Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 427[ZTA]-: The Thread I Want to Grasp (Double-Length)

"Miya Atsumu's second touch attack got picked up? How could anyone react that fast?"

"It wasn't just fast reflexes—it was read in advance..." Kageyama Tobio stared intently at Micah Christensen. "No, not exactly read…this is…"

"Miya-senpai's second attack was induced by him."

"You mean that foreign setter intentionally didn't defend against the second touch?" Kai Suzuharu asked in shock. "That's bold."

Even if you knew the ball was coming, it wouldn't be easy to receive it.

"…We were baited." Miya Atsumu looked toward Micah Christensen across the net. "I didn't think you guys would take that kind of risk."

Micah Christensen frowned slightly, saying nothing as he calmly met Atsumu's gaze.

Right. These guys don't understand Japanese.

With a helpless expression, Hirugami Sachirō acted as translator and repeated the message to Christensen.

"That wasn't a risk for me," Micah Christensen replied. "You're an excellent setter. That's why I was able to anticipate what you'd do."

"Receiving a predictable ball—that's just the basics for a volleyball player."

"An excellent setter, huh…" Atsumu's expression turned increasingly sour. "Man, the way you talk really rubs me the wrong way."

The very next second—

"That line didn't need translating!" Atsumu yelled at Hirugami.

Hirugami: "…Seriously?"

Aren't we trying to provoke them? Dealing with these academically hopeless teammates is exhausting…

The U.S. team resumed serving.

Taylor Sander stepped up for his second serve.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

Sakusa Kiyoomi received the serve. Miya Atsumu jumped at the front row to set.

Fwoosh—!

Without hesitation, Atsumu sent the ball to the far left—for Kaedehara Taichi.

"Double block!" Max Holt and Matt Anderson jumped together.

Sander, at 196cm, might be vulnerable to tool-offs, but 205cm Holt and 210cm Anderson certainly weren't!

—BOOM!!!

Smack!

The ball whizzed past Holt's left side, grazed Sander's arm, and flew out of bounds.

Kaedehara Taichi scores.

[Japan 24 – 23 USA]

"This won't do," Taichi shook his head. "Told you—your blocks aren't good enough."

"Being able to hit a line shot through such a tight angle...that's seriously impressive," Matt Anderson said with a carefree smile.

The opposing team seemed a little different from when the match started. But so what? Japan was just one point away from taking the first set. That one point, however, would not come easy.

"Holt, Anderson—this time, lock down the line," Micah Christensen said calmly. "I'll cover the cross."

"Got it!"

Serve possession switched—Japan to serve.

Miya Atsumu stepped onto the service line.

Under normal circumstances, the crowd would probably be holding their breath for the opposing team. Atsumu walking up to serve at the set point? Nothing more terrifying than that.

But this was the U.S. national team. In the entire first set, Japan's service aces could be counted on one hand.

Atsumu tossed the ball high, took four steps, then leapt forcefully, spiking the ball with full power.

BOOM!!!

The ball flew at blistering speed with a slight curve.

Smack!

Aaron Russell received it cleanly. Micah Christensen quickly moved into position.

Fwoosh—!

In a blink, the ball shot back into the air toward the centre. Matt Anderson jumped for the spike!

"Triple block!" Hoshiumi Kōrai, Kaedehara Taichi, and Hirugami Sachirō all jumped together.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

"One touch!"

They got a hand on it!

The ball struck the top of Taichi's palm and soared upward.

"Keep it alive!!!"

Komori Motoya bolted after it with lightning speed.

The ball flew over the ad boards behind the court. Komori jumped, stepping over the boundary. His eyes stayed locked on the ball above him.

Smack!

Komori forcefully returned the ball into play—only to crash into a piece of filming equipment that hadn't been moved in time.

"Atsumu!!" Sakusa Kiyoomi shouted.

This was it—the ball Komori had risked everything to save. This one would decide the outcome of the first set!

There could be no mistakes!

Atsumu scrambled into position, leapt off the baseline, and set the ball.

Hoshiumi, Taichi, Hirugami, and Sakusa—all four charged in for the attack!

Whoosh—!

Atsumu's form gave away nothing. But the long-distance set from the baseline to the front row gave Team USA just enough time to readjust.

