Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The night after the intense match with Inarizaki, Karasuno is relaxing and preparing for tomorrow with Nekoma, the fateful promise.

“Kenma probably doesn't care about winning or losing.” Hinata said to Kageyama.

"Huh?"

“But I will definitely defeat Kenma!!” Hinata said with determination.

In return, he received Kageyama's look of contempt as if he were an idiot.

While everyone was still full of energy, the volleyball teams were doing different things, but miraculously they all fell asleep suddenly no matter where they were.

People who were walking and moving around were all standing still. All of their lives had stopped for some mysterious reason.

–

When Hinata opened his eyes, it was a spacious room with a projector placed in the middle, but he quickly realized something strange, there were even volleyball teams that were originally from Miyagi and a few teams that he knew from the spring national tournament.

“Kenma, you're here too?” Hinata was scared.

“Shouyo…” Kenma slowly considered the situation.

“Bakageyama, wake up!” Hinata turned to wake up his partner.

“What…boke…”

As everyone started to wake up, the atmosphere became noisy. While everyone was still wondering what was happening, a voice rang out, scaring everyone.

“It is my pleasure to welcome everyone to my screening room.”

“What the hell! Aliens?” Oikawa frowned.

“Shut up, Shittykawa. We don't understand the situation, we shouldn't talk nonsense, especially when you're fantasizing about aliens.” Iwaizumi hit his best friend.

Oikawa pouted but when he saw Karasuno and some familiar people, his teasing nature rose again.

“Chibi-chan and Tobio were also brought here?”

“Oikawa-san…” Kageyama greeted with a frown.

“Grand king!” Hinata hid behind Kageyama and poked his head out to look.

“Alright everyone should introduce yourselves and find your seats. We'll start watching the movie soon.”

Watching a movie? All the players were stunned, what the hell!

“Hey! Let us go, we have a match tomorrow!” Hoshium protested.

“Yeah, we need to rest too for tomorrow's match with Nekoma.” Hinata agreed.

“We lost, so we have a lot of free time. It seems like there are only a few teams left playing tomorrow, how pitiful!” Atsumu said comfortably.

“You say it with pride, Tsumu. It's because we lost early.” Osamu poked at the pain.

“If you don't talk, no one will tell you to shut up, Samu.”

The two were about to charge at each other when Kita appeared from behind, staring at them.

“Fight? Between teams?”

"Are not!"

“As for time, everyone doesn’t need to worry because the outside world is currently paused. When everyone returns, it will be the same and the memories of this place will be completely erased.” That voice rang out again.

“So what's the point of us watching if we don't remember?” Oikawa complained.

“Consider it an experience.”

Everyone was stunned by the answer. So what are you doing, stranger-san?

“Let's just introduce ourselves even though the faces here are all familiar. But we need to know how many people are present anyway.” Kuroo sighed.

“Then I'll go first, Kuroo Tetsurou, third-year wing spiker and captain of the Nekoma Boys Volleyball Team. Next to me is Kozume Kenma, second-year setter for Nekoma.” Kuroo waved his hand.

"Hey! Hey! I'm Bokuto Kotaro, third-year ace and captain of Fukurodani."

“I'm Akaashi Keiji, second-year of Fukurodani. I play as setter and vice-captain.”

“Ushijima Wakatoshi. Third-year ace and captain of Shiratorizawa”

“Tendou Satori, third-year middle blocker of Shiratorizawa, everyone calls me the Guess Monster!!”

“Oikawa Tooru, I play volleyball for Aoba Johsai, and I'm the captain and setter.”

"My name is Iwaizumi Hajime and I play for Aoba Johsai. I'm a wing spiker, the ace, and vice-captain of the team.”

“Kindaichi Yūtarō, first-year middle blocker for Aoba Johsai.”

“Kunimi Akira, first-year wing spiker for Aoba Johsai.”

"Kita Shinsuke. I'm the captain of Inarizaki Boys Volleyball Team."

"Miya Atsumu, second-year setter for Inarizaki."

"Miya Osamu, second-year wing spiker for Inarizaki, twin brother to this jerk you see here."

"Suna Rintarou. Middle blocker and spiker, second year at Inarizaki."

“Sakusa Kiyoomi, second-year wing spiker and the ace of Itachiyama.”

“Komori Motoya, second-year libero Itachiyama.”

"Sugawara Koushi, but everyone calls me Suga. I'm a third-year and the setter for Karasuno."

"Sawamura Daichi, third year and captain of Karasuno."

“Kageyama Tobio, first year setter at Karasuno.”

“Hinata Shouyo, first-year middle blocker Karasuno. Nice to meet you all!”

“Tsukishima Kei, first-year middle blocker at Karasuno.”

“Yamaguchi Tadashi, first-year middle blocker and pinch server at Karasuno.”
 
“Hoshiumi Kōrai, second-year ace Kamomedai.”

“Hirugami Sachirō, second-year middle blocker Kamomedai.”

“So everyone here actually knows each other?” Tendou said excitedly.

“These are all the teams I've played against before, right, Kageyama?” Hinata suddenly realized.

“No you idiot! Kamomedai and Itachiyama haven't.”

“But if we win against Nekoma…Kamomedai is next.” Hinata's words attracted quite a few people.

“Chibi-chan is pretty confident! You're already thinking about the next match before the match starts.” Kuroo laughed.

“It's Shouyo…”

The projection screen suddenly lit up, reminding everyone to find their own seats. Most of them knew each other, so the atmosphere was quite comfortable.

“So now we get to see the future? I wonder what year it is in the future?” Oikawa wondered.

“I will be a professional player in the future!” Hinata declared strongly.

“Shrimp, you have to be really good to get in. With your current ability, it's hard…” Tsuki teased.

“Hey!!! Of course it will, who knows how good I will be in the future!”

“Okay, Hinata, you should sit still.” Suga pressed Hinata's shoulders down for him to sit.

“But even if we watch it, we won't remember anything. The future is up to us.” Atsumu said.

As soon as he finished speaking, the screen started moving. It was about to begin.

When witnessing the unexpected results that took place in this year's spring tournament, although surprised, Fuki Hibarida was not surprised, he told his colleagues.

“So the final results for the tournament are in?” Akaashi said.

“I wonder which one of us will win?”

“But judging by Mr. Fuki's surprised reaction, perhaps this year's victory was a surprise. Perhaps the strong favorites have fallen.” Komori guessed.

“Will we win?” Hinata asked nervously.

“I don't know…but we're strong.” Kageyama was uncertain.

“Yes. I would've loved to see more of his play. But you know? The hundreds of players participating in this tournament…There's one experience they all share…that's losing. No one makes it this far without tasting defeat.”

“But even for the one lucky team that escapes that bitter experience this time and win this tournament…they'll lose to another, better team eventually. No matter how high you climb, there is always a better team.”

“…So that’s how it is. I also thought that if I kept trying, one day I wouldn’t fail anymore… But that feeling, losing, isn’t something to be afraid of. It’s something to overcome.” Hinata clenched his fists.

"So I have to get stronger to be able to continue standing on the field." Kageyama pondered with deep blue eyes.

"Huh. Sounds easy. Like you're planning on climbing up to the sky forever, Kageyama." Tsukishima crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.

"But isn't climbing up the most fun? For me, even if I lose, I still get to stand with everyone, it's still worth it." Yamaguchi chuckled.

“We're really enjoying the process, aren't we? Losing is painful, but if you get up and keep climbing from there… that's amazing! I'm not giving up on volleyball anyway." Hinata said energetically.

“Honestly, you guys are freshmen but I really enjoy playing with you guys.” Suga smiled happily and patted Hinata and Kageyama's heads.

"I think it's just me... everyone here knows they're going to lose, but they're still arguing about who can climb higher?" Kuroo sighed and laughed.

"If there are no strong opponents… the game will be boring. That's why I feel so excited when I fight Shouyo…"

"Well… it's true that no one wins forever. But that's why every win counts. That's when we make the world remember us." Atsumu smirked, his eyes still on the screen.

"Then make sure you eat before you climb to the top, Tsumu. Falling from high places hurts." Osamu crossed his arms, glancing at his brother.

“Samu!!!!”

“But what he said is very much like our banner. It's all in the past, what happens in the future is never known. Like that dark horse Karasuno.” Suna said beside him.

“That's why we enjoy the process. It's true that winning feels rewarding, but not everyone in sports has that right. We have to learn to accept defeat, and continue to live with it." Kita also added.

“It's true that your energy makes people want to compete, chibi-chan. But… Have you ever thought that… people who have climbed for a long time, very high… feel extremely painful when they see 'beginners' surpass them?” Oikawa looked straight at Hinata.

“I…”

“Actually… I hate gifted kids like you and Tobio. But at the same time, you guys remind me… that I can still be better.” Oikawa laughed, crossing his arms and looking at Hinata and Kageyama.

“We do have talent like you said, but we all have to work hard to maintain it. Kageyama may look annoying, but he really works hard to maintain his skills. You’re a genius too, right, Grand King? There must be something about you that makes him really admire you, right? There are many people who say you’re a genius, but how many people see the hard work and practice behind it? It’s just a matter of how fast or slow we learn.” Hinata replied cheerfully.

“Hinata, when did you become so mature?!” Suga gasped in surprise.

“He used to say things like that from time to time.” Tsukishima recalled several times.

“Did you hear that, Oikawa? You’re not being left behind. You’re just standing on another step, waiting for them to catch up.” Iwaizumi chuckled, patting Oikawa on the shoulder.

“Really… Chibi-chan always talks in a way that makes people hate him. But remember, chibi-chan, when you rise to the top… don’t forget the pain of being surpassed. Because it will teach you how to stand up again.” Oikawa sighed, but it was a relieved sigh.

“Of course, I look forward to playing with you again, Grand king.”

“It's only those brave enough… those bold enough to follow the difficult, demanding path of competition who have the right to reap the wealth of experience and memories it can bring.”

A series of images appeared, emotions mixed together determination, disappointment and contemplation.

Karasuno 3rd year group Asahi, Daichi and Suga.

Year 3 Nekoma Kuroo, Yaku and Kai

Itachiyama's Sakusa.

Ushijima and Tendou.

Aone, Futakuchi and Kogane of Date Tech.

Miya brothers.

Oikawa's back.

Bokuto.

Karasuno second year.

Tsukishima is taking off his sports glasses.

Kageyama is sweating and deep in thought.

Finally, Hinata was seen not wearing a jersey like his teammates, he left first with a trench coat along with Yachi and Shimada.

“Our spring is over. But none of us regret it, right?” Suga looked at the image of their team appearing.

“Yeah. Not at all. We gave it our all.”

“Only the weak give up when they don’t win. But only the truly strong dare to admit that they need to learn from failure.” Ushijima’s voice was even and straightforward.

“You're always so straightforward, Wakatoshi-kun.”

“Everyone who showed up lost, right? But why isn't Shouyo wearing a jersey like Tobio?” Atsumu said doubtfully.

“Hinata…?” Kageyama turned to look at his orange-haired teammate in surprise.

“Why am I not…in the court?” Hinata trembled in doubt.

The atmosphere in the room became tense. No one said anything, as if everyone was trying to piece together the missing piece. Hinata always the center of attention on the field was standing on the sidelines, not wearing a jersey, not even on the course?

“Are you sick?” Tendou tilted his head and asked, half-jokingly, but no one answered.

“It can't be a tactical reason… there's no way Hinata was substituted… It's not like him at all unless it's for a forced reason like an injury…” Daichi said softly, his lips pressed together as if he couldn't accept it.

“I… I have been training… running… jumping… fighting for many years… But… why is this happening now, when we can participate in the national tournament with our seniors?” Hinata clasped his hands together, his chest heaving.

“Why can't I be on the court?” He turned to look at Kageyama, his eyes filled with confusion and pain.

Kageyama opened his mouth, but couldn't get any words out.

“It's scary. There's nothing more painful than seeing your teammates fall and not being able to do anything to help.” Suna was the one to break the silence.

“Hey, chibi-chan. This is the future that will happen. But this is just one failure, you will learn from it, right? Don't give up.” Oikawa spoke up, his voice more serious than ever.

Hinata looked up, eyes wide.

“The future doesn't always turn out well. However, you still have a choice from there.” Oikawa emphasized each word.

“For today you happen to be the defeated. But what will you become tomorrow?”

Hinata was standing outside the gymnasium, his breath in the air. His gaze was far away, his face pensive and thoughtful, his eyes and nose red from crying. His messy orange hair was blowing in the wind. All of it seemed to signal the future that awaited him.

“You looked like you were crying? ...That image of Hinata… really made my heart ache.” Suga squeezed his hand gently, his eyes filled with tears.

“What the hell happened?”

“Who was the one who brought that monster down?” Atsumu thought.

“I don't think it's anyone in particular but many teams combined.”

“Actually, the most pitiful thing in the world is not losing, or getting sick, or getting injured, but being told ‘what a pity’. Saying that is like throwing away all his efforts. Volleyball is a game of six people not just because one out. ” Sakusa said.

It is true that besides the image of Hinata appearing, the sentence "For today you happen to be the defeated. But what will you become tomorrow?" still echoes in everyone's mind, seeping into every quiet moment after that film.

“That question… is for all of us, right?” Suga clenched his fists.

“For today, you are the defeated… But 'tomorrow'… is something that is still in my hands.” Daichi repeated, his voice low.

“Tomorrow… Shouyo… he won't stop. I knew it.” Kenma said softly, almost to himself.

“That's just the way he is.” Kuroo agreed cheerfully.

“Whether I win or lose… Maybe… it doesn't matter as much as what I become after the match.” Tsukishima pondered, knowing that he had changed a lot since the beginning.

Yamaguchi nodded slightly, as if he felt himself changing in that moment.

“Tomorrow huh… Well then, let's see what that brat plans to 'become' next…” Atsumu chuckled, but his eyes didn't leave the screen.

“And what… will we do to be worthy of being there tomorrow?” Osamu patted his brother on the back.

“We are by Hinata's side not only as rivals… but also as witnesses to that growth.” Bokuto spoke more seriously than ever.

Akaashi smiled slightly, as if in complete agreement.

“My tomorrow… is also the day I have to answer that question. Not for anyone else… but for myself.” Oikawa sighed, his eyes deep.

“No matter how many times I lose… I will pull you back up. And tomorrow, we will win… or lose together. We are on the same team after all.” Kageyama sat next to Hinata and patted his shoulder. He spoke softly, so softly that everyone heard.

“Tomorrow, I will become someone that everyone will never forget.” Hinata wiped the corners of his eyes, looked at everyone, and raised his head. He smiled, his voice hoarse but firm.

A corner of the calendar on the wall was clearly visible: March. Karasuno's practice area. Daichi stood alone at the team's practice area, holding a volleyball. He let out a soft sigh.

“This scene is…” Suga whispered, his hand gently placed on his chest.

“It's time for us to leave.” Daichi sighed.

The two looked at each other, having been together for three years, they understood this feeling. The moment they knew they were about to end something wonderful.

“It's... March already? 3rd year senior time…” Yamaguchi's voice trembled.

Not only Karasuno felt emotional when watching, but also the other teams whose teammates or themselves were third years were moved.

“Don't worry, even if I graduate, I'll still come back to check on Nekoma.” Kuroo said to Kenma.

“Um…”

“It feels just like me, doesn't it, Wakatoshi-kun?” Tendou tilted his head, his eyes darkening.

“We gave it our all on the course too. But we'll be moving on to a bigger stage.” Ushijima was silent for a long moment before nodding.

“March already? Tsumu, remember when we first joined the club?” Osamu said softly.

“Yeah… it's almost done now.” Atsumu nodded, eyes never leaving the screen.

“This team, this period of time… can never be repeated.” Both Miya brothers understood.

“Kita-san… You probably won’t be playing anymore after this tournament, right?” Suna, who was sitting nearby, turned around.

“Yeah, but I've lived my life to the fullest… so there's no regrets in leaving.” Kita just nodded.

“We… are almost there.” Bokuto said not too loudly, but unlike usual his voice was not excited but calm.

“We only get one chance to be teammates like this. So… we have to play like there’s no tomorrow. But I know that even if I don’t play volleyball in the future, we’ll always be watching you, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi looked at his teammate, then spoke slowly.

“I… I don't want time to pass by like this.” Hinata said softly, his hands clenched as he watched his seniors leave.

“Then we have to climb higher.” Kageyama looked at the boy beside him, then nodded slightly.

“Is this where we should stop? Sometimes I wish I could stay young forever…” Oikawa sighed, looking around.

“But if we don't step outside, we won't see the good things that come next.” He took a deep breath, not out of sadness, but because the truth was so obvious.

His eyes glanced at Iwaizumi, who was standing next to him. Iwaizumi said nothing, only nodded slightly. He understands Oikawa's feelings, someone who lives every match to the fullest, but also someone who knows when to let go.

“It's about time, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa smiled softly but also sadly.

“This isn’t the end. All the memories, the past will still follow you and become your future, Shittykawa. Rest assured, we will always support you.”

Higuruma was standing nearby, arms crossed over his chest, eyes slowly moving from one person to another.

“These moments may feel like the end, but in reality, we are just preparing for something bigger. The team, the people who come along, all contribute to making this path."

He looked at Daichi on the screen, then looked at everyone around him.

“We can't just live in the past forever. So even if we have to give up... It's just a part of growth.” Hirugami sighed lightly.

“I look forward to your growth, Korai. You'll have your place with those monsters over there.” He pointed at the Hinata and Kageyama couple.

“Of course. I'm still winning.”

Memories of his three years at the club flashed through his mind once again.

Hinata and Kageyama were scared when they heard they wouldn't be allowed to join the team.

The first two years of participation.

Coach Ukai Ikkei, Ukai Keishin and sensei Takeda Ittesu.

Yachi when she first appeared behind Shimizu.

Noya and Asahi argued after losing to Date Teach last year.

Tsukishima successfully blocked Ushijima's ball.

Yamaguchi was elated after successfully serving a point.

Shimizu was a freshman when they invited her to be the team manager.

Finally, two equally important yearmates who accompanied him through all the hardships, first-year Suga and Asahi.

He put the ball in the holder as if he knew this was the last time he would be able to play on a team with such members.

Daichi was moved by those old pictures, and even the scene of Noya and Asahi arguing was heartbreaking. But luckily, thanks to the first years, everything was fine in the end. All of it made up the current Karasuno. He suddenly felt lucky that he didn't give up.

“Ah! That was our first time. We almost didn't make it into the team!!” Hinata remembered, holding his head and shuddering as if he had just remembered a nightmare.

“Yeah… I thought I was fired…” Kageyama glanced over, nodding in agreement while keeping his face cold.

“I still remember your faces at that time, they were like ‘please spare our lives’~.” Suga laughed out loud, although his eyes were still slightly red from the emotion from before.

“Who said that at that time no one would cooperate and I could do everything by myself…” Daichi was helpless.

“Chibi-chan was still very weak when we first met. But looking at him now… What a clear difference. You really are growing quickly.” Oikawa squinted at Hinata.

“Without the first time, there would be no second time. And without the second time, there would be no Hinata today.” Iwaizumi nodded with his arms crossed.

“I know there are times when I'm annoying, clumsy, and weak in many ways, but I'm really grateful that I was able to join the team that day... Thank you for giving me the opportunity... to continue loving volleyball like I do now.” Hinata, after hearing that, turned back to look at the group, his eyes sparkling.

Daichi heard Hinata and Kageyama noises as they raced to the gym.

“Hi captain!” Hinata greeted happily.

“Hello.” Kageyama greeted too.

“I could hear you two arguing even in here, y'know…” Daichi said to the two of them, leaning on his hands.

“Sorry sir.”

“Hm. 'Good luck'? Maybe 'Karasuno's in your hands now'? No not for those two. They deserve to hear something open, I dunno…”

While Daichi was still thinking about what to say, Hinata and Kageyama stood silently watching in wonder.

“Hey you two? I'm really looking forward to it, okay?”

“Yes.”

Seeing Daichi wave and leave, Hinata and Kageyama suddenly had a thought.

“I… won't let you guys down!” Hinata said firmly.

Kageyama nodded in agreement.

“I believe you.” Daichi smiled happily.

“It's time to leave Karasuno in the hands of the kids.” Suga gave a gentle smile but his eyes were filled with tears.

He turned to Daichi, said nothing more, just quietly patted his best friend's shoulder as a thank you for the three years of youth together overcoming many difficulties.

“I… I didn’t think I’d be this emotional looking back…” Yâmguchi turned to Tsukki and said softly. “Thanks for staying, Tsukki.”

“Daichi… you're so cool!” Bokuto shouted, holding back tears.

“You'll be just as cool, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi said softly.

The graduation ceremony of Karasuno high school took place. The entire first and second years had come to say goodbye to the third years.

“Thank you very much for everything!” Ennoshita said loudly on behalf of everyone.

“Thank you!” Daichi, Suga, Asahi, and Shimizu greeted them with bright smiles.

The image of the Karasuno High School volleyball club activity logbook is closed by Yachi with long hair as if their generation has stopped and the next generation will continue.

“We'll have to leave like this someday, Boke!” Kageyama looked at the crybaby next to him.

“Yeah… even though we know they'll still be watching us, we won't be able to play them in an official match anymore.”

“The practice log book. It's thicker, isn't it?”

“That notebook… is like save data in a game… once saved, it means you can't go back.”

“Yachi's hair has grown longer too…”

“Then it's time for us to leave.”

Years later…

The statue of Christ the Redeemer comes into view.

“Obrigado!” a nimble orange-haired adult just finished his delivery job on a bicycle.

Brazil, Rio De Janeiro.

“Huh!!!! Brazil? Rio? On the other side of the world!” Everyone shouted.

“But who will be there?”

“Orange hair… could it be Hinata…?!” Suga shouted.

“No way…what would I go there for!” Hinata shook his head in denial.

“But it's rare to have that hair color.” Yamaguchi pointed.

“What a dare!”

“I don't know, I haven't seen that person's face, but he has the courage to come here alone.” Komori commented.

“I didn't expect you to go abroad with your English level, Hinata.” Tsukishima doubted.

“Hey!!! The one who is not good at English is Bakageyama!”

“Say what!!! Japanese people don't need English!”

“...”

“Aren't you planning on playing professionally with players from other countries, Bakageyama? You think they can understand Japanese?” Hinata suddenly asked a tricky question.

“I…” Kageyama's face suddenly stiffened, not knowing how to respond.

