The Promise

Under questioning, Yamaguchi only admitted that she was a girl from Karasuno. He refused to reveal her grade, class, or name. The two who had assumed it was Kiyoko's guard squad had wanted to expand their ranks, only to be denied with a red face. When Hitoka was mentioned, he shook his head as well.

This shocked Hayato. Could it be that it wasn't Hitoka? Or was Yamaguchi pretending to deny it because he didn't want to expose his feelings? Hayato stared at Yamaguchi's face for a long time, but he simply couldn't tell whether he was lying. In the end, he gave up observing him, and when everyone saw they couldn't get anything out of him, they started chatting casually.

Listening to their voices, Hayato gradually drifted off to sleep.

As usual, Hayato went jogging around the track and looked after the first-years. When he returned after exercising, he happened to run into the managers heading downstairs together to prepare breakfast in the cafeteria. When the girls saw Hayato, they all looked at him and began whispering among themselves.

"Oh, oh, oh, it's Kuroba-kun."

"He and Shimizu-chan look so good together."

Their voices were too quiet for Hayato to hear what they were saying. When he greeted Kiyoko, the girls became excited, making him glance over at them in confusion.

"Kiyoko-senpai? What's going on over there?"

"Don't mind them. Go wash up already. You're drenched in sweat."

Feeling instinctively that he shouldn't linger there, Hayato followed Kiyoko's advice. Before leaving, though, he glanced at Hitoka. They had known each other for quite a while now. By all rights, Hitoka should no longer have been afraid of him, so why had she still looked so nervous just now?

Hayato left with that question in mind. The moment he was gone, the girls crowded around Kiyoko.

"He called you Kiyoko-senpai."

"How nice~ Kuroba-kun is so handsome too. He has that loyal-puppy kind of vibe."

"Yeah, yeah, I think so too."

Kiyoko merely smiled faintly without responding, and the girls' voices gradually faded into the distance.

After breakfast, another day packed with training began. Coach Ukai's plan for the day was to become proficient at using synchronized multi-pronged attacks in matches and not be satisfied with just one lineup.

With Coach Ukai's instructions, the lineup for today's match was five regulars and one substitute.

After two days of on-court practice, Ennoshita was no longer as nervous as before. When he took the court in the first set, he replaced Daichi and directed the other players. Hayato, meanwhile, was placed on the bench.

"Relax, leave this ball to me!"

Continuing to communicate with his teammates, Ennoshita received the chance ball while observing the opposing players' positions.

"Watch the left!"

"Set it to me!"

The familiar lines echoed out as Hinata and Kageyama's perfect coordination secured a point.

"Nice job, you two."

After scoring, Ennoshita praised the two younger players. But Shinzen would not keep giving up points, immediately answering with a textbook synchronized multi-pronged attack to win one back.

"As expected, Shinzen's synchronized multi-pronged attacks have the best coordination."

"Yeah, it's really worth learning from."

Sugawara and Hayato watched Shinzen's flawless coordination from the sidelines and sighed. This kind of perfect cooperation was exactly what Karasuno was striving for, but with Karasuno as they were now, they still needed far more practice to pull off such coordinated multi-pronged attacks.

"Don't dwell on it."

"Get ready for the next ball."

On the court, Ennoshita encouraged his teammates not to worry about the point they had lost. Ever since Coach Ukai and the third-years had jointly decided that Hayato would become the next captain, the position of vice-captain had fallen to Ennoshita.

He had authority and could keep Tanaka and Nishinoya in line, while also understanding other people's feelings. Ennoshita's personality complemented Hayato's perfectly. The captain and vice-captain had different roles, and only then could they lead a team well.

As a result, Ennoshita's time on the court had increased greatly. Although he had yet to learn the news, he treasured every opportunity to play and continuously trained himself.

Feeling guilty about how he had once run away from the team, Ennoshita valued every chance to take the court more than anyone after returning. Since they had decided to advance to Nationals, relying only on Hayato and the others would not be enough. He had to work even harder too.

That was also why Ennoshita had been training so seriously during individual practice lately.

