He locked eyes with Miya Atsumu, describing his feelings in simple, straightforward terms: "I love Atsumu-senpai too, I love everything about Atsumu-senpai."
Whether the path ahead is filled with glory or thorns, whether the days to come bring health or sickness, I will walk alongside Atsumu-senpai until the very end of my life.
His tone was incredibly firm, making it nearly impossible for anyone to harbor even a shred of doubt regarding his words.
Taking a deep breath, Hinata reached out his hand to Miya Atsumu.
So.. Atsumu-senpai, are you willing to entrust your future to me?
And Miya Atsumu's response contained not a shred of hesitation; he almost immediately grabbed Hinata's hand, leading him to touch his own chest.
Atsumu's tone was equally decisive: "I do."
Hinata suddenly felt something trickle down the corner of his eye, sliding across his cheek and dripping from his chin onto the floor.
The Kita Team was right.
So happiness and joy.. they really can make a person shed tears.
He had won the Hyogo Prefecture championship, received the first Best Spiker award of his life, gained the recognition of the national team coach, his confession had been incredibly smooth.
—Today must have been the luckiest day of his life.
Seeing Hinata's face covered in tears, Miya Atsumu suddenly panicked, "Shoyo, don't cry.."
Before he could reach out to wipe Hinata's tears, Hinata suddenly took a step forward and lunged at him.
A warm, soft, damp sensation pressed against the side of his face, accompanied by the familiar scent of the shampoo Hinata always used.
Atsumu's eyes widened slightly as he realized what it was, while Hinata had already released his hands from Atsumu's shoulders and stood upright on the ground again.
Miya Atsumu lowered his head, somewhat dazed.
He was just.. kissed by Hinata?
Seeing Miya Atsumu's dazed expression, Hinata felt a bit bewildered.
"After a successful confession, you take a bite," Unabara Uta had said, but looking at Atsumu-senpai's expression.. maybe he had done something wrong?
Is it still not enough?
Hinata searched through his barren knowledge of romance within his brain.
He pressed close to Miya Atsumu again, reaching out to wrap his arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe to bring his face close to the other's.
Hinata's face grew larger and larger in his field of vision, those warm-colored eyes lingering extremely close, there was nothing else left in his eyes.
The sensation on his lips was unmistakable; it was a kiss from Hinata.
Miya Atsumu, finally coming back to his senses, widened his eyes slightly. Having finally confirmed that he wasn't dreaming, he reached around to wrap his arms around Hinata's head, preventing Hinata, who had intended to pull away after the kiss, from escaping.
Miya Atsumu had never been in a relationship before, let alone had any experience with kissing.
But he knew what he should do, but.. that was all.
Hinata felt like things were getting a bit out of control, but being equally inexperienced, he could only follow Miya Atsumu's lead. He obediently opened his mouth, feeling Atsumu's clumsy yet blunt exploration as he entered.
“Ngh..”
It was strange, it felt so strange.
The sensation of being grazed inside his mouth felt foreign to him, his heart was racing; the distance was so close that he found it impossible to breathe properly.
The overly rapid breaths made Hinata feel as if he couldn't stand steadily, his legs shook uncontrollably from being on tiptoe for so long.
But those firm, powerful arms still wrapped around his armpits, locking around his head and forcibly supporting his stance, leaving him with no way to escape.
“Atsumu-senpai.. I can't." Hinata struggled to hook his arms around Miya Atsumu's neck, leaning back slightly in an attempt to find a gap where he could breathe.
But Miya Atsumu wouldn't let him go at all; instead, he pressed down along with Shoyo's movements. "Shoyo, Shoyo.."
With one hand holding Hinata and the other supporting Hinata's waist, his fingers brushed against the boy's skin, tracing the contours of the abdominal muscles that stood out from the exertion.
Hinata's name echoed in his ears over and over again, filled with so much affection it was almost overflowing.
His vision was somewhat blurred by the tears, so he could only stare into Miya Atsumu's eyes, while his heart-pounding brain began to wander with wild thoughts.
He knew that Miya Atsumu's hair was dyed; his own hair color and iris color were very similar, but those eyes became incredibly bright under the sunlight.
Similarly, without Hikari's presence, those naturally dark eyes would appear even deeper. Many times, Hinata felt that Atsumu's eyes were like endless caverns, capable of swallowing everything.
Even back when he first met Miya Atsumu, he would feel a bit intimidated by the other's gaze.
But at this moment, whether it was because of the slightly warm yellow light in the room, or because his orange hair and warm eyes were reflected in Atsumu's eyes, Hinata felt that his eyes were like a jar of honey.. or a jar of syrup.
—He felt like he was about to drown.
With a thud, Hinata sat on the bed after Miya Atsumu let go of his control.
A sensation of countless tiny kisses brushed against the corners of his eyes, followed immediately by Miya Atsumu's voice: "Don't cry, Shoyo."
Hinata hurriedly shook his head, struggling to find his voice again: "I'm—I'm not crying, I'm just happy."
Atsumu smiled and grabbed a tissue to wipe Hinata's messy face.
