Hinata scratched his head somewhat sheepishly, then shouted loudly, "Alright!"
He wasn't sure if it was because he had been using his voice too much these past few days, but he nearly cracked his voice just now.
Watching Hinata hurriedly cover his mouth, Miya Atsumu couldn't help but chuckle.
Because the energy consumption during the matches was too high, Coach Kurosu gave everyone two days off. The missed classes will be briefly made up during the upcoming weekend.
After a brief briefing on the precautions for the holiday, everyone finally dismissed.
And the first thing after dismissal.. was to take Miya Osamu home, then help Miya Atsumu move his things.
Hinata had already called his mother last night; his room itself was a tatami room, so he would only need to add one more quilt.
Although he had agreed to it somewhat haphazardly yesterday, Hinata actually felt a sense of relief afterward that he had accepted.
Because.. normally after going home, he could only practice receiving by himself, or occasionally go to the riverside volleyball court with Heisuke, but now.. he is about to have a personal setter!
Atsumu-senpai will definitely practice with him!
He definitely will!
Meeting Hinata's gaze, Miya Atsumu, who had just tucked away all his beloved pudding, hesitated to speak.
He.. works hard.
After locking eyes with Hinata for ten seconds, Miya Atsumu closed his eyes amidst Miya Osamu's sneer.
No, no matter how long Hinata wants to practice, he will stay with him!
Knowing full well how difficult her child could be, Mrs. Miya repeatedly cautioned before Hinata left with Miya Atsumu's bag: "If he causes any trouble for your family, come and tell me, I'll definitely deal with him."
Hinata patted his chest. "Atsumu-senpai won't do that; he is incredibly reliable!"
Miya Atsumu held his head high and puffed out his chest.
Watching Miya Atsumu leave with Hinata without even looking back, Miya Osamu said leisurely, "Take care."
Great, starting today, he'll be an only child!
After a week away, Hinata finally returned home, throwing the door open with great anticipation.
“Mom! I'm home!”
No greeting came, the entire hallway was empty.
The smile froze on his face, a faint sense of disappointment welled up in his heart.
It seems like no one is home..
But then again, Xiaoxia should be at school at this time.
Quickly pulling himself together, Hinata quickly slipped into his slippers and entered the room: "Atsumu-senpai, please bring everything inside, my room is over here."
As he took off his shoes, Miya Atsumu looked around at his surroundings.
A photo of a family of four was placed on the shoe rack by the door, with a small, handmade knitted tiger next to it, though it was a bit ugly.
The moment he stepped through the door, Miya Atsumu suddenly noticed there were more shoes placed facing inward at the entrance.
An orange head peeked halfway out from behind the kitchen door, upon realizing Miya Atsumu had seen her, she hurriedly raised her hand to make a shushing gesture.
Miya Atsumu understood and gave an OK sign in return.
Something was thrown toward him, Miya Atsumu bent down to pick up a small confetti popper.
On the other side, Hinata was still helping Miya Atsumu settle his things, but Atsumu himself didn't have much—just his previous assignments and some daily necessities.
After finishing, Hinata took a satisfied look around at the results of his labor.
He turned to Miya Atsumu and said, "Atsumu-senpai, you can just sleep over here, then use this table for your homework. The light switch is right here.."
Before he could finish speaking, he noticed what Miya Atsumu was looking at.
Following his gaze, Hinata saw a small figure standing at the doorway of his room.
Having not seen his sister for over a week, Hinata was about to lunge forward instantly: "Natsume—"
Natsume raised a hand to block her, causing Hinata to stop in his tracks.
With her other hand behind her back, she said with a very serious expression, "You didn't spend a week playing with me, for three of those days, you didn't even call."
Hinata stood up straight.
It was his fault, he accepted the criticism.
However.." Hinata Natsu changed the subject, lowering her raised hand as well, "I won't hold it against you this time, since you're already the Little Giant, brother.
While Hinata was dazed, she suddenly pulled a small party popper from behind her back and set it off toward Hinata Shoyo: "Congratulations to big brother on winning the championship!"
Two adults appeared from nowhere, along with Miya Atsumu behind them, they all pulled the party poppers at Hinata at the same time, sending sparkling confetti cascading down from mid-air.
Hinata stood frozen for two seconds, before tears burst forth like a breaking dam.
He lunged forward, frantically rubbing against his sister's face, "Waaaaah—Xiaoxia—"
Atsumu expressed his envy.
But he didn't have such a cute younger sister, only a pair of twins who didn't know their place.
After howling for a while, Hinata suddenly realized something was wrong: "Eh? Natsume, aren't you going to school today?"
Why are Mom and Dad at home too? Are they not working today!
Natsume looked very angry: "I have the sports festival today, Xiaoxia won several first places!"
I clearly told you before, but you forgot!
Hinata's father nodded: "I went to participate in the parent-child events, we took first place in the 400m relay."
