[May 4th, Tsukimizawa High School]
The players of the Tsukimizawa High School volleyball team were busy practising while chatting amongst themselves.
"That's incredible... I heard they came all the way from Tokyo."
"Their setter looks so short, though."
"Yeah...and they seem so frail and weak-looking..."
"Could they be a backup setter for their team?"
"I wonder how strong they are. I've never heard of their school before..."
The gym doors flew open with a loud thud. A boy with messy, spiky black hair strode in, followed by a group of students dressed in red sportswear.
"We are Nekoma," the boy announced, his voice carrying an unmistakable air of confidence. "And that so-called weak and frail little guy you're mocking is the 'spine,' the 'brain,' and the 'heart' of our team."
With those words, Tetsurō Kuroo dramatically set the tone.
The practice match between Nekoma High and Tsukimizawa High was officially underway.
[Nekoma 25 vs. 21 Tsukimizawa]
[Nekoma 25 vs. 13 Tsukimizawa]
In a clean sweep, Nekoma crushed Tsukimizawa 2-0.
[Karasuno General Sports Park – Training Camp Dormitory]
"Well then, in two days, we'll finally face the legendary Karasuno," Yamamoto Taketora declared solemnly, sitting before two first-year teammates. "So....does Karasuno have a female team manager or not?"
"I'll bet a Häagen-Dazs they don't!"
"What? I hope they do have a female manager! So, I bet they do!" countered Inuoka Sō, a first-year middle blocker, with a serious expression.
"Me too!" chimed in Shibayama Yūki, the first-year libero.
"Idiots—if they have one and we don't, wouldn't that just make us look bad?" Yamamoto scolded, his face full of frustration. "And even if they do, what if she looks like a gorilla? Then it's not worth it."
"Uh…" The two first-years exchanged puzzled looks, slowly losing track of their senpai's train of thought.
"But if she's an actual beauty, I won't stand for it!" Yamamoto suddenly shouted, bolting to the window and yelling dramatically into the night, "Mark my words, Karasuno—you'd better be ready!"
For a brief moment, Inuoka and Shibayama thought they saw tears welling up in Yamamoto's eyes. They didn't fully understand, but they were deeply moved.
"Yamamoto, shut up already!" Kuroo Tetsurō's voice called out, followed by a pillow landing squarely on the back of Yamamoto's head.
Unfazed, Yamamoto turned around and shuffled over to Kozume Kenma. "Hey, Kenma, what do you think? Do they have one or not?"
"Doesn't matter either way," Kenma replied nonchalantly, barely glancing up from his phone.
"Ugh, knew you'd say that!" Yamamoto groaned.
"Although…" Kenma finally lowered his phone. "I am a little excited about facing Karasuno."
Kenma, of all people, showing excitement?
The members of Nekoma were more shocked by this than by any of Yamamoto's antics.
"Well, it's fine to think about Karasuno," Yaku Morisuke, their libero, cut in, "but for now, we should be more concerned about tomorrow's match against Aoba Johsai. They're a perennial powerhouse in Miyagi and one of the top four schools in the prefecture. I hear their ace is a phenomenal setter."
"Oh?" Kuroo's lips curved into a sly smile. "If it's about setters, Nekoma won't lose to any team."
[May 5th, Early Morning – Aoba Johsai High School]
Nekoma's volleyball team arrived punctually at the gates of Aoba Johsai High School in their team bus.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries between the two coaches, the captains quickly directed their respective teams to line up.
"Please take care of us!" the Aoba Johsai players shouted in unison. Their voices were loud, brimming with sincerity.
"Please take care of us!" Nekoma's players echoed with equal enthusiasm.
Following a firm handshake between the captains, both teams dispersed to organize their warm-up routines.
Taichi began his customary pre-match analysis of Nekoma's roster.
[Tetsurō Kuroo, Middle Blocker. Overall Ability: 85, Height: 187.7 cm, Strength: 80, Jump: 85, Stamina: 82, Speed: 88. Key Traits: Block: 96, Serve: 90, Receive: 94, Spike 86.]
Kaedehara paused after reading the first entry, his brows furrowing slightly.
A middle blocker with a 94 in receiving? That was unusual enough. But wasn't Kuroo the only middle blocker captain in the original Haikyuu!! storyline? His physical stats might not be extraordinary, but his technical skills were nearly maxed out…
[Morisuke Yaku, Libero. Overall Ability: 84, Height: 163 cm, Strength: 65, Jump: 80, Stamina: 88, Speed: 90. Key Traits: Receive: 98.]
"Whoa," Taichi muttered under his breath. "As expected of Nekoma's libero. That receiving stat is terrifying. I wonder how he stacks up against Nishinoya Yū. If not for Nekoma's relatively low national ranking, Yaku would definitely be one of the top three liberos in the country."
[Shōhei Fukunaga, Wing Spiker. Overall Ability: 84, Height: 178.3 cm, Strength: 82, Jump: 84, Stamina: 83, Speed: 84. Key Traits: Receive: 92, Spike 85.]
"Such balanced stats....but that receiving ability is absurd too."
[Sō Inuoka, Middle Blocker. Overall Ability: 84, Height: 185.3 cm, Strength: 85, Jump: 82, Stamina: 95, Speed: 92. Key Traits: Receive: 65.]
Taichi frowned slightly as he read.
He remembered Inuoka vividly from the original storyline—this was the player who had effectively neutralized Hinata Shōyō.
Looking closely now, Inuoka's stats in height, strength, jumping, stamina, and even speed all surpassed his own.
Definitely a tough opponent.
[Nobuyuki Kai, Wing Spiker. Overall Ability: 82, Height: 176.5 cm, Strength: 85, Jump: 72, Stamina: 82, Speed: 83. Key Traits: Receive: 92, Spike 83.]
"This guy....reminds me of Sawamura Daichi."
[Kenma Kozume, Setter. Overall Ability: 75, Height: 168 cm, Strength: 62, Jump: 68, Stamina: 70, Speed: 78. Key Traits: Receive: 94, Set: 95.]
"If there were a stat for intelligence, Kozume would easily start at 95," Kaedehara mused.
Despite his mediocre physical abilities, Kenma's receiving and setting skills were top-tier. His sharp perception and strategic acumen placed him among the very best setters.
Unlike Oikawa Tōru, who could unleash 100% of his potential on any team, Kozume Kenma was the kind of setter who could elevate Nekoma's performance to 120% of their maximum potential.
[Taketora Yamamoto, Wing Spiker. Overall Ability: 82, Height: 176.6 cm, Strength: 92, Jump: 78, Stamina: 88, Speed: 70. Key Traits: Spike: 84.]
"Pfft." Kaedehara couldn't help but chuckle. "Isn't this just a blond version of Tanaka Ryūnosuke? No wonder they're called copies of each other."
[Yūki Shibayama, Libero. Overall Ability: 75, Height: 172.2 cm, Strength: 62, Jump: 78, Stamina: 72, Speed: 88. Key Traits: Receive: 75.]
Finally, a first-year who seemed more in line with normal expectations. If Shibayama wanted to succeed Yaku as Nekoma's libero, he'd have to endure years of rigorous training.
Kaedehara Taichi took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
After analyzing Nekoma's stats, one thing became abundantly clear: their team composition was utterly bizarre. There wasn't a single player with overwhelming physical abilities.
Yet, apart from Yamamoto and the two first-years, the rest of the team had receiving stats exceeding 90.
"This match....is going to be exhausting."
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