Chapter Fourteen: The Neko-Karasu Reunion

"SHŌ, DO YOU KNOW THEM?" SAKURA ASKED her brother as he gaped at the pair of Nekoma teens. She glanced between him and the excited girl and bored boy across from them. Sakura tilted her head as she observed them closely. The boy, with dyed blonde hair, seemed to want to disappear in his spot, obviously, he's quite antisocial and doesn't like having people look at him. No doubt Shōyō's gaze on him was making him a bit uncomfortable. Though it would make anyone uncomfortable with how intense her brother was staring at him. Sakura then turned her gaze to the taller girl. She looked as though she were bouncing on the balls of her feet as she waved at Shōyō happily. While much taller than the average girl, Sakura could tell that she is probably just as excitable as her brother. Meaning they may as well as have the mentality and energy of a toddler.

"Kenma! Yua-senpai!" Shōyō shouted as he chased after them. He jumped up the steps and came to stand in front of them. 

Yua leaned down to the younger boy with her wide smile, "Ah, there's the little guy. Heya, Hinata!"

"Y-y-you're on the Nekoma team?" He stuttered out in surprise. Though it made sense now, now Kenma had volleyball shoes and both of the teens were wearing what seemed to be red jackets, obviously Nekoma colors.

Kenma nodded his head, "Uh, yeah."

Yua smiled widely, "yup!"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Shōyō asked.

"You never asked," Kenma shrugged his shoulders lightly.

Shōyō stared at him, "But you said "later". You must have known something!"

"The words "Karasuno High School" were on your t-shirt," Kenma stated only for Shōyō to blanch at that. How hadn't he realized that?

Before they could continue their conversation, a mohawk-rocking ace had decided to stalk up to them. "Hey, hey, hey!" He loomed over Shōyō, "What business do you have with our setter and manager?"

"Hey…" Kenma said, seeing that Shōyō had jumped in fear.

Yua huffed at his intimidation tactic, "Tora."

Shōyō started to back away, "I-I'm sorry!"

Though he just ended up running into his own team's attack dog, "What about you?" Tanaka grunted, "What business do you have with our first-year? Eh?"

"What's it to you?" Yamamoto asked as the two glared at each other, "Eh?"

"You wanna rumble, city boy? Eh?"

Off to the side, Sakura stared at the interaction in disbelief. "Oh no," she facepalmed with a cringe, "there's two of them." Kiyoko just chuckled from beside the younger girl. Sakura certainly didn't know what she could do now that she's got another Tanaka to be around. Hopefully, she doesn't have to see him around all that much.

Yua looked in between the two boys in fascination, "Whoa, it's like they're long-lost twins."

Though as the flames flickered between Tanaka and Yamamoto, the team mothers slid over to take care of them. First, it was Suga who tutted, "We're going to "fight". That's why we're here to play the match. And stop the "city boy" thing. It's embarrassing."

"Erk…!" Tanaka was the first to be reprimanded.

Next up was Yaku, "Yamamoto, you're always quick to pick a fight. Stop it. It makes you look stupid."

Yamamoto also flinched, "Erk…!"

The two teens were now sulking, nearly identically to each other as the two third-years spoke with each other. Yaku scratched the back of his head, "I'm sorry about that. He's an embarrassment."

"I'm sorry, too." Suga said, "I'm embarrassed."

"Ahhh!!" Suddenly, Yamamoto started to scream for no other reason than catching sight of Kiyoko who had started to walk by. He clutched his chest as though he were about to have a heart attack, "Gahh! A lady… manager… beauty…"

"Score!" Shibiyama exclaimed.

Inuoka agreed with a large smile, "A lady manager."

The two high-fived, "We win yakisoba bread!"

With tears running down his face, Yamamoto rushed off like a drama queen. "I'll make you regret this!" The beauty that is Kiyoko is just too much for him to handle it seems. After all, even if he was expecting Karasuno to have such a pretty girl as their manager, he wasn't expecting a Goddess!

"Taketora-san, you can't escape!" Yaku shouted after him as they all started to head into the gym.

Kageyama then walked up to Shōyō with Sakura trailing up behind him. Her hands were stuffed deeply into her pockets as her usual accessory, her camera, swung around her neck. "How come you know them?" Kageyama asked.

"I met them by coincidence during a town run." Shōyō explained to them, "Kenma said he's Nekoma's setter."

