Kageyama raised his hand to wipe his face, then turned and walked back into the gym: "It's nothing, the sun just got in my eyes."
I'm coming to help.
On the other side, Miya Atsumu and Hinata Shoyo had already been left behind by the main group, so they simply stopped chasing.
Atsumu lowered his gaze and looked at Hinata, who was standing beside him, seemingly lost in thought since coming from Karasuno.
For some reason, he felt like his mood was a bit off.
Even though they had won the match and stood out, he still didn't feel very happy.
—Starting from the moment they walked out of the Karasuno Gymnasium.
He reached out his hand and pressed it onto Hinata's head.
His hair, having played all day, was soaked in sweat; even after wiping it with a towel, it was still somewhat damp.
Hinata stopped in his tracks and looked up with some confusion, his eyes reflecting only the figure of Miya Atsumu: "Atsumu-senpai?"
Meeting Hinata's gaze, Miya Atsumu was inexplicably stunned for a moment.
The words he had intended to say got stuck in his throat, in the end, he swallowed them back down.
Atsumu gave a low chuckle, looking down at Hinata: "You'll definitely be stronger than the King."
Hinata looked back: "I know."
His tone was as certain as Miya Atsumu's, without a hint of hesitation.
Before Miya Atsumu could say his next word, Hinata spoke again: "I will also become stronger than Atsumu-senpai."
Miya Atsumu's lips curled into a smirk as he suddenly leaned down toward Hinata Shoyo, meeting his eyes.
His broad back blocked the sunlight from behind, enveloping the entirety of Hinata in shadow.
Hinata's eyes were terrifyingly bright as he stared directly into Miya Atsumu's eyes, which were right in front of him, without flinching.
A hint of a smile was in Atsumu's voice.
Is that so?
Then let's give it a try.
Moving away from Hinata, Miya Atsumu asked the question he had been curious about all along: "By the way, what kind of toss was the King asking you to give him?"
He was in such a hurry that he couldn't even wait for him.
Hinata spoke truthfully: "It was a sudden whim at the time; I wanted to see if a one-footed takeoff during a Quick Attack could also improve my hang time."
“Then what do you need him for?” Miya Atsumu said with a look of pure disgust.
"Because Kageyama is really good at setting." Hinata said, blinking his eyes.
Kumagai wouldn't be able to set a ball like that, which means only a powerful Setter like Atsumu-senpai could do it.
And Kageyama's setting is also very strong; he should.. be able to receive it, right?
Miya Atsumu said decisively, "He can't."
If you want to hang in the air, you can't set a straight ball, it's obvious that you can't support a spinning parabola like that, Hikari-kun.
Perhaps it's possible, but it certainly won't be achieved in just one or two tries.
After all, he had practiced for several weeks himself, not to mention the even more inexperienced Kageyama.
"I'll set whatever spike you want to hit, so don't go asking every setter you run into.." Miya Atsumu said earnestly.
All the setters outside are bad people.
Moreover, at this stage, he is the only one capable of using Hinata to this extent.
By the time the two arrived at the bus stop, the main group from Inarizaki had already left, leaving only Kita Shinsuke waiting there with his jacket draped over his shoulders and his arms crossed.
The Captain's gaze fell upon the two of them, making them not even dare to breathe heavily.
After a long silence, Kita Shinsuke's voice rang out: "What, are you planning to run back?"
Miya Atsumu was the first to betray him: "Report! It's Shoyo-kun who insisted on dragging me into a conversation!"
Hinata trembled, unable to hold out for even a second in front of Kita Shinsuke: "I was wrong! Captain!"
Damn it, why is Atsumu-senpai being so unreliable at a time like this!
Considering they had a match against Shiratorizawa the next day, Kita ultimately did not make them run from Karasuno back to central Sendai; instead, he simply punished the two of them by making them wake up early tomorrow to buy breakfast.
For Hinata, it was only twenty minutes of waking up early, but for Miya Atsumu, it was a devastating blow.
Dinner was ramen arranged by Coach Kurosu, which was reportedly recommended to them by the Seijo coach.
After returning to the guesthouse, the battle for the bathroom ended with the victory of Miya Osamu.
—Because Miya Atsumu and Hinata Shoyo were punished with mopping the floor.
Having finally finished his punishment, Hinata pulled open the bathroom door and peeked inside: "Atsumu-senpai, can I go in and take a shower now?"
Miya Atsumu, who had already put his clothes on, nodded: "The water is still hot, go ahead."
The water heater used here requires reheating after every two or three people, so it still takes some time.
Fortunately, this guesthouse has more than one bathroom, Aran and the others are using the other one.
