Hinata came over, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Tying your hair? Let me do it, let me do it!"
He sized up the length of Hayami's hair and spoke with absolute certainty, "No problem at all, so, would you like to sit down, Hayami-san?"
Hayami sat down obediently, after Hinata fiddled with the top of his head for a few moments, the hair that had been messy and blocking his vision on both sides was completely combed back.
Although there was still some hair left at the nape of his neck, he felt much more refreshed overall, but..
Pfft.
Listening to Chongtian's unrestrained laughter, Hayami reached up to touch the top of her head, feeling a round but still somewhat spiky lump.
Hinata walked over to inspect his work, nodding with great satisfaction with his hands on his hips: "Perfect!"
He sometimes styled Xiaoxia's hair just like this, he even thoughtfully bunned Hayami's hair to prevent it from coming loose.
Although it felt like something was off, Hayami's only requirement was to have her hair tied up.
As for what it would look like.. he couldn't see it himself anyway, so it didn't matter.
At that moment, Hoshiumi on the other side of the net also let out a laugh: "Pfft."
Hayami looked up again and touched the top of his head, feeling puzzled.
Coach Hiya by the sidelines was speechless.
To be honest, he actually quite wanted to give the coach over at the junior team side a clap.
After all, Hayami with a little bun on her head.. was a bit too bizarre.
Having regained his form, Hayami patted his own thigh and shouted loudly, "Alright! Bring it on!"
This time, Hoshiumi really couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into loud laughter.
Pfft, hahahahaha——
Chapter 393: The Three Hundred and Ninety-Third Fox
Hinata's first round of practice matches ended, with the final result being a narrow victory for Kageyama and Hoshiumi's side by a two-point margin.
Hoshiumi immediately pulled Hinata aside to review the play: "Shoyo, you can't keep thinking about things like scoring on a Second Attack. A Second Attack can only score when it's executed as a sudden surprise; after all, it's not the optimal spiking state, if the block predicts it, you're finished."
Hinata scratched his head, accepting the criticism from his mentor: "I did feel like I was playing a bit too hot-bloodedly towards the end."
It wasn't just that he was getting too hot-headed; Bai Ze was also carried along by his momentum, Hayami was the real culprit behind their emotional state; in that last set, Hayami was the one playing most aggressively and enthusiastically.
Hoshiumi's tone was very stern: "And regarding the issue of the back row moving up to cover, Shoyo, your movements are too slow, you aren't coordinating well with the front row players."
Also, you're the Setter, so you have to remember to protect yourself. You should have discussed the issues regarding defensive positioning with the Libero during the First Set..
Hinata noted them down one by one, nodding in agreement repeatedly.
After finishing the discussion on technical matters, Hoshiumi turned and asked, "By the way, are you guys planning to shift your focus to studying the Setter position?"
Cooperating with Miya Atsumu? To further enrich the offensive tactics?
As he spoke, Hoshiumi slightly raised an eyebrow.
He actually didn't agree with Inarizaki's approach; after all, Karasuno's defense was already at the highest level at this stage, no matter how much Inarizaki's offense evolved, it would never be able to surpass it by much.
On the contrary, Inarizaki's already problematic defense might further lead to their offense failing to coordinate.
Without a guarantee of defense, studying offense is meaningless.
If this is Miya Atsumu's reflection after losing a match, then he thinks Miya Atsumu is truly incredibly foolish.
That's exactly the plan..
Hinata wasn't planning on hiding it from Hoshiumi either; after all, the direction they were considering was the one originally proposed by Hirugami Fuku, since Hoshiumi had been present at the time, it was only logical that he would guess it.
Hoshiumi drew out his voice: "Hmm—?"
Hinata pressed a finger to his lips, smiling like a cunning little fox: "The rest is a secret, a surprise for Hikari-kun."
Hoshiumi gave a low laugh. "Then I'll have to look forward to it."
In a glance, the Libero Miya Atsumu, who had not yet finished the match, failed to receive a ball in the front row, the ball bounced off the ground directly toward the two of them.
Hoshiumi, who had dodged the ball on the left and right alongside Hinata, immediately cried out, "What a terrible ball—"
He saw it! It was because Miya Atsumu lost focus that he missed the receive!
Miya Atsumu rolled his eyes, turning to apologize to his teammates, "My bad."
After speaking with the two coaches, Hayami also walked over and sat down beside Hinata.
He said with a smile, "Hinata, thanks to you today."
"Huh?" Hinata froze, thinking about what the other person was thanking him for.
Oh, it's probably about the knee pads.
Having come to terms with it, Hinata patted his chest. "You can use them for today, I'm completely fine."
He was indeed the only one using this kind of knee pad. His overall movement over the past two days hadn't been that much, after all, since he didn't play as a Wing Spiker in every set, he really didn't need it that much.
Moreover, he can already control himself well now, making sure his knees avoid touching the ground as much as possible when receiving!
Hayami smiled and said no more.
Although.. his thanks weren't just for the knee brace.