Flames then started to build up behind Kageyama, as well as in his eyes as he heard that, "Setter…"

"Erk!" Shōyō jumped once again in fear.

Sakura eyed them before grabbing both of their arms, effectively breaking Kageyama out of his intense star, and pulled them into the gym. "Come on, you guys best start warming up." She is certainly going to have such fun being around yet another group of volleyball idiots.

 ---

Both teams headed into the gym. After the harsh handshake between the captains, and a conversation between coaches, the boys all got dressed and started their stretches. This match between the cats and crows is certainly going to be interesting.

Just as Sakura was heading over to the Karasuno bench to take a set, a shadow loomed over her. Now, while just about everyone could stand over her, this was someone who was exceptionally taller than her. What does beanpole want? She scowled mentally and turned to see what the blond giant wanted. Only to find that it wasn't Tsukishima. Instead, a pair of curious, sharp green eyes look down at her intensely. It's that other girl that Shōyō ran into the other day. The stare almost made Sakura feel uncomfortable like this older girl could see right through her.

"Say," Yua chirped, "you must be another Hinata. His… sister?" When she spotted the other head of orange hair, Yua grew interested. She quickly noticed that this girl was nearly identical to the boy she's just met. She can't lie, Yua may have mistaken this other girl for a boy. That was until she turned around and Yua could see that she in fact was not a boy.

"Yes, I'm his twin sister," Sakura answered coolly. She's not sure what to think of this girl, she seems nice from the kindness in her eyes and genuine curiosity swimming in them.

Yua jumped excitedly, "Oh, twins! I've never met twins before!"

"Okay." Her short reply and bored tone kind of reminded Yua of Kenma. Does that mean that she's just as unmotivated as him? Oh, only one way to really find out. Befriending her is the first step!

"You can call me Yua-senpai!" She flashed Sakura a thumbs-up with her dazzling smile, "What should I call you?"

Sakura stared at her as her eyes narrowed slightly, "Hinata…"

"Oh, but what if I confuse you with your brother?" Yua tilted her head, "I mean, you two already look nearly identical, you must get mistaken for each other all the time." 

Sakura flinched slightly at the remainder and muttered out, "More like I only get mistaken for Shōyō."

Yua then leaned down to her height so they were eye to eye. The sharp gaze from Yua, that pin Sakura was definitely unnerving. The older girl just tilted her head, "So, come on, what'll I call you besides Hinata." Yua loves getting to know people. It's easy for her to make friends, she makes good friends with even the unlikeliest of people. She just has that aura around her that most people find extremely likable. Her charming smile and kind eyes always give people a sense of security. So Yua certainly loves having a plethora of friends from school and beyond!

Sakura just stared at her blankly and turned away from her, "Hinata-chan."

"Boo," Yua blew a raspberry at the younger girl's dismissive answer. Though she didn't let that deter her as she followed after her. "So your team has two managers? I must say, I'm a bit jealous that you have another girl to hang around." Yua then placed a hand on her chin, "Maybe I should convince Akane to join the team..." 

"I'm not a manager," Sakura grunted. Honestly, Sakura was starting to think this girl was pestering her much like a mosquito.

"Oh?" Yua gasped in surprise. She should have suspected that being the case, especially because the girl wasn't wearing a volleyball jacket or anything. Also, the camera around her neck should have been some sort of giveaway. "Then what are you doing with the team then?"

Sakura raised her camera from around her neck, "I'm a photographer. I just tag along to all of their practices and matches."

"Whoa! Really!" Yua's eyes sparkled, "That must be so cool! I should convince coach Nekomata to do the same thing!" Just imagine it, their own personal photographer following them around to take photos!

The orange-haired girl stared at her, somewhat uncomfortable with how Yua was so enthused by this. "...Sure." Yua seems like a nice person, but Sakura certainly isn't open to speaking so freely with her. Making friends at her own school is already somewhat of a challenge, trying to do it with teens from other schools is completely off the table at the moment. Sakura is only just starting to open up more, and she would like to make sure that she does it to the right people. She can't really gauge if Yua is the right person for plenty of reasons. Besides, this is the first time Sakura is meeting her, and probably wouldn't see her for a long while afterward since they attend different schools.

Across the court, Endo stared at the Nekoma team with gleaming eyes. He really had yet to tear his eyes away from the one person that he had been staring at basically ever since he first laid eyes on him, "Now, would you look at him."

