Coach Washijō had never understood this perspective. He could not figure out why Ryosuke had liked standing in high places and looking down ever since he was little.
He had once tried standing at the same height as Ryosuke and looking down. What he saw were cherry blossoms in full bloom in spring, children playing and roughhousing, couples locked in passionate kisses, rows of neatly packed houses, lush green leaves in summer, and dry leaves curling as they fell in autumn.
He saw all those people, but never bothered to think more deeply about them. To him, it was all dull and obvious. Seeing the same scenes day after day had long since become tiresome.
But in the eyes of a child, or someone as simple-hearted as Hinata, everything was fascinating.
Why did that couple, locked in a passionate kiss, seem so distant from each other? Why were the children playing by the street secretly crying...
The moment Ryosuke first looked into Hinata's eyes, he knew this was a child raised surrounded by love. He was not a sheltered little prince in an ivory tower. Hinata could cry and laugh, run and jump, and his likes and dislikes were clear.
Like a brave hero who had overcome countless hardships, crossing mountains and valleys just for a single flower blooming in spring. He held onto his inner beliefs and loved life with all his heart.
This was a state of mind many adults could never have.
"Hey! You shorty! Where's my towel?!"
Hinata jumped at the loud shout from downstairs, then snapped back to his senses. Grabbing the towel hanging by the railing, he called back,
"Coming right away!"
Only after rushing downstairs did Hinata realize that the towel in his hand was exactly the one that person had asked for. But he had been focused on looking downstairs the whole time, so when had he noticed it? That was strange.
Hinata scratched his head, thinking it was just a coincidence. From that moment on, his visual thinking quietly began to take shape.
The afternoon training passed in the blink of an eye. It had seemed grueling. Two hours of practice matches, one hour of fundamentals, and another hour of physical conditioning. Just like that, the entire afternoon was gone.
That single afternoon exposed many of the kids' problems, especially during the fundamentals training.
Maybe their coaches did not pay much attention to it, but fundamentals were extremely important. Coach Washijō noticed that Tsukishima from Karasuno had very solid basics, while players from other schools all had more or less some flaws.
Their receiving posture was strange. It looked correct, but mixed with their own habits, which lowered their accuracy. Some schools could not even perform a proper basic dive.
They looked like fish flopping on land, on the verge of dying.
Some of them did not even know the correct serving posture. Coach Washijō was so angry he felt dizzy. This was not a training camp. It was basically a remedial kindergarten class.
So on the very first day of training, these kids pitifully endured Coach Washijō's thunderous roar, breaking past records.
Yamagata and Kawanishi clapped hands and burst out laughing at Ryosuke's gloomy face.
"I told you Coach Washijō wouldn't hold back on the first day. You insisted on betting with us. You're definitely buying dinner tonight."
Ryosuke felt miserable. Was Coach Washijō just in a bad mood today? Why was he so angry? Sigh, there goes a free meal.
He did not actually care about the meal itself. What bothered him was that he had lost. It seemed he still did not understand Coach Washijō well enough.
As he packed up his things and slung his bag over his shoulder, Ryosuke headed out. When he saw Hinata still busy in the gym, he walked over and stuffed his meal card into Hinata's hand.
"Hinata, I'm leaving on Saturday. Hold onto my meal card for now. Shiratorizawa uses the same type for everyone. There's no limit. It's just a student ID, so don't worry."
Hinata nodded, deeply moved. He had been planning to use his allowance to buy snacks, but Ryosuke had solved all his problems at once. Only after clearing these worries could he focus better on studying.
After handing over the card, Ryosuke ran off with quick steps. Yamagata and Kawanishi were still waiting at the entrance. It looked like that meal was unavoidable.
When Kawanishi saw Ryosuke coming, he remembered the answer he had gotten from Ushijima when he asked why Ryosuke was angry.
Ushijima calmly drank some water and said with a blank expression,
"Probably because of the chocolate you hid in your sock."
Kawanishi froze in shock. Ryosuke actually knew? That was bad. No wonder he made that kind of joke. With Ryosuke's personality, he would hold a grudge for a long time.
Last time, when Tendo scared him in the gym, it took a long time to coax him into talking again. How long would it take this time?
