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The gym buzzed with tension, sweat-slicked bodies moving in perfect rhythm. The scoreboard blinked: Team B—23, Team A—14.
Kageyama wiped his forehead with the back of his wrist. Across the net, Hinata bounced on the balls of his feet, eyes sharp.
Their quick was in perfect sync, unstoppable. Tanaka slammed down a spike that whizzed past Yamaguchi's fingers and smacked the court.
"Set point! 24-14!" Sugawara hollered from the sidelines, pumping a fist.
As Team B reset, Tanaka jogged up beside Kageyama, breathing hard, grinning wide.
"Oi, Kageyama !" he called, throwing an arm over Kageyama's shoulder. "You're crazy good. So why Karasuno? You could've gone to Shiratorizawa or Aoba Johsai, easy."
Kageyama's expression tightened. He pulled away from Tanaka's arm, eyes dropping to the floor. His voice was low, almost bitter.
"…Didn't get in."
Tanaka blinked. "Huh?"
"I tried out for Shiratorizawa after junior high," Kageyama muttered. "They didn't invite me. So I wrote thier entrance test and didn't get in "
He glanced at the net, eyes shadowed with something unspoken.
"Karasuno was the only one that I have left and i heard the coach ukai is coming out of retirement…this is a chance to set my way."
Tanaka stared, mouth slightly open. Then he broke into a wild grin, punching Kageyama lightly on the arm.
"Tch. Their loss, man! You're ours now, so screw 'em!"
Kageyama looked at him, startled—and just a flicker of a smile appeared and game continued.
Then—
THWACK.
Tsukishima's hands blocked Tanaka's next spike, sending it straight down onto Team B's side.
"Team A scores!" Sugawara called, scribbling notes beside the scoreboard.
"Tch!" Tanaka cursed, landing on his feet.
Tsukishima adjusted his glasses, voice calm but razor-sharp.
"Oh, how tragic," he said dryly. "The great King of the Court, rejected by the elite. Sounds like your throne's a little wobbly, huh, Your Majesty?"
Kageyama's fists clenched instantly. His teeth ground together.
"Shut up," he growled.
"Wait—'King of the Court'?" Tanaka blinked, confused. "What's he talking about?"
Tsukishima's smirk widened.
"You didn't know?" he said, taking a step closer to the net.
"At Kitagawa Daiichi, Kageyama ruled the court like a tyrant. His sets were perfect—but no one could keep up. And when they couldn't… he glared. Barked orders. Treated them like trash."
Kageyama flinched. His breathing grew shallow.
"They started calling him king—" Tsukishima continued, voice cold, "—not because he was great, but because he was a dictator. And they hated him for it."
The air in the gym turned heavy. Silence stretched, even Hinata's bouncing stilled.
Kageyama opened his mouth, fists shaking.
"That's not—"
"Come on, King," Tsukishima cut him off, sharp and mocking.
"Why don't you show us that same quick attack? The one no one else could hit. Let's see if these teammates can do any better."
Tanaka stepped forward, fists raised.
"Say that again, you four-eyed giraffe!"
"Enough!" Daichi barked, grabbing Tanaka's shoulder and holding him back.
Tanaka growled but didn't fight it, eyes still locked on Tsukishima.
Tsukishima gave a small, satisfied shrug, smug as ever.
Across the net, Kageyama stood frozen—jaw tight, the weight of memory thick in his chest.
Hinata turned to him, his voice quiet, but firm.
"Hey… Kageyama."
Kageyama looked over, surprised.
Hinata met his eyes, full of certainty.
Hinata stepped up, unwavering, locking eyes with Kageyama in the court.
"I'll hit every set you toss." His voice was calm—steady like bedrock beneath a storm. "I wasn't on that middle school team… but if I had been? I would've nailed every single one."
He smiled—not his usual excitable grin, but something sure, confident, and burning with quiet fire.
The gym seemed to hold its breath.
Kiyoko pen froze mid-scribble. Sugawara gaze sharpened, unreadable yet intense.
