Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Set to Me
"Again!"
The exhilaration felt like landing a perfect combo in a video game for the first time. Taichi's heart was soaring as if a butterfly had emerged from its cocoon. Every cell in his body seemed to cheer in unison.
"Alright!" Oikawa Tōru shared in the sense of breakthrough, an irrepressible smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
With each approach, jump, swing, and spike, Taichi gradually adapted to the rhythm in mid-air. He began consciously adjusting his palm, striking the ball at different angles.
Although it wasn't yet the same as spinning his body or wrist for precise straight-line or diagonal shots, he had successfully integrated his previous aerial techniques. In fact, this attack seemed more polished than the earlier iterations of their 'freak combo.'
Shoyo Hinata had been watching intently from the sidelines, his eager expression growing by the second. Finally, he couldn't contain himself any longer and called out to Oikawa:
"Grand King, can I try one of your sets too?"
The saying goes, "Sincerity is the ultimate weapon." Not even Oikawa could resist the pure, radiant energy of the little sun.
"Fine, I'll let you try a few," Oikawa said, feigning reluctance as he gave a slight smirk.
"Thank you!" Hinata spread his arms wide and jumped into the air, brimming with excitement.
Watching Hinata's light hop that nearly cleared his own height, Taichi felt a familiar pang in his chest.
"First, let's go with your usual 'freak quick attack,'" Oikawa said, confirming Hinata's hitting point.
"Got it!"
Hinata positioned himself at the baseline, loosening up his body.
In the blink of an eye, Hinata had sprinted to the net and seemingly flown into the air. His eyes were shut tight, and his arms swung without hesitation.
Bam!
Perfect synchronization on the first attempt!
From his close vantage point, Taichi was struck by the raw speed of Hinata's movements. The contrast between his compact frame and his incredible vertical leap was nothing short of breathtaking.
Tobio Kageyama clenched his teeth, the realization sinking in deeper: surpassing Oikawa might be an insurmountable challenge. It was as if Oikawa possessed a magical ability to bring out the full potential of his teammates.
It felt exactly like the sets he'd received from Kageyama, but even so, Hinata was overwhelmed.
What he didn't realize was that Oikawa was equally stunned.
Hinata's immediate and unwavering trust in a new setter was like an intoxicating drug to someone in Oikawa's position.
Meanwhile, Taichi lacked that same openness. Even when receiving Kageyama's precise sets, Taichi couldn't fully let go and instead placed his trust in Oikawa as his senior.
Reflecting on this, Oikawa felt a pang of emotion. Perhaps he should treat Taichi a little better moving forward. Oikawa turned to him with a warm smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Oikawa-senpai? It's creepy." Taichi, oblivious to Oikawa's sentiment, recoiled.
Oikawa froze. This guy!
He made a mental note: Favorite juniors ranking: Hinata Shoyo first, Kageyama Tobio second, Kaedehara Taichi dead last!
"Alright, chibi-chan, let's try something new. This time, keep your eyes open when you spike," Oikawa said, deciding to focus on coaching Hinata.
"Okay!" Hinata's enthusiasm reignited as he prepared to jump again.
Whoosh!
The ball soared, but Hinata's swing was a beat too late.
Whoosh!
This time, his jump height had decreased.
Whoosh!
Another swing, and still, it lagged behind.
After ten attempts, Hinata hadn't managed to land a single clean hit. At best, he'd only grazed the ball.
Hinata lowered his head, arms hanging by his sides, unable to figure out where he was going wrong. Kageyama stood nearby, his expression equally tense.
"It's not about trust," Oikawa muttered, pacing back and forth. "It's a matter of technique and timing. Chibi-chan, you and Taichi are different. Taichi has been spiking with his eyes open from the start. That's why he can adjust his movements mid-air. Once he added speed, his priority shifted to whether I could deliver the ball exactly where he wanted."
"But your attack with Kageyama relies entirely on his precision. Now that you're trying to take control of the ball mid-air, the process of thinking and adjusting is inevitably slowing you down."
Oikawa turned to face Hinata and Kageyama, a glint of determination in his eyes.
"I've got it. I know what to do!"
Tobio Kageyama listened intently to Oikawa Tōru's explanation and as soon as Oikawa turned around, he fell silent.
Here we go again.
Watching Oikawa's proud, smug expression, Taichi knew all too well what was coming. The guy was clearly gearing up to flaunt his superiority as a senior.
Taichi glanced at Shoyo Hinata and winked, giving a subtle signal.
Hinata instantly understood. Grabbing Kageyama, he led the taller boy in bowing deeply to Oikawa.
"Grand King, please teach us!"
Only then did Oikawa nod slowly, turning his head just enough to whisper, "Iwa-chan, take a picture of this moment for me?"
Iwaizumi Hajime didn't budge.
"Iwa-chan! One bowl of ramen."
Still no reaction.
"Three bowls of ramen!"
"Tonight's bowl counts as one of them," Iwaizumi finally said as he reluctantly pulled out his phone to snap a photo of the freak duo bowing before Oikawa.
"Ahem." Oikawa cleared his throat dramatically. "Since you've so earnestly begged for my guidance, I'll be magnanimous enough to enlighten you…"
"Get to the point already," Iwaizumi cut him off with a sharp glare.
Oikawa sighed theatrically before turning to Hinata. "Shorty, what you need to do now is spike more balls—not just the ones Kageyama sets, but also from various other setters. Your goal is to train your body to build muscle memory, so you reduce the time spent thinking and adjusting mid-air."
He then looked at Kageyama. "As for you, Tobio, you need to slow your sets down a bit—not so much that it disrupts your attack rhythm, but just enough to give Shorty time in the air to think and adjust."
"Slow down?" Kageyama frowned. "How exactly do I do that, Oikawa-senpai?"
"How should I know? That's for you to figure out." Oikawa's tone was as dismissive as ever.
In truth, even executing their original freak quick attack, the kind of precision Kageyama could achieve with his sets was already exceptional. Oikawa himself hadn't been confident he could replicate it when he first observed their technique.
And now, pushing for further evolution of this attack was an entirely different challenge—one that was, at best, theoretical.
Oikawa knew full well that he couldn't achieve it himself. But if it were Kageyama, there was a real chance it could be done. And Oikawa couldn't help but feel excited at the possibility.
This wasn't about winning or losing. It was pure curiosity—he simply wanted to see just how much more monstrous their already absurd freak attack could become.
Both Kageyama and Hinata fell into deep contemplation, their brows furrowed in concentration. Taichi watched them with interest. The 'Crows' were evolving at a pace he hadn't anticipated, and it was all happening right in front of him.
"Thank you, Oikawa-senpai!" Kageyama and Hinata snapped out of their thoughts and sincerely bowed in gratitude to Oikawa.
"No problem. It's not like we didn't gain something from this, too," Oikawa said, unusually gracious as he acknowledged Kageyama.
Standing off to the side, Taichi had a nagging feeling he'd forgotten something. Oh, right—he had meant to show Hinata one of the "Little Giant's" moves.
Eh, it can wait. For now, the freak quick attacks with varying rhythms would give him plenty to work on.
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[T/N] - Tho its a bit late, enjoy this Extra Chapter. And keep graciously 'donating' your stones for another extra chapter tomorrow!
P.S - You guys are gonna love the next match!
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