Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

The serve rotated, giving Aoba Johsai possession again. Kaedehara Taichi returned to the front row.

"That guy…he still looks completely at ease." Sakusa Kiyoomi scowled at him.

Kyōtani Kentarō launched a powerful jump serve, the ball cutting through the air.

Smack!

"They received it again!"

Throughout this set, Komori Motoya's receiving had been nothing short of outstanding. Aside from that brief onslaught from Kaedehara Taichi earlier, Komori had remained composed and precise, neutralising attack after attack.

He was like Itachiyama's guardian deity, repeatedly rendering Aoba Johsai's offence ineffective.

"Good first touches lead to good offence."

Yet, despite Komori's stellar performance, Itachiyama still trailed by five points.

"Not every team has a libero like Komori Motoya," Araki Kōsei muttered. "Aoba Johsai looks like they're aiming for back-to-back titles at this rate..."

Shirakawa Kaito quickly moved into position. Somehow, this first set was already nearing its conclusion.

The ball soared toward the right wing. Sakusa leaped to spike.

"Triple block!" Yahaba Shigeru, Yūki Yōji, and Kaedehara Taichi formed a solid wall in front of him.

His line shot was completely sealed.

Sakusa adjusted midair and went for a sharp cross-court shot instead.

Boom!—

Smack!

Kunimi Akira received it cleanly.

"Why are you so surprised? You've seen this before, haven't you?"

As soon as Taichi and Sakusa landed, Taichi took off toward the left.

"Block him!"

Sakusa shouted as he chased after him.

The memory of Taichi's lightning-fast quick attack from last year still haunted them. It was unforgettable.

"Without Oikawa Tōru, who can set that kind of ball for him now?!"

It definitely wasn't Aoba Johsai's current setter. Kunimi? No, he had already passed the ball.

That small libero!

He had been receiving Sakusa's spikes and had even set multiple times as a secondary setter. If anyone could do it—

Almost as if confirming his suspicions, Nakamori Daiki leapt from the back row, arching his upper body backwards in midair.

A back-row quick?!

Thud!

At the same time, Taichi jumped from the far-left side.

"Triple block!"

Shibata Yōsuke, Shirakawa Kaito, and Sakusa—already in position—rose together.

For the first time this match, a towering wall stood directly in Taichi's path.

Whoosh!—

But instead of Taichi, Daiki sent the ball to the right side—where Yūki Yōji was waiting.

Yūki smashed the ball down.

Point, Aoba Johsai!

[Aoba Johsai 24 – 18 Itachiyama]

Sakusa's sharp gaze locked onto Taichi. "Without Oikawa, you can't pull off that fast attack, can you?"

Taichi smirked. "Why don't you test that theory? Next time, don't work so hard to block me."

"I'll try it." Sakusa responded seriously.

Aoba Johsai continued serving.

Kyōtani powerful jump serve was once again received by Komori. Shirakawa set the ball to the right.

Sakusa leaped to spike.

"Triple block!"

Bang!—

Smack!

Using the same blocking strategy, the ball deflected off Kunimi's arms and flew out of bounds.

Sakusa scored.

[Aoba Johsai 24 – 19 Itachiyama]

Sakusa rotated into the back row, his face expressionless.

"Who is he even competing against?" Kunimi sighed. "It's not like I expect to receive every ball from one of the top three aces in the country."

The serve switched sides.

Shibata Yōsuke stepped up for a powerful jump serve, but Nakamori Daiki received it effortlessly, delivering a perfect pass.

Yahaba set the ball high to the left.

BAM!

Kaedehara Taichi soared into the air. Even in the final moments of the set, his form was still flawless, making it hard to believe he had exerted himself at all.

"Triple block!"

Bang!!!—

The ball soared over Shirakawa's hands, landing precisely on Itachiyama's back boundary line.

Kaedehara Taichi had scored.

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 19 Itachiyama]

"Tweet—!"

The referee's long whistle echoed through the gym.

Set 1 Winner: Aoba Johsai.

-----

On the sidelines, several players still hadn't processed what had just happened.

Itachiyama's first-year players, in particular, wore stunned expressions of disbelief.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Itachiyama had lost the first set. Worse, they hadn't even reached 20 points.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would have never believed it.

Just that morning, Itachiyama had been the strongest presence in the gym—a towering mountain that everyone looked up to. Their players carried themselves with an air of confidence, displaying their overwhelming strength and seeming invincibility.

And yet, in the afternoon, against Aoba Johsai, they looked powerless—struggling just to hold on.

