---
Improvement had a rhythm.
Slow.
Steady.
Relentless.
Hinata felt it in every practice now.
Not explosive.
Not dramatic.
Just—
Consistent.
---
"Again!"
The ball moved.
Takeda received.
Cleaner than before.
Hinata set.
Fukuda hit.
Point.
Again.
Sato received.
Hinata set.
Sato hit.
In.
Again.
Nakamura moved early.
Saved.
The rally continued.
Longer.
Stronger.
Better.
---
Fukuda exhaled.
"…We're actually solid now."
Hinata nodded.
"…Yeah."
Sato grinned.
"I'm missing less."
Takeda added,
"…My receives are more stable…"
Nakamura whispered,
"…I'm moving earlier…"
Mori observed.
"Overall improvement confirmed."
Everything—
Was rising.
Together.
---
Except—
It wasn't.
---
It started small.
Almost unnoticeable.
Takeda's receive.
Slightly off.
Not bad.
But not clean.
Hinata adjusted.
Set anyway.
Play continued.
No issue.
At first.
---
Then again.
Another receive.
Slightly too far.
Hinata ran.
Set late.
Fukuda adjusted.
Hit—
Blocked.
Point lost.
Fukuda landed.
"…That drift again."
Takeda froze.
"…I—"
Hinata stepped in.
"…Reset."
But he saw it.
Again.
Same pattern.
---
They continued.
Again.
Again.
Again.
And slowly—
It became clear.
Everyone was improving.
But not at the same speed.
---
Sato's hits—
Sharper now.
More controlled.
Fewer mistakes.
---
Nakamura's movement—
Faster.
Earlier.
Less hesitation.
---
Fukuda—
More precise.
More efficient.
Still aggressive—
But smarter.
---
Hinata—
Cleaner.
Faster.
Sharper decisions.
---
Mori—
As steady as ever.
Guiding.
Adjusting.
Observing.
---
And Takeda—
Still improving.
But slower.
Not bad.
Not failing.
Just—
Behind.
---
Another rally.
Serve came fast.
Takeda moved.
Late.
Just slightly.
The receive went off.
Too high.
Too far.
Hinata chased.
Set—
Off timing.
Sato hit—
Out.
Point lost.
Silence.
---
Sato rubbed his head.
"…That was off."
Fukuda glanced at Takeda.
Didn't say anything.
But it was clear.
Too clear.
---
Takeda lowered his head.
"…Sorry…"
Hinata looked at him.
Then at the court.
Then at the team.
This is it.
---
The gap.
---
Practice continued.
But now—
It showed.
More clearly.
More often.
Every slight delay.
Every off receive.
Every hesitation.
Small errors—
But in a stable system—
Small errors stood out more.
---
Takeda felt it.
That pressure.
That awareness.
That he—
Was slowing things down.
---
"Again!"
Hinata called.
But this time—
Takeda's movement was tighter.
More forced.
Less natural.
He was thinking too much.
Trying too hard.
---
The ball came.
He moved.
Overcorrected.
The receive went too short.
Dropped.
Point lost.
Silence.
---
Takeda froze.
"…I—"
No one spoke.
That was worse.
---
Fukuda looked away.
Sato scratched his head.
Nakamura shifted slightly.
Mori watched.
Hinata stayed still.
---
Takeda clenched his fists.
"…Again."
Hinata nodded.
"…Again."
---
They continued.
But now—
Takeda was tense.
Every move forced.
Every decision delayed.
Trying to keep up.
But falling slightly behind each time.
---
Finally—
Hinata raised his hand.
"Stop."
Silence.
Everyone froze.
---
Hinata looked at Takeda.
Not harsh.
Not soft.
Just—
Clear.
"…You're forcing it."
Takeda flinched.
"…I'm trying to keep up…"
"I know."
"…Then what do I do?"
The question hung.
Heavy.
Honest.
Difficult.
---
Fukuda spoke.
"…We can't slow down."
Immediate.
Direct.
Sato hesitated.
