Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

"It's going to the left!"

Thwack!

Once again, Tōru Oikawa's set deceived the blockers, and Iwaizumi Hajime hammered down a spike from the left wing to score.

"Nice hit, Iwa-chan!"

[Aoba Johsai 7 – 5 Fukurōdani]

"Damn it..." Konoha Akinori glared at Aoba Johsai's No. 4 across the net.

Although he was slightly shorter than himself, that guy's spiking technique was impressive. He had taken fewer than ten swings the entire match, yet every single one had been a sudden, well-timed "sneak attack".

If they weren't fully prepared for him, he would easily snatch a point away.

The serve rotated—Kunimi Akira to serve.

"Kunimi, can you read the line shots?" Kaedehara Taichi suddenly asked as Kunimi walked toward the service line.

Kunimi glanced at the sideline.

"Not sure...but I can try."

"Good."

If they wanted to take down Fukurōdani, they had to contain Bokuto Kōtarō.

Bang!

Kunimi sent out a float serve.

The ball didn't have much movement, but its trajectory was sharp, sailing toward the space between Bokuto and Akaashi Keiji in Fukurōdani's back row.

"I got it!"

Sarukui Yamato sprinted back from the front row and bumped the ball upward. Both Bokuto and Akaashi were vital to Fukurōdani's offence—losing their rhythm on serve reception was not an option.

Akaashi set the ball high to the right wing. Bokuto leaped.

Aoba Johsai's defense reacted instantly.

"This is so familiar!"

Suspended in mid-air, Bokuto recognized Aoba Johsai's formation.

Three blockers in front, Kaedehara Taichi positioned to cover the cross-court shot, and Kunimi ready to dig the line. The "Anti-Bokuto Formation" that had failed to stop him in the first set had returned.

BOOM!

Bokuto stubbornly swung cross-court, the ball threading the narrow gap between Iwaizumi and the net.

"Nice hit!"

Kaedehara Taichi couldn't help but admire it. At a moment like this, landing such a sharp angle without an error was already impressive.

Smack!

But scoring past him was another matter entirely.

Taichi absorbed the hit, and Kunimi stepped in to set the ball back to the left wing. Taichi launched a back-row attack.

"Double block!"

Konoha and Sarukui jumped.

Onaga Wataru couldn't join them in time but smartly positioned himself to cover the cross.

Boom!

Smack!

The ball deflected off Konoha's hands and soared out of bounds. Komi Haruki dashed after it.

Smack!

Somehow, he managed to send it back toward the net.

"They even got that up?!"

In Taichi's eyes, Fukurōdani's defensive strength came from their sharp reading ability. The moment the ball left the hitter's hand, they were already reacting.

But to maintain such awareness even at the end of a gruelling set—and still force their bodies to move despite exhaustion—was terrifying.

Konoha scrambled back and set the ball.

"Too high!"

Bokuto leapt from the back row, but his swing whiffed through the air.

The ball drifted toward the right wing, where Onaga barely managed to keep it in play, sending it over the net with no attack.

"Chance ball!"

Kunimi dug the ball straight to the setter's position.

Oikawa jumped, baiting the blockers, before setting it high. From behind him, Taichi soared.

Fukurōdani's blockers had already begun their descent.

—Boom!

Taichi crushed the ball over their hands for the kill.

[Aoba Johsai 8 – 5 Fukurōdani]

"We can't stop them at all..."

The Fukurōdani players stared at Aoba Johsai's No. 1 and No. 10.

Both of them were packed with feints. Every single attack forced them to process too much information at once.

Sometimes, blocking purely on instinct was more accurate.

Oikawa and Taichi exchanged a casual high-five as if that last play had been nothing. Their smugness was infuriating.

Bang!

Kunimi launched his second serve.

This time, it was aimed directly at Akaashi.

Smack!

Akaashi passed the ball to the left wing. Konoha jumped to set.

Not a single Aoba Johsai blocker followed.

"They're underestimating me too much!"

In mid-air, Konoha twisted his body.

A setters dump!

Smack!

Taichi received it cleanly.

Kunimi lifted the ball high in the centre. Oikawa leapt.

"What's with these three?!"

Boom!

Smack!

Oikawa Tōru's powerful spike was dug up by Bokuto Kōtarō.

"Give me the ball!" Bokuto steadied himself and immediately sprinted forward.

Akaashi Keiji moved into position, calmly setting the ball to the right wing.

"Triple block!" Aoba Johsai's front line leapt once more.

Boom!—

The ball slipped past Matsukawa Issei's right side and shot straight toward Aoba Johsai's back row.

Smack!

