The whistle just now wasn't the usual sound signaling a point, but something much longer—
It looks like they won?
There will be no more plays; the match has ended.
“Shoyo!!”
Miya Atsumu's voice rang out from behind him, Hinata, having just come to his senses, turned around and rushed toward him without hesitation.
Miya Atsumu opened his arms to catch Hinata Shoyo as he leaped lightly toward him, then tilted his head to brush his face against the hair by Hinata's ear.
Even after being wiped with a towel several times, his hair was still soaking wet, testifying to the terrifying amount of sweat Hinata had produced during this match.
Hinata had his arms wrapped around Atsumu's neck, his slightly squinted eyes looking past the two coaches who had already stood up in excitement, cheering with raised hands.
Reflected in his pupils was the team flag, which was a color similar to Miya Atsumu's hair.
Atsumu's breathing had still not evened out, his chest heaving, his moist exhales brushed against Shoyo's shoulder, while the heat from their pressed bodies radiated between them.
Pursing his lips, Hinata Shoyo clung tightly to Miya Atsumu's neck, his vision blurring bit by bit.
Did he do well?
Did he complete his task?
He..
Can he continue to stand on this court?
Atsumu's voice rang out from right beside him: "You did great, Shoyo."
A hug is the best medium to convey emotions at a time like this.
The vibration from the chest was transmitted with absolute fidelity, making Hinata feel a sudden numbness spread through his entire body for a moment.
His body suddenly went limp from the sudden relaxation, Hinata's legs gave way, nearly causing him to collapse straight onto the floor.
Fortunately, Atsumu's reaction was quick, he tightened his arms so he wouldn't slip down.
Akagi and Aran, who had already finished high-fiving and hugging others, rushed over one after another and pounced on the two.
The people in the waiting area also rushed over one after another, surrounding the two of them.
That was so cool! Hand out of bounds!
Shoyo, you're definitely the MVP! You're so reliable!
Atsumu.. Atsumu worked really hard too!
Aran, what do you mean by that! You're clearly the one slacking off the most!
Huh? Is it because you completely ignore me? You should count for yourself how many balls you've let drop on me!
Seeing that Aran was about to settle the score with Miya Atsumu, Rishia Heisuke reached out and grabbed Hinata, dragging him out from the crowd.
Feeling that Hinata had been essentially using his strength throughout the entire time, Rishia Heisuke looked at him with some concern: "Can you still walk?"
In this match, Hinata's physical activity was comparable to running five or six kilometers at a hundred-meter sprint pace, not to mention he was performing high-intensity jumps throughout the entire game.
To still be able to stand right now is already incredible; he was actually able to jump up and hug Miya Atsumu just now..
It's nothing short of a miracle.
Hinata sniffled and held back his tears: "I feel like I could just collapse and fall asleep."
Rishia wrapped an arm around Hinata's, providing him with some support. "Just hang in there. After this, we still have to bow to show respect, do post-match summaries, then stretch properly. Otherwise, don't even think about playing in tomorrow's match."
The finals are a true best-of-five series, so Inarizaki will inevitably maintain a high-frequency substitution rhythm.
Standing by the court, before bowing, Rishia Heisuke said to Hinata beside him, "I'll carry you back in a bit."
"Yeah," Hinata replied softly, feeling as if he were about to fall asleep.
The movements on the other side of the net at Itachiyama were even slower; Agatsuma limped to his position with Iizuna's help.
That impact ultimately injured his knee, leaving him with no chance to return to the court.
However, the good news was that it was just a hard impact, though his knee was swelling severely.
The head referee raised his hand, signaling for everyone on both sides to bow.
Thank you for the guidance!!
Thank you for the guidance!!
A mix of voices rose up, followed immediately by applause erupting from both sets of stands.
Coach Unabara, standing by the sidelines, also started clapping: "A brilliant match, enough to be recorded in the textbooks of high school volleyball quick attacks and blocking tactics."
Lifting his head, Komori quickly pulled up his collar to wipe away the tears that were about to fall.
Sakusa, walking past him, raised his hand and patted him on the back.
Even though no one said a word, the message of "until we fight again" had already been conveyed.
Standing under the banners of Itachiyama's [Constant Victory] and [Effort], the members who had already lined up bowed.
Thank you all for your support!
Before the Iizuna members could even finish their apology, a tearful shout rose from the stands, coming from the captain of the second string: "Haruko! Good luck! Win it back! Crush those little foxes 2-0!"
