Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

Chapter 69: Start of The Match

"Wow, this is so delicious! Did you make it yourself?"

Tōru Oikawa was surrounded by a group of girls from other schools, his face glowing with a radiant, happy smile.

"Yes! I stayed up late last night to make them!"

The girl offering the cookies smiled shyly.

"Wow, I'm so happy. Thank you so much!"

"N-no problem..."

The girl's face turned bright red.

"Oikawa-kun, um...can we take a photo together?"

Another girl asked expectantly.

"A photo? Of course, no problem!"

Oikawa grinned and held up a "V" sign with his fingers.

Thwack!

A volleyball flew in from nowhere, perfectly smacking Oikawa in the head courtesy of Iwaizumi Hajime.

"Ah..."

The girls gasped, stepping back a few paces in shock.

"Ow..."

Oikawa turned around dramatically, rubbing his head.

"Even Coach doesn't hit me like that..."

The volleyball rebounded and was caught effortlessly by Taichi Kaedehara, who stood nearby.

Iwaizumi stood emotionless, staring Oikawa down.

"Sorry... let's save the photos for next time, okay?"

Oikawa turned back to the girls with a forced smile.

"Ehh—"

"Aw, what a shame..."

The girls watched as Oikawa was dragged off by his two Aoba Johsai teammates.

------

"What the hell, Taichi?! You didn't call me for something this flashy?"

On the way back to the gym, Oikawa pouted as Iwaizumi filled him in on what Taichi had said to Karasuno and Date Tech earlier.

"Oh please, Oikawa-senpai. You'd much rather show off in front of girls, wouldn't you?" Taichi shot him a sideways glance.

"Uh..."

Caught red-handed yet again, Oikawa had no comeback.

"Alright, you two." Iwaizumi, standing between them, pressed down on their heads with his hands.

"Focus on the matches. You talked big, so now we have to back it up!"

"Got it."

"Yes, sir!"

The sight was almost comical.

Both Oikawa and Taichi were taller than Iwaizumi, yet they somehow seemed perfectly in place being scolded by him.@@@@

Nearby, some spectators began to recognize them as Aoba Johsai's captain and vice-captain—but they were puzzled about the black-haired 'new guy'.

"Coach said that compared to Senkawa North and Oomisaki, Karasuno and Date Tech are the teams we need to watch out for. We'll spend the morning observing their matches."

Both teams roared with energy, their voices echoing in unison.

Karasuno High's starting lineup:

Front row—Wing Spiker Ryūnosuke Tanaka, Middle Blocker Hinata Shōyō, Wing Spiker Daichi Sawamura.

Back row—Setter Tobio Kageyama, Middle Blocker Kei Tsukishima (Libero: Nishinoya Yū), Wing Spiker Asahi Azumane.

Tokonami High's starting lineup:

Front row—Wing Spiker Hayato Ikejiri, Setter Yoshiharu Haga, Middle Blocker Kazuma Chaya.

Back row—Middle Blocker Rikuto Shibuya (Libero: Taiga Sakurai), Wing Spiker Hiroki Tamagawa, Wing Spiker Hikaru Komaki.

Taichi scanned the lineup on Nekoma's side. Other than that 'Ikejiri guy' who apparently used to be Daichi Sawamura's middle school teammate, he didn't recognize a single name.

[Hayato Ikejiri, Wing Spiker. Overall rating:80. Height:177.2, Power:83, Jump:78, Stamina:82, Speed:75. Technique: Serve:80, Spike:83.]

[Yoshiharu Haga, Setter. Overall rating:76....]

[Kazuma Chaya, Middle Blocker. Overall rating:78....]

Taichi stopped analyzing. The gap in skill levels between the two teams was pretty clear. It didn't seem like Tokonami could push Karasuno hard enough to reveal anything significant.

The spectators weren't particularly engaged either. Most people didn't bother paying attention to these 'unknown' schools.

Thwack!

Nishinoya Yū received a serve with effortless precision, the volleyball flying cleanly into Kageyama's hands.

"It's coming!"

The Aoba Johsai players in the stands straightened up, eager to see Karasuno's signature freak quick attack.

Whoosh!

Kageyama's set soared high and wide to the left side. Hinata, starting his approach from the backcourt, rocketed forward with terrifying speed.

Boom!

The sound of the ball being spiked echoed sharply.

"He's flying—!!"

Someone in the stands couldn't hold back a gasp as they watched Hinata's gravity-defying leap.

"Bang!"

The ball slammed into the floor. Point for Karasuno.

"Karasuno... didn't use that move, did they?"

Kindaichi Yūtarō muttered, visibly surprised.

"No," Coach Ihata replied thoughtfully. "It was a standard quick attack—still rough around the edges, but nothing too fancy. It seems the little guy has been undergoing some very meaningful training."

His tone grew more serious.

"Understanding the weapons you have, adding to that arsenal, and choosing the most appropriate attack based on the match situation..."

He paused, a small smile forming.

"The team that once relied solely on brute force—have they started playing with wisdom now?"

Coach Irihata chuckled, shaking his head.

"What a troublesome team... hahahaha."

He glanced at Oikawa and Taichi sitting nearby, noticing that their expressions were identical—focused, intense, and brimming with excitement. They looked like children who had just discovered a fascinating new toy.

"Heh. Looks like Aoba Johsai doesn't need to worry too much."

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