Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 318: There’s a Delinquent!

"Nice to see you again, Shōyō."

It was as if time had rewound a year—back to the start of the new semester—when Kaedehara Taichi and Kindaichi Yūtarō had stood at Aoba Johsai's school gate, welcoming Karasuno's team.

This time, it should have been the first-years' turn, but after being restricted from spiking drills by Coach Irihata, Taichi had been stuck practising receives and sets, which was unbearably boring.

So, he dragged Kindaichi out with him.

"Taichi!"

Now a second-year, Hinata Shōyō no longer got carsick and didn't feel the need to run to the bathroom before matches (at least, not for practice matches). The moment he spotted Kaedehara Taichi at the gate, he leapt off the bus and sprinted toward him.

Just a meter away from Taichi, he suddenly skidded to a halt.

Wait, no. We're still enemies right now!

"Taichi! Today, I'm definitely going to beat you!" Hinata crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive stance.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Taichi replied absentmindedly before tilting his head in curiosity. "Do you guys have any strong first-years this year?"

At that, Hinata looked troubled. It wasn't that he minded weaker newcomers (after all, he had been the weakest when he first joined), but the lack of fresh talent had been a bit of a concern for Karasuno.

Fortunately—

"We don't have any strong first-years, but we do have a strong second-year!" Hinata brightened as he remembered Kita Seio—the guy who had almost gotten into a fight with Tanaka-senpai on his first day. Well, at least he was good at volleyball.

"You idiot, you don't just hand over intel to the enemy right away." The rest of Karasuno's team had finally reached the entrance.

"Taichi, Kindaichi—today, I'm definitely going to defeat you!"

The moment Kageyama Tobio stepped forward, he declared war.

Kindaichi, who hadn't wanted to be here in the first place, had been standing awkwardly to the side. But the second Kageyama called him out, the atmosphere between them grew tense.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Taichi could only sigh in admiration. These two single-cell organisms really do say the exact same things.

"You're Kaedehara Taichi? I heard you're supposed to be one of the top three aces in the country."

Following the voice of the challenger, Taichi turned his head.

A boy, about the same size as Azumane Asahi but slightly taller, was making his way toward them.

[Kita Seio—Outside Hitter: Overall Rating: 88.2 Height: 188.5 cm, Strength: 95, Jump: 78, Stamina: 90, Speed: 85; Key Attributes:Spike: 93.]

So this was the new guy Hinata had mentioned. Unlike Azumane, this one definitely had the delinquent look both inside and out.

Kita Seio stopped in front of Taichi. They were similar in height, but Kita's frame was noticeably broader.

"Hah, what's the matter? Too scared to say anything?" Kita sneered. "And they call you Aoba Johsai's ace?"

Taichi gave him a puzzled look. One thing was clear—this guy clearly wasn't very bright.

Kindaichi, ever the reliable enforcer, stepped forward, about to defend Taichi—

"Security! Security! There's a delinquent!"

Taichi deadpanned.

"Wait, no, hold on." Ennoshita Chikara quickly waved his hands in panic. "Taichi, he's our new teammate!"

"Oh, I see now~" Taichi drawled, feigning realization.

A vein twitched on Kita's forehead. He was wearing a Karasuno jersey! How could this guy lie with such a straight face?!

"I thought someone had stolen your team's uniform," Taichi mused. "Honestly, he looks more like a delinquent than Asahi-senpai."

Kita could practically hear his own patience snapping. He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking one after another.

"Secu—"

"Taichi, Taichi!" Ennoshita called out in alarm. "L-let's just head to the gym first!"

"Sure." Taichi shrugged, deciding not to drag it out any further.

After all, there would be plenty of chances to mess with him during the match.

-----

"Ryū! Aoba Johsai actually beat us in this regard!"

"Damn it, I miss Shimizu-senpai—!"

The moment they entered the gym, two perverts clung to each other, wailing.

