Xiaoxia threw a pillow over: "Brother! You're being too noisy!"
His parents and the neighbors were all still sleeping; if they made a scene at this hour..
With a loud bang, the door was pulled open, revealing the figures of Hinata's mother and Hinata's father.
Both Hinata and Miya Atsumu stopped their movements at the same time, their faces flashing with guilt and unease.
In the end, the three of them were punished by being sent outside to sweep the snow in the courtyard.
Hinata shifted the blame: "It's all Xiaoxia's fault."
Xiaoxia skillfully shifted the blame: "It's all Atsumu-senpai's fault."
Miya Atsumu refused to take the blame: "It's all Shoyo's fault."
Chapter 248: The 248th Fox
After having breakfast, the two went to Aobajohsai, but Oikawa Tooru did not go to the Volleyball Club today; according to Yagihata Shu, he had gone to an external language tutoring class.
Miya Atsumu still found it a bit hard to believe: "Going abroad for real.."
Hinata looked up at him. "Oikawa-senpai said he's going to Argentina; it sounds like it's very, very far from Japan."
To be honest, I'll still miss him a little.
It is very possible that they won't see each other for many years, but.. it won't be for a lifetime.
After all, both he and Oikawa-senpai had the determination to reach the world stage; they would surely reunite on some court in the future.
Atsumu nodded. "As for Argentina.. they're basically on the opposite side of the Earth from Japan."
But it was true; regardless of what the future held, the prospects for developing abroad were currently better than those at home.
Moreover, based on the players of the same age he saw in the Junior National Team and the current style of Japan, it really isn't particularly suitable for Oikawa-senpai.
Whether it is himself or Iizuna-senpai, who is currently active in the Junior National Team, they are both actually the types who excel at delicate tactical control.
By contrast, Oikawa-senpai's style was indeed more in sync with the expansive play of Argentina Men's Volleyball.
Hinata began warming up his joints with full confidence: "I need to work even harder too."
Technical skills can be combined with match experience and returned to paper during a break, but physical training is something that absolutely cannot be neglected.
He had started later than others to begin with, so he had to make use of every moment to train his physique.
The goal.. to catch up to Hoshiumi-senpai in terms of physical fitness by the end of my third year of high school!
It just so happened that coming to Aobajohsai meant he could use the gym and the training facilities, Coach Kosano was very welcoming of him.
After the morning training session ended, Hinata wanted to drag Kunimi and the others into a quick game of two-on-two.
But Kunimi had expected this; the moment the coach announced the end of practice, he exploded into his life's fastest sprint, vanishing in a flash toward the gymnasium entrance.
Seeing the regret on Hinata's face, Miya Atsumu couldn't help but chuckle.
On the other side, Kindaichi actually walked over, but he was stopped by Miya Atsumu's voice.
He looked at Hinata, who was looking a bit disappointed because he hadn't caught Kunimi, said, "We have more important things to do this afternoon, don't we?"
Hinata snapped out of it: "Oh, Tatsuya Yukiya and the others!"
Having had his attention quickly diverted, Hinata decisively raised his hand to say goodbye to Kindaichi, then turned and followed Miya Atsumu out of the Aobajohsai gym.
The person squatting at the gym entrance with a look of distress this time was Kindaichi.
And Kunimi had circled back through the back door at some unknown time: "They're finally gone. That was scary."
Kindaichi was startled by Kunimi, who had suddenly appeared behind him: "You're the one who's scary."
This guy runs unexpectedly fast whenever it comes to times like this, even though he usually looks like he can't be bothered to move.
Kunimi pulled out the milk and bread he had brought from his backpack this morning, preparing to grab a quick lunch on the spot. "This is just a smart decision of mine."
Kindaichi looked at him with a face full of disapproval. "You've really gone too far."
Because he was too lazy to go eat lunch, he simply settled for convenience store food. Because he didn't want to practice for several more hours with Hinata, he would rather run an extra half-lap to avoid him.
Kindaichi grabbed Kunimi and pulled him up, dragging him toward the exit. "Come on, let's go to the cafeteria to eat."
Everything else was secondary; he couldn't skip a proper meal!
Kunimi failed in his struggle: "No.."
Meanwhile, on the other side, the people from Yukinoshita had already been squatting by the outdoor volleyball court waiting for a long time.
Suzuki Tatsuya paced back and forth in extreme nervousness, trampling the snow that hadn't been cleared from the edges of the court.
In his imagination, there would be a sound of steady, calm footsteps, Hinata-senpai, who had become countless times more mature than Atsumu-senpai, would appear outside the court to cheer them on and share in the joy of their championship victory.
But..
