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Chapter 141: Hitters Spoiled by Their Setter
🕑 Added 2025-01-08 16:02:00 +0000 UTCThis match had clearly been carefully orchestrated. Through the recent exchanges and rallies, subtle truths about both teams' performances swirled in Taichi’s mind. Bit by bit, the fragments aligned like pieces of a puzzle, revealing a clear picture before his eyes.
If volleyball could be boiled down into two elements—offence and defence—then his current team was built entirely around one concept: extreme defence into counterattack.
In terms of offensive power, the biggest threats on their side were, surprisingly, both first-years: himself and Goshiki Tsutomu.
But without Oikawa Tōru setting for him, Taichi was significantly handicapped. The super-quick attack was off the table, and the mix of left- and right-hand strikes that once kept blockers guessing was no longer an option. His attacking power was sharply reduced.
On the flip side, though, the team’s blocking strength was unparalleled:
Aone Takanobu, Tendō Satori, Futakuchi Kenji, Koganegawa Kanji, and himself—all formidable blockers.
Whether individually or as a group, they were a wall that would be extremely difficult to penetrate.
The goal of the teams’ division was becoming clear:
Would their block evolve fast enough to stop Ushijima Wakatoshi, or would the opposing hitters find a way to break through?
And standing as the final line of defence in this setup, Iwaizumi Hajime had to be feeling enormous pressure…
Taichi lowered his gaze.
Defence alone wouldn’t be enough.
His personal challenge in this match was to figure out how to contribute offensively without Oikawa by his side.
-----
“Beep—!” The match ended.
[ Team Irihata 17 - 25 Team Washijō]
The difference between the two teams was stark. Washijō’s side had scored a total of 16 points through Ushijima Wakatoshi and Oikawa Tōru alone.
Irihata’s team had racked up most of their points through blocking, managing to score 8 points that way.
The most surprising stat? Kaedehara Taichi had only scored 4 points with spikes throughout the entire match—a far cry from his usual performance.
Not only had it become harder for him to score, but the two setters on his team also weren’t prioritizing him the way Oikawa once had.
Koganegawa was more accustomed to setting for his seniors from Date Tech, while Shirabu naturally favoured his Shiratorizawa teammates.
“Hahaha…Taichi, see? Without me, you’re totally lost!” Oikawa’s laugh was obnoxiously loud.
“Mm.” Taichi responded with a curt hum and turned away.
Oikawa: “???”
“Oi, Iwa-chan, you and Taichi together couldn’t match me, you know!” Oikawa taunted Iwaizumi next.
“Get lost, you idiot. I don’t want to talk to you right now.” Iwaizumi’s scowl deepened as he walked off with a grim expression.
Oikawa: “???”
Iwa-chan didn’t even hit me this time…
While Washijō chewed out both Goshiki and Tendō, Irihata Nobuteru remained calm, his ever-present smile firmly in place.
“Aren’t you going to check on your prized little ace? He only scored four points. He’s probably devastated,” Washijō muttered sourly.
Irihata shot him a glance. “Checking on” for this old man likely involved yelling and berating someone.
“Taichi’s just spoiled by Oikawa’s setting,” Irihata replied with a lazy smirk. “He just needs to adjust. Seijoh’s players are smart enough to figure things out on their own.”
“Hmph!” Washijō scoffed. “You make it sound like Shiratorizawa players aren’t smart.”
After the scrimmage, Aone and Futakuchi pulled Koganegawa aside to discuss his blocking form. Futakuchi, too, had noticed the curious design behind the teams, but having a top-tier spiker like Taichi beside him was a rare opportunity to sharpen his own skills.
Meanwhile, Goshiki and Shirabu practised hitting drills while Tendō took turns blocking their attempts. Iwaizumi was deep in conversation with Yamagata Hayato, learning more about libero techniques.
Taichi, however, practised his serves alone, replaying the match in his mind.
