NOVPUBThe next week flew by in a whirlwind of training for Taichi. His daily routine consisted almost entirely of eating, sleeping, and playing volleyball.
But some things seemed inevitable—like Oikawa, as always had found a way to injure himself with a mild sprain—likely from showing off while playing volleyball with his nephew—and was barred from any kind of practice for nearly a week.
Fortunately, he would be back for their practice match against Karasuno.
Class time for him became a very valuable rest period. During one math class, the teacher called on him to solve a problem on the blackboard.
However, as someone who had endured the rigour of the Chinese GaoKao, Japanese high school math felt like a gentle breeze to Taichi. Calmly and effortlessly, he solved the problem and returned to his seat, leaving the teacher with no further reason to bother him. It was a small detour in an otherwise focused week of volleyball practice.
According to the system's standards, a player's performance depends on five factors: speed, strength, jumping ability, stamina, and technique.
While the first four—speed, strength, jumping ability, and stamina—can be improved through scientific training and persistent effort, they are also heavily influenced by innate talent, which determines their ceiling.
On the other hand, technique is a learned skill, built through training and accumulated experience, and its potential for improvement is significantly higher. It is often the deciding factor in competitive play.
With the system's assistance, Taichi's technical skills had seen steady improvement. However, achieving mastery in blocking, serving, receiving, setting, and spiking within a week was unrealistic.
Trying to do too much all at once would only lead to mediocrity.
He decided to focus his efforts on two critical areas: blocking and receiving. Blocking was his key contribution on the court, while receiving was the skill that would keep him on it—after all, if you couldn't receive the ball, nothing else mattered.
-----
The week passed quickly. By the end, Taichi's blocking and receiving had reached a competent level. On Saturday, after training, Aoba Johsai's players gathered at their home court to await Karasuno's arrival.
Taichi dragged Yutaro Kindaichi to the school gates to greet the visitors.
"Why do I have to come?" Kindaichi grumbled, clearly reluctant.
"Because you were teammates with Kageyama back in middle school, Mr. Obvious," Taichi replied.
Though, in truth, he was far more interested in meeting Hinata. For now, though, nobody had noticed Hinata's unique potential.
"He's nothing special," Kindaichi said with a frown. "Sure, his skills are top-notch, but he's terrible at playing as part of a team. He's a complete self-centred jerk."
".....Let's not talk about him then. Speaking of Karasuno, I heard their team manager is a real beauty~ ehehe"
"Really?" Kindaichi's face lit up with unexpected enthusiasm.
"Yep, the upperclassmen mentioned it. She's apparently quite famous…" Taichi chuckled internally. Shimizu Kiyoko's reputation seemed to precede her.
As the conversation drifted, the sound of a bus pulling up broke the moment. The vehicle came to a halt, and a steady stream of black-and-orange uniforms emerged—Karasuno's volleyball team had arrived.
Taichi and Kindaichi strolled forward to greet them, only for a blur of motion to flash past them.
"So fast!" Taichi's eyes followed the figure. Was that Hinata?
[
Stamina: 95
Jump: 88
Technique: Serve(94), Setting(96)]
A terrifyingly well-rounded genius.
[Name: Sawamura Daichi
Height:177 cm
Speed:80
Strength:88
Stamina:80
Jump:80
Technique:88 (All-rounder)…]
The cornerstone of Karasuno, his balance was almost unnerving.
[Name: Tanaka Ryunosuke
Height:177 cm
Speed:80
Strength:90
Stamina:88
Jump:75
Technique:Spiking(80)…]
An aggressively one-dimensional powerhouse.
[Name: Tsukishima Kei
Height:190 cm
Speed:75
Strength:70
Stamina:76
Jump: 76…]
Compared to Hinata and Kageyama's overwhelming stats, Tsukishima's numbers seemed more subdued. Taichi relaxed slightly, thinking, Finally, someone normal.
But he knew better than to underestimate Tsukishima. The system couldn't quantify things like height advantage and volleyball IQ—both of which were Tsukishima's greatest strengths.
Shaking off his doubts, Taichi led Karasuno into the gym. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the match began.
Aoba Johsai's lineup:Iwaizumi Hajime, Yahaba Shigeru, Kindaichi Yutaro, Matsukawa Issei, Watari Shinji, Kunimi Akira.
Karasuno's lineup:Hinata Shoyo, Kageyama Tobio, Tanaka Ryunosuke, Sawamura Daichi, Ennoshita Chikara, Tsukishima Kei.
While their captain and main setter— Oikawa was yet to rejoin them, his absence didn't worry the team too much; it was just a training match.
What did come as a surprise was how disorganized Karasuno was. Hinata, in particular, was a bundle of nerves. His movements were clumsy, his steps out of sync, a far cry from the explosive dynamite Taichi remembered.
Ah, right. This was Hinata's first high school match. His earlier trip to the restroom must have been a consequence of nerves.
Aoba Johsai took full advantage of Karasuno's disarray. They dominated the first set, swiftly establishing a commanding lead.
The final point of the set was almost comical: Hinata's serve hit Kageyama squarely on the head. Watching the 'King' simmer with rage as Hinata shrank into himself like a frightened chick, Taichi couldn't help but silently pity the orange-haired whirlwind for three seconds.
Taking the first set so easily, and with Karasuno's players looking more like unfunny stand-up comedians than serious opponents, the mood in Aoba Johsai's camp grew relaxed.
_________
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