Although the second set might not necessarily feature any spectacular scenes, he didn't want to miss out again.
Oikawa Tooru looked at Hinata, who was holding an ice pack on the bench, said with some regret, "The little one is resting."
He had finally found a way to suppress that Quick Attack, so why did the starter have to go down?
Thinking this, he glared resentfully at Iwaizumi: "Iwaizumi, it's all your fault for breaking him."
Already annoyed, Iwaizumi Hajime raised his hand and slapped Oikawa Tooru: "You're paying for his drink later."
Oikawa Tooru was stunned. "Why me! You were the one who did it, Iwaizumi!"
Iwaizumi Hajime turned his head and walked away: "Because you annoy me."
—Actually, it's because Oikawa is the captain.
Since such an accident occurred during the practice match, an apology must be made afterward, no matter what.
The rotation on the court was being confirmed when Coach Kurosu suddenly remembered something and looked at Hinata: "That's right, Shoyo, which number do you prefer?"
Hinata froze for a moment, then thought seriously for a while before answering, "Number 10 or number 5, I guess."
It is the jersey number of the Little Giant and Hoshiumi-senpai, it is also what he admires.
Coach Kurosu laughed, "That might not work. Number 10 Suna is in use, Number 5 is on Yuzuriha."
"Eh?" Hinata was stunned for a moment.
So it wasn't just asking about his preferences?
Wait, does that mean..
Coach Kurosu confirmed Hinata's guess: "The Interhigh is about to begin. Once the Interhigh is over, there will be a retirement ceremony in the middle of next month, after which you and Kuniharu will be promoted to the First String."
There's no need to ask about Kuniharu's number; it's mainly about yours.
“Akuma?” Hinata was a bit dazed, completely unable to keep up with the rhythm. “Why wouldn't I need to ask?”
Coach Kurosu replied, "Nagumo Kanata is preparing to give him his jersey number."
Hinata's eyes widened upon hearing this. "Nagumo-senpai? Is he.. is he retiring?!"
Whenever Miya Atsumu didn't have time, it was Nagumo-senpai who was looking after him, now the coach is telling him that Nagumo-senpai is planning to give his jersey number to Kumagai?
Coach Kurosu nodded. "Nagumo is planning to focus on his studies, after he retires, he will temporarily take over the role of leader for the Second String. He won't be training with the team afterward, so he'll have time to prepare for his exams."
With Miya Atsumu on the court, the substitute Setter didn't get many chances to play, so even when substitutions were made, the impact wasn't significant.
Moreover, Coach Kurosu did not want to jeopardize any player's future and would respect everyone's choices.
Nagumo Kanata's jersey number is 3, a fairly high number that, logically speaking, wouldn't be given to a first-year.
Coach Kurosu agreed to the succession of the number not just because of Nagumo's idea, but more so because he himself had other plans for Kumagai.
Seeing Hinata's expression, which looked like he was about to cry, Coach Kurosu felt a bit helpless. "So, Shoyo, which number do you want?"
Hinata's thoughts were still lingering on Nagumo, who was currently at a cram school in Hyogo.
Thinking about it now, Nagumo-senpai had indeed mentioned preparing to challenge Todai more than once to them. Even a slacker like him knew exactly how high the difficulty was; it was just that, for him, this farewell came a little too suddenly.
However, Coach said Nagumo-senpai will still be in the Second String, so it's not like he won't be seen anymore.
——That's enough.
Having thought it through, Hinata Shoyo shook his head. "Anything is fine."
At this point, he couldn't exactly tell the coach to strip Suna-senpai of his number and give it to him; that would be far too ridiculous..
Kurosu smiled. "Then just take number 17 for now. Once Suna takes his number next year, I'll give number 10 to you."
"Yes!" Hinata shouted in response.
A uniform! Was he finally going to have his very first uniform of his own!
Even though he knew he was also playing as a substitute alongside Rishia Heisuke, having a team uniform meant something different.
That black uniform.. it's so cool!
Author's Note:
2000 words added
Chapter 38: The Thirty-Eighth Fox
Knowing that he was about to have a team uniform, Hinata was extremely excited and watched the match on the court even more intently.
This practice match against Aobajohsai, organized on short notice, was not intended to be played for many sets; it was simply a standard best-of-three format.
And looking at the current trend, Inarizaki is expected to take it 2-0.
Hinata watched Owari Aran's movements intently, while simultaneously observing how he and Miya Atsumu coordinated their plays.
Without a doubt, whether it is Miya Atsumu or Oikawa, both are incredibly powerful Setters.
He once couldn't understand the kind of strategy Miya Atsumu was employing, but now he could vaguely sense the process of the game between the two sides.