“But I didn't know you were planning on moving abroad?” Kageyama changed the subject, surprising Hinata.

“I told you it wasn't me!”

“You think I believe…”

Atsumu from the other side suddenly remembered something.

“No…no…If Shouyo goes abroad, how will the promise of passing the ball to him come true?!!” Atsumu groaned while holding his head.

“Ah, that final declaration of power…” Osamu muttered.

“Maybe he'll come back, Tsumu.”

Chapter Text

“Oh, we even have a video title this time. 'Challenger' sounds cool!” Suga happily discovered it.

“It must be about Hinata. He's the only one taking the strange path.”

“It could be anyone. Because we are all choosing our own paths.”

2017. Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.

“I'm off to a meeting. Back this evening!”

“Okay. See you!” Yachi replied to her mother.

The little manager girl from years ago has now grown up beautifully with long hair tied neatly in a ponytail and wearing star earrings.

Yachi Hitoka (College junior, design company intern)

“Oh! Yachi really grew up beautifully!” Hinata praised.

“She's always been very reliable.” Kageyama nodded seriously.

“The job suits her.” Tsukishima’s lips curled slightly.

“Yachi-san looks so mature. I wonder what my future self will be like?” Yamaguchi wondered.

“The shy freshman girl has now become a confident lady. It's so touching!” Suga smiled gently.

“Everything is fine!” Daichi was also relieved.

The flashbacks are told from Yachi's perspective.

In the summer of my first year of high school… I wound up joining a club for a sport I'd never given a second thought to before.

The next two and half years were a whirlwind of excitement and enthusiasm.
In my first year, we made it to the quarter final round of the national tournament. The giants of the third-year class graduated. New rookies joined the team. We became second years.

“So we know the results this year, right? The Quarter Finals were pretty good!” Suga laughed, tears in his eyes.

“Karasuno has really come a long way.” Daichi nodded, his eyes gentle.

“Quarterfinals…means we beat Nekoma and advanced to the team…” Hinata tried to remember.

“Kamomedai.” Kageyama said.

“Aha! We won!” Hoshiumi shouted.

“Ugh…! But Karasuno will definitely win the next match!” Hinata turned to stare at the two of them.

“Boke…”

“So Hinata and the others are now in their second years. Time really flies! It was just yesterday that we met the five kids…” Suga sniffled.

The next summer…we got as far as the inter-high qualified finals. There we lost to Date Tech, who punched their ticket to their first national tournament in 11 years. They reached the top 16.

Futakuchi and Aone hugged each other and cried with joy, and so did their other teammates. Their former seniors also came to congratulate them at that time.

“Eh… but Aone is really strong! They grew a lot when we trained together before coming to Tokyo.” Hinata couldn't believe his ears, his eyes were wide open but he still smiled and congratulated.

“...That's right. They can easily keep up with Hinata's speed and have plenty of time to develop until next year. While we lost our third year…” Kageyama frowned in thought.

“Just try your best.” Daichi patted his shoulder.

“Oh yeah! Shiratorizawa can't get in!” Oikawa cheered up.

“Shittykawa, aren't you sad that our juniors didn't win?”

“Those kids have to fight agaisnt Chibi-chan and Tobio. Plus Date Tech is really holding up well and Shiratorizawa has lost Ushiwaka, despite our school is still strong but we can’t compete. Especially since a talented captain like me has left, right Kunimi, Kindaichi?” Oikawa started to get narcissistic.

“...”

“That's right! Thinking about fighting Hinata makes me tired…” Kindaichi sighed.

“But trying is good!” Iwaizumi consoled.

“Goshiki and Shirabu are in trouble! Haha.” Tendo said to Ushijima.

“Yeah.” Ushijima nodded.

Atsumu's gloomy face caught Osamu's attention.

“What's wrong, Tsumu?”

“Ugh… If Karasuno can't make it to the nationals, how can I get revenge! We only have next year…” Atsumu was really frustrated.

“They just lost two of their three main members…” Suna spoke up.

“But…” Atsumu refused.

“Karasuno! You guys have to come in so we can get our revenge!” Atsumu shouted towards Karasuno.

“Huh?!” Daichi and Suga were surprised.

“Of course we'll play together again and Karasuno will win, Miya-san.” Hinata replied cheerfully.

“We'll win next time, Shoyo! And don't call me Miya, there are two Miyas here, I don't want to be mistaken for Ugly Samu!”

“We have the same face, Tsumu.”

Come fall, we earned a berth in the spring tournament for the second year in a row. We faced Inarizaki again in round 3…and the Miya twins, now third-years, squeaked out the win.

Atsumu and Osamu were sweating profusely, bumping shoulders in celebration. From afar, Kita was clapping happily, and Aran, who had graduated, had come to watch the match and cheer them on.

“Yeah!!!!” Atsumu was excited at the announcement of their victory.

“Look, I said it came true!”

Kageyama and Hinata are not willing to give up. Tch!

“Congratulations…Atsumu-san!” Hinata still congratulated despite that.

“Shoyo, you don't remember my name, do you?” Atsumu asked doubtfully.

“...No.”

“Obviously there is a pause for thought.”

“Kita-san and Aran still came to watch.” Osamu noticed.

“Of course I'll still come to support you guys.” Kita smiled gently.

The next year, our third-year…we made the spring tournament for a final time, advancing to the semifinals and center court. We lost to Itachiyama, placing third in the nation.

The four first-years have now become tall third-year seniors. Yamaguchi with the number 1 jersey, Kageyama with the number 2, Tsukishima with the number 3, and Hinata with the number 5.

“I'm the captain…” Yamaguchi looked at his jersey number in disbelief.

“Oh! I have Tanaka's senpai number!” Hinata happily pointed out.

“Oh it's Kenma's number too!!!”

Kenma was surprised when his name was mentioned but seeing Hinata happy to have the same shirt number as him, he suddenly felt a small joy bloom in his heart.

“Oh Kenma is happy!” Kuroo noticed his friend, smiling teasingly.

"Do not have…"

“I didn't expect you guys to go this far, third place!” Daichi was delighted.

“Of course, all of our juniors are awesome!” Suga laughed happily.

“Congratulations to my disciple!” Bokuto said excitedly.

“Congratulations, Hinata.” Akaashi also patted the little crow's head.

“Shoyo is so good…” Kenma said.

“We defeated the weirdo duo, Kiyoomi!” Komori pointed out.

“What good would that do…” Sakusa didn't care.

“Karasuno is considered to have won against Ushijima, so doesn't that mean you also won against Ushijima?”

“No! I want to face it myself!”

Kageyama-kun was inundated with offers, but he chose to skip college and go straight into the V.League. Playing in the top division, he quickly put up eye popping stats for a teenage rookie. I hear he's planning to try to break into the foreign leagues soon.

“It's really Kageyama!” Suga wasn't too surprised.

“If Kageyama went to university, I wonder if he would make it.” Tsukishima laughed.

“Hey…I'm not that bad at studying.” Kageyama frowned and retorted.

“But I won again!” Kageyama suddenly realized and looked at Hinata with a smug smile.

“Uh, I'll go in too. Just watch! It'll be on later.” Hinata puffed his cheeks in protest.

“Oh, aren't you in Rio!” Kageyama reminded.

“That wasn't me…Rio! How did I get there?”

“Who knows what's going on in your head!”

“…Good job, Tobio-chan. How annoying!” Oikawa muttered, folding his arms.

“You're good too, Shittykawa. Who knows, maybe you'll make a super cool appearance later?”

“He's definitely going to go pro.” Kindaichi wasn't too surprised.

“…Well. Not surprising. He's really into it…” Kunimi said.

2016, The Rio Olympics. Maracanazinho.

The red uniform with the Japanese flag on the chest. The number 20 with the name Kageyama appeared on the back of the black-haired boy from years ago.

“Another service ace! Fantastic! And he's only 19 years old! Kageyama Tobio!” The match commentator said.

If Kageyama's move to the professional world didn't surprise them, then joining the national team was a real shock.

“AAAA! Kageyama, you made it to the national team!” Suga shouted proudly.

“Whaaaaaa!? KAGEYAMAAA!!!??? It's really you!? Competing in the Olympics!? With the Japanese team's jersey!? What are you doing!? I lose again.” Hinata jumped up, eyes wide, mouth agape.

Kageyama also froze looking at himself on the screen. He suddenly felt a little emotional, happy that he had confirmed his position. Remembering from Kitagawa High School when he was hated until coming to Karasuno to become teammates with Hinata. And now he was wearing that dream red shirt.

“Overdoing it.” But the corner of his lips twitched slightly, Yamaguchi beside him knew very well that Tsukki was very proud.

“He actually… made it all the way there. It’s like a dream… it was just yesterday that our Kageyama was trying to do everything by himself.” Yamaguchi’s eyes were filled with tears of joy for his friend.

“19 years old… national team… This kid… As expected of Kageyama.” Daichi smiled, crossed his arms, and nodded slowly.

“Good job, Kageyama!” Akaashi congratulated.

“Tsukki should also strive like his friend.” Kuroo laughed.

“You think I'm as good as those monsters? You're overestimating me! Besides, I don't consider volleyball as my profession.”

“What!? Only 19 years old and already on the national team!? Damn it... so soon!? Where am I?” Atsumu frowned as he stared at the screen.

“This is the perspective of Karasuno's manager, so it's normal not to mention you.” Osamu reminded.

“Um…I want to see my future self too.”

“There will be…”

“Wakatoshi-kun should be in too. You're super strong~” Tendo affirmed.

“Oh. Thanks for trusting me like that.” Ushijima blinked.

“As expected of Kageyama…” Kindaichi muttered.

“You don’t need to think too much… He would have been chosen with that talent.” Kunimi said that, but in Kunimi’s eyes there was a slight stirring that wasn’t jealousy, but quiet admiration.

“Tobio went ahead again…” Oikawa pouted.

“Competition again! You idiot!” Iwaizumi tapped his friend on the head.

“The development directions of the two people are different, there is no need to compare. Didn't you have that plan?”

“What if I don't succeed…?”

“You always work harder than anyone else. Don't overthink it. Results come to those who try.” Iwaizumi slapped Oikawa on the back.

“Are you jealous, Korai!” Hirugami understood by looking at Hoshiumi's face.

“Right! But I will have a place in it soon.”

"Of course!"

With Kageyama's image appearing on TV. The orange-haired boy with a delivery bag on his back looked up at the TV for a moment as Kageyama fought. Then he cycled away from the TV and the crowd continued his journey.

“It looks sad! The teammate you used to play with is now at a higher level than you.” Komori said.

“Don't say that, you don't know other people's choices so you can't judge so easily.” Sakusa frowned.

“That's me….” Hinata looked.

“I must have felt terrible back then! Because we always said we were rivals but Bakageyama always went ahead, I was still wasting my time in an unfamiliar place…” Hinata said sadly.

Kageyama frowned, about to deny it, but Hinata continued.

“But there is always someone better and that is why I have to keep trying harder than ever to be able to stand in the same world as you are in. The scariest thing is that I can't continue playing anymore.”

Oikawa looked at Hinata, smiling brightly as he admitted his own weakness. He wasn’t afraid of being criticized because the little crow would continue to grow from red to show others. What scared him was not being able to play, to enjoy the match. It was…so scary, how could one hate someone like that!

“I believe Hinata must have a reason for choosing to come to Rio. Otherwise he wouldn’t have come to such a far away country?” Akaashi said.

“Shoyo will level up soon. I believe in him, Shoyo has always been special.”

“Ah…I think I know the reason.” Hinata suddenly thought of something.

“What is it?” Kageyama asked.

“You'll know later. But… maybe it's worth a try.” Hinata pretended to be mysterious and didn't say anything, but a second later his eyes turned serious as he looked at Kageyama.

Tsukishima-kun, Yamaguchi-kun and I all went to college, Hinata thought…He's….

Yachi stared at the phone, her face worried.

Hinata, please don't die!

“Ack! No, no no. Go away, pessimism!” Yachi shook his head in thought.

Her phone screen showed a chat box with Hinata's group of 5 people. He sent a check-in photo with the Christ the Redeemer statue.

Since early last year…Hinata's been on the far side of the world.

Flamengo beach. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

A beach volleyball match appeared before them.

“Shoyo!”

Hinata reacted quickly to get into position and passed the ball to his teammate for a smash. Hinata smiled happily and high-fived his teammate.

“Yachi is worrying too much!” Suga laughed.

“Beach Volleyball!!!!”

Everyone turned to look at Hinata suspiciously. Kageyama was also confused.

“Woah, that pass looked amazing!” While everyone was in awe, Hinata was happy with his future self's skills.

“Boke, you don't play inside anymore?!”

“No.” Hinata shook his head in denial.

“So what the hell is that on screen?!” Kageyama shook him.

“That's the future me… Just wait for the reveal screen to continue! But I definitely won't not give up playing volleyball indoors because I still have to defeat you, Baka!”

“Remember what you said, idiot!”

“Now that I think about it, Hinata's body is firmer. And it seems like he's grown taller too.” Daichi pointed out.

“Woooah! I grew taller!”

Kageyama frowned upon observing carefully, that was a nice pass! Tch!

“Number 10 Karasuno is growing quite well!” Osamu praised.

“Of course, it's my outside hitter!” Atsumu turned up his nose in joy.

“Yours…? Since when?”

“The future!”

“My disciple is so good!” Bokuto was delighted.

A flashback to Hinata's reason.

“Coach. After I graduate, I want to see if I can start training on the beach.” Hinata high school 2nd year said to Ukai Keishin.

“...? The beach? You mean you want to learn beach volleyball?” Keishin was bewildered.

“ I've been thinking about it ever since I watched the two-on-two drills at last year's rookie camp.

Image of Hinata working as a ball boy at Shiratorizawa camp on the 5th day.

I want to — No I need to learn how to do everything too!

Memories flashed back as Hinata diligently finished mopping the floor.

“On the beach, only two people have to cover the entire court.” Hinata said.

So that's how it is! Hinata really thought hard about it in order to be able to play better all-round.

“That’s right. If you want to learn how to play every position, the less people on the court, the easier it is to practice. But when it comes to beach volleyball, there’s only Hinata!” Suga laughed.

“You've really thought about the path you want to take.” Daichi said happily.

“Hinata is never one to half-ass things, he always tries really hard.”

“…He had already thought about it at that time. Hinata… always surprises people.” Yamaguchi said.

“I just didn't expect the shrimp to be so thoughtful. But since it's Hinata, he won't give up.” Tsukishima said coldly, but his words were also filled with concern.

“Oh my… Shoyo is really crazy… The type of person people look up to.” Atsumu was amused.

“Someone who makes others unable to stop, being dragged along. Haven't we seen how influential that crow is?” Osamu replied.

“Shoyo is really amazing!” Kenma laughed.

“The dwarf is always really surprising.”

“Oh~ What a monster!” Tendou said.

“Another weirdo….” Kunimi felt tired hearing that but also admired Hinata's efforts.

“But going from indoors to the beach isn’t easy. Everything will be completely different in terms of environment and rules.” Iwaizumi exclaimed.

“That’s why Chibi-chan makes all of us tall players tremble when we meet him. Not everyone can accept starting from zero. Even I…would hesitate.” Oikawa leaned back and said, he truly admired Hinata.

“You thought it through that carefully?” Kageyama asked.

“…Yeah. When I saw you get selected to go to the national camp and Tsuki get selected to go to the Shiratorizawa camp. I knew I was weak in many areas, just a kid who only knew how to attack. I didn’t want that, I wanted to be recognized.”

“I want to go further!”

“It isn't unheard of for players to make the shift from indoor to beach volleyball, but Hinata's saying he wants to use it only for training. Just going up to folks playing on the beach and saying 'Hi, mind if I join you?' Isn't going to cut it. But is there even anywhere in Japan he can get serious practice in…?” Keishin crossed his arms and thought.

He remembered what his grandfather had said.

“Guys who can't get anywhere laugh at what other people consider a challenge. Just because someone hasn't done it before doesn't mean it can't be done.”

“Okay. You've got time. Let's explore our options.” Keishin decided to help Hinata.

“The beach, huh? Sounds fun! Don't look at me for contacts, though. Don't got any! But I do know a guy who might.” Ikkei replied nonchalantly when asked.

“Let me ask a few acquaintances of mine.” Trainer Nekomata agreed to help.

“Thank you sir!” Hinata and Keishin replied.

Hinata went with Keishin to meet the people he had introduced. A beach coach, a woman. He also sat and listened to Mr. Takeda's opinion.

Not only did Hinata sit around waiting for adults, he also learned a lot on his own. From players and matches on Youtube, his diligence and perseverance made Keishin afraid.

“It's true that only you dare to change your environment just to practice and develop yourself.” Suga patted his head.

“What should I do in the future to support Shoyo?” Kenma thought to himself.

“Thank you very much, Coach Keishin. If he hadn't asked, I wouldn't have been able to go! And Coach Ukai and Nekomata too.” Hinata was touched.

“I admit Karasuno dares to play, one dares to say, the other dares to do.” Kuroo laughed.

“So don't be afraid to challenge yourself.”

“But if we follow Coach Keishin's thinking, how can he fly to Rio?” Suga asked.

“That's right….” Daichi crossed his arms and thought.

“Who has such extensive connections that they can help Hinata get to Rio?”

Miyagi prefecture rookie select training camp.

“I did some asking around, but well…there wasn't much.” Coach Anabara said to Keishin.

“Thank you very much! Yeah, I didn't really think…” Keishin was truly grateful for his help even though he didn't receive any useful information in return.

“There's a guy.” Washijo spoke up suddenly, causing the two young coaches to turn and look at him in surprise.

“?”

“An old alum of ours. He made the jump from indoor over to beach volleyball. Now he's coaching a junior leagues indoor team.”

“Aha! I can't say I'm surprised you know someone, coach Washijo! Wonderful! Where is he now? Somewhere nearby? Perhaps outside the prefecture?” Anabara asked happily.

“Rio.”

“...?”

“!!”

Both men were stunned and bewildered by Washijo's answer.

“As in Rio De Janeiro.”

Lucio Kato, Shiratorizawa academy 97th graduating class. The image of an optimistic blond man.

“Ri…?! Wait…What?!! That Rio?! I-In Brazil?! It's a generous offer sir, but I think that might be a little…” Anabara was really shocked at the distance.

However, in contrast to the anxiety, confusion and shock of the two young coaches, Hinata was very decisive, his eyes filled with determination and steadfastness.

“I'll go!”

So Washijo contacted his former student and had a discussion and explained the issues to Hinata and Takeda-sensei. When the day came to make the decision, he rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before speaking.

“First, you graduate. Next, you spend a good year preparing to go. And I mean thoroughly. Understood? After that…you'll have two years. That's it.” Washijo spoke briefly.

“Yes sir! Thank you very much, sir!” Hinata bowed deeply with Keishin beside to thank him. Washijo looked up as if he didn't notice this simple favor.

“Ora ora ~ Coach Washijo?” Tendo was really surprised by the old man who always had an expression of disapproval of Karasuno's number 10.

Ushijima normally had no expression, but he was really curious about Coach Washijo's decision.

“Unexpectedly…he was the one who opposed Hinata the most!” Suga was surprised.

Tsukishima also frowned at the thought but he really didn't understand.

“When did you win him over?” Yamaguchi asked.

“I didn’t!” Hinata shook his head in confusion. He really wanted to know what made Coach Washijo help.

“Woah! Number 10 Karasuno captured Shiratorizawa's devilish coach? The one who keeps saying that short people can't play.” Osamu was also surprised.

“He must have realized something. Shoyo's potential is really big.” Atsumu said.

“That old man really helped? A short guy who has no relation to Shiratorizawa!” Oikawa also frowned.

Kindaichi also agreed because he was at the training camp at that time, Coach Washijo really made things difficult for Hinata. So for what reason?

“Hinata is really good! As expected of my disciple.” Bokuto proudly said to Akaashi.

“That's how he is. Hee really shines like you, Bokuto-san.”

Hoshiumi also frowned, curious. Because Washijo had also denied his worth.

“You're curious too, right, Korai? What is the difference between you and Karasuno number 10 that made Washijo change?”

“Actually, me and that kid are the same. We were both rejected but still fought to stand on the court. But to make Washijo change his mind, that Hinata is really good, it can be considered that he accepted me.”

“But Hinata, how can you accept it so quickly? Rio isn't even close!” Suga worried.

“The other two were shocked to hear what Coach Washijo said. Look at their faces.”

“And yet Hinata can be…so determined!”

“Because it was the best opportunity at that time. I think my future self will understand, so even if I have to give up many things and it will be much more difficult, I will still agree to go.”

Hinata suddenly wished that if only he could remember a little hint about the future, he would try to learn Portuguese soon. But what a pity!

“Cool, Kiyoomi! How he can easily agree to go to an unfamiliar place just to train.”

“... He has already thought about that path, so if someone shows him the way, he will immediately follow it.”

When Washijo and Anabara went to have dinner after training.

“I have to admit, I'm rather surprised, sir. I, ah… I was under the impression that your opinion of Hinata-kun was, er…and He's from another school…” Anabara didn't understand the reason for this unexpected help from Washijo.

“You ain't wrong. I did figure this wasn't any of my business. Yeah, he's got spine. Yeah, he's got promise…despite his height. But it ain't any of my business. He can just go lean on some other guy for help.”

Memories of Hinata when he broke into the Shiratorizawa camp and was truly determined to fulfill his assigned role as a ball boy.

“Hell, he's got that aggravating old coot Ukai he can go to. He's probably got connections in Tokyo.” Trainer Nekomata and Ukai appeared as per the words.

“But y'know?” Washijo's hand tightened as he watched Hinata at the Kamomedai match.

“I ain't havin' that. Hinata Shouyo's goin' places… And I'll be damned if I'll let anyone out there have higher expectations for him…than me. Y'hear me?” Washijo laughed, objecting to Anabara's thoughts. His eyes were filled with determination and confidence in Hinata's future.

Then, when the answer was revealed when coach Anabara asked, everyone was happy to know the secret behind it. Everyone sat silently watching.

As soon as Washijo finished speaking, everyone was stunned. The group familiar with Hinata were about to turn around and celebrate with him when something shocking happened.

Hinata was shedding tears that continuously rolled down his red cheeks, falling onto the back of his clenched hands, he didn't say anything. No one said anything more, everyone silently looked at him, it seemed like the world around them had temporarily stopped.

“Hinata…”

“Are you okay?”

