The Future Ace

Hayato joined the Volleyball Club and immediately began basic training with everyone else. He had no complaints about the arrangement. In any sport, talent was only one part of the equation. Without a foundation built on massive amounts of day-after-day training, even the most gifted person would not get very far.

After receiving practice ended, Coach Ukai told everyone to rest for ten minutes before continuing. Drenched in sweat, Hayato took the towel Kiyoko had prepared, wiped his face, then picked up his water and gulped down several mouthfuls.

"Whew~"

Having finally caught his breath, Hayato let out a comfortable sigh. The Volleyball Club's daily training was still grueling; even with Hayato's physical abilities, keeping up took some effort.

"Kuroba-senpai, did you aim for that block-out just now?"

The instant the break began, Hinata impatiently ran over to ask Hayato for advice. Everyone had introduced themselves before practice, so Hayato naturally learned Hinata's name. Of course, he would have known all of them even without introductions. He kindly explained it to the Little Giant.

"Yeah. Your block showed me an opening on that play, so I judged that I could go for a block-out. But more importantly, when I jumped, I saw Nishinoya-kun behind you. His defense was flawless, so that choice was also forced by the situation."

"Of course it was. Nishinoya-senpai is Karasuno's Guardian Deity."

As though he himself had received the praise, Hinata proudly proclaimed Nishinoya's title.

"Kuroba-senpai, where did you learn all your techniques? How can you make your Jump Float Serve so accurate? How did you develop your touch?"

Kageyama pulled the still-smug Hinata aside. Having long been full of questions, he fired them off like a machine gun without stopping.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Kageyama. I learned my techniques from video sites. I used to watch a lot of match footage, and I gradually picked things up just by watching. As for the feel for a Jump Float Serve, I've practiced it every day since I learned how to do one."

Seeing the cheerful atmosphere around Hayato, the third-years also breathed a sigh of relief. Logically, they should have been thrilled to have someone as skilled as Hayato join them, but they had worried that he might look down on the others because of his abilities. Now, they could see that he was not that kind of person, and that he could quickly get along with the first-year underclassmen.

"Even after we graduate, Kuroba-kun can become the ace who supports the underclassmen and keeps them moving forward."

Though they had only interacted briefly, Asahi already understood. Some people were simply born to be aces. Whether it was his presence, confidence, or volleyball skills, Hayato surpassed him in every way. An ace should be someone like him.

Seeing Asahi fall into his old habits again, Daichi and Sugawara said nothing. The two silently patted Asahi on the back. From the match just now, they knew that Asahi was not wrong at all. Hayato might really take Asahi's position as ace. Sugawara understood Asahi's feelings better than anyone.

Kageyama was like that too. From talent to ability, he completely surpassed me, so I...

Thinking of that, Sugawara sighed as well.

"All right, all right, what are you two so down about? Isn't it a good thing that such a strong newcomer joined us? Tell me, do you think Hayato can reach Ushijima's level?"

Seeing his two friends grow dispirited, Daichi hurriedly encouraged them. Then he changed the subject and brought up the strongest ace in the prefecture, Wakatoshi Ushijima of Shiratorizawa Academy. Upon hearing that name, the two of them fell into thought as well.

"Uh, Hayato is great too, but compared to Ushijima..."

"Maybe he really can match him. Asahi, you didn't feel enough from the other side of the court. Daichi and I, as his teammates, really felt that presence from him. And there are Kuroba-kun's techniques too."

Asahi thought for a moment and voiced his opinion, only to be interrupted by Sugawara before he could finish. Daichi, standing nearby, nodded in strong agreement after hearing Sugawara's words. During the match, Daichi could clearly feel that there was much less for him to do. From receives and defense to organizing the offense, Hayato had practically handled the entire match.

Daichi only needed to receive the balls sent over by the other side. Hayato could find a weakness and score on every free ball. Even when serving as a decoy, Hayato gave off such an overwhelming if no one blocks me, I'm scoring presence that the opponents had no choice but to defend against him. That also greatly eased Tanaka's pressure as a middle blocker.

The break ended quickly, and everyone resumed their vigorous basic training. Once it had grown completely dark, it was time for free practice. The Hinata-Kageyama duo, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately crowded around him. One wanted to learn block-outs, while the other wanted to try setting for Hayato and test their Offensive Rhythm.

