First of all, Hoshiumi couldn't stand him.
Secondly, Hoshiumi has an issue with him.
He was being wronged!
Setting down the towel in his hands, Miya Atsumu decided to cast all those frustrating matters aside.
Let's not worry about him. Come on, Shoyo, I wasn't there for your test yesterday, so let me take a good look at your development.
Having already sat cross-legged on the bottom bunk, Hinata placed his hands on his ankles and looked at Miya Atsumu with a hint of helplessness. "Atsumu-ge, you look like a bad guy who's about to kidnap a child."
Miya Atsumu had already walked over and knelt on the bed on one knee, leaning down toward Hinata. "Then is Shoyo a child?"
Hinata raised his head, showing his Adam's apple to Miya Atsumu: "Of course not, I'm an adult."
"Then that's that." Miya Atsumu lowered his head slightly, pressing against Hinata's neck, his hair brushing against Hinata's chin.
It's mutual consent, both sides are willing, so it's not against the law.
Hinata tilted his head: "It tickles."
Miya Atsumu reached out toward Hinata's clothes. "I didn't look just now, let me see now."
Hinata protested, "Liar, you saw everything just now!"
Miya Atsumu didn't even look away while he was changing!
At this thought, Hinata, acting on a sudden whim, pushed Miya Atsumu, who was already pressing down on him, off the bed and jumped straight down.
Miya Atsumu was a bit dazed. "Hmm? What's wrong?"
Hinata reached out and pulled off his shirt, then struck a bodybuilder's pose with great effort, showing his muscles to Miya Atsumu.
“Look! Atsumu-ge! I already have muscles!”
As he spoke, Hinata even changed his posture to show off his shoulders and back.
Miya Atsumu was expressionless, the flames that had just been ignited being completely extinguished.
Meanwhile, some unqualified little bodybuilder was still using his eyes to seek his score.
Atsumu closed his eyes, then said against his better judgment, "A full score!"
An elated Hinata pounced on Miya Atsumu, saying, "Then I'll give Atsumu-ge a perfect score too."
Looking at Hinata sitting on him, Miya Atsumu asked in return, "Are you going to give a score before you've even seen it, Shoyo?"
And.. I wasn't even undressed last time, Shoyo wasn't in the mood to watch back then anyway. Do you want to take a good look now? That time..
—That time was Unabara's fault.
Before Miya Atsumu could even finish his sentence, Hinata's hand had already slipped underneath the hem of his shirt.
He looked down at Miya Atsumu, the scent of the body wash he was wearing being exceptionally clear in Miya Atsumu's perception at this moment.
Hinata pressed his hand against the midline of Miya Atsumu's abs and said softly, "I'll check in a bit.. see how much Atsumu-ge has developed."
Hearing those familiar words, Miya Atsumu let out a low laugh, then pressed Hinata's hand through his clothes and asked softly, "Only checking the muscles?"
Hinata's hand paused slightly.
While playing around with Miya Atsumu, Hinata's phone, which was on the table, began to ring.
After letting go of Miya Atsumu's collar, Hinata rushed over excitedly to grab the phone, then scrambled up the ladder to the top bunk and answered Xiaoxia's call.
Abandoned, Miya Atsumu felt a bone-chilling cold spread from his feet to his head, leaving him feeling chilled to the core.
Listening to Xiaoxia's faint voice coming from the other end of the phone, Miya Atsumu decided not to bicker like a child.
After calming down for a moment, Miya Atsumu tilted his head slightly to glance at Hinata, who was lying on the top bunk on the bed talking on the phone with Hinata Natsu.
He put down his phone, stood up, walked toward the door carrying his water bottle.
Noticing his movement, Hinata poked his head over to look.
Atsumu raised his hand to gesture toward the water bottle in his hand, after blinking, Hinata lay back down.
Closing the dormitory door, Miya Atsumu placed the water bottle on the shelf by the entrance of the pantry, then walked toward the central lobby of the residential floor with his hands in his pockets and slippers on his feet.
Kageyama, who was using a public tablet to watch professional match footage, looked up and saw the person walking down the hallway.
"Miya Atsumu-senpai?" he asked, sounding a bit confused.
After scanning the hall, which contained only Kageyama, Miya Atsumu sat down on the sofa opposite him and looked him up and down.
As Kageyama put down his tablet with some confusion, Atsumu-senpai spoke up, "How did today's training feel?"
Kageyama answered honestly, ".. It was very good?"
The equipment and training methods used in the morning's physical conditioning were things he had never encountered before. These general physical training programs were something Karasuno desperately needed, so he also went to find the players whose physical condition wasn't particularly good to have a brief discussion regarding the training programs and the gap in training volume.
Of course, some of it was because Chikatani asked on his behalf.
Moreover, although he didn't adapt well during the early stages of the afternoon match, the coordination went relatively smoothly later on, he gradually found his rhythm.
But.. what is Miya Atsumu-senpai doing here? He couldn't have come here to find him, could he?
Miya Atsumu rested his chin on his hand. "Are you satisfied with your performance, Tobio-kun?"
Kageyama thought back to the afternoon's matches. Overall, he had lost more than he won, but as for his personal performance.. he felt he had done quite well and hadn't made any serious mistakes.
He also scored quite a few points in the subsequent matches as a Wing Spiker, he could even be considered a substantial Ace within the team.
Kageyama said softly, "It's alright."
