So his strongest desire right now is..
—He wanted to watch a real match, to see Shoyo-senpai's gallant figure on the court with his own eyes from up close.
But before that, he will show Shoyo-senpai his volleyball.
I believe that during this period since your enrollment, you have all gained a sufficient understanding of our Inarizaki Men's Volleyball Club, so I will skip the self-introductions and the general club overview.
In Gym 3, Coach Kurosu stood before all the new students of this year's intake, holding a pre-organized roster in his hands.
Next, we will use today's time to conduct a simple club entrance test for everyone. When your name is called, please step forward.
Rishia Heisuke gave a strained laugh.
No.. why is this being omitted again? Is this going to become a fixed annual routine?!
“Reo Mizuta, Miyoutei Riku, Sudo Masato, Hayashi Taichi, Teramoto Kazuki, Seto Mitsuru, you six will be assigned to the same positions on the other side of Court 1.”
Reo Mizuta, Miyoutei Riku, Sudo Masato, Hayashi Taichi, Teramoto Kazuki, Seto Mitsuru, you six will be on the other side of Court 1, with positions assigned freely.
Watching the freshmen step forward with looks of confusion and terror, Coach Kurosu glanced back at the third and second years with great satisfaction.
Head Referee Hinata Shoyo, Second Referee Miya Atsumu, Line Judges Ogata, no scorekeeper, you guys can flip the boards yourselves.
Hinata, who was called to be the Head Referee, cheered, "Head Referee!"
He was most familiar with this! He had done it more than once back when he was at Shiratorizawa; the entire process and the hand signals were already etched into his brain.
Taking the whistle from Coach Kurosu, Hinata bounced his way up to the Head Referee's seat by the side of Court 1.
Miya Atsumu moved to face him, sizing up the person who had walked up to Hinata's side and was looking up to speak to him.
Although he was in the same year as Hinata, Ogata had already taken over the position of Second String Captain due to his absolutely reliable personality and ability.
Having been a student at a prep school, he was also quite clever, Coach Kurosu currently had intentions of cultivating talent focused purely on technique.
Among the first years walking over, several were staring at Hinata, while Miya Atsumu, who should have been the center of attention, was being ignored by everyone.
Nishizawa Hokuto, standing only a little over 170 centimeters tall, looked up at Hinata, his eyes filled with wonder and admiration.
Haseda Katsuya glanced at Hinata, silently resolving to bring his best form and strongest strength to this match.
Reo Mizuta stood with his hands on his hips near the edge of the court, watching the temporary players gathered nearby, their faces wearing nothing but forced smiles.
To be honest, he had a strong, ominous premonition.
Coach Omimi glanced at the lineup over at Court 1 and asked with some concern, "Won't it be a bit too disorganized? Aren't there a few too many inexperienced people.."
In previous years, their tests were distributed quite reasonably, but this year's was a complete mix, with the students even being allowed to decide their own positions.
“Anyway, the initial list was decided by Atsumu-senpai and Hinata Shoyo. If they think it's interesting, then let them handle it themselves, besides.." Coach Kurosu stroked his chin.
Isn't this quite interesting? Who knows, it might even spark some new and exciting ideas.
Meanwhile, Fukami Subaru worked hard to raise his hand toward Haseda.
I want to be a Middle Blocker!!
Chapter 269: Two Hundred and Sixty-Nine Foxes
Haseda Katsuya froze for a moment. He turned his head to look at Hinata and Ogata who were talking by the sidelines, then looked at Coach Kurosu, who was dividing the players into the second group, feeling a bit of a headache coming on.
To be honest, compared to Reo Mizuta's team on the other side, the average height on this side is a bit concerning.
He was already the tallest one, with two others around 1.8 meters, the rest were Fukami and Nishizawa, who were of similar height.
To make matters worse, Fukami was eagerly applying to him, wanting to play the Middle Blocker position, which was the least suitable for him.
But to be honest, the arrangement for this position right now really doesn't matter.
After all, there is no Libero in this match, so the Middle Blocker won't be substituted out for the back row, so..
Haseda Katsuya nodded and agreed, "Sure, Fukami-kun."
Seeing his best friend affirm his dream, Fukami's eyes lit up: "Just call me by my name, like Shoyo-senpai does!"
He knew Masaru Haseda was a good person! Coach Kurosu was a good person too!
Haseda scratched his head, only able to say, "Alright, Subaru."
Fukami was full of confidence: "I've been studying blocking quite a lot lately; I can definitely block everyone on the opposing side."
As he spoke, he made a standard blocking gesture.
Haseda Katsuya nodded in agreement. "Then I'll leave it to you."
Anyway, he doesn't know very much himself. Having spent time with Hinata in the Volleyball Club lately, he has heard and seen many, many things that he has never encountered before.
Fukami Subaru, who was once the best Server in the prefecture, certainly has much more experience than him, might actually be a skilled blocker.
He absolutely cannot look down on anyone because of their height; Hinata is a cautionary tale for him.
But the focus right now is..
“Um, has anyone here ever played as a Setter?”
Haseda's gaze swept across everyone in his field of vision, they all shook their heads at him.
One person even spoke up to ask, "What is a Setter?"
