Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 355: Kaedehara Taichi IN (Double-Length)

Smack!

Libero Teragane Gō's first touch was clean, and Ōki Kazuki set the ball to the right wing. Moritake Kazuya jumped for the spike.

"Double block!" Yamabuki Yūjin and Yūki Yōji leapt up.

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm a first-year!"

Boom!

The ball pierced through the gap between the blockers and fell into Aoba Johsai's court.

Moritake Kazuya scored with a spike.

[Aoba Johsai 10 – 7 Takezō]

"Nice one, Ace!"

"They're hanging in there."

"The point gap is still within a normal range…As expected, as long as Kaedehara Taichi isn't on the court, we still stand a fighting chance."

Takezō's players were slowly regaining their spark.

"Yamabuki, don't leave a gap between the blockers."

"Yūki, if you're blocking straight or cross, make sure your teammates know your intent."

"Got it!"

The serve rotated. Takezō now served.

Outside hitter Nishimoto Narumi launched a powerful jump serve. Tōma Kaoru received it with ease.

Kunimi Akira jumped from the front row for a set. Takezō's middle blocker Hirata Shūichi stood in his way.

Fwoosh—!

The ball was sent to the middle. Yamabuki Yūjin ran in for an approach and jumped.

"Double block!" Ōki Kazuki and Moritake Kazuya leapt together.

Boom!

The ball soared over Ōki Kazuki's block and headed straight for the backline.

"Damn it!"

Libero Teragane dove in desperation. The ball hit his arm and flew out of bounds.

Yamabuki Yūjin scored with a spike.

[Aoba Johsai 11 – 7 Takezō]

"Nice hit, Yamabuki," Kunimi praised lazily.

"Yes!" Yamabuki responded with a serious expression. "This is a rare opportunity—I have to make the most of it!"

"Don't worry! Keep the score tight!" Moritake Kazuya shouted to his teammates.

"Yeah!"

Aoba Johsai's serve rotation resumed.

Yūki Yōji fired a strong jump serve.

Boom!!—

On the line!

Yūki Yōji scored a service ace.

[Aoba Johsai 12 – 7 Takezō]

"Nice serve!"

"Phew." Yūki Yōji kept his expression blank, though he quietly exhaled in relief.

"Pretty lucky there, Yūki."

That disagreeable voice came from Aoba Johsai's bench.

Kaedehara Taichi stared teasingly at Yūki. "You clearly didn't get under that one properly, did you? Lucky it clipped the line, but don't go getting full of yourself."

"Yes, sir."

He could tell that too? The Takezō players looked toward the terrifying guy on the sidelines. They had just scored, and yet he was still that harsh with his own teammate?

"You haven't forgotten your assignment, have you? Don't let your guard down just because the opponent's weak," Taichi added nonchalantly.

"Yes, Taichi-senpai." Yūki lowered his head slightly.

This guy—! Takezō's players glared daggers at Kaedehara Taichi. He really had the nerve to call them a "weak team" to their faces again.

"Tweet!—" The referee blew the whistle.

Yūki served again.

Boom!

Smack!

Takezō's outside hitter Hirota Jirō received it.

"It's heavy! No way that came from a first-year…"

Ōki stepped in to cover and sent the ball to the right.

The ball passed in front of Ace Moritake Kazuya and reached the far right side. Middle blocker Nakamoto Katsuhiko slammed it down.

Boom!

Smack!

The ball flew past Yamabuki Yūjin's right side and bounced off Yūki Yōji's arms in the back row.

Nakamoto Katsuhiko scored with a spike.

[Aoba Johsai 12 – 8 Takezō]

"Nice spike! That was awesome!"

Takezō's players cheered each other on. They were finally beginning to feel like themselves again—just like during matches against other schools.

But—

Things should've been going smoothly. So why did it feel like something was…off?

First-year Ōki Kazuki looked around at his upperclassmen. They all seemed in better shape than they had in the first set.

Everything seems okay…maybe I'm just imagining things…?

-----

Boom!—

Yūki Yōji scored with a spike through the blockers' hands.

[Aoba Johsai 20 – 15 Takezō]

Aoba Johsai hit 20 points first.

No…Something's definitely wrong!

Ōki's expression turned grim. He didn't know what exactly, but he was sure something was off.

The gap's getting bigger and bigger…At this rate…

"Hey, is that all your 'resolve' amounts to?" Kaedehara Taichi sneered.

"Didn't you swear not to give up? This kind of volleyball—how is it any different from giving up?"

