Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 446: An Unexpected Acquaintance (Double-Length)

During the off-season, teams in the V1 League generally refrained from arranging practice matches with each other. On one hand, it was to ensure that players—exhausted after a grueling season—had time to properly rest and recover. On the other hand, concerns such as tactical secrecy also played a role.

However, even in the off-season, V1 teams often remained active by scheduling exchange matches with teams from the V2 and V3 Leagues or university clubs. This helped their players maintain competitive form and also served as a way to scout for potential recruits from a wider talent pool.

"There are two exchange matches in April. One is against the local Nagoya University team. Let's have Taichi and Iizuna take some players from the second team to that one."

"The other match is against the Kiniro Sports Jumpers from the V3 League. I heard they picked up a promising rookie last year, and their strength has improved a lot," the club manager announced during morning training as he informed the players about the April schedule.

The training systems at professional clubs were worlds apart from those in high school volleyball. In school clubs, everyone typically trained together—doing the same basic drills such as bumping and setting. The rhythm and content of training were fairly uniform.

This approach aimed to ensure all student-athletes received balanced training, focusing mainly on the fundamentals of volleyball.

But it was entirely different at the club level. Coaches, trainers, and even team physicians would devise individualised training programs based on a player's position, physical condition, and technical weaknesses.

Players were divided into small groups and assigned to different training zones to work on various exercises.

Right now, Kaedehara Taichi was grouped with Tom Wilde and Nitta Asahiro. The three of them weren't even in the volleyball gym but instead in the weight room, focusing on strength training. Still, despite all three targeting strength, their workouts were completely different.

Taichi's regimen included planks, Russian twists, and hanging leg raises—exercises all aimed at strengthening his core muscles.

Coach Nick had been impressed by Taichi's spike height and was satisfied with the power behind his attacks. But to fully capitalise on his height as a weapon, core strength would be the most crucial factor going forward.

Controlling his body midair—executing twists and maintaining stability during motion—relied heavily on abdominal strength.

Nitta Asahiro was doing bench presses, dumbbell shoulder presses, and pull-ups, focusing on his upper-body strength. While he had excellent timing when it came to blocking, he still lacked the raw power to counter heavy hitters who could blast right through the block. Strengthening his shoulders would enhance both his blocking and spiking power.

Tom Wilde, on the other hand, was doing weighted squats and deadlifts. Strong lower-body muscles would help him absorb the impact of landings and better prepare him to leap again for the next block.

"What's the Kiniro Club like? Do either of you know anything about them?" Taichi asked, flopping onto his back after finishing another round of planks.

"Nope," Tom Wilde replied without hesitation. As a Canadian foreign player, his daily life mostly revolved around volleyball, good food, and painting.

Yes—painting.

Taichi had been thoroughly shocked when he first heard about Wilde's hobby. According to Tom, he was simply trying to earn enough money through volleyball so that he could devote himself entirely to painting in the future.

Taichi had instantly developed a deep respect for him. He never imagined one of his teammates was a talented artist whose true calling had been delayed by volleyball. After that, he carefully stored the painting Tom had given him as a welcome gift—originally just tossed in the corner of his dorm room. You never know, after all…

"Kubo-san should know," Nitta chimed in. "He came up from the V3 League. If anyone in the club has the connections, it's him." freewёbnoνel.com

"You're really interested in that team?"

"Not really," Taichi replied, sitting up with a kip-up to start the next set. "It's just that the manager mentioned they picked up a promising rookie last year. I was wondering if it might be someone I know."

"I see. You're just like Iizuna when he first joined the club last year," Nitta recalled. "But he was way more reserved than you."

"Really?" Taichi asked, puzzled. "But I've only been here for less than a week—I haven't even done anything yet."

Nitta: "….."

This kid seriously had no self-awareness whatsoever.

"By the way, when you go up against Nagoya University, remember to keep things in check," Nitta warned. "It's just a friendly match, so work on your coordination with Iizuna and the other teammates."

