Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 459: So Boring (Double-Length)

"Watari-senpai! Yahaba-senpai!"

"Oh, oh! You guys are here too!"

"Well, it's Taichi's pro debut, after all. Of course we had to come see it in person," Kindaichi Yūtarō said. "But for some reason, Kunimi didn't really want to come."

"We could've just watched the match at Aoba Johsai's AV room. What's the point of going all the way to Tokyo?" Kunimi Akira said coolly. "The time spent travelling would've been enough for two practice matches."

"See? That's what I mean."

Compared to Kindaichi Yūtarō's helpless expression, Yahaba Shigeru's face was written with disbelief.

"Kunimi? Practice?"

Yahaba placed both hands on Kunimi's shoulders and stared him down like he was trying to peer straight into his soul.

"Shigeru."

Watari Shinji gently pulled Yahaba back and gave a slight shake of his head.

"It's fine, Watari-senpai," Kunimi said with a small smile. "I've already adjusted."

"Ah—!"

That was when Yahaba finally realised—Kunimi had probably been like this ever since the Inter-High Nationals two months ago. Both teams representing Miyagi had been eliminated in the semifinals—Aoba Johsai lost to Inarizaki, and Karasuno fell to Itachiyama.

Aoba Johsai's championship streak had been broken, and Miyagi had returned to that brutal state where only one team could advance to Nationals.

At the time, only Watari had been able to attend the matches in person. Yahaba was taking exams, while Taichi and Kyōtani were tied up with club scrimmages.

No one had been prepared to lose. Especially not Aoba Johsai, whose goal had always been to dominate the nation.

"You guys already did amazing," Yahaba said, giving Kunimi a pat on the shoulder. "Didn't we only make the top eight the first time we went to Nationals—"

"We'll take back the championship at Spring High," Kunimi cut him off calmly.

Yahaba paused. Kunimi's tone was utterly serious—not the slightest trace of bravado in it.

"Kunimi's really strong now," Watari Shinji added with a smile. "He's Aoba Johsai's ace now."

To be fair, the current crop of high school players no longer had super-elite spikers like Kaedehara Taichi or Ushijima Wakatoshi. But Volleyball Monthly still selected the nation's top spikers each year.

Right now, the top three spikers in the country were: Aoba Johsai's Kunimi Akira, Inarizaki's Riseki Heisuke, and Fukurodani's Sarukui Fūto (ranking in no particular order).

If you extended the list to the top five, it also included the first-year ace of the reigning Inter High champions, Chiba Chidō, and Karasuno's ace from the Inter High Final Four, Kita Seio.

The one thing Yahaba felt genuinely grateful for was that Kyōtani Kentarō was in the same grade as him. Otherwise, their year at Aoba Johsai would've gone down as the one that produced absolutely no standout talent...

"Hmm?"

Kindaichi Yūtarō glanced left and right. Ever since Kunimi joined the conversation, the discussion had grown harder to follow.

But Kindaichi wasn't one to let a conversation die. He took a deep breath—

"Ladies and gentlemen! This afternoon's match is about to begin!"

The announcer's voice suddenly echoed through the arena.

"Ohh! It's starting!"

"Let's head over!"

"Did all the Seijoh guys make it here?"

"Yeah, the school covered our travel costs, so the entire starting lineup came."

"Damn, that's nice! Sounds like the school's recruiting drive's been a success these past two years."

Still chatting, Yahaba, Kunimi, and Watari headed toward the section reserved for Aoba Johsai.

"Hey, Kindaichi, what are you doing? Hurry up!" Yahaba called back.

"Oh, right."

"You looked like you were about to say something earlier."

"No, I wasn't."

"Kindaichi, don't you want to know why Kyōtani didn't come?"

"Kyōtani-senpai said he had practice and couldn't get away."

"Kindaichi, has anyone ever told you you're a conversation killer?"

"No."

"..."

"Now introducing the starting lineup for MSBY Black Jackals!"

"Number 4, team captain—Meian Shūgo!"

"Number 6, libero—Inunaki Shion!"

...

"Number 12, outside hitter—Bokuto Kōtarō!"

"Number 13, setter—Miya Atsumu!"

"Number 15, outside hitter—Sakusa Kiyoomi!"

"Whoa, that's a lot of familiar faces! Didn't expect this bunch to end up on the same team."

"Just looking at them is terrifying…"

"But Taichi must be fired up right now."

"Now introducing the starting lineup for DESEO Hornets!"

"Number 1, team captain—Nitta Asahiro."

"Number 4, outside hitter—Kitajima Kippei."

...

