Chapter 492: I’ll Give It Back to You! (Quad-Length)

Akutsu Ao’s powerful spikes were incredibly difficult to stop. Even when he rotated to the back row, Evan Krauss remained just as threatening on offence.

While they couldn’t quite match the overwhelming five-man firepower of Black Jackals, the pressure from just these two players was enough to leave DH flustered.

Coach Nick tried to have his team disrupt EJP’s offensive rhythm. If they couldn’t directly suppress the attackers, then their only hope was to find cracks in the first and second touches.

Unfortunately, EJP’s captain, Kitō Yūkan, was practically the textbook example of a support-type opposite. When receiving, he coordinated seamlessly with libero Komori Motoya to patch up defensive holes and ensure their backline was airtight. When transitioning to offence, he’d cover for teammates and smoothly connect the reception to the attackers, ensuring uninterrupted flow.

For a while, it felt like EJP had “two liberos” and “two setters” on the court.

Most terrifying of all, despite being only 181 cm tall, Yūkan still posed an offensive threat at the net. DH’s blockers couldn’t afford to ignore him.

The match had nearly reached its midpoint. Though DH relied on passive defence from the entire team and offence coordinated by Iizuna Tsukasa, they were still clearly suppressed by EJP’s momentum.

[DH 10 – 12 EJP]

The scoreline was beginning to stretch further apart.

“Tweet!—”

DH serve.

Nitta Asahiro unleashed a powerful jump serve.

The serve carried astonishing force. Nitta was now DH’s second-best server, only behind Kaedehara Taichi.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

Akutsu Ao received it cleanly.

Since Sengoku Chisato wasn’t a major offensive threat, DH’s front-row blockers shifted toward the left.

Whoosh—!

In the middle, Evan Krauss faked a spike to draw Taichi’s block—only for the ball to slip between the two players and arc toward the left wing.

Suna Rintarō leapt up for the spike!

“I’ve got it!” Tom Wilde jumped for a solo block.

At the net, it was 188 cm versus 202 cm. Suna looked completely swallowed under Tom Wilde’s imposing frame.

BOOM!—

The ball flew past Tom Wilde’s left side, slammed onto DH’s sideline, and bounced out of bounds.

A perfect line shot!

Suna Rintarō scored.

[DH 10 – 13 EJP]

“What just happened?”

Standing in the back row, Kitajima Kippei had his line of sight completely blocked by Tom Wilde. From his perspective, the ball had somehow escaped Wilde’s range without warning.

“Tom, next time just seal off the line,” Kaedehara Taichi suggested. “His shot angles are wider than they look. You focus on one side—we’ll handle the rest in the back row.”

“Got it.” Tom Wilde nodded. Suna Rintarō’s deceptive spike motion just now had left a deep impression on him.

—

[Suna Rintarō—Middle Blocker:Height: 188 cm

Serve: 85 | Receive: 82 | Dig: 88 | Set: 78 | Spike: 91| Block: 88

Spike Reach: 338 cm /Block Reach: 318 cm.]

[Washio Tatsuki—Middle Blocker:Height: 190 cm

Serve: 88 | Receive: 85 | Dig: 85 | Set: 75 | Spike: 88| Block: 90

Spike Reach: 338 cm /Block Reach: 326 cm.]

—

Looking at his two former high school rivals, Taichi couldn’t help feeling a bit sentimental. It wasn’t surprising that most pro clubs now favoured foreign players at the middle blocker position. Back in high school, both Suna and Washio had been top-tier players in that role—yet even now, they were only “adequate” by professional standards.

Though they still had room to grow, their height inevitably limited their ceiling on the block, especially against physically larger opponents.

Serve switched hands. EJP serve.

Suna Rintarō launched a powerful jump serve. Kitajima Kippei received it cleanly, passing the ball right on target.

Iizuna Tsukasa set it to the middle. Kaedehara Taichi faced EJP’s triple block and still spiked cleanly over the top.

For EJP, the rotation when their middle blockers served was their most vulnerable time on defence (since their libero was off-court).

The ball slammed down beside Suna Rintarō and bounced off.

Kaedehara Taichi scored.

[DH 11 – 13 EJP]

No matter what, every time the point difference started to widen, Taichi would step up immediately.

EJP’s defensive system mostly relied on solid receptions—a structure that worked to DH’s advantage. They needed to get their other attackers going soon.

