Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 323: Head-On Confrontation

"Sorry!" Ennoshita Chikara said bitterly.

A 190cm-tall blocker was terrifying—it even reminded him of facing Date Tech in the past.

"Were you scared just now, Kageyama?" Hinata Shōyō asked. His voice wasn't particularly loud, nor was his tone especially sharp.

But everyone could tell—he was seriously questioning Kageyama Tobio.

"Hah? What are you talking about?" Kageyama shot back with a fierce glare.

"Then why didn't you set to me? Ennoshita-senpai had two blockers in front of him, but I only had one."

—That one blocker was Kaedehara Taichi. The risk of being stuffed was much higher than against a double block.

Kageyama thought this to himself but immediately realized—it only proved Hinata's point.

"I was simply making a logical decision," Kageyama insisted.

"I told you—I'll make sure you set to me."

Hinata's expression changed in an instant. His eyes sharpened, his whole demeanour turning more serious. The sheer pressure he exuded made Ennoshita hesitate, stopping mid-step before he could intervene.

Kageyama looked at Hinata intently. The last time Hinata said those words was back when Karasuno lost to Shiratorizawa in the Spring High preliminaries. In the final play of that match, Kageyama had set to Azumane Asahi instead of Hinata.

"I got it," Kageyama said, calming down.

"Huh?" Hinata tilted his head, immediately returning to his usual self.

"Whether you can go head-to-head against a blocker now—we'll find out."

"Not a problem at all!" Hinata said confidently.

The serve rotated to Aoba Johsai.

Kindaichi Yūtarō stepped up for a powerful jump serve.

Boom!

Smack!

—That serve is heavy!

Tanaka Ryuunosuke barely managed to receive it, and Kageyama quickly moved into position, setting high to the right wing.

Thud!

Hinata soared into the air.

"Double block!"

Kaedehara Taichi and Yūki Yōji were waiting for him.

So tall!

Hinata marvelled at Yūki's height, while Yūki, in turn, marvelled at Hinata's jump.

No clear path!

Every angle he could attack was sealed off.

Smack!

The ball slammed into Yūki's hands and rebounded back into Karasuno's court.

A rebound!

"Then I'll try again!"

The moment Hinata landed, he sprinted to the far left side—making full use of the court's horizontal width!

Taichi landed and immediately followed, not falling a step behind.

Damn it, I can't shake him!

Thud!

Hinata took his final step and leapt sideways.

Taichi was still in front of him.

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Once again—a direct confrontation at the net!

All eyes were locked on the two of them.

Bang!

—Kageyama went for a surprise setters dump.

[Aoba Johsai 19 – 17 Karasuno]

Hinata: "???"

Everyone on the court: "???"

At a time like this?!

Taichi couldn't help but chuckle. It was just like Kageyama to take advantage of the moment. Even he had assumed the ball was going to Hinata—Hinata's desire to challenge him head-on was too genuine to be an act.

"Sorry!" Yūki said, his voice heavy. Kageyama had spiked right above him, and he hadn't reacted in time.

Taichi-senpai had said that the little guy was his responsibility—so how had this happened?

"Kageyama…nice spike," Hinata mumbled, sulking.

"Heh." Kageyama smirked eerily.

"Please don't smile like that…"

The serve rotated again—Ennoshita's jump serve.

"I got it!"

Nakamori Daiki cleanly passed the ball to the middle.

Taichi jumped—

"Triple block!"

Kita Seio, Hinata, and Kageyama formed a solid wall in front of him.

Whoosh!—

A casual-looking feint—turned into a set.

The ball flew to the right side.

Yūki spiked—

Point, Aoba Johsai.

[Aoba Johsai 20 – 17 Karasuno]

Aoba Johsai was the first to reach 20 points.

Compared to Karasuno's struggle to score, Aoba Johsai's points seemed to come far too easily.

Ukai Keishin furrowed his brows deeply. Right now, Kaedehara Taichi was just like Ushijima Wakatoshi before—an absolute force among spikers. In Ukai's view, if Aoba Johsai started relying on a single ace like Shiratorizawa had, Karasuno would definitely have a chance to exploit that weakness.

After all, Date Tech's victory in the Prefectural Tournament had come from utilizing this exact strategy.

However, from what today's practice match showed, Aoba Johsai's situation was clearly different. Kaedehara Taichi was undoubtedly strong, and centering the team around him was the correct approach—but that didn't mean the others were passive or overly reliant on him.