"So touched that you cry, shrimp?"

“Boke…”

“I… am really happy… to have someone with such high expectations for me, especially Coach Washijo…”

“I don’t know…I don’t know if I ever hated Coach Washijo when he criticized me? But hearing that he had real expectations for my future, my skills. That told me I wasn’t wasting my time.”

“Hmph… crying like a baby… but this time… I understand why.” Tsukishima turned away, his voice low.

“…He has been recognized, not only by those who know him, but also by those who once doubted him. Shoyo, you are truly amazing.” Kenma said softly.

Kenma usually appears cold and quiet, but his concern for Hinata is undeniable. He looks at him with calm eyes, saying nothing, but you can see the pride in those eyes.

“Shoyo… always has the ability to surprise, doesn’t he? I think he’s found his path. He won’t stop. He can really go far.” Kenma silently looked at the screen, then spoke softly, speaking to Kuroo.

Kuroo had a way of expressing his emotions strongly and directly, and this time, he couldn't help but smile when he saw Hinata, even without saying it, he could feel his obvious improvement.

“Of course! Hinata always surprises me. He was able to stand on his own and reach what he always wanted. That's admirable.” Kuroo laughed loudly, patting Kenma's shoulder, making the blond almost fall.

“Fufufu… Should have guessed it earlier… coach Washijo taking the initiative to help, what a great twist. You know, Wakatoshi-kun? People like him… rarely open up. And when he does… that means he’s really special. But I don’t hate surprises like this~” Tendou’s eyes were shining but his voice was rarely gentle as he chuckled.

“Washijo-sensei always trusts those who deserve it. If he chose him, then it is proof that he has overcome the prejudices in the coach's heart.” Ushijima Wakatoshi was silent as usual, but his eyes could not hide the surprise and seriousness.

“If we ever meet again on the field… I hope to face the strongest version of you, Hinata Shoyo from concrete.” Ushijima turned to Hinata and said.

“Oh… Of course I will defeat you, Ushijima-san!” Hinata declared.

“Your Ushijima is challenging Hinata. That proves Ushijima has acknowledged his strength.” Komori joked with Sakusa.

“... I believe in Ushijima-san's judgment.”

“I know that feeling, Hinata. When someone sees your worth, not ‘despite’ your low self… but ‘because’ of who you are. That’s wonderful, Hinata Shoyo.” Hoshiumi gave a small, sympathetic smile.

Oikawa, whose eyes usually held a mischievous glint, now reflected more genuine emotions than ever. He stood still for a few seconds after hearing Washijo's words before smirking, but this time it was an appreciative smile.

“Tch… how dazzling! Chibi-chan is really good at changing Washijo’s impression. But I have to admit… He’s already made it impossible for many people to ignore him, Shoyo. And someone like me… can’t help but look forward to seeing how far you can fly.”

“So that effort… wasn’t in vain. He really is the type of person who can’t stand being looked down upon for long. It’s about time I seriously thought about who I want to be…” Kunimi looked up at the crying Hinata, then muttered to himself.

“I… I thought him was able to do something this crazy because of someone! I didn’t expect… Coach Washijo gave him the opportunity… He’s always like that… silently walking a path that no one else dares to walk and making us feel so weak. But Hinata did well! Well done!!!” Kindaichi, a sensitive friend, had red eyes from the moment Hinata started crying. He understood why Kageyama could change like that because he was truly lucky to have met Hinata.

“He didn’t do it because he was lucky. It was because his legs never stopped moving. Shittykawa, remember when I called yourself a genius? Now I see Hinata too, both of you are the type of geniuses who try their best.” Iwaizumi chuckled lightly.

"Yeah."

“I told you, he always has a way of making people unable to not notice him…” Atsumu was proud as if Hinata was his teammate, even though he still kept his “cool” appearance, but when he saw Hinata cry, a part of him revealed his gentleness..

“No one said you were wrong, Tsumu. Those will be your companions in the future.”

“There’s one thing I’ve been telling you all this time: Everyone falls, but the important thing is to get back up. Believe in the path you’ve chosen.” Kita said, looking at Atsumu.

Akaashi is usually very restrained and rarely shows his emotions, but when he saw Hinata crying because of emotion, there was no denying the respect and pride in his eyes. He realized that Hinata had overcome many challenges and proven herself. Having only known each other for a year, Akaashi really liked Hinata.

“Hey, did you see that?! He did it!!! He really did it, Akaashi!” Bokuto was extremely passionate and emotional, he couldn’t hide his emotions when he saw Hinata in tears. He shouted happily, then hugged Akaashi again.

“I'm really proud of you, Hinata! He's an amazing boy! Keep shining like a champion, my disciple!!!!!”

“Of course Bokuto-san!!!”

“But I wonder, when did Coach Washijo ever criticize you?” Suga pointed out, frowning.

“Ah…it was on the first day of Shiratorizawa camp…he told me that…” Hinata said, wiping away his tears.

“ I'll be blunt. Without that Kageyama kid as your setter…I don't see any value in you at all. So if you don't wanna be a ball boy, you can go home.” Hinata said it lightly as if it didn't offend him.

The whole room fell silent.

“Washijo-sensei is still so straightforward!” Tendo felt sorry for the boy

“He said that…?”

“Um…even though I was sad at that time, it was the truth that I understood. I don’t pay too much attention to those words anymore, and Coach Washijo hasn't been watching me from now on! And thanks to my time as a ball boy, I improved so everything is fine!”

Tsukishima thought back to that time, he couldn't believe Hinata was still able to stand there smiling and practice despite being so badly insulted.

Kageyama didn't react at first. He stared straight ahead, not blinking. But if you looked closely, you could see his back tense slightly, his hands clenched into fists on his thighs.

Kageyama's eyes darkened, not because of anger, but because of a simmering unease and helplessness rising within him. That feeling wasn't directed at Washijo, but at himself back then, because he realized that the name kept in that sentence was his, and the one completely denied... was Hinata.

Kageyama knew he was talented, but if he hadn't gone to Karasuno to meet everyone and become teammates with Hinata, he probably wouldn't have been able to escape the nickname king. Kageyama always knew that Hinata didn't have him as the only setter he had, there were still many other setters who could help Hinata shine, such as Oikawa, Kenma, Atsumu...

“I…don’t think so. You and Karasuno are the ones who helped me become the person I am today. You kept me from straying and were the one who pushed my limits and demanded more… You’re not that bad…” Kageyama stuttered in comfort.

“Are you… praising me?” Hinata looked at Kageyama blankly.

“No…but I believe in you. You can shine, fly high, Hinata!”

Hinata heard Kageyama say that and it made him want to cry a little. It wouldn't be right to say he wasn't sad, but instead of letting it haunt him, he used it as motivation.

"Thanks…"

“Like I said, Tobio is really lucky to have met chibi-chan. He's the type of person that any setter would want to pass the ball to.” Oikawa snorted, speaking honestly to Iwaizumi.

“Exactly what I think, brown-haired guy!” Atsumu heard what Oikawa said and agreed.

“Oh! Looks like we're really on the same page this time, Miya!” Oikawa turned to Atsumu with a smirk that was very... Oikawa.

“Actually, if I had a teammate like Hinata in high school, I would have won the national championship by now. He's a gem that can be polished to the best of his ability.” Atsumu laughed, crossing his arms confidently.

“Stop daydreaming. Hinata is the type of person you meet once and remember for life. That's quite rare.” Osamu interrupted from beside him, putting his arm on his brother's shoulder.

“Exactly. The type of never giving up, never stopping trying, always smiling even when he's too tired to stand up… No one can help but be dragged along.” Oikawa chuckled lightly, this time without the sarcasm.

“First time meeting you, huh! Miya Atsumu, are you a setter, brown-haired?”

“Oikawa Tooru, nice to meet you. That's right, this is Tobio's beloved senpai!”

“So you must have been under a lot of pressure with Tobio back then~”

“Of course. Me! It's just that Tobio was still a troublesome kid back then, always looking at people with a straight face and glaring at them!” Oikawa crossed his arms and tossed his hair arrogantly.

“You must be strong, huh? Too bad we can't fight!”

“Ugh…it's all Ushiwaka's fault!!!” Oikawa frowned.

“It's because you didn't come to Shiratorizawa. Otherwise, someone as talented as you could have won the national championship.” Ushijima heard and came forward to say.

“I'am about to graduate and you're still saying that! I swear even if I change schools, I still won't be able to be on the same team as you, Ushiwaka! My team is very strong and I never regret my choice.”

"Oh right!"

“You two have an interesting history, huh?” Atsumu raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms in amusement.

“I've been hearing that for three years now and I'm almost sick of it…” Oikawa snorted.

“I hope we get the chance to fight each other in the future.” Atsumu shook hands.

“I think so, Atsumu. In the professional arena.”

“Why do I feel like these two would be trouble if they were friends?” Suna said to Osamu.

“If they met in real life, it would probably be a battle between these two people's high self-esteem.”

“These two guys have something in common. They both have fangirls, are handsome, and are setters.” Iwaizumi realized this and it gave him a headache.

“Someone has to stop them when necessary. It seems like your friends are under your care. As for Atsumu, he has Kita-san.” Suna said to Iwaizumi.

“Oh, what a coincidence. I think they have similar personalities! That's my hunch.”

“What are you talking about, Samu!”

“No nothing…”

2017

At the beach in Rio, when there was not a soul around, only the sound of waves and silence. Hinata was there, he closed his eyes and meditated.

“2017 already?! It's been five years since then.”

“Damn! Look at our little Hinata, he's grown so big…” Suga sniffled.

“I never thought that one day we would see such a silent Hinata!”

The clock signaled the end of the day, Hinata opened her eyes and began her day's work.

“ Pedro. Wake up. Time for class. You'll be late! Want breakfast?! ” Hinata opened the door, just stuck his head in to wake up his roommate, he used Portuguese to communicate.

“ Nah… ” Pedro groaned as he lay on the bed.

Hinata is in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

Hinata's bedroom was shown, it was filled with books and comics on the nightstand. There were average center of gravity for a Japanese person, necessary & unnecessary muscle, English, Japanese balance. He also had Dragonball DVDS in multiple language versions including Spanish, English and Portuguese. There were two shirts hanging up and his black Karasuno jacket. A volleyball was on the bed and a food delivery bag was placed at the foot of the bed.

“Is that Hinata's future roommate?! I never thought we'd see Hinata taking care of someone…”

“What are you talking about? Normally Hinata is very attentive and takes care of everyone in the team and outside.”

"But the boy is really independent now…" Daichi smiled softly.

"Not only did we practice hard, we also studied all sorts of things on our own… English, Portuguese, Spanish…! We're not as good as Hinata anymore." Suga covered his mouth with his hand, his eyes red.

"Hinata-san... you're so good..." Yamaguchi whispered.

Tsukishima pursed his lips, saying nothing, but his hands clenched, clearly extremely moved inside.

“But no matter where you go, Karasuno is still a part of Hinata, right?” Yamaguchi looked at that familiar black coat.

“Yeah…we will always be there for him.” Kageyama nodded.

“I'm about to surpass you in knowledge, Kageyama.” Hinata said happily.

“...” Kageyama glared coldly as if to say 'say something, idiot!'

“But I hope my future roommate will have good feelings in the future.” Hinata hummed.

"I never thought that one day I would see the shrimp kid studying and living alone abroad, and being able to take care of others like that." Kuroo snorted.

"It's still the same Shoyo…" Kenma was silent, his eyes softening as he looked at the familiar Dragonball comics.

"Hinataaaa! You're so awesome!" Bokuto was almost in tears.

"Hinata-kun has really grown up, not just caring about hitting the ball anymore… the type of person that anyone would want to cheer for." Akaashi smiled gently.

"He's very serious." Ushijima looked closely at the book on core and muscles, nodding in approval.

"Both cute and monster..." Tendo rested his chin on his hand, his eyes sparkling.

“I won't lose in the future either!” Hoshiumi was determined.

"Cute but stubborn!" Atsumu frowned.

"It really has changed a lot compared to now." Osamu chuckled.

“Admirable.” Kita nodded with respect in his eyes.

"Damn… chibi-chan really grew up." Oikawa raised his eyebrows, filled with admiration.

"To be able to endure being alone in a strange land and still be this diligent, he's really good." Iwaizumi smiled lightly.

"Hinata..." Kindaichi was stunned, his eyes filled with admiration and respect.

“Thank you for the food.” Hinata clasped his hands in thanks. When his brown eyes opened, filled with loneliness, Hinata recalled the memories of his last day in Karasuno.

Karasuno high school graduation ceremony.

The sound of the ball hitting the ground echoed. The black uniform jacket lay on the floor with the diploma holder and bag next to it.

The ball was spun and thrown up and then hit to the opposite net by Kageyama. Just when he thought there was no one on the other side, the orange-haired boy appeared quickly and received the ball perfectly, returning it to the right position where the passer usually stood. Hinata, whose orange hair had grown longer than his first year's, stood up and smiled brightly at Kageyama.

“See ya later! Kageyama!”

“Yeah. See you later.” Kageyama, who rarely smiled, this time also smiled sincerely as he bid him farewell.

“And hurry up and cut your hair. You look like a brush.”

“I was just gonna do that, okay?! Geez!”

“Thank you for breakfast.”

The memory closed, Hinata started his new day with a delivery bag on his back, a volleyball and a bicycle.

Suddenly a corner of Hinata's room appeared with a painting with words hanging on the wall "He who would climb the ladder must begin at the bottom."

Hinata looked at his future self and seemed to sense the sadness in those brown eyes. It's true that things don't always go smoothly, future me. But we just have to get through it! He remembered a lot from Yukigaoka High, to when he lost to Aoba Johsai, a lot but he knew that it was from that past that made him who he is today.

“I didn't expect the first person Hinata remembered to be Kageyama?” Suga was amused.

“How should I put it… because he was the destined opponent I chose. Also, Kageyama was my first real setter, on my first real team. He didn’t underestimate me in our junior high game either.”

Everyone listened to Hinata in silence, suddenly a feeling arose in their hearts that was hard to name.

"That's right... The first person will always be the most special." Suga smiled gently, his eyes shining with tenderness.

“I always remember what Suga-san said, 'To me, Kageyama was my strongest rival, but now he's become my strongest ally,' so it makes me feel very confident.”

“Hinata… now you admit I'm stronger, boke?!”

“Ah, no. Dream on! That was in the past!” Hinata argued, jumping on Kageyama in protest.

“Hey! Get down….”

“Hahaha! But I've always really looked up to you, Bakayama!”

Kageyama, after hearing that, raised his head, his deep blue eyes flashed. No one knew how much his heart was shaking. He looked straight at Hinata without needing any more words, just by looking at them, they understood each other.

"Yeah. Me too."

"Fateful rival... sounds cool, huh! I want one too!" Atsumu whistled.

"You can keep dreaming, your personality is easy to hate and childish, who can stand it." Osamu replied with a smile.

“Say something!”

“Actually, there’s no need to look far. I see that you have Osamu. The two of them always support each other, even though they sometimes fight a bit.” Kita said.

“Oh…I see…”

"The most romantic athlete." Suna leaned back in his chair, his eyes half mocking, half amused.

“So you and I are probably the same! The only difference is that we are teammates…” Oikawa looked at Iwaizumi and said.

“Of course, you idiot.”

“But you two third years look handsome, Hinata, Kageyama!” Suga gave a thumbs up in praise.

“Eh…thank you so much, Suga-san!”

“Shoyo grew up so cute…” Kenma also nodded in agreement.

Hinata looked at the picture of words that appeared in the room, feeling familiar, he thought.

“Ah! That's what Takeda-sensei said to me when I broke into the Shiratorizawa camp. The ball boy helped me a lot with receiving the ball and observing the game.”

"Sneaking into the Shiratorizawa camp… That's quite the legend, Hinata. Only you would dare." Suga laughed.

"You still dare to brag about that?" Daichi put his hands on his hips, his face half angry, half amused.

"Only an idiot would think of breaking into someone's camp… I was really embarrassed at that moment." Tsukishima pushed up his glasses, indifferent but the corners of his lips curved up slightly.

“Actually, if I weren't afraid of being caught, I would have gone to camp with Kageyama…”

“Don't…you're really embarrassing me!!!!” Kageyama protested.

"That's why I like people who try and make an effort for their passion more than those who always think they're good." Atsumu nodded with his arms crossed.

"Well, food has to be hunted by yourself to be delicious." Osamu agreed.

"That shorty is really like 'I don't wait for luck, I make my own luck'." Suna chuckled.

"His spirit… is admirable." Kita smiled gently.

"He… has really started to prove that saying, Hinata Shoyo from concrete." Ushijima suddenly said thoughtfully.

"Wakatoshi, what a poetic analogy! But yeah, number 10 is like a real shounen character!" Tendou put his arm around Ushijima's shoulder and chuckled.

Chapter Text

“Sorry, but I decided to partner with someone else. Playing with you would just drive off all the sponsors.”

“What?! Wait! Please!” the phone hung up without mercy.

“Crap! At this rate, I'm seriously going to lose all my sponsors.” a dark-haired man with tanned skin grumbled about the incident.

“What? Another one turned you down?! You're kidding! Now what're you going to do for the next circuit?! What about sponsors?! What about prize money?! Rent money?!” The slim but strong-looking woman with long, slightly wavy, light-colored hair worriedly after hearing the conversation.

“Um! D-Don't worry, it'll be fine! Totally fine!” The man tried to soothe her and assure her of that.

“Ugh! You say that every time!” She protested.

“Who are those two?”

“Are them both locals?”

“But if they appeared, there must be some connection? And that person is Hinata?” Yamaguchi thought.

“The man was a beach volleyball player…but it seems he wasn't good at it so his partner dumped him…”

“How pitiful!” Osamu commented.

“What's so pitiful about it, if we don't play well we won't have a place on the team!” Atsumu snorted coldly.

“That's cold-blooded, Tsumu.”

“Huh! I'm telling the truth.”

“Adult life is so tiring with so many things to worry about!” Suga laughed bitterly.

“We're about to join in too…” Daichi patted his friend's shoulder and told the truth.

"Noooooooo!!!!"

“If you're that hard up, why not ask him? You know that kid. He's really good, and people say when he's free he'll partner up with anyone. What's his name… Ninja Shoyo?”

As soon as she mentioned that nickname, an image of Hinata appeared. He was facing away with his hand holding the top visor of his hat, he was wearing a white t-shirt, black long sleeves, shorts and holding a volleyball. He looked extremely confident and his body was also slimmer and more toned.

“Ninja Shoyo?! What a cool nickname you have, Hinata!” Yamaguchi congratulated.

Suga suddenly felt emotional, when Hinata first joined the team he always said he wanted to be called the little giant then the cute first year was considered the strongest decoy by many people in the team. But looking at Hinata now is good enough that others have given him a nickname based on his ability.

Hinata opened his eyes wide, his lips pressed tightly together. Even though it was his future self, seeing that image, he couldn't freely feel excited.

"That's... me? I'm so famous that even others remember me..." His voice was soft, both surprised and admiring of himself.

Kageyama stared at the image for a long time. His eyes gradually widened, as if he couldn't believe that the person in front of him was Hinata. But even though he was confused and in turmoil inside, his face showed no expression.

"The nickname… Ninja Shoyo…?…Damn, why is it so cool…"

"What a fitting nickname… Indeed, when it comes to Hinata, his speed and reflexes are truly impressive and they are also essential weapons for a ninja." Daichi laughed proudly.

"Ninja, huh… it really suits him." Yamaguchi nodded vigorously, while Tsukishima just pushed up his glasses, hiding the corners of his lips that were slightly raised.

“Then from now on call me Ninja Shoyo!!!!” Hinata was excited.

“I'll call you when you're as good as you look on screen.” Kageyama pouted.

“AAAAAAA!!! Yamayama you bastard!!!”

“That's a cool nickname, Hinata!” Bokuto exclaimed.

“I think it too!”

“...I want one as cool as that too!” Bokuto turned to Akaashi with sparkling eyes.

“...Just be yourself, an ace, Bokuto-san.”

“I want a cool nickname like that too, Iwa-chan!”

“Oh, you have a lot of nicknames like Shittykawa, Crappykawa,... and Hinata even calls you Grand King! Choose one!” Iwaizumi said with a disdainful face.

“Not cool at all! Iwa-chan doesn't love me anymore!” Oikawa refused to accept it, crying crocodile tears.

“Shoyo is so cool!” Atsumu said with delight.

“Thanks Shoyo. We came all the way here to Rio just to play some practice games…and then my partner had to go and get this massive stomach ache… I had no clue what I was going to do.” a random doubles player with Shoyo thanked him for his help.

“I completely understand. I got bad stomach aches when I first came here too!”

“Let's play together again sometime!” he waved goodbye to Hinata.

“You bet!” Hinata happily agreed.

“Hinata's lively and sociable personality really makes him active wherever he goes!” Suga laughed as he watched Hinata play with tourists.

“If we were the ones to meet, we would probably just stand there, frozen, right?!” Daichi was also sweating.

“That's the personality of shrimp!” Tsukishima muttered.

“He's the type of person who's scary friendly… but also really… cute.” Kenma chuckled.

“Someone who attracts Kenma at first sight can't be called normal. But chibi charm is really scary!” Kuroo agreed.

“Now I understand why I wanted to be on the same team as Shoyo. Not just because of his skills, but because of his spirit!” Atsumu clapped his hands.

“But with your personality…who would want that, Tsumu!”

“HUH! Why do you always like to respond to me uneasily? Can't we get along?”

"It's fun to rebel against you."

“!!!!”

“You two keep going, my phone is happy to keep the impressive and embarrassing scenes of the two of you!” Suna hummed.

“SUNA!!!!”

A figure suddenly appeared behind Hinata, making him startled.

“ Are you 'Ninja Shoyo'?”

“Meep?!!”

“Please! Partner with me!” The man grabbed Hinata's shoulder and begged, Hinata froze for a moment.

Heitor Santana (25)

A memory of a short conversation between Hinata and Lucio Kato when he first arrived in Rio.

"I'm sure you probably heard this from coach Washijo but Brazilian beach players are extremely casual about pairing up in teams. Even the top players are totally okay with making or breaking pairs with just one call. So! Since the teams are changing all the time…sponsors will directly pick individuals to back instead" Kato explained about how volleyball here takes place to avoid making Hinata too confused.

“So he's going to be Hinata's partner! Just as expected.” Yamaguchi shrugged.