—–

The deadlock dragged on until EJP passed the 20-point mark.

DH wasn’t giving up on the first set. Otherwise, Taichi wouldn’t have fought so hard to keep the deficit within two.

[DH 18 – 20 EJP]

DH serve.

Yoshii Hiyu delivered a strong jump serve—targeting Akutsu Ao directly.

BOOM!!

Smack!

The ball flew solidly into the front row. Sengoku Chisato moved up to set. Evan Krauss and Washio Tatsuki both launched toward the wings at the same time.

DH’s front-row blockers were forced to split. Iizuna Tsukasa and Tom Wilde shifted to the left. Taichi alone guarded the right.

Whoosh—!

The set went right. Washio jumped for the spike.

“Taichi’s not reacting?”

“No—it’s a delayed attack!”

The receive hadn’t disrupted Akutsu’s approach. His calf muscles tensed, and from behind the 3-meter line, he exploded upward. In the air, his arched back was taut like a drawn bow.

BOOM!!!—

The ball cut through the air like a missile.

“Perfect timing!”

Kaedehara Taichi sprang up the instant Akutsu swung his arm—his timing eerily precise. At the net, his fingers spread wide like an inescapable cage. His arms were taut, muscles sharply defined!

—SMACK!!!

Akutsu’s pupils shrank. His spike slammed into Taichi’s hands with a deafening blast—but Taichi’s form didn’t waver.

The ball, now bearing both players’ strength, shot high into the air and flew back toward EJP’s backcourt.

Blocked!!!

A gasp swept through the stands. Many spectators hadn’t even seen what happened—Akutsu’s spike had simply been returned, sailing toward the back of EJP’s court.

But someone on EJP had been waiting for this very moment.

At the critical juncture, Komori Motoya flew in from the side like a phantom. His footsteps were light and swift as the wind. Just before the ball hit the ground, he dove, fully extending his body, and popped the ball up perfectly with one hand.

Smack!

Crisis averted.

EJP immediately launched a counterattack.

Kitō Yūkan stepped in to set.

“Give me the ball!” Akutsu shouted. He wanted another shot—he would break through that block!

Whoosh—!

The ball went left. Evan Krauss spiked over the block and scored.

[DH 18 – 21 EJP]

“Yūkan!” Akutsu growled, glaring furiously.

“You’re not calm enough,” Kitō replied flatly, unfazed by Akutsu’s anger. “Their middle and libero are both keyed in on you.”

“So what? I can still score!”

“So can Krauss—and with much less effort.” Kitō’s tone remained composed. “Don’t underestimate DH. We’re not at the ‘ace showdown’ stage just yet.”

Akutsu clenched his jaw and said nothing.

But Kitō knew: that silence meant he understood.

“Nice spike,” he said to Evan Krauss. Then he clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention.

“Let’s speed things up and close out this first set!”

Kaedehara Taichi shot a meaningful glance at Kitō Yūkan. He had a feeling—if they underestimated this 181-centimetre-tall opposite hitter, DH would suffer for it in the rest of the match.

Serve possession switched—EJP serve.

Evan Krauss walked up to the service line.

BOOM!!!

The French giant’s serve was nothing to scoff at. The ball surged forward with tremendous momentum, heading straight for DH’s back corner.

Smack!

Fortunately, DH’s back row had a solid receiving formation. Yoshii Hiyu managed to pick it up.

It was a clean first touch, although the direction was slightly off. Iizuna Tsukasa, keeping an eye on the court, moved in to adjust.

“Over here!”

Kaedehara Taichi’s shout interrupted his train of thought. Iizuna snapped to attention—Taichi had already leapt on the right side.

“Eh, but…”

Iizuna had always been the type to first land squarely in position, assess his hitter’s matchup against the defence, and then calmly make his set. Most setters were taught to operate this way—and what made Iizuna special was that he almost never made mistakes.

Even compared to Oikawa Tōru, Miya Atsumu, and Kageyama Tobio, Iizuna Tsukasa had the lowest error rate among them during high school. Of course, this also had to do with the fact that the others preferred riskier, flashier playstyles. (Among the four, Miya Atsumu had the highest error rate.)

“Give me the ball—!” Kaedehara Taichi’s voice left no room for argument.

