Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 284: Reigning Over the Nation! (D-L)
"It feels like Itachiyama has a chance to overtake the lead, yet they just can't seem to secure that crucial point!"
"Now that Kaedehara Taichi has rotated to the front row before Sakusa Kiyoomi, could this be Aoba Johsai's opportunity to widen the gap?"
Aoba Johsai's serve—Kunimi Akira steps up to the service line!
"Hold the line! Take back every single point!" Iizuna Tsukasa shouted.
Itachiyama had to capitalize on every opportunity.
Kunimi tossed the ball into the air.
Bang!
A floating jump serve aimed at the front row! Kunimi's serve bared its fangs at this critical moment!
The ball skimmed the net's edge and dropped sharply into Itachiyama's court.
"That was close…Did I aim too low?" Kunimi let out a breath of relief.
"Damn brat!" Iizuna lunged forward, dropping into a deep squat to barely keep the ball in play, sending a back set toward the net.
"What an unbelievable set! He turned a crisis into a perfect attacking opportunity in an instant!"
From the back row, Sakusa Kiyoomi soared into the air—only he, completely focused, caught the timing right away.
"Here it comes!"
Aoba Johsai's block consisted of just one player—Kaedehara Taichi! The two faced off in mid-air, separated only by the net!
Sakusa's wrist rotated ever so slightly, fingers expertly controlling the ball as he channelled all his power into a single strike.
Bang!—
The ball evaded the block and shot toward Aoba Johsai's back row.
"You're not getting away!"
—Smack!
Kaedehara Taichi swung his arm toward Sakusa's spike direction, barely managing to touch the ball.
"One touch…"
Before Taichi could finish speaking, he saw the ball bouncing high back over Itachiyama's court.
A rebound ball!
"I knew you'd block it." Sakusa's lips curled into a faint smirk.
"Chance ball!" Komori Motoya called out loudly.
Iizuna quickly adjusted, jumping again to set the ball. Sakusa retreated to the back row while Sakano Sawaji leapt for the attack.
A quick attack? Or another tempo attack from Sakusa?
Oikawa Tōru stepped closer to Taichi, preparing to time Itachiyama's next move.
Whoosh!—
Iizuna resisted the urge for a setter dump, instead sending the ball far across the net.
Boom!
Takeshita Yūshin jumped and spiked it down.
A decisive finish!
[Aoba Johsai 8 – 8 Itachiyama]
Kyōtani Kentarō's block was a full step too slow.
More importantly, Iizuna had used three decoys to draw Oikawa and Taichi's block to one side.
"If Matsukawa-senpai were on the court just now, he probably would have tracked that spike and contained it…" Yahaba Shigeru thought to himself. "But since every player has their own strengths and limitations, the key is balancing the lineup to maximize each player's advantage."
Itachiyama remained locked in a tight battle. The serve rotated, and Sakusa returned to the front row.
Iizuna launched a powerful jump serve, forcing Iwaizumi Hajime into a difficult receive.
Oikawa quickly adjusted, setting for Taichi at the net.
"Triple block!"
Sakusa, Takeshita, and Sakano leapt up together, sealing off the cross-court angle.
"You think you can just sit back and receive my straight shot?" Taichi grinned ferociously.
BOOM!!!
SMACK!
Iizuna crouched low to receive, the impact driving him to his knees.
"Whoa—!" Gasps rippled through the crowd.
The ball soared high, tracing a perfect arc before dropping back into Aoba Johsai's court.
"Chance ball!"
Kunimi delivered a clean pass, and Oikawa sent the ball to the left wing—Kyōtani Kentarō jumped for the spike.
"Triple block!"
Itachiyama's front row rushed to the left, forming another solid wall.
Boom!!—
Smack!
"Unbelievable!" Komori barely kept the ball in play.
The ball rebounded high over Aoba Johsai's side.
"Chance ball!"
"Enough!" Nishimura Hiroyuki locked onto the ball and leapt from the back row. "I'm not letting you have this so easily!"
Boom!—
A pair of large hands loomed over Nishimura's vision, casting a shadow over him like an eclipse.
—Smack!
The ball slammed off Kaedehara Taichi's arm and dropped straight down.
Aoba Johsai's block scored!
[Aoba Johsai 9 – 8 Itachiyama]
"Are you in a hurry to hand us points?"
Taichi's cold, emotionless gaze bore down on Nishimura from above the net.
"You're too weak."
"TAICHI!" Oikawa hadn't expected him to say something so blunt.
Taichi ignored Oikawa's call, turning his eyes toward Sakusa instead.
"Come on. Catch up to me."
The serve rotated—Aoba Johsai's serve.