"…But—"
Fukuda continued.
"We just built this pace."
Silence.
Because that was true.
---
Takeda looked down.
"…I don't want to hold everyone back…"
Nakamura whispered,
"…You're not…"
But even he—
Was unsure.
---
Mori spoke.
"This is expected."
All eyes turned to him.
"When a system stabilizes, gaps appear."
Hinata nodded slightly.
"…Yeah."
Sato frowned.
"…So what do we do?"
Mori looked at Hinata.
"…You decide."
---
Silence.
Because this—
Was not a drill.
Not a tactic.
This was leadership.
---
Hinata looked at Takeda.
Then at the team.
Then at the court.
Two options.
Slow down—
Everyone adjusts.
Or—
Keep pace—
And Takeda struggles.
---
Neither was good.
Both had cost.
---
Hinata exhaled slowly.
Then—
"We don't slow down."
Silence.
Takeda's head lowered slightly.
Fukuda nodded.
"…Good."
But Hinata continued.
"…But we don't leave him behind either."
Everyone looked at him.
Sato blinked.
"…Then how—?"
Hinata answered.
"We split training."
---
Mori nodded immediately.
"Efficient."
Fukuda raised an eyebrow.
"…Explain."
Hinata pointed.
"Core group continues full-speed drills."
"…Us."
"Yes."
Then—
He looked at Takeda.
"I train with him separately."
Silence.
---
Takeda blinked.
"…What?"
Hinata's voice stayed calm.
"…We fix your base faster."
Sato scratched his head.
"…So double work?"
"Yes."
Fukuda smirked slightly.
"…That's rough."
Hinata didn't react.
"…It's necessary."
---
Takeda hesitated.
"…I don't want to slow you down…"
"You're not."
"…But—"
"You're part of the team."
Silence.
Because that—
That mattered.
---
Mori added,
"Focused correction will accelerate improvement."
Takeda looked at Hinata.
"…Are you sure?"
Hinata nodded.
"…Yeah."
Simple.
Clear.
Enough.
---
They split.
Fukuda, Sato, Nakamura, Mori—
Continued.
Full pace.
Fast.
Sharp.
Relentless.
---
On the other side—
Hinata stood with Takeda.
Ball in hand.
"…We start."
---
Serve.
Takeda received.
Slightly off.
Hinata stopped him.
"…Footwork."
Takeda adjusted.
Again.
Better.
---
Again.
Again.
Again.
No rush.
No pressure from others.
Just—
Correction.
Focus.
Repetition.
---
Takeda's breathing slowed.
Movement steadied.
Less panic.
More control.
---
"…Again."
Hinata didn't ease.
Didn't soften.
But—
Didn't rush either.
---
On the other side—
The team pushed.
Fast rallies.
Sharp hits.
Strong movement.
They were improving.
At full speed.
---
Takeda watched briefly.
That gap again.
That distance.
Then—
Hinata tossed the ball.
"…Focus."
Takeda nodded.
"…Yeah."
---
Hours passed.
Both sides training.
Different pace.
Same goal.
---
At the end—
They regrouped.
Six players again.
Sweat.
Exhaustion.
Silence.
---
Fukuda stretched.
"…We improved."
Sato grinned.
"Yeah, that felt good."
Nakamura nodded.
"…Faster…"
Mori observed.
"Progress maintained."
---
Hinata looked at Takeda.
"…You?"
Takeda exhaled.
"…Better."
"…Show me tomorrow."
Takeda nodded.
"…Yeah."
---
No praise.
No comfort.
Just—
Expectation.
And belief.
---
As they left—
Hinata walked slightly behind.
Thinking.
This—
Was harder than anything else.
Not skill.
Not tactics.
Not matches.
Balancing growth.
Keeping everyone moving.
Without losing anyone.
---
He looked ahead.
At his team.
Walking together.
Still six.
Still complete.
---
"…No one gets left behind."
The words came quietly.
But firm.
Because that—
Was non-negotiable.
No matter how hard it became.
---