Although the score difference was large, Hinata inexplicably felt that the brief clash between these two was somewhat evenly matched.
The Seijo Captain's abilities are indeed excellent; his observation skills and sharpness are top-tier among all the players I have seen," Coach Kurosu evaluated objectively. "Even if placed in a team like Shiratorizawa or Shirabu, he could easily take on the roles of starting Setter and Captain.
Hinata nodded. "The King is indeed amazing; that serve is even faster than Atsumu-senpai's."
Coach Kurosu looked at Oikawa with a gaze full of appreciation.
From Coach Kurosu's own perspective, the teams most suitable for a player of Oikawa Tooru's type were actually these two.
Whether it was Shirabu or Usui Mitsuru, both had obvious flaws in their skill as setters, they were unable to balance the offensive rhythm between the Ace and the other Spikers.
The problem with Aobajohsai was that only the Setter had outstanding ability. This didn't mean the others in Seijo were incompetent, but rather that their original potential had not been fully developed.
Just like numbers 12 and 13, they are both players who could be considered golden eggs even in Inarizaki.
But.. he was only thinking that; it wasn't as if he would actually poach anyone.
First, there was the issue of life and safety, second, he only needed to focus on Hinata by his side right now.
—This was his precious golden egg.
Coach Kurosu reminded Hinata, "During those last few plays before you left the court just now, Number 1 had already guessed your spiking habit and followed up."
Hinata froze for a moment. "I thought it was just my imagination."
At that time, he had a strong feeling that he was being watched, it turned out to be true.
“A single Quick Attack will certainly be read,” Coach Kurosu laughed, “what you need to do is not just hide yourself within the team, but also make your offensive patterns diverse, hiding your Quick Attack within all your spikes.”
A straightforward attack is easily anticipated by the opponent. Using a Double Quick is essentially a way to increase the number of decoys..
Hinata listened intently, committing every word from Coach Kurosu to heart.
Atsumu-senpai couldn't possibly focus all his energy on him during a single match; in the future, he would inevitably need to judge the timing of his own attacks.
For this reason, he must master more techniques.
He must become stronger so that these powerful Setters can use him better.
Similarly, if one wants to be free, one must also become strong.
And the final result of the match was without any surprises; the second set ended 25:17, with an even larger point gap than the first set.
As one of the two major cannons of Inarizaki alongside Aran, Suna's offensive capabilities at this stage far exceed Hinata's, his strength at the net is equally excellent.
The changing ball trajectory tore Seijo's defense to shreds, making it impossible for them to organize any follow-up attacks.
Looking at the scoreboard, Oikawa Tooru let out a soft click of his tongue.
They were a total wreck.. but it wasn't as if they had gained nothing.
As his gaze swept across the back door once more, an eyesore entered his field of vision.
Tsk, it's even worse.
“Oikawa-senpai.” Miya Atsumu extended his hand toward Oikawa across the net.
Oikawa glanced at Miya Atsumu, then finally shook his hand.
Just as he wanted to pull his hand away, he unexpectedly discovered that Miya Atsumu had no intention of letting go.
Miya Atsumu stared into Oikawa Tooru's eyes. "Senpai, you started playing beautifully during those last few points of the first set. To be honest, I was actually a bit moved."
At first, Oikawa's playing style was consistently very conservative, but after that service game, both his serves and his setting were much more daring than before.
He was even breaking through his own original limits..
No, it would be more accurate to say, "breaking through the limits of what one originally believed to be one's own capabilities."
Oikawa Tooru's expression contorted for a split second.
What is this?
Is it the condescending pity of a victor?
Before he could even open his mouth to mock him, Hinata, having received the coach's permission, had already approached.
Oikawa-san, can I take another look at that serve?" Hinata asked, summoning all his courage, "That serve with the incredibly fast speed and heavy spin.
Aran-senpai wanted to study it before as well, but he failed completely.
On the sidelines, Aran and Rishia Heisuke complained in unison, "That's a bit much, Shoyo!"
In a daze, Rishia saw Hinata, the one who had asked Miya Atsumu to set for him the very first time they met.
And Aran felt that Hinata was being quite presumptuous toward him; he shouldn't go around telling everyone about such a failure in research!
Through Hinata's sincere eyes, Oikawa Tooru saw someone else.
Suna-senpai, can you teach me how to serve?
After a two-second silence, Oikawa Tooru said without hesitation, "No."
If you want to see something, go look for your Inarizaki, I don't care.
Having said that, he turned and walked away.
Hearing words almost identical to when Hoshiumi had rejected him before, Hinata felt defeated.