After he was injured last year, the seniors all blamed themselves. During the short period he was hospitalized, they would come to see him every day to tell him about the club's affairs.
But because he lived at the school and his home was in a different city, he couldn't help but let his thoughts wander whenever he moved back home to be alone.
Plus, his rehabilitation hadn't been going smoothly.. he had even once considered whether or not to give up volleyball.
Knowing he had such thoughts, his parents were very supportive, even starting to consider enrolling him in music lessons or something similar.
In the end, he still came back.
He just couldn't forget the feel of the volleyball, couldn't ignore the expectations of his teammates, most of all, couldn't escape the expectations of the coach who had raised him since he was a child.
When he put on the new shoes his mother gave him and stood on the court once again, he felt a sense of dread, terrified that he would once again suffer dislocations and falls because he couldn't find the correct landing posture, just as he had during his rehabilitation.
But..
He would not be afraid anymore.
Even if he hasn't been able to completely overcome his physiological fear, at least he is certain that he can bravely take the next step.
Hayami looked at Hinata: "I hope you never encounter the same problems I did in your future volleyball career."
“Anyway.. thank you.”
Hoshiumi looked at him, intending to say something appropriate for the atmosphere, but he couldn't help himself when he saw Hayami's appearance: "Your hairstyle.. pfft."
It wasn't until the day's training ended that Hayami saw his own hairstyle—those sky-high pigtails—in the mirror of the changing room.
After his brain briefly stopped thinking, he silently took out his phone, took a selfie in the mirror, sent it to his parents.
Hinata's voice came from outside the door: "My skills are super good! Hayami-san's hairstyle didn't get messy at all afternoon!"
Miya Atsumu chimed in with agreement: "Ye-yes, the quality is indeed very good."
Mm, he was telling the truth; he was confirming the quality of the hairstyle Hinata had made, not its aesthetic appeal.
Hinata looked up at Miya Atsumu's hair, rubbing his hands together, looking eager to try: "Even though Atsumu-ge's hair isn't very long, you could actually put it into two small braids.."
"I refuse. You can play with my hair if you want, but no little braids." Miya Atsumu refused decisively.
You've got to be kidding me. If he went out for a walk with that hairstyle, his image would be pretty much ruined.
Hinata's steps faltered slightly as he looked up at Miya Atsumu with a pitiful expression. "Is it really.. not allowed?"
Miya Atsumu fell into a shameful silence.
Seeing that Miya Atsumu had no intention of letting it go, Hinata felt a bit disappointed, but he didn't care much and bounced into the washroom first.
As soon as they entered the room, they saw the victim, Hayami, looking at herself in the mirror.
Hinata walked over proactively. "What's wrong?"
Hayami replied seriously, "My mom says this hairstyle doesn't look good and wants me to wear twin tails."
Hearing this, Hinata asked tentatively, "Do you need my help?"
Stroking his chin, Hayami replied, "It's possible, but not without enough hair ties—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, he felt a sinister gaze fall upon him, one that seemed to carry a hint of.. resentment?
Following the direction of the gaze, Hayami saw Miya Atsumu standing near the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.
Hayami tilted her head in confusion, unable to understand the source of Miya Atsumu's intense resentment.
Could it be that the Inarizaki Volleyball Club has some strict rule against growing long hair or wearing ponytails?
After all, Inarizaki had a player with a bald head in the last term..
Hinata also turned his head to look at Miya Atsumu, blinking at the very serious-looking Miya Atsumu with an expression that was somewhat innocent.
Hayami rubbed his chin. "Do you have something to say?"
Was the Captain unhappy and preparing to give a lecture? He felt that he wasn't suited to be here right now.
Quickly assessing the situation, Hayami decided to flee. "I'm going to go get my bag. See you in a bit, Hinata."
The two people in the water room stared at each other for a long time before Miya Atsumu finally gave in: "Fine, whatever, you can do as many as you want."
Since no one would enter their private space once the door was closed, Hinata could do whatever he wanted!
After making sure no one was around, Hinata reached out and beckoned to Miya Atsumu.
As soon as Miya Atsumu leaned down slightly, Hinata leaned in and pecked him on the cheek: "It's a deal!"
Seeing the grin on Hinata's face, Miya Atsumu felt a bit helpless. "You really are getting more and more mischievous.."
Hinata chuckled, "That's because Atsumu-ge is a good teacher."
Recalling Hinata's performance while playing as a setter over the past two days, Miya Atsumu couldn't help but curl his lips into a smirk. "I wasn't able to be on the same court as you today, I only saw a few plays.. Did you find any rhythm?"
"I've had some insights. Directly imitating Oikawa-senpai doesn't quite suit Inarizaki's playing style, so.. um.." Hinata looked up, lost in thought, trying to figure out how to describe his realization.
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Hinata, he raised a finger, saying, "Is it something like.. first thinking about what Oikawa-senpai would do, then referring to your and Kageyama's setting styles, then just going all out to send the ball out within your own capabilities?"