Haikyuu: Reborn in Karasuno

At 8 a.m. on Sunday, the principal's long, monotonous speech finally wrapped up, and Hayato and Tanaka stepped out of the gymnasium together.

"No matter what school you're in, the principal always talks like that," Hayato grumbled, stretching his back as they strolled down the hallway.

Today's opening ceremony was only for reporting to school and checking the new class assignments. At Karasuno, classes were shuffled each semester, and once you were assigned, all your subjects—except for specialized lessons like PE or music—were taught in the same room. No shuffling between classrooms every period like Hayato had dealt with in Tokyo.

"Yeah, our principal might be old, but he's got enough energy to talk you into the ground. I couldn't even stand still that long," Tanaka complained.

After a short walk, they reached the crowded notice board. Peering over the heads of other students, they quickly spotted their names.

"We're still in Class 1… oh, looks like Takanori's in Class 1 too. Let's see… oh! Hatogaya Koyuki's here as well," Tanaka said, grinning at Hayato before scanning for more familiar names.

Most of the second-year volleyball members had stayed in their original classes. Hayato gave the list a quick glance, then lost interest, while Tanaka exchanged quick greetings with other friends before returning.

"Let's stick together this semester too, partner." Tanaka slung an arm casually over Hayato's shoulder.

Hayato checked the time. "It's almost time. First club activity of the semester."

"Speaking of which… didn't we just have self-training on Friday?" Tanaka muttered. To him, the "new semester" felt more like a weekend break before the grind continued.

"Come on, Ennoshita and the others are already waiting."

They met up with the second-years, headed to the locker room, and changed into their sportswear.

Inside the gym, Coach Ukai addressed the team.

"Your condition's looking good, but don't get sloppy. We're only weeks away from the end of October. If we're going to Nationals, there's no room for laziness. Got it?"

"Yes, Coach!"

Satisfied, Ukai stepped back and Takeda-sensei stepped forward, notebook in hand.

"We've earned two trips to Tokyo for training camps—one on the weekend in early September, and another during autumn break in early October. The last camp went well, but we can't get complacent. Training with strong Tokyo schools will help us push further. This is our best chance in years to reach Nationals—let's give it everything!"

"Yes!" the team echoed, voices sharp with determination.

After warm-ups, Daichi assigned Hayato to oversee the first-year training. Hinata and Kageyama were already promising, so their focus was refining their quick attack's consistency—something that still relied heavily on Kageyama's precision.

Tsukishima's task was blocking practice with Hayato, with Sugawara setting. This not only sharpened Hayato's coordination with Sugawara but gave Tsukishima exposure to high-powered spikes—a rehearsal for facing Ushijima.

Yamaguchi, meanwhile, continued to polish his jump float serve. Hayato considered it his "long spear"—a weapon meant to pierce through tight games, turn momentum, or break stalemates. What Yamaguchi lacked wasn't skill but confidence under real match pressure. Hayato was already thinking about ways to get him court time during the representative tournament.

On the other side of practice, Nishinoya worked with Yamaguchi specifically to handle incoming jump float serves—preparing for opponents who might use the same tactic at Nationals.

During blocking drills, Hayato sent a heavy spike toward Tsukishima. The ball smacked into his hands and flew out of bounds.

"Tsukki, if you can't block it clean, you can switch to a soft block," Hayato suggested.

Tsukishima clicked his tongue. "No—I still want to try, Senpai."

Hayato smirked. "Alright then. Hitoka, I'm counting on you. Sugawara-senpai, let's go again."

The next rally ended the same—another clean point for Hayato. After several more, Tsukishima's fingers began to ache, and Hayato told him to tape up before they continued. Tsukishima didn't argue, just wrapped his fingers in silence before returning to the court.

"You're full of spirit," Hayato remarked.

Training went on until evening. While most headed home, Tsukishima took a detour to the indoor courts at the local sports park, where his brother Akiteru was waiting.

"Yo, Kei, a bit late today," Akiteru said.

"Training ran long. Let's start."

Akiteru grinned at his brother's no-nonsense tone. The past had been rough for both of them, but now Kei was pushing himself harder than ever.

Facing off against Akai-zawa, a powerful working adult on Akiteru's team, Tsukishima waited, studied his jump, and timed his own perfectly—smack! The ball ricocheted straight down in a kill block.

"Nice one, Kei," Akiteru praised, patting his shoulder.

"It's alright," Kei muttered, hiding a small flicker of pride.

Akai-zawa laughed. "Not bad, kid. But that's just one ball. Let's keep going."

The night was still young.

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