“Wow! He… has truly become someone that others want to pair up with.” Suga said softly, his voice trembling slightly with emotion. Even though it was just a moment on screen, in Suga’s eyes, it was a journey that the boy who had been taking his first steps had come here, recognized for his own efforts and strength.

“Good job, Hinata!” Suga said happily, patting his head.

Hinata's eyes were sparkling like stars at that moment. He never expected that one day someone would come looking for him because of his talent. Because Hinata had always been alone, it was not until he joined Karasuno that he had a real team.

Kageyama paused for a moment, he couldn't describe this feeling, but there was something stuck in his throat. The person who was originally just agile but was growing stronger and stronger, for example, in the current spring tournament and in the future he would also shine brightly in another country, with recognized skills, with invitations, with his own relentless efforts.

He remembered the past "Only the winners get to stay on the court. Only the best. If you want to win, then get stronger! Get better!"

And now that Hinata had actually done it… Kageyama wasn’t jealous, nor was he sad. He just felt… quietly happy and proud. He softly said, “Hinata… good job.”

Hinata let out a cry of happiness, his cheeks flushing with happiness as he turned to look at his close partner and friend.

"Thank!"

“Wakatoshi, how interesting, we fought the little monster when it was still immature. Now in the future you will be facing a stronger dwarf!”

“Hinata Shoyo has been improving. It is the inevitable result of hard work.” Ushijima crossed his arms, his eyes focused on the screen, his voice as low as usual but carrying a hint of affirmation. Although his words were dry, Ushijima’s gaze had softened. For someone who had once ignored Hinata because he was too weak, Ushijima now recognized that the boy back then was truly special.

“Hinata-kun, you're hot~!”

But then Tendou whispered softly, his eyes slightly downcast.

“…And I was one of those who saw that light, sooner than many others.”

“Chibi-chan… finally became the chosen one, instead of always being the one begging for opportunities.” Oikawa chuckled as he watched Hinata turn his head, startled at being invited to cooperate.

“So this is why partners get switched so easily? Beach volleyball is scary!” Yamaguchi complained.

“Isn't that too unstable? Just one phone call is enough to change partners? Worse than a soccer transfer.” Tsukishima pushed up his glasses, frowning slightly.

“So that means here, you have to be really excellent for people to remember your name and proactively invite you to cooperate. There's no more hiding behind teammates.” Suga clasped his hands in thought.

“What?! And then, while we were getting along, they suddenly broke up?! This is so chaotic!” Oikawa leaned back, eyes wide.

“If you were really good, who would break up with you so easily? In general, if you prove your ability, people will come looking for you.” Iwaizumi sneered.

“But it’s also cool! It’s like a lone warrior going everywhere and everyone wants to form a group with me! If I played at the beach, wouldn’t there always be people looking for me!” Oikawa nodded vigorously, laughing heartily.

“Starting to be narcissistic again…”

“Tsumu, do you think you can survive in beach volleyball?” Osamu challenged.

“Of course! With my skills, many people dream of having me!”

“...”

Suna thought to himself, just the two of them meant the level of physical activity had increased several times. Just hearing about it was tiring enough! Don't even think about going there in his life...

“But Hinata can stay in Brazil for so long, must have a sponsor?!” Suga was curious.

“Oh, right!”

“But who?” Hinata thought blankly.

“Guess! Whoever it is, that person must be rich!”

“See, the beach volleyball league is point based. The next tournament circuit starts in October. If you don't win enough you won't have enough points to qualify in the next, higher circuit that starts in January.” Heitor explained to Hinata.

“Sponsors. Going away? Need to win games.” Hinata was confused, he only understood a few important words.

Hinata rummaged through his black briefcase, making Heitor curious. He opened an old notebook, the corners were frayed and torn, with two sentences written in Portuguese for Heitor to see.

You can drop me as a partner whenever you want.

I'll adjust my play to help you.

“Let's win lots!” The two shook hands and agreed to cooperate.

So from then on, the two of them often practiced together. There were even times when sudden rain would make Hinata groan.

“He prepared common Portuguese phrases in his notebook so he could pair up easily! Hinata is so smart!” Suga whispered, not knowing whether to laugh because it was cute or cry because it was touching. But seeing the old and even torn pages, it showed that he had flipped through it many times. It was really good! No matter where he was, Hinata never changed.

“Just like a shorty… never waiting for anyone to teach him, learning on his own, rushing to find opportunities.” Kuroo chuckled softly, but his eyes were full of admiration.

“He's just playing his own game… one step at a time.” Kenma kept his eyes on the screen, nodding slowly.

“Hinata always has a way of making people trust him and want to play with him.” Akaashi smiled, his eyes shining with respect.

“What a cute, stubborn type. And it's effective.” Tendou leaned his head back on the chair, smiling slightly.

“Kiyoomi, you can learn that kind of communication too if you don't want to talk!” Komori suddenly found the idea he came up with to be wonderful.

“Do I look like a person not good at speaking Japanese… Besides, I don't want to talk because they're full of germs and not worth it.”

“He’s so resilient like you, Korai. Little people all seem to be the same!” Hirugami teased his friend with a smile.

"Are you praising me or talking bad about me?"

"Praise!"

“But I have to admit that Hinata kid attracts giants!” Kuroo looked at the difference in height between the two.

“That’s right! He has knowed a lot of tall guys from other teams.” Daichi said, rubbing his chin.

A beautiful sunset afternoon by the beach. Hinata and Heitor are having a friendly conversation.

“What seriously?! You came all the way from the other side of the world, by yourself?! Man, that's crazy.” Heitor was really shocked and surprised.

“So, what do you usually spend your time doing?”

“?”

“ Hm. What do you do? That isn't volleyball.”

“Oh! I have a part time job delivery. I also help teach at a class for children and tourists.”

“Heitor, when did you start volleyball?”

“Me? My parents were both volleyball players, so I just kinda wound up doing it too.”

Parents. Volleyball players! Hinata admired. “Wooow!”

“Gotta admit, though I don't have a lot of drive, y'know? Not much ambition. So I never really got all that good.” Heitor confided.

“Hinata, don't you like anything else besides volleyball?” Yamaguchi was really curious.

“No. Ever since I knew and learned about volleyball, I've been devoting all my time to it so that I can get a chance to stay on the court longer.” Hinata shook his head.

“Your life is so boring!” Tsukishima covered his mouth and laughed.

“Huh!! No way! And Kageyama is the same.”

“Why drag me into this, but for me there's really nothing more interesting than volleyball.” Kageyama replied while holding Hinata's head.

“Well, you two brain cells are the same. I'm not curious, especially who told the Japanese to learn English.” Tsukishima said lazily.

“Huh!!”

“But for me, I don't need many things. Just one thing that I dare to follow through with is enough.” Kageyama said, his voice rarely serious.

“Yes and I choose volleyball!” Hinata happily replied.

The other schools sitting nearby also heard it, and they also took that statement seriously.

“Something to follow through with, huh…?” Oikawa leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing slightly. He whispered, a faint smile appearing as if hiding something deep.

“A person focused on a single goal. That is the greatest strength.” Ushijima just nodded slightly.

“Heh, Tobio… can say that kind of thing already? Well, only people like him and Hinata would dare to fight against something like that. And I'm one of them!” Atsumu suddenly let out a light laugh, tapping his fingers on his knee.

“I would choose onigiri… But then again, that ‘going all the way’ thing… is easy to say but hard to do. Those two didn’t hesitate at all.” Osamu glanced at his brother, then rested his chin on his hand, his voice getting lower. He looked towards Hinata, his eyes filled with thought.

“Choose one thing and put all your effort into it. That is a precious perseverance. No need for fancy things, no need to be good at everything.” Kita sat up straight, his hands on his knees as usual, his face calm but his voice soft with admiration.

“But we never expected to hear that Hinata would be a teaching assistant.” Suga said.

“Having to remember his limited vocabulary and difficult way of expressing himself…” Daichi was also surprised.

“But his personality is always full of energy… really compatible, easy to get along with children.”

“Hey Kageyama, people who have parents who are professional volleyball players must be really lucky, right?” Hinata thought.

“I don’t think so. If you like it, it’s fine, but if it’s the other way around, it’s difficult. Because they’re expected to be what their parents are. For example, if you like volleyball but your parents are famous for another sport and they force you to follow it? You like it?” Kageyama explained.

“Of course I would hate it and it is so sad! Being deprived of the right to choose is scary…” Hinata said sadly.

“That's why, not everyone loves volleyball like we do…”

Osamu, listening to the Karasuno freshmen, suddenly thinks about his future choices. Because he is Atsumu's twin, he is expected to follow volleyball like his brother, but Osamu has a different hobby and wants to pursue it. Will Tsumu bless his choice?

Hirugami also noticed this problem. He is a real example here, his family has a tradition of playing volleyball, they also achieved high achievements and he is also expected to be as good as them.

“Thinking about that?” Hoshiumi asked.

“Huh! Why do you think that?” Hirugami chuckled.

“Because you used to be like that, but you must have found a solution for yourself.”

“Yes.” Hirugami had once thought that he should love volleyball like his siblings and stick with it for the rest of his life. But he knew that he wouldn’t continue on this path after graduating from high school. Because he couldn’t love volleyball like his siblings and Korai.

“It’s no matter what you will be but remember to keep an eye on me then!” Hoshiumi nudged his friend's arm and said with a smile.

Suddenly a cyclist from far away on the side of the road shouted to Hinata.

“Hey! Shoyo! Let's play a round of practice games again sometime!”

“Okay!” Hinata was a little startled but quickly agreed with a bright smile.

“I always had the impression that Japanese people were shy and quiet.” Heitor saw Hinata easily be friendly and talk to many people without any fear or shyness.

“?”

“You, though…I bet you could go anywhere. Any country in the world and I'm sure you would be just fine. Ya know?” Heitor explained what he meant when Hinata didn't understand.

“Oh! But when I first came here, all day I was…” Hinata realized but he reenacted his actions. Hinata hugged his knees, lonely, sad.

“Like that.”

“Hahahaha!” Heitor laughed out loud, he didn't expect Hinata to be like that.

“No, that guy is right! I think only a small percentage are as extroverted as Hinata! Haha….” Suga was helpless.

“That shrimp brat really has endless energy!” Kuroo agreed.

“Hinata has friends wherever he goes.” Yamaguchi laughed.

“But there will still be times when it's lonely…” Kenma watched Hinta reenact his expression.

“...and for someone like him to admit to being sad, it must have been too much.” Kenma continued, his voice very quiet but full of thought.

“For Hinata, failure is not the end, but just... a stepping stone. I'm just curious what made him overcome in a foreign land?” Akaashi said, his eyes still following Hinata's image on the beach.

“That’s right, that’s why it’s worth confronting. If it were me, going abroad for the first time without knowing anyone and especially without Akaashi, I would probably cry for a whole week.” Bokuto was delighted but then softened his voice.

“Someone like you probably wouldn't dare go abroad alone, so there's nothing to worry about.” Kuroo sneered.

“Huh!” Bokuto was stunned.

Hinata smiled as he remembered the time when he first came to Rio.

Approximately one and a half years ago, Antonio Carlos Jobim international airport.

“Aha! Hinata-kun, right?

"Yessir! I'm Hinata Shoyo, sir! Thank you very much for all this!" Hinata pulled his suitcase and ran over.

“No prob! I'm Kato Lucio.” the man cheerfully greeted the orange-haired teenager.

“So how's old coach Washijo doing? Is he still 'Do y'all have birdlime stuck to yer feet, ya nimrods?!' and stuff all the time?” Kato made Washijo's expression.

“Y-yessir! He's still doing great!” Hinata laughed at Kato's humor.

“Haha! I thought all the Shiratorizawa guys were as serious as Ushiwaka!”

“Well… there are actually a lot of interesting people like me. But Wakatoshi is so popular that people think we Shiratorizawa are serious!” Tendou laughed, waving his arms as if he was doing some kind of dance.

“If it wasn't a little off, no one would be able to handle the tense atmosphere there.” Kuroo raised his eyebrows and sneered, glancing at Ushijima.

“Being serious doesn’t mean being inflexible. But I admit… it’s not easy for my team to get along with someone like Hinata. If it were Goshiki and Tendou…” Ushijima, calm as ever, nodded slightly.

“Goshiki, needless to say, is probably sitting somewhere shouting ‘Ushijima-san!’ right now.” Tendou laughed, dramatically imitating Goshiki's voice, causing a few people to laugh along.

“I admit that even though it’s not easy to fit in, Shiratorizawa produces a very… unique type of person. Unpredictable but extremely loyal to what they believe in.” Suga chuckled, glancing at each person.

“Like… deep and lingering.” Bokuto tilted his head in comparison, causing Akaashi to cough softly to bring him back to his center.

“I think that's Shiratorizawa's strength. Not loud, but strong. Just like Hinata. Doesn't need to be like anyone else, just has to be determined enough.” Kita said slowly.

“But each school produces different people and has its own unique character. Each of our banners has shown that quite clearly.”

“Woooow! I'm really in Brazil!” Hinata looked surprised, eyes wide, cheeks flushed with excitement and surprise.

The scene alternates between Brazilian street scenes, palm trees, blue skies, sea, and Portuguese signs.

“So this is where I get to live?” Hinata was excited.

“Oh! Um! You're Pedro, right? I'm Shoyo. It's nice to meet you.” Hinata was really happy to meet his housemate.

“Ah? Huh?” Pedro replied with just two words and put on his headphones.

Hinata, who was usually lively, didn't know what to say next. He remained silent, smiling as he looked.

“Well, ah…not everybody is a social butterfly.” Kato tried to lighten the mood.

“So the thing that can make Hinata speechless is the type of person who doesn't bother to answer him?” Yamaguchi thought.

“Then shouldn't someone like me be overlooked?” Tsukishima frowned in disagreement.

“You have to be different, Tsuki. To Hinata, you are his teammate and no matter how unapproachable you are, Hinata will still talk to you. Besides, since you like to mock him, it's like drawing attention to yourself.”

“It has to be someone who doesn't play volleyball and is quiet. The type I don't like and want to be alone with, that's the type of person Hinata is difficult to talk with.”

“Kenma was also captured by the dwarf at first sight.”

“But in the previous video, their relationship seemed quite close, so this must be because it's the first time they met.”

“I'll be teaching a beach class after this starting at nine. What would you like to do? If you're feeling tired, you can start tomorrow if you want.”

“No, I can make it, sir!”

“All right! If you could help me with that class. That'd be great. And then I'd really appreciate it if you could play against a pair that's gearing up for a tournament afterward. Do you mind?” Kato asked, leaning his hand against the door.

“Not at all, sir! I'd love to help, thanks!” Hinata happily accepted.

“Whoa! You sure can jump.” Kato praised when he saw Hinata jump.

“Crap. I'm not getting any height at all.” Hinata was not satisfied with him performance.

He remembered coach Takahashi's words, Hinata's beach volleyball in Japan.

“The thing about sand is it's not like a floor. Kicking it does you no good. You have to stomp on it.”

He remembered doing it correctly, making the jump perfect, Hinata secretly rejoiced. But the wind deflected the ball, causing him to miss. But perhaps he was still not used to the elements when playing outdoors, so Hinata had difficulty receiving the ball. It even rained sometimes.

“I was told that Hinata-kun was a pretty high level player in high school …but the sand is harsh mistress. It mercilessly saps your strength and shakes your confidence in your skills.” Kato thought.

Hinata rested for a few seconds, his hands on his knees, breathing heavily, sweating profusely under the hot sun. He remembered what Coach Washijo had said about him only having two years.

“Don't panic. Stay calm.” Hinata pulled himself together.

“Gotta work!” After volleyball practice, next is doing his part-time delivering goods.

Hinata looked at himself on the screen, struggling with the complete difference. Was it worth it? Was it worth it for the future to be like this? Hinata was confused. But then he remembered the reason… Because I want to know how to do everything. He didn't want to disappoint himself, to wait for his teammates to save him, he couldn't keep watching Kageyama go ahead! If he was only good at spiking the ball, how could he enter the professional world! He lacked the thing called height, so he might as well use his skills to make people look up to him. Didn't he say 'I never wanted to compete in height'. His eyes were filled with determination, the aura around him suddenly changed, causing Kageyama, who was sitting next to him, to shiver.

Damn it, Hinata! I won't let you fall behind either! Kageyama laughed.

“It's hard! Giving up everything you've mastered to start over in a completely new field.” Oikawa said to Hinata while resting his chin on his hand.

“Well… it’s true that it will be difficult, but isn’t the most important thing how we face difficulties? Accepting that we are weak will help us continue to grow. I think I’m making the right choice in the future. If I conquer sand, won’t I shine even brighter on the competition stage? If we want to be recognized, we have to be willing to put in the effort and pay more attention to it. Besides, the harder you try, the sweeter the results will be.” Hinata was hesitant at first, but a second later, he confidently smiled and said what he was thinking.

The whole area seemed to shiver at Hinata's presence. The desire to be strong and conquer made every player here 'hungry'.

“…You’ve grown up, chibi-chan. Hearing that, I feel like I have to try harder.” Oikawa smiled slightly, this time not a teasing smile, but a genuine nod of recognition.

Kageyama didn't say anything at first. He just sat there, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes fixed on Hinata as if trying to peer deep into his mind. No one dared to interrupt the silence between the two because those who knew them knew that it wasn't just silence, but the way Kageyama and Hinata communicated.

After a while, Kageyama snorted softly, “…Good job, Hinata.”

He spoke softly, his voice not loud, not ostentatious, but extremely sincere.

“If you don't get better, how dare you call yourself my opponent?” Kageyama's eyes flashed with the familiar challenge, but this time there was no grumpiness or argument, only clear confidence.

“I'm still waiting for you. Hurry up.” With that, he turned away, but no one missed the rare smile that curved the corner of Kageyama's lips.

“…Gosh. Call it encouragement, you grumpy king.” Even Tsukishima raised an eyebrow.

“The kids are all grown up!” Suga mama sniffled proudly.

“Hearing you say that makes me want to go back to the field. Who knows, next time we meet, I might show you who’s stronger in an aerial battle on the court!” Hoshiumi, who had been silently folding his arms all this time, burst out laughing.

“...How admirable. Someone who can admit that he is not strong enough and still dares to step forward, is the strongest.” Hirugami spoke softly, his eyes not leaving the screen.

Bokuto shot up from his chair, eyes shining like headlights.

“UWAH!! That's right Hinata! I thought so too!” He raised his fist to the sky, excited as if he had been given more power.

“The feeling of being able to grow stronger is really great! When you think you're good enough, but it turns out there's still a lot you don't know… But that's what makes it fun!”

“Having the courage to step into uncertainty, while remaining completely safe… That’s something not everyone can do. And that makes you very admirable, Hinata.” Akaashi sat beside him and let out a soft sigh, but couldn’t hide the smile on the corner of his lips. His eyes softened, looking at Hinata with maturity.

“It's great to see someone who not only loves volleyball but also loves the process of becoming better.” Komori remained silent until everyone had finished speaking, then spoke softly, his voice as cheerful as ever but sincere.

“Like someone I know, just a little more of a nag.” He turned to Sakusa, teasing lightly.

Sakusa glared at Komori, but the corners of his mouth also curved up slightly.

The group looked back at Hinata, who was a little embarrassed at receiving so much recognition. But he knew in his heart that this was where he belonged. A community of people who loved volleyball, dedicated to the sport, each in their own way, but all of them constantly moving forward.

“It's rare to see someone enjoy the process like this.” Kita chuckled.

“Aren't we the same?” Atsumu said, puzzled.

“The two of you are still more results-oriented, like no matter how good the process is, if the result is a loss, then everything is ruined. But Hinata is different, even though he cares a lot about the results… of course everyone who plays is the same… However, Karasuno’s number 10 really enjoys the process from training to competition, cherishing every moment whether it’s up or down. Accepting change, training to reach the final sweet fruit of winning. Ah… I don’t mean to say that you guys don’t put in the effort or aren’t passionate. But I have to admit that little crow always makes others run after him.”

“It's a tournament that anyone can enter. Well? Want to pair up with my students and give it a try?” Kato make a suggestion to Hinata.

“Yes!”

13-21 (0-2)
( beach volleyball games only go to 21 points.)

“Let's try harder next time, Shoyo.”

“Yeah…”

Hinata's cheering partner next time. The little crow is still in a daze after his beach volleyball loss.

Hinata remembers when he was in Karasuno participating in the Nationals, he easily scored a point against his opponent, celebrating with Kageyama. The clenched fist always appeared in celebration every time he won a point.

But now his open hand contained only sand. Plus the wind blowing the orange-haired teenager's hat made the feeling of helplessness even greater.

“Gotta work?” Hinata carefully folded all these emotions away and put them far away from his thoughts.

“It's okay, Hinata!! Everyone falls down sometimes!! But you'll come back stronger, I know it!!!” Bokuto pursed his lips, looked at the shrimp boy on the screen, and suddenly shouted out loud to cheer him on.

“Woah! Of course, Bokuto-san!” Hinata smiled brightly.

“It feels so frustrating, huh? When you were so good, you reverted back to a newbie state.” Yamaguchi shivered slightly.

“Yeah! But learning something new is fun too.” Hinata replied.

“Oh, but no one noticed that third year Hinata has learned how to hit straight shots!”

“That’s right! AAAAAAAAA….it’s amazing just like Bokuto-san! Kageyama, did you see? I’ve leveled up too!” Hinata said excitedly.

“If you want to be an ace, you have to be able to hit, you idiot!” Kageyama pouted.

“Are you complimenting me or being sarcastic?” Hinata asked, confused.

“My disciple is better!” Bokuto ran over and picked Hinata up, spinning him around a few times. The little crow also happily cooperated with Captain Fukurodani.

“What keeps him going is determination and us.” Kageyama muttered. Every time he looked close to collapse, Hinata would always remember the years with Karasuno, with the four of them.

“Oh crap…I'm lost!” Hinata held the phone and looked at the address in fear.

Signs in Portuguese, stalls, shops, and native people. Everything around him was unfamiliar, making Hinata feel a little lonely and lost.

“Dang it! You took too long! Now it's cold!” The woman receiving the package was angry at the delay.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry!” Hinata could only flusteredly apologize.

“Phew…”

As soon as he got downstairs, Hinata suddenly felt something strange, so he checked.

“Wait, what? Since when has my bag been opened? Huh?! My wallet's gone! Did it get stolen?!”

