Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 542: Zero to Almighty

May 4th, 9:00 AM.

The ringtone of his phone rang out right on time.

Udai Tenma frowned groggily. He was pretty sure he hadn't set an alarm for Golden Week. Still half-buried in bed, he reached out lazily and grabbed his phone.

"Akaashi-san…?"

That name made Udai jolt upright. He instantly sprang from the bed and answered the call in a panic.

"You were sleeping just now, weren't you?"

Akaashi Keiji's voice was cold and clipped on the other end.

"Ah, uh, yes…" Udai Tenma scrambled for an excuse but came up empty within two seconds. He surrendered without a fight.

"Sorry about that."

"No, today's your day off," Akaashi replied evenly. "I should be the one apologising."

Udai exhaled in relief. Since Akaashi had said that, it probably meant this wasn't a call to pressure him for pages.

"Anyway, down to business. The short you drew last time has been getting good feedback online."

"Phew—"

So it was about that. Udai was now fully at ease.

The short Akaashi was referring to was the trial piece of Udai's new manga, published in a manga magazine as a test run. If the feedback from readers was positive, the editor would contact the creator to begin preparing for serialization.

Of course, there would still be a lot of revisions in between—pacing, character settings, story structure, and so on.

"Let's move on to the next step, then. For the serialisation of Volleyball: Zero to Almighty, we need to keep refining it."

"Absolutely! I'd love that!" Udai Tenma replied enthusiastically, full of motivation.

"First up, the protagonist."

"Right!"

Udai immediately thought: The protagonist definitely still needs some work. I can make him even cooler-looking.

"What motivates the protagonist? What kind of personality does he have? How does the plot move forward? How will the story bring out the traits of his teammates? And what's the emotional peak of the future arcs?"

"…Huh? Um? O-oh, right…all that…"

Akaashi's words completely veered off the path Udai had envisioned.

Up until now, he'd relied heavily on the plot outlines given to him by Taichi. That had helped him sail through his rookie period as a manga artist, even gaining a personal editor. But it turned out—if he wanted to create his own story, he had to think through all this right from the beginning?

Udai's head was full of character design—face shape, body type, outfits, cool panel angles…but the actual storyline after serialisation? He hadn't thought it through in any structured way.

There was a brief silence on the line. Akaashi, sensing Udai's hesitation, seemed to read his mind.

"You haven't thought about anything at all, have you?" he said coldly.

"Of course I have!" Udai protested, bluffing.

"There's matches, training, getting stronger…yeah, that's basically how the plot goes."

"Don't you think readers will get tired of that kind of story?"

"W-well, of course, I've also thought about lots of little details!"

"I said: don't you think readers will get tired of it?"

Akaashi's tone remained calm, but the pressure behind it was unmistakable.

"…Uhh…"

Udai fumbled for words. Sweat began to form in his palm holding the phone.

This editor was a few years younger than him, yet somehow had an overwhelming presence.

"I'm not trying to criticize you," Akaashi sighed over the phone.

Could've fooled me, Udai thought to himself miserably.

"…Uh, could we maybe…talk about this in person instead?"

"Alright. When are you free?"

-----

After they settled on a time, Akaashi let out a long sigh.

This unreliable feeling…it was oddly familiar.

But truthfully, things were getting urgent. Once serialisation officially started, the production schedule would tighten immediately. If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have called Udai on a holiday.

"Which is more important—the protagonist's charm, or an interesting story?"

"But then, what kind of traits make a protagonist likeable to readers? And what kind of story makes them want to keep reading?"

Akaashi furrowed his brow tightly.

"Is it the anticipation readers feel toward the protagonist? Like wondering what'll happen next, or what new sides he'll reveal? Or is it about them looking forward to a more exciting plot?"

"Ugh…Damn it, they're both equally important, aren't they?!"

At his desk in the editorial office, Akaashi clutched his head in frustration.

His brainstorming had already lasted over an hour.

A senior editor noticed and asked, "You okay?"

"…Yeah. I'm fine."

Maybe I'm just not cut out for this, Akaashi thought, writing shounen manga isn't my strength after all…I always wanted to be a literary editor.

"Wait—writing? But I'm not the author. The creator is supposed to be Udai-sensei…"

"Pour all your soul into each ball.…Pour all your soul.…"

Akaashi began to chant like it was some sort of sacred mantra, sitting at his increasingly messy desk, shutting his eyes to concentrate.

Suddenly, he snapped his head up.

"No—this has to be discussed together!

We need to reflect and adjust now…so we can lay the groundwork for the future."

-----

"We need a protagonist with absolute magnetism."

Akaashi Keiji said this firmly, facing the still-dazed Udai Tenma across the table.

"Absolute magnetism?"

"Yes. Like...someone who can smash every ball with unwavering determination—a true super ace!"

For a split second, the image of Kaedehara Taichi flashed through Udai's mind.