"Number 10—"

"AAAAAHHHH!!"

"He's finally here!"

"There he is—finally!"

Even before the announcer finished calling out his name, the entire stadium had already erupted.

"Outside hitter—Kaedehara Taichi!"

"That's Taichi!!"

"Taichi! Over here!!!"

Following the shouts, Kaedehara Taichi looked up and spotted the Aoba Johsai crew seated neatly in two rows in the spectator stands.

"Those guys…they didn't even tell me. They snuck over here together."

A soft, gentle smile tugged at the corners of his lips before he realised it.

"Whoa, are all these people here just for you?" Nitta Asahiro asked in amazement. "Your high school teammates?"

"Yep!"

"Then I guess we've got one more reason not to lose today."

"Whew, the crowd's getting fired up!"

Even the announcers seemed caught up in the energy, their voices rising in pitch.

"Both Black Jackals and Hornets feature rookies who were regulars at Nationals and left vivid impressions during their high school careers." freēwēbnovel.com

"Miya Atsumu and Kaedehara Taichi, in particular, are something like archrivals. They faced off almost every year at Nationals. It's said that after losing to Miya as a first-year, Taichi eliminated him every year thereafter."

"Sakusa Kiyoomi and Iizuna Tsukasa are both alumni of Itachiyama Institute, and both became team captains in their third year. Together, they led their team to a remarkable run at Nationals. Now reunited in the pros, what kind of sparks will they ignite this time?"

"Let's wait and see!"

The lineup for MSBY Black Jackals was as follows:

Front row—Setter Miya Atsumu, Outside Hitter Bokuto Kōtarō, Middle Blocker Meian Shūgo.

Back row—Middle Blocker Adriah Thomas (Libero: Inunaki Shion), Outside Hitter Sakusa Kiyoomi, and Opposite Hitter Oliver Barnes.

As for the DESEO Hornets:

Front row—Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Setter Iizuna Tsukasa, Middle Blocker Tom Wilde.

Back row—Middle Blocker Nitta Asahiro (Libero: Kubo Wataru), Opposite Hitter Yoshii Hiyu, and Outside Hitter Kitajima Kippei.

The match began with DH serving first.

Kitajima Kippei launched a powerful jump serve, and Sakusa Kiyoomi stepped in to receive it.

With exceptional flexibility and body control, he delivered a stable first touch that floated perfectly into the space above Miya Atsumu.

"It's time to start enjoying ourselves, huh!"

Miya, stationed in the front row, leapt to set. Bokuto Kōtarō and Meian Shūgo launched into attacks from either side.

Who would get the first ball?

All eyes from DH's front row were fixed intently on Miya.

"Gotta say hi properly first, right?!"

Fwoosh!—

The ball sailed high toward the left wing, and Bokuto's face instantly lit up with excitement.

"Taichi! Long time no see!"

Thud!

Kaedehara Taichi jumped up alone to block. Across the net, he and Bokuto locked eyes.

BOOM!!!—

—SMACK!

"Bokuto's spike was blocked cleanly by Taichi!"

"Did Bokuto get careless because it was a single block? No, it's Taichi we're talking about—there's no way he would overlook him!"

"The other two players in DH's front row had already realised they wouldn't make it in time to assist Taichi with the block, so they dropped back past the three-meter line to guard Bokuto's signature sharp cross."

"They moved insanely fast!"

"But what's really insane is still Taichi. Bokuto clearly tried to instinctively avoid him, but he didn't expect Taichi's coverage range to be that wide!"

The ball fell back into Black Jackals' court.

Smack!

"—?!"

Bokuto, still mid-descent, lunged and saved the ball with one hand!

"What the heck?!"

"The first touch's off!"

"No it's not."

Fwoosh!—

Atsumu darted forward in a low stance, slipping beneath the ball to deliver a precise set soaring toward the right wing.

Tom Wilde jumped immediately—single block!

BAM!!!

The ball slipped past the right side of Wilde's block and slammed down on DH's right sideline.

"I'll take this one."

Meian Shūgo scored with a sharp spike.

[DH 0 – 1 Black Jackals]

—"What an incredible play!"

—"Bokuto miraculously saved the ball after his own spike was blocked—sure, it looked a little messy, but for Miya, that's more than enough!"

—"Captain Meian followed up just in time and claimed the point with a decisive finish!"

The serve now switched hands—Black Jackals to serve.

"Taichi, thinking you could just waltz onto any team and take the championship…you're getting ahead of yourself." Miya Atsumu stepped up to the service line.

