[Nekoma High School Gymnasium]

  Today's oppo wasn't particurly strong, so Coaekomata ed up the post-game review quickly and allowed the Nekoma pyers to start practising on their own.

  With Taichi Kaedehara now part of the team, Kuroo Tetsurō decided to spice things up a bit—by anizing a 3v3 match with mixed teams.

  "You tretty close; why not be on the same team?" Kuroo smirked, gng at Taichi and Kenma.

  "No way!" the two responded in perfeison.

  " I ask why not?"

  "I'm still bad at receiving…"

  "Setting for Taichi feels like it would be exhausting…"

  Kuroo sighed dramatically. "What a pair of troublemakers."

  The teams were decided:Red Team—Taichi Kaedehara, Yaku Morisuke, and Inuoka Sō.Bck Team—Kuroo Tetsurō, Kozume Kenma, and Haiba Lev.

  this really work? Taichi thought, a mix of doubt and nervousness on his face. Although Yaku could eable receives, both Taichi and Inuoka's setting skills left a lot to be desired…

  "This isn't about winning, is it?" Kuroo teased. "If you want to improve your cross-court spikes, start by nailing the basics of spiking. You 't always rely on perfect sets from Oikawa, you know~" His mischievous grin hi lingeriment over their loss to Aoba Johsai.

  The Red Team served first. Inuoka Sō sent the ball over, and Kuroo effortlessly received it, direg it toward Kenma. Lev charged toward the .

  "Double block!" Taichi and Inuoka jumped together.

  Smack!

  Lev spiked the ball ly past their hands, sg the first point.

  [Red Team 0 vs 1 Bck Team]

  "Lev, that was great! You he first spike!" Kuroo praised loudly.

  "Hehe…" Lev chuckled, scratg his head. He shot a quice at Kenma—See? You said I wasn't as good as Taichi, but I'll prove y.

  At over 190 cm tall, with a wingspan to match, Lev's presenear the was overwhelming. Taichi silently porategies to ter him.

  The Bck Team served , with Lev stepping up. His jump serve attempt resulted in the ball hitting the .

  "Lev! Just stand still and serve normally! You 't do jump serves yet!" Kuroo scolded without hesitation.

  Lev's service error hahe Red Team a point.

  [Red Team 1 vs 1 Bck Team]

  It was Taichi's turn to serve.

  "Don't send over an easy one now~" Kuroo taunted from across the , recalling Taichi's painfully average serves during their st practice match.

  Taichi smiled nontly, hiding his true iions. He was ready to surprise them.

  Taichi tossed the ball, took a quick approach, and, after a smooth leap, aimed a powerful spike-serve straight at Kenma. The gym fell silent as everyoched him swing.

  Thud.

  The ball smacked into the .

  "HAHAHAHAHA!" Kuroo burst out ughing. "What are you doing, paying tribute to Lev?! Hahaha…"

  "Sorry!" Taichi's face flushed as he hurried back to his position.

  "Don't worry about it— one!" Yaku said encingly.

  [Red Team 1 vs 2 Bck Team]

  Kuroo may have ughed, but he noticed something: Taichi's spiking form was fwless and far more refihan Lev's.

  The serve had only gone wrong because of a slightly low toss. If Taichi adjusted that, his attempt could be dangerous.

  The Bck Team served again. Kenma aimed the ball at Taichi, clearly intending to disrupt his attack.

  "Yaku-senpai!"

  The moment Taichi received the ball, he charged toward the , his presence impossible to ignore.

  "I got this!"

  Lev shouted, jumping in front of Taichi to block.

  Smack!

  But Yaku had already set the ball to the left, where Inuoka was waiting. Inuoka's spike nded ly on the opposing court, sg a point for the Red Team.

  [Red Team 2 vs 2 Bck Team]

  "Lev!!"

  "Didn't I tell you to jump only after you've seeoss? Read blog!" Kuroo Tetsurō excimed, exasperated.

  "Ah…got it!" Lev replied sheepishly.

  The Red Team's Yaku Morisuke served, sending the ball straight to Kenma. Kenma's first pass floated close to the , and Kuroo was quip after it.

  Taichi Kaedehara and Inuoka Sō reacted instantly, leaping to block Kuroo's spike head-on.

  Kuroo lightly flicked his wrist, angling the ball diagonally.

  Smack!

  But Yaku was already in position, perfectly receiving the ball.

  Taichi dashed to the right as Inuoka, nding from his jump, passed the ball toward him.

  "Double block!" Lev and Kuroo jumped together. Their bined presence was formidable, radiating sheer intimidation. But—

  It's short!

  Inuoka's set began to drop before it could reach Taichi.

  Ag quickly, Taichi reached out with his left hand, tipping the ball across the .

  The ball nded in the far diagonal er, where no one was defending.

  The Red Team scored again.

  [Red Team 3 vs 2 Bck Team]

  "He used his left hand…" Kenma's eyes lit up, intrigued. That's definitely something worth noting.

  Yaku served again. Kuroo received the ball effortlessly. Though this ractice match, their main goal was to help Lev improve. Kenma set the ball high to the middle of the court.

  Here it es!

  Lev, like a sleek and agile cat, locked his eyes on the ball. Starting from the back row, he sprinted forward before leaping powerfully.

  He was in excellent form! Lev could feel it—this point was his for the taking. His arm whipped like a crag whip, and his hand ected solidly with the ball.

  Smack!

  But just as he expected to see the ball hit the ground, a pair of hands appeared out of nowhere, blog his spike.

  "Looks like I still reach, huh? Not as high as I thought," Taichi said with a pyful grin, staring at the stunned Lev.

  "This guy…" Kuroo muttered, ping the bridge of his nose. "His true colours are starting to show."

  [Red Team 4 vs 2 Bck Team]

  Taichi had timed his block perfectly. He had approached the as though he were spiking, only to shift into a blog motion at the st moment. His height was just enough to stop Lev's attack.

  By now, Taichi was getting used to both Inuoka and Yaku's sets.

  Taichi beamed, clearly energized. "How about I teach Lev how to spike first, and then Kuroo-senpai teach me afterwards?"

  Before anyone realized it, the 3v3 practice had morphed into a one-on-one showdowween Taichi Kaedehara and Lev Haiba.

  bining finesse and power, Taichi unleashed a series of moves against Lev: soft tips, off-the-blocks, feints with time deys, and quick attacks. Even his newly learraight and cross-court spikes—though not perfectly accurate—were getting sharper and stronger.

  Kuroo and the others were practically numb watg the match. It's only been a month since I st saw him, but Taichi's improved so much…

  "Hey, Kuroo-senpai, do you think Lev will be okay?" asked Inuoka, who was, unsurprisingly, the most ed about his same-year teammate.

  "He'll be fine," Kuroo replied fidently. "Lev's usually overfident. Most of the pyers better than him are uppercssmen, so he akes them seriously. This is a good lesson for him."

  Kuroo could tell Lev wasn't disced. In fact, his movements were getting sharper, and he was cutting out unnecessary as.

  But Taichi's rapid growth was undeniable. Against a target like Lev, with exceptional physicality but underdeveloped skills, Taichi was gradually iing everything he'd learned into practical use.

  "Am I getting old already?" Kuroo joked, a sudden sense of wistfulness creeping over him. The younger pyers were improving faster than he could keep up.

  Kenma gave him a light kick but didn't say anything.

  "Hehe, just kidding," Kuroo said, stretg zily. "Don't worry—I'm not giving up on volleyball after graduation."

  _________

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