He successively showed the two fortune slips to everyone: "Great luck! Still great luck!"
Looking at the two Hinatos standing there with their hands on their hips, Aran was shocked: "Oh, that's amazing!"
This fortune is too strong; there's even one for prosperity in battle, which is exactly the kind of fortune they need most.
Kita Shinsuke put away his small auspicious fortune slip. "The Inari God loves Shoyo and Xiaoxia."
A "Great Blessing" fortune is indeed rare; drawing one means your luck will be incredibly strong in the near future.
Miya Atsumu said with a smile, "Next, let's go get some charms for victory in the new year."
Hinata replied, "Okay—"
It looked like this Haruko trip would definitely go smoothly.
After having a big New Year's feast at home, everyone packed their belongings and boarded the bus to Kyoto the next day at noon.
The trip to Fushimi Inari Shrine was originally Miya Atsumu's idea, but after Coach Kurosu heard it, he had his own thoughts on the matter, it ultimately became a club activity.
Of course, Xiaoxia came along as well,
The weather today was wonderful, the afternoon was quite warm. Hinata's mother had also carefully dressed Xiaoxia, layering a small furisode with koi fish patterns over her thermal underwear.
This was a gift Hinata Shoyo gave to his sister with his prize money from the match, it was quite expensive.
Of course, this was the direct reason he didn't buy himself a new kimono and could only wear his previous yukata.
As the two were getting ready to head out, Hinata's mother's disapproving voice drifted over: "Shoyo, put on a down jacket as well."
Hinata turned back and replied, "Yes—"
It was a pity that his father's clothes were still a bit too large for him; otherwise, he could have worn a haori over them.
The Inarizaki bus was already waiting on the road beside their residential area, Hinata Rishia and Xiaoxia also boarded the bus one after another.
The Miya Twins and the Kita Team had actually dressed in formal wear, with Miya Atsumu even wearing a striking red, while everyone else was dressed in casual clothes like Hinata.
Akagi Michinari rushed over immediately: "Oh! Xiaoxia looks so pretty today!"
He had seen the photos Aran took yesterday, but he didn't expect her to be even cuter in person today.
Hinata introduced, "This is Akagi-senpai."
Xiaoxia bowed and greeted, "Hello, Akagi-senpai."
After introducing everyone in the car one by one, Hinata squeezed into the very last row.
Looking at Miya Atsumu's meticulously styled hair and his extremely formal attire, Hinata expressed his envy: "Atsumu-senpai, you look very handsome today!"
Miya Atsumu looked at Hinata, who was wrapped in a down jacket: "You look very handsome too, but.."
At this, Miya Atsumu paused for a moment, then pulled a bag from behind his back. "With this, you'll look even cooler."
Hinata froze for a moment, then pulled a similarly dark blue haori out of the bag.
His eyes lit up: "Ohhhhh—this is!"
Miya Atsumu explained, "The clothes from when I was in junior high should fit you roughly the same."
He knew that when he, Hinata, Xiaoxia were picking out clothes before, Hinata had said he probably wouldn't have enough money to buy new clothes.
And in the photos Hinata had shown him before, he only had one dark blue yukata.
Bringing his childhood clothes along was incredibly farsighted!
Hinata had already discarded his down jacket and quickly changed into the haori from Miya Atsumu.
He opened his arms toward Atsumu-senpai to show him off. "Is it cool?!"
Miya Atsumu gave a thumbs up. "Very cool."
Watching her brother go to the front to show the coach, Hinata Natsu stood in the aisle with her hands on her hips, staring at Miya Atsumu for a long time.
When Miya Atsumu tried to reach out and hug her, she turned her head away and walked over to sit in the empty seat next to Kita Shinsuke.
Kita Shinsuke reached out to fasten Xiaoxia's seatbelt, patting her with a smile.
Miya Atsumu curled his lips and said with a hint of regret, "What a shame. All the pocket money I had left over from last year was meant to be an offering to the Inari God. Maybe I'll have the chance to buy Shoyo a formal outfit this year."
Miya Osamu paused for a moment and looked at Miya Atsumu with a very strange expression. "Are you sure you want to give him a formal suit?"
Miya Atsumu said righteously, "Of course, of course I want to give Hinata what he's missing."
Miya Osamu fell silent, momentarily at a loss for words.
This guy.. does he really understand the meaning of giving a formal kimono to someone his own age?!
Amagasaki is not far from the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto; it only took a short drive to arrive in the vicinity.
Even though it was already the second day of the New Year, there were still many people passing through because fireworks and performances were scheduled to be held nearby that evening.
"So this is—" Hinata's eyes widened as he looked at the incredibly spectacular main hall.
This is several times larger than the Inari Shrine in Amagasaki!
Miya Atsumu said with a smile, "The head shrine of the Inari Shrine, it's Fushimi Inari Shrine."
