Hayato's Potential

No one on the other side of the net moved. After the volleyball rolled around on the floor several times, Hinata was the first to speak.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! So fast! So awesome!"

"That was a jump serve, right?"

"But that was way too fast!"

Asahi and Nishinoya on the other side exclaimed sincerely, and Hitoka-chan, who had been watching, finally reacted as well.

"Eek~~~~ Wouldn't your hand break if that hit it?"

"I never thought Hayato would be this amazing."

Watching Hayato score with a single serve, Kiyoko hadn't expected someone who claimed to have only one year of experience to deliver such a powerful shot. Hadn't he said he used to play basketball? It seemed that during the time they had been apart, her childhood friend had gone through quite a lot.

Such a perfect service ace excited Coach Ukai as well. Hayato's serving form alone showed that his fundamentals were excellent, and what the Volleyball Club lacked right now was someone with a solid foundation like that. If he really joined the club, it would be great news for everyone.

Right now, Kageyama was the only one who could consistently pull off a Jump Float Serve perfectly. Asahi, their ace, could do it too, but he still wasn't stable enough.

Hayato's teammates were also stunned by that Jump Float Serve. Daichi was the first to clap his hands.

"Alright, that's only the first point. Don't let up. Stay focused. Kuroba-kun, that was really well done."

After saying that, he gave Hayato a thumbs-up. Hayato smiled at his captain, took the volleyball, and prepared to serve again.

With the whistle, the match continued. Unlike the previous point, Tsukishima, standing in the front row, decisively crossed his arms over the back of his head. After seeing that murderous serve, he had no desire to get caught in the crossfire.

The ball was tossed up, and another perfect Jump Float Serve scored. After Hayato's side took four consecutive points, Nishinoya finally seized an opportunity and received the ball successfully. Of course, he didn't feel great about it. Since he had received it with his forearms, the heavy ball smashing into him was anything but pleasant.

Nishinoya gritted his teeth and popped the ball up.

"Damn it, why is he so good? Cover, cover!"

Everyone spread out. Kageyama spotted an opening and set the ball to Hinata, who sprang into the air at high speed. With a thud, Hinata spiked the ball into the other court with his eyes shut. This time, Hayato's side was the one caught off guard.

"So this is the legendary Monster Quick Attack."

Having witnessed Hinata swing his arm and spike with his eyes closed, along with Kageyama's precise sets, Hayato muttered excitedly to himself. They really are different. This attack was unlike an ordinary quick attack and placed enormous demands on the setter. Of course, it had weaknesses too. Once you adapted to Hinata's attack speed, it could be blocked. That was why Hinata and Kageyama would later change.

Of course, you had to adapt before you could block it. Before that happened, they could score point after point.

After that, neither team could pull too far ahead on the scoreboard, while Hayato thoroughly displayed his outstanding abilities. From receives to blocks, unlike Hinata, who relied entirely on physical ability, Hayato was the calm type, much like Tsukishima. However, his physical abilities and fighting spirit were stronger than Tsukishima's.

As a result, many balls Hinata's side could have scored with were either received or blocked by Hayato. Coach Ukai's eyes grew brighter the more he watched. Hayato had no weaknesses. At this point, his performance could only be described as flawless. Not only that, but his interactions with his teammates were incredibly smooth. Whether he scored himself or not, Hayato always encouraged his teammates after a point, and he comforted everyone after they lost one.

Whenever he rotated to the front row, he actively called for the ball. Sugawara, drawn to his dazzling presence, would set to him at the first opportunity. Once Hayato received the ball, he would spike it directly. If he saw that things weren't right, he could also score by tooling the block. But if the opponents focused entirely on Hayato, Tanaka could catch them off guard with a spike of his own.

In short, after Hayato joined them, everyone on his team improved their condition. The more they played, the easier it became.

Sugawara, who had never played this easily before, couldn't help walking over after Hayato scored again and smacking him on the back. Then he shouted, "Yes!"

Hayato didn't mind at all and bumped fists with the still-excited Sugawara.

"Please take care of the next one too, Setter."

