As always, Hinata never runs out of ways to cause a scene—or so Kagami thought.
Just a moment ago, Hinata had already come up in conversation with Shimizu, and now it looked like there'd be yet another story to talk about.
Getting kicked out of the gym? Even for modern high schoolers—or rather, for anyone—that's not something you see every day.
Maybe in the "good old days" of hard-nosed athletics, it happened? But this was Kagami's second time going through high school, and even though his last school had brutal hierarchies and tough club life, he'd still never seen this happen in person.
And two people at once? Even rarer.
He recognized the scene, sure, but seeing it with his own eyes really drove home how wild it was.
"Uwaaahhh!! Wh-what do you mean by 'self-awareness as teammates'!? How do you even do that!? They didn't cover this in exams!!"
"Shut up! Like I'd know!!"
"Uwaaaahhh!! Please let me join!! Let me play volleyball!! I-I'll even… I'll get along with Kageyama, I swear!!"
"Oi! Move it!"
"Gah! Wh-what the hell, I was talking here!!"
"Shut it! Captain! I'm sorry! I'll work with this guy properly, just let me join the club!"
It was honestly painful to watch. Not quite pandemonium, but close.
Kagami knew the scene, sure, but actually seeing it was another thing entirely.
Truly, seeing is believing.
If he had to put it into words, "stunned into laughter" might have fit better.
"Hey, hey, you two. Hate to break up the excitement, but could you clear the doorway?"
For now, if they hogged the entrance, it wouldn't just trouble Kagami but also Shimizu, so he tapped the shoulders of the two who were still fired up and oblivious to their surroundings.
"Ah! Seiyaaa!!"
"Yo. Long time no see. But man, Shouyou, you're noisy no matter when or where."
"Seeeiiyyyyaaaa! Save meeee!!"
"Whoa—don't just tackle me out of nowhere! I'm gonna drop the stuff!!"
Hinata came crashing in, bawling his eyes out.
Kagami barely managed to keep hold of half the bags Shimizu had entrusted to him. A fine play, if nothing else.
"Sigh… Sorry, Shimizu-senpai. Would it be alright if you went ahead first? There's something I need to talk about."
"…Heh. Got it. Then I'll take the bags. Thanks for carrying them this far."
Though a bit exasperated, Shimizu smiled faintly, maybe because Kagami looked like he was having fun.
"No, thank you. Sorry for the racket."
"It's fine. This was my job anyway. I'm used to noisy boys. I'll be inside—tell Sawamura and the others I'll explain."
"Please do. I'll say something myself after. Oh—Shimizu-senpai?"
"Hm?"
Kagami grinned as he handed her the bags.
"Things are going to get even noisier from here on out… so please take care of us."
"…Looks that way. I'll brace myself."
She glanced at Hinata, still flailing around with Kageyama, and laughed again. Without a doubt, things were about to be louder than ever.
Shimizu slipped into the Second Gym. The door looked imposing, but it wasn't locked, so it opened easily.
Inside grew livelier once she entered, but Kagami left that aside.
Shaking his head a few times, he turned to face Kageyama.
"Yo. Long time no see, Kageyama. Not since our middle school match."
"So Hinata's here in Karasuno, huh. …Honestly, I figured you'd be here too."
Hinata shivered just from seeing Kageyama smile.
"Y-you smiling is scary, dude."
"Shut up!!"
Whether from embarrassment or sheer annoyance, Kageyama flung Hinata like he weighed nothing. For a small guy, Hinata sure flew.
"Alright then, Shouyou."
"Ow… huh? What is it, Seiya?"
"I've got good news and bad news for you. Which do you want first?"
Kagami smirked. Hinata looked nervous, but the phrase good news made his eyes light up instantly.
"Good! Just the good one!! Gimme the good one!!"
"Got it, got it. But stop looking like you're about to leap on me, seriously. …Ahem."
Hands on his hips, chest puffed out, Kagami made a bold declaration:
"I, Kagami Seiya, have decided… to join the Karasuno volleyball team."
"…Huh??"
"…The hell are you talking about? You not playing volleyball isn't even an option."
Kageyama just looked baffled, not understanding the real meaning behind Kagami's words.
