The morning practice ended on a bad note.
The three boys went their separate ways, each lost in their own thoughts.
Hinata's feelings were mixed.
On one hand, he was sad about missing the ball and getting yelled at by Kageyama.
On the other hand, that soft toss from Kitagawa, and the solid feeling of hitting it, acted like a spark. It lit a small but bright hope inside him.
For the first time, he learned that spiking could feel so real.
Kageyama Tobio walked the whole way with a dark look on his face.
Kitagawa's strange setup—"a guided missile" and "a wild cannonball"—played over and over in his head.
He couldn't argue with the facts, which only made him madder.
He couldn't control his own weapon?
And what about Kitagawa's final whisper, "Perhaps it's not about making the cannonball match the missile, but making the missile land right on the cannonball?"
That sentence stuck in his mind like a curse!
'Sending the missile to the cannonball? What kind of joke was that? Wasn't setting all about guiding the spiker? Having the setter bend to a beginner who couldn't even see the ball?'
'That's crazy! But then why... why did that guy, with the most basic toss, do what i can't?'
..
While those two were lost in thought, Kei looked very calm. His weak body didn't stop his mind from racing. The seed was planted. Now, he just had to help it grow.
Back in class, the lessons felt dull to Kei.
His mind had already gone back to the volleyball court.
During lunch, while the other kids ate and laughed, he took out a notebook and started writing fast.
It wasn't math or English. It was a list of muscle groups and packed training plans.
"Monday: Core strength. Plank, 5 sets, 30 seconds... Crunches, 5 sets..."
"Tuesday: Lower body. Wall sits... Lunges..."
"Diet: More protein. Eggs and milk for breakfast. Add chicken or fish to lunch. Less soda..."
This was a smart, fine-tuned recovery plan made just for his weak body.
Every line and number held all the hard-earned lessons from his past life as a pro athlete.
He knew that no matter how strong his willpower was, it meant nothing without a good body to back it up.
He had to make this body catch up to his Olympic-level as fast as possible.
...
The next day, at 5:30 a.m., the air outside the gym was even more tense.
Hinata looked nervous, while Kageyama felt like a volcano ready to blow, giving off a dark mood.
Kei was the last to show up again.
Gasping for air, he leaned on his knees. It felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. Last night, he did the first day of his core training.
Today, his whole body ached like it had been taken apart and put back together.
"You."
Before Kei could catch his breath, Kageyama stood right in front of him.
His eyes stared him down with heavy pressure.
"What did you mean by what you said yesterday?" Kageyama asked straight out. "Sending the missile to the cannonball. Explain it to me."
He'd finally dropped his kingly act to get answers from his quiet teammate.
Kei stood up straight, a knowing smile on his face.
He looked at Hinata, then back at Kageyama, and spoke slowly.
"It's simple. I watch matches a lot, and I know we all need to work together. We just have to change how we think about it."
"Kageyama, your setting skills are top-tier. But you've been asking a beginner to play like a pro. That won't work."
"And Hinata," he turned to the orange-haired boy, "your jumping power and speed are great gifts. But your tech and skill are almost zero. Asking you to match Kageyama's fast attack is impossible right now."
Both of their faces fell, but they couldn't argue.
"So, why don't we build a weapon that belongs only to you two?" Kei's voice had a strange pull to it.
"An attack... that breaks all the rules."
He stepped closer to Kageyama and said, word by word, "Kageyama, from now on, stop trying to guide the spiker. Your job has changed. You need to become the ultimate controller. You can see Hinata's max speed and highest jump point with your own eyes. Your set doesn't need to give him a lead, and he doesn't need to track the ball. You just need to put the ball right where his hand will swing after he jumps."
Kageyama's eyes went wide.
These words flipped everything he knew about setting upside down.
It wasn't about the setter and spiker syncing up.
It tested the setter's pure skill to read the spiker's body and control the ball's path.
This was a direct challenge to his pride as a setter!
"As for you, Hinata," Kei turned to the stunned boy and spoke in easier terms. "Your job changed too. From now on, when you run to the net, don't look at the ball. Just run your fastest, jump with all your power, and then—at the top of your jump—"
He paused and dropped the craziest rule of all.
