A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter! Enjoy!

edited on june 4th, 2022 @ 2:45am

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CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR - RETURN

KAGEYAMA THREW THE BALL UP before tossing the ball for Tanaka, who jumped up and was able to get past the blockers. "Nice, Tanaka!" Daichi complimented.

"What'd you just say?" Nishinoya questioned, still irritated from what Kageyama had said. Both him and Kageyama stared at each other.

"You were blocking the back the back row attacker's approach." Kageyama informed.

"Huh? W-Was he?" Yachi asked.

"I'm not sure." Kiyoko replied. "Everyone's moving on their own, so I couldn't really tell."

"Gotcha." Nishinoya simply said before turning around and walking away.

"I didn't notice at all." Sugawara commented.

"The fact that Kageyama realized that while they were playing and the fact that Nishinoya realized it after he was told is pretty amazing." Ennoshita said.

"I'm more amazed that he talked to Nishinoya-san like that..." Yamaguchi stated.

Rei blinked. "You and me both, Yamaguchi-kun." He agreed.

Tanaka walked up to Kageyama. "You could've said it in a different way." He informed.

"Like how?" Kageyama asked.

Tanaka then had an intimidated look on his face. "The hell did you just say?" He questioned until Daichi grabbed onto his head.

"All right. I'm gonna stop you right there." Daichi turned and bowed to the Date Tech referee. "Sorry about that."

Tsukishima was eying Kageyama. "I mean, Nishinoya under normal circumstances is one thing, but complaining to Nishinoya while they're playing is a first." Kinoshita commented.

"Kageyama sure is something." Narita added.

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Date Tech was currently in the lead with 16 points while Karasuno had 14. Kageyama tosses the ball for Tsukishima who jumps up and spikes.

"One touch!"

"Their blocking is on point today!" Nametsu Mai, Date Tech's second-year manager, commented next to Oiwake.

"Yeah." Oiwake agreed.

"They've been pumped ever since they heard that they were going up against Karasuno!" Nametsu mentioned.

"Just a while ago, they'd get distracted by the spikers on the sides, so they'd spread out more, but they're holding their ground in the middle." Oiwake said.

The ball was spiked as Rei dived down to receive it. "Nice!" Daichi complimented

Kageyama tossed over towards Tsukishima who spiked past the two blockers. "Nice kill!" Both Hinata and Yamaguchi complimented.

"That should've been a good one." Kageyama thought while Daichi gave Tsukishima a high five. "The same as usual."

"What?" Tsukishima suddenly questioned at Kageyama. "I hit it over. If you have something to say, just say it."

Kageyama said nothing as he just walked away. The ball went back into the air as Rei received it.

"Tobio-kun!" Rei called out as Kageyama ran over and got into setting position.

"Got it!" He reassured.

Kageyama then jumped up. "Tanaka-san!" He shouted out the second-year's name, tossing over to him.

Tanaka jumps up and spikes the ball down as the whistle blew. "Damn it! Sorry!" He apologized. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry about it!"

"Maybe they're too worried about getting blocked." Ukai commented as a sudden commotion from outside grabbed his attention.

"Go, go, let's go! Let's go, Date Tech!"

The Date Tech third-years were at the gym entrance in their school uniforms. "'Scuse us! We came to cheer on our precious little juniors!" Kamasaki announced.

"We'll be watching from up top, so we won't get in the way." Moniwa added on.

"Hey! You're at another school!" Oiwake scolded.

"Oh, it's fine." Takeda reassured.

"Sorry about this." Oiwake apologized.

"You guys had better not lose!"

"Show them what Date tradition really is!"

"Thanks! We'll do our best!" Koganegawa exclaimed.

"They must have a lot of time on their hands." Futakuchi commented.

"What'd you say, Futakuchi?! We can hear you up here!"

"He's saying that you should be focusing on getting into college then worrying about what your juniors are doing." Nakano spoke in a blunt tone.

"Damn you, Nakano!"

"Come on! Make sure we can hear you!" Futakuchi said. "Let's get more excited when we score a point!"

"Futakuchi... Look at you, acting like a leader!" Moniwa exclaimed with pride.

"Let's put pressure on our opponents in various ways! Let's crack their spirits just enough that the refs don't notice! If you can't pull it off in practice, you can't pull it off in a game, either!" Futakuchi informed.

"Way to go, Futakuchi! You big jerk!" Kamasaki exclaimed.

"Shut up, Kamasaki!"

Yachi held a dead pan expression. "It's great that Date Tech seems to be having fun..." She commented.

