Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 366: Face the Reality (Double-Length)

"I want to do more."

"I'm always ready. As long as there's a chance—I'll make it count!"

Yūki Yōji stepped onto the service line. The moment the whistle blew, he tossed the ball high with force.

Boom!!!

No matter how many times he failed, he'd still go all out.

From the very start, Yūki went all-in.

Smack!

"This guy!" Kageyama winced as he was forced to receive. The sheer power of the serve made his body tremble.

"We've gotta score! We have to score!"

From the back row, Nishinoya leapt up and set the ball. Karasuno launched a multi-point attack!

Kita Seio, Hinata Shōyō, and Ennoshita Chikara lined up and all leapt simultaneously!

Seijoh's blockers were forced to split their defence, while the back row kept a close eye on Nishinoya's movement.

Whoosh—!

The ball went to the right.

Yahaba Shigeru positioned himself in front of Ennoshita, but Ennoshita swung and missed.

"Check the approach distance!"

Thud!

It was Tanaka Ryūnosuke! A delayed attack!

Yahaba was already falling back down.

Boom!!!

The ball slammed to the floor right next to Yūki's foot and ricocheted up violently.

Tanaka Ryūnosuke scored from the back row!

[Aoba Johsai 5 - 2 Karasuno]

"Ryū! That was an awesome spike!"

"YEEEAAAHHHHHH!!!" Tanaka roared, voice echoing through the gym.

When it came to rallying the team, no one was more perfect for the job than Tanaka Ryūnosuke.

Attacking from the right side while Daiki's off the court...Taichi shot Nishinoya a subtle glance.

Setting aside his chuunibyou antics, he's surprisingly sharp when it comes to organising plays.

Karasuno regained the serve.

"Let's tie it up in one go!"

"Yeahhh!!!"

Kita Seio unleashed a powerful jump serve. Kunimi Akira received it cleanly.

Yahaba quickly repositioned and sent the ball to the right. Kyōtani Kentarō came charging in from outside the sideline on a diagonal run.

"Triple block!" Hinata, Ennoshita, and Tanaka leapt together.

It was Karasuno's weakest blocking formation, so Ukai's instruction had been simple: seal off the line, and get a touch at all costs.

Kyōtani launched himself, arm snapping like a whip from behind.

"BRING IT ON!!" Tanaka bellowed, right in front of him.

Boom!!!—

From Nishinoya's view, the tip of that whip-like arm suddenly shifted direction.

"Wait—it's not a cross shot?!"

Kyōtani had shaped up for a cross and smashed a line shot instead, even fooling Nishinoya completely.

The ball shot past Tanaka's right side and slammed onto Karasuno's sideline before bouncing out.

Kyōtani Kentarō scored.

[Aoba Johsai 6 - 2 Karasuno]

"That was sick, Mad Dog-senpai!" Taichi praised sincerely. That play had showcased the absolute peak of his body's flexibility and arm control—something Taichi couldn't replicate himself.

But Kyōtani didn't respond. He was too busy scowling at the net, locking eyes with the stunned and indignant Tanaka on the other side.

"Hmph. All that yelling. So annoying."

"You bastard…!"

The two bald delinquents—similar in both stature and temper—glared across the net at each other, seconds away from a brawl unrelated to volleyball.

"…."

Kaedehara Taichi blinked.

If I remember correctly, Mad Dog-senpai used to be just like that too…he muttered under his breath.

Kunimi gave a small nod. "Yeah. But after we made nationals, he started to change. Got a lot quieter."

"Oh! I know why!" Kindaichi Yūtarō suddenly turned around to join the conversation. "It's 'cause he met Ushijima-senpai, Kiryu-senpai, Bokuto-senpai, Aran-senpai…"

"Hehe, man, that's a lotta senpai," Taichi couldn't help but chuckle.

"YOU THREE—!!!" Kyōtani turned his death glare on his own teammates.

"Ahem."

"Rotate."

"Next play! Focus!"

The second-years quickly dropped the conversation and awkwardly returned to the game.

Serve rotation. Aoba Johsai to serve.

Yahaba served a jump float.

"I got it!" Nishinoya called, receiving cleanly.

The ball soared perfectly toward the net. Kageyama jumped to set.

Hinata's figure appeared on the left. Kindaichi jumped alone to block him.

Whoosh—!

Boom!!!—

But it was Tanaka, not Hinata, who spiked from the right, slamming a line shot past Kyōtani's block.

Smack!

Yahaba barely managed to dig it up.

"Cover!"

Nakamori Daiki raced under the ball in a blur and popped it back up.