Suga looked up from tying his shoes, "Huh?"

"The cat captain, what's his name?" Endo nodded over to said guy who was talking with his team's setter. The tall boy had certainly caught Endo's attention since the moment he walked into the gym.

"I'm not sure," Asahi answered with a frown. He wasn't really liking the tone that had slathered itself all over Endo's words.

Daichi's eyebrows twitched slightly as they all turned to the other captain, "His name's Kuroo Tetsurou."

"Oh, Kuroo Tetsurou~." Endo purred as he eyed the captain up and down. "My, my isn't he a handsome fellow."

Suga punched Endo in the shoulder, causing the blond to yelp in pain, "Calm down there, Endo. No need to get hot and bothered before a game."

"You can't blame me though!" Endo pouted, "Sure, his bedhead is obviously a bit messy, but it certainly adds to his… appearance."

"Don't ogle our opponents, Endo," Daichi chastised him, "We've been over this!"

"What? It's not my fault some guys are hot!"

Asahi grunted and got up. A blank expression was now on his face as he marched past his friends, "Let's just get ready."

The trio of third-years watched him head off in a mixture of confusion and suspicion. Endo tilted his head as he best friend seemed to be bothered by something, "Huh." He turned to Daichi and Suga who were eyeing Asahi with raised eyebrows. Though there was a small knowing gleam in their eyes as they moved their stare between their ace and drama queen. Endo huffed, "Did Asahi wake up on the wrong side of bed today?"

The two shared a look with each other, realizing that Endo didn't see it. So not to give Asahi away, the two just shrugged their shoulders, "Maybe."

Endo hummed, unsure what to really make of it. Though he just brushed it off. Asahi just might be a bit jittery about playing in a match again after so long. That must be why he seemed so bothered just then.

After stretches, both teams huddled up together for their captains to give their pre-game speeches. The Karasuno boys all circled around their captain. "Let me be frank," Daichi started off, "We've all just met. We're awkward and fragmented. But regardless, we're facing our first match. We know nothing about Nekoma's team or the kind of walls we'll hit. But when we find a wall, that's our chance to jump over it." Each of them nodded their heads in agreement.

Sakura leaned over to Kiyoko, "Daichi is pretty good at motivational speeches." Kiyoko hummed and nodded her head.

"We will now commence the practice game between Nekoma High and Karasuno High!"

All the boys bowed to each other, "Thank you for the game!"

The boys all got into their formations, obviously, it was the lineup that Ukai had come up beforehand. Even now, standing on the sidelines with the other benchwarmers, Endo didn't care that he wasn't in the game. If he played, he played, if he didn't, oh well. It's not the end of the world for him if he's not put into the game.

Setting her camera up on the right settings, Sakura got herself ready to take a few photos. After all, since she's on the bench, she'll get a far better angle from here since she's close up. In a real game, she certainly wouldn't get to sit so close to the action.

So the game started with Kenma making the first serve. On the Nekoma bench, Yua cheered, "nice serve, Ken!"

The ball soared over the net right towards the Karasuno ace. "I'm open!" He called out and retrieved the ball, only for it to veer off course a bit, "I'm sorry, it was too short!"

Nishinoya shouted at him, "It's your fault for skipping a whole month!"

"I'm sorry!"

Daichi yelled as the ball soared overhead, "Kageyama, cover it!"

"Right!" The setter called before setting the ball for the quick freak. It certainly left Nekoma in a tizzy after seeing something as fast as that.

"That was really fast," Inouka gasped, "What was that?"

"A fast attack from that far away?" Yaku marveled.

"What was that?" Coach Nekomata grumbled out in disbelief, "He didn't even look at the toss." On the Karasuno bench, Takeda and Ukai both smirked viciously. Sakura had half the mind to chop the back of their necks to get those disturbing expressions off their faces. However, she wouldn't do that to an adult, she's not willing to get in trouble for it.

Yua gaped like a fish out of water, "how can someone be that quick?"

Kenma walked up to Shōyō with wonder in his eyes, "That's amazing. I'm surprised."

So after Nekoma got over their shock for such a surprising quick attack, the next point was played. Though this time, Shōyō was the perfect decoy and led the Nekoma blockers astray giving Asahi the opening to get a point.

Nekomata chuckled on the bench, "You could hardly expect him to retrieve that."

