Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 303: Pulled Back to Reality (D-L)
"Aoba Johsai is actually falling behind..."
"So this is Date Tech's strategy? If there's no way to stop Kaedehara Taichi, then leave the strongest blocking formation for the rest of Aoba Johsai instead!"
And sure enough, it was working.
Kaedehara Taichi was scoring even more easily than in the first set, sometimes stringing together consecutive points when he was in the front row to close the gap. But the moment he rotated to the back row, the entire rhythm of the match was dictated by Date Tech.
Since Taichi had to take on a more active role in the offence from the back row, it had an unintended effect—his stamina depletion in the second set was even greater than in the first.
Bang!
Smack!
"First touch!" Koganegawa Kanji shouted.
A poor first touch led to a forced set, which in turn meant an imperfect spike. Volleyball was a sport that relied on multiple players working in unison, and every link in the chain was critical.
Even for Kaedehara Taichi, if he was forced to attack from the back row under these conditions, he couldn't always break through Date Tech's block!
"Chance ball!" Onagawa Tarō called out.
Date Tech immediately got into position as the ball sailed above their setter. Koganegawa Kanji jumped up once more to set.
Date Tech's front-row attackers—Fukiage Jingo and Futakuchi Kenji—along with their back-row hitters—Obara Yutaka and Aone Takanobu—launched a simultaneous four-point attack!
"Damn it, there's no way we can cover all of them!"
With Date Tech's naturally high attacking points, Aoba Johsai's blockers in this rotation could hardly make a meaningful impact. Adding in the time difference created by multiple attackers, Date Tech was practically hitting against an open net.
Whoosh—!
"What?!"
But the ball didn't go to Fukiage Jingo or Obara Yutaka in the front row. Nor was it sent to Aone Takanobu for a back-row attack.
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Koganegawa Kanji had executed a back set, sending the ball to the far right wing—where Futakuchi Kenji soared into the air for a spike.
"Not happening!"
Kyōtani Kentarō reacted quickly, following up with a block just in time, barely matching Futakuchi's height.
Swish!
Futakuchi's swing missed—he had miscalculated. The ball flew out of bounds.
[Aoba Johsai 17 – 20 Date Tech]
Kyōtani Kentarō: "..."
Futakuchi Kenji: "..."
To be fair, Futakuchi had sensed it the moment he hit the ball.
"Koganegawa—!"
"I'm sorry!" Koganegawa Kanji shouted apologetically.
"The set was fine, keep it up."
"Huh?"
"I mean, it was my mistake." Futakuchi impatiently pressed down on Koganegawa's head.
The backset itself had been well executed—after all, it had completely deceived Aoba Johsai's blockers. The only issue was that the set had been slightly too fast, and they hadn't practised this play enough, leading to the misfire.
Even Futakuchi hadn't expected Koganegawa to target him at the last moment. But without a doubt, it was a promising attempt. Futakuchi could see even greater potential in Date Tech through Koganegawa's play.
The serve switched sides. Aoba Johsai was now serving.
Honda Heisuke's serve was easily received by Obara Yutaka, and Koganegawa leapt in the front row to set. Futakuchi followed closely behind, gearing up for an attack.
Kaedehara Taichi, ever perceptive, suddenly felt a gaze on him. He turned his head slightly and locked eyes with Koganegawa Kanji's side glance.
—"Crap!"
Since Koganegawa had never attempted a second-ball attack before, Aoba Johsai's blockers had been jumping with him every time, only for it to be unnecessary. Slowly, they had started relaxing their guard against him.
No blockers!
Koganegawa twisted his upper body toward Aoba Johsai's court, bringing his right arm down with force.
Boom!
The ball shot straight down past the net, slamming into Aoba Johsai's court.
Smack!
Kaedehara Taichi dove, barely managing to save the ball.
"Kindaichi!" Taichi shouted. "Put it away!"
The ball ricocheted off the floor and hovered above the net. Kindaichi Yūtarō jumped up and pressed it down.
Smack!
Koganegawa jumped again, pushing against the ball with all his might. But his jump wasn't fully executed, and the ball was about to drop into Date Tech's court.
Smack!
A third hand appeared, swiping the ball back toward Aoba Johsai's side.
Futakuchi Kenji had arrived just in time, securing the final say in the battle at the net.
The ball hit the floor.
[Aoba Johsai 17 – 21 Date Tech]
"Futakuchi-senpai!" Koganegawa called out excitedly.
Futakuchi simply gave a cool nod, adopting the demeanour of a seasoned veteran.
The serve switched again. Futakuchi stepped onto the service line.
Kaedehara Taichi got up from the floor, his expression serious. Aoba Johsai's weaknesses were being exposed. The stronger their opponent, the more evident these weaknesses became.
"Let's take the next point!" Yahaba Shigeru urged his teammates. They needed to get Taichi back to the front row as soon as possible.