Thud!

Kaedehara Taichi planted his feet, thigh muscles tensing with explosive power, and soared into the air.

"Triple block!" Holt, Anderson, and Micah Christensen all jumped simultaneously.

For the first time in the entire set, the U.S. team deployed a triple block!

BOOM!!!—

The ball flew over Micah Christensen's block.

"Shoji! Pick it up!"

—or I'll kill you!

Even if Micah didn't shout the second part, Eric Shoji could hear the threat loud and clear in his tone!

Smack!

"Keep it up—!" freёweɓnovel.com

Eric Shoji barely got under it, popping the ball high—but it sailed far out of bounds.

Aaron Russell immediately turned and sprinted after it. But before he could get far, a figure overtook him.

The same ball, flying over the ad boards—Micah Christensen leapt, spun mid-air, and pushed the ball back with both hands.

Whoosh!—

The ball gently spun as it returned to the U.S. front row.

Hard to believe—but the very person who'd just jumped for the triple block now ran all the way past the baseline to return it! In one touch, he did the job of both Komori and Atsumu.

Thud!

Matt Anderson leapt and spiked.

"Triple block!"

BOOM!!!—

—Smack!

The ball struck Taichi's arm—but this time, Hirugami's palm was also there.

BANG!

The ball ricocheted straight down onto the U.S. side of the court.

Japan scores on a block!

[Japan 25 – 23 USA]

A direct block on Matt Anderson, the 210cm ace!

"Tweet—!"

The referee's whistle rang long and clear.

End of Set 1.

Winner: Japan.

-----

"Win—We won?!!"

The spectators in the stands could hardly believe what they were seeing.

The first set had ended at just 25 points—and in such a dramatic fashion, no less, with a block to seal the deal.

"It's only the first set, though," one spectator reminded, though a bright smile lit up his face.

"I thought it was going to turn into a tug-of-war…but it ended at 25 just like that…"

Ever since Team USA had sent in Aaron Russell, Matt Anderson, and Micah Christenson, the atmosphere on the court had turned somewhat suffocating. Both sides were scoring—but the manner in which they earned their points was worlds apart.

And so, after the brief moment of joy, a wave of concern crept back onto everyone's faces.

That first set had been a lucky, "easy win"…but what about the next one?

No one believed Team Japan could dominate so smoothly again—not when Team USA hadn't even been using their full-strength lineup from the start.

-----

"Christenson…I—I'm sorry."

Over in Team USA's bench area, the always light-hearted Matt Anderson no longer had a smile on his face. He cautiously approached Micah Christenson.

"That set…I passed it too low," Christenson said, his face expressionless.

"No, no! The set was fine—it was me—"

"It was your problem," Christenson interrupted. "The pass being low is on me. I can accept that you didn't score. But getting blocked by someone twenty centimetres shorter than you—"

"Anderson. You won't be going in for the next set."

"I—"

"That's enough," said head coach Karch Kiraly. "You still didn't take the situation seriously, even after the opponents reached set point. Anderson, you do need a set to cool down."

"…Yes." Matt Anderson replied dejectedly. With the coach saying it too, there was no doubt he was headed for the bench.

Karch Kiraly swept his eyes across the team and spoke in a low, deliberate tone:

"Losing the first set doesn't matter. This is just an exhibition match—we can't go bullying the home team too much."

"But now that we've dropped one, we need to win the remaining two—and win them decisively."

"I don't want to go home with a loss under our belt. Got it?"

"Yes, Coach!"

"Good. Then let's prepare to return the favour to Team Japan in the second set."

"Yes, Coach!"

-----

Over in Japan's bench area.

"Motoya, you okay?"

"Komori-senpai, are you hurt anywhere?"

As the player who made the critical save that led to the final point, Komori Motoya was now surrounded by teammates.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Komori wiggled his thick brows. Winning the first set like this made that last save totally worth it.

After diving for the ball and tumbling into a camera setup, he had actually managed to absorb most of the impact. When he took his shirt off to check just now, there were no visible injuries or bruises—he was pretty damn lucky.

"To be safe, we'll have Nakamori start the second set. Komori, let the team doctor check you out more thoroughly later."

