Because of his long-overdue wages and rent, after Sakata Gintoki was forcibly turned into a high schooler, he had to work at "Pai x Shaonian," which was also serialized in Jump.
To pay off his debts, he must join a certain school's volleyball club and lead the school to the top to be able to return to Edo.
By the way, the school he enrolled in is Inarizaki, located in the Kansai League.
So, after being forced to join the volleyball club, the following situation occurred—
Because he picks his nose while waiting to serve, dealing a magical attack to his opponents, no one wants to receive his spikes.
During the halftime break, because he refused to drink electrolyte water and would only drink strawberry milk, he was subjected to alternating glares from the coach and the captain.
Because he was reading Jump while running, he accidentally knocked over the principal and was rewarded with a ten-thousand-word self-criticism report.
And things like twins teasing their teammates like they're playing with a dog.. the list goes on.
*
When it came to the Haruko Nationals.
As the dark horse team from the previous tournament, Inarizaki undoubtedly received a lot of attention from many teams.
The nation's number one Setter, one of the nation's top five Spikers, the strongest twins in the volleyball world, the steady and troublesome Middle Blocker, the composed and reliable Captain, and.. the Silver-haired dead fish eyes who was picking his nose with a wandering gaze in the back.
Naturally, Sakata Gintoki was treated as the team's weak point.
But what no one expected was.
At the very start of the match, that silver-haired, curly-haired boy who looked so listless tossed the ball weakly, took a lethargic approach, then—
His arm whipped out like a lash, the ball tore straight through the opponent's defensive line.
The school that was beaten soundly: the person you least want to provoke in this team is him..
This book is also known as: "The Little Inarizaki Actually Has So Many Hidden Talents"
Chapter 23: The Twenty-Third Fox
For the entire Kansai League, Nekoma's overall strength could be considered middle-tier.
Especially for the newly revamped Kaifang and Seito, Nekoma, with its specialty in defense, is undoubtedly a formidable opponent.
The most obvious thing was..
After finishing a match against Nekoma, the Ace and the Setter, who had previously been arguing incessantly, finally quieted down completely.
Actually, it wasn't quite like that; it was just that the two of them had turned their internal conflicts into a focus directed at Nekoma.
Regarding this result, Kaifang's coach expressed great satisfaction.
When the Nekoma group was leaving that evening, he still held Naoki's hand, looking reluctant to let go: "You are always welcome to join our summer training camp! We will be holding a training camp in Osaka this summer!"
While Naoki was at a loss for what to do, Coach Kusubashi rescued him: "Nekoma is part of the Kanto Fukurodani League. If you keep snatching people like this, aren't you afraid Anromi will come looking for you when the Interhigh rolls around?"
The Kaifang coach was still trying to negotiate: "How could that be! We can schedule them at different times.."
While the coach was still arguing over there, Hinata was also seeing Kenma off: "Kenma! Remember to tell me about your matches!"
I'll be going with the team to the Interhigh this summer, so I'll come find you then!
Kenma's gaze wavered for a moment. "No.. it's just.."
Watching Hinata almost throw himself at Kenma in a fit of tears and snot, Miya Atsumu curled his lip. "Are these two really that close??"
He finally asked a question: "So, how did they meet?"
Looking at Nekoma's setter, there was no way he seemed like the type to take the initiative to get to know others.
He only knew it was during the time they went to play a training match against Karasuno, but he wasn't sure exactly when it was.
Aran fell silent for a moment, finally said to Miya Atsumu, "When you sent him to buy drinks for you."
Watching Miya Atsumu's expression gradually contort, Akagi chuckled, "For someone like Nekoma's setter, someone like Hinata who actively crashes into their world.. it must be hard to refuse."
“And as long as you don't refuse in time, after spending some time getting to know them, it's impossible to resist such an enthusiastic and friendly child.”
He looked up at Miya Atsumu, a bright smile on his face.
“Atsumu is the same, isn't he?”
Miya Atsumu was slightly stunned for a moment, ultimately giving only an ambiguous answer: "Who knows.."
Over with the Nekoma group, Kuroo lowered his eyes and smiled, his gaze toward Hinata and Kenma incredibly gentle.
Actually, it wasn't just for that simple reason.
For Kenma, perhaps it was the way Hinata's speed constantly evolved and refreshed that truly captured his attention.
After all.. a failed dungeon run really can trigger an absolute competitive spirit.
Thinking this, Kuroo spoke up and called out to Hinata, "Hey, little guy."
Hinata jumped in surprise, the moment he met Kuroo's gaze, he immediately stood at attention: "Yes!"
This senior looks so fierce, he's terrifying..
Kenma lifted his eyes slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of reproach: "Don't be scary, Kuroo."
“Not at all, I was just saying hello.” Kuroo refused to accept the accusation and instead looked at Hinata and said, “I don't know if we'll run into each other at Interhigh.. but whether it's Interhigh or Haruko, I'll see you then.”