Behind the main hall are the famous Senbon Torii. After you pray and get a fortune, you can go take photos..
Suddenly, Miya Atsumu's peripheral vision caught a very familiar figure, causing the smile on his face to freeze.
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
How could he run into Hoshiumi Hikari in Kyoto!
Right at that moment, that nightmare-inducing voice rang out immediately after: "Shoyo?"
Hinata poked his head out to look behind Miya Atsumu, his eyes lit up almost instantly: "Hoshiumi-senpai!"
He instantly darted out from Miya Atsumu's side and grabbed Hoshiumi's arm: "Are you here to pray to the Inari God too, Hoshiumi-senpai!"
"Yeah, I'm just here to draw a fortune." Hoshiumi nodded, while glancing at Miya Atsumu's incredibly expressive face.
Not far away, a flash went off, once again freezing the entire scene on a phone screen.
However, since it was daytime, the flash was not noticed by the group at all.
Looking at Suna Rintaro's phone screen, Miya Osamu didn't even know what to say.
Atsumu's pocket money wasn't all spent on making offerings to the Inari God; it had clearly been scoured clean by Suna.
“Hoshiumi-senpai! This is my sister!” Hinata pulled Xiaoxia over to show her to Hoshiumi.
Hoshiumi leaned down and shook hands with Xiaoxia behind him: "You're Xiaoxia, right? Nice to meet you, nice to meet you."
Xiaoxia said directly, "Hello, Hoshiumi-senpai! I've seen you on the posters on my brother's wall!"
The moment he heard those words, Hoshiumi straightened up imperceptibly, gave two light coughs, fully channeled his aura as a senior: "Of course, I am the senior Shoyo relies on most."
Hinata added, "The most trusted master!"
"Exactly, exactly." Hoshiumi's chin lifted even higher.
Looking at the interior of the shrine, where the crowd was gradually thinning, Hinata proactively suggested, "The people seem to be getting fewer. Senpai, let's go pay our respects."
"Let's go." Hoshiumi stepped forward directly with the Hinata siblings, while Hirugami, left behind, gave a helpless smile and turned his head to look for Captain Suwa, who had been forcibly brought along by them.
In the end, all that remained was the still-dazed Miya Atsumu.
Two sneers came from the side. Atsumu turned around and found it was Miya Osamu and Suna Rintaro.
He lunged forward aggressively: "You two bastards! What are you recording now!"
The Hoshiumi siblings and Hinata had each drawn a fortune, while the fortunes from the Inari God were even more detailed.
Hinata drew a "Great Blessing," and the fortune's meaning was still that same sentence, "Hard work will be rewarded," but it was followed by, "Do not be complacent with the status quo; please keep moving forward, your wishes will slowly come true."
Hinata Natsu's was Great Blessing, the meaning of the fortune being that life will be happy and fulfilling.
Looking at the mix of good and bad fortunes in his hands, Hoshiumi fell into silence.
If the two people beside him hadn't both drawn auspicious slips, he would have started to suspect that the Inari God was targeting him.
No, no, no, this has to be targeting him!
The skeptical Hoshiumi looked back at Suwa: "Captain! How are you doing?"
Suwa said, "Atogoshi."
"What about you, Yukihito?" Hoshiumi looked toward their last hope.
Hirugami showed him his fortune: "A crossroads of luck and misfortune; ultimately, bad luck."
Very well, Karasuno has been completely wiped out.
Kita Shinsuke, following behind, drew a Great Blessing, while Aran drew a Super Great Blessing.
Hoshiumi remained silent.
He knew it! The Inari God is biased!
The three members of Karasuno looked at each other in silence for five minutes, before Suwa finally suggested again, "How about we go to Kiyomizu-dera again tomorrow?"
Hoshiumi: "I agree."
Hirugami: "I think it's fine."
After failing to compete with Miya Osamu and Suna Rintaro, Miya Atsumu also received his draw after paying his respects to the Inari God.
Looking at the slip in his hand, Miya Atsumu frowned.
[Misfortune followed by Good Fortune]
[You are currently on the brink of a major turning point in your life, failure this time will lead to disaster. Therefore, please make sure to consider your true inner thoughts and take the correct actions.]
[Offer your most sincere prayers to the Inari God; the Inari God will be watching you.]
"Oh, he's the only one among us who got a bad omen," Aran leaned in.
Except for Miya Atsumu, everyone else at least drew a good lot.
Kita Shinsuke also turned serious: "Atsumu, make sure to prioritize safety during the match."
Yesterday at the Inari Shrine in Amagasaki City, Miya Atsumu's fortune had felt slightly ominous, the fortune from the main shrine was much the same.
Although he didn't know exactly what it referred to, being cautious wouldn't hurt.
"Understood." Miya Atsumu's expression turned serious.