Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 315: Unacceptable (D-L)

"Is that short, tan guy Aoba Johsai's new libero?"

"He's incredible. He just received Goshiki-senpai's serve on his first try…"

Washijō Tanji's expression was serious.

To him, even though Aoba Johsai had won the Spring Nationals last year, they had always been a team with obvious weaknesses. Of course, every high school team had its own unique style—no team could be perfect in every aspect.

Back then, Aoba Johsai's offensive strength relied on star players like Kaedehara Taichi and Oikawa Tōru, while their defensive side was rather unremarkable with Watari Shinji. To compensate, they strengthened their blocking to ease the burden on their receivers, and aside from Taichi, most of their wing spikers were more defensively inclined.

With the departure of the third-years, Aoba Johsai faced greater pressure on the offence, and their defensive flaws—both in blocking and receiving—became more apparent without the foundational support of their previous core.

So, when they lost to Date Tech in the Prefectural Tournament finals, Washijō wasn't surprised. If anything, he was more shocked that Aoba Johsai, relying almost solely on Kaedehara Taichi, had managed to keep the match competitive until the final moments of the second set.

In this regard, he believed that Irihata Nobuteru likely shared the same opinion.

The three first-years currently playing for Shiratorizawa were carefully chosen by Washijō. Strength and height—pure, fundamental traits that could bring immediate and direct impact to a team.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

But now, it seemed like Aoba Johsai's first-years were just as remarkable. A middle blocker who could significantly raise the team's blocking height, and a libero who, despite his small stature, possessed undeniable natural talent.

These kinds of players might not be enough to single-handedly change the flow of the game, but for Kaedehara Taichi, they were the final pieces needed to complete the puzzle of his team.

If this Aoba Johsai continued to develop, they would become an even greater challenge than last year—an even more flawless force…

-----

Bang!—

Kyōtani Kentarō hammered a sharp cross-court spike for a clean point.

[Aoba Johsai 4 – 5 Shiratorizawa]

Aoba Johsai had scored consecutively!

The Shiratorizawa players remained silent. This was an Aoba Johsai without Kaedehara Taichi, yet they were keeping up with Shiratorizawa's pace!

Aoba Johsai served.

Yamabuki Yujin sent the second ball over.

Kamihara Atsushi received it cleanly, and Shirabu Kenjirō stepped in to set.

At the moment, the only real blocking threat on Shiratorizawa's front line was Kawanishi Taichi, but one blocker alone wasn't enough to stop Kyōtani Kentarō.

They needed to score on this offensive possession—or at the very least, disrupt Aoba Johsai's rhythm so that Kyōtani wouldn't be able to attack so comfortably.

"Give me the ball!" Goshiki Tsutomu called from the back row.

When Ushijima Wakatoshi was still around, Goshiki almost never called for back-row attacks. But now, he was actively stepping up to shoulder more of the offensive load.

"Tsutomu!"

Shirabu set the ball perfectly for their ace.

"Three-man block!"

Boom!

The ball shot past Kyōtani Kentarō's left side.

"Don't get in my way!"

Just as Yahaba Shigeru was judging the trajectory, Nakamori Daiki had already moved in beside him.

Smack!

The ball struck Nakamori's arm and flew out of bounds.

[Aoba Johsai 4 – 6 Shiratorizawa]

"You little brat, what did you just say?"

Yahaba was still processing the situation, but Kyōtani had already turned to stare down Nakamori.

"Uh, Taichi-senpai, Daiki's not looking too good," Tōchi Shishin muttered worriedly.

"Hmm…" Taichi narrowed his eyes at the court. "Even I don't see this often."

"Wait, did Kyōtani-senpai just look down at someone for once?!" Tōchi gasped.

"This is not the time to be talking about that!"

"I'm fine, Kyōtani," Yahaba said, though his voice carried a mix of shock and frustration. But for the sake of the team…

"Sorry, Yahaba-senpai."

It seemed that Nakamori had only just realized what he had done.

In beach volleyball, each team consisted of only two players with no substitutes, meaning both had to remain on the court at all times. Typically, both players were of similar skill level and had strong chemistry, so they rarely got in each other's way.

Technically, Yahaba should have been the one to receive that ball, but he hesitated for a split second. Meanwhile, Nakamori, still holding onto his beach volleyball habits, instinctively expanded his defensive range to cover nearly half the court.

"But next time, Senpai, I hope you'll react faster—or at least follow my lead." Nakamori wasn't willing to back down on this.

"You brat, is that how you talk to your seniors?" Kyōtani still wasn't letting him off.

"Alright, enough," Yahaba pulled Kyōtani back with a wry smile. "You were even worse when you were a first-year."

"You little—I was trying to help—"

"I know! And that's why—thank you, Kyōtani." Yahaba's voice carried a faint trace of melancholy. "Nakamori, we'll try it your way first."

