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Chapter 238: Mr. Jack-of-All-Trades
🕑 Added 2025-02-17 16:02:01 +0000 UTCHere it comes!
The brief timeout hadn't done much to dampen Bokuto Kōtarō's momentum. His serve was once again aimed at Iwaizumi Hajime.
"Step forward—just a little ahead of what your eyes see!"
Iwaizumi took another step forward, adjusting to the projected trajectory.
Smack!
He finally made contact!
The ball rebounded off Iwaizumi's arms, veering to the left.
"I got it!"
Oikawa Tōru dove, setting the ball high into the air, but Matsukawa Issei was too far from the net to make an attacking play.
"Chance ball!"
Konoha Akinori's first touch was spot-on, and Akaashi Keiji quickly set the ball to the right wing.
Sarukui Yamato's quick attack!
Bokuto Kōtarō had rotated to the back row after his first round of attacks, so Akaashi opted to distribute the ball elsewhere.
Sarukui sprinted forward and took off. On the opposing side, only Kaedehara Taichi was there to block.
Akaashi's set had successfully bypassed multiple blockers, and Sarukui prepared to swing, targeting Aoba Johsai's weakest defensive point.
…Huh?
A sudden instinct made Sarukui hesitate mid-swing. If he spiked it here, he'd get blocked!
The area in front of him was supposed to be open—there were no blockers in his direct path. But an inexplicable sense of pressure surged over him, making his movements falter.
Bang!
Sarukui twisted his wrist at the last second, adjusting the angle of his spike.
Smack!
Watari Shinji lunged forward for the dig, but the ball rebounded off his arms and dropped straight down at the net.
Sarukui Yamato scores.
[Aoba Johsai 3 – 6 Fukurōdani]
Even after the timeout, Aoba Johsai had failed to break Fukurōdani's scoring streak.
Kaedehara Taichi landed and glanced at Sarukui across the net. As expected of a teammate of the owls—his instincts for danger were abnormally sharp.
Bokuto Kōtarō had now scored three consecutive points from his serve, and the tension on Aoba Johsai's side of the court was rising.
Boom!
Bokuto's fourth serve rocketed forward, but this time, Watari was able to track its path.
Smack!
"Cover it!"
The ball hadn't flown toward the setter, but it was high enough for an offensive play.
"Taichi!"
Oikawa Tōru rushed into position—this was their chance to shut down Fukurōdani's momentum.
Whoosh!—
The ball was set high toward the right wing. Kaedehara Taichi sprinted in from the back row, gathering momentum.
Thump!
Taichi soared into the air.
"Three-man block!"
Washio Tatsuki, Konoha Akinori, and Sarukui Yamato leaped in unison to stop him.
But Taichi was still rising—his peak higher than their outstretched hands.
Boom!
A high-point spike over the block.
The ball slammed into Fukurōdani's court and bounced up.
[Aoba Johsai 4 – 6 Fukurōdani]
"You've gotta be kidding me! This guy is just like he was in the footage—how the hell are we supposed to stop him?!" Konoha Akinori complained.
As if it wasn't bad enough that he was ridiculously tall, he could jump, he had an aggressive attack style, and his all-around technique was solid. And worst of all—he was just a first-year!
Why did he have to be so damn good?!
A strange irritation flared up inside Konoha.
Kaedehara Taichi caught Konoha's frustrated expression and suddenly recalled something.
"Konoha-senpai, I heard they call you Mr. Jack-of-All-Trades, Master-of-None."
"…Hah? Who the hell told you that?!"
Konoha spun around and glared at Komi Haruki. That nickname had originally come from him! And now it had spread this far?!
"Don't look at me! I swear it wasn't me! I didn't even know him before this match!" Komi quickly denied it.
That was true. The only Fukurōdani players who had interacted with Aoba Johsai before the match were Akaashi and Bokuto.
Akaashi was too well-mannered to spread something like that, so there was only one possibility left.
"…Bokuto!!!"
Konoha furiously turned toward the back row.
"Konoha-senpai, focus on the match. Don't let them provoke you," Akaashi Keiji said calmly. "Besides, Bokuto-senpai wouldn't say something like that behind your back."