Tsukishima's smirk faltered, just for a beat. Even Tanaka paused before laughing—a big, wild sound that bounced off the gym walls.
"That's the damn spirit!" he hollered.
Daichi's brows lifted slightly in surprise. Yamaguchi blinked, unsure whether he'd just witnessed confidence or insanity.
But Kageyama… he stared. Like Hinata had said something impossible. Something no one had ever said to him before.
A new thought was dawning behind those eyes—hesitant, but alive.
24-15. Set point.
Yamaguchi served, a shaky arc floating over the net.
Hinata turned to Kageyama.
"Send me the Quick attack. Super fast quick attack like that beanpole said that no one can spike it , I will hit it . Let's end it." His tone was resolute.
Kageyama scowled, teeth gritting.
"No. You've been perfect with standard spikes this match. Don't risk it now."
"I can do it," Hinata replied, stepping forward. His voice didn't rise—it dropped, weighted with certainty. "Trust me."
Kageyama snapped back, sharper this time.
"No we haven't even practiced normal quick attacks yet so I will not set that to you in the middle of the match ."
The serve came. Tanaka stepped in,
Thwak
Received it clean, the ball sailing up. Kageyama moved toward it, arms ready hoping to set for hinata a high toss set. But out of the corner of his eye—
Hinata was already gone.
Sprinting, planting, leaping.
"I'm Already Here" he called mid-air, voice ringing through the gym like a command.
Kageyama froze for a split second.
And the past hit him.
Empty space.
Teammates who hesitated.
Sets he threw to no one.
Eyes that turned away.
But Hinata was there.
Midair.
Ready.
Waiting.
A spiker who hadn't vanished. A spiker who believed.
Kageyama's fingers moved instinctively, flicking the toss—sharp, fast, like a bullet.
The set flew. Hinata met it midair, timing perfect.
Boom
His hand slammed the ball down like a hammer from the heavens.
Tsukishima's didn't even react as his eyes on kageyama hand and the ball but the next second ball vanished and the ball exploding past him and cracking against the hardwood.
"Huh" Tsukishima stood there processing what happened.
Point. 25-15. Team B.
Silence cracked open into chaos.
"WHAAAAT WAS THAT?!" Tanaka roared, arms flailing.
Sugawara clapped hard, stunned. Kiyoko's clipboard trembled in her hands, her eyes wide with astonishment.
Daichi chuckled under his breath, shaking his head.
Tsukishima's eyes narrowed, rattled despite himself. Yamaguchi whispered, stunned:
"No way…"
Kageyama turned, heart thudding. He stomped toward Hinata, face red and furious.
"What the hell was that?!" he barked. "I told you—no quicks! You could've blown the whole thing!"
But Hinata didn't flinch.
He stepped in, voice low and steady.
"That was the past, Kageyama." His eyes locked onto Kageyama's with unwavering resolve. "I'm your teammate now. I will hit every set you throw—every single one. I'll be the spiker you can trust."
The words landed hard. Not dramatic. Not loud. Just… true.
Kageyama's breath caught in his throat. His anger cracked, confusion rushing in behind it.
The shouting died in his chest. His fists unclenched, ever so slightly.
Tanaka's jaw dropped.
Sugawara leaned forward, the air between them thick with something new.
Even Tsukishima, ever smug, went quiet.
Hinata didn't wait for a reply. He turned, grabbed a towel, and started walking toward their bench as Daichi's voice rang out.
"Good set, you two. Final score: 25-15, Team B." His tone was cool, but his eyes lingered on them both. He saw it—that fragile shift. That thread forming.
"Reset for the second set!"
Kageyama remained standing, staring at the scoreboard—25-15 glowing back at him.
He looked at Hinata. The towel now slung around his neck, sweat dripping, grin wide and open.
And for the first time in a long time… Kageyama didn't feel alone on the court.
Not completely.
That set hadn't just broken past Tsukishima's block.
It had broken something inside him, too.
A memory. A fear.
Replaced by something new.
Something like—
Trust.
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To be continued…
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