Futakuchi's jump serve, while not as powerful as Aone's, was more controlled and precise—still posing a significant threat to Aoba Johsai's already struggling defence.
"Take it in one go!"
Futakuchi watched as Yahaba tried to rally his team. It reminded him of himself last year, standing on the court against Aoba Johsai.
"No…Yahaba's been captain for even less time than I had. And he was a substitute before that…"
"Even so, I can't afford to underestimate him!"
Futakuchi tossed the ball and accelerated his approach. His jump had a slightly different motion than before.
Bang!
A jump float serve!
Futakuchi was a dual-threat server!
Aoba Johsai had no prior scouting report on this. The first team to face Futakuchi's new weapon was none other than Aoba Johsai!
The ball wobbled unpredictably toward Kindaichi Yūtarō.
Even though he wasn't prepared for it, Kindaichi did his best to make contact.
Smack!
The ball deflected backwards.
Yahaba dived, barely managing to keep it in play. Kaedehara Taichi sent it over with a non-aggressive shot from the back row.
"I got it!" Sakunami Kōsuke received the ball cleanly.
"Koganegawa!" Futakuchi called as the ball was sent toward the right side.
Boom!
Smack!
Koganegawa's quick attack failed to beat Kindaichi's block—the ball ricocheted high into the air.
"One touch!"
"Chance ball!" Kaedehara Taichi called out.
Kunimi Akira turned, locking eyes with Taichi in midair.
Smack!
The ball was set slightly to the left in the front row. Kunimi had jumped—his body shifting to make a back-set pass.
Kaedehara Taichi never hesitated. The moment the ball left Kunimi's fingertips, he was already adjusting his approach.
—"Bring it on!"
Fukiage Jingo and Koganegawa both shouted.
There was no way they would back down from blocking even Kaedehara Taichi's back-row attack!
BAM!
Kaedehara Taichi took off.
"Double block!" Date Tech's wall was as sturdy as ever.
Whoosh—!
"RAAAH!"
BOOM!!!—
Kunimi's back-set sent the ball to the left wing, where Kyōtani Kentarō, filled with frustration, unleashed a devastating cross-court spike—blowing straight past Onagawa Tarō's block and slamming into Date Tech's court.
Kyōtani Kentarō had scored.
[Aoba Johsai 18 – 21 Date Tech]
It had taken some effort, but just as Yahaba predicted, they had stolen back the serve in one play.
"Nice set, Kunimi!" Taichi grinned, signaling him.
Kunimi nodded.
Aoba Johsai took their turn at serve. Kunimi Akira sent a jump float serve targeting Date Tech's front-right—Koganegawa Kanji.
Smack!
"Save it!"
Futakuchi Kenji barely managed to step in and send the ball to the front row.
Fukiage Jingo leapt for a spike, but Kindaichi Yūtarō immediately jumped up to block him head-on.
"So fast!"
Twisting his body mid-air, Fukiage Jingo forcibly adjusted his angle and spiked past the block.
Smack!
Kaedehara Taichi received the ball.
"Cover!"
"The receive is off!"
The volleyball flew toward the left side, and Kunimi Akira rushed in from the back row to set it.
As Onagawa Tarō and Fukiage Jingo guarded the sideline against Kyōtani Kentarō, Koganegawa Kanji suddenly halted mid-run, shifting his focus to Kindaichi Yūtarō in the middle.
"Oh? Is that instinct?" Kunimi Akira jumped to set the ball. "Too bad you only guessed half right."
The ball arced over Kindaichi Yūtarō's head and headed for Aoba Johsai's farthest right wing.
BAM!
Despite appearing off balance from his earlier reception, Kaedehara Taichi soared from the back row.
Bang!
With no blockers in front of him, the ball struck cleanly in the centre of the three-meter line.
Kaedehara Taichi scored effortlessly.
[Aoba Johsai 19 – 21 Date Tech]
"What just happened? Date Tech didn't even notice Taichi-senpai?" Kamihara Atsushi asked in confusion.
"I'm not too sure either..." Kimura Ryōta replayed the sequence in his mind. Date Tech's front row had followed the ball toward the left side after Taichi-senpai's seemingly errant reception.
Wait!
A reception error?
Was it intentional?!!
By using the ball trajectory and the setter's movement as a decoy, they had lured the blockers leftward. Even if Date Tech had been wary, they would have focused on the tall middle blocker in the centre. As for Aoba Johsai's setter on the far right, he wasn't a particularly strong spiker, and executing a precise set to the farthest position wasn't easy.
If this was deliberate, then aside from Taichi-senpai's usual unpredictability, that #13's set was incredible!
And—when did they even discuss this?!!
"Ryōta, Ryōta!" Kamihara Atsushi nudged his friend, noticing his sudden silence.
