The second day of practice matches in Kanto had begun, and a game between Karasuno and Fukurodani was underway. After a smart tip from Kageyama secured a point for Karasuno, it was Asahi's turn to serve, but he was substituted by Kinoshita so he could test his serve.
"But… I just started learning… It's better to put Yamaguchi back in again!" Kinoshita said to Ukai upon realizing he was next to serve.
"Forget about that! It doesn't matter if we lose this match or if you mess up the serve, what's important is that you make serves in real games!" Ukai stated, pushing Kinoshita onto the court to serve.
"Kinoshita-san, IT'S YOURS!" Hinata shouted, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Kinoshita, nice serve!" everyone yelled in unison as Kinoshita recalled Yamaguchi's words, stretched his arm, and tossed the ball into the air at a reasonable height. He then jumped and struck the ball with his fingers together, aiming for the back of the opponent's court. As the ball floated across the court, Kinoshita watched anxiously, a bit nervous. He saw the ball successfully clear the net and land just before the midline, right in front of Sarukui, who jumped to receive it but failed.
"Nice shot!" Tanaka said, giving Kinoshita a slap on the back.
"YES! GREAT POINT!" Nishinoya shouted, grinning from the bench.
"Do another one!" Hinata requested with a playful smile.
The positive comments from Karasuno's players made Kinoshita feel more confident as he prepared to serve again. Following the same process, this time, the ball went toward Komi, who received it without difficulty and set it up for Akaashi.
"AKAASHI, SEND IT MY WAY!" Bokuto called out excitedly.
"Alright," Akaashi replied, positioning himself under the ball and then setting it for Bokuto, who was met with a triple block from Hinata, Tsukishima, and Daichi.
"You still won't stop me, Tsuki!" Bokuto said confidently, twisting his torso quickly to execute an over-the-line attack that passed right beside Daichi's arms, intentionally aiming at Yamaguchi in the back of the court. Seeing the ball coming toward him, Yamaguchi tried to receive it, but he only felt the ball explode against his wrists and fly off.
"My bad! I didn't close in on the attack in time, let's keep going!" Daichi said, taking responsibility and focusing on the next play as Kinoshita stepped out for Nishinoya to enter.
"How was it?" Ukai asked as Kinoshita returned to the bench.
"Fun! It was nice being useful for a moment!" Kinoshita said with a relieved smile, unaware that Yamaguchi was secretly watching him.
"I need to work harder!" Yamaguchi thought, now worried that Kinoshita might take his place as Karasuno's main pinch server.
After Bokuto's point, it was Konoha's turn to serve for Fukurodani. He sent the ball toward Karasuno's court.
"I got it!" Tanaka said, watching the ball come his way, receiving it calmly, and sending the pass to Kageyama.
"Nice receive!" Kageyama praised as he moved under the ball, preparing to set while watching Karasuno's team move in sync. He decided to go for a super quick with Hinata, who was already running and nearly airborne. Receiving Kageyama's perfect set, Hinata spiked the ball over Fukurodani's block. Washio, now more accustomed to the quick attack, nearly reached the ball but wasn't fast enough.
"Washio, that was close," Akaashi said, placing a hand on Washio's shoulder. Washio nodded silently, his eyes still shining with determination to stop the next attack.
The game continued with both teams competing at a high level, but this time, Karasuno secured the victory at 25-23.
"WE BEAT FUKURODANI!" Tanaka shouted, celebrating with Nishinoya.
"Yes! This time, things worked out for us…" Daichi sighed, looking exhausted.
"Damn, looks like we can't let our guard down against them now!" Bokuto said, slightly frustrated about losing the match.
"You say that like you didn't go into emo mode after watching Hinata score a bunch of points in a row…" Akaashi commented.
"I messed up! I should have cheered him on!" Komi said in a playful tone.
After the practice matches ended, the players were getting ready to leave.
"What? Since there's no barbecue, we need to have a 4v4 farewell match so I can beat you one more time, Tsuki!" Bokuto grinned at Tsukishima, who was drinking water.
"Doesn't sound like a bad idea! Let's do it!" Hinata said, already positioning himself on the opposing team of Bokuto and Kuroo, who were joined by Akaashi and Yamamoto. Meanwhile, Hinata's team consisted of Tsukishima, Lev, and Asahi.
The duel began with Hinata's team in possession of the ball, and he was eager to see if he could set for Lev the same way as last time.
"It's the same as before, Lev!" Hinata called out as he prepared to set.
"Send it!" Lev responded, jumping to spike. However, he saw the ball coming his way but way too high, leaving him able to hit it only with his fingertips.
"MY BAD, TOO STRONG AND TOO HIGH!" Hinata said playfully, having miscalculated the accuracy this time.
"Now you're gonna pay for that mistake, Akaashi!" Bokuto shouted as he received Akaashi's set and faced a triple block from Tsukishima, Hinata, and Lev.
"Mark the over-the-line shot!" Tsukishima told Hinata before jumping.
"Stop your body completely and jump with all your strength!" Tsukishima thought as he leaped to block Bokuto.
"TIME FOR A CROSS SHOT!" Bokuto yelled, striking the ball with full force in a cross attack.
"NOT THIS TIME!" Tsukishima said with a determined expression, swiftly and firmly moving his arms, feeling Bokuto's powerful shot slam against his well-positioned hands, directing it straight to the floor for a clean block.
"NICE!" Tsukishima celebrated, clenching both fists triumphantly, earning surprised looks from Akaashi and Yamamoto, who were used to seeing him expressionless.
"Damn! You stopped me this time! So don't you dare lose to Ushiwaka, because that would mean I'm worse than him, and that's not true!" Bokuto said, annoyed.