The Future Ace

Hayato, having joined the volleyball club, immediately followed everyone in basic training. Hayato had no complaints about this arrangement; in any sport, talent was only part of it. Without the foundation of extensive, day-in-day-out training, even the most talented person wouldn't get very far.

After finishing the receive practice, the Karasuno coach told everyone to rest for 10 minutes before continuing. Hayato, already drenched in sweat, took the towel Kiyoko had prepared and wiped his face before gulping down several mouthfuls of water.

"Hoo~"

Finally feeling a bit better, Hayato let out a comfortable sigh. The daily training for the volleyball club was quite strenuous; even with Hayato's physical condition, keeping up was a bit difficult.

"Kuroba-senpai, was that tool shot just now intentional?"

Hinata, the moment they had a break, eagerly ran over to ask Hayato for advice. Everyone had been introduced before training, so Hayato naturally learned Hinata's name. Of course, even without introductions, he recognized these people. Hayato kindly explained things to this Little Giant.

"Yes, that shot. Hinata, your block revealed a weakness, so I judged I could go for a tool. But mainly, when I jumped, I saw Nishinoya-kun behind you. Wow, your defense was seamless. This choice was also forced by the situation."

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

As if he himself had been praised, Hinata proudly stated Nishinoya's title.

"Kuroba-senpai, where did you learn all your techniques? How do you make your jump float serves so accurate, and how do you cultivate that feel for the ball?"

Pulling the still-smug Hinata aside, Kageyama, who had been accumulating questions, fired them off like a machine gun.

"Calm down, Kageyama. As for my techniques, I learned them from video websites. I used to watch a lot of match videos, and I learned as I watched. As for the feel for the jump float serve, I've been practicing it every day since I learned it."

Seeing the harmonious atmosphere around Hayato, the third-year students also felt relieved. Logically, they should have been overjoyed to have someone with such high skill join them, but they were worried Hayato might look down on others due to his abilities. Now, it seemed Hayato wasn't that kind of person and could quickly get along with the first-year juniors.

"Once we graduate, Kuroba-kun might become the ace who supports the juniors."

Even though they had only interacted for a short while, Asahi understood that some people were born to be aces. Hayato surpassed him in aura, confidence, and even skill. An ace should be like him, shouldn't he?

Seeing Asahi fall into his old ways again, Daichi and Sugawara said nothing. They silently patted Asahi's back. Through the recent match, they knew Asahi wasn't wrong at all. Hayato might truly take Asahi's ace position. Sugawara understood Asahi's feelings better than anyone.

Kageyama was like this; his talent and strength completely surpassed his own, which was why he...

With that thought, Sugawara also sighed.

"Alright, alright, why the long faces? Isn't having a talented newcomer a good thing for us? What do you think, can Hayato's level match Ushijima's?"

Daichi, seeing his two friends looking dejected, quickly encouraged them and then changed the subject to the current strongest ace in the prefecture, Wakatoshi Ushijima of Shiratorizawa Academy. Hearing that name, the two also fell into thought.

"Uh, although Hayato isn't bad, compared to Ushijima..."

"He might actually be able to compete. Asahi, you didn't experience it enough on the other side. Daichi and I, as his teammates, truly felt that aura, and also Kuroba-kun's technique."

Asahi first thought about it before stating his opinion. Sugawara interrupted him before he could finish. Daichi, listening to Sugawara, nodded in agreement. During the match, Daichi could clearly feel that he had much less to do. From receiving and defense to organizing the offense, Hayato practically handled the entire game. In that match, Daichi only needed to receive the balls sent by the opponent. Hayato could find weaknesses to score on every opportunity ball. Even when acting as a decoy, Hayato's aura of "I will score if no one blocks me" was unavoidable. This also greatly eased the pressure on Tanaka, who was a middle blocker.

The break ended quickly, and the group resumed their vigorous basic training. When it was completely dark, it was time for free practice. The Hinata-Kageyama duo, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately approached. One wanted to learn the technique for hitting the tool, while the other wanted to toss to Hayato to test his offensive rhythm.

