He mumbled, "That doesn't count. It would be better if I propose to Atsumu-ge first."
Miya Atsumu took his hand and led him outside. "But didn't Shoyo already propose a long time ago? I accepted, I'm even wearing the ring you gave me."
Although he hadn't worn it except for those few days, that was only because it was inconvenient to wear it on his hand while he was setting.
Actually, when he wasn't playing matches, that ring was always worn as a pendant on his necklace.
Hinata looked down at their interlaced fingers, then took two quick steps and grabbed Miya Atsumu's arm.
Miya Atsumu froze for a moment, looking down to meet Hinata's slightly hesitant face.
Miya Atsumu, instantly understanding what Hinata wanted to do, raised his hand to tidy the hair above his temple.
I admit that I've neglected you a bit lately because of the matches, but.. you don't need to make such a dissatisfied face.
Hinata said without a hint of blushing or hesitation, "That's only because Atsumu-ge isn't up to the task."
It's best to stay calm during matches, so he and Miya Atsumu mostly kept their distance, with their interactions basically limited to good morning and goodnight kisses every day.
However, he felt that his own condition had been excellent; instead, it was Atsumu who had been actively keeping his distance.
Flushed with anger, Miya Atsumu reached out and poked his waist. "Who are you calling a loser, you little brat?!"
Hinata squirmed to dodge, "That's a fact!"
I won't blame Atsumu-ge. Even if Atsumu-ge can't do it, I can do it myself—
In the end, Hinata still succumbed to Miya Atsumu's overwhelming strength, he couldn't stop laughing as Miya Atsumu teased him: "I was wrong, I was wrong! I was wrong!"
The victor, Miya Atsumu, gave a small laugh. "Alright, let's head back to the hotel. I'm planning to watch the replay of today's Finals; there are a few things I'm quite concerned about."
Hinata nodded vigorously: "Yeah, yeah!"
By the time the two returned to the hotel, everyone else from Inarizaki had already gone to rest.
The intensity of the matches over the past few days has been high. Even though everyone maintained a fairly good state of mind during the awards ceremony, once they truly returned and relaxed, the exhaustion drove them into a state of drowsiness.
Two bento boxes were placed on the table in their hotel room.
Feeling a bit cold, Hinata removed the plastic packaging and put the two wooden boxes into the hotel room's microwave.
Miya Atsumu had already gone in to shower ahead of him.
The sweat on his body felt sticky and uncomfortable; after thinking it over carefully, Hinata decisively grabbed his clothes and squeezed into the bathroom.
Looking at Hinata, who approached with quite a lot of energy, Miya Atsumu, who was drying his hair, felt his breath hitch.
He slowly averted his gaze and squeezed his eyes shut.
Fine, fine.
He admitted that he was really not up to it right now.
After a quick rub of his hair with his hands, Miya Atsumu decisively turned and walked away: "The floor is slippery, be careful."
Wait for me, I'll help you deal with your kinesiology tape.
Hinata nodded: "Okay."
The kinesiology tape on his leg had been applied three days ago, after several days of high-intensity exercise, the edges were already peeling, making it the perfect time to take it off.
And under the repeated soaking of sweat, the smell was truly not very pleasant.
Miya Atsumu carried a plastic chair in from outside and set it down for Hinata to sit. "It might take a little while, so don't rush."
He sat on the edge of the bathtub himself, gesturing for Hinata to stretch his leg over.
Hinata extended a leg and, following Miya Atsumu's guidance, stepped onto Atsumu's thigh.
After stroking the kinesiology tape wrapped around Hinata's ankle and sole, Miya Atsumu finally decided to start from the top, reaching his hand toward Hinata's knee first.
Under the constriction of the kinesiology tape, the skin on Hinata's knee was wrinkled in its relaxed state, combined with the layer of knee pads on the outside, there were still persistent red marks on Hinata's leg.
After confirming that the edges had been lifted, Miya Atsumu turned on the hot water and gently peeled it off while rinsing it.
To be honest, the feeling wasn't wonderful at all.
Over the past few days, these kinesiology tapes had essentially become a part of Hinata's body, to ensure their protective effect, they were all applied while his body was in its most stretched state.
The skin, which had been kept taut, contracted again as it was released from the confinement of the kinesiology tape, the hot water poured over it to soften the adhesive made the sensation even more uncomfortable.
The peeled kinesiology tape tugged at his skin, bringing a pain that wasn't intense, but was nonetheless unbearable.
The moment he felt the pain, Hinata couldn't control his voice: "Ugh!"
Miya Atsumu quickly stopped his movement. "Does it hurt a lot? I'm sorry, I was a little too forceful."
Hinata shook his head. "It's fine, Atsumu-ge, keep going."
It didn't feel quite as clear while it was being restrained, but once the kinesiology tape was removed from his knee, Hinata could clearly feel the soreness in his muscles.
As expected, the intensity of the exercise over the past few days has been a bit too high.
My knees might not be that bad, but my calves will probably feel much tighter..
Chapter 460: The 460th Fox
Taking a look at his shorts, which had been made wet by someone, Miya Atsumu sighed softly, "I shouldn't have worn clothes."
