Haikyuu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

Though awkward, the ball was rolled back to the other team as Tsuna quietly walked back onto the court without explaining himself.

'Seems like I overestimated myself,' Tsuna thought, his gaze fixed on Kageyama, who was now stepping behind the service line.

The freshman held the ball in his hands, preparing to serve.

Tsuna flexed his left hand absently as frustration simmered beneath his calm exterior. Trying to control all his power with his left hand—on a court, in a sport he had barely touched in a year—was a bigger challenge than he had anticipated.

Despite knowing it was mainly because of his recovery, Tsuna still felt dissatisfied with his progress.

'It's not enough.'

The spark he had felt last year, playing against strong opponents—the sensation that coursed through his entire being.

It was foreign to him at the time, a feeling he hadn't quite understood, yet it was the feeling he craved since.

Why else had he come back if not to answer the unanswered questions he had? Why return to this court, to this game, after losing control of his right hand?

The whistle blew, snapping Tsuna out of his thoughts. His eyes glimmered as he decided to let go of his obsession with control for now.

Meanwhile...

"We can still win this..."

Kageyama's eyes locked onto the floating ball as he muttered to himself, "To get the momentum... to win..."

What he had done back in middle school, his selfishness and arrogance had driven his teammates away. Tsukishima's words still hurt, but Kageyama couldn't deny the truth in them.

'That's why... if my toss isn't enough...'

He clenched his jaw, his determination solidifying.

"I'll break through with this!"

Kageyama shouted as he leaped into the air. His form was perfect.

He hit when the time was right, and as his palm connected with the ball, the sound of impact reverberated through the gym like a gunshot.

The ball streaked through the air, straight toward the other side!

"Whoa..."

"Our freshmen this year are insane," Enoshita murmured from the sidelines, Kinoshita nodding in agreement.

Daichi silently agreed, his eyes glued to the ball's trajectory. For a moment, he wondered if anyone on the opposing side could ever hope to receive such a serve.

"Huh?"

Then, Suga let out a surprised voice. Daichi, who also realized what happened, widened his eyes in surprise.

"What...?"

His gaze followed the ball as it shot toward the far corner of the court—a spot that seemed impossible to defend, too far for anyone to reach, given the ball's speed.

But it wasn't about Kageyama's accuracy. It didn't look like he had deliberately aimed there. No, what shocked them wasn't where the ball was headed.

It was who had moved to meet it.

"Tsuna..."

The court fell silent as all eyes turned toward Tsuna.

"...he went for the ball?"

Someone who usually left such difficult balls for Nishinoya, someone who rarely bothered with anything that was 'not exactly his role,' was already there.

Standing in position, waiting for the ball as if he had known exactly where it would land.

Kageyama was also surprised Tsuna was able to react to his jump serve as he mumbled, "I hit it too strong, but it should still be in..."

All eyes were on him.

Tsuna's gaze locked onto the ball coming straight toward him. The sound of the gym faded away, replaced by the steady rhythm of his breathing as a distant memory flashed before his eyes.

"Tsuna! One more... Serve it one more!"

It was in the same gym where they had their usual training.

"Oh, piss off. I'm tired, Nishinoya." Tsuna remembered his reply back then as he knew what his next words were, "Besides, you won't receive my serve anyway. Why bother to train so hard?"

"..."

Nishinoya, who couldn't even return his serve back then, just shook his head and still stared at him with such determination.

It was quite uncomfortable as Tsuna scratched his head, "Ha... sure. This is your last chance though..."

"..."

Nishinoya didn't bother to reply and started whispering to himself like he was possessed. "Relax... relax my hand... just let it bounce..."

"...Yeah, whatever."

Tsuna hadn't thought much of it at the time.

Yet that day, Nishinoya had managed to return his serve. It might not be his strongest since he rarely goes all in in practice. It was a messy, and choppy receive, but it counted.

Back then, Tsuna hadn't cared.

But now...

"Relax my hand..."

The words escaped his lips as the ball was already right before his very eyes. Time seemed to slow.

His arms moved instinctively, muscles loosening as he reached out.