"Sorry." Nishimura looked completely shaken. In that instant, he fully understood Taichi's message—"You're too weak. You have no place in this fight."
His opponent hadn't even regarded him as a threat—just casually stuffing his spike as an afterthought.
"Nishimura, don't dwell on it!" Iizuna reassured him. This was no time for anyone to fall apart.
"Your decision was right." Komori said, "If you don't attack aggressively, you're just giving them another chance to organize their offence."
"Taichi's arrogance is off the charts." Even Komori rarely showed such a serious expression.
"We have to shut him down!"
On the service line, Kyōtani Kentarō glared at Itachiyama's back row. He didn't always approve of Oikawa and Taichi's behaviour, but the moment a weakness presented itself, he couldn't ignore it.
Kyōtani tossed the ball into the air.
BOOM!!
The serve rocketed straight toward Nishimura in the back row.
"Nishimura!"
Iizuna saw him freeze in place and shouted urgently.
Smack!
Komori dashed in from the side, barely managing to keep the ball in play.
"Save it!"
Iizuna sprinted after it, sending a desperate set from outside the boundary back into the front row—Sakusa forced his way into an attack.
"Triple block!"
Oikawa, Taichi, and Kindaichi Yūtarō jumped together.
Smack!
Sakusa had no choice but to tip the ball behind them.
"Chance ball!"
Iwaizumi handled the receive, delivering a perfect pass.
Oikawa set a high ball to the middle.
BAM!
Kaedehara Taichi soared for the spike.
"Triple block!"
Itachiyama's front row bit down, bracing themselves against him.
BOOM!!!
Smack!
The ball slammed off Takeshita's hands and shot far past the baseline.
Komori chased it to the edge of the court, only to watch as the ball landed in the hands of a spectator on the second-floor stands.
Off-the-block point.
Kaedehara Taichi's spike scored.
[Aoba Johsai 10 – 8 Itachiyama]
"Kaedehara Taichi's spike was absolutely lethal! Itachiyama didn't even have a chance to save it!"
Hearing the commentator's voice, Komori Motoya walked back onto the court, unwilling to accept it. Nishimura Hiroyuki snapped back to reality.
On the court, even having time to think felt like a luxury. There was no room for hesitation.
"Sorry," Nishimura Hiroyuki apologized to his teammates once again.
"I don't think I need to say anything more. Hiroyuki, Itachiyama needs you," Iizuna Tsukasa said.
"I understand." Nishimura Hiroyuki's gaze became resolute. "I'll give it my all!"
Kyōtani Kentarō served again.
Boom!
The ball grazed the net, altering its trajectory, but still flew rapidly toward Itachiyama's back row.
Smack!
Nishimura Hiroyuki received the ball. Iizuna Tsukasa adjusted his position and set it to the centre. Sakusa Kiyoomi leaped for the spike.
"Triple block!" Aoba Johsai's iron wall rose once again.
Boom!
Sakusa Kiyoomi's spike smashed into Kindaichi Yūtarō's hands.
—Smack!
"First touch!" Kindaichi Yūtarō shouted toward the back.
The ball flew out of bounds—but its trajectory was completely different from what Sakusa Kiyoomi had anticipated!
Kunimi Akira chased it down and saved it from outside the court. Oikawa Tōru barely managed to set it to the left wing—where Kaedehara Taichi was already airborne for the spike!
"Double block!" Takeshita Yūshin and Sakano Sawaji jumped up.
Bang!
Off the block and out!
The ball rocketed toward the left sideline.
Smack!
Nishimura Hiroyuki reached it! But—
The ball veered even farther out of bounds!
"Damn it, still not good enough…?"
SMACK!
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"The ball hasn't hit the ground yet!!!"
Komori Motoya dove into a slide, positioning himself perfectly under the ball and digging it up.
He even sent it back toward the net!
Sakusa Kiyoomi leaped for another spike.
"Triple block!" Aoba Johsai wasn't giving an inch!
Boom!—
The ball curved over the block, descending rapidly toward Aoba Johsai's baseline.
Such an intense topspin!
Thud!
Watari Shinji retreated quickly, but he still couldn't reach it in time.
"Out!"
Watari Shinji's eyes widened as the referee made the call.
"Oh, that was an incredibly sharp trajectory—it dropped steeply right after clearing the block. Just a fraction more, and it would've landed in!"
"Wait…"
"The head referee signals that the ball grazed Oikawa Tōru's fingertips on its way over the net! A brilliant tool-out play—Sakusa Kiyoomi scores!"
[Aoba Johsai 10 – 9 Itachiyama]
"Don't think you can shake us off that easily, Taichi!"