Asahi ended up getting blocked. "Sorry!" He apologized as Rei looked at the score.

Date Tech

20

Karasuno

17

"Karasuno seems off their game."

"Yeah. We might actually win."

Koganegawa tosses the ball as Futakuchi spikes it, getting Date Tech another point as Rei was late on receiving it.

"Nice kill!"

"You should've tried to block again. You could've totally jumped again." Kageyama informed.

Tsukishima just sent him a smile. "Oh, what are you so irritated for? Did the King miss his nap today?" He questioned.

"What?" Kageyama said.

Daichi grabbed onto Kageyama while Tanaka grabbed onto Tsukishima, keeping them both from causing a scene.

"Hey!"

"Well, that's not good." Ukai commented.

"Should we call a time out?" Takeda questioned, standing up.

"Nah. It's fine." Ukai reassured.

The game continued on. "Daichi-san!" Rei called out as Daichi received the ball.

Kageyama tossed the ball over towards Asahi who spiked it, but it ended up being an out.

"Man, Asahi can't catch a break today. What's wrong?" Sugawara wondered out loud.

"Damn it, sorry! That was a really good toss." Asahi stated.

"Then make the damn point." Kageyama spoke.

Asahi glanced over towards him while everyone looked in shock as it went silent. The game finally ended with Date Tech emerging victorious.

Everyone gathered around Ukai as Asahi turned to look back at Kageyama. "So, hey, Kageyama... There's something I wanna try—" Asahi began.

"I..." Kageyama's body started to shake. "I know my tosses are good! So please, score more often!"

Kageyama gasped at his words as everyone looked at him in silence. "Look at that. It's the return of the King." Tsukishima commented.

"Move faster! Jump higher! Match my tosses, if you want to win!"

Kageyama was still in shock as he bowed. "I'm sorry—" He started to say.

"I've been thinking..." Hinata's voice interrupted Kageyama's apology. "What's wrong with him being the King again? Is it because he's too bossy? Because he's too self-centered? I mean, either way... No matter what Kageyama says, if I don't like it, I'm just not gonna listen to him."

Kageyama gave him a look of bewilderment as Ukai just chuckled. "No matter what he says, I'm not gonna listen if I don't like his tone." Tanaka commented.

"What he said." Tsukishima agreed as he was cleaning his glasses.

"Yet I still see Tanaka listening if it's addressed to him. He's just strict when it comes to how his teammates are addressed." Sugawara commented.

"Yeah." Daichi agreed.

"I mean, I wouldn't mind if you'd speak nicer to me..." Asahi added on.

"So no one really cares if you're the King or not." Hinata informed as Kageyama just stared at him. "I mean, the King is supposed to be cool."

"Nothing beats a set that's easy for the spiker to hit." Ukai spoke, causing Kageyama to look towards him. "And you find out what that is through communication. But that doesn't mean you can't fight."

"Uh... Sorry about that, Kageyama. I've been trying to time my hits so they don't match their blocks, but it just hasn't been working against Date Tech. Your tosses are great, though. So keep doing what you're doing." Asahi told him. "I'm probably gonna get caught by their blocks again, so I'll just apologize now. My bad."

"And I'm not gonna give up trying for that super sharp cut shot. I mean, especially since we're practicing against Date Tech." Tanaka added on. "If you don't like it, that's your problem."

"I can't make any promises." Kageyama said in a serious tone.

Tanaka lets out a laugh. "Bring it on!" He challenged, moving his shoulder in a circular motion.

"We're starting the second set!"

"Are they fighting?" Takeda questioned.

"I mean, it's not like you fight because someone tells you to. But you know..." Ukai paused. "If Kageyama's starting to say what he wants to say, what about vice versa?"

Daichi dives down to save the ball. "Kageyama's talent is extraordinary, so the others might not know how to nitpick when it comes to him." Ukai continued on.

"Hey! You're not attacking over the middle that much today!" Hinata's voice shouted out. "You scared, Kageyama-kun?!"

"What?!"

"Go down the middle more!"

"I guess we do have someone who nitpicks." Takeda commented as Ukai laughed. Nishinoya then received the ball.

"Nice save!"

"Let's experiment with one and a half ball widths..." Kageyama thought, tossing the ball over towards Tsukishima.

"That little..." Tsukishima trailed off as he missed spiking the ball.

The ball falls to the ground and the whistle blew as the score went to Date Tech. "Are they really going to be okay like that?" Futakuchi questioned. "Not like I actually care, but..."

"I guess even Kageyama misses sometimes." Koganegawa commented.

