Daichi's voice fell like a judge's gavel, delivering the verdict in the gym.
The rule, "The losers will not be allowed to start in official matches," struck Kageyama and Hinata's hearts like a heavy hammer.
The air seemed to freeze.
"Pfft."
A quiet chuckle broke the silence.
It was Tsukishima Kei.
His eyes curved into a mocking smile behind the lenses, not hiding his joy at all.
"That's a very fair rule, Captain," he said in a lazy drawl. "After all, Karasuno doesn't need a bossy King. See you this weekend."
He didn't even look at Kageyama again before turning toward the exit.
Yamaguchi hurried after him, looking back at Hinata with a worried face before catching up to Tsukishima.
"Hey! First-year brats!" Tanaka put his hands on his hips.
He flashed a row of white teeth and put on a fierce face. "Don't come crying and begging for mercy! This senpai won't go easy on you!"
He laughed loud and left the gym with Daichi and Sugawara to start their real morning practice.
Before leaving, Sugawara cast a worried look their way.
Daichi just gave the three of them a silent warning with his eyes: 'Settle this with volleyball.'
The gym door creaked shut, cutting off the noise from outside.
Only Kei, Kageyama, and Hinata were left.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Kageyama hung his head.
His fists clenched so tight they creaked, and the veins popped on the back of his hands.
His whole body shook with rage.
Tsukishima's mean attitude and words hit right at his sore spots. It made him madder than any direct fight ever could.
He felt like a wild beast trapped in a cage, full of strength but with nowhere to let it out.
"What do we do... what do we do..." Hinata was a different sight.
He paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan, his face pale.
"It's all because of me... If I could receive better, then... Kageyama wouldn't have to be the setter... and our Quick Attack..."
One was lost in anger, and the other was lost in panic.
This makeshift duo had just sparked hope with the Freak Quick Attack, but now they were on the edge of falling apart before the match even started.
"Both of you, calm down."
A cold, steady voice rang out.
Kageyama and Hinata turned at the same time to look at Kei.
He looked as calm as ever, like the bet had nothing to do with him.
He picked up a volleyball, weighed it in his hand, and swept his eyes over the two boys.
"You've already lost before even starting to play," Kei said in a flat tone.
"What did you say?!" Kageyama snapped his head up, glaring at him.
"Am I wrong?" Kei's eyes were calm but sharp, cutting into Kageyama's heart like a knife. "Why did Tsukishima say those things? Because he knows making you mad is the easiest way to beat you. What can a setter blinded by anger do besides setting suicide tosses? Have you forgotten the lessons from middle school, 'King'?"
The word "King" poked Kageyama's nerves like a needle.
His breath hitched.
The fire of his anger was put out like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on it. It left behind only a cold, bitter shame.
Kei didn't look at him anymore and turned to Hinata.
"And you," his voice softened a bit. "What are you afraid of? Losing the match? Or that Kageyama won't be able to set, and you won't be able to spike?"
Hinata blinked, opening his mouth but unable to find the words.
"Listen." Kei's voice was strong and steady, holding a deep, firm belief. "From now on, there's only one thing you two need to do. Trust me."
He tossed the ball in his hand, caught it tight, and looked back and forth between them.
"For the match this weekend, we have three targets. Let's break them down." His voice grabbed their focus.
He didn't sound like a fellow student, but like a veteran coach.
"First, Tanaka-senpai. He's their main attacker, strong and full of fighting spirit. But he's a straight shooter. His attack paths are easy to guess, and he's easy to rile up. As long as we can handle his first heavy hits, his threat will go down."
"Next, Yamaguchi-kun. I'm sorry to say it, but right now, he's their weak link. His basics are fine, but he lacks match experience and a winning weapon. A big chunk of our points will have to come from him."
After breaking down those two, Kei's eyes stared at an empty spot in the air, like he could already see that tall figure.
"Finally, and most important, Tsukishima Kei."
Hearing that name, Kageyama's body went stiff again.
"He's 1.88 meters tall, the tallest player on our side. He keeps a cool head and uses his height for smart blocks. He'll be our nightmare—if we play by his script."