Player Stats – MSBY Black Jackals:

[Sakusa Kiyoomi—Outside Hitter:Height: 191 cm

Serve: 92 | Receive: 95 | Dig: 85 | Set: 88 | Spike: 92| Block: 82

Spike Reach: 350 cm /Block Reach: 328 cm.]

[Miya Atsumu—Setter:Height: 185 cm

Serve: 95 | Receive: 85 | Dig: 82 | Set: 95 | Spike: 75| Block: 80

Spike Reach: 335 cm /Block Reach: 312 cm.]

[Bokuto Kōtarō—Outside Hitter:Height: 190 cm

Serve: 90 | Receive: 88 | Dig: 95 | Set: 80 | Spike: 94| Block: 88

Spike Reach: 352 cm /Block Reach: 330 cm.]

[Meian Shūgo—Middle Blocker:Height: 196 cm

Serve: 92 | Receive: 88 | Dig: 85 | Set: 88 | Spike: 92| Block: 95

Spike Reach: 355 cm /Block Reach: 335 cm.]

Both teams played in V1 League, but the gap between elite clubs and ordinary ones ran deep.

Miya had been one of the first to learn that Taichi would go pro after his second year in college. He himself had already received an offer from Black Jackals around that time.

For just a moment—no, for more than just a moment—Miya had fantasised about winning the championship with Taichi on the same team.

Inarizaki and Aoba Johsai had practically become sworn rivals, but the cooperation during the Japan–USA exchange match had left Miya yearning for more.

When he found out that Black Jackals had extended an offer to Taichi as well, Miya had immediately called to ask for his answer.

"Ah, I'm not joining Black Jackals," Taichi had replied casually.

"Why not?" Miya had asked, confused. "You, me, Bokuto, Sakusa…we're the strongest of our generation. We'd dominate V1 for sure."

"Mm…"

"Our peak periods even line up. It wouldn't just be a team—it'd be a dynasty."

"Mm…"

"Forget EJP or AD—they wouldn't stand a chance! Wait, are you thinking of joining one of those two?"

"Nah, and they didn't invite me either."

"They didn't invite you?" Miya thought about it. It made sense—neither team needed to reinforce their outside hitter lineup. But AD and EJP had sent offers to Miya, and that thought gave him a flicker of satisfaction.

"So where are you going? Tachibana Red Falcons? Green Rockets?"

"Mm…Hornets," Taichi had said.

"Huh? Hornets?" Miya had frowned. That was a name he didn't recognise. "Osamu, lend me your phone. I need to look up that club!"

"Don't you have your own?" Miya Osamu had called from another room.

"I'm on the phone with Taichi!"

"Catch!"

Just as Atsumu turned around, a shadow came flying his way.

Smack! Atsumu caught the phone one-handed. "Damn it, Osamu! I said I was on a call!"

"You break it, you're buying me a new one," Osamu's voice came back coolly.

"What're you two yelling about?" Taichi had asked on the other end.

"Nothing—hold on." Miya had quickly searched up DESEO Hornets' information.

A minute later, he double-checked it just to make sure he wasn't mistaken.

"Taichi, why Hornets?" he asked calmly. "Because of Iizuna-senpai? Or do you know someone else on the team?"

"Nope," Taichi had answered.

"Then why not join Black Jackals? You heard everything I said just now, didn't you?" Miya's voice was tight with frustration.

"Too boring."

"Huh?" Miya had frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I said, winning like that would be too boring," Taichi had replied airily.

Even over the phone, Atsumu could practically see Taichi's usual indifferent expression.

"Exactly because you guys are so strong…it's more interesting to face you as opponents, not teammates," Taichi had said with a laugh. "Don't you think?"

Miya Atsumu had fallen silent for a moment, then laughed too.

"Fair enough. In that case, next time we meet—I'll crush you."

"You're as dramatic as ever, Atsumu-senpai," Taichi's voice dropped. "I've said it before—it doesn't matter where I am. Any team I'm on will win."

-----

"Taichi, it's time for you to taste what defeat feels like."

Miya tossed the ball, ran up, and leapt to serve!

—BANG!!—

The ball arced through the air, slicing between Yoshii Hiyu and Kitajima Kippei.

"I got it!"

Yoshii lunged a large step to the right, lowering his centre of gravity to brace for the ball.

Thud!

The ball dipped hard in front of him, slamming down just before his feet.

"It changed in both horizontal and vertical directions?" Kubo Wataru gasped. "A serve this interesting, and it didn't come to me? What a shame."

Miya Atsumu scores directly from a serve—ace!

[DH 0 – 2 Black Jackals]

_________

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