Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty
Chapter 487: Bewilderment (Double-Length)

At this very moment, the vast majority of clubs and players across the league had their eyes glued to this match.

It wasn't just because the outcome would determine who sat at the top of the standings.

More than that, they wanted to see how DH—undefeated since the season began—would fare against Black Jackals, a team widely regarded as one of the strongest contenders for the championship.

Other clubs approached the match with a rational perspective.

They weren't going to make premature assumptions just because DH had defeated Black Jackals once during the preseason.

After all, preseason matches were fundamentally different from official games: their primary purpose was to experiment with lineups, test new tactics, and help players regain their form.

The intensity, stakes, and in-game pressure in such matches couldn't compare to that of the real season.

DH had been on a rampage, their winning streak speaking volumes about how much stronger they'd become since last season.

But the question still remained: what was their true level?

Could they maintain their brilliance when faced with a formidable opponent, or would they be exposed and knocked back down to reality?

Everything was still up in the air.

Meanwhile, the ever-growing hype around "the strongest high school player in history" had brought an unexpected level of attention to Kaedehara Taichi.

Everyone wanted to see for themselves just what kind of performance a prodigy who'd earned such a lofty title could deliver on the professional stage.

Could he truly live up to that name?

People watched the game with different thoughts in mind, but by the end of the third set, there wasn't a single person who wasn't in awe.

17 points. 23 points. 18 points.

An average of 19.3 points per set.

That level of scoring wasn't just terrifying—it was unprecedented.

Even across the entirety of Japanese volleyball history, few—if any—players could rival such a performance.

It was no exaggeration to say that Kaedehara Taichi had redefined what it meant to be an "ace" in professional volleyball.

He shattered the conventional understanding of what a single player could do on the court.

By the end of tonight's match, another seemingly unreachable record would be etched into the annals of Japanese volleyball.

"He's too strong..." the commentator murmured in awe, unable to hold back his heartfelt admiration.

Children watching the match from their living rooms had eyes wide as saucers, not blinking once as they stared at the screen.

And right in the middle of this visual spectacle was Kaedehara Taichi—the brightest, most dazzling star of them all.

With every otherworldly play, he planted the seeds of dreams in the hearts of everyone watching.

-----

—Set 4—

The air in the arena was so heavy it felt like it could drip with tension.

Kaedehara Taichi was still going full throttle—each attack unleashed with everything he had, as if trying to change the tide of battle with sheer force of will alone.

But after three sets of play, Black Jackals had fully adapted. Their defensive strategy was sharper than ever, and their marking on him had grown tighter and more precise.

On DH's side, Nishikawa Tadahisa stayed on the court, but his offensive threat was limited.

Black Jackals quickly adjusted, easing off on their marking of him.

While this did open up gaps at the net—allowing Nishikawa to score 3 points—his success rate on spikes was only around 50%, meaning he consumed a lot of attacking opportunities without always converting them.

As the match wore on, both sides started to tire.

Players' stamina declined.

Their condition began to waver.

Scoring wasn't as effortless as before, and unforced errors became more frequent.

The battle on the court grew increasingly fierce.

And amidst this growing fatigue, Kaedehara Taichi stood out even more.

His posture remained upright, his spikes still powerful enough to elicit gasps from the crowd.

However—

Black Jackals was maintaining a terrifyingly high offensive efficiency through multi-point attacks.

Miya Atsumu's sets were sharper than ever, and both Sakusa Kiyoomi and Bokuto Kōtarō repeatedly tore holes in DH's defensive line.

Meian Shugo, Black Jackals' veteran captain, lived up to his reputation.

Though he couldn't figure out why his usual shot placements were being read so easily, he didn't panic.

If he couldn't win with placement, then he'd win with sheer power.

Switching to quick attacks and hammer shots, he began to break through DH's blocks head-on.

On DH's side, Nitta Asahiro had long exceeded his usual time on court, handling both middle blocking duties and back-row offence as an outside hitter.

His presence was crucial. It was only because he helped shoulder the offensive load that DH had been able to hang on in this fourth set.

And now, the scoreboard read:

[DH 19 – 21 Black Jackals]

Sensing an opportunity to finish things off, Black Jackals accelerated the pace.

Coach Nick immediately called for a timeout and subbed in Kitajima Kippei—who'd been resting for a set and a half—to reinforce the defence.

To everyone's surprise, Kitajima didn't just hold his own on defence; he even pulled off two surprise attacks on offence!

---

[DH 24 – 23 Black Jackals]

DH had staged a comeback, reaching set point before their rivals.

It was their best shot at pushing the match to a fifth set.

Then, serve rotation. DH to serve.

After Tom Wilde's powerful jump serve was received, Sakusa Kiyoomi suddenly made a move.

On the second touch, he launched a surprise attack right over DH's front row.

