Haikyuu - Chapter 348 (Patreon)

From his position in the backcourt, Yamagata had the clearest view of everything happening at the net.

The first time Doichiro jumped, Yamagata already had a vague sense that something was wrong. He cursed under his breath. Sneaky bastard. Sure enough, none of those Itachiyama guys were any good.

The instant Yamagata shouted a warning, Ryosuke had no choice but to speed up his jump and reach for the block as Doichiro rose to attack. Of course, Yamagata's warning alerted Doichiro too. His intention to tip the ball had been exposed, but that didn't matter. Doichiro still had another option.

In midair, Doichiro drew his arm back, then twisted his wrist slightly as he swung, striking the side of the volleyball.

"Bang!"

A perfect sidespin attack came off his hand. It couldn't compare with Sakusa's spin, but Doichiro's wasn't bad at all. The power, angle, and rotation were all excellent. For Ryosuke, who was directly facing the shot, it was extremely awkward, completely taking away every blocking route available to him.

Ryosuke had never imagined that after having his own attacking routes sealed, someone would turn around and do the same thing to him while he was blocking.

He'd been careless.

Seeing Ryosuke wouldn't make it in time, Tendo reached over to cover, but the volleyball grazed his fingertips and slipped past.

"Damn it!"

Tendo's expression twisted.

This was bad.

Now it was up to Yamagata.

Doichiro had even accounted for Tendo's jump height and the timing of his reach.

Then Tendo reconsidered.

No way.

Doichiro wasn't that clever.

So who had come up with it?

Sakusa in the back row?

Or Iizuna, the setter?

If it was Sakusa, Tendo could at least interfere with him somehow.

If it was Iizuna, that was harder.

Tendo had almost no opportunity to confront Iizuna directly. Asking Shirabu to keep Iizuna in check wouldn't work either. Shirabu was still too inexperienced to keep up with Iizuna's thinking, and that guy only knew how to set and feed Ushijima anyway.

Next time, Shirabu's tactical training absolutely needed to be added to the schedule.

Tendo ground his teeth in secret.

This was all Ushijima and Coach Washijō's fault for spoiling him.

The volleyball skimmed Tendo's fingertips and flew toward the sideline. Tendo landed quickly and prepared to chase it, but Yamagata was faster.

A blur shot past Tendo's eyes.

Yamagata sprinted and launched himself into a dive, sliding across the floor with one arm stretched desperately toward the ball.

At that moment, his only thought was that he had to save it.

He didn't notice the advertising board getting closer and closer.

"Bang!"

The sound of the ball striking his hand was immediately followed by Yamagata crashing into the board.

"Yamagata!"

Tendo watched him hit it from behind and froze, shouting in alarm.

The instant Yamagata collided with the board, his vision blurred.

But he felt the volleyball rise.

He scrambled back to his feet, shook his head hard, and shouted, "I'm fine! Cover it!"

He didn't even need to say it.

Shirabu was already tracking the ball overhead.

Ryosuke backed up several steps and began his approach, while Ushijima came charging in from behind at the same time.

Normally, whenever Shirabu had to choose between two attackers, Itachiyama would commit directly to Ushijima.

This time, however, they waited.

The ball might not be going to Ushijima.

Shirabu's position was too awkward, and the pass had drifted too far. It probably wouldn't reach Ushijima cleanly.

Sure enough, once Ryosuke accelerated and jumped, Shirabu sent the ball precisely toward him.

Nishio didn't need to hesitate anymore.

The instant Shirabu released the set, he knew who to follow.

Kishimoto moved with Nishio to form a two-man block against Ryosuke.

Sakusa stayed behind them, quietly reading the play.

Nishio and Kishimoto jumped.

Ryosuke rose to attack.

This time Nishio was fully prepared.

He absolutely couldn't let Ryosuke hit through him.

The muscles in his arms were drawn tight, his entire body and nerves strung taut.

As though sensing Nishio's determination, Ryosuke secretly smiled.

In midair, he tightened his core and twisted his body, somehow changing the spike into a tip.

Ryosuke: Just thinking about what I'm about to do makes me want to laugh.

Nishio stared at the volleyball floating gently past his arms, question marks practically appearing over his head.

Seriously?

He had prepared all that, and this was what Ryosuke did?

Seriously? He'd gotten all fired up for nothing?!

Ryosuke, you heartless little bastard!

After tipping the ball, Ryosuke guiltily avoided Nishio's eyes.

He was afraid Nishio's glare alone might curse him to death.

Nishio muttered angrily and stretched out one foot in an attempt to reach the ball.