Sakusa Kiyoomi remained calm from start to finish—everything had played out just as he had expected.
"Motoya, that was a great set," Iizuna Tsukasa still marvelled at Komori Motoya's unbelievable save.
"And you too, Hiroyuki. That was your point as well. Nice receive!"
"Yes!"
Nishimura Hiroyuki knew that receive was far from perfect, but—next time, he would do better!
-----
The match between Aoba Johsai and Itachiyama had entered a deadlock. Neither side could pull ahead.
Aoba Johsai took the lead multiple times, only for Itachiyama to catch up again and again. But just as Kaedehara Taichi had said—the set had reached its final stage, yet Itachiyama had never managed to overtake them. Not even once.
This situation filled Itachiyama's players with frustration. They launched relentless attacks, trying to break the deadlock—only to have Kaedehara Taichi block their every hope.
Aoba Johsai's lead remained unshaken.
Itachiyama finally realized—Aoba Johsai was determined to end the match in the fourth set.
Both teams gritted their teeth and fought on. Every rally was fiercely contested, and the exhaustion on the players' faces was evident.
Yet their eyes still burned bright. Their fighting spirit remained unyielding.
—"In the next moment, I will surpass myself!"
Everyone was waiting for that one decisive moment. The moment that would decide victory or defeat.
They had all resolved to fight to the very last second.
-----
[Aoba Johsai 24 – 23 Itachiyama]
Aoba Johsai's serve.
Oikawa Tōru tossed the ball lightly into the air, took three quick steps, then leapt and slammed the ball down with all his strength.
BOOM!
"I got it!" Iizuna Tsukasa shouted.
Smack!
Iizuna Tsukasa planted his feet firmly, his body tilting slightly backward to absorb the impact before stabilizing his stance and sending the ball cleanly into the air.
Komori Motoya jumped from the back row, never taking his eyes off the ball's trajectory. His movements were smooth and natural as he set the ball to the middle.
Thud!
Sakusa Kiyoomi leapt from the front row for the spike.
"Double block!" Kaedehara Taichi and Kindaichi Yūtarō positioned themselves in front of him.
Boom!—
The ball, spinning violently, shot toward Aoba Johsai's back corner.
Smack!
Kunimi Akira dove for it—the ball flew far out of bounds.
Sakusa Kiyoomi landed with a faint smile. This point—it was Itachiyama's for the taking!
Aoba Johsai's heart sank.
"TAICHI!!!"
At that critical moment, Oikawa Tōru dashed out like a bolt of lightning.
One final step!
Oikawa Tōru erupted with power, his body tilting to the extreme—he was nearly parallel to the ground. He stretched his arm as far as it could go, reaching for just a little more distance.
In all the countless nights he had dreamed of reaching Nationals, his thoughts had twinkled like stars in the night sky. Each star represented his yearning for victory.
He had imagined himself standing tall on the court. Imagined the crowd's cheers and applause. Imagined leading his team to the very top.
This ball seemed impossibly out of reach—just like those countless dreams.
But this time—he seized hope!
Just as the ball was about to touch the floor, Oikawa Tōru's fingertips made contact. He crashed to the ground, hands instinctively repeating a motion practised tens of thousands of times.
Whoosh!—
The ball carved a beautiful arc through the air.
Oikawa Tōru ignored the pain and scrambled to his feet. Sweat dripped from his forehead, his breathing was ragged and heavy—but his eyes never left the ball.
Kaedehara Taichi sprinted from the baseline. His breath remained steady, his heartbeat strong and unwavering.
Every ball mattered—but this one, somehow, felt different.
BAM!
Kaedehara Taichi took his final step. His arms swung back, his body tilted slightly forward, then shot straight up into the air.
The ball, coming from beyond the sideline, was perfectly placed—neither too far nor too close. With just one glance, he focused entirely on his movement. His body stretched fully, his right arm pulling back, elbow open at the perfect angle.
More than a service ace. More than a block point. More than an opponent's mistake—
Kaedehara Taichi wanted the match point to be his.
"Triple block!!!" Mizushima Yū, Sakusa Kiyoomi, and Takeshita Yūshin jumped up in front of him.
And saw Kaedehara Taichi's brilliant smile.
—The best spike deserved the best background.
—Boom!!!—
The ball ricocheted off Sakusa Kiyoomi's hands and slammed into Itachiyama's court.
Kaedehara Taichi scored!
[Aoba Johsai 25 – 23 Itachiyama]
"Tweet—!"
The long whistle blew.
The fourth set was over.
Winner: Aoba Johsai.
_________
[END OF VOLUME 2]
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