Boom!
The volleyball tore through the air like a fired bullet. Its sharp whistle cut the silence as it flew straight at Hinata.
Hinata's eyes went wide. He could see the ball getting bigger in his vision, but his body felt nailed to the floor.
He couldn't move.
The ball slammed into the floor in front of him with a loud crash.
It bounced high and hit the wall.
"Again!" Kei's voice was icy and flat.
Kageyama didn't wait.
He tossed the ball, took his run-up, and jumped. He poured all the anger in his chest right into his hand.
Boom! Another heavy serve.
This time, Hinata barely managed to move his feet. He stretched his arms out to meet the ball. But the power and speed were way more than he expected.
The ball grazed his arm, leaving a red mark, before crashing onto the floor behind him.
"Again." Kei's voice was like a ticking clock—cold and steady.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Inside the gym, the loud cracks of the serves, the heavy thumps of the ball hitting the floor, and Hinata's cries of pain all mixed together.
Hinata felt like a leaf in a storm, beaten down by Kageyama's serves.
The ball hit his arms, his chest, and his shoulders.
Once, it even clipped his cheek.
Each hit brought a flash of sharp pain. His arms quickly turned red and swollen.
Sweat mixed with hot tears streamed from the corners of his eyes, blurring his sight.
"Damn it... I can't... keep up at all..." he gasped.
His legs felt as heavy.
"Hey, Kageyama." Right as Hinata was about to collapse, Kei spoke up. "Your serve is nothing but power."
Kageyama froze mid-throw and turned to glare at him.
"What did you say?"
"I said," Kei walked over, picked up a ball, and tapped it with his finger, "your serve is strong. Strong enough to win in high school matches. But because it's so strong, it's too simple. Look, your toss height, your running rhythm, and your arm swing are the exact same every time. You're just letting out your anger. You aren't training."
He turned to Hinata, who was swaying on his feet.
"And you, Hinata. Don't just watch the ball with your eyes. Feel it with your whole body. Try closing your eyes."
"Cl... closing my/his eyes?" Both Hinata and Kageyama were shocked.
Closing your eyes to catch a serve? Was this a joke?
"Every time Kageyama jumps and swings his arm, he makes a gust of wind. From the sound and direction of that wind, you can guess the ball's path. Don't try to chase a ball you can't see. Use your ears and your skin to listen to where the ball goes." Kei's words were way over the heads of these two high school kids.
This was the realm of ball sense. It was a skill only pro players could really grasp.
"Of course, you can't do it yet. But I want you to remember this feeling." Kei shifted his tone to be more simple.
"Open your eyes. Stop staring at the ball. Watch Kageyama's shoulders. Look at the angle of his wrist the second he swings. That angle decides if the ball flies straight or with spin."
He then turned to Kageyama. "Don't use full power. Use seventy percent, but aim for different parts of Hinata's body each time. Go left, right, at his feet, at his chest. Make him move."
Kageyama's anger faded.
It was replaced by a mix of confusion and awe.
Every word Kei spoke seemed to open a door to a new world.
Kageyama started to see that this wasn't torture. It was a scary, smart training method he'd never seen before.
He took a deep breath and nodded.
Thud!
This serve had less power, but its aim was much harder to handle.
It headed straight for Hinata's left side.
Hinata tried hard to remember Kei's words. His eyes locked onto Kageyama's shoulder. The second Kageyama swung his arm, Hinata actually seemed to guess the ball's path!
He scrambled to dive left, stretching out his arm.
Smack!
A crisp sound rang out as the ball hit Hinata's arm.
Even though his pose was a mess and the ball wobbled in the air, it didn't hit the floor.
Instead, it flew high and slow into the air!
"Whoa!" Hinata cried out, unable to believe it.
"Good!" Kei appeared like a ghost right under the ball.
His legs bent just a bit, and his arms formed a perfect natural platform.
Thump.
A soft sound echoed as the ball was bumped. It traced a gentle, perfect curve right back into Kageyama's hands.
That pass was smooth and easy, like he wasn't bumping a heavy ball, but lifting a feather.
Kageyama caught the ball with wide eyes.
He looked at Kei, then down at his own hand, which still stung from the serve.
Even though Hinata's receive had slowed the ball, it still carried a lot of force.
