Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

Chapter 52: Seijoh vs Nekoma (3)

Tap, tap, tap.

The ball bounced lightly on the court.

The setter's intention has been read?! Oikawa Tōru whipped his head around, only to see Kuroo Tetsurō grinning slyly at him.

"Hey, don't bully my setter!" Kuroo teased, his voice directed at Kaedehara Taichi.

Taichi: "..."

Wait a minute, Kuroo-senpai, the ball you blocked wasn't even one I spiked...

Oikawa Tōru: "..."

According to you, Taichi 'bullied' your setter, right? So why are you taking it out on me?!

------

"Spike it!"

"Ah, it's been received! But—"

"Chance ball!"

"Let's go again!"

"Left side!"

"Kuninami, spike it!"

"Argh—it's been picked up again!"

"Once more!"

The ball was sent to Taichi's position. Using a feint, he tricked Inuoka and gently tipped the ball over, landing it right behind him.

Aoba Johsai scores.

[Aoba Johsai 22 VS 18 Nekoma]

"Phew..." The players of Aoba Johsai were breathing heavily, sweat dripping down their faces.

"Senpai, have you noticed? It's getting harder and harder for us to score," Kindaichi fumed, furrowing his brows.

Yahaba Shigeru nodded gravely. "Yeah, they're adapting to our offence. Each rally is dragging on longer and longer."

The ball was becoming increasingly difficult to land.

Nearby, Kyōtani Kentarō's face twisted in frustration. For spikers like him, nothing was more annoying than a team like Nekoma.

Three points left. It was only the first set, yet from midway through, every rally had become an exhausting grind. Each point was desperately fought for, each moment spent wishing the ball would just hit the floor already.

Yet their opponents refused to let go.

Coach Irihata mused silently, If Aoba Johsai is a team held together by Oikawa Tōru's extraordinary talent, Nekoma is a team that connects through collective reception precision.

"By the way, Taichi's earlier misjudgment also stemmed from this. Because Nekoma's first touches are so precise, their setter barely needs to move. With minimal preparatory motion, it's nearly impossible to predict where he'll set the ball."

Bang!

The sound of the ball hitting the court echoed as Nekoma scored again.

[Aoba Johsai 22 VS 20 Nekoma]

The game was slowly shifting into Nekoma's rhythm. The longer you played against them, the harder it became to break through their defence.

Nekoma served. Inuoka's serve was unremarkable, easily received by Iwaizumi Hajime. Oikawa leapt and set the ball, triggering a multi-directional attack from Aoba Johsai.

"Smack!"

Iwaizumi's back-row attack was received by Yaku Morisuke.

Nearly every Nekoma player excelled at receiving, and their one-on-one defensive strategy had a surprisingly high success rate against Aoba Johsai's multi-attacks.

Taichi immediately moved up, this time fixating on Kenma's every action.

As Kenma prepared to set, Taichi noticed a fleeting glance toward Yamamoto Taketora on the left rear side.

A feint?!

Without hesitation, Taichi stepped sideways, positioning himself to block Taketora's potential spike.

"No. It's going to the right."

Kenma's soft voice broke the silence as he set the ball to Kuroo Tetsurō on the right.

Boom!

Kuroo spiked the ball down.

[Aoba Johsai 22 VS 21 Nekoma]

Was that glance just a trick? Oikawa had also caught Kenma's subtle look toward the left rear earlier.

"Taichi, you're pretty sharp," Kenma said, fixing his gaze on Kaedehara Taichi. "You observe your opponents and think critically during the game."

"And your reactions are quick enough to keep up with your thoughts."

But that's precisely why you were fooled, Kenma thought, though he didn't say it out loud.

Instead, he smiled at Taichi, his eyes brimming with anticipation.

"Do you have something even better up your sleeve?"

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