Hinata, who had quickly filled his stomach to about sixty percent capacity, also slowed down his eating pace, looking up at Hirugami Fuku and Hoshiumi Hikari sitting opposite him.
It wasn't until this moment that Hirugami Fuku spoke: "I had Hikari-kun ask you to come over; I have something I need to discuss with you."
Hinata instantly sat up straight, swallowed what was in his mouth, sat obediently.
The Kita Team had said that he should try not to eat anything while talking to others lately.
"Dai Nippon Railway, have you heard of it?" Hirugami Fuku asked bluntly.
Hinata shook his head in confusion. "No, what is that?"
Is it the name of some company? Why mention this to him?
Hoshiumi Hikari gave a brief explanation: "It's the name of a V1 team, named after its behind-the-scenes shareholder, located over in Shizuoka."
Hirugami Fuku nodded. "I mentioned to a friend of mine that I was coming to watch your match today, they suddenly brought you up to me."
Hinata quickly absorbed the key information—V1.
Hirugami Fuku continued, "Roughly speaking.. their coach likes you very much, wants to invest in your future, is interested in recruiting you."
If you have plans to continue playing volleyball after you graduate from high school, you could consider contacting them and going to their youth academy for a trial.
Hinata's eyes widened as he rapidly analyzed the underlying meaning in Hirugami Fuku's words.
—A V1 team has extended an olive branch to him.
Noticing Hinata's shock, Hoshiumi added, "Many players with potential are scouted during their second or third year; it's not uncommon for them to be contacted privately."
Hoshiumi glanced sideways at Hakuma Mebuki, who had begun eating his teriyaki chicken rice with great devotion after receiving it. "The coach of the Tachibana Red Falcons came to ask about Mebuki last year, expressing interest in making an investment, but Coach Aran felt that Mebuki wouldn't run out of options, so he didn't agree."
After all, accepting early investment also means giving up your initial market value, so you won't have a very high salary during your first few years in the league.
These words meant he was telling Hinata—that he had enough potential for players to be willing to invest in him, just like they would invest in a two-meter giant.
Hirugami Fuku nodded. "The advantage of this kind of thing is that you can clarify your future direction early on, you don't have to worry about lacking subsequent resources."
Especially for players like Hinata, who only started learning volleyball in high school, lack sufficient experience, are small in stature, this kind of opportunity is a choice that can save a great deal of energy.
And the downside is that Dai Nippon Railway's ranking in V1 isn't very high. Although they aren't a team that's constantly in the relegation zone, they can only be considered mid-to-lower tier..
For those with ambitions of reaching the top, Dai Nippon Railway is not a good choice.
Moreover, with this type of early-stage sponsorship, players generally sign five-year contracts upon joining the team, the buyout clauses are astronomical, making it not easy to leave during the contract period.
Hoshiumi frowned; this was also why he hadn't agreed with it when he heard Hirugami Fuku mention it before.
Just as the team in his mind was the Shwaiden Adler, he believed Hinata deserved better and there was no need to waste his most important five years in a mid-tier team.
But.. whether or not to accept would ultimately depend on how Hinata weighed the pros and cons in his own heart.
As Hirugami Fuku said, this was indeed a great opportunity, with it lying so blatantly right before his eyes, it was impossible not to be tempted.
Um.. I'm honored that a V1 coach would take an interest in me," Hinata said, struggling to find the right words, "but I've already made plans with Coach Utsunomiya of Itachiyama to attend Central Physical Education University.
As soon as these words were spoken, not only was Hirugami Fuku, who supported Hinata going to Dai Nippon Railway, but even Hoshiumi Hikari, who did not support it, was stunned.
Hoshiumi was so shocked he nearly stood up. "Huh? Shoyo, are you going to university?"
No, no, no, his little apprentice didn't look like the type who was good at studying at all!
Will he even be able to pass the unified exams!
Hakuma had already bluntly pointed this out: "Your head is so small, are you even that smart?"
Anyway, he was the type who frequently failed his exams, so he didn't believe Hinata was good at studying.
Hinata felt somewhat offended, but before he could speak, Hoshiumi opposite him had already opened his mouth: "Shoyo is much smarter than you!"
"Exactly, exactly!" Shoyo agreed.
After a brief moment of surprise, Hirugami Fuku-san continued to ask, "Is it through the recommendation process? You've already won two championships; you are fully qualified to be recommended."
Hinata nodded. "Mm-hmm, Coach Utsunomiya said that if I enroll at Central Physical Education University, he will help me get in touch with the beach volleyball coaches so I can go abroad for further training."
Hoshiumi's face was written with shock, this time he was truly startled into standing up. "You don't plan to continue playing indoor volleyball?"
Seeing Hoshiumi's expression, Hinata also hurriedly stood up and waved his hands frantically. "No, no, no! I'm doing beach volleyball as a secondary pursuit, mainly to better train my defense and offense, it's all for the sake of playing indoor volleyball!"
How could he possibly give up on indoor volleyball! It was the love of his life!
Hoshiumi sat down.
He accepted it quite quickly: "Then it's fine. I usually go skiing to practice my sense of balance, so this is a good thing."
He would immediately think that the main reason was that beach volleyball and hardcourt volleyball were too close together, making a sudden change in disciplines possible.