Miya Atsumu smiled. "I'm easily satisfied, Tobio."
Setting aside the few games you played in different positions later on, how would you rate your own setting?
Upon hearing Miya Atsumu say that, Kageyama's expression froze for a moment, after realizing something, his face visibly darkened.
Kageyama remained silent, not saying a single word.
He had more than one close encounter with Miya Atsumu, so he actually knew very well what kind of person Miya Atsumu was.
Especially.. Miya Atsumu had criticized his setting more than once.
"If you ask me.. I'd give him a barely passing 2.5 points." Miya Atsumu's other hand tapped the armrest of the sofa as he sank lazily into the soft cushions, a sharp contrast to Kageyama, who sat upright and formal across from him.
Atsumu laughed, adding the second half of his sentence: "Of course, the full score is one hundred."
Looking at Kageyama's stiff face, Atsumu-senpai relaxed even more: "I'd give your setting technique itself a fifty, but your unstable state and lack of personal style in your play get you a forty-seven point five."
Atsumu-senpai gave an example: "If I were you, I would have scolded him the moment he failed to spike on the first receive."
That ball was the best, both in terms of positioning and timing; one could even say it was the absolute best among all possible solutions.
The Libero and the Setter both gave a perfect answer; if the Spiker doesn't spike it, then it's the Spiker's problem.
Of course, he wouldn't set that kind of ball to Sakusa.
Kageyama frowned slightly. "It's my fault."
It was because he didn't have enough understanding of his own teammates; it didn't have much to do with Sakusa. After that, he stopped pulling Sakusa away from being the number one Wing Spiker in high school, instead thrusting Tsukishima's face right between him and Suna, he found it much easier to play that way.
No, no, no, it's Sakusa's problem.
Glancing around the hall with his peripheral vision to confirm that Sakusa was not there, Miya Atsumu added, "The teammate gave a perfectly sufficient set; if he can't spike that ball, then he's useless."
Kageyama subconsciously felt something was wrong there: "This.."
Miya Atsumu grew more and more excited as he spoke, even reaching out to pat the armrest beside him. "Your frame of reference is Hinata; Hinata can hit it. But the strongest Ace in high school actually can't.. that means there's something wrong with his attitude and ability. This title of 'Number One in High School' is nothing but a hollow reputation!"
For some reason, Kageyama could sense the resentment Miya Atsumu held toward Sakusa.
Miya Atsumu also realized the conversation had drifted off-topic and quickly cleared his throat. "What I mean is, since you are the core of the team, then show the momentum of a leader."
Setting aside Karasuno's situation for the moment, at the very least, you need to show the coaches what they want to see here.
Atsumu tilted his head as he looked at Kageyama. "You're a setter who definitely trained with Shoyo, so at least show us some decent sets."
Hearing those incredibly familiar words, Kageyama felt a bit dazed.
At this moment.. he finally knew where that vague sense of déjà vu he had felt around Hinata had come from.
Atsumu-senpai continued, "There are some things you'll have to learn sooner or later, your ball control will be very useful too."
Hmm.. while I understand your concerns, why not throw yourself wholeheartedly into high-level matches during these few days?
Or rather.. how about considering your own future?
Kageyama could faintly sense Miya Atsumu's meaning.
Regarding quick attack setting techniques, Hinata had actually made a request to him before, but he had rejected it himself.
But now, he felt that Miya Atsumu made a good point.
After this day's training session, he actually felt a sense that he was falling behind.
Moreover, he could feel Hinata getting stronger at an incredibly rapid pace, that one day, he would surely reach the highest summit.
If they can all stand there one day, there are certain things he simply won't be able to do without. Rather than trying to make last-minute adjustments to build chemistry when the time comes, it is certainly better to adjust now while his techniques haven't fully taken shape.
Miya Atsumu sat up straight, propping his chin with both hands. "I'm not exactly a saint; I'm only saying this because Shoyo has high expectations for you, that's all."
Atsumu-senpai tucked away the smile that had been on his face from the very beginning, his eyes, exceptionally deep beneath his bangs, gazing at Kageyama opposite him as he spoke softly, "Even though I'm more handsome than you, stronger than you, have more potential and talent than you.. I admit, perhaps you are a better fit for Shoyo than I am."
Shoyo will definitely, definitely become an Omnipotent Hand, enabling him to thrive no matter what kind of team he is in.
But for a National Team that brings together all the top players in the country.. Coach Unabara and the others must be pursuing the greatest differentiation, which is Hinata's strength that is greater than everyone else's.
—An extreme, incomparable speed.
And the person who could suit Hinata's sharp blade, or rather, achieve an unconventional effect..
Although he didn't want to admit it, he felt that the person in Coach Unabara's heart would be Kageyama.
Miya Atsumu himself also approved of this target; after all, he could truly feel Kageyama's superior speed compared to his own in today's match and all previous encounters—Kageyama could even keep up with Hinata's running rhythm.
This superior speed allows the setter to support the first receive at the fastest possible tempo, while also delivering the ball to the spiker with a rhythm even more deceptive than a negative tempo.
Miya Atsumu had realized this a long time ago.
But he couldn't do it.
This kind of talent for speed is limited by innate physical conditions, attempts to master it ended in failure; after all, he couldn't even fully keep up with Hinata's running speed during regular physical training.
As long as a setter possesses the speed to keep up with Hinata, is paired with a sufficiently strong Libero, they can be considered invincible when it comes to the Quick Attack.