A small smile touched Kei's lips.
"His script?" Hinata asked, confused.
"That's right." Kei looked at Kageyama. "His script is to poke at you with mean words, make you lose your cool, and force you two to rush that messy Quick Attack. Then, using his height and smart reads, he'll block your spike at the worst time. Just one block is enough to shatter your confidence."
Kageyama felt a chill run down his spine.
He realized that Kei's guess was exactly what he had almost done just moments ago.
"Then... what should we do?" Hinata asked.
His voice held a shaky hint of hope.
Kei smiled.
It was the calm smile of a strong player who had everything under control.
"Simple." He held up three fingers. "First, defense. For this match, you two will handle the attacks. All the receives, digs, and cover blocks—leave them to me."
"You?" Kageyama looked at him with doubt.
Kei's skinny body didn't look like someone who could carry the defense.
"Yes, me." Kei's confidence didn't waver. "I promise that unless it's a total dead angle, I'll at least get a touch on the ball to save it. You just need to trust that I'm right behind you, and focus only on attacking."
He put down his first finger.
"Second. Kageyama, your job isn't to make the fastest or meanest toss. Your job is trickery."
"Trickery?"
"Exactly. Tsukishima is waiting for our Freak Quick Attack, so we won't give it to him. I'll give you hand signals. I'll tell you when to use the Quick Attack, when to set to me, or when to do a setter dump. You don't need to be a king. You just need to be my magician's assistant. Use your perfect skills to trick them."
For the first time, a spark of real thought showed up in Kageyama's eyes instead of blind anger.
"Finally, Hinata." Kei looked at the shortest, yet most vital, member of the team.
"Yes!" Hinata stood up straight, looking nervous.
"Tsukishima looks down on you. Everyone thinks you're just a decoy that jumps high. That is our best weapon." Kei spoke each word clear and slow.
"From now until the weekend, you won't practice spiking. You will practice receiving. You don't need to be perfect. I only have one rule—"
He tossed the ball to Hinata.
"Use any part of your body to block the ball. Just don't let it hit the floor for a point. Can you do that?"
Hinata caught the ball with clumsy hands, staring blankly at Kei.
For the first time, he felt like he had an important job besides jumping and hitting.
Even though he still wanted to spike, he nodded hard.
"Yes! I can do it!"
"Good." Kei clapped his hands together. In his mind, he was already building the tactical chess board.
"Then let's start training. Hinata, you stand at the baseline. Kageyama, you serve."
"Huh?" Both of them froze.
"Serve. Use your best jump serve and aim it right at Hinata. Hinata, your job is what I just said—save the ball. Until you can do it, we won't move on to the next drill."
Kageyama's jump serve was a heavy cannonball.
Even veteran players had trouble with it!
Making a beginner receive it? Wasn't that just torture?
"But..." Hinata looked at Kageyama's dark glare.
His face seemed to say, 'I'm going to blast you to pieces.' Hinata's legs felt a little weak.
"No buts," Kei said, leaving no room to argue. "Do you want to get knocked down by Kageyama right now, or do you want to get knocked down by Tsukishima while he laughs at you this weekend?"
Hinata shivered.
He thought of Tsukishima's mean smirk and a sudden burst of brave energy welled up inside him.
He threw the ball back to Kageyama, took a deep breath, spread his legs, and dropped into a very messy receiving stance.
"Come on, Kageyama!" he yelled. "Bring it!"
Kageyama looked at Hinata's stubborn face, then glanced over at Kei, who watched them with calm eyes.
The anger in Kageyama's chest shifted into a brand new kind of fighting spirit!
He tossed the ball, took his run-up, and jumped.
Boom!
The ball whistled through the air, shooting at Hinata like a cannonball.
Morning light poured through the gym's high windows, stretching the shadows of the three boys across the floor.
A secret training camp started right then, just days before their big battle.
Kei stood at the edge of the court like a calm chess player.
He watched the two wildest pieces on the board begin their painful, but vital, growth under his careful eye.
He knew this three-on-three match would be much more than a simple club tryout.
It would be the very first magic show the "Court Magician" put on for Karasuno.