Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty
Chapter 490: Give Him a Good Beating! (Double-Length)

Kindaichi Yūtarō's tip wasn't anything extraordinary—at most, his ball control had gotten more precise.

But what surprised Kaedehara Taichi wasn't the move itself—it was: how the hell did Kindaichi even come up with that?!

"Pfft~" Chiba Kaho let out a giggle when she saw the look on Taichi's face. "It was Kunimi's idea."

"I figured." Taichi nodded.

A tip wasn't a difficult skill in itself, but using it to actually score required finesse—precise timing and placement were the keys.

To pull it off, a spiker needed excellent court vision, ball control, and high volleyball IQ.

And in Taichi's opinion, it was obvious that Kindaichi Yūtarō was lacking both vision and game sense (and no, he definitely wasn't just roasting him).

"Well, Kunimi isn't as amazing as you, and there was a period when Aoba Johsai really struggled in matches," Kaho added softly.

Taichi smiled and nodded. That was the truth.

"Defensively, they were okay—Kindaichi and Yūki's blocks, and Daiki and Kunimi's receives were solid. Everyone gave it their all…"

"But offensively, Kunimi's attack efficiency was pretty low at the start—he was heavily marked—and no one else could really help out."

"So Kunimi started analysing with them over and over how teams without an ace managed to build up their offence. It took a long time for their attack to reach what it is now."

"Really now…" Taichi murmured.

But come to think of it, it made sense. Facing the third-year versions of Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shōyō…even Taichi felt a desire to test their strength himself.

-----

BOOM!!

Yūki Yōji launched a powerful jump serve—snatching a point right out of Inarizaki's hands!

"Oh, not bad at all!" Taichi said with admiration.

Yūki had always been known for his aggressive serving, and now with more precision, his serves had become downright dangerous.

Second serve—Inarizaki's libero barely got under the ball. The setter filled in and bumped it from the back row, but the toss was low.

"Yikes, seeing Inarizaki's setter playing like this…I wonder if Atsumu would cry," Taichi muttered to himself. "Eh, probably not. That guy only cares about himself anyway."

BOOM!!

Riseki Heisuke adjusted in midair and slammed down a fierce spike.

The ball shot through the left side of Yamabuki Yūjin and Kindaichi Yūtarō's double block.

Smack!

Nakamori Daiki caught the ball cleanly, a perfect first touch.

"Nice receive!" Taichi clapped his hands. "And the block wasn't bad either—Yūjin's footwork's gotten pretty quick."

Tōma Kaoru jumped at the net to set the ball—Kunimi Akira, Yamabuki Yūjin, and Kindaichi Yūtarō all launched an offensive from the front row.

Since Tōma had subbed in from the back row, Inarizaki didn't need to worry about a setter dump and spread their blockers across the net.

Whoosh—!

The set flew to the left. Kunimi jumped.

"Jump!" Riseki barked, closing in with the left-side middle blocker for a double block.

They'd finally caught Kunimi's rhythm, and their double block smothered his hitting angle.

Boom!!—

—Smack!

Kunimi calmly tipped the ball—it deflected off Riseki's arm and popped up high over Aoba Johsai's court.

A deflection!

"I got it!" A player Taichi didn't recognise from the back row rushed forward and set the ball to the far right.

Kindaichi Yūtarō spiked and scored!

"…Huh?" Taichi blinked in surprise. "Has Aoba Johsai been running plays like that a lot lately?"

"Eh?" Kaho tilted her head, eyes wide.

"I mean that just now—Kunimi purposely created the deflection, and then they shifted the attack to the other side," Taichi explained. "It was smooth…like they've rehearsed it dozens of times."

"Mm, yeah." Kaho nodded. "Coach Irihata said Aoba Johsai lacks offensive height right now, so we shouldn't expect to finish a rally in one hit."

"That first-year rookie—Ueda Ritsu—is really good at receiving and setting, so Coach said he was perfect for…um, what was that position called again?"

"Opposite."

"Right! That's what Coach said."

Although, calling him an "opposite" wasn't exactly accurate. From what Taichi had seen in this match, Ueda Ritsu barely participated in offence, and his positioning during defensive coverage wasn't standard either.

His duties as an opposite had been heavily simplified. More accurately—Aoba Johsai's current setup resembled a double setter system.

"…So it can work like this," Taichi thought to himself.

In his mind's eye, his DH teammates overlapped with Aoba Johsai's current squad.

Tom Wilde—Kindaichi Yūtarō.

Kitajima Kippei—Yamabuki Yūjin.

Yoshii Hiyu—Ueda Ritsu.

The remaining positions…except for Kubō Wataru and Nakamori Daiki who had their own specialisations, the rest of DH's lineup still technically outclassed Aoba Johsai in both skill and versatility.

