Kita Shinsuke added, "There's still more than half a month left before the Junior National Team training camp, Hanae has a chance to make the cut."
Having said that, everyone looked at Miya Atsumu.
Miya Atsumu raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me? The one who should be having a headache right now is stupid Osamu; his condition isn't good, so he might not even make the cut this time."
Last year, it could be explained as a significant talent gap for the Junior National Team's setter, but this year, it is Miya Osamu's own problem.
Glancing at Hinata, who was lost in thought beside him, Coach Kurosu reached out and patted his head.
A diamond covered in dust is still a diamond; it just needs more patient and careful polishing.
He believed that one day Hinata would also stand on that stage, that he would shine even brighter than anyone else.
As a guide, he would do everything in his power to send them even further.
Hinata, who hadn't actually been paying attention to what the seniors were discussing, looked up at the coach who had suddenly patted his head: "Coach? What's wrong?"
Coach Kurosu gave a light laugh and said, "It's nothing. Are you tired?"
Hinata shook his head. "Not really."
Coach Kurosu immediately followed up with, "Then what were you thinking just now?"
Speaking of which, the corners of Hinata's mouth curled up involuntarily, he raised his hand to gesture. "I just saw Hanae's receive, so I was thinking about how to handle the receive myself."
Hoshiumi-senpai also received a power jump serve like that before..
Coach Kurosu gave a helpless smile: "When you get back, you can ask Coach Inubata; he is quite skilled at this."
Hinata nodded: "Understood!"
Having taken a sip of water, Suna, who hadn't spoken to anyone, squinted his eyes, his mind feeling somewhat blank.
Miya Osamu, in the stands, had noticed Suna long ago, standing outside the crowd.
Suna was starting to slack off.
No, it would be more accurate to say that Suna had already started slacking off, it was just that he wasn't very obvious under the cover of the others.
But the Head Coach and the Kita Team weren't planning on intervening either, since it wouldn't have much of an impact on the final outcome of the match anymore.
However.. Akagi's Best Libero still needs to be saved.
Chapter 141: The One Hundred and Forty-First Fox
Without any suspense, Inarizaki took the third set 25:21, winning with a total score of 3:0.
Listening to the cheers coming from across the net, Wakamura-senpai raised a hand to wipe away the sweat that was already trickling down to his chin.
Although it was an outcome that had been anticipated long ago, when it actually arrived, there was still an unavoidable sense of disappointment.
What was the decisive factor that led to this defeat?
In terms of receiving, they had actually done very well, they were also able to bypass Inarizaki's defense multiple times through their offensive coordination.
In other words, when Matou is not there, the blocking might be slightly lacking, the gap could be precisely exploited by Inarizaki's Quick Attack.
He'll be fine once he goes back and practices a bit more.
And now, the part where he feels the biggest problem in his own body.. as expected, it's his stamina.
Just like their previous match against Itachiyama, their form had dropped midway through the game, while the opponents' momentum remained incredibly strong.
Even..
Wakamura looked at Hinata and Aran, who were still chatting and laughing on the other side of the net, finally let out a helpless sigh.
He always felt like these guys could play another ten sets; this stamina is just too ridiculous!
In short, they lost this match without any regrets; they'll have to continue intensifying their physical training after this.
The players from both sides stood by the sidelines and bowed to greet each other.
Thank you for the guidance!!
Iizuna reached out and shut off Amatori's tablet: "Just as expected."
Having already seen the final results of the match, the subsequent award ceremony and everything else had nothing to do with him.
Amatori rubbed his chin: "But.. it was surprisingly calm, without any sense of a fierce battle at all?"
Iizuna was not surprised either: "After all, they have already secured a spot in the Nationals. By comparison, the semifinals between Municipal Kobe and Minetai were much more intense."
In fact, during regular times, their matches against Fukurodani in the Regional Finals weren't that intense, Bokuto's poor form was a frequent issue.
"Ah, Minetai, I remember their blocking was quite formidable." Amatori pulled back the memory of when he used to play all-center.
Didn't a tall middle blocker go to Minetai?
Iizuna nodded: "But compared to Inarizaki and Municipal Kobe, the difference is massive, just like how Shiratorizawa is overwhelmingly strong in Miyagi."
At this point, Iizuna suddenly realized what the problem was: "Wait, you also watched the Hyogo Semifinals this morning?!"
Is this guy not reviewing anymore?! They are preparing for exams! They didn't come here to watch a live broadcast of the match!
Amatori felt a moment of guilt, but he decisively shifted the blame, raising his hand to point at Agatsuma: "It was him who wanted to watch it."
Iizuna-senpai's temple pulsed with a vein: "I'd only believe you if you were someone else."
Then he snatched Amatori Toru's tablet away. "Alright, no more watching live streams or recordings until final exams are over! Don't you even think about Shiratorizawa, Karasuno, or Yako!"
