Interviews themselves are also part of the recruitment promotion, so he must cooperate with the coaches in this regard.
After all.. he is so handsome!
Hinata nodded, then walked to the sidelines and stood near a camera.
This spot was near a corner, so under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be hit by a ball flying unexpectedly.
He had just been preparing to stretch his body while the lottery was taking place on the court when a call reached his ears.
“Hinata.”
Hinata looked up and met Coach Nekota's smiling eyes.
He quickly stood at attention. "Hello, Coach Nekota."
“Don't be nervous, I just came to have a little chat with you.” Coach Nekota spoke softly, his hands clasped behind his back.
It will take us a while to check in over here, so there's no rush.
As he spoke, Coach Nekota pointed at Kenma, who was already lying flat in the corner, Yaku, who looked like he was about to fall asleep beside him.
Hinata nodded: "Yeah."
The coin toss results were in, Gao Yuan would serve first; the opposing side was given the first choice of court.
Watching both sides make their final pre-match preparations, Coach Nekota took the initiative to start a conversation: "I recall Hinata is from Miyagi, right?"
"Yes." Hinata glanced at the sign placed by the sidelines; above the words Aobajohsai was Miyagi.
Coach Nekota continued asking, "Do you have any other plans to go back after this? Like going back to visit or for family visits?"
Thinking back to the scene of the commotion he had caused in the vegetable garden with Xiaoxia, Hinata curled his lips into a smile. "Grandpa and the others are still in Miyagi, so I'll take some time to go back during the holidays."
Then.." Coach Nekota's words paused for a moment, then he turned his head to look at Hinata with extreme seriousness. "Can you do me a favor?
The moment he locked eyes with Coach Nekota, Hinata turned serious. "Please, go ahead."
After speaking, he subconsciously wondered if he had used his honorifics correctly.
Don't be nervous," Nekota said, raising a hand to pat Hinata's shoulder. "It's nothing else, it's just that I have an old friend in Miyagi right now. His health hasn't been very good these past few years, I haven't had much time to go see him.
If possible, whenever you have some free time, please go visit him for me and give him my regards.
Hinata nodded in agreement without a second thought: "Okay, I'll let you know before I head back!"
Coach Nekota's old friend.. I'm a little curious.
Coach Nekota laughed, in a great mood: "That guy is a true master when it comes to aerial battles; when the time comes, you can try your best to squeeze everything he's got."
"Ohhh—aerial combat!" Hinata's eyes lit up.
He guessed correctly! Coach Nekota's friend was indeed some kind of famous volleyball coach!
And he specializes in aerial combat.. How exciting!
Coach Nekota nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, we're also getting ready to leave. Good luck in your upcoming matches."
Hinata nodded vigorously: "Yeah! I will!"
Next, he would also continue on winning, carrying the weight for Kenma, Yaku-senpai, the others.
Everyone from Nekoma left.
The sudden silence around him left Hinata feeling somewhat at a loss.
But just then, a voice that Hinata was already incredibly familiar with rang out.
“What are you thinking about?”
Hinata didn't even have to turn around to know that Miya Atsumu was standing behind him.
He shook his head. "I wasn't thinking anything, I just suddenly felt like everyone had left."
Wakamura-senpai, Shiratori-senpai, Yaku-senpai—one by one, the familiar faces departed.
He knew that there were some people he would never see again in his entire life.
Where Hinata couldn't see, Miya Atsumu's expression froze slightly.
He looked down at the back of Hinata's head for a moment before finally letting out a helpless smile.
Raising his hand to pat Hinata's head and rubbing it vigorously, Miya Atsumu spoke softly, "We're going to win the championship."
The road to that throne is inherently lonely, with the steps forged from the bodies of former friends and enemies.
There is only one team that can wear the crown, they have fought until now for that very purpose.
But..
Don't be afraid, I'm here.
As Miya Atsumu's hand pressed his hair down, Hinata, feeling a bit of an itch, closed one eye and struggled to tilt his head to look at Miya Atsumu behind him.
That's right, even if the end of this road will eventually be empty, as teammates, they will always stay by each other's side.
They were never alone.
Hinata suddenly felt a sudden sting in his nose.
He shook off Miya Atsumu's hand under his confused gaze, looked up at him, said, "Atsumu-senpai, can you give me a hug?"
He didn't understand why he felt so uncomfortable, nor did he understand why he felt a sense of relief after hearing Miya Atsumu's words.
But at least.. he knew one thing.
—This person in front of him was someone he could rely on.