[DH 24 – 24 Black Jackals]

"—!?"

"Sakusa Kiyoomi!!"

This was probably the closest DH had come to winning the fourth set.

Everyone believed that if they could just dig that ball up and get it to Kaedehara Taichi, they'd have a shot at forcing a decider.

But just like that, the score was tied.

The entire arena erupted.

Sakusa's play was nothing short of spectacular.

At that critical juncture—under immense pressure, in the thick of battle—he remained calm and decisive, delivering a clean and precise strike.

Perhaps Kaedehara Taichi's brilliance had been so blinding that people had overlooked the fact that Sakusa Kiyoomi was also just 18 years old.

The two youngest active players in the league had become the core pillars of their respective teams—displaying a poise and strength far beyond their years.

Taichi held the line for DH with his all-around excellence.

Sakusa kept Black Jackals steady in the clutch.

The brilliance of both players lit up the court.

As the match reached its final crescendo, every point became a battle for survival.

On DH's side, every player's eyes blazed with unshakable determination.

They'd come this far—who wouldn't want to fight to the end and make a miracle comeback from two sets down?

Defeating Black Jackals in the regular season was a prize worth risking everything for.

Black Jackals, on the other hand, knew better than to let their guard down.

They understood—DH was going all in now.

Sakusa's extraordinary play had poured gasoline on the fire, fueling their opponents' fighting spirit even further.

Serve after serve, the teams traded blows.

Each serve felt like a stone tossed into a still lake, sending waves across the court.

The situation changed in an instant, the scoreline never straying far.

Every point became a war.

Back and forth they went—neither side giving an inch.

This war without smoke had reached a boiling point, and no one could predict who would emerge the victor.

BOOM!!!—

The final ball landed.

The match had reached its conclusion.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!!!"

Bokuto Kōtarō's ultra-sharp diagonal spike slammed onto DH's right sideline and flew just out of bounds.

[DH 30 – 32 Black Jackals]

"BEEEEEP—!"

Game over.

Winner: MSBY Black Jackals.

The arena erupted in thunderous cheers.

Kaedehara Taichi stood silently where he was, the overhead lights casting a long shadow behind him.

[DESEO Hornets 21 – 25 MSBY Black Jackals]

[DESEO Hornets 36 – 38 MSBY Black Jackals]

[DESEO Hornets 25 – 22 MSBY Black Jackals]

[DESEO Hornets 30 – 32 MSBY Black Jackals]

The miracle Kaedehara Taichi had hoped for never came.

DH lost the match 1–3.

No one from Black Jackals approached him afterwards—neither to comfort him, nor to gloat.

In the fourth set, Kaedehara had made 30 spike attempts and scored 20 points.

He added 1 point from a service ace and another from a block—for a total of 22 points.

Total score this match: 80 points.

He shattered the previous record of 68 points held by Wallace de Souza, the Brazilian legend and current world #1 opposite hitter.

Not only did Kaedehara break the record—he raised it by 12 points.

And yet, the loss remained unchanged.

-----

It had been a long time since he had last tasted the bitterness of defeat like this, Kaedehara Taichi thought.

His first loss in an official match had been at Nationals, when they were beaten by Inarizaki. Back then, Taichi had still been somewhat immature—both technically and experientially far inferior to what he was now. Faced with Inarizaki's powerful offence, he had fought with all he had, yet ultimately remained powerless to turn the tide.

His second loss came after Oikawa Tōru, Iwaizumi Hajime, and the other third-years graduated. Aoba Johsai's roster had undergone major changes, and they lost to Date Tech during the Prefectural Citizens Tournament. At the time, Aoba Johsai had abruptly lost many of its weapons, and their overall coordination suffered from numerous flaws. As the team's ace, Taichi hadn't yet been able to shoulder the team completely on his own.

Those two defeats remained vivid in Taichi's memory. Losing to Inarizaki left him brooding over his own weakness, and he silently vowed to grow stronger. Losing to Date Tech made him realise how one-dimensional he still was, prompting him to begin expanding the technical boundaries of his game from every possible angle.

After that, for an entire year, Aoba Johsai had swept nearly every opponent they faced, dropping only a few rare sets.

Only then did Kaedehara Taichi begin to believe he was strong enough—that he wouldn't lose to anyone again.

Tonight, his serve had clearly become a deadly weapon. He was no longer the target of the opponent's serve strategy. His spikes and blocks had performed well, and he had avoided any stamina-related issues...

So WHY did they still lose?

-----

To clubs and veteran players, the outcome of a regular-season match didn't really hold that much weight. After all, to this day, not a single team had gone undefeated through the entire regular season.

In the long journey of a volleyball career, wins and losses were like the ebb and flow of the tide—entirely routine.

