He glanced at his own quite spirited lower half, then nudged Hinata with his hand, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction: "You're the one who started this fire, so you're responsible for it."
Hinata tried to play dumb: "But we're both still minors."
After locking eyes with Miya Atsumu for a few seconds, Hinata suggested enthusiastically, "Can I use my hands to help you, Atsumu-ge?"
Miya Atsumu's face didn't even redden, his heart didn't skip a beat as he said, "No need, just like this, I'll just rub against you."
Hinata rubbed his stiffened part against Miya Atsumu's lower abdomen: "Then what about mine?"
Miya Atsumu responded earnestly, "I'll help you."
Chapter 403: The Four Hundred and Third Fox
What are you looking at?
Looking at Hayami's resentful back, Captain Arashiyama poked his head out to take a look.
He had originally thought Hayami was looking toward Shiratorizawa, after all, they were one of their potential opponents, but to his surprise, following Hayami's gaze, he saw two guys in red track jackets standing at the side of the court as punishment.
If he wasn't mistaken.. they seemed to be from Inarizaki?
Neither of the two were wearing team uniforms, but he still had an impression of some of these "stars."
Arashiyama rubbed his chin and speculated, "Oh, you must have met them during the Junior National Team training camp, right?"
Hayami nodded, his tone carrying a hint of pride: "Yeah, I'm very close with Hinata."
But it was true that they were only friends who had known each other for a short time. Hinata, being from Sendai, would likely be very familiar with the people from Shiratorizawa, might even be able to strike up a conversation with Coach Washijo.
Choosing to watch the Shiratorizawa match instead of theirs.. that's also quite normal, right?
Arashiyama, who had already guessed something, asked with a sense of curiosity, "What about Miya Atsumu?"
Hayami, who had been pursing her lips, said nothing, but her back was slightly stiff.
Arashiyama laughed, reaching out to pat his back. "It's okay, I understand."
“No, Senpai, you don't understand.” Hayami closed his eyes in pain, turning his head to prepare to return to the court.
It was a non-human mental torture that was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
If he could do it all over again, he would absolutely, definitely never participate in Aoba's rumor-mongering, so that at the very least, he wouldn't be scolded by Miya Atsumu.
Alright, alright, don't think too much about it. Just focus on winning this comeback match first," Arashiyama said, pulling their Ace Libero back, "and when we face Inarizaki later, we'll get our revenge.
Hayami remained silent.
Can he really.. do it?
Based on his experience interacting with the three members of Inarizaki during the Junior National Team training camp, it is highly likely that he will be severely tormented once again.
After all, even Komori-senpai looked pained whenever he mentioned Inarizaki.
Arashiyama also realized something and silently shut his mouth.
Yeah, as everyone knows, that little one from Inarizaki is very good at.. messing with the opposing Libero.
He comforted him, "Work hard to stay alive, Subaru."
Hayami smiled effortfully. "I'll try my best."
But it didn't matter; since he had already resolved to return to this court, he would not fear any difficulty.
Moreover, he was incredibly looking forward to a showdown with a powerhouse team like Inarizaki, not just because he wanted to face Hinata on the official court.
However.. their primary task was to make it in front of Inarizaki; otherwise, everything would just be a pipe dream.
Hinata, vaguely sensing someone watching him, tilted his head slightly, but he only saw a tall, large-framed back, there seemed to be someone else in front of that person, but he couldn't see them clearly.
Which two schools were playing over there? It seemed like one had a four-character name and the other had a two-character name, but he wasn't very familiar with either of them, so he completely ignored it.
No.. it would be more accurate to say that his attention was entirely focused on Shiratorizawa.
The players from both sides on the court had finished warming up. The Head Coach submitted the rotation sheet to the referee and was currently confirming the starting lineup and positions.
Seeing the starting lineup for Shiratorizawa, Hinata was a bit surprised: "Ah, it's Yura."
Miya Atsumu was also a bit puzzled: "Why did they make him a starter directly?"
Shiratorizawa hasn't appeared in national competitions for a year, their luck with the draw has been quite poor; last year, they were knocked out in the first round after being matched against Fukuda General in the opening round.
Therefore, even Miya Atsumu wasn't entirely clear on Shiratorizawa's current roster composition and strength.
He didn't watch the Miyagi Prefecture IH Semifinals closely, after all, it wasn't certain yet if Shiratorizawa would advance, so it would be fine to wait and watch after two more rounds of matches.
Hinata recalled what Goshiki Tsutomu had told him: "It seems Shirabu-senpai is planning to retire, it looks like Coach Washijo is preparing to have Akari and Yura work on their coordination ahead of time."
Miya Atsumu gestured with his chin toward Yura Shota on the court and asked Hinata, "Do you know what level this little one is at right now?"
Lifting his eyes to think for a moment, Hinata replied, "Hmm.. if you're comparing him to Atsumu-ge and Kageyama, he's probably quite a bit behind, right?"
Atsumu crossed his arms over his chest, his fingers lightly tapping his own arm. "There's no comparison here, don't lump me in with Tobio."
He was certain that his own level as a setter was unparalleled in the high school world; even Kageyama was still quite a bit behind him at this stage, otherwise Coach Unabara wouldn't have intended for him to provide a little guidance to Kageyama.
Compared to him, all the other setters in high school are nothing but trash.
Hinata thought about it again and gave a different answer: "His style is different. Yura gives the impression of being.. a bit like Akaashi-senpai? But his technique is more refined than Akaashi-senpai's."
Upon hearing a certain name, Miya Atsumu's originally calm expression instantly turned solemn, even his posture became more upright.