After calming down the two noisy first-year juniors, Hayato first taught Hinata how to hit the tool. Once Hinata had learned enough, he let him practice. Then, he called Kageyama over and asked Kiyoko-senpai to help throw the balls.

This future ace combination began their first practice.

At Hayato's request, a row of empty water bottles was set up on the court. Kiyoko-senpai then chose the targets. The volleyball flew up, Hayato began his run-up, and with a powerful leap at the net, he didn't miss. The ball tossed by Kageyama landed perfectly in Hayato's palm. He executed a powerful spike slightly to the left.

The water bottles were knocked over, precisely the one Kiyoko had chosen. The first attempt was successful. Both Hayato and Kageyama happily clenched their fists in celebration. They were like a precisely running machine, knocking down the water bottles on the court one by one, without a single mistake.

Gradually, their practice was observed by other club members, but the onlookers did not affect their performance. After the last ball was accurately completed, warm applause filled the court, and everyone paid their respects to the perfect coordination between the two.

"So amazing!"

Hinata watched the Hayato-Kageyama duo on the court with shining eyes, then went over to ask Kageyama to do the same for him. However, Kageyama ruthlessly told Hinata that he didn't have such ball control skills and was still far from it. This greatly discouraged Hinata, but he quickly recovered and clamored to learn from Hayato.

Hayato also patted his shoulder, assuring him that he would help Hinata.

Seeing such excellent newcomers, Coach Ukai became even more excited about the upcoming training camp. He wondered if they would be stunned when they saw their ace player.

After finishing today's training, Kiyoko planned to send Hitoka home. Upon hearing this, Hayato also said he would go with them, as he was worried about Kiyoko going home alone. Kiyoko didn't refuse, and so they ended up walking together, a trio.

Tanaka and Nishinoya expressed their envy upon learning that the two were neighbors, but Kiyoko ignored them. Hayato, however, smilingly said that if there was an opportunity in the future, he would invite them to his home. This made the Kiyoko Guard duo extremely grateful to Hayato.

The two who had originally planned to follow them today were stopped by Ennoshita because they still needed to study; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to attend the training camp if they failed their final exams.

After saying goodbye to their newly made companions, Hayato changed his clothes and, along with Kiyoko, sent Hitoka back home. On the way back, because it was rush hour, the train was packed.

Using his height and strength, Hayato created a space for Kiyoko near the train door. Leaning his arms against the glass of the door, Hayato pressed against Kiyoko in a "wall slam" pose. Before Kiyoko could say anything, he became embarrassed.

This was because Hayato remembered that he had sweated so much during sports today and must have an odor.

"Sorry, Kiyoko-senpai."

Kiyoko, however, looked at Hayato's face with a puzzled tilt of her head. Noticing his embarrassment, she let out a chuckle, her eyes narrowing as she covered her mouth with her hand. Combined with her beautiful face, she looked incredibly cute.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, you know, I just finished exercising, and I'm still covered in sweat."

Hayato's explanation made Kiyoko understand. She subtly moved her nose and then smelled the scent of citrus-scented laundry detergent on Hayato. Combined with the sweat, it wasn't too unpleasant.

So, just like when he was a child, she reached out and flicked his nose.

"What's there to say? I'm the manager of the volleyball club; I'm already used to this smell."

Startled by Kiyoko's action, Hayato's memories flooded back. The young Hayato was often mischievous, and Kiyoko would flick his nose as a form of punishment.

Although the person in this body wasn't the real Hayato, having received all of Hayato's memories, what difference was there between them?

Shaking his head, he cast aside these philosophical questions and smiled warmly.

"That's certainly true."

Just as the two were about to continue their conversation, the train car jolted. The crowd behind Hayato, having no handholds, lost their balance, triggering a chain reaction. The surging crowd pushed Hayato forward.

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

Why did he say that? It was because the jostling had completely closed the gap between the two. Due to the height difference, Kiyoko's face was buried right against Hayato's chest, and Hayato felt a soft pressure against his abdomen.

"There's nothing that can be done about it."

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