Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

Chapter 135: Summer Break Plans

The weather on this Friday was sunny, yet not a single student was gazing out the window. The classroom was silent, save for the faint scratch of mechanical pencils on paper, the occasional cough, and the sporadic thud of an eraser falling to the floor.

The end-of-term exams were underway—and nearing their conclusion.

Even at Aoba Johsai, a school known for its high promotion rate, exams remained a source of unease for its students.

The clock's hands pointed to 11:30 a.m., and the bell rang out loudly to signal the end of the session.

"This exam is over. Please stop writing and wait for your papers to be collected."

Kindaichi Yūtarō slumped onto his desk, his mechanical pencil slipping weakly from his grasp.

"That was so hard...Am I going to need remedial classes...?"

The problem wasn't the remedial classes themselves, but that they would cut into practice time. Since their return from Nationals, after a few days of rest, everyone's focus had shifted to the Spring High School Volleyball Tournament.

Kindaichi also wanted to shine on the Nationals stage.

He glanced back diagonally toward Kaedehara Taichi, who was still asleep at his desk.

During the first half of the exam period, the supervising teacher coughed twice and tapped the lectern, saying, "Stay focused, everyone. Don't fall asleep during the exam—keep an eye on the time."

Half the class had turned to look at Taichi, only to see him raise his head, shift positions, and fall asleep again—his arm from earlier likely numb from being used as a pillow.

The supervising teacher could only sigh softly. Students like this did exist, and there wasn't much else they could do besides issue a reminder.

When the exam finally ended, the teacher collected the papers, and the students began leaving the classroom one by one. The cool breeze flowing through the open doors and windows gently rustled the curtains inside.

Taichi finally woke up.

For the past few days, he'd been working on planning the training schedule for the summer break. There were many areas that needed improvement, but the time was limited to just a few months, making it a challenging task.

"Taichi, how...did you do on the exam?" Kindaichi asked nervously.

Oh? Kindaichi must've done well if he has time to worry about me, Taichi thought, responding casually,

"Of course, it was easy. End-of-term exams are simpler than the usual ones. It's nice to have extra time to rest."

Kindaichi sighed. Back in junior high, Kunimi Akira had a similar attitude, though not as exaggerated as Taichi's.@@@@

Kunimi wasn't skilled at dealing with such players. Against power-based opponents, Coach Irihata often chose to substitute in Kindaichi.

"Yeah, but I heard he only started playing volleyball after entering high school. He's probably still a rookie," Mizoguchi added, flipping through the player reports. "From a team-wide perspective, they aren't that intimidating."

"What a pity..." Taichi remarked as if he had already anticipated this. "But I can wait for him to get stronger. You seniors probably won't have the chance to play against him."

For once, Oikawa Tōru didn't retort. His high school volleyball career was down to its final tournament, and this realization had been on his mind repeatedly in recent days.

"By the way, isn't Karasuno on the list?" Iwaizumi Hajime suddenly asked. Since they'd defeated Date Tech, Shiratorizawa should have taken note of them.

"Oh, they're attending the Fukurodani Alliance training camp, which also starts tomorrow," Taichi said casually.

Sadayuki Mizoguchi glanced at Taichi, slightly taken aback. This kid knows more than I do.

"Karasuno contacted the Fukurodani Alliance a month ago, so they missed out on this one."

"Karasuno's enthusiasm is impressive!" Oikawa couldn't help but think of his adorable underclassmen. However, after seeing players like Miya Atsumu at Nationals, his obsession with Kageyama Tobio had diminished slightly.

Of course, it also helped that Aoba Johsai had directly defeated Karasuno during the Inter-High prefectural preliminaries.

"Date Tech's third-years have retired, but their first-years are quite strong. They just lack experience, so never underestimate them," Coach Irihata reminded.

"Yes!"

"There are also schools with third-years still in play, like Karasuno, Wakunan, and Shiratorizawa. Each team is formidable..."

"We'll get even stronger!"

Taichi muttered, his gaze drifting toward the top of the gymnasium.

The other players followed his line of sight. The wind seemed to stir the banner hanging above them, its words bold and resolute:

Rule the Court.

_________

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