"It's fine! No matter how amazing he is, that's just one point." Matsuo Satoshi said calmly. "Besides, he's already rotated to the back row!"
"Yeah!" The Ichibayashi players, momentarily stunned, quickly regained their focus. Since they had already resolved to fight to the end, there would be no more hesitation!
Kaedehara Taichi walked toward the service line, his focus raz...
2025-04-22 19:02:44 +0000 UTC View Post"What? He did that on purpose?"
It wasn't until the break between sets that Ichibayashi's players saw the scoring summary for the first set—and were stunned. All of their combined points, earned with blood, sweat, and tears, still couldn't match the number Kaedehara Taichi had scored alone.
Coach Tamagawa didn't try to hide this fact. Even though he knew it might...
2025-04-21 16:02:01 +0000 UTC View PostServe rotation. Ichibayashi to serve.
Uchizawa Iori launched a powerful jump serve, which Yahaba Shigeru managed to receive.
Kunimi Akira quickly stepped in and unhesitatingly sent the ball to the left wing.
Thud!
He was here.
The players of Ichibayashi, who thought they had mentally prepared themselves, still felt their hearts s...
2025-04-21 16:01:13 +0000 UTC View Post"Kyōtani makes a ridiculously exaggerated feint!" Commentator Aoi exclaimed dramatically.
"Even I thought it was going to be a cannon shot!" his partner, Ōtomo, laughed.
"That superb ball control is yet another gift of Kyōtani's—besides his vertical and flexibility!"
"That shot just widened the deadlocked score gap again!"
Service change. Aoba ...
2025-04-21 16:00:21 +0000 UTC View Post—"What a shame—it was so close! Hanyū dove in for the save without a second of hesitation, but still couldn't reach it…"
—"That looked like a nasty fall! But even so, there was not a trace of hesitation in Hanyū's motion as he hurled himself toward the ball!"
In just a few rallies, the players of Ichibayashi had already moved the audience. People admired ...
2025-04-20 16:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostRepresenting Miyagi Prefecture, Aoba Johsai High School—making their second consecutive appearance and ninth overall at Nationals.
Representing Fukuoka Prefecture, Ichibayashi High School—making their second consecutive appearance and third overall at Nationals.
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Court A. ...
2025-04-20 16:00:22 +0000 UTC View Post"Taichi! Date Tech advanced too!"
"So?" Kaedehara Taichi grumbled, pushing away the excited Kindaichi Yūtarō, who had leaned in too close.
"Wasn't that kind of expected? What's there to get so hyped about?"
They still had a match later that afternoon. Better to save up some energy while they could.
"But that means," Kindaichi went on excitedly, "t...
2025-04-19 21:18:39 +0000 UTC View Post[Aoba Johsai 25 – 21 Inubishi Higashi]
[Aoba Johsai 25 – 20 Inubishi Higashi]
Aoba Johsai cruised to victory with a clean 2–0 sweep over Inubishi Higashi, securing their spot in the quarterfinals!
"Eh? Did Date Tech face Mujinazaka this morning?" Kaedehara Taichi asked as he glanced over the towel and match record handed to him by ...
2025-04-19 21:17:08 +0000 UTC View Post"Hahaha…Taichi really does enjoy messing with interesting underclassmen," Hibarida Fuki laughed.
"Oh? What do you mean?" Katase Jun asked curiously. He had seen Kaedehara Taichi break the will of Date Tech's first-year ace during the Miyagi finals, but as far as he knew, Hibarida wasn't aware of that incident.
"I heard from one of the Tokyo coordinators that Aoba...
2025-04-19 21:16:02 +0000 UTC View Post"A-Akiha-senpai, are you alright…?" Moriyama Makoto asked hesitantly.
"Hmph, I already told you I did that on purpose! Why wouldn't I be fine?" Akiha Kazuma insisted stubbornly. "That guy's serve was soft and fluffy—it didn't even hurt."
"Th-That's good to hear…" Moriyama mumbled awkwardly.