Ukai glanced at Coach Irihata. Aoba Johsai had evidently found a style that suited them best. They maintained their advantage through a varied offence during regular play and only concentrated the ball toward Taichi in critical moments.

What a headache…

-----

Serve change. Aoba Johsai serves.

Boom!

The ball flew toward Karasuno's front row, targeting Hinata Shōyō.

Smack!

Hinata received it with his hands, and Kageyama Tobio moved into position.

Whoosh!—

The ball shot toward the left. Kita Seio leapt up for the spike.

"Double block!" Kaedehara Taichi and Yūki Yōji jumped in front of him.

Bang!!!

Smack!

"One touch!" Taichi shouted.

Kita Seio's eyes widened. Even after putting his full weight behind that spike, he still couldn't break through their block?!

"Chance ball!" Nakamori Daiki bumped the ball toward the right side.

Yahaba Shigeru jumped.

"Tch!" Kageyama clicked his tongue and leapt up to block.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew to the left.

"Not this one!" Hinata's eyes stayed locked on the ball.

It soared over Yūki Yōji's head, right into Kaedehara Taichi's striking zone.

Kaedehara Taichi jumped for the spike.

"Double block!" Kita Seio and Hinata leapt up.

Bang!—

The ball slipped past Kita Seio's left side, hitting the sideline near Tanaka Ryūnosuke and bouncing out.

Kaedehara Taichi scores.

[Aoba Johsai 21 – 17 Karasuno]

-----

"Coach Ukai, why does it feel like Taichi's scoring is getting easier…?" Takeda Ittetsu asked in confusion.

At the start of the match, Karasuno had at least been able to limit his attack angles and occasionally dig his spikes. Now, they couldn't even touch the ball.

"It's because our blocking is being spread out too much," Ukai muttered, scribbling furiously on his tactics board. Karasuno's balanced formation was getting completely overrun by Aoba Johsai.

Next set, they'd need to create a clearer distinction between strong and weak rotations.

"Kaedehara Taichi, Kunimi Akira, Yahaba Shigeru, and even their libero—Aoba Johsai has four players on the court who are all excellent at both receiving and setting," Ukai explained. "That makes it incredibly difficult for our blockers to predict their final attack choice."

"Not to mention, we can't just target a single player to disrupt their rhythm anymore."

Takeda nodded, jotting notes into his notebook. "So, is there a way to counter this?"

"First, we need them to adapt to Aoba Johsai's tempo. They don't have a setter like Kageyama or Oikawa who completely masks their intentions—there's always going to be some giveaway in their movements."

"And second—" Ukai's eyes sharpened.

"We have to keep attacking. No matter what, we can't lose in this aspect."

-----

Kunimi Akira served his second ball.

Hinata's receiving skills had improved a lot, but Kunimi's goal wasn't to break the reception—it was to throw Hinata off his offensive timing.

"I got it!"

Nishinoya Yū rushed forward, scooping the ball up with an underhand dig before rolling aside.

"Rolling Thunder…Front-Spin Lightning Dig!!!"

"…What the heck was that?!"

"Why did he have to shout it out?!"

"So embarrassing…"

The ball soared toward the right. Kageyama, completely unfazed, set the ball.

A hyper-close back attack.

Hinata exploded forward from Kageyama's diagonal rear position.

But Kaedehara Taichi was still right in front of him.

"Kageyama's decision was correct."

Hinata's first reaction mid-air was hesitation. The moment he locked eyes with Taichi, he felt like his thoughts had been completely read. Even though only the straight shot was blocked, it felt like any angle—even tipping or a wipe-off—would get shut down.

Smack!

A flicker of surprise crossed Kaedehara Taichi's eyes.

Hinata soft-tipped the ball over the block.

"Sometimes, avoiding the block is also a valid option."

Bokuto's voice echoed in Hinata's mind.

The ball slipped just past Taichi's fingertips and landed behind him.

Kyōtani Kentarō dove from the back row—

Too late. The ball hit the floor.

Hinata Shōyō scores with a tip.

[Aoba Johsai 21 – 18 Karasuno]

-----

"Looks like even Taichi can't completely shut Hinata down, huh?"

"YEAH—!!!" Hinata shouted in excitement.

"Hinata, you really thought that through!" Nishinoya praised, his eyes sparkling.

"And Nishinoya-senpai's dig was amazing too!"

-----

Serve change. Karasuno serves.

Kageyama Tobio stepped onto the service line.

Karasuno's counterattack had begun.

_________

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