Kawanishi pushed those thoughts aside, pretending he knew nothing, and reached out with a grin to put an arm around Ryosuke.
Ryosuke smoothly ducked under it, bending at the waist and slipping away, then flopped onto Yamagata. Kawanishi could clearly hear a not-too-loud "Hmph."
Kawanishi's smile froze, then collapsed. Still, he quickly put on a cheerful face and followed after them.
By the time Ryosuke finished treating them to dinner, it was still not dark. Summer nights always came late. After saying goodbye, everyone headed home.
Meanwhile, after hearing from Reon that Ryosuke had barely eaten at lunch again, Coach Washijō clenched his fists in anger.
You brat. Just wait until tomorrow. I will have the school switch all your lunches to training meals. Let's see if you want to train on an empty stomach or eat properly.
The next day at noon, Ryosuke frowned as he walked past one serving window after another. Without exception, every option was a training meal. A sea of green, with no oil or richness in sight.
Furious, Ryosuke threw down his tray and stormed out without eating a single bite.
As soon as he left, the Shiratorizawa players began whispering among themselves.
"Sigh, yesterday he at least ate a few bites. Today he is not eating at all. What about afternoon training?" Reon rubbed his head, troubled. He really could not understand kids who did not like to eat. There was a saying. People are made of iron, food is steel. Skip a meal and you will feel faint.
If this kept up, would Ryosuke starve?
Reon could not help imagining Ryosuke as the pet hamster he once kept. Back then, he had gone out for a match and left the hamster at home with plenty of food in its cage.
But unexpectedly, the little hamster did not eat for three whole days and starved to death.
Thinking of Ryosuke becoming skin and bones from hunger, then acting spoiled toward him, Reon shuddered.
He shivered all over.
Shirabu chewed on his chicken breast while listening to everyone talk about Ryosuke. Then, very quietly, he made a small "pfft" sound and spat out the last bite in his mouth.
No wonder Ryosuke hated the training meals. The meat was dry and tough, completely bland. It was so tasteless his mouth felt numb. Who was even supposed to eat this?
"Shirabu!"
Yamagata stared straight at Shirabu.
Well, I'm done for. Caught. Shirabu thought blankly, already wondering how to cover it up.
Without changing his expression, he took another bite.
"No, Yamagata-senpai, you must have seen wrong."
"Really?"
Yamagata scratched his head. The moment he turned away, Shirabu quickly spat out the chicken in his mouth.
Tastes like chicken shit, he concluded silently.
Reon glanced at Shirabu, then at Tendo, who was happily eating. People really were different. How could Tendo eat anything so enthusiastically? He was so skinny, yet it felt like he had a bottomless pit in his stomach. After finishing his meal, Tendo could still calmly devour three small cakes.
That kind of appetite was terrifying.
"Do you think Ryosuke's going to starve? He didn't eat much yesterday either," Semi said, a little worried. That kid really was picky.
Ushijima raised an eyebrow slightly when he heard that, but said nothing.
Goshiki had a mouthful of vegetables and spoke unclearly,
"No... Ryosuke has snacks..."
"Mmm... munch munch... burp!"
Goshiki swallowed, let out a loud burp, then grabbed his cup and gulped down water before letting out a satisfied sigh.
Reon rubbed his temples.
"Goshiki Tsutomu, don't smack your lips while eating. Keep it down. And when did Ryosuke even bring snacks? I checked everyone's bags this morning."
He frowned.
Goshiki shut his mouth awkwardly. He should not have said anything.
Ever since they watched that interview, with Yamagata and Kawanishi leading the charge, a full-blown snack craze had swept through the team.
Ryosuke was the worst offender. He had every kind of snack, and whenever there was a break, his mouth never stopped moving.
Usually it would not matter, but this was a training camp. So early that morning, Reon had stood at the entrance checking every Shiratorizawa player's bag. He might not control others, but he could at least manage his own team.
Coach Washijō was most worried that Ryosuke would live on snacks and skip proper meals. He had already secretly cleared out all of Ryosuke's stash.
So where were these snacks coming from?
"Spit it out. Don't make me punish you by cleaning the bathrooms."
Reon looked genuinely intimidating when he got serious.
Goshiki grew anxious. He did not want to betray Ryosuke, so he turned to Ushijima with a pleading look.