"Huh? What did you say?"
Bokuto Kōtarō blinked his wide, innocent eyes, glancing between Akaashi Keiji and Konoha Akinori in confusion.
Seeing Bokuto's expression, Konoha suddenly felt himself calming down. Akaashi had a point—plus, he and Bokuto were practically inseparable. There was no way he would lie about something like this.
"Hmph, you little brat." Konoha narrowed his sharp eyes. "I don't know where you heard such a ridiculous rumour, but from what I see, you're not much good at anything besides spiking."
"That's not true, Konoha-senpai," Kaedehara Taichi replied with a smile, turning to walk toward the service line. "My serves are pretty strong too."
With the serve now switching sides, Aoba Johsai was up.
Kaedehara Taichi pointed straight at Konoha.
"Konoha-senpai, want to test it out?"
Konoha's breath caught in his throat.
Only now did he recall that this kid from Aoba Johsai had racked up at least five points against Inarizaki with his serve.
Taichi tossed the ball high and swung down hard—aiming straight for Konoha.
Boom!—
A powerful left-handed jump serve!
The real target—Akaashi Keiji, positioned behind Konoha!
"Akaashi!" Komi Haruki called out immediately.
Akaashi lowered his stance, reading the ball's trajectory.
Smack!
The serve struck his hands but deflected to the right. Komi barely managed to dodge as it flew past him.
"Damn it—!"
The ball sailed out of bounds.
Kaedehara Taichi had scored directly off his serve.
[Aoba Johsai 5 – 6 Fukurōdani]
"Komi! Why didn't you take that?!" Bokuto shouted.
"Any normal person would dodge if a cannonball was flying at their face!" Komi shot back, exasperated. He had nearly been knocked out!
Judging by the sound of the ball hitting Akaashi's arms, that serve had some serious weight behind it. Between receiving a serve like that and surviving a full match, Komi knew which one he'd prefer.
"My bad, Komi-senpai," Akaashi apologized. "That was on me—I misread the serve."
"Don't worry about it. First time receiving a lefty's serve—it happens," Komi reassured him.
Konoha, however, was glaring at Kaedehara Taichi.
This kid…he was seriously troublesome.
Taichi simply smiled, tossing up his next serve.
Bang!
A left-handed jump float!
This time, it targeted the gap between Konoha and Sarukui Yamato in the front row!
"Saru!" Konoha called out, choosing not to receive it himself and instead signalling to Sarukui.
"Ugh…this is a pain…"
Sarukui lunged to the side, positioning himself under the ball. His upper body leaned back, forming a near 45-degree angle with the ground, arms softening upon contact to absorb the ball's power.
Whoosh!
The ball was perfectly redirected toward the net.
Konoha wasted no time—he leapt into the air.
A setters dump!
The seamless coordination between Fukurōdani's third-years caught Aoba Johsai off guard, plunging them into an immediate crisis!
Smash!
Konoha Akinori slammed the ball down.
Point for Fukurōdani.
[Aoba Johsai 5 – 7 Fukurōdani]
"You've still got a lot to learn, kid," Konoha said with a smirk.
"That's true. Sarukui-senpai is really impressive. I've never seen someone handle my jump float serve like that before."
Kaedehara Taichi turned to Sarukui, eyes filled with admiration.
"Heh." Sarukui grinned, giving Taichi a friendly nod.
Konoha: "…Are you just going to ignore me?"
Taichi lowered his head, expression turning serious.
Both of his serves had been read perfectly.
First, by Komi Haruki in the back row.
Then, by Konoha Akinori in the front.
Their court vision and judgment were incredibly fast.
Perhaps because Bokuto Kōtarō's presence was always so dazzling, people tended to overlook the rest of Fukurōdani's team.
But when Bokuto was in a slump, these players were the ones keeping Fukurōdani competitive—year after year, securing their position as Tokyo's second-strongest team, just behind the reigning champions, Itachiyama.
And right now, Bokuto Kōtarō was in peak condition—stronger than ever.
Kaedehara Taichi had no choice but to acknowledge it.
This was the strongest opponent he had faced at Spring Nationals so far.
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