"Got it." Komori nodded without protest. He had full confidence in Nakamori Daiki's abilities.

After Nationals ended, the media had been calling Nakamori Daiki "Japan's top libero." Two titles that should've gone to Itachiyama ended up getting snatched away by Aoba Johsai's underclassmen.

But since Itachiyama hadn't even made it to the finals, Komori Motoya and Sakusa Kiyoomi didn't really care much about fame and titles—unlike "a certain setter" or "a certain top-five ace."

After Nationals, Komori and Nakamori had exchanged emails. They often grumbled behind the scenes about how impossible their aces were to deal with...

The moment first-year Nakamori Daiki was announced to be subbing in, Kageyama Tobio immediately began fidgeting on the side. His eyes gleamed as he looked toward Coach Hibarida—he might as well have tattooed Put me in! on his forehead.

"Atsumu, do you need a break?" Hibarida asked directly.

"Nope."

Miya Atsumu gave a brisk reply—then turned to flash Kageyama a sly, fox-like grin.

Kageyama clenched his fists silently. The desire to get stronger burned brighter than ever in that moment.

Coach Hibarida glanced toward Team USA's bench, a trace of hesitation in his expression.

Judging from how the first set had gone, the gap between Japan and the U.S. was obvious.

Logically speaking, it would be hard for Japan to win the second set. In that case, sacrificing the set to test more lineups and players might be the smarter option.

But this squad from Japan—they were proud. And Hibarida himself didn't want to employ such a sacrificial strategy either.

"Coach, don't worry."

Kaedehara Taichi's voice brought Hibarida back to the present. "We will win!"

Taichi was feeling something strange.

There was something he'd caught glimpses of during the first set—something he wanted to grab hold of.

But it wasn't enough yet…

Maybe the pressure from the opponents wasn't strong enough yet.

Maybe his own resolve wasn't strong enough yet.

Taichi wanted to find that thread in this match—the key to unlocking it all.

Hibarida smiled. "Of course. Volleyball isn't a bodybuilding contest. It's not always the most muscular team that wins."

"You guys—just go out there and give it your all!"

-----

The intermission ended quickly. The two sides switched courts.

The second set began.

Japan's starting lineup:

Front row—Middle Blocker Hirugami Sachirō, Setter Miya Atsumu, Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi.

Back row—Outside Hitter Sakusa Kiyoomi, Opposite Hitter Hoshiumi Kōrai and Middle Blocker Aone Takenobu (Libero: Nakamori Daiki).

USA's starting lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Aaron Russell, Middle Blocker Jeff Jendryk, Opposite Hitter Torey DeFalco.

Back row—Setter Micah Christenson, Middle Blocker Taylor Averill (Libero: Erik Shoji) and Outside Hitter Thomas Jaeschke.

Japan had switched out their middle blocker and libero. Meanwhile, compared to their lineup in the first set, the U.S. had only kept their opposite and libero.

Though Matt Anderson—who stood 210 cm tall—wasn't on the court, Japan was still wary. After all, Torey DeFalco might be 'only' 198 cm, but his spike reach exceeded 360 cm. He had already left a strong impression.

In addition, Team USA had sent out two new faces—Outside Hitter Thomas Jaeschke and Middle Blocker Taylor Averill. With this, all 14 members of Team USA had now appeared in the match.

Kaedehara Taichi glanced over at the two new players.

[Thomas Jaeschke—Outside Hitter:Height: 196 cm

Serve: 90 | Receive: 82 | Dig: 90 | Set: 90 | Spike: 88| Block: 86

Spike Reach: 348 cm /Block Reach: 324 cm.]

[Taylor Averille—Outside Hitter:Height: 201 cm

Serve: 88 | Receive: 75 | Dig: 80 | Set: 73 | Spike: 88| Block: 90

Spike Reach: 350 cm /Block Reach: 335 cm.]

Not bad. One was a strong server and defender—clearly why the U.S. put him in the No. 1 spot to start the set with a powerful serve. The middle blocker, though…was kind of average.

A bit disappointing, honestly.

Then again, if every single player on Team USA was built like Aaron Russell or Matt Anderson…that would be way too terrifying.

"Beeeep—!"

A long whistle blew.

Team USA served first.

_________

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