The Miya Twins remained unmoved, still locked in a stalemate.
Right at that moment, two leisurely footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway, followed immediately by a voice that seemed to originate from hell.
Atsumu, Osamu, stop.
The two of them froze.
Trembling, Osamu looked back and met those calm eyes hidden in the shadows of the ceiling light, feeling as if he were on a guillotine for a fleeting moment.
Having finished every last bit of the two chicken wings, Hinata poked his head out from the room.
Kita Team! Didn't you say you had class this afternoon! Is school already out!
Ah, I didn't expect to walk into such a lively scene right away.
Right? Captain Miya, Vice-Captain Miya?
Miya Osamu's heart died.
Miya Atsumu felt like he was about to die from the injustice.
Chapter 444: The Four Hundred and Forty-Fourth Fox
Miya Osamu slowly released his grip, silently got up from Miya Atsumu, knelt beside him.
Once Miya Atsumu was released by Miya Osamu, the back of his head hit the floor with a dull thud.
Fortunately, the hotel corridor was carpeted, so it wasn't too painful.
Staring at the lights on the ceiling for a while, Miya Atsumu accepted his fate.
He also crawled up and sat kneeling obediently beside Miya Osamu.
However, he still wanted to struggle a bit. He looked up at Kita Shinsuke, who had already walked to his side, said, "Kita Team, let me clarify beforehand, I'm being framed."
Miya Osamu, still full of resentment, turned his head and gave Miya Atsumu a sharp glare, inwardly despising Atsumu and making it clear he didn't believe him.
Coach Kurosu glanced at Hinata, who had poked his head out, waved him off, signaling for him to go back and continue eating.
Although his mind was filled with the fried shrimp tempura he hadn't finished eating, Hinata still wanted to take a few more glances at Kita Shinsuke and.. the scene of the other party judging Yu Team.
After some hesitation, Hinata sat down on a small chair by the door to change his clothes, clutching his bento box, eating his food while watching the scene.
Miya Atsumu tilted his head slightly, giving Hinata a look of shock.
But before he could say anything, Kita Shinsuke's voice rang out again.
Speak. Tell me the reason for this fight.
The school that originally lived on this floor has moved away, leaving only the players from Inarizaki. Since the hotel hasn't rearranged the rooms on these floors for reopening at this time, there is no need to worry about players from other schools coming by to disturb them.
Miya Atsumu withdrew his gaze from Hinata and looked at Kita Shinsuke with an innocent expression. "I don't know! This guy just came knocking on my door for no reason and even grabbed me by the collar!"
His voice was full of accusation, his expression appeared quite pitiful under his own control.
Kita Shinsuke looked at Miya Osamu, signaling for the plaintiff to speak.
Miya Osamu frowned deeply, reaching out to point at Miya Atsumu beside him. "He insisted on lunging at me to grab my neck this afternoon, then he secretly swapped my dinner tonight."
“Unforgivable! Unacceptable!”
The defendant, Miya Atsumu, stared with wide eyes. "What kind of nonsense are you talking!"
You're the one who called me stupid first! And Coach Omimi brought the food, when did I ever take your dinner?!
Defense Attorney Hinata nodded in agreement, "Atsumu-ge is right."
Miya Osamu looked at him, seeing the beef miso soup in his hands, his expression became even more indignant.
But Miya Atsumu still refused to change his story even in front of the Kita Team and Coach Kurosu, it seemed like he had indeed just seen Ginjima Yui coming out with a bag containing a bento.
Could it be.. did he really wrong Miya Atsumu?
Kita Shinsuke turned his head to exchange a few words with Coach Kurosu, likely understanding the sequence of events that had occurred today.
Inarizaki's Judge, Kita Shinsuke, looked toward Miya Atsumu: "Atsumu, control your emotions a little. Osamu said he was wrong about you, but you need to study hard when you get back. I don't want to hear news about you failing any more classes."
Miya Atsumu hung his head in admission of his mistake: "Yes.."
The Judge looked at Miya Osamu: "Osamu, after the Coach had already punished the two of you, it was wrong of you to secretly change the menu and use public funds to treat yourself to an extra meal."
Besides, Atsumu really didn't do anything. Coach Omimi just didn't want to trouble you, so he asked Ginjima to do it instead. It was your fault to directly blame Atsumu without investigating the truth.
Miya Osamu gave up: "Yes, I understand. I was wrong."
Kita Shinsuke clapped his hands and said to everyone, "Alright, there's a match tomorrow, Atsumu also needs to watch the video footage of Karasuno's match, so stop standing around watching the spectacle. Get some good rest so you can participate in the Finals in your best condition."
Caught red-handed while watching the commotion, everyone responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"
Before the Miya Twins could turn their heads to look, the Second Years had all retreated and closed the door, fearing the two would hold it against them.
Suna leisurely turned off the video recording and returned to his room at a relaxed pace, even leaving the door open for Miya Osamu.
As the saying goes, when you have too many debts, they no longer weigh you down; he felt that Miya Atsumu could no longer do anything substantial to harm him.
Hmm.. except on the court.
Coach Kurosu nodded repeatedly.
Although he could suppress the twins himself, having Kita Shinsuke there was certainly more effective, it saved him a lot of effort, greatly protecting his soon-to-be-balding hair.
Fortunately, compared to last year, the Twins have matured by more than just a little; the frequency of their fighting has decreased significantly, making them much easier to manage.
Kita Shinsuke had a faint smile on his face as he said gently, "Everyone worked hard in today's match. It's my treat; I'll bring some fruit over to you."
