Hinata followed up immediately, "Yes! I can become teammates with Bokuto-senpai and Shiratori-senpai!"
They are all seniors he likes very much, were also powerful opponents in the past. But in the future.. they will stand on the same side of the court.
Just like Shiratori-senpai once said!
Shiratori looked at Hinata in front of him with a smile. "That's really great."
After speaking, he also glanced at Miya Atsumu, flashing a very "friendly" smile.
Before the foul-faced Miya Atsumu could speak, Shiratori had already followed up by asking, "Does Shoyo really like Bokuto that much?"
Hearing this, Hinata nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes! Bokuto-senpai is the coolest Ace! I absolutely love watching Bokuto-senpai play!"
Just thinking about being on the same team as Bokuto-senpai in the future.. he felt so excited he wanted to cheer.
Shiratori glanced at Bokuto on the ground and asked further, "What about me?"
Hinata said decisively, "I like Natsume-senpai too!"
Natsume-senpai is not only very gentle and well-educated, but he is also incredibly tall and plays volleyball exceptionally well.
But you like Atsumu-senpai the most, right?
A voice came from behind, Miya Atsumu, having seen off Washio Tatsuki, walked up behind Hinata Shoyo.
Miya Atsumu locked eyes with Shiratori Natsume, his gaze filled with an unyielding intensity.
Hinata nodded in agreement, "Yeah! I like Atsumu-senpai the most!"
He is the person he loves most, besides his family and Heisuke!
He looked at Miya Atsumu's profile beside him, dazed for a brief moment.
Ah.. does he really, truly like Atsumu-senpai?
Shiratori looked the two of them up and down, a look of inexplicable excitement and curiosity on his face: "You two aren't actually.."
—Out on a date, perhaps?
But he didn't have the chance to finish his sentence, as Coach Utsunomiya, who had just finished work and was heading upstairs, called out to them: "Perfect timing, Shoyo."
Shiratori greeted the two people walking over: "Utsunomiya-sensei, Coach Cook."
Bokuto also raised his hand and waved: "Coach! Have you had dinner yet? The vegetable salad at the hotel is super delicious!"
Shoyo, you're quite familiar with our players, so I won't bother with introductions," Coach Utsunomiya laughed, then turned and pointed to the person beside him, continuing, "This is Raphael Cook, the Head Coach of the Central Physical Education University Men's Volleyball Team.
Hinata looked up at the person standing beside Coach Utsunomiya, his face filled with amazement.
A redhead, a foreigner! And super tall!
Utsunomiya turned his head to look at the person beside him again: "Raphael, this is Hinata Shoyo. He is expected to join the team by the spring of the year after next."
Hinata stood up straight and bowed to Raphael: "Hello, Coach!"
Raphael showed a gentle smile and reached out a hand toward the straightened Hinata: "Nice to meet you, Hinata. I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time."
I've watched your match footage; our team really is lacking an agile Wing Spiker like you..
Miya Atsumu stood to the side with his arms crossed, quietly observing the foreigner who was speaking with Hinata.
He knew this person; he was an ace Wing Spiker who had once served on the French national team.
I heard that after retiring, he moved to Japan because of marriage and has since become a Japanese citizen; I didn't expect him to actually be a coach at Central Physical Education University.
In that case, it seems Central Physical Education University's current faculty is quite formidable.
Moreover, both Shiratori and Bokuto are top players of this generation. Both of them achieved the best results of being national runners-up during high school, they are both the absolute cores of their teams; their strength is indisputable.
As for why they were both runners-up.. humph.
Miya Atsumu gave a smug smile, then continued thinking about Hinata going to Central Physical Education University.
Although he didn't know what kind of people Central Physical Education University would recruit next year, given the current situation, it could indeed accommodate Hinata, who has not yet fully matured.
Hinata's relatively weak area is actually blocking, unlike first receive and serve, it is estimated that there might not be any significant breakthroughs in blocking for a long time to come.
But with Bokuto and the 1.95m setter Shiratori present, Hinata won't need to expend too much effort on blocking, naturally, his shortcomings in this area won't become a gap that leads to the team's failure.
This would thereby provide Hinata with a more relaxed and comfortable environment for growth, an effect that no other Setter could achieve.
And those three together.. they'll be incredibly strong, terrifying, right?
They have power, speed, height; and even considering Hinata's future development into an all-around Opposite, they will be extremely strong in terms of both tactics and technical skill.
If paired with a sufficiently strong Libero, they would even be stronger than many professional teams.
—He thought that either Hanae or Komori would be quite good.
Thinking of this, Miya Atsumu rubbed his chin, seriously contemplating how to trick these two into going to Central Physical Education University to be Hinata's teammates.
There was no other reason, he simply hoped to face Hinata in the country's top-tier competition.
