He pulled out the hair dryer and placed it in Hinata Shoyo's hands, carefully teaching him how to use it: "This is the switch; press it to turn it on. This one is for adjusting the temperature; don't hold it too close to your head, or you'll get burned.."
"I completely understand!" Hinata said, holding the hair dryer with great excitement.
Iizuna watched Hinata start drying his hair in a great mood, then grabbed his pajamas and prepared to take a shower.
The screen of the phone Hinata had placed on the top bunk lit up, the ringtone went off at the same time.
But the noise from the hair dryer was a bit too loud, so he didn't hear it at all.
After drying his hair, Hinata curiously raised his hand to press down his hair, which had been blown completely frizzy.
—So amazing.
After placing the hair dryer neatly on the table, he quickly grabbed the mop from the corner of the room to mop up the water stains.
After finishing all the chores, Hinata finally climbed up to the top bunk and lay down.
He picked up his phone and was shocked to find three missed calls.
Two were from Miya Atsumu, one was from the Kita Team.
After thinking seriously for two seconds, Hinata called Kita Shinsuke back.
The moment the call connected, before he could even offer any phone etiquette, a familiar voice rang out from the other end.
Shoyo, why did you go to live at Shiratorizawa?!
Author's Note:
I've been ordered not to stay up late anymore (praying hands), so from now on, I might have to wake up early to catch bugs QAQ
ps. I don't care, if the sun hasn't set, it's noon!
Chapter 52: The Fifty-Second Fox
“Atsumu-senpai?” Hinata picked up his phone and took a look, confirming it was a number from the Kita Team.
Miya Atsumu's voice was still coming from the other end: "Shoyo! Kita Team said you're staying at Shiratorizawa!"
Staying at Shiratorizawa would be worse than coming back with them.
Even if there was no one at Hinata's house, he could have kicked Kuniharu out so that Hinata could live with him.
Hinata sat up on the top bunk and explained to Miya Atsumu, "Ah, I left a bit late today, so I stayed in the dormitory at Shiratorizawa."
But he didn't get a reply from Miya Atsumu, because Kita Shinsuke's voice came through the phone instead: "Atsumu, give me my phone back."
After a moment of silence, the person on the other end of the line finally became Kita Shinsuke: "Ushijima told me about you. Don't cause any trouble for the seniors while staying at Shiratorizawa, also, be careful if you're sleeping in a bunk bed.."
When Iizuna came out of the bathroom, he saw Hinata sitting there looking like a good student, clutching a quilt and nodding repeatedly at his phone: "Yes, I've noted that. I'm staying with Iizuna-senpai right now.."
The next second, a sudden scream erupted from the other end of the phone, loud enough for even Iizuna to hear: "Shoyo! Why are you with people from Itachiyama again?!"
With the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground, it went completely silent on the other end.
Iizuna found it hilarious; thinking of that emoji, he reached out to Hinata in a great mood.
Hinata handed the phone to Iizuna, listening to the two captains exchange formulaic greetings and small talk.
To be honest, he was a bit curious about what was happening on the other end of the line.
Miya Atsumu was also very curious.
But right now, he was being held down by Kita with one hand, unable to move at all, while Suna was recording on the other side.
They were currently in the dormitory of Suna-senpai, the only boarder at Inarizaki High School. Since his roommates had all gone home, they had reasonably occupied the three remaining beds.
As for why they came.. it was actually just because they heard Kita receive a call from Ushijima Wakatoshi before they left.
In addition to the calls and text messages they had sent, Hinata had not replied, so the worried Kita Shinsuke simply decided to wait at the school for Hinata to call him back.
In the end, Miya Atsumu didn't even get the chance to speak with Hinata Shoyo to give him a few more instructions.
After Kita and Iizuna finished exchanging information, both sides said goodnight to each other.
In the middle of the night, Miya Atsumu, who hadn't been able to sleep at all, suddenly sat up.
What a blunder, he should have applied to stay in Sendai too!
Early the next morning, Hinata got up to wash and dress, encountered Goshiki Tsutomu on the first floor of the dormitory, who was doing something unknown.
"Akari?" Hinata asked in confusion.
Seeing that it was Hinata, Goshiki breathed a sigh of relief, then said seriously, "Are you going for a run?"
Hinata nodded. "Okay!"
The two of them set off together. Just when Hinata thought Goshiki was going to the training field to run laps, the other boy led him away from Shiratorizawa.
"Where are we going?" Hinata asked, his eyes full of confusion.
Goshiki Tsutomu replied, "Ah, Ushijima-senpai and Sakusa-senpai went out together. I'm a little curious which route they took."
After running through the shopping street and a residential area, the two seniors were still nowhere to be seen in his field of vision.
Stopping at the end of a winding mountain road, Goshiki also gave up on continuing the search: "Forget it, it's already too far. If I keep running, I might not make it in time for breakfast."
A somewhat familiar shout came from below, after a brief daze, Hinata poked his head out to look.
Looking at the boy running alone halfway down the mountain in a white T-shirt, Hinata was stunned for a moment. "Ah, the King."
Goshiki Tsutomu was stunned for a moment: "What King?"
