Since one is not yet powerful enough to change the overall environment through sheer individual strength, the best choice is to continuously strive for self-improvement.
As long as one can demonstrate sufficient strength, one will naturally gain the right to have a voice among those people; even if one is at odds with the team itself, one can find a new home at any time through sheer individual ability.
Hinata looked at Miya Atsumu from the side, his eyes filled with a hint of surprise, but mostly admiration. "Atsumu-senpai seems to know a lot about these things."
Miya Atsumu puffed out his chest, his face beaming with pride: "Of course, who do you think I am? I'm the number one Setter in high school."
How could he not understand the field he was about to step into, especially since he wasn't the only one who would be using these techniques.
Seeing him like this, Shoyo was also very supportive, immediately starting to clap and raise his hands to shower Miya Atsumu with confetti: "That was amazing! Atsumu-senpai!"
To be honest, Atsumu-senpai was just incredibly cool just now!
He looked very confident, calculating, equally reliable.
Miya Atsumu enjoyed the flattery from Shoyo, to the point where he almost wanted to tell him to just keep the compliments coming without stopping.
Sitting in the back, Iizuna-senpai silently pulled out his phone, recorded a video of Miya Atsumu's face, which was practically flying with pride, then sent it to Hoshiumi Hikari.
In less than a minute, the other party sent back a video, which showed Iizuna-senpai filming Miya Atsumu.
Iizuna froze for a moment, then snapped his head around. Sitting in the first row of the second-floor stands a short distance away were none other than Hoshiumi Hikari and Hirugami Yukio.
The two looked at each other in bewilderment, finally, they both sent each other an ellipsis in the chat box at the same time.
Miya Atsumu, whose eyes and mind were entirely focused on Shoyo, had absolutely no intention of looking away. Even though he was only two rows away from Iizuna-senpai and Agatsuma, the two of them had been sitting here for over an hour, yet Miya Atsumu and the other person had failed to notice them entirely.
"The next match is between the Tachibana Red Falcons and the Izumo Hornets; that one should be a good one." Miya Atsumu flipped through the player roster, showing off his senior demeanor as he introduced things to Shoyo.
Both of these are long-established powerhouse teams in the V1 League, though the Tachibana Red Falcons have strengthened their roster this year, while the Izumo Hornets' lineup hasn't changed much. However, their setter will likely retire in a few years; I heard he seemed interested in Iizuna-senpai before..
Behind them, the Shwaiden Adler cheering squads set up on the second and third-floor corridors had already begun packing up their things to make way for the teams about to compete.
The protagonists of the second match were on the right side of the home stands, separated from Hinata and the others by the entire commentary and judging area, but since the cheering squads would cover the entire corridor of the home stands, the teams participating in the morning matches needed to communicate and coordinate privately.
However, this had nothing to do with Hinata and Miya Atsumu, who were merely there to watch the excitement; they were currently still discussing a specific play from the previous match.
At some point after the entire stadium had fallen silent for a moment, the lights overhead dimmed once again.
As the spotlights shone down, the cheers and screams from the opposing stands suddenly drowned out the entire stadium.
Ahhhhh—Oikawa-senshu!
Tooru-kun! Look over here!
Oikawa-senshu! Use your serve to set the whole stadium on fire today too!
So cool! You're especially cool today!!
Miya Atsumu looked up and saw Oikawa Tooru entering behind Captain Tachibana, along with Aran, who had blended into the background now that he was out of the spotlight.
He fell silent for a few seconds before he couldn't help but say, "Oikawa-senpai is being too dramatic.. Isn't this not his first time participating in a large-scale official match? Where did all these fans come from?"
Hinata said with impartial judgment, "Oikawa-senpai probably had a lot of fans back in high school, after all, he's very handsome and incredibly good at volleyball."
And.. Atsumu-senpai is even more extreme.
After all, Atsumu-senpai sometimes even puts on a show with Osamu-senpai, their combined fan base is far more exaggerated than this.