He gave the other a candid evaluation: "That is indeed more compatible with Shiratorizawa's overall strategy."
Noticing the change in Miya Atsumu's demeanor with keen intuition, Hinata silently moved a little closer to him and asked with a face full of curiosity, "Atsumu-ge.. did something happen between you and Akaashi-senpai?"
It felt like something very interesting, but also.. like something Miya Atsumu didn't want to talk about.
But it doesn't matter, he's not an outsider, Atsumu-ge will definitely tell him!
Miya Atsumu remained silent for a long time, only when the whistle for the serve sounded across the court did Miya Atsumu speak up with a look of agony on his face: "Don't ask. Just remember to be nicer to your Setter from now on."
Hinata blinked, suddenly realizing, "Ah, I see."
After leaving Miya Atsumu, his first setter should be Kumagai, the one after that is likely Shiratori-senpai, mentioning Shiratori-senpai would bring to mind Bokuto-senpai, who is always with him.
Thinking back to when Miya Atsumu and Bokuto-senpai went out to compete.. I guess Bokuto-senpai must have done something to make Atsumu-ge have a breakdown.
But based on the way Miya Atsumu spoke, it seemed like he and Shiratori-senpai were on decent terms now?
Seeing that Miya Atsumu didn't want to discuss these matters further, Hinata said nothing more, only nudging Miya Atsumu's waist with his arm.
Miya Atsumu turned his head away and stopped speaking, pretending to be very focused on watching the match.
This time, Shiratorizawa did not encounter any veteran powerhouse teams in peak condition during the first round. This match was won relatively easily, securing a 2-0 victory.
After finishing two matches, Goshiki Tsutomu, finally feeling relieved, wiped the sweat from his hands and walked toward Hinata at the sidelines.
Hinata immediately raised his hand toward him: "Good job!"
The two of them gave each other a heavy high-five. Goshiki Tsutomu pursed his lips, pressing down the corners of his mouth that had involuntarily curled upward: "It was fine, it was everyone's credit."
When he was a First Year High School student, Shiratorizawa had reached the nationals in the Interhigh, securing a top eight finish, but overall, it was still completely dominated by Ushijima-senpai.
After that, their results continued to decline, to the point where it felt like they were heading straight for rock bottom.
And the victory in this match allowed the heavy weight in his heart to finally lift, confirming that Shiratorizawa could still fight.
This match is only the beginning; he will reclaim the glory that belongs to Shiratorizawa, piece by piece.
Hinata's eyes were full of stars as he looked at Goshiki Tsutomu, filled with admiration for his powerful playstyle.
That was so cool! Akari, your last two points were incredible! To be able to complete such a beautiful Strong Attack from Position 4 even after receiving your own serve.. it was just.. just like Ushijima-senpai!
Hearing those words, the corners of Goshiki's mouth, which he had been trying so hard to suppress, finally curled up completely.
At this moment, everything like "the way a Captain should act" or "the composed image of an Ace" was completely cast aside by him.
Right now, he only wants to celebrate this long-awaited victory with his friends and tell the other person the words that have been unutterable in his heart all this time.
Did he truly shoulder the future of Shiratorizawa?
Does his performance live up to the title of the Shiratorizawa Ace?
Is he.. one step closer to the person in his dreams now?
Hinata gave him affirmation: "Super reliable! Atsumu-ge said the same thing!"
Goshiki Tsutomu glanced at Miya Atsumu with some surprise, but he quickly suppressed the joy and excitement that he couldn't hold back on his face.
Shirabu-senpai had taught him to keep his emotions in check.
He was already the de facto Ace of Shiratorizawa, so he had to become even more mature.
Besides.. he has juniors watching him.
Goshiki Tsutomu nodded to Hinata: "I'll keep working hard."
Coach Washijo, not far away, nodded silently, very satisfied with Goshiki Tsutomu's performance.
He called out for them to line up, instructing them to greet their opponents before proceeding with the post-match procedures.
Goshiki Tsutomu left with a hint of reluctance, making a promise to Hinata that he would come to watch the matches again tomorrow.
After parting ways with the members of Shiratorizawa, Hinata and Miya Atsumu walked through the Players' Tunnel toward the lobby, preparing to head to the second floor to find Kita Shinsuke and Aran and the others.
In this tournament, Aran could be considered their foreign player; Miya Atsumu used a piece of pudding to ask him to keep an eye on the other matches for him, he planned to ask him in a moment if there was anything specific he needed to watch out for.
As they passed the stalls around the National Sports Festival, Hinata's footsteps faltered slightly. "Ah, that's right."
Miya Atsumu tilted his head. "What is it?"
Hinata pulled Miya Atsumu into the line. "Hikari-kun gave me a short-sleeved shirt before, so I want to give Nishizawa Hokuto one too."
“And Nanao.. but I haven't seen him in a long time.”
Miya Atsumu raised a hand to scratch his head. "Sannomiya Industrial didn't even make it out of the Interhigh, so the competition in Akita Prefecture must be quite intense."
Sannomiya Industrial isn't the only established powerhouse in Akita Prefecture, their performance is quite unstable; unlike Shiratorizawa, which can be relied upon for the National Sports Festival, this time the representative sent from Akita is Jiyousen High School.
Sannomiya Industrial was not selected, it was impossible for Suzuki Nanao to have traveled all the way from Akita to here all by himself.
Hinata nodded: "Yeah, but I'll buy them first and then mail them to him later."
He stood in the queue, looking at the short-sleeved shirts hanging on the wall, thinking about what kind to pick for the two of them.