Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 444: You’re Not Serious…Right?
"Um, Iizuna-senpai, could you raise your set by about half a palm's height?"
"Hm?" Iizuna Tsukasa turned around. "Isn't it already above the blocking line? If I raise it any higher, it'll increase the risk of errors—and put more burden on you too, won't it?"
"Well, that's true." Kaedehara Taichi looked thoughtful. "But at the current height, I can't jump to my heart's content..."
"Besides, as long as you don't mess up, I won't mess up either."
"As long as I don't mess up…?" Iizuna was momentarily stunned. Then he remembered the first time he'd worked with Sakusa Kiyoomi. That guy had bluntly demanded the exact kind of set he wanted too.
"Are all aces this selfish?"
Still, Iizuna found himself liking this kind of person—someone who expressed what they wanted without fear, even if it came off a bit arrogant.
"Got it," Iizuna said with a grin. "Next time, just jump as high as you want."
The serve rotated. Tom Wilde launched a powerful jump serve.
Kubo Wataru received it cleanly. Yoshii Hiyu stepped in to set. Two front-row attackers launched forward simultaneously.
Kaedehara Taichi fixed his eyes on Yoshii's movement. Honestly, no one would question it if Yoshii were mistaken for a full-time setter.
Unlike in high school, where excelling in just one skill could make you a team's pillar, in the professional world, even if you weren't an all-rounder, you at least had to be excellent in offence or defence.
Fwoosh!—
The ball flew toward the right wing. Nitta Asahiro jumped for the spike.
The veterans' attacks had deliberately avoided Kaedehara Taichi's block the entire time. It might've looked cowardly, but no one questioned it. Charging headfirst into your opponent's strong point, knowing it's their strong point, would just be asking for punishment.
After all, the goal of a match is to win—not to show off. Knowing when to back off and using strategy flexibly is the key to victory.
Kaedehara Taichi immediately dropped back into the rear. At the same time, Iizuna shifted over, giving up the left side to cover the right.
BOOM!!!
The spike flew past the blockers, heading straight for the back-left corner.
Had Nitta not been restricted to back-row attacks, he would've had far more spiking angles to work with. But right now—
Smack!
Kaedehara Taichi received the ball.
Iizuna moved in to cover. He glanced at Taichi, who adjusted his posture and took off running forward.
"Don't rush it," Iizuna called. Since it was a high set, the approach needed to be smooth.
The attack tempo has slowed down...
Fwoosh!—
The ball soared smoothly into the left wing's high point.
Kaedehara Taichi looked up. Unlike the aggressive, sharp energy he'd felt from other setters he'd worked with, there was nothing forceful in Iizuna's toss. Instead, it felt comfortable.
Stable. Gentle. Easy to hit.
Thump!
Taichi stomped hard into his final step, pushed off the ground with both legs, and launched himself into the air.
"Double block!" Kitajima Kippei and Nitta Asahiro leapt together.
The ball seemed frozen in front of Taichi's eyes—so much so, it felt like he had too much time to think. He could see everyone on the other side of the net clearly—the blockers' positions, even the subtle movements of their hands.
So high…
From behind the blockers, even Kubo and Yoshii could see Kaedehara Taichi mid-swing.
BOOM!!!
Taichi's arm whipped forward. In the instant the stored power was released, the volleyball that had been "hovering" in midair suddenly burst into motion—cutting through air resistance and streaking toward the opponent's court, leaving only an afterimage.
Smack!
The ball slammed down between Kubo and Yoshii, bouncing so high it seemed like it was going to hit the ceiling.
Time seemed to stretch. Kaedehara Taichi landed, and only after a brief pause did the ball hit the floor again.
Thud!
Point scored.
[Youth Team 15 – 18 Veteran Team]
If Iizuna's calm set could be described simply as "slow," then the moment Kaedehara Taichi spiked the ball was the very definition of speed.
That bizarre shift in tempo left the blockers unable to react in time—and the defenders rooted to the spot, unable to move a muscle.
"Wait…when he said he wasn't hitting with full power earlier, he wasn't serious, right…?"
The sheer impact of the spike was so visually overwhelming that Kubo Wataru felt his throat go dry as he spoke.
As a libero, he was profoundly relieved that Kaedehara Taichi had chosen to join DH Club—because he absolutely did not want to face spikes like that in a real match.
"Don't let us catch up too fast, alright, sen-paaaaais!" Taichi said with a cheerful grin, his voice teasing yet light.
-----
"Hey, you guys are seriously cheating!" Tom Wilde complained, clearly annoyed. "The game's not over—why are you just quitting?!"
"Tom, maybe you're confused about something?" Kitajima Kippei said earnestly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Do you really think our goal here is to win the match?"
"…Isn't it?"
"Nope! If that's what you think, then your perspective's way too narrow." Kitajima spoke solemnly. "The real purpose is to build synergy with Taichi!"
"We're all on the same team—what's the point of obsessing over winning or losing?"
"Wouldn't that just ruin the mood?"
"But that's not what you said before the match!" Tom Wilde protested, beginning to suspect they were just messing with him.
"Of course I couldn't say that beforehand! How else were we supposed to fire you guys up?" Kitajima slung an arm over Tom's shoulder, beaming. "Look, no one else is complaining, right? That just shows we're all on the same page!"
[Youth Team 23 - 22 Veteran Team]
As soon as the youth team overtook the score, the veterans—clearly seasoned and crafty—coincidentally decided it was time to stop playing. They all claimed they had important training left to do.
On the youth team's side, Kaedehara Taichi didn't seem all that invested in the win.
Besides, what he hadn't expected was that even the coach on the sideline appeared to have been…"bought out."
So Taichi chose to go with the flow and adapt to the club's bizarre, laid-back atmosphere.
Iizuna Tsukasa wasn't the stern, uptight kind of teammate Taichi had imagined.
From any angle, he was clearly a kind, easygoing player who understood others well.
(Of course, unlike a certain someone, his kindness and warmth weren't self-proclaimed.)
So he had no objections to the veterans calling it quits either.
That left only Tom Wilde—the earnest Canadian import—insisting that the match should continue.
But with his awkward Japanese and relatively limited life experience, it wouldn't be long before Kitajima Kippei successfully talked him out of it.
-----
The setting sun cast its golden light through the tall windows of the gym as training came to a close.
The players wiped off sweat while chatting in small groups and headed for the locker rooms.
During the off-season, the club's daily training hours ran from 8 AM to 6 PM, with one rest day per weekend.
Veterans like Kitajima Kippei and Kubo Wataru, who already had families, went home at the end of the day.
Younger players like Taichi and Iizuna stayed in single dorm rooms provided by the club.
Walking quietly at the back of the group, Kaedehara Taichi wore a calm expression—but a subtle hint of satisfaction shone in his eyes.
[Kaedehara Taichi—Outside Hitter:Height: 193 cm
Serve: 95 | Receive: 90 | Dig: 92 | Set: 89 | Spike: 96| Block: 95
Spike Reach: 362 cm /Block Reach: 338 cm.]
"Pro life is actually kinda fun…even if the real matches are still a long way off," Taichi mused aimlessly.
And just like that, Kaedehara Taichi quietly and effortlessly blended into life at DH Club—spending the very first day of his pro career in a surprisingly low-key fashion.
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