Just as he didn’t trust Shirabu or Koganegawa’s sets, they also weren’t confident enough to set him consistently. Even though they had trained together the night before, in-game decisions happened in fractions of a second.
If things stayed this predictable, the opposing team would have no trouble reading their attack patterns.
Smack!
Taichi's powerful jump serve was received cleanly by Oikawa.
“Taichi, your power’s too weak!” Oikawa teased. “Want me to teach you how to serve again? I never even showed Tobio-chan this!”
That’s it—I need more power!
Taichi realized he had been thinking about things all wrong. He needed to simplify.
Without another word, he turned and walked off.
“Hey, wait! Taichi! Are you going to learn or not?!” Oikawa called after him, hand outstretched.
-----
The winning team, apart from the usual steady performance of its third-years, had issues to varying degrees with its younger players.
To put it simply, the victory felt disconnected from their personal contributions.
For Terushima Yūji, this was the first time he had ever played with such incredible teammates. And yet, in this set, he had only hit two balls.
He couldn’t even find it in himself to complain to Oikawa Tōru. It was obvious—the reason he wasn’t getting set was that he couldn’t score, whereas Ushijima could.
This reality gnawed at Terushima, leaving him feeling restless and frustrated.
Kindaichi and Kunimi shared similar frustrations. Kindaichi, in particular, was becoming painfully aware of the stark difference between the blocking on both sides.
Even with his less-than-sharp mind, Kindaichi Yūtarō knew this was a crucial opportunity. He didn’t want to be left further behind by Taichi and Kunimi…
As for Hyakuzawa Yūdai, he had the second-highest spike attempts after Ushijima Wakatoshi. With Oikawa setting for him, every ball felt smooth and perfectly placed—but his actual scores were few.
Even when he managed to push the ball past the blockers, there was always someone there to receive it. Hyakuzawa’s eyes kept drifting to Ushijima, his heart yearning to become an ace like him one day.
As the matches concluded and calm settled over the gym, the players’ hearts remained anything but tranquil.
In this unfamiliar environment, paired with new teammates and pitted against evenly matched opponents, they had faced challenges that went beyond their routine practices.
The intense games had laid bare their weaknesses and highlighted the areas where they needed to grow.
Every player was lost in thought—some quickly finding clarity and new goals, while others remained mired in confusion after a whole day of effort.
The coaches observed the young players in silence. It was only the second day of the training camp, but the signs of growth were already promising.
And this was just the beginning.
Growth always came with pain and struggle, and these players were teetering on the edge of transformation.
Everyone was waiting for the moment when they would break free of their cocoons and take flight.
-----
After dinner, the players returned to the gym. After a light warm-up, they divided into teams and began the second round of matches.
The energy on the court was fierce, and the players' coordination had improved from the morning games.
Smack! Yamagata Hayato received a perfect first touch, the ball arcing beautifully toward the setter.
“Ushijima!” Oikawa called as he sent the ball to the left wing.
Ushijima Wakatoshi sprinted, then leapt into the air with effortless power. His body stretched into a flawless form as his left arm pulled back.
“Triple block!”
Koganegawa Kanji, Aone Takanobu, and Kaedehara Taichi rose on the other side of the net, forming a formidable wall.
Taichi's arms strained, pressing forward and down in sync with his teammates, his eyes locked fiercely on Ushijima.
“You’re not getting past us!!”
The wall loomed in the air with an overwhelming, unshakable presence.
For a brief moment, Ushijima felt the crushing force of their block from across the net. Then, instead of hammering the ball through, he simply tapped it upward.
The ball sailed gently over the block and dropped to the ground behind them.
Washijō’s team scored.
[ Team Irihata 14 - 18 Team Washijō]
Ushijima stood facing the trio on the other side of the net.
Though his team had scored, Oikawa’s face broke into a mysterious smile.
“Well, well. Ushijima-chan, were you avoiding the block just now?”
“Next time—”
Taichi and Aone spoke in unison, eyes blazing.
“We’ll stop you for sure!”
-----