The next point was played, however, it was Shōyō's serve. Those never work out, including this one where the ball just hit the net. Shōyō cringed, "I-I'm sorry!"

"Hinata, you dumbass!" Kageyama shouted at him as Nishinoya ran back onto the court after his short conversation with Suga.

"Shake it off, guys!"

Takeda tilted his head, "Nishinoya sure switches a lot."

"Yes, Sir, the libero specializes in defense," Suga explained to the teacher, "In our team, the middle blockers, Hinata and Tsukishima, rotate to the rear guard to hit serves, and when one rally is finished, Nishinoya makes the switch." The club advisor nodded his head at the explanation, glad that he has someone around to explain how to play the game. 

The game continued on as a few more points were won by both teams. Eventually, Karasuno ended up in the lead with 10-7. All the while, Kenma was watching them with his sharp, keen eyes. Eventually, coach Nekomata ended up calling a time-out. They certainly needed to discuss what they were going to do to try and compensate for that freak quick that Karasuno has.

Nekoma gathered around their old coach as Yua handed the boys some water bottles and patted them on the backs for a job well done. "They have a good libero and spiker." Nekomata started, "the most ridiculous of the lot is their setter. He's a monster. He speed tosses to the spiker's optimum striking point. He has enough control to thread a needle." Yua shivered at that description of the other setter. The skill that that first-year actually has is somewhat terrifying. Watching him play is like seeing some sort of miracle, add in Shōyō and it becomes even more impressive, in Yua's opinion. "Anyway, you can't do anything about a genius. But they're not gonna win this thing just because they happen to have one genius on the team." They then all looked to their resident genius.

Kenma thought for a moment, "If Shōyō is the heart of their offence… all we need to do is stop Shōyō."

"Shōyō?" Yamamoto questioned.

Yua perked up, "The orange-haired shorty!"

"That #9 and #10 are, in a matter of speaking… an oni and his iron club." Nekomata grumbled, "For starters, we steal the oni's iron club."

"We can't let Shōyō move around so much," Kenma said as he started to strategize, "From what I've seen, Shōyō simply dashes to where there are no blockers. So if the blockers move to one side, he'll move to the opposite side." He then turned to one of the first-year middle blockers, "Then all we have to do is chase him."

Inuoka nodded his head, "Yes!"

"I think anyone would be shocked the first time they saw that attack. But even if we can't clear the first round of the game, as they keep repeating the same move… we'll get used to it."

The game continued on as the time-out ended. This time, Nekoma had somewhat more of a plan to try and deter the quick attack from Karasuno. So the boys started up the play for the next point as those on the Karasuno bench watched the game with a mixture of emotions. "Amazing!" Takeda exclaimed happily, "We're doing well."

Though Ukai shivered as they observed the game, "I'm getting the creeps."

"Huh?" Takeda tilted his head as he and Sakura looked over to the coach.

Ukai eyed the Nekoma team, uncertainty painting his features, "Like we're being watched and analyzed."

"This team certainly lives up to their name, the cats." Sakura idly commented as she snapped a photo of Asahi, "They're far more observant than Aoba Johsai was."

Takeda leaned over Ukai to get a look at the teen girl, "What do you think the team should do about that?"

Sakura thought for a moment and just watched the game. She clicked her tongue, "There's not much they can do. Especially with that setter of theirs." She eyed Kenma critically. While she can see he's not exactly the most athletic person, he sure is intelligent. The way that he can seemingly control not only his own team but predict what Karasuno could do was a weapon that the crows can't really beat. "He's watching everyone closely, specifically Shōyō. The surprise of the quick attack has worn off a bit. If they're able to slow him down enough, you'll lose your greatest decoy." They'd have to outsmart Kenma if they wanted to keep Shōyō's quick attack as effective as it was in the beginning. Though she doubted that would happen. Not only is Kenma smart and observant, but Nekoma as a whole has extreme receiving skills. Sakura certainly thought that it was going to be a tough game for Karasuno.

The game continued on for a while longer, as Shōyō had been swapped out for Nishinoya. Kageyama then raised his hand and shouted out, "Right!"

"What?" Shōyō asked skeptically, "Kageyama called for a toss?"

Nishinoya hit it and set it for the first-year, "Kageyama, last!"

Impressively, Kageyama was easily able to hit the ball right past the blockers, which certainly surprised everyone. "Hey, that was a straight-down!" Kageyama pointed right at Shōyō who bristled. "You go straight along the sideline. You need to learn to choose your hits!"

