By the time Hinata arrived at the gym, almost everyone was already there.
Oikawa wanted to greet him, but before he could even open his mouth.
"Tsukishima!"
Hinata spotted Tsukishima standing in the far corner with a bag on his back and immediately ran over with his box. Even from behind, he looked so cheerful that he was practically missing only a wagging tail. Oikawa stood there, bubbling with jealousy and biting his finger.
Damn it! He wanted to pet that sweet, soft little orange puppy too!
Tsukishima heard the voice and turned around. When he saw Hinata coming toward him with a huge bag on his back and a box in tow, his brows furrowed hard.
"Why are you dragging a box around? Did you pack up the entire bed from the Shiratorizawa dorm?"
"Huh?!" Hinata bristled.
"No! These are all gifts from the upperclassmen!"
Hinata turned away in a huff and refused to pay Tsukishima any more attention. That awful Tsukishima. His mouth was still as nasty as ever.
Once nearly everyone from the training camp had gathered, Coach Washijō slowly walked in with his hands behind his back, accompanied by the adviser teacher.
The players from other schools who had come for the exchange had already been sent home that morning. Now, only the ones who had truly learned something from the training camp remained.
The Golden Training Camp had come to an end. Coach Washijō was actually satisfied with their final results. He would not call it rapid progress, but at the very least, there had been clear changes.
"This Golden Training Camp lasted seven days. In these seven days, from the pressure you felt at the beginning to your inability to adapt, all of you know exactly what you went through and what happened.
"Even the ball retrievers managed to learn something. If you didn't improve at all, then you're all idiots!
"I hope that after you leave Shiratorizawa, you can maintain this condition. Don't embarrass yourselves on the court. If you do, don't tell anyone I taught you! That's all. Dismissed!"
Coach Washijō had not known what to say. Logically, once the training camp ended, he could have just sent them straight home. But the adviser teacher said that since the Golden Training Camp had started properly, it also had to end properly. That was called having a beginning and an end. Forced by circumstance, Coach Washijō could only stand on that small platform again and say a few formal words.
The moment Coach Washijō said dismissed, everyone's earlier impatience to return to school instantly turned into high spirits. They were all kids who had rarely traveled far from home. After being away from school for so long and struggling to adjust at Shiratorizawa, of course they wanted to go back.
"Hinata, bye."
"Ah! Bye, Koganegawa!"
Hearing Koganegawa's voice, Hinata stood at the door with a brilliant smile, still waving his hand.
Koganegawa followed behind Futakuchi and waved back at Hinata. To Koganegawa, the greatest regret of leaving the Golden Training Camp, apart from not being able to learn even more, was that he could not go out and play with Hinata.
They had originally made plans, but Hinata was worried that everyone at Karasuno would be anxious, so in the end, he did not go. Fortunately, Koganegawa felt that he had been very clever and added Hinata on LINE. Next time he had the chance, he would secretly invite Hinata out.
"Chibi-chan, Oikawa is heading out first."
Oikawa was truly envious. He really wanted to ruffle Hinata's hair. It looked like it would feel so nice. He also wanted to lure Hinata over to Aobajosai... Some things were better left as thoughts. If Iwaizumi found out, Oikawa would definitely not escape a beating.
"Goodbye, Senpai Oikawa!"
Hinata waved back with a smiling face like a maneki-neko. Just as he was about to step forward, another voice came from behind him.
"Hinata, I'm looking forward to the next time we meet on the court."
Takeru Nakashima spoke very seriously. He admired this player who, like him, was small in stature. Hinata jumped high, and his natural physical talent was excellent. Given time, he would definitely become an opponent Nakashima could not surpass. Takeru Nakashima truly looked forward to meeting Hinata in a match.
He also wanted to see what kind of team could raise a child like Hinata, someone who shone like the sun.
Hinata turned and looked directly at Takeru Nakashima. He had noticed him ever since arriving at the Golden Training Camp, and Hinata also knew how people outside evaluated Takeru Nakashima. They all called Takeru Nakashima the "Small Giant," saying he was the player who had resembled Tenma Udai the most over the past two years, and that he would definitely become the true "Small Giant" one day.
At first, Hinata had felt a little jealous. But now, he was not jealous at all. To Hinata, the "Small Giant" was no longer just the idol he admired. The term also represented the kind of person Hinata wanted to become. As long as Hinata always remembered the Small Giant, he would never forget where he started.
Besides, the "Small Giant" did not refer to Tenma Udai alone. It also represented the countless small players who were still working hard. All of those players were "Small Giants."
Hinata thought smugly, and besides, Udai-senpai had promised to personally coach him. No one else was lucky enough to get that, hahaha.
"Ha, Senpai Nakashima! Don't worry. The next time we face you, I'll definitely beat you."
Takeru Nakashima nodded in satisfaction. He had come over to say all of this precisely to issue a challenge.
"Good. When the time comes, we'll let all of Miyagi see who the real Small Giant is!"
"It's a deal!"
"It's a deal!"
