Advancing Triumphantly

In a six-set, first-to-three format, even with Hayato, Karasuno could still only win three sets in the upcoming practice matches. The other powerhouse schools were no pushovers either. Compared with Karasuno's lineup, which had only recently been assembled and was also missing its first-year superhuman duo, their lineups had been polished through long periods of coordination.

"Is Karasuno really that strong?"

"Yeah, especially that Wing Spiker who can hit a Jump Float Serve. He's probably on par with Bokuto-senpai."

"Huh? Is he the first-year who put Nekoma through such a hard fight?"

"No, didn't they just say he was a second-year?"

The Fukurōdani and Shinzen players resting at the sidelines looked toward Karasuno as they chatted. Hearing them praise Karasuno, Hitoka's face filled with pride. Kiyoko smiled at her expression and reminded her.

"This still isn't Karasuno at full strength. Don't forget about our first-year duo."

After six matches, everyone's stamina had been drained somewhat. Hayato, however, was getting more and more into the rhythm, and he eagerly anticipated the next matchup. On the court were Bokuto's Fukurōdani Academy and Karasuno's longtime rival, Nekoma.

Although Fukurōdani Academy's ace was one of the top five in the nation, he still found himself in a tough battle against Nekoma's formidable defense. Balls that looked impossible to receive were repeatedly saved by Nekoma, who then launched a counterattack.

The tightly contested practice match finally ended in Fukurōdani's victory. Having rested up, Karasuno was about to take the court against Shinzen when the gymnasium doors opened. The newcomer was Tanaka's older sister, Saeko Tanaka, with her short blond hair. Behind her were the first-years who had arrived late because of tutoring, Hinata and Kageyama.

"The protagonists always make their entrance at the very end. What a flair for stealing the spotlight."

Nekoma's captain, Kuroo, teased the two as they walked in. Once they finished warming up, they joined the practice match.

At last, Karasuno's new main lineup was complete: Hinata, Kageyama, and Tanaka in the front row; Daichi, Nishinoya, and Hayato in the back row. Tsukishima would rotate with the libero, while Asahi took a seat on the bench.

Asahi had no complaints about Coach Ukai's arrangement. After these matches against other strong teams, Hayato really was better than him.

"Go get 'em—Killer Serve!"

Standing in the front row, Hinata shielded the back of his head with both hands and slapped that name onto Hayato's serve.

Remaining perfectly calm, Hayato used his favored Jump Float Serve once again, smashing the ball into Shinzen's backcourt with lightning speed. Then he raised one finger and shook it, saying in a slightly chuunibyou manner.

"Please call it the Railgun."

"Ooh! So cool! Railgun is so cool!"

Hinata was the only one cheering Hayato on. Everyone else felt a little awkward. How had an ordinary Jump Float Serve ended up with such an embarrassingly dramatic name?

On the other side, Shinzen's captain, Daiki Kogarano, with his naturally curly brown hair, heard Hayato's words and clicked his tongue in irritation.

"That brat's pretty cocky."

Though he said that, he had to admit that the Jump Float Serve just now had probably been the fastest of Hayato's serves that day.

"It's fine. Just block the next one. Focus, focus."

As he clapped and encouraged his teammates, he also spread their defensive formation out a little more.

Feeling that his previous serve had been his most perfect one of the day, Hayato accepted the volleyball and prepared to do it again.

"I wonder how fast this one will be."

Running his fingers over the grooves of the volleyball, Hayato muttered to himself.

Xu Zhen, the world's number one Jump Float Server, had once reached speeds of around 150 kilometers per hour. Hayato, who had always regarded him as his idol, was especially fond of Jump Float Serves. Back when he had still been Su Yun, his Jump Float Serve had been his signature move.

After becoming Hayato, he had specifically trained it as well, but he was still far from reaching his former level.

A Jump Float Serve got its name from the fact that the player served the ball in midair after jumping. It required the body to fully extend during the serve, raising the contact point and using the force of the jump to make the ball fly faster and hit harder. It was highly aggressive, technically difficult, and demanded strong physical ability.