That's amazing!" Hinata raised his hands and cheered, "Natsume is the best!
Looking at the certificates for long jump, high jump, sprinting, long-distance running that Hinata had produced one after another, Miya Atsumu's face was filled with shock.
He had indeed heard Hinata mention that his sister had incredible athletic talent, but.. was she really this good?! A decathlete?!
Hinata's mother had already walked up to Miya Atsumu: "You're Atsumu-kun, right? Our Shoyo has been in your care before, so please don't feel formal while staying here; just make yourself at home."
Shoyo always mentions you, so I'll be counting on you to look after him later as well.
Although I had heard of Miya Atsumu's great reputation before, seeing her from such a close distance left an even better impression.
He was handsome, reliable, possessed exceptional skills—a truly perfect senpai.
Miya Atsumu patted his chest: "Don't worry, Auntie, leave Shoyo to me."
While Hinata's two little ones were hanging up their certificates, Hinata's father had already cleaned up the ground where the confetti had just been sprayed: "Great! To celebrate, let's have BBQ today."
Hinata cheered, "Hurray! Yakiniku!"
Although he still had unfinished homework, Hinata decided to slack off for the day. After finishing his meal and helping to wash the dishes, he walked out of his room clutching his volleyball.
Miya Atsumu followed him out. "It's best not to exercise right after eating."
Hinata sat down on the veranda. "I'm just getting some fresh air."
Looking at the yard of Hinata's house, Miya Atsumu turned his head and asked, "Speaking of which, does your sister have any plans to play volleyball?"
Hinata froze for a moment. "Not yet. Xiaoxia feels like.. she'd be amazing at anything, so it depends on what she likes."
Atsumu leaned back, looking at the back of Hinata's head: "But when it comes to competitive sports, it's better to start training from a young age. Osamu and I also started playing volleyball when we were her age."
“If you have thoughts of doing something like ice skating.. it might already be a bit late.”
Hinata pursed his lips.
He knew Atsumu was right; during his time at Inarizaki, he had become deeply aware of the importance of childhood training.
Just the need to keep up with the pace of his peers was enough to leave him breathless.
Hinata stopped thinking and lay down alongside Atsumu: "But.. as expected, Xiaoxia's own thoughts are more important after all."
The autumn night sky didn't have many clouds, but the city lights were very bright, making the visible stars quite limited.
The door above the two of them was suddenly pulled open, a small orange head popped into their line of sight.
Natsume looked down at the two people lying side by side: "Brother, Atsumu-senpai, I heard you."
She reached out and pulled Hinata's volleyball toward her, forcing her way into the space between the two men: "It was fine before, but after watching your match this time.. the way you spike is just so cool!"
That girl from the women's volleyball team, Tenna-senpai, is also so cool; even when she's being targeted, she can step up and attack just like you, brother.
Hinata Natsu's expression was very serious: "In other words.. Xiaoxia wants to play volleyball too."
Hinata Shoyo sat up abruptly: "Really?"
Natsume nodded: "Yeah."
Shoyo continued to press, "One hundred percent serious?"
Natsume nodded again: "Two hundred percent!"
Thinking of Hinata Natsu's nearly decathlon-level athletic performance, Miya Atsumu also became interested: "Then, do you want me to recommend a volleyball class?"
The class I, Osamu, Aran attend is taught by a former national team setter who is also my mentor. It's not particularly expensive, you can just go on weekends.
"Of course!" Hinata nodded repeatedly.
There weren't the right conditions back in Miyagi, but since she has decided to play now, we will naturally provide her with the best training conditions possible.
Nana is already a highly acclaimed young genius even at such a young age, Iizuna-senpai has been participating in international competitions for a long time; Natsume is only slightly younger than Nana.
Now is the perfect time to start learning!
Meanwhile, Miya Atsumu had already begun considering Hinata's future schooling: "The level of women's volleyball here in Hyogo is actually quite average. When she enters junior high in a few years, will she consider boarding at the Fukurodani Itachiyama Junior High in Tokyo, or will she return to Miyagi?"
During the elementary school stage, most of the training takes place in clubs, but once they enter junior high school, they get to participate in Interhigh Junior High competitions. Among the junior high school girls' volleyball teams, the strongest ones are located in Tokyo.
And looking even further, when it comes to high school choices, there is only Shinzan Girls.
But that didn't matter; Shinzan Girls recruited players on a national scale, sometimes they even recruited from other countries in Asia.
As long as they achieve results in Junior High, they will naturally secure a direct ticket.
Coach Himegomiya and Coach Utsunomiya quite like Hinata, Coach Himegomiya is also affiliated with the women's volleyball team.
If there were a chance to nurture a younger sister with even better talent than Hinata.. she would probably be very happy.
Watching Hinata lost in thought, Miya Atsumu suggested again, "Why don't we bring her to Haruko and let Coach Himegomiya take a look?"