And the Black Eagle Flag.. would be the perfect place.
To become stronger, to become stronger than anyone else, then one day in the future.. they will be standing side by side on the court once again.
Miya Atsumu couldn't help but laugh. "Hahaha, I'm really looking forward to it."
Shiratori also flashed a smile: "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it."
Finally, Shiratori tossed a smiling remark back: "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him."
Miya Atsumu gave a wry smile. "It's not certain who will be taking care of whom; I feel like only Shoyo can handle Bokuto-senpai."
The two turned to look at each other at the same time, then simultaneously let out a cold "Hmph."
After a brief chat, everyone said their goodbyes to one another.
Their rooms were all on this floor, but tomorrow would be different. They wouldn't be able to walk together.
To maintain their touch, the group from the university had to conduct warm-up training at the Black Jackals' other gym, while Miya Atsumu and the other was heading to the arena.
After a night of good dreams, Hinata woke Miya Atsumu up early in the morning.
“Atsumu-senpai—get up!”
He couldn't wait to go see the professional match venue! And it was the Black Jackals' home court, too!
The seats Coach Sansou arranged for Hinata and Miya Atsumu were in the first row of the main stadium stands, next to the judges' table, with the commentary booth located behind them.
In terms of the field of vision and the distance from the court, it could be considered the best seat in the stadium.
When the two entered the venue, Black Jackals staff members guided them and prepared drinks and a full set of merchandise for the tournament for them.
Of course, inside the bag, there were also two very obvious, out-of-place, limited-edition Fox-Wolf Helper dolls.
Miya Atsumu's mouth twitched slightly as he silently stuffed the dolls back in: "I'll just give them to Xiaoxia when I get back."
Xiaoxia seems to really like Fox-Wolf Helper..
The preferential treatment they received was primarily because the Black Jackals' own gym was hosting the Black Eagle Flag, the behind-the-scenes shareholders of the Black Jackals club had long been salivating over Miya Atsumu's commercial value, so they were naturally willing to offer him the very best.
Of course, Miya Atsumu could already imagine a future where he was swamped with work, running commercial engagements until his head was spinning.
But none of that mattered; after all, it was all part of the job, the compensation was more than generous.
However.. since he is already dealing with such troublesome matters off the court, please arrange for him to have some considerate, easy-to-get-along-with, well-mannered teammates on the court.
That's right! Exactly like Hinata!
After being tormented all night by the nightmare caused by Shiratori's face, Miya Atsumu's desire to attend university has reached an all-time high.
However, in the end, reason triumphed over everything; he truly, truly did not want to study anymore.
Moreover.. he was willing to become the guide for Hinata's future journey into professional volleyball.
So, he would have a dream too.
After Hinata graduates from university, he should come join the Black Jackals! During those five years, he will take every opportunity to brainwash the coaches!
Author's Note:
Yuzu: I am waiting for the day I defeat Heisuke.
Chapter 286: The Two Hundred and Eighty-Sixth Fox
As Hinata was flipping through the player rosters being distributed to them by the staff upon entering, he glanced at the match schedule for the next few days on the first few pages.
The first match of the opening was between Shwaiden Adler and Shizuoka Leopards; the former was the King of V1, while the latter was an established powerhouse in V2.
Adler's recruitment work this year only involved one transferred Middle Blocker; the rest of the roster remained unchanged, there were no acquaintances of Hinata's.
But when Hinata flipped to the pages for the Shizuoka Leopards, he immediately spotted a familiar face.
Looking at that ID photo in the player roster, Hinata blinked.
After staring at that yellow and green hair several times, he looked up and thought seriously for a moment, finally pulling a figure out from the corners of his memory.
“Ouji-senpai?”
"Huh?" Miya Atsumu, who had been looking at the layout of the entire venue, was stunned for a moment by the words, then leaned over to take a look at the page Hinata was flipping through.
Seeing that handsome face and the hairstyle on top of the head, Miya Atsumu fell into a long silence.
After a long time, he complained, "What kind of aesthetic is this.."
Hinata said with complete seriousness, "Avocado."
Miya Atsumu used a more vivid description: "Scrambled Eggs with Cucumber."
Hinata had a sudden flash of inspiration: "No, it should be Half-ripe Banana."
Miya Atsumu added the final part: "Itachiyama sportswear."
The two looked at each other for a few seconds before finally bursting into laughter at the same time.
"Hahaha.. What the heck, Atsumu-senpai, you're being way too much!" Hinata couldn't help but burst out laughing.
He had felt a strange sense of déjà vu from the first time he saw the Itachiyama uniform, but this Half-ripe Banana was going too far!
—But it really is quite descriptive.
Miya Atsumu decisively shifted the blame: "It was Shoyo who said it; I just said the color scheme looked like it."