And yet now, this Aoba Johsai team was fighting Inarizaki—this year's Inter-High champions—toe to toe.

"No wonder Kunimi said something like that…he's already doing it himself," Taichi thought.

-----

[Aoba Johsai 27 - 29 Inarizaki]

[Aoba Johsai 30 - 28 Inarizaki]

[Aoba Johsai 26 - 24 Inarizaki]

Another full three-set match—Aoba Johsai came from behind and defeated Inarizaki 2–1, successfully advancing to the Spring High finals.

Ever since Kaedehara Taichi's departure, Aoba Johsai's style had undergone a drastic transformation—from a high-personality, offensive-heavy team into a defence-oriented squad built on team coordination.

Attacking, blocking, receiving—none of it was top in the nation anymore, but every aspect ranked in the top five nationwide.

It was exactly because of that balance that Aoba Johsai, now back in the national finals, had put Coach Irihata in serious contention for Best Coach for the first time since Aoba Johsai's three-peat.

"Taichi!!!"

"Did you see that?! We're in the finals again!"

"You wouldn't believe how many strong teams we beat to get here!"

"Narisa Ao, Sarukui Fūto, Riseki Heisuke—all those famous aces from all three years—we crushed them all! And none of them were better than you!"

Kindaichi Yūtarō came sprinting toward Taichi with a grin from ear to ear.

"Stop—hey, stop!"

Taichi stuck out a hand to block him. "Don't come any closer, you're dripping with sweat."

"Oh." Kindaichi obediently halted, but his mouth kept running.

"I doubt Inubishi Higashi can beat Itachiyama. We lost to Itachiyama in practice like, a bunch of times. And that first-year ace of theirs—Chita Chidō?—he's been going around yelling about restoring Itachiyama's legacy."

"So cocky?!" Taichi said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Sounds like it's time I made a comeback and taught these kids a lesson."

"Huh? But don't you have a match tomorrow too?" Kindaichi asked in shock. "And you're not even on the roster…can that even be changed?"

"That idiot's messing with you, obviously," Kunimi Akira strolled over with a sigh.

"Oh." Kindaichi looked disappointed. "If only Taichi could play, we'd definitely win the championship again, no sweat."

"Hmph! Who needs him? With a genius like me, it's more than enough!" Nakamori Daiki stepped in front of Taichi, puffing his chest out.

"You're looking at the number one high school libero in all of Japan!"

"Wow, you're amazing. Can I get your autograph?" Taichi recited the line with zero emotion.

"Taichi-senpai!"

"Taichi-san...!"

Before long, the Aoba Johsai players had all gathered around him.

"Alright, alright—let's find a place where we can eat and talk," said Kaedehara Taichi. Sure enough, he found that high school clubs still had much more energy.

The professional scene…really did carry that air of cold calculation.

"When are you heading out to Nagano?" Mizoguchi Sadayuki hadn't forgotten about Taichi's real reason for coming.

"The 3 p.m. Shinkansen. It's just an hour and a half from Tokyo, no rush."

"Haha! Then let's move! With the No.1 high school player in Japan treating us today, we'd better eat our fill!" Coach Irihata declared with a cheerful laugh, waving his hand as the team burst into motion.

Taichi: "…"

When did I ever say I was treating them? I was planning to mooch a meal myself! Coach, you've betrayed me!

He followed with a helpless smile—this had been the most relaxing day he'd had in nearly a month.

-----

Over the course of their meal, he chatted a lot with Coach Irihata, and gradually gained more clarity about his own path.

"See you again, Taichi-senpai!"

"Bye, Taichi-san!"

After their bellies were full (and the coach slightly buzzed), Kaedehara Taichi bid farewell to the team. In the end, Mizoguchi Sadayuki paid the bill—of course, Aoba Johsai would reimburse it later.

Not that it really mattered to Taichi. In just his first year as a pro, he'd already made far more than he'd expected.

"See you next year on the professional court!"

"You're not going to university?" Taichi asked with a smile.

"My family originally wanted me to go to college so I could get a good job," Kunimi replied flatly. "But now it seems the pro league pays more."

Is it really that easy to make it as a pro? Taichi wondered.

So becoming the team captain made Kunimi cocky too? He wasn't like that before.

Then again…compared to working at a bank, the professional court is more exciting.

"Then do your best tomorrow—go get another national title for Aoba Johsai!"

"You too! Who cares about some V1 League title—go beat them to a pulp!"

"Of course!" Kaedehara Taichi grinned confidently.

-----

On his way to the Shinkansen station, Kaedehara Taichi got a call from Oikawa Tōru.

"Hello?"

