Hayato's Potential

On the other side of the net, no one moved. It wasn't until the volleyball had rolled several times on the floor that Hinata was the first to speak.

"Ohhhh! So fast, amazing!"

"That's a jump serve."

"That was way too fast."

Asahi and Nishinoya across from him let out heartfelt exclamations, and Hitoka, who was watching from the sidelines, finally reacted.

"Eeee~~~~ if that hit your hand, it'd break."

"I never expected Hayato to be this good."

Watching Hayato score a point with that serve, Kiyoko hadn't anticipated that someone who'd only played for a year could unleash such a powerful ball. Hadn't he said he used to play basketball before? It seemed that during their time apart, her childhood friend had gained quite a bit of experience.

Coach Ukai was also thrilled by such a perfect service ace. From Hayato's serving form, he could tell his fundamentals were excellent, and what the current Volleyball Club lacked was someone with that kind of stable foundation. If Hayato really joined the club, it would be great news for everyone.

Right now, only Kageyama could consistently pull off a jump serve. Asahi, the ace, could do it too, but it wasn't reliable enough.

Hayato's teammates were also stunned by that jump serve. It was Daichi who clapped his hands.

"Alright, that's just the first point. Don't slack off, stay focused. Kuroba-kun, well done."

He gave Hayato a thumbs-up, and Hayato smiled back at his captain before taking the ball to prepare for his next serve.

A whistle blew, and the match continued. Unlike the previous rally, Tsukishima, now at the front row, decisively crossed his arms to protect the back of his head. After seeing that killer serve, he had no intention of getting caught in the crossfire.

The volleyball was tossed up, and another perfect jump serve scored a point. After four consecutive points, Nishinoya finally managed to get a receive, though it wasn't easy. Using his arms to dig, the heavy, powerful ball slammed into him with an unpleasant impact.

Gritting his teeth, Nishinoya got the ball up.

"Dammit, how is he this good? Cover, cover!"

Everyone spread out. Kageyama spotted his chance and set the ball to Hinata, who leaped up in an instant. With a thud, Hinata slammed the ball into the opponents' court with his eyes closed. This time, it was Hayato's team that couldn't react.

"So that's the legendary Monster Quick Attack."

Having witnessed Hinata's blind-arm-swinging spike and Kageyama's precise set with his own eyes, Hayato muttered excitedly to himself. It really was unique. This attack style, so different from a normal quick, put immense pressure on the setter's skills. Of course, it had its weaknesses too—once you got used to Hinata's attack speed, you could block it. That was why Hinata and Kageyama would later change their approach.

But that required adaptation first. Until then, they'd keep getting scored on.

The gap between the two teams didn't widen much after that, and Hayato solidly demonstrated his outstanding abilities. From receives to blocks, unlike Hinata, who relied entirely on his physicality, Hayato was the calm, analytical type—similar to Tsukishima, but with better physical ability and fighting spirit.

The result was that many of Hinata's team's would-be scoring shots were either received or blocked by Hayato. Coach Ukai's eyes grew brighter the more he watched. Flawless. So far, Hayato's performance had been completely flawless. Not only that, but his interactions with his teammates were smooth and natural. Whether he scored the point himself or not, Hayato always encouraged his teammates after a win and comforted them after a loss.

When he rotated to the front row, he actively called for the ball. Sugawara, drawn in by his dazzling presence, would set to him immediately. Upon receiving the ball, Hayato would spike it straight down, and if he saw the situation was unfavorable, he'd score by hitting it off the blockers' hands. But if the opponents focused entirely on Hayato, Tanaka could sneak in and score with an unexpected spike.

In short, with Hayato's addition, the entire team's performance had improved. They played more and more easily.

Sugawara, who had never felt this relaxed before, couldn't help but run over and slap Hayato on the back after his latest point, shouting "Yosh!" at the top of his lungs.

Hayato didn't mind. He bumped fists with the still-excited Sugawara.

"Next ball's on you too, setter."

"Oh~ Leave it to me!"

The score quickly reached 22-19, and it was Hayato's turn to serve again.

The front-row players obediently protected the backs of their heads. The power of this serve was no joke. When the whistle blew, everyone shouted "Good serve!" Hayato didn't hesitate and sent another heavy ball flying. Unfortunately, this time Nishinoya managed to receive it.

"No way I'm letting you keep scoring."

