A Week of Growth

A/N - Please interact and give feedbacks. It brings me joy.

If you happen to have power stones. Please give them.

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It had been a week since Hinata started playing with the Karasuno volleyball club. While they were strong in their own right, they weren't at the level of the players he had grown used to at the coaching center. Those players were high-level athletes who had trained rigorously for years, whereas high school teams were a mix of different skill levels. That wasn't to say Karasuno was weak—Daichi, Kageyama, and even Tsukishima showed promise—but the gap between them and players like Ushijima or Oikawa was still vast.

Despite this, Hinata had grown comfortable with the team. His cold and calculating demeanor only surfaced in matches; otherwise, he was the cheerful, energetic person they knew. He quickly became friends with Kageyama, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi. Kageyama, ever the tsundere, refused to admit how much he enjoyed Hinata's company. Tsukishima, on the other hand, respected strength, though he kept his usual sarcastic remarks. Yamaguchi was the easiest to befriend—he was laid-back and easy to talk to.

One major change Hinata noticed after the start of the official school practices was the system's reward. He had gained a new skill: [Observe] on the first day. This allowed him to see a player's stats at a glance—not their skills, but their overall potential and growth trajectory. With this, he had a better understanding of his teammates' strengths and weaknesses, which helped him tailor his advice to them.

One of the biggest improvements in the past week had been Kageyama's setting. While Kageyama was already a prodigy at setting, Hinata had introduced him to a concept that hadn't crossed his mind yet—the Perfect Set.

Kageyama had been experimenting with different set speeds, trying to match Hinata's absurd jumping ability.

"No, no, that's too slow," Hinata said, shaking his head after Kageyama set the ball. "I'm already at the peak of my jump by the time it gets to me."

Kageyama scowled. "It's a quick set. You just need to adjust your jump."

Hinata rolled his eyes. "I am adjusting my jump. The ball isn't reaching its highest point at the right time. Here—watch."

Hinata motioned for Kageyama to stand next to him. He then grabbed a volleyball and tossed it lightly into the air, keeping his eyes locked on it.

"See this?" Hinata pointed. "The ball should be at its absolute peak the moment I'm about to hit it. Not before, not after. If it's too early, I have to slow down, and if it's too late, I lose all my momentum."

Kageyama's eyes narrowed in focus as he watched Hinata toss the ball again, timing his imaginary spike perfectly.

"This is the Perfect Set—a set that reaches its highest point exactly when the spiker needs it. Not only does it give the spiker the best possible contact, but it also minimizes the chance for blockers to react."

Kageyama's fingers twitched. "...So it's about precision."

"Yeah, and you're the only one here who can do it." Hinata grinned. "You already have crazy accuracy. You just need to fine-tune it."

Something clicked in Kageyama's mind. He immediately grabbed a ball and got into position.

"Jump," he instructed, his voice sharp.

Hinata nodded and took off.

The set came.

It wasn't bad. It was a little off, but it was much closer to what Hinata had envisioned.

"Again." Kageyama's eyes were burning with determination.

Hinata smirked. Yeah, this guy is a freak.

For the next hour, they drilled the timing over and over. Kageyama's progress was monstrous. By the end of the session, he was already setting at a level that should have taken weeks to reach. Hinata knew that in the anime, Kageyama would develop this skill much later. But here, with Hinata guiding him early on, the King of the Court was already refining the Perfect Set.

Team Improvements

It wasn't just Kageyama who was improving. Hinata's intense spikes and serves were forcing the rest of the team to step up their game, particularly Daichi.

At first, Daichi had struggled to receive Hinata's spikes. The sheer speed and unpredictability of them left him barely able to react. But Daichi was nothing if not persistent. He kept practicing, over and over, adjusting his stance, timing, and angles.

Hinata could see the progress happening right before his eyes. With his [Observe] skill, he checked Daichi's stats.

[Daichi Sawamura]

Physicality: A

Spike: B

Block: B

Receiving: A → S 

Serve: C

Set: C

Remark: Potential exhausted.

That last line confirmed something Hinata had already suspected. Daichi had reached his peak. His stats wouldn't improve much more, no matter how hard he trained. It made sense why he didn't continue playing volleyball after high school. Still, what he did have was reliability. Even if he couldn't receive Hinata's spikes perfectly, he could at least keep the ball in play, which was all that mattered in a real match.

Next, Hinata checked Kageyama's stats.

[Tobio Kageyama]

Physicality: S

Spike: A

Block: A

Receiving: A

Serve: A → S 

Set: A → S 

Remark: Freak of nature.

Hinata grinned. Well, that's not surprising.

Kageyama was a monster. His growth rate was insane, and with the added push from Hinata's guidance, he was evolving at an even faster rate than in the anime.

The rest of the team, however, had stagnated. They were practicing, but they weren't actively pushing their limits like Kageyama and Daichi. Hinata didn't blame them—not everyone was obsessed with getting stronger. Still, he knew that if Karasuno wanted to stand a chance in nationals, they needed more than just a handful of strong players.

The team was in the middle of a receiving and blocking drill. Kageyama was setting, and Hinata was spiking against Daichi and Tsukishima. The repeated practice was refining their movements, making them sharper, faster.

Hinata jumped again, his body twisting mid-air as he slammed the ball past Daichi. It barely touched the floor before bouncing high against the wall.

"Hah... hah..." Daichi wiped sweat from his brow. "Damn... that's rough."

Tsukishima adjusted his glasses, staring at Hinata with an unreadable expression. Yamaguchi patted his back. "You'll get it eventually, Tsukki."

Before they could continue, the gym doors opened.

Everyone turned.

Standing at the entrance was Takeda-sensei, his usual polite smile on his face.