“Ack! My ID! Oh right. Whew. It's in my phone case. The only thing in my wallet was cash. I'm fine. I'm fine.” Hinata told himself everything was fine but a second later he started to feel a little apprehensive and sad.

Because it was the wallet his little sister bought for him before Hinata left Japan for Rio. He was extremely moved at that time.

“Damn it! How could Shoyo be so unlucky!” Atsumu worried about the boy, who had just started his life in a foreign land.

“His emotions are starting to go down…” Atsumu said softly, almost to himself, but his eyes couldn’t hide the genuine worry. He knew that feeling when things weren’t going his way, when just one little thing was enough to make the whole day go downhill, and just before that Hinata had lost a volleyball game he was so confident in.

“Hope everything will be okay.”

“I think an important scene is coming up. Shoyo has to overcome it so he can officially integrate into this place.” Kenma was also worried about his best friend, but he believed that Hinata would always overcome any difficulties.

“Our poor Hinata! I feel so sorry for you!” Suga hugged the boy tightly and sniffled.

“It's okay Suga-san…I'm sure I'll be fine in the future. I guess…”

Hinata bowed his head in silence for a moment, then smiled and walked into the house to chat with his roommates.

“Pedro, Dinner. Do you want to eat with me?”  

But Pedro, who was wearing headphones, didn't care and answered back. Hinata smiled at the silence. He kept smiling until he entered his room. Hinata opened his phone and looked at his locked screen. It was him, Kageyama, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, and Yachi from his third year. Of the five, three were smiling brightly and two were pouting and frowning. But the picture looked warm and happy.

Hinata crouched in the dark corner of the room, he sat curled up, his arms crossed and placed on his knees. His face almost hid there to lick his wounds, hiding the emotions that were gradually rising in his heart. Everything reminded him of the time he spent in Japan with his friends, the little crow felt really homesick, everything here was against him. It took a while for Hinata to come back to life a little. He raised his head, his back straight, breathing heavily.

“Speak from the gut! Speak from the gut!”

Hinata climbed onto her bike and headed out aimlessly at a fast pace. Letting the wind hit his face calm him down, clearing his mind and forgetting about the feeling from earlier.

Silence fell over the room as everyone realized that at that moment, Hinata had truly collapsed.

Not because of a loss play. Not because of a lost wallet. Not because of simple loneliness.
But it was all the little pressures that accumulated day by day, every headwind, every silent meal, the friend who didn't respond, every strange gaze in a strange city. But when it all exploded one day, Hinata truly collapsed.

Hinata silently felt sad for the grown-up Hinata. He must have been very lonely and sad! He left his loved ones, went to a strange city and nothing went as he wished. So what helped him overcome it! An acquaintance, a phone call or just burying the pain in his heart?

“We all have times like that. Doubting our choices, whether we chose the right one?” Oikawa said to Iwaizumi.

“You’re always like that too, but as long as we believe in it, believe that our own choices are wise. So don’t give up, Oikawa.” Iwaizumi said seriously.

Oikawa immediately knew what Iwaizumi was talking about. Almost everyone in the team already knew about his plans to go abroad. He just gave a playful smile like always.

"Don't worry, I'm very strong."

“If Hinata is like this, do you think Oikawa-san will be okay?” Kindaichi whispered to Kunimi.

“It must be the same…going to a different place, not knowing anyone, it feels like that. But I know Oikawa and Hinata will both get through it. They’re both monsters after all…”

“Damn it…” Yamaguchi was really about to cry. Seeing Hinata like that made him sad because Hinata was always the one cheering everyone up, but when he was like that, there was nothing they could do.

Tsukishima was silent. Not because he wasn't moved, but because his throat was tight. The image of the always-loud, always-energetic Hinata now huddled in a dark corner evoked an unfamiliar and extremely heartbreaking feeling.

“You'll be fine…” Kageyama held Hinata's hand and whispered to him.

Hinata raised his head to look at Kageyama. His eyes were still hazy, but the faint smile that appeared was fragile and genuine.

“Yeah… I know.” He squeezed his hand lightly, clutching Kageyama’s hand as if he wanted to keep that warmth a little longer.

Not because that sentence would make everything okay immediately. But because the one who said it was Kageyama who was always by his side, the one who wasn't good at expressing his feelings but always kept his words with actions.

“So even he has to stay silent sometimes…” Akaashi lowered his eyes and muttered softly. He understood better than anyone the feeling of having to force himself to keep his faith when nothing around him was familiar anymore.

“Hinata… why didn’t you call us?” Bokuto stopped making noise. His hair was flat, his eyes lost a few beats. Bokuto’s voice was almost pleading, mixed with the helpless anger of an older brother who couldn’t protect the younger brother he loved.

“I think Bokuto-san was in the V.league at that time! We were all busy with our own paths in the future. Besides, going to Rio was my choice, so I shouldn’t complain. International calls are expensive too!”

“You can still text to confide with us!” Kageyama was displeased.

“The time difference between Rio and Tokyo is 12 hours! Even if I text you, you won’t reply right away… Besides, I chose to go to get stronger…”

“I will still answer.”

“Yamayama, you're suddenly so nice!” Hinata's eyes sparkled with emotion.

“I can't let my rival die somewhere on the other side of the world…I want to see you again too.”

Hinata ran straight to the beach, he saw that there were still many people gathered there, illuminated by street lights and moonlight, and music was playing around, making the atmosphere lively as if the night had not yet fallen. There was a group playing beach volleyball.

“Huh? People of lots of different ages are playing together.”

“Oops!” an uncle missed the ball.

“You stink!” the friend next to him laughed.

Hinata was right there catching the ball and passing it back into the field perfectly, making the players' eyes widen.

“You're pretty good, kid! Hey, swap with me for a minute. I'm gonna get myself an ice cream!” the middle-aged man happily walked over, threw the ball into Hinata's hand, and left for a while.

“I think he said I could join them…?” Hinata thought blankly because somehow he was pulled into a random game.

“Shaaas!!” Hinata shouted loudly as he stepped in.

“Shas…?

“What the…?”

“What language is that?”

“Indeed that only volleyball can heal the void inside you.” Suga gently stroked his head.

“This shrimp's language vocabulary still hasn't improved over the years!” Tsukishima sneered.

“Hey, your vocabulary isn't much better than me!”

“I said everyone still understands.”

No one knew exactly what that word meant, but the sound Hinata made brought an unmistakable energy, a familiar, sincere feeling, as if he was throwing away all his worries to live his passion.

At that moment, Hinata didn't need to say much. Volleyball was his language, a universal language. And Hinata's group of friends who were watching the future could also feel it.

“He found a reason to stand up again… in the most familiar way.” Kenma whispered.

“He's exactly the same as when he first entered Karasuno. All he needs, sometimes, is a ball.” Daichi smiled, his voice hoarse with emotion.

“No matter where, as long as there is a net, a ball, and someone willing to play with him… he comes alive.” Tsukishima quietly pushed his glasses up, his eyes looking at Hinata playing ball with a stranger, but not strange at all.

“You really are a pain in the ass. But using volleyball to talk to the world… isn’t bad.” Kageyama sighed, but the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.

“But this method only applies to volleyball enthusiasts like you two.” Suga said casually.

Hinata and Kageyama groaned at being told that. Tsukishima sneered next to them.

Hinata's friend couldn't catch the ball in time, but Hinata quickly jumped in to catch it.

“I can't get that one last step!” Hinata thought as he sank into the sand.

But the ball he successfully caught was pushed to the other side by a middle-aged woman to score.

“Wow, this guy's good!” She smiled and high-fived Hinata, who was also happy.

Another serve from the opponent, the uncle ran to block but failed and fell down, making Hinata scared "Mister?!"

“Out! Out!” the uncle announced with a smile, completely unharmed.

“... The sand. It's mean…but at the same time…It can be giving.” Hinata looked down at the sand in thought, his feelings slowly melting into the space between the sand under his feet and blending into one rhythm.

A return smash from the uncle earlier. Hinata was also happy, praising but speaking in Japanese.

“Nice skill!”

“Naiskiru?” The team members didn't understand but were happy.

“It's true that just by playing, he comes back to life.” Komori smiled in relief.

“He started to accept, instead of resisting everything foreign.” Sakusa nodded slowly, eyes still glued to the screen.

“Because he's enjoying it. Being praised by others helps tighten confidence.” Tendou said happily.

“So why does Oikawa get angry and object when I usually acknowledge him?” Ushijima didn't understand.

“It's because Wakatoshi put it so bluntly!” Tendou laughed.

“?”

“He's glowing again! That's our Hinata!” Bokuto punched his thigh lightly, eyes sparkling.

“It's not because he's good, but because he loves volleyball. And that love once again helps him stand up… even in a completely unfamiliar place.” Akaashi tilted his head slightly.

“Wait, what? Oh, you're kidding me. No seriously. Here of all places? You have to be kidding me!” a strange voice rang out behind Hinata but there was something that made him feel familiar because it was.

“...Japanese…?”

Hinata turned to look at the source of that voice.

“How is this even a thing?!” Oikawa was both surprised and wondering if this was true.

Hinata froze for a second then realized who it was, he panicked and shouted “The great king?!”

Everyone was suddenly stunned and screamed loudly, especially those who knew Oikawa. Hinata and Oikawa stared at each other in disbelief.

“What the hell!”

"Damned!"

“HAHAHA!”

“What a coincidence?” Kindaichi was genuinely surprised.

“It's fate…” Kunimi was also shocked.

“Oh my god! Is this real?!” Iwaizumi couldn't close his mouth, his eyes darting back and forth between the Oikawa on the screen and the real Oikawa in real life as if trying to confirm that the two were indeed the same person.

“See? I am a star that even the universe has to make a path to shine its light on me!” Oikawa crossed his arms, his nose raised arrogantly.

“Who would have thought that a show-off like you would be the one to appear at the right time.” Iwaizumi frowned, but even though he said that, he was clearly relieved inside.

“Fate, right, fate guys!!” Bokuto shouted loudly, as if this was the climax of a TV drama.

“I can't believe something like that happens in real life…” Akaashi blinked but was happy for Hinata.

“Who would have thought that one day Oikawa would be Hinata's savior!” Suga laughed.

Kageyama frowned, why of all people, Hinata met him. That person can be anyone! Fate brought the two rivals he had always promised to overcome together in Rio. But thinking back, the two of them had a lot in common, becoming friends wouldn't be difficult if he and Oikawa didn't have a bad relationship back then...

“But Oikawa is there so has he joined a professional team?”

“Quite fast! About as fast as Kageyama.”

“But why don't you join one of the professional teams in Japan?”

Oikawa heard someone ask and then put on a serious face and said.

“Who would want to sign someone who can’t even play in the nationals? I want to be a starter and a setter, but it’s difficult here. Also, the reason I went abroad was because I had someone to support and guide me like Coach Washijo did with Hinata, he’s famous and has a wide network.”

Everyone suddenly fell silent at Oikawa's straightforward answer. No one said it out loud, but everyone understood that the voice was full of arrogance, containing years of struggles and choices that no one knew about.

“He's the type of person who will find his own way no matter what… and he's more like Hinata than I thought.” Kuroo smirked, but couldn't smile.

“He doesn't run away from reality. He chose the difficult path, but it's a path he has no regrets about.” Daichi nodded, his voice low.

“Not everyone has the guts to start over from the bottom… But maybe that's why they found each other in that strange place.” Kenma stared at Oikawa then turned his gaze to Hinata.

“Grand King! I hope we can be good friends in the future!” Hinata happily ran towards Oikawa.

“Chibi-chan is planning to betray Tobio to me?” Oikawa joked.

“That's not it! I just want to have more friends who are playing volleyball! Grand King, you're really good!” Hinata laughed at Oikawa's words, scratching his head in embarrassment.

“Hmm~ what a sweet talker. But… fine. Since chibi-chan is so cute, I’ll accept your friend request for now.” Oikawa raised his eyebrows, crossed his arms and smiled.

“Cute? And don't call me chibi anymore!”

“Oh I'll stop calling you that if you drop that nickname too! What does Grand King mean? ”

“The King is Kageyama so since you are senpai and also better than Kageyama you are Grand King!” Hinata hummed in explanation.

“Even though I'm happy that you acknowledge me over Tobio-chan, that nickname should still be dropped. I'll call you Shou-chan!”

“Alright, Oikawa-san. This will be proof of our new friendship!” Hinata shook Oikawa's hand happily.

“The king is about to lose his partner, why aren't you going to get him back?!” Tsukishima stood behind Kageyama with his arms crossed, his face full of teasing as if he was enjoying this rare moment.

Kageyama glanced at Tsukishima, then turned his gaze back to Hinata, who was grinning at Oikawa. His face was stiff, like… he was trying to swallow an unpeeled lemon.

“Shut up…” Kageyama growled softly, but the corners of his lips twitched, his emotions mixed as if he was both angry and at a loss for what to do. One of his hands clenched into a fist, his eyes like a child whose favorite toy had been taken away.

“Then just keep watching. Who knows, maybe one day the shrimp will really become the Grand King’s person.” Tsukishima pushed up his glasses, continuing to tease him in his usual way.

“Tsukki… don't tease him anymore. Kageyama is about to evaporate…” Yamaguchi gently tugged on Tsukki's sleeve, softly stopping him.

Kageyama gritted his teeth, but remained motionless. Only his reddening ears betrayed his obvious jealousy.

“In the future, I will be a better setter than him…” He muttered something that almost no one could hear.

“I didn't expect that Chibi-chan would be stolen one day.” Kuroo crossed his arms and joined in the teasing.

“Fuck you guys! Hinata isn't an object! Besides, he has the right to make friends!” Kageyama hissed, his face red, his hands clenched as if trying to contain his emotions and anger.

“Do those two seem to have some history of hatred towards each other?!” Komori looked at Kageyama who was teased to the point of being about to evaporate.

“Looks like it.” Sakusa frowned and said softly.

“You should go out there. Oikawa might be able to get Hinata to join him.” Ushijima, in his characteristic straightforward tone, added a sentence that made Kageyama want to disappear even more.

“If you don't want to help, then don't. You just make it worse!” Everyone said in unison.

“…Damn it, Hinata…” Kageyama clenched his fists, blushing but in the end he just gritted his teeth and muttered.

“Congratulations, Oikawa. I knew you had the ability.” Ushijima approached Oikawa.

“Wait until I beat you. After that you can congratulate me!” Oikawa declared.

“I didn't expect you to be as reckless as Shoyo! Where are you going!” Atsumu approached to chat.

“Secret! I think the screen will announce it later. I may not be as reckless as Shou-chan, but I have my own strong determination.”

Chapter Text

“It's true that we are surrounded by lots of challenging monsters!”

“Yeah! We are all brave fighters with fate!”

“See how cool I am, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa chuckled.

“...”

A flashback to Aoba Johsai high school, when the volleyball team was about to finish their evening practice before the Miyagi spring preliminaries.

“Hey, Kunimi? You heard the rumor about Oikawa-san, right? Think it's true?” Kindaichi asked.

“Hm? Why wouldn't it be? He's exactly the kind of guy to do something crazy like that.”

The two of them looked tiredly at Oikawa who was still diligently practicing his serve.

“Still…overseas, huh?” Kindaichi couldn't believe it.

Time passed again, and now, the text conversation between Kindaichi and Kunimi appeared again.

“Did you see?” Kindaichi asked in surprise.

“I saw.”

“I don't even know where to start.”

“I guess this means there was more than one guy who's that kind of crazy.”

The adult versions of the two appeared. Kindaichi was still as tall as ever but his hair was cut short, he was holding his bag on the subway. Kunimi's hair had changed from his high school style, from the side parting to a slightly longer hairstyle, and was mostly swept to the right. He was lying on his bed, frowning as he replied to Kindaichi's text messages. They were both college sophomores now.

“Looks! Our Kunimi-chan and Kindaichi-chan have grown up!” Oikawa sniffled, pretending to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, his voice shaking with his signature dramatic expression.

“...”

“Why did you suddenly turn into a ver ‘proud mother of your children’!?” Iwaizumi sighed at his best friend's constant drama.

“I'm always worried and taking care of my juniors, Iwa-chan!”

“I think they're really proud of you, Oikawa-san.” Hinata sat next to him, tilted his head up to look at his senior, and then gave him a bright, gentle smile.

“You always say such soft-hearted things, I wish I had a cute junior like that back in Aoba Johsai.” Oikawa looked at him, surprised for a second, then suddenly burst out laughing, gently stroking Hinata's head and somewhat… helplessly.

“Actually… we were terrified. Who would have thought that it was rare to have people who thought the same way, and yet they could meet on the other side of the world.” Kunimi lazily explained.

“Kunimi! Let me feel some invisible love!”

“But I'm also very glad that you two met. In such a strange place, your feelings will definitely support each other a lot.”

"Yeah, it’s true."

“The first years are all grown up…” Daichi crossed his arms and shook his head, laughing.

“And people like us… must also learn to believe that we have sown something good.” Suga nodded, looking at Oikawa sympathetically.

“Look who I found in Rio!” Hinata texted with a picture.

A photo of Hinata and Oikawa standing next to each other, both wrinkling their noses and sticking their tongues out playfully with extreme excitement and delight.

Kageyama Tobio (19) Schweiden Adlers/ S

Kageyama's familiar M-shaped bangs had now changed to side-parted bangs. He was in complete shock, not knowing how to react to the picture Hinata sent him.

Sitting in the team locker room, looking at the picture for a while until someone walked up and Kageyama grabbed their arm. The black-haired boy showed the person his phone with a truly questioning expression.

Ushijima appeared. His face was still as serious as ever, but after watching, he shared the same feelings as Kageyama. The two looked at each other with only silence and frowns as if they had encountered something unstable and unreasonable that shouldn't have happened.

“Look at Ushiwaka and Tobio-chan's faces! Haha! They can't even imagine it! I'll be your nightmare forever!” Oikawa laughed out loud, delighted, and then got punched in the back by Iwaizumi.

“It hurts…Iwa-chan. If you keep hitting my head, I'll lose my memory!”

“If you lose that arrogance, everything will be ok!”

“...traitor!” Kageyama looked for a while then just muttered.

“Huh… I feel like you just said something bad about me, right?!” Hinata suddenly shivered as if he had a sixth sense and turned to the blue-black haired boy and asked suspiciously. He frowned, tilted his head, his eyes sharp like an eagle.

“...No.” Kageyama replied quickly, his face as if he had never done anything wrong in his life. But his ears were slightly red.

“That picture is cool. Oikawa-san, we should take more pictures together in the future!” Hinata crossed his arms, raised his eyebrows but didn't tense them, and turned to Oikawa with a smile.

“Of course, Shou-chan. You really know how to judge of character! I'm a good photo subject.” Oikawa was excited, sticking his tongue out at Kageyama like he was the winner.

Kageyama frowned, growling as if he wanted to step forward for a duel but he was reminded by Daichi's glare.

“Look at your expression, Wakatoshi, it's so cute! You probably didn't expect the two people you always wanted to fight to meet in another country.” Tendou chuckled.

“I don’t find that cute.” Ushijima turned around, his expression unchanged but his eyes narrowed… a little. His voice was as usual, low and gruff.

“Aww~ but you didn't deny it! You were surprised too, right?” Tendou leaned back and laughed, his arms crossed over his chest.

Ushijima turned his head slightly, his eyes still glued to the picture of Hinata and Oikawa, who were playfully sticking out their tongues. One was the person he once considered a “worthy opponent”, the other was the silent challenger who had once caused him to lose his victory.

“...Even though we have different choices for development but I won't let myself fall behind.” He said, his voice lower than usual.

“Then don't disappoint me, ace. I'll be a good friend and wait for you to become famous to promote me.” Tendou was stunned for a moment, then smiled and stopped teasing.

Back to Hinata in Brazil. The orange-haired boy was replaced when the uncle who went to buy ice cream came back.

“Well, well, well. You've actually grown shortie pie.”

“Great ki– I mean, Oikawa-san! Why're you here?”

“Uh, that's my question, thanks. Don't steal it.” Oikawa was scared, surprised as if he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the orange-haired crow here.

“Me? I came to train on the beach!” Hinata happily replied with blushing cheeks as if this was a normal thing.

“...!” Oikawa was stunned, his eyes wide open and his brows furrowed slightly as if Hinata was saying it to get acquainted.

“Hah! Sheesh! You are a scary one, shortie pie!” He leaned on his hands and sighed, his voice both helpless and admiring.

“?!” Hinata was startled, not understanding Oikawa's feelings.

“Hinata is always doing things that make people respect or fear him, isn't he?” Suga sighed, but his eyes were filled with pride.

“Just don't encourage illegal behavior.” Daichi interjected with a helpless smile.

“Hinata is so cute, how could he do something illegal!… Just a little bit beyond the usual standards.” Suga squinted at Daichi, his voice still soft but clearly sarcastic.

“Yeah… just to get better, he dared to fly straight over Rio. Truly one of the bravest kids in Karasuno.”

“Well… that’s Hinata. He always chooses to jump and then finds a way to land. And every time he lands in the right place. How scary.” Suga laughed bitterly.

“…Yeah. But we still have faith in him, right?” Daichi looked at his old friend, then slowly nodded.

“That's right. From the first day that kid ran after and begged for the ball, we always knew he wouldn't let us down.” Suga smiled, quietly.

“See, anyone in this situation will end up like me in the future.” Oikawa said, choking up.

“I agree.”

“Shoyo, that was scary. If I wasn’t watching, I would have been shocked to hear the news.” Atsumu’s thighs trembled, his nose sniffling.

“Look at other people and learn from them. At least they dare to do it. It's not like any person, who doesn't dare to try and then lies there moaning all day.” Osamu sent a meaningful look.

“Hey! I'm not like that!” Atsumu snapped reflexively but then his face fell.

“Shoyo likes to do surprises!” Kenma grinned.

“No warning. No preamble. But always the kind of surprise… that makes people respect.” Kenma whispered and although he didn’t say it out loud, his smile was one of the most genuine, an introverted gamer smiling as he saw the “main character” he had once had an interest in still clearing each level of life in a way that no one could predict.

“ Tohru, Do you know him? ” The dark-skinned friend who was with Oikawa asked.

“ Yeah, um, he's a middle school kid living in my neighborhood. ” Oikawa answered deceitfully.

“ Uh-huh. ”

“Oikawa-san, I do understand basic English, y'know.” Hinata listened to Oikawa's answer and choked up as Oikawa thought Hinata’s English level was zero.

