But it's not necessarily so, after all, the Black Jackals themselves have a very open team atmosphere, the players are extremely inclusive, their coach is quite a fun-loving person..
As for the remaining Tachibana and Black Jackals, one coach is an old-fashioned traditionalist, while the other simply doesn't lack wing spikers, unless there's an unexpected accident like an injury during a transfer..
In other words, Miya Atsumu truly deserves to die ten thousand deaths!
If he ruins Hinata's future, he'd better be prepared to commit seppuku to atone for his sins!
Hinata, who was a step behind helping the freshmen carry things, also saw Hoshiumi-kun immediately.
Shoving the things into Miya Atsumu's empty hands, Hinata bounced over, "Hikari-kun! Long time no see!"
Hoshiumi Hikari looked him up and down and asked with a slight raise of his eyebrows, "Why are you tanned? Does the roof of Inarizaki Gymnasium leak?"
Hinata chuckled, having no intention of telling their rivals just yet: "Hehe, it's a secret."
"Hmm??" Hoshiumi Hikari let out a long, drawn-out sound, his mind racing with many guesses in an instant.
Following behind, Masaru Haseda glanced at Hoshiumi, who was walking very close to Hinata, asked the know-it-all Reo Mizuta beside him in a low voice, "Who is that?"
Reo Mizuta answered quickly: "That is Shoyo-senpai's mentor, Karasuno's Little Giant, the current Vice-Captain, Hoshiumi Hikari-kun."
Masaru Haseda felt a sudden sense of profound respect.
So they were the senior's senior, the senior's master! They must be incredibly powerful!
Hinata also looked back at them and introduced his new first-years to Hoshiumi one by one.
Of course, it doesn't include what techniques they are good at, just names and positions.
These things are in the player roster; if Hoshiumi wants to see them, he will find out very quickly.
Hoshiumi glanced up around the hall and found that no one else from Karasuno was there. "Hmm.. our Setter and Libero aren't here. I'll show them to you tomorrow; they're both really amazing."
Hirugami had a lot of work to do after taking over as Captain, so he didn't come down to stake out the Inarizaki members this time.
Hinata nodded heavily. "I watched Hikari-kun's Regional Finals, he was seriously amazing!"
"Never mind that." Unable to hold himself back any longer, Hoshiumi walked a little faster with Hinata, leaving Miya Atsumu behind as he went to follow the Coach to check in.
He looked Hinata up and down, asking with great concern, "That jerk Miya Atsumu hasn't been bullying you, has he? In any way, that is."
Hinata vouched for Miya Atsumu: "Of course not! Atsumu-ge is very good to me!"
Hearing that title on the spot, Hoshiumi's expression instantly contorted, his entire face wrinkling into a mess: "That bastard! And he still says there isn't!!"
Is he calling him "brother"? He's just making things up! Miya Atsumu is truly shameless to the extreme!
Miya Atsumu had better pray that Inarizaki would get out of the way early this time and not run into him or his Karasuno, otherwise he would make Miya Atsumu crawl on the ground!
“Hikari-kun? Are you okay?” Hinata reached out and tugged at Hoshiumi. “Did someone make you unhappy? I'll get revenge for you!”
Hoshiumi, who had been consumed by rage, met Hinata's eyes filled with worry and instantly calmed down.
No, it would be better if Inarizaki stayed for a few more rounds after all; he still wanted to have one more showdown between Little Giants with Shoyo.
Hoshiumi shook his head, returning to his usual state. "It's nothing, I'm just looking forward to playing a match against you."
At the mention of this, Hinata's eyes instantly lit up. "I'm also looking forward to the match against Hikari-kun! I'll give it two hundred percent of my strength!"
Hoshiumi patted his shoulder: "Ah, then I'll be looking forward to it."
Meanwhile, Miya Atsumu, who was checking in at the front desk, felt as if everyone passing by was pointing and whispering about him, he could even hear laughter and chatter.
It seemed like he could faintly hear things like.. "just like in the video."
Miya Atsumu's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, causing Rishia, Kumagai, the others to silently distance themselves from him, while Unabara Uta had even reacted by bolting to a position over thirty meters away.
Atsumu's hand tightened continuously, nearly snapping the pen in his hand, leaving a deep indentation on the registration notebook.
The receptionist was also a bit frightened: "Um, guest??"
Miya Atsumu quickly put on a friendly, professional smile. "It's nothing, we've finished writing it."
Watching the Inarizaki members leave, the receptionist finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, her colleague leaned in and said, "It's Miya Atsumu; he's just as handsome as he is in the video."
She froze for a moment. "A video? What video? I don't play volleyball, so I don't really know these players."
Her colleague laughed, "It's that one that was incredibly popular a while ago, the one where he got hit in the head."
She cupped her face: "He's even more handsome in person than in the video; it makes you want to dote on him."
Yeah, the twin Miya Osamu is also very handsome.
The colleague rubbed his chin. "But.. that orange-haired guy who went out first was also a bit familiar.."
Author's Note:
Video Cast · Height and physique have changed a lot · Little Shoyo:? Huh?
Haruko Setter High-Octane Highlight Reel, 20k likes, 100k reposts.
Everyone: Talking behind their backs.
Chapter 313: The Three Hundred and Thirteenth Fox
The opening ceremony was held on the second morning, following the same routine Hinata was familiar with.
