Chapter 488: Change
It had been a month since the match between DH and Black Jackals.
After securing six consecutive victories, DH had gone 2–2 in their most recent four games—losing to Black Jackals and AD, while defeating VC Kanagawa and Tachibana Red Falcons.
With the regular season nearing its halfway point, spectators and media alike had begun to form a clearer understanding of each team’s current strength, thanks to the accumulation of match data and performance analysis. Based on this, the league had essentially been split into four tiers.
Tier One: EJP Raijin, MSBY Black Jackals, Schweiden Adlers.
These three were the undisputed kings of the V1 League. Backed by deep foundations, top-tier rosters, and mature, adaptable tactical systems, they stood far above the league average in both offence and defence. Though each team had its own distinctive playstyle, their players moved with clockwork precision, like tightly meshed gears, leaving opponents with few openings to exploit.
Tier Two: DESEO Hornets, Tachibana Red Falcons, Azuma Pharmacy Green Rockets.
Each of these teams had one or two star players—such as Tachibana’s Hondō Sakuma and the Green Rockets’ Kiryū Wakatsu—and their supporting casts were all at or above the league average. These teams could operate cohesively, and at critical moments, had players capable of seizing control of a match.
Tier Three: NSC Rootless Birds, Tokyo Bears, VC Kanagawa, Tōrei Arrows.
These teams were relatively well-balanced. While not as strong as the top two tiers, they had carved out their own identities. Some had already begun to show progress in the first half of the season. If they continued their upward trend, a spot in the final eight wasn’t out of reach.
Tier Four: Japan Railway Warriors, Gunma Hornets, JT Thunder, Nagoya Wolfdogs.
Compared to the others, these teams still had a long way to go in terms of player strength and tactical cohesion. They were the ones people often referred to as the “bottom feeders” of the league.
On the current leaderboard, Black Jackals and EJP were tied for first with a flawless 10–0 record. AD and DH followed behind, both with 8 wins and 2 losses.
That said, since DH had lost their head-to-head matchup against AD and had yet to face EJP, most fans believed their third-place ranking was still somewhat inflated.
“This is ridiculous! They’re acting like we’ll definitely lose to EJP!” Nitta Asahiro complained, angrily tossing aside the latest issue of Volleyball Monthly.
“It’s not exactly surprising they think that,” Yoshii Hiyu said matter-of-factly. “EJP beat AD. AD beat us. So they think EJP will beat us too. Simple transitive logic.”
“Don’t try to fool me. I’m good at math,” Nitta responded seriously. “There should be some kind of restriction, right? Like…like AD ≠ 0 or something!”
“No, that only applies in multiplication or division,” Tom Wilde chimed in, utterly deadpan.
“Is that really the point right now!? And those aren’t even numbers!!” Iizuna Tsukasa tried his best to suppress the urge to yell.
Yoshii looked at Nitta in disbelief. “Wow. I didn’t realise it before, but…you’re actually an idiot, aren’t you?”
—–
Unlike their lighthearted chatter, the mood on the other side of the gym was much heavier. It was hard to imagine Kitajima Kippei and Kubo Wataru having such a serious discussion.
“What did Coach Nick say? Are there any chances we can get those reinforcements you recommended?” Kubo asked. “Actually, forget it. Judging by your expression, I guess that’s a no.”
“No luck. Our club moved too late.” Kitajima sighed. “You know how it is—not everyone believed we were serious about aiming for the championship. It wasn’t until we got that six-game winning streak that they even started planning to bring in reinforcements. But by then, those other teams had already made better offers…”
“For a moment, I thought they’d changed—what with us signing both Asahiro and Tsukasa these past few years—but in the end, it’s still the same. They just don’t have the guts.” Kubo shook his head. “If it were me, I would’ve started planning for upgrades right after the preseason.”
“Well, this time, the goal is the championship. Everyone finally believes we can pull it off.” Kitajima glanced toward the court, where Kaedehara Taichi was still practising his receives with the assistant coach.
Ever since the match against the Black Jackals, Taichi had undergone a transformation—one that was hard to put into words. Outwardly, nothing had changed. He still showed up to practice on time every day, joked around with his teammates, and smiled politely in front of the cameras.
Although they had trained together for more than half a year, his teammates still noticed some subtle differences.
For instance, during breaks in practice, Taichi’s gaze would sometimes wander off unconsciously, as if his thoughts had drifted far away. In that fleeting moment, a trace of sorrow and frustration would flash in his eyes—so quickly it was almost impossible to catch. Then there was the fact that, unlike before when he’d enthusiastically discuss tactics and exchange insights with his teammates, he now often chose to simply listen, chiming in with a comment only on occasion.
The others didn’t know whether these changes in him would lead to something good or bad in the end. He was still the hardest-working one in training, and his occasional input was even sharper and more insightful than before.
Even if they wanted to comfort or encourage him, no one knew what to say. They couldn’t just blurt out, “Sorry, it’s our fault we were too weak to win the match…”—words that were more about easing their own guilt than actually helping the situation.
Besides, Taichi’s recent performances hadn’t shown any noticeable decline. He was still the strongest player on the court.
“If only Kobayashi Takuma could come,” Kitajima Kippei said. “Even if it meant giving up my spot in the starting lineup, I’d be happy to rotate with him.”
Kubo Wataru shot him a look. “Keep dreaming. He’s basically Rootless Bird’s franchise player.”
“Yeah, maybe not officially untouchable, but pretty close,” Kitajima replied with a sigh. “Whatever they’re asking for, we just can’t match it.”
“In the end, it comes down to whether someone from the bench can step up in key moments…” Kubo took a deep breath before changing the subject. “Still, Asahiro and the others have clearly made some real progress in training lately.”
“Probably got fired up—whether it’s from Taichi or from that match against Black Jackals,” Kitajima chuckled. “Even Yoshii hasn’t been training with us lately. He’s been working out with the younger guys.”
That was perhaps the biggest change in DH lately—and thankfully, it was a positive one.
—–
December 28th—DESEO Hornets’ home game against JT Thunder.
[DESEO Hornets 25 – 16 JT Thunder]
[DESEO Hornets 25 – 17 JT Thunder]
[DESEO Hornets 25 – 18 JT Thunder]
Against this bottom-ranked team in the V1 League, DH secured an expected and overwhelming 3–0 victory.
What was worth noting, however, was that this match saw the lowest number of attack attempts by Kaedehara Taichi in the entire regular season.
And this shift wasn’t because he chose to take a step back.
Instead, Iizuna Tsukasa and Yoshii Hiyu deliberately allocated more offensive opportunities to Nitta Asahiro and Tom Wilde. Both players delivered eye-catching performances—albeit against a weaker opponent.
In the first set, Taichi scored 9 points, Asahiro 7, and Tom Wilde 5.
In the second, Taichi had 7, Asahiro 8, and Tom 6.
In the third, Taichi put up 8 points, while Asahiro led with 10, and Tom followed with 4.
Since Taichi had joined DH, this was the first match where his teammates had outscored him.
“Gotta give the senpai a chance to shine once in a while, right?”
As Taichi blinked in slight surprise, Nitta Asahiro grinned at him and said that with a laugh.
_________
[T/N] – If you guys want to read 50 Chapters in advance of the current story, you can support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it’s awesome!
Link – (P)atreon.com/Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by readnovel.co