"Okay." Miya Atsumu agreed readily, proactively bending down to lower his body.
Miya Atsumu's heartbeat pulsed from his chest, carrying a reassuring strength.
Clutching Miya Atsumu's shirt, Hinata's brain entered a brief state of freezing, as if it were undergoing a reboot.
After one play interrupted Gao Yuan's service turn, Oikawa Tooru held the ball and prepared to move to his starting position to serve.
As soon as he turned his head, he saw the two people flirting by the sidelines.
Suppressing the urge to throw the ball, Oikawa Tooru walked over with an extremely distorted expression and pulled the two of them apart, one in each hand.
That's enough. Can you two go hug somewhere else, away from our Seijo? Aren't you tired of being so lovey-dovey?
Miya Atsumu had a look of dissatisfaction on his face: "I'm comforting a junior."
His expression was extremely matter-of-fact, as if he didn't realize at all that this was an inappropriate time and place.
Seeing Hinata looking like he still hadn't woken up on the other side, Oikawa Tooru was speechless.
He could suddenly empathize completely with Hoshiumi.
That bastard Miya Atsumu!
So annoying, so annoying!
The referee blew his whistle, giving Oikawa Tooru a warning.
Oikawa Tooru gave a light click of his tongue and turned back to prepare for his serve, deciding to treat Miya Atsumu as if he were invisible for the time being.
But as soon as he had taken his position, Oikawa Tooru had a sudden inspiration and raised his hand: "Referee! I report them!"
Following Oikawa Tooru's report, Miya Atsumu and Hinata, who had already interfered with the match in progress, were immediately asked to leave the court by the staff and were ordered not to return for the rest of the morning.
Looking at the two people kneeling on the opposite side with innocent expressions on their faces, Coach Kurosu didn't know what to say.
Heaven knows how it felt for him to have just finished confirming the match results, only to be turned around and notified by the organizing committee that players from Inarizaki were causing trouble on the court.
Can't they just leave him alone for once!
Miya Atsumu's expression twisted.
Oikawa Tooru-senpai is being so petty!
He hadn't done anything wrong; he had only comforted a sad junior by the sidelines! Just that!
Meanwhile, Hinata, who had no idea why he was being asked out by the staff, blinked innocently, leaving Coach Kurosu's anger with nowhere to be vented.
At the same time, in the stands, Suna nodded with satisfaction while holding his phone.
Miya Osamu leaned over. "Did you get it? That classic scene of Piggy Atsumu being kicked off the court?"
Suna handed over his phone.
Looking at the three photos on the phone—one of Miya Atsumu hugging Hinata, one of the two of them being separated by Oikawa Tooru, one of Miya Atsumu being escorted out of the court by staff—Miya Osamu fell silent.
This is turning into a soap opera!
Handing the phone back, Miya Osamu said with a serious expression, "Let's get one thing straight: you're not allowed to let him come and mess with my pudding anymore. If you want something, just ask for his pocket money directly."
Suna remained silent for two seconds, scrolled through the phone for a while longer, then turned to hand over another photo.
The moment Miya Osamu saw it, he froze completely.
On the phone screen was his own incredibly distorted expression, he was still clutching Miya Atsumu's yellow hair in his hand.
Because he had fought with Miya Atsumu so many times, he could no longer remember exactly when it had happened, but..
Suna reached out a hand to him.
Miya Osamu collapsed to the ground: "Here, take it, I'll give you all of stupid Atsumu's pudding."
Ginjima and Aran sat side by side in the row of stands behind them.
Aran spoke up with a complaint, "He's completely played by Rintaro. The twins are in such bad shape; I feel like they'll get tricked into buying health supplements once they get old."
But I suspect the salesperson might have the surname Suna.
Ginjima's focus was elsewhere: "Just where on earth did Rintaro hide his phone?"
I feel like I've seen him many times without him actually taking a photo, yet he still has pictures.
Aran raised his hand to cover his face. "I should be criticizing the Twins instead of Rintaro here."
Ginjima was confused: "Huh?"
Seijo could be said to have fallen into a disadvantageous position right from the opening; after Oikawa Tooru's service turn was abruptly interrupted by Gao Yuan, they instead fell into a disadvantage during Gao Yuan's powerful service turn.
Miya Osamu couldn't help but start clapping. "As expected of a powerhouse school, that defensive connection tactic was played brilliantly."
Sinner" Miya Atsumu sat down beside Miya Osamu: "After all, Gao Yuan's overall strength is theoretically stronger than Shiratorizawa's, isn't it?