Miya Atsumu turned around, his back to everyone from Karasuno who was watching the spectacle.
He looked at Hinata, who was still bending over to check on him, his eyes drooping slightly at the corners.
“Shoyo, you hung up on my call, didn't tell me where you were, spent the whole day playing all sweet and lovely with another setter outside..”
Thinking about the call that he had accidentally hung up on, Hinata felt incredibly guilty.
Miya Atsumu took advantage of the moment, his expression turning even more distressed and pitiful, looking as if he were about to burst into tears: "Shoyo, you wouldn't actually leave me to sleep on the street, would you?"
Of course not!" Hinata straightened his posture and patted his chest. "It's fine for Atsumu-senpai to stay at my house.
It's just that the room here might be a bit small, so Atsumu-senpai will have to bear with me and squeeze in.
Miya Atsumu reluctantly agreed, "Alright then."
He silently made a peace sign with his hands behind his back, the incredibly smooth process of deception from start to finish left both Tanaka and Nishinoya staring in shock.
Nishinoya was shocked: "High School's Best Setter, truly terrifying."
Tanaka was puzzled: "Is this the power of a Libero?"
Enoshita Chikara pressed down on both of them, one hand on each: "No, it's Hinata's problem, right?"
This way of believing whatever Miya Atsumu says is a bit too worrying.
Even Hinata isn't stupid; when communicating with them, he is clearly very skilled at communicating and can even proactively manage social distance.
So..
It was simply because he trusted the other person too much, was unwilling to consider whether the other person was lying to him about such a matter.
Watching the two of them start whispering while standing in the middle of the court, Ukai Keishin spoke up, "Um, you have to pay to use the court for Inarizaki."
Hinata suddenly looked up. "Then we'll leave right away.."
Coach Ukai quickly added the next sentence: "Unless you come to train with us."
After the Third Years graduated, the Volleyball Club's starters and substitutes were reduced to only eight people. Even with Hitoka Yachi occasionally filling in to serve as a setter, they still couldn't muster the twelve players needed for a proper practice match.
With two free hands available right now, it would be a waste not to use them; at the very least, they can play a five-on-five.
Before Hinata could even agree, Miya Atsumu rejected him outright: "Sorry, Coach, we're getting ready to go eat dinner."
“I'll finish eating—"
Hinata tried to struggle, but Miya Atsumu's movement was a step faster, pinning him down. "I haven't even eaten lunch yet."
Ukai Keishin, however, was relieved: "Of course, of course. What would you like to eat, Miya-kun? Would rice balls be okay?"
When he passed by his own shop, he also conveniently grabbed some food to take out; of course, he put it on his own tab.
Miya Atsumu's plan to escape was a total failure, he ultimately surrendered under Coach Ukai's rice balls and Hinata's gaze.
He crouched at the entrance of the Karasuno Gymnasium, munching on a rice ball, while Hinata sat beside him, busy messaging someone.
The incredibly curious Miya Atsumu leaned over to take a look: "Who?"
Seeing the reply from the other side, Hinata couldn't help but smile. "It's Kenma."
Miya Atsumu felt like the rice ball in his mouth had lost its flavor.
He quickly typed a reply consisting mostly of punctuation marks, then turned his head to look at Miya Atsumu. "Back during the previous Spring High, Coach Nekota asked me after the match to visit Coach Ukai of Karasuno."
“It's that old coach who led the Little Giant through the quarterfinals of Haruko a few years ago. Coach Nekota is already resting, so I'm reporting the situation to Kenma, he can pass it on tomorrow.”
Miya Atsumu froze for a moment, his voice tinged with surprise: "Is it that famous coach, Ukai?"
Ukai, Nekota, Washijo are all highly renowned coaches in the high school volleyball world.
Coach Nekota excels at solidifying the fundamentals of receiving and blocking, emphasizing teamwork; he has produced more than one top-tier Libero.
Coach Washijo is even more skilled at training the willpower and physical conditioning of his players, focusing on individual abilities, he has also once led his team to win the Haruko championship.
Moreover, many of the graduates from these two individuals are currently working as high school coaches, to the point where many matches have become internal struggles between their respective factions.
As for Karasuno's Coach Ukai, although his achievements are not as brilliant as those of the previous two, he is the one most skilled at turning decay into magic and making the impossible possible.
His ability to precisely tap into a player's potential and his teaching skills to maximize a player's strength in a short period of time are nothing short of a legend in the coaching world.
Hinata nodded. "He's been hospitalized recently, so I went to visit him on behalf of Coach Nekota, I happened to run into Kageyama and the others."
Miya Atsumu took a fierce bite of his rice ball: "What a coincidence."
He began to ask nonchalantly, "What about Oikawa-senpai? What's up with him?"
Hinata said simply, "I ran into him while playing at the gym, but he said he saw me on the road, so he's looking for me."
Alarm bells were ringing frantically in Miya Atsumu's head.
He knew Oikawa-senpai had ulterior motives! Does he really have such an obsession with Hinata!
Doesn't Oikawa-senpai have his own Spiker! Why is he always obsessing over our Hinata!
Atsumu quickly pressed for more details: "So, what did Oikawa-senpai say?"
