Chapter 51 : Preparation (2)
Haikyuu Ch 51
In the empty gym, Nishinoya crouched slightly, eyes locked on the opposite side of the net.
"Kageyama!"
"A normal toss will do!"
"I'll still spike with my right hand!"
Hearing Akira's words, Kageyama looked doubtful again.
But at this point, there was no other choice—he could only trust him.
Nishinoya took a deep breath and called out:
"I'm ready! Bring it on!"
"Alright!" Akira nodded. "Nishinoya-senpai! I won't use too much force on the first ball—just focus on the ball's rotation."
"Got it!"
Nishinoya's gaze sharpened in anticipation.
Akira assessed Nishinoya's stance, then tossed the ball to Kageyama.
Kageyama set the ball with his usual pinpoint accuracy.
Outside the court, the rest of the team watched in complete silence.
Akira had claimed he could imitate a left-handed spike with his right hand.
It sounded absurd—impossible, even.
But if anyone could do something so bizarre, it was Akira.
The sound of sneakers squeaking on the polished floor filled the air.
Akira jumped, his approach crisp and precise.
Bang!
A seemingly ordinary spike shot across the court.
Nishinoya's pupils shrank.
The ball looked…normal.
The speed was moderate. The spin was subtle. He had received balls like this thousands of times.
Yet, the instincts honed from all those hours of practice screamed at him—
This was different.
There was no time to hesitate.
Nishinoya stepped forward, arms in position.
Smack!
The ball struck his forearms—but instead of a clean pass, it rebounded wildly, bouncing off to the far side of the court.
"What?!"
The first to react wasn't Nishinoya, but the rest of Karasuno.
"That ball wasn't even that fast…"
"Did Nishinoya actually miss?"
They had all seen it clearly—the ball wasn't powerful, nor particularly difficult-looking.
And yet, Karasuno's most reliable receiver had completely misread it.
"Nishinoya! What happened?!" Tanaka called out, bewildered.
Nishinoya, still frozen in place, finally snapped out of his daze.
"That was…strange!"
His face lit up with excitement.
"Akira! Again! Same exact spike!"
The rest of the team exchanged glances.
If even Nishinoya, who was rarely fazed by anything, was reacting like this…
Maybe Akira really had done it.
Maybe he really had replicated a left-handed spike.
"No way…"
It was common knowledge that a player's dominant hand was a massive factor in their spiking style.
A right-handed player switching to their left hand? Their precision would plummet.
Imitating a specific left-handed spiker? With accuracy?
Impossible.
Yet Akira stood on the court, calm and confident.
"Fine, let's go again," he said, meeting Nishinoya's eager gaze. "This time, I'll use more power."
"No problem!" Nishinoya grinned.
Akira nodded, then turned to Kageyama.
Another toss.
Another sharp approach.
Another jump.
Bang!
The ball soared at a higher speed than before.
Smack!
This time, Nishinoya made a better read, but the ball still bounced off course.
He clenched his fists.
"Again!"
Akira smirked.
"Alright. This time…full power."
The air in the gym shifted.
The team watched as Akira adjusted his stance, his steps heavier, his posture sharper.
The sheer intensity of his approach was different.
Then—
Bang!
The ball shot across the court like a missile.
A blur.
Before anyone could register it, the ball slammed into Nishinoya's arms.
He absorbed the impact as best he could, but the sheer force sent it flying into the back wall.
"What the hell was that?!"
"That was insane!"
The team erupted in shock.
Even Nishinoya, usually unshaken, had wide eyes.
Akira smirked.
"That," he said, "was close to the force of Ushijima Wakatoshi's spike."
A heavy silence fell over the court.
Everyone had seen how difficult that ball was to handle.
And Ushijima's spikes were even more devastating.
Nishinoya exhaled sharply.
Then grinned.
"Perfect! I need more!"
"Me too!" Hinata jumped up excitedly. "I wanna try next!"
Akira chuckled, stretching his arms.
"Line up," he said. "We're going all night."
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6/8✅