Haseda Katsuya felt his vision go dark for a moment, then he looked toward Fukami Subaru with pleading eyes.
He knew that Fukami Subaru played as a setter during Junior High, now he was the only one who could save everyone.
After all, the position of Setter is different from a Spiker, which is easy to pick up. Although they might not have a high presence on the court normally, in terms of difficulty and the responsibility they carry, they are the greatest.
The two of them stared at each other like that; Haseda tried to call for help, but Fukami had no intention of giving up the chance to play as a Middle Blocker in a match for the first time in his life.
Haseda Katsuya also didn't want to give up on his first match playing for Inarizaki, especially since the Head Referee for this match was Hinata Shoyo.
For a Spiker to perform at his best, he cannot do without a good Setter; he hopes to receive the assistance of an experienced Setter.
Just as the two were at a stalemate, a voice drifted over from the side: "Um, although I haven't played in any volleyball matches, I've watched many match recordings and have practiced on my own, so could you let me give it a try?"
I'm not very good with overhead serves, but I'll make sure I can get the underhand serves exactly where they need to go.
The two of them turned their heads at the same time and saw a person about the same height as Fukami looking at them with a face full of anticipation.
Fukami grabbed the other person's hands and shook them vigorously up and down: "Of course! If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me!"
“I can teach you anything!”
Although his setting and coordination were extremely poor, his theoretical knowledge was actually quite decent!
Nishizawa Hokuto was quite blunt, asking directly, "Regarding the positions that need setting in various situations, like how I should set the ball in a moment and things like that."
Easy enough," Fukami said, simulating the play for Nishizawa. "Like this—if you aren't sure who to set to later, just send it toward Position 4. Just give it to Hinata.
Standing by the court, Ogata looked up at Hinata, who was enjoying the view from above: "Are there any players you're looking forward to facing?"
Sitting on the ladder, Hinata rested his chin in his hands. "I'm looking forward to all of them."
However.. it's impossible to say that there isn't any favoritism.
His gaze swept across the entire court, just as he met the eyes of Haseda Katsuya, who looked up at him, he gave him a thumbs-up.
Receiving encouragement from the instructor, Haseda Katsuya lowered his head to continue explaining the basics to Tojo Iyo and Okada.
His hands hanging at his sides clenched tightly as he made another silent vow in his heart.
Nishizawa, who was still asking about tactical questions, noticed Haseda Katsuya on the other side and couldn't help but ask, "Are Fukami and Haseda Katsuya very close with Giant-senpai?"
Fukami nodded. "In a way. The two of us were recruited through special admissions, so we joined the Volleyball Club earlier. Shoyo-senpai is our mentor."
—Not really.
It was just that his instructor was always so busy and didn't have much time to guide him; he didn't know what kind of massive project he was working on.
Nishizawa looked up, stealing a glance toward the Head Referee's position.
But in that very instant, he suddenly felt himself enveloped by the warm sun.
Ah.. they locked eyes.
Nishizawa froze in place, after a brief moment of mental blankness, his expression became even more serious.
Hinata blinked, subconsciously reflecting on whether he had done something wrong or if he had been a bit scary.
Ultimately, a confused and bewildered Hinata tilted his head and gave a smile to Nishizawa below.
Nishizawa took a step back, hurriedly withdrawing his gaze and looking down at his own shoes.
Looking at the hand clutching his clothes behind him, Haseda Katsuya remained silent for two seconds.
Meanwhile, Miya Atsumu, standing across the net from Hinata with his arms crossed over his chest, had an expression so sour it was beyond words, as he swept an incredibly sharp gaze across every first-year newcomer on the court.
Reo Mizuta, who was already overwhelmed by the task of assigning positions and duties to everyone, was also inexplicably glared at by Miya Atsumu, could only quickly turn his head to avoid eye contact.
Ogata, who had returned from Coach Omimi with the flags, glanced at Hinata's blank expression and asked with some confusion, "What's wrong with you?"
Hearing Ogata's voice, Hinata finally pulled his gaze away from Nishizawa and said uncertainly, "I think.. I've been disliked?"
He remembered that this person had clearly written on the application form that they liked him!
Could it be that he felt disillusioned after seeing him in person?!
Hinata covered his ears and carefully reflected on his actions today.
Could it be that this junior likes seniors who are a bit more serious and solemn? Looking that way would certainly seem more reliable.
Thinking this, Hinata subtly stiffened his expression.
Below him, Ogata watched the changes in his expression throughout the entire process. Although he wasn't sure what had happened, he still tried his best to comfort him: "How could anyone hate Shoyo?"
“There must be some kind of misunderstanding, so don't worry. Just focus on the match, you can go around and say hello to everyone properly once it's over.”
Hinata nodded, but his expression remained serious and solemn.
He wanted to become a steady and reliable senior like Atsumu-senpai!
Ogata withdrew his gaze with a hint of helplessness, turning his head to look at the juniors who were still passionately discussing things on the court. "Alright, alright, let's start with a simple warm-up. Run two laps around the court."
Meanwhile, Coach Kurosu had also finished dividing the five groups for this intra-club match.
The number of freshmen this year is even greater than last year, but we still couldn't form five full teams; therefore, Teruya, Xun, several others acted as extra players to play matches alongside the freshmen.