"Hey." Kageyama called out towards Tsukishima. "I'm not gonna stoop down to your level."

An intense aura surrounded Tsukishima. "Oh, I see. That's perfectly fine with me." He said as Tanaka just laughs.

"Kageyama does worry quite a bit at times." Kinoshita commented. "It's not like he was saying anything that weird earlier."

"Maybe he's still worried about what happened in junior high." Yamaguchi guessed.

"Though he doesn't seem like the type to dwell on the past." Narita added on.

"People dwell on different things. And for Kageyama, the thing that happened in junior high must weigh pretty heavy on him." Ennoshita said.

"I mean, I don't know the details, but one thing's for certain... Kageyama realizes that there's a chance he might be wrong. And I think his teammates in junior high made him realize that after butting heads." Sugawara stated.

"In a way, I'm kinda like him." Rei spoke up, causing the others to look at him. "I focused too much about what happened in the past."

"With the other Inhumane Players?" Sugawara questioned, making Rei nod.

"After Kawa-kun's defeat against us in the finals, he called for everyone and we met up at Jindai's gym. We played volleyball together, just like we did before." Rei said. "Everyone is friends again, so that's why I no longer worry anymore."

Date Tech was in the lead with 24 points while Karasuno had 23. Koganegawa tosses the ball up as both Asahi and Tsukishima blocked.

"One touch!"

"Free ball!" Nishinoya called out as he received the ball.

Tsukishima then stepped back a bit. He ran forward and jumped up. Tsukishima was able to spike the ball past Koganegawa and Fukiage.

"So close! But that sure was high!" Sugawara stated, making Hinata grin.

The whistle blew as Date Tech won the second set. Tsukishima glanced over at Kageyama with an annoyed look.

"So you can fly." Kageyama commented.

"Way to look smug, Kageyama." Tanaka praised.

"Tsukki, calm down! Stay serene!" Yamaguchi shouted out. "Kageyama, stop egging Tsukki on!"

"Shut up, Yamaguchi." Tsukishima told him.

"'The setter's the most dominant role! It's the coolest!'" Hinata suddenly exclaimed as he was flattening his hair as Rei chuckled, recalling what Kageyama told Hinata.

"The setter is the team's control tower! It's the setter that handles the ball the most in a match. It's the most dominant role! It's the coolest!"

Hinata began wrapping up the towel in his hands. "We're not just gonna forget that you said all that. No matter how much you try to act like a Goody Two-Shoes, you're a king deep down inside! Prepare yourself..." Hinata stops at Kageyama. "From this day on shall be known as..."

Hinata then jumped up. "the new King of the Court!" He finished, placing the makeshift crown onto Kageyama's head.

Kageyama threw the towel back at Hinata, making him stumble back a bit as Kageyama smiled. "Looks like he got over it." Ukai stated.

"I don't really know how others feel, and apparently, I'm not the best with words." Kageyama spoke to the team.

"We know, duh." Hinata commented.

"You're saying that now?" Tsukishima asked.

"But... I'll do everything I can to become the best setter." Kageyama continued on.

"You're saying that now?" Daichi questioned as Kageyama turned to glance over at the three third-years, who were smiling. "You've always been that."

"Aw, apparently the King is a sweet little boy!" Tsukishima taunted.

"Come on, Tsukishima. Grow up." Hinata told him.

"Wow, Hinata just said that." Yamaguchi commented.

"He was only saying what everyone thought, Yamaguchi-kun." Rei mumbled.

"You're still mad about earlier, huh?" Tanaka added in with a smug look.

"You should've guessed that." Sugawara said.

"Guess read blocking!" Nishinoya exclaimed with his hands up.

"Stop confusing things." Ennoshita commented.

"I can be a Goody Two-Shoes here..." Kageyama muttered.

"It's normal not to know what others are thinking. I mean, thinking about it is important, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary when playing. You need to know the current state of the game and your teammates' conditions." Ukai spoke as Kageyama only nodded in reply.

The match continued on as Kageyama tossed over towards Tsukishima, who jumped up and spiked past the blockers.

"Nice kill, Tsukki!"

"Tsukishima's already huge, so I never thought his contact point was low, but I guess he's able to hit even higher." Kinoshita commented.

"I knew it!" Hinata exclaimed.

Ennoshita chuckled. "Though he looks like he's having a hard time." He stated.

Hinata turned to Sugawara. "When Kogane... Er, when Date Tech's setter was setting for him, he was hitting the ball about that high." He said.

"Huh..." Sugawara muttered.

