Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 433: As Long As I’m On the Team
"Damn it!"
At the Sakanoshita convenience store, Tanaka Ryūnosuke let out a roar in front of the old television set.
It was an important match—and Kageyama Tobio was part of it. So even though it was the holidays, the Karasuno gang had gathered at Ukai Keishin's store to watch the game together.
"His Majesty the King must be feeling pretty frustrated," Tsukishima Kei remarked dryly. "Not only was he deliberately targeted, but even his signature moves got copied."
Hinata Shōyō clenched his fists, eyes locked intensely onto the screen.
In the final moments of Set Two, Team Japan had managed to reverse the score at the last second, wresting the set point from Team USA's hands. But then, they dropped three straight points and lost the set.
There was no question that losing points like that would affect the mood going into the third set.
Naturally, Hinata was worried for Kageyama. But more than that, he was frustrated by the fact that all he could do was sit and watch from the sidelines. What frustrated him even more was the glaring truth he couldn't ignore—after watching both teams clash on the court, he could clearly feel just how far behind he was compared to them.
"Kageyama doesn't get discouraged," Hinata said firmly. "His goal has always been the top of the world. He's probably thrilled to see such amazing setters!"
"I agree with Shōyō," Nishinoya Yū stood up and added. "Kageyama did great out there, except for when they were clearly targeting him. He made the youth national team, remember? He's not the kind to be shaken by something like this."
Ukai Keishin smiled wryly as he watched their passionate discussion. It was true—Kageyama Tobio was a remarkably tough player. But international matches weren't like high school club games. In the real world, there was no time set aside for trial and error, no room for slow growth...
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[Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Court A. Team Japan's bench]
They had failed to win two sets in a row and close out the match. The players sat with various expressions on their faces—some brooding over mistakes, some visibly frustrated, and some harbouring unease about the upcoming third set.
What made the American team formidable wasn't just their size. Their skills were polished. Their confidence was unshakable, built on the back of raw strength. Even in the dying moments of a set, they could unleash an unrelenting wave of offence without hesitation. The sheer presence of Team USA felt like a towering mountain, weighing heavily on every Japanese player.
The third set would be even tougher. That pressure hung over them like a dark cloud, and the atmosphere on Team Japan's bench was suffocatingly heavy.
"It doesn't matter if it's a scrimmage, the national tournament, or this so-called Japan–USA friendly," Kaedehara Taichi's voice suddenly cut through the silence.
All heads turned toward him. Taichi sat at the edge of the bench, his head lowered, a white towel draped carelessly over his head, covering most of his face. It was impossible to see his expression.
His body was still radiating heat from the intense match, faint trails of steam rising from his shoulders and arms like a hazy veil around him.
And suddenly, everyone realised—Taichi was the only one who had played the entire match without rest, in a match that was easily multiple times more exhausting than usual.
He lifted his head slightly, the towel slipping just enough to reveal his sharp gaze beneath.
"As long as I'm on the team," Taichi said, "we'll win."
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The teams switched sides. The third and final set was about to begin.
Team USA's starting lineup:
Front row—Setter Micah Christenson, Middle Blocker Max Holt, Opposite Hitter Matt Anderson.
Back row—Outside Hitter Aaron Russell, Middle Blocker Jeff Jendryk (Libero: Erik Shoji) and Outside Hitter Taylor Sander
Team Japan's starting lineup:
Front row—Opposite Hitter Hoshiumi Kōrai, Outside Hitter Hakuba Gao, Middle Blocker Hyakuzawa Yūdai.
Back row—Middle Blocker Hirugami Sachirō (Lbero: Komori Motoya), Setter Miya Atsumu and Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi.
As expected, the 210cm-tall Matt Anderson appeared in the starting lineup—Team USA was going all-in from the first point of the third set.
Meanwhile, Team Japan opened with a power serve from Kaedehara Taichi, flanked by their tallest twin towers at the net.
"Both teams are ready on the court. The third set—the one that will decide everything—is about to begin!!!"
Japan had the serve. Kaedehara Taichi stepped up to the line.
"Hey," he muttered, holding the ball up with one hand and pointing it directly at the Americans, "I'm not letting you all waltz back to the States with a smile."
"Tweet!—"
The whistle blew.
BOOM!!!—
A silver streak of lightning split the air and rocketed toward Team USA's side of the court.
"FUCK!" Erik Shoji's face twisted in alarm. His pupils contracted sharply at the sheer speed of the ball.
"Wait—it's a left-handed serve?!!"
His brain registered the detail too late. Before it could send a signal to his limbs, the ball had already expanded to fill his vision.
His body froze. His feet felt nailed to the ground.
SMACK!
The ball hit the floor—service ace for Kaedehara Taichi.
[Japan 1 – 0 USA]
To the audience, it felt like the whistle had only just sounded before the deafening impact rang out. The serve was so fast, even the cameras failed to keep up.
The stadium fell silent, stunned by what had just happened.
—"A-a service ace!"
—"Kaedehara Taichi just fired off another serve so fast it left nothing but an afterimage!"
—"What a clean, decisive start—an ace right out of the gate against Team USA!!!"
"YESSSSS!"
"Gorgeous serve!!!"
"Give us another one!"
