Thinking of this, Kageyama gave an inexplicable smile.
Unfortunately, he did not see him during this Interhigh preliminary.
What is that guy doing now?
Maybe.. he gave up on playing volleyball.
Exhaling softly, Kageyama grabbed a towel and started walking toward the gymnasium.
Thinking about this was useless; next.. I need to think carefully about how to get stronger.
Taking a deep breath, he gathered his courage and pushed open the gymnasium doors; the people inside had been waiting for him for a long time.
“Atsumu-senpai! I've come to learn how to serve from you!”
Hinata bounced into Gym 2.
A week has passed since the Hyogo qualifiers, in which Inarizaki defeated Municipal Kobe 2-0, Miya Atsumu also earned the titles of best Setter and best Server in the prefecture.
The match that day ended unexpectedly quietly. After all the award ceremonies were completed, Municipal Kobe left the gymnasium quickly, without even leaving Nagumo and the others a chance to catch up.
However, he didn't feel that Wakamura-senpai was in a particularly bad mood; rather.. he seemed quite normal.
Miya Atsumu was nowhere to be seen in his field of vision.
Hinata lowered his head skillfully and saw the Miya Twins rolling around in a heap on the ground.
After a half-second pause, Hinata continued to greet another person: "Good evening, Osamu-senpai!"
Aran complained, "Don't be so polite and greet them at a time like this! Look, they can't even keep playing!"
Standing obediently by the wall, Rishia complained inwardly.
No, it wouldn't be good to keep playing like this.
Miya Atsumu scrambled up from the ground, instantly casting Miya Osamu aside. "Alright, Shoyo-kun, come practice your serves."
Suna, standing by the sidelines, skillfully took Hinata's phone from the chair by the court, sent over a few photos, then sent them to another of Hinata's contacts.
Miya Osamu straightened his clothes and rolled his eyes at Miya Atsumu: "That guy is seriously sick."
Akagi nodded: "Yeah, he's seriously ill."
"So.. what happened this time?" Kita asked coldly, having not witnessed the entire process.
Before Miya Osamu could speak, Ginjima had already answered: "Because Osamu thought Atsumu has more patience for Shoyo than he does for the pets back in their hometown, then said Atsumu is some kind of pervert."
Kita looked at Miya Osamu, trying to get a clear answer from him.
Miya Osamu rolled his eyes: "That guy.. he's just a pervert who loves playing life-simulation games; only a little kid could put up with a personality like that."
He was indeed determined to treat everyone with kindness, but that didn't include that bastard Miya Atsumu.
During this period, every time Miya Atsumu had a new idea, he would come to him to test it out, only then would he officially discuss it with Hinata.
Tsk, just like a peacock spreading its feathers, dressing himself meticulously before going out to see people.
In the end, the only one being persecuted was Miya Osamu.
That bastard Miya Atsumu!
Aran complained, "No.. it's mainly because Shoyo unconsciously coddles Atsumu-senpai."
He couldn't imagine Miya Osamu coddling Miya Atsumu; he wouldn't be able to imagine it in this lifetime.
Meanwhile in Sendai, Ukai Keishin frowned as he watched the crowd conducting their daily training in the gymnasium.
To be honest, he wasn't surprised that they would lose that match, but when this result was truly laid out before him.. he couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness.
Whether it was serves or receives, they were all a long way behind Aobajohsai.
Even the Ace himself is unable to move to the side after a Receive Serve, making it very difficult for him when the opposing team targets him.
Experience—in the end, what they lacked most was experience.
It was just that the intra-team scrimmages were meaningless; they had to compete against strong schools as soon as possible.
Fortunately, Coach Nekota had previously invited them to Tokyo for an expedition; after that, it would depend on whether the third-years had any intention of retiring.
If all the third-years were to retire, it would be a problem. Tanaka was also far from mature; if he moved from Spiker to Opposite, there would be a shortage of players in every position..
Just as Ukai lowered his head in thought, the phone in Takeda's hand began to ring.
Tetsuya Takeda made an apologetic gesture and walked to the gymnasium entrance to answer the phone. "Hello, this is Tetsuya Takeda from Karasuno High School. May I ask who is calling?"
A very obvious Kansai accent came from the other end of the line: "Hello, I am the coach of the Inarizaki High School boys' volleyball club. I'd like to ask about the training match."
Tetsuya Takeda held the phone up in front of him and looked at it, his brain stalling for two seconds.
Which school in Miyagi Prefecture is Inarizaki? Why doesn't he have any impression of them?
He cast a pleading look toward Ukai Keishin and said in a low voice, "They asked for a practice match, but I have no impression of the opponent's school name."
Regarding schools within Miyagi Prefecture, almost every school had been contacted by Takeda, so it was a bit strange that one had suddenly appeared that he had no memory of.
"What did they say it was called?" Ukai Keishin asked in a low voice, reaching out to take the phone.
Tetsuya Takeda replied, "They said it's.. Inarizaki."
Hearing this name, Ukai's brain truly stalled.
