Haikyuu: Reborn in Karasuno

On the first day of the summer training camp, Karasuno temporarily held the top rank with an impressive record of 6 wins and 4 losses. Sitting quietly at the side, Kiyoko carefully noted down the results in her journal:

1st: Karasuno – 6W / 4L

2nd: Fukurodani – 5W / 5L

3rd: Nekoma – 4W / 6L

4th: Seikawa – 3W / 7L

5th: Morisen – 3W / 7L

Although Karasuno led for now, the bottom two teams weren't ready to back down. After practice, players from Seikawa and Morisen stayed behind for extra training, unwilling to end the day with defeat. Karasuno's players, equally determined, also sought more time on court.

Fortunately, Morisen, being a well-funded school, had three gyms available. While most of the team continued training, Hayato, having already played several intense matches, planned to get dinner first. The cafeteria was already prepared—managers from each school had meals ready.

But as he approached the third gym, familiar voices called out to him.

"Yo, Kuroha-kun! Wanna help us block for a bit?"

"You did great today! How about another few rounds?"

It was the usual duo: Kuroo and Bokuto.

Hayato smiled awkwardly. "Ah, I was actually going to eat first… Maybe ask someone else, senpai?"

They were third-years—seniors—so Hayato kept it respectful, unlike the more casual Karasuno dynamic. But before he could slip away, the two seniors each grabbed one of his arms and pulled him toward the gym.

Refusing wasn't an option.

Just then, Tsukishima, also heading to the cafeteria, walked by. Spotting him, Hayato had an idea.

"Seniors, how about we bring in one more and play 3-on-3?"

Inside the gym, Akaashi was already there tossing for Bokuto, and Lev was practicing his receiving under Kuroo's guidance. With Tsukishima and Hayato added, they had enough.

Kuroo and Bokuto lit up at the suggestion.

However, Tsukishima's face instantly soured.

"Ugh…"

Before he could form an excuse, Kuroo smirked. "You're a middle blocker, right? Don't skip out on block training."

Hayato grinned, adding, "How could our Tsukishima be weak at blocking?"

That double strike shattered any escape route. With a groan, Tsukishima joined the match.

For team balance, Bokuto, Hayato, and Lev faced off against Kuroo, Akaashi, and Tsukishima—a fair distribution of players from each school.

"Nice team. Even if we're on the same side, Kuroha, I won't lose to you!" Bokuto declared, fist raised.

Rock-paper-scissors gave Kuroo's team first serve. They sent over a chance ball. Bokuto tossed to Hayato, who spiked with force—but Kuroo and Tsukishima blocked. Akaashi quickly set the ball up, and Kuroo leapt for a spike.

This time, Hayato and Lev jumped to block—two towering players forming a wall. But Kuroo aimed precisely for the gap between Lev's fingers and scored.

"Boom! First point!" Kuroo cheered.

"Darn it!" Bokuto groaned.

Kuroo turned to Lev. "Hey, keep your hands tighter together. You're leaving a canyon between your fingers!"

He demonstrated the correct blocking form by raising his hands into position.

The 3v3 heated up. But when Bokuto's spike got blocked by the Kuroo–Tsukishima wall, he suddenly stopped and crossed his arms in frustration.

"Hmm~~ Eyeglasses-kun, your reading of the ball is sharp, but your blocks are kinda weak."

Tsukishima retorted flatly, "We're still ahead in points, though."

Unfazed, Bokuto shrugged. "Most of those were thanks to Kuroo."

Tsukishima replied that he was still growing and had room to improve both physically and technically.

Kuroo, half-joking, said, "You sure you're okay being this laid-back? Little Shorty might steal all your spotlight."

He didn't mean any harm. He hadn't mentioned Hayato, since Hayato's position didn't overlap with Tsukishima's. Hinata, however, was another middle blocker—and Tsukishima's biggest rival.

"There's not much I can do about it," Tsukishima replied, eyes narrowing. "Hinata's got more talent than me."

Hearing that, Hayato frowned. He knew those words weren't just banter. Tsukishima meant it.

As the Nekoma players arrived, Tsukishima excused himself and walked out.

"Looks like I provoked him too much…" Kuroo muttered, scratching his head.

Hayato sighed, watching Tsukishima's retreating back. "I'll go check on him."

He caught up quickly.

"Tsukishima!"

The blond didn't stop. He just walked faster.

Undeterred, Hayato reached out and tapped his shoulder.

A soft "tsk" escaped Tsukishima's lips as he turned around. "Kuroha-senpai, what is it?"

Hayato met his gaze. "About what you said earlier… do you really believe you're inferior to Hinata?"

Tsukishima sighed, pushing up his glasses. "Senpai, you like to meddle, don't you? Not everything needs your input. Some things are personal."

Though polite, his words were pointed.

But Hayato didn't flinch. "We're teammates. Our goal is Nationals. And hey, what's wrong with looking out for cute juniors?"

Tsukishima blinked. That wasn't the response he expected.

They stared at each other. Eventually, Tsukishima gave in.

"Fine… You're talented. I get why you care so much about this. Volleyball makes sense for someone like you. But me? I'm not that gifted."

Hayato shifted gears.

"Tsukishima, do you like volleyball?"

The sudden question caught him off guard.

Before he could answer, Hayato spoke again.

"When I started, I didn't like it either."

He wasn't talking about his memories—but his past life's. Still, the emotion was real.

"I hated all the repetition. Receiving, serving, the endless drills. It made me wonder, why am I doing this? But then one day, we won. The whole team fought hard, and we beat a tough opponent. And in that moment—cheering with everyone—I felt happy. That's when I knew: I liked volleyball."

Tsukishima remained quiet.

Hayato continued. "Talent decides your ceiling. But effort? It decides your floor."

The words hit home—but Hayato wasn't done.

"You say you're not talented, but you still chose volleyball. You didn't pick a different club, and you didn't quit. Even after everything… you stayed. You made that choice yourself, didn't you?"

Tsukishima looked away. But he didn't deny it.

He didn't choose another sport. He didn't run away.

He chose volleyball.

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POWER STONE!!!

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