THE SHOES MADE A SHARP SOUND as they scraped against the ground, the young man's gaze fixed on the ball in front of him. Suddenly, he leaped into the air—

And a loud boom resounded, the volleyball, seemingly boosted by an additional force, rapidly shot towards the high wall on the other side of the net. Tendou Satori's snake-like eyes stared intently at the ball's trajectory, and without hesitation, he leaped into the air—!

Guessed it right!

However, the volleyball, without mercy, instantly broke throughTendou Satori's defenses, landing heavily on the court behind him.

He theatrically held his hand and let out a wail, though only Ushijima Wakatoshi and Goshiki Tsutomu were fooled, looking over in concern.

"If Wakatoshi-kun is the cannon, then Aotori-chan is definitely the dynamite! It just blooms right on top of the net." Tendou Satori, with one hand on his hip, pretended to be displeased as he stared at the seemingly calm Kobayashi Aotori, and said:

"The ball can be blocked, but how do you block an explosion!"

The others were accustomed to Tendou Satori's peculiar metaphors, but only Kobayashi Aotori, upon hearing the term "dynamite," paused for a moment, frowning slightly and touching his philtrum with his thumb:

"Why dynamite?"

"Hmm?"

Shirabu Kenjiro beside him seemed surprised that Kobayashi Aotori would actually respond to what seemed like a playful remark, and unexpectedly emitted a snort.

Tendou Satori extended a finger and confidently explained, "Ah, because Aotori-chan's spikes are like an ignited powder keg, both terrifying and with a massive range."

"Normally, most people, like Wakatoshi-kun, would concentrate all their strength into the volleyball itself, producing a spike like a 'cannon.' But Aotori-chan is different." Tendou Satori waves his finger and lifts his head proudly as he continues:

"Aotori-chan's spikes are super tricky! It not only contains the potential for a massive explosion at any moment, like a powder keg, but it could also be just an ordinary barrel when not ignited, it's impossible to predict!"

"Moreover, the hitting point always scatters like explosive debris, making the positioning overly tricky! It's like saying, 'Want to receive my spikes? Bow down and worship me!'"

Tendou mimicked Kobayashi Aotori's expression in a bizarre and amusing way, and the people around him couldn't help but find it funny. However, Kobayashi Aotori, the one being mimicked, has no recollection of making such an expression.

—IF KOBAYASHI AOTORI LOOKED in the mirror more often, some of the social issues bothering him would probably be easily resolved.

However, at this moment, he blinked, tilted his head, and the navy-blue ahoge on top of his head also tilted slightly.

Just now... Did Tendou just deliver a rap? Something about dynamites and bombs... I couldn't understand at all!

...Well, whatever. It's just a nickname, and besides, it's only Hinata who calls me like that anyways.

At this moment, Kobayashi Aotori didn't know how widespread this nickname would become.

But that's a story for later.

"Hmm—?" On the other side of the net, Tendou Satori suddenly squinted his eyes. Ushijima Wakatoshi, standing beside him, looked at him in confusion. Tendou then leaped up, grabbing onto the net in front of him, pressing his face against it, and said:

"Huh? Why is Aotori-chan so curious about this nickname? Could it be... did someone call you that before?"

Kobayashi Aotori raised an eyebrow, nonchalantly running to his position, keeping his eyes on the ball. He watched Ohira Reon fiercely hit the ball across the net, casually responding,

"It's nothing, I just got called like that by someone from Karasuno."

"Eh—?! Karasuno? Aotori-chan actually knows students from another school?! I thought Aotori-chan was the type who would never have friends no matter what!!" Tendou Satori exclaimed dramatically, leaping up under the coach's "serious" command and smashing the ball back to the other side.

"How rude!" Goshiki murmured in shock.

After that, Kobayashi Aotori was miserably entangled by the red-haired. Whether during training or rest, the other party was constantly persistently trying to find out about his "friend" at Karasuno.

Seated in a chair, Kobayashi Aotori took the water bottle thrown by Goshiki, tilted his head back, and let the sweat flow down his well-defined jawline, streaming down to his neck.

Putting down the water bottle, he felt the burning gaze beside him, sighed silently, and spoke with a slightly hoarse voice expressing clear fatigue after the exhausting training:

"I've said it before, we're not friends, we just met once," he says. He didn't know how many times he had explained this.

"Lies! Who gives nicknames to someone they've only met once?!" Tendou Satori didn't believe it at all and loudly complained.

"You would," Shirabu said casually, but Tendou seemed unwilling to engage in the conversation and continued to persistently cling to Kobayashi Aotori.

"That's enough."

Just then, a deep yet powerful voice rang out. Kobayashi Aotori had never been so eager to hear Coach Washijo's voice. He looked up at Coach Washijo standing at the doorway. The coach's expression remained as stern as ever. After delivering a few words, he turned and left the room with the words:

"Aotori, come with me for a moment."

—————

INSIDE COACH WASHIJO'S OFFICE, Kobayashi Aotori stood respectfully in front of him. Glancing casually, he only saw piles of unidentified documents on the office desk.

Indeed... Coach Washijo and the advisor teachers at Shiratorizawa takes the volleyball club more seriously than they appear.

Coach Washijo looked at the silent Kobayashi Aotori in front of him, recalling the times when he had executed the movements to perfection and persisted until the end of every training session. His eyes gleamed slightly.

"Kobayashi, you put in a lot of effort in every training session," Coach Washijo's deep voice resonated distinctly in the empty office.

