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Chapter 335: The Strongest Will Always Be Me (D-L)
🕑 Added 2025-03-29 16:01:03 +0000 UTC[Aoba Johsai 11 – 5 Itachiyama]
The timeout ended, and the match resumed.
It was clear from the players' expressions that Itachiyama's adjustments hadn't been particularly effective. That was hardly surprising—Itachiyama boasted an over 90% win rate in various practice matches and tournaments across Tokyo, yet they always struggled when facing Aoba Johsai.
As both teams returned to the court, Shirakawa Kaito's gaze landed on Kaedehara Taichi, who was standing at the service line. The setter seemed entirely unaffected by the timeout; if anything, he looked even more excited.
"Shirakawa, just get the ball up. Leave the rest to me."
Sakusa Kiyoomi's tone was a little stiff, but Shirakawa Kaito surprisingly understood his determination. It was unrealistic to expect one person to turn the game around alone—whether it was Aoba Johsai or Itachiyama, the stronger team would win in the end.
"Got it."
Locking his eyes on Kaedehara Taichi, Shirakawa Kaito tried to anticipate his serve.
The referee's whistle blew.
Staring intently at his opponent, Shirakawa Kaito thought he caught the faintest hint of a smirk on Kaedehara Taichi's lips—an almost imperceptible trace of confidence and ease.
BOOMMM!!
A moment later, the ball zipped past Shirakawa Kaito, landing just beside his feet and leaving behind a faint white mark on the court.
Kaedehara Taichi, service ace.
[Aoba Johsai 12 – 5 Itachiyama]
Shirakawa Kaito froze, momentarily lost, before turning blankly to look at Komori Motoya on his right.
"You didn't see wrong," Komori said evenly. "Compared to his left-handed topspin, Taichi's right-handed jump serve focuses more on power and speed. That one was even faster than the ones before the timeout."
It wasn't often that Shirakawa Kaito saw Sakusa Kiyoomi trying to comfort someone. It was even rarer to see Komori Motoya looking this serious.
And it was all because of the player standing across from them—Kaedehara Taichi.
[Ding! Komori Motoya has entered Burst Mode.]
[Komori Motoya (Burst Mode)—Libero: Overall Ability Rating: 93.6
Height: 181 cm | Power: 92 | Jump: 90 | Stamina: 95 | Speed: 90
Technique: Set: 96 | Receive: 100.]
"Oh? It's finally here."
Kaedehara Taichi no longer had the same cocky expression as when he first stepped up to serve. But somehow, he seemed even harder to read now.
As the tallest libero in high school volleyball, Komori Motoya had exceptional physical attributes. After further refining his technique in his third year, his receiving ability was now touching the pinnacle of high school volleyball.
Kaedehara Taichi glanced at Nakamori Daiki.
It won't be easy for you to catch up to the best high school libero, Daiki. I wonder how much this match will help you grow.
The whistle blew again.
Kaedehara Taichi tossed the ball, took a running start, jumped, and struck.
Boom!—
His seventh serve.
Smack!
The ball seemed like it was heading out—a sharp sidespin serve—but Sakusa Kiyoomi had no intention of gambling a second time.
The volleyball soared high into the air as Shirakawa Kaito quickly moved into position.
"I got it!"
But Komori Motoya was even faster.
This was a rare opportunity—they couldn't afford to waste it.
He and Sakusa Kiyoomi shared the exact same thought. The moment Komori received the ball, Sakusa steadied himself and sprinted toward the net.
Whoosh—!
Komori Motoya's set was pinpoint accurate.
Sakusa Kiyoomi leapt from the left side and spiked.
"Triple block!"
Kyōtani Kentarō, Kindaichi Yūtarō, and Kunimi Akira jumped together.
Nakamori Daiki stood behind Kyōtani, ready to cover.
Boom!—
Though Sakusa Kiyoomi wanted to test Nakamori Daiki's defence a little longer, he prioritised breaking the serve pressure and aimed a sharp diagonal shot.
The ball landed just inside Aoba Johsai's right-side three-meter line and flew out.
Sakusa Kiyoomi scores!
[Aoba Johsai 12 – 6 Itachiyama]
"Phew—"
Not only Itachiyama's players but even the other teams watching in the crowd let out a collective sigh of relief.
They had never witnessed such a terrifying service run before.
Somehow, that single service rotation had felt incredibly long, weighing down on their chests with suffocating pressure.
Araki Kōsei nudged Matsuo Sōgo's slack jaw closed.
"This time, you're not going to ask?"
Matsuo took a while to process before finally speaking. "Can you spike like Sakusa just did?"
"..."