Even though Akiha-senpai's entire face was bright red, at least...
2025-04-18 17:28:48 +0000 UTC View PostAfter conceding three consecutive points, the relaxed and carefree aura around Aoba Johsai vanished like mist before a sudden gust of cold wind. Even the confident expressions on their faces had begun to waver slightly.
Momentum could shift in an instant during a match. There had even been instances on the international stage where a team leading by nine points had still...
2025-04-18 17:27:07 +0000 UTC View PostThud!
The volleyball crashed onto the floor, followed immediately by the referee's whistle.
Kaedehara Taichi's serve brought in the fourth point.
[Aoba Johsai 7 – 3 Inubishi Higashi]
"He didn't aim for the libero…It dropped between Moriyama Makoto and Kumadō Sōichi?!"
"After targeting the libero several ...
2025-04-18 17:24:35 +0000 UTC View Post"Beep—!"
Warmups concluded, and the match began.
"Let's have a good game!"
Seijoh's lineup:
Front row—Middle Blocker Kindaichi Yūtarō, Setter Yahaba Shigeru, Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi.
Back row—Outside Hitter Kyōtani Kentarō, Outside Hitter Kunim...
"Inubishi Higashi is a team that truly embodies the term 'dark horse'."
"They don't carry the prestige or aura of traditional powerhouses, yet their gritty spirit and outstanding performance have made them stand out among the competition."
"Inubishi Higashi has reached nationals for three consecutive years—already a school record—and each year...
2025-04-17 16:52:13 +0000 UTC View Post[Shinzen High 25 - 21 Kashiwai Academy]
[Shinzen High 23 - 25 Kashiwai Academy]
[Shinzen High 25 - 22 Kashiwai Academy]
Both teams were fairly skilled, but among them, the now second-year Chigaya Eikichi clearly stood out from the rest. In a close match, whether or not a team had a star player often determined the outcome.
After a year of training...
2025-04-16 17:05:26 +0000 UTC View Post[June 29th. Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium]
The opening of the Interhigh National Tournament.
This marked Aoba Johsai's third time advancing to the national stage. The vast stadium, the cacophony of voices, the countless gazes focused on them…
None of it made the Aoba Johsai players nervous. In fact, it brought a wave of long-lost nostalgia.<...
2025-04-16 17:04:29 +0000 UTC View Post"Taichi, I heard from Coach Irihata that you're working on your professional career plan?"
A familiar voice rang from the other end of Kaedehara Taichi's phone.
"Well, that's a surprise. Oikawa-senpai actually called me on his own." Taichi replied airily, "Is this your way of giving me a heads-up before you fly back to Japan?"
"Hmph, someone sounds a...
2025-04-16 17:01:28 +0000 UTC View PostStill not enough!
In the end, just watching recordings wasn't enough to truly feel what it was like to be on the court in person.
Whether it was the rhythm of offence or the rhythm of defence—it all once again exceeded Oikawa Tōru's expectations.
"Oi, that guy's still smiling?"
"His hand positioning for that last set wasn't bad, ...
2025-04-15 17:03:14 +0000 UTC View Post"Facing players who have competed on the world stage—getting a little nervous or overwhelmed is totally normal."
"But it's not just them…"
"It's not just the players who've been to the World Championship. It's everyone on the court."
"The pressure hits different once you're up against them! It's nothing like high school, nothing like Int...
2025-04-15 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post[Argentina—Club Atlético San Juan Volleyball Team]
"You're late, Oikawa."
Sitting by the gym entrance, José Blanco flipped through a stack of recent match data from San Juan.
"Ah, well, a few lovely ladies stopped me to ask for directions on the way here. Took me a little longer than I expected," Oikawa Tōru replied with a grin.
José glanc...
2025-04-14 17:14:38 +0000 UTC View Post[Aoba Johsai 25 – 19 Date Tech]
[Aoba Johsai 25 – 18 Date Tech]
Aoba Johsai defeated Date Tech in straight sets and successfully defended their Miyagi Prefecture Inter-High title.
