Haikyuu: Reborn in Karasuno

Karasuno closed the first set with a shocker—Hayato feinted a spike and instead sent a perfect pass to Daichi, who hammered the ball down for match point.

Daichi froze. He had just scored in a way he'd never imagined. Walking back to the bench in a daze, it wasn't until Sugawara clapped him on the back that he snapped out of it.

"Snap out of it, Daichi! That was perfect."

"I—I've never even practiced that kind of combo with Hayato before…" Daichi stammered, still stunned.

Across the bench, Hayato was animatedly retelling the play to Hinata, grinning ear to ear. At Daichi's call, he turned and blinked at the captain's stern expression.

"Uh, Captain? Something wrong?"

Daichi crossed his arms. "How could you suddenly pull something like that, in a quarterfinal no less? We haven't even practiced it!"

Hayato scratched the back of his head, grimacing. "Hehe… sorry. I won't do it again."

Only once Hayato promised did Daichi nod, though his tone softened. "Still… it was brilliant."

Hayato's face lit up again. Praise and scolding all in one—that was Daichi for you.

Daichi let out a long sigh. Sugawara nudged him with a grin.

"What's this? Even Captain-sama gets nervous sometimes?"

"How could I not?" Daichi laughed wryly. "I didn't even think—Hayato yelled, and I just swung. Honestly, how lucky was that point? Yesterday Jozenji tried some crazy unpracticed combo and it backfired. Yet this brat…" he shook his head, "…he pulls it off here."

"Luck or not, the result's what matters," Sugawara said, calm as ever. "Besides—don't you trust Hayato's skill by now?"

"…I'm not confident in myself," Daichi muttered. But even he couldn't suppress a smile. They had the first set in hand; if anyone should be anxious, it was Wakutani.

Across the net, Wakutani was reeling.

"That last point…" Kawawatari muttered, squeezing his bottle. "Their captain didn't even know the ball was coming—yet they scored."

The look of shock on Daichi's face had been real. Which meant Karasuno had never practiced that tactic. And yet, it had worked.

"That's fine," Nakashima said firmly, standing tall. "Call it luck. Karasuno's strong, but we've fought our way here too. If we want Nationals, we beat them. So trust me. Give me the ball—we're not done yet!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Defeat Karasuno!"

"Nationals awaits!"

Their voices rose, echoing across the gym.

Ukai narrowed his eyes from Karasuno's bench. "They're fired up again. Don't let your guard down."

"Yes, Coach!" Karasuno roared back.

The break between sets ended quickly. Both teams lined up, and then—

The crowd buzzed.

"Eh? Wait… both of them?"

Karasuno's lineup for the second set made everyone blink. Alongside Hayato, Asahi Azumane, the third-year Ace, was on the court too.

Ukai grinned. "Heheh. Let's see you block two Aces."

This was no accident. Ukai had suggested it himself, and neither Hayato nor Asahi hesitated. In fact, Hayato looked almost giddy, finally getting to share the court with the senior Ace.

Tanaka, who was subbed out, wasn't sulking at all. He punched the air from the bench, hollering louder than anyone. "Let's go, Double Aces! Tear them apart!"

From the stands, Saeko's jaw dropped.

"No way… Karasuno's third-year Ace too? But Hayato's already the Ace now—so this means… a dual Ace strategy?!"

The gym filled with excited murmurs.

"This is crazy…"

"Both of Karasuno's strongest at once!"

"Are they trying to finish it here?"

Even Oikawa leaned forward, eyes sharp. "Interesting. I thought they'd rotate Hayato and Azumane to conserve stamina. Instead they're risking everything now."

Beside him, Iwaizumi stroked his chin. "Makes sense. With #13 stabilizing their defense, they can afford it. They're aiming to close the match before tougher opponents like us or Date Tech."

Wakutani's players felt the pressure too. Just containing Hinata and Hayato had already stretched them thin. Now they had to deal with two cannons.

"This next set…" Kawawatari whispered, "is going to be hell."

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