Huh? Changing the course of someone's career? Taichi Kaedehara's mind was racing—could his appearance have altered the timeline of this world?
Thinking back to the original story, the freak quick attack between Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama was indeed quite unstoppable at first, until during their training with Nekoma. Nekoma's defense-focused team, with Inouka doing his best, barely managed to restrain Hinata a little.
Aside from that, up until the Interhigh matches, the freak quick attack remained Hinata's ultimate weapon. Only after losing to Aoba Johsai in the quarterfinals did he start thinking during the training camp about how to improve.
But because Asahi Azumane was absent from this practice match, most of the offensive burden fell on Hinata. Tanaka Ryunosuke couldn't adequately share the pressure, which allowed Taichi Kaedehara to almost perfectly neutralize Hinata's performance. This caused Hinata to start thinking even now that he couldn't just rely on the freak quick—Karasuno's evolution was now happening much earlier than it did originally.
Originally, he wanted to use this training match victory to help build Aoba Johsai's confidence early. But now, it might've instead accelerated Hinata's growth. Beating Karasuno could be even harder than before.
Still, seeing a stronger Hinata earlier than expected excited Kaedehara. Not to mention, he gained a bonus to his jumping ability—totally worth it!
"Taichi, your smile looks so creepy right now…"
"Cough, cough, no it doesn't…" Kaedehara tried to rein himself in a little.
"Taichi, thank you…" Kindaichi walked over. To others, this may have just seemed like a normal practice match, but to Kindaichi, it meant something more.
"Kindaichi, the one who won the match was my serve, by the way," Oikawa Tooru proudly butted in.
"If you had come in from the start, we wouldn't have had such a hard time!" Iwaizumi Hajime smacked Oikawa on the head with a ball.
"How could you! Iwa-chan, I'm still injured, you know… stop hitting me!"
"Oikawa-senpai, next time we face off, we'll win," said Kageyama Tobio seriously as he walked over.
"Oh? Little Tobio, long time no see—you've gotten taller," Oikawa said with a mocking smile. "But I'm still stronger, you know."
Kageyama paused, then pulled over a dazed Hinata by his side. "The two of us together won't lose."
"Is that so? You're not the only strong first-years around," Oikawa replied, pointing to Kaedehara, who was stretching and munching on melon slices nearby. "Taichi, say something intimidating!"
Kaedehara rolled his eyes. So childish.
Oikawa, seeing Kaedehara ignore him, turned his gaze to Kindaichi. Kindaichi, after a moment of resistance, succumbed to his captain's oppressive aura.
He stared at Kageyama. "Next time, we'll be the ones who win."
After Karasuno left, Oikawa, Kaedehara, and Kindaichi sat in a row at the entrance of the gym.
Iwaizumi came over and nudged Oikawa, asking Kaedehara, "What's wrong with this idiot?"
Kaedehara glanced at him. "He tried to say hi to Karasuno's pretty manager but got ignored. And that bald senior on their team kept staring at him."
Oikawa lifted his head. "She must've been shy, that's all! I'm totally not upset, really!"
Kunimi Eikichi came over. "What about Kindaichi? Wasn't he happy we won just now?"
Kaedehara glanced at Kunimi. "He's thinking about Kageyama…"
Kindaichi looked up. "Kageyama used the word 'we' just now. For some reason, it just bothers me."
Iwaizumi and Kunimi were speechless. They turned to Kaedehara. "Then why are you sitting here?"
Kaedehara couldn't hold it anymore and laughed while clutching his stomach. "I'm here for the drama—eating melons and watching the show, hahaha…"
"You're insane…" Iwaizumi felt like the number of problem children on the team was growing. "Hurry up and come inside so we can review today's match with Karasuno."
Inside the gym, Coach Irihata was already at the whiteboard, having written down a lot of notes from the match and analyses of Karasuno's players.
"Compared to last year, Karasuno has added some very promising first-years. They're definitely a team we need to pay attention to," Coach Irihata paused. "Even though we invited Karasuno here for this practice match, it's clear their real goal was to train their team. Even when the shorty underperformed in the first set, they didn't sub him out. They gave him time to adjust to the rhythm of the match."
"Our first set win was pure luck. We can't be arrogant. And before Oikawa joined in the second set, we didn't really control the pace either."
"Sorry about that! I just can't help being the center of attention wherever I go!"
That infuriating expression and airy tone—smack! Iwaizumi couldn't help but kick him again.
"Oikawa," Team Leader Guchikuchi gestured for Oikawa to quiet down. "Karasuno wasn't even going all out today. Their libero from last year, who performed well, didn't even play."
Oikawa remembered that libero—Yuu Nishinoya, who graduated from Chidoriyama Middle and had been awarded "Best Libero" in junior high. And that fearsome-looking ace of theirs… Karasuno sure had a lot hidden up their sleeves.
"That short first-year on the other side still has a very weak foundation, but thanks to the accurate sets, he's already become Karasuno's most threatening weapon. That last ball seemed like a mistake, but actually, it was the clearest sign that they're desperately seeking to evolve," Coach Irihata said, looking at the Aoba Johsai team. "Every team that wants to win is doing the same thing—training hard for victory."
"Strong or weak, no one steps onto the court planning to lose."
"Yes!"
Hearing the spirited responses around him, Team Leader Guchikuchi looked admiringly at Coach Irihata. The older the ginger, the spicier it gets—a few sharp words from the coach were enough to keep the team from getting too cocky.
Just like that, Aoba Johsai's Saturday training continued.
Outside the Gym
Karasuno's group was walking back in silence, weighed down by the loss.
"Kageyama, from what you said earlier, it sounds like you and Oikawa knew each other already?" Sugawara Masashi tried to lighten the mood.
"He was my senior in middle school. I learned to serve and block by copying him," Kageyama Tobio said, pausing for a second. "If I can surpass Oikawa-senpai, I'll be the best setter in the entire prefecture."
Sawamura Daichi looked at him—Kageyama admitting someone else was better than him in setting? That was rare.
Daichi gently shook his head, clearing the mixed thoughts in his mind. "Honestly, I'm frustrated. Hinata and Kageyama's combo is excellent, but this practice match exposed our two biggest weaknesses…"
"First, when Hinata's attack is ineffective, we have no one else who can break through offensively. Second, our receive game is a mess. If we can't receive well, we can't organize attacks. And in nationals, Oikawa won't be the only one with strong serves."
Kageyama frowned. What the captain said was true—these were their most pressing problems. But they weren't issues that could be fixed overnight.
"But," Daichi suddenly turned around and looked at his teammates, "we don't need to worry too much. Karasuno's guardian deity and ace will be back soon."
"Ace!"
"Guardian deity?!"