"Taichi—HAHAHA—now you know how hard the pro league is, huh?! Hahaha…"

Click!

Beep—

Taichi hung up without a hint of hesitation.

Three seconds later, the phone rang again.

"Taichi! Have some respect for your seniors!"

"Is there something you need, Oikawa?" Taichi asked flatly.

"So now I'm not even a senpai anymore?! Taichi, you really—"

Click!

Beep—

Two seconds later, the phone rang again.

"Taichi, stop hanging up—I'm being serious now."

"Okay, Oikawa-senpai. If it's serious, I'll listen."

"Coach Irihata just asked me if I'd talked to you about your loss to Black Jackals—pffft, HAHAHA—"

Taichi furrowed his brow and hovered his thumb over the "End Call" button.

"Wait wait wait! I didn't mean it—I just couldn't hold it in for a second!"

"How about you call me back after you're done laughing?"

"No need. I can only laugh like this when I'm talking to you."

Taichi: "…You're insane."

"Ahem." Oikawa cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "So, let's get to the point. Have you figured things out yet?"

"More or less," said Kaedehara Taichi. "It's just that…I hadn't lost in so long. I don't have as much experience handling it as you do, so it took me a while."

Oikawa Tōru: "…"

"I'm still not good at 'teaching' people how to play during matches. There are times when I could try other attacking options, but if my teammates aren't ready, I just can't get the ball to them," Taichi admitted candidly.

Oikawa understood exactly what he meant—after all, they were once the most in-sync pair.

"Taichi…not everyone can be guided through eye contact or by the rhythm of the game. You and I, you and Kunimi, or even that Daiki kid—those levels of mutual trust? Most professional players can't do that."

"I know," Taichi nodded. "But there are still players in the pros like Kindaichi."

"Haha…" Oikawa chuckled. "Of course there are. But even when trust exists, you need enough game IQ to make it work."

"If I can't recreate that intuitive chemistry during matches, then I'll just translate all of it into tactics and signals. The most basic methods are often the most effective," said Kaedehara Taichi calmly.

"As long as you understand that, then we're good," Oikawa said. "I didn't watch your match with Black Jackals live, but Mad Dog-chan came to me pretty early on and said something felt off about you."

"Mad Dog-senpai?" That caught Taichi off guard.

"I went back and rewatched your match. Honestly, the skill gap wasn't as big as I thought." Oikawa's voice grew serious. "Taichi, if a good setter can bring out 100% or even 120% of a spiker's power, then shouldn't a great spiker also bring out the full potential of their setter?"

"You mean…Iizuna-senpai…?"

"Before me and Tobio-chan showed up on the national scene, Miya Atsumu and Iizuna Tsukasa were the two top setters in the country," Oikawa said—and then casually added, "Of course, everyone agreed that I later became the strongest of them all."

Taichi mentally filtered out the second half of the sentence.

"I saw his sets during the youth national camp—steady, accurate, comfortable. But...lacking just a little spark of creativity."

"Even though all four of us have different styles, Iizuna stands out the least. I think…it's because he's been setting to Sakusa Kiyoomi for so long."

"From such a young age, he's been paired with a spiker who's practically perfect. He doesn't need to think about drawing out Sakusa's 120%—he just delivers the cleanest 100%, and lets Sakusa take care of the rest."

"...That actually makes a lot of sense," Taichi nodded slowly. This was something only another setter like Oikawa could've noticed. "Go on."

"'Makes a lot of sense,' he says…" Oikawa rolled his eyes at no one in particular.

"You're stronger than Sakusa. You need more variety, more angles, more difficult sets. Pull Iizuna out of his comfort zone! You've got to be the one to draw out his 120%, and make him bring out the rest of the team's as well."

Taichi's expression turned serious as he considered the feasibility of Oikawa's idea.

Because Iizuna Tsukasa had always performed well—had never once looked out of place even among pros—Taichi had never thought to look there for the problem.

"I understand now. Thank you, Oikawa-senpai," he said earnestly this time.

"Mhm~" Oikawa replied, clearly pleased.

"There's one more thing. I didn't reach out to you earlier because I figured Coach Irihata and I would have very different takes on this. I thought you'd come to this realisation yourself eventually."

"Hm?" Taichi prompted him to continue.

"You're not strong enough yet, Taichi!" Oikawa said, voice sharp. "I'm not going to treat you differently just because you're younger—Taichi, you're still not the strongest player I've ever seen."

"I said it before—there's not much of a gap between you and Black Jackals. That last sliver of difference? Make it up with your own strength!"

"…"

A familiar smile finally surfaced on Kaedehara Taichi's face—the one he hadn't worn since the match.

That was exactly what he'd been waiting to hear.

"No problem. I'll become even stronger."

_________

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