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Chapter 310: The Goal Is to Defeat Kaedehara Taichi
🕑 Added 2025-03-19 16:01:14 +0000 UTC"Ahhhhh! I'm so sorry!"
Koganegawa Kanji bent his massive 193cm frame into a deep bow.
Inside Date Tech's gymnasium, his shout echoed once again—for who knows how many times today.
The players gathered around him tilted their heads back to look at the ceiling, murmuring, "Ah…this is bad."
Onagawa Tarō muttered, "There's no way that's coming down on its own."
Obara Yutaka added, "I've seen basketballs get stuck on the hoop before, but I've never seen a volleyball do that."
Right above the Date Tech volleyball team, wedged snugly between the metal beams of the ceiling, sat a volleyball. It was the result of Koganegawa Kanji's receive practice—where he had put too much force into the ball, causing it to ricochet all the way up and get stuck.
"Ah—! Why did it fly so high?! Why does this only happen to me?!" Koganegawa groaned in despair.
"Don't worry, you've already improved a lot," Sakunami Kōsuke comforted him in a gentle voice. "Even Aone-senpai's heavy spikes are tough to receive, after all."
"Hmm…how should I put it? Try pulling your hands inward the moment you make contact with the ball. Like this—shwoo—just retract them slightly."
Koganegawa pressed his thick arms together and stiffly moved them toward his chest.
"Shwoo…? Like, like this?"
Sakunami hesitated, feeling conflicted. Koganegawa's movement didn't seem outright wrong, yet there was something about it that just felt…off.
At that moment, Date Tech's captain, Futakuchi Kenji, lightly patted Koganegawa on the shoulder.
"Koganegawa, you're in charge of getting that ball down."
"Yes!" Koganegawa responded loudly—only to look confused a second later. "But Futakuchi-senpai, how do I do that?"
"Just climb up and get it," Futakuchi said nonchalantly.
Koganegawa's face lit up in sudden realization. "Got it! I'll climb up there right now and get it down!"
He glanced around, searching for a way up. Finding nothing particularly useful, he resolutely took a step toward the wall—
Smack!
Aone Takanobu grabbed the back of Koganegawa's collar, stopping him in his tracks.
"Aww, come on—wouldn't it be hilarious if he actually climbed up there?" Futakuchi doubled over, clutching his stomach in laughter.
"Hmm—" Aone rumbled, his silence carrying an unmistakable weight.
"Alright, alright, I get it…" Futakuchi finally relented under Aone's silent pressure.
"Koganegawa, let's figure out another way."
"Oh." Koganegawa looked a little disappointed as if he had been genuinely excited about scaling the ceiling.
Futakuchi scanned the gym. "Okay, let's just knock it down with another ball. Onagawa, use your high toss serve!"
"Eh? Me?"
Onagawa Tarō's eyes widened, but anyone familiar with him could tell—despite his surprise, there was a hint of excitement in his expression.
"Go for it, Onagawa!" Obara Yutaka cheered from the side.
"Heh heh!"
Onagawa picked up a volleyball, took careful aim, and then sent it flying at a 45-degree angle toward the ceiling. The sound of his serve was crisp, and the ball shot upward in a perfect trajectory.
"Take this—high toss serve!!"
"Whoa! Onagawa-senpai's technique is amazing!"
"It's getting close, it's getting close—he might actually knock it down!"
"As expected of Onagawa!"
Clack!
Under the entire team's focused gaze, Onagawa's ball gently lodged itself right next to the stuck volleyball.
—
Silence.
For a brief moment, the air was completely still.
"Ahahahahahaha! That didn't help at all!"
Futakuchi collapsed to the floor, laughing uncontrollably. Aone, standing over him, looked utterly exasperated.
"Practice…!"
"Ahem, I know, I know!" Futakuchi wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, then turned to the team with a sigh. "Alright, back to practising serves!"
"Yes!!"
Date Tech had recently won the Miyagi Prefectural Citizen's Tournament. Although it wasn't a national-level competition, they had at least managed to take revenge on Aoba Johsai. The usual lively atmosphere in the gym had become even more relaxed after their victory.
Their captain, Futakuchi Kenji, despite his carefree and seemingly unserious demeanour, was a key player with well-rounded offensive and defensive skills. He was deeply trusted by both the coach and his teammates. Date Tech's blocking was an overwhelming wall that stood in the way of opposing attackers.
Against mentally weaker players, they wouldn't just take points—they'd crush their opponent's fighting spirit.
"Futakuchi, I brought the first-years!"
The team's manager, Nametsu Mai, entered the gym with a group of wide-eyed freshmen trailing behind her.
"Thanks, Mai!"
The team had just finished a round of serving practice and were about to take a break when they spotted more than ten nervous new faces. Without hesitation, the upperclassmen swarmed forward, completely surrounding the newcomers.
"What's your name?"
"What position do you play?"
"Which middle school did you graduate from? Could you be my junior?"
"Why did you choose Date Tech?"
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Sasaki Junka gulped. The upperclassmen were standing way too close. How was it that the team manager was such a cute senpai, yet the rest of these guys felt like…a gang?
"Stop, stop, stop! You're scaring them!" Mai forcibly shoved her teammates away. "Can't you guys act normal for once?"
"Ahem."
Futakuchi, noticing that Coach Oiwake was approaching from the walkway between the school building and the gym, quickly stepped in to restore order.
"Line up properly!"
The first-years instinctively turned to look at Kimura Ryōta. In the short time they had been together, he was already the one they had all come to acknowledge.
"Oh? Looks like we've got an interesting brat here," Futakuchi said, tilting his chin toward him. "You. Name yourself."
"Futakuchi-senpai, I'm Kimura Ryōta from Kōsen Academy. My goal here is to become Date Tech's ace and lead the team to Nationals."
"Hah!" Futakuchi let out an odd laugh. "Mai, what's this…Kimura kid's deal?"
"I told you to stop scaring them!" Nametsu Mai snapped, delivering a swift chop to Futakuchi's head. The first-years gasped in shock.
"Mai, if you don't hold back a little, they're going to end up being more afraid of you than me," Obara Yutaka teased.
"Hmph." Mai withdrew her hand.
"I know you," Futakuchi said, eyeing the freshman who stood at the same height as him. "Outside hitter for Kōsen Academy, the team that won the Prefectural Autumn Tournament. You were also named Best Player."
Kimura's expression remained steady.
"So why Date Tech? I figured someone like you would go to Aoba Johsai."
For a brief moment, a sharp glint flashed in Mai's eyes. This bastard—he knows exactly why and still pretends to ask.
"I want to defeat Taichi-senpai," Kimura Ryōta declared without hesitation. "And from what I've seen, Date Tech has the best chance of doing that."
"Good eye!" Futakuchi gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. "Though, it looks like we already did that without you."
"Taichi-senpai will only keep getting stronger. Aoba Johsai will only keep getting stronger." Kimura met Futakuchi's gaze with unwavering determination.
"And I will make Date Tech even stronger."
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