A Heart-to-Heart Talk Under the Moon

Hayato clenched his fist, straightened his arm, and lightly pressed it against Tsukishima's chest, over his heart.

"The flame in your heart hasn't gone out. It's just very, very small right now—so small that even you haven't noticed it. But someday, maybe when you win a hard-fought match, maybe when you make the perfect play, maybe when you successfully shut down an opponent's attack... when the moment comes that you find your reason for loving volleyball, I believe it'll blaze again."

"But what if that moment never comes?"

Even now, the clever Tsukishima remained calm.

"That's why everyone is working so hard. To win, so we can go farther at the National Championship. Anyway, until that moment comes, your seniors will buy you time."

At some point, the clouds veiling the moon had begun to part.

"Thank you very much, Kuroba-senpai."

Tsukishima bowed to Hayato and thanked him calmly before leaving.

"That's the problem with smart kids."

Scratching his head, Hayato muttered to himself. Effort and talent had always been the eternal question in competitive sports. He had seen geniuses improve at an astonishing pace in a short time, and he had seen ordinary people work for years without ever winning a championship. Tsukishima was smart and not lacking in talent, but he had confined himself. Hayato did not know whether today's conversation would make any difference.

When he arrived at the cafeteria, quite a few people were still inside having dinner, but he did not spot Tsukishima. Taking the chicken curry rice Kiyoko handed him at the serving counter, Hayato took a deep breath.

"It smells amazing. After exercising, you really need meat."

"What's wrong? Did something upset you?"

Kiyoko immediately noticed that something was off with Hayato. Since she had asked, he could not exactly say that nothing was wrong, so he gave a wry smile.

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you, Kiyoko-senpai. Something did bother me. Ah, I'll talk to you after dinner."

The players from other teams walking behind him, along with the growling of his own stomach, both proved that this was not the time to talk.

Hayato found an empty table with his tray and sat down to deal with dinner. After only a few bites, he heard the people at the next table discussing which female manager was prettier. Some voted for Fukurōdani's, while others suggested Ikawa's.

Hayato slowly spooned curry rice into his mouth and chewed. He felt a little indignant when he did not hear anyone mention Karasuno, but that was probably a good thing. They were here to train, after all. If someone really took a liking to Kiyoko-senpai or Hitoka-chan, would that not be even more troublesome?

After finishing a heaping plate of curry rice, Hayato wiped the corners of his mouth clean with a napkin and returned to the empty classroom assigned to Karasuno. This summer training camp was the same as the last one: each high school slept on floor bedding in empty classrooms. Pillows and blankets were provided, so this clearly was not the first time such a camp had been held.

He took out his phone and sent Kiyoko a message. Once they agreed on a place to meet, Hayato washed his face before going to see her.

Kiyoko arrived five minutes later.

"Sorry, I'm a little late. I was helping clean up the dishes."

"It's fine, it's fine. Thanks for your hard work, Kiyoko-senpai."

Leaning against the wall, Hayato smiled at Kiyoko. She returned it with a smile that almost no one else ever got to see.

"So, what happened? Training went smoothly today. Did you run into something just now?"

Hayato told Kiyoko everything that had happened with Tsukishima. After hearing it, she fell into thought as well.

"Coach Ukai mentioned while talking to Teacher Takeda that Tsukishima-kun always gave people the impression that passing was enough, and scoring one extra point was a waste. No one expects him to be as fiery as Nishinoya, Tanaka, or Hinata, but after this training camp, if he keeps getting surpassed by others, he may lose his spot as a regular."

Coach Ukai was not wrong. Everyone in the Karasuno Volleyball Club was training hard now. Anyone who could not keep up would inevitably be dropped from the regular lineup. That was the cruelty of sports clubs. Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita were not without ability, but there were only so many regular positions. If you got one, then I could not.

"Sometimes I wonder if I meddle too much. When Tsukishima said I was trying to interfere with things he did not want to talk about, he almost convinced me."

Mentioning how Tsukishima had turned the tables on him, Hayato's smile became somewhat helpless.

The same went for Hinata and Kageyama. The outcome had been good, and both of them had evolved ahead of schedule, but was it really right for him to impose his own will on others?

A hand reached up and gently stroked his head.

Standing on tiptoe, Kiyoko comforted Hayato before drawing back her hand. She clasped both hands behind her back, raised her head, and looked into his eyes.

"As long as people live together, they influence one another. Tsukishima-kun thanked you in the end too, didn't he? So don't think of it that way."

"Hayato, this is my final year at Karasuno. When Spring High ends next spring, we third-years will graduate. None of the third-years have said it outright, but they're all very happy you came. You can see it in how much harder they've been training. They really want to make it to nationals."

Kiyoko raised her head toward the bright moon in the night sky, a trace of anticipation on her face.

"So I'm truly happy that I met you again, Hayato. On one hand, it's because we reunited. On the other, I never expected your volleyball skills to be this good. You feel like you shouldn't interfere too much, but I think that because of you, Hinata, Kageyama, and the others have been able to improve."

Hayato opened his mouth, wanting to say that even without him, they would have been able to break through those barriers themselves.

"Besides, meddling is part of what a captain should do."

Those words left Hayato stunned. Once the third-years graduated, should Ennoshita not become captain?

"Captain? Me?"

Seeing his astonished expression, Kiyoko patted his arm.

"Why are you the one who can't believe it? Hinata and Kageyama are practically your little fanboys already. Yamaguchi trusts you completely when he plays alongside you. Tsukishima-kun hasn't said it, but he plays much more relaxed when he's on the court with you too. As for the second-years, you're practically best friends. You get along with everyone, you have skill, and you can guide the team. Tell me, if not you, then who should be captain?"

At noon today, the third-years had discussed the choice of captain with Coach Ukai and Teacher Takeda. When Hayato's name came up, everyone realized that he had quietly become part of the team long ago.

Whether it was encouraging everyone on the court or directing his teammates, he did it exceptionally well. Everyone relied on Hayato, and even Asahi trusted him. Of course, that did not mean Asahi had let go of his obsession with being the ace. Having regained his fighting spirit, he was fully focused during the training camp on competing with Hayato for the ace position.

So, with a unanimous vote, it was already a foregone conclusion that Hayato would become captain.

"When you put it that way, Kiyoko-senpai, it feels like I'm the obvious choice for captain."

After hearing Kiyoko's words, Hayato thought back over this period. It seemed that he had always interacted with everyone from the position of a captain. Perhaps it was just habit. He had only intended to be the ace, yet he was getting the captaincy along with it.

But Hayato did not act modest. Since everyone believed in him, he would not let them down. Still, for now, they first had to advance to the National Championship together.

"Mm. So, future Captain, I'll leave the team in your care. That doesn't count as meddling anymore, does it?"

Kiyoko winked at Hayato mischievously as she spoke in a teasing tone.

"Haha, that's true. You're right, Kiyoko-senpai."

Having been comforted by Kiyoko, Hayato returned to normal. Smiling, he reached his hand toward the moon in the sky.

"That's a captain's responsibility."

After their heart-to-heart talk, they returned together. Kiyoko still needed to organize her notes from the day, so after saying goodbye to Hayato, she returned to the room where the managers were staying. Hayato waved her off, but as soon as he turned around, he found himself blocked by the two members of Kiyoko's bodyguard squad.

They appeared to have just finished bathing and happened to run into them. Once again, one hooked an arm around Hayato's neck while the other jabbed him in the stomach. Hayato playfully endured their jealous fury.