"Close your eyes and swing your arm as hard as you can."
"Huh?!" Hinata let out a shocked cry. "Close my eyes to hit? How is that possible! I'll miss! No, it might hit my face!" He thought back to yesterday's practice and shivered.
"You won't miss," Kei said in a firm, calm voice. "Because Kageyama will put the ball right into your hand. All you have to do is trust him one hundred percent."
"Trust... him?" Hinata looked at Kageyama, who still looked scary, and felt his heart pound.
"That's right," Kei nodded. "In this play, Hinata, you just bring the speed and the jumps. Kageyama handles the rest. You just need to trust him."
The gym went dead quiet.
The idea was too crazy!
Making a spiker close their eyes? It had never been done before.
But for some reason, Kageyama's anger was replaced by a fresh thrill.
Delivering the ball into the palm of a blind spiker? This kind of extreme test made his blood boil!
If... if they could really pull it off, what would it look like?
"Alright," Kageyama said in a low voice, breaking the quiet. "I'll try it."
He looked at Hinata and barked an order.
"Idiot, did you hear that? Jump for me!"
"Huh? W-we're really doing it?" Hinata was still unsure.
"Stop talking!"
Pushed by Kageyama and backed by Kei's steady gaze, Hinata walked to the baseline.
He took a deep breath, his eyes full of worry.
"Ready?" Kageyama stood at the net with the ball.
"Y-yeah!"
"Run!"
At Kageyama's shout, Hinata took off!
Just like Kei said, he squeezed his eyes shut tight. He ran to the net on pure instinct and jumped with everything he had.
In the dark, he felt like a bird thrown into the sky, wrapped in fear.
Then, he heard the wind whistle!
Kageyama's toss was coming.
It was faster and sharper than yesterday, aimed right at Hinata's path.
BAM!
Instead of feeling the ball on his hand, a sharp pain hit his forehead.
Hinata cried out, knocked down by the ball like a heavy rock.
"Owwww!"
"Idiot! Who told you to jump so far forward!" Kageyama didn't say sorry. He just yelled.
"You tossed it too fast, you jerk!" Hinata yelled back, holding his head.
The first try was a total mess.
"Again!" Kageyama grabbed the ball. He didn't look ready to give up. His fighting spirit burned even brighter.
"Again?!"
"Shut up and jump!"
The second time, the ball hit Hinata's shoulder.
The third time, it brushed his fingers and flew past.
Fail after fail echoed in the gym, mixed with Hinata's cries and Kageyama's yelling.
On the sidelines, Kei didn't step in.
He just watched and studied.
He saw Kageyama fix the height and power of his tosses. He saw Hinata keep jumping full-out, even though he was scared.
"Kageyama!" Kei finally spoke up. "Your aim isn't enough yet. Don't just look at where he jumps. Feel the rhythm of his arm swing. Your toss needs to land right when his arm hits the top."
Kageyama froze.
Kei's words hit him like a lightning bolt, clearing the fog in his brain.
'Yes, the rhythm!' He took a deep breath and held the ball up.
"Hinata! One last time!"
Hinata got to his feet.
He was bruised and sore, but his eyes looked different now.
He could feel it.
Kageyama's tosses were getting closer and closer to his hand.
"Bring it on!" he yelled.
He closed his eyes and ran forward again.
This time, Kageyama's focus was razor-sharp. He didn't look at the ball or Hinata's face.
His whole mind tracked the beat of Hinata's run, jump, and swing.
'Now!' The second he felt Hinata reach the peak, he flicked his wrists.
The ball shot out with perfect aim!
Midair, with his eyes shut tight, Hinata swung his arm as hard as he could, betting it all on this one hit.
The next second.
Smack!
A loud, crisp, clear sound echoed through the empty gym.
It was totally different from before.
The ball looked like it came alive.
It shot over the net in a black blur and slammed hard onto the other side of the court!
The whole world seemed to stop as Kageyama stared at his empty hands.
Hinata only dared to open his eyes after his feet hit the floor.
He saw the ball rolling away on the other side.
Then he looked down at his red, stinging hand.
That solid, heavy feeling of the spike was a hundred times better than yesterday!
"I... hit it?" Hinata whispered.