"His high spec-ness seriously pisses me off!" Tanaka gritted his teeth as everyone stared at Kageyama with either irritation of surprise.

Suga nodded his head, "You said it."

"Tobio-chan is as big of a prodigy as I thought." Yeah, Endo understood why Oikawa was annoyed with his kohai now. Endo certainly is a bit put off by just how talented Kageyama is.

They watched as Nekoma's #7 seemed to get even closer to blocking Shōyō's spikes. At first, it started out as just a fingertip getting to touch the ball and he was slowly getting closer and closer to completely blocking the spikes. Sakura has to admit, it was impressive of him to do that, being just as quick as her brother is quite surprising. Though a bit anxiety-inducing for Karasuno. Not only that but Nekoma had moved their blockers, just as Kenma said, and seemingly trapped Shōyō and minimized his space for spiking.

Not only did she notice that, but she saw how Kenma was able to trick Tsukishima. While she hates having to admit it, Tsukishima is an intelligent player. Not only is he an extremely tall player, but he also is good at strategizing and observing certain aspects of the game. So for Kenma to mislead the glasses-wearing player, was both impressive and worrying. Kenma isn't really a one-of-a-kind player like this, not really. There are plenty of players who are observant and such while playing. So if Karasuno couldn't find a way to overcome such a player then they'd certainly have trouble winning any game against players like that.

Back on the Nekoma bench, Yua leaned forward as she watched the game intently. There was a part of her that was itching to actually play in the game. She would love to play against Karasuno, especially Shōyō and Kageyama. They're monsters, and she certainly wants to see how well she would fare against them. 

"He hates being around others and became so conscious of their eyes that he learned how to scrutinize." Nekomata commented to Yua and Shibayama. "He has good prediction skills. The type of prediction based on character type and skill sets." 

Yua nodded her head, "He can see even the smallest of details in people's movements, it almost looks like he's psychic!"

Nekomata smiled at the enthusiasm dripping from Yua's mouth as she spoke of her good friend. His sharp eyes then gleamed in the light, "Although that isn't what makes our team strong."

Nekoma's manager agreed completely. Her large yet sharp eyes turned back to the game as she watched her friends have a pretty intense yet fun time against their nemesis. She certainly loves getting to see this team play, especially Kuroo and Kenma. They are her greatest friends after all!

 ---

Yua has known Kenma just about most of her life. Ever since they were in elementary together, Kuroo had forced him to try and make friends with her. While Kuroo was Kenma's first friend, Yua is his second. Since they were in the same classes, it was easy for Yua to work her way into Kenma's life. It also didn't help that Kuroo was more than happy to try and force all three of them to become friends. He may act annoyed by it, but Kenma will mentally admit that he does enjoy his two best friend's company. 

The brown-haired girl was outgoing and loud, so it was easy for her to make friends as a kid. Just about everyone loved how charismatic and kind she is which drew in plenty of people into her circle of friends. However, Kuroo and Kenma are her closest friends. Even above her cousin, which he would like to argue about, but she wouldn't tell him that.

Kuroo had eventually gotten his two friends interested in volleyball, even convinced Kenma to join the volleyball club in junior high school. It was a bit of a hassle for the two others to get Kenma to agree to it. He isn't that into sports and would rather just play his video games. On the other hand, Yua has always been a sporty person. She played a different array of sports, though she didn't usually stick with one sport for long. One year she was in the tennis club, the next the basketball club, then the soccer club, and eventually the volleyball club. She really couldn't sit still and wanted to try everything out while in school.

By the time that she and Kenma had gone from junior high to high school, Kuroo had once again gotten Kenma into the volleyball club. Yua had offered to sign up as well to be the team manager but was shot down by Kuroo. For what reason, she wasn't exactly sure. So that year, she focused on playing for Nekoma's girl's volleyball team. 

However, when their first-year came to an end and Yua could see how Kenma wasn't sure if he would stick with volleyball, she may have gone behind Kuroo's back and signed up as manager. Sure, Kuroo was a bit annoyed by it, but was eventually fine with it. Besides, it just meant more time getting to hang out with his favorite girl, so why was he complaining.

Being a manager was different than actually being a player on a team, but Yua adjusted easily. She loved getting to know that team and befriending them. They all quickly became good friends thanks to her disarming charm and charismatic personality. She has fun as manager and being around her best friends nearly all the time. Perhaps she'll stick with being manager next year as well!

