Ushijima turned his head away, pretending not to notice that resentful little look.
After an awkward cough, he waited for Ryosuke to finish getting dressed, and the two of them left together.
The others who came out into the hallway didn't look too pleased, but no one said anything. On the surface, it was as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, over in Tokyo, the National Youth training camp was in full swing.
Back in Miyagi, however, Hinata had run into a strange problem. His biggest issue right now was that he couldn't get full.
Hinata had always known he had a big appetite, but after coming to Shiratorizawa, no matter how much he ate, he still couldn't feel full. And the food there was really good. Those nutritional meals. He could easily eat two portions by himself.
Kids in a growth phase had terrifying appetites. And right now, he didn't have any seniors around to guide him.
Sitting on his dorm bed, Hinata looked a bit down. He didn't know who to message. The moment he noticed something was off, he had already texted Ryosuke and Udai, but both seemed busy. Neither had replied.
Hinata sighed, then buried his face in the blanket, lying on his stomach and fiddling with his phone. After thinking it over, he decided to call Ukai.
Ukai was cooking for his grandfather at home. When he saw Hinata calling, he raised an eyebrow in surprise. What had that single-celled guy run into? He was actually calling his coach for help.
Ever since Hinata snuck off to Shiratorizawa's joint training camp, Ukai hadn't heard his usual noisy presence in the gym. It felt a bit strange.
Still, he had to give Hinata credit. Sneaking off like that took guts. Not bad. Reminded him of himself when he was younger. Back then, Ukai had also dragged a suitcase along and snuck into a Tokyo training camp after not being invited.
Karasuno really did produce all kinds of characters.
There was no way Hinata had called just to chat, so Ukai wasn't wrong to think something was up.
"Hey, Hinata."
Before Hinata could speak, he heard the sizzling of cooking from the other end. Rubbing his stomach, he started talking about his problem.
Ukai listened while cooking, so focused he even forgot about the food burning. Thinking about it, Hinata was probably going through a growth spurt. Everyone reacted differently. Some had constant leg pain, some had endless appetite and energy, and others could sleep all day.
Hinata was just… a bit special.
Why hadn't this shown up back at Karasuno? Ukai frowned slightly. Was Karasuno's training too lax? Then again, those few bottomless-pit eaters on the team… were they naturally like that, or just starving from training?
He couldn't figure it out.
"Here's the thing, Hinata. You're probably growing right now, so you need more nutrition. The cafeteria meals at Shiratorizawa are meant to support a full day of training.
If you want to build muscle faster, you'll need extra meals."
"Extra meals?" Hinata sat up straight. His appetite was already huge. Wouldn't that bankrupt Shiratorizawa?
"Yeah. Just simple protein and vitamins. Eggs, chicken, vegetables… things like that."
"Oh… oh, okay!"
Hinata climbed off the bed, sat at his desk, and quickly took out a pen and paper, carefully writing everything down.
"Coach, slow down. I can't keep up."
"Alright, alright." Ukai simply sat down, put aside his ladle, and seriously explained everything Hinata needed to pay attention to in his diet.
After hanging up, Hinata suddenly realized something.
How was he supposed to get all those ingredients?
After thinking it through, he decided he'd bike home every noon. He had a two-hour break, and the round trip would only take an hour. That was enough.
Hinata stood up, raised both hands, and gave a small cheer.
Three more days. He had to make the most of it and learn as much as possible.
He put on his sneakers and headed out again. He knew there were always people training in the gym at noon. Might as well go watch and pick up a few things.
"Thud!"
"Ow!"
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
Mixed in with the dull sounds of the ball hitting arms, Hinata could faintly hear Goshiki's yells.
Curious, he peeked inside and saw several Shiratorizawa seniors surrounding Goshiki.
Reon rubbed his forehead, looking at Goshiki's blocking posture, which spread out like tree branches, completely baffled. With so many players in Shiratorizawa, no one else blocked like that. It was all over the place. Had Goshiki mutated or something?
Semi sat on a bench nearby, laughing loudly. Goshiki. Serves you right.
Originally, things hadn't gone like this. It all started when Ushijima and Ryosuke left for the National Youth camp. With those two gone, the team had lost two key practice partners.
Reon used to practice spiking with Ryosuke every noon, trying to break through his block. As for Tendō, his arms were always so thin that Reon never dared to hit full power against him.
Ushijima would occasionally take the energetic Goshiki to practice spikes too. Now that both of them were gone, Goshiki was completely left on his own. Everyone had their own things to do, and before they knew it, they had neglected him.
When Reon realized this, he felt extremely guilty. How could he forget Goshiki? So he caught him in the cafeteria after lunch, just as he was about to head back to the dorm to play games. That led to the current scene.
"What kind of blocking is that? Look around. Can you find anyone else in this camp who blocks like you?" Reon scolded angrily.
Hinata, who had been about to join in, froze mid-step when he heard that. He slowly tried to sneak away.
"Karasuno's number ten. You. Don't leave. Come here and demonstrate for Goshiki."
Reon had immediately spotted the kid who had eaten with Ryosuke before. Since Ryosuke seemed to have high expectations for him, his blocking should be pretty good.
"No… I…"
Hinata tried to explain, but Goshiki had already rushed over and grabbed his hand, full of enthusiasm. Finally, someone to share the burden.
"Okay…"
Overwhelmed by their enthusiasm, Hinata could only stand next to Goshiki.
Across from them, Reon stood at the service line, holding the ball, ready.
"Thud!" He swung his arm and sent the ball over.
