If this kind of match were to occur in the first or second match, he would very likely be affected in his subsequent matches because of it.
In the distant past, he had once told Coach Kurosu that he wanted to be someone who mastered both technique and physical strength, so a barely passing grade should never be his optimal choice.
If it were the current him..
Hinata nodded to himself: "I'll find a way to crush Agatsuma-senpai head-on.. even if my methods might not be very honorable?"
With feints and various technical shots, he would solve the problem while minimizing his own exhaustion.
Miya Atsumu froze for a brief moment, then poked the back of Hinata's neck with his finger. "You idiot, there's no such thing as honorable or dishonorable in a duel on the court; as long as it's within the rules, it's a legitimate tactic."
Of course, breaking the rules is something that absolutely cannot be done.
And besides..
Miya Atsumu lied through his teeth, "Everyone who gets tricked by you is just saying they aren't as smart as you; this is a legitimate and righteous victory."
Amatori, who finally had time to come watch the match on Sunday, stared at the back of Miya Atsumu's head and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "What is this guy muttering about?"
Why was everything he said so sarcastic toward Itachiyama, why did he go out of his way to disparage Agatsuma?
Iizuna forced a smile, stopping himself from sending the message he had prepared to ask Komori if he would consider Central Physical Education University.
Hinata turned his head, stealing a glance at the three from Itachiyama behind him, then said in what he thought was a very low voice, "By the way.. is Agatsuma-senpai not planning to play volleyball? He doesn't seem to be in university, but he's not in a professional team either?"
Because Agatsuma always arrived very early, unlike Iizuna and the others who had classes, he was basically here all day.
Considering Agatsuma's own skill level, it would be impossible for him not to be part of the Black Eagle Flag roster if he were to join a professional team.
Miya Atsumu waved it off. "It's nothing. Agatsuma-senpai signed with VC Kanagawa, but for various reasons, he didn't submit his registration form for the Black Eagle Flag this time, so he's just watching from here."
Hinata rubbed his chin. "I see.. That's such a shame."
He thought he had a feeling that yesterday, within the Kanagawa VC team, there was a middle blocker with a very high jersey number—likely a veteran in the team—but his skill level was quite mediocre.
Thinking about it now.. it might have been a player brought in specifically as a substitute to hold down the fort.
It's such a shame Agatsuma-senpai didn't have the chance to participate in this tournament; otherwise, yesterday's match would have been even more exciting.
Amatori crossed her arms over her chest and glared fiercely at Hinata and the other, "Hey, we can hear you."
Miya Atsumu denied it flatly: "You misheard, senpai."
The bystanders caught in the middle looked around, then finally chose to remain silent.
The match on the court was nearing its end; following a blocked spike by Bokuto, EJP Gods won 3-2 against Central Physical Education University.
Thunderous applause erupted in the arena, cheering for the conclusion of the match.
Miya Atsumu couldn't help but let out a small click of his tongue. "What a shame, the Libero's reaction was a bit slow on that last play."
Although Shiratori-senpai's setting was only average, his coordination with Bokuto was still considered competent.
But the opposing blockers were far too experienced; they even adjusted their blocking direction the moment Bokuto attempted a short diagonal, causing the spike to be completely shut down.
While the failure to score was indeed the spiker's fault, that last play, in the end..
It was the fault of the Libero, who was clearly already in the front row but was completely unaware that he might need to perform a follow-up counterattack on this ball.
Given Central Physical Education University's current strength configuration, the Libero position is indeed somewhat lacking.
So.. Komori is great! Komori is graduating next year, he's one of Coach Utsunomiya's protégés! Are you really not going to consider it!
Thinking of this, Miya Atsumu pulled out his phone once again, deciding to contact Komori directly.
Ignoring the notification from Hanae's chat box, Miya Atsumu sent a message directly to Komori: 【Wanna go to college? Like, the King's Master type?]
Komori replied just as quickly: 【How many favors did Coach Utsunomiya give you?】
Miya Atsumu immediately denied it and typed rapidly: 【Not at all, don't talk nonsense, I'm just being kind and recommending him to you.】
The other side continued to show "typing.." so Miya Atsumu added another sentence: 【Sakusa is going off to university, you're going to lose to him soon. When that time comes, his academic credentials will be higher than yours, he'll be able to win more awards at university than you will.】
Soon, Komori deleted everything he had typed and sent back a single punctuation mark: 【..】
He admitted that he had indeed been conflicted about whether or not to accept Coach Utsunomiya's invitation.
So Komori replied: "I need to think about it more."
"The Liberos for the Black Jackals and the Shwaiden Adler are all in their prime, the Liberos for EJP Gods and the Tachibana Red Falcons are also in decent form. If you choose to join a team immediately, it might be quite difficult," Miya Atsumu said, blatantly lying through his teeth.
The first half was mostly true, but the second half was a massive exaggeration.
If Komori wanted to join the team, the coaches of Tachibana Red Falcons and EJP Gods would likely consult with the current starters immediately to arrange a transfer or a move to a secondary role; they wouldn't be able to refuse the top high school First Libero.
Having a sufficiently powerful Libero means having sufficient security; a Libero like Komori can even achieve the effect of lifting the entire team.
And as a result, the team would gain "freedom" in their offense.
Miya Atsumu continued to coax the First Libero: 【If you wait another two years, maybe Heiwajima-senpai and the others will be ready to transfer. Or, if you can achieve great results in university or during international tournaments in the meantime, you could definitely consider joining a world-class club as soon as you go professional.】
You're a Libero; if you want to develop your career abroad, you'll definitely have an advantage over Sakusa!
Japan failed to qualify for last year's London Olympics, they are now preparing for the upcoming 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
By then, they will likely be the younger part of the participating athletes, if they are lucky, they might even get the chance to come on as substitutes.