Final exams and the Haruko qualifiers were both just around the corner; couldn't these two just let him have some peace of mind!
"Oh." Amatori sat back down with his chair.
But before long, he stood up again: "Alright, let's go have dinner."
Iizuna: ".."
In the Amagasaki City Municipal Gymnasium on the other side, the final award ceremony had also begun.
The men's and women's volleyball matches for the Haruko qualifiers in Amagasaki were not held on the same day; the women's finals would not take place until tomorrow, so the overall progress was very fast.
The MVP of the match was ultimately awarded to Miya Atsumu, who had successfully executed multiple limit-breaking assists.
And the Best Libero, whom both sides were looking forward to..
【Municipal Kobe High School, Hanae Akari.】
Ohhhhhh—we got it, we got it!
Akari! That was incredible!
We won! We won!
In an instant, the Municipal Kobe side erupted completely, as if they were the ones who had ultimately won the match.
Coach Kurosu, standing by the sidelines, also let out a soft sigh, but the smile on his face did not fade: "It really was just a hair's breadth away; the opponents were simply a step ahead."
To maintain such a high defensive success rate against their powerful attacks was truly remarkable.
Holding the heavy medal in his hands, Hinata Shoyo followed the others, heading toward the locker room to pick up some things.
Unabara laughed and said to Kumagai behind him, "I've managed to get another medal, but it would have been even better if I had the chance to play."
However, the substitution of a Libero is not as flexible as that of a Spiker, his fundamentals are indeed much worse than Akagi-senpai's, so he doesn't quite dare to start him in a match like this.
Kumagai lowered his voice: "No, no, no, first we have to rule out an option that would get glared at by Atsumu-senpai.."
Miya Atsumu, who was in front, gave a light click of his tongue.
—He heard it loud and clear.
Before he could say anything, a tuft of orange hair peeked out from behind Suna Osamu.
Suna very naturally made space for Hinata, took Hinata's phone in the process, stepped away from Miya Atsumu.
“Atsumu-senpai, Atsumu-senpai,” Hinata's expression was extremely excited, “Does this.. come with a prize?”
Upon hearing this question, Miya Atsumu couldn't help but laugh: "Of course. Both the school and the prefecture will provide it, the coach won't keep any; it will all be handed directly to us."
They have plenty of funds, there are even donations from professional teams in Osaka, so there is absolutely no need to withhold this prize money in terms of funding.
Hinata became even more excited: "H-how much is it, roughly?"
Miya Atsumu raised a hand to make a two with his fingers: "If we're talking about the starting lineup, it would need to double again."
Of course, as the MVP, he would have extra on top of that.
Seeing Hinata looking dazed as if his brain had been overwhelmed by the mention of money, Miya Atsumu smiled. "The prize money from the previous National Sports Festival will also be distributed in a while, it's even more than this."
Actually, the bulk of the money was transferred directly to the Volleyball Club, but that portion was all used as funds to develop them, the coach kept almost nothing for himself.
Moreover, after winning the championship, the various sponsorships increased significantly compared to before, there were even many people who provided unconditional support specifically to Hinata alone.
Coach Kurosu wouldn't let Coach Inubata take care of Hinata for a long time without any real compensation; the funds for that, including the venue fees, were also taken from this pool.
——Essentially, it belongs to Hinata as well.
Miya Atsumu's smile was still on his face when, in the next second, Hinata's voice rang in the ears of the Inarizaki members.
This way.. I'll have enough money to buy Hoshiumi-senpai a short-sleeved shirt for Haruko!
Suna immediately turned his head toward Miya Atsumu, raising his phone with a speed that was almost like a reflex.
The flash went off instantly, freezing Miya Atsumu's face on Hinata Shoyo's phone screen.
Before Miya Atsumu could lunge to grab Nagumo Kanata's phone, Hinata Shoyo's next sentence reached him: "There's one for Atsumu-senpai too, we can go pick it out together when the time comes."
Miya Atsumu was all smiles: "Sure, I'll take anything Shoyo gives me, it wouldn't be a problem to pick one up for Hoshiumi while we're at it."
Watching Miya Atsumu's expression instantly shift from a blank stare to a smile as warm as a spring breeze, Aran raised his hand to cover his face. "You change your expression faster than flipping a page, Atsumu."
And it was obvious that Atsumu was just an afterthought.
Hearing Aran speak, Hinata stole a glance at him.
Finally, after taking the phone that Suna handed over from behind, he deliberately slowed down while walking with Miya Atsumu.
Miya Atsumu blinked. "What's wrong? Is Aran bullying you?"
That can't be right; it seems like Aran is the one in the Volleyball Club who protects Hinata the most.
Hinata asked in a low voice, "No, I mean.. in the evaluation for Best Spiker, how many points am I behind Aran-senpai?"