The second pass sent the ball straight in front of him!
Crunch!
The screech of sneakers echoed against the gym floor.
As soon as Hayashi Nagano leapt into the air, he aimed a spike toward Daiki Ogano on the opposite side of the net!
Thwack!
The ball struck squarely against Ogano's ready arms—he had been prepared for a strong hit!
Instantly, the ball ricocheted to the left!
Everyone watching turned to look at Ogano with anticipation.
"Well? What do you think?"
"Did it have any spin?"
"Ogano-senpai, what's the verdict?"
...
Voices buzzed throughout the gym.
Seeing Ogano remain silent for a long time, someone couldn't help but prod.
"Don't space out, roe-lips!"
"Everyone's waiting for your answer!"
Snapped out of his thoughts, Ogano blinked.
"Uh…"
"There was spin."
"But…"
He raised his head and gave Hayashi a strange look.
"Can you maybe hit it with some strength next time?"
"I'm not a child, you know."
Hearing his comment, everyone seemed to realize something and turned their gazes collectively toward Hayashi.
Now that they thought about it—sure, the ball had spun, but… it had landed softly. Too softly for a real game situation.
It wasn't some classroom lesson—no need to hold back like that.
At this, the Ubugawa setter and another spiker slapped their foreheads, sighing in unison.
"Uhh…"
Hayashi's face flushed. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"F-Fine then! I did use full strength, okay?!"
"…What?"
At those words, not only Ogano, but everyone else in the gym widened their eyes in disbelief.
What did he just say?
Full strength?!
But that last spike was so… soft?
Suddenly, a lightbulb seemed to go off in Ogano's head. He pointed at Hayashi with wide eyes, stumbling over his words.
"Wait a minute… that spinning ball just now—could it be—?!"
"That's right!"
Before Hayashi could answer, his setter jumped in.
"It's all because of Hayashi's unique right hand!"
Then he explained to the others:
Back when Hayashi was a child, he injured the palm of his right hand. Even after it healed, a lump—something like a small benign tumor—formed near his pinky finger.
It had no feeling and didn't affect daily life.
But it did mess with his ball control and touch when spiking. Because of that, he never really excelled at spiking, and Ubugawa had started training him as a Libero instead.
No one expected that, during today's training, Hayashi could use that same oddity to create spinning spikes!
But—
That's the limit of what he could do. If he tried to hit harder, the spin would weaken. The strange bump on his hand helped produce rotation—but not power.
So, this spin spike might look fancy…
…but it was ultimately a bit of a dead end. Like a "chicken rib"—too tasteless to enjoy, too much of a waste to throw away.
Was he incapable of spiking? No. He could spin the ball.
But could that soft spin shot really do anything in an actual game?
Unlikely.
Still, Hayashi's case proved one thing:
The spinning spike technique that Akira had demonstrated worked!
Someone had actually replicated it!
Even if it lacked force, it still spun!
And that left everyone feeling a bit awkward.
Earlier in the day, no one had been able to replicate Akira's move. Some had even started questioning whether Akira's method was flawed.
But now? There was living proof that the technique worked.
The awkward truth settled in:
It wasn't that Akira's method was bad—it was that they themselves weren't good enough to master it.
Everyone exchanged looks in silence.
So we're… just mediocre?
After a long morning of training, the camp finally returned to its original pace.
It became obvious to everyone that this spinning spike was a deep, nuanced skill.
Even though Akira's explanation was brief and simplified, actually executing it was another matter entirely. Most still had no clue how to replicate it.
They could only wait for time and repetition to help them improve.
For now, it was important to make the most of the remaining training.
Especially for Karasuno, Fukurodani, and Ubugawa—they all had nationals coming up next week!
They needed match experience to keep in shape.
So, after lunch, everyone resumed their high-intensity training schedule.
The afternoon was packed with more inter-school scrimmages.
And this time, Karasuno bounced back from yesterday's shaky performance. They were on fire!
Except for one match they lost to Fukurodani while testing new tactics, they won every other game!
...
But just as the day's training was winding down, someone unexpected walked up to Akira.
"Thank you, Akira-kun!"
"Huh?"
Everyone paused and turned toward the voice.
It was Hayashi Nagano, standing before Akira with an earnest look and a deep bow.
"You changed my fate."
"Uh…"
Akira blinked, caught completely off guard.
Fate? What?
A hearty laugh came from the sidelines.
It was Ubugawa's coach, walking over with Nekomata-sensei.
"That's right," Ubugawa's coach said with a grin. "Originally, Hayashi wasn't much of an attacker. We were training him to become a Libero instead."
"But after today," he continued, "he's decided to pursue spiking again."
"Yep! Akira-kun!"
Hayashi's face lit up, eyes shining with determination.
"Your words today opened my eyes to a whole new world!"
"I used to think that scar on my hand was the door closing on my dream of becoming a spiker…"
"But you helped me see that I still have another option!"
"You opened a window I didn't know existed."
"I saw a glimpse of new hope!"
He bowed again—deeply.
"That's right," added Ubugawa's coach. "We're going to support him in trying out this new path."
"Who knows—maybe he'll find his own style and shine."
Nekomata-sensei nodded. "You gave him something real today."
Akira laughed awkwardly and stepped forward to help Hayashi up.
"I just said a few words, nothing that special."
"No!"
Hayashi raised his head, eyes intense.
"Maybe it was just a few words to you—but to me, it could change my whole life!"
He bowed again, then turned and left.
"Whew…"
Akira exhaled softly, watching Hayashi walk away.
All he did was speak on a whim.
He never expected someone from Ubugawa to take it so seriously.
Just as Akira stood frozen in thought, a voice broke through beside him.
"Hey."
"What about that new skill you said you were working on?"
"You up for showing it now?"
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1st Bonus Chapter - 500 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter -900 Power Stones
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