Semi raised an eyebrow. Oh. Reon actually learned to hold back a bit. That sound wasn't nearly as heavy as when Goshiki hits. Was he going easy on them?
Reon had meant to go easy so the kid could block it, and at the same time give Goshiki a bit of motivation.
But he hadn't expected…
"Thud!"
"Ow!"
Such a familiar sound.
Reon looked at Hinata's reddened arm and fell silent.
Wait… what's going on? Something feels off. Where have I seen this "banzai-style" blocking before? No, no, must be my imagination. There's no way Ryosuke's judgment could be wrong.
"?! What kind of blocking form is that? Who are you cheering for? Once your hands go up, press them down! Why are you just leaving them there? Decoration?
Goshiki, what are you laughing at? You're no better. Did everything you learned from Ryosuke go to waste? Forgot how to block? Your arms are that strong, so what are you dodging for? It's not going to kill you!"
A surge of responsibility hit Reon instantly. With Ryosuke gone, he had to take over. Fine. He'd train this kid every night. No way someone couldn't learn something as basic as blocking.
Goshiki, who had been secretly laughing, got dragged into it too. He lowered his head awkwardly and said nothing. He didn't dare provoke him now. He'd seen calm Reon plenty of times, but this was the first time he'd seen him angry.
"You're Shoyo Hinata, right?"
Reon stepped around the net and stopped in front of Hinata. Startled by his imposing presence, Hinata instinctively took a few steps back, then nodded.
"Good. From now on, come to the gym every night for an extra hour of practice."
Seeing Hinata's stunned expression, Reon realized he might have been too abrupt and added,
"What do you think…?"
"Of course I will!"
Hinata rushed forward, practically face-to-face with him.
He was thrilled. Getting to train with Shiratorizawa was already a rare opportunity. And now the vice-captain was personally going to coach him. This was incredible. He had to tell Ryosuke. Shiratorizawa really was amazing.
Reon nodded in satisfaction. The technique might not be there yet, but the look in his eyes was serious.
And Reon could never turn down someone who was sincere about volleyball.
Just like that, Hinata's extra training was decided.
By the time Ryosuke got hold of his phone that night, Hinata had already sent a whole string of messages.
Ryosuke wiped his face with a towel, draped it over his shoulders, and walked casually beside Ushijima while looking down at his phone.
He skimmed through the messages. Mostly about how Hinata kept feeling hungry, and how Reon-senpai had actually offered to help him train extra. That really was something.
But then again, Shiratorizawa had always been great.
Ryosuke lowered his head and started typing quickly.
Cat Hero: If you're hungry, I've got a bunch of snacks and milk in my dorm locker. The key's with Team Doctor Saito. Just tell him I sent you.
Cat Hero: Getting guidance from Reon-senpai is a rare chance. Make sure you train properly.
Cat Hero: Of course Shiratorizawa is great. And so are you!
He replied to each message carefully, hoping Hinata would learn a lot even on his own.
Ushijima glanced at Ryosuke, then continued taking care of him in a steady, almost parental way.
Coach Washijō had only given him one instruction for this training camp. Make sure nothing goes wrong.
At the dining table, Ryosuke chatted nonstop about things from school, while Ushijima listened seriously, nodding along.
Atsumu Miya sat nearby, practically sour with jealousy, poking at his food with his chopsticks.
Hibarida was still sitting in his usual spot, observing the kids as they ate. Hosho still couldn't understand what the point of this habit was. Was it just to make himself look suspicious?
Hibarida, of course, had no idea what Hosho was thinking. Right now, he had noticed something interesting.
Whether intentionally or not, most of them were sitting around that "little leopard." Some probably because of the strong players around him, but some clearly because they genuinely acknowledged his ability.
That skinny-looking kid had better stamina than all of them with their bulky muscles. Tsk. Embarrassing.
Hibarida wiped his mouth carelessly, set down the watermelon, and let out a satisfied burp, still muttering.
"Strange. Why's there so much less watermelon? Did the kitchen sneak some? Damn it."
Grumbling, he stood up with his arms crossed.
"Hosho, tell them not to leave yet. Let everyone know. In the next couple of days, a heavyweight team will come challenge us. Tell them to be ready."
"Okay… Wait. What? When did this happen? How come I didn't know? Coach Hibarida, did you arrange another match on your own again?"
Hosho was startled.
Last year had been the same. Without a word, Hibarida had brought in several current national team players. The newly gathered trainees were completely crushed.
Some of them had looked like they were about to break down on the spot. Hibarida had practically ground the pride of these top talents into the dirt.
After that, Hosho had repeatedly told him not to arrange practice matches on his own. Even if you're higher rank, you still have to listen, right? Doing this will make the higher-ups unhappy. We're all volleyball players. What's the point of putting so much pressure on a bunch of kids?
Wouldn't it be fine to just run the training camp normally?
Hosho tried to probe for more information.
"Coach Hibarida…"
"Cut it out." Hibarida swatted his arm away. Clearly no good intentions there.
Then he walked off without looking back.
"…Ugh." Hosho scratched his head in frustration. A few strands of his already thinning hair drifted down.
His expression grew even worse.
Fine. He'd just tell them. If he couldn't beat Hibarida, he might as well go along with it. At least he wouldn't be the one blamed later.
After dinner, everyone gradually went downstairs, but no one actually left.
Even though the schedule said evenings were for rest, they were all used to daily extra training. Without it, they felt restless.
"Ryosuke!"
"Coming!"
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Atsumu Miya finally set the ball to Ryosuke. And it was a deliberately difficult one.
The ball skimmed close to the net and rose high. On the other side, Hirugami stood ready to block, his tall frame like a wall.
...
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