After several days of early morning practice, Hinata—still feeling it wasn't enough—used his lunch breaks to train as well.
His practice partners were sometimes Kagami, and sometimes Sugawara, who would rush over when he could.
For now, these two were Hinata's main practice partners.
And today, they were practicing again.
Since Kagami would be late due to class matters, Hinata was practicing with Sugawara.
What came up in their conversation was something Hinata still hadn't done even once—spike practice.
"Hinata, you've been doing nothing but receives until Kageyama acknowledges you, but how about trying some spike practice? If you want, I'll toss for you."
"!!! Really!? Ah— thank you so much!! ————…!!"
(Whoa… he's showing so many emotions on his face… This might be the first time I've seen someone this easy to read.)
Hinata's smile stretched so wide it looked like it might burst from his face when he heard Sugawara's offer.
But immediately he went serious, then sour, then conflicted—his expression kept shifting.
"N-no… but… if I let you toss for me here… it kind of feels like I'm admitting defeat… A-and Seiya hasn't tossed for me yet either…"
"Hahaha. Yeah, considering the way you talked big that morning, I get it. I only said it just in case. Honestly, I think Kagami would toss for you easily, but you're holding yourself back."
Sugawara had already predicted Hinata would refuse. He had heard Hinata's declaration to Kageyama during morning practice the other day.
"What I wanna ask is this. Why are you trying to compete with Kageyama? If it were me, I wouldn't wanna pick fights with the strongest guys. Training together? Getting stronger together? That's different. But competing head-on… nah."
Anyone watching could see Hinata and Kageyama were butting heads. Sugawara wanted to know why. With skills as high as Kageyama's, training with him seemed more logical than trying to beat him. And since Hinata works so well with Kagami, shifting toward that partnership would've made sense too.
"…It was during the middle school match. Since Seiya was there, I thought we'd never lose to someone just because they were tall. But Kageyama completely shut us down. He was insanely skilled, way bigger than me, and just so strong… I hated seeing him standing right in front of me. I don't even wanna imagine what would've happened without Seiya. It's kind of a trauma…"
"Ahh… yeah, I can understand that. I bet Kageyama's killing intent alone was terrifying."
Sugawara pictured Kageyama on the other side of the net—eyes sharp enough to kill, starving for victory. Honestly, a kid might cry seeing that.
"And back then… I knew I was making Seiya do all the work. He covered for everyone's mistakes, he scored tons of points with his serves, he even spiked. He always said stuff like 'We're teammates, we work together,' but I felt like I was dead weight. That's why, when Kageyama's face popped into my mind—though I didn't want it to—it did. And I thought, if I can beat him, we can all get stronger. If I get strong enough to take him down, Seiya and I would be unbeatable… I just don't want to drag anyone down anymore…"
Hinata's feelings.
Sugawara assumed Kagami had sensed them too.
Even if Kagami said "It's fine, we're teammates," pride exists in everyone. And with Hinata loving volleyball this much, there's no way he'd have zero pride.
"So basically, Hinata, you wanna catch up to Kagami. And to do that, you think you have to beat Kageyama—the strongest enemy you've ever faced. That's why you're playing volleyball?"
"Eh?? Umm… if I can get strong enough to beat Kageyama, then I won't be Seiya's burden anymore… I know Seiya doesn't think that way, but I was a captain in name only… And more than anything, if I get stronger, we won't lose easily. I don't wanna lose anymore."
"I see. So in your mind, the top spot is Kagami. And to reach him, you need to defeat Kageyama. Which means the two strongest guys in your age group are those two?"
"Uh… ah—uhbuhbuh…!"
(Uhbuhbuh?)
"S-Seiya aside… Kageyama is… he's… n-not… y-yesshh… mmmnnn…"
(Ahh. So he really doesn't even want to say yes when it comes to Kageyama.)
Hinata wants to catch up to Kagami.
But before him stands the image of Kageyama blocking the path.
Sugawara could also tell—Kageyama, in his own way, was aiming for Kagami too.
So maybe Hinata and Kageyama were more alike than they realized.
Both of their sights were set on Kagami.
"Kageyama said the other day that even if he beat Kagami in a match, he lost in the real battle. So both of you have the same goal, huh?"
"Uh… yeah, something like that, I guess."
"So in your mind, Kagami is the strongest ally, and Kageyama is the strongest enemy you have to beat."
"Yes."
"Hahaha, isn't that amazing?"
"???"
Hinata tilted his head, not understanding Sugawara's laughter.
Sugawara smiled and explained.
"The two strongest guys are both here at Karasuno, right next to you. Hinata, compared to middle school, you're ridiculously lucky now. Kageyama isn't officially in yet, but he's still on your team. That means you'll have two of the strongest allies. Isn't that awesome? Even I'm getting excited."
