Before Miya Atsumu could even finish his sentence, Hinata had already reached out with a small fork and started eating, quickly stuffing his cheeks until they were bulging.
“Also, there's no need to rush your eating,” Miya Atsumu smiled and continued, “Back in December last year, Aoba Haruka was just over 1.74 meters tall. He was very good at playing with timing and was a master of technical plays.”
Hinata ate the watermelon, his face full of happiness: "That's so amazing, then we should look up his footage later; I want to see his technical plays first."
However, at this time in December, the place where Atsumu-senpai would have been in contact with the other party should be..
Thinking of this, Hinata asked decisively, "Ah, has this person been selected for the Junior National Team?"
“Smart.” Miya Atsumu nodded, giving Hinata his affirmation.
And his younger brother is also quite skilled, his height is even better than his. He has already enrolled at Rakusan and should be playing as a Middle Blocker.
Kumagai rested his chin on his hand. He said with a smile, "My younger brother.. my brother has no interest in volleyball at all; he's playing basketball at a junior high school in Osaka right now."
Indeed, it felt like most junior high students who were a bit taller or had better athletic ability all went into basketball, because it looked very cool and was much easier to pick up.
Back when he was in junior high, he had the feeling that many people in his team had only chosen volleyball as a second choice.
However, after entering Inarizaki, that feeling disappeared; everyone chose Inarizaki because of volleyball.
Because Inarizaki's volleyball is strong enough, it is the best choice.
At the mention of this, Hinata puffed out his chest. "My Xiaoxia will definitely be very amazing too."
Miya Atsumu also nodded in agreement: "Xiaoxia will definitely be the backbone of some high school in the future."
Recently, Xiaoxia has already begun going out to play in junior division matches with Coach Inubata. Her performance has been quite brilliant, many coaches have been asking about her, both directly and indirectly.
However, Inubata himself is a fairly famous youth coach in the Kansai region, so even if others were interested, they wouldn't have the capital to compete with him.
Not to mention Xiaoxia had already been scouted by Coach Himegomiya during junior high, she will most likely go to Shinzan Girls for high school.
As for what happens after that.. it will depend on whether Xiaoxia wants to continue her studies or not.
Thinking of this, Miya Atsumu turned his head to look at Hinata: "Shoyo, do you have any plans for your future?"
Going to college? Or are you planning to go straight into professional volleyball?
Before Hinata could answer, Miya Atsumu continued, "The Black Jackals' spikers and opposite should all be changing in a few years. Oliver-senpai will be close to retirement age by then; I expect he'll play for another three or four years before stepping back from the spotlight for a few years."
Besides, the Black Jackals' tactics are very versatile, so you would be a great fit, Shoyo.
Atsumu-senpai added another remark, his tone sounding quite urgent: "The Captain of Minka Shugo, who added me on social media before, also said he likes you very much."
Although Coach Sansou didn't have any thoughts on Hinata yet, Minka Shugo also revealed that most of it was because Coach Sansou wanted to observe Hinata's future development.
In other words.. what the Black Jackals' upper management and coaching staff want to see is "results"—the kind of performance and results that will allow them to firmly choose him, despite Hinata's height disadvantage.
Just as he had thought before, since the current results were not enough to entice those people, then they would have to produce even more brilliant results.
And his remaining year is the best opportunity; Hinata is playing as the Ace in the team, which is inherently the easiest position to achieve results from.
The best choices in the V1 League right now are Shwaiden Adler and the Black Jackals, since Shwaiden Adler is already prepared to recruit Hoshiumi, they will no longer consider Hinata.
So..
Hinata looked back into Miya Atsumu's eyes and could detect a hint of imperceptible anxiety in his gaze, as if he were hinting at something to him.
But he just shook his head and said softly, "I want to continue my studies a bit; if I go to university, Mom and Dad will be very happy."
Although his parents also support him playing volleyball, it would indeed be better if he could attend university.
Moreover, it's not like he won't be able to play volleyball in university; he'll also be able to face professional players on the court.
Just like the Black Eagle Flag they'll be watching in a while, as long as they finish in the top ranks of the University League, they'll be able to face off against excellent teams from the V1 and V2 leagues.
Miya Atsumu paused for a moment, let out a soft hum, then lowered his eyes. "I see.."
Indeed, he had no way to refute that reason.
Grades themselves are also a stepping stone for special university recruitment; it is, without a doubt, a path worth choosing.
After a long silence, Miya Atsumu looked back at Hinata, his voice gentle yet firm.
I'll be waiting for you on the court, no matter when. I look forward to facing you on the court.
—Regardless of whether we are on the same side of the court.
Chapter 278: The Two Hundred and Seventy-Eighth Fox
Hinata swallowed the watermelon in his mouth; the chilled watermelon became incredibly sweet at this moment, the sweetness spreading from his mouth all the way to his heart.
Kumagai propped himself up with his hands and leaned back to look at the sky above.
Hearing you say that gives me even more motivation to study.
Hinata raised his fist in a cheer for Kumagai, encouraging him: "Akuma is great at studying; university will definitely be no problem for him."
In the Volleyball Club, Kumagai's academic performance was exceptionally high, far ahead of the others. Not only did he have excellent grades, but because he played in every major tournament and performed brilliantly, his score for club activities was also nearly a perfect mark.
In terms of academic performance, Kumagai is even among the top five in the entire Inarizaki year group.
—Getting into a prestigious school would definitely be no problem.
The incredibly curious Hinata leaned in and asked him, "Where is Akuma planning to apply?"