"...and let it bounce off, right?"

The ball struck his hands with a jarring force. The impact reverberated through his arms, uncomfortable and heavy, pushing them back slightly.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

It wasn't clean. The ball shot upward, but the angle was slightly off.

Tsuna might have been dissatisfied with his sloppy receive.

"...!"

But to others on his team, it was a great save regardless.

Even Tsukishima was slightly surprised, though still annoyed by what had happened earlier with the service accident. He saw where the ball was going and immediately shouted, "Yamaguchi, cover!"

The ball veered to the side, forcing Yamaguchi to scramble for it. Tension rippled through him as he caught up with the ball.

There was no time to set it properly—he had to simply pass it back to the opposing team.

Nishinoya's receives had been choppy too, but for a serve at this level...

Tsuna clenched his fists, muttering under his breath, "Fuck... not good enough."

As the ball floated over to the other side...

Kageyama swallowed his frustration at his failed attempt and refocused, shouting, "Hinata!"

"I know!"

Hinata nervously shifted his position to receive the ball, which he did messily. He was still quite bad at receiving, after all.

As expected, despite the ball bouncing off quite high, it wasn't perfectly passed over and required Kageyama to slightly adjust his position.

However...

"Tanaka-san!"

...it wasn't a problem for Kageyama, who still delivered a perfect set.

The ball soared just above the net, spinning invitingly.

"Hahaha!"

Tanaka laughed at the set, already charging toward the front. His adrenaline spiked as he jumped, his body twisting mid-air.

"It's my fucking turn, right!?" he roared, swinging his arm with all his might.

BAM!

The ball rocketed toward the opposing side, but—

"Probably not... senpai."

A hand clawed above the net like an impenetrable wall. Tsukishima's block was timed perfectly, the ball slamming downward before Tanaka could even land.

It hit the floor with a resounding thud.

"...!"

Tanaka froze, veins bulging on his forehead as realization set in. Tsukishima smirked slightly on the other side, his towering presence almost mocking.

"Tch!"

Though annoyed, Tanaka couldn't deny Tsukishima's skill. He scratched the back of his head in irritation, muttering under his breath, "You fucking bastard!"

The spectators watching from the sidelines couldn't hide their surprise at the intensity of the freshmen's "test" match.

"Hmm, it's only 9-4? Still early in the game..."

Suga quietly updated the scoreboard, his brow furrowed.

Tsuna was winning, especially with Hinata being constantly blocked and Kageyama's jump serve now on cooldown because it failed to score.

Enoshita crossed his arms, his voice laced with disbelief. "This test is way more intense than I expected."

"Yeah, I'm just glad I'm not out there."

Kinoshita nodded in agreement.

The match had barely started, yet the energy on the court was through the roof.

"Still, that receive..." Suga mumbled before turning to his captain and asked, "Daichi, did you see that?"

"Yeah, I saw it," Daichi said, rubbing his chin as he recalled Tsuna's unexpected receive a while back. "To think that Tsuna would move that far to receive it..."

He recalled Tsuna's earlier performance. Two failed serves in a row were enough clues for Daichi to understand what was going on.

Tsuna was likely still adjusting to using his left hand.

It was a little disheartening at first. But then, that receive. Tsuna had stepped up when no one expected it, chasing down a ball his past self would have given up on.

For Daichi, it was a glimpse of something more.

"Maybe..." Daichi murmured, watching Tsuna move across the court. "Maybe this is exactly what he needed."

Yamaguchi served the ball as the game continued, but Daichi's eyes remained on Tsuna, studying his every move.

"He's starting to actually play volleyball the correct way..."

What had once seemed like a disastrous setback—the loss of Tsuna's dominant hand—might actually be a blessing in disguise. Forced to abandon his reliance on that raw talent, Tsuna was beginning to develop his other skills.

Daichi couldn't help but feel hopeful.

"He's slowly becoming complete as a player," he thought.

His eyes gleamed as a chill ran down his spine. "And once he gets his right hand back after all of this..."

Then... a new level of monster would be born!