Having received permission, Hinata clutched his pajamas and ducked behind Miya Atsumu, soon the sound of splashing water could be heard.
After quickly drying his hair, Miya Atsumu walked out of the bathroom with a towel draped over his shoulders.
He looked toward the coach and the third-year students, who were chatting while eating snacks in the living room: "Coach, what are you talking about?"
It should be about today's practice match. Karasuno is indeed quite interesting, but nothing more; I'd rather think about how we'll play against Shiratorizawa tomorrow.
Coach Kurosu patted the seat beside him, gesturing for Miya Atsumu to come and sit.
He briefly explained to the clueless Miya Atsumu, "We're discussing whether to leave Shoyo at Karasuno or Shiratorizawa after we're gone."
Kageyama-kun is indeed quite good; judging by this afternoon's performance, he can also train his Quick Attack.
A string of question marks appeared over Miya Atsumu's head: "Shoyo-kun isn't coming with us?"
No, why would you say "Kageyama is not bad"? That's a huge understatement, okay?
Aran's face was written with shock: "Shoyo is going back to his hometown with his parents to visit his elders; you couldn't have forgotten that, could you?"
This guy's memory shouldn't be this bad, right?
Miya Atsumu fell silent.
Damn, these past few days of matches have been so exhilarating that his mind has been completely occupied with how to develop Hinata's back-row attack capabilities when they return, he completely forgot about this matter.
After a moment of rapid thought, Miya Atsumu gave the same judgment as everyone else: "We definitely don't need to worry about Shiratorizawa, right?"
Setting ability aside, it's mainly Coach Washijo..
At this point, Miya Atsumu's expression was as distorted as Coach Kurosu's.
Thinking of this, Miya Atsumu proposed an alternative: "Why can't it be Seijo? I think Coach Kosano and Coach Irihatsu are both very reliable."
“If we must compare, I think Oikawa-senpai is stronger than Hikari-kun.”
Coach Omimi said, "It's too far. It takes an hour just to get to Hinata's house by bus, let alone him riding a bicycle."
Great, this conversation is dead.
Shiratorizawa was out of the question, Seijo was too far away, Atsumu-senpai still felt there was something wrong with Kageyama.
After a moment of silence in the living room, Hinata, who had finished his shower in record time, rushed out: "Atsumu-senpai! I'm done!"
Looking at Hinata's wet hair, Miya Atsumu reached past Coach Kurosu and snatched the towel draped over Miya Osamu's shoulder.
Before Miya Osamu could even react, Miya Atsumu had already tossed it to Hinata Shoyo: "Dry your hair."
Miya Osamu was stunned: "Don't you have one on your head? Why are you taking mine!"
Miya Atsumu argued indignantly, "Mine is wet! Don't be so stingy!"
Coach Kurosu, caught in the middle of the two, sighed, then raised his hand and flicked both of them on the forehead.
Ow!" "Ow!
With two screams, the war that had not yet begun was justly suppressed by the coach.
Having long since grown accustomed to it, Hinata sat down next to Miya Atsumu.
Coach Kurosu asked immediately, "Which high school is closer to Shoyo's house?"
It's just easier to temporarily stay with the Volleyball Club.
Hinata thought seriously for a moment, after comparing several schools, replied, "Shirato and Shiratorizawa."
Silence fell upon the living room once again.
At this moment, Aran looked up at Coach Kurosu: "Is Wase still in the Shiratorizawa First String?"
When he was a first-year in high school, the Shiratorizawa Setter was Wase Eita; in terms of playing style, he was perhaps somewhat similar to Oikawa Tooru, meaning his technique and awareness weren't quite at that level.
If Wase Eita were still there, he would be a suitable person to entrust this to.
Coach Kurosu wanted to stop thinking: "Let's go check out Shiratorizawa tomorrow."
The mere thought of Shiratorizawa gave him a headache.
Anyway, the goal for this time has already been achieved, otherwise.. I'll just stand up Shiratorizawa up.
Just then, Hinata, who had been chatting with Miya Atsumu about something, exclaimed excitedly, "The National Team! Ushijima-senpai from Shiratorizawa! That's amazing!"
A super Ace! Will I get to see him with my own eyes tomorrow!
Coach Kurosu, who had originally been lying down, sat up straight: "Alright, let's discuss tomorrow's tactics."
Author's Note:
It's New Year's Eve! The last day of the Year of the Dragon!
(Fireworks) (Crackle, pop)
I had a discussion with a close friend yesterday, I feel like Hinata is more like a long-eared fox.
It's about thirty centimeters long, making it very small for a fox, yet it can jump nearly seventy to eighty centimeters and is extremely agile.
Yeah, very Hinata!