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Chapter 297: The Prefectural Final Four
🕑 Added 2025-03-14 16:00:20 +0000 UTC"Moniwa-senpai, can I ask about the scores from the first two sets?"
"Oh, of course." Moniwa Kaname pulled out his phone. He had taken photos of the scoreboard earlier.
[Karasuno 20 - 25 Date Tech]
[Karasuno 30 - 28 Date Tech]
They lost decisively but won by the skin of their teeth...
Kaedehara Taichi suddenly realized that this seemed to be a pattern for Karasuno when facing stronger teams. They would always be forced into a gruelling battle, relying on fewer errors and clutch points at key moments to clinch victory.
However, this strategy was most effective against offensive-oriented teams. Against a defensive team, Karasuno's struggles would be far more pronounced.
And against a team like Date Tech, built around an impenetrable blocking system, Karasuno's weaknesses were bound to be exposed.
-----
Futakuchi Kenji served his second ball.
Boom!
The impact was even heavier than before.
Smack!
Despite the increased power, Nishinoya Yū received it flawlessly. Kageyama Tobio steadied his stance. On the surface, Karasuno seemed to have multiple attacking options, but against Date Tech's three blockers in the front row, very few would actually be effective.
Whoosh!—
Kageyama set a high ball toward the left wing.
Thud!
A small figure launched himself into the air as if his feet were equipped with springs, rocketing toward the sky.
"One—two!"
"Triple block!"
The Iron Wall formed in an instant!
"AHHH—!"
Bam!—
Hinata Shōyō roared as he spiked the ball, relying on his slightly faster contact speed to slip it past the blockers.
Smack!
"His shot was too obvious," Kaedehara Taichi muttered, furrowing his brows. "He's only thinking about breaking through the block in front of him."
Sakunami Kōsuke picked up the ball in the back row.
"Save it!"
Futakuchi sent the ball forward from the backcourt, setting up Koganegawa Kanji for the attack.
"Haha, Futakuchi-senpai really does look like a setter! That was a great set!"
Moniwa Kaname: "???"
"Double block!"
Hinata and Kageyama jumped to block Koganegawa.
Boom!
A high-contact spike!
Hinata could react quickly for a second jump, but without a proper run-up, how could he compete with Koganegawa, who had a full 30-centimetre height advantage over him?
Smack!
Ennoshita Chikara managed to get his arms under the ball, keeping it in play.
"That's another new weakness for Karasuno..." Kaedehara Taichi murmured, rubbing his fingers together. "Koganegawa's spikes have height, but they're straightforward. If Sawamura-senpai were here, this ball would have been passed perfectly."
"Save it!"
Nishinoya had already anticipated the ball's trajectory and rushed forward.
Smack!
He managed to send it back toward the net.
"Attack it!"
Hinata leapt for his third attempt.
"Double block!"
With an off-target pass, Aone Takanobu and Koganegawa alone were enough to shut down all of Hinata's attack angles.
Hinata's mind raced for a solution, but no clear answer emerged. Instead, his instincts as an attacker kicked in—
"There!"
His gaze locked onto Aone's fingertips.
Recalling Bokuto-senpai and Taichi's techniques, he relaxed his wrist and spiked the ball with a soft touch.
Bang!
A rebound shot—
No, it wasn't.
Aone withdrew his blocking hands at the last moment, and the ball flew over his head, landing far behind Date Tech's end line.
Hinata's spike went out.
[Karasuno 12 - 21 Date Tech]
"His gaze was too obvious," Kaedehara Taichi muttered. "This match is already over."
-----
Date Tech's strength was somewhat beyond Seijoh's expectations.
But considering they had maintained the same lineup since last year's Spring Nationals, it was only natural for them to improve. Meanwhile, the other teams had all experienced some degree of decline.
With this shift in balance, Date Tech's growth stood out even more.
By comparison, Karasuno's issues appeared far more serious. Without Sawamura Daichi, relying on Nishinoya Yū alone for defence was proving to be insufficient. Without Azumane Asahi, both their offensive power and blocking had taken a significant hit—especially since only one of Hinata Shōyō or Tsukishima Kei could be in the front row at a time.
The time they had to grow was too short. Everyone had been so focused on Karasuno's immense potential that they overlooked the fact that they had lost the key pillars of their third-year players.
"Tweet—!"
The long whistle blew.
The third set had ended.
[Karasuno 16 - 25 Date Tech]
With a 2-1 victory, Date Tech successfully advanced to the semifinals.
"YEAHH—!"
Kamasaki Yasushi was the first to react, waving his muscular arms from the stands and shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Kamasaki-senpai! And Moniwa-senpai too!" Koganegawa Kanji enthusiastically waved his arms in response.
"Seriously, aren't they supposed to be preparing for their graduation ceremony?" Futakuchi Kenji sighed, shrugging helplessly.
Aone Takanobu said nothing. His gaze shifted toward the Seijoh players sitting nearby.
Last year, at the Interhigh, Date Tech had hoped to face Seijoh—but they were eliminated by Karasuno before that could happen.
Now, a year later, they had finally exacted their revenge.
The next step was Seijoh.
"Let's go," Kyōtani Kentarō said as he stood up first.
He didn't care who won this match, but Date Tech's blocking reminded him of Kamomedai.
Yahaba Shigeru gathered their teammates. They each had a match in the afternoon.
-----
"Damn it!"
Hinata Shōyō and Kageyama Tobio watched Kaedehara Taichi's departing figure with frustration.
Last time, it had been Shiratorizawa.
This time, it was Date Tech.
Since last year's Interhigh group stage, Karasuno hadn't been able to stand on the same court as Seijoh even once.
-----
After a quick meal, the Seijoh players returned to their bus to rest.
By then, the other two quarterfinal matches had also concluded, and Seijoh and Date Tech's semifinal opponents were finally confirmed.
[Ohgiminami 25 - 23 Sengoku Tech]
[Ohgiminami 20 - 25 Sengoku Tech]
[Ohgiminami 27 - 25 Sengoku Tech]
Ohgiminami had defeated Sengoku Tech 2-1, advancing to face Aoba Johsai—an incredible achievement for a team that hadn't even made it out of the group stage last year.
[Kadokawa 21 - 25 Johzenji]
[Kadokawa 25 - 22 Johzenji]
[Kadokawa 25 - 20 Johzenji]
The results of the other match were equally surprising.
Kadokawa Academy, led by their 2-meter-tall "giant" Hyakuzawa Yūdai, had defeated the highly unpredictable Johzenji, securing their place as one of the new Top Four teams in the prefecture.
If Karasuno vs. Date Tech was included, then out of the four quarterfinal matches in the Prefectural Tournament, only Aoba Johsai's match had followed expectations—the other three had all produced unexpected results.
"So that means our opponent in the finals will be Date Tech," Mizoguchi Sadayuki noted.
For both sides, their semifinal opponents likely wouldn't be as strong as the teams they had just faced.
If he hadn't watched Date Tech's performance in that last set, Kaedehara Taichi might have been somewhat interested in Ohgiminami.
But after witnessing Date Tech's overwhelming fighting spirit, he was already looking forward to the finals.
"Let's see if you can make this more fun for me…"
-----
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