The world is incomparably vast.
Having scrolled through the forums, Miya Atsumu had already pieced together the progression of the entire match. "Shiratorizawa was too arrogant. Even the old man Washijo didn't expect that a defeated opponent could give him such a huge surprise from beginning to end."
Having done no pre-match preparation, Shiratorizawa was caught off guard by Aobajohsai's Kyokutsu in the first set.
Even though Shiratorizawa took the second and third sets with overwhelming force, Matsukawa and Kindaichi's long-term targeting of spikes and serves eventually wore down Ohira Shion and Ushijima Wakatoshi, then.. they managed to tie the score in the fourth set.
Miya Atsumu leaned back on the sofa, in an incredibly joyful mood: "Hahahaha, but.. I still really love watching this kind of drama."
Hinata, who hadn't kept up with Miya Atsumu's rhythm at all, looked back: "What drama?"
Miya Atsumu reached out and placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder: "A drama where the challenger turns defeat into victory, of course."
Stagnant water isn't interesting; after playing against old friends too much, one eventually wants to see some new faces.
Ohira Shion's serve was broken by Aobajohsai.
25:26, Aobajohsai has set point again.
Watching the match fall into another stalemate on the screen, Miya Atsumu turned his head and asked Hinata Shoyo, "Shoyo, do you know why Municipal Kobe can't win a single set against us?"
Hinata's answer was decisive: "Because we are strong enough."
That's one part of it," Miya Atsumu said, narrowing his eyes. "It's because we do our homework. Unless it's a massive change in a short amount of time, everything will be within our expectations.
Shiratorizawa's underestimation of their opponents is a textbook example of what not to do.
But then again, the reason Inarizaki could always take Municipal Kobe seriously was because they had achieved great results at the nationals.
And Shiratorizawa seemed to have forgotten that the Aobajohsai they lost to had finished in the top eight nationally, meaning they themselves were at the level of the top sixteen, or even higher.
Hinata glanced at Miya Atsumu several times before finally muttering in a low voice, "But Atsumu-senpai, you clearly aren't cautious enough on the court either; you often just act on impulse."
Doing homework was one thing, but once on the court, they were truly playing recklessly; they were simply relying on the fact that they were indeed a bit stronger.
Just like how he often gets a sudden flash of inspiration and starts imitating the opponent's moves.
Miya Atsumu reached out and pinned Hinata down, starting to tickle him: "You've really picked up some bad habits from Aran; you can't just criticize your seniors like that!"
Hinata begged for mercy, "I was wrong, I was wrong!"
A long whistle sounded from the television, the signal announcing the end of the match.
The two people who were still fooling around looked up at the same time and saw the score, which had stopped at 27:29.
Aobajohsai defeated Shiratorizawa 3:2 to claim the championship.
Miya Atsumu stood up from Hinata, letting out a soft click of his tongue: "Just as expected."
It was truly a pity that they couldn't win the first set; otherwise, Seijo wouldn't have been able to drag the match to the final set.
Hinata began to wipe away his tears: "Akari—Ushijima-senpai—"
Miya Atsumu reached out and patted him: "Don't cry, there will be other chances to face them in the future."
But.. it might be a very, very long time from now.
Hinata continued to wipe away his tears: "No, I'm crying for Akuma's foot."
After glancing at Goshiki Tsutomu, who was limping to prepare for the bow because he had tripped and sprained his ankle at the very end, Miya Atsumu also fell silent.
——This is truly a run of bad luck.
Miya Atsumu said seriously, "After the Haruko holiday, we'll first go to the Inari Shrine next to the school to pray, then head to Kyoto."
Hinata's eyes lit up: "Kyoto? Are we going to visit Kiyoharu and the others?"
It seems there are no group training camps scheduled for the next few months; the next one won't be until Golden Week next year, though it's said there will be things like practice matches.
No, we're going to worship the Inari God.
Amatori said with total seriousness, "Fushimi Inari Shrine is definitely more spiritual than that small shrine over at Inarizaki."
Iizuna fell silent. "No, you just said you wanted to worship Sugawara Michizane.. If you're going, you should go to the Tenmangu in Kyoto instead."
The shrine of Sugawara Michizane is right next to Itachiyama; why would they want to defect?
Iizuna-senpai didn't know what to say.
Why did he feel like.. the Inari God might only protect his little fox cubs.
I think the Inari God might be quite responsive.
Hoshiumi held his tablet and looked at Hirugami. "What if the two of us sneak off with Captain? We might even get a chance to play in the starting lineup."
Hirugami agreed, "I think it's fine. We're going to Osaka to watch AD and BJ's match anyway, so it's on the way."
Neither of them asked Suwa if he was free, lightly deciding the fate of their captain.
"And.. the New Year's festival in Kyoto will be very grand." Miya Atsumu gave Hinata a thumbs up.