It wasn't until a somewhat dazed Kansai accent came through the phone that Ukai used his other hand to steady his trembling right hand.
Hello, I am Coach Ukai from Karasuno High School.
This time, it was Omimi on the other end of the phone who was stunned.
He looked at Coach Kurosu beside him. "Mr. Ukai? Why does this voice sound so young?"
Isn't that Coach Ukai from Karasuno already quite old? This doesn't seem right.
Hearing that it was Ukai, Coach Kurosu also took the phone: "Hello, Coach Ukai, I am Inarizaki High School's head coach, Kurosu Masamune."
Hearing the person on the other end become exceptionally solemn after the change in tone, Ukai Keishin instantly realized it might be a misunderstanding: "Ah, I am the grandson of Coach Ukai, Ukai Keishin."
May I ask, are you looking to play a practice match against our Karasuno High School?
Hearing that it wasn't the old Coach Ukai, Kurosu actually relaxed quite a bit.
He still wasn't familiar enough with those veteran legends, he always feared running into a few old men with eccentric temperaments like Washijo..
Kurosu gave an affirmative reply: "Yes, that's why I'm calling to ask about Karasuno's upcoming summer vacation plans."
Ukai Keishin's heart was nearly jumping out of his chest, he replied without hesitation, "I have time anytime!"
So what if it means going to Hyogo? If all else fails, he still has his secret stash; he can still afford the round-trip private car and gas money.
This is Inarizaki High School, that Inarizaki!
Possessing the current media-acclaimed number one setter and a top-five national wing spiker, they are an ultimate powerhouse, even more powerful and balanced than Shiratorizawa.
"No need to be nervous, Coach Ukai. We will be in Miyagi Prefecture for a while this time, so we hope Karasuno can clear an entire day for a practice match." Coach Kurosu tried his best to keep the atmosphere of the conversation relaxed.
Upon hearing that Inarizaki would be the ones to initiate the visit, Ukai Keishin felt a surge of joy, but he quickly composed himself.
Because of the Tokyo expedition and final exams, they won't have many opportunities to take a full day off, so..
Ukai Keishin gave his answer: "Karasuno is available from the beginning of July until July 6th."
Coach Kurosu finally made the final decision: "Then let's make it July 4th."
"Thank you, Coach Kurosu." Hearing the date being set, Ukai also breathed a sigh of relief.
Coach Kurosu added one last thing: "In addition, we have one condition on our end."
“Please, go ahead,” Ukai thought that as long as Karasuno wasn't being disbanded, he could accept anything, even if it meant working like a beast of burden.
With Tetsuya Takeda listening in from the side, Coach Kurosu stated his purpose: "I hope your school's Kageyama Tobio can play as a regular throughout the entire match."
Ukai agreed readily, "No problem."
Kageyama was already part of their starting lineup, so there was no need to change anything.
Hanging up the phone, he suddenly reached out and pressed his hand against Tetsuya Takeda's shoulder: "Ohhhhh—he's exactly what we needed! Inarizaki!!"
Having quickly searched to find out which school Inarizaki belonged to, Tetsuya Takeda also started cheering: "Ohhhhh—"
The members of Karasuno who were currently training were all a bit dazed.
Yamaguchi raised a question: "What Inarizaki?"
Sugawara Koushi recalled, "Ah, it's the school where the one recently called the strongest Setter in the national high school circuit, Miya Atsumu, is, right? I saw it in a magazine a few days ago."
Enoshita raised his hand. "The 'strongest Setter with both looks and skill,' right? I remember him too."
That was already a "star" on the same level as Ushijima.
Hearing the words "strongest setter," Kageyama, who had been practicing serves alone, pricked up his ears.
Sawamura Daichi looked toward the two coaches.
So to bring them up suddenly at a time like this..
Takeda clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, then shouted loudly, "Everyone! Before our expedition to Tokyo, we have a practice match against Inarizaki! On July 4th!"
The ball fell from Yamaguchi's hands, Tsukishima froze mid-motion while removing his knee pads.
In the next second, a deafening roar erupted throughout the entire gymnasium.
Is this for real?!
“That's incredible! Mr. Kowashi!”
On the other side, after hanging up the phone, Coach Kurosu looked at Omimi: "Call Shiratorizawa. Tell them we're available for a practice match on the 5th; any other time won't work."
Coach Omimi's mouth twitched. So Shiratorizawa was just an afterthought, right?
Coach Kurosu continued, "Also, make an appointment with Coach Kosano from Seijo for the 2nd and 3rd."
Although he didn't like the head coach in charge of track and field, Coach Kosano Kana, who specialized in high jump, was actually his college classmate. Currently, both the men's and women's teams she coached were performing exceptionally well, consistently ranking among the top in the country.
But as for sports.. he didn't have many impressions of the Seijo volleyball club.
Never mind, it's not important. Their focus for this trip is the single-leg jumping training for Karasuno and Hinata.
Author's Note:
Hoshiumi (pulls out his phone): Hirugami, a major drama has a sequel out.