"Yes, Captain!" Taichi grinned. "Don't worry, I'm always super friendly on the court!"

"Heh." Nitta replied with a cold chuckle. If they hadn't played a match on the day Taichi joined the team, he might've actually believed that cheerful smile.

"Oh well. At least Iizuna will be there. Things shouldn't get too out of hand."

-----

[Nagoya University Volleyball Club]

The university players, fresh out of training, sat together catching their breath and hydrating.

Coach Hirakoba was breaking down the key takeaways from their recent scrimmage when the team manager came running in.

"Coach! The practice match with DH Club is confirmed—it's happening this weekend!"

"Did they say who's in their starting lineup?" Coach Hirakoba paused. "Will that high schooler be there?"

"He's on the roster. The ones leading the team this time are Iizuna Tsukasa and Kaedehara Taichi. The rest are second-team players."

Coach Hirakoba nodded. It had been a while since he'd seen such an intriguing player. Now that Taichi had joined a club in Aichi Prefecture, this was the perfect opportunity to observe him more closely.

"Whoa, we're really going up against Kaedehara Taichi?" exclaimed team captain Seta Takeshi.

"What's the matter, senpai?" setter Suzuki Hiroshi smirked knowingly. "Weren't you always lamenting that you never got to face Kaedehara Taichi in high school?"

"Cough, cough—that's not exactly how I put it," Seta said righteously. "If I'd been a third-year when he entered high school, there's no reason I couldn't have beaten him!"

Suzuki gave him a disdainful side-eye. "Senpai, you really have no shame."

As a diehard fan of the local DH Club, Coach Hirakoba was well aware of the gap between university teams and professionals. But he wasn't concerned about winning or losing this scrimmage. Just being able to "chase stars on the school's dime"—no, evaluate his team's strength—was more than enough.

"This might be a match we're destined to lose, but we'll play it our way!"

"Yes, sir!!!" the team responded in unison, their eyes brimming with determination.

-----

Nagoya University was a top-tier national research university located in Aichi Prefecture, known for its distinguished academic achievements and its cultivation of outstanding scientific talent—producing seven Nobel laureates to date.

However, in terms of sports, Nagoya University's performance was rather average. It wasn't terrible by any means, but in recent years, it hadn't been strong enough to qualify for the Nationals.

The weekend arrived quickly, and as scheduled, the members of the DH Club made their way to the venue. This exchange match was truly a friendly one in every sense of the word, so everyone wore relaxed expressions. Walking in the middle of the group, Kaedehara Taichi followed his teammates into the gym, curiously scanning his surroundings.

The gym was buzzing with voices. Both sides of the stands were packed with energetic students, waving handmade banners and radiating youthful vitality.

"Ever since I left school, every time I see a scene like this again, I can't help feeling a little sentimental," Iizuna Tsukasa muttered. Unknowingly, it had already been a year since he became a professional player.

"Really?" Kaedehara Taichi couldn't quite relate. Understandably so—he had only been out of school for about a month.

Although information about the match wouldn't be posted on the club's official website, it wasn't anything confidential either. So, aside from students, the audience also included several reporters and scouts from other clubs interested in Kaedehara Taichi.

Just then, Taichi caught sight of a familiar figure.

"Shirabu-senpai?! I didn't expect you to be today's opponent!"

Shirabu Kenjirō looked indifferent, but his body still moved honestly toward Taichi. "I'm not. I don't play volleyball anymore."

"Huh?"

"No need to look so surprised," Shirabu said calmly. "I'm not like you volleyball prodigies who can build a future on the sport."

"I actually think you could make it," Taichi replied earnestly.

"Hah?" Shirabu's brows furrowed slightly. If it weren't for how sincere Taichi looked right now, he would've thought the kid was mocking him.

"In the end, studying is more my thing," Shirabu said flatly. "I can't balance volleyball and academics in university the way I did in high school."

"Oh, that's right!" Taichi suddenly realised. "I didn't expect you to get into such a prestigious university."