Last year's IH champions were Itachiyama, so the person raising the championship flag for this tournament will be their current captain, Inamura, but Komori will still lead the oath.
By the time the National Sports Festival and Haruko arrive, Miya Atsumu will be the one going up to carry the flag.
This time, Hinata was not a mere spectator on the sidelines, but was standing solemnly within the team, raising the team flag during the oath.
After the opening ceremony ended, the first round of the afternoon group stage matches also commenced.
Inarizaki's training for today is scheduled for the twilight period, since there are several important matches this afternoon, they are definitely worth watching.
For example, the Karasuno match and the Rakusan match.
The two coaches went over to Rakusan, where their matches were being held simultaneously, while Miya Atsumu stood by the Karasuno court with Hinata.
There weren't that many spectators in the venue. Because the schedule was so dense this time, some matches were even held in other gyms two kilometers away, so naturally, there was no time to use for warming up.
Aside from the teams playing in the first round, the remaining matches had to handle their own warm-ups, so many teams weren't in the gymnasium at all.
Karasuno took an early two-point lead thanks to the incredibly powerful serve from their freshman setter, the intensity of their offense was so fierce that even Miya Atsumu frowned inwardly.
Swallowing the saliva in his mouth, Hinata spoke softly, "Hikari-kun's team.. feels so terrifying."
That Number 9 Setter is very tall and has a powerful serve; although his setting level is average, he is indeed stronger than Suwa-senpai.
Especially his adaptation to setting and his tactical ability to jump in from the back row—his performance was exceptionally good.
And the number 12 Libero freshman also looks very solid; in comparison, he is much stronger than Unabara Uta was at this time last year, situations where Hoshiumi Hikari had to frequently move for a First Receive have basically ceased to occur.
When combined with the others who were already formidable, it could be said that there were no particularly obvious weak points.
Miya Atsumu tilted his head slightly to look at him, catching the extremely serious expression on his face and the sweat dripping from his temples.
Hinata's fists were clenched tight, the veins on the backs of his hands clearly visible from the strain.
Atsumu reached out and grabbed Hinata's wrist: "Alright, relax, you're going to end up bruising it if you're not careful."
Hinata looked at Miya Atsumu holding his wrist, simply opening his hand to show him: "It won't break, Atsumu-ge trimmed it perfectly for me."
His nails had been trimmed perfectly and smoothly by Miya Atsumu, with nothing particularly protruding; only the thumbnail on his right hand had been struck during previous training, leaving a stubborn bruise on the nail.
After admiring his masterpiece, Miya Atsumu immediately said, "Anyway, don't get too nervous, it's nothing to be afraid of."
Hinata gave a soft hum of agreement, then turned his gaze back toward the court.
Really.. don't you feel nervous?
Why did he feel such a heavy sense of unease at this very moment?
Watching Hinata's attention completely shift away, Miya Atsumu let out a soft breath.
In a place where Hinata couldn't see, his hidden demeanor was one of inescapable seriousness and solemnity, even carrying a hint of anxiety.
Although he had long expected Karasuno's strength, seeing them in their first match of the National Tournament with his own eyes still made his heart tighten.
Karasuno's setter and libero are both newcomers, but they are certainly not novices; their performance in a National Tournament like this is quite effortless, their fundamentals are incredibly solid.
Hoshiumi Hikari and Hirugami Yukio were also as stable and powerful as ever; there was nothing more to say about that.
What made things even more of a headache for him were Hakuma Mebuki and the current Second Year, Bessho Chigen; the skills and mentalities of these two had matured more than just a little compared to before. Working in perfect coordination with Hirugami's blocks, they were hitting exactly where they aimed, clearly causing the opponents' aces to suffer mental collapses.
“The frequency at which that Number 4 on the opposing side requests the ball has visibly decreased.."
On the far side of the court, Komori was also smiling bitterly, watching the Libero and the Wing Spiker struggling under Karasuno's intense defense, feeling a headache on their behalf.
The receive quality is very poor; many counterattacks could have been received.
Sakusa's merciless voice drifted from beneath his mask. Standing beside Komori, he watched the match on the court quietly. "While Karasuno's block is strong, it's not without flaws. Using technical plays will definitely find openings; having a poor mindset is equivalent to voluntarily giving up the path to victory."
"That's true.." Komori nodded.
Although Sakusa's demands could be described as harsh for these players, they were not without reason.
Especially since Karasuno's opponent's Ace wasn't the first to collapse; the person who gave up and broke down first.. was their Libero.
This is the last problem that should occur, because the Libero is the most critical checkpoint for a team; handling pressure and sustaining the team's life itself is the Libero's duty.
As a fellow Libero, he did not approve of such an act of giving up earlier than everyone else.
Inamoto, who had come out following the two seniors, listened quietly, attempting to place himself in the position of Karasuno's opponents to think about how to break the deadlock.
In short.. don't give up just yet.
Looking at the final score of 2-0, Miya Atsumu let out a long sigh of relief with his hands on his hips.
Despite how he had just comforted Hinata, he actually felt quite uncertain himself.
It's possible.. Karasuno might even be stronger than us right now.
Hinata's voice suddenly rang out, suddenly exposing the anxiety that had been lingering in Miya Atsumu's heart.
His tone was calm, yet it held an inexplicable cruelty.
"Yeah." Miya Atsumu simply responded quietly.
But he didn't ask Hinata if he was actually afraid, because the answer was already a foregone conclusion.