Chapter 27: Dead Last
"One more time!" Like the thrill of landing a combo in a game for the first time, Kaedehara Taiichi's heart soared as if breaking free from a cocoon, every cell in his body cheering.
"Alright!" Oikawa Tooru felt a surge of self-breakthrough, his lips curling into an irrepressible smile.
With each approach, leap, swing, and spike, Taiichi grew attuned to the rhythm in the air. He began consciously controlling his palm, spiking the ball from different angles.
Though not as advanced as twisting his body or wrist to hit straight or diagonal shots, he was integrating his prior aerial techniques, mastering this attack even earlier than the original Freak Quick duo.
Hinata Shouyou watched enviously from the sidelines for a long while before finally speaking up to Oikawa. "Great King, can I try your sets too?"
They say "sincerity is the ultimate weapon," and even Oikawa couldn't resist the little sun's radiance.
"Fine, you can try a few balls," Oikawa said, reluctantly pursing his lips.
"Thank you!" Hinata spread his arms, leaping excitedly into the air.
Watching Hinata, who with a single jump nearly cleared half his height, Taiichi felt another pang of hurt in his heart.
"First, let's do your usual 'Freak Quick,'" Oikawa said, confirming Hinata's attack point.
"Got it!"
Hinata responded, standing at the backline, loosening up his body.
In a flash, Hinata dashed to the net, then "flew" upward, eyes closed, arm swinging without hesitation.
Bang!
The first ball was a perfect sync!
Standing close, Taiichi felt Hinata's speed viscerally—his small frame and soaring jump delivered a massive visual impact.
Kageyama Tobio clenched his teeth, further convinced he could hardly surpass Oikawa. Oikawa-senpai had a magic touch, drawing out 100% of his teammates' potential.
It really feels the same as Kageyama's sets, Hinata thought, his heart brimming with shock.
Little did he know, Oikawa was even more astonished. Hinata's complete trust on their first try was like poison to a setter—so alluring.
Our Taiichi can't do that. Facing Kageyama's high-precision sets, Taiichi couldn't open up, still trusting his senpai more.
At this thought, Oikawa felt a twinge of warmth. Guess I'll be nicer to Taiichi from now on. He smiled at Taiichi.
"What's that look, Oikawa-senpai? You're creeping me out," Taiichi said, missing Oikawa's sentiment entirely.
Oikawa froze. This guy! It's settled—cute kouhai ranking: Hinata Shouyou first, Kageyama Tobio second, Kaedehara Taiichi dead last.
"Little shrimp, now try spiking with your eyes open," Oikawa resolved to ignore Taiichi, focusing on coaching Hinata patiently.
"Okay!" Hinata was eager to try.
Whoosh! The ball flew past; Hinata's swing was a beat late.
Whoosh! Hinata's jump height dipped.
Whoosh! His swing was still too slow.
Ten balls later, Hinata hadn't hit a single one. The best attempt barely grazed the ball.
Hinata lowered his head, arms hanging, unsure why he was failing. Kageyama stood nearby, his face grave.
"It's not about trust," Oikawa said, pacing. "It's technique and rhythm. Little shrimp, you're different from Taiichi. Taiichi started spiking with his eyes open, so he could adjust his mid-air movements. Later, he added speed, so what he needed was whether I could set the ball where he wanted."
"Your attack with Tobio relied on Tobio's precise sets to succeed. Now, wanting to control the ball in the air, thinking and adjusting slows your movements."
Oikawa turned to Hinata and Kageyama. "I know what to do!"
Kageyama listened intently, but noticed Oikawa-senpai went silent after turning around.
Here we go again. Seeing Oikawa's head held high with a smug look, Taiichi knew he was about to show off his senpai superiority.
Taiichi winked at Hinata, signaling him.
Hinata got the hint, grabbing Kageyama and bowing deeply to Oikawa. "Great King, please teach us!"
Oikawa nodded slowly, whispering, "Iwa-chan, record this."
Iwaizumi Hajime didn't budge.
"Iwa-chan! One ramen."
Iwaizumi remained unmoved.
"Three ramens!"
"Tonight's on you too," Iwaizumi said, slowly pulling out his phone to capture the Freak Quick duo pleading with Oikawa.
Ahem. Oikawa cleared his throat. "Since you've begged so earnestly, I'll graciously share my wisdom…"
"Spit it out, stop stalling," Iwaizumi glared at Oikawa.
"What the little shrimp needs now is to spike more balls—not just Tobio's sets, but all kinds of sets from different setters," Oikawa said, looking at Hinata. "Little shrimp, you need your body to build muscle memory, cutting down on thinking and adjusting in the air."
"And Tobio-chan, you need to slow your sets slightly. That tiny delay won't disrupt your attack rhythm but gives the little shrimp time to think in the air."
"Slow them down? Oikawa-senpai, how exactly?" Kageyama asked.
"How should I know? That's your job to figure out," Oikawa said airily.
Honestly, even the original Freak Quick was tough to pull off with Kageyama's pinpoint sets. Oikawa initially thought he couldn't match that.
Now, advancing further was only theoretically possible.
Oikawa knew he couldn't do it, but if it was Kageyama Tobio, maybe he could. Oikawa was genuinely curious.
Win or lose aside, he just wanted to see how far this quick attack could go.
Kageyama and Hinata sank into deep thought. Taiichi watched them with interest. The "crows'" evolution was accelerating, unfolding right before his eyes.
"Thanks, Oikawa-senpai!" Kageyama and Hinata snapped out of their thoughts, sincerely thanking Oikawa.
"No big deal. We gained something too," Oikawa said, generously acknowledging Kageyama for once.
Taiichi stood there, feeling he'd forgotten something. Oh, right—he was supposed to show Shouyou the "Little Giant's" moves. Oh well, next time. For now, practicing all these quick attack rhythms should keep him busy.