Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 496: A Chance to See the World
"What the hell? Wasn't DH supposed to be just a paper tiger? Volleyball Monthly only ranked them in the second tier!"
"EJP lost two straight sets?! How did that happen?"
"They're incredible. DH's strength is the real deal! And that guy, Kaedehara Taichi—he's nothing like the rest of them!"
The stadium's giant screen replayed the final point of the set.
Facing Kaedehara Taichi's off-the-block spike, Akutsu Ao had met the ball at a jaw-dropping height of 362 cm. But even then, he hadn't managed to score. In return, Taichi's spike came back just as viciously, clocking in at 358 cm. But the height wasn't the shocking part—what mattered was that he had completely shattered Akutsu's block head-on.
"That guy...everything he said in that interview was true. He really is aiming for the top of the league in his rookie season!"
-----
[EJP's bench area]
Akutsu Ao sat hunched over on the bench, his head down, clutching a sports drink and guzzling it down.
"Akutsu…" Kitō Yūkan stood in front of him.
The disaster that was the second set hadn't been entirely Akutsu's doing. Letting the aces go head-to-head—that had been EJP's tactical decision. The plan was to crush Kaedehara Taichi, or at the very least, wear him down. Tactically speaking, there was nothing wrong with that.
They had simply underestimated Taichi's capabilities.
Who would've thought someone could adapt so flawlessly to pro-level intensity in just their first year? Even his stamina matched that of seasoned veterans—if not surpassed them.
No—this wasn't just about adaptation or endurance…
The players on EJP's bench still couldn't bring themselves to fully acknowledge the truth.
"Don't hesitate!"
Akutsu drained the last of his drink and crushed the bottle in one hand.
"That's why I said—your perspective is too narrow." He stood up, towering over Kitō as he spoke. "Go see the world. And I don't mean the kind of sightseeing trip you take with your little buddies from Japan once every few years."
"There are monsters out there. Stronger than you've ever imagined."
"I'll go," Kitō replied with a grin. He was already 27, but that didn't mean he couldn't still chase something new.
"So, you're okay?"
"Hmph. Don't be stupid." Akutsu turned to look at the court. "When you lose a set, there's only one thing to do—win the next one."
———
The third set began quickly.
EJP Raijin's lineup:
Front row—Setter Sengoku Chisato, Middle Blocker Washio Tatsuki, Outside Hitter Akutsu Ao.
Back row—Outside Hitter Evan Krauss, Middle Blocker Suna Rintarō (Libero: Komori Motoya) and Opposite Hitter Kitō Yūkan.
DESEO Hornets' lineup:
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.
"Wait—what?!"
There hadn't been any changes to EJP's starting rotation from the first set. But DH's rotation told a different story—Kaedehara Taichi wasn't starting in Position 1.
He was in Position 4.
DH had foregone their usual strategy of letting him open with a serve. Instead, they had purposefully lined him up against Akutsu Ao again—face-to-face.
"You're not getting away," Taichi said with a grin, flashing a smile at the scowling Akutsu. There wasn't a trace of fatigue left on him from the previous set.
"Tweet!—"
DH served first, with Kitajima Kippei unleashing a powerful jump serve.
EJP, having set up their formation to handle Taichi's serve, now found themselves over-prepared. Komoto Motoya received the ball cleanly, delivering a pinpoint pass.
Sengoku Chisato leapt to set from the front row, while Washio in the middle and Akutsu on the right both launched into their approach.
"He's not shifting over?"
Sengoku glanced across the net—on the other side, Iizuna and Wilde were already positioned in front of Washio and Akutsu, respectively. Only Taichi remained on the left side.
"Did they read my intent for a second attack?"
During the timeout between sets, EJP had indeed made adjustments in response to Kaedehara Taichi's performance. Since forcing a face-off between the aces wasn't proving to be the wisest approach, they decided to overwhelm DH with a full-team offensive strategy instead.
Chisato Sengoku hadn't planned on setting the ball to Akutsu Ao on the first play—but DH's defensive formation clearly suggested that setting to Akutsu would actually make it easier to score.
Fwoosh—!
"Oh? Still that fixated?" Kaedehara Taichi looked across the net with intrigue, eyes locked on the opposing setter.
"If it were enough to just toss the ball to the ace, what would the setter even be here for?!"
Chisato Sengoku raised the ball high into the air. From the back row, Evan Krauss leapt in to spike it.
Kaedehara Taichi adjusted his rhythm, jumping for a solo block—his timing was perfect!
BOOM!!
The ball slipped past the block and flew toward DH's right side.
Kitajima Kippei wasn't fast enough to reach it. The ball slammed down on the centre line to DH's right, bouncing out of bounds.
Evan Krause scored off a back-row spike!
[DH 0 – 1 EJP]
—"Brilliant! Evan shows off his exceptional ball control!"
—"That cross-court attack from the back row landed perfectly between Tom and Kitajima's zones!"
Amid the announcers' impassioned commentary, Iizuna Tsukasa glanced over at Chisato Sengoku. His setting hadn't revealed his target direction until the last moment. And after sensing Kaedehara Taichi's solo block, Sengoku had placed the ball slightly farther from the net, allowing Evan Krause to execute a wider diagonal attack from the back row.
It was a small detail only setters would appreciate.
Iizuna Tsukasa gave a respectful nod across the net—an unspoken gesture of recognition between fellow setters.
"???" Sengoku furrowed his brows. "What's with that senpai of yours—was that some kind of mockery?"
"Probably approval and admiration," answered Komori Motoya. "Iizuna-senpai's a really nice guy. Not every high school player is as rude and insufferable as Taichi."
"But they're all still weird," Sengoku muttered under his breath.
-----
Serve rotation. EJP to serve.
Chisato Sengoku targeted Kaedehara Taichi with his serve, landing it in DH's front row.
"I got it!"
Taichi didn't ask for any coverage. He received the ball himself with an overhead pass, sending a sharp first touch toward centre court.
Iizuna Tsukasa jumped in for a quick attack.
Akutsu Ao reacted instantly, leaping to block him.
It wasn't easy to force a jump out of Akutsu, but Iizuna had genuinely committed to a quick spike—only he didn't follow through.
He could've redirected it with a one-handed pass to the right, but Iizuna estimated that Akutsu might still catch up. If that happened, Tom Wilde would be forced to face a double block from both Washio Tatsuki and Akutsu—a risky scenario.
"Tsukasa!"
—Fwoosh!
The call came from behind. Iizuna instantly pushed the ball higher from where he'd jumped.
—BOOM!!
Kitajima Kippei launched a back-row attack!
Akutsu and Iizuna came down from their jumps just as the ball soared directly over Akutsu's head, slamming into Evan Krauss's arm and bouncing out of bounds.
A flawless stacked offence.
Kitajima Kippei scored with a back-row spike!
[DH 1 – 1 EJP]
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