This happened after the whole commotion involving Kageyama and the others.
While cleaning up the remaining equipment, Sugawara was talking to Sawamura about something.
"Are you sure about this, Daichi? About putting Kagami on that side?"
"Hm? Is there a problem? We already planned a 3-on-3 match between the first-years anyway, and there are five of them total. It works nicely. And it'd be weird if the others get to play but Kagami alone is left out."
"No, that's not what I meant. It's just… the image I had of Kagami before meeting him and the impression I got after meeting him in person… they match a lot. He really is the super honor-student type you said he was. And he's really kind, right? I heard about the punishment given to Kageyama and the others. I feel like he might deliberately let them have their moment. And if that happens, it could be a problem, right?"
Sugawara's worry was that during the 3-on-3, Kagami's team—who weren't given any sort of punishment if they lost—might intentionally hold back. Maybe not obviously, but especially considering Hinata rather than Kageyama.
They'd played volleyball together since middle school, and Sugawara had seen how many times Kagami reached out a hand to Hinata in that last match. He had seen Kagami supporting everyone.
So Sugawara thought that might affect the match.
When he said this, Sawamura shook his head.
"You didn't see it, Suga. Ah—Kiyoko, you saw his face, right?"
"Mm."
Sawamura grinned. When he spoke to Kiyoko, who had been cleaning beside him, she nodded. The two of them already understood.
"That wasn't the face of someone thinking about stuff like that. He looked insanely excited—like a kid in front of a new toy. I had the same worry you did at first, but once I saw his face, it disappeared. Sure he's reliable, but sometimes he acts his age, and that's nice."
After hearing this, Sugawara understood. Come to think of it, he never actually saw Kagami's expression. If he had, he'd probably reach the same conclusion as Sawamura. He knew how passionate Kagami was about volleyball.
And more than that—what he thought about was Sawamura.
"Ahh, I get it now. But seriously… you're like some overprotective guardian, being happy about how much a kid has grown while still worrying over him, Daichi."
"…You're not wrong."
"Ah, Kiyoko, you think so too??"
"You two…"
At the same time—Hinata, who was with Kageyama, was talking about a similar topic.
Of course: about the 3-on-3 match and Kagami.
"Honestly… I don't even care anymore that your punishment might mean you can't be setter this time."
"Hah!? Say that again, you little—!!"
Kageyama was about to physically retaliate after hearing Hinata's "insult" (as he saw it), but something—some unknown pressure—stopped him. That strange aura Hinata showed sometimes… Kageyama bristled instinctively.
Or maybe Kagami taught him this mental fortitude? he wondered.
In Kageyama's mind, Kagami was turning into some kind of beast.
Then Hinata casually touched a huge taboo for Kageyama.
Kageyama's pride as a setter was enormous—he had just given a passionate speech about what a setter was: the "ruler" of the court, the coolest role. He awakened to the beauty of setting after watching real matches live.
It was like what Hinata felt when he saw the "Small Giant." Hinata even knew he shouldn't touch that nerve—Kageyama was scary when angry.
But this time was different.
"—When I realized this is the first time I'll ever play a match against Seiya… everything else flew out of my head. I want to join the volleyball club. I really want to. But that almost flew away too. We practiced together so much, but this is our first time facing each other across a net."
Hinata smiled—and inside his eyes was a small flame.
"You guys never did practice matches at all?"
"Nope. We didn't have enough people. We practiced wherever we could get in, but always together. We planned to play together in high school too. And anyway, I was always the one dragging him around."
Hinata's feelings toward Kagami were clear—even though they were the same age, he admired him deeply.
Kageyama understood that. He understood it too well.
"…I can finally repay that debt. I'm not the same as last year. This time… for sure…"
Kageyama also had a fire in his eyes.
Both of them were like beasts with sparks ignited—because Kagami had this rare ability to inspire friend and foe alike.
"Still, I'm excited for the 3-on-3 on Saturday… but we've gotta practice. We can't get into the gym. What do we do…?"
"How should I know!? But we're doing it! We're fixing your crappy receives!"
"Crappy!? I got that crazy one up!!"
"You call that getting it up!? All you did was knock off the vice-principal's toupee—you almost hit a home run, you idiot!!"
Even while arguing, they were seriously thinking about practice. It was a serious issue—they knew they were screwed without it.
Kageyama hadn't even considered the possibility of facing Kagami. He only thought they'd play against the 2nd–3rd year team.
"I won't lose. Not with me here."
Could he say that line in front of Hinata again? No—he couldn't nod honestly. Their last middle school match—they won the game, but lost the fight. That bitter feeling still lingered.
No amount of practice felt like enough to face Kagami. And with Hinata dragging him down, he wanted even more practice.
That was when—
"Ahh—uff… god, my throat hurts. Yelled too much today…"
"??"
From beyond the iron bars of the gym window came Tanaka's voice.
It was incredibly obvious he was faking it, but the two had no reason to doubt him.
"Sooo, MORNING PRACTICE tomorrow starts at 7, right!?"
A strangely loud, unnatural shout. It echoed outside.
"Uh, yeah… that's right. Why are you yelling?"
"Eh? Ah, uh, the vice-principal! Is his toupee okay!?"
"Stop bringing that up!!"
"(…Honestly, I kinda wish I'd seen it.)"