It was received again! This time by Kunimi Akira!

Kaedehara Taichi moved into position and set the ball toward the net. Oikawa jumped once more.

Boom!—

Finally, Oikawa's spike found its mark.

[Aoba Johsai 9 – 5 Fukurōdani]

One cross shot, one down the line.

Bokuto Kōtarō's attacks had been dug twice, and Fukurōdani's offence had momentarily stalled.

Akaashi had a strange feeling—as if Taichi and Kunimi had been waiting for this moment all along.

"But how is that even possible…?"

It was like—like going up against two Kozume Kenmas at once.

Akaashi suddenly realized a paradox.

To counter Aoba Johsai, one first had to decipher Kaedehara Taichi. But that was an incredibly frustrating and time-consuming task. In all the matches he had studied, Aoba Johsai's opponents often lost the first set precisely because they couldn't figure Taichi out in time.

So, naturally, the ideal strategy against Aoba Johsai was to slow down the pace—take time to analyze their weapons and respond accordingly.

Yet, in this match, the reality was reversed.

The ones being deciphered first were them.

Fukurōdani's offence and defence seemed completely exposed under the watchful eyes of Aoba Johsai's two analytical players.

-----

As the match entered its latter half, it became clear that blocking Bokuto twice in a row had been more of a fluke than a sustainable strategy. Even when positioned correctly, his absurdly sharp angles made him an absolute nightmare to defend.

And if Aoba Johsai dedicated too many players to stopping him, Sarukui Yamato and Washio Tatsuki would seize the opportunity to attack.

But—this problem wasn't one-sided.

Fukurōdani also had no way of stopping Aoba Johsai's ace.

Even though Kaedehara Taichi's power had slightly diminished, his sudden shift into a fully technical spiker made him even harder to contain. Wiping off the block, tipping, sharp cross-court shots, deep cross-court shots, line shots, quick attacks, combination plays—

A seemingly endless arsenal of weapons made Fukurōdani wish they had more players on the court.

[Aoba Johsai 20 – 17 Fukurōdani]

Matsukawa Issei sent a powerful jump serve flying over the net.

Komi Haruki received it.

It wasn't an easy serve to handle, but compared to what he had been dealing with this match, this one felt almost manageable. He was nearly moved to tears.

Smack!

His reception went straight to Akaashi.

Sarukui and Onaga Wataru simultaneously initiated an attack at the net.

Akaashi jumped. Behind him, Bokuto Kōtarō was already in motion.

"Quick set—?"

Aoba Johsai's blockers were still calculating their timing—when the ball had already flown over their heads.

Bang!

Akaashi's setter dump!

"That guy—!"

Oikawa reacted first, spinning toward the back row.

"Watch out!!!"

Kunimi dove for the ball.

Pop!

He managed to send it back into the air.

Oikawa pushed off the floor with one hand and twisted his body, but the two still crashed into each other.

Thud!

—"Save it!!!"

The moment both players lifted their heads, Aoba Johsai's tension eased slightly.

For now, neither seemed seriously hurt.

Watari Shinji jumped from the back row, setting the ball high to the left wing.

Kaedehara Taichi refocused and sprinted forward.

BAM!

He launched himself from the back row.

"Triple block!"

Sarukui, Onaga, and Akaashi jumped to stop him.

Aoba Johsai's court was in momentary disarray—this was Fukurōdani's best chance to regain momentum!

Taichi's right arm swung forward.

Konoha Akinori instinctively stepped up—but at that moment, he suddenly recalled the last time Kaedehara had baited him with a spike—only to drop a brutal tip that had sent him sprawling.

This…felt eerily familiar—

Boom!—

Kaedehara fired a straight shot—slamming the ball down the sideline.

He had aimed for the front row.

"That little brat!!!"

Konoha bolted forward, leaping at the last second to keep the ball in play.

Smack!

Lying on the floor, Konoha grinned.

This time, he had won!

Bang!—

The next second, the sharp sound of the ball hitting the court rang out in his ears.

The ball he had just saved—was immediately crushed back down by another Aoba Johsai first-year.

Kindaichi Yūtarō had scored.

[Aoba Johsai 21 – 17 Fukurōdani]

Fukurōdani's blockers had only just landed. Konoha was still sprawled on the floor.

Kindaichi had never spiked a ball this easily before.

If anything, the only thing that unnerved him was that he had almost spiked it onto Konoha.

"I bet Konoha-senpai was feeling pretty pleased when he dug my spike just now, huh~?"

Above him, Kaedehara Taichi smirked.

"Ever considered the possibility that I let you do that?"

To Konoha, that grin looked downright demonic…

_________

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