 ---

"He doesn't stand out," Takeda commented as they watched the game intently. Already seeing that Nekoma was starting to pull a bit of a lead on Karasuno.

Ukai hummed and turned to the teacher beside him, "Hmm?"

Takeda placed a hand on his chin in thought, "It's obvious to an amateur that our Kageyama gives off sharp vibes. Nekoma's setter might indeed be doing amazing things but it's hard to tell by watching him."

"That's due to the stability of their receiving." Ukai said, "The most important part of setting up a wide variety of attacks are receivers that deliver the ball neatly above the head of the setter. Those receivers enable their setter to utilize his best potential. Karasuno's setter, Kageyama, is holding together his uncoordinated team with overwhelming talent. While Nekoma's setter, Kozume, is supported by the receiving skills of his entire team."

Clicking her tongue and joining in on their conversation, Sakura seemingly abandoned her camera to focus solely on the game. "Kenma is also quite muted with his presence," Sakura commented watching the game closely, more specifically her brown eyes were pinpointed on the setter himself, "the type of person to be looked over unless you were specifically looking for him. It's actually quite good, if their opponents are paying attention to the receivers and not him, then Kenma has free reign with his plays." She hummed in thought. Having little to no presence on the court is a bit of an advantage. If no one is paying attention to you, that gives you plenty of opportunities to gain points for your team or trick the opponent. This is evident from the fact that Kenma and Nekoma have already done that a bit. Add in the fact that Kenma himself is observant and that can be quite a powerful weapon. Kageyama has raw skill and talent, she can't deny that, but at times he's too flamboyant with his plays. He has everyone watching him and monitoring his every move. He can't exactly male sneaky plays like Kenma might because every eye is on him.

"We don't need a superman for an ace," Nekomata said, "as long as we earn the points one by one, slowly but surely." Yua smiled at that and nodded her head. Yes, that is certainly how Nekoma always wins!

 Yamamoto was able to score yet another point for Nekoma, bringing the score to 24-22, match point for the cats. If Karasuno messed up now, they would lose the set! So the next serve was sent over the set to Karasuno. Just, as usual, Kageyama set the ball for Shōyō like they have dozens of times before.

However, Sakura saw it. Nekoma's #7 had gotten his entire hand in front of the ball. There was nothing that Shōyō could do to avoid the block as he spiked the ball only for it to come hurtling back onto Karasuno's side. Sakura could see how… startled her brother looked at the revelation that someone was able to catch up to him. For the first time since Shōyō had learned that he has the skill to perform a quick freak, he was learning that it wasn't some overpowered talent he had. She knew it would happen eventually, but not the second practice match that they played. Still, it's better to learn that now rather than later, she thought.

So Shōyō stared up at the taller boy on the other side of the net who smiled triumphantly, "I finally caught you!"

And that was the end of the first set with Nekoma as the victor. The teams both crowded around their benches now for a short break. Of course, each team was going to use this as an opportunity to try and come up with a plan to deal with the other. Shōyō seemed to be even more upset about all of this than Sakura would have thought. She could see how downtrodden he really was now that he was up close. While they all crowded around to hear what Ukai might have to say, Sakura rested a hand on her brother's shoulder. She isn't usually one for comforting people, but her brother is obviously the exception.

"Hey, we can't let every little thing get us down," Kageyama said, trying to lift Shōyō's spirit a bit, "We're going to take back the next set!"

Ukai nodded his head, "There is no spike that can't be stopped. Don't get distracted."

"Let's nail the next one, Hinata!" Tanaka pumped his fist.

Endo ruffled Shōyō's hair, "It's not as bad as it can be, little guy."

"Smash it in!" Nishinoya cheered encouragingly.

Getting the encouragement from his team seemed to lighten his heart as he smiled determinedly, "Yessir!"

The second set started up, with Nekoma getting the first few points. It was slightly frustrating for Karasuno to try and slow them down. However, even if they were able to get the ball onto the cats' side of the net they could easily receive it. Not only that, but Inuoka was becoming consistent with blocking Shōyō. At this point, it seemed like there really wasn't a way for Shōyō to get around him. Which was a thought on Sakura's mind… and not just her. 