But Hinata—
"Waaaaaahhh thank gooooood!! You idiot, you had me so worried!!"
He latched onto Kagami again, like a koala clinging to its eucalyptus tree.
When he looked about ready to nuzzle his cheek against him, Kagami finally pried him off.
"Okay, okay, stay—sit. Now, the bad news."
"Sei…Seiya… I don't wanna hear it, but… spit it out."
"(Bad news? …Now I'm curious.)"
Even Kageyama leaned in with interest. The good news hadn't been anything shocking to him, so he figured the bad wouldn't be either.
He was wrong.
"Yeah, sorry, you two. I'll be going on ahead."
With his best smile and a wave, Kagami stepped up to the Second Gym doors.
""—Wait, WHAT!?""
Only now did Hinata and Kageyama remember: they'd been told they weren't allowed to join practice.
"(Don't abandon usss~)" their faces screamed, but Kagami could only wave apologetically. It wasn't his call.
Kagami lightly knocked on the door… and it opened immediately.
"Ohhh! Kagami, huh! Glad you made it!"
Just moments ago, that same captain Sawamura—who had seemed terrifying (at least from Hinata and Kageyama's perspective)—welcomed him with a beaming smile.
The door swung open wide, easily enough for another one or two people to step through.
Meanwhile, Hinata and Kageyama were bracing themselves, inching forward like beasts stalking prey, ready to pounce and measure their distance.
"…So. Have you two realized yet that you're teammates?"
Not a chance.
He was smiling, but not really. His eyes weren't smiling at all.
Even though Sawamura's glare wasn't directed at him, Kagami shrank back a little, feeling the same suffocating pressure as when a parent scolds you.
With those pitch-black, piercing eyes fixed straight on them… Hinata faltered. But Kageyama stepped forward.
"I'm sorry!! I'll cooperate properly with him from now on! Please let me join the team!!"
Kageyama's declaration, firm and renewed.
Sawamura stared straight into his eyes for several long seconds. Those black, unsmiling eyes gave off a terrifying sense of being sucked in. Kageyama couldn't help but flinch.
Then Sawamura spoke.
"…And the truth?"
Just those few words.
Under the silent pressure that followed, Kageyama finally broke.
"…Honestly, in a game, I'd rather do everything myself—receives, sets, spikes—than try to cooperate with Hinata. I just think as long as it gets done, it's fine. …Actually, with Kagami here, I don't even need him at all."
"Hah!? What the hell are you saying! 'Don't need me'—that's just cruel!!"
"…And stop casually dropping my name like that. Don't drag me into this."
Hearing it is way worse than reading it: Kageyama's infamous line—solo volleyball. Impossible volleyball.
"Ha ha ha ha! Man, you really said it out loud, huh? Your real feelings! Well, I actually like that honesty. Besides, you trust Kagami a lot, don't you? Makes sense, considering until recently he was an opponent. But after watching that match, yeah… even I get it. This guy's incredible. No wonder you trust him."
"Ah, thank you."
Kagami couldn't help blushing a little at the unexpected warm welcome. He'd never been introduced so directly by the captain before. Hinata had been happy for him before, but this—this was on another level.
"…Though honestly, I think you called my name at the worst possible timing."
"Yeah, I get that. If your name suddenly came up during a 'should we let him play or not' kind of talk, it's rough. Still, it's a team sport. Sometimes responsibility spreads around. But this time—don't worry. This was definitely, completely, the fault of just those two."
Kagami wanted to relax at that explanation… but couldn't fully.
"(Sawamura-san's not smiling at all. His eyes are dead serious… That vice-principal incident must've really hit him hard…)"
Kagami looked off distantly. Knowing what had happened and imagining being the captain responsible for it… yeah, no way you could just laugh it off. But that was the captain's burden to carry.
"…So anyway."
Sawamura crossed his arms and faced the two troublemakers again.
"Kageyama. I get that you trust Kagami, and why. I get that Hinata's still inexperienced and unreliable. But volleyball is about connecting the ball, even in those situations."
It was the most obvious truth.
Not just volleyball—every team sport works that way. If you want to handle everything alone, stick to individual competitions.
But this was Karasuno High's volleyball team.
Pure, hardcore team play.