Though everyone was in awe of Kaedehara Taichi's performance, Sakusa Kiyoomi's spike just now had been equally insane.
Spiking a sharp cross from a back-row attack, against a triple block, and still landing it cleanly?
Araki Kōsei answered bluntly, "Nope."
A bunch of monsters.
Seriously, how annoying.
At last, the serve rotated. Itachiyama's players took their long-awaited positions.
Mizushima Yū stepped up for a powerful jump serve.
Boom!
He had worked so hard to make his serve more dangerous.
And now, in this match, it felt like a joke.
Smack!
Another unfamiliar sidespin—his serve struck Nakamori Daiki's arm and bounced away.
Kaedehara Taichi quickly moved into position, setting the ball forward.
Kunimi Akira jumped for the spike.
"Triple block!"
Nishimura Hiroyuki, Takeuchi Eiji, and Shibata Yōsuke leapt together.
Boom!—
The ball shot past Shibata Yōsuke's right side and headed straight for Itachiyama's back row.
"Nice hit!"
Kaedehara Taichi praised him sincerely. He had expected Kunimi Akira to go for a tip shot, but the wing spiker had boldly challenged the straight shot instead.
Smack!
Komori Motoya's defence was impeccable.
Shirakawa Kaito quickly followed up and set the ball to the left.
Sakusa Kiyoomi leapt for another back-row attack.
"Double block!"
Kyōtani Kentarō and Kindaichi Yūtarō jumped to block.
Kunimi Akira guarded the cross shot.
"Come on!" Nakamori Daiki called from the straight line.
Boom!—
The ball struck Kunimi Akira's arm and flew out of bounds.
Sakusa Kiyoomi scores!
[Aoba Johsai 12 – 7 Itachiyama]
"I almost forgot…for most people, this guy is completely unstoppable."
From the sidelines, Kunimi Akira glanced at the person speaking and inwardly scoffed, Yeah, yeah, I get it. I guess I'm one of those 'most people.'
Itachiyama had scored two consecutive points, restoring some of their confidence. After all, they had their own unstoppable ace as well. The match wasn't even halfway through—anything could still happen.
Itachiyama continued their serve. Mizushima Yū could barely contain his excitement—his serve was proving effective! He wasn't aiming for direct points; as long as he could disrupt Aoba Johsai's offensive rhythm, it was worth it.
Boom!
Mizushima Yū sent out his second serve.
Smack!
Nakamori Daiki effortlessly received it, the ball landing perfectly in the setter's hands.
"What?!" Mizushima Yū almost doubted his own serve. That shouldn't have been so easy to receive…right?
Yahaba Shigeru set the ball to the left wing, where Kyōtani Kentarō leapt up for the spike.
"Triple block!"
The Itachiyama front row jumped with full force, their hands forming an impenetrable wall.
Boom!!!—
The ball shot straight toward the three-meter line on Itachiyama's right side.
Komori Motoya reacted with lightning speed, stabilising his stance at the three-meter mark. The ball struck his arm and bounced up cleanly.
"This guy—" Kyōtani's eyes narrowed.
"Great receive, Komori-senpai!"
Shirakawa Kaito moved in to cover, and the Itachiyama front row immediately fanned out to launch a counterattack.
To avoid Kindaichi Yūtarō's block, Shirakawa set the ball to the right side, where Shibata Yōsuke leapt up and hammered the ball down.
Boom!
The spike sailed past Kunimi's block, heading straight for Aoba Johsai's back row.
Smack!
Kaedehara Taichi easily received it.
Yahaba Shigeru shifted his set to the left once more. Kyōtani Kentarō leapt into the air.
"One more!"
"Three-man block!"
Kyōtani and Komori Motoya locked eyes—just for an instant—but that was enough for them to read each other's thoughts.
I'm going to score this time!
I'm going to dig this ball!
Kyōtani stretched his body to the limit midair, his right arm drawn back so far that it nearly touched his bent leg. His core, back, and arm muscles tensed in unison—then, in a split second, his right hand swung forward like an arrow loosed from a fully drawn bowstring.
BOOM!!!—
The volleyball deformed in his palm before it rocketed toward the other side of the court with explosive force.
SMACK!
Kyōtani hadn't bothered to avoid the block. The ball slammed against Takeuchi Eiji's arm—
It barely slowed down. The volleyball shot past the blockers, heading straight for Itachiyama's floor.
Komori, stationed at the three-meter line on the right, hadn't expected Kyōtani to force the ball through the block.
But the moment it cleared the net, Komori's eyes snapped to the speeding ball, his body reacting purely on instinct.
