---
The moment felt familiar.
Too familiar.
Hinata stood at the back of the court, watching the other team warm up.
Six players.
Calm.
Organized.
Not as rigid as the last team.
But not careless either.
Balanced.
Fukuda cracked his neck.
"…Another one."
Sato stretched his arms.
"Think this one's easier?"
"No," Mori answered immediately.
Takeda adjusted his glasses.
"…We shouldn't assume anything…"
Nakamura shifted his weight.
"…Just play…"
Hinata exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah."
Just play.
But this time—
They weren't the same team.
Not the predictable one.
Not the broken one either.
Something in between.
---
They stepped onto the court.
Positions set.
Not fixed.
But understood.
The whistle blew.
---
First serve.
Clean.
Fast.
It came to Takeda.
He moved early.
Received.
Good.
The ball rose.
Hinata stepped—
Then stopped.
Because Sato was already there.
"Mine!"
Sato called.
Clear.
Early.
He set.
High.
Fukuda approached.
Jumped.
Spike—
Blocked.
The ball dropped.
Point lost.
Silence.
---
Fukuda landed.
"…That was obvious."
Hinata nodded.
"…Yeah."
Too obvious.
Even with the new system—
Some patterns stayed.
---
Second rally.
Serve again.
Nakamura received.
A bit off.
The ball drifted.
Hinata moved.
So did Takeda.
Takeda called.
"Mine!"
Set.
Low.
Hinata adjusted.
Jumped—
Hit.
Returned.
The rally continued.
Longer.
Messy.
But alive.
Then—
A gap.
Hinata saw it.
Moved.
Jumped—
Spike.
Point.
Silence.
Then—
Sato grinned.
"That worked!"
---
The match continued.
Back and forth.
But something felt—
Off.
Not broken.
Not completely.
But unstable.
---
A fast rally.
Too fast.
The ball came low.
Between Sato and Nakamura.
Both moved.
Nakamura had priority.
But Sato reached anyway.
A split-second conflict.
The touch went wrong.
The ball flew out.
Point lost.
Sato stepped back.
"…My bad."
Nakamura shook his head.
"…No… I hesitated…"
Hinata clenched his fists.
There it is.
---
Next rally.
Takeda received.
Perfect.
Hinata moved—
Then stopped.
Fukuda stepped in.
Set.
Good.
Sato jumped.
Hit—
Out.
Sato groaned.
"…I rushed it…"
Fukuda clicked his tongue.
"…You had time."
"I didn't think—"
"That's the problem."
Silence.
Because now—
They were thinking too much.
About the system.
About priority.
About decisions.
And that—
Slowed them down.
---
The opponent didn't slow.
They played clean.
Simple.
Effective.
Every hesitation—
Punished.
---
Hinata felt it.
That pressure building again.
Not like before.
Not confusion.
Something else.
Overload.
Too many rules.
Too many thoughts.
Not enough instinct.
---
"Again!"
He called.
But his voice—
Was tighter now.
---
The next rally started.
The ball came.
Sato received.
Good.
Hinata moved.
No one else called.
He set—
Fukuda hit.
Point.
Clean.
Simple.
Direct.
Silence.
---
Fukuda looked at him.
"…That worked."
Hinata nodded.
"…Yeah."
Because it was simple.
Because it was clear.
Because it was—
Old.
---
The realization hit.
Hard.
This system—
It worked in practice.
But under pressure—
It broke.
Not completely.
But enough.
---
Mid-match—
They were behind.
Again.
Not by much.
But enough.
Enough to feel it.
---
Hinata stepped back.
Breathing steady.
Thinking fast.
Too fast.
This isn't working like this.
Not fully.
Not yet.
---
Mori stepped beside him.
"You see it."
Not a question.
Hinata nodded.
"…Yeah."
"Say it."
Hinata looked forward.
"…We're splitting."
Mori nodded.
"Yes."
Fukuda joined.
"…Between two styles."
Hinata nodded.
"…Old and new."
Silence.
Because that was it.
They weren't one system.
They were switching.
Unclear.
Unstable.
And that—
Was the real weakness.
---
"So fix it," Fukuda said.
Hinata blinked.
"…What?"
"Decide."
Silence.
Then—
Sato added,
"…We'll follow."
Takeda nodded.
"…Just make it clear…"
Nakamura whispered,
"…Tell us what to do…"
Mori said nothing.
Because this—
Was Hinata's role.
---
Hinata exhaled slowly.
Then—
"…We simplify."
They listened.
"Priority stays."
"…Yeah."
"But second touch—"
He paused.
Then—
"Only two options."
Silence.
Fukuda frowned.
"…What?"
"Not everyone."
Hinata continued.
"Only me—or whoever is closest and clear."
Takeda blinked.
"…So not forced?"
Hinata nodded.
"…No forcing."
Sato exhaled.
"…That's easier…"
Nakamura nodded.
"…I can follow that…"
Mori added,
"Controlled flexibility."
Hinata nodded.
"…Exactly."
---
They returned to the court.
Still behind.
Still pressured.
But now—
Clear again.
---
Next rally.
Serve.
Takeda received.
Clean.
Hinata moved.
Closest.
Clear.
Set.
Fukuda jumped.
Spike—
Point.
Simple.
Effective.
---
Again.
Sato received.
Bad angle.
Takeda moved.
Closest.
"Mine!"
Set.
Hinata adjusted.
Hit—
Returned.
Rally continued.
But—
No confusion.
No delay.
---
Again.
Nakamura received.
Hinata moved.
Closest.
Set.
Sato hit.
Point.
---
The flow returned.
Not perfect.
Not dominant.
But stable.
Again.
---
The final stretch came.
Score still behind.
But closer.
Closer than before.
---
Last rally.
Everything quieted again.
Hinata stood ready.
Focused.
The serve came.
Fukuda received.
Perfect.
Hinata moved.
No hesitation.
No overthinking.
Just—
Decision.
Set—
Fast.
Fukuda jumped.
Spike—
Through the block.
Point.
---
The whistle blew.
End.
---
They lost.
But barely.
Closer than before.
Much closer.
---
No one spoke for a moment.
Then—
Fukuda exhaled.
"…That was better."
Hinata nodded.
"…Yeah."
Sato smiled slightly.
"We didn't collapse."
Takeda added,
"…We adjusted…"
Nakamura whispered,
"…We held together…"
Mori concluded,
"Improvement confirmed."
---
Hinata looked at the court.
Thinking.
That system—
It wasn't wrong.
It just wasn't ready.
Not fully.
Not under pressure.
Yet.
---
He clenched his fist.
"…We refine it."
Fukuda smirked.
"…Of course."
---
As they left—
Hinata glanced back.
The invisible wall again.
But now—
He understood something new.
Breaking it—
Wasn't one move.
It was layers.
Step by step.
Mistake by mistake.
Adjustment by adjustment.
And they had just taken another step.
Not enough.
But real.
---