They heard everything clearly.
So—they would practice tomorrow morning.
Either before or after the official morning practice. After was impossible—they'd get locked inside the school gate, and a patrolling teacher would catch them.
So that left…
""Tomorrow…""
They already knew.
"5 AM."
"Don't be late!"
"Look who's talking!"
They synchronized their plans and went home.
Tanaka, watching from the side, felt relieved they heard him.
"Tanaka-senpai!"
"UWOH—Wh-what, Kagami!?"
He reacted too dramatically after being called from the side he wasn't looking at—because he'd been watching Hinata and Kageyama leave.
The voice belonged to Kagami.
Kagami grinned broadly.
"Thank you! For Hinata and the others!"
"H-Hah!? D-don't shout! And—what are you talking about~~? Whistling~♪"
His awkward, clearly fake whistling made Kagami laugh.
"Also, I'm looking forward to playing against you, Tanaka-senpai!"
"…Oh! Bring it on!! Haha, you're seriously a good kid. Supporting that team all that time… even with Hinata AND Kageyama there. You're impressive."
Tanaka patted his shoulder proudly.
But then his expression sharpened slightly.
"But hey—don't you dare hold back. Even if you went to the same middle school. I'm coming at you full force."
"Hm…? Ah, don't worry."
"Huh? W—!"
Kagami gave a small smile, then closed his eyes. When he opened them, something changed.
The polite, perfect honor student disappeared—Tanaka felt a wave of pressure from him.
"I'm not skilled enough to hold back in a volleyball match."
The pressure vanished quickly, but its presence lingered.
"…Hah! Now I'm excited!"
"Looking forward to it! Ah, Tanaka-senpai—can I ask you for advice…?"
"Sure! Ask me anything!! Leave it to your great Senpai Tanaka!!"
Next Day, Tuesday — 4:55 AM
It was still pitch black outside. Yet two silhouettes stood in front of the Second Gym.
"…I figured, but yeah, it's locked."
The door wouldn't budge. Hinata briefly wondered if there was even anything worth stealing in there—but he swallowed that thought.
"Then we look for a window we can get in from. Maybe a skylight?"
"What!? You gonna climb up there!? If we get caught we're done for! What if they think we're burglars!"
Hinata's rare logical argument was ignored completely as Kageyama began searching for entry points.
That was when—
"—Man, 5 AM really is rough. Still dark…"
"It's been a while for me. Hinata's house is super far, so I had to get up early a few times."
"Damn, you guys did early morning practice in middle school too?"
"Volleyball, yeah—but also because Hinata's little sister really likes me. They invited me over a lot."
"Ohh, Hinata's sister, huh? I imagine she's super energetic."
"Not wrong. She's an absurdly powerful elementary schooler."
Crunch, crunch—footsteps approached. Tanaka and Kagami.
"!? Tanaka-san and Seiya!?"
Caught!—Hinata thought, but relaxed when he saw Kagami.
Kageyama returned as well.
"Just like Kagami said, Hinata. And you too, Kageyama—so simple. Ehh, what was it… 'reckless charging-straight-ahead' or something~?"
"'Headlong rush,' I think. And considering Kageyama was about to climb through a window… he's no better."
The two approached with amused expressions.
"Here. The key. Wrap it up by 7, yeah?"
He held out the gym key—an incredibly important item.
"TANAKAAAA-SANNNN!!!"
"Thanks!!"
"WAHAHAHA! What an amazing senpai I am! Call me Tanaka-senpai!"
""Tanaka-senpai!!""
"Hahaha! Again! Kagami too!"
"""TANAKA-SENPAI!!"""
"WAHAHAHAHA!!"
"Still, you didn't even mention morning practice? That's cold, man. I'm joining in. Let's do it together, all of us!"
"Ah— …Of course I was thinking of inviting you too, Seiya, but if we're doing matches, then doing it together would be…"
"What are you talking about? After all the times we've practiced together, it's a little late to say that now. Shōyō's the one who dragged me here, so I'm sticking with him. Besides, having more people means we can do more in practice. Kageyama, you got a problem with that?"
"Whether you're here or not doesn't change what I have to do. So I'll choose the higher-quality option… Serve at me. This time I'll receive them all."
"Oh? You're on! Let's do it!"
"Ah, me too, me too!! I'm first!!"
"No, I'm going first!"
"Why?! I want to do it too!! I still can't receive Seiya's serves at all!!"
They were fired up even before entering the gym.
Tanaka honestly wondered if maybe they should've just made a team out of those three. But Sawamura's priority was Hinata and Kageyama's coordination.
Sure, including Kagami—who can adapt to any team—would be fine, but first they needed Kageyama to become more self-aware, and they wanted to see the combination of Hinata's speed with Kageyama's sets. And if their opponent was Kagami, that would fire them up even more. That's why they intentionally split the teams.
But listening to their conversation now, Tanaka couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
"Hey, hey, you guys. This practice is supposed to be for the 3-on-3, remember? Keep that in mind. More importantly, hurry up and get inside the gym already."
Later—somehow they even ended up arguing over who got to enter the gym first. Even though they had come early, they couldn't start practicing, they were tired, and Tanaka was getting irritated.
And of course, the one who settled things between the two was Kagami.
He pushed both of them forward and got them to walk into the gym at the same time—his coordination was impressive.