The first-year players' pride, once inflated like a balloon, had popped instantly. They stared blankly at the court, filled with confusion and doubt.

"Watching your supposedly invincible team fall from the top must feel pretty terrible, huh?" Matsuo Satoshi sneered.

"Why do you have such a grudge against other teams' rookies?" Araki Kōsei shot him a glance.

"Because they were so cocky!" Matsuo huffed. "They acted like they had already won before even playing us."

"That's probably because they beat us in the Spring High quarterfinals last year," Araki noted calmly.

"Yeah? Well, they still lost to Aoba Johsai in the finals, and they're acting the same way now." Matsuo countered.

"...When you put it that way, I guess you're right." Araki nodded. "But losing a couple of times isn't enough to break a team like Itachiyama. They'll bounce back."

"Well," Matsuo grinned mischievously, "it'd be more fun if they didn't."

"I'd rather be the one to crush their spirits after we beat them." Araki's voice was firm. "We need to avenge our loss at Spring High."

"Good point."

-----

The teams switched sides and returned to their benches for a brief break.

"Huh? That's it?" Taichi stretched his arms. "I didn't even get to spike as much as I wanted."

"Don't worry," Coach Irihata said with a smile. "I scheduled another practice match against Ichibayashi High. It'd be a waste to come all this way and only play one game."

"Nice! I don't feel like I've shown my full potential yet," Kindaichi Yūtarō said enthusiastically.

"Another match? That means at least three more sets…" Kunimi Akira already looked exhausted.

Kyōtani Kentarō sneered at him. "If you can't handle it, we can sub in the first-years. They look eager to play."

Kunimi barely lifted his eyelids. "Senpai, have you been getting stricter lately? Also…you're talking a lot more."

"I'm ready, Kunimi-senpai! I can substitute for you anytime!" Yamabuki Yūjin said eagerly.

Even though this was just a practice match, the teams on the court practically represented the highest level of high school volleyball. Yamabuki was itching to experience the intensity firsthand.

Kunimi Akira gave Yamabuki a deep look. If this had been last year, he would have probably agreed without hesitation. But now—

"I refuse."

After all, the finals of the National Tournament were a best-of-five format. Kunimi didn't want to end up being the only one who couldn't contribute, forced to just sit on the bench and watch his teammates fight desperately.

"Now that's more like it," Kyōtani Kentarō crossed his arms, finally finding Kunimi a bit more pleasing to the eye.

Coach Irihata let his players joke around. It seemed that Kaedehara Taichi's assessment was correct—they were indeed prepared to claim another championship.

"Everyone, stay sharp. This time, we have a full seven days. I hope your enthusiasm lasts until we return to Miyagi."

"Yes!"

-----

The second set began quickly.

Aoba Johsai's lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Middle Blocker Yūki Yōji, Setter Yahaba Shigeru.

Back row—Outside Hitter Kunimi Akira, Middle Blocker Kindaichi Yūtarō (Libero: Nakamori Daiki) and Outside Hitter Kyōtani Kentarō.

Itachiyama's lineup:

Front row—Setter Shirakawa Kaito, Middle Blocker Mizushima Yū, Outside Hitter Takeuchi Eiji.

Back row—Outside Hitter Sakusa Kiyoomi, Middle Blocker Shibata Yōsuke (Libero: Komori Motoya) and Outside Hitter Nishimura Hiroyuki.

"Wait, why is Sakusa in that position?" Matsuo Satoshi searched for him and finally spotted Sakusa Kiyoomi in the back-row corner.

Aoba Johsai maintained their usual formation for non-serving plays, but Itachiyama's arrangement looked odd. No—more specifically, Sakusa Kiyoomi's position was unusual.

He wasn't stationed at Position 1 to pressure with his powerful serve, nor was he lined up directly against Kaedehara Taichi.

Instead, he stood at Position 5, on the back-left side—as if he were deliberately avoiding Kaedehara Taichi.

"No way…" Some spectators started to pick up on the implication and murmured among themselves.

Itachiyama had actually made a concession? Or rather—Sakusa Kiyoomi had agreed to this arrangement?

It was hard to believe.

Nishimura Hiroyuki knew exactly what people were speculating about, but what they didn't know was—this was Sakusa Kiyoomi's own suggestion.

"A player's only purpose on the court is to win. I don't have time to concern myself with meaningless things like 'other people's opinions.'"

The effort Itachiyama players put in was no less than any other team. Every honour had to be earned with their own hands.