"......"
Kagami needed no explanation.
But Hinata still couldn't bring himself to acknowledge Kageyama.
Not when he was working so hard specifically to get Kageyama to acknowledge him.
His thoughts kept spiraling, spiraling—
Until his head felt like it might burst.
"Alright, break's over. Let's get back to receives. Kagami should be here soon."
"! Yessir!"
Hinata stopped thinking about difficult things.
Hinata stopped thinking about things that made his head hurt.
He would just move forward.
Earnestly.
Practice was all he needed.
And…
Someone was watching the two from the shadows.
"So we're the 'two strongest,' huh? Being described like that makes you kinda squirm, doesn't it, Kageyama?"
"......"
It was Kageyama and Kagami.
Kagami had been heading over to join them when he found Kageyama.
Since the topic was awkward to interrupt, they ended up eavesdropping.
"Shōyō's still rough around the edges, but he's got insane athletic sense. Make sure you use it. I want to see what happens when you and Shōyō sync."
"How the hell am I supposed to sync with him right now? Yeah, his athletic sense is real. But you know volleyball isn't that easy. No one gets that good in such a short time. My stance hasn't changed. I still don't think we need him to win."
"Yet. That's fair. …But it's also true that things will get tough unless Hinata works hard. Unless you're saying you're not hung up on being a setter."
"Of course I am! I'm a setter!"
"Good. Then as the team's command tower, use everyone to their full potential. Otherwise…"
Kagami began walking past Kageyama toward Hinata.
"…you better understand that if you're playing it like a 3-on-2 match, you're not beating us."
—
Practice continued.
Tuesday, Wednesday… Thursday.
Hinata kept receiving, receiving, receiving—forward, backward, diving, jumping, trying to get every ball.
Even without Kagami or Sugawara there, he kept hitting the ball against the wall.
He even got scolded in class for dozing off.
But all he could think about was volleyball.
And then—
It finally paid off.
"Hey! Don't you dare hold back!!"
"Says you, bastard!! Bring it on!!"
It looked like a fistfight.
Thursday morning practice.
Kageyama fired ball after ball, and Hinata picked them up again and again.
Near balls, far balls, feints, all types of hits—Hinata still kept receiving.
To make Kageyama acknowledge him.
25 minutes passed.
Here is the natural, fluent English translation of your text:
"Good morning, Tanaka-san."
"Yo… Wait, how long have they been at it?"
"Probably under 30 minutes, I think."
"Continuously?"
"Yes."
"Ugh…"
"Hinata really is… truly first-class."
Kagami, Tanaka, and Sugawara watched as Hinata continued to chase the ball with reckless abandon. There was only one reason he kept going that long.
"Oy! You're pretty much at your limit, right?! Let's call it he—"
"Not yet!!"
Even Kageyama had been about to stop, but Hinata still refused to quit.
"The ball…! I haven't dropped it yet!! I haven't lost!!!"
Kageyama almost snapped back, "There's no winning or losing in this!"
—but he swallowed the words.
Hinata wouldn't stop because he hadn't dropped the ball. And if he stopped here, he would feel like he lost—not to Kageyama, but to himself. And especially not in front of Kagami.
It was the same for Kageyama. Even if he thought there was no winning or losing in this drill, after being pushed this far, he couldn't be the one to stop either.
Not in front of Kagami.
"You little…!"
He swung with full force, sending the ball beyond the end line and all the way toward the wall.
"Whoa, Kageyama, that's a jerk move."
"—! (Crap, I sent it somewhere impossible…)"
Kageyama was exhausted too—not as badly as Hinata, but enough that losing his cool made him send the ball somewhere unreasonable.
"No way he can get that."
"I don't think so."
"Huh?"
Everyone except Kagami thought it was impossible: an unreasonable ball, thirty minutes of nonstop movement—no way anyone could get it. Even Kageyama thought so.
But Kagami alone kept his eyes on Hinata. And as if responding to that trust, Hinata took a huge step forward.
"Most people decide their own limit and stop. But Shōyō isn't like that. When he's got that look on his face, focused straight ahead… he doesn't know how to stop."
Everyone turned to Hinata.
He didn't stop. Even when his legs almost tangled under him, he forced them forward again and again.
Then he dove, stretched out his right hand—
and raised the ball. A remarkable receive, one he probably couldn't even see clearly.
In their first and last match, Hinata had lost.
That loss made him want to win more than anyone. He never wanted to lose again. If anything, his grip on victory was stronger than anyone's.
"Whoa, he got it!! Yikes—Hinata, you're insane!!"
"Nice receive. Perfect return position."
"It looked kind of like luck, but he's seriously incredible."
A soft spin, gentle height—it was exactly as Kagami had said: a perfect return.
They followed the ball with their eyes.