After calming the two noisy first-year underclassmen, Hayato first taught Hinata how to hit block-outs. Once Hinata had learned the basics, Hayato sent him off to practice. Then he called Kageyama over and asked Kiyoko-senpai to toss the balls.

The future ace duo began their first practice.

At Hayato's request, a row of empty water bottles was placed on the court. Kiyoko-senpai chose a target, then the volleyball rose into the air. Hayato began his approach, leaped powerfully at the net, and with perfect precision, the ball Kageyama set stopped right at the height of Hayato's palm. Hayato swung slightly to the left and delivered a powerful spike.

The water bottle flew away on impact. It was exactly the bottle Kiyoko had chosen. Their first attempt had succeeded, and Hayato and Kageyama happily clenched their fists in celebration. Like a precisely operating machine, the two knocked down the bottles across the court one by one without a single mistake.

Gradually, their practice drew the attention of the other club members. But the onlookers did not affect their performance. After the final ball was completed with perfect accuracy, enthusiastic applause rang through the gym. Everyone paid tribute to their flawless coordination.

"That's amazing!"

Hinata watched Hayato and Kageyama with sparkling eyes, then hurried over and asked Kageyama to make one for him too. Kageyama mercilessly told him that Hinata did not have that kind of ball control and was still far from it. Hinata took a heavy blow, but quickly recovered and clamored to learn from Hayato.

Hayato patted him on the shoulder and said that he would help him.

Seeing such outstanding newcomers, Coach Ukai grew even more eager for the upcoming training camp. He wondered whether those people would have their jaws drop when they saw Karasuno's ace.

After training ended for the day, Kiyoko planned to walk Hitoka home. When Hayato heard that, he said he would come too. He was worried about Kiyoko-senpai going home alone. Kiyoko did not refuse, and the three of them set off together.

When Tanaka and Nishinoya learned that the two were neighbors, they voiced their envy, but Kiyoko ignored them. Hayato, on the other hand, smiled and said that he would invite them over to his house someday if there was a chance. The two members of Kiyoko's guard were deeply grateful to Hayato.

The two had wanted to tag along that very day, but Ennoshita caught them because they still needed to study. Otherwise, they would not be able to attend the training camp if they failed their final exams.

After saying goodbye to his newly acquainted teammates, Hayato changed clothes and went with Kiyoko to walk Hitoka home. On their way back, the train was packed with people because it was rush hour.

Using his height and sturdy build, Hayato carved out some space for Kiyoko by the train doors. With his arms braced against the glass, he pressed close to Kiyoko in a kabedon-like position. Before Kiyoko could say anything, he became embarrassed first.

Hayato remembered that he had sweated so much while exercising today that he must have smelled.

"Sorry, Kiyoko-senpai."

Kiyoko looked puzzled and tilted her head toward Hayato's face. When she noticed his embarrassment, she let out a soft laugh. Covering her lips with one hand, she smiled until her eyes narrowed, looking especially adorable with her beautiful face.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Well, um... I just finished exercising, so I probably smell like sweat."

Hayato's explanation made Kiyoko understand. She sniffed lightly and caught the citrus scent of laundry detergent on Hayato, mixed with sweat. It was not particularly unpleasant.

Then, just as she had when they were children, she reached out and flicked the tip of Hayato's nose.

"What does that matter? I'm the Volleyball Club's manager. I've long gotten used to that smell."

Hayato froze at Kiyoko's gesture, then memories surfaced. When he had been young, Hayato had often been mischievous, and Kiyoko would flick his nose as punishment.

Though the person inside this body was not the real Hayato, having inherited all of Hayato's memories, how was he any different from Hayato?

Shaking his head and tossing aside those philosophical questions, Hayato smiled gently.

"That's true."

Just as the two were about to continue chatting, the carriage jolted. The crowd behind Hayato lost their footing because they had nothing to hold onto, setting off a chain reaction. The packed passengers shoved Hayato directly forward.

"Uh, this time, I'm really sorry, Kiyoko-senpai."

Why did he say that? Naturally, because the squeeze had left no space between them. Due to their height difference, Kiyoko's face was pressed directly against Hayato's chest, while Hayato felt a hint of softness against his abdomen.

"There's nothing we can do about it."

Although Kiyoko's tone was calm, when Hayato looked down, he could see that her ears had turned bright red. He drew back his gaze and, pretending nothing had happened, looked out at the nighttime scenery beyond the train doors.