Haikyuu: Reborn in Karasuno

A pink-ponytailed girl in a white T-shirt printed with a chibi-style bird, denim shorts, and a backpack stood on the second-floor balcony of the gymnasium, scanning the crowd.

Beside her, a blonde girl in a white culotte skirt and a blue chiffon blouse was being tugged along by the hand, looking mildly exasperated.

These two were Hatogaya Koyuki and her good friend Sarawatari Yuki—both of whom had met Hayato before.

They had come specifically to cheer for Karasuno, but due to some delays, they arrived just after Karasuno had finished their match against Ohgiminami High.

"Koyuki, you don't have to run so fast. The gym isn't that big."

"But we're late! The lady at the front desk said Karasuno's already through the first round, and their second-round opponent is…"

"Kakugawa," Yuki supplied with a sigh.

"Right! That's it! Oh—Yuki, look! Karasuno's banner! And girls in the Volleyball Club uniforms!"

The moment she spotted the banner, Koyuki grabbed Yuki and ran toward it.

"Hey, is this Karasuno's cheering section?" Koyuki asked eagerly.

"Yes, it is. And you two are…?" Hitoka tilted her head, curious rather than shy at the sight of the two friendly girls.

"Hello! I'm Hatogaya Koyuki, and this is my friend, Sarawatari Yuki. We're both Karasuno students—Class 2-3! We came to cheer for the volleyball team!"

Her sunny personality was almost Hinata-like. Yuki gave a polite nod in agreement.

"Second years? That makes you my senpai! I—I'm Yachi Hitoka, Class 1-5. I'm the other manager for the Volleyball Club. Please take care of me!" Hitoka quickly bowed.

Koyuki waved it off. "No need to be so formal! So, has the second match started yet?"

She leaned over the railing, searching the court—and found them almost instantly.

"Karasuno~! Go!~~"

Her clear voice rang across the gym, drawing the entire Karasuno team's attention upward.

The second-years warming up spotted her and started laughing.

Nishinoya elbowed Hayato with a grin. "Hayato, your fan's here."

It wasn't entirely wrong—Koyuki's letter to him had mentioned being moved by his skills—so calling her a fan wasn't far off.

Though surprised to see her, Hayato gave her a wave and a polite nod toward Yuki.

"Don't talk nonsense. She's here to cheer for Karasuno," Hayato said flatly, ignoring the smirks around him.

Then came the follow-up:

"Kuroha-kun! Go!!!"

Every male within earshot seemed to glare at him out of pure jealousy.

Thankfully, Kiyoko already knew about Koyuki, so her reaction was calm. The second-years, however, couldn't hide their grins.

Before their teasing could peak—

"Nishinoya-kun! Go!!!"

Tanaka instantly lunged at him in a headlock. "What the heck? Why do you get a personal cheer?"

"How should I know? We're just classmates!" Nishinoya wheezed.

Once free, he clapped Tanaka's shoulder. "Ryū, you saw that, right? Play well and cute girls cheer for you!"

"…You're right," Tanaka said, glancing toward the blonde girl. She was cute too—though of course, the goddess of the Kiyoko Protection Squad would always be Kiyoko.

Still, as his turn came to spike, Tanaka played it up with a smug posture and even threw a look toward Koyuki—only to be barked at by Daichi.

"Tanaka! Focus on warm-ups!"

Tanaka deflated instantly. Nishinoya was promptly reeled back in by Ennoshita, and Hayato smirked at their misfortune—until Daichi's glance made him stand down too.

The Match Begins

Koyuki's friend Yuki sighed. "Koyuki, cheering for Karasuno is enough. Why did you shout Nishinoya's name?"

"Because, besides Kuroha-kun, he's the only other one I know!" Koyuki answered simply.

Hitoka, however, fidgeted—Koyuki's calls had drawn every gaze in the vicinity.

Still, her friendliness quickly attracted the kids sitting nearby, and soon she was chatting with a group of elementary schoolers who had come with an elderly man. They all began cheering together.

The elderly man, however, ignored the chatter. His eyes were fixed on the giant across the court.

This time, Hayato requested to start in the front row—to face Kakugawa's two-meter-tall weapon head-on.

The lineup from left to right in the front: Hinata, Hayato, Kageyama.

Back row: Daichi, Tanaka, Tsukishima. Nishinoya and Tsukishima would rotate.

Karasuno served first.

Tsukishima's serve was received cleanly by Kakugawa. Their setter quickly sent the ball to the towering Hyakuzawa Yudai.

Hinata, Hayato, and Kageyama jumped together—a triple block.

Kakugawa's libero called out "Triple block!" but didn't sound worried. No way they could stop that height, right?

Hyakuzawa himself thought the same, putting less power behind the spike.

That was his mistake.

A pair of hands suddenly filled the ball's path—Hayato's.

Stuff block.

The ball slammed down untouched.

"OOHHHH!!"

Karasuno erupted. "Don't think you can score that easily, kora!"

"Nice one, Kuroha!" Daichi grinned in relief. Against someone that tall, even one clean block was a huge morale boost.

"Hayato-senpai! That was awesome!" Hinata cheered.

Hayato high-fived him and Kageyama. "Hey, Shoyo, Tobio—good timing."

Up in the stands, Koyuki's eyes sparkled. "Wow! Even against someone that tall, he blocked it! Amazing!"

"Seriously? He stopped that?!"

"Is that guy a monster? That was a two-meter spike!" the crowd buzzed.

Even Hitoka exhaled, visibly less tense.

Koyuki grabbed her hand, and the two of them, plus Yuki, counted down together—

"One, two—"

"Karasuno! Go!!"

Their cheer rippled across the court, lifting the team's spirits again.

Tsukishima served once more.

This time, Hyakuzawa jumped with full force—higher, faster.

"Tch… so he wasn't using full power before," Hayato muttered.

He barely got a fingertip on the ball. "One touch!"

Daichi slid in, half-kneeling to dig it up. "Chance ball!"

"Tobio!" Hayato called.

Kageyama's set soared.

"Hayato-senpai—this one's yours!"

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