Haikyuu: Zero to Almighty

This practice match turned out to be an unexpected bonus for Nekoma. From Coach Nekomata's sharp perspective, Aoba Johsai had already grown into a team capable of competing at the national level.

Facing off against such a team broadened Nekoma's horizons even further.

Kuroo, of course, needed no extra motivation. But even Kenma showed a flicker of interest, a rare spark of competitiveness igniting within him.

Coach Nekomata was delighted to see such a change.

Nekoma was known as the team of defence, the "Cats of the Court."

But they couldn't rely on defence alone—that was why Nekomata didn't stop his players from switching to an offensive strategy during the third set. After all, cats are naturally combative creatures.

Still, Nekomata regretted not bringing Lev Haiba along. Watching this match might have taught him more than any basic drills in Tokyo ever could.

"Thank you for the game!" Both teams bowed to each other in mutual respect.

"Kenma-senpai, what kind of games do you usually play?" Taichi Kaedehara approached Kenma during their free time.

Kenma had already suspected Taichi might be a fellow gamer, but he didn't expect him to be this enthusiastic. Taken slightly off guard, Kenma hesitated.

"Uh….I don't really play anything special. Just, you know, to pass the time."

When he wasn't playing volleyball, Kenma reverted to being a shy and introverted 'scaredy-cat'.

Taichi thought for a moment. Japan in 2012…

"Kenma-senpai, do you play Monster Hunter?"

Kenma's eyes lit up at the mention of the title, his interest clearly piqued.

Kuroo, watching the exchange, smirked and nudged Kenma. "Didn't you just start playing some Sengoku game recently?"

"Oh, yeah! When we arrived in Sendai, we saw the statue of Date Masamune at the station. Yamamoto and the others didn't know who he was, so Kenma went on and on explaining…"

"Wait—so all of that came from playing a Sengoku game? Hahaha!" Kuroo laughed as he recounted the story of their first day in Miyagi, oblivious to Kenma's sharp glare.

"Kuroo!"

"Okay, okay, I'll shut up. You two carry on." Kuroo quickly made his exit, still chuckling.

"Was it Samurai Warriors?" Taichi suddenly asked.

"…Yeah." Kenma finally felt certain—Taichi was definitely one of his people.

"Do you….play it too?" Kenma timidly ventured, for once initiating the conversation.

"Not that one. But I've played Dynasty Warriors before!" Taichi replied enthusiastically. "That was my first Musou-style game. It felt amazing at first—so satisfying!"

Kenma nodded, visibly more relaxed. "I've played that too….but there are too many characters, and some parts get confusing."

Taichi's eyes lit up as an idea struck him. "Kenma-senpai, have you ever read A Song of Ice and Fire? It's a world-famous novel by George R.R. Martin. You should read it, it's super interesting!"

"Is it….a historical-drama kinda book?" Kenma looked wary.

"No, no! It's more like an epic fantasy. You can think of it as the lore behind the game! Survival, power struggles, a violent world dominated by political realism, and of course, a touch of supernatural here and there! It's super awesome!" Taichi's enthusiasm grew as he spoke, trying to sell the idea.

"Well….maybe I'll give it a try." Kenma found himself unable to resist Taichi's passion.

"Oh, by the way, I've been playing Monster Hunter Portable 3rd. Want to team up?"

After a brief silence, Kenma finally addressed Taichi's initial question.

"Sure! Let's take down Zinogre together!"

"???"

"You mean Rajang, right?"

Ah. Force of habit.

Realizing his mistake, Taichi laughed. "Well, it's not like it's hard to beat anyway!"

Kenma stared at Taichi for a moment, then smiled for the first time in their conversation.

"True. The stronger the enemy, the more satisfying it is to conquer them."

--------

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"What?"

"What?"

In a corner of the gym, Kentarō Kyōtani and Taketora Yamamoto were glaring at each other, both with equally menacing expressions.

The two of them, both second-years with streaks of blonde in their otherwise dark hair, seemed to mirror each other in temperament. The third-years had no desire to deal with these two knuckleheads, and the first-years didn't dare intervene.

Meanwhile, Iwaizumi Hajime approached Nekoma's libero, Yaku Morisuke, bowing earnestly. "Could I ask you a few questions about receiving?"

Yaku, startled by the sudden politeness, quickly bowed back. "No need to be so formal—just ask away."

"To receive our ace's serves so easily….That's the first time I've ever seen someone as skilled as you," Iwaizumi said with genuine admiration. "As expected of Nekoma's libero."

Yaku couldn't help but feel flattered. As he suspected, Iwaizumi shared the same sense of responsibility he did—a true 'parental figure' of the team.

The two of them found a quiet corner and began an in-depth discussion.

Iwaizumi listened intently as Yaku explained how to predict the trajectory of a serve by observing the server's pre-hit movements, how to shift one's centre of gravity in an instant to handle varying speeds and angles, and how to maintain focus and recover stamina during high-intensity matches.

In turn, Yaku discovered that Iwaizumi had originally been an offensive player, excelling as a wing spiker. Yaku took the opportunity to ask a few questions of his own, seeking tips for improving his team's coordination during offensive plays.

Ah, the things they did for their teams.

"I heard you're playing a practice match against Karasuno tomorrow?"

Nekoma's captain, Tetsurō Kuroo, and Aoba Johsai's captain, Tōru Oikawa, had somehow ended up standing side by side. Both over 180 cm tall, with well-balanced physiques and the natural vitality of athletes, they made a striking pair.

If it weren't for Golden Week, their presence might have drawn quite the crowd of Aoba Johsai students.

"Yeah. You've played against Karasuno before, haven't you? What's your impression of them?"

"That was about a month ago. Their team wasn't complete at the time, so it was hard to get a clear picture," Oikawa said with a shrug. "But their first-year duo is really interesting."

"Oh?"

"One is my adorable junior as a setter, and the other is a ridiculously athletic little shrimp," Oikawa said with a teasing grin.

Kuroo listened closely. He had always been curious about their long-standing rival, Karasuno. If Karasuno's first-years had caught the attention of Aoba Johsai's setter, they must be something special.

"Little shrimp? That wouldn't happen to be Hinata Shōyō, would it?"

"Yeah, that's him. You've already met?" Oikawa asked, slightly surprised.

Kuroo recalled the time when Kenma, who had gotten separated from the team, ended up crossing paths with the similarly lost Hinata. Looking back, it felt like fate.

Kuroo briefly recounted the story to Oikawa before adding, "Now Kenma's really looking forward to facing that little shrimp again."

"Heh, I doubt you'll be disappointed," Oikawa said with a smirk. "Our little monster is eager for a rematch with them too."

_________

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