"Thank you, Yahaba-senpai." Nakamori didn't think much of it—after all, even Kaedehara Taichi had plenty of arguments when he first started playing beach volleyball.

"Kunimi, is this okay?" Kindaichi Yūtarō asked anxiously, unable to shake the memories of his middle school clashes with Kageyama Tobio.

"It's not exactly fine, but it's normal," Kunimi Akira replied softly. "Let's not get involved."

Aoba Johsai's original core had been Oikawa Tōru and Iwaizumi Hajime, both captain and vice-captain, and the two strongest players on the team. The growth of Kaedehara Taichi and Kyōtani Kentarō had gradually shifted the team's dynamics over time.

Now, Yahaba, as captain, lacked the same overwhelming presence, while the first-years possessed both talent and strong personalities. These kinds of internal conflicts were practically inevitable.

"…Ugh, what a headache," Kunimi muttered, deciding to stay out of it.

Kindaichi was still confused, but seeing that the argument seemed to be settling down, he finally breathed a small sigh of relief.

Yamabuki, who had been on edge, also relaxed. He hadn't expected Nakamori Daiki—who was usually all smiles—to speak so sharply to his senior. Maybe things really were different overseas.

"Apologies, we're ready to continue." Yahaba bowed slightly to the referee.

The referee nodded. It was only a practice match—disagreements were normal, and there was no need to be overly strict about technicalities.

The match resumed. Shiratorizawa served.

Bang!

Kawanishi Taichi executed a jump float serve.

"Huh?"

Yamabuki Yujin took a step forward to receive.

…???

But the ball didn't drop as he expected. Instead, it sailed past his position before suddenly plummeting!

Smack!

Nakamori Daiki lunged, but the ball ricocheted off his arm and flew out of bounds.

[Aoba Johsai 4 – 7 Shiratorizawa]

"Heh, float serves are a nightmare for first-years, aren't they?" Kaedehara Taichi snickered.

For Yamabuki, jump float serves were rare among middle school players. And in beach volleyball, where the ball was larger and slower, they were even less common.

"However, Kawanishi's float serve has improved a lot," Honda Heisuke remarked. As a middle blocker, dedicating so much time and effort to his serving—he must want to contribute even more to the team...

Kaedehara Taichi nodded slightly. "After all, no team is going to stand still."

Shiratorizawa continued their serve.

Kawanishi Taichi sent out his second serve.

"Yamabuki, move forward!" Yahaba Shigeru called out loudly.

Yamabuki Yujin took a step forward, but as soon as the ball crossed the net, it dropped sharply.

Smack!

Yamabuki Yujin barely managed to receive it from below.

"I got it!" Kunimi Akira stepped in to set the ball high toward the middle.

Kindaichi Yūtarō sprinted in, leaped, and spiked.

"Double block!" Matsudaira Kiyomasa and Nagamatsu Mokuto jumped up.

Boom!

Smack!

"First touch!" Nagamatsu Mokuto shouted to his teammates as he felt the ball graze his fingertips.

That middle blocker—his reactions are fast!

Kunimi Akira still had some impression of him. During last year's Miyagi Prefecture training camp organized by Shiratorizawa, Coach Washijō had been particularly optimistic about two players: Hyakuzawa Yūdai and Nagamatsu Mokuto.

Goshiki Tsutomu's reception was solid, and Shirabu Kenjirō quickly set the ball to the right side. Kamihara Atsushi leaped from the back row for an attack.

"Double block!" Kindaichi Yūtarō and Kunimi Akira jumped together.

Kamihara Atsushi's back-row attack didn't have enough height to ignore the block, so he adjusted mid-air and aimed his spike toward the court.

"I got it!"

Smack!

Nakamori Daiki's receive sent the ball directly above Kyōtani Kentarō.

"This kid—"

Kyōtani instantly leaped to spike.

"Double block!"

Two players from Shiratorizawa jumped again.

"He's actually controlling the blocking rhythm?!"

Kunimi Akira couldn't help but reassess Nagamatsu Mokuto's abilities.

Boom!!

Though the attack was somewhat rushed, with only a double block in front of him, Kyōtani had more than enough space to strike.

Smack!

Nagamatsu's arms shook from the impact, but he didn't yield any space—the ball deflected back into Aoba Johsai's court.

It's a trap!

Kunimi's eyes widened. This guy was even better than he had imagined!

Smack—

The blocked ball rebounded off Nakamori's hand.

"He actually saved it?!"

Despite his surprise, Kunimi didn't hesitate. He jumped effortlessly and smashed the ball downward.

"I'm not done yet—!"

Just as his feet touched the ground, Nagamatsu pushed off for a second jump!

Boom!

Kunimi's spike hit the floor.

[Aoba Johsai 5 – 7 Shiratorizawa]

"That was close..."