"Then I'll take Xiaoxia too!" Hinata was already starting to enjoy the future.
New Year's in Sendai is very cold; even with a festival, you can't wear a kimono.
Amagasaki is not far from either Kyoto or Osaka, making a round trip very convenient, the temperature is also much warmer here..
It just so happened that the prize money for the competition was about to be distributed; in addition to buying short-sleeved shirts for the seniors, he was also going to buy a beautiful piece of clothing for Xiaoxia!
Hearing Hinata mention his sister, Miya Atsumu subconsciously wondered if he should wear matching outfits with Miya Osamu.
But in the next second, he decisively threw Miya Osamu out of his head.
That bastard shouldn't even think about appearing in his head for the next few days!
Chapter 145: The One Hundred and Forty-Fifth Fox
The Hinata family was quite welcoming of Miya Atsumu's visit once again.
Of course, that excludes Hinata Natsu, who had just followed Coach Inubata to watch the match.
Watching the two people in the room watching the replay of the match between Shiratorizawa and Aobajohsai, Hinata Natsu slammed her brother's bedroom door in a huff.
She turned to complain to her mother, "Mom, my brother is just sitting there watching the computer instead of doing his homework!"
Afterward, Hinata heard his mother's voice calling from far away.
“Shoyo—finish your homework first—!”
Hinata was defeated and, accepting his fate, pulled out the unfinished homework and began rushing to complete it.
Miya Atsumu, who had already finished copying his homework yesterday, thought for a moment before heading out to play ball with Xiaoxia.
Miya Atsumu was highly motivated when it came to building a good relationship with Xiaoxia.
However, children go to bed earlier; by the time Miya Atsumu returned, Hinata was still buried in his homework.
"Shoyo." Miya Atsumu called out to Hinata.
Hinata looked back and met Miya Atsumu's incredibly solemn face.
Hinata, who had been sitting cross-legged, adjusted his posture so that he could kneel facing Miya Atsumu.
Miya Atsumu also shifted forward, pressing both hands onto Hinata's shoulders: "Tomorrow.. you must, must wake me up early."
Hinata blinked, his expression looking very innocent. "Atsumu-senpai, you're not afraid of being teased by Xiaoxia, are you?"
Miya Atsumu's temple twitched, he closed his eyes in pain. "Shut up, don't ask."
The next day was a school day, so the two of them had no chance to sleep in.
Hinata slept very late, because this was no longer a tournament week, Kumagai did not provide him with any homework to use as a reference.
He racked his brains for several hours to finish the weekend's homework.
Pulling back the curtains to let in the light of the morning, which had not yet fully brightened, Hinata looked down at Miya Atsumu.
Good morning, Atsumu-senpai.
Miya Atsumu opened his eyes, looking at the orange-headed person in his field of vision with a bit of confusion. "What time is it.."
Why did he feel like it was still pitch black outside? Was it light out already?
Hinata replied, "Five-thirty in the morning."
Sitting up abruptly, Miya Atsumu looked at Hinata Shoyo in disbelief: "What are you doing up so early!"
No, their morning training doesn't even start at this time!
Hinata quickly stripped off his pajamas and began changing into thicker clothes: "Morning run, huh?"
Miya Atsumu felt like he definitely hadn't woken up yet, but since he was already up, he might as well go along..
After finishing washing up with Hinata Shoyo and heading out, the moment he pushed open the gate to Hinata Shoyo's house, he keenly sensed that there seemed to be something extra outside the door.
Yes, there was an extra tuft of gray hair.
Miya Osamu was crouching by the doorway wearing his Inarizaki High School uniform, holding a convenience store bag in his hand, with a bit of sauce still left at the corner of his mouth.
Hearing a noise at the door, he was also somewhat surprised, as he looked up, he met Miya Atsumu's eyes, which were identical to his own.
Hinata also froze for a moment: "Osamu-senpai?"
With a light click of his tongue, Miya Atsumu grabbed Hinata and headed out the door, intending to ignore Miya Osamu.
But Miya Osamu was a step faster and spoke up: "Mom told me to ask you when you're coming home."
Miya Atsumu, who had originally prepared to walk away, stopped in his tracks upon hearing the word "Mom."
Only at this moment did he suddenly remember that, in a fit of rage yesterday, he had blocked all of Miya Osamu's contact information.
Exchanging a glance with Rishia Heisuke, who was heading out from the other side, Hinata Shoyo whispered to him, "Are the seniors fighting?"
Rishia shook his head. "I don't know."
However.. he felt something was wrong yesterday, there was a high probability of an argument.
Miya Atsumu turned his head to look at Hinata Shoyo, he froze for a moment when he saw that Rishia Heisuke had also come out.
Relieved, he waved his hand. "You guys go ahead."
"Okay." Hinata turned his head and pulled Rishia Heisuke away, running quickly.
He had a premonition that this place was about to turn into a battlefield in a moment.