"And into the medical department," Shirabu added calmly, though there was clearly a trace of pride in his voice.

"But if you're not on the team, and still showed up today, that must mean you still care about volleyball!"

"Mhm." Shirabu didn't deny it. "Even though I'm not in the volleyball club, I still watch matches whenever I can."

"Let me guess—it's Ushijima-senpai's games, right?" Taichi teased.

"And Yamagata-senpai," Shirabu added. "He's with Hiashi Automotive Lions in the V2 League."

"Then I might get a chance to play against him someday," Taichi said.

"Taichi, come on! Huddle up!" Iizuna called as both teams were almost ready.

"Coming!" Taichi called back.

"Shirabu-senpai, you might be witnessing Nagoya getting totally wrecked today!"

To Taichi's surprise, Shirabu chuckled. "Taichi, I came here today just for you."

"The one who shattered Ushijima-senpai's dream of a third-year national title, and stood at the peak of high school volleyball—I want to see just how far you'll go."

"Well now, that's…"

Taichi turned away with a smile, leaving only his back behind.

-----

"Beep! Both teams may now enter for warm-up. The match will officially begin in thirty minutes."

"Yes!"

Players from both teams stepped onto the court. After polite bows and greetings, they began their respective warm-ups.

As usual, Kaedehara Taichi began observing Nagoya University's players as he warmed up. From warm-ups alone, he could already tell that university players had a more solid foundation. Their movements flowed more seamlessly.

Smack!

BOOM!!

Boom!!!

Whether it was the speed of their passes or the power of their spikes, it was a clear level above the average high schooler.

"Still, if it were Aoba Johsai…they could probably take this team down without too much trouble," Taichi couldn't help but think.

"H-Hello, Taichi-san! I'm Seta Takeshi, I graduated from Kamomedai High!" Seta, noticing Taichi staring at him, grew nervous.

"Huh? Oh—hello, senpai." Taichi quickly snapped out of his thoughts and greeted him with a bright smile. "You're Hoshiumi-senpai's upperclassman, right? I've heard all about you!"

"Uh, um…"

Taichi frowned, suddenly annoyed with himself. He hadn't actually paid attention to what the guy said earlier—was he seriously walking into a social death trap?

"Hello, Seta-senpai," Iizuna Tsukasa smoothly picked up the conversation.

"Haha, it's totally fine if you don't recognise me." Seta rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish laugh. "Compared to the two of you, I was nothing special. I was just an ordinary player back in high school—but those days of playing volleyball were unforgettable."

"I really do remember playing against you," Iizuna said warmly. "Your line shots left a strong impression on me. And your blocks were solid too—it took a lot of effort for me to get around them."

"No way…" Seta's nerves eased a bit. It was true that Kamomedai had played against Itachiyama at nationals, but that year, they'd been crushed 0-2. There wasn't really anything remarkable about him.

Iizuna had already been considered Japan's top high school setter that year, and neither Seta nor Kamomedai were particularly notable.

But Seta was good at line shots and blocking…Could it be that Iizuna actually remembered him?

"You also had great chemistry with Komatsu-senpai, right? I remember Sakusa getting blocked by you guys—he sulked about that for a long time," Iizuna said with a smile.

Seta's eyes lit up. He really remembered!

"Hehe, Sakusa was just a first-year back then. And we only blocked him once. Itachiyama was still miles ahead of us."

The two continued chatting animatedly, completely oblivious to the strange look Kaedehara Taichi was throwing their way.

"Wasn't he trying to talk to me just now…?" Taichi thought, deadpan. "Forget it. I'll just speak to him with volleyball instead."

Seta kept talking enthusiastically, while Iizuna listened like the perfect conversational partner—smiling warmly, locking eyes attentively, and nodding at just the right moments.

"Game's starting!" Suzuki Hiroshi dragged the reluctant Seta away.

Though he didn't quite know why, there was no denying it—on the other side of the net, Kaedehara Taichi clearly looked pissed.

_________

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