"Tsukishima, like... hits the ball really compact like, fabam! With both his approach and his swing." Hinata stated.

"The middle blocker is all about fast attacks, so I guess that happens often." Narita said.

"The setter usually keeps that speed in mind and tosses lower, too." Sugawara added on.

"But Kogane would end up setting too high a lot." Hinata stated. "So during the camp, Tsukishima naturally... Actually, he didn't have a choice. It seemed like he was trying to match up with Kogane."

"Ah..." Ennoshita and Kinoshita said in unison.

"Wow, that's some growth..." Sugawara said.

"Yeah. Kageyama's super amazing for being able to bring that out. I'm not gonna let Tsukishima beat me in height, either." Hinata said.

"Er... I meant you, too." Sugawara claimed.

Kageyama tosses the ball over towards Tanaka. "All right!" He shouted, slamming the ball down.

"Nice kill!"

"Keep 'em comin'!" Tanaka told Kageyama.

"No." Kageyama said as the second-year looked over at him. "Tanaka-san, you're getting sloppy. If you're tired, we can sub you out."

Ukai called for a time out as Tanaka had a calm look plastered on his face. "Yeah... I'm pretty sure that Kageyama-kun thought he was looking out for me when he said that. I get it. I do. But..." He thinks to himself.

"You're not subbing me out, dumbass!" Tanaka shouted. "However, I do admit that I flailed that last hit!"

"Wow, he's being honest." Daichi commented.

"Good boy." Asahi added on.

"Tanaka's not exactly exhausted, so we should use this chance to experiment with how to deal with this situation." Daichi spoke. "Even in a real game, we sub people out for a greater advantage, rather than to cover our weakness, right?"

"All right. In that case, I'll send fewer balls his way and keep an eye on his condition." Kageyama stated as Tanaka got irritated.

"Could you just do that a bit more nonchalantly?" He asked. "It's not like I'm going to agree with you saying that."

"Nonchalantly?" Kageyama repeated in his head. "I'll give it a try!"

"Hey, in my case, I'd prefer if you told me. I'd be more shocked if I quietly realized you were setting less to me." Asahi stated.

"Jeez, you're a pain."

"I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises." Kageyama said.

"That's fine. You don't need to spoil me." Asahi reassured.

"They're constantly evolving. But that evolution might not always be positive. But... As long as we have these second and third-years I think we'll be okay." Takeda thinks to himself.

"The third-years always talk about how much they appreciate good first-years joining the team, but I guess it's the same deal for Kageyama-kun." Takeda spoke.

"Yeah." Ukai agreed.

The game continued as Rei dived down to receive the ball. "Nice!" Tanaka complimented.

"Kageyama!" Daichi shouted out.

"Left!" Kageyama shouted as he tossed the ball up as Asahi jumped up and spiked it, but got blocked as Tanaka and Kageyama were too late to save it.

"Sorry!" Asahi apologized.

"You don't need to apologize there, Asahi-san!" Tanaka told him.

"Oh, uh, sorry." Asahi repeated.

"We should've been able to cover." Kageyama stated.

"Er, uh, sorry."

"It's sorta funny seeing him get yelled at for apologizing." Daichi commented. "Also, that's rare for Tanaka."

Rei just hummed in reply. "Are we just ignoring the fact that Kageyama-kun's toss was off?" Hinata pointed out.

"Sorry!" Kageyama apologized.

Futakuchi was bouncing the ball up and down. "I don't know what's going on, but Karasuno doesn't seem to be playing their best today." He commented as the whistle blew.

Futakuchi threw the ball up in the air and spiked it as Tanaka barely dived down to save it. "Asahi!" Daichi called out.

"Right!" Hinata shouted.

"Hinata, get the last!" Asahi said, receiving the ball over towards him. "Crap, it's short!"

Koganegawa, Aone, and Nakano all jumped up to block in which they successfully blocked Hinata.

"Yeah!" The Date Tech third-year's cheered.

Futakuchi and Aone chest bumped one another as Futakuchi clenched his chest due to the impact.

"My bad, Hinata!" Asahi said.

"Right now, Date Tech's most noticeable server is their new leader... But if they end up with any more good serves, they might just become untouchable." Ukai spoke.

Aone then did a jump serve as it flew past Rei and Tanaka. "O..." Rei started to say in shock.

"...ut." Both him and Tanaka finished in unison.

"That was close, Aone!"

"Next year, our most troublesome opponent may end up being Date Tech." Ukai claimed as both Karasuno and Date Tech had a stare off.

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A/N: Another chapter is finished! Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 3111 words.