With a sudden burst of power, his legs launched him like a compressed spring snapping free. His right foot lunged sharply to the left, muscles taut, form crisp—every fibre of his being igniting at once. The sole of his shoe scraped against the floor with a sharp screech.
At the same time, his right hand shot out like a bolt of lightning, fingers rigid, palm slightly cupped.
THUD!
The sound was different from a usual receive—it echoed the sheer force of Kyōtani's spike. Komori's hand met the ball squarely, and the impact rippled through his entire body.
He absorbed the force, rolling to his side to disperse the energy. The volleyball popped high into the air.
He got it up!!!
Kyōtani clenched his teeth, but his eyes gleamed with excitement.
"That was insane!" Shirakawa Kaito gasped, scrambling into position—only to witness something even rarer.
"The left wing! Send it to me!"
Sakusa Kiyoomi called for the ball from the back row.
FWISH—!
The volleyball arced toward the left wing, and Sakusa took off from the backcourt.
"Three-man block!"
Not only that—Nakamori Daiki and Kaedehara Taichi were already positioned to guard the straight and cross angles.
SMACK!—
It came.
Nakamori's eyes lit up. Seeing Komori pull off such an incredible dig had fueled his own drive to shine.
And yet—
The volleyball sailed clean over Nakamori, plummeting steeply just beyond Aoba Johsai's backline.
It wasn't even meant for him.
With a dramatic vertical drop, the ball completely fooled Aoba Johsai's defenders.
Sakusa Kiyoomi scores.
[Aoba Johsai 12 – 8 Itachiyama]
"Is that even possible?"
"I thought it was going out for sure…"
"That level of precision…!"
The players from Hachioji Academy and Seidoku Academy exchanged stunned glances. Sakusa hadn't pulled off that shot in the morning's matches—did that mean Itachiyama hadn't even been playing at full power against them?
And yet, despite all that, Aoba Johsai was still ahead by four points.
"Tweet!—"
"Aoba Johsai calls their first timeout.
Strangely, the ones who looked relieved were Itachiyama's players.
Only those standing on the other side of the net could understand the sheer pressure of playing against Aoba Johsai. That spike from Kyōtani—it was already a miracle they had dug it up once…
"Kyōtani, why didn't you go for a straight shot just now?"
As soon as they reached the bench, Coach Irihata's first words were directed at Kyōtani.
"You went cross because Komori dug up your last spike? Were you trying to prove something?" When Kyōtani didn't reply, Irihata pressed further.
"...Yeah."
Aoba Johsai's players blinked in surprise. They hadn't expected him to admit it so easily.
"If Taichi can keep challenging blockers and liberos, why can't I?" Kyōtani asked seriously. "Just because I'm not the ace?"
Kaedehara Taichi, who had been quietly drinking water, glanced over. Why am I being dragged into this…?
Kyōtani's voice was calm—no yelling, no frustration—which made his sincerity all the more evident.
Irihata paused, thrown into thought by Kyōtani's response.
Kyōtani had a point. Because Taichi was the ace, the team gave him as many chances as possible to push through difficulties, to grow in real-time.
But for every player on the court, they were the protagonist of their own story. They all wanted the opportunity to improve.
"Alright," Irihata's tone softened. Aoba Johsai had never been a team that focused solely on its ace. "Tell me what you were thinking."
"I knew a straight shot would've been better. Even if Sakusa dug it up, it would've disrupted his next attack," Kyōtani admitted. "But we were leading—I wanted to see if I could score off Komori. I don't want anyone to be able to receive my spikes."
!!!
The team's shock deepened.
Kyōtani (senpai) actually thought this through?!
Taichi choked on his water. His volleyball IQ just went from 1 to 2?!
"Hahaha…" Irihata chuckled, nodding approvingly. "If you know what's best and can recognise when to take risks, then you didn't make the wrong decision."
Kyōtani blinked in surprise.
"...Th—thanks, Coach."
Irihata smiled. "Now that the ball got dug up, what do you think?"
Kyōtani glanced at Taichi before answering. "If I go head-to-head with Komori, I won't win. But if I aim one meter away from him, he won't be able to reach it."
"Good." Irihata grinned. "Stick with your plan—but keep thinking as you play."
"Yes, sir!"
As Kyōtani stepped aside to drink water, Kunimi Akira turned to Taichi.
"Taichi, does it not bother you when Kyōtani-senpai says things like that?"
"Why would it?" Taichi shrugged. "He's right."
"You don't care about being the ace?"
"Of course I do," Taichi answered easily. "But an ace is just the team's strongest spiker."
He set his bottle down and smirked.
"I want you guys to get stronger, too."
"...But the strongest will always be me."
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