Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

"Kamomedai! Kamomedai! The strongest!"

"Kamomedai! Kamomedai! The best!"

"This…is the National Tournament, huh…." Oikawa Tōru muttered, hands resting on his hips.

Aoba Johsai hadn't made any major mistakes, yet their six-point lead had been cut down to just one in the blink of an eye.

Suwa Aikichi stepped onto the service line. As a setter and team captain, he knew his skills couldn't compare to that guy on the other side. But this was his third consecutive year, his sixth time, playing at Nationals.

Facing overwhelming opponents, competing in fast-paced matches, going up against players he'd never encountered before—he was used to all of it now. The ever-changing tides of a match no longer shook him.

Aoba Johsai's serves were strong. With those two monsters launching their serves, the sheer intensity of Aoba Johsai's serving was beyond Kamomedai's expectations.

But in Suwa Aikichi's eyes, Aoba Johsai was wasting their firepower.

From previous footage, they had clearly attempted a serve-and-block strategy before, but over time, their focus had shifted almost entirely toward winning points directly off their serves. Despite their decent blocking, they struggled with transitioning between the two.

—"Then allow me to show you Kamomedai's serve-and-block strategy."

Unlike Aoba Johsai, Kamomedai's strength lay in their blocking.

Bang!

Suwa Aikichi sent out his third serve.

Having executed jump floats for the entire set, this time, his serve was nothing special. Except—

It dropped short.

"That guy—!" Oikawa lunged forward, setting the ball with both hands.

"When the team isn't fully in position, the ball will always go to the ace."

Suwa Aikichi's eyes followed the ball as it soared toward the right-wing attacker.

Kaedehara Taichi leapt from the back row.

A weak approach… and a perfectly set up block.

"Three-man block!"

Hakuba Gao, Hirugami Sachirō, and Hoshiumi Kōrai all jumped in unison.

A guaranteed block.

And yet—an unease stirred in Hirugami's chest.

"Whoosh—!"

The ball flew toward the far left instead.

"What?!!" Hakuba's eyes widened in disbelief. "He…backed off???"

Just yesterday, he had been heralded as one of the top-three aces in the nation. Watching Kaedehara Taichi's recent matches, it was evident that his hunger to score had only grown stronger.

And yet, now—he had stepped aside?!!

Smack!

Kyōtani Kentarō's spike slammed into the court.

[Aoba Johsai 20 – 18 Kamomedai]

"You little—!" Hakuba glared daggers at Kaedehara Taichi.

"What?" Taichi responded matter-of-factly. "You three came at me looking like executioners—if I didn't send it out, wouldn't that be dumb?"

Hakuba: "..."

"No problem, Gao." Hirugami smiled easily. "We'll take our time."

That play wasn't as simple as it looked.

Kamomedai's blocking relied on reading the attacker, predicting the spike's direction and reacting accordingly.

In that instant, Hirugami had felt Taichi's desire to spike, which was why all three of them had gone for the block.

Now, there was good news and bad news.

The good news: Kaedehara Taichi had definitely avoided their block just now. In fact, Hirugami was convinced that he and Hoshiumi alone could have shut him down.

The bad news: Kaedehara Taichi was not as straightforward as he seemed. Hirugami had no idea if what he had sensed earlier had been real or just a feint.

Side Change.

Kaedehara Taichi rotated to the front row. Aoba Johsai took the serve.

They had made it this far into the set—there was no way they could afford to let their two-point lead slip away now.

"Kyōtani-senpai, give us a good one!" Taichi called out with a grin.

Kyōtani Kentarō shot him a glare.

Boom!

Kyōtani unleashed a powerful jump serve.

Smack!

"Cover!" Kanbayashi Keiichirō received the ball.

Hoshiumi stepped in to set, sending the ball to the left wing. Hakuba Gao leapt for the spike.

"Three-man block!!"

Oikawa Tōru, Kindaichi Yūtarō, and Kaedehara Taichi all jumped together. Their combined height formed an effective wall.

Who said we didn't have a strong blocking lineup too?

Boom!

Smack!

"One touch!" Kindaichi Yūtarō shouted toward the backline.

"Chance ball!" Watari Shinji positioned himself, receiving the ball cleanly.

Oikawa Tōru set the ball high toward the right wing. Aoba Johsai's attacking height was second to none!

BAM!

Kaedehara Taichi leapt in the front row, his vision finally opening up again.

"Three-man block!!!" Kamomedai's blockers held their ground without hesitation!

Boom!

Pop!

"One touch!" Hirugami Sachirō called out.

Kaedehara Taichi locked eyes with the opposing middle blocker—arguably the best in high school volleyball—and grinned.

"Again!!"

"Compared to the blockers we faced before, Hirugami Sachirō's hands seem…stickier," Oikawa analyzed the impenetrable wall before him. "Kamomedai's blocking is incredibly stable—both their form in the air and their hand positioning are textbook perfect. Not to mention, their entire team has an instinct for reading attacks."

"Chance ball!" Kanbayashi Keiichirō's pass was spot on.

Suwa Aikichi sent the ball high toward the right wing—because Kamomedai's cannons didn't come in singles. They came in pairs!

BAM!

Hoshiumi Kōrai took off for the spike.

"Three-man block!" Aoba Johsai's front line rose in sync. The ones who lasted till the end would be the victors!

Smack!

The ball clipped Kindaichi Yūtarō's fingertips and deflected outward.

"Watari!" Oikawa called.

How much could the Nationals push a player's growth?

Watari Shinji had been ready the moment Hoshiumi's figure was obscured by Aoba Johsai's block.

For someone that short, there's only one way he can hit.

He didn't even need to think—the answer was already in his mind.

Smack!

Watari recovered the ball, sending it back into play. Oikawa positioned himself and set the ball high to the right-wing once more.

"I've been waiting for this!"

Kaedehara Taichi sprinted from the baseline, launching into the air. Kamomedai's blockers were relentless!

"This ends now!"

He twisted his wrist at the last second, snapping the ball down like a whip.

Boom!—

Hirugami Sachirō and Hakuba Gao made a split-second decision, angling their arms downward to seal off the final gap in their block.

—Smack!

The ball ricocheted straight back into Aoba Johsai's court.

"They blocked it!!!"

"Tweet!—"

"Net touch violation, point for Aoba Johsai!"

[Aoba Johsai 21 – 18 Kamomedai]

"Hirugami…committed a net touch?" Kamomedai's bench players stared in disbelief. "If it were Gao, I'd believe it more, but…"

"This just shows how overwhelming Kaedehara Taichi's attacks are. If they don't completely shut him down, they can't stop him."

"That's kinda terrifying…."

For once, Kaedehara Taichi didn't exchange friendly banter after scoring.

If that moment played out again, it wasn't certain who would have won the point.

No wonder Kyōtani Kentarō had sent his cross shot out of bounds earlier—Hirugami Sachirō's blocking coverage was absolutely terrifying.

Hirugami turned to Taichi with a grin. "No wonder Gao says you're just lucky. Again?"

Taichi blinked. That wasn't even my doing…

"Then let's go again!"

A grin stretched across Kaedehara Taichi's face, his white teeth flashing as he laughed.

_________

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