Haikyuu: Reborn in Karasuno

Originally, Bokuto and the others had planned to use yesterday's lineup for the evening practice match, but before they even got started, a small figure appeared at the gym entrance.

"Kuroo, isn't that the little shorty from your team?"

Kuroo turned his head and spotted Shoyo Hinata standing there.

"Shoyo? Shouldn't you be practicing with Kageyama?"

Ever since mastering the New Quick Attack early, Hinata had been back to his two-person drills with Kageyama. Yesterday, the two had even practiced together until the cafeteria was about to close. Logically speaking, he shouldn't be here—unless…

"I saw Hayato-senpai and Tsukishima training with Fukurodani's Ace and Nekoma's senpai, so I wanted to join too!"

As expected, Hinata couldn't stand the thought of falling behind. Kuroo, however, didn't seem surprised.

"Perfect timing, then. Lev needs to work on his receives with Yaku and our setter today—we're actually one person short."

"Really?! That's great! Please take care of me!"

With the green light given, Hinata beamed and joined the 3-on-3. Since Karasuno now had three players, they couldn't use yesterday's groupings. Hayato suggested adding Hinata to the Fukurodani team, while he himself would team up with Tsukishima and Kuroo.

The height difference was painfully obvious. Fukurodani's setter, Akaashi, eyed the two teams and raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't this a bit… unbalanced?"

"Not at all! Our Shoyo's plenty strong—you saw him during the day. He's no liability."

Like a salesman pushing his best product, Hayato praised Hinata to the skies. Hearing this, Akaashi simply nodded. After all, he'd already seen this undersized middle blocker not only pull off quicks but also score with clever tips.

Hinata scratched the back of his head, grinning in embarrassment at the praise.

"Then I'll look forward to Karasuno's little middle blocker," Bokuto said, clearly excited.

"Yes, sir!" Hinata replied with full energy.

Once the 3-on-3 began, Akaashi quickly realized that Hinata was even more of an anomaly when on the same side. His explosive speed and reflexes gave a setter a wealth of attacking options. By the end, Akaashi even found himself thinking about how great it would be to steal this short middle blocker for Fukurodani.

After Hinata scored by tooling a block, Bokuto patted his head with one hand, rubbing his chin with the other.

"Well done, Shoyo! That's a two-meter wall you just fought through—a little warrior taking on a giant!"

Normally, this would've been where Bokuto taught his killer tipping technique, but Hinata already had that skill down and had even used it against Fukurodani over the past two days. All Bokuto could do now was heap praise on him.

Meanwhile, Kuroo was generously giving pointers to the two Karasuno rookies whose blocking and receiving still needed polish. Hayato, happy to let someone else do the teaching, wore a big smile.

"Hey, don't just sit there grinning. I'm generously training your rookies—you could at least look a little more grateful."

"Very grateful~, truly grateful, Kuroo-senpai," Hayato replied, dragging out the words in mock sincerity before switching to a genuine tone.

Kuroo, caught off guard by the whiplash between sarcasm and sincerity, was left staring speechlessly.

When they took a water break, Tsukishima tilted his head.

"We're still opponents on the court, so why bother guiding us?"

"Because I'm compassionate," Kuroo deadpanned.

The classic line made both Tsukishima and Hinata cringe, while Hayato burst out laughing.

Pressed further, Kuroo finally admitted the truth—he wanted to see the Battle at the Garbage Dump happen again. It had been Nekoma's coach's long-time wish, and with Karasuno finally strong enough, Kuroo was more than willing to add fuel to the fire.

Hinata lit up at the thought, thanking Kuroo formally, which only made the Nekoma captain flustered.

As practice continued, Hinata and Tsukishima's competitive sides both kicked in. They traded points back and forth, Hinata buzzing with energy and Tsukishima quietly taking satisfaction whenever he blocked the shorter player.

It wasn't until Fukurodani's manager, Shirafuku Yukie—a small, big-eating girl—reminded them the cafeteria would close soon that they finally stopped.

After dinner, Hayato sent Kiyoko a message. They chatted for a bit, but before she could shower, the managers surrounded her like wolves sensing a secret.

"Shimizu-chan, who were you texting?"

"Yeah, you were smiling so happily—what's going on?"

Kiyoko was caught off guard. Hitoka stepped forward nervously, trying to shield her.

"U-um, Kiyoko-senpai and Kuroha-senpai are just childhood friends…"

Realizing too late that she'd spilled the beans, Hitoka bowed in apology.

"Ohhh, so Kuroha's that tall, handsome wing spiker with the black hair?"

"Right, Bokuto says he's as strong as he is."

The "handsome boy and beautiful girl" combination only made the gossip flames burn brighter. With the truth already half out, Kiyoko admitted they were indeed childhood friends—though she left out any mention of confessions.

Still, one manager picked up on her phrasing.

"'Still just childhood friends'? So you mean… maybe later?"

Kiyoko only gave a faint smile.

"That's a trade secret."

If Hayato had been there, he would've been shocked—they even delivered the same "trade secret" line the exact same way.

After Kiyoko escaped to the showers, the remaining girls turned on Hitoka, making her the next gossip target. The poor first-year manager barely survived the onslaught.

The boys' dorm was much quieter. Exhausted from training, most lay down right after showering. Still, they stayed up chatting until the third-years returned.

None of Karasuno's first- and second-years had dating experience, but when the topic of confessions came up, the second-years all tried to stifle their laughter—much to Hayato's irritation.

"If you dare bring up that embarrassing incident, you're all dead," he warned.

Thankfully, they dropped it and turned the spotlight on the first-years. The "volleyball idiot" duo of Hinata and Kageyama admitted they had no such thoughts, Tsukishima had already fallen asleep, and that left only Yamaguchi—whose flushed cheeks said more than words ever could.

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POWER STONE!!!

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