“Oikawa-san, do you think my English is so bad that I can't understand a single thing?” Hinata frowned, crossing his arms in displeasure.

“Hey, Shou-chan~ I didn't say anything! I was just… wondering if someone might have mistaken something as simple as 'Naiskiru' for 'Nice Skill'!” Oikawa raised his eyebrows, smiling wickedly. His voice trailed off as he spoke, his hand resting on his shoulder as if he was really thinking.

“Hey! I heard and can say it all! It's just that people don't understand the mixed words, it's not my fault!” Hinata blushed, not out of embarrassment, but out of dissatisfaction.

Oikawa laughed louder, tilting his head as if looking at a stuffed animal puffing up its cheeks.

“Oh, Shou-chan is so cute. You still cute even when angry~”

“Don't praise and criticize at the same time!” Hinata couldn't get angry.

“Looks like language isn't the barrier… it's patience with guys like Oikawa.” Tsukishima muttered, folding his arms.

“Besides, Kageyama is the one who is weakest in English!”

“Hey, don't drag me into your mess. I play professionally in Japan, what do I need for that!”

Hinata turned around and stuck out his tongue in an 'I don't care' manner.

“ We're going to dinner. ” said Oikawa's companion.

“ Okay! ” Oikawa replied cheerfully and stayed to chat with the crow.

“The beach, huh? I gotcha.”

“Yep! So what are you doing now?” Hinata asked curiously.

“Alright, we're almost at Oikawa-san's debut!” Hinata was extremely excited to see his future self talking about the topic he was curious about.

Everyone was looking forward to it but the one who was most nervous was probably the one being mentioned. Oikawa had been joking around and being quite confident, but now he was also a bit unsure. His heart was pounding , his hands suddenly started shaking at a small rhythm, and sweat was also appearing. Could he do it?

“Are you nervous?” Iwaizumi noticed immediately. He leaned over slightly, gently nudged Oikawa's shoulder, and whispered.

“No… I just… I just feel cold.” Oikawa turned around, trying to force a smile like usual, but his eyes couldn't hide the nervousness.

“This space has a pretty reasonable temperature. If you’re going to lie, at least choose a reasonable excuse! But what’s there to be afraid of? I don’t know who else it is, but I’m sure you can do it, Oikawa. There’s no need to be so self-conscious!” Iwaizumi said seriously.

“I… It's just that sometimes, facing my dreams is scarier than I thought.” Oikawa took a deep breath, his eyes not leaving the gradually brightening screen.

Hinata, who had been cheering, suddenly turned to look at Oikawa, noticing his tension. His eyes softened and he took his hand.

“I understand that feeling. Was all the time and effort you put in worth it? It feels like… you’re too small for everything. But Oikawa-san can do it, you’re so talented, so amazing. To be able to come this far, isn’t it because you were so brave?” Hinata said softly, not as noisy as usual.

Oikawa stared at Hinata for a few seconds. After a while, he smiled, not his usual smug smile, but a genuine and somewhat relieved smile.

“…Thanks, Shou-chan. I guess… it's time to see how hard I've tried.” He patted Hinata's head, not teasingly this time.

“Oikawa-san will succeed.” Kageyama suddenly spoke up.

“Are you encouraging me, Tobio-chan?” Hearing this from Kageyama made Oikawa feel a little emotional.

“No…it's an affirmation…you're really good…” Kageyama frowned, trying to speak calmly but his red ears betrayed him.

“Yes, you can do it, Oikawa-san.” Kindaichi said and Kunimi nodded in agreement.

“I believe you can do it.” Ushijima nodded in agreement.

The other team members had never played against Oikawa, but they agreed. Those who work hard for their dreams will reap the rewards.

“See, a lot of people believe in you. So why is it that the only one doubting you is you Shittykawa?” Iwaizumi gave a whistle to his shoulder and also grabbed Oikawa’s other hand.

“Why are you all suddenly making me emotional like this!” Oikawa had tears in his eyes.

“I play in the Argentinian league.” Oikawa said confidently and proudly.

Oikawa Tooru (21) Club Atletico San Juan/ S.

“?!” Hinata's mouth opened wide, eyes wide in surprise.

“Damn it! You did it, Shittykawa!” Iwaizumi immediately jumped on his best friend, ruffling his perfectly styled hair.

“AAA-! Iwa-chan! My head, my hair!!” Oikawa struggled, but his face was clearly red from laughing. He raised his hands to cover himself, but still let Iwaizumi run amok. He was speechless, so moved that he couldn’t hide his teary eyes.

Finally I did it, future me. All the regrets I missed in the past have now become a stepping stone to help me grow more mature than ever.

“Congratulations, Oikawa-san!” Hinata bowed his head seriously, his hands clenched into fists, sincerely congratulating.

Oikawa looked at both of them, one was a memory of his chaotic growing up years, the other was a vibrant future that had always moved forward, and laughed through his tears.

“I think… If it weren't for Iwa-chan beating me up all the time and guys like Shou-chan who always push others forward, I wouldn't have dared to dream of coming here.”

“And your own efforts and beliefs too.” Iwaizumi said.

Behind, the whole room burst into cheers and applause.

Kageyama muttered “cheesy…” but still clapped his hands lightly. Suga and Daichi nodded.

“SO COOL!! CONGRATULATIONS BRO!” Bokuto shouted even though they had never met in real life, making Akaashi cover his mouth.

Atsumu groaned a little enviously at the brown-haired setter's performance.

“Stop whining. You can do it too but you have to try harder.” Osamu whispered to Atsumu.

“I know… damn it…” Atsumu frowned, mumbling… but in his eyes was unconcealed admiration.

“Not too surprising.” Tendou looked at the chaotic crowd.

“Yeah, Oikawa was originally a talented setter. It's just that he didn't get to Shiratorizawa that he couldn't shine.” said Ushijima.

“I don’t think Oikawa is a good fit for our school. He’s really good at showing off the talent of the spikers, but it’s difficult for a school like ours that focuses on strength, especially with you. The two of you have too different ideals, so if he were to join us, the team would be a mess.”

“They're neighbors with Brazil! Wait… Why are you playing in Argentina? I always assume you'd go to Italy or something!”

“I know! Anyone would. A classy place like Italy totally suits me. Not that I've ever been there…” Oikawa also agreed with Hinata's words because a handsome and talented person like him was very suitable for that luxurious and splendid place.

“...” Hinata snorted, silent at this narcissism.

“Would you not look at me like that, please?” Oikawa felt offended and betrayed when the lovely Hinata looked at him like that.

“So aren't we neighbors? Argentina and Rio are pretty close!” Hinata said happily, his eyes sparkling as if he had just discovered something interesting.

“You really are... Shou-chan always finds a way to make things sound cute.” Oikawa blinked and laughed.

“That's right! International neighbors! Sounds cool.” He put his hands on his hips and grinned smugly.

“Then if I come to Argentina to visit in the future, remember to welcome me!” Hinata continued excitedly, almost jumping up and down.

Just now it was so touching, now it's just full of humor.

“Can't you keep that trustworthy look for long, Crappykawa?!” Iwaizumi gasped, shaking his head helplessly.

“Hey, I'm telling the truth! Doesn't Shou-chan agree with me?” Oikawa made a face of disbelief and turned to bother Hinata.

“...I really don't know what to say.”

“The whole world is against me, right?! Even Shou-chan turned his back on me…” Oikawa could only hold his head and sigh dramatically.

“What a modern tragedy…” Oikawa sat down on the ground, leaning back in his chair like a betrayed male lead in a TV drama, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Damn, this is so annoying…Wipe your tears and snot, it looks like you’re not doing anything.” Iwaizumi muttered but pulled out a handkerchief and threw it to Oikawa.

“Do you guys get to see drama like this every day?” Hinata asked Kindaichi.

“Yeah… you have to watch Oikawa act with the third-year seniors. Every day is like a new play.”

“So touching… Iwa-chan still loves me in the end…” Oikawa pretended to sniffle, but after wiping it off, he raised his head with a mischievous smile.

“But really, if not Argentina, where else would I go? Just because it suits my appearance doesn't mean it suits your life!”

Everyone was silent for a few seconds at that unexpectedly mature statement.

“…Sometimes you say something profound, huh?” Osamu raised an eyebrow.

“But only every now and then.” Atsumu immediately interjected, pouting.

“You can't even last a fraction of a day, Tsumu.”

“!!!!!!”

“That's Oikawa-san. I think… it's because you've always been yourself that you were able to get there.” Hinata smiled slightly, his eyes sparkling with admiration.

Oikawa paused for a moment at that straightforward compliment. He turned to look at Hinata, his eyes slightly surprised, then he chuckled softly, no longer as ostentatious as before.

“You're dangerous, Shou-chan. Saying things like that makes it easy for people to fall in love with you.”

“Eh?!”

“Not in that way! I meant admiration, don't panic like that!” Oikawa laughed loudly, waving his hand to clear up the misunderstanding.

Hinata scratched his head and smiled wryly, but then he laughed too. The atmosphere around him seemed to lighten.

Although the previous conversation ended with Hinata's silence at Oikawa's complacency, just a second later he happily and excitedly invited Oikawa to play.

“Hey, Oikawa-san! Let's play some volleyball! I want to–”

The sound of a hungry stomach interrupted Hinata, causing him to receive a suspicious, contemptuous stare from Oikawa.

“You know… I was just getting ready to head to dinner. Show me where the good places are around here.” Oikawa suggested.

“Ooh! I know one that's really good and really cheap! It's got healthy food too!”

“Sounds good, sounds good. Let's go. My treat.”

“....!!” Hinata's eyes suddenly filled with tears, moved when he heard that.

“?! What?!” Oikawa suddenly saw the little boy tearing up.

“Um…During work today, I…I lost my wallet…” Hinata wiped his tears and explained.

Oikawa just laughed out loud at his misfortune.

Three full and beautiful plates of food were ordered by the two people. Hinata and Oikawa both clasped their hands in thanks as was their habit before eating.

“Thank you for the food.”

“Good!”

“Isn't it?!”

Oikawa gave a thumbs up at the unexpected deliciousness, Hinata was equally happy when hisself recommended the right dish. The two of them ate and chatted, the conversation filled with laughter and joy. An unexpected relationship!

“Hey Oikawa-san, I really thank you.” Suga said softly.

“Huh?!”

“Because you were there when Hinata needed someone, we couldn't help him.”

Oikawa immediately stopped at Suga's sincere words. The smile that was always on his lips gradually softened, replaced by a rare, calm, sincere look.

“…I don’t think I can do anything great either. That Shou-chan… is the one who moved on by himself. I’m just the one who happened to be there to support him, to rekindle that flame.” Oikawa spoke up, this time without any hint of joking.

“No matter how strong a person is, they will fall. But sometimes, just having someone by their side at the right time is enough.” Suga smiled lightly.

The atmosphere became quiet in that short moment. No one said anything, but their eyes were on Hinata who was still busy teasing Oikawa a few minutes ago, now looking blankly at them, for some unknown reason but feeling strangely warm inside.

“…Really. I'll make you pay, Shou-chan.” Oikawa rubbed his nose, turning his face away as if to avoid people seeing his slightly red eyes.

“Eh?!” Hinata was startled, not understanding why he was being asked to pay a debt.

"Repay what?!"

“Well… you moved me too much, now my handsome and charming image is gone!” Oikawa immediately returned to his old style, covering his face with both hands dramatically.

“What image, who recognizes it?! If anyone does, it should be me!!!” Atsumu shouted.

“Yes! I'm the most handsome!!!” Oikawa shouted.

“Oh my god, here we go again.” Iwaizumi sighed, but this time with a softer smile than usual.

And in the midst of all that commotion, Hinata stood still for a moment, his eyes sparkling. Even though he didn't say it, he understood one thing, whether it was Argentina, Japan, or anywhere else, having people like Oikawa, the "predecessors" who always inspired and accompanied him, was the most precious gift for his journey.

“Have you watched any of Kageyama's games lately?” Hinata asked curiously.

“... No.” Oikawa put on an annoyed face and coldly replied quickly, glancing away when he heard Kageyama's name.

“They're so alike.” Hinata immediately thought of Kageyama. When he asked if he watched Oikawa's matches, the black-haired boy had the same expression.

“Shou-chan, I won't forgive you if you dare say I'm the same as someone as emotionless as Tobio-chan!!!” Oikawa threatened the little crow with a fierce face.

“Yes…Yes…” Hinata nodded repeatedly.

“But Oikawa-san is Kageyama's mentor, so it's okay if you two look alike.”

“Who said that was my mentor?!”

“Who said Tobio-chan was my student?!!”

The two shouted in unison towards Hinata while pointing at each other.

“That's exactly the same!” Hinata said nonchalantly.

"No way!!!"

“So what took you to Argentina?”

Oikawa rested his chin on his hand and recalled his childhood.

“See, back when I was in elementary school… There was an exhibition game held between Japan and Argentina at the Sendai arena.”

Image of Oikawa and Iwaizumi as children, excited and nervous going to the match.

“Iwa-chan, hurry! Quick, quick!”

“No running, Oikawa.”

“I'm not! I'm walking fast.”

“Oikawa-san was so cute when he was little!” Hinata exclaimed.

“Of course, and I'm only getting more beautiful and perfect now.” Oikawa puffed his nose smugly at the compliment.

“You sure bring back a lot of emotions!” Iwaizumi patted his friend's shoulder as a reminder and said at the same time.

“At the time, the Argentinian team had a young hitter billed as an up-and-coming super ace. He was a complete terror during the first part of the game…but towards the middle his play started to fall off.”

“Even against Japan's team, he wasn't doing that great. But right about the time when I thought they'd sub him out.”

Image of black-haired player Sole wearing number 20 being continuously blocked by the opposing team.

“They switched their setters, instead. The new setter was a veteran player already 38 years old at the time.” The light-haired man wearing number 13 walked in very calmly.

“He was quiet and pleasant the whole game. He didn't send too many balls to the young ace…but he made certain to put up easy-to-hit ones that allowed him to score when he could.”

The setter set the ball and helped the young ace score successfully.

“The ace quickly returned to top form, and by the end…he was the main point scored of the match. The whole place went crazy at the young ace's dramatic and exciting recovery.”

“But to me, the real star was the one who quietly got that ace back on track and walked off the court without any fanfare.” Little Oikawa was admiringly captivated by the sight while Iwaizumi was shocked by the result.

“His name was Jose Blanco.”

“Mr.Blanco! Can I please have your autograph?!” Oikawa ran down and shouted loudly for an autograph.

“Iwa-chan! The shikishi autograph board we bought! Where is it?! Gimme quick”

“Huh? Sorry, I already got Handa's autograph on it.” Iwaizumi guiltlessly held up the signed shikishi.

“Huh? How could you?! That was my autograph board!”

“It's ours. We both paid 50 yen for it.”

“...!” Oikawa was so angry that he couldn't refute. He could only hand over his jockstrap for Blanco to sign.

“Hey, isn't that the one you were using today?” Iwaizumi asked.

“It's a brand new one I just pulled out today! It isn't dirty at all!” Oikawa whispered back.

“Um? Mr.Blanco? I wanna be a setter someday too!” Oikawa excitedly declared.

“...”

“Goo…guh…goo…er…goo…! Good luck!” Blanco looked at the brown haired kid and closed his eyes, thinking hard about something to say, causing Oikawa to question. He finally gave a thumbs up for good luck, causing Oikawa and Iwaizumi to open their mouths in delight at the response.

“One ice cream bar says you'll accidentally put that through the wash.” Iwaizumi bet.

“Shut up. Gimme my 50 yen back.”

“In the end, it did wind up going through the wash once.” Oikawa said expressionlessly, leaning on his hands as he recalled the moment his mother made the announcement.

“Mom!”

“Yeah, uh, sorry about that. It is a little blurry now. But you can still completely read it. It's fine!”

“That's not the point!”

“Bff!” Hinata chuckled.

“Amazing, I never got to see a live match like this when I was little.” Hinata was a little admiring.

“There’s no need to admire because we’ll be the ones standing on that court in the future.”

“Woah!!!”

“But maybe we're all inspired by someone in the world of volleyball?” Hinata said.

“Not really, but more or less.” Yamaguchi thought about it and agreed.

“So who inspired everyone? Me first, of course the little giant of Karasuno!” Hinata excitedly asked, also curious about why everyone started.

“Everyone has seen me, Jose Blanco.” Oikawa laughed.

“I don't really have one, it's just that Shittykawa is so passionate that I follow. Someone has to keep an eye on this guy.”

“I'm quite decent!”

“...Don't lie to yourself.”

“What about Kageyama?” Hinata turned around, curiously asking.

“I think it's because of my sister and grandfather.”

“You have a sister?! How come I didn't know! So is she still around?”

"Not anymore."

Hinata saw that Kageyama was a bit quiet when talking about family so he just looked at him for a few more seconds and then ignored him.

“I'm just following Tsuki.” Yamaguchi scratched his cheek.

“I think it's because of my brother.”

“We both watched it and naturally liked to play it. Suga smiled.

“I played it before, but after hearing a few words from Coach Nekomata, I took the initiative and enjoyed it more.” Kuroo said cheerfully.

“Kuroo invited me…” Kenma pursed his lips.

“I've been playing since I was little.” Bokuto shared.

“I also played since middle school but I wasn’t very outstanding. However, after watching a match had Bokuto, who had a strong passion for volleyball, it influenced me, and that’s why I enrolled in Fukurōdani High school.” Akaashi said with a gentle smile.

“Kaashi!!!~” Bokuto heard and hugged his precious setter tightly, moved.

“I was influenced by my father, who told me stories about the ace in his team, who brought a sense of security and strong power, helping to raise the team's morale. So I declared that I didn't want to be like my father, but the ace that my father described.” Ushijima recounted how he got started.

“Cool! I just want to see the disappointed, broken face when I block the ball.” Tendou chuckled.

“Scary!!” Those who had been blocked by Tendou shuddered.

“I've been playing volleyball since elementary school, but I really wanted to be a setter after a volleyball seminar where we met Aran.” Atsumu recalled, resting his chin on his hand.

“I'm just following Tsumu.”

“Just play because I like.” Suna said lazily.

"I just follow so then work hard to the end." Kita said calmly.

“I initially decided to join the volleyball team because I wanted to escape my brother who kept making fun of our height difference. But I soon fell in love with this sport after watching official matches on TV. I wanted to prove that even though I was short, I could still challenge the giants,” Hoshium recalled with a frown.

“I'm following in my family's footsteps,” Hirugami said politely.

“I also play because I loved it since I was little.” Komori said happily.

“I was introduced to it by Komori, but I wasn’t too keen at first. But now I’m thankful that this sport has allowed me to meet some good people.” Sakusa expressed his feelings.

“We all have different reasons for entering this sport. Some will say goodbye or continue to pursue it. But after all, we really thank volleyball, thank you for giving us memories and the companions who have accompanied us.”

"Yeah.."

“Hm? Wait a sec… Jose Blanco?” Hinata felt the name was familiar.

“Yeah. He was a coach in the V.league until about four years or so ago.”

"Oh yeah! The Tachibana Red Falcons!"

“Exactly and guess what? I got a chance to talk to him in high school.”

“Ooh! That's so cool!” Hinata suddenly admired.

“Right? Coach Irihata had a friend of a friend who was on the Falcons.”

“This is a benefit of going to top schools because the coaches are often not only good and experienced, but they are also strong in terms of relationships in the industry.”

“Exactly. There are some things that cannot be denied… No matter how good an individual's ability is, if there is no suitable stage to show it, it is difficult to go far.” Akaashi nodded slightly, speaking, his eyes not leaving the future image being projected.

“It sounds harsh, but it’s true. Many strong teams are not only strong in technology… they are also strong in systems and media relations. One right move can create a career.” Meanwhile, Kuroo smacked his lips after hearing that statement.

“We just kind of climbed out of the hole.” Kenma chimed in from his seat, not looking up from his game console.

“That's what makes it interesting. It's fun to have dark horses every now and then.” Kuroo laughed.

Ushijima said nothing, but his serious eyes stared at the screen, full of thought. He understood better than anyone how lucky he was to be in a strong system from the start, and how deeply that had affected his career.

“For example, in your case, Hinata, it was thanks to Washijo training that you were able to pass through Rio in the future.” Suga pointed out.

"OH!!!"

“Or else we have to be strong, strong enough that they will come looking for us.” Hinata said.

“Don't say cool things like that every now and then. It scares me!” Tsukishima frowned, scared.

“After the end of the spring tournament qualifiers that one year, I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep playing volleyball so I asked if I could meet up with him for advice. Of course, he knew right from the get-go that the whole 'not sure' thing on my part was just an act.” Oikawa said with slight sarcasm as he recounted the time he got the talk before the spring tournament.

Oikawa clenched his hands behind his back, tensing up as he listened to Blanco speak.

“What, are you saying what you know what the limits of your abilities are already? Even though you aren't yet finished grown physically or mentally? Even though you haven't mastered all the skills you can master? If you are going to complain that someone born with more talent than you is and always will be better than you no matter how hard you work, no matter how many tricks you learn and no matter how many great teammates you have… Therefore only after you have given everything the very best effort you can.”

“But…believing that this isn't all you've got and sticking to that belief will be a far longer and far tougher road to follow than simply throwing your hands up and declaring that you aren't 'gifted' so it doesn't matter.”

Blanco smiled with a strong, determined smile mixed with a hint of arrogance. His words were both an inspiration to Oikawa to overcome his own limits and a respect for his personal choice. He was only playing the role of someone who opened the door for the next generation who were standing at a crossroads in life and constantly striving.

Blanco's words hit deep into the hearts of everyone here. Even if they don't necessarily follow volleyball in the future, in any field, there will definitely be someone better than you, but as long as you put in the effort, nothing will disappoint you.

“That's the type of person that leaves no room for excuses, huh…” Kuroo crossed his arms, his eyes more serious than usual.

“…I agree with him. If you don't try your best, don't say you know your limits.” Ushijima was silent for a long time, finally speaking.

“He doesn't deny the fact that there are people with outstanding talent but he also doesn't allow others to use that as an excuse to give up.” Daichi nodded seriously.

“I understand your choice as well as my own.” Hinata said softly, his eyes looking at Oikawa, full of emotion.

“I'm not a genius. But I want to know, if I really give it my all, how far can I go.” Oikawa smiled lightly, but perhaps never as sincerely as at this moment.