Ushijima looked away, pretending he had seen nothing. Coach Washijō was right. Kids should eat fewer snacks or they would not grow taller. That applied to Ryosuke too.
Seeing there was no escape, Goshiki gave in.
"No one from Shiratorizawa brought snacks... but other people did..."
With Ryosuke's strong social skills, his good looks, and the fact that he was hosting this training camp, plenty of people wanted to give him snacks.
Everyone had been secretly supplying him behind Reon's back.
Reon felt a headache coming on. At this rate, next time there was a training camp, he would have to hang a "Do Not Feed" sign on Ryosuke.
...
Meanwhile, Ryosuke was happily lying in the dorm, eating snacks with Hinata.
Well, Hinata was not eating. He was just watching. Hinata had never liked snacks much. Compared to that, he preferred the feeling of stuffing his mouth with meat. That made him happy.
Ryosuke lay comfortably on the bed. As if he did not know. These people had clearly all been bribed by Coach Washijō. Who else could get everyone to keep an eye on him like that? Ryosuke even suspected the cafeteria menu had been tampered with by him.
And he guessed right.
The two spent noon in the dorm. Hinata watched while Ryosuke ate a pile of snacks. This dorm had basically become Ryosuke's personal paradise.
In the afternoon, they went to training as usual.
Coach Washijō did not suspect a thing. He still believed Ryosuke had not eaten all day, and it worried him endlessly.
That evening, when Ryosuke returned home, Coach Washijō had his wife prepare a table full of his favorite dishes to fill him up.
The moment Ryosuke saw the spread, his eyes widened. Then he opened his mouth.
"Burp."
Coach Washijō fell silent.
He swore he could smell cola in that burp.
The room went quiet. The two of them stood in the living room, staring at each other.
Ryosuke felt a little guilty.
"What are you two doing?"
Mrs. Washijō's voice broke the tension.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Ryosuke bolted.
"I'm full! I'm not eating!"
"You brat!"
Ryosuke had barely taken off when Coach Washijō threw aside his cane and chased after him. He was still quick.
...
Five minutes later
Ryosuke was kneeling on the ground in a full apology, eyes watery. Coach Washijō sat stiffly on a stool, face stern.
A grandpa was still a grandpa. No matter how much you jumped around, he could drag you right back down.
"I was wrong..."
Ryosuke lowered his head obediently. What could he do? When you lived under someone else's roof, you had to bow your head. Poor little cabbage, yellow in the field, two or three years old, no mother...
Bang.
Coach Washijō slammed his teacup onto the table. Ryosuke's small body trembled, looking pitiful.
Behind him, Mrs. Washijō shot Coach Washijō a fierce glare.
Try laying a hand on him and see what happens.
Coach Washijō nearly lost his stern expression. Looking at Ryosuke, who kept his head down and said nothing, he snorted. This kid was getting more and more unruly as he grew up.
How was he supposed to grow if he did not eat properly? Was this some kind of rebellious phase? But that old man Irihata had said his granddaughter, during her rebellious phase, stayed out all night, dated, and even got her hair permed.
This brat just refused to eat. In other ways, he was still pretty well-behaved.
What a headache.
"Alright. You have to eat properly. If you do not get enough nutrition, you really will not grow taller. You do not want to stop halfway, do you? Look at Goshiki and Yunohama. They will easily reach 1.8 or 1.9 meters.
When the three of you step onto the court, do you really want to be the shortest one?"
Ryosuke paused, then seriously imagined it.
The three of them standing together, him in the middle, clearly the shortest, forming a perfect dent.
His expression turned a bit strange as he muttered,
"I don't want that either... but the training meals are really awful."
It was not like Ryosuke had never endured hardship. Back when Coach Washijō made him train extra until his legs trembled the next day, he never once complained. But when it came to food, he had definitely developed a picky palate.
Coach Washijō sighed. There was nothing he could do. This kid would not respond to either soft or hard tactics.
"Fine. Eat whatever you want, but you cannot skip proper meals. Cut down on snacks. You know what counts as high-calorie food. And do not let me catch you sneaking snacks again."
Ryosuke nodded helplessly.
Cut down on snacks. No problem.
...
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