That one serve was all it took to ignite the crowd. The oppressive tension that had settled over them after losing the second set evaporated completely, swept away by the raw force of Kaedehara's opening shot.
Japan continued to serve.
Kaedehara Taichi launched his second serve.
BOOM!!!—
Smack!
The ball struck Erik Shoji's arm and flew out of bounds.
"This monster...!"
Erik Shoji gritted his teeth. Just getting a touch on the serve was already difficult enough—he had no time to handle the insane spin on the ball.
Aaron Russell dashed outside the end line, a blur of motion.
"This is insane! His serves weren't like this at the beginning!"
Smack!
Aaron Russell barely managed to bring the ball back into play.
Taylor Sander, from the back row, went straight for a spike.
BOOM!!!
"Idiot!" Erik Shoji's pupils contracted. That's the front row! Not some bunch of shrimps—
Smack!
The ball crashed straight into the double block of Hakuba Gao and Hyakuzawa Yūdai, bouncing back even faster toward the U.S. side.
Smack!
Matt Anderson barely got a hand on the ball with one arm—but ended up deflecting it just enough to send it away from Erik Shoji, who was diving forward to make the save.
Thud!
The ball hit the ground. Point for Japan—off the block.
[Japan 2 – 0 USA]
—"Ja–Japan's national team starts with back-to-back points!!!"
"What are you all panicking for?" Micah Christenson's eyes swept coldly across his teammates. "At that speed, there's no way he can keep it up forever."
"Just get the ball up high—leave the rest to me."
"Got it!"
Micah Christenson retreated to the back row to join the receivers. Kaedehara Taichi's eyes lit up.
This is exactly the chance I was waiting for!
"Tweet!—"
As the whistle for serve sounded, Kaedehara Taichi went for his third.
Let's call this payback on behalf of our setter.
BOOM!!!—
The ball shot straight toward Micah Christenson.
Smack!
It struck Micah's arm and veered out of bounds. Erik Shoji scrambled after it.
"Right wing!" Matt Anderson shouted.
Nothing else mattered—just get it up high.
Whoosh—!
The ball soared from beyond the end line to the high right side of the court, aimed just short of the net. Matt Anderson ran up and leapt for the spike.
"Triple block!" Hoshiumi Kōrai, Hakuba Gao, and Hyakuzawa Yūdai jumped in unison.
BOOM!!!
But even against a wall of blockers standing two meters tall, Matt Anderson still managed a super-high, over-the-top spike!
The ball slipped past the top of Hyakuzawa's block.
Smack!
Kaedehara Taichi received it.
"Nice receive!" Miya Atsumu called with a grin, then quickly sobered.
This is bad. Taichi wasn't bluffing when he said all that on the bench—he's proving every word with action.
Being on the same team as him actually feels…kinda good?
"Damn it...I can't let that slide. I've gotta beat him at least once before I admit it!"
Miya shook his head and threw off the thought.
Whoosh—!
The ball was set high over the left wing.
This surprised Team USA. With two players over two meters tall in Japan's front row, the setter still chose to set for Hoshiumi Kōrai?
Thud!
Hoshiumi exploded into the air.
"Triple block!" Christenson, Max Holt, and Matt Anderson all leapt up.
With three players in front of him, the sharp-angle cross spike was nearly shut down. The angles he could go for became blurry and indistinct.
Boom!!—
—Smack!
Missing the optimal moment to spike, Hoshiumi smartly pushed the ball into the block. It deflected high and bounced back into Japan's court.
"This guy…!" Max Holt's eyes stayed locked on Hoshiumi.
"Free ball!" Komori Motoya caught it easily and passed a perfect first touch.
Miya Atsumu stepped in immediately, jumped, and set.
Hoshiumi pulled back to take a running start again, and all three of Japan's front-row players launched into a synchronised attack.
"So in the end, they're going with fancy tricks." Max Holt scoffed, scanning Japan's frontline. "If we could block you once, we can block you again."
Whoosh!—
The set went far right. Hyakuzawa Yūdai went up for the hit.
"Smart choice," Max Holt said, shifting right.
"Double block!" Max Holt and Matt Anderson leapt together.
WHIFF!
Hyakuzawa swung but hit nothing—Kaedehara Taichi had emerged from behind him.
"A tandem attack won't help you now!"
"Double block!" Holt and Anderson jumped a second time to meet him in the air.
Their combined height was nearly level with Kaedehara Taichi, who was attacking from the back row.
—BOOM!!!—
The ball blasted past the right side of Matt Anderson's block and slammed onto the sideline in the U.S. backcourt.
A straight-line shot right on the line!
Kaedehara Taichi scored with a back-row spike!
[Japan 3 – 0 USA]
Matt Anderson's arm swept down, empty-handed. His expression turned grim.
Based on past experience, Kaedehara Taichi should have been more likely to go for a cross-court spike. But Matt hadn't let down his guard on the straight shot either.
That narrow window—barely wide enough for a single ball to pass through—had actually been a trap he laid.
"If this were the first set…I definitely would've blocked that," Matt muttered.
Micah Christenson nodded. He could finally say for certain—
This guy's a monster who evolves in the middle of the match.
"Don't give him a single opening. For the rest of this game—I want everything you've got!"
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