Hinata scratched his head. "Hehe."
Hirugami Fuku also laughed heartily. "As long as you have your own plans, then I'll go back and turn down the offer from Dai Nippon Railway."
But it's a pity; it will be another two years before I see you on the professional stage.
Shoyo raised his hand, indicating he knew the answer: "We'll see you at the Black Eagle Flag!"
The top finishers of the University Championship have the opportunity to play official matches against professional players; not only the Black Eagle Flag, but also the National Sports Festival.
Hirugami Fuku reached across the table and patted Shoyo's head: "Then I'll be looking forward to it."
Then I've said all I have to say. Hikari-kun, you have something to say as well, don't you?
Hearing this, Hoshiumi Hikari put down the chopsticks he had just picked up and looked at Hinata with a serious expression.
And Hinata, who had just prepared to take a bite, sat up straight once again.
I.. have a small idea.
Hinata blinked. "Please go ahead, Hoshiumi-senpai! I can handle anything, even walking through fire!"
Hoshiumi-senpai's mouth twitched. "There's no need for that.."
He then gave two light coughs and said seriously, "My teammates usually call me by my name, we've known each other for so long; you can call me in a more intimate way."
Hinata had an epiphany.
It's just like Iizuna-senpai said before, using honorifics to further close the distance between people, right!
He tentatively called out, "Hikari-kun?"
Hoshiumi's lips clearly twitched for a moment, unable to be suppressed, but a second later, he pulled a straight face again. "You can get even closer, don't you think, Fuku-san?"
Hearing this clear indication, Hinata indicated that he understood completely: "Hikari-kun?"
Hoshiumi Hikari, the youngest in his family, who had been bullied by his older brother since he was a child and had never heard anyone else call him "brother," felt as if his very soul had reached a state of sublimation in an instant.
He felt somewhat restless for a moment, his mood so refreshed that it reached a certain peak.
But in the end, he still maintained his master's dignity and composure, cleared his throat, said, "That's right, it's exactly like that."
"Hikari-kun!" Hinata shouted excitedly once again.
"Yeah!" Hikari-kun responded.
Watching the two of them call and respond to each other many times, Hirugami Yukio couldn't help but burst into laughter.
His own younger brother had a much more reserved personality, but this lively atmosphere was quite pleasant.
After having a wonderful feast with Hoshiumi and the others, Hinata said goodbye to the group and prepared to go find the Inarizaki members.
But they had stayed for lunch a little too long; the Inarizaki members had already left the gymnasium to return to the hotel, Coach Kurosu had also sent him a message.
Just as Hinata walked toward the area where Coach Kurosu had stored his things, he saw the back of Miya Atsumu standing there from a distance.
Atsumu-senpai!
He jogged over with a sense of pleasant surprise, rushing to the side of Miya Atsumu, who was clearly waiting for him.
When he was studying under Coach Inubata before, Atsumu-senpai would often come to pick him up like this, so he was quite familiar with this scene.
Hinata looked up at Miya Atsumu, who was watching him. "Atsumu-senpai, why are you still waiting for me?"
Miya Atsumu handed Hinata his scarf and down jacket. "I chatted with the Black Jackals' coach for a bit, then I was worried you might get lost, so I came specifically to wait for you."
Hinata chuckled, "Atsumu-senpai is truly the best senpai in the world!"
He had originally been worried that he wouldn't be able to find the hotel and was even prepared to take a taxi.
After all, it was his first time here, he spent a long time looking for the cloakroom, but fortunately, there were plenty of signs throughout the venue.
Miya Atsumu raised an eyebrow. "You said before that your favorite senior was Hoshiumi-senpai."
However, he didn't pay much attention to such small details. After personally helping Hinata fix his scarf, he tugged at the backpack on his own shoulders. "Alright, let's go."
But in the very next second, Hinata's voice rang out.
The best senior is Atsumu-senpai! Hikari-kun is my very best master!
Miya Atsumu, who had just started to curl his lips upward because of the first half of the sentence, froze, finally looked at Hinata, who still had a smile on his face, with a look of disbelief.
Wait, was he hallucinating?
What did he hear?
Hoshiumi.. No, no, no, Hikari-kun??
Miya Atsumu began to make a scene, his face written with defiance and a sense of injustice: "Shoyo! Why are you calling that guy 'big brother'!"
“That guy must have forced you, right! I'm going to go beat him up right now!”
Hinata shook his head in confusion. "No, Hikari-kun just made a suggestion, but he really is like my older brother."
Miya Atsumu stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed intently on Shoyo, looking quite aggrieved. "Then I want it too. Shoyo, you call me Atsumu-senpai."
But that's different, after all, Hikari-kun is special," Hinata pointed out the problem. "If I were to call you Atsumu-senpai, wouldn't I have to call all the Inarizaki seniors by that name too?
Miya Atsumu was a bit agitated, the words slipped out of his mouth: "I can be special too—"
Hinata's eyes widened slightly.
Under Miya Atsumu's gaze, which was a mix of trepidation, regret, anticipation, a flash of inspiration struck Hinata.
Oh, Atsumu-senpai is the Captain, right!
Miya Atsumu's heart died.