Those first-years who blindly worshipped championships, thinking that just joining Itachiyama would grant them prestige—this Golden Week's training had already crushed their illusions.

But the second and third years? They had lost countless times in practice matches and still chose to stay. Even if they were exhausted to the point of collapse, as long as they could stand tall on the podium in the end, it was all worth it.

Aside from their simple slogan "Effort", there was another banner that usually only hung in Itachiyama's gym:

"Let sweat cultivate the flowers of success."

"Tweet—!"

The match resumed, with Itachiyama serving first.

Nishimura Hiroyuki executed a floating jump serve, sending the ball between Nakamori Daiki and Kyōtani Kentarō.

"I got it!" Nakamori shifted to receive.

Smack!

His pass was off-target, veering toward the right side. Yahaba Shigeru quickly moved to adjust.

—"That little libero still lacks experience against float serves. In the second set, make sure to train him properly." This was the instruction from Itachiyama's Coach Yamazaki before the set began.

Kaedehara Taichi was positioned on the far left, so Yahaba didn't take the risk of setting a long ball across the court.

Instead, he sent the ball high to the middle for Yūki Yōji.

"Three-man block!" Shirakawa Kaito, Mizushima Yū, and Takeuchi Eiji jumped together.

Boom!

Smack!

—"Mizushima, don't get intimidated by that 190cm Aoba Johsai kid. He's only a first-year—his blocking is solid, but his attacking is weak. If you time your block correctly, you won't lose to him."

"Touch!" Mizushima Yū shouted after feeling the ball deflect.

Smack!

Komori Motoya dug the ball cleanly, sending it toward the setter. Shirakawa Kaito leapt to set.

Kaedehara Taichi jumped to block but kept a close eye on Sakusa Kiyoomi behind Shirakawa.

Whoosh—!

As expected, Shirakawa didn't spike the ball directly over Kaedehara's block. But he also didn't give it to Sakusa.

Instead, the ball arched toward the right side, where Takeuchi Eiji was already in motion.

"Double block!" Yūki Yōji and Yahaba Shigeru jumped to intercept.

"Don't underestimate us!"

Boom!—

The ball sliced past Yahaba's right side, landing perfectly on Aoba Johsai's right sideline.

A pinpoint line shot!

Takeuchi Eiji scored.

[Aoba Johsai 0 – 1 Itachiyama]

"Oh! That was such a smooth attack!"

"Itachiyama doesn't seem shaken at all by the first set."

On the court, Itachiyama's players showed little excitement—this was simply their normal standard.

Nishimura Hiroyuki served again.

Bang!

The ball targeted Nakamori Daiki once more.

"Hah! As if this would stump a genius like me?" Nakamori was well aware of his own weakness. "If I can't pass it to Yahaba-senpai, then I just won't!"

Smack!

The ball veered diagonally toward the left.

But Aoba Johsai had more than just one setter.

Kunimi Akira stepped in and sent a high pass to the left wing.

Thud!

Kaedehara Taichi took his approach and soared.

"I see…this formation also makes their receiving more stable," Sakusa muttered, standing in the straight-line defence. Komori Motoya was watching the cross-court angle.

"Three-man block!" Itachiyama's front row remained relentless.

"Then let's send it flying!"

BANG!

Taichi swung with full force, and the ball slammed directly into the block.

SMACK!

Shirakawa Kaito gritted his teeth and held strong—the ball rebounded back toward Aoba Johsai's side.

However, it was flying out of bounds!

Sakusa Kiyoomi dashed under the net and made a last-second dive.

Smack!

The ball was saved! Itachiyama kept it in play.

"I got it!" Shirakawa jumped and sent a quick set to the middle for Mizushima Yū.

Boom!—

"Double block!" Taichi and Yūki jumped to stop him.

Smack!

"Touch!" Yūki Yōji called.

"Daiki! Left wing!" Taichi sprinted left, and Nakamori immediately bumped the ball high.

Set or spike?!

Itachiyama's front line instinctively collapsed onto Kaedehara.

"Three-man block!"

BOOM!!!

Even against a triple block—Taichi still swung for the kill.

Shirakawa's hands were blasted apart, and the ball smashed behind them.

Kaedehara Taichi scored.

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 1 Itachiyama]

"Heh, bet you thought I was going to set just now," Taichi smirked at Shirakawa. "A weak-willed block gets read like an open book."

_________

[T/N] -I know I am kinda late. So, here's an Extra chapter as a peace offering.

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