After the autumn break, the second-years formed their usual study group, rotating between Hayato's and Tanaka's houses.
At Tanaka's home, his older sister would occasionally pop in—always cheerful, treating them like her little brothers, bringing drinks and snacks to keep morale up.
Hayato's place, however, had its own unique atmosphere. With his father working abroad, Hayato lived alone, which meant freedom. The fridge was always stocked, and more often than not, he'd whip up proper meals for everyone. When Kiyoko dropped by to help, the group would get full dinners together.
Sometimes, Hayato and Kiyoko cooked side by side, which immediately raised expectations. The verdict from the second-years? As much as they adored Kiyoko, Hayato's Chinese cooking had stolen their hearts.
The third-years didn't need the study sessions—they were consistently above average. Among the first-years, Tsukishima and Hitoka never gave much cause for concern either. It was the "two volleyball idiots," Hinata and Kageyama, that everyone kept an eye on.
But it wasn't just them. Even Tanaka and Nishinoya hovered dangerously close to the passing line.
On exam day, the teacher's cheerful voice announced, "Alright, no more whispering—let's begin."
For Hayato, the test papers were child's play. Having already taken sports university entrance exams, he solved everything with ease.
By lunchtime, the study group gathered desks together. Tanaka slumped forward, his expression pure despair.
"Ryu," Hayato said calmly as he opened his bento, "your face makes me worried you're going to fail."
"I answered everything!" Tanaka groaned. "I just… can't promise they're correct."
"Because you're a volleyball idiot," Nishinoya teased, patting his back.
Normally Tanaka might argue, but this time he just sulked, even his yakisoba bread tasting like ash.
Still, Nishinoya wasn't much better. Uki pointed it out mercilessly, and the two quickly formed a "barely passing alliance."
Hayato and Uki shared a helpless sigh.
When asked about her own test, Uki flashed a peace sign. "Top ten for sure!"
Nishinoya wailed in betrayal. "Uki-chan, you traitor!"
"It's your fault for slacking off~" Uki giggled, tugging at her cheek.
Lunch ended in laughter before they dove back into the afternoon exam.
From his seat in the last row by the window, Hayato observed.
Nishinoya scribbled randomly, resigned to fate.
Tanaka frowned hard, clinging to what he remembered from review sessions.
Uki paused often, tapping her pencil against her chin before writing carefully.
Shaking his head with a smile, Hayato turned back to his own paper, finishing smoothly.
When dismissal came, the "passing alliance" collapsed onto their desks like corpses. Uki dragged Koha off to train with Arima and the cheer group. Hayato hauled Tanaka up and they headed to the gym.
There, the mood was split—good students discussing predicted answers, the "idiots" praying to every god they knew.
"Yo, Hayato!" Ennoshita called. "So many questions you circled actually showed up. I think I'll score way higher this time."
Kinoshita and Narita nodded in agreement—they'd taken Hayato's study guides seriously. Only Tanaka and Nishinoya looked doomed.
Ennoshita scolded them sharply: "Just because exams don't affect volleyball doesn't mean you get to slack off! If either of you fail, you're in for it!"
The two instantly folded, bowing in apology.
Meanwhile, the first-years had brighter faces. Yamaguchi proudly explained that Hitoka had prepared detailed review notes this time, and even Hinata was brimming with confidence.
"Don't mix up the answer sheets again," Tsukishima muttered, smirking.
"I won't!" Hinata snapped, red-faced.
When results came back, relief swept the club: everyone passed. Hinata and Kageyama managed "good grades" with everything above 40, while Tanaka and Nishinoya barely scraped over the line. But passing was passing.
Now, free of school worries, they could throw themselves back into volleyball.
As for Hayato…
"First in the whole grade!?" Tanaka gawked at the results board. "Hayato, you're amazing!"
Around them, other students whispered:
"Is that Kuroha Hayato?"
"He's the one dating Shimizu-senpai, right?"
"He's so tall…"
"And handsome…"
Hayato only responded with polite smiles, bowing slightly to those who met his gaze. His natural composure earned nothing but positive impressions.
But he didn't linger. With Tanaka trailing beside him, they walked back to class.
"Man, when everyone turned to look at you, even I got nervous," Tanaka muttered dramatically.
Hayato rolled his eyes. "There are way more eyes on us during matches. You don't get nervous then."
"That's different!" Tanaka shot back, puffing his cheeks.
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