Judging by the score alone, Date Tech's performance was arguably even worse than Karasuno's in the semifinals. But Miyagi's tournament structure d...
2025-04-14 17:13:40 +0000 UTC View PostA loud and exaggerated boom echoed through the gym as Kimura Ryōta looked up.
The prolonged whistle blared in his ears as his dazed eyes flicked toward the scoreboard—its numbers shifting before his eyes. The timeout had ended less than two minutes ago.
Just a moment ago, Date Tech had been strategising about how to catch up and snatch the first set…
<... 2025-04-14 17:12:37 +0000 UTC View Post"Kamihara, that first-year on the court—he used to be your teammate back in junior high, right?"
In one corner of the spectator stands, Shirabu Kenjirō, Goshiki Tsutomu, and Kamihara Atsushi of Shiratorizawa Academy were intently watching the match.
To Kamihara Atsushi, one of them was a stern, no-nonsense setter and the other, the team's ace he looked up to.
[Aoba Johsai 14 - 12 Date Tech]
Date Tech to serve. Koganegawa Kanji stepped up to the endline.
"Give it a good one!"
Koganegawa tossed the ball and charged forward with powerful strides.
"Keep it low—like you're spiking it…"
Boom!!!
The ball grazed the top of the net and zipped over at a blistering speed!
...
2025-04-13 16:18:36 +0000 UTC View PostKaedehara Taichi considered himself to be a very magnanimous person.
For instance, when he had run into that cocky player Sarukui Fūto during their Tokyo expedition, hadn't he politely taught the guy how to play volleyball?
That being said, not long after giving Sarukui his little 'lesson', he now found himself being provoked by Kimura Ryōta.
Frank...
2025-04-12 17:46:48 +0000 UTC View Post[Aoba Johsai 25 - 23 Karasuno]
[Aoba Johsai 25 - 18 Karasuno]
For the first time in a year, Aoba Johsai once again defeated Karasuno on the stage of the Interhigh prefectural preliminaries.
"This doesn't feel like the level of a prefectural match at all…"
Though Aoba Johsai had won cleanly in straight sets with a large point gap,...
2025-04-12 17:45:37 +0000 UTC View Post"Damn it, just when I was starting to find my rhythm, I'm getting subbed out again…" Hinata Shōyō reluctantly traded places with Nishinoya Yū and dragged his feet back to the bench. With every step he took, the weight of disappointment seemed to grow heavier.
"If only I weren't a middle blocker, but a wing spiker instead…"
Hinata wasn't thinking this out of ...
2025-04-11 16:02:01 +0000 UTC View Post"How could this be?!"
"This—"
"You're saying Seijoh's receiving formation is putting that much pressure on Kageyama…?" Ukai Keishin bit lightly on his thumbnail, thoughts racing as he searched for a way to break through.
"…Sorry." Kageyama Tobio's voice was unusually subdued.
"Don't worry about it! Next one!" Nishinoya Yū yelled in encou...
2025-04-11 16:01:16 +0000 UTC View Post"I didn't think you'd be the first to catch up," Kaedehara Taichi said as he landed, throwing a thumbs-up behind him without turning around. "Nice set, Kunimi!"
"Woooaaaahhh!!!"
"Kunimi, that was amazing!" Kindaichi Yūtarō shouted from the side, practically bouncing with excitement. "That toss—it was just like Oikawa-senpai's!"
"That really w...
2025-04-11 16:00:36 +0000 UTC View PostHinata Shōyō and Kageyama Tobio both fell back onto the floor. As they looked up, what greeted them was Kaedehara Taichi's gaze, peering down from above.
"You get it now, don't you?" Taichi's voice was icy. "The match only truly starts now."
Aoba Johsai reclaimed the serve. Kindaichi Yūtarō stepped onto the service line.
"I still don't understand what Taichi meant...
2025-04-10 16:01:05 +0000 UTC View Post