Kunimi let out a long breath. This guy really lived up to his reputation as the best middle blocker in the prefecture—he'd already exceeded expectations multiple times.

"Nice save, Nakamori."

"Not bad," Kyōtani muttered through clenched teeth.

Nakamori had turned what should have been a lost point into a winning one. Though Kyōtani acknowledged it internally, there was no way he'd actually say "thank you"—at least not in this match!

Aoba Johsai reclaimed a point, and the serve rotated.

"You're not the only ones who've been working on their serves!"

Kunimi tossed the ball up, took a quick approach, and struck it.

Bang!

Since Kamihara Atsushi was tall, Kunimi deliberately aimed the serve lower, forcing him to adjust.

Smack!

Kamihara reached out for the receive.

The ball struck his arms and bounced downward.

Service ace.

[Aoba Johsai 6 – 7 Shiratorizawa]

"His awareness is solid. For a first-year with his build to have such receiving ability already, it means he's put in a lot of effort in that area," Coach Irihata commented approvingly, despite Kamihara failing to return the serve.

Kunimi served again.

"I got it!"

Goshiki Tsutomu took charge, stepping in to help Kamihara receive.

"Cover!"

Shirabu Kenjirō quickly moved to set.

"Kamihara's approach is blocked by Shirabu. That means only the first-years on the wings are in a position to attack," Kindaichi Yūtarō quickly analyzed.

Whoosh!—

The ball went to the left wing. Rather than challenge Kindaichi's solo block, Shirabu preferred having his spiker face Yahaba Shigeru and Kyōtani's double block.

Matsudaira Kiyomasa leaped.

"Double block!"

Just as Shirabu anticipated, Aoba Johsai's blocking formation solidified. Matsudaira adjusted mid-air to avoid them.

Boom!

Smack!

Yamabuki Yujin dug the ball. Kunimi moved to follow up—

"I got it!"

Nakamori jumped from the back row.

Whoosh!—

Bang!

His set carried a strong leading trajectory—Kindaichi seized the opportunity, launching a quick attack from the right.

Point for Aoba Johsai.

[Aoba Johsai 7 – 7 Shiratorizawa]

Another consecutive point—Aoba Johsai had evened the score.

Shiratorizawa couldn't accept this outcome.

Even though they had more first-years on the court, their ace was still present…

Goshiki remained silent.

For the past six months, he had felt the gap between himself and Ushijima Wakatoshi countless times.

Holding up an entire team alone, being the player everyone trusted to score at crucial moments—it wasn't as simple as it looked.

"Don't dwell on it," Goshiki murmured under his breath, his voice barely audible.

Then, he raised it.

"Forget about it!"

His sudden shout caught the attention of all his teammates.

"We take the next point—we're going to win!" Goshiki declared with unwavering determination.

"Yes!!"

-----

As the match progressed, both teams' first-years visibly sharpened their movements and focus.

And yet, the Shiratorizawa players slowly came to a rather discouraging realization—

At this level, it seemed Kaedehara Taichi really didn't need to play.

Kyōtani Kentarō, Kunimi Akira, Kindaichi Yūtarō, Yahaba Shigeru—Aoba Johsai's second and third-years weren't any weaker than them at all.

"They're so strong..."

Tōma Kaoru sat on the bench, practically in awe.

He had already known from the red-and-white scrimmage on the first day that Aoba Johsai's strength didn't solely rely on Taichi-senpai.

But that match wasn't a serious competition, and the first-years back then hadn't yet meshed as a team.

This practice match, however, had solidified it—Aoba Johsai's upperclassmen were undeniably strong.

After all, their current opponents were none other than the powerhouse Shiratorizawa.

Yet, Tōma also recalled Aoba Johsai's recent loss in the prefectural tournament.

Aside from Taichi-senpai, the others struggled to score against Date Tech.

If that was the case…

Just how strong is the so-called "Golden Iron Wall" that everyone's been talking about?

"What are you thinking about?"

Kaedehara Taichi looked at the first-year beside him, amused.

Despite having such a baby face, Tōma always seemed lost in thought.

"Taichi-senpai!"

Tōma flinched at being called out, a bit flustered.

"I was thinking about the Prefectural Tournament—"

He stopped abruptly.

Wasn't that basically bringing up Taichi-senpai's loss?

Tōma's face turned bright red, and he went silent.

"The Prefectural Tournament, huh."

Taichi had a good idea of what Tōma was getting at.

"I'm sorry, Taichi-senpai."

Tōma hesitated.

Everyone who had watched that match knew Taichi had given it his all. He had still been the highest scorer of the game.

"Hahaha. What are you apologizing for?"

Taichi laughed.

His gaze drifted toward the court, but his mind wandered back to that day.

"Don't worry—"

His voice was steady, unwavering.

"I won't lose again."

_________

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