The Central Physical Education University he plans to attend is located in Tokyo's Chuo Ward near Chiyoda Ward, which isn't particularly far from Itachiyama; otherwise, it would be inconvenient for Coach Utsunomiya to commute to Central Physical Education University for his classes.
If Akuma also planned to go to Tokyo, they might even be able to see each other often.
Upon mentioning this, Kumagai clearly perked up, the drowsy state he had been in due to the surrounding breeze completely vanished.
He looked at Hinata and said with some excitement, "A while ago, I had a good talk with Nagumo-senpai. He told me about the current conditions and the academic atmosphere at Todai.."
As he spoke, Kumagai gave a thumbs up. "I think it's awesome!"
Hinata's eyes widened. "Is Akuma going to take on Todai too?"
Miya Atsumu waved his hand dismissively. "No, no, no. What Nagumo-senpai did was a challenge. What Kuniharu is doing is a well-thought-out decision to go to Todai."
Inarizaki is considered one of the top high schools in Hyogo Prefecture, those who can stay in the elite classes and rank among the top in academic performance definitely have the ability to get into those top-tier universities.
Moreover, while balancing his studies, Kumagai also has perfect attendance in the Volleyball Club.. Even though he clearly has the brains, for some reason, he just can't fully perform on the court.
Miya Atsumu stared at Kumagai for a while, then gave up on thinking.
Well, he was completely clueless when it came to studying; he was just thankful if he could pass without being scolded by his teachers.
Perhaps everyone's intelligence is distributed across different fields..
Kumagai nodded and said to the two of them, "The first choice is Todai, the second choice is.. Waseda, I suppose."
Both were prestigious schools within Japan, the kind Hinata had heard about since he was a child. He had never imagined that people capable of attending such schools would appear by his side, or even become his classmates.
Thinking about it this way.. Akuma is just too amazing!
Just then, Hinata, suddenly realizing something, asked, "Then Akuma, will you still be in the Volleyball Club next year? Are you going to retire early like Nagumo-senpai?"
Arima-senpai plans to retire after the IH Preliminaries. As for the substitute Libero position, Coach Kurosu is currently considering a Third Year from the Second String, as well as the developing Nishizawa Hokuto.
Miya Atsumu also looked up at Kumagai.
That's right. Since Nagumo retired in the second half of the year due to his studies, if Kumagai also plans to retire in the second half of his third year, we'll have to use a substitute setter.
And looking at it now, Reo Mizuta's ability..
Kumagai froze for a moment, then hurriedly denied it, "How could that be?"
Since the Coach had chosen him to take over Atsumu-senpai's position, he wouldn't be so irresponsible as to run away halfway through.
Moreover, he felt that playing volleyball didn't interfere with his studies; even when he had to go out for matches, he could still practice solving problems and teach himself, playing volleyball could even be his way of relaxing.
Most importantly.. club activities are also very important for university admissions.
Moreover, he actually truly enjoyed the feeling of playing volleyball with everyone and was willing to fight here until the very last day.
Miya Atsumu nodded silently, feeling a sense of relief upon hearing this answer.
To make sure all the spikers can perform at their full potential, a good setter is essential. This is very important for Inarizaki's overall results, as well as Hinata's overall performance in his third year.
If Kumagai truly intends to leave in the second half of next year, perhaps he and the Coach will take advantage of the time before the IH Preliminaries begin to quickly scout and recruit a decent First Year Setter.
By the time the IH Preliminaries begin.. it will be too late for them to try and recruit someone.
However, since Kumagai intends to aim for prestigious universities, the Captain position that Coach Kurosu has been considering must be put on hold for the time being.
Since Kumagai will certainly prioritize his studies over volleyball once he reaches his third year of high school, the Coach cannot arrange for him to take the Captain position under such circumstances.
I'll look into it again later; there's still a year left, so there's no rush.
Hinata pulled out his phone and searched for the addresses of Tokyo and Waseda.
He looked at Kumagai with a hint of pleasant surprise. "Then we aren't far apart! We can go out together sometime this weekend!"
We could go to Tokyo Tower together, or even participate in a half-marathon or something like that.
Heisuke also planned to continue on to university, he wondered if there would be a chance to be together..
Miya Atsumu rested his chin in his hand and thought for a moment, feeling as though something was slightly off.
Hinata said he was preparing to go to university, but it was still a long way off from the high school special recruitment, so by what standard was Hinata judging the distance..
Before Miya Atsumu could think any further, Hinata, who had just rushed out, had already returned with a new watermelon.
He handed a large, seedless slice of watermelon to Miya Atsumu. "Atsumu-senpai! Eat some watermelon!"
So sweet.
Taking a bite of the watermelon in his hand, a look of happiness spread across Yamaguchi Tadashi's face.
After savoring the watermelon thoroughly, he looked at Tsukishima Kei beside him and said softly, "I heard Fukurodani isn't coming to the training camp tomorrow; it seems they have other arrangements."
Tsukishima Kei said indifferently, "They probably have other training match arrangements."
Nekoma went to Miyagi for training around this time last year. It's quite normal to have other training arrangements during such a critical time before the IH Preliminaries begin.
Moreover, the Fukurodani Alliance holds training camps quite frequently; besides summer vacation, they even pick a weekend to organize a training camp before the Tokyo IH Preliminaries begin.
If there were any important invitations, the matters regarding the Fukurodani Alliance could certainly be put on hold.
Yamaguchi rubbed his chin, thinking seriously, "Whose place is it?"
Kageyama, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up, "It's Inarizaki."