Even though he realized someone was watching him, the distance was great and his peripheral vision was unclear; he didn't look at Hayami's face, based solely on the hairstyle, he concluded that he didn't know the other person.
"Our match tomorrow should be behind Inarizaki, so you can't miss it this time," Hayami said, looking at Hinata, her eyes carrying a hint of dissatisfaction and a threat.
I'll be watching your match too.
Hinata nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes! I'll definitely watch this time! I'll be there to cheer for you, Hayami!"
Having received the answer she wanted, Hayami felt satisfied. "Then I'll be going now. Captain Arashiyama still needs to go sign autographs."
Hinata jumped up and said goodbye to them, "See you later—"
Watching the two from Star First leave, the silent Miya Atsumu suddenly spoke up, "What about Fukuda General then? Shiratori-senpai will be heartbroken, won't he?"
Shoyo froze: "Huh?"
He reacted quickly. "Ah, is Star First playing against Fukuda General tomorrow?"
Miya Atsumu nodded, giving Hinata a difficult question: "That's right. Shiratori-senpai and Shimizu-senpai will likely come to watch, since it's not that far away after all."
Hinata felt conflicted.
On one side was Hayami, looking at him with eager anticipation, on the other side was Fukuda General, filled with old rivals and old friends..
After a difficult decision, Hinata replied, "I'll cheer for Hayami."
Miya Atsumu laughed. "What, not standing in the middle this time?"
Hinata's expression turned serious: "Yeah, because Kazama-senpai is a bad guy."
Right now, the only people from Fukuda General that he knows are Kazama and Matsuda, they are all fierce villains.
Atsumu shrugged his shoulders. "Shiratori-senpai would cry."
Shoyo said with certainty, "Shiratori-senpai is very strong."
Miya Atsumu's mouth twitched. "He is indeed very strong."
Speaking of which.. Shiratori won't bring that troublemaker along tomorrow, will he? It's highly likely the troublemaker insisted on coming along himself.
Atsumu decided not to think about those annoying things: "Alright, let's go wait for the Hayakawa Industrial match. We still have to go to the rented gymnasium this afternoon for training to keep our touch."
"Yeah!" Hinata followed behind Miya Atsumu as they returned to the stands.
He was thinking about tomorrow's match.
As the famous "Kenma the Monster," Hayakawa Industrial is very skilled at draining their opponents' stamina.
Especially when it comes to targeting key players, it's likely either Miya Atsumu or him.
Even if he had sufficient confidence in his physical stamina, he could not afford to squander it in an early match like this.
They intended to secure victory with the minimum possible cost, saving more of their energy for the subsequent matches.
Speaking of which, Nekoma's match against Hayakawa Industrial last year was quite spectacular.
I wonder if Kenma is watching the live stream; I should ask him if he has any thoughts..
Chapter 406: The 406th Fox
Lying on the bed and watching the footage of Hayakawa Industrial from today, Miya Atsumu frowned slightly.
Shoyo, having just finished his shower, wiped his hair and sat down beside him. "Is Atsumu-ge still studying today's opponents?"
Miya Atsumu nodded: "Yeah, it's a bit troublesome."
"Trouble?" Hinata tilted his head in confusion.
By the way, I asked Kenma about Hayakawa Industrial before,
He shoved the towel to Miya Atsumu, preparing to enjoy the other's hair-drying service, while simultaneously taking his own phone and relaying Kenma's words to Miya Atsumu.
I asked Kenma what he was thinking before, he said when they played against Hayakawa Industrial, they basically just played along with the enemy's plan to lure them in.. what exactly did he mean by that?
"Don't worry about what he said." Miya Atsumu gave Shoyo's hair on top of his head a hard tug, his tone full of displeasure.
Nekoma chooses that style of play because they can't do any better; there are many ways to solve the problem, the only reason they choose the most pathetic one is because they lack the ability.
Shoyo freed his hair from Miya Atsumu's hands, looking at him with a gaze full of protest.
Miya Atsumu let go of Hinata's hair and instead turned to fiddle with his ears. "To put it simply.. do you think you'll be limited by Hayakawa Industrial's block and offense?"
Shoyo answered without a second thought, "That shouldn't be the case."
Even if I get targeted with spikes, Osamu-senpai and Suna-senpai will be free to move. Even if Atsumu-ge is the one being targeted, Osamu-senpai and I can provide support and cover.
Atsumu shrugged. "There you have it."
He tapped Shoyo's shoulder: "Since even their best playstyle isn't working, what is there left to worry about?"
Shoyo always felt like something was wrong: "That's true, but.."
Miya Atsumu said seriously, "Moreover, Hayakawa Industrial's playstyle involves making on-the-spot adjustments based on their opponents, so they relatively require more reactivity."
Their new lineup this year also has changes in the core command, so previous match footage isn't very useful for reference.
Atsumu's face was filled with righteousness, expressing his refusal of Kenma's involvement: "Shoyo, just listen to me."
Hinata pursed his lips, wanting to say something, but in the end, he swallowed the words back.
