Haikyuu!!: Can a reclusive genius fall in love?

The training hall of the volleyball club echoed with the sharp screech of volleyball shoes against the floor and the muffled thud of volleyballs hitting the ground. Yukimura Tsukihiro stood on the sidelines, quietly observing the players' training, his white hair slightly damp with sweat and clinging to his forehead.

"Alright, let's move on to group practice." Iwaizumi clapped his hands to gather all the team members. "Third-year students in one group, first and second-year students in a mixed group. Oikawa Toru, you'll be in charge of the second-year group."

Oikawa Tetsu gave an exaggerated bow: "Yes, sir, Iwa-chan~" He turned to Yukimura Tsukishiro, winked, "Yukimura-kun~, are you ready to show off your skills?"

Yukimura Tsukishiro nodded slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his emerald eyes, but he still followed Oikawa Tetsu toward the designated area. Kindaichi Yutaro and Kunimi Hideki were already warming up there. Upon hearing this affectionate address, Kindaichi Yutaro was visibly taken aback, while Kunimi Hideki merely lazily raised his eyelids.

"Relax, Kindaichi-kun." Oikawa Tetsu patted Kindaichi on the shoulder. "Today, we're mainly here to see how well the new team members cooperate."

The match began, and Oikawa Tetsu accurately passed the ball to Kindaichi at the net. Kindaichi jumped up and smashed the ball, but it was firmly blocked by the double block formed by Matsukawa Kazushige and Hanamaki Takahiro on the opposite side.

"What a pity!" Oikawa Tetsu encouraged, "Next time, choose your timing carefully before jumping."

When it was Yukimura Tsukishiro's turn to be in the front row, Oikawa Tetsu gave him a look. The ball was passed high, and Yukimura Tsukishiro jumped almost instinctively—his jump height was astonishing, and his arm-drawing posture was textbook perfect.

But at the last moment, he noticed that Matsukawa Kazushige had moved into his straight smash line. Yukimura Tsukishiro instinctively tried to change the direction of his shot, his wrist slightly twisting—

The ball slammed heavily onto the net with a dull thud.

mistake.

A few suppressed sighs came from the sidelines. After Xuecun Yuebai landed, a barely perceptible hint of annoyance flashed in his emerald eyes.

"It's alright!" Oikawa Toru's voice remained bright. "I'll transmit it better next time, Yukimura."

However, in the following plays, the problem became increasingly apparent. Yukimura Tsukishiro barely made eye contact with his teammates and rarely responded to their calls. On one occasion, when Kindaichi Yutaro rushed to his side to save the ball, Yukimura Tsukishiro reacted as if his territory had been invaded, abruptly taking a step back, causing the two to collide and the ball to fall to the ground and score.

"I'm sorry..." Kindaichi Yutaro hurriedly apologized, but Yukimura Tsukishiro just shook his head and silently stood up.

Iwaizumi stopped the match, his brow furrowed: "Yukimura, volleyball is a six-person sport. You need to communicate with your teammates."

Yukimura Tsukishiro lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously wrapping around the bandage on her wrist.

Oikawa Tetsu walked up to Yukimura Tsukishiro and softened his voice: "Listen, Yukimura, when I pass the ball, you need to tell me what kind of ball you want. Higher? Faster? Or which position do you want to play?"

After a moment of silence, Yukimura Tsukishiro replied in a low voice, "...I don't know."

"Don't know?" Oikawa Toru raised an eyebrow. "So, were you trying to shoot a straight line or a diagonal line?"

"...A straight line." Yukimura Tsukihiro's voice was almost inaudible, "but someone is blocking the net."

"And then you hesitated." Oikawa nodded knowingly. "Next time you encounter this situation, you can shout 'Cover!' or 'Switch positions,' and we'll create space for you."

Training continued, but Yukimura Tsukihiro remained silent. He seemed trapped in his own world; despite his outstanding physical abilities, he was out of sync with the team's rhythm.

On one occasion, Oikawa Tetsu delivered a perfect fast break, but Yukimura Tsukishiro failed to follow up in time, missing the optimal opportunity to hit the ball. The ball weakly crossed the net, allowing the opponent to easily counterattack and score.

