Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 381: Seijoh vs. Inubishi (Double-Length)

"Beep—!"

Warmups concluded, and the match began.

"Let's have a good game!"

Seijoh's lineup:

Front row—Middle Blocker Kindaichi Yūtarō, Setter Yahaba Shigeru, Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi.

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

Inubishi Higashi's lineup:

Front row—Middle Blocker Akiha Kazuma, Outside Hitter Sanada Shunpei, Outside Hitter Kumadō Sōichi.

Back row—Outside Hitter Naitō Tetsuto, Setter Shimura Ryo and Middle Blocker Narita Heiji (Libero: Moriyama Makoto).

Inubishi Higashi's formation was fairly conservative—they didn't immediately place Sanada Shunpei opposite Taichi. While that meant sacrificing one of their ace's strongest rotations in the first set, it was a way to avoid having Sanada completely suppressed by Taichi.

Inubishi Higashi served first, with Narita Heiji unleashing a powerful jump serve.

Kunimi Akira smoothly received it—perfect pass.

Thud!

Kaedehara Taichi soared at the net and swung.

"—A first touch straight into a second-touch attack?!!"

"Sōichi!"

"Double block!" Sanada and Kumadō leapt to meet Taichi head-on.

Despite Sanada's warning, Kumadō's jump was still a beat too slow.

—Boom!!!—

The ball skimmed Kumadō's fingertips and slammed down behind him—

Inside the three-meter line!

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a spike.

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 0 Inubishi Higashi]

Ten seconds?

No—maybe only five!

Inubishi Higashi had lost a point within five seconds of serving.

"A first-touch set, and Kaedehara scores with a powerful attack!"

"Seijoh goes full force from the first play, and Inubishi Higashi had no time to react!"

"Great set, Kunimi."

"Nice hit."

Taichi and Kunimi exchanged a crisp high five.

"Was that a declaration of war?" Sanada Shunpei narrowed his eyes at Taichi.

"Nope." As Seijoh rotated, Taichi now stood directly opposite Sanada. "Just saying hello."

Service switched—Seijoh to serve.

Kindaichi Yūtarō launched a powerful jump serve. Moriyama received it cleanly.

Setter Shimura Ryo sent the ball to the middle—Sanada leapt for the attack.

"Yūki!"

"Double block!" Yūki Yōji and Taichi both rose to block.

Even though it was just two blockers, Sanada felt like there was barely any space to strike.

Tap!

Sanada tipped the ball over.

"Chance ball!" Kindaichi tracked the floating ball carefully.

"Wait—that's going out?"

The ball arced high through the air, and Kindaichi hurriedly backpedaled.

Thump!

The ball landed right in Seijoh's back corner and bounced out.

Sanada Shunpei scored with a tip.

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 1 Inubishi Higashi]

"Incredible!!"

"Sanada once again shows off his brilliant ball control!"

"Facing Seijoh's towering wall, he precisely drops the ball into a tight spot!"

"Both teams going all-out right from the start!"

Service switched—Inubishi Higashi to serve.

Kumadō Sōichi served with a regular jump serve. Nakamori Daiki received and bumped the ball up near the net.

Kaedehara Taichi jumped once again to spike.

"Double block!" Akiha and Sanada reacted instantly and closed the space in front of him.

Thud!

On the far right, Yūki Yōji also jumped.

"Damn…Seijoh's attack is too flexible," Akiha thought in frustration. Even if they managed to stop Taichi's spike, they had no way of blocking any surprise dumps or passes he might execute.

Just then, he noticed a faint smile tug at Taichi's lips.

Tap!

No pass!

Despite a low first touch, faced with a double block, Taichi tipped the ball high over them again.

Thump!

The ball landed in the deep corner behind Kumadō and bounced out.

Kaedehara Taichi scored again.

[Aoba Johsai 2 – 1 Inubishi Higashi]

"This…this is the same kind of tip! Identical placement!"

"Taichi shows off the same masterful ball control—it's hard to believe this wasn't calculated!"

Sanada raised a brow. That had to be a provocation…

Service switched again.

Yahaba Shigeru sent a float serve dipping toward the front row.

"I got it!"

Sanada didn't hesitate, stepping up to receive, leaving space for his approach.

Shimura Ryo jumped to set—the front row launched a three-point attack!

"Yūki, don't jump too early." Taichi signaled to Yūki Yōji to stay calm and read the ball.

"Got it!"

Shimura's eyes flicked toward Seijoh's front line and immediately felt the pressure—they were watching him like hawks.