Looking at Hinata's furrowed brow, Atsumu was stunned: "What's wrong, Shoyo? Don't you like kissing?"
Hinata shook his head. "I like it very much."
Hearing this, Miya Atsumu was prepared to kiss him again, but Hinata was quick, he slapped his hand down to pin Miya Atsumu's face.
He looked up, gazing pitifully at Miya Atsumu: "My right calf feels a bit like it's.. cramping.."
Upon hearing this, a panicked Miya Atsumu immediately knelt down and reached out to lift Hinata's right leg. "Let me see, let me see."
The muscles in the calf were extremely tight, he could feel irregular, twitching spasms; the toes were also involuntarily curling—it was indeed a cramp.
Recalling the scene from just now, he suddenly felt a sense of unprovoked guilt realizing that Miya Atsumu had been standing on his tiptoes the whole time.
He coughed lightly to cover his guilt. "I'll apply some hot water to it, then I'll give you a massage."
Miya Atsumu stood up abruptly, went to the bathroom to soak a towel in hot water, brought it back.
Feeling Miya Atsumu massage his calf with what barely qualified as professional technique, Hinata pouted.
He used his other foot to kick Miya Atsumu's leg: "It's Atsumu-senpai's fault."
Kneeling on the ground, Miya Atsumu looked up, his gaze sweeping over Hinata, said with a very candid smile, "Doesn't Shoyo like it too?"
Realizing something, Hinata's already flushed face turned even redder, he hurriedly reached out to pull at his clothes.
Feeling his legs gradually regain sensation, he frantically kicked Miya Atsumu's hand away, then turned around, grabbed the quilt, curled up inside it.
Miya Atsumu's voice still drifted in from outside: "Do you need help from your boyfriend Atsumu?"
Hinata refused quickly: "No need!"
Aaaaaah—so embarrassing!
While Hinata was curled up under the covers acting like a mushroom to calm down, Miya Atsumu had already enjoyed a nice shower, brought back the cake that had been delivered to the door, even took the liberty of ordering dinner from the hotel.
Miya Atsumu reached out and poked the lump on the bed. "Shoyo, come out, take a shower, eat dinner."
Hinata crawled out, his face flushed red: "Okay."
Watching Hinata's hurried pace, Miya Atsumu laughed, "Do you need my help with your shower?"
Hinata slammed the bathroom door shut with a bang. "No need—"
By the time he finished washing up and came out, Miya Atsumu had already set out the food and cake, with a gift box sitting on the table as well.
Atsumu turned his head and gave Hinata a smile. "Come and eat."
Seeing that box, Hinata suddenly remembered the thing he hadn't had time to pick up since returning.
Right, the gift.
Hinata walked quickly to his bed and pulled a small box out of his backpack.
He raised his hand and handed the box to Miya Atsumu: "Um, Atsumu-senpai, this is a gift for you."
He had thought about what gift to buy for a very, very long time.
Atsumu didn't have the habit of carrying things like knee pads, he had already given nail care products before, while Atsumu-senpai didn't even have pierced ears, so the gift he finally chose was the one Unabara Uta highly recommended..
—A ring.
The style was chosen by him, a limited-edition volleyball alloy ring released by a brand they often use.
Moreover, considering that volleyball players don't wear rings on their hands year-round, it also came with a chain so the ring could be worn as a pendant around the neck.
As for the size.. Hinata chose it based on his impression of Miya Atsumu's hand. He had felt Atsumu's hand very carefully, so he shouldn't have made a mistake.
Atsumu's lips curled upward, nearly reaching his ears; this gift was expected, but the item itself far exceeded his imagination.
All in all, this was the second time today that Hinata had proposed to him.
He tried his best to maintain a serious expression while simultaneously reaching out his hand toward Hinata: "I love it. Shoyo, would you be willing to put it on for me?"
"Okay!" Hinata nodded, decisively sliding the ring onto Miya Atsumu's ring finger.
Mm, the size is perfect!
Miya Atsumu also took out his own gift: "I'm giving Shoyo a pair of arm sleeves. Your receiving training will become more frequent in the future, so they can protect your arms and reduce the possibility of injury."
And.. Mom embroidered our names on the inside of the cuffs.
Hearing this, Hinata flipped over the pair of black arm sleeves and saw "ATSUMU · SHOYO" embroidered on the inner seams.
He hugged the gift tightly. "This is the best gift ever, thank you, Atsumu-senpai."
Atsumu reached out and placed his hand in front of his lips: "So.. am I someone special to Shoyo now?"
Hinata's eyes widened slightly.
Miya Atsumu watched him with a smile, waiting for him to think of the answer he was supposed to give.
And Hinata also dug through his own memories regarding what he had previously called Hoshiumi Hikari.
Indeed, Atsumu-senpai was now the most special and important person.
Hinata tentatively asked, "Atsumu-senpai??"
Seeing him like this, Miya Atsumu pulled him into a sudden hug, rubbing his face against his hair. "As expected, I love Shoyo the most."
He then suggested, "Let's eat, then sleep together."
Hinata happily agreed, "Okay."