Hinata withdrew his gaze: "Karasuno's Setter, he's a very amazing person."
Indeed, this place was already halfway between Shiratorizawa and Karasuno, so it wouldn't be surprising to run into someone from Karasuno.
When the two returned to school, the Ushijima and Sakusa they were looking for were already eating; it was obvious they had returned a long time ago.
—Especially since Sakusa looked like he had just taken a shower.
Morning practice was simply a simple warm-up to get a feel for the ball, after the warm-up, the training matches for the first day of the training camp officially began.
The attack from Itachiyama right at the start left Hinata so shocked that his mouth hung wide open.
Hinata's face was filled with shock as he subconsciously asked the coach beside him, "Coach, how was that spike played just now? It was like.. it bypassed the block?"
But soon, he realized that the person beside him was not Coach Kurosu, but Shiratorizawa's Coach Washijo.
However, Coach Washijo replied quite naturally, "Sakusa has very flexible wrists; at the moment of the spike, he can change the rotation of the ball itself through a twist of his wrists."
It's the same principle as a side-spin serve. Whether it's left-spin or right-spin, both can make the ball travel in an arc, but you need to maintain a certain distance from the net.
Hinata nodded. "I think I understand."
Watching Yamagata Hayato and Goshiki Tsutomu rush out to save the ball, only to fail to completely neutralize the spin and allow it to cross the net again, Hinata's expression grew solemn.
This kind of ball is not only difficult to block, it's equally difficult to receive. But to be honest, he wanted to try receiving it.
Hinata, find some courage! Don't be afraid of getting scolded!
I definitely have to go ask him tonight!
This was the first time he had seen Sakusa spike on the court; yesterday, Sakusa had been practicing serves the whole time, he had only seen a demonstration once, which was nowhere near this exaggerated.
Thinking about it now.. being able to spike a straight ball without adjusting his initial state must also rely on his wrist?
He watched Iizuna prepare to set again, trying to judge the target of the set.
The Middle Blocker in the center is providing cover; the ultimate target of the set should be Sakusa-senpai in Position 4?
But Iizuna sent this ball directly to the back row for Amatori to execute a second attack.
With a heavy thud, the volleyball was spiked by Amatori, crashing heavily into the middle of the Shiratorizawa court.
Hinata's face was filled with shock.
Wait, this ball speed?!
The power of this spike feels similar to Aran-senpai.. No, perhaps in terms of raw power alone, it might even be stronger?
Washijo noticed Hinata's shock, then said, "Itachiyama's main cannon is Sakusa, the other spiker, Yura, should be called the secondary cannon."
Sakusa excels at technical plays, while Amatori is a pure power type, quite similar to Iwaizumi.
Hinata nodded.
He also felt that Itachiyama's number 2 senior was in a state very similar to Seijo's number 4 senior when spiking.
Washijo glanced at Coach Utsunomiya in the opposing team's coaching area: "Even though their offense is impressive, high school volleyball isn't lacking in schools with strong offenses."
In terms of pure firepower alone, Inarizaki, with their simultaneous use of four attacking points, is the most ferocious.
Actually, Itachiyama is even better at defense.
On the court, Sakusa lowered his body directly toward the ground, using his arms and the floor for support to steadily receive Ushijima's spike.
Yes, it was exactly this kind of spike, the one that had left him with almost no way to defend it yesterday, but Sakusa-senpai had received it steadily.
Landing suddenly on one's knees carries a high probability of injury, but it is possible to use one's arms through anticipation.. he learned something.
Watching Shiratorizawa fail to receive a spike from the middle blocker Agatsuma, Hinata, who was gradually becoming more familiar with Washijo, asked much more boldly.
He mimicked a movement. "Coach, how am I supposed to receive a ball like this? I feel like if I try a side receive, I won't be fast enough, but if I go straight for a diving save, I might not aim it correctly."
Washijo grabbed the folder from Coach Saito beside him and slapped Hinata's incorrect hand position down directly. "Side-receive? What side-receive? Are your legs broken? Just watch the ball and lunge to the side, can't you do that?"
As he spoke, Washijo extended an arm to demonstrate: "Like this, reach with one hand, extending your body to its absolute limit."
This kind of ball has a lot of initial speed; as long as you ensure it doesn't hit the ground, it will bounce back up to a sufficient height on its own. Just leave the rest to your teammates.
How on earth was Kurosu teaching? Does he not even have the awareness to save a ball like that?
While Kurosu was training Miya Atsumu at the Inarizaki Volleyball Gym, he suddenly let out a sneeze. If he knew what Coach Washijo was thinking, he would definitely have something to say in response.
—I haven't had the chance to teach him yet.
Hinata's diving still has some issues, so at this stage, he hasn't been allowed to try lateral dives, as it would be too easy for him to get injured.
However, Coach Washijo himself had a very high level of skill when it came to receiving, so it would be wonderful if he were willing to teach him.
After thinking for a moment, Washijo gestured toward the referee's position by the net: "Shoyo, you go blow the whistle for the next set."
Receiving is certainly something that cannot be mastered overnight; we'll deal with specialized training later. For now, the main focus is to let Hinata observe the offensive styles of both sides.