Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

Date Tech had just finished a practice match against Shiratorizawa. On the bus ride home, the core members of the
, all well over 180 cm tall, crowded around the team's manager, Nametsu Mai, as she reviewed the match data.
The result was somewhat unexpected for the spectators who had come to watch. Since winning the Prefectural Tournament, Date Tech remained undefeated.
"Mai, who scored the most this time? Me or Aone?" Futakuchi Kenji asked, though his tone suggested he didn't particularly care about the answer.
"Neither. It was Kimura-kun," Mai replied, flipping through the records diligently.
"Huh?
Did you accidentally count all our block points under his name?" Futakuchi clicked his tongue, unsurprised but still annoyed by the result.
"I did not!" Mai raised her head, frowning. "And you guys! Stop crowding me—go back to your seats!"
"Futakuchi-senpai, you always act like you hate me. If this keeps up, I might get
hurt, you know?" Kimura Ryōta, seated alone at the very back, smiled innocently.
"Then stop talking like
!" Futakuchi shot him a glare. "Keep this up, and one day, someone in Miyagi is going to punch you."
Kimura fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "But I heard Taichi-senpai is always respectful to his seniors—
and
."
"Uh—" Aone nodded slightly, then shook his head.
"What the hell, Aone? So his
for his senpai is just an act?" Futakuchi said seriously. "You and this brat have
to do with that guy!"
Kimura turned to look at Obara Yutaka, the one person in the team known for being the most level-headed.
After thinking for a moment, Obara said, "To most players, Taichi is probably as you described…but for
, he might be several times worse than Futakuchi."
Kimura looked confused. "But Taichi-senpai has never even met me."
"That's because you're
. And since you copy his playing style—
…" Obara scratched his head, searching for the right words. "I don't think he'll let you
the hook."
Kimura: "…"
He was beginning to have trouble understanding what kind of person Kaedehara Taichi really was.
Speaking of
—
"Golden Week is coming up, so what do you think of Taichi-senpai, Kanji-senpai?"
"Good guy!" Koganegawa Kanji answered without hesitation.
"Oh," Kimura nodded. As expected, nothing useful from
.
Futakuchi took the match data from Mai.
Over the course of two sets, Date Tech had scored
points directly from blocks. Against Shiratorizawa, that was a testament to the strength of their
.
The rest of the points were spread among three players—Kimura Ryōta with
, Futakuchi with
, and Aone with
.
Kimura had been the top player in the prefecture during middle school. Futakuchi had a love-hate relationship with him.
The
part was simple—
The
part, however, was beyond irritating. Not only did Kimura copy Kaedehara Taichi's playing style, but he also mimicked his
before and after matches. When asked why, he simply said that doing so helped him better understand Taichi-senpai's mindset during games and predict his attacking choices.
It was downright bizarre…
"By the way, Mai, did you hear anything about the Karasuno vs. Seijoh practice match last week?"
"Not in detail, but I heard Karasuno lost six straight sets."
"Not a
win?" Futakuchi was reminded of last year's Shiratorizawa training camp, where Date Tech had also lost every set against Shiratorizawa and Seijoh. "Taichi is as ruthless as ever, huh? He'll even crush Karasuno's confidence in a
."
"It's not that simple. I don't know the exact scores, but I do know that Seijoh's top scorer was Kyotani Kentarō."
"Him?!" Futakuchi frowned.
Kyotani was a tough opponent. If it weren't for Date Tech's height advantage in blocking, their matchups against Seijoh would have played out very differently.
"Did Taichi not play?"
"He was on the court the entire time."
…
Futakuchi bit his lip. He wished he could see that match. If only they could get their hands on a recording.
"Mai-senpai, can we set up a practice match against Seijoh during Golden Week?" Kimura asked from the back.
Aone raised his brows, clearly interested as well.
"Unfortunately, Seijoh already has plans," Date Tech's coach, Oiwake Takurō, suddenly spoke up from the front. "I called Seijoh's team manager, Mizoguchi, but he was acting all secretive. Seems like they've got some kind of
planned."
"Special training?!" Obara's ears perked up.
"Coach, you're just going to let that slide?" Futakuchi leaned closer. "Shouldn't
be doing something big too?"
"
" Oiwake had planned to keep a straight face, but in the end, he couldn't help chuckling. "The school arranged for us to practice with
"VC Date?"
"A company-sponsored adult team, mostly made up of Date Tech alumni," Oiwake explained. "Our championship win got a lot of attention, so the school pulled some strings with a few companies."
"Oh—so it's a
team?"
"I've heard of them! We'll probably end up there after we graduate…"
The team started chattering excitedly. Corporate teams weren't as strong as professional ones, but they were still stronger than most university or amateur teams.
They might even get the chance to face former Date Tech players who had carried the
name years before them.
"This should be interesting," Futakuchi grinned.
"This is a rare opportunity. Before Golden Week, we need to fix our weaknesses and prepare to make a strong impression on our
!"
"Yes!"
-----
"And that's the situation. Both Itachiyama and Fukurōdani have invited us to train with them. After thorough discussion with the school, we've decided that during Golden Week, everyone will—"
Coach Irihata suddenly stopped speaking.
"Fukurōdani?"
"I heard Nekoma will be at Fukurōdani's training camp too."
"No, no, Bokuto-senpai graduated. Itachiyama is stronger now."
"You're all wrong," Irihata said, exchanging glances with team manager Guchiguchi.
"We're heading to
"