“This is the reward for the winner, my dear Ace.”
Hinata raised his hand, his slightly furrowed brows framing eyes that were a bit red. He wiped away the saliva that had just escaped from the corner of his mouth, complaining, "That's too much, Atsumu."
Miya Atsumu rubbed the tip of his nose against Hinata's hand and asked in a sickly sweet voice, "Disliking me?"
Feeling inexplicably like he had lost, Hinata said petulantly, "I'm disgusted."
Miya Atsumu felt that things were looking a bit bad. He leaned down and asked tentatively, "Are you really angry? You won't even call me 'big brother' anymore?"
But he was only acting in self-defense; Hinata was the one who struck first.
Hinata tilted his head and said nothing.
After a long time, he looked back at Miya Atsumu. "I'll do my best."
Even in a situation like this, he would not lose!
Miya Atsumu reached out and ruffled Hinata's hair. "Then I'll look forward to it."
He smiled. "Let's go watch the match."
He was the first to lift the curtain and step into the Main gymnasium's lobby, leaving Hinata behind to get himself into the right state.
“Atsumu? Weren't you and Shoyo supposed to have left already? Why are you still here?”
Ginjima, who had taken a detour from outside to get some fresh air, was the first to see Miya Atsumu in the corridor.
Noticing that someone was missing, he spoke up and asked, "Where is Shoyo?"
Rishia Heisuke, who was standing beside Ginjima, didn't dare to speak. His dangerous, keen sense of smell made him feel the killing intent rushing toward him, at this moment, he felt that retreating was his best option.
Hinata had already straightened his clothes and stepped out from behind the curtain: "I'm here, Ginjima-senpai."
Glancing at Hinata's still slightly reddened eyes, Rishia Heisuke shrugged his shoulders. The atmosphere between these two was very strange, as if something had clearly happened that he shouldn't know about, yet was somewhat subtle.
As it happened, Hinata had already walked over: "Heisuke! Let's go watch the match!"
Whether he stretched his neck out or pulled it back, it was all the same.
Rishia steeled himself and replied directly, "Alright, let's go."
He didn't want to know what had just happened.
But by the look of things, Miya Atsumu must have offended Hinata; otherwise, Miya Atsumu wouldn't have glared at him like that.
Hinata pushed Rishia toward the stairwell, Miya Atsumu followed right behind the two of them, his expression showing no sign of displeasure; instead, he leisurely observed Hinata, who was trying his best to shake him off.
Ginjima scratched his head, completely failing to understand what the group was doing.
He felt that Miya Atsumu and Hinata probably wouldn't fight, but..
Something seemed wrong?
Just as Hinata was truly about to follow Rishia to the stands, Miya Atsumu reached out and grabbed the back of his collar. "Alright, I'm hungry. Let's go eat."
Hinata turned his head to look at Miya Atsumu, the two of them locked eyes for three seconds before Hinata finally gave in.
Alright, let's go.
Rishia, who had just prepared a hundred different ways to die alongside Hinata, stared with wide eyes.
Huh? Weren't you going to argue? Not going to argue anymore?
So you're giving up just like that? Are you really that spineless?
—Even though he had wanted to kneel a long time ago.
Receiving the questioning look Rishia sent him, Hinata gave him a long, deep look.
Sorry, but no one could resist Atsumu's pitiful gaze just now, especially him.
And he admitted that he had felt a sense of satisfaction just now.
Watching the two of them leave, Rishia raised his hand to cover his face. "He's hopeless."
What should I do if my own teammates are becoming more and more worthless..
Chapter 516: The 516th Fox
Rishia watched the two of them leave with a serious expression, only after their figures had completely disappeared from his sight did he press his hand against his chest and let out a slow breath.
Ginjima looked at Rishia with some confusion and asked subconsciously, "What's wrong? Are you hungry too? How about the two of us go grab something to eat?"
Besides that, he really couldn't think of any other reason.
Rishia raised his hand in a polite refusal: "Thank you for the kind offer, Senior, but I'm not hungry yet."
And.. I think being alive is quite good.
It was Hinata who made the first move.
If he had agreed, it would have resulted in the current situation, but refusing would not have turned out any better either.
Judging by the irrational thought processes of men in love, a refusal might instead be perceived as something like, "He won't even grant Hinata's request, how damnable."
In short, it's that same old saying.
Whether he moves forward or retreats, it is death, so he might as well stand on Hinata's side.
After all, he didn't believe he could reach Miya Atsumu's level of strength, it was impossible for him to serve on the same professional team as Miya Atsumu in the future, nor did he expect to have much of a chance to join the National Team.
As long as Miya Atsumu graduates, his chances of interacting with Miya Atsumu in the future will be practically zero!
Go for it! Rishia! Only two months left!
Ginjima-senpai was truly bewildered by how Rishia's emotions suddenly became so excited and fervent.
Fine, if they aren't hungry, they might as well go watch the match; they still have seats in the last few rows of their cheering area.
