Over the following week, Taichi Kazuhara devoted himself almost entirely to volleyball training. His daily routine became a cycle of eating, sleeping, and playing volleyball.
As for class time, it had become a valuable period of rest for Taichi. Although he was once called up to the blackboard during a math lesson to solve a problem, having experienced the grueling Chinese college entrance exams, Japan's first-year high school math was like a gentle breeze—nothing to fear.
Taichi calmly solved the question with ease, and after that, no teacher ever bothered him again. Of course, that was just a minor interlude in his week of training.
According to the system's standards, several factors influence a person's abilities: speed, strength, jumping ability, stamina, and technique. Among these, speed, strength, jumping, and stamina can be improved to a certain degree through scientific training and sustained effort, but one's innate talent largely determines the ceiling of these attributes.
Technique, on the other hand, is a learned skill—developed through regular training and accumulated experience. It has more room for growth and plays a decisive role in competitive matches.
Especially with the system's help, Taichi could steadily improve in technique. However, expecting full development in all aspects like blocking, serving, receiving, setting, and spiking within a single week was unrealistic.
Too much at once would lead to failure. His current focus should be on blocking and receiving. Blocking was the key to his presence on the court, and receiving was the reason he could stay on it. After all, if he couldn't even receive properly, everything else was meaningless.
The week passed quickly, and Taichi had brought his blocking and receiving skills up to a basic level. After Saturday's training, Aoba Johsai waited at their home court for Karasuno's arrival.
Taichi dragged Kindaichi along to the school gate to welcome the Karasuno players.
"Why do I have to come?" Kindaichi grumbled with clear reluctance.
"Because you used to be teammates with Kageyama, of course. I'm quite interested in him," Taichi replied. Truthfully, he was more curious about Hinata—but no one had noticed Hinata's uniqueness yet.
"He's not that impressive," Kindaichi said with a frown. "Sure, his skills are top-notch, but he's completely unsuited for team play. He's always acting on his own."
"Let's not talk about him. Speaking of Karasuno, I remember their team manager is a real beauty."
"Really?" Taichi was surprised this blockhead Kindaichi had noticed something like that...
"Of course, I heard the upperclassmen talk about her. She's pretty famous..." The reputation of Manager Shimizu had clearly spread far and wide.
Outside the gym, a bus came to a slow stop. The door opened, and a crowd dressed in Karasuno uniforms filed out one by one.
Taichi and Kindaichi walked over at a relaxed pace to greet them—when suddenly, a figure zipped past them in a blur.
"So fast!" Taichi's eyes tracked the blur. That must be Hinata.
"Shoyo Hinata. Height: 163cm. Speed: 95. Strength: 65. Stamina: 99. Jump: 95. Skills — Blocking: 60, Receiving: 60, Spiking: 65." The system's prompt chimed in.
Taichi was stunned. What kind of monster stats were these? That level of physical ability was practically at the human limit. Even though Hinata was only 164cm tall, the impression he gave was far from ordinary.
In the blink of an eye, Hinata had vanished from sight, while the rest of Karasuno's team approached.
"Sorry, we're the Karasuno volleyball team, here for a practice match by your coach's invitation. The guy who just ran past is one of our players—he had a stomachache and rushed to the restroom," said Sugawara, taking the lead in introductions.
It really was Karasuno! Taichi was speechless with excitement. When he had first transmigrated into this world, he had been fully immersed in the tension and thrill of competition, temporarily forgetting what this all truly meant. But now, once again, he felt that rush—he was actually standing in the volleyball world that had once haunted his dreams!
"Hey, Taichi, snap out of it," Kindaichi elbowed him.
Taichi snapped back to reality and said solemnly, "Hello, we're members of Aoba Johsai's volleyball team, here to escort you to the gym. I'm first-year Taichi Kazuhara, and this is Kindaichi Yuutarou, also a first-year."
Rubbing his ribs where Kindaichi had elbowed him, Taichi and the others exchanged glances with the Karasuno players—while dumb old Kindaichi was already locking eyes with Kageyama Tobio.
"...Long time no see, Your Majesty. What kind of tyrannical rule are you practicing at Karasuno? I look forward to seeing it."
The atmosphere suddenly turned tense. Ah, teenage boys and their flair for dramatic one-liners...
"Oh, okay," Kageyama replied calmly, then was quickly pulled back by his teammates.
Taichi silently led the Karasuno team to the gym. Initially, he thought that since Nishinoya and Asahi hadn't returned yet, the match would be easy. But after seeing the system-generated stats, he realized things wouldn't be that simple.
Kageyama TobioHeight: 182cmSpeed: 88Strength: 90Stamina: 95Jump: 88Serve: 94Set: 96
Another all-rounder monster. Oikawa had been right—judging by his setting ability alone, Kageyama was terrifying.
Daichi SawamuraHeight: 177cmSpeed: 80Strength: 88Stamina: 80Jump: 80Technique: 88 (All-around)
The cornerstone of Karasuno. His overall balance was almost excessive.
Ryunosuke TanakaHeight: 177cmSpeed: 80Strength: 90Stamina: 88Jump: 75Spike: 80
A true single-track mind with a strong specialty.
Kei TsukishimaHeight: 188cmSpeed: 75Strength: 70Stamina: 76Jump: 76
Compared to the shocking stats of Hinata and Kageyama, Tsukishima's were much more average and balanced. Taichi couldn't help but feel a little relieved. Finally, a first-year that seems normal.
However, Taichi also knew that these stats didn't fully capture Tsukishima's true strength. The system's parameters—speed, strength, stamina, and jump—reflected only part of a volleyball player's foundation, leaving out other critical factors that determine the outcome of a match.
Especially for someone like Tsukishima, whose strength lay in his intellect. His height and volleyball IQ, though not quantified by the system, were precisely the traits that made him so effective on the court.
With a slightly heavy heart, Taichi led Karasuno into the gym. After brief pre-game greetings, the match began.
Aoba Johsai's lineup: Iwaizumi Hajime, Yahaba Shigeru, Kindaichi Yuutarou, Matsukawa Issei, Watari Shinji, Kunimi Akira.Karasuno's lineup: Hinata Shoyo, Kageyama Tobio, Tanaka Ryunosuke, Sawamura Daichi, Ennoshita Chikara, Tsukishima Kei.
Oikawa, the idiot, had sprained his ankle while playing volleyball with his nephew—probably trying to show off again. Though it was only a mild sprain, he had missed training for a few days to recover quickly.
To Taichi's surprise, the match wasn't as intense as he had imagined. Hinata, overwhelmed by nerves, was completely off his game. His footwork was clumsy, his movements stiff—nothing like the Hinata Taichi remembered.
Ah, that's right. This was Hinata Shoyo's first high school match. That stomachache earlier was probably from nerves too.
Still, Aoba Johsai didn't care about that. Though no one understood why Karasuno hadn't subbed him out despite his poor performance, this was a practice match, not a charity game. Seizing the chaos on Karasuno's side, Aoba Johsai quickly took control.
As expected, Aoba Johsai won the first set in overwhelming fashion. Notably, on match point, Hinata's serve hit Kageyama square on the head.
Watching Kageyama's face twist with rage, Taichi silently offered three seconds of mourning for the chick-like Hinata, who was now huddled into a tiny ball.
But after such an easy first win—and with the other side playing like a comedy duo—the atmosphere on Aoba Johsai's side began to relax.