Hanae shook his head. "No, I think the two of them just simply don't get along. After all.. their styles clash."
“It's just like a celebrity..”
Before Aoba Haruka could even finish speaking, Miya Atsumu suddenly snapped his head around and walked decisively toward the two of them.
Atsumu looked down at the two pretending juniors. "What? Is there something wrong with your shoelaces? Can't you tie them?"
Hanae quickly tied his shoelaces, stood up, said, "No, no, no, it's just that they didn't look right just now, so I was just retying them."
Aoba Haruka also hurriedly said, "Right, right, right, that's exactly it."
Miya Atsumu let out a sneer, but he didn't intend to keep targeting the two of them.
He didn't care what those two were saying; as long as they didn't cause trouble right in front of him, he could simply pretend not to notice.
Because.. he has more important things to do right now.
Miya Atsumu turned his head to look at Hyakuwa Takehiro, who was waiting, asked, "Um.. 2m, what are your plans after you graduate high school?"
Hyakuwa Takehiro froze for a moment, only realizing after a brief pause that Miya Atsumu was speaking to him.
He thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, Coach said he's going to arrange for me to join a V1 team."
Aoba Haruka, who was just about to leave dejectedly, nearly tripped and fell.
He looked up at Hyakuwa Takehiro, his face full of shock: "What? What V1? Your coach is that amazing?! Why can't our coach arrange for me to go to V1!"
Which school was Hyakuwa Takehiro from again? This coach's strength is truly well-hidden!
Although he also felt that Hyakuwa Takehiro had potential, his current level could be described as quite terrible.
Hanae cruelly revealed the reality: "Because he is 2m."
Aoba Haruka collapsed to the ground.
Hinata, who had already followed Miya Atsumu to Hyakuwa Takehiro's side, looked at Hyakuwa Takehiro with eyes full of longing and spoke Aoba Haruka's inner thoughts aloud: "Being 2m tall must be so nice.."
Miya Atsumu looked at the fallen Aoba, then at Hyakuwa, asked with a hint of persistence, "Have you settled on a school yet? If not, have you considered going to Central Physical Education University with Shoyo?"
Hearing this, Hinata suddenly looked up at Miya Atsumu, his eyes bursting with an exceptionally bright light.
He also took the initiative to extend an invitation to Hyakuwa Takehiro: "Are you coming, Hyakuwa? Let's build the strongest university team together! Our goal is four consecutive University League titles! The Black Eagle Flag.. anyone from the Black Eagle Flag too!"
Hyakuwa Takehiro pursed his lips. "I'll consider it."
Miya Atsumu continued to add fuel to the fire: "You've always wanted to further refine your technical skills, right? University is a great platform; you'll have more resources available to help you continue consolidating your fundamentals."
With your current situation, even if you could make it to V1, you'd probably have to start from the second team or the substitute bench; you can't make it without enough match experience.
Hinata also nodded in agreement: "Yeah, yeah, yeah! Atsumu-ge is right!"
Hyakuwa Takehiro nodded. "I understand. I'll give it serious thought, but I'll need to ask Coach when I get back."
From his personal perspective, he really wanted to go to Central Physical Education University to be teammates with Hinata, but he wasn't actually quite sure what he truly needed, he needed to confirm this with his elders.
Miya Atsumu pressed further, "By the way, do you know which school wants you?"
Given Hyakuwa Takehiro's height, as long as his technical skills are up to par, he will be a very useful player.
Especially for now, Hyakuwa Takehiro's comfort level playing as a Middle Blocker is far greater than playing as a Wing Spiker, which was perfect since he felt that Central Physical Education University's lineup was lacking a Middle Blocker.
After thinking carefully, Hyakuwa Takehiro said, "I remember it was Dai Nippon Railway."
The moment he got that answer, Miya Atsumu felt a strange sense of guilt for a second.
He suddenly felt that he and the Dai Nippon Railway coach might have some sort of cosmic clash of fates.. No, not him, but Coach Raphael.
It seems that the players targeted by the Railway will all fall into the arms of Central Physical Education University under his instigation.
Atsumu-senpai quickly asked two more questions: "Is it already finalized? Have they accepted the investment from Dai Nippon Railway?"
If the other party has already accepted the investment, then changing their decision would constitute a breach of contract, which might affect Hyakuwa Takehiro's future professional career.
It also meant there was no need to waste too much energy on Hyakuwa Takehiro, as they could move on to scouting the next one.
Hyakuwa Takehiro shook his head. "Not yet. Coach said negotiations are still ongoing."
In the end, only he could make a decision on such a matter; as long as he didn't sign, the coach had no right to sign the contract on his behalf.
Miya Atsumu perked up again: "That's perfect then. If you have any thoughts on the matter, I can help you get in touch with Coach Raphael, then let him negotiate with the Dai Nippon Railway side later."
To be honest, a mid-to-lower tier team like Dai Nippon Railway would actually suit Hyakuwa Takehiro quite well. After all, Hyakuwa Takehiro has practiced for two years and his progress hasn't even caught up to Hakuma's at the same stage, which shows his natural talent is limited; if he joined a top-tier team, he might not receive treatment as a core player.
But in reality, letting Hyakuwa Takehiro attend university first would still be a very worthwhile investment for Dai Nippon Railway.
After all, compared to a player who would require their own energy to develop, a player who can be used immediately upon joining the team is what they want more. If they wanted to ensure Hyakuwa Takehiro would join, they could simply invest in him during his university years.
Anyway, the Railway isn't a bottom-tier team, so even without any particularly strong reinforcements, they won't fall all the way down to V2.
If Hyakuwa Takehiro could achieve some sufficiently impressive results during his university years, he would be able to secure a contract with better terms when he enters the professional leagues as a rookie.