Its strengths were its power, speed, flat trajectory, and short time over the net, making it highly threatening. Its weakness was that Jump Float Serves consumed a great deal of stamina and could easily hit the net or go out of bounds.

But the most important reason Hayato liked Jump Float Serves was that they were an original Yanhuang technique.

When the whistle blew, Hayato served once more and scored another point. By the third serve, although it was indeed perfect, Shinzen had spread its players farther apart, giving each person more room to move, so they received it.

After getting a chance ball, Shinzen immediately launched an attack. But Karasuno had their guardian deity on their side. Nishinoya perfectly received the attack, and then the Monster Quick Attack showed its might.

Hinata shook off the blockers at incredible speed, raced to the other side of the net, and leaped into the air. With his eyes closed, he swung his arm down. Kageyama sent the ball right into his hand, scoring once again.

Karasuno erupted in celebration.

"You've got to be kidding, what was that?"

"That was insanely fast."

"I've never seen a quick attack like that."

The other players, frightened by the Monster Quick Attack, marveled at Karasuno's strength. Coach Ukai and the others sitting at the sidelines smiled at the same time, clearly pleased that they had shocked everyone else.

When Hayato rotated into the front row, he could not move as quickly as Hinata, but with his hang time, he stayed in the air longer than the blockers who had jumped after him. By the time the blockers descended, Kageyama's precise set had arrived, and Hayato spiked for another point.

The score on the court had somehow reached 9:2. Karasuno, who had previously traded blows with every opponent, was now crushing Shinzen after the first-year duo joined them. Everyone present found it unbelievable.

With that momentum, Karasuno pushed the score to 25:16 and won the practice match by their largest margin yet. Everyone on Karasuno was delighted by the huge victory. Hayato even put his hands under Hinata's armpits and lifted him straight up.

"Hinata, great job! Half the points this set had something to do with you."

"Oh! Thanks for the praise, Kuroba-senpai!"

Hinata had flawlessly carried out his role as the Ultimate Decoy and performed brilliantly in this practice match. Whenever he and Hayato were both in the front row, the opposing blockers had their attention divided between them, allowing Kageyama to better choose whom to set to. If Hinata was marked, Hayato could spike and score. If Hayato was marked, Hinata could slip past the block. Even when neither of them could attack conveniently, someone else could seize the opportunity to score.

"Kageyama's sets were great this set too."

After spinning Hinata around twice in the air and setting him down, Hayato praised Kageyama while holding out his hand for a high-five. Kageyama clearly had not adjusted to this kind of interaction yet. After hesitating for a moment, he still raised his hand and slapped both palms against Hayato's.

After that set, Hayato left the court to rest, and Asahi took the field for Karasuno's following practice matches. It could not be helped. As mentioned earlier, Jump Float Serves consumed a considerable amount of stamina. Over these seven practice sets, Hayato had not merely been serving. From defense to offense, everything drained his energy.

Being able to perform so well in the previous set had already taken everything he had. After draining an entire bottle of water and wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel, Hayato found a chair and sat down, ready for a proper rest.

At that moment, Coach Ukai walked over. He looked at the exhausted Hayato, paused for a moment, then voiced what he had been thinking. Coach Ukai wanted to alternate Hayato and Asahi during the Spring High qualifiers. That would ensure Hayato's stamina would not be depleted too quickly while also giving Asahi more opportunities to play.

Ever since Hayato joined the Volleyball Club, he had greatly threatened Asahi's position as the ace. Today, Hayato had even started. Though Asahi had some shortcomings, he was still an excellent ace, which was why Coach Ukai had thought of this approach.

Hearing the coach say that, Hayato did not refuse. Volleyball was not a one-man sport, after all. Yeah, that was important enough to say again. Why had Shiratorizawa, with ace Ushijima, ultimately lost? Their other players were all skilled too, but placing all the scoring pressure on Ushijima had been the reason for their defeat. Everyone had limits.