Although he had spares, the hotel room was not equipped with a washer-dryer combo, nor did it have a balcony.
He and Hinata were planning to stay at a hotel near Shibuya tomorrow, so they would have to wait a while before they could do their laundry..
After cleaning the kinesiology tape off Hinata's ankle, Miya Atsumu patted his thigh, signaling him to switch legs.
But Hinata didn't react for a long time; instead, he stepped on him even harder, as if he were implying something.
A slightly dazed Miya Atsumu lifted his leg, meeting Hinata's bloodshot eyes.
He asked cautiously, "Shoyo? What's wrong?"
That's not right, he didn't make any mistakes today.
The match was won, all the various tactical attempts were successful, Hinata even received an award. If one had to say what the problem was.. at most, it was that he had declined an invitation for close contact.
But after the match, he was essentially exhausted, completely lacking the strength to do anything.
Besides, he was also considering Hinata's well-being; although he could understand Hinata's excitement, Hinata truly did need enough rest.
Once they have finished resting, he'll do whatever he wants during their date.
Even though Hinata's demands were indeed very high, still.. he shouldn't be so aggrieved that he'd cry over something like this, right?
The next second, a wail from Hinata rang in his ears: "It hurts—"
Miya Atsumu froze for a moment, then quickly realized that Hinata was talking about the pain in his leg.
The skin that had been bound by kinesiology tape for several days was now flushed red. Hinata was still rubbing his own knee, clearly having just been enduring significant pain.
Atsumu gripped Hinata's ankles with both hands, gently massaging the reddened skin. "I'll massage it for you. Shoyo is so strong, just endure a little longer."
If you don't deal with these today, you'll feel even worse tomorrow. Besides, Coach has already scheduled a physiotherapy session with Teacher Mikail for tomorrow..
Hinata's expression looked even more pitiful: "That's perfect, then I don't have to go."
It was hell! Undeniable hell!
Miya Atsumu thought for a moment, then shook his head, rejecting Hinata's idea. "No, if it's the IH, it's fine if you skip once or twice, just get some extra rest for a couple of days."
But aren't we still going to the Shwaiden Adler event? There might be a chance to interact with the players, so it would be best to get your muscles relaxed quickly. Besides, the Haruko Preliminary Round is starting soon, we can't afford any delays.
Hinata slumped his shoulders, looking dejected: "Alright.."
For the championship, he wouldn't mind walking through fire or facing any ordeal.
Although physical therapy is terrifying, it is for the sake of their health, so he must undergo it properly.
But..
Hinata closed his eyes. "Teacher Mikail was too ruthless—"
Miya Atsumu squeezed Hinata's now very tense muscles and offered a moment of silence for him: "Hang in there, I support you spiritually."
After helping Hinata take care of the kinesiology tape on both of his legs, Miya Atsumu massaged them for a while before changing into fresh clothes and going out to dry the wet laundry, while Hinata took advantage of this time to finish his bath.
When Miya Atsumu returned, Hinata was already sitting on the bed, scrolling through his tablet.
After dividing the milk he brought back, giving one carton to Hinata, Miya Atsumu sat down beside him. "Did you find it? The livestream replay?"
Hinata turned the tablet screen toward Miya Atsumu and said with a face full of pride, "Found it!"
Atsumu gave Hinata a sincere compliment: "You're amazing, Shoyo, you can already find match footage."
Hinata puffed out his chest, held his head high, turned up the volume, ready to watch.
Miya Atsumu looked up at the hotel ceiling, then at the white walls, before turning his head and saying, "Since we have time, shall we research this screen mirroring thing?"
Hinata froze for a moment. "Screen mirroring? What's that?"
Atsumu pointed his finger toward the black device above. "There's a projector in this room. It should be able to project directly onto the wall.
Oh—" Hinata understood, "I was wondering why there wasn't a TV in the room.
Miya Atsumu fiddled with it for about ten minutes before successfully connecting to the projection equipment and transferring the image onto the screen.
The sound quality of the speakers in the hotel room was quite decent, hearing the faint sounds of the Inarizaki supporters, Atsumu's mood was excellent.
They had already won the championship; next, besides a simple review of the match, they were going to enjoy admiring his heroic figure.
The camera panned across them as they stood in the waiting area, followed by the commentator's voice: "Next, we will introduce the starting players for both sides.."
Kito's introduction of Karasuno was standard and followed the usual routine, so Miya Atsumu didn't say anything.
He stuffed a large pillow behind himself and watched the video while leaning against Hinata's head. The image quality from the hotel projector was quite good; watching it this way was indeed much more comfortable than using a tablet, there was no need to worry about eye strain.
Once the Karasuno players took the court, it was Inarizaki's turn, Oikawa Tooru's voice introducing them followed immediately after.
Miya Atsumu watches the footage of almost every match, because his performance is consistently excellent, most commentators introduce him by listing his titles and the awards he has won in the past.
But Oikawa Tooru.. skipped it entirely.
Miya Atsumu protested immediately, "What do you mean by that! That's so perfunctory! At least mention that I was High School's Best Setter! What do you mean, 'excellent player'!"
Shoyo, what kind of commentary version are you looking for? I could provide commentary for you too.