Hinata's confusion was written all over his face as he turned to me. "What do you mean, 'see the court?'" he asked, his voice filled with genuine puzzlement.
I stepped closer, locking eyes with him. "When you jumped for that spike just now," I began, "you shifted your gaze at the last moment. It's like you saw their libero move to cover the straight shot, so you changed to a cross mid-air. Did you see the court?"
He blinked, hesitating for a moment. Then, with a small nod, he replied, "Yeah… sometimes I do. I don't know why, but it's like everything's clear for a second. Is that bad?"
His answer hit me harder than I expected. I had suspected it for a while, but hearing him confirm it was still shocking.
I knew he could do it eventually, I thought, but it's still years too early for him to be seeing the court like that. His leveling speed is insane. It's probably because he's training with a team now, unlike in the original work. It's giving him the environment he needs to grow faster.
Around us, the reactions were immediate. Shigeo's eyes widened slightly, a rare display of shock from him. Misaki exchanged glances with some of her teammates, their astonishment clear. The first-years, on the other hand, looked utterly lost.
Daiki, ever the curious one, tilted his head. "Wait, what's so special about that? I don't get it."
I turned to him, trying to compose my thoughts. "Can you do it?" I asked simply.
"What, see the court in mid-air?" Daiki scratched his head. "Uh, no. I'm just trying to get my spikes in the right direction, let alone look at the defense."
I nodded, realizing everyone had been listening intently. This needed an explanation.
"When you jump for a spike," I began, "you're only in the air for a split second. It's said that no human can stay airborne for longer than a second. In that fraction of a second, your job is usually to focus on hitting the ball—a single task. But there are some players, pros, who can do more."
I paused, letting the weight of my words settle.
"They can see the field as if it's in slow motion. They process the positions of blockers, defenders, and openings. Then, they adjust their spikes mid-air. It's an ability so rare that even professionals struggle to master it because the brain simply doesn't have enough time to process all that information."
A collective gasp rippled through the group. Even the girls who had been skeptical earlier were now watching Hinata with newfound respect.
Daiki broke the silence with a bright grin. "That's amazing! Hinata, you're a freakin' superhero!"
Hinata scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. "I don't know about that…"
I smiled but quickly glanced at Misaki, realizing we were still in the middle of a match. "Sorry for the interruption," I said, inclining my head slightly. "Let's continue."
Before we resumed, I turned back to Hinata, lowering my voice so only he could hear. "Don't let it go to your head. It's impressive, but we've still got work to do."
He nodded firmly, his focus sharpening. With that, the match was back on, the court alive with energy once more.
The match resumed with Misaki's team taking the serve. She had clearly noticed our first-years' struggles with receiving and aimed the ball strategically between Daiki and Minato. Both players, too focused on the serve, moved toward it without paying attention to each other and nearly collided. Thankfully, Minato stopped just in time, allowing Daiki to go for the receive. However, the delay cost him—he was a step too slow and barely managed to get the ball into the air. The pass was weak, and the ball drifted out of bounds.
I instinctively started toward it, but then I saw Shigeo already moving. His eyes were locked on the ball, his body gliding effortlessly into position. For a brief moment, he glanced at me. It wasn't just a look; it was a message. Go, conductor.
I understood immediately. Without exchanging a word, I sprinted toward the net, my heart pounding with anticipation. Across the court, I could see the girls' team focused entirely on Shigeo and the ball. They had completely lost track of me, and I knew Shigeo saw it too.
Without even turning to look at me, Shigeo set the ball high and fast toward the other side of the net. Misaki, ever observant, called out, "It's out!" But she was wrong.
I appeared out of nowhere, leaping into the air with everything I had. The gym seemed to freeze for a moment as I hung there, the ball perfectly aligned. Can't let these monsters outperform me now, can I? I thought, a fierce determination surging through me. With all my might, I spiked it down, the sound of the impact echoing through the court.
"24 to 22!" the referee announced.
Misaki stood frozen, staring at her teammates in disbelief. "What just happened?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
On our side, the first-years and Hinata erupted into cheers, their eyes wide with amazement. "That was incredible!" Riku shouted, his voice practically cracking with excitement. Stars seemed to gleam in their eyes as they looked at me and Shigeo.
Shigeo and I locked eyes, a wide grin spreading across both our faces.
"Way to go, genius," I said, my voice filled with genuine admiration.
"I expected nothing less from the conductor," he replied with a smirk.
The ball was in our hands now, and I stepped up to the line for the serve. The score was tight, and the pressure was immense. If I missed, the girls would win. But instead of playing it safe, I opted for a spike serve. The gym fell silent as I tossed the ball into the air and struck it with all the power I could muster.
The serve was my best yet. It flew fast and precise, catching the girls completely off guard. Their libero dived for it but couldn't get it into the air. "24 to 23!" the referee called.
Misaki raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Where did that come from? You didn't do that before."
I smirked teasingly. "Saving the best for last."
Lining up for the next serve, I aimed for the same power. This time, my control wasn't as sharp, and the ball veered toward their libero. She managed to get it up but groaned from the force. I noticed some of the first-years and even a few of the girls wince at the impact, probably thinking it looked painful.
The receive wasn't perfect but was good enough for Misaki to set the ball to their number 11. Daiki and Shigeo both leapt for the block, their timing almost flawless. The ball slammed against Daiki's hands, deflecting off the net and dropping onto our side.
"Game over! 25-23 to the girls!" the referee declared.
The gym erupted in cheers from the girls' side, while our team slumped slightly in defeat.