In front of him, EJP’s front-row blockers, Washio Tatsuki and Akutsu Ao, had already moved to cover Taichi. In Iizuna’s mind, this would be the perfect time to open up the left side for Tom Wilde.

Shoosh!—

Before he could solidify that idea, his hands moved on their own—he’d already sent the set flying high toward the right side!

“A mistake?!”

“It’s too high!”

But it wasn’t actually the height that was the issue. Even just a moment of hesitation had caused them to miss the perfect timing—both Kaedehara Taichi and the EJP blockers had already begun their descent.

“Perfect set.”

Taichi’s lips curled slightly into a smirk.

The ball hadn’t simply arced upward. Instead, it began to descend in sync with Kaedehara’s timing as he dropped!

That was why Kaedehara had found Iizuna’s sets so comfortable from the very first time they worked together—no matter the situation, Iizuna always considered how to best serve the ace.

Just before releasing the ball, Iizuna had instinctively flicked his wrist downward, putting spin on the top of the ball. It was details like these that allowed him to retain his own style even among those “monstrous” setters!

No one on either side of the net relaxed. Akutsu Ao knew Kaedehara Taichi would go for it—because he could’ve done the same himself!

BAM!!!—

Just as the ball dipped to net height, Taichi suddenly whipped his left hand around and spiked it toward the opposite side of his body.

“No way?!!”

“Left side! Chisato!!”

Chisato Sengoku didn’t even have time to be surprised—he immediately backpedalled from the net.

Smack!

The ball sliced clean through the block formed by Washio and Akutsu, slammed into Chisato’s arm, and flew out of bounds.

Mid-descent! With his left hand! Back-facing the net! A sharp cross-court shot!!

Chisato had already dropped back to the three-meter line and still barely reacted in time. But—

Kaedehara Taichi scores!

[DH 19 – 21 EJP]

The jaw-dropping spike left the entire arena in a stunned, three-second silence. The commentator’s mic even slipped from his hand and clattered against the desk with a sharp clack.

“Is…is that even humanly possible?!”

“That defies logic!”

The crowd erupted in explosive chatter, the atmosphere as chaotic and roaring as a volcanic eruption.

Tom Wilde ran over, shouting excitedly, “Taichi! That was insane! How did you even do that?!”

“Great hit,” Yoshii Hiyu said, giving him a thumbs-up.

“That’s what people mean by a true genius, huh…” Kitajima Kippei murmured to himself.

“You’re acting like you didn’t already know,” Kubo Wataru muttered with a click of his tongue. “Still, the guy’s ridiculous…”

Iizuna Tsukasa approached Kaedehara Taichi and said a little sheepishly, “Sorry, the set was a bit late.”

“It was perfect—just what I’d expect from you, Tsukasa-senpai.” Kaedehara raised his hand for a celebratory high five. “But that was just the beginning. I’m going to get even more selfish about wanting the ball. You’d better be ready.”

“Ah—y-yeah?” Iizuna looked a little troubled. He really wasn’t used to this kind of set-demanding attitude. It made him feel like he had to stay constantly on edge.

“Hehe, but Iizuna-senpai can handle it, right?” Kaedehara said with a grin.

“I-I’ll try,” Iizuna replied as he returned the high five.

—

The EJP coach hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose not to call a timeout. That last play had definitely boosted DH’s morale, but the scoreboard still favoured EJP. Their team had just been about to speed up their tempo—they couldn’t afford a pause now.

Serve possession switched—DH serve.

“I haven’t scored with a serve in this set yet,” Kaedehara Taichi said as he walked to the service line. “No way I’m breaking my streak now—one ace per set, all the way from regular season to now.”

He tossed the ball, sprinted into his approach, then soared into the air. His right arm pulled back, body stretched to full extension in midair—

—BOOM!!!

The volleyball screamed through the air like a black lightning bolt, aimed directly at EJP’s back corner.

“Coming for me, huh?” Kitō Yūkan murmured, more excited than surprised.

Smack!

So fast! So heavy!!

Kitō barely managed to form a receiving platform before the ball shattered through his form, grazing his shoulder as it veered out of bounds.

“Motoya! Save it!”

Komori Motoya dove desperately behind him, managing to keep the ball from hitting the floor with a flying save.

But the ball still didn’t return to the court—it hung in the air beyond the baseline.

Thump!

Akutsu Ao had chased the play down from the front row. He leapt, twisted midair, and spiked it back.

