Chapter 52

"For the second year.." Hiroyuki paused for a moment, looking at Nishinoya, Tanaka, Ennositha, Kinoshita, and Narita who looked at him eagerly.

"All five of you will be the backbone of the team next year. And I could say you are ready to lead the team. Nishinoya, I can say you are one of the best liberos in the next national tournament. You overcome your weakness on the overhead receive and go beyond by participating in the offense just like Watari did for Aoba Johsai. However, like Sugawara, try to use all of the players on the court instead of just Tanaka and Azumane. Hell, you can even use Kageyama as a spiker if you want."

Nishinoya nodded his head, clearly thinking about what Hiroyuki said.

"Tanaka, on the physical aspect, you are the best that Karasuno could offer. You have the best stamina compared to your teammates, your speed and reflex are above average, and only Azumane could beat you in the strength contest. Now, all you need is to use your brain while you play. I know you are not that stupid, right?"

The bald spiker could only rub the back of his head sheepishly while the third year chuckled at him in amusement.

"Kinoshita, Ennoshita, and Narita.." The three bench players looked at Hiroyuki's eyes intently, waiting for what he would say.

"You three did a very good job. Even though you didn't see this team as your first priority just like the others and didn't have enough minutes on the court, your determination to improve yourself and help your teammates is noticeable. Your physical condition and fundamental skills are improved a lot. And with the addition of your new skillset in service, if you three keep pushing yourself, you will probably find yourself playing on the court in the future."

Those three smile at each other, satisfied with what they heard.

"And for the last part, the first years." He smirked when he saw the nervousness from the last four players. Even Kageyama and Tsukishima who tried to look unbothered cannot hide their eagerness to hear what he would say.

"You four are the best rookies that any team would want." Hiroyuki could see a subtle smirk from Kageyama and Tsukishima.

"It is not just because of your talent, but your progress from when I saw you first time against Nekoma until now is amazing. Even I didn't experience this kind of progress in all of my three years in Nekoma. But remember!" He stares at all of the four first-years who started to grow a smug smiles.

"Don't let all of the compliments make your head bigger that you would stop pushing yourself, for there will always be room for improvement.

For one, Hinata. Your fundamental is getting far better than the first time we trained together. You can also respond to Kageyama's quick attack with open eyes now. But you still lack experience. Sometimes you trust your instinct too much that it causes trouble for your teammates when it was wrong, and sometimes you think too much and ended up doing nothing and getting exposed by your opponents.

You need to know when to trust your instinct and when you have to think before you move. And just like I said, you need a vast amount of experience to do that, and even so, you cannot always be perfect. So, if you cannot do that for the spring tournament, don't be too hard on yourself, okay?"

"YES, SENPAI!" Hiroyuki winced and rubbed his ears at the sudden shout from Hinata. Somehow, he knows that the orange-haired first year didn't really know about the last part, but he decided to move on and look for the next rookie, Tsukishima.

"Well, look at your eyes. I cannot see the hesitation in it. Have you decided that volleyball is worth your time?" Hiroyuki smirked as Tsukishima tried to avoid his gaze.

"While you are still one of the weakest in the physical department, I am impressed with your improvement. At least now, you will not faint in the middle of set three." This resulted in a glare from Tsukishima to all of his teammates who dare to laugh at him.

"But I can see your block, your decision-making, and the coordination between you and your teammates are getting better. I also approved your effort to try improving your fundamentals such as your basic receiving and spiking. Now, you will be able to help your team in synchronized attack and you will not find yourself as easy prey to be targeted."

Tsukishima nodded, acknowledging what Hiroyuki said.

"And Yamaguchi, I stand with what I said before, you are definitely the future captain of this team." The one mentioned blushed as he bowed his head.

"Honestly, when I looked at you, I would imagine that was how Sawamura acted when he was in the first year." Sugawara and Azumane coughed a little when they heard what Hiroyuki said.

"I can see it too.." The two seniors mumbled, much to the captain's annoyance and the laughter of the others.

"You might not be the domineering captain like Oikawa from Aoba Johsai, but you managed to make everyone speak and listen to you. While I can see sometimes Kageyama didn't want anything with you, he will eventually come to seek you, even if he had to swallow his ego. That spoke a lot about your leadership capability."

Kageyama smacked Hinata who smirked at him.

"Well, you don't have to take what I said for granted. Sure, you have the quality to be the leader. But you still have two more years to the point when your generation needs to lead the team. You will meet a lot of different captains there and learn more about leadership. When the times come, just remember what I speak today."

Yamaguchi nodded, unsure about what to say. However, Hiroyuki is not finished.

"But speaking of your ability as a player, you need to step up your game. While yes, your service becomes way deadlier and your fundamental is also improved, it is not good enough to stand on the national level. On your current level, if someone managed to break your service, you will be a liability for the team. And I can tell you that there are a lot of players who will be able to receive your service."

Yamaguchi clenched his fists as he heard what Hiroyuki said. The nodded, clearly satisfied with what he saw in Yamaguchi's eyes.

'There is not just acceptance of the weakness in his eyes, but also the willingness to work harder than before. If he can stay in shape and keep up his work, he will go far.' Hiroyuki thought inwardly.

"And for the last, Kageyama." The setter stared at him intently, waiting for Hiroyuki to speak. "Technique-wise, I think only Miya Atsumu from Inarizaki can beat you on that. Hell, I even think you are slightly better than Oikawa in that department. But you realize that it was not enough, right?"

Hiroyuki is satisfied when Kageyama didn't even show any sign of a smug smile or scowl at what he said.

"You must have realized that the setter is the one who controls the game. And to control the game, not only you have to break the opponent's defense, but you have to coordinate with your teammates. Can they match your pace? Are they comfortable? Is that their best? Can you push them more? This is the question that you need to find the answer to. And the best way to do that, besides playing together, is to speak with them.

I can see that you are not the same bastard king that you were before the training camp. You are more considerate toward your teammates. You are thinking about what your teammates want now, not just how to use them. But as I said before, there is always room for improvement

Now that your teammates are starting to get comfortable with your pace, you can start pushing them to do better. For example, you can set a higher ball to Tsukishima so he can use his height as his advantage for the offense, or something like that. Just be more creative and don't let your opponent predict your own move. Once you fall into a predictable rhyme, that will be your downfall."

"Yes, Senpai," Kageyama answered solemnly. Hiroyuki turned his attention back to all of the Karasuno members before he said his final assessment.

"All of you without a doubt improve a lot. But you have to remember, it is not just you that improve. All of the team is also doing the same. Just look at the other team in this training camp. Fukurodani is getting better without Bokuto, and you can see Bokuto's unpredictable mood becoming less and less visible. Heck, even Nekoma is also getting better, with their Russian first year. All of them are getting better, so you have to step up your game or you can say goodbye to your national dream.

And remember, it is a sport. There will always be a winner and a loser. If you ended up with being the loser, don't be too hard on yourself, as you cannot win forever. As good as you are now, there will always be someone who is better than you.

That's all I can say. Thank you for the opportunity to train with you for the entire week. I wish you the best, Karasuno. Thank you."

Hiroyuki stands up to leave the court, as his job for Karasuno is done. But before he can leave, all of the Karasuno members stand up together and bow,

"ARIGATOU, HORI-SENPAI!"

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Author note:

You can also read:

- Transmigrated Into Anime World as Kiyoko Shimizu's Older Brother up to chapter 62

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