"As long as I'm scoring, even if we lose, it won't look that bad…Don't tell me that's what you're thinking?"

"How boring."

"Tweet!—"

Aoba Johsai requested a substitution—Kaedehara Taichi IN, Kunimi Akira OUT.

"Let's end this boring match already."

"What—?!"

"They're putting him in now?!"

More than the sting or the shock of Taichi's words, what rattled Takezō the most was the substitution itself—Why would Aoba Johsai bring in Kaedehara Taichi when they're already so far ahead?!

Takezō's players turned to their coach, Furukawa.

Isn't he going to call a timeout?!

They weren't even remotely prepared to face Kaedehara Taichi.

"Tweet!—" The referee blew the whistle.

Kyōtani Kentarō launched a powerful jump serve.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

Teragane barely managed to receive the serve, and the ball soared back into Aoba Johsai's court.

"Watch for a joust!"

Yūki Yōji jumped up to return the free ball immediately.

But then—a hand appeared, pushing the ball leftward.

Ōki Kazuki reached out and set it one-handed!

Nishimoto Narumi froze for a moment. By the time he reacted, the timing for a full attack had passed, and he could only send the ball over passively.

Kaedehara Taichi received the ball cleanly—perfect first touch.

From the back row, Nakamori Dakii jumped for the set.

Good, he's still in the back row—huh?!

Just as the thought crossed Teragane's mind, Kaedehara Taichi's figure appeared in midair, right above the front row.

BOOM!!!—

A muffled thud rang out.

The back-row quick attack ripped straight through Takezō's front-line defence and slammed into the ground near Teragane's feet.

[Aoba Johsai 21 – 15 Takezō]

This guy…was on a completely different level...

Impossible to understand…

Takezō's players stared blankly at that figure, a helpless sense of despair welling in their chests.

Is this hopeless after all…? Even Coach Furukawa began to question his own strategy. After all, he had never imagined that a player like Kaedehara Taichi even existed.

If your opponent is too strong to comprehend…then it makes all your own efforts feel utterly insignificant in comparison.

"D-Don't give up yet, senpai!!"

Ōki Kazuki's voice trembled slightly, but his eyes still burned with determination.

The match isn't over yet. Don't stop thinking! That's what Coach has always taught us!

"Be strong, no matter what!"

"Y-Yeah!!"

"Let's give it our all!" Teragane Gō shouted, only to realise it sounded a bit chuunibyou-ish and laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, let's give it our all!" Ace Moritake Kazuya echoed. "I'll mark Kaedehara Taichi!"

"Let's go together!"

"Yes!!!"

-----

"That setter seems interesting," Taichi muttered with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Then he turned to the sidelines and gave Coach Irihata a quick wink—his task was probably complete, right?

Irihata Nobuteru gave a relieved nod.

Although, from his perspective, Taichi's performance today wasn't all that different from usual.

The match resumed as Kyōtani Kentarō served his second ball.

Boom!!!

The ball rebounded high, but luckily it was still within Takezō's court.

"I got it!"

Ōki Kazuki covered and passed the ball to the left. Hirata Shūichi jumped up for the spike.

Boom!

Smack!

Yūki Yōji blocked it solo, managing to pop the ball up.

Kaedehara Taichi made a perfect receive, and Tōma Kaoru leapt at the net to set it.

"Who's he setting to?!" Ōki Kazuki's eyes scanned Aoba Johsai's lineup in a flash.

Wham!

Tōma Kaoru twisted his body midair and dumped the ball one-handed with zero warning.

"He actually—!" Ōki Kazuki froze, seeing the trajectory but powerless to stop it.

Smack!

A foot slid under the ball just in time.

Hirota Jirō dove off-balance, landing hard on the floor.

"Cover it!!!"

The shout seemed to shatter whatever paralysis gripped Ōki Kazuki. He scrambled into position and made the set.

Takezō launched a multi-point attack!

Aoba Johsai's blockers were forced to split—just enough to dodge the big guys at the front!

Whoosh—!

Thud!

Moritake Kazuya leapt for a back-row spike.

Smack!

Nakamori Daiki received it with ease.

"A spike like that won't score against Aoba Johsai."

The ball flew forward. Tōma Kaoru passed it to the left wing.

BAM!

Kaedehara Taichi leapt from the back row.

"Three-man block!" Nishimoto Narumi, Hirata Shūichi, and Ōki Kazuki all jumped together.

BOOM!

A crisp, clean spike with zero hesitation.

The ball slammed against the edge of the left sideline and bounced out.

Kaedehara Taichi scored.