“I always knew you weren't someone who would give up easily. No matter how much you put on airs.” Iwaizumi tilted his head slightly, his gaze softening.

“Sometimes maturity is just accepting that you are not perfect but still persevering to move forward.” Suga smiled warmly.

When the atmosphere was extremely happy, Iwaizumi suddenly changed his face and growled, questioning his best friend.

“Time to settle this all at once. You still like to hold on to the thought of 'I'm weaker than a genius'? Why do you care so much about the word genius?!” Iwaizumi grumbled.

“Do you even need to ask? Because they will always be better than us no matter how much effort we put in! It always takes me months, but they can easily do it in a few weeks. What's the point?!!” Oikawa was upset, clenching his fist and shouting back.

The whole room seemed to freeze at Oikawa's emotional scream. No longer was it a joke, no longer was it his confident demeanor, this was the real Oikawa, naked with the insecurities he had harbored since he was a high school student.

Iwaizumi was momentarily stunned. He knew Oikawa had always had an inferiority complex towards those called geniuses, from Kageyama, Ushijima, to names the team had never heard of. But for the first time, Oikawa shouted out his feelings, without hiding or pretending.

“...So what? We're not playing a point-comparing game, Oikawa. This isn't a test. Have you forgotten why you started this?” Iwaizumi replied slowly, his eyes determined.

“But as captain, I can't even lead my team to victory.” Oikawa bit his lip, his eyes filled with conflict.

“We said it, right? The captain doesn’t have that responsibility, we trusted you so we gave you that position and didn’t our team  try our best? That victory can only be for one team but that doesn’t mean the losing team is weaker, there are many other factors that go into winning.”

“I also thought I couldn’t catch up to Kageyama. But Oikawa-san, you know… you and many others made me understand that there are other paths to take, other ways to improve through effort, through perseverance, through not giving up.” Hinata spoke softly, his voice not loud but clear.

“Even geniuses have to work like crazy to maintain their position. You think we don't sweat?” Atsumu crossed his arms, tilted his head, and scowled.

“I don't deny talent. But I respect those who don't have it and still try their best. I've never looked down on you, Oikawa.” Ushijima said in a low voice.

“You've come this far. What's the point of competing with 'geniuses'? Right now, aren't you the driving force of many people?” Kenma stared at the screen, then let out a soft sigh.

“Practice and hard work are always good. Having extra talent is a plus, but do you think that if we neglect ourselves for too long, there might come a day when what used to be our strengths will just be memories?” Hinata hummed.

Oikawa was slightly startled. He turned to look at Hinata, his eyes wavering. There was something about those words that made him feel a lump in his throat. That's right… Talent, effort, fame, victory, all were temporary if not maintained.

“That’s right. Whether it’s physical strength or technique, if you don’t continue to take care of it and train it, it will all fall away over time.” Iwaizumi crossed his arms and nodded.

“Data is the same. If it's not updated, not maintained, it will eventually become obsolete.” Kenma, who didn't usually talk about such things, continued quietly, his eyes never leaving the screen.

“Even cooking skills will decline if you don't touch the stove for a few days, let alone athletes.” Osamu shrugged, half-joking.

Oikawa trembled slightly. His hands clenched tighter, not out of anger, but out of emotion. He glanced around at the familiar faces of his opponents, his teammates, the people who had witnessed him from his infancy until now.

“...I know. I know everything. But knowing that all my hard work was taken away…I can't accept it.” Oikawa whispered.

“There will be moments for us to shine because that is what we can do. You don’t have to be afraid, the skill, the proficiency is all remembered by our muscles. You just need to know that what we do every day will be recognized.” Kita said.

All eyes turned to Kita, who was always calm and rarely spoke at length, but when he did speak, each word seemed to be engraved deeply into the listener's mind.

Oikawa turned around, a little surprised, then smiled slightly. It wasn't empty encouragement, but the certainty of a disciplined person who worked hard every minute. Kita's words weren't just directed at him, but also as a message to all those who had ever doubted themselves.

“Thank you.” Oikawa said softly, tilting his head, he was quite surprised to hear the comment from a stranger.

“Yeah. Sounds like… we don't need to be afraid because what we have is already there, right?” Hinata nodded in agreement.

“I'm not that good at volleyball, but I believe that if we live and work hard every day, even if we are afraid at the decisive moment, our bodies and memories will not betray us.” Kita replied gently.

“Kita-san…you scare me even though you make sense.” Osamu whispered to the two.

“That way of speaking softly but punching straight in the face… is truly Kita-san's specialty.” Atsumu nodded in agreement, his eyes still following Kita with respect and… confusion.

“Yeah… like being exposed for being lazy…” Suna whispered back, his face still expressionless but one could still see a bit of fatigue in his eyes.

“Hey, you guys think I'm scary?” Kita turned around with a calm expression as if nothing had happened.

“No! It's not scary at all! It's very precious!” Atsumu jumped up like a spring, hastily correcting himself, cold sweat starting to break out.

“That's right! I mean… very inspiring!” Osamu nodded vigorously.

“Alright, then the screaming is over… keep trying, you blockhead.” Iwaizumi patted him on the shoulder, hard but friendly.

“Thanks, Iwa-chan… but that hurts!” Oikawa laughed.

“But actually, I already understood what I needed to do after talking to him.” Oikawa calmed down and confided in Iwaizumi alone.

“I used to think… if I wasn’t called a genius, if I didn’t have outstanding qualities from birth, then I would forever be a chaser. But when Mr. Blanco said, ‘Do that only after you have given everything the very best effort you can.’ I realized… I could still be better than that.”

While the Aoba couple was having a small talk, Hinata noticed his friend Kageyama.

“Why so quiet?”

“Well, I can roughly understand the malice Oikawa-san has been holding towards me for a while now. But shouldn't I be the one who should be learning from him? Why is he afraid of me?” Kageyama was puzzled.

“Because Oikawa-san felt threatened, he knows very well how great your abilities are if you master the skills and have experience. It's just that... he probably doesn't know how to confess like you, which is why he caused this mess.” Hinata said, blinking his eyes.

“...Chaos?” Kageyama was slightly startled, looking at Hinata in disbelief.

“Yeah, your complicated relationships. One of you doesn’t know how to express your feelings, the other is scared and obsessed with his own shadow. In general, your time in middle school is really tiring.” Hinata nodded firmly, hisvoice gentle but somewhat funny.

“...Um. I think... I misunderstood.” Kageyama frowned, he muttered.

“Then let’s fix it. Oikawa-san always wants to be the leader. But the stronger you get, the more he has to push himself forward, no matter how difficult the process is. You two are like a couple who always put pressure on each other to grow.” Hinata smiled.

“...So he has weak moments like me?” There was a moment of silence, then Kageyama turned around.

“Everyone has their moments.” Hinata grinned.

Kageyama nodded slightly, for the first time the gaze towards that senior was no longer filled with fear or hatred but with recognition and sympathy. But Kageyama corrected himself in his heart, the one who made him push himself to improve every day was the orange-haired monster next to him, the other member of the strange duo and his strongest rival.

“Right there and then… I decided I wanted to learn from him. But of course he went back to Argentina the very next year. Still…I knew I was going to try to break into the foreign leagues at some point anyway. That jump bumped up the schedule a little bit, is all.”

“The stage I will one day play on hasn't changed one bit.”

Even though the plan was pushed forward faster than expected, Oikawa's eyes were still filled with confidence and determination when talking about it. Hinata silently looked at Oikawa in respect, he truly admired the king's will.

“What is your ultimate goal, Oikawa-san?” Hinata asked curiously.

“Of course I will become a setter so good that Tobio-chan will look up to me and beat those two hateful guys Ushiwaka and Tobio-chan! I want to see their disappointed, devastated faces when I win.” Oikawa said dramatically.

“It would have been much more touching if you hadn't added that last part.” Iwaizumi sighed, patting Oikawa on the back as if to bring him back to reality.

“Then you keep trying.” Hinata grinned, though he was still sweating a little because of that “annoying” part.

“Win or lose, it doesn't matter. As long as… you play, I still want to have a match against you.” Kageyama muttered.

“Well well~, I didn't expect you to say such cute things, Tobio-chan.” Oikawa turned to tease, his eyes shining.

Kageyama blushed and turned away, while Hinata giggled.

“His personality is just like yours, Tsumu. You two should have met sooner.” Osamu said cheekily.

“Huh?!!! Consider it a compliment because he's good and handsome so aren't you saying I am that good!” Atsumu was skeptical at first then suddenly happily pointed out.

“...”

"When did I ever say you were handsome?"

“Wait! So you're not denying that I'm good, right?!” Atsumu's eyes lit up, pointing at Osamu as if he had just found a treasure.

“Uh… I didn't say anything.” Osamu replied calmly, but his eyes clearly showed he was trying to hold back his laughter.

“Hey hey hey, don't dodge! You just said it! I heard it clearly!” Atsumu got more and more excited, moving in front of his younger brother.

“Okay, okay, good, handsome too, okay? Plus he's annoying and narcissistic.” Osamu sighed and shook his head, raising his hands in surrender.

“It sounds a bit strange but whatever, I accept!” Atsumu patted his chest triumphantly, his face beaming as if he had been chosen as the MVP of the match.

“He looks just like Oikawa-san…” Hinata turned to look at Kageyama and whispered.

“Well, one more person is enough to form an overconfident team.” Kageyama nodded.

“I don't think anyone would dare to step into that group… well, we can nominate Kuroo.” Kenma added, still fiddling with his phone and his lips curling up.

“Kenma, you hurt me!” Kuroo was surprised and sniffled.

Meanwhile, Oikawa from afar blinked his eyes and listened vaguely, then flicked his hair and confidently said back.

“I'm willing to be the spiritual advisor for that group~!”

“No one invited us!” the whole assembly shouted.

“Y'know… I figured I'd pulled a pretty crazy stunt doing all this…but to came all the way to the other side of the world just to play beach volleyball…?”

One second he was still cool, the next he was back to his original self. Oikawa played with his hands behind his head, thinking he was the only one crazy enough to go abroad right after graduating, but there was someone even scarier.

“Hey, speaking of! Let's go play now! People are out playing on the beach until pretty late around here!” Hinata's face was radiant, his gestures were energetic, his arms were wide open, as eager as a child shouting with delight at the opportunity to play ball with a friend he hadn't seen for a long time.

“Oho…! So you think you can take me on, huh? You've gotten really bigheaded, shortie pie.” Seeing Hinata so excited, Oikawa pretended to be cool and scary.

“Bwaph?!”

Moments later, Oikawa took a beautiful fall, eating sand in the beautiful Rio.

“Okay, this is not volleyball! It's a completely different sport that just pretends to be volleyball! I'm a beginner! Go easy!” Oikawa looked up in embarrassment to defend his terrible performance.

“Wow, I'm feeling so superior right now! To the great king, even!” Hinata happily said that he wasn't the only one defeated by the sand.

“Well, aren't we blunt today!” Oikawa shouted as Hinata got so excited.

“Pfft-” The whole group suddenly burst out laughing at Oikawa's performance.

“Oh shit, I should have had my phone to capture this precious moment!” Iwaizumi was disappointed as he watched Oikawa take a great fall.

“Iwa-chan! How could you do this to me!!!”

“Because this is great blackmail material, you know?! Hanamaki and Matsukawa will definitely love it. A picture of Oikawa Tooru eating sand will be widely circulated within the Seijoh group.” Iwaizumi crossed his arms, nodding in satisfaction, causing everyone to laugh again.

“You're a traitor! Betraying our friendship, betraying our team spirit, and betraying my beautiful hair!” Oikawa yelled as if he was performing an international tragicomedy.

“It's okay, sand and indoor courts are completely different. I practiced before you, but I'm not much better.” Hinata comforted.

“Shou-chan… You are the only ray of light in my life right now…” Oikawa choked up, holding Hinata's hand emotionally.

“Gross.” Atsumu and Osamu said in unison.

“Ah, but looking at you like that makes me feel comforted.”

“Shou-chan!!!!”

“Hey, Oikawa-san? Earlier today…for a minute…just one short minute! I actually got kinda down and depressed. But seeing you has put me in a superduper extra awesomely good mood! Thanks!”

Hinata initially stammered and spoke in a sad tone, but when he faced Oikawa, he smiled brightly. He was truly grateful for Oikawa's unexpected presence just when he thought everything was falling apart.

“Oh? Treat me to lunch sometime then.” Oikawa raised an eyebrow.

Hinata turned to hug Oikawa, making him almost fall backwards if it weren't for Iwaizumi's support.

“Shou-chan…you surprised me!”

“Thank you so much.” Hinata buried his face in Oikawa’s chest and said.

“I know Oikawa-san's appearance was coincidental, but it means a lot to me in the future. Thank you for letting me feel that inherent familiarity.”

“Why are you suddenly being so cheesy? Just remember to treat me to dinner.” Oikawa picked up the little boy and placed him next to him gently, making Hinata look bewildered.
 
Suddenly a call interrupted their conversation.

“Hey, Jackie Chan!”

“?”

“Wanna play?!”

Two locals invited them to play, but what Oikawa noticed was the name they called.

“Did I just hear them say 'Jackie Chan'?”

“Maybe they think we're Chinese or something.” Hinata said.

“Hey, we aren't Jackie Chan. We're Ken Watanabe!”

“You're on!”

Oikawa's irrelevant reply and Hinata's response left the other two bewildered.

“...?”

“Pfft- Why are you two out of sync!”

“Why not use the name of a volleyball player to scare him? Why use the name of an actor? Do you want to go into acting?” Iwaizumi was really confused.

“Who knows!”

“But we're about to see a collaboration between the two of you, aren't we? I never expected that!” Yamaguchi said excitedly.

“Those two are sure to lose! Two rookies fighting against a pro.” Tsukishima snorted.

“Hey, I'm listening, Tsukishima!” Hinata shouted.

Chapter Text

“First goals? It's the beginning, right… Just like the feeling of joy when I feel my hand burning after I hit the ball…” Hinata muttered.

“One set, agreed? Winner gets a round of drinks.” Gabriel offers a deal.

Gabriel (21) 186cm

Gino (20) 179cm

“Meep!” Hinata surprised.

“Aha! It's the 'buy me a drink' brothers!”

The locals immediately recognized the native couple. Everyone gathered to watch.

Hinata immediately warmed up, jumping a few times on the court.

“It's pretty late, y'know. Let's win this quick and get it over with…kay?” Oikawa was extremely confident, he arrogantly spun the ball in his hand preparing for his usual strong jump serve.

“!”

“A jump serve? This guy is no common tourist!” Gabriel and Gino were startled by Oikawa's professional actions.

“UM?!”

But Oikawa forgot one thing, this is beach volleyball. So what should have been a moment for a cool jump serve performance was the wind changing the trajectory of the ball, making Oikawa surprised, panicked like a thunderbolt because he couldn't hit it and landed on the ball on the sand at the same time. Feeling full of doubt. Hinata looked at him blankly.

“BAH HA HA HA HA!”

“It was the wind, okay?! Take a hint, would ja?! Take a hint like the wind took the ball!”

Oikawa was embarrassed by the loud laughter directed at him, he shouted in defense of his failed performance.

“Y'know, Oikawa-san is a pretty funny guy.” Hinata thought to himself, smiling happily at the rare sight.

“Pftt- How can you be so confident when playing in a different environment! Your confidence should be commended!” Iwaizumi chuckled at the sight of his best friend.

“Ghzzz… It's the wind! It's all the wind!” Oikawa's face turned red and he growled.

“It's okay, accepting defeat in one aspect doesn't make you weak.” Ushijima suddenly said.

“What the hell are you talking about…this is my first time playing! If you’re so good, come out and let’s have a life-or-death duel at the beach!”

“...I don't think volleyball is a sport that should be called a fight to the death.” Sakusa muttered with dead eyes, his hands on his thighs, speaking doubtfully.
 
“Actually, I want to see that match too. Oikawa-san and Ushiwaka fighting on the sand…” Hinata's eyes lit up, imagining the two of them fighting like in an action movie.

“I bet Oikawa eats sand again.” Atsumu smirked.

“Huh, why again? I only fell once! Once! And the one who will fall is Ushiwaka!” Oikawa turned around, his eyes bulging.

“Don't worry, it's almost about to turn to a second time.” Iwaizumi patted Oikawa's shoulder to comfort him but he was smiling.

“Look, everyone would be interested if they knew Oikawa-san's true personality.” Kindaichi whispered to Kunimi, wanting to laugh out loud when he heard Hinata's thoughts.

“Oikawa-san and Hinata are no different. Aren't their personalities on the same wavelength?!” Kunimi stuck out his tongue dramatically.

Kunimi glanced at Hinata, then looked at Oikawa who was blushing and arguing with Iwaizumi amidst everyone's laughter.

“…Yeah, but it's a bit of a shame for Oikawa-san.” He said absentmindedly, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.

“You're not feeling sorry for him. That face is one of enjoyment.” Kindaichi chuckled.

Although Oikawa always portrays himself as a serious, talented, and somewhat arrogant Grand King, it is in moments like this, among his former rivals, new friends, and juniors, that his true arrogant, mischievous, and vulnerable nature is revealed. And perhaps, that is also the reason why he is never left behind, no matter how harsh the volleyball world is.

Gino serve.

“Oikawa-san!” Hinata shouted and Oikawa successfully dug the ball.

“Yikes! I can't move in this stuff!” Oikawa thought amusedly.

“Estimate where the ball will fall and make sure to account for the wind…then carefully…gently…! …Yes! That one felt good!” Hinata thought as he ran towards where the ball would fall and made a set to Oikawa. Just when he thought he was going to score a point, Oikawa was blocked by Gabriel and the ball went out.

“HNGH!”

“!”

“Out, out!”

“What?!” Oikawa was angry.

“OIIII… What a pity! That set was so beautiful!” Suga regretted.

“What to do now, there are too many different things between indoors and at the beach for him to adjust to. But indoors, it will be a nice set.” Daichi chuckled.

“That's right…” Suga nodded, he enjoyed watching the two's match.

“Hinata looks so happy playing! Let's try it someday, Akaashi!” Bokuto was excited and happy to see his disciple enjoying every moment of playing.

“Yeah, it might be fun, but if you fall like Oikawa-san, I won't comfort you.” Akaashi smiled slightly, his eyes following Hinata's smiling figure on the beach on the screen.

“Eh?! Akaashi!!!” Bokuto turned around, screaming like he was betrayed.

“Really, I told you so.” Akaashi replied calmly, but the corners of his lips still curved up slightly.

“I'm making good progress, Kageyama!” Hinata blushed, happily.

“If you don't improve, then dream of going pro, you idiot. Besides, this is the basics!” Kageyama grabbed the orange tip in disdain.

“Hey! Are you praising me or insulting me?!” Hinata struggled under Kageyama's hand, his face red with anger or joy.

“Both.” Kageyama replied nonchalantly, his hand still on Hinata's head as if he was punishing a naughty puppy.

“You suck! But… I'm still happy!” Hinata laughed, unable to hide the excitement in her eyes.

“From what I remember, beach volleyball is really strict on all overhand touches, right? Refs supposedly call dribbles at the drop of a hat.” Oikawa asked again about the rules of beach volleyball.

“Right! If your fingers are too splayed and you put even a little spin on it, they'll call it every time. But you can't hold it too long either.”

“Aha!”

“Okay then… I'll grab it just a little more than normal…” Oikawa immediately thought of a solution. He immediately set  a perfect ball to Hinata.

“Yeow! Even I didn't pick up on stuff this fast at first!” Hinata smiled excitedly, the boy truly admired Oikawa's talent.

But the ball was too close to the net and was blocked by Gabriel.

“Oops! Too close!”

“Huh…” After that, Oikawa seemed to understand something.

“As expected of Oikawa-san…you were able to think of something and apply it so easily in just a moment!” Hinata's eyes sparkled with admiration as he looked at Oikawa.

“Of course it was me! But that set was still blocked… Huh!”

“It's okay! Aren't we all making progress!” Hinata smiled brightly.

“...Yeah, you're right. Every touch of the ball carries the mark of effort. Losing is fine, as long as we don't give up.”

“...Humph!” Atsumu pouted.

“What's wrong? Are you jealous again?” Osamu asked sadly.

“Not really…but look at him being played and even getting praised by Shoyo. Ugh! I want to play with Shoyo-kun  too.” Atsumu said sadly.

“Do you think Hinata doesn’t appreciate your skills? You two aren’t close enough to share feelings like friends yet, but I think he’ll like you. As for the future, who knows!” Osamu blinked doubtfully but then he relaxed and spoke his mind.

Atsumu glanced at Osamu, his eyes filled with doubt but also unable to hide a faint glimmer of hope.

“…You really think so?” His voice was filled with curiosity.

“I'm no fortune teller, but… Hinata can definitely judge good players. And he's clearly the type of guy who'll play with any setter just to get a set.” Osamu shrugged.

Atsumu was silent for a few seconds, watching Hinata grinning at Oikawa. A flash of childish jealousy passed through him and then disappeared, replaced by a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.

“…Well, next time I'll make Shoyo-kun praise me even more.” He lifted his head, regaining his usual confidence.

“Wait there, Oikawa!”

“So childish…” Osamu thought.

Gabriel serve.

A strong jump serve flew straight towards Hinata's court, combined with the wind, making it impossible for him to block.

“Wow! You're really good at serving!” Hinata's eyes widened, exclaiming in admiration.

“Heh heh… That's it. Flail in futility in the face of my 'gimme a beer' serve!” Gabriel was confident in his heart, and made another serve that made Hinata and Oikawa struggle, falling face down on the sand but unable to catch the ball.

The people around applauded. Just as expected.

They lost.

Hinata and Oikawa, both angry, couldn't bear to see the other two people clinking beer bottles and laughing at them over their victory.

“I told you so!” Tsukishima smirked at Hinata.

“Ugh… I lost with honor!” Hinata blushed and puffed his cheeks as he argued back.

“What honor is there when you keep getting blocked?” Tsukishima pushed up his glasses, his tone still teasing but a bit more cheerful than usual.

“I-It's my first time playing at the beach so I'm not used to it yet!” Hinata defended himself, his cheeks still puffed up like an angry squirrel.

“That's right! And there's wind, and sand!” Yamaguchi laughed along, trying to help Hinata but only making the situation worse.