Whoosh!

The ball returned to the front row. Kyōtani jumped to spike again from the right.

"Triple block!" Karasuno's front line leapt up in unison.

BOOM!—

SMACK!

The ball deflected off Kita Seio's left hand and flew out of bounds.

Another diagonal spike.

Kyōtani Kentarō scored again.

[Aoba Johsai 7 - 2 Karasuno]

"Damn it!" Tanaka groaned in frustration. "I really thought we had that one!"

Kageyama's brows knitted tightly. He had intentionally chosen not to set to Hinata on the last play. Something told him that if Hinata's attack got shut down again, Karasuno wouldn't be able to recover.

But...there's no way through Seijoh's defence...

It was hard to believe. Just a year ago, Seijoh had needed blocks to shield their back row—now, their defence felt completely impenetrable.

"Kageyama," Hinata's eyes were dead serious as he stared at him, "are you running away?"

"Hah?" Kageyama shot him a murderous glare. "You idiot. Do you even know what you're saying?"

It was because this dumbass kept getting blocked that he was racking his brain for other solutions—and now this guy dared to accuse him of running away?!

"I'm not afraid," Hinata said firmly. "Set to me."

"You—" Kageyama clenched his teeth. "Fine. One more shot. I'll give you one last chance.

If you can't score, then shut up and run my plays."

Hinata didn't reply. His eyes were fixed with laser focus on Seijoh's back row.

"Tweet!—"

The whistle blew again as Yahaba served a second time.

Bang!

Smack!

Nishinoya Yū received the ball with ease, delivering a perfect first touch.

Hinata Shōyō leapt, his figure appearing at the net front. If he wasn't mistaken just now, Aoba Johsai's weak spot was in the lower right corner—Yahaba Shigeru's defensive zone!

Two front-row players from Aoba Johsai followed up for the block.

"Kindaichi, seal the cross!"

Kunimi Akira cut off Kindaichi Yūtarō's position, and the two of them jumped together just in front and slightly to the right of Hinata.

"A double block!"

Fwhip—!

The ball shot precisely in front of Hinata, but—

"It's blocked?!"

The gap Hinata had spotted earlier was now sealed off by Kunimi and Kindaichi's block!

Bang!

Hinata stayed calm, spiking the ball straight downward. With the centre undefended, a new opening had appeared.

The ball fell within the three-meter line on Aoba Johsai's side.

Smack!

Kaedehara Taichi dove to save the ball.

"Hinata-senpai is really getting tougher to handle," Nakamori Daiki muttered as he jumped from the back row to set the ball to the right. Kyōtani Kentarō leapt for his third attack.

"Not on my watch!!!"

Hinata, having landed, quickly shifted to the right and jumped at a diagonal angle, forming a three-man block with two others.

"This guy!"

Karasuno's block this time was deliberately focused on sealing Kyōtani's cross shot, leaving the straight shot to Karasuno's guardian—Nishinoya Yū!

Boom!!!

The ball pierced through the right side of the block, heading straight to Karasuno's back row.

Smack!

This time, Nishinoya Yū defended that point for Karasuno.

Kageyama Tobio appeared again as Hinata, having just landed, sprinted back to the left and jumped once more.

"Is he a robot?!"

Kunimi and Kindaichi clenched their teeth and followed. They were already on the left side, so they blocked Hinata once again.

"Give me the ball!!!"

Hinata shouted mid-air, seemingly forgetting the earlier promise he had made with Kageyama.

This time! He would definitely score!

Fwhip—!

Bang!

Instead, Ennoshita Chikara leapt in the middle and scored with a quick attack.

[Aoba Johsai 7 - 3 Karasuno]

"Daiki, what were you staring at?" Kaedehara Taichi teased.

"Sorry," Nakamori said seriously. That guy on the other side had too strong a presence. His dynamic movements unintentionally drew all of his attention.

After landing, Hinata gave Kageyama a long, hard look. But he said nothing. He simply walked to the service line in silence.

"This guy—" Kageyama didn't feel like he did anything wrong. Putting aside their earlier agreement about giving Hinata just one chance, the last play had Hinata attract two blockers, while Tanaka-senpai on the far right had kept Kyōtani occupied.

With the middle wide open, setting to Ennoshita had been the best choice—and the easy point they earned was proof of that.

Still, Kageyama wouldn't have been bothered if Hinata had thrown a loud tantrum. That kind of thing was normal for the idiot. But Hinata being this quiet…that actually made Kageyama a little uncomfortable.