Regarding this kind of matter, the Dai Nippon Railway coach probably wouldn't object, after all.. it wasn't his money being spent.
After a brief moment of thought, Hyakuwa Takehiro made his own decision: "I want to go to Central Physical Education University."
Miya Atsumu curled his lips into a happy grin: "Very good."
Hinata had already started cheering around Hyakuwa Takehiro: "That's awesome! Hyakuwa! Together, the two of us are invincible!"
Very good, he was now looking forward immensely to the scene where he would face off against Miya Atsumu.
With a team like that, even the Black Jackals might not be invincible!
Hanae, passing by behind them, pursed his lips.
So.. why not let him play?
Komori-senpai is far too indecisive; he changed his mind just because Atsumu-senpai coaxed him..
How hateful!
Hanae worked even harder once again, vowing to become a stronger Libero than Komori-senpai and make Miya Atsumu regret it!
Meanwhile, Aoba Haruka's mind had already gone blank.
He was breaking down: "Why?! Kureha is so tall! Why can't I grow tall?!"
As an older brother, he was now nearly half a head shorter than his younger brother!
Hanae said indifferently, "I think you and Hoshiumi-senpai must have a lot in common."
Chapter 484: The 484th Fox
Since arriving at the Volleyball Association, Kosano has rarely made an appearance, spending most of his time in the gym and the testing center acting as a private coach for Miya Atsumu and Hayami.
After adjusting, Hayami quickly kept up with Kosano's training pace, whereas Miya Atsumu received special attention from Kosano; his physical strength was almost entirely exhausted every morning, in the afternoon, he still had to take Hayami's position to play in practice matches and perform floor defense.
After two days of this grueling training, the once high-spirited Miya Atsumu had lost his ability to vent his frustrations, spending most of his time in a dazed state.
And since Hinata understood that Miya Atsumu didn't have the energy to continue extra practice with him, he ultimately sought out Kageyama, whom he had been quite curious about lately.
After several days of intermittent partnership, Hinata had basically figured out Karasuno's tactical logic.
After all, as a potential opponent in Haruko, he was quite invested, even going so far as to indirectly pry a significant amount of insider information from Kageyama.
Packing up quite actively, Hinata held Miya Atsumu's toner in his hands and leaned over to look at Miya Atsumu, who was already lying flat on the bed. "Atsumu-ge, Atsumu-ge, Kageyama said Tsukishima's jump float serve is super good now."
Miya Atsumu didn't even open his eyes. "It's nothing special."
Hinata hummed a tuneless little melody as he rolled up his towel. "When I was watching the videos before, Yamaguchi's serve was also very impressive; I wonder what it feels like to receive it."
He murmured, "Hayami's Jump Float Serve is interesting, but after receiving it a few times, it's not that difficult."
Hearing Miya Atsumu's breathing begin to steady, Hinata lunged toward the bedside and raised his voice, "By the way.. can we actually use this?"
Atsumu-senpai perked up instantly: "Huh? That.. first of all, you'd need a Ceiling Serve, but that's too hard on the wrists. If we were really going to use it.. we don't have anyone suitable at our current stage."
If one had to choose, Fukami would be the most suitable.
He has enough strength, a stable lower body, he won't play setter anymore.
But his own power serve was threatening enough; although it was somewhat ordinary, it was absolutely no problem for a substitute.
Thinking of this, Miya Atsumu opened his eyes and looked up at the top bunk.
Their opponents in Inarizaki would inevitably prepare a more complete first receive lineup because of him, which would actually put a great deal of pressure on their key server.
Their most frequently used Server previously was Kumagai, but after all, Kumagai had to be prepared to step in as the Setter at any time, so his role as a key Server during the end of a match was difficult to fully realize.
Fukami and Rishia, on the other hand, only use power serves; although the intensity is sufficient, their effect is limited when facing a high-level Libero like Komori-senpai. Instead, Kumagai, who has mastered Dual Wield, is able to achieve much better results.
If you want to put it that way.. they really should prepare some more tricky serves.
Having come up with an idea, Miya Atsumu asked immediately, "Shoyo, did you ask Hayami how this kind of serve is produced?"
Hinata blanked for a moment. "No, but he said it's similar to a standard Jump Float Serve, just that it requires a short, sharp burst of power."
It's said that if you practice more, you can master the ball's landing position, so it won't go out of bounds or anything.
Hearing this, Miya Atsumu lay back down again.
As expected, it was just as he had observed and imagined, so the specific execution was easy to guess.
The key now is how to make the Ceiling Serve have enough of an effect; Inarizaki hasn't had a player skilled in this type of serve for several years, so there probably isn't much reference material available.
Miya Atsumu asked another question, "Shoyo, do you still have Shimizu-senpai's contact information?"
Hinata froze for a moment. "Yeah, why?"
Miya Atsumu played to his talent for being thick-skinned: "You should go ask him to learn some tricks—ask him how to make a high serve that's both high and deep without getting stuck on the ceiling."
Anyway, it wasn't him who would have to ask, with Hinata's charisma, it would be a piece of cake.
Hinata looked up and thought for a moment. "As for the Ceiling Serve.. it would be the same if I asked Hayami, right? I remember him saying that Star First has several people who can do it."
Miya Atsumu spoke with great earnestness, "If you're going to learn, then you have to choose the best. When it comes to high serves, there probably isn't anyone in the country more skilled than that group of beach volleyball players."
Hinata felt he had a point, so he pulled out his phone and found Shimizu's contact information.
Since the other party was currently abroad, text messages would be quite expensive, so Shiratori sent him various social media accounts for Shimizu.
Seeing the photos in Shimizu's social media feed and the specific Buenos Aires location tag, Hinata was a little surprised: "Oh, Shimizu-senpai is still in Argentina."
So this is what it's like abroad..