Ukai huffed slightly as he could feel the stares from two teens. One of them sitting on the bench beside him and the other from one of his players. "Do you two have something to say?" Both Sakura and Tsukishima jumped at being caught and scowled at each other for having the same thought. "Are you wondering why I don't swap out Hinata-kun?"

"Not really," Tsukishima grunted.

Sakura mumbled, "No."

"If this was an official game, I might swap him out," the blond coach said, "But right now, this is his chance to find the solution. However, if that results in him losing his will to fight, maybe I should take him out of the game once."

Sakura hummed at his explanation. That really does make sense, she thought. She eyed Ukai as she teased him, "...You almost sound like a coach there."

"Huh?!"

A few more points were scored and lost by Karasuno. No matter what Shōyō tried to do, Inuoka was there right beside him to block his spikes. It didn't seem like much else was going to happen. Though Ukai is right, if Shōyō can figure out a way to bypass a blocker now, then it'll only mean success in the future.

"It's the spirit-breaking 'human wall'." Nekomata commented to his players that were on the bench with him, "The more you hit it, the more your heart breaks."

Yua nodded her head at the coach's words. She's had that feeling before, whenever she played volleyball and she had to go up against players who were taller than her, though that was somewhat rare. The second-year then turned to look back at the court and found a peculiar sight as her sights were set on Shōyō. "Now would you look at that."

Nekomata, much like everyone else on the court stared at Shōyō in surprise, "He smiled."

It seems like Shōyō wasn't upset about that anymore. If anything, Sakura would say that he looks excited about this. She speculates that he might be excited about actually having someone that can keep up with him or something, but she doesn't really know what is going on in his head.

They started the battle for the next point. Kageyama once again set it to Shōyō to try to get around the blocker again. This time, however, Shōyō kept his eyes open. It was shocking to everyone to see it, even Sakura's eyes widened. Though it didn't work since Shōyō completely missed the ball and fell onto the floor on his back.

The bench-warmers were in shock as Suga blinked, "Hinata-kun was looking at the toss."

"Yea," Yamaguchi agreed, speechless.

"Until now, he left the ball fully up to Kageyama and just took the swing!"

"Is Hinata-kun…" Endo muttered, "actually trying to evolve their freakish quick!?"

Ukai jumped up from the bench, "T-time out!"

The whistle blew as the teams grouped up again. Shōyō jumped as Kageyama walked up to him, "I-it's not like I don't trust your tosses…" He placed a hand on his chin, "How can I say it?"

Kageyama stared at the shorter boy in confusion, "What's with the panic?"

"Kageyama," Ukai said, drawing the boy's attention, "I want you to give slightly weaker tosses to Hinata-kun. Rather than the usual direct delivery…"

The boy's eyes widened slightly, "Indirect delivery."

Shōyō tilted his head, "Huh? In…"

"Rather than the usual powerful, straight trajectory toss, it needs to float a little." Their coach explained, "It might be tricky to change it up so suddenly."

"I'll do it," Kageyama 

Endo muttered to Suga with a small amount of annoyance, "Of course he will." Was it even a question of whether or not Kageyama could change up his playing style so quickly? He's a prodigy after all!

The whistle then blew as the players all ran back onto the court now that the time-out was over. Takeda turned to Ukai, "Why would you have him change the toss?"

"To give Hinata-kun freedom in midair. A moment ago, he attempted to dodge the blocker in midair." He explained, "He probably tried to mimic the technique to dodge a blocker. Though he didn't manage it at all."

So Shōyō and Kageyama tried their new quick. Though it barely worked, like at all. Most of the time, Shōyō missed the ball. Even if he did hit the ball, it was so weak that Nekoma could easily receive it.

Seeing them not totally working out, Ukai stood up once again, "One more time-out!"

"Hinata-kun," Tanaka walked up to the younger boy, "you need to calm down."

Shōyō jumped and nodded his head,"Yessir! I-I'm sorry, I keep making mistakes."

The shaved-headed boy laughed loudly, "What are you talking about? I always get to hit the ball unmarked thanks to you! I think I'm allowed to totally own a game once in a while!"

Nishinoya placed his hands on his hip, "Although Asahi is scoring more points than you!"

"You shaddap!" Tanaka exclaimed, "Anyway, it's all good! Right, Asahi!"

"Uh, yeah, he's right. We'll make the points back."

The blond middle blocker then slid up behind Shōyō with a smirk, "If you keep screwing up you could be swapped out."

