[May 2nd, 9:00 AM, Aoba Johsai High School Gymnasium]

  After an hour of interaining, the pyers of the Aoba Johsai volleyball team were scattered along the edges of the gymnasium in small groups, catg their breath. Beads of sweat rolled down their faces, dripping onto the polished wooden floor.

  Although today's practice had only just begun, the fatigue accumuted from the previous day lingered like a shadoing their energy and leaving traces of weariness on their expressions.

  That's the thing about training camps—they're nothing short of brutal. Even Kyōtaarō and Iwaizumi Hajime had slumped against the wall to rest, knowing full well they had aire day of practice still ahead.

  "Oikawa-senpai, how do you serve a jump float?"

  A, amidst this atmosphere of exhaustion, one 'monster' tio thrive—tirelessly chasing improvement.

  "You want to learn the jump float now?" Iwaizumi was the first to respond, raising an eyebrow at Taichi Kaedehara.

  "Yeah," Taichi replied early. "After the match against Shiratorizawa, I realized that regur serves don't just ck power—they're practically a free ball for the opposing team." He ched his fists, unwilling to relive the moment his serve had been effortlessly returned and turned into a devastating terattack.

  "Then why a jump float? Most pyers would aim to master the jump serve for direct points."

  "Uh….because I'm not strong enough yet."

  Thanks to a system that only he had access to, Taichi was keenly aware of his own weaknesses.

  However, to others, his spikes and blocks often overshadowed this particur shorting.

  "Don't worry—I'll master it eventually," he said, his fidenwavering. "For now, I just want to focus on the jump float si's more realisti the short term."

  There was something about Taichi's self-assured tone and insatiable desire to improve that made others uneasy, as if his ambition pced a stant pressure on them.

  After a brief pause, Oikawa Tōru said, "Taichi, even a jump float isn't that easy to master."

  "I know," Taichi replied nontly. "But there's still a month left before the IH qualifiers. As long as I learn it before then, it's fine."

  This kid….His cocky attitude makes me not want to teach him.

  Oikawa smirked and said, "Fiart by practising ball trol. Line up some water bottles along the baseline, and try jump-serving to knock them over one by one. e back when you hit an 80% accuracy rate, and I'll teach you the step."

  "Got it!"

  From then on, the Aoba Johsai team often saw Taichi Kaedehara practising serves alone during their breaks.

  [May 3rd]

  Iwaizumi Hajime and Hanamaki Takahiro decided to shift their training focus to serve-receives. Other than their daily spiking drills, they devoted almost all their time to mastering the fuals of reception.

  Together with libero Watari Shinji, the three often huddled to discuss footwork and hand positioning for receiving powerful serves.

  That day, the trio decided to test their skills against Oikawa's infamous serves.

  "Even if it's three-on-one, I'm not losing to you guys!" Oikawa teased, boung the ball casually with one hand.

  "Shut up and serve already, dumbass Oikawa," Iwaizumi shot back without fling.

  "Who do you think's gonna wi's bet ramen after the training camp!" The rare sight of this challenge had drawn several teammates to watch from the sidelines.

  "Oikawa-senpai, obviously. Even Ushiwaka couldn't handle his serves st time."

  "No way, I think Iwaizumi-senpai's side has a ce. They're familiar with his serves, and those three are our best receivers."

  Coach Irihata, notig the buzz, decided not to interveraining camps could be gruelling, and occasional moments like these were good for morale.

  Fag Oikawa across the he trio suddenly felt a wave of nervousness.

  Even Iwaizumi, who occasionally practised receiving Oikawa's serves, hadn't felt this much pressure in a while.

  "Here it es!"

  Oikawa tossed the ball high into the air, took his approach, and smashed it down with precision.

  Thud!

  "Out!" Watari called immediately, his sharp judgment saving the point as the ball smmed just past the baseline.

  "Tch." Oikawa clicked his tongue. He'd been trying to intimidate Iwaizumi with a powerful serve but had miscalcuted the nding.

  Hanamaki, who had almost reached out to receive the ball, froze in relief. The serve had been so fast that there hadn't been enough time to react—Watari's call had saved him.

  "Again!" Oikawa shouted, serving the sed ball.

  Iwaizumi miscalcuted ahe receive flying.

  The third serve nded squarely at Hanamaki's feet.

  As the number of serves increased, Oikawa Tōru only greer.

  Out of ten serves, only two went out of bounds. Watari Shinji received one successfully but misjudged another. Iwaizumi Hajime mishahree, and Hanamaki Takahiro two. One serve zipped past without anyone even toug it.

  In the end, Oikawa emerged as the clear winner.

  "Alright, that's enough. Let's get back to practice," Coach Irihata cpped his hands, signalling everyoo return to their drills.

  "From now on," he instructed Iwaizumi and the others, "after each practice, use this method to train your serve receives. Five sets a day, ten serves per set. Have Onoda record your success rates."

  "Yes, sir!"

  The pyers responded with enthusiasm, uerred by the added workload.

  [May 4th – Clear Skies]

  Inside Aoba Johsai's gymnasium, a umosphere filled the air.

  In the tre of the spacious, sunlit gym, the team's Manager-Coach Mizoguchi stood beside a ly arraack of jerseys.

  They were folded with precision, eae like a soldier standing at attention, waiting for its owhe bright school name embzoned across the front gleamed uhe sunlight, a proud emblem of honour and belonging.

  Mizoguchi's face bore a warm smile, his eyes brimming with encement and high expectations for the team.

  "I won't say much," his voied, carrying across every er of the gym. "From the moment you put on this jersey, you carry the honour of Aoba Johsai. Let us face the challenges ahead together and create new glory for our team!"

  "One, Oikawa Tōru."

  "Two, Matsukawa Issei."

  "Three, Hanamaki Takahiro."

  "Four, Iwaizumi Hajime."

  …

  "Six, Yahaba Shigeru."

  "Seven, Watari Shinji."

  …

  "Ten, Kaedehara Taichi."

  "Twelve, Kindaichi Yūtaro."

  "Thirteen, Kunimi Akira."

  …

  "Sixteen, Kyōtaarō."

  As Mizoguchi called eaumber, he handed out the jerseys one by ohe pyers stepped forward, each accepting their uniform with pride.

  Without exception, they all wore bright smiles—some lightly stroking the fabric, others eagerly trying on their new gear. The gym was filled with an indescribable mix of joy and solemnity.

  Once dressed in their new uniforms, the pyers seemed to radiate energy, moving freely around the court and gng at one another's fresh looks.

  Coach Irihata observed the se from the sidelines, a satisfied expression on his face. Ohe pyers had calmed down a bit, he addressed them:

  "Tomorrow, the team from Tokyo—Nekoma—will be visiting. I've heard their ret matches have been nearly all wins."

  "The's make sure we hand them their first loss in Miyagi!"

  The entire Aoba Johsai team was fired up, ready to take on the challenge!

  _________

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