"Wahhhhhhh—!!"
Hinata's scream almost blew the roof off the gym.
Jumping up and down like a monkey, he ran in circles around Kageyama.
"I hit it! I hit it! Kageyama! Did you see?! I hit it with my eyes closed! That feeling... that feeling was amazing!"
He spread his burning right hand open.
The heavy, solid feeling of the spike still lingered there. It was the feeling he'd dreamed of—the feeling of an ace!
Kageyama ignored Hinata's noise.
He just looked down, staring blankly at his own hands. His fingertips still felt the sting of sending the ball out at top speed.
His mind was blank, but a fierce fire burned in his chest.
To put the ball right into the palm of a spiker who had their eyes closed.
He'd actually pulled off Kei's crazy idea!
This fired him up more than any perfect set he'd ever made.
This was a god-like move built on deep focus on his teammate and perfect control over himself!
"Shut up, idiot Hinata." Kageyama finally spoke.
His voice was low, but it shook just a bit. "Isn't this expected?"
"Again!" Hinata totally missed the hidden meaning in Kageyama's words.
His eyes shining, he pointed at the other side of the court. "Kageyama, let's do it again!"
"I don't need you to tell me!"
The two simple-minded boys agreed in a flash. The pain of failing and the bruises on their bodies were all forgotten, wiped out by the huge joy of this one hit.
The creator of all this, Kei, just leaned against the wall.
A small smile rested on his face as he calmed his own fast breathing. Watching the two boys act like they'd just found a new toy, he understood.
The fangs of the Freak Quick Attack had shown their edge for the first time!
But for now, it was still just a baby tooth.
It needed a lot more grinding before it could become a real weapon to tear through a block.
Thud!
"Dammit! It was off by a bit!"
Smack!
"Idiot! Your jump was too slow!"
"You set it too high, you jerk!"
For the next ten minutes, the gym was filled with their normal yelling and the rare, loud smack of a good hit.
Their success rate wasn't high, maybe thirty or forty percent.
But each good hit acted like a shot of energy. It made their eyes shine brighter and their teamwork grow smoother.
Hinata wasn't afraid to close his eyes anymore. He started to trust that no matter how high he jumped, the ball would always meet his hand.
And Kageyama wasn't just barking orders anymore.
He started to watch and feel the rhythm of Hinata's run, the power of his jumps, and even how tired he was getting.
He used all of that to fix every tiny detail of his sets.
Kei watched, giving a mental nod. Kageyama's talent was scary. He didn't just have top-tier skill; he was a fast learner.
That lonely King was learning how to work with his new weapon in a brand new way.
Just then, the gym door opened.
"Oh? Someone's here so early today!"
A loud, happy voice rang out.
It was the second-year, Tanaka and right behind him were Captain Daichi and Vice-Captain Sugawara.
The three of them walked into the gym. When they saw the two boys on the court—sweaty, intense, and fired up—they stopped in surprise.
"It's those two problem kids..." Tanaka rubbed his bald head with a grin. "Looks like they still haven't made up."
Daichi frowned and was about to scold them, but the scene in front of him stopped him cold.
They saw Kageyama toss the ball high into the air. His eyes locked onto the other side like a hawk.
The second he tossed the ball, Hinata shot out like an arrow!
His speed was insane!
"Run!" Kageyama shouted.
Hinata jumped with all his might, his body bending like a tight bow in midair.
Then, right in front of Daichi, Sugawara, and Tanaka, Hinata... closed his eyes!
"He closed his eyes?!" Sugawara gasped, his voice cracking. "That's dangerous!"
Before the words even left his mouth, Kageyama's set was already flying.
It was a straight line that was almost too fast to see.
It broke the rules of physics, flying right into the path of Hinata's swinging arm!
SMACK!!!
Another loud, explosive sound echoed through the room.
The ball turned into a blur as it slammed into the floor at a crazy angle, right next to Tanaka's feet, before bouncing high and hitting the ceiling.
"..."
Daichi stood with his mouth open, at loss for words.
Sugawara's face was frozen in shock.
Tanaka stood stuck in place.