Once, Aoba Johsai had no female managers. But now, they had two, officially defeating Karasuno's single manager by a score of 2-1.

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"Hitoka-chan!" Nishinoya Yū shouted dramatically. "You have to step up your game!"

"A-ah! I—I know…!" Yachi Hitoka jumped at the sudden outburst.

She felt helpless about the whole recruitment issue. Karasuno's volleyball team wasn't exactly famous, and she lacked the sheer presence that Shimizu-senpai had.

"Yachi, you don't need to take those two idiots seriously." Ennoshita reassured her kindly.

"O-okay. Thank you, senpai."

"Ugh, another annoying shaved head." Kita Seio had already gotten into trouble with Kyōtani Kentarō in one corner of the gym.

"What did you just say?!"

"Kyōtani, cut it out! Focus on warming up!" Moguchi Sadayuki called out from the side.

"Hmph—" Kyōtani shot a glare at Kita, memorizing his face.

-----

"Go for it, Tsukki!"

Tsukishima Kei quietly wrapped his fingers in athletic tape while sitting in the rest area, Yamaguchi Tadashi beside him.

"You should be ready to sub in anytime," Tsukishima said coolly.

"I know!" Yamaguchi nodded. "I've been preparing this whole time."

"Hm."

-----

"Please take care of us!"

With the usual pre-match exchange, both teams took their positions.

Among Miyagi Prefecture's powerhouse teams, Karasuno and Aoba Johsai had faced each other the least. They had only played once in an official match and twice in practice matches—Karasuno had not attended Shiratorizawa's training camp and had instead gone to Tokyo.

Yet, perhaps because Karasuno's rise to prominence had begun with Aoba Johsai, they had always regarded them as a team they had to defeat. And Aoba Johsai, largely due to Kageyama Tobio's presence, had never underestimated Karasuno either.

"Tweet—!"

The match began.

Aoba Johsai's lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Middle Blocker Yūki Yōji, Setter Yahaba Shigeru.

Back row—Outside Hitter Kunimi Akira, Middle Blocker Kindaichi Yūtarō (Libero: Nakamori Daiki) and Outside Hitter Kyōtani Kentarō.

Karasuno's lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Tanaka Ryūnosuke, Outside Hitter Kita Seio, Middle Blocker Hinata Shōyō.

Back row—Middle Blocker Tsukishima Kei, Outside Hitter Ennoshita Chikara (Libero: Nishinoya Yū) and Setter Kageyama Tobio.

Karasuno to serve. Kageyama Tobio stepped onto the service line.

Thump, thump…

Tōma Kaoru's gaze locked onto Kageyama.

Miyagi Prefecture's current best setter, the one closest to Oikawa-senpai.

The King of the Court.

Back in junior high at Kitagawa Daiichi, Tōma had witnessed Kageyama's setting firsthand—cold, commanding, precise to an almost oppressive degree. His sets left no room for negotiation, forcing attackers into a single, absolute choice.

A double-edged sword for both teammates and opponents alike.

Then, in Kageyama's third year of junior high, his teammates had stopped receiving his sets. That was when Tōma had gotten his first chance to play—but despite the high expectations placed on them, his team lost the match.

How much stronger had Kageyama become since then? Had the gap between them shrunk at all? Now, he had the chance to see for himself.

Haa—

Kageyama exhaled. Playing against Aoba Johsai always gave him a particular kind of feeling.

This was Oikawa-senpai's team.

This was Taichi's team.

"I'm in peak condition."

He tossed the ball lightly, taking a slow approach before suddenly accelerating—his arm whipped forward in a blur.

BOOM!!!

The ball compressed under Kageyama's palm, then streaked across the court like a bolt of lightning.

Bang!

The ball landed at Nakamori Daiki's feet and bounced away.

Silence fell over the Aoba Johsai side.

No-touch-ace!

[Aoba Johsai 0 – 1 Karasuno]

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