Kageyama was there.
He must have been thinking something, though he had only a split second. But in that instant, it felt long.
Hinata's persistence—right now—made Kageyama rethink everything.
Kageyama didn't hit the ball back immediately. He shifted his body 45 degrees, moved a little away from the net, and set it high. A soft, gentle toss.
"(If I say Shōyō won, Kageyama might sulk again…) Shōyoooo! Set's up!!
Hit it!!"
"Are you insane?! After running around for this long, you think he still has energy to—"
Normally, Tanaka would be correct.
This was just morning practice—no one needed to go this far.
But for Hinata, a setter giving him a toss carried a completely different weight.
"—!!"
No matter how tired he was, Hinata showed the brightest smile.
Smiling, he leaped high and slammed the ball down.
Even exhausted, his jumps seemed to come from a separate energy source.
Kagami laughed as he watched, recalling old memories.
"He actually hit it, haha."
"Right? He always hit them like that. …We barely had opportunities to borrow a court for practice, you know."
"I see… Yeah, that makes sense. For us, getting a toss from a setter is normal—nothing special. But for Hinata… and for you too, Kagami, I guess. For you two, it's something special."
"Ahh, that makes sense. …But hey, Kagami. You had the same environment as Hinata, right? So how're you doing all that crazy stuff at your age??"
If Hinata had reached this level because of poor training conditions, then what about Kagami?
Tanaka was genuinely curious. He already recognized Kagami's ability—Kageyama and Kagami were in the same league.
Kagami scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed.
"My parents played volleyball. Well, only in high school—they never made it to nationals or Spring High. But I ended up loving volleyball, so ever since I was little, I was always touching the ball."
This was true.
He left out the deeper origins—the parts that started before he was even born.
But Tanaka and Sugawara accepted the explanation without any doubt.
Of course—
after that, Hinata made an absolute mess of the gym.
No need to even say it.
Later that day, during club activities—
"Huuuuahh~~"
"Haaaahhh~~"
Sugawara and Tanaka yawned loudly at the same time. They looked exhausted.
"You two look sleepy."
"!!"
Noticing it was the captain, Sawamura. As captain, he always watched over everyone… though in this case, their yawns were just extremely obvious.
They tried to cover it up by blaming it on studying, though Sugawara immediately jabbed Tanaka—"You? Studying? No way!"
To change the topic, Kagami jumped in naturally and addressed Sawamura.
"Sawamura-san, you mentioned a first-year was joining today, right?"
"Hm? Ah, yeah, that's right. Hey, come on in!"
The topic change succeeded.
And then—finally—the two new members arrived.
"Nice to meet youuu!"
"Nice to meet you!"
These would be the members playing on Kagami's team for the upcoming match.
"I'll introduce them. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi."
A tall boy, smiling constantly—Tsukishima.
Behind him, following closely like a shadow—Yamaguchi.
"And about this Saturday's match, I've already told them. Kagami. I know you'd do it anyway, but… I'm counting on you."
"W–wait, that's way too sudden and vague! You can't just say 'I'm counting on you' and leave it at that!"
"Haha, sorry, sorry. My bad."
They weren't really acquaintances—Kagami only knew of them, but this was their first proper meeting.
And yet Sawamura seemed to be telling him to wrangle Tsukishima, one of the trickiest personalities on the team.
"Hm?"
Kagami's eyes met Tsukishima's.
He was smiling, but behind his eyes was a cold, uninterested sharpness.
It looked like a pasted-on smile—maybe for the first time, Kagami thought so.
"Hey, you—didn't you play against the King's team back in middle school? I think I recognize you."
"Huh?"
Surprisingly, Tsukishima was the one who spoke first.
Given his personality, Kagami wasn't shocked, but it was unexpected.
"Oh! He's right, that was the first round, wasn't it? You're Kagami, right? Tsukki and I watched that match together!"
"Yamaguchi, you didn't need to say 'together.'"
"S-sorry, Tsukki!!"
Watching their exchange, Kagami almost burst out laughing, but managed to hold it back.
In a few months, these two would grow so much it'd be shocking. Yamaguchi would no longer trail behind Tsukishima but push him to move forward—Tsukishima would even call him someone "who's always one step ahead."
But right now?
Yeah… they really did look like a master and his minion.
"Yeah, that's me. We lost to Kita-Ichi, though. I'm Kagami Seiya. Nice to meet you two."
"Hmmm. But you were amazing. I thought, 'Wow, geniuses really do exist.' Ah, and if your teammates had been just a liiittle more competent, you probably could've beaten the King. Pretty high chance, I think?"
"No, no. That was our best. We played the best we could with that lineup. But we came up short. That's all. No point in 'what ifs.' A loss is a loss."
"…So this Saturday is your revenge match, I guess?"