Shōyō bristled fear as Tanaka reprimanded the other first-year, "Tsukishima!"

Daichi walked up behind Tsukishima and clapped him on the shoulder, effectively getting Tsukishima to quiet down, "If you're on the verge of learning something, keep at it. You jump alone, but we're all here, right behind you." The rest of the team smiled widely at that, proving that Daichi is right. Daichi then turned to their team's teddy bear and slapped him on the back, "After all, the ace claims he's going to win back all those points."

"Daichi, don't put pressure on Asahi!" Suga laughed, "What will you do if you hurt him?"

Nishinoya nodded his head as he joined in on the teasing, "He's right! He has a heart of glass!"

"Look at how flustered and worried he looks." Endo said while poking Asahi's cheek, "How adorable!"

Tanaka exclaimed, "Please stop ganging up on him!" Though Endo just continued to mess with his best friend until the game was called back into play. Oh, how he loves embarrassing his friend!

Shōyō tried to make his spikes each time it was set for him. Though no matter what he did, it wasn't that effective. Still, this could be a turning point for Shōyō, and the evolution that he desperately needs.

"Ahh… Again," Takeda groaned out as they watched the cats get another point because Shōyō weakly hit the ball over, "all he can do is hit returns. What can we do to help him improve?"

Those on the bench turned to the coach hoping that he would have the answer. "It's only natural that he can't do plays that he's never done before." He said, "But everything you learn, you learn by doing. Remember Karasuno's Little Giant?"

Takeda nodded his head while Sakura looked away with indifference, "The ace Hinata-kun idolizes?"

"He lived up to his name," Ukai started as he started to talk about the famed high school player. "He was only 170cm tall. In the beginning, he was constantly blocked. But in the latter half of his second year, he was peerless when it came to battling mid-air. He couldn't overcome the blockers' height, so he aimed at spaces in between them. He'd make the ball touch the blockers' fingertips on purpose and make it ricochet. That's how he conceived his own style of battle as a short player. I'm just repeating the story my granddad told me."

Sakura completely understood why her brother idolized the Tiny Giant. He had seemingly overcome a disadvantage that he hadn't been able to control. Shōyō has always been about wanting to go above and beyond everyone's expectations, even her own. Though it's not like she had many expectations for her brother. Still, she's more than proud of what he's done so far. Even if Shōyō doesn't do that well during his games or anything, she will always be proud of her brother as long as he puts in the effort. Which he always puts in more than enough effort.

Takeda dragged Sakura from her thoughts, "Former Coach Ukai?"

"Yeah. I remember everything my granddad told me really well." Ukai then quoted his grandfather, "Because people don't have wings… we look for ways to fly."

"So in short," Sakura voiced as she tilted her head, "practice makes perfect?"

"Exactly," Ukai nodded his head since that was the point he was making.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, "Makes sense, besides it's not like Shōyō has been able to really grow as a player due to the fact that he hasn't played many games." She eyed her brother as Kageyama set him another ball. She's sure that if Shōyō had an official team during junior high, then he would definitely be a better player now. Though as long as he gets better for the official games then it's fine. "Still some times, no matter how much you practice you'll hit a wall at some point." Even if she has some hope in her brother's skills, there was a part of her that didn't want to be too optimistic. The pessimism in her was reminding her that there were still obstacles against her brother, like his height, and that might hinder his progress as a player. You can only get as good as your body would allow after all. Her brother might have plenty of stamina and raw athleticism, but it may run out eventually. At least, in her opinion. There's no telling what Shōyō might end up doing, he's full of plenty of surprises.

Back to the game, Shōyō jumped up again to spike the ball. However, this time it was different. Instead of hitting it straight, it curved right around Inuoka's blocks. It completely avoided him! It was even too much for Yaku to try and cover. For just a moment, it seemed like a large improvement was made for their freak quick. Though the whistle blew and apparently the ball had gone out.

"Shucks, that was out!" Takeda groaned loudly as he pulled at his hair.

Sakura smirked, a swell of pride washing over her, "even if it was, it seems like Shōyō's solving his problem on his own."

On the court, everyone was in awe at that. Sure, it had lost Karasuno the point, but it was an improvement for Shōyō that certainly would lead the team to success. "That was awesome…" Inuoka gasped as he turned to the shorter boy in amazement, "That was awesome, Shōyō!"

He then looked up with his eyes filled with determination, "One more!"