Naturally, he couldn't.

Not everyone had legs as long as Ryosuke's.

Just as Nishio was preparing to accept his fate and apologize afterward, Iizuna came diving under his feet and got the ball up.

"Don't step on me! Whoever steps on me gets constipated!"

Iizuna shouted as he made the save.

Nishio certainly wouldn't dare.

Sakusa, charging in from behind, absolutely would step on him without changing expression.

The position Iizuna had ended up in was genuinely awkward, and Sakusa wasn't the type to indulge anyone.

During practice, if something like this happened and Iizuna's body interfered with Sakusa's approach, Sakusa would suppress his clean-freak instincts and give him a kick. Not hard enough to injure him, but definitely not gentle either.

Sakusa had done it often enough that Kishimoto and Doichiro had eventually picked up the same terrible habit.

This was a national tournament, though.

Getting stepped on was one thing.

The real problem was that Iizuna didn't want to embarrass himself.

After shouting his warning, he rolled across the floor and scrambled back to his feet at remarkable speed.

Sakusa gave a subtle eye roll.

This was a tournament.

He knew where the line was.

The very next second after Iizuna got up, Sakusa jumped from exactly where he'd been lying.

Iizuna: ...Do you seriously not care whether I live or die?

Sakusa's takeoff was so sudden that Ryosuke hurried to jump with him, trying to form the block.

But the moment Ryosuke bent his knees, pain spread through his knee.

His body wavered so slightly that most people wouldn't have noticed.

His heart dropped.

The play itself was extremely fast, and Ryosuke had been caught by the sudden pain.

As expected, he failed to stop the attack.

"Beep————!"

Itachiyama took the lead again immediately after the score had been tied.

Coach Washijō narrowed his eyes at the way Ryosuke had jumped.

Something was wrong with that brat.

An unstable takeoff like that was a basic mistake Ryosuke hadn't made since he was eight.

The thought immediately made Coach Washijō uneasy.

There were no timeouts left.

Either Ryosuke stayed on until the match ended, or they substituted him out.

Coach Washijō glanced at Goshiki, who was happily grinning off to the side, and considered putting him in for Ryosuke.

But if Goshiki went on without Ryosuke there to keep him tethered, things could easily get out of hand.

Coach Washijō sighed.

Putting Ryosuke and Goshiki together was basically like chaining a husky to a post.

If Goshiki went in alone, even the upperclassmen might not be able to contain him.

Ushijima could watch him, but that wooden-headed idiot only needed to open his mouth once to potentially destroy Goshiki's confidence.

"Ryosuke?"

Ushijima was the first to approach him.

He didn't need to explain the question.

Ryosuke already understood.

His expression looked poor as he gave a bitter smile.

"My knee's starting to hurt."

His voice wasn't quiet.

Everyone heard it and immediately crowded around.

"What happened? Weren't you fine just now?!"

Reon's voice shot up with worry.

Tendo crouched beside Ryosuke and looked at his knee, lips pressed into a pout.

"We told you before the tournament not to play while you're still growing. You wouldn't listen. What if this affects your development later?"

For once, Tendo wasn't laughing or joking at all.

"What's going on?"

Hinata immediately noticed the cluster of Shiratorizawa players.

His instincts told him something was wrong.

Just as he leaned forward to get a better look, Coach Washijō requested a substitution.

Coach Washijō stared seriously at Goshiki, who was still confused.

"Goshiki, you're taking Ryosuke's place. Follow Ushijima and Reon's instructions. Your main job is to keep Sakusa occupied. Leave the rest to Ushijima."

"Coach, Ryosuke was playing fine! Why are you taking him out?! You can't substitute him just because he made one mistake!"

Goshiki looked at Coach Washijō accusingly.

Coach Washijō already had a bad temper.

That was enough to break it.

The corner of his mouth actually lifted.

Apparently, people really did smile when they were too speechless to react normally.

Then he opened his mouth and let Goshiki have it.

"If I tell you to go in, then go in! Why are you talking so much?! If you can't understand instructions, you can go back and do extra training!"

"Ryosuke has something else going on right now. Am I the coach, or are you?! Get out there and play properly. If you perform badly, you'll regret it!"

"Yes!"

One burst of Coach Washijō's temper instantly straightened Goshiki out.

Now this felt familiar.

Coach Washijō speaking gently and reasonably had actually given him goosebumps.

"Beep————!"

"Shiratorizawa requests a substitution!"

Ryosuke glanced back at Coach Washijō and nodded.

