Haikyuu: Reborn in Karasuno

When Hayato took the court, Karasuno rode a hot streak to crush Seikawa by a wide margin—only to be brought back down to earth with consecutive losses to Nekoma and Fukurodani. The matches were a clear reminder of why top-tier schools stayed at the top.

Still, Karasuno quickly regrouped.

By the end of the third day, they'd tallied 5 wins out of 10 matches. The biggest issues remained the same: their offense was among the best here, but when Nishinoya was subbed out and Daichi or Hayato rotated in, their defensive flaws became glaring.

With two key players seeing less court time today, they couldn't extend their leads. But this was only day three—plenty of time to adjust. That evening, everyone tacked on extra sets of receiving drills to their personal training.

Hinata and Tsukishima once again joined Bokuto for a 3-on-3 session with Fukurodani, but Hayato skipped this round.

He'd been chatting with Kuroo earlier, and Ushijima from Shiratorizawa had come up in conversation. According to both Kuroo and Bokuto, Ushijima's raw power—both in jump serves and spikes—was on another level, beyond even Hayato's current ability.

Determined to close that gap, Hayato decided to devote the afternoon to serve training.

Just then, he spotted Kageyama practicing sets alone. Hinata, ever eager, wandered over and announced he wanted to help Hayato train his spikes.

Hayato grinned. "Sure—but first, set up some bottles and practice your setting. I'll come find you after I've done a hundred serves."

Kageyama readily agreed. With Hitoka helping to arrange the bottles and toss balls, he began his own drills.

After one hundred serves, Hayato, feeling warmed up, called Kageyama over. They moved into spike training—this time, Hayato focusing on adding raw power. Unfortunately, the more force he put into his spikes, the harder it became to control their trajectory.

Midway through, Nishinoya jumped in, wanting to work on his receives against Hayato's spikes. Soon, their "individual" practice had morphed into an impromptu group session.

They kept at it until their stomachs made it clear that dinner was long overdue.

Over the next few days, Karasuno kept rotating lineups. Wins and losses mixed evenly, but by the final morning of training camp, their record stood at 42–22, placing them in second overall:

Fukurodani – 45 wins, 19 losses

Karasuno – 42 wins, 22 losses

Nekoma – 38 wins, 26 losses

Seikawa – 29 wins, 35 losses

Morisen – 21 wins, 43 losses

Closing the gap to just three matches behind Fukurodani was proof of their progress, especially with constant lineup changes.

Friday morning's training would end at noon, followed by lunch before heading back to Miyagi.

Thanks to Daichi's accidental leak, everyone already knew lunch would be a barbecue feast. After a week of sweat, sore muscles, and summer heat, the thought of sizzling meat was enough to make even the most exhausted players' eyes sparkle.

In their final match, the word "barbecue" might as well have been printed in the Karasuno players' eyes. Fueled by sheer hunger, they demolished Morisen in straight sets.

Coach Ukai and Teacher Takeda exchanged weary smiles. They'd planned the feast as a surprise, but apparently Karasuno's grapevine was too efficient. Still—if barbecue power won games, who could complain?

After training wrapped, players and managers bustled about, hauling desks, arranging plates, prepping vegetables, and lighting grills. Rice balls were already lined up, courtesy of the managers.

When everything was ready, the coaches lined up. Nekoma's veteran coach, Nekomata Yasufumi, spoke first.

"Everyone's worked hard this week. When you're this hungry, anything tastes amazing—so eat to your heart's content!"

"Let's eat!"

The meat and vegetables were already sizzling, sending mouthwatering aromas into the air. At the signal, players surged forward with plates and chopsticks.

Kageyama attacked the meat like a man starved, only to choke. Fukurodani's setter Akaashi, watching calmly, handed him water without missing a beat.

Meanwhile, Bokuto swooped in like a silent owl, stealing a piece of meat from Kuroo's plate.

"Bokuto! You bastard! Give that back!" Kuroo roared, grabbing him by the collar.

Managers weaved through the crowd handing out rice balls. Fukurodani's own big-eating manager, Shirafuku Yukie, devoured two in four bites—rumor had it she was a well-off "small rich lady" and Bokuto's favorite loan source (repayments optional).

Elsewhere, Kiyoko's "bodyguard squad" gained a new recruit—Nekoma's mohawked Yamamoto Taketora, a fast friend of Tanaka. Kneeling before Nishinoya like soldiers before a commander, they received their orders:

"No one approaches Kiyoko-senpai without permission, understood?!"

"Of course, right, Tora?"

"That's right, Ryu!"

They didn't get to act at all—Kiyoko ended up eating with Hayato, even handing him water when he choked.

"Ah, Karasuno's intellectual beauty must have a boyfriend."

"Isn't he a second-year? Older woman–younger man, maybe?"

The rumors floated over, and the bodyguard trio crumbled in place, figuratively turning to dust.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, watching from the side, commented dryly.

"Uwaah… pathetic." Yamaguchi sighed, munching his rice ball.

"Expected. Kuroha-kun and Kiyoko-senpai are childhood friends. Of course they're close," Tsukishima said flatly.

Daichi arrived with a plate piled high with meat and rice balls.

"Tsukishima, eat more."

Kuroo followed.

"Don't skip your vegetables."

Then Bokuto joined in, meat in both hands.

"Meat! You need more meat, Tsukki!"

"I really can't eat any more," Tsukishima protested—but none of the captains were listening, fussing over him like overeager uncles.

Not far away, Hitoka-chan was struggling. Surrounded by tall players, she looked like a nervous rabbit lost in a forest of giants.

Hayato spotted her and waved her over, sharing his plates of meat and vegetables. Hitoka's eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Kuroha-senpai!" she said, voice trembling with gratitude.

Chopsticks in her mouth, she murmured dreamily,

"Mmm~ barbecue… so good…"

On the other side, the boys' mood soured. From where they stood, it looked like Hayato was surrounded by both managers—never mind that Hitoka was just passing through.

"Damn it, both the intellectual beauty and the cute beauty are with him."

"So unfair…"

Hayato noticed the glares, glanced between the boys and the girls, then—grinning—gave the guys a thumbs-up and a wink.

That was the last straw.

"Excuse us, ladies, we'll just borrow Kuroha-kun for a bit."

They hauled him off. Hayato didn't resist—after a week of grueling training, a little roughhousing wasn't a bad change of pace.

What he didn't expect was that their "borrowing" meant lifting him for an Aru-ba punishment.

"Whoa, whoa—my bad! Don't do that, it's deadly!"

"Too late! Accept your fate!"

"Hey—Nishinoya! Tanaka! You traitors!"

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1st Bonus Chapter - 150 POWER STONES

2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 POWER STONES

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