Iizuna bowed again: "We will do our best! We will not let you down!"
Returning to the coach's side, Amatori sniffled and looked at Agatsuma, who was crying so hard that snot was running down his face. "It's not like this is the first time you've lost; don't act like the sky is falling."
Agatsuma tried his best to wipe the tears from his face, but he couldn't get them off no matter what. "I'm sorry.."
"Don't apologize." Amatori bit her lip.
Damn it, this..
It made him want to cry, too.
On the other side of the court, the Inarizaki members returned to the Coach's bench, bathed in cheers and the music of victors.
Miya Osamu had already been taken to the infirmary by Coach Omimi.
Coach Kurosu pressed Hinata down to sit on the coach's bench, then sat with his arms crossed over his chest, looking at everyone.
"There's nothing more to say." Coach Kurosu struggled to suppress the corners of his mouth, but his eyes could not hide his admiration.
Today's match is already in the past. Take this time to digest it properly, prepare yourselves for tomorrow's game.
Everyone replied in unison, "Yes!!"
That's right, things like memories.. they don't need them.
The taste of victory is always better the next time around.
Shinzan Girls' High School and Kasayama High School from the women's volleyball matches entered the court one after another. After tidying up their belongings, the Inarizaki members and Itachiyama members arrived at the sidelines to perform post-match stretching.
Lying on the floor stretching his thigh muscles, Hinata Shoyo gradually cleared his mind.
The sound of spiking continuously echoed through the floor, a familiar sound of warming up that signaled the start of a new round of fighting.
Just as Hinata Shoyo was wondering who their opponents would be tomorrow, his entire world went a little dark.
A white head appeared in his field of vision, a very familiar person looked down and smiled at him.
Hello.
His overloaded brain quickly ran through the various people he had met over the past few days: white-haired people.. The one he knew best was Wakamura-senpai, but he should still be in Miyagi and couldn't possibly be here.
Wait, white hair, Setter, super tall—
A figure appeared in his mind, at the same time, he remembered the sound of his clothes being pulled and the threads snapping.
Hinata Shoyo sat up abruptly, spun around in place, performed a kowtow. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to pull your clothes just now! If they are ruined, I'll pay for them!"
A soft chuckle rang in his ear, when Hinata stole a glance upward, he found the other person had already crouched down.
It's fine, the clothes aren't ruined," Shiratori said softly, his voice gentle and refreshing like a spring breeze. "They just got a bit dirty from being touched; just wash them when you get back.
But it didn't matter much; it wasn't a uniform, just a short-sleeved shirt used for training.
Hinata's peripheral vision caught sight of the railing not far away, where the "suspected delinquent" who had bumped into him before was watching the women's volleyball warm-ups.
He grew even more panicked: "I'll wash! I'll hand-wash them as soon as I get back! I'll make sure they're perfectly clean!"
The Inarizaki members, who had all been lying on the ground, sat up one after another, looking toward Hinata's side with eyes full of confusion.
Kita Shinsuke had intended to come over directly, but he felt completely at ease when he saw Kuroo Rei standing nearby.
With this Captain around, at least the players from Fukuda General won't cause any trouble.
Shiratori reached out and pulled Hinata up: "It's fine, it's really fine, I just wanted to come over and see you up close."
Hinata looked up blankly at this unfamiliar senior.
Watch him? Why?
As if sensing Hinata's doubt, Shiratori rested his chin on his hands and said with great interest, "Come observe Inarizaki's Little Giant. That spike just now was truly impressive for you to manage, even the King's block was suppressed."
Do you know? The average height at Itachiyama is over 1.85 meters.
Watching Hinata's face gradually turn red, Shiratori added the final spark: "It's just like.."
Like a warrior who can take on a thousand men.
Hinata understood; he had studied this point before during his exams, so this was a way of saying he was amazing.
Hinata was a bit flustered, momentarily not knowing where to put his hands and feet.
In the end, he scratched his head somewhat sheepishly and chuckled, "Not at all, it was thanks to Atsumu-senpai and the others; I just did a spike."
Shiratori laughed even more happily.
After glancing at Shiratori several times, a relaxed Hinata asked tentatively, "Um, is that senior.."
Atsumu-senpai seemed to have mentioned this senior's surname once before, but he didn't remember it.
Shiratori said without hesitation, "Just call me Natsume-senpai."
Hinata had a sudden realization.
So this senior's surname is Shiratori!
He hurriedly said, "Understood, Shiratori-senpai."