"Well, I'd love it if we could get revenge. I won't hold back, and besides—those guys wouldn't let me even if I tried."
"...…."
Tsukishima narrowed his eyes just a little, then smiled dryly again.
"Sorry for the late intro. I'm Tsukishima Kei, Class 1–4."
"And I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi, also a first-year."
They exchanged greetings formally.
Club activities ended for the day.
"Tch… I dunno, that new first-year really pisses me off!"
"You say that about almost everyone you meet for the first time. Huh? The only exception was Kagami, right? The one you liked. Ohhh, I get it. You don't like people unless they compliment you."
"Wh— th-that's not true!"
"Hahaha. Right, right. It's just your instinct, huh?"
"Instinct…?"
Tsukishima was, as always, completely unfazed by Tanaka's intimidation.
Tanaka had tried to act threatening, but since none of it landed, he only grew more annoyed. Or maybe it was because Kagami had been his opponent.
"But wow… they were better than expected. Two experienced tall guys, and one of the three is practically at a top–high-school level. Will Kagami be okay tomorrow?"
"I haven't even played volleyball in high school yet, so I'd really appreciate it if you didn't call it 'top-high-school' or whatever… And also, why are you asking me instead of Tanaka-san, Sugawara-san?"
For some reason, Sugawara was asking Kagami, the one he called "the amazing one," even though Tanaka—who would be on Hinata and Kageyama's team—was right next to him.
"That's right! I'm on that team too!!"
"Hmm… but if Kagami's ability boosts those guys' strength, isn't that… kinda bad for us?"
"Guh."
"Sugawara-san, I don't know what you think I can do, but I don't have some crazy superpower! No matter what team it is, it always takes time to build coordination! Also, Tanaka-san, please stop trying to intimidate people…"
"Hahaha, just kidding. I know, I know."
Sugawara waved his hand and laughed, but it was impossible to tell how much of it was actually a joke.
Tsukishima was sharp and talented. Yamaguchi had long-term potential. …But both of them, especially Tsukishima, had quirks. Kagami found them exhausting to deal with, to be honest.
"But still… I feel like you'll manage somehow, Kagami. You meshed surprisingly well with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi during practice. Didn't even take long to get in sync. …Oh, but didn't Tsukishima kinda poke at you at first too?"
"Ah… you noticed?"
"Of course. Even though he was smiling and speaking politely, there were definitely some comments in there that'd tick anyone off."
Kagami understood Tsukishima's provocations perfectly.
Tsukishima had even indirectly insulted Kagami's middle school team members.
Sure, they weren't the strongest team, even though they worked hard. Kagami could admit that. But that didn't mean they deserved to be looked down on.
Still, he understood Tsukishima's personality. Instead of arguing, the best move was to acknowledge reality and respond logically. He also understood what Tsukishima himself was struggling with.
"Being all tense won't help. Besides, we've only just reached the starting line—the Karasuno High School volleyball team. And our goal is the same right now. So I'm hoping we can slowly build good relationships within the team."
"...Tanaka. This is what I mean. Learn from Kagami."
"Ughhh…"
Meanwhile—
The very people they were talking about were already getting into trouble.
Their opponents: Hinata and Kageyama.
Tsukishima greeted them with his usual dry smile, but the things he said were naturally irritating.
And since neither Kageyama nor Hinata were the type capable of laughing things off, a small argument broke out.
It settled eventually, but…
"Oh yeah, we're enemies tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing the 'King's Sets.'"
"...…."
Tsukishima never missed a chance to provoke someone.
"What the hell! That guy's so annoying!! Tomorrow, I'm definitely crushing him! Even if it's just him, I'm taking him dooown!"
"You don't have to tell me."
"Ugh! You're just as annoying!!"
"Shut up."
Hinata's frustration only grew.
And he remembered what Kagami had told him.
When you get to high school, you'll meet all kinds of people.
And among them, you'll clash with all kinds of strengths—and that's how you'll grow stronger.
"…But that guy is way more annoying than I expected!!"
As for Tsukishima—
One might think he felt refreshed after provoking them so much, but that wasn't the case.
"Tsukki! Wait! What's wrong!?"
"…It's irritating. Guys who get fired up over nothing… that King guy, and the runt… and also… tch."
Fire—heat—intensity… those types bothered Tsukishima.
And, just as Sugawara suspected and Kagami himself had noticed, Tsukishima had been provoking Kagami too.
Ever since he watched that match—rookies vs. the King's team—he had felt irritated for some reason.
Someone who is relied on.
Someone who scores again and again with smiles—spikes, serves, never giving up, surrounded by teammates…
It was a scene Tsukishima had seen long ago.
A memory he wanted to forget, but couldn't.
And so, for a while, Tsukishima kept suppressing that strange irritation rising within him.