—BOOM!!!

The ball arced sharply and dropped right back into DH’s side of the court.

“Chance ball!”

Yoshii Hiyu received it cleanly and bumped it toward the net.

Iizuna, now in the front row, jumped to set—just as he caught sight of Taichi launching himself from the back row.

“Already?!”

Whoosh!—

BOOM!!!

It was nearly a hand-off—just a brief touch from Iizuna before the ball flew toward Kaedehara. Facing a charging Washio, Taichi went vertical and hammered the ball straight down.

Thud!

The ball hit the floor—just one step from the net.

Kaedehara Taichi scores again!

[DH 20 – 21 EJP]

“Isn’t his jump just ridiculous? At this point, does it even matter whether he’s front row or back row?”

“There’s still a difference…”

“For example, at the front, barely any blockers can even touch his spikes. But from the back row, he still needs to use a bit of technique.”

“…”

DH reached 20 points. The score difference between both sides was now down to one.

In truth, ever since Motoya Komori joined the starting lineup, EJP’s defence wasn’t bad at all—at least when it came to serve reception.

For Black Jackals, only Sakusa Kiyoomi and Inunaki Shion could handle Kaedehara Taichi’s serves. In contrast, EJP had the Komori–Kitō pairing, which did a much better job in this regard.

Of course, the strongest serve-receiving team was still AD. Hoshiumi Kōrai, Tsunotate Kazuki, and Heiwajima Toshirō—three players could effectively receive Kaedehara Taichi’s serves. In fact, it was in the match against AD that Taichi only managed to score one ace per set on average.

“Tweet!—” The whistle blew.

Kaedehara Taichi served his second ball.

BOOM!!—

The ball again flew directly toward Kitō Yūkan!

“Interesting!”

Kitō Yūkan shifted his weight lightly. This time, he could see the serve more clearly than the last. The next second, he stepped forward to receive it head-on.

“—?!”

SHOOSH

The volleyball nosedived just in front of Kitō Yūkan—completely different from the trajectory he had visualised!

“Watch out!” Komori’s voice rang out loudly from the left.

Focused too intensely, Kitō Yūkan instinctively dove forward after seeing the ball hit the floor.

In the next moment, the ball bounced off the court. Kitō Yūkan’s pupils shrank sharply.

“Crap…That’s going to hurt…”

His body was already off-balance—he could only watch helplessly as the ball flew straight at his face.

Smack!

The expected pain didn’t come. Komori had pushed him out of the way just in time.

“That was close!” Gasping, Kitō Yūkan took a deep breath from the floor. “Didn’t think the ball could still change like that at that kind of speed…That guy’s serve is terrifying.”

Service ace.

[DH 21 – 21 EJP]

The score was now tied!

Kaedehara Taichi glanced at Kitō Yūkan with a half-smile and made a small gesture with his thumb and forefinger—just a little space between them.

“Just this much more and you could’ve gotten that one, senpai~”

“This little brat…Is he trying to say I was this close to getting knocked out by the ball?!” Kitō Yūkan gritted his teeth.

“C’mon, Taichi’s not that evil,” Komori said, trying to defend him a little.

“Anyway…Thanks, Motoya.” Kitō Yūkan rubbed the spot where he’d landed. No matter how much it hurt, it would’ve been way worse if that ball had smashed into his face.

DH continued serving. Kaedehara Taichi served the third ball.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

Sengoku Chisato had just relaxed slightly—flustered, he barely managed to touch the ball.

It veered out of bounds.

Another ace for Kaedehara Taichi.

[DH 22 – 21 EJP]

DH had taken the lead!

“Beep! EJP calls for a timeout.”

EJP’s coach now slightly regretted it—just in the blink of an eye, Kaedehara Taichi had scored four consecutive points and flipped the match on its head.

EJP had controlled most of the set…yet now, right at the end, they were staring down a crisis.

“We can’t let this keep going…Chisato, Akutsu, you two…”

—–

The short timeout ended, and the match resumed.

Kaedehara Taichi stepped to the service line, looking over the EJP formation with a faint smile.

Five-man receive formation!

The crowd erupted in murmurs—but no one could blame EJP. It was the end of the set; they could not allow Taichi to keep scoring with his serve.

“Tweet!—” The whistle sounded.

BANG!

