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Chapter 234: The Challenger's Fall
🕑 Added 2025-02-16 16:00:13 +0000 UTC[Aoba Johsai 26 - 24 Inarizaki]
[Aoba Johsai 25 - 22 Inarizaki]
"On the third day of the Spring Interhigh National Tournament, Inarizaki—armed with the Miya twins and Aran Ojiro—has been eliminated in the Round of 16!!"
"And their opponent? Aoba Johsai—the very team they personally knocked out six months ago at the Interhigh Nationals!"
"Today! Right here! Aoba Johsai has defeated this tournament's seeded powerhouse with a decisive 2-0 victory—securing their long-awaited revenge!!!"
"Let's go, Akaashi."
Bokuto Kōtarō's emotions had gone from excitement to envy, then from awe to silence—until he finally spoke with an eerie calm.
"Huh? Already?" Akaashi Keiji blinked. "I thought you'd want to say something to Taichi first."
Bokuto simply pointed toward Aoba Johsai's bench.
There, Kaedehara Taichi was sprawled across the bench—fast asleep, having completely knocked out the moment Aoba Johsai secured match point.
Akaashi: "…"
Bokuto suddenly muttered, almost to himself:
"I saw everything I needed to see through volleyball."
"That moment. The one that belongs to Kaedehara Taichi."
"Today is the day he's taken another step forward…falling even deeper in love with this sport."
-----
"Thank you, everyone!!"
The Inarizaki players bowed deeply toward their supporters.
"Wait…that's it? There's really no third set?" Some spectators were still in disbelief.
Inarizaki. Losing 0-2.
For them, the thought felt completely foreign.
But those who had been watching the players closely knew—
They had already given everything they had.
The Miya twins had played some of their best volleyball yet.
And sometimes, that had to be enough.
A slow ripple of applause began from the stands.
It grew louder. Stronger. Until it became one unified chorus.
"Oi, what the hell are you clapping for?" Miya Atsumu's face twisted in disgust.
"Losers don't need applause."
A few older men from the Inarizaki supporters shouted back:
"What the hell are you mumbling about, Atsumu!!"
Atsumu flinched. "Hah, what—? How the hell can you hear me from all the way over there?!"
"Because every damn thought of yours is written all over your face, you brat!!"
"A great match deserves applause. A stronger opponent deserves recognition."
"If you can't even accept defeat properly, how do you expect to beat them next time?!"
"Do you not understand that simple fact?!!"
"Shut up," Atsumu muttered, dropping his head so low his bangs nearly covered his eyes.
Inarizaki was no stranger to defeat.
In fact, their reputation as The Strongest Challenger came precisely because they always fell short in the final rounds.
But this time…
This time, they had lost too fast.
Too decisively.
And the weight of that was suffocating.
-----
The match had barely ended when a swarm of reporters closed in on Inarizaki's captain, Kita Shinsuke.
Miya Osamu started to step forward, ready to break up the crowd—
But Aran Ojiro held him back.
"…Can't only accept interviews when we're winning, right?" Aran forced a tired smile.
After a few routine questions, one reporter finally got to the real point.
"Kita-san, in your opinion, what was the primary reason for Inarizaki's loss today?"
Kita paused.
His eyes locked onto the reporter, unwavering.
The sheer pressure of his stare made the reporter instinctively take half a step back.
But professionalism held firm—
The microphone stayed right in front of Kita's lips.
"…You saw it, didn't you?"
Kita's voice was calm.
"Aoba Johsai had that monster."
"He single-handedly put up 16 points in the second set alone—completely suffocating Inarizaki."
"That's why we lost."
The reporter hesitated, then asked one last question:
"…Is there anything you regret? Anything that leaves you feeling unwilling to accept this result?"
Kita's gaze drifted upward.
The bright overhead lights of the arena burned against his retinas—
So bright, he had to close his eyes for a moment.
"…If I had to say…"
His voice was quiet.
"The thing that frustrates me the most…is probably the fact that I was just an ordinary player."
"That I never got to stand on that court—in this tournament full of monsters."
With that, Kita turned away and walked out of the reporters' circle.
And so—
Inarizaki fell.
Eliminated in their second match of the Spring Interhigh National Tournament.
And their captain, Kita Shinsuke—
Had never even stepped onto the court.
-----
Only now did the Miya twins fully grasp the reality of their defeat.
For them, second-years, this was just a setback in this year's Spring Interhigh.
They would have another chance next year.
But for their third-year teammates—
This was the end.
Their high school volleyball careers were over.
Aran Ojiro lowered his head as he approached Kita Shinsuke.
"…Kita, I—"
"Aran."
Kita clapped Aran's shoulder firmly.
"If you really think this loss is your fault, then you're way too full of yourself."
"Inarizaki is a team. Losing isn't just one person's burden to bear."
"Besides—" Kita glanced toward Atsumu, an amused glint in his eyes.
"I'm pretty sure Atsumu thinks he should be the one taking responsibility for this loss."