He stared down at the ball spinning by his foot, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his face.
'If that ball had been aimed just a little bit higher... if it had hit my face instead...'
"Wh-what was that..." Tanaka stuttered.
"M-monster..." Sugawara whispered.
Being a setter himself, he knew just how scary the skill behind that play was.
That was the setter taking control of the attacker!
After his first shock wore off, Daichi's eyes lit up with a mix of hype and caution.
He knew right away how strong this new attack was.
The spike was over before the other team could even form a block!
It was pure, god-like speed!
"Hey, you two..." Daichi took a deep breath, ready to ask them about it.
Creak—
The gym door opened again.
This time, Tsukishima Kei and Yamaguchi Tadashi walked in.
Tsukishima gave a lazy yawn. When he saw the shocked senpais, along with the panting Kageyama and Hinata, a familiar mean smirk grew on his face.
"My, my, so lively this early in the morning. Is the King busy training his new servant? Looks like hard work," he said in a breezy tone, looking at a sweaty Hinata.
Hearing this, Kageyama snapped his head around.
His glare cut into Tsukishima like a knife.
"What did you say?"
"Did I say something wrong?" Tsukishima pushed up his glasses, staring back at Kageyama without a hint of fear.
"Only a King rejected by Shiratorizawa could come up with such a grand idea—turning a shrimp who can't even receive into an ace spiker."
"You...!" Kageyama's temper flared up in a flash.
"Tsukishima!" Daichi's voice cut through, low and strict.
But before the captain could say another word, the quiet teammate everyone had ignored stepped away from the wall.
It was Kei.
He walked over, stepping right between Kageyama and Tsukishima.
His eyes were calm as he looked up at the much taller boy.
"Tsukishima-kun," Kei's voice was flat and cool. "What do you think is the most important thing in volleyball?"
Tsukishima blinked, surprised that this skinny guy was speaking up.
He raised an eyebrow and gave a lazy answer. "Height and brains, of course. You can't win matches on just passion, right?"
"You're half right," Kei said, shaking his head. "But you missed the biggest piece."
He held up a finger, pointing first at Hinata, then at Kageyama, and finally back at himself.
"It's weapons."
"Huh?" Tsukishima scoffed like he'd just heard a bad joke.
"Hinata's speed and jumps are weapons. Kageyama's tosses are weapons. And your height and cool head are weapons, too." Kei's voice wasn't loud, but it rang clear in the quiet gym.
"And my weapon..." He paused, flashing a sharp, knowing smile.
"...is finding the right way to use these weapons."
He turned around, faced Daichi, and gave a small bow.
"Captain, about the tryout match this weekend. I have an idea."
"Hmm?" Daichi didn't expect him to bring that up.
"Let the three of us," Kei pointed to himself, Hinata, and Kageyama, "play a three-on-three match against Tsukishima-kun, Yamaguchi-kun, and Tanaka-senpai. How about it?"
His challenge caught everyone off guard.
Tanaka blinked, then slammed his fist against his chest with a huge grin.
"Ooh! Interesting! I like it! Let this senpai show you first-years some tough love!"
A cold gleam flashed behind Tsukishima's glasses.
He didn't expect this guy to pick a fight, but it worked out fine for him.
He wanted to crush this bossy King and prove that volleyball wasn't just simple math.
"Sure," Tsukishima shrugged. "The result will be the same anyway."
Daichi looked at the divided first-years, then at Sugawara's worried face.
He made a choice.
Instead of putting out the fire, it was better to let them fight it out on the court.
Karasuno needed a spark, it needed this new energy!
"Alright," Daichi said, his face going dead serious. "It's settled then. This weekend, three-on-three. The losers won't be allowed to start in official matches."
The bet made Kageyama's face go dark, while Hinata gripped his fists tight.
Only Kei stayed as calm as still water.
He looked at Tsukishima, who used his height to look down on them, and then at his two teammates who had just scratched the surface of the Freak Quick Attack.
'A three-on-three? Perfect,' he thought.
'Let me show you what kind of scary magic happens when a top-tier brain takes control of the two wildest spears.'