The serve rotated to Karasuno.

Hinata made a regular jump serve.

Boom!

Nakamori Daiki received the serve cleanly and sent it up toward the net. Kunimi Akira jumped to spike.

"Idiot! That serve was too soft!" Kageyama growled under his breath.

Ennoshita jumped to block in front of Kunimi.

Fwhip—!

For a split second, Kunimi was tempted to go for the spike, but ultimately, he set the ball far right.

Kyōtani Kentarō jumped again!

"Shift left a bit—cover the cross," Tsukishima Kei calmly adjusted their block.

"Double block!" Tanaka Ryūnosuke and Tsukishima jumped at the same time, sealing the cross direction and deliberately leaving the line open, where Kageyama was waiting in the back row.

"Trying to lure me into spiking down the line?" Kyōtani scowled. He remembered this tall, lanky glasses-wearing guy. Not as insidious as Taichi, but definitely more cunning than your average player.

BOOM!!!—

Kyōtani unleashed a vicious cross spike.

"If it's just two blockers, I'll blast right through."

The ball roared past Tanaka's left side—but Tsukishima only smiled faintly.

The stage is set for you. If you're not satisfied, prove yourself.

Smack!

Hinata received the spike!

"Nice…receive…" Kageyama muttered.

Even though it was a perfect pass, Hinata didn't smile. He quickly stabilised himself and sprinted toward the net.

"Kageyama!!!"

There was no time for a quick—THUD!

Hinata soared from the back row, and Kageyama leapt to toss.

"Triple block!" Kunimi, Kindaichi, and Kyōtani all jumped together.

With no first-tempo run-up and lacking height in his back-row attack, Hinata was completely caught by the three-man front-line block.

What could he do now?

Fwhip—!

If you're the one who created this opportunity, then prove yourself.

The ball sailed high to the left. Hinata locked eyes on the single open space—and swung hard.

BANG!

The ball flew over Kindaichi's outstretched hands.

"That angle?! It's gonna go out!"

The ball traced a sharp arc in the air and landed right behind Yahaba Shigeru.

Thud!

A line shot!

Hinata scored!

[Aoba Johsai 7 - 4 Karasuno]

"H-He did it!"

"That was an insanely precise line shot!"

"Bea-beau—tiful!!!"

"OHHHHH!! Who is that little guy?! He's amazing!!"

Aone Takanobu stood up excitedly. Ever since Date Tech had played against Karasuno, he and Hinata had shared an unspoken bond. Among the many teams in Miyagi, Karasuno and Date Tech often played the most practice matches.

"Let—let go of my arm!!" Futakuchi Kenji howled.

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"Ah, sorry." Aone scratched his head awkwardly. He thought he'd grabbed the armrest…but these stadium seats didn't have any.

"That little guy's really something," Futakuchi said in awe. "Pulling off a back-row attack right after that receive? He's practically a machine."

"N-Nice kill," Kageyama forced himself to say.

"If you're that bad at compliments, maybe just don't bother," Hinata rolled his eyes. "But hey, Kageyama, I feel really weird! Like everything the Little Giant-senpai taught me is playing back in my head on repeat!"

"What are you even talking about?" Kageyama looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "Just don't let it go to your head."

"Haha, I know what to do now!" Hinata said with a big grin. "Let's take this second set together!"

"Yeah, that was always the plan," Kageyama replied coolly.

Karasuno continued to serve. Hinata sent out his second serve.

Boom!

Still soft and lacklustre, the ball floated toward Nakamori Daiki, who received and passed it to Kunimi Akira.

Swoosh!

A blur streaked across Karasuno's line of sight—one figure in stark contrast to the stationary Aoba Johsai players. His speed seemed fast enough to tear through space.

THUD!

Kaedehara Taichi leapt on the far right.

"Still remember the feeling from earlier, Kunimi?"

Fwhip—!

The ball once again appeared near Taichi's palm.

"Just block one—just one of his hits!!" Tsukishima reacted instantly. Most would've been frozen by that kind of speed, but not him! That hyperactive shrimp from Karasuno was always darting around in front of his eyes at this pace!

BOOM!!!

Ignored completely…

Right until the moment Taichi spiked, Tsukishima could still track the ball's trajectory.

But the next instant—BANG!—the thunderous impact of the ball echoed behind him.

THUD!!!

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a back-row spike!

[Aoba Johsai 8 - 4 Karasuno]

"It seems like you've all started to entertain some unrealistic fantasy," Kaedehara said coolly. "If that's the case, then allow me to snap you back to reality as soon as possible."

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