"Did you see how he looked when he bowed to the crowd?" Kita chuckled.
"Even more terrifying than I usually am, huh?"
Out of all the Inarizaki players, the only one still smiling was the very captain they had feared and respected for so long.
Kita sighed.
This won't do.
He turned to face the entire team, stepping forward for the last time as their captain.
"There's actually one thing I didn't mention to the reporters just now."
"For years, I've done everything I could. That's why I have no regrets about the outcome of this match."
"After all, for me—winning and losing has always been just a side effect of playing volleyball."
"…But, how should I put it…"
Kita exhaled slowly before continuing:
"I really wish I could have boasted to people a few more times—"
"'How about that? My teammates are incredible, aren't they?'"
This time, every single one of Inarizaki's players saw it.
For the first time, they clearly saw Kita Shinsuke's smile.
And in that moment, they understood—
Their strict, no-nonsense captain had always been proud of them.
"Captain, don't worry!"
The Miya twins grinned in unison.
"We'll make sure to become teammates so amazing that even your grandkids can brag about us one day!!"
Kita nodded.
"Mm."
"That's something to look forward to."
-----
After eating a little more, Kaedehara Taichi promptly fell back asleep.
But judging by his expression, there was nothing to worry about.
In his own words, he actually felt even better than before—
He just needed to recharge.
By the time Taichi woke up again—
The final eight teams of the Spring Interhigh had been decided.
The quarterfinal matchups were as follows:
[Aoba Johsai High vs. Fukurōdani Academy]
[Kamomedai High vs. Mujinazaka High]
[Ichibayashi High vs. Itachiyama Institute]
[Inubushi Higashi vs. Shiritsu Sakae High]
The last time Aoba Johsai made it to Nationals…
They fell right here.
This was where their journey ended.
Irihata Nobuteru, Aoba Johsai's head coach, flipped through his notes.
"Fukurōdani's ace, Bokuto Kōtarō, is ranked among the top five outside hitters in the country, just like Aran Ojiro."
He glanced at his players.
"Oikawa, Taichi—you both faced him during the Youth Training Camp."
"What's your impression of him?"
Oikawa Tōru frowned, deep in thought.
"…He's strong. No doubt about that."
"But…"
"…He's wildly inconsistent."
His expression twisted as he struggled to find the right words.
"…Honestly, I don't understand him."
"Wait."
Kindaichi Yūtarō's eyes widened.
"There's actually an attacker even Oikawa-senpai can't read?"
He was genuinely surprised.
Despite Oikawa's playful personality, he had always been able to adjust to any attacker, even against college-level players.
For him to struggle with someone like Bokuto—
That was unheard of.
"If he's that inconsistent, isn't that a good thing for us?" Hanamaki Takahiro pointed out.
"Not necessarily," Taichi interjected.
"Even if Oikawa-senpai can't read him—Fukurōdani's setter can."
A brief silence followed.
Taichi's analysis had rarely been wrong.
If he was saying this, then…
It was very likely the truth.
"…The worst-case scenario isn't Aran Ojiro."
Taichi exhaled.
"It's that Bokuto-senpai isn't even competing against Aran."
"He's competing against Ushijima-senpai. Or Kiryu-senpai."
Silence.
Aoba Johsai's players exchanged uncertain glances.
Because if Taichi was right—
Then this Bokuto Kōtarō…
Might be far more dangerous than they had initially thought.
"…Alright."
Coach Irihata decisively flipped the page.
"Let's take a look at the rest of Fukurōdani's roster."
"Outside of Bokuto Kōtarō, their other two outside hitters are Konoha Akinori and Sarukui Yamato."
"Based on the footage we reviewed last night—Konoha is similar to Kunimi. His attacking ability isn't the strongest, but he's well-rounded and skilled in every aspect."
"Sarukui, on the other hand, covers that offensive gap. His jump serve and blocking coordination are also worth noting."
"Their middle blockers are Washio Tatsuki and Onaga Wataru."
"These two make up Fukurōdani's twin towers."
"But the one to really watch out for is Washio—he was part of the Youth National Training Camp."
"He's got solid fundamentals across the board."
"However—" Coach Irihata's gaze shifted to Aoba Johsai's middle blockers.
"Matsukawa, Kindaichi."
"Our twin towers won't lose to them."
"Their libero is Komi Haruki."
"In his second-year, he was already ranked among the top five liberos in the country."
"Taichi, Kindaichi—you two need to be especially careful."
"But don't let that shake you."
"We've already beaten the strongest defensive team in the tournament—Nekoma."
"There's no reason why we can't break through Fukurōdani's defence as well."
"Lastly—their setter, Akaashi Keiji."
"Taichi mentioned he knows how to fully utilize Bokuto's power."
"But as an individual player—"
Irihata turned to Aoba Johsai's setter.
"…Oikawa."
"You are, without a doubt, the best setter in Japan."
A wicked grin spread across Oikawa Tōru's face.
Irihata closed his notebook.
"This time—"
"We're making it all the way to the end."
-----