“Well… if it’s a shrimp, I’m sure you’ll get used to it quickly. But before that, please don’t roll around like a fish out of water. You’ve been playing on the beach for a while now.” Tsukishima chuckled.

“TSUKISHIMAAA!!” Hinata shouted, charging forward to attack while Tsukishima retreated, his laughter growing more and more obvious.

“Oikawa-san! Oikawa-san! How long are you gonna be in Rio? Where are you staying? Let's trade contact info! Please? Please?” Hinata excitedly surrounded the person he liked like a puppy.

“Calm down! Geez! The team is here for a week for some practice games. We're staying at a hotel not far from here.”

“!”

“Ooh! Ooh! Then let's play again on the beach here! Your sets are super duper awesome and I wanna hit 'em again!” Hinata's puppy eyes that sparkle with praise and pleading make everyone fall in love, and Oikawa is no exception.

“HNNGH! This feeling…so good! It's been so long!” Oikawa suddenly felt happy, thinking to himself.

“Maaaaybe I might? Possibly? If I can find the time? If I somehow can make room in my schedule I might not be entirely against the idea?” He finally compromised in the face of Hinata's adorable intimacy.

“Thanks so much!”

“Shou-chan is so cute! If you had come to Aoba Johsai with me, I would have been able to set  the ball to the ball of sunshine that is you!” Oikawa couldn't help but hug and cuddle the adorable little kid sitting next to him while seeing Hinata on the screen.

“Eeeee—!! Oikawa-san don't say things like that!!” Hinata's face turned red, struggling in Oikawa's arms like a bullied kitten.

“Look~ your face is as red as a tomato, Shou-chan is so cute!!” Oikawa continued to hug Hinata tightly, his face beaming as if he had found a treasure.

“Hey!!! I let you pamper my precious junior but you are not allowed to pull him to your school, understand!!!” Suga looked over gloomily.

“Oops!!” Oikawa jumped.

“Just kidding, just kidding! No need to get so worked up.”

“Even if I went to Aoba, I would only be able to hang out with you for a year. Meanwhile, in Karasuno, I could be with Yamayama for three years.” Hinata obediently said honestly.

“Besides, Karasuno made me who I am today. Even if I had to choose again, I would still choose the same.” Hinata smiled warmly.

“Hinata…!! You touched my heart!” Suga sniffled.

“That's right! You're the one Karasuno is proud of! Actually, it's not just Hinata, everyone is.” Daichi smiled, his eyes gentle like an older brother's as he patted Hinata's head and then raised his head to look at the other three.

“Boke…” Kageyama turned away, but his ears were clearly red.Perhaps it was a blessing that he didn’t get into Shiratorizawa because in another way destiny led his life from darkness to light. He found someone he could stand shoulder to shoulder with and a team that felt like home.

“I'm also very happy to be on the same team as you guys!” Yamaguchi excitedly said, his eyes sparkling.

“I'll have to put up with these idiots for a long time…” Tsukishima muttered, as if blaming someone, but he also smiled lightly.

“I want to play with Shoyo-kun too!!!” Atsumu said sadly.

“You just said that!” Osamu's eyes twitched.

“Who told him to be so cute!”

Hirugami chuckled lightly, catching Hoshiumi's attention.

"Why are you laughing suddenly?"

“I think you and that Karasuno number 10 would definitely get along well.”

“Oh, I think so too.” Hoshiumi crossed his arms, smiling brightly.

“Unfortunately, we haven't played each other yet so we don't know each other very well. I know he and I might be worthy opponents, but Kageyama will always be that number 10's number 1 rival.”

Kenma watched Hinata spit out a series of questions to Oikawa, reminding him of the same situation he had encountered several times. But Hinata's questions and enthusiasm were extremely genuine because she truly wanted to know, wanted to get closer. It didn't make Kenma feel tired or pressured, only interesting.

“Still…aren't you afraid getting too used to the quirks of beach play will come back to bite you on a regular court? With all that soft sand to dive on, won't lunging on a hard court seem scarier?” Oikawa wondered.

“Yeah! That's why I joined a local junior indoor team!”

“Tch! You think of everything, don'tcha.”

“You spent so much time working on and building up your skills on the court. Now you're going to set that all of to the side… just to start over at level 1 on the beach. Doesn't it suck to be a beginner again?” Oikawa bent down to tie his shoelaces, voicing his thoughts, as if it was also a problem he was looking for an answer to.

“...! Well…Y'know? If I'm being honest…I don't mind leveling up. No matter how hard or easy the skill… getting good at something new is always fun.” Hinata thought, his brown eyes looking straight ahead, speaking his mind.

“So have you convinced yourself yet?” Oikawa glanced, doubtful.

“! Um!” Hinata was startled.

“I don't hafta convince myself…” He stammered in defense.

“Uh-huh.”

“I'm glad that even as you grow up, you haven't changed, Hinata.” Suga said warmly.

“That's right.” Oikawa rubbed the orange head.

“Yeah! I think… if anything, I've learned to believe in myself more.” Hinata nodded, eyes shining.

Hinata recalled the image of him appearing in the first video, his eyes red as if he had cried. Perhaps he will become more mature after this spring tournament. He really felt a bit regretful because he didn't know what it was, but Hinata didn't care too much because the future was full of surprises and if he wanted to achieve it, he had to put in the effort to achieve it.

“I thought you were just overly confident.” Tsukishima pushed up his glasses and muttered.

“I mean confident and able to do anything. Right now I'm still too weak and depend too much on everyone, including Kageyama.”

“Tch… This again!” Tsukishima was tired. To be honest, Hinata had times when he exuded a mature, serious air that was scary.

“No one is good from the start. What matters is that you know what you lack and want to improve it. That's mature enough.” Daichi spoke gently.

“Yeah. Seeing yourself weak doesn't make you weak. Realizing it and overcoming it makes you strong.” Akaashi nodded slightly, sincerely.

“Because I don't want to just stand back and wait for the ball that will be set to me anymore… I want to be a reliable part of the team, I want to make myself the setter's first choice.” Hinata smiled, a slow but sure smile.

“AHAHA! But thank you everyone for the compliments!!” Hinata rubbed his head, blushed, then smiled brightly like a small sun among his dear friends.

“And chibi knows how to cooperate now. Later, you can beat the guys playing indoors with that beach.” Kuroo interjected, eyes filled with amusement.

“That right! Good idea, Kageyama, you're about to lose!” Hinata seemed to have discovered a new horizon, he turned back to provoke his black-haired friend.

“...Believe it or not I'll serve you the ball right in the head, you idiot!” Kageyama squeezed Hinata's cheeks and he pouted like a bird.

“I'm home.”

Hinata returned to his rented house. He didn't know how to improve his relationship with his roommate. Hinata was suddenly surprised, his eyes widened and his mouth opened when he recognized the familiar melody coming from Pedro's headphones. He quickly ran into the room, took a book and sat across from him, making Pedro jump in surprise, dropping one of his headphones.

“Who's your favourite? Mine is Zolo!” Hinata held up the One Piece book and said to Pedro.

“...!” Pedro was really surprised, he was also reading another volume of One Piece. Perhaps Pedro didn't expect Hinata to have the same interests as him.

“...” Pedro was amused when asked, but after a while he clenched his fists, bowed his head and said painfully.

“How can you choose just one? I can't! If I had to, um…if I had to pick just one… It's Luffy. I couldn't choose anyone but him.”

“Sorry…bad question.”

“...! Wait, I get it! Pedro's like Kenma!” Hinata thought, seeing a familiar scene every time he talked to his best friend in Nekoma.

“So this is officially a turning point in your relationship?! This is great!” Suga breathed a sigh of relief. He was really happy for his first year junior, how lucky he was. From his emotional troubles to his unexpected meeting with Oikawa and now his relationship with his roommate.

“...What's his name again??” Hinata suddenly forgot.

“It's Pedro.” Kenma reminded.

“Oh, right! I didn't expect Pedro to be like you, Kenma! You two are equally difficult to choose.” Hinata laughed with delight.

“It's not that I have a hard time choosing. It's just that Shoyo's themes are too broad… I have a favorite game of each type.” Kenma protested.

“Really, Kenma here must have played almost all the games! Chibi must have seen him since he was little.” Kuroo laughed.

“No wonder you’re so good at it. But Kenma seems to be really good at mind games because you always look so cool when controlling the court.” Hinata praised, his voice filled with sincerity.

“Oh…thanks Shoyo. Now I want to win a game too.”

“What game?” Shoyo tilted his head to the side curiously.

“It's the junkyard battle! You're the final boss I want to defeat, Shoyo.” Kenma smiled sincerely.

“Eh…!” Hinata was slightly stunned, then his eyes immediately lit up, his cheeks flushed with emotion.

“You just said I'm the boss?! Kenma said I'm your boss?! Kenma thinks I'm so good?!!” Hinata repeated, as if he couldn't believe his ears, then smiled so brightly that it seemed like the sun had risen again.

“Yeah, every time I play against Shoyo, it's always a new exciting time. Besides, if it weren't for you... I wouldn't be so interested in playing volleyball so much.” Kenma pursed his lips a little, but then smiled softly, honestly but also a little embarrassed.

“Kenmaaaaa!!” Hinata jumped and hugged Kenma so tightly that he almost fell.

“Haizz... the kids have really grown up.” Kuroo crossed his arms, looked at the two of them, and sighed, full of pride.

“What a cute friendship.” Akaashi said softly, looking at Bokuto who was nodding vigorously beside him.

“But we'll definitely win.” Kuroo smiled smugly at Daichi.

“It's us.” Daichi replied with a gentle face, but the two people's handshakes were so tight that their veins were showing that no one would believe it.

“So childish.” Tsukishima commented.

An old memory surfaced. Hinata also started the conversation like before.

“So what's your favorite video game?”

“My favorite…? My favorite…” Kenma was so deep in thought that he fell silent, lowering his head and helplessly sighing.

“Can… can you at least narrow it down by genre…? Action games…Fighters…RPG's…FPS'S…. There's no way I can pick just one if you're going to lump them all together like that…!”

“Erm… I'm sorry…?”

“If someone suddenly asked you what you wanted to eat on the day of the apocalypse, would you be able to answer right away?!” Kenma asked Hinata the same question.

“Egg rice, fried salmon, and mushroom soup…” unexpectedly, his  friend answered immediately.

“Oh really?”

“See that?!” Kenma pointed.

“Next time I ask, I'll try to narrow the scope as much as possible, don't worry! What does Kenma like best between A, B and C?' That way it's easier to choose, right!” Hinata happily raised his  index finger in an ok sign.

“Um… that's good.” Kenma replied, his voice indifferent but his eyes filled with joy.

Back to Hinata and Pedro, the two were starting to comfortably talk to each other.

“These are my teaching aids.” Hinata showed Pedro the English and Portuguese versions of Dragon Ball.

“Um… I have anime that is in Portuguese. It's Naruto and my hero academia. They are recordings. Do you want to watch?” Pedro asked with a serious face as if this was super serious. And of course the black-haired guy spoke in Japanese.

“Yeah…! Wow, Pedro! You speak Japanese really well!” Hinata exclaimed, his compliment making Pedro shy as he went to get it for him.

Hinata smiled brightly because finally in just one night everything he was sad about started to change for the better.

Hinata continued his week of training, doing delivery work rain or shine.

“But I didn't expect that in the end, Hinata would be the one who knows more languages among us.” Yamaguchi exclaimed.

“That's right, the idiot who failed English.” Tsukishima curled his lips in disdain but also smiled sincerely. Because he had witnessed Hinata's perseverance to achieve results.

Everyone watched Hinata regain his spirits, only after meeting Oikawa and getting closer to Pedro helped Hinata return to being the sun boy.

Suga looked at Hinata's happy smile and sniffled. He really felt happy for the orange-haired boy.

“Finally, the light inside him is shining again…back to the carefree, energetic Hinata.” Suga thought to himself, feeling relieved.

Another evening, at the familiar beach.

“If we win, you owe us protein drinks!” Hinata and Oikawa turned back to challenge the two brothers.

“All good!”

“You two really don't give up, do you?” Kuroo laughed.

“This time we will definitely get our revenge!” Oikawa said with great confidence.

“That's right! We'll definitely win. Me in future have been training hard so it's time to see the results.” Hinata agreed.

“Does anyone want to bet on this match?!” Tendou suddenly had an idea.

“Gambling is a vice, Tendou.” Ushijima reminded.

“Not taking money is not bad, Wakatoshi-kun!”

So the whole group gathered together to bet with each other very lively. The two who were sure to win were of course Oikawa and Hinata. Kageyama really wanted to choose the opposite of that chaotic couple, but he thought this time might be different.

“I think you will win.” Kageyama spoke up.

Hinata's eyes widened, looking at Kageyama in surprise as if what he just said was something terrible.

“Kageyama, do you trust me that much?!”

“No! Just a hunch…”

“It doesn't matter what, but since Yamayama has placed such faith in me, my future self must win.” Hinata clenched his fists, determined.

“Look over there. The 'buy me a drink' brothers are at it with another pair of tourists.” People came to watch because these two brothers paired up with tourists like it was their daily meal.

“It's no easy feat to dig Gabriel's serve on the bad side!”

As soon as Gabriel served the ball, Hinata started watching, thinking. His eyes seemed to guess the direction the ball was flying towards under the influence of the wind. Hinata ran quickly and dug it perfectly. The ball flew high towards Oikawa. Gabriel and Gino were surprised.

“WOOT! I did it!” Hinata's mouth opened wide, filled with joyful energy as he succeeded.

“I don't mind leveling up.”

“Hah! Nice dig.” Oikawa recalled Hinata’s words and exclaimed at the orange-haired boy’s progress and diligence. He didn’t hesitate to praise him because it was Hinata’s daily, hourly effort.

"Awesome!!"

“You're improving so fast, Hinata!” Suga happily patted his head.

Daichi next to him also smiled happily, from the first year boy who was initially clumsy at receiving and digging the ball, but after the match with Inarizaki, Daichi saw his strong growth. And he believed that Hinata's future would be even brighter and more brilliant.

“Shou-chan is really amazing!” Oikawa said excitedly to Hinata.

“Yeah! That dig looked perfect, it Bumped and then Goaw!”

“What language are you speaking?” Oikawa asked, confused, only to receive a bright smile from Hinata.

“It looks like the one in our match, doesn't it?” Atsumu said.

“Yeah, that’s right… that hunger I mentioned. I can understand a little bit why the Karasuno team was so excited back then. Seeing someone grow also makes you need to follow that path.” Osamu replied.

“It's always great to see someone try their best.” Kita smiled.

“Shoyo always has a fun feeling when he plays. It makes other people want to play too.” Kenma smiled.

“Tall wind, huh?” Oikawa thought to himself, observing his opponent on the other side, Hinata's position, and set a high pass to him.

“...? Seem a little too far from the net.” the native girl watching the match thought as she saw the set.

Just when she thought he had failed, the ball fell right where Hinata had hit it.

“The wind!”

“Hah! Got it!” Oikawa laughed happily, celebrating in his heart.

Hinata successfully hit the opponent's court with one hand.

“YEEEAH!” Hinata and Oikawa high-fived in celebration of the unexpectedly great combination.

“You're really amazing, Oikawa-san! You can play at the beach so easily in just a few times!” Hinata was really excited.

“That me! But you're just as good, Shou-chan. We really are a great pair. We should have started playing together sooner!”

“Hey, don't steal my spiker!” Atsumu shouted, cutting off their tearful conversation.

“Huh?!” Hinata was confused.

“Oh my, are you trying to take Shou-chan from me, Tsumu-chan. But what a pity, the cute Shou-chan likes me more.” Oikawa hugged Hinata tightly, teasing him

“...!” Atsumu was so angry that he didn't know what to say, he asked his younger brother for help.

“Deal with it yourself.”

Kageyama blinked in confusion, sitting there with mixed emotions and confusion. The current setter of the boke was him. What use was there for these two to fight over it. It was pointless.

“...!” Hinata opened his mouth wanting to say something but couldn't find the words to express that feeling.

“Huh? What?”

He remembered the time when he set  the ball to Oikawa  and what seemed like a beautiful ball but then it was blocked.

“No matter how good the set feels for me… There's no point if it isn't easy for the hitter to hit. Unlike mine, Oikawa-san set had everything. It was just high enough to account for his hitter thanks to get back up then dig… It was just far enough from the net to give the hitter a clear view of the blockers and of course it was adjusted perfectly for the wind too.” His cheeks turned pink, admiration clear through his every thought.

“He thought through to 'what comes next' at every step. No matter where in the world he is, no matter how many people are on his team, he doesn't change.”

“Let's see you dig my jump floater!” Oikawa challenged.

“MAAAAN! The great king is just too amazingly awesome for words!”

“How can you be so cute! Iwa-chan, see I have a lot of admirers!” Oikawa rubbed his cheeks against Hinata's, making him giggle.

“...” Iwaizumi's eyes twitched a few times, really helpless with this personality.

“Oikawa-san, stop rubbing, it tickles! But you deserve the compliment. It was really nice.”

“Kageyama, I take back what I said earlier, the setter is really amazing. The way you and everyone else observe, think, and control the game is very interesting to me. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the satisfaction of hitting the ball!” Hinata smiled brightly at his teammates.

“I told you so.”

“Hinata sure has a way of saying things that make people feel good.” Kindaichi said.

“That's just his energy. He says it so easily because deep down he always has sincere thoughts for everyone.” Kunimi lazily spoke his thoughts.

“I want to be praised by Shoyo too…” Atsumu sadly looked at Kageyama and Oikawa who were being praised so much.

“Keep trying, it will happen one day.”

As the ball flew away, it seemed like the journey, the hardships and the beginning appeared in his mind.

“When you dedicate yourself to pushing higher… you're going to have to expect the hard times to outweigh the fun.”

Memories of when Oikawa first arrived in Argentina. The helplessness when his set to a teammate was blocked. The difficulty of communicating between the different languages of the two countries.

“Che, la reunión se pasó a las 3.”

“Que wgada, tenia planes!”

“...?” Oikawa didn't understand what his teammate was talking about.

“It gets to the point where you begin to believe that if it isn't hard, if it isn't rough, then you aren't giving it everything you can. Yet…without any rhyme or reason… “

In Argentina, the sweat was tired and sad. The pressure and expectations seemed to disappear, leaving only him to fight alone. Oikawa said nothing, he put his hands on his thighs, bowed his head and thought.

“From time to time…something fun will just…hit. Out of nowhere.”

Scene of Oikawa celebrating with Iwaizumi.

“It's that fun that keeps pulling me onward.”

Oikawa felt happy after successfully serving in middle school.

“Volleyball is fun.”

“I did it!” A little Oikawa hit the ball perfectly for the first time. Eyes wide open, happy for a small thing.

“Every time I forget that…it comes back to remind me.” And this time it was someone he didn't expect, Hinata Shoyo, who was Tobio-chan's partner, who helped him remember that.

“Merda!”

“Shut up!” Oikawa laughed loudly in response as he lay face down on the sand.

The entire room where everyone was watching the video suddenly fell silent as if everyone was pulled into the same emotional flow as Oikawa, because everyone sitting in this space had experienced that feeling of helplessness.

Daichi recalled the time when he first joined Karasuno but the team was not as strong as before. However, he still persisted in staying, continuing to maintain this volleyball team not only because of his dream but also because he believed that one day Karasuno would spread its wings and fly again. And it was proven, Karasuno finally entered the national tournament. He smiled quietly, a proud smile, because what he had been determined to do had now come true.

Kageyama also remembers everything, the feeling of being turned away by his teammates, of having no one behind him, of not being able to step onto the court. Everything made him feel like he was about to collapse at that time until he went to Karasuno to meet Hinata and everyone made him feel happier than ever.

Hinata remembers the times he practiced alone with the ball and now he finally has a real team. This is great!

Tsukishima didn't show it much either, but he understood this because he was reminded by someone too. Yamaguchi, Kuroo, Bokuto,... many people had sparked the joy of playing for him.

Hirugami also recalled that if it weren't for Hoshiumi, he would have wanted to give up a long time ago. The idea of always having to be perfect had put a lot of pressure on him. But now when he played, everything was truly wonderful. Hirugami understood that being allowed to breathe, being allowed to make mistakes... could still make his heart flutter.

Atsumu understands this too. He's really lucky to have so many people with him that he hasn't really experienced this clearly. But he understands his own motivation and the results he's aiming for, so he also understands the burning motivation of people like Oikawa and Hinata. And he respects it immensely.

So do many others. Everyone has a reason to continue.

“We all have reasons to continue, but what keeps us going is the joy, enjoying every moment on the court. I will still try to continue this joy.” Hinata told Kageyama.

Kageyama was silent for a long time when he heard Hinata speak. His eyes looked straight at his familiar teammate, a friend who had been with him on this thorny journey.

“…Yeah. Me too.” He replied softly, but firmly.

“That’s great! I think it was fate that you two met when you were both down and healed each other’s wounds silently. When you meet again in the future, remember to treat him well.” Iwaizumi smiled and said to Oikawa.

Oikawa looked at himself on the screen enjoying every moment and felt relieved. Knowing that although his future choices might involve hardships, if it meant he could be recognized and continue, then it wouldn't be a problem.

“Of course! And I never treated Shou-chan badly!”

Seeing how happy Oikawa was, Hinata's back seemed to have sensed something as well. He glanced at the brown-haired senior.

In volleyball you can't let the ball hit the floor but you can't hold the ball, either. But this is beach volleyball. There aren't six out here. There's only two.

YOU HAVE TO “CONNECT”.

We have to go back to the very basics of volleyball. Relearn from the ground up….ONE MORE TIME.

Hinata looked at the serious Oikawa who was also enjoying the match next to him. His eyes suddenly became sharp, he looked straight. His battle was just beginning.

“You can do it, Hinata. This is the first step and step by step it will make you who you are. All the efforts you put in will not be in vain.” Suga said as he patted his head.

Hinata paused for a moment when he heard Suga's words. His eyes suddenly filled with tears as if his whole body was covered in warmth.

“Yes…” Hinata replied softly, his voice small but filled with determination.

Suga smiled, still holding his hand on his head like an older brother always watching over his younger brother's every step of growth. Around, everyone also looked at Hinata with affection because they all knew that even though the boy was small and had shortcomings, his heart was always burning brighter than anyone else on the field.

And not only thanks to his own perseverance and efforts, behind him are many people supporting and waiting for Hinata. They are all audiences and even important parts that promote the strong development of the little sun.