"Yeah! Leave it to me!"

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

The players in the front row obediently protected the backs of their heads. The power of that serve was no joke. When the whistle blew, everyone shouted for him to serve a good one. Hayato didn't hesitate and sent another heavy serve over, but unfortunately, Nishinoya received it this time.

"How could we let you keep scoring forever?"

Nishinoya shouted those words, and the momentum on the other side rose with him. Kageyama set to Hinata once more, but Hayato, now in the back row, had already adapted to Hinata's speed. The instant Hinata jumped, Hayato ran into position to defend.

With a bang, Hayato received the fast ball from the Monster Quick Attack.

"Yes! One touch!"

Hayato shouted loudly, thrilled that he had received the Monster Quick Attack for the first time. Then he kept the play alive, and Tanaka scored again in the end.

"It got stopped! Damn it!"

Hinata shouted unwillingly after they lost the point.

The battle on the court continued. Watching the dazzling figure in the middle of the court, Kiyoko slowly smiled. To her, seeing her childhood friend Hayato perform so brilliantly, along with the benefits his joining would bring to the Volleyball Club, made her twice as happy.

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

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

"It really is. I'm sure once Hayato joins the Volleyball Club, our strength will increase by a lot."

At last, the match ended. Hayato's side won 25:21. Coach Ukai clapped his hands and called everyone together. The two managers hurried over with water and towels. Though it had only been one match, the intense showdown had left everyone drenched in sweat.

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

"Yes. I played for a year during my second year of middle school."

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

But the current Hayato was no longer the original Hayato. With over ten years of volleyball experience, he naturally had an all-around advantage against this group of high school students. Still, volleyball wasn't a one-man sport. He couldn't rely on himself alone. Besides, while this body had been trained, it was still far from capable of perfectly displaying his true strength.

His height also limited his performance. He had only been 185 centimeters before, but now he had suddenly become 191 centimeters tall. He still needed time to get used to it. Over the past half month, he had often hit his head on doorframes because of his height—more than once.

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

After getting Hayato's confirmation, Coach Ukai immediately invited him. It would be far too wasteful not to bring such a talented player into the Volleyball Club.

"Of course. Kiyoko-senpai and I came here today specifically because I wanted to join the Volleyball Club."

Being called Kiyoko-senpai in front of everyone made Kiyoko shoot Hayato a slightly reproachful glare. Given her personality, she didn't like drawing attention to herself in public. Sure enough, after Hayato used that form of address—

Everyone except Tanaka, who already knew, exploded.

"What? What? Kiyoko-senpai?"

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

The third-years were merely surprised, but Nishinoya, a second-year, wailed outright.

"Damn it, calling her Kiyoko-senpai is way too intimate! I'm so jealous! I'm dying of jealousy!"

Tanaka patted Nishinoya on the shoulder, pretending to comfort him. Then Nishinoya suddenly realized something, grabbed Tanaka by the neck, and put on a vicious expression.

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

Tanaka, already used to it after a day, immediately burst into laughter.

"Wahahaha! I can't be the only one suffering! You all have to be shocked too!"

After Tanaka drew everyone's ire, the third-year seniors dragged him into a corner and gave him a lesson before finally letting him go. Once everyone finished fooling around, Hayato explained. When they learned they were only childhood friends, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Seeing the third-year seniors looking somewhat nervous, Hayato was surprised. He hadn't expected Kiyoko-senpai to be this charming. But then he thought about it again. Maybe they were afraid Hayato would steal away the Volleyball Club's only intelligent beauty.

Next came a barrage of questions from Hinata, Kageyama, and the others. Hinata mostly wanted to know how Hayato had grown so tall, and whether he could teach him the technique he had just used to tool the block. Kageyama was even more direct. Why was Hayato, with only one year of experience, so skilled at volleyball? Did he practice Jump Float Serves every day?

Questions came flooding in, and Hayato could only answer them one by one. The entire gymnasium was soon filled with cheerful energy. Everyone thought the same thing: with such a promising player joining them, Karasuno would only grow stronger in the coming matches. Even reaching Nationals was no longer just a dream.