Chapter 26: Little King
Though he didn't quite grasp what Oikawa-senpai meant by "stay stagnant," Kageyama Tobio understood the rest—a new attack was necessary!
Kageyama stood frozen, lost in thought, not even noticing Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime leave.
"Shouyou, you okay?" Kaedehara Taiichi looked at Hinata Shouyou, who had suddenly lowered his head.
Man, Kageyama's emotional intelligence is rock-bottom. Yelling that loud with Hinata right here.
"I'm fine. I know my skills are still lacking," Hinata said, lifting his head, his face tinged with reluctance.
"By the way, I saw your message last night and got so excited I couldn't sleep!" Hinata's gloom lasted barely a second before he brightened up. "Can you tell me more about Nakashima Taku-senpai?"
"Forget Nakashima-senpai for now. Actually, I know the 'Little Giant,'" Taiichi said, casually dropping a bombshell.
"What? Really? That's so cool!" Hinata stared at Taiichi with awe.
Hahaha, this is the reaction I wanted. Nakashima was too mature, Taiichi thought, his vanity thoroughly satisfied.
"I was in elementary school when I saw the Spring High broadcast on TV…" Hinata slipped into reminiscence mode.
"And they were showing Karasuno's match, and you saw the 'Little Giant,'" Taiichi finished for him.
"How'd you know?" Hinata asked, stunned.
I know all too well, Taiichi thought smugly.
"Because I did too. I saw the 'Little Giant's' match. Plus, your height makes it easy to connect the dots," Taiichi said with a grin.
"Wow, Taiichi, you're so smart!"
My gosh, so dazzling. Is this the power of the little sun? Keep praising me, I'm thrilled.
"What's the 'Little Giant' like?" Hinata asked eagerly.
"He's super strong. I learned a bit from him about 'battles in the air.'"
"'Battles in the air'! So cool!" Hinata suddenly remembered why he came to Aoba Johsai. "I want to learn how to fight at the 'highest point'!"
"Huh? With me?" Taiichi was caught off guard, feeling his current skill level wasn't quite up to teaching.
"Haha, not exactly," Hinata said, scratching his head. "Our coach taught me a lot, but I haven't mastered it yet."
"Oh, but I've got a move you might want to see," Taiichi decided to show Hinata the "Little Giant's" style. After all, Umenai Tenma hadn't held back when teaching him.
"Really? Master!" Hinata's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Master? Hearing Hinata's call, Taiichi's grin widened uncontrollably. Oh no, I'm half-tempted to join Karasuno now.
"Hey, Oikawa-senpai's calling you to practice spiking," a stern voice interrupted, accompanied by a scary face.
"Huh? Why's the Great King calling us to spike here?" Hinata asked, puzzled, looking at Kageyama Tobio.
Kageyama yanked Hinata aside impatiently. "Not you, idiot. I'm talking to him."
Kageyama pointed at Taiichi.
…
How do I put this? I kinda liked Kageyama Tobio, but this guy's emotional intelligence…
Taiichi pushed Kageyama's hand down. "I don't like being pointed at. Also, I'm Kaedehara Taiichi, first-year at Aoba Johsai. Nice to meet you, Little King!"
"What?" Kageyama glared at Taiichi upon hearing the nickname.
"Shouyou calls Oikawa-senpai Great King, so there's no issue with me calling you Little King, right?" Taiichi said with a kind smile.
"Yeah, Kageyama, 'Little King' is pretty cool too. I want a cool nickname!" Hinata chimed in, stepping between them.
"Get lost, dummy," Kageyama said, shoving Hinata again. "Whatever, let's go spike."
"Sure thing."
---
Taiichi and Kageyama stood on the court together, with Oikawa and Iwaizumi watching from the sidelines and Hinata ready to retrieve balls across the net.
"Tobio-chan, set the same kind of ball you give to Hinata. I want to see how Taiichi hits it," Oikawa said.
"Yes, Oikawa-senpai!" Kageyama responded, then turned to Taiichi. "Just jump forward and spike. Swing at your highest point without hesitation. No hesitation."
"Got it," Taiichi nodded.
Taking a deep breath, Taiichi sprinted from the backline toward the net, leaping powerfully a step before it. His body arched gracefully in the air, arm swinging forward.
Whoosh!
The ball grazed Taiichi's fingertips, landing out of bounds.
"Sorry, I set it a bit high," Kageyama said immediately.
His speed's only slightly slower than Shouyou's, but with that height, his jump's weak. His attack point's even lower than Shouyou's.
Taiichi caught a faint pity in Kageyama's gaze, instantly feeling annoyed.
Second ball.
Taiichi jumped again to spike. The moment he leaped, the ball wasn't there yet. In mid-air, he couldn't help glancing at Kageyama.
Whoosh!
The ball's speed was too fast, zipping past Taiichi's eyes in a flash. He swung and missed.
"You swung too late," Kageyama said, pinning the blame on Taiichi this time.
Taiichi stayed silent, standing still, replaying the ball in his mind.
"Taiichi, try again," Oikawa called from the side.
One ball, two balls, three balls.
Taiichi kept missing the volleyball by a fraction.
Kageyama's face showed growing impatience. He held the ball, standing still.
"One more," Taiichi said, looking at Kageyama.
"No need. You don't trust me. When you hesitate, your swing naturally slows," Kageyama said calmly.
"Then I'll do it. Taiichi, do the same as before," Oikawa said, stepping onto the court and taking the ball from Kageyama.
Taiichi didn't say much, immediately starting his next approach and jump.
Bang!
He hit it! The moment Taiichi swung, the ball appeared right in front of his hand, perfectly placed!
"This is the feeling?" Oikawa stared at his hands, trying to savor that fleeting moment.
Kageyama, unfazed, wasn't surprised. He never thought he was the most special—just the one who wanted to win most. It was only natural Oikawa-senpai could do it.
Taiichi stood on the court, emotions swirling. He couldn't believe he'd actually pulled off that move. It felt like a dream.
He looked at Shouyou and saw the same awe on his face.
Hinata had thought he was nothing without Kageyama, but now he knew—beyond Kageyama Tobio, other setters could deliver the ball to him like that!