"If you let 'I accept him, but not this guy' slide, the team falls apart. You know that, don't you? You can't let the ball drop, you can't hold it, you can't touch it twice in a row. Kageyama, how are you gonna fight like that?"
He ended with a smile.
This time, it was a genuine smile.
Then—slam! The door shut firmly behind him.
"Shoyo… well, good luck."
Kagami had no intention of defending them, so he just followed Sawamura to where the rest of the team was waiting.
Hinata, still stunned by Kageyama's outrageous statement, said nothing to Kagami this time. (Maybe he just forgot.)
.
And so, Karasuno Volleyball Club.
Kagami truly felt it—he was here, in their gym at last.
When practice halted and everyone gathered, it was time for introductions.
Of course, Kagami already knew most of them.
Tanaka, who always glared and tried to intimidate new faces—friend or foe alike.
Sugawara, who seemed hot-blooded but was actually gentle and reassuring, with a kind smile—the vice-captain.
Sawamura, usually kind but terrifying when angry, the team's pillar.
Ennoshita, whose name matched his steady, dependable character, and a future captain candidate.
Kinoshita, a coward at times but reliable when it counted.
Narita, said to lack presence—but he was most definitely there.
And the lone flower among thorns, their beautiful, talented, high-achieving manager, Shimizu.
Others were around too, but these were the ones here now.
It was moving, honestly.
"Alright, you probably already know, but this here is Kagami, the super rookie I was hyping up. Everyone, take good care of him!"
"Wha—whaaat~~!"
Kagami, flustered and blushing from the overly dramatic intro, reacted late.
"Haha, Kagami's got a cute side, huh? Tanaka. I thought he was some stiff guy, leading that team the way he did."
"Really? I dunno yet… Maybe he's got another side, and we'll need to train it out of him. When that time comes, Suga-san, show him the dignity of a third-year, alright?"
Tanaka glared fiercely. Kagami knew this already—if anything, he was happy about it. (Not because he's a masochist or anything!)
"Enough. You can tell Kagami's a good kid."
"Ughhh~~"
Sawamura's hand landed firmly on Tanaka's shoulder. As captain, he couldn't afford to lose even a fraction of fighting strength to petty squabbles, so he gently but firmly warned him.
Tanaka, having just seen Sawamura furious moments ago, was even more overwhelmed than usual.
"Alright, Kagami. Give us your name—quick self-introduction. Everyone probably knows, but do it properly."
"Got it! I'm Kagami Seiya, from Class 1-5, formerly Yukigaoka Middle. No set position—I can play pretty much anywhere."
The team erupted with impressed exclamations.
"Whoa, that's amazing. Have we ever had someone introduced as an all-rounder before?"
"…Ooh, I definitely wanna see that in action."
"Tanaka. Stay."
Sugawara yanked Tanaka back.
"No no, it's more like… I picked it up out of necessity. I don't really have a specialty, so I guess you could call me a jack of all trades, master of none."
"Don't be so modest. I saw that match—you were insane. Even Tanaka, tough guy that he is, was full of praise. Right, Tanaka?"
"S-Suga-san…! Y-yeah! I'll admit it—your guts were solid. That little guy was terrible, but he jumped like crazy. You two were nuts. …Though, the little guy's in trouble now, so he's outside."
Tanaka could be intimidating, but he was honest—praising when praise was due.
"Thank you, Sugawara-senpai, Tanaka-senpai! And everyone, I look forward to playing with you!"
Kagami's bright, open smile radiated a different kind of innocence from Hinata's. He truly loved volleyball, could play at a high level, and most importantly, could unite the team in a sport built on connection. Sawamura felt certain—their expectations weren't misplaced.
"Seriously, what a great kid we got… The future's looking bright."
"Ha ha ha. You sound like his guardian. Well, considering the problem child earlier, I can't blame you."
Sugawara knew exactly why Sawamura said it.
"…(Senpai… senpai, senpai, senpai-senpai…!) Hahaha! From now on, I'll look out for you! 'Cause I'm your senpai, after all!"
Tanaka replayed Kagami's "Tanaka-senpai" in his head over and over.
At that moment, Kagami stopped being a "cocky rookie (temporary)" and became a "lovable junior (permanent)."