "You've got to be kidding…It's happening already?!"

Bokuto's serve error. Aoba Johsai gained the first point.

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 0 Fukurōdani]

The Fukurōdani players were momentarily stunned. They had just witnessed Aoba Johsai's strength firsthand—losing a point on a serve was minor, but if Bokuto's passive state dragged on too long, this set could end very quickly.

All eyes turned to Akaashi Keiji.

We're counting on you!

Akaashi nodded heavily.

Even though he knew it was pointless, he still asked.

"Bokuto-san, are you okay?"

Bokuto lifted his head and declared loudly, "Of course I'm okay!"

Akaashi looked into those round, bewildered eyes.

Yeah. He was definitely in a passive state.

The serve rotated to Aoba Johsai.

They didn't know exactly what was going on with their opponents, but with Fukurōdani's strongest server failing, this was nothing short of a blessing for Aoba Johsai.

Oikawa stepped up to the service line.

"OHHHH—HEYYY!"

BANG!

His serve rocketed toward the back row.

SMACK!

Komi Haruki barely managed to dig it up.

"Cover!"

Akaashi sprinted to where the ball rebounded.

"Give me the ball!" Bokuto raised his hand high.

Akaashi's mind worked at lightning speed.

0.147 seconds: Option A—set to Bokuto, he spikes normally and nothing happens.

0.338 seconds: Option B—set to Bokuto, he messes up or gets blocked, making his slump worse.

0.459 seconds: Option C—don't set to Bokuto. He definitely throws a tantrum.

Option C would take the longest to fix.

So—

Whoosh!—

Akaashi sent the set soaring to the right wing.

"Bokuto-san!"

"Got it!"

Bokuto took his approach from the back row.

"Triple block!" Kindaichi, Taichi, and Kunimi jumped simultaneously.

Akaashi's eyes tracked Bokuto's ascent.

—Can he think clearly in this state?

Tap!

Bokuto gently tipped the ball over the block.

Plop, plop, plop…

It landed behind Kunimi.

Bokuto scored.

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 1 Fukurōdani]

"See? I told you I was fine!" Bokuto smiled brightly.

_________

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