The air in the gym changed the moment they crossed the threshold.
If Gojo brought silence and Marin brought perfume, these two brought... turbulence.
The first to enter was a brick wall in a school uniform.
He was almost as tall as Gojo, but where Gojo was lanky and gangly, this guy was wide. He had poorly dyed ash-blond hair, three piercings in his left ear, and a glare that could curdle milk. He walked with his hands in his pockets, shuffling his feet with that "look at me wrong and I'll bite" attitude.
Behind him, almost hidden by his shadow, came the second one.
He was short. Very short. Probably 1.60m. He had messy black hair and sharp eyes, like a stray cat that has fought for every fish bone. He wasn't looking at anyone; he was staring at his handheld console as he walked.
Gojo, out of survival instinct, took two steps back and partially hid behind the net.
Marin, on the other hand, clapped as if presenting a circus act.
"Ta-da!" she exclaimed. "Guys, meet your saviors."
The blonde giant looked around the gym, wrinkling his nose.
"So this is the famous club," his voice was deep, raspy. "Kitagawa said I could hit stuff here with full force without the teachers suspending me."
"As long as it's a ball," I clarified, stepping forward. I wasn't intimidated. I grew up with Tanaka-senpai and Yamamoto. The guys with scary faces are usually the simplest. "I'm Hinata Shoyo, the captain."
The giant looked down at me.
"Akira Toudou." He clicked his tongue. "I need club credits or I won't graduate. Don't expect me to be nice."
"I don't need you to be nice," I smiled. "I need you to be strong."
Then I looked at the short kid. He was still playing with his console.
"And you?"
The boy didn't look up.
"Minato Kai. I'm here because she"—he pointed a thumb at Marin without looking at her—"promised me the limited edition 1/7 scale Shizuku-tan figure if I lasted a month in this dump."
Marin laughed nervously and gave me a "shhh" sign.
"Business is business, Hinata. Kai-kun was in the gymnastics club, but he quit because he 'hated the judges.'"
Kai finally looked up. His eyes were intense, almost aggressive.
"I hate being scored on 'grace' or a 'smile.' I want to win because I'm faster or better, not because some old man at a table likes me. Volleyball has points, right? If the ball touches the floor, you win. I like that. Simple."
I nodded slowly.
One wants legal violence. The other wants brutal objectivity.
They were perfect. They were misfits, just like us.
"Alright," I said, grabbing a ball from the cart. "No need for more intros. Let's see what you can do."
I pointed at Toudou (the giant).
"Toudou, have you ever played volleyball?"
"In gym class. It was boring."
"Good. Get to the net. I'm going to set a ball for you. I want you to hit it. Don't think, just hit it with everything you've got to the other side."
Toudou shrugged, dropped his bag on the floor, and walked to the net. He moved heavily, but his shoulders were solid.
I got into the setter position (even though I'm bad, I was good enough for this). Izumi passed me a ball.
"Go!" I shouted.
I tossed the ball high. A simple set, a bit away from the net so he wouldn't touch it.
Toudou took two clumsy steps and jumped.
He had no technique. His legs were uncoordinated and his arm moved like a baseball bat, not a whip. But the power...
BAM!
The sound was like a cannon shot.
The ball didn't land in the court. It shot straight into the back wall, hitting it with such violence that the echo resonated for three seconds. If it had hit someone, it would have killed them.
Izumi and Koji went pale. Gojo swallowed hard.
Toudou landed and looked at his hand.
"Oh," he said. A crooked smile appeared on his face. "That felt good."
"You have a cannon in your arm," I said, making a mental note: Raw Power: Class S. Control: Class F. "If we can get that to land inside the court, you'll be a problem for anyone."
Then I turned to Kai (the short one).
"Your turn. Marin says you did gymnastics."
Kai put his console in his pocket with a sigh of annoyance.
"What do you want me to do? I'm not going to spike. I'm short."
"I know," I gave him a knowing look. "I'm 1.64m. I know what it's like. But in volleyball, us short guys have a special job."
I took a ball and walked to the service line.
"Stand in the center of the court," I ordered. "I'm going to serve. I won't use full power, but I'm going to aim for the corners. Don't let it touch the floor."
Kai walked to the center. He didn't adopt the typical volleyball stance. He stood there, relaxed, but his center of gravity was low.
I tossed the ball up and hit a float serve toward his left.
Kai didn't run. He slid.
It was a fluid, liquid movement. He did a side roll, extended his arm and...
Plap.
The ball hit his forearm and popped up perfectly toward where the setter would be. Kai rolled over his shoulder and ended up standing in a single motion, as if he had done nothing.
"Too slow," Kai said, bored.
I felt a shiver run down my spine. Not of fear. Of pure excitement.
Gymnast reflexes. Absolute body control. And he has attitude.
He's a natural Libero.
I looked around.
Gojo (Middle Blocker). Toudou (Wing Spiker/Power Opposite). Izumi (Setter in training). Koji (Defensive Specialist/Opposite). Kai (Libero). And me.
Six.
We were six.
An uncontrollable smile spread across my face. I started laughing. First a chuckle, then a full laugh.
"What's wrong with him?" Toudou asked, looking at Marin. "Did he break?"
"It's happiness," Marin replied, smiling while recording everything. "The Emperor just got his army."
I stopped laughing and looked at them all.
"Listen up, misfits," I said, and my voice resonated with an authority that made even Toudou pay attention. "Toudou wants to hit things. Kai wants to win without judges. Marin wants us to look cool. Gojo wants to stop hiding."
I clenched my fist.
"We have four months. We're going to teach everyone how a team of weirdos flies."
I pointed at the court.
"Toudou, spike until you learn to keep it in! Kai, teach Koji how to fall without breaking his teeth! Gojo, Izumi, to the net!"
"Yes!" shouted Izumi and Koji. "Hmph," grunted Toudou, going for a ball. "Whatever," muttered Kai, but he took off his jacket.
Marin winked at me from the bench.
The Volleyball Club was complete.