"I might be lacking, but Sanada-senpai will never lose!" Shimura's eyes burned with resolve.

Whoosh—!

The set flew to the far right. Sanada ran the line and leapt for a cross shot.

"Double block!" Taichi and Yūki followed closely—they hadn't been fooled by the fake or the set.

"Tch…they're tough." Sanada frowned. At 188cm with a strong jump, he rarely feared blockers. But this 195cm wall across from him wasn't just tall—he was fast, with crisp hand placement.

Boom!—

The ball flew past Yūki's block, barely skimming the edge of Seijoh's sideline and bouncing out.

A line shot.

Sanada scored.

[Aoba Johsai 2 – 2 Inubishi Higashi]

"What a close play! But Sanada gets the point in the end!"

"Truly the ace of Inubishi Higashi!"

"By the way, in May's issue of Volleyball Monthly, Sanada and Inarizaki's Miya Osamu were newly listed among the national top five outside hitters!"

"A fantastic player indeed!"

"Nice spike, Sanada-senpai!" Shimura shouted, his face flushed with pride.

To him, praise for Sanada was praise for all of Inubishi Higashi. Though one thing he disagreed with—the commentators called it a "close call," but in Shimura's eyes, it was perfectly calculated!

Having reclaimed service again, Sanada stepped up to the line.

"Watch it—this guy's serve is lethal!" Yahaba warned loudly.

Among the five most dangerous servers in this year's Nationals were: Seijoh's Kaedehara Taichi, Itachiyama's Sakusa Kiyoomi, Inarizaki's Miya Atsumu, Kamomedai's Hoshiumi Kōrai, and finally—Sanada Shunpei of Inubishi Higashi.

Sanada tossed the ball. Every step of his approach was precise, as if measured with a ruler.

Thud!

Even his jump was textbook-perfect.

Boom!—

The serve arced toward the gap between Yahaba and Nakamori—slightly closer to Yahaba.

"I got it!" Yahaba called, shifting sideways.

"…Huh?!"

The ball curved at the last second, veering just enough to land perfectly between the two of them.

Sanada scored a no-touch ace.

[Aoba Johsai 2 – 3 Inubishi Higashi]

"A miraculous service route left Aoba Johsai utterly lost in serve receive!"

"Inubishi Higashi takes the lead!!!"

Back when Aoba Johsai had watched Inubishi Higashi's match against Itachiyama the previous year, Kaedehara Taichi had already felt that Sanada Shunpei's true strength didn't just lie in his ball control—what made his control truly shine was his extraordinary volleyball IQ.

Aoba Johsai's back row receivers, from left to right, were Yahaba Shigeru, Nakamori Daiki, and Kyōtani Kentarō. While the lineup wasn't anything stellar, they were fortunate enough that Nakamori was positioned in the middle and could cover the widest defensive range.

But it was as if Sanada were exploiting that very confidence. His serve tested the team's chemistry in the first layer—aimed right between two players, the ball could easily cause a "face collision" if both went for it or, worse, if neither did.

Yahaba's call avoided that scenario.

But then came the second layer. The ball's direction intentionally veered away from the libero, baiting another player into taking the receive; yet in the end, the ball still curved back toward the seam between two. In most cases, not every player could react to that kind of serve.

"Tweet!—"

The whistle blew.

Sanada Shunpei stepped up to serve once again.

"What an annoying guy," Nakamori muttered, though there was a smile on his face.

Boom!—

Sanada's second serve targeted the left sideline—openly!

Smack!

The serve landed sharply, but fortunately, its speed wasn't too fast. Yahaba managed to dig it, albeit with difficulty.

"I got it!"

Nakamori Daiki leapt from the back row to set the ball.

The ball soared high. Taichi charged up the left sideline and jumped.

Thud!

"Triple block!" Shimura Akira, Naitō Tetsuto, and Akiha Kazuma all leapt in unison.

BOOM!!!

With unstoppable force, the ball soared just above Shimura's block and slammed down onto Inubishi Higashi's side.

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a super spike.

[Aoba Johsai 3 – 3 Inubishi Higashi]

"Even though Inubishi Higashi had quickly formed a three-man block, it didn't seem to faze Taichi at all!"

"And prior to that, the back-row set from libero Nakamori was also a thing of beauty."

"Was it?"

"Of course! Jump setting while moving forward and maintaining stability isn't something just anyone can pull off."

"Aoba Johsai broke through Inubishi Higashi's ace, Sanada, in only two rallies. Now it's Taichi's turn to serve—how will Inubishi Higashi respond?!"

