It was still early, the sun barely peeking over the mountains behind Karasuno, but the gym was already alive.
Shoes squeaked across the polished floor. The air rang with the sharp sound of volleyballs hitting palms and the controlled echoes of serve drills. Today wasn't just another day of practice.
Today was evaluation day.
Each player had been briefed. Rintarou Shimizu would assess their performance across five core categories: serve, receive, spike, block, and court awareness. Not just raw skill—**growth**, **consistency**, and **adaptability** mattered more.
They would be tested as individuals, but judged as team players.
Kiyoko stood by the bench with a clipboard, recording times and feedback while Ikkei Ukai sipped hot tea near the gym wall, silently watching.
Rintarou called out the first name.
"Daichi Sawamura."
Daichi stepped forward without hesitation. His jaw was tight, but his eyes were steady.
"Position: Wing spiker or libero candidate," Rintarou said to the group. "We're testing for both today."
Daichi's eyebrows twitched, but he nodded. He ran through the blocking drills first—solid, not flashy. Then receive patterns. Footwork crisp. Clean transitions.
Next came the spike accuracy test—ten balls, ten targets.
Daichi hit eight dead-on.
Rintarou made a mark on his clipboard.
"Your strength is balance," he said. "Not power, not speed. But you stabilize the court. That's rare. We'll train you as a defensive ace with secondary spiking duties."
Daichi nodded. "Yes, Coach."
"Next. Sugawara Koushi."
Sugawara jogged forward.
"Setter evaluation," Rintarou announced. "Let's begin."
Suga's tosses were consistent, fluid, and calm. But Rintarou watched closer—he was timing **reactions**, not just form. Every now and then, Sugawara hesitated when adjusting midair or reading blockers.
"You're smart," Rintarou said when they finished. "But you're reacting, not dictating."
Sugawara frowned. "I see…"
"We'll fix that. You'll run advanced tempo drills with me starting tomorrow."
"Yes, sir."
"Asahi Azumane."
The tall third-year moved with quiet uncertainty.
"Position: Wing spiker. Test for power, precision, and mental composure."
Asahi's first three spikes hit with devastating strength—shockingly clean. Even Rintarou's eyebrows rose slightly. But by the sixth hit, he'd tensed. The seventh? He flinched slightly mid-jump.
"You're doubting yourself," Rintarou said flatly.
Asahi's hands clenched.
"I… I just don't want to mess up. I don't want to let them down."
"You let them down when you hold back," Rintarou replied. "Not when you fail."
Asahi blinked.
"You'll do visualization work with me after every practice. I'll beat that hesitation out of you before the month is done."
"Yes, sir…"
"Tanaka Ryunosuke."
Tanaka sprinted forward, eyes blazing.
"Position: Wing spiker and serve pressure."
Rintarou tossed him a ball. "Ten serves. Hit the red zone."
Tanaka's first two were wild. The next three began to narrow in. The last five? Clean and confident.
"You're erratic, Tanaka. But you learn fast. Very fast," Rintarou said. "We'll develop you into a rhythm-breaker. When you serve, it won't be about aces—it'll be about disrupting their whole system."
Tanaka grinned. "You can count on me, Coach!"
"Keep talking and you'll run laps."
"…Right. Sorry."
As the rest of the team went through their drills—Inoshita, Narita, Kinoshita—Rintarou took careful notes. Each player had something. Even the weakest one had a read or reaction time that could be sharpened.
But he wasn't just evaluating skill.
He was mapping **connections**.
Who moved better together. Who hesitated. Who communicated with looks alone.
By 9:30, evaluations were over.
The players sat in a semicircle, panting, waiting.
Rintarou stood in front of them with the clipboard in hand.
"You're not a team yet," he began. "You're individuals with grit—but no system. No cohesion. No voice."
He paused.
"But I saw something today. Not perfection. But possibility."
The team looked up.
"From today on, we work with assignments."
He turned the clipboard around, revealing the new team layout.
**Starting Six (Provisional):**
Daichi – Defensive Specialist / Vice Captain
Sugawara – Setter
Asahi – Ace / Wing Spiker
Tanaka – Disruption Spiker / Service Pressure
Narita – Middle Blocker
Kinoshita – Utility Receiver / Backline Rotation
Bench Rotators: Ennoshita, Inoshita, First-Years TBD
Captain: Vacant
The group stirred.
"Wait, no captain?" Sugawara asked.
"I'm not assigning one," Rintarou said. "A captain earns his title through action, not by default."
Daichi looked at him, but said nothing.
"You'll work as a unit. You'll train beyond your positions. And you'll earn your place every week."
"Every week?" Tanaka asked, blinking.
"Yes. Starting next Friday, we'll hold weekly internal matches. The team that performs best gets court priority. That's how we grow."
They nodded—some unsure, others excited.
Then Rintarou held up a small, faded picture.
It was an old team photo from his days as a student. Karasuno's golden era.
"I was standing right here," he said, tapping a young version of himself. "And Coach Ukai stood where I stand now."
Ikkei gave a rare smirk from the bench.
"The players in this photo weren't the best. But they trusted each other. That's what made us strong."
He looked at each of them.
"You'll earn that trust the hard way. Together."
The gym was silent.
Then Daichi stood.
"If I'm not captain yet… I'll still act like one. I won't let anyone slack off."
Sugawara followed. "And I'll make sure the ball gets where it needs to be."
Tanaka grinned. "And I'll smash whatever's in front of me!"
One by one, they rose.
Ennoshita stood last, gripping his clipboard.
"I'll show you I'm not afraid anymore."
Rintarou nodded. "Good. Because our first practice match is next week. I've arranged it with another school."
Tanaka's eyes widened. "Already?!"
"Yes," Rintarou said. "If you want to be strong, you don't train for comfort. You train for battle."
He looked around the gym one last time.
"We're done here. Eat well. Stretch. Study. Be back at 6:30 sharp tomorrow."
As the boys filed out, Kiyoko stepped beside him.
"That was bold," she said. "Leaving the captain spot open."
"They need something to climb toward," he replied. "Daichi will rise. But only if he knows it's not handed to him."
She glanced down at the picture in his hand.
"You still keep that?"
"Reminds me why I'm here," Rintarou said. "To help them build something real."
Kiyoko gave a small nod. "They believe in you."
Rintarou stared at the court, now empty and silent.
"They'll believe in themselves soon enough."