Then he turned to his teammates with a serious expression.

"I'm going off first. Senpai, do your best. Even if we lose, that's okay. Just make sure you stay safe."

That last part was very clearly aimed at Yamagata after what he'd just done.

Yamagata, suddenly called out, gave a sheepish laugh.

"I'm your senpai. You don't need to worry about me. Go rest."

Tendo ruffled Ryosuke's sweaty hair.

"Just relax and wait for us. We'll take this match. You can count on it."

Ushijima didn't say anything.

He simply nodded.

Shirabu still looked guilty.

As a setter, failing to keep track of a hitter's physical condition was his responsibility.

"Shirabu-senpai, I'm counting on you to handle Goshiki. If he does something stupid, scold him hard."

Ryosuke sold Goshiki out without the slightest hesitation.

Mainly because he knew Goshiki's performance was closely tied to his mood.

If Goshiki got too carried away, Shirabu would have to bring him back down.

"I'm heading off now. Everyone, do your best."

Ryosuke left the court, looking back every few steps.

Goshiki jogged over and bumped fists with him.

Then he slapped his chest and grinned widely.

"Leave it to me! Don't worry! Just watch how amazing my spikes are!"

The moment Goshiki opened his mouth, his puppy-like energy came rushing out.

Ryosuke: Somehow I'm even more worried now.

Still, Ryosuke smiled encouragingly at him.

He only hoped Goshiki would still be smiling that brightly when the match ended.

"What's going on? Why did they suddenly substitute him?"

Hinata couldn't understand it at all.

Like Goshiki, he assumed Coach Washijō had taken Ryosuke out because his last service turn hadn't gone well.

From all the way across the arena, he glared at Coach Washijō indignantly.

Coach Washijō sensed someone staring at him.

His eyes shot over like an eagle's.

Then he spotted an orange-haired brat glaring so hard his eyes were practically bulging out.

Coach Washijō's mouth twitched.

He decided not to bother with him.

When Ryosuke reached the bench, Coach Washijō took a few steps toward him and casually stopped at his side.

Then the venom started pouring from his mouth.

"I told you ages ago that you shouldn't be playing matches at this stage. You should've spent more time developing properly. But no, you wouldn't listen."

"I'm telling you right now, if you stop growing taller because of this, don't blame me."

Ryosuke gave a stubborn little huff.

Coach Washijō had a sharp tongue but a soft heart.

No matter how tough he sounded, he was already holding Ryosuke's personal sports bottle in one hand.

"What happened to him just now?"

Hibarida came over with obvious concern.

As an experienced coach with a sharp eye, he'd noticed every movement Ryosuke had made on court.

And Ryosuke was one of his prospective national-team talents.

A treasure like this had to be looked after carefully.

Coach Washijō wasn't actually sure what was wrong with Ryosuke either.

But judging from the guilty look on the boy's face, he could make a decent guess.

"Let him tell you himself."

Coach Washijō turned his head away and tossed the words out stiffly.

Being surrounded by two coaches was no joke.

Ryosuke gave an awkward smile.

Even his hair looked guilty.

"Actually... it's nothing serious. My knee just hurts a little."

"I'm still growing right now, and the training load has been pretty heavy. A few months ago it only hurt after I fell asleep and when I woke up in the morning, but lately it's been happening more often."

"You little bastard! Didn't you tell me you were fine?! You dared lie to me?!"

Coach Washijō exploded instantly.

His hair practically stood on end.

He smacked Ryosuke on the head, leaving the boy completely stunned.

Ryosuke covered his head and started muttering quietly under his breath.

If anyone listened carefully, they'd hear him complaining about Coach Washijō in a tiny voice.

"Don't hit the kid. He's still young. He doesn't know any better."

The sight of Ryosuke drooping immediately awakened Hibarida's paternal instincts.

He started defending him in an unnaturally gentle voice, enough to make every hair on Coach Washijō's body stand on end.

Coach Washijō stared at him as though he'd discovered a rare species.

"I'm fine, Coach Hibarida. Coach Washijō is just worried about me."

Ryosuke looked up with a slight pout, his eyes watery.

It was the sort of expression that could make someone blurt out, Kid, Dad loves you!

Hibarida's old paternal heart was instantly conquered.

"Coach Washijō, this is where you're wrong. Even if a child makes a mistake, you can't just hit him. He's still young, isn't he?"

"A verbal lecture is enough. Ryosuke's such a sensible kid. If you explain it to him properly, he'll definitely fix it next time."

"Coach Washijō, you can't teach a child like this..."