Nishinoya shouted, and the opposing team's morale surged. Kageyama set to Hinata again, but Hayato, now in the back row, had already adapted to Hinata's speed. The moment Hinata leaped, Hayato moved into position.

With a thud, the Monster Quick Attack's fast ball was dug up by Hayato.

"Yosh! One touch!"

Hayato shouted loudly, thrilled to have received the Monster Quick Attack for the first time. He kept moving, and Tanaka eventually scored the point.

"Blocked! Damn it!"

Hinata yelled in frustration after losing the point.

The battle on the court continued. Kiyoko watched the dazzling figure on the floor, a smile slowly spreading across her face. For her, seeing her childhood friend Hayato perform so brilliantly, combined with the benefits his addition would bring to the Volleyball Club, made her even happier.

"Kuroba-senpai's diving form is so beautiful."

Hitoka, who was keeping score nearby, suddenly muttered to herself. Hearing this, Kiyoko nodded in agreement.

"It really is. I believe that once Hayato joins the Volleyball Club, our strength will increase a lot."

Finally, the match ended. Hayato's team won 25-21. Coach Ukai clapped his hands to gather everyone, and the two managers quickly handed out water and towels. Even though it was just one match, the high-intensity rally had left everyone drenched in sweat.

"You all played very well. Especially you, Hayato. Have you really only played volleyball for one year?"

"Yeah, I played for a year in my second year of middle school."

Hayato draped the towel around his neck and answered without changing his expression. It wasn't exactly wrong. The original Hayato had shot up in height during middle school, joined the volleyball club for a year, then switched to basketball, and joined the basketball club in his first year of high school.

But the current Hayato was not the original one. With over ten years of volleyball experience, he could dominate these high schoolers in every aspect. However, volleyball wasn't a one-man sport. He couldn't do it alone, and while this body had been trained, it was still far from enough to fully bring out his abilities.

His height was also a limiting factor. He used to be 185 cm, and now he was suddenly 191 cm. He still needed time to adjust. Over the past half-month, he'd hit his head on doorframes more than once because of his new height.

"One year, and you're this good? Kuroba-kun, please join our Volleyball Club."

After confirming with Hayato, Coach Ukai extended an invitation on the spot. A genius player like this—it would be a shame not to have him on the team.

"Of course, I came with Kiyoko-senpai today specifically to join the Volleyball Club."

Being called "Kiyoko-senpai" in front of everyone, Kiyoko shot Hayato a reproachful glare. Given her personality, she didn't like drawing attention to herself in public, and sure enough, the moment Hayato used that address—

Aside from Tanaka, who already knew, everyone else exploded.

"What? 'Kiyoko-senpai'?"

"Kuroba-kun, what's your relationship with Kiyoko-senpai?"

The third-years were mostly just surprised, but Nishinoya, a second-year, let out a wail.

"No way, calling her 'Kiyoko-senpai' is way too intimate! I'm so jealous, dying of jealousy!"

Tanaka patted Nishinoya on the shoulder, pretending to console him, but Nishinoya suddenly caught on and grabbed Tanaka by the neck, putting on a fierce act.

"Ryu, you bastard, you're in the same class as Kuroba. You knew all along, didn't you?"

Having gotten used to it after a day, Tanaka burst out laughing.

"Wahaha, no way I'm suffering alone. You all had to be shocked too."

Having drawn everyone's ire, Tanaka was dragged to a corner by the third-year seniors for a "lesson" before they let him go. After the group finished messing around, Hayato explained, and once they learned it was just childhood friends, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Noticing the nervous third-year seniors, Hayato was quite surprised—he hadn't realized Kiyoko-senpai had that much appeal. But then he thought again, maybe they were just afraid he'd steal away the only intellectual beauty in the Volleyball Club.

Next came a barrage of questions from Hinata and Kageyama. Hinata mostly wanted to know how Hayato had gotten so tall, and if he could teach him the technique for that block-out shot he'd just used. Kageyama was more direct: how could Hayato, with only a year of experience, be so skilled at volleyball, and did he practice the Jump Float Serve every day?

With questions flooding in, Hayato had to answer them one by one. The entire gymnasium was soon filled with a cheerful atmosphere. Everyone thought the same: with such a promising player joining, Karasuno would only get stronger in the upcoming matches, and even making it to nationals was no longer just a dream.