This time, the Miya Twins' fight was at least justified; it wasn't the type of petty bickering caused by something like an opponent breathing for more than three seconds.
Miya Atsumu was the first to stand up, declaring his victory to Miya Osamu from a high vantage point. After tidying his clothes, he prepared to return to his room.
Kita Shinsuke looked at Miya Osamu, whose face was written with unhappiness: "If you really can't stomach your dinner, Osamu, I'll order room service for you. What would you like to eat?"
Miya Osamu was not being polite in the slightest: "Seaweed, tuna."
His bento already contained a massive amount of white rice, so in his current state of grief and indignation, he wanted to make some onigiri to soothe his wounded soul.
"Fine.." Just as Kita Shinsuke finished speaking, Miya Atsumu's wailing drifted in from the open door nearby.
“My chicken wings! Shoyo, you ate all my chicken wings!!”
Still sitting on the small stool by the door, Hinata silently picked up his lunch box and miso soup, stepped quietly out, huddled behind Kita Shinsuke and Coach Kurosu.
Before Miya Atsumu rushed out, Kita Shinsuke said, "Atsumu, do you eat grilled saury? I'll give you a piece."
Miya Atsumu glared at Hinata. "I will!"
Watching Coach Kurosu leave, Kita Shinsuke, Hinata, the Miya Twins were already waiting in the hall on this floor for extra food from the hotel kitchen.
Under his direction, some of the miso soup and part of Hinata's extra snack were contributed, some was shared with Miya Osamu.
Miya Osamu was happy, his face beaming with a blissful smile.
After finishing most of his meal, but still wanting a few more bites of Miya Atsumu's saury, Hinata wiped his mouth and looked toward Kita Shinsuke, who was watching them eat.
He took the initiative to ask, "Kita Team? Do you have a place to stay today? If you don't mind, you can sleep in our room."
Across from him, Miya Osamu nearly choked on his soup and coughed repeatedly.
Wait, if he remembered correctly.. Hinata and Miya Atsumu's room should be a double room? Are three people going to be squeezed in there?
Kita Shinsuke waved his hand. "No need. I'll go stay at Aran's place in a bit; he has his own room now."
The hotel where the Tachibana Red Falcons are training is right here; it's only a five-minute subway ride away.
He was originally supposed to stay with Oikawa Tooru, but since Oikawa Tooru and Kito had accepted an official commission for the National Sports Festival and were staying at this hotel, the room at Tachibana's was vacant, so he could stay there for one night.
Hinata breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great!"
Miya Atsumu looked at Kita. "But Kita, your classes ended quite early today."
Kita Shinsuke explained patiently, "The professor for the last period had something urgent come up, so the class was rescheduled for next week. Since the bus hadn't left yet, I just came straight here."
Although Yokohama and Tokyo aren't that far apart, it still takes a while by bus, he wouldn't have made it in time if he had finished class as scheduled.
But since there is plenty of time now, there is no need to come early tomorrow.
Watching Miya Osamu focus on eating, Kita Shinsuke watched quite intently: "I haven't watched the footage of today's match yet, but I've read some news reports, it says the performance was very good."
Hinata raised his hand. "Of course! I played several super amazing plays today!"
My Quick Attack even startled Haruka Arai; they couldn't keep up with me at all!
Kita replied, "That's great to hear. Do your knees or legs feel any strain? Don't push yourself too hard during long tournament schedules."
No problem at all!" Hinata stretched his legs out toward Kita Shinsuke. "Look, this is something Coach Omimi has been researching. It has a protective effect. After finishing the matches these past two days, I didn't feel any pain in my knees.
And there's more, there's more..
Listening to Hinata's non-stop review of today's match, Kita Shinsuke listened patiently, analyzing it seriously and providing corresponding evaluations.
The hotel kitchen was very fast, the food was delivered in no time.
After the group finished dinner, Miya Atsumu also pulled out his tablet, preparing to watch today's match between Itachiyama and Karasuno.
Since the Kita Team was also present, they possessed excellent observational skills, they might notice certain details that he had missed.
Recalling the matches he had watched during IH, Kita Shinsuke said, "Actually, Karasuno hasn't changed much as a whole; their playstyle hasn't shifted in several years. Their improvement is actually more due to the objective factor of having fewer mistakes."
Miya Atsumu nodded. "That's right. They've strengthened their weak areas. The new Setter, the Libero, the team work together very well, they integrated quickly. Their adjustment period went very smoothly."
However, we've made adjustments based on Karasuno's strengths, including improving our block's touch success rate. Furthermore, with a substitute Libero available for rotation, we can feel much more confident letting Unabara run.
Kita Shinsuke withdrew his gaze from the tablet screen and let it fall upon Miya Atsumu. "Then.. what are you worried about?"
Across from him, Miya Osamu let out a sneer.
Atsumu paused for a moment, then sat up straight and said, "The match between Karasuno and Itachiyama was indeed very intense, but Itachiyama's first receive is very strong. Much of that intensity comes from the long rallies they create."
And Itachiyama's style isn't exactly the same as ours, so Karasuno's handling of many aspects was quite different as well.
He speculated, "Relatively speaking, I think it's possible that Karasuno is still holding something back."
Moreover, Karasuno is a leader in blocking within the high school circuit, so they will likely learn very quickly when it comes to blocking strategies.
Rakusan used a different blocking strategy today. It's uncertain whether Karasuno can learn anything from it, or what kind of chemical reaction it might trigger.