"Oh, I'm fine." Kimura Ryōta snapped out of his daze. He was already getting excited at the thought of facing these upperclassmen in a match—they were all amazing!
"Do you know what just happened?"
"Mm, it's a bit complicated. Let's just watch the match for now—I'll explain later."
"Alright." Kamihara Atsushi let the thought go and refocused on the game.
-----
Yahaba Shigeru admired Kunimi Akira. Perhaps this was the kind of setter Aoba Johsai needed—bold, meticulous, and technically precise.
Kunimi Akira stepped up to serve his second ball.
Bang!
This time, Koganegawa Kanji was prepared and lifted the ball high.
With Kindaichi Yūtarō stationed in the middle, breaking through with sheer height alone wouldn't be easy.
Futakuchi Kenji set the ball to the far left, where Onagawa Tarō leapt to spike.
"Double block!" Kyōtani Kentarō and Kindaichi Yūtarō jumped in front of him.
Boom!
Smack!
The ball deflected off Kyōtani Kentarō's arm and flew out of bounds.
A block-out.
Onagawa Tarō scored.
[Aoba Johsai 19 – 22 Date Tech]
Kunimi Akira had already anticipated this. For a small outside hitter like Onagawa Tarō, attacking through angles for block-outs or roll shots was his best bet.
Serve rotation—Date Tech's turn.
Koganegawa Kanji's powerful jump serve was received by Watari Shinji.
"Cover!"
With sheer force alone, even a standard serve was difficult to handle.
Yahaba Shigeru quickly stepped in.
"Set me the ball!" Kaedehara Taichi called from the back row. This rotation was about to end.
Yahaba Shigeru sent the ball to the right, and Kaedehara Taichi sprinted from the baseline before taking flight.
Thud!
"Triple block!" Obara Yutaka, Onagawa Tarō, and Fukiage Jingo formed a wall in front of him.
BOOM!!!
Ignoring any finesse, Kaedehara Taichi blasted the ball straight through Fukiage Jingo's hands, slamming it violently into Date Tech's court.
Kaedehara Taichi scored.
[Aoba Johsai 20 – 22 Date Tech]
"Now it's our turn to attack."
Serve rotation—Aoba Johsai's turn. Kaedehara Taichi rotated to the front row.
"Aoba Johsai! Fight! Aoba Johsai! Fight!"
"Taichi! Rule the court!"
"Taichi! Rule the court!"
Futakuchi Kenji's expression tightened. His clenched lips betrayed his focus and tension.
Just by returning to the front row, Kaedehara Taichi had shifted Aoba Johsai's entire atmosphere.
That last spike—it felt like a slap to Date Tech's face. Futakuchi Kenji snapped out of his excitement from their lead, suddenly feeling as if he had been dragged back to reality.
Even though Date Tech still held a two-point advantage, just looking at Kaedehara Taichi's impassive expression sent unease creeping into Futakuchi Kenji's chest.
"Hold this rally! Attack aggressively!"
"Yes!"
They couldn't allow Kaedehara Taichi to take control in the front row! Futakuchi Kenji lowered his stance, ready for the receive.
Kyōtani Kentarō launched a powerful jump serve.
BOOM!
Smack!
"Nice receive!" Futakuchi Kenji shouted, rushing into position.
Date Tech launched an all-out multi-angle attack!
Whoosh—!
The ball flew to the right side, as far as possible from Kaedehara Taichi's zone. Onagawa Tarō jumped for a spike.
But from the start, Kaedehara Taichi had shifted to the centre. The moment he saw the set's trajectory, he stuck close to Date Tech's attack.
"Double block!" Kindaichi Yūtarō and Kaedehara Taichi leapt together.
"Avoid Taichi!"
That was the only thought in Onagawa Tarō's mind. He aimed for Kindaichi Yūtarō's arm, swinging forcefully.
"Now!"
Kaedehara Taichi's sudden shout startled both Kindaichi Yūtarō and Onagawa Tarō.
However, Onagawa Tarō had anticipated this. If Kindaichi Yūtarō tried to dodge, he planned to press the ball down immediately.
But instead—
The moment he heard Taichi's voice, Kindaichi Yūtarō didn't move aside. He instinctively pressed his arms downward, completely sealing off Onagawa Tarō's attack angle.
"What—?!!"
That split-second hesitation cost Onagawa Tarō his attack timing.
Nowhere to go!
Boom!—
—Smack!
The ball struck Kindaichi Yūtarō's arm and bounced straight back into Date Tech's court.
Aoba Johsai scored off the block.
[Aoba Johsai 21 – 22 Date Tech]
"Nice block, Kindaichi!" Kaedehara Taichi shouted. "If you've got the height, you should impose your presence!"
Aoba Johsai was catching up! The point gap was down to just one!
_________
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