Yet Kei had handled it so... easily.
"That's it, Hinata," Kei said.
He didn't even look at Kageyama as his eyes stayed glued to Hinata. "Remember that feeling. Your job isn't to make the pass look pretty. It's to keep the ball in the air. As long as it doesn't touch the floor, I can handle the rest."
"Yes!" Hinata's voice shook with excitement.
He wiped his face with his red hand as a new fire burned in his eyes.
He looked at Kageyama and yelled, "Again! Kageyama!"
...
For the next hour, the vibe in the gym changed.
Kageyama's serves were no longer just angry strikes. He started to control his aim and spin, testing Hinata's limits like a strict teacher.
As for Hinata, he still tumbled, dove, and got hit by the ball.
But his success rate slowly went up—from one out of ten tries, to one out of five, and then one out of three.
He was like a piece of raw iron being hit over and over.
He was bruised and beaten, but under the heavy blows, the start of strong steel began to show.
And Kei moved like a tireless ghost, sliding across the court.
No matter where Hinata's bump sent the ball, and no matter how wild its path, Kei always showed up in the perfect spot.
He used the most simple, flawless moves to send the ball right back.
Without saying a word, he showed the other two what defense really meant.
"Alright, receiving practice ends here," Kei said, calling a stop.
Hinata dropped onto the floor with a heavy thud. He gasped for breath, his whole body aching, but a huge smile spread across his face.
"Next, phase two," Kei said, turning to Kageyama. "Practicing deception."
He held up his right hand and made a sign.
"Listen. During the match, I'll give you hand signals. One finger means you set the Freak Quick Attack for Hinata. Two fingers means you set to me—I'll run up on the left or right wing. A closed fist means you do a setter dump or attack yourself. Got it?"
Kageyama looked into Kei's calm eyes and gave a slow nod.
He hated feeling bossed around, but for some reason, he couldn't fight Kei's orders.
Everything the boy had shown them was way past what he knew.
"Come on, let's try it." Kei stood on the left side of the net.
Hinata dragged his tired body back to his starting spot for the Quick Attack.
"Kageyama, toss me a normal high ball," Kei ordered.
Kageyama tossed the ball up and made a clean set. But the second the ball left his hands, Kei shook his head.
"Wrong."
"What's wrong?!" Kageyama frowned. He had trust in his setting skills!
"Your eyes," Kei pointed out. "Before you set the ball, you stared at me for half a second. That's fine in normal matches, but against a smart blocker like Tsukishima, you're just telling him where the ball is going."
He walked over to Kageyama and lowered his voice.
"A setter is the biggest liar on the court. Your eyes should lock onto Hinata. Make everyone think you're going for the Quick Attack. But your wrists, right at the last second, need to push the ball to my spot. Use your side vision to find me, not your direct line of sight."
Kageyama shivered.
Finding a spiker with just side vision? That took insane court control and spatial awareness!
"Again!"
This time, Kageyama's eyes locked tight onto Hinata.
He looked just like he was about to set a lightning-fast Quick Attack. But at the very last second, his wrists made a hidden tricky flick.
The ball traced a brand new path, flying right to the left wing.
Thwack!
Kei appeared out of thin air, catching the ball right in his hands.
"Good. Just like that." He gave a proud smile. "Use your brain as much as your talent. You'll become ten times stronger than you are right now."
The school bell rang, marking the end of morning practice.
The gym door creaked open a little as Sugawara peeked inside, worried that the three problem kids had wrecked the place.
Instead, he saw a scene he would never forget.
Hinata was sprawled out flat on the floor, panting hard.
Kageyama stood at the net with his head down.
He was lost in thought, giving off a heavy, serious focus.
And Kei, with his back to the door, was picking up the stray balls one by one and dropping them into the cart.
He wasn't moving fast, but he had a smooth calm rhythm.
There were no fights and no yelling.
Just the heavy quiet that comes after pushing past your limits.
"Kitagawa-kun," Sugawara called out in a soft voice.
Kei turned around, saw Sugawara, and gave a warm smile. "Good morning, senpai."
That smile was clean and friendly. It was a total switch from the scary, bossy aura he'd just shown on the court.
Sugawara stared blankly at the three of them.
He opened his mouth, but all he could manage to say was, "...You've worked hard."