Haikyuu: Reborn in Karasuno

The first weekend of September brought Karasuno back to Tokyo for another joint training camp with powerhouse Kanto schools like Nekoma and Fukurodani. Having survived the first round of preliminaries, their teamwork had sharpened, and they were no longer the same team from a month ago.

By Saturday's practice matches, even Fukurodani and Nekoma were surprised. Karasuno's offense had more bite, their defense tighter. Hinata's diving receives landed more cleanly, Tsukishima's blocks read opponents better, and Hayato's spikes—already strong—looked heavier.

"We haven't seen them in weeks and they're already this much stronger," Bokuto muttered from the sidelines.

"What, is Fukurodani's ace scared?" Kuroo teased.

Bokuto scoffed. "Scared? Nah. Just impressed."

They watched as Tanaka attempted a tricky cross-court shot… and sent it sailing out of bounds.

"Ah, damn it! Sorry!" Tanaka groaned.

"Don't sweat it. Next point." Hayato patted his shoulder, then stepped in on the next rally and drilled the ball cleanly down the line.

Bokuto stroked his chin. "Y'know, I've noticed Hayato almost always goes straight down the line. Rarely cross-court."

Kuroo nodded. "True. Even if it risks getting blocked, he sticks with the straight shot. Might be a flexibility thing."

"Maybe," Bokuto agreed, "but that confidence is part of his weapon."

Karasuno still took the match handily. Ukai's post-game talk was direct—Tanaka should keep working on cross-courts, the new quick attack needed a higher success rate, and Hayato… should add more variety to his angles.

Hayato knew exactly why he avoided them: straight-line hits came naturally, while cross-courts needed more shoulder rotation than he liked. His wrists could fake direction well enough, but that wasn't the same as carving a true diagonal. Still, he nodded—he'd work on it.

That night, Bokuto came bouncing over. "Hayato! Tsukki! Let's train!"

Tsukishima narrowed his eyes. "...This could be titled Bokuto Annoys First-Years from Other Schools."

"Please guide me," he added flatly, to Bokuto's shock. Akaashi just smirked.

Later, Hayato watched Kuroo execute a perfect block. "Timing," Hayato reminded Tsukishima, "and reading the hitter's arm. Hands like an umbrella."

The next rally, Hayato rotated in to face Kuroo. "I won't let you block me that easy."

By Sunday, everyone focused on Ukai's notes. Karasuno handled Morisen and Seikawa easily, but Nekoma and Fukurodani still stood like brick walls. Nekoma's relentless defense beat them again.

Nishinoya blamed himself for the final miss, but Hinata's clumsy defense earlier drew a sharp jab from Kageyama. The argument quickly dissolved into their usual bickering, and the tension lifted. Another match awaited.

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