Miya Atsumu raised his hand and pressed it down on Shoyo-kun's head, rubbing it vigorously. "You've really become quite bold, aren't you? Daring to criticize a senpai in a public setting like this."
Besides, my situation is different from Oikawa-senpai's. I'm giving back to the fans, whereas Oikawa-senpai is just being purely vain!
As he spoke, he reached out and gently pinched Shoyo's cheeks from both sides, squishing his face into a deformation.
Shoyo struggled to say, "Isn't it all just about looking cool.."
Damn, he wanted to act cool too, but he only had a group of middle-aged fans who called him a little brat.
Just as Miya Atsumu was about to say something else, a voice came from not far from the two of them.
Ahem, ahem, ahem, what are you two doing?
Miya Atsumu looked up, meeting Oikawa Tooru's gaze.
Oikawa Tooru only spared Miya Atsumu a glance before reaching out to forcibly pull his hand away from Hinata's face, turning instead to look at Hinata with a smile. "We meet again, Shoyo-kun. Are you here to watch my match?"
Without even waiting for Shoyo to answer, Oikawa Tooru had already reached out toward him. "Then, as a V1 star player, I'll give you an autograph."
His autograph is very valuable now; after all, his fanbase has grown to a terrifying size in just a few short months. His excellent performance during Haruko, as well as his debut in the recent Tachibana Red Falcons fan appreciation event, have earned him widespread recognition.
If it weren't for the fact that he had only signed a one-year short-term contract, Tachibana's manager would have loved to fill his schedule with endorsements. Even as it stands, however, his personal merchandise sales are quite terrifying, earning the club a significant amount of money.
Hinata's attention was quickly drawn to the important information: "V1 League player's autograph."
He quickly rummaged through his belongings, only to find that he hadn't brought a notebook or anything like a signing board.
Glancing at the black marker in Oikawa Tooru's hand, Shoyo silently looked toward Miya Atsumu, who was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt beside him.
Meeting Hinata's gaze, Miya Atsumu's expression suddenly contorted.
Oikawa chuckled, "Oh my, is this the only place you can sign?"
On the second floor, Hoshiumi Hikari watched the drama unfolding below in silence, a wicked smile spreading across his lips that he simply couldn't suppress.
That damn Miya Atsumu, how dare he lay a hand on his disciple! He'd better be prepared for the consequences!
Miya Atsumu made a grand gesture of refusal: "Refused! I refuse!"
The Ace of the Izumo Hornets also took advantage of the time before the match to stroll over; having a fairly good relationship with Oikawa Tooru, he looked at Miya Atsumu and Shoyo with curiosity. "What? You want autographs?"
The members of the Shwaiden Adler, who hadn't left yet and were stretching by the sidelines, also looked over. "Who wants an autograph?"
Aran also crowded closer: "Atsumu, do you want an autograph?"
Feeling himself gradually being surrounded by V1 League players, Shoyo's eyes lit up. He looked left and right, only to find that every single one of them was a face he had seen in the spectacular highlights of last year's V1 League just a few days ago.
Hinata's expression instantly turned pitiful. He turned his head to look at Miya Atsumu and asked tentatively, "Is it.. not allowed?"
Miya Atsumu glanced at the smirking Oikawa Tooru, then looked back at Shoyo, who was watching him eagerly, finally declared his surrender.
"Sign it, sign it." Atsumu-senpai turned around directly, turning his back to the circle of V1 League players who had already gathered around.
Shoyo immediately cheered, "Atsumu-senpai is the best! I love Atsumu-senpai the most!"
Hearing those words, Miya Atsumu's mood instantly brightened, whereas Oikawa Tooru, who had just picked up his pen, couldn't help but let out a light click of his tongue.
He boldly signed his large name, Oikawa Tooru, across Miya Atsumu's short sleeve, even adding the words, "Lord Oikawa's serve is the coolest."
Of course, Miya Atsumu couldn't see it.
Aran also took the pen, signed his name, added a wish for "good luck in battle."
