After the school festival, life at Karasuno High returned to its usual rhythm: ordinary lessons, ordinary homework, ordinary club activities. But for Hayato, things were no longer so ordinary.
Ever since the dance with Kiyoko at the after-party, he'd become the center of attention.
"Hey, isn't that Kuroha? The one who danced with Kiyoko-senpai?"
"He's huge—like, over 190 cm, right?"
"And he's her childhood friend too? No way…"
"Kuroha-senpai is way too handsome. Shame he's already taken."
"Not sudden at all. I've seen them walking to school together."
The boys watched him with envy, the girls with a hint of regret. Hayato ignored the whispers, fed a vending machine a coin, and carried four drinks back to his classroom.
Tanaka and Uki had already pushed desks together, eating lunch with another classmate.
"Yo, welcome back, big shot," Tanaka teased, grinning ear to ear.
"I didn't realize Kiyoko-nee was that famous around school…" Hayato admitted, distributing the drinks. It felt strange to be gawked at like some kind of rare animal.
Uki laughed, stabbing a straw into her juice box. "Of course! Everyone knows the 'Volleyball Club's Glasses Beauty.' She's practically a school legend."
Kiyoko's looks had always drawn attention, but her cool personality and dedication to volleyball made her unapproachable. And after the festival, her relationship with Hayato was no longer just whispered rumor—it was undeniable fact.
Even Tanaka looked shocked at the "nickname" revelation, though that wasn't surprising; with volleyball filling his head, he'd never had time for school gossip.
The group laughed, ate, and chatted about trivial things. Hayato found himself smiling more often now—it really did feel like he was living a "normal" high school life.
After school, the team gathered in the gym. Hayato had barely finished warming up when Hinata came bounding over, flexing dramatically.
"Hayato-senpai, look! My muscles are totally getting bigger, right?"
Hayato squinted at Hinata's thin arm. "Hmm… nope. Can't tell at all, sorry Shoyo."
Hinata deflated instantly, but perked up again when Hayato patted his shoulder.
"It's like receiving practice—it all adds up. At the Tokyo training camp during autumn break, work hard. You'll see results."
Hinata's eyes lit up again. "Yeah! This time we'll definitely take more sets off Nekoma!"
"Kageyama! Let's practice right now!"
"Idiot! We're still stretching, dumbass!"
Smiling at the familiar banter, Hayato continued his warm-up. The third-years—Daichi, Asahi, and Sugawara—soon entered, greeting him.
Just a day earlier, those same seniors had cornered Hayato in the locker room to give him a stern "family warning" about treating Kiyoko well. Their words had carried the weight of older brothers protecting their sister. Hayato had only nodded seriously—he knew they were right.
Now, though, practice was practice.
Coach Ukai gathered the team, and after rounds of basic drills, the third-years pulled Hayato aside.
"Today, we want to test something new," Sugawara said. "A tactic called the Double Quick with Roaming Attack."
The idea: a perfect receive, followed by the middle blocker and wing spikers running at once. One spiker then veers wide, turning the court into chaos. With Karasuno lacking a true opposite hitter, the tactic would rely on both wing spikers roaming instead.
More importantly, it was a way to diversify their offense when Kageyama couldn't set every ball across three consecutive days of intense matches. Sugawara needed more tools in his arsenal.
Hayato nodded without hesitation. "I'm good. When do we start?"
Sugawara blinked. "Wait—you've done this before?"
"Yeah. I practiced it with teammates back when I was on the provincial squad. It's tough on stamina, but it works. If we nail it, it'll give us a whole new rhythm."
"As expected from you, Hayato…" Sugawara exhaled in relief. "Alright then—let's give it a try!"
The court echoed with the sound of sneakers against wood as Karasuno began weaving their new attack into reality.
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