Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 316: For The Team

[Aoba Johsai 23 - 25 Shiratorizawa]

[Aoba Johsai 26 - 24 Shiratorizawa]

[Aoba Johsai 21 - 25 Shiratorizawa]

For the second set, the starting lineup was adjusted—Coach Irihata subbed out Yahaba Shigeru and sent in first-year setter Tōma Kaoru.

Throughout the entire practice match, Kaedehara Taichi did not step onto the court.

When the match ended, Shiratorizawa secured the overall victory with a 2-1 score. Yet, neither team felt satisfied with the outcome.

After Aoba Johsai left, Shiratorizawa's players lined up for their post-match review.

Washijō Tanji stood in front of the team, his expression unreadable, his gaze difficult to decipher. He remained silent for a long time before finally turning away without a word. His footsteps were firm and heavy, each step pressing down like a weight on his players' hearts.

Manager Saitō let out a quiet sigh. Composing himself, he began listing the team's shortcomings. His voice was steady and clear, and with each flaw he pointed out, the players' heads sank lower.

Standing in the front row, Goshiki Tsutomu fixed his eyes on Coach Washijō's retreating figure. His hands clenched into tight fists, fingernails digging deep into his palms, but he felt no pain.

Coach Washijō hadn't yelled at them today. But that silent disappointment, carried in his retreating figure, was like a thorn buried deep in Goshiki's heart.

"I don't want to be a player like Ushijima-senpai, where only my power stands out—I want to be an ace who excels in both control and technique!"

A year ago, he had proudly declared this in front of Ushijima Wakatoshi.

But now…looking at himself, wasn't that just arrogance? A complete overestimation of his own ability?

"Goshiki, why do you keep hanging your head?" Saitō Akira's tone was both firm and concerned. "Anyone who didn't know better would think we lost the match."

But they had lost.

Defeating an Aoba Johsai team without Kaedehara Taichi didn't bring Goshiki any sense of accomplishment.

"Coach Saitō…what do I need to do to become an ace like Ushijima-senpai?"

"This..." Saitō Akira hesitated. Looking at Goshiki's determined expression, he couldn't bring himself to say something like "Players like Ushijima Wakatoshi are special."

"The role of an ace is to lead their team to victory. Isn't that what truly matters?" Shirabu Kenjirō's voice came from the side.

"Shirabu-senpai..."

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"The ace you need to become isn't Ushiwaka-senpai. No one else can be him. Instead, Shiratorizawa needs you—an ace named 'Goshiki Tsutomu'."

-----

[Aoba Johsai Gymnasium]

The players who hadn't participated in the match were chattering about the day's scrimmage. To them, taking Shiratorizawa to three sets despite not having their core ace, Kaedehara Taichi, was already an impressive feat.

But the ones who had played didn't feel the same way.

If Aoba Johsai had become a team that could only win with Kaedehara Taichi on the court, then that wasn't just an insult to their abilities—it was a tragedy for the team as a whole.

"Yahaba, Kyōtani."

Watari Shinji's voice broke the silence.

"Hm?"

"What is it?"

Yawning, Yahaba Shigeru and Kyōtani Kentarō turned around. It was rare for Watari Shinji to actively approach them with something to say.

"I think…if the team wants to go further, Nakamori should be the starting libero from now on." Watari spoke calmly.

Their expressions grew tense. Yahaba hesitated before saying, "…Why bring this up all of a sudden?"

"It's not sudden. Weren't we playing this match to determine the starting lineup?" Watari had been thinking about this the entire practice match.

"Of course, I'm frustrated too. I wanted to keep playing with you guys." He exhaled lightly. "Kyōtani only rejoined the team last year, and Yahaba only recently became a starting setter after being a substitute for so long. Among those of us in the same year, we're the only ones left."

"…Shinji," Yahaba managed to force out, his voice slightly strained. He hadn't expected Watari to face this situation before any of them.

"But I'm not quitting volleyball. I just want to do whatever it takes for the team to keep winning. If we lose an official match, it's over."

"Nakamori isn't as skilled at receiving jump float serves as you are," Kyōtani said stiffly. "He also can't handle those high-spin balls as well as you."

"He's only a first-year," Watari replied with a smile. "But everyone has seen his talent. The moment he steps onto the court, he grows as fast as Taichi."

Kyōtani fell silent. Among the three of them, Watari had always been the most decisive—the one with the strongest will.

"I'll teach him everything I can while I still have the edge in experience. And after that, I'll do everything I can for the team."

"…Watari, thank you," Yahaba said with difficulty. "As team captain, I'm saying this on behalf of the team."

Watari gave a small, faint smile.

"Getting to play on the court and win a national championship with you guys was something I never even dared to dream of."

"For someone like me…I've already been incredibly lucky."

"You two better keep pushing forward."

"Taichi is strong, but outside of the court, it's up to us third-years to support the team."

"That's a given!" Yahaba said, pounding his chest.

-----

After finishing their discussion, Watari and Yahaba went to find Coach Irihata to talk about the matter.

"What about you?" Kyōtani asked, not moving. "That first-year setter seems pretty talented, too."

Tōma Kaoru, who had played in the second set, hadn't shown a single hint of nervousness. His performance had been excellent.

At 175 cm, he focused entirely on setting. While he didn't have any particularly dazzling plays, he also made no mistakes—something rare for a first-year.

However, his lack of height made his second-touch attacks almost nonexistent, and he contributed little to blocking. There was also another common issue among first-years that was especially obvious in his case—stamina.

High school volleyball's offensive pace was far faster than middle school's. By the second half of the third set, Tōma was clearly struggling. His defensive positioning slowed down, and while his sets remained stable, he couldn't create enough openings for the spikers to break past the opposing blockers.

Aoba Johsai's loss in the third set could almost be entirely attributed to this.

"…Tōma's talent isn't as overwhelming as Nakamori's. That's a small relief for me, I guess," Yahaba said with a bitter smile. "He'll grow stronger—stronger than me, even. But not right now."

"I worked hard to take this position after Oikawa-senpai left. I don't plan on giving it up so easily."

"That's good," Kyōtani said. "Otherwise, I'd lose all respect for you, you eternal benchwarmer."

"You could've left out that last part..."

Stretching his arms over his head, Yahaba let out a deep breath.

"…And I've figured it out. I'm not Oikawa-senpai. No matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to pull off those perfect combinations with Taichi the way he did."

"So, I'll focus more on the other spikers from now on. I plan to talk to Taichi and Kunimi about this too."

Kyōtani shot him a glance.

Sometimes, he really envied these guys who were smart. Their skills were awful, but they always found ways to make themselves useful to the team.

Of course, Kyōtani thought, spending so much time around them had definitely made him improve as well.

For example, in the past, whenever he thought something like that, he would've just said it out loud.

Now, he didn't.

_________

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