If they perform brilliantly enough at that time, they will inevitably receive offers from top clubs; Yaku has already gone to Russia.
Komori replied: [You make a good point, but I don't have any plans to go abroad at the moment.]
Miya Atsumu asked again: 【Do you think Bokuto-senpai is amazing?】
Komori expressed his approval of Bokuto: 【He's incredible, an Ace who can carry the team on his own.】
Miya Atsumu pressed for more details: "What about Shiratori-senpai from Fukuda General? What's your impression of him?"
Komori recalled the person in his memory: [We aren't very close, but I know he is a hardworking, ambitious, very tall Setter.]
Miya Atsumu gave a low chuckle and continued asking, 【What about Shoyo? Do you want to play volleyball with Shoyo?】
Komori's reply was also quick: 【Of course! Shoyo is very reliable and easy to communicate with; I get the feeling he's someone who won't let you down.】
Seeing Komori's reply, Miya Atsumu couldn't help but let out a small click of his tongue, his mood not particularly bright.
He knew Hinata was great, he also knew Hinata was very popular, but..
And Hinata, who had been comforting Bokuto by the sidelines, heard his displeased voice and hurriedly turned around: "Atsumu-senpai, what's wrong?"
Wasn't he having a good time just now? Who was he talking to that made him unhappy?
Miya Atsumu immediately flashed a smile and waved at Hinata. "It's nothing, it's nothing. You guys go ahead."
After saying that, he sent Komori a message: [Then come to Central Physical Education University; you can be on the same team as everyone mentioned above.]
Komori, who was mostly just being polite: 【Huh?】
Meanwhile, after saying a word to Bokuto-senpai, Hinata had already crowded close to Miya Atsumu's side. "Did someone make Atsumu-senpai unhappy? I'll help Atsumu-senpai get even!"
As fine strands of hair brushed against his ears, Miya Atsumu turned his head slightly and met the eyes of Shoyo, who was already leaning against his shoulder.
Miya Atsumu turned his head slightly. He had intended to pull away, but after noticing that Shoyo had no intention of leaving, he rubbed his face against those fluffy locks of hair. "I'm not unhappy, Shoyo. Don't worry."
And right at that moment, a reply from Komori popped up on Miya Atsumu's phone.
So, what I'm saying is.. just how many favors did Coach Utsunomiya give you?
In short, you're asking me to think about it. There's still a year left, so there's no rush.
Hinata was a bit bewildered: "What? What happened to Atsumu-senpai and Gen-senpai?"
How did it end up back on Coach Utsunomiya again?
He carefully recalled the previous events, pulling from his memory the matter that had been overshadowed by the recent match—the fact that Atsumu-senpai had said he was looking for a Libero for him.
Hinata's eyes lit up instantly: "Is Gen-senpai coming!"
He had the chance to be teammates with the strongest Setter in high school, now he might have the chance to be teammates with the strongest Libero in university! That would be just too lucky!
Hinata, his face full of excitement, looked up at Miya Atsumu. "Atsumu-senpai, you're also too amazing!"
No, no, no, if his plan to pursue Atsumu-senpai succeeds..
Maybe he could be teammates with the strongest Libero while becoming incredibly close to the strongest Setter?
Then he is simply the luckiest person in the world!
Meeting Hinata's gaze, Miya Atsumu, feeling inexplicably a bit dazed, raised his hand and patted his chest: "Don't worry, I'll definitely trick Komori into coming over."
After saying that, he continued to pester Komori: 【Shoyo really wants to be on the same team as you.】
But this time, Komori did not reply; instead, an exclamation mark appeared in front of the message he sent.
The next second, a message from Sakusa popped up: 【Sorry, sorry, we're in practice. My phone was taken away, talk to you later.】
Taking a glance at the current Captain, Inamura Gen, who had confiscated his phone under Coach Himegomiya's orders and blocked Miya Atsumu, Komori silently lowered his presence.
The coaches were all still fuming, so he wouldn't go and touch that raw nerve.
If the coaches found out that he had refused Central Physical Education University again, they would probably be even angrier.
But to be honest, he was actually a little bit tempted.
What he wanted to pursue was strength, victory, volleyball itself, looking at this lineup that Miya Atsumu had secretly revealed to him.. Central Physical Education University was very strong.
If he enters Central Physical Education University, he will also have more opportunities to face Sakusa.
Moreover, volleyball is a team sport; the stronger the team, the higher the probability of victory. Central Physical Education University would indeed be far ahead of other schools, even the university itself wouldn't hinder him from participating in international competitions for the national team..
Komori, who had unexpectedly begun brainwashing himself, hurriedly shook his head.
No, no, no, being in the third year of school, even having to write a thesis or something similar just to graduate, is too terrifying!
Komori's mind began to wage a battle within, but with the subsequent first receive training about to begin, he could only stop thinking about these distant matters and instead devote himself entirely to the training.
On the other side, Bokuto sat motionless by the fence, staring blankly at the ground with his head lowered. "We lost the match, Shoyo won't talk to me, Natsume won't talk to me either.. My performance really was terrible, wasn't it.."
Shiratori Natsume skillfully ignored the large mess on the ground, focusing instead on Hinata and Miya Atsumu, who were talking about something.
As expected, it wasn't his illusion.
If one were to say that Hinata's gaze toward Miya Atsumu had sometimes been one of admiration, longing, yearning before this, then now.. perhaps it was more of "infatuation."
Shiratori couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "That's so wonderful—"
Bokuto, on the floor, looked even more despondent.
His performance remained stable throughout the match, but once he left the court, all those emotions—the unwillingness to accept defeat, the sadness, everything else—came rushing back.