Seeing everyone like this, he could finally feel at ease.
He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back to him: "Chest out, heads up. You're in the top eight in the nation, after all. Stop looking so dejected, every single one of you."
Alright, alright, go and pay your respects to our terrible enemies, our respectable coach, our lovely supporters.
"Yes!" the Aobajohsai members responded in unison.
Standing by the sidelines, Kindaichi stood with his chest out and head held high as he looked at the Inarizaki members, his eyes involuntarily turning red.
To be honest, he didn't really have much of a sense of reality regarding the failure and the loss of the match.
Because that sense of sadness and sorrow.. had already been mostly consumed in the helpless match.
Oikawa-senpai told them to hold their heads high, so he would show his pride.
But if he could be a little stronger, be able to impose more restrictions on his opponents through blocking..
Is it because they still have one more match to play?
At least for now, they don't want to say goodbye to their seniors.
Good job!
Thank you for the guidance!!
After the smiling coach offered his greetings, everyone walked toward the spectator stands.
Shoyo played well!
Aran is exceptionally handsome today! Keep up the good work tomorrow!
Atsumu-kun—Osamu-kun—look over here!
Hinata waved his hands to greet everyone in the stands.
Unlike the Inarizaki members watching the match from the stands and the substitutes on the bench during the National Sports Festival, he knew very well that these cheers were for him.
Inarizaki High is the strongest!!
The cheers rang incessantly in his ears, but they were coming from behind him.
Looking down at the ground, waves of dizziness surged through his heart.
That grand music was so overwhelming that it made it hard to breathe, making it impossible to even stand up straight.
"All this time.." Oikawa Tooru's words trailed off.
A hand reached out and wrapped around his back.
Iwaizumi Hajime, beside him, tilted his head slightly, giving him a steadying look.
Oikawa Tooru tried his best to swallow the lump in his throat, but his voice still carried an uncontrollable sob.
He bowed even lower, his field of vision limited to only the floor and his own shoes.
Thank you all for your companionship and support!!
As he looked up, a series of familiar faces appeared before Oikawa Tooru's eyes.
It wasn't just throughout his three years in high school; there were many, many faces he had seen since his time at Kitagawa Daiichi.
In every match, amidst the shouting and cheering, these people were always there.
For him, for them..
It was three years that, despite being covered in mud, were still brilliant and beautiful.
Tears that had been swirling in his eyes uncontrollably began to fall, one by one, onto his jersey which was already soaked with sweat.
In these final, final moments..
Did they submit a passing answer to them?
What a great match!
Great job, everyone!!
The center line of the net divided the entire court into two halves.
Half cheers, half tears.
But in the very end, it turned into a unified burst of applause.
Miya Atsumu put an arm around Hinata's shoulder and led the group toward the Sub-gymnasium. "Let's go, let's go. Get some good stretching in, once you've warmed up, come back to watch the match between Fukurodani and Shirabu."
The Women's Volleyball matches hadn't started yet, according to the normal schedule, they should still be able to make it in time for the start of the next round of matches.
"Yeah!" Hinata nodded.
He hadn't seen Coach Kusubashi or the others much during this period. This time, everyone wasn't staying on the same floor, since the matches were held in two different districts, they wouldn't meet except for the Finals.
Additionally, since he would need to devote more time to handling his own team's strategies after becoming a regular, he wasn't very clear on how everyone in Shirabu was doing lately.
—I'm really looking forward to it!
As they walked toward the entrance of the sub-gymnasium, the sound of another team's footsteps echoed from the other side of the corridor.
Hinata looked back and saw the Aobajohsai members.
To prevent any post-match conflicts, the stretching for both sides was conducted in different gymnasiums.
But since most people were over here, it was only natural that they would run into each other.
Shoyo turned around and proactively greeted Oikawa-senpai: "Oikawa-senpai."
Oikawa Tooru also stopped in his tracks. "What is it? Do you have a winner's speech to deliver?"
His tone was relaxed, as if the two sides hadn't just fought a life-and-death battle.
"No." Shoyo shook his head.
He looked directly at Oikawa Tooru, his gaze not flinching in the slightest.
“I just wanted to say, being able to play a match against everyone from Seijo on an official court.. it's truly wonderful.”
The original hostility melted away instantly, even the face of Iwaizumi Hajime beside him broke into a helpless smile.
Oikawa Tooru took a step forward and patted Shoyo on the head. "I think so too."
He lowered his hand, led the team past Hinata, continued walking forward.
Goodbye, Little One.
Hearing those incredibly formal words, Hinata was momentarily stunned.
Watching Oikawa Tooru's back, he didn't know why he felt a little sad.
He didn't want to say goodbye to these seniors.
Even though he knew they would eventually leave, he didn't want to hear such words.
They will meet again, on opposite sides of a net at some future court, outside a restroom before a match, or beside a vending machine after one.
So..
Please don't say goodbye to him so casually.
An orange figure suddenly darted into his line of sight, leaving Miya Atsumu, who was just about to enter the door, a bit dazed: "Shoyo-kun?"
Hinata took a few quick steps, catching up with the Aoba group.
Oikawa-senpai!
A loud shout instantly filled the entire corridor, causing the Aobajohsai members ahead to involuntarily turn their heads.
A full day of high-intensity exercise had made Hinata's breathing inevitably rapid, especially now that he had finally relaxed.
He raised his hand and wiped away the sweat that had already run down his face, as if he were wiping away tears.
Oikawa Tooru turned to face him, his eyes filled with confusion.
Hinata straightened up and gave Oikawa Tooru a big smile, his tone relaxed and cheerful.
See you!
It wasn't a formal farewell, but rather a simple, casual greeting, as if they were friends who would meet again tomorrow, given to Oikawa Tooru.
There were no extra words, but Oikawa Tooru understood exactly what Shoyo meant.
He opened his mouth, but that farewell, which felt like saying "see you tomorrow," simply would not come out.
After this match was over, he had completely come to terms with certain things.
With the future uncertain, perhaps this is the last time they will see each other in this lifetime.
But..
A burning gaze stared at him, the urgency and certainty within it seemingly asking him—
Senpai, you don't lack the confidence to reach the world stage, do you?
How could that be?
Oikawa Tooru's lips curled up, his peripheral vision scanning Miya Atsumu, who was looking over this side with the bearing of someone in a superior position.
How could he possibly admit defeat?
In some perhaps distant future, those guys branded as geniuses.. he will defeat them one by one.
So—
With confidence, pride, a certainty about the future, Oikawa Tooru spoke with a smile.
Goodbye,
Shoyo-kun.
Author's Note:
Oikawa: Come on, Little One. Tell me—goodbye~ (with an authentic Kansai accent)
Hinata: Goodbye! (Strong Kansai dialect)
Oikawa (silently): Goodbye. (Northeastern dialect)
Hinata: See you! (In a strange, accented dialect)
Oikawa..