Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

Chapter 146: Quad-Wielder

The serve returned to Team Irihata, and Kaedehara Taichi stepped up to the service line.

Since the second day of the training camp, Team Irihata had lost seven consecutive sets.

No one seemed particularly surprised—that was precisely the biggest issue.

Perhaps the coach only wanted to witness their growth, indifferent to the outcomes of wins and losses.

Or maybe, he was hoping that something would finally shift in the final set.

But Kaedehara Taichi understood this much: every player on his team, in every single match, was determined not to lose.

He tossed the ball with one hand and began his approach.

That form?

Oikawa Tōru's brow furrowed.

On the backline for Team Washijō were libero Yamagata Hayato, Oikawa Tōru, and Ushijima Wakatoshi—a receiving formation without any weak points.

Bang!

The moment the ball was struck, Oikawa realized what had been strange.

A jump float...hit with the left hand?!

From Oikawa's perspective, the ball's trajectory and movement looked even more unpredictable than usual.

The serve rocketed along a nearly straight path toward the gap between Yamagata and Oikawa, but as it dropped, it suddenly veered toward Oikawa's side.

"What the...?"

Startled, Oikawa reacted instinctively, lunging at the ball.

Smack!

He barely made contact—just enough to send the ball flying behind him and out of bounds.

"Save it!" Oikawa shouted.

Ushijima sprinted after it and managed to knock the ball back toward the net.

"Impressive!" Futakuchi Kenji's eyes widened. "He managed to disrupt both Oikawa and Ushijima with one serve!"

Kunimi Akira prepared to spike, and Futakuchi jumped to block, with Tendō Satori eyeing him closely from the side.

A power spike was too risky.

Kunimi made his decision instantly and tipped the ball to the back of Team Irihata's court instead.

"Chance ball!"

Iwaizumi Hajime calmly received it.

The ball soared above Shirabu Kenjirō, and in perfect synchronization, the other four players launched into a multi-layered attack.

Bang!

The rapid-fire sequence threw Team Washijō's blockers into disarray.

In the end, Shirabu chose a quick set to Tendō, executing a perfect one-man time differential play.

[Team Irihata 4 – 2 Team Washijō]

"Damn it, what kind of monster trick has Taichi pulled off now?" Oikawa muttered with a bemused expression.

Before Terushima could react, a pair of large hands smothered the path of his attack.

Smack!

Tendō Satori's block sent the ball crashing back down at Terushima's feet.

[Team Irihata 6 – 2 Team Washijō]

"What a monster..." Kunimi muttered. He had already known that a direct spike would've led to the same result. Still, Terushima had been far too careless.

A stifling atmosphere hung over Team Washijō. Nothing about the current game hinted that the opposing team had lost seven straight sets.

"Don't worry, next ball!" Oikawa clapped his hands. "Terushima, your body's a little stiff, you know~?"

"Yes, senpai..." Terushima took a deep breath, his tension easing at the sound of Oikawa's voice.

Yamagata Hayato observed the interaction, finding it unfamiliar.

Shiratorizawa rarely faced true adversity, and Ushijima typically led through action rather than words.

Oikawa returned to his position and glanced around with a grin.

"This next point—we can't let them score again!"

"Got it." Ushijima actually responded, his expression calm as ever.

Three consecutive points in his service turn! Taichi could feel the adrenaline surging.

If players like Oikawa Tōru and Miya Atsumu, masters of both jump serves and float serves, were called dual-wielders, then with his additional ambidextrous capability, he had to be—

A Quad-Wielder.

Bang!

A right-handed jump serve.

"Out!"

The referee's signal wasn't even necessary—

"Pfft—HAHAHA!" Oikawa burst out laughing, wiping tears from his eyes.

He couldn't believe it. Kaedehara Taichi's trusty right-handed jump serve had sailed clean out of bounds. Even the coaches on both sides struggled to hold back their smiles.

[Team Irihata 6 – 3 Team Washijō]

"Stay calm, stay calm..." Taichi muttered to himself, forcing a composed expression as he returned to his position.

"Don't worry about it," Iwaizumi Hajime reassured him.

"We're in a good spot. Their two toughest servers are done with their rotations—it'll be much harder for them to close the gap now." Shirabu Kenjirō offered praise as well.

"Nice teamwork, Taichi!" Tendō Satori grinned mischievously.

Taichi knew exactly what he meant—each of his serves had disrupted either Oikawa or Ushijima.

And as long as it wasn't Ushijima spiking the ball, Tendō was confident in his blocks.

At least...when luck was on his side.

_________

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