They bumped the volleyball up again, and everyone on Karasuno moved at once. They were clearly attempting a synchronized multi-pronged attack. The people off the court watched tensely as well. This tactic placed enormous demands on teamwork. Karasuno's success rate over the past two days of training camp had not been particularly high, mainly because they frequently rotated players and changed lineups.

But this time, the ball went to Tanaka in the front row. His line shot flew straight over the net, brushing past the blocker's arm. Shinzen's blocker did not even touch the ball before Tanaka's spike scored.

"We did it!"

"Nice, Tanaka!"

"Great set, Kageyama!"

They immediately answered Shinzen's synchronized multi-pronged attack with the same tactic and scored successfully. It was hard not to get excited. Ennoshita called everyone over, and they formed a circle to celebrate together.

The others off the court loudly cheered for them as well.

However, although everyone had been in great form during the first half of the match, their offense was stifled in the second half. Morisaki High School showed the resilience expected of a powerhouse, relentlessly closing the gap before finally overturning the score to win 25–23.

"Damn it... Sorry, everyone. I didn't receive those last few balls well."

Ennoshita held his head and apologized to the others in regret. Receiving had always been Karasuno's weakness. There were no shortcuts for such fundamental skills; they could only improve through repeated practice. Toward the end of the set, Shinzen kept targeting Ennoshita. He could have backed off and left the ball to Nishinoya.

But Ennoshita was still a teenage boy. He naturally refused to accept being targeted like that. In the end, his determination not to lose led him to insist on receiving the ball, costing them points and allowing Shinzen to overtake them.

"Don't worry about it. Work harder next time."

"Yeah, this set's already over."

Tanaka and Nishinoya patted Ennoshita on the shoulders, telling him not to take it too hard. They were not invincible; losing was perfectly normal.

After collecting themselves, all of Karasuno, led by Captain Daichi, ran an unforgettable set of hill sprints amid cicada cries and the summer sun.

July was already hot enough, and after exercising in the gymnasium, they came outside only to be baked by the sun again. Even the substitutes' faces were now flushed red from the heat as everyone took the water bottles prepared by the managers and replenished their fluids.

Nearby, Hitoka hesitated for a long time before finally edging over to Hayato.

"Um, Kuroba-senpai..."

Feeling that she still had to tell Hayato about yesterday, Hitoka gave him a deep bow and apologized. She had told people about Hayato and Kiyoko's relationship. Although Kiyoko had already comforted Hitoka the previous night and said she did not mind, Hitoka still felt she should apologize to Kuroba-senpai too.

After hearing Hitoka out, Hayato finally understood Kiyoko's reaction that morning and why the other girls had been staring at him.

"It's nothing. It's not something that absolutely has to be kept secret. Relax, Hitoka-chan. I'm not angry."

Hayato waved his hand and comforted Hitoka first. Seeing that she still looked deeply guilty, he patted her on the shoulder.

"R-Really?"

"Of course. All right, stop thinking about that. As Karasuno's manager, what matters more right now is taking care of everyone's support work, isn't it? And, well, thanks."

Smiling, Hayato shook the water bottle Hitoka had just handed him and thanked her.

"Yes! Kuroba-senpai!"

Seeing Hayato thank her with a smile, Hitoka finally relaxed. She bowed to him once more and went back to work. Some people had already finished their water, and Hitoka still needed to refill some bottles.

"Did Hitoka come talk to you about yesterday?"

"Yeah. She feels really guilty about it. But it's not that big a deal, right, Kiyoko-senpai?"

Kiyoko had somehow come to stand beside Hayato. The two stood in the shade, their shoulders close enough that a slight movement would make them touch.

"Yes, yes. I'll be looking forward to the day that big event arrives."

Of course Hayato knew what Kiyoko meant by that big event. Confessing to Kiyoko on the day they won the championship was their promise.

"I'll definitely do everything I can to make that big event a complete success."

"Mm. I'm looking forward to it."

Beneath the shade, the boy and girl looked at each other in silence. Sunlight fell across them, and a sudden breeze lifted the girl's hair, revealing the beauty mark at the corner of her lips.