Kaedehara Taichi served a short jump float targeting the front court.

Sengoku Chisato and Kitō Yūkan both dashed forward. “As expected—when you set up a five-man formation, most servers will aim for the undefended front zone!”

The ball wobbled mid-air, dipped just past the net, and suddenly dropped.

Chisato slid under the ball. For a high schooler, this kind of float serve might be tricky—but for a pro? As long as he timed it right and got it high, it was enough.

Smack!

Chisato lifted the ball with one smooth motion. Kitō Yūkan immediately went for a back-row set, delivering it to Washio Tatsuki, who had already moved in for a quick attack.

BOOM!!

The spike beat Iizuna Tsukasa’s block by a fraction and slammed into DH’s backcourt.

Smack!

Yoshii Hiyu picked it up, and the ball sailed toward the net. Kaedehara Taichi leapt up from the back row for the attack.

“Again?!”

EJP quickly returned to their normal formation.

At the beginning of the match, Taichi had faked a second attack to draw the block, then dished the ball to Kitajima Kippei on the left. Now, EJP had to be on guard.

“Don’t get distracted—Washio!”

“Double block!” Washio Tatsuki and Akutsu Ao jumped to block Taichi.

Even if the ball got redirected to the left wing—they couldn’t let this guy spike freely!

BOOM!!!

Kaedehara Taichi tightened his arm and spiked hard.

The ball blasted through Washio’s block and shot toward EJP’s side.

“I got it!”

Motoya Komori received the spike, and Kitō Yūkan quickly backed him up. This time, he set the ball high over to the right wing.

Akutsu landed and immediately pulled back, dashed forward, and launched into a spike.

“Double block!” Iizuna Tsukasa and Tom Wilde leapt up to meet him.

Akutsu showed exactly why he was called an MVP—despite a less-than-ideal run-up, his contact point was still above Tom Wilde’s hands!

BOOM!!!—

It had to be said—after Ushijima Wakatoshi, Kiryū Wakatsu, and Bokuto Kōtarō graduated, Kaedehara Taichi hadn’t dealt with many true power spikers in his final year of high school. Only after going pro did he start regaining that feeling.

That Taichi could spike like this didn’t mean he could receive these kinds of attacks just as well.

From that perspective, players like Komori and Hoshiumi—who smoothly transitioned into the pro league straight from high school—ought to be grateful to Taichi.

“Taichi!” Yoshii Hiyu shouted. The ball came flying straight at Taichi’s face. The best course of action? Dodge.

As Akutsu’s spike came roaring toward him, Taichi could clearly see the seams of the spinning ball twisting in motion. His body reacted faster than his mind—he backpedalled and raised his arms instinctively.

“No time!”

The volleyball exploded in size on his retina as he took one last step backwards. His right leg bent forward into a lunge, his palms flat above his knee.

SMACK!

A crisp sound rang out. The ball shot straight into the air, tracing a brilliant parabola under the ceiling lights.

“Hsss—!” The crowd drew sharp breaths in unison. Whether they were shocked that Taichi received the ball, or amazed by how high it bounced—no one could say.

“Did he just dig that ball with his knee?!”

“Not just that—he used his hands on top of it to control the bounce angle!”

The ball soared at least ten meters high. For any setter, it’d be a challenge—but DH’s setter was none other than Iizuna Tsukasa: the most stable setter of them all.

Taichi quickly stood and adjusted himself. His right hand still tingled, “Good thing I can still use my left.”

The towering set gave him more than enough time. He started sprinting from the baseline, his strides growing faster and longer.

Thud!

Taichi leapt from the back row.

“Triple block!” EJP was already in position.

“Take it back!”

The ball from Iizuna Tsukasa dropped perfectly in front of Taichi—his left arm lashed forward like a whip.

BOOM!!!—

The ball slammed into Akutsu Ao’s arms.

“You little punk!!” Akutsu’s muscles strained, his teeth clenched. He could almost hear the spin of the ball scraping against his skin.

—SMACK!!!

The ball bounced back toward DH’s side—but Akutsu had stopped it.

Only—

“I win.” Kaedehara Taichi didn’t even look back.

THUD!

The ball landed outside DH’s end line.

Block out.

Point, Kaedehara Taichi.

[DH 23 – 21 EJP]

Five straight points!

Kaedehara Taichi’s service streak continues!

_________

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