Unlike Hayato, who had gone out to train again, Kiyoko was putting the clothes she had brought back into the washing machine when a familiar little box fell out of her bag.
"I actually brought it with me... Good thing Hayato didn't try anything."
Picking up the little box and holding it in her hand, Kiyoko felt both embarrassed and annoyed. How had she gotten carried away and brought it along? Girls' feelings really were unpredictable. Just moments ago, she had been thinking she never should have brought it, and now she was wondering why Hayato had not made a move. Shaking her head, Kiyoko stopped overthinking and returned to her room to organize information on other schools' volleyball clubs.
That was right. A team manager was not only responsible for logistics and miscellaneous tasks. Recording match statistics and gathering information on opponents were also part of the job. Karasuno's advance to Nationals owed plenty to Kiyoko as well.
After finishing his workout, Hayato returned home and received a message from Hinata.
"Hayato-senpai, welcome back! I've made super~ huge progress while you were gone!"
As energetic as ever, Hinata could not wait to report his training progress to Hayato.
"Really? Then I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do tomorrow, Shoyo."
"Of course! Though I probably can't hide it from everyone anymore. Kageyama has already noticed that I've been consciously controlling my Offensive Rhythm during practice lately."
Thinking about it, Hayato realized Hinata was right. Once everyone knew he had been training Shoyo, any improvement would make the connection obvious.
"Then after club activities tomorrow, bring Kageyama with you. Let's give Coach Ukai a surprise. Show him your Monster Quick Attack, and let him see how much you've improved."
"Yeah!"
After finishing his chat with Hinata, Hayato put away his phone and went downstairs to cook. He had gotten hungry after training, but Hinata's message had arrived before he could even start making dinner.
The next day, Tanaka stopped Hayato as soon as he arrived in class.
"Hayato, were you with Kiyoko-senpai these past few days?"
Since the two of them had taken leave at the same time and returned at the same time, it was hard to believe they had not gone off together to do something.
"Hehe, secret."
Hayato gave Tanaka a mysterious smile without directly explaining himself, which only made Tanaka more curious. Tanaka hooked an arm around Hayato's neck and pretended to put him in a chokehold.
After they finished messing around, Hayato told him the excuse he had prepared beforehand. One of Kiyoko's relatives had gotten married, and since her parents could not attend due to other commitments, Hayato had accompanied her. They had still been together, but it was at least more believable than the two of them going abroad for fun. One was taking care of business, while the other looked exactly like a couple on their honeymoon.
Only Coach Ukai knew the real reason for their leave. They had even used that same excuse with the teachers, since no one could guarantee a teacher would not turn it into office gossip. Coach Ukai was far more reliable when it came to keeping secrets.
That explanation barely managed to satisfy Tanaka.
Later, during morning practice, Hayato faced another round of questioning from Nishinoya in the locker room. The two members of the Kiyoko Guard Squad really did think alike.
"Kuroba, Hinata's been faster in our intra-squad practice matches these past few days. Did you teach him that?"
While the other members trained, Daichi, the captain of the Volleyball Club, came over to ask. Sugawara beside him looked very interested as well. In recent practice matches, Coach Ukai had always put Hinata on Daichi's team, separating Kageyama and Hinata for practice. When Hinata launched his quick attacks, his movement speed was much faster than before.
During one quick attack, everyone had expected Hinata to spike, but at the moment he swung his arm down, he had unexpectedly chosen to tip the ball. That clearly more thoughtful way of attacking had shocked everyone. Kageyama had even worriedly asked Hinata whether his head was okay.
Hinata had already been practicing tips and tooling the block, and he had finally managed to use them successfully. He had been so excited that he bounced around nonstop.
However, Hayato had been teaching Hinata those two techniques ever since joining the Volleyball Club, so Daichi and the others already knew about them. Seeing how curious the two were, Hayato directly told them what he had in mind.
After hearing Hayato out, Daichi and Sugawara both fell silent. Then they patted Hayato on the shoulder and thanked him.
Letting Hinata run at full speed would indeed bring out Hinata's strengths, but it would also create more chances for Asahi to play. There were only so many starting positions on the current volleyball team. With Hinata and Kageyama together at Wing Spiker, they would undoubtedly be even stronger. Hayato was an ace-level player, and Daichi could not be benched due to his role as the team's pillar. That left Tanaka and Asahi competing for a single substitute spot.
During their previous training camp in Tokyo, Asahi had been the substitute. That was especially hard for a third-year student, so Hayato's suggestion could both bring out Hinata's strengths and give Asahi more opportunities to play. It was not something they could say openly, but the other two third-years, as his friends, were still very grateful to Hayato.
"Ah, good morning, Hayato-senpai!"
Hinata spotted Hayato at the entrance to the gymnasium and dashed over to greet him. Hearing that Hayato had arrived, Kageyama came over as well, reporting his training progress. Hinata quickly reported his own results too. Then the two started bickering, and it looked like their relationship had returned to normal.
Hayato smiled and interrupted them. After telling them he would take both of them to see Coach Ukai, Hinata did not react much since he already knew about it. Kageyama, on the other hand, was incredibly excited at the chance to meet the legendary Coach Ukai.
Morning practice was short, so everyone only did some basic drills. The main event was reserved for afternoon club activities. The moment Hayato entered the gymnasium that afternoon, Coach Ukai had everyone play a practice match and placed Hinata and Kageyama on the same team.
This time, Hayato was once again placed on the opposite side of the court from the two of them.
Seeing Coach Ukai divide the teams like that, Hayato knew the coach wanted to see whether the two could use their new Monster Quick Attack. In truth, everyone in the Volleyball Club had noticed their efforts and felt it was about time.
Hayato, Tsukishima, Daichi, Sugawara, Tanaka, and Ennoshita formed a team again, just like in their first practice match on the day they joined the club. On the other side, Hinata and Kageyama were teamed with Asahi, Yamaguchi, Nishinoya, and Kinoshita, just as they had been that day.
But this time, Hayato worked much more smoothly with his teammates, and the players on the other side had long since improved through training.
Holding the volleyball in one hand, Hayato raised his arm and pointed the ball at Hinata and Kageyama across the net.
"Shoyo, Kageyama, try to defeat me with your strongest attack."
Hayato's words ignited the fighting spirit of the two first-years, and they shouted their response in unison.
"Yes!"
The others merely looked accustomed to it. After all, someone who dared to name his Jump Float Serve the Railgun was naturally bound to occasionally indulge in some dramatic antics.
Hayato's side served first again. His clean, sharp Jump Float Serve did not score as it had last time, because Nishinoya defended it.
After receiving the ball, Hinata and Kageyama launched an ordinary Monster Quick Attack. But this Monster Quick Attack was even faster than before. Before Hayato's side could react at all, they had lost the point.
After scoring, Hinata first high-fived Nishinoya, then high-fived Kageyama as well.
"How about that? It's not like we haven't improved at all. You won't be able to score as easily as before!"
Nishinoya gave Hayato a thumbs-up and spoke with complete confidence. Ever since Hayato joined the team, Nishinoya had always been on the opposite side during intra-squad matches, constantly facing Hayato's Jump Float Serves. After spending two days at the Tokyo training camp competing against powerful players from various high schools, Nishinoya had gradually improved as well. Successfully receiving Hayato's signature first serve had boosted all of their confidence even further.
"Then let's try again! Bring it on!"
Seeing his teammates' improvement made Hayato very happy. He settled into a defensive stance and waited for the attack from the other side.
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