Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

Chapter 68: Give You The Honour

A week flew by in no time, and the much-anticipated Inter-High (IH) preliminaries had finally arrived.

At the Sendai City Gymnasium, the venue for the Miyagi Prefecture Boys' High School Volleyball Tournament, the matches for Groups A and B, as well as the finals, were set to take place.

A cluster of spectators gathered around the match schedule posted at the venue entrance, their lively discussions filling the air.@@@@

"This year, Shiratorizawa is going to win again, right? Ushijima still looks as ridiculously strong as ever."

"Not necessarily. I heard Aoba Johsai's Iwaizumi and Hanamaki are supposed to be quite impressive this year."

"And apparently, Oikawa Tōru has grown even taller now that he's in his third year!"

"Yeah, yeah! I also heard that Aoba Johsai's first-years this year include a few exceptional players."

"Ahem." A middle-aged man cleared his throat twice to grab their attention. "My neighbour's kid is on Shiratorizawa's volleyball team. He told me that about a month ago, Aoba Johsai had a practice match against Shiratorizawa."

The onlookers immediately turned their attention to him, leaning in eagerly.

"And? How did it go?"

"Shiratorizawa won..."

"Pfft, I knew it."

"Well, of course! They've won all the important matches so far," someone else said, sounding rather disappointed.

"Hold on, I'm not done yet." The middle-aged man gestured dramatically, as if he'd been present at the scene himself. "Although Aoba Johsai lost, they went toe-to-toe with Shiratorizawa for three full sets. In fact, they even took the first set in decisive fashion!"

"This...!"

"Looks like this year's finals will be worth watching."

"Tch. It's always Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa that everyone talks about," a voice muttered.

A group of players, all clad in matching black tracksuits, strode into the gymnasium in unison, their presence like a looming thundercloud. This was the Karasuno Volleyball Team.

"Well, we are the 'wingless crows.' It's only natural that no one mentions us. They didn't even bring up Date Tech," Sugawara Koushi remarked, attempting to console his teammates.

But today, Karasuno exuded an entirely different energy. Their steady, determined steps carried an undeniable presence, drawing the eyes of everyone around them.

"Who's that team? They look so intense."

"That's Karasuno, right? They were supposed to be strong once, a long time ago."

"Hey, you! What's your deal?" Nishinoya Yū frowned and stepped forward, ready to shield Asahi.

"Stop it, stop it already!" Date Tech's captain, third-year Moniwa Kaname, hurried to pull Aone Takanobu back, trying to push his arm down.

"Futakuchi! Get over here and help!"

"Coming—" Futakuchi Kenji replied lazily as he strolled over.

Together with Moniwa, he began to push Aone back. Turning to Asahi, he grinned apologetically. "Sorry about this. This guy has this annoying habit of 'locking on' to the other team's ace as soon as he identifies them. So, uh....be prepared for it, I guess~."

[Aone Takanobu, middle blocker. Overall rating:86. Height:191.8 cm, Power:92, Jump:80, Stamina:84, Speed:88. Technique: Block:85, Spike:83.]

[Futakuchi Kenji, wing spike. Overall rating:86. Height:184.2cm, Power:86, Jump:88, Stamina:82, Speed: 89. Technique: Block:82, Spike:84.]

These two second-years were formidable indeed—no wonder they were so confident about trash-talking.

Still, now that they'd crossed paths, Kaedehara Taiichi figured it wouldn't hurt to leave a strong impression. He called out to the Date Tech players as they turned to leave.

"Earlier, was it Futakuchi-senpai who said Karasuno wouldn't make it to the third round?"

"Huh?"

Futakuchi Kenji glanced back at the black-haired Aoba Johsai first-year.

Truth be told, he'd overheard Karasuno and Aoba Johsai chatting like Date Tech wasn't even a threat, so he'd decided to give Karasuno a little warning. As for Aoba Johsai, he figured he could deal with them when they met in the Group A finals.

"Kid, even Iwaizumi-senpai hasn't said anything yet. What are you trying to say?" Futakuchi's words carried a casual, taunting undertone, clearly aimed at stirring the pot.

Iwaizumi Hajime and Kaedehara Taiichi stood shoulder to shoulder, looking at both Karasuno and Date Tech. Iwaizumi spoke up, "Let me introduce you to Aoba Johsai's first-year ace—Kaedehara Taiichi."

Huh? Iwaizumi-senpai's backing me up! Taiichi unconsciously straightened his posture, puffing out his chest.

"Ace?" Hearing the keyword, Aone Takanobu couldn't resist. Once again, he silently pointed his finger, this time at Kaedehara Taiichi.

Pfft. Is this a passive skill of his? Kaedehara Taiichi nearly laughed out loud. With a smirk, he walked to the centre, standing between the two teams. He raised both hands slightly, one toward each side.

"Alright then. Let's meet in the Group A finals. I'll give you both the honour of losing to Aoba Johsai."

_________

[T/N] - If you guys want to read 50 Chapters in advance of the current story, you can support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome!

Link - /Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]