Then Akaashi reached down and picked up the paper bag he had brought along.

"So, there's something I'd like to ask of you."

"What's in that bag? I've been wondering ever since I saw it..."

To Udai's surprise, the paper bag was unexpectedly heavy. He peeked inside and blinked.

"VHS tapes?"

"Yes. These are volleyball match recordings I personally selected. I thought some of the scene compositions and character stances might help as references."

"Th-thank you so much!"

Udai couldn't help but imagine what kind of student Akaashi had been. No doubt serious and meticulous. Maybe he had been in the literature club? His mind wandered a bit.

"Also, I know you probably don't have the time to watch all of them, so I marked the key timestamps for the scenes I recommend."

With that, Akaashi handed over a notebook as well.

"!!!"

"I'll definitely watch them! I'll use them all as reference!" Udai once again realised just how dependable his editor was.

"I'll be doing my best on my end as well. Let's give this our all." Akaashi said sincerely.

What kind of story the author would create, how the work would take shape, and what kind of reactions it would draw from readers—none of that was in his control.

All he could do was focus on what he could and should do.

"Pour all your soul into each ball," Akaashi thought silently.

-----

May 10th.

The first chapter of Volleyball: Zero to Almighty received only a lukewarm response.

Udai Tenma and Akaashi Keiji met at a café near the editorial office.

"Order whatever you'd like."

Akaashi passed the menu across the table. Udai seemed so defeated he didn't even have the strength to lift it—the menu simply slipped from his fingers and flopped flat onto the table.

Akaashi: "…"

In terms of mental fragility, the two of them might actually be quite similar—but it was just that Udai showed it far more openly.

Akaashi masked his own unease as best as he could. Picking up the menu, he asked, "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

Udai remained silent.

So Akaashi ordered two cups for them both, then carefully chose his next words: "Even though the story hasn't gone viral, many readers think it has the potential to be a really interesting series."

Udai lifted his head slightly.

"Maybe the first chapter was too calm, too quiet to spark conversation—but readers have praised your character work and the depiction of sports scenes."

Akaashi referenced the survey results as he spoke.

Udai's eyes lit up, as if he wanted to say something—but the spark quickly faded, and he slumped again.

At this rate, we'll get nowhere this afternoon, Akaashi thought.

Maybe I should switch to a different topic...

But truthfully, his mind was also occupied entirely with manga-related things.

"By the way, I was actually in the volleyball club during high school. Reading your manga gave me this strange sense of nostalgia."

Wait, why am I saying this? High school clubs? That's such a boring topic…

Akaashi picked up the coffee that had just been brought over and took a calming sniff of the aroma.

But to his surprise, Udai looked up, suddenly very interested.

"Really? I was in the volleyball club too!"

"Ah, that makes sense." Akaashi smiled faintly.

Why didn't I think to learn more about the author earlier?

"Actually, our year even made it to Spring High." Udai said, slightly embarrassed but clearly proud.

"Ah, same here."

Akaashi paused before taking a sip, finding the coincidence rather curious.

"Seriously? That's amazing, Akaashi-san!"

"Not at all. You're the amazing one, Tenma-sensei."

Something stirred faintly in Akaashi's heart.

"You went to high school in Miyagi, didn't you? Which team were you on?"

"Oh, it wasn't any famous powerhouse or anything. Not sure if you've heard of it…" Udai waved his hand modestly.

"It was Karasuno High."

A wave of memories crashed over Akaashi, his heart instantly stirred.

"Come to think of it, the inspiration for this manga actually came from a player in Miyagi." Udai continued, unaware of Akaashi's reaction.

"Since you made it to Nationals too, maybe you even played against him."

—"Kaedehara Taichi."

They both said the name at the exact same time.

Somehow, that image had suddenly come to Akaashi's mind as well.

"Haha! Looks like we've got a lot in common!" Udai said excitedly.

A faint smile appeared on Akaashi's lips.

"I know Karasuno well. My school was Fukurōdani, and during those years, we often did joint training camps with them."

"No way! Fukurōdani?! That's one of the Tokyo powerhouses!" Udai exclaimed.

"If Karasuno trained with a team like that, then we were definitely moving up in the world."

"As for Taichi—yeah, we faced off in the final four. You know how it is, that guy's terrifying on the court."

"Totally! I get it!" Udai grinned.

He had seen Taichi's matches live during Nationals. Even just imagining things from an opponent's perspective was enough to give him chills from the sheer pressure.

Smack!

"I've got it now!" Udai suddenly stood up, excitement radiating from him.

"There's a real-life guy I can use as a model!"

Akaashi blinked, then understood instantly.

Indeed—for this kind of story, drawing from personal experience might be the most fitting approach of all.

"Now I feel like inspiration's flooding in!"

"Then go for it, Sensei."

"I will!"

_________

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