As the serve changed hands, Kaedehara Taichi walked up to the service line.

"Taichi! Give us a good one!"

Taichi didn't say a word. When the whistle blew, he gently tossed the ball into the air, took his approach, jumped, and struck.

BOOM!!!—

"Makoto!"

Thud!

Moriyama Makoto didn't move an inch. He had clearly seen the ball's path, but his body refused to react.

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a service ace.

[Aoba Johsai 4 – 3 Inubishi Higashi]

"Don't worry about it, Makoto! Next one!"

"Got it!"

Moriyama rolled his shoulders. His body had tensed up the moment he'd seen the ball earlier.

"Tweet!—"

The whistle blew again.

BOOM!!!

A powerful left-handed jump serve!

Moriyama quickly recalled Coach's instructions from last night. He lowered his center of gravity just a little.

This serve was noticeably slower than the last, and Moriyama felt a wave of calm.

I can receive this one!

Smack!

The ball struck his forearm, ricocheted off his shoulder, and flew out of bounds.

Kaedehara Taichi scored back-to-back service aces.

[Aoba Johsai 5 – 3 Inubishi Higashi]

"Another service ace! Kaedehara Taichi has honed his serving technique to the absolute limit!!!"

"Rumor has it that Taichi wasn't any good at serving during his first year Inter-High, right, Ōtomo-sensei?"

"That's right. Serving power directly affects the strength of the whole team. Back when he was a first-year, Taichi's serve wasn't anything special. Aoba Johsai really suffered against Miya Atsumu's ferocious serves that match."

"But maybe that's exactly why he spent the past year perfecting his technique!"

"We have already seen how lethal his serves could be during the Spring High. But they were never as refined as now!"

"Don't rush it, Akira," Sanada said calmly. "We've handled tough servers before. We'll get used to this one too. It's not a problem."

"Right!"

Kaedehara Taichi didn't even glance at the other Inubishi Higashi players—his eyes locked solely on Moriyama Makoto.

Third serve.

BOOM!!!— fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

"He switched back to his right hand!" Moriyama's eyes widened as he adjusted his body positioning for the receive.

The ball drew a sharp arc through the air, and by the time it reached Inubishi Higashi's back row, it was already dipping below a meter in height.

It's too fast!

Moriyama dove left. In his eyes, the ball was dropping fast. But—

Wait…is it going out?!

Thud!

His hesitation showed in his movement. His arm reached a fraction too late.

The ball landed half-on, half-off the left sideline.

Kaedehara Taichi scored his third consecutive ace!

[Aoba Johsai 6 – 3 Inubishi Higashi]

"Another point from Taichi's serve! Just like that, Aoba Johsai pulls ahead!"

"If Inubishi Higashi can't break this streak soon, they're in serious trouble!"

"Hahaha…Taichi really is a vicious one," chuckled Japan's national team coach, Hibarida Fuki, from the stands.

"Definitely. That kid's been targeting Inubishi's libero the whole time. The others haven't touched the ball yet, but I bet they're all feeling the pressure," added Vice Chairman Katase Jun of the Japan Volleyball Association beside him.

The two had come to scout players for the upcoming Japan–USA volleyball exchange match. Though ironically, their primary interest wasn't Aoba Johsai, but rather how the Inubishi Higashi players would perform.

After all, match outcomes depended on many factors—but neither of them believed Aoba Johsai would lose here.

"By the way, where's Inubishi Higashi's first-year middle blocker? I was really looking forward to seeing his performance today," Kase said with a hint of disappointment.

"You mean Kai Suzuharu? Yeah…weird. Could he be injured?" Hibarida glanced toward the Inubishi Higashi bench, but didn't see the boy anywhere.

"Well, regardless, the media's been pretty high on Inubishi Higashi this year. If they hadn't run into Aoba Johsai so early, they probably could've gone far," Kase sighed. "Sorry, I'm getting sentimental."

"Haha… It is your alma mater, Katase. That's perfectly understandable," Hibarida said with a chuckle.

But that chuckle soon faded. Hibari's expression turned serious.

"Failure might be the main theme of high school volleyball—but it's never the final act."

"Building resilience from defeat, learning and growing from setbacks—that's why we stand here. To see the ones who stay on the path, who refuse to give up, go even further."

"And in that sense…Kaedehara Taichi is no exception."

_________

[T/N] - If you guys want to read 50 Chapters in advance of the current story, you can support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome!

Link - (P)atreon.com/Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]