Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 309: I Have High Hopes for You
"The upperclassmen are way too strong...I heard that teams that make it to Nationals rarely let first-years play. Are we even going to have a chance to get on the court this year?"
Today was just a day for new members of the volleyball club to report in and get to know each other. After a brief physical assessment in the morning—followed by an impromptu red-and-white match that Kaedehara Taichi had randomly decided on—there wasn't much else scheduled.
As noon approached, the entire Aoba Johsai volleyball club was gathered in the cafeteria for lunch. The air was filled with the rich aroma of food and the energy of youth.
The first-year newcomers naturally sat on the other side of the cafeteria, separated from the second and third-year players. Their youthful faces made it easy to tell the two groups apart at a glance.
Steam rose enticingly from the plates in front of them, but the freshmen were far more focused on their conversations than on eating.
"Whoa, Taichi's photo actually made it into a nationally published magazine!" Nakamori Daiki exclaimed, taking the Volleyball Monthly from the hands of a teammate and flipping through it carefully.
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
In truth, nearly half of this year's first-years had joined the team because of Kaedehara Taichi—though they hadn't expected their senior to have such a...difficult personality.
"Of course," Tōchi Shishin replied, his tone carrying a hint of admiration. "Taichi-senpai became one of the top three aces in the country as a first-year, led his team to the Spring Nationals championship, and was named the tournament's Best Player after defeating two other powerhouse teams head-on."
Tōchi took back his Volleyball Monthly and turned to a specific page, revealing a perfectly timed action shot of Kaedehara Taichi spiking during Nationals.
"What do you think? I'd say this is his coolest shot," Tōchi said as he glanced toward the upperclassmen's table. "Man...it'd be amazing if I could play alongside Taichi-senpai one day..."
"It really is fun to be on Taichi's team," Nakamori nodded in agreement.
Tōchi turned to look at the shorter player beside him, clearly unimpressed. "Hey, you've been going on and on about 'Taichi, Taichi' this whole time. Are you even that close with him? And didn't I hear earlier that you're from Hawaii? Just a heads-up—Japanese sports clubs take seniority very seriously. Don't go disrespecting the upperclassmen, or you'll end up on their bad side."
Nakamori gave him a strange look. His tone was a bit harsh, but he seemed like a straightforward guy.
"What? I'm not joking. Have you seen Kyōtani-senpai? He looks really scary—"
Tōchi was still rambling when Nakamori suddenly pointed behind him.
His expression froze instantly.
"No way…Am I seriously gonna be the first one to get in trouble?"
Stiffly, he turned around—only to find Taichi standing behind him.
…Oh. It wasn't Kyōtani-senpai. Tōchi let out a sigh of relief.
Wait—!
BANG!
Tōchi shot to his feet and bowed deeply. "T-Taichi-senpai! Is there, uh, something you need?"
"Not really," Taichi waved a hand dismissively, then pointed behind Tōchi. "I'm here for him."
…He really heard that?!
Tōchi frantically shot a look at Nakamori, but the other boy remained unfazed. After a brief hesitation, Tōchi mustered his courage and spoke up.
"Taichi-senpai, Nakamori just got back from overseas, so he's not familiar with using honorifics yet. He definitely didn't mean any disrespect!"
Taichi: "…"
Am I really that scary?
"What's up, Taichi?" Nakamori asked casually.
"Just wanted to talk about your position. Thanks to me, everyone's pretty interested in you," Taichi replied with a sly grin.
They actually know each other…?
Sandwiched between the two of them, Tōchi's mind was in complete chaos.
Nakamori quickly finished his meal and stood up, getting ready to follow Taichi. Before leaving, Taichi suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned back, leaned in close, and whispered to Tōchi—
"I have high hopes for you, kohai. Also, I totally agree with you about Kyōtani-senpai being scary."
Tōchi's face went pale in an instant. "No—Taichi-senpai, please don't tell him I said that!"
"Taichi, quit messing with him," Nakamori pushed him forward. "Hurry up already."
Taichi gave Tōchi a playful wink before walking off.
Honestly, if you didn't mess with the rookies a little, what was the fun in having them around?
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If growth weren't a factor, then based on their current level alone, this year's first-years at Aoba Johsai had already surpassed Kaedehara Taichi's generation.
From the morning's physical tests and the red-and-white scrimmage, a few exceptionally talented players had already stood out.
Among them were middle blocker Yūki Yōji, wing spiker Yamabuki Yūjin, setter Tōma Kaoru, and one undecided-position player—Nakamori Daiki.
"Judging by his height, he'll probably end up as a libero or a setter," Kunimi Akira remarked.
"But we've seen quite a few short but powerful spikers before," Kindaichi Yūtarō counted on his fingers. "Nakashima-senpai, Hoshiumi-senpai, Hinata Shōyō…Maybe Aoba Johsai will get one too."
Kunimi cast a glance toward Kaedehara Taichi, who was walking over with Nakamori Daiki in tow. "Do you think any of the first-years could take the ace position from Taichi?"
"Uh..." Kindaichi hesitated. "Now that you mention it…probably impossible."
There was another thing Kunimi hadn't said aloud—Aoba Johsai currently lacked strong blockers, needed another setter, and was short on liberos. The only thing they didn't lack was spikers. Given Nakamori Daiki's height, the only real possibilities for him were setter or libero.
"Good afternoon, senpai. I'm Nakamori Daiki."
Nakamori Daiki greeted them with ease, unfazed by the presence of upperclassmen. To ensure they remembered him, he even repeated his introduction with a little extra emphasis.
He was already aware of what Tōchi Shishin had warned him about, but since he and Taichi were already close teammates, there was no need for him to use excessively formal speech.
"Welcome to Aoba Johsai, Daiki," Yahaba Shigeru greeted him with a smile. "Even Taichi keeps calling you a genius player. We can't help but be curious about you."
"I just happen to have a bit of talent in beach volleyball," Nakamori Daiki replied politely. "When it comes to indoor volleyball, I still have a lot to learn from you all."
Taichi: "???"
This kid wasn't like this before. The first time they met, he was arrogant as hell.
"Have you decided on your position?" Yahaba asked warmly. "Taichi mentioned that you already have an idea. If you're considering setter, that's an option too, though I won't give up my spot easily."
Nakamori Daiki fell silent for a moment before finally voicing the decision he had made from the very start—
"I want to try libero, with the goal of receiving Taichi's spikes."
The team wasn't particularly surprised, but their gazes inevitably shifted toward Watari Shinji, who had been sitting quietly nearby.
"Receiving Taichi's spikes is no easy task," Wataru said with a calm smile. "But let's work hard together."
Nakamori Daiki nodded, then took a deep breath and declared loudly, "I'll become the best libero in the nation as a first-year!"
After all, hesitating and holding back wasn't his style.
His relatively low profile so far had only been because he didn't fully understand the level of high school volleyball.
But any so-called 'arrogance' had to be backed by genuine ability.
Just now, however, he had figured it out—if he wanted to surpass Kaedehara Taichi, he had to set that goal from the very beginning!
"This isn't beach volleyball. No libero can receive everything by themselves," Kaedehara Taichi said, pressing a hand against Nakamori's head. "But aiming to be the best libero in the nation? That's not a bad goal."
"As for receiving my spikes—come back and try again after you actually become the number one libero."
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