I hope it will bring them an even greater shock when the time comes.
Of course, Nekoma will also continue to grow stronger; it's hard to say who will end up surprising whom.
Watching the Nekoma members disappear through the gates of Inubushi Higashi, Hinata turned his head slightly toward Miya Atsumu: "Atsumu-senpai, will I get a chance to play during Haruko?"
Miya Atsumu stared into Hinata Shoyo's eyes: "Coach Kurosu should be quite satisfied with today's match; the first-years will basically be able to get chances to play one after another during Haruko."
His words suddenly faltered for a moment: "But.."
Hinata's heart suddenly leaped into his throat.
But what? Because he was too weak, so he didn't have the chance?
Before the nervous Hinata could even say he could take extra training, Miya Atsumu's voice rang out once again.
If you can pass the drills for receiving and serving, I expect the coach will let you go up and get some practice in during this year's National Sports Festival.
Just when Miya Atsumu thought Hinata would be cheering with excitement, a long silence fell beside him.
He lowered his head, looking at Hinata with some confusion as he wondered what he was thinking about.
Is it because of Nekoma?
This year's Interhigh is being held in Niigata, the host spot is not held by Tokyo; over five hundred schools will be competing for only two spots.
And considering established powerhouse schools like Itachiyama.. the chances of Nekoma appearing in the Interhigh are extremely slim.
Atsumu-senpai..
Finally, Hinata spoke up and asked a question that made everything go dark: "What do you mean by National Sports Festival?"
Miya Atsumu, who had intended to maintain his cool and handsome senior image, completely crumbled.
He covered his face with his hands and reached out to stop Hinata from continuing to speak: "Stop, stop, stop!"
“How could you not know what the National Sports Festival is? The Interhigh Junior High, the three major high school tournaments.. It's impossible not to know about volleyball!"
Hinata scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Heisuke never told me.."
Miya Atsumu was even more devastated, looking as if he were on the verge of evolving into a straight man. "You shouldn't need your teammates to teach you this! What was your junior high coach even doing?"
He had already discovered that this guy was somewhat lacking in certain common sense.
Why is everything something Rishia Heisuke has to teach him, as if—as if he had never encountered a normal volleyball club in his junior high school years.
“Eh? My junior high school..” Hinata faltered.
"Atsumu." Kita spoke up to stop Miya Atsumu from continuing his question.
He turned to Hinata and said, "The full name of the National Sports Festival is the National Sports Festival. It is held every October and, along with Interhigh and Haruko, is considered one of the three major high school volleyball tournaments."
However, the National Sports Festival is usually decided by each prefecture directly, so its overall attention in high schools isn't as high as the other two tournaments, but its national character and publicity have always been the most widespread.
Aran added, "Hyogo Prefecture has been assigning us for the past few years, it should be the same this year."
Hinata's eyes lit up: "Doesn't that mean Atsumu-senpai's intention is.. I'll have a chance in October—"
Kita nodded. "Yeah, after all, it's Atsumu. You can rest easy letting him handle the various tactics; you just need to focus on practicing your individual skills."
Upon hearing the best news in recent times, Hinata jumped up: "Long live Miya Atsumu-senpai! Miya Atsumu-senpai is amazing!"
I will definitely make the most of my time to practice receiving and serving; I won't let my seniors down when the time comes!
This time, Miya Atsumu, who had been praised to the heavens by Hinata, did not seem particularly happy.
Watching Hinata being comforted by Kita before heading to Gym 1 to continue practicing receiving with Kumagai and the others, Miya Atsumu looked at Kita. "So, Kita-senpai.. what's the deal with that guy?"
Kita organized his thoughts: "I heard from Heisuke that Shoyo didn't have a volleyball club when he was in junior high. The only time they managed to gather enough people to participate in the Interhigh Junior High preliminaries, they lost terribly to Kitagawa Daiichi."
Oori, who had been listening from the side, was also stunned for a moment: "He's always been an unorthodox player?"
Aran nodded in agreement. "You could say that."
It was more than just unorthodox; according to Rishia Heisuke, he spent a lot of time at the beginning trying to break some of Hinata Shoyo's bad habits.
Miya Atsumu's face was filled with confusion at this moment.
Under everyone's gaze, he spat out a few words: "So.. he lied to me?!"
"What?" Aran couldn't keep up with Miya Atsumu's pace.
"I saw him last autumn, I thought his explosive power was very strong, so I asked him." Miya Atsumu's tone was almost breaking down.
He told me back then that he had been playing volleyball for a long time, so I didn't think much of it and just left.
So he was just a complete novice back then?
What kind of "long time" is this?!
If he had known back then, he would have definitely spoken to Coach Kurosu about it.
If only he could have introduced a reliable coach to train Hinata last year.. maybe he could have played in the Interhigh by now.
Aran let out a soft sigh. "Perhaps that's true for Hinata.."