After changing into his sportswear, Hayato greeted the rest of the team as they arrived at the locker room. The atmosphere was relaxed, light banter filling the air.
When Ennoshita learned that Hayato's academic performance was top-tier, he wasted no time recruiting him into their informal study group.
To be honest, teaching those two boneheads—Tanaka and Nishinoya—alone had been slowly eating away at his sanity.
Finally, with a true honor student on board, he might survive midterms.
Once everyone was changed, they headed to the gym. As Hayato stepped in, he noticed a familiar figure standing beside Coach Ukai. It was the advisor of the Volleyball Club, Karasuno's modern literature teacher—Takeda Ittetsu.
The man seemed to catch Hayato's curious gaze.
"You must be the new member—Hayato Kuroha, right? I'm Takeda Ittetsu, the club's advisor," he said with a warm, slightly flustered smile.
Seeing that the teacher was about the same height as Kiyoko-nee, Hayato respectfully bowed and greeted him.
Straightening up, Takeda took a thoughtful look at him.
"Yesterday, Coach Ukai praised your height and skill. Perhaps it's fate... A black-feathered falcon has joined Karasuno's flight toward Nationals."
He gave a poetic nod. "In the East, the falcon is sometimes called the Sea Eastern Green Raptor... I hope you can spread your wings and soar."
Then, catching himself, he scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Ah... there I go again. Maybe a bit too artistic?"
Hayato smiled. "Not at all, sensei. You're right. I'm the strongest raptor—and my teammates are just as fierce. This year, we're going to Nationals."
He pressed his fist confidently against his chest. His calm demeanor faded, replaced by a fire that surprised even Coach Ukai and Takeda. Before they could respond, Hayato gave a quick bow and jogged off to join his teammates.
Coach Ukai blinked, watching him go. "He's got a real presence, doesn't he?"
Takeda rubbed his arms with a grin. "I got goosebumps when he said that. Maybe this really is our year."
"Yeah," Ukai replied, more serious now. "Yeah, we're going."
As practice began, it became increasingly obvious: Hayato's arrival had raised the bar.
None of them wanted to be left behind. One by one, players who had once coasted on routine were now pushing themselves harder, eyes sharper, movements more intentional. Ukai watched with approval—this energy was exactly what they needed heading into training camp.
Asahi, in particular, had been training hard since Hinata joined, but he still struggled with his nerves. He often hesitated at critical moments—not due to a lack of skill, but a lack of confidence.
Now, with Hayato, the team could more easily divide for scrimmages without a significant skill gap. Coach Ukai repeated the same team lineup from the day before.
When it came to match point, Asahi played it safe with a secure serve. Meanwhile, Hayato went all in—a powerful jump serve to end the game.
Unfortunately, the serve missed its mark and went out.
Game over. Asahi's team won.
Hayato clapped his hands once and offered a bow. "Sorry, got a little too fired up. Misjudged the trajectory."
Sugawara, on his team, patted him on the back. "No worries. We'll win the next one."
Coach Ukai had already decided to pair Sugawara with Hayato for now. The Hinata-Kageyama combo still had room to grow and needed more time to solidify.
Hayato smiled and nodded. "Alright, Suga-senpai. Feed me more sets next match."
Despite the lost point, Hayato's focus remained unshaken—something Asahi silently admired.
That level-headed strength… That's what he lacked.
A new scrimmage began, and the court roared to life.
"Chance ball!"
"Cover!"
"One touch!"
Voices echoed off the gym walls, sweat hit the floor, and the team gave it their all. The matches were intense.
At the end, everyone collapsed into exhausted heaps. Hinata scrambled over to Hitoka for the match stats.
"6 to 4! Hayato-senpai's team won more matches again!"
Tanaka groaned. "Damn it. We lost again."
Kageyama didn't hold back. "Most of those points were your fault, Hinata. Every time you rotated to the back, it was chaos!"
"Hey! That's because Kuroha-senpai kept targeting me!" Hinata cried, rubbing his head after Kageyama's sharp chop.
"Obviously," Kageyama snapped. "That's strategy. You attack the weakest link."
Hayato stepped in with a smile. "Alright, alright, cool it, guys."
He turned to Hinata. "Your offense is your strength, but right now, your defense needs work. Try making the ball a part of your life—even off-court. Get used to the feel of it. The more familiar it becomes, the less you'll panic."
Hinata's eyes lit up. "Got it! I'll carry it everywhere! Even sleep with it!"
"Uh... maybe not that far," Hayato sweatdropped. This isn't Captain Tsubasa.