The moment the two of them walked from the corridor into the stands, they froze in their tracks.
The people sitting in rows on the steps, including Shiratori, Bokuto, Akagi, Oori, Kita, all turned their heads at the same time to look at the two people.
Meanwhile, Unabara Uta was sitting in Kita's previous spot, looking somewhat restless.
Before Rishia and Ginjima could even process what was happening, Hayami's eyes lit up: "Just in time! Sasaki-senpai, make some room!"
Sasaki-senpai's temple twitched; he really wanted to go up there and pinch Sakusa's ears.
But at this moment, the steps in the aisle were already packed tight, he couldn't get through at all.
However, the seats on Inarizaki's side were originally intended for the players to sit in whenever they pleased; they were only coming over to take advantage of the free seating.
Sasaki and Arashiyama stood up one after another, gesturing toward the seats for the two of them to come and sit down.
With a nod of affirmation from his senior, Rishia sat down in the vacated spot, following Ginjima's lead with awkward, synchronized steps, while the two from Star First occupied the two rows of steps behind them.
The members of the official organizing committee waiting by the court to watch the Itachiyama match looked up and saw the steps of the Inarizaki section overflowing with people.
After being stunned for a moment, one of them asked a profound question: "Is the seating we assigned for Inarizaki insufficient? Why is everyone sitting on the ground?"
Another person looked at the sports jacket worn by everyone on the steps, scratched his head, replied, "They're all the same, right? It shouldn't be a problem, besides.. they all feel like players."
Although most of the cheering area for the teams eliminated this morning had already completed the handover, they had set aside a small, specific area for the players—it was just in a corner with a somewhat poor vantage point.
The first person to speak said, "It's probably because Inarizaki is just too popular."
The person beside him turned to look at him. "Are you serious?"
Fake.
The two sides competing on the court had finished their warm-ups, the lineups and rotation sheets had already been submitted. The Head Referee was currently conducting an inspection of the players' rotations.
The two stopped chatting and focused all their attention on the court.
Hinata and Miya Atsumu had also climbed the stairs to the restaurant upstairs.
The restaurant inside the gymnasium was not externally contracted but was self-operated; most of what they served were fast food products, nothing was particularly delicious.
Since they still had to eat dinner later that evening, Miya Atsumu didn't order too much for Hinata, only getting him some food that was easy to digest and could quickly replenish his energy.
The two's seats were next to the window, although the view wasn't very good, they could still barely make out what was happening on the court.
Luckily, Miya Atsumu had some foresight; he pulled a tablet out of his backpack and switched it to the live stream interface.
Compared to when they played, there were clearly more people on the sidelines.
Of course, this didn't mean that Itachiyama's matches were more popular than those of Inarizaki or the neighboring Shinzan Girls; rather, it was that scouts from all over were gathering here to watch the matches at Center Court over the next two days.
Just as the camera swept past the sidelines, he had already spotted the Black Jackals scout who had come to find him earlier.
When they played against Karasuno before, the Adler's scout had actually already arrived and spent a long time pointing at the court, though it was unclear whether he was pointing at him or Kageyama.
However, since he had explicitly rejected Shwaiden Adler, he felt that the other party was most likely there to see Kageyama; after all, Kageyama would be able to take over a starting position for Shwaiden Adler right when he graduates.
But although Kageyama's individual skills were excellent, it was obvious that he was not currently the best choice for a professional team; at the very least, he would require a period of development.
Karasuno itself lacks resources; if Shwaiden Adler truly wanted Kageyama, they would likely start making contact and investing in his development after this Haruko ends.
Considering these factors, if the new Libero Karasuno takes over after Nishinoya graduates is equally powerful, Karasuno will likely still have a chance to make it to the Nationals next year.
After all, next year, that troublesome Middle Blocker and the unscrupulous Captain from Date Tech will both be gone. Without a mainstay like Niokuchi, Koganezawa alone is nothing to fear.
Karasuno's greatest rival is Goshiki Tsutomu, who has Yura's support; the odds of him qualifying are about fifty-fifty.
Of course, that is assuming Karasuno's juniors can be relied upon.
Watching the camera sweep over the Black Jackals, Miya Atsumu stroked his chin and pointed toward Sakusa on the court.
Wait, has he forgotten something?
Miyagi's hell mode is known to everyone; it seems there are more than just these three strong teams.
Miya Atsumu's movements paused for a moment.
He glanced at Hinata, who was eating intently, scratched the back of his head, feeling a strange itch in his brain.
It seemed like he had forgotten something, but he didn't want to try to remember.
Forget it, if he can't remember it, it must be something he hates, so it doesn't matter!
Miya Atsumu tossed the thought of some handsome new setter from the Argentine professional league out of his mind and continued to watch Hinata eat while immersed in the Itachiyama live stream.
He wasn't hungry originally, but seeing Hinata eating with such gusto..