Haikyuu - Chapter 330 (Patreon)

Yamagata kept his eyes glued to the volleyball.

The longer Sakusa delayed his serve, the more agonizing the wait became.

People were always afraid of the unknown, and right now, Sakusa's serve was exactly that. No one knew what to expect.

Sakusa raised his head and swept his gaze around the court.

Everyone was watching him.

When his eyes passed over Ryosuke, Sakusa noticed the fierce look in his eyes.

Ryosuke himself probably didn't realize just how intimidating his gaze became during a match.

The corner of Sakusa's mouth lifted.

He enjoyed this atmosphere, with everyone on guard because of him.

Sakusa liked putting pressure on people.

At the very last second, he finally moved.

He tossed the volleyball into the air.

The instant the ball left his hand, everyone seemed to breathe again.

Yamagata let out a breath too.

The volleyball rose high overhead.

Sakusa began his approach and jumped.

His eyes locked onto Yamagata.

Then his right wrist bent at an angle that almost looked broken, and he struck the ball with all his strength.

"Bang!"

The volleyball spun violently as it shot toward Yamagata.

Every eye in the arena shifted to him and the ball.

Everything came down to this play.

If Itachiyama failed to score here, they wouldn't get another chance.

The volleyball quickly crossed the net, swerving violently from side to side.

The movement was so extreme that Yamagata couldn't immediately determine where it would land.

He switched to adjustment steps, keeping himself ready to move in either direction.

Only when the ball was almost on top of him did Yamagata finally pinpoint its approximate landing spot.

Right!

The moment he was sure, Yamagata sprinted to the right without hesitation.

But the volleyball kept accelerating.

He wasn't going to make it in time.

Yamagata threw himself forward into a dive.

He slid smoothly across the floor as if he were gliding through water, bracing himself with his hands while stretching one arm toward the ball.

The volleyball had already begun to descend, still spinning as it fell.

Yamagata flattened the back of his hand against the floor and waited for the ball to strike it.

At this point, if the trajectory changed again, there was no way he could adjust.

He'd done everything he could.

Now all that mattered was whether the ball changed direction.

If nothing unexpected happened, he could keep it alive.

But there were no "ifs" in a match.

Just before the volleyball struck the back of Yamagata's hand, it shifted as though caught by a sudden gust of wind.

In the blink of an eye, its trajectory changed.

Yamagata had no free hand left to reposition himself.

All he could do was watch the ball hit the floor.

"Beep————!"

With the whistle signaling the point, the second set came to an end.

Itachiyama had won.

"Nice one, Sakusa-senpai!"

"Itachiyama! Itachiyama! Itachiyama!"

"That was awesome!"

A wave of applause swept through the stands.

Itachiyama's supporters erupted in cheers, staring at Sakusa with almost fanatical devotion.

Sakusa himself let out a breath of relief when he heard the whistle.

Thank goodness that serve had scored.

He might have looked completely composed before serving, but even Sakusa hadn't been certain.

That one ball had carried far too much weight.

The pressure on him had been immense.

Komori walked over, intending to high-five him.

Before he could even get close, Sakusa shot him a warning glare.

Sakusa clearly had no intention of high-fiving Komori.

But Komori had long since become immune to his cousin's sour expressions.

When Sakusa refused to cooperate, Komori simply grabbed his hand and forced a high-five anyway.

Sakusa's face instantly darkened.

Kishimoto and Nishio watched the entire exchange from the side, trembling.

Even Iizuna didn't dare say anything.

Komori noticed everyone staring at him.

Having just won the set, he was in an excellent mood and decided to joke around.

"What are you all staring at me for? Come on, everyone, let's high-five!"

As he spoke, he even grabbed Sakusa's right hand and waved it back and forth.

If looks could kill, Komori would've been reduced to pieces already.

After hearing him, Sakusa slowly turned his ominous gaze toward the others.

His expression clearly said: Try it and die.

Seeing the danger spreading in their direction, Nishio immediately shook his head so hard he nearly snapped his neck.

No chance.

If he actually agreed, Sakusa-senpai would probably assassinate him that night.

The others were equally unwilling to participate.

In all of Itachiyama, Komori was probably the only person who dared provoke Sakusa like this.

Maybe it was because the two had grown up together.

Whatever the reason, Sakusa's tolerance for Komori was unusually high.

When nobody else responded, Sakusa seemed satisfied.

He yanked his hand back, wiped it several times against his clothes in disgust, then walked off the court without looking back.

As he went, he raised the hand Komori had grabbed.

Sakusa could still feel the warmth against his skin.

The sensation made him want to cut the entire hand off.

Disgusting.

Over on Shiratorizawa's side, Yamagata sat on the floor with both hands braced against the ground, lost in thought.

He was just about to get up when Ryosuke hurried over and helped him to his feet.

"Yamagata-senpai, did you hurt yourself anywhere?"

Ryosuke's entire face was scrunched up with worry, his eyebrows drawn tightly together.

He'd seen Yamagata stay on the floor for so long and thought he'd gotten hurt.

Yamagata had been feeling a little frustrated.

But when he looked up and saw Ryosuke's expression, he couldn't help laughing.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about something. Sorry, I couldn't get that one."

Even after Yamagata said he was fine, Ryosuke still wasn't convinced.

He looked him up and down several times.

Only after confirming that there really was nothing wrong did Ryosuke finally speak.

"As long as you're okay, that's what matters. This set is over, but we still have another one."

Yamagata pouted.

Even if he'd gotten hurt a little, who cared?

As long as he could save the ball, that was enough.

Ryosuke stared at him for several seconds, almost as though he'd read his mind.

"Yamagata-senpai, if you get hurt, we won't have a libero next set."

Yamagata grumbled and waved him off.

"I know, I know."

Goshiki saw Ryosuke over there and slowly shuffled toward him.

Then he leaned against Ryosuke, clinging to him with a low whine.

During the set, Goshiki had felt perfectly fine.

Now that it was over, the exhaustion hit him all at once.

His legs felt so heavy he could barely lift them.

Thinking back, he realized just how many times he'd jumped during that set.

No wonder he was exhausted.

The group started walking off the court.

From a distance, Tendo spotted Ryosuke coming off and immediately hurried over.

He shoved Goshiki aside with his hip, already carrying a towel and water bottle.

Then he started wiping Ryosuke's sweat and massaging his back with ridiculous enthusiasm.

Keigo Atobe, who had been watching his younger brother through binoculars the entire time, saw this and instantly lost every trace of his usual aristocratic composure.

His teeth ground together audibly.

Maybe he really should hire someone to get rid of that guy.

And while he was at it, he could include that kid from the Sakusa family too.

Maybe assassins offered a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

Sakusa had absolutely no idea he'd somehow become the free bonus.

Tendo suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Someone was staring at him.

He whipped around toward the stands.

Across half the arena, his eyes met Keigo Atobe's through the binoculars.

Keigo Atobe gave him a sinister smile.

Tendo's heart skipped a beat.

Oh, no.

He had definitely offended his future brother-in-law.