"But! That's not enough!"

"Once you enter the national tournament, you'll face opponents of all kinds. If you continue to use this kind of tricky shots in normal matches, can you guarantee that you'll be as precise every time? By then, every point you lose could accumulate into Shiratorizawa's defeat!"

Coach Washijo spoke sternly, and he saw Kobayashi Aotori frowning in response. Such a reaction was expected.

However, at this moment, Kobayashi Aotori was puzzled.

Tricky shots? Me? Aren't those just a casual and ordinary hit?

"Shiratorizawa needs consistency, not unconventional tactics!"

Coach Washijo saw Kobayashi Aotori's reaction but didn't choose to stop. Instead, he continued, "If you can't score points for the team, even if you're a prodigy, here at Shiratorizawa, you won't qualify to step onto the court!"

Kobayashi Aotori blinked, and with his head lowered, he listened to Coach Washijo's words. Ignoring the parts that were incomprehensible due to confusing remarks about him, he easily understood the rest.

Just like in the manga, even though they were both short volleyball players, Coach Washijo clearly adhered to the principle that quality is paramount. He didn't need to be adaptable; he just needed absolute strength, much like the existence of Wakatoshi Ushijima.

But... someone like him actually chose Tendou Satori, who is such an unstable factor... Is it that height still holds the upper hand in his eyes?

Moreover, Tendou Satori is undoubtedly a scorer in matches, and scoring through blocking can indeed strongly suppress the opponent's mentality.

It creates the illusion for opponents that there is an insurmountable wall right in front of them.

Due to Kobayashi Aotori keeping his head lowered, Coach Washijo didn't notice that the player he was trying to train was daydreaminh. He mistakenly thought that Kobayashi Aotori was contemplating his words.

...Although, in a certain sense, that interpretation wasn't entirely wrong.

—————

WALKING BACK TO THE GYMNASIUM, Kobayashi Aotori kept his head down, looking at his hands. Once again, a heavy feeling settles in his heart.

Hmm... Why is that? Is it because of Coach Washijo's words?

Kobayashi Aotori initiated his analysis mode.

Tendou Satori, usually noisy, fell silent upon Kobayashi Aotori's return. Goshiki Tsutomu blinked and looked at Ushijima Wakatoshi, who was sitting nearby. He exchanges glances with Ohara Reon who gestured to him, and Goshiki silently closes his mouth.

Kobayashi-kun...is he caught in some kind of dilemma?

Goshiki Tsutomu, who had never had a one-on-one conversation with Coach Washijo, was completely confused. However, seeing the calm demeanor of his seniors, he chose to remain silent for the time being.

Time flew by, and when he came back to his senses, Kobayashi Aotori had already set foot on the path home, unknowingly following the route he often took for his runs.

Hmm... Is there some kind of enchantment at work here? By the way, have my thoughts become too scattered? What was the initial question I was pondering?

...Well, forget it, I can't remember.

He gradually slowed down his steps, intending to retrace his path, when he heard a enthusiastic shout from behind:

"MR.—DY—NA—MITE!"

Only one person would call out to him like that.

Kobayashi Aotori stopped in his tracks, turned around, and indeed saw an orange-haired figure on a bike.

"Ah! It's indeed Mr. Dynamite, I didn't make a mistake!" Hinata Shoyo's cycling speed was fast; he stopped in front of him shortly after, leaping lightly off the bike, looking at him with a cheerful smile.

"Mr. Dynamite, Mr.Dynamite, today, Karasuno had a practice match against Seijoh! Karasuno won, you know!"

"Ah... but the Grand King only appeared at the end... the Grand King's serves were super cool!"

"Oh, right! By the way, Mr. Dynamite probably doesn't know my name yet, huh? I'm Hinata Shoyo! First-year at Karasuno High! My favorite food is tamago kake gohan! @#¥%..."

T.N.: Tamago kake gohan (卵かけご飯, "egg on rice") is a traditional Japanese morning dish consisting of cooked Japanese rice topped or combined with raw egg and soy sauce.

Kobayashi Aotori felt like he was having a hallucination. Otherwise, how could he see a bouncing, talking orange in front of him?

Faced with Hinata Shoyo's bright smile for the first time, he subconsciously froze, stammering, "Ah... I'm Kobayashi Aotori... I like cheese baked rice...No, what am I saying!"

He quickly snapped out of it, looking at Hinata Shoyo's perplexed face and shook his head with a slight headache, "I understand, Hinata-san, winning against Aoba Johsai is great. Oikawa Tooru is indeed a good player. Is there anything else?"

Hinata Shoyo's eyes were like beans

Mr. Dynamite... was he responding to every sentence I said...?

He blinked his eyes, and the next moment, a blazing light radiated from him.

Wuwuwu, Mr. Dynamite is indeed a good person!

Indeed, no matter how you think about it, if there's a problem between him and Kageyama, it's definitely Kageyama's fault!

Kageyama: ???

Hinata Shoyo, who was easily swayed, became even more excited, hopping beside Kobayashi Aotori, sharing interesting stories during his volleyball practice.

Though the glow came from the setting sun on his face, Kobayashi Aotori felt like Hinata himself was shining.

"...You really, really love volleyball, huh."

After a long while, amid Hinata's enthusiastic words, Kobayashi Aotori's calm voice interrupted.

"Hmm?" Hinata Shoyo tilted his head in confusion, and in the next moment, he grinned and his eyes narrowed.

"Of course!"

"I love volleyball the most!"