Fast and messy footsteps appeared in his ears, just as he thought it was some nearby school's track and field team, an orange shadow suddenly darted onto the volleyball court.
Then, something quite heavy slammed into him, causing him to stumble back a step.
Waaaaah—Tatsuya Yukiya, you've grown so much! You've gotten taller and stronger too!
Waaaaah.. Senpai, I'm so moved!
Suzuki Yukiya was stunned for a moment, but he soon felt relieved.
That's true, Hinata-senpai was never someone who played by the rules.
He was brave, straightforward, resilient, optimistic; although he was not mature, he was.. the best Captain in his memories.
Suzuki also finally lost control of his emotions, turning around to hug Hinata back as he started crying too, "Hinata-senpai, waaaaaah—"
The two second years standing nearby watched for a while, but in the end, they also couldn't hold back and rushed forward to join them.
The four of them held each other and wept bitterly, leaving the three first-year students on the other side completely bewildered.
Miya Atsumu stood to the side with his hands on his hips, feeling quite delighted.
Although he didn't like tears, he didn't hate these tears shed out of joy either.
These were not tears shed for the hardships and pains of the past, but rather a heartfelt recognition of the beauty and happiness of the present.
Suzuki sniffled, "Hinata-senpai! Congratulations on the championship!"
Previously, Hinata had taken them to see the Women's Volleyball coach so they would have a place to practice, but they suddenly received news that they would be moving.
After Hinata finished handing over the position of Captain to him, he settled everything he could think of properly.
But even so, on the day he transferred schools and left, Hinata spent the entire day apologizing to them.
He thought that.. he would never see him again.
Heaven knows how excited he was when he happened to see him on television.
Hinata had mentioned Karasuno's Little Giant to them more than once, but Suzuki didn't care who it actually was.
He only knew that his Hinata-senpai had also stood upon that hall of dreams.
The tall, much broader physique overlapped with the thin, gaunt figure from his memories—the one that used to get nervous stomach aches before matches.
In that small gymnasium, it was Hinata who taught them never to give up easily.
For him and for them, Hinata was their guide.
Orange floors, one day, he will also..
Yeah! Tatsuya Yukiya, Tatsuya Yukiya, Tomonari, everyone from Yukinoshita Men's Volleyball.. I'm really, really, really happy to see everyone again—
Hinata could no longer clearly articulate what he wanted to say; he simply wiped away his tears, which he could not seem to dry no matter how much he wiped.
Miya Atsumu raised his hand and handed over a pack of tissues: "Wipe yourself clean. The cold wind is very strong; be careful or your face will crack in a moment."
Hinata took the tissues and blew his nose: "Mhm!"
The only "true" senior present, Miya Atsumu, clapped his hands and called out to the group of people who were clutching their heads and sobbing, "This is a rare opportunity, so let's try playing volleyball together."
Tatsuya Yukiya's eyes also lit up, which meant that both seniors would have time afterward.
If they were lucky, maybe the two champion seniors could even teach them a few tricks!
And that was exactly what Hinata was planning.
When he first started the basic training, he discovered that the foundations of these juniors were very weak, especially Tatsuya Yukiya and Tomonari, who had started with zero foundation.
Although it was clear that Suzuki and the Women's Volleyball coach were working hard to teach, the techniques for Women's Volleyball weren't entirely applicable to Men's Volleyball, so the results were only mediocre.
He had finally managed to come here, so at the very least.. he had to set an example with his usual basic training.
But..
"Just like that, find the right position, then—bam! You receive it." Hinata tried his best to describe the feeling of receiving the ball.
Pop, just a quick pop, do you understand?
Several juniors' minds went blank, as the filter they had placed on Emotional Champion Senior shattered instantly.
Suzuki looked up, casting a pleading gaze toward Miya Atsumu.
Although this senior was a bit terrifying yesterday, he is very pleasant today, as for a setter.. he should be more rational and better at expressing himself than Hinata-senpai.
Miya Atsumu remained unmoved.
Realizing that his teaching had failed, Hinata also turned his head to look at Miya Atsumu, his expression looking quite pitiful.
It was no longer just a hint; it was a blatant demand for Miya Atsumu to teach.
Sighing, Atsumu-senpai eventually reluctantly joined the teaching ranks.
Compared to Hinata's onomatopoeia-based teaching method, Miya Atsumu's teaching was indeed much easier to understand.
But..
The first-year junior was just about to ask a question when he was glared at by Miya Atsumu, forcing him to swallow his words.
Hinata complained in a low voice, "Atsumu-senpai is bullying his juniors."
Having been caught, Miya Atsumu averted his gaze guiltily. "Not at all."
The way he taught was already very simple and easy to understand; if they couldn't learn it, that wasn't his problem.