[Aoba Johsai 22 - 15 Takezō]

"Still want to keep going?" Kaedehara Taichi asked, turning slightly.

"Of course!"

No hesitation. Just pure, unwavering resolve.

"Looks like you guys really mean it this time," Kaedehara Taichi nodded in satisfaction.

Kyōtani Kentarō sent off his third serve.

Boom!!!—

The ball bounced high—this time, the receive was even better than before.

"I got it!" Ōki Kazuki once again covered precisely.

Whoosh!—

He passed it high and wide to the left. Hirata Shūichi jumped for the spike.

"Double block!"

Yūki Yōji quickly swapped with Yamabuki Yūjin, taking position on the straight line.

"Been waiting for you, big guy!"

Hirata Shūichi slammed the ball toward Yūki Yōji's arm.

"He's aiming at me!" Yūki Yōji twisted his arms left in midair to counter.

Smack!

Hirata Shūichi forced the ball off Yūki's arm, aiming to wipe it out-of-bounds.

"Got it!"

Smack!

Kaedehara Taichi appeared outside the left sideline and dug the ball effortlessly.

It wasn't even a scramble!

He'd read it completely!

Nakamori Daiki followed up and passed the ball across to the far right.

A full-court cross—flawless precision.

Boom!!

Kyōtani Kentarō struck from the back row and scored.

[Aoba Johsai 23 - 15 Takezō]

Having strong resolve is good.

But no matter how fierce the determination, a last-minute resolve could never surpass a strength forged through relentless hardship.

-----

[Aoba Johsai 25 - 16 Takezō]

"Beeeep—!"

The match was over.

Winner: Aoba Johsai.

-----

"Thank you for the match!" Both teams bowed to each other after the game.

"Ta-Taichi!" Moritake Kazuya hesitated but eventually called out.

"What is it?" Kaedehara Taichi turned around, his expression calm and normal—none of the disdain he had shown during the match.

Moritake Kazuya paused, a little surprised. Then he gave a wry smile.

"Last year, we lost badly in Tokyo's prelims against Itachiyama."

"We'd just won a big match and made it into the top eight of Tokyo. Honestly, we thought we were strong. But when we faced Itachiyama, we didn't even stand a chance."

"We couldn't break double digits in either set—the skill gap was so massive, we couldn't believe it. So, at the time, I thought no one could beat Itachiyama."

He took a deep breath.

"You guys did. Thank you."

Kaedehara Taichi blinked, unsure at first, then shrugged—it didn't really matter.

"Maybe beating Itachiyama means something special to you guys. But to Aoba Johsai, Itachiyama is just another opponent standing in the way of the championship."

"As for you all, you fought to win till the very end. That was awesome." Kaedehara Taichi gave a genuine smile.

Takezō's players froze.

Wait—why did the demonic aura suddenly vanish?

Was that...were those white wings behind his back…?

No no no!

How could they be fooled by just one smile?!

Their wariness doubled.

But still, Hirata Shūichi nudged a sheepish-looking Ōki Kazuki toward Kaedehara Taichi.

"Taichi, this guy's a first-year. He's a huge fan of yours—kept talking about wanting to toss to you someday. Getting to watch you play up close today made his whole week."

"Huh?!" Taichi eyed the flustered Ōki Kazuki.

"Wait…he's a real fan?!"

"I-I was! Not anymore!" Ōki Kazuki retorted defensively. The match had been too humiliating, and the personality of his idol was way more brutal than expected.

(Although…it weirdly made him like him more.)

"We'll definitely become stronger," Ōki said seriously. "Next time, we'll beat you head-on."

"Damn you, Irihata! You made me lose a true fan!" Taichi cursed internally. "Will no one ever see the goodness and purity inside me?!"

He was going to keep the rest of that rant in his head…but hearing that last line made him burst out laughing.

"Well, get to Nationals first, then we'll talk."

-----

"Thank you for your guidance, Coach Irihata," Furukawa Taiga bowed sincerely. "Can't believe it's been over ten years, and your ex-students still need their teacher's help."

"You all did great," Irihata said kindly. "You gave it your all until the very last point. The score gap may be wide, but today's loss will be a valuable experience. You've got a solid team."

"We'll become even stronger in the future!" Furukawa bowed again, deeply.

"Good, good. Keep pushing forward, Furukawa."

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"Yes, sir!"

-----

On Day 6, Aoba Johsai remained undefeated.

Only two matches remained in their Tokyo expedition—the final clash with Itachiyama.

Then, they would bring their undefeated streak back home to Miyagi.

_________

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