Kaedehara Taichi understood this perfectly. Compared to the points-based structure of the regular season, the elimination-style playoffs were far more important. That's why he had thought he'd remain calm, that he wouldn't mind losing this match—especially since his own performance had been more than satisfactory.

But the moment the match ended, as he watched the Black Jackals erupt in cheers and celebration, all the surrounding noise seemed to be muffled—separated by a pane of invisible glass.

Kaedehara Taichi stood quietly in the centre of the court, his gaze seemingly hollow. He kept telling himself it was just a routine defeat—nothing to fuss about.

And yet, when his teammates gradually gathered around him, their eyes filled with guilt, regret, and disappointment—but also unwavering trust—his heart wrenched violently all the same.

Back in the locker room, Kaedehara Taichi robotically pulled off his sweat-soaked jersey and stepped into the showers, letting the cold water wash over his exhausted body. The icy stream travelled from skin to heart, as if trying to extinguish the flame of frustration smouldering deep inside.

But the moment he closed his eyes, his mind involuntarily replayed scene after scene from the match.

"DAMN IT!"

-----

December 3—DH played an away match against VC Kanagawa. Returning to Kanagawa, Kaedehara Taichi found himself in a very different mental state.

Kentarō Kyōtani, knowing full well that VC Kanagawa had no real chance of defeating DH, had sincerely offered Kaedehara a few words of comfort before the match. Taichi responded offhandedly—his mind clearly elsewhere.

[DESEO Hornets 25 - 20 VC Kanagawa]

[DESEO Hornets 25 - 18 VC Kanagawa]

[DESEO Hornets 25 - 22 VC Kanagawa]

Even if Kaedehara Taichi weren't on DH, VC Kanagawa would still have struggled to win. The result had been inevitable—DH took the match with a clean 3–0 sweep.

After the match, Kyōtani simply stared at Kaedehara for a long time, but in the end, didn't say anything further.

-----

December 10—DH hosted AD, marking the first post-graduation clash between Kaedehara Taichi and Ushijima Wakatoshi.

[DESEO Hornets 20 - 25 Schweiden Adlers]

[DESEO Hornets 25 - 22 Schweiden Adlers]

[DESEO Hornets 21 - 25 Schweiden Adlers]

[DESEO Hornets 25 - 23 Schweiden Adlers]

[DESEO Hornets 10 - 15 Schweiden Adlers]

The two teams battled fiercely through five sets, but in the end, DH couldn't overcome AD.

The highest scorer of the match was Kaedehara Taichi: 12, 14, 11, 14, 5—a total of 56 points. The crowd had almost become numb to his numbers.

Coming in second? Ushijima Wakatoshi, with 50 points—a new personal record in his professional career.

"Taichi, I was a little disappointed by your performance today." That was the only thing Ushijima said to him after the match.

Hoshiumi Kōrai had originally planned to say a few words to Taichi as well, but the moment he heard Ushijima's comment, he quickly dragged him away. Hoshiumi considered himself pretty thick-skinned, but sometimes Ushijima could be even more oblivious.

Still, Hoshiumi understood what Ushijima meant. The match between DH and AD had felt...flat. It lacked the fiery edge that typically marked a Kaedehara Taichi-led performance. Even when DH fell behind, Taichi didn't seem to project the oppressive court presence he used to carry.

The entire match proceeded smoothly, relying on standard tactical plays. The team that had better rhythm and touch that day would take the win.

It wasn't until the fifth set that AD suddenly shifted gears—Hoshiumi joined the offensive, and within moments, the score gap widened decisively.

From that perspective, even Hoshiumi found the match rather dull.

-----

December 20—DH played an away game against Tachibana Red Falcons.

The Red Falcons had been one of the Top 4 teams last season. Among them were two familiar faces for Kaedehara Taichi—Ojiro Aran and Hakuba Gao.

In addition to them, the team featured captain Honda Sakuma (202 cm), ranked among the top three middle blockers in Japan, and Adam Schmidt (198 cm), a powerful outside hitter from Germany.

[DESEO Hornets 22 - 25 Tachibana Red Falcons]

[DESEO Hornets 29 - 27 Tachibana Red Falcons]

[DESEO Hornets 25 - 22 Tachibana Red Falcons]

[DESEO Hornets 28 - 30 Tachibana Red Falcons]

[DESEO Hornets 17 - 15 Tachibana Red Falcons]

Tachibana's twin towers gave DH a difficult time, but Nitta Asahiro and the others managed to pinpoint Hakuba Gao—the weaker link—and relentlessly exploited that weakness.

Facing one of last season's Top 4 teams, DH battled through five gruelling sets to finally secure a win.

The prior "paper tiger" narrative that had formed after back-to-back losses to the Black Jackals and AD finally began to fade—just slightly.

-----

At this point, there were two weeks left before DESEO Hornets' away match against EJP Raijin.

_________

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