Atsumu-ge and Kenma's relationship is as bad as ever.
But he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the relationship between Miya Atsumu and Shiratori had seen a subtle improvement, at least it wasn't to the point of showing a face full of disgust whenever it was mentioned before.
Tomorrow morning, they will head to the rented gymnasium for touch training and feel-for-the-ball practice, followed by a simple warm-up on the court, then the matches will begin.
I wonder if there will be a chance to meet and say hello to Shiratori-senpai and the others..
As it turned out, Shoyo had worried for nothing.
As he stepped out of the Players' Tunnel, a familiar voice rang out above his head: "Shoyo—Good luck!"
“Go Inarizaki!”
Hinata looked up in surprise and saw a certain figure leaning out from the third floor above the Players' Tunnel: "Shiratori-senpai!"
Another voice followed immediately: "And me, me too! Shoyo! Atsu-kun! Are you guys okay? I'm doing super well!!"
Miya Atsumu's steps faltered slightly; walking at the very front, his expression twisted for a brief moment where no one could see him.
He was doing fine at first, but whether he would continue to do well after that.. was somewhat uncertain.
Shoyo waved to the two of them: "Shiratori-senpai—Bokuto-senpai—and Shimizu-senpai!!"
The few of them were in the cheering area of Fukuda General, as they greeted the Inarizaki members, they left the cheering squad below feeling a bit dazed.
The new members of the cheering squad looked back, their faces filled with shock.
Wait, isn't this Fukuda General's cheering area!
The upperclassman next to him poked him: "Mind your own business regarding Senpai."
As someone who had personally witnessed a certain senpai receive the only yellow card of the entire season, he was already mentally prepared to join the seniors in supporting Inarizaki.
And directly across from Court 3, which Inarizaki was about to use, was the Inarizaki cheering squad.
Unai Aman was already sitting in the seat Hinata had reserved for him, right next to Kita Shinsuke.
He came by himself this time. It was inconvenient for Inunari to come over from Osaka, the Black Jackals had a training match scheduled for today, but they had agreed to watch the Finals together.
—Although it is still unclear which two teams will face each other in the Finals.
As the Inarizaki members entered the court, the music from the cheering squad immediately followed.
The members of Hayakawa Industrial, who had arrived on the court first to wait, had serious expressions on their faces, feeling breathless under the overwhelming momentum that shifted so suddenly from silence to fervor.
Even after their defeat at the IH, Inarizaki's strength remained among the absolute peak of the high school volleyball world.
The newly appointed Captain, Wing Spiker Fukaya Kenro, clapped his hands and shouted, "Don't panic!"
Although he was nervous, to admit defeat before the match even started.. that would be too embarrassing.
Even if they lose, they must lose with dignity!
Vice-Captain Yamashiro Soji also added, "Stay calm, stay calm. Play according to our previous plan, don't let the enemy lead you by the nose."
Coach Kanoko breathed a sigh of relief.
They didn't make it to Nationals in the IH, but Ishikawa still sent them to the National Sports Festival.
This is an affirmation of their strength and stability, so they must also produce results and performances that can live up to this affirmation.
He stepped forward, prepared to shake hands with Coach Kurosu.
He shouldn't be afraid; he had already faced his strictest mentor on the national stage, so there was no need to fear Coach Kurosu, who was only two years older than him.
Even if.. the opponent is the youngest among the coaches currently considered "renowned masters."
"Please look forward to our match." Coach Kurosu gave Coach Kanoko a friendly smile.
Coach Nekota's team is very interesting. Our kids felt very satisfied with that match, I hope your school can deliver an equally wonderful performance.
Coach Kanoko shuddered, realizing he had been spacing out, hurriedly shook hands with Coach Kurosu. "We will."
Hearing Coach Kurosu's chuckle, Coach Kanoko knew that he had lost the upper hand in this exchange.
The opponent using the fact that they failed to defeat Nekoma last year to suppress them.. was truly a low blow.
But it didn't matter; it was fine if he, as a coach, was at a disadvantage; what mattered was that the players' performance in the upcoming match would be excellent.
Glancing over at Coach Kanoko's side, Fukaya Kenro pursed his lips.
To be honest, compared to last year's lineup that made it to the Nationals, they are far weaker than before after undergoing a massive overhaul.
Moreover, he does not possess the same brilliant mind as the seniors, which would allow him to assist the coach with strategic coordination and tactical support; in terms of subjective initiative, he is significantly worse than they were in the past.
If something unexpected happens during a match, such as Inarizaki playing completely against the norm, he actually lacks the confidence to handle it.
Now, all he could do was pray that Inarizaki wouldn't make any major changes when they faced IH.
Fukaya stopped his unnecessary worrying and led the team to begin their pre-match warm-ups.
The setter from Hayakawa Industrial is a freshman, as he stands at one end of the net with Miya Atsumu at the other, his face is filled with tension.
The coaches from both sides had already communicated before this. Since they had already performed simple touch-maintenance training this morning, the warm-up exercises, aside from joint mobility, were set as receiving spikes and serving.