Hirugami Fuku, who was purely there for the spectacle, along with the others from Heiwajima, also signed their names, everyone shook hands with Shoyo, following Oikawa Tooru's lead, before leaving.
In the end, because Oikawa Tooru's signature was so large at the beginning, the Izumo Hornets' setter could only sign on the front side.
Even Hinata and Miya Atsumu each received a Mikasa volleyball signed by Kito, the current number one and two setter in Japan, which was gifted to them by Aran.
At this time, the halftime cheerleading performance was still underway on the court. The commotion over here didn't attract much attention; after all, the lighting was dim, the first few rows were occupied by invited guests who wouldn't get overly excited like ordinary fans.
Watching everyone leave, Shoyo held the volleyball, his face full of happiness: "It feels like a dream."
"What's the big deal?" With Oikawa's signature on his back, Miya Atsumu sat in his chair with a sour expression, his face full of disdain.
Once I become Japan's number one setter and a star player in the V1 League, I'll give you as many autographs as you want.
You can sign anywhere!
Chapter 289: The 289th Fox
Then I can let Atsumu-senpai sign my autograph whenever he wants in the future, too!
Hinata patted his chest and made the same promise to Miya Atsumu.
Miya Atsumu coughed lightly twice, shifting his gaze away from Shoyo and looking seriously toward the court where the match was about to begin.
Oikawa Tooru, who had won the toss, had already taken his position to serve, the cheers from the opposing Tachibana Red Falcons were slowly dying down.
Unlike the instantaneous silence brought about by Miya Atsumu's commands, the noise from the Tachibana Red Falcons' side only tapered off into a sparse murmur once they saw Oikawa Tooru preparing to serve.
Miya Atsumu rested his chin in his hand, wondering what Tachibana was planning to do.
As the whistle blew, Oikawa Tooru also spun the ball in his hands.
He did not choose to play for the final second of the serve limit; instead, after adjusting his state, he decisively tossed the ball.
In the next second, the cheers from the opposing Tachibana Red Falcons suddenly erupted.
Ugh—Hey!!
A cheer, identical to the one at Haruko but on an even larger scale, erupted, instantly drowning out the entire arena.
The Izumo Hornets clearly had never seen such a spectacle before, the cheerleaders chanting their slogans faltered for a moment.
However, the players on the court were clearly unaffected by this kind of cheering. The Izumo Hornets' libero decisively lunged to his right, attempting a diving save to touch the ball.
His judgment was incredibly precise, he managed to make contact, but unfortunately, the spin on the ball prevented him from absorbing its momentum, sending the ball flying out of bounds.
Oikawa scored on his serve.
A deafening roar erupted through the arena in an instant; this clean, decisive point sent everyone into a frenzy.
【Tachibana Red Falcons' new Setter, Oikawa-senshu! In his debut, he has secured the first point of the day for his team with a serve as swift and thunderous as a gale!
[He is simply—a rookie like a comet storm!]
Listening to the commentary in his headset, Miya Atsumu fell silent.
To be honest, even though he had grown used to this commentary style, he still felt a bit unsettled by it. However, Miyamoto's professional commentary skills were top-notch, so as for this occasional player praising.. he just acted as if he hadn't heard it.
Yeah, he didn't hear it.
As Coach Blanco on the coach's bench couldn't help but clap, his eyes full of admiration and praise as he looked at Oikawa Tooru. Oikawa Tooru also high-fived every single teammate, cheering together for this point.
Hinata pursed his lips. "That was so cool."
One day in the future, would he also be able to win an undisputed point with a serve on a professional court, under the spotlight, just like this?
Miya Atsumu curled his lip. "How was that impressive? The serve had zero visual appeal, the libero even touched it."
But it was true; this was the libero of a long-established V1 League powerhouse, so being touched was completely within expectations.. No, should I say, did he actually think he could receive it?
The red lights of the cameras behind them were flashing, but the two people lost in their own thoughts didn't notice at all.