Hinata shook his hands: "It's about romance stuff."
Miya Atsumu felt his vision go dark, at this moment, his ominous premonition turned into reality.
He managed to force a smile, but there was a bitter taste in his mouth.
Hinata rubbed his chin, speculating seriously: "I wonder if Oikawa-senpai got dumped? Or maybe he had some kind of heartbreak.."
“He solemnly warned me not to fall in love, saying it would affect my career.”
Hearing those words, Miya Atsumu froze.
Following the resentment and frustration, what appeared in his mind was a sense of confusion that was about to reach the heavens.
"Huh?" Miya Atsumu was momentarily rendered speechless.
That Japanese guy continued to stroke his chin with a serious expression: "Even though Oikawa-senpai is very handsome and plays volleyball very well, he really isn't as mature and steady as Atsumu-senpai, so it makes sense that he was dumped."
Although Atsumu-senpai might clash with Osamu-senpai, he is very reliable and cool most of the time, so he will definitely be a great boyfriend and a great husband in the future.
Although Hinata didn't know what kind of person Atsumu-senpai would like, he felt that it would be a lucky choice for both of them.
After all, Atsumu-senpai is incredibly serious and patient when it comes to the things he loves—like volleyball.
The mature and composed Miya Atsumu couldn't help but grin foolishly: "I-is that so.."
"Even though Oikawa-senpai is quite pitiful, I think he has a point; focusing on playing volleyball is indeed more important." Hinata nodded confidently, feeling as if he had discovered the truth.
“But I am confident that even if I actually fall in love, it won't affect my volleyball.”
He turned his head to look at Miya Atsumu, who was clearly spacing out and grinning foolishly: "Atsumu-senpai is the same, right?"
Miya Atsumu snapped back to reality, cleared his throat twice, returned to his serious demeanor: "That's right."
Wait.. was Shoyo implying something to him?
Miya Atsumu looked directly into Hinata's eyes, but saw only a clear sense of earnestness.
—He was simply asking him.
Hinata, who thought he had seen through Oikawa Tooru's secret, was even smiling with a look of triumph on his face.
Suppressing the surging emotions and blood rushing through his body, Miya Atsumu slowly let out a breath.
He turned his head and gave Hinata a smile, his gaze warm and gentle: "That's right, we are all the same."
Tanaka watched their backs as he thought hard, feeling as though something was somehow off.
Miya Atsumu finished eating his rice balls, then stood up and straightened his trousers.
He can wait until he returns to the Hinata family to eat dinner; for now, he could certainly use some light physical activity.
Alright, I'll show these Karasuno guys what it's like to face High School's Best Setter and the next Captain of the national champions!
The Karasuno members had also finished their break and stood up one after another, walking onto the court.
Kageyama and Enoshita had already confirmed the subsequent tactical adjustments with Yamaguchi and the others, the members of the planned starting lineup were already on the court warming up.
Without needing any instructions from Ukai Keishin, Miya Atsumu and Hinata had already found their positions and stood ready.
"I'm ready!" Hinata hopped in place.
The stamina he had exhausted during the Haruko tournament had fully recovered. Although he had been in the gymnasium all this afternoon, most of the time had actually been spent on theoretical trials and discussions, so there hadn't been much actual physical exertion.
Hinata looked at Nishinoya Yu, who was standing in the back position to receive, with a face full of anticipation: "Nishinoya-senpai! Please look after me!"
Nishinoya Yu patted his chest: "Leave the receiving to me!"
Hinata cheered, "That was so cool!!"
The three Liberos who left the deepest impression on him were actually Komori, Yaku, Nishinoya.
If Yaku-senpai represents composed confidence and Komori-senpai represents a king-like composure, then Nishinoya-senpai is pure toughness and coolness.
Yes, Nishinoya-senpai is super incredibly cool!
Hanae-san.. Hanae-san is the opponent he must defeat!
As long as he can reach Hanae Akari, he will have a chance to join the Junior National Team.
Far away in Kobe, Hanae Akari let out a sudden sneeze for no reason, startling Kanzaki who was beside her.
Kanzaki quickly moved away from Hanae, putting a full five meters between them: "You didn't catch the flu or a cold, did you!"
There's the Newcomer Match next month, professional players from the Black Jackals will be participating, so you can't get sick! We're planning to go get our jerseys signed!
Hanae frowned. "I'm not sick; someone must be talking behind my back."
Kanzaki felt relieved: "That's good, that's good."
Over at the Karasuno Gymnasium, Miya Atsumu was deep in thought.
Even though they have Hinata and a high-level Nishinoya playing defense, the remaining two are both Second Years with little experience in major tournaments.
With the addition of Hinata and Miya Atsumu, Karasuno can try out much more in a five-on-five setting.
And Hinata also desperately needed a block of sufficient skill to validate his new idea; in that regard, both sides were essentially in complete agreement.
Hitoka Yachi climbed up to the Head Referee's position, holding her whistle ready to organize the match.
Ukai Keishin stood by the scoreboard at the edge of the court, carefully observing the positioning of everyone on the court.
Even though it was five against five, Miya Atsumu adjusted the formation to a three-person receive setup to deal with Kageyama's serve.