"Oikawa! You're too impatient!" Iwaizumi shouted.

Oikawa Tetsu raised his hand in apology, "My bad, my bad~" But when he turned to Yukimura Tsukishiro, his eyes were serious. "You should have started your attack earlier on that ball. When I make this gesture—" he demonstrated a subtle hand movement—" it meant I would pass for a fast break."

Yukimura Tsukishiro looked at it carefully and nodded gently.

In the following practice matches, Yukimura Tsukishiro displayed an amazing learning ability. Although he remained silent, he began to pay attention to Oikawa Tetsu's every gesture and glance, and gradually became able to predict the route and timing of the pass.

In a brilliant play, Oikawa Tetsu made a high pass from behind, and Yukimura Tsukishiro took a running start from the back row, leaped high, and smashed a powerful spike into the corner of the opponent's court.

"Great shot!" Oikawa Tetsu excitedly gave him a high five. "See that, Yukimura? That's the power of teamwork!"

Xuecun Yuebai hesitated for a moment before gently responding to the high-five, a glint of light flashing in his emerald eyes.

However, when Iwaizumi asked them to try more complex tactical combinations, problems arose again. During a cross-attack, Yukimura Tsukishiro and Kindaichi's runs overlapped, and the two nearly collided.

"Sorry! I thought you were going to play a fast break..." Kindaichi hurriedly explained.

Yukimura Tsukihiro simply shook his head and silently walked back to his seat.

After training, the team members left in twos and threes. Yukimura Tsukihiro stayed behind alone, picked up a volleyball, and stood on the empty court.

He jumped again and again, spiked the ball, and adjusted his movements. His white hair was soaked with sweat and clung to his pale cheeks, but he seemed tireless.

"Still practicing, Yukimura?"

Yukimura Tsukihiro turned around and saw Oikawa Tetsu leaning against the door, holding two bottles of sports drinks in his hand.

"Here you go." Oikawa Tetsu tossed over a bottle. "You did a great job today."

Yukimura Tsukishiro took the drink and said softly, "...Our coordination wasn't good."

"Well, it's only the first day of official training." Oikawa Tetsu walked onto the court, casually picking up a volleyball. "You know, when I first played volleyball, I was a complete lone wolf who couldn't coordinate at all."

Yukimura Tsukihiro raised her head, a hint of curiosity flashing in her emerald eyes.

"But," Oikawa Tetsu's voice softened, "the most interesting thing about volleyball is that six completely different people can be connected through a small ball." He gently tossed the ball up, flicked his wrist, and sent it in a perfect arc. "One person's strength is important, but the strength of six people is true strength."

Yukimura Tsukishiro watched the ball trace a beautiful arc in the air, his eyes focused intently.

"You want to become stronger, don't you, Yukimura?" Oikawa Tetsu asked, his brown eyes shining brightly under the light.

Xuecun Yuebai nodded gently.

"Then we can't rely on ourselves alone." Oikawa Tetsu's smile turned serious. "Trust me, and trust our future teammates. Iwa-chan may seem fierce, but he values ​​the team more than anyone else; Kindaichi and Kunimi may be first-year students, but they have great potential..."

He paused, then looked at Yukimura Tsukishiro: "And you, you possess astonishing talent. If we can work together properly, perhaps we really can..." His voice lowered, almost to himself, "...defeat Shiratorizawa."

Yukimura Tsukishiro's eyes widened slightly. Shiratorizawa—the school his cousin Ushijima Wakatoshi attended.

"Alright, that's enough for today." Oikawa Tetsu regained his usual cheerful tone. "We'll continue special training tomorrow, Yuki-chan~"

As Yukimura Tsukishiro watched Oikawa Tetsu's departing figure, his fingers unconsciously tightened, gripping the volleyball in his hand.

The venue fell silent again, with only Xuecun Yuebai standing alone in the empty space. Moonlight streamed through the high windows, casting a long shadow of him.

He picked up the ball and jumped again. This time, his movements were even smoother, and the sound of the ball hitting the ground echoed in the empty stadium.

But deep within those emerald eyes, something was subtly changing. The affectionate nickname still seemed to echo in her ears, bringing a strange yet comforting warmth.