Just like that, the two of them casually settled the stakes of the match at the entrance. They would use a single match to witness the rise of the new "Small Giant."
Tsukishima looked at the sun outside, which was getting brighter and brighter, then turned to look at the two people still standing at the entrance. His expression gradually turned impatient. Were they done yet? Why were they still talking? Five or six minutes had already passed, and they still had not even left the doorway.
When Takeru Nakashima finally left, Tsukishima let out a breath of relief.
"Let's go..."
"Hinata!"
Tsukishima's usually cold face seemed to crack. How was there another one? He really wanted to leave Hinata here, but when he thought of this guy's terrible sense of direction, Tsukishima could not leave after all. It was seriously frustrating.
Hinata turned around again and saw Tsutomu Goshiki running over excitedly with a box in his hands. He had no idea what was inside.
"Tsutomu Goshiki!" Hinata was pleasantly surprised too. Other than Ryosuke, Tsutomu Goshiki was the first friend he had made at Shiratorizawa.
"Huff... huff..."
Tsutomu Goshiki had run a little too fast. He crouched down to catch his breath, then handed the box to Hinata.
"This is... this is a wrist guard I saved up to buy. Your birthday is coming soon, so consider it an early birthday present. It might not compare to the ones the seniors gave you! But! This is still my heartfelt gift! I hope you keep getting better and better, Hinata!"
Tsutomu Goshiki had only learned from Ryosuke that Hinata's birthday was this month, so he took out the money he had usually saved, went to the sports store, and bought the wrist guard he had always wanted but could never bring himself to buy.
Friendship between puppies was just like that. They were always sincere and passionate toward others.
Hinata was so moved that his eyes filled with tears.
"Uu... Tsutomu Goshiki, you're such a good person! I'll definitely take good care of it!"
Hinata hugged the box tightly, the surprise and emotion in his eyes almost impossible to hide.
"Tsk."
Tsukishima glanced at the box in Hinata's hands and turned away in disgust. Why was that kid from Shiratorizawa being so attentive? Something was off. Seriously off.
After the two of them finished saying what they needed to say, Tsutomu Goshiki finally left, looking back every few steps. He really hated parting from his good friend. Who knew when they would see each other again?
Once Tsutomu Goshiki was gone, Tsukishima understood. Without wasting another second, he grabbed Hinata's box in one hand, hooked his other arm around Hinata's neck, and forcibly dragged him away. If they did not leave now, more strange people were going to pop up.
This time, Tsukishima had gained a very clear understanding of Hinata's popularity. He finally understood what it meant to say this guy could chat with even a stray dog on the side of the road.
Outside, the sun hung high in the sky, and the cicadas kept crying without end. One tall and one short, the two figures walked along while bickering the whole way. Strangely enough, they looked oddly harmonious.
Back at Karasuno, Daichi sat on the floor and sighed again.
This was already his twenty-sixth sigh of the morning. Days without Hinata were truly hard to endure.
At first, Daichi had been furious because Hinata had snuck off, but after these past few days, his anger had long since faded. Karasuno without Hinata felt far too strange.
Even Takeda-sensei could not help sighing.
"Without Hinata here, Karasuno's gym really is unbelievably quiet."
That was painfully accurate. Without Hinata, the volleyball club was like a stagnant pool of water, far too calm.
"Alright, Daichi, why are you still sighing? Hinata will be back soon."
Sugawara looked at Daichi sitting on the floor and laughed. Daichi really was all bark and a soft heart. He kept saying that once Hinata came back, he would give him a proper scolding, but these past few days, he had been worrying about Hinata nonstop and bringing him up every single day.
He worried about whether Tsukishima and Hinata would fight, whether Hinata would feel wronged only being able to pick up balls over there, whether Shiratorizawa's coach was too strict, whether Hinata could hold out...
There was an old saying: "A mother never stops worrying when her child is far from home."
Looking at Daichi worrying himself sick, Sugawara suddenly understood that saying with painful clarity.
Nishinoya also stretched his neck toward the door. He missed Hinata too. With Hinata gone, no one was calling him senpai.
Takeda-sensei and Ukai stood off to the side, observing everyone. Ukai had seen everyone's condition that morning and knew they had no heart for training today, so he had simply let them train on their own.
Now, one by one, they were all waiting for Hinata to come back.
Yamaguchi also stretched his neck toward the door. He had not seen Tsukki in a week...
"I'm back!"
A familiar, energetic voice came from outside the door.
Daichi shot to his feet. Nishinoya reacted the fastest, charging straight out so quickly he left only an afterimage behind.
"Shoyo!"
"Senpai Nishinoya!"
"Shoyo!"
"Senpai Nishinoya!"
The two little ones, reunited after so long, hugged each other warmly. Tsukishima stood to the side with the box in his hand, looking completely out of place.
"Tsukki!"
Ah... Tsukishima pushed up his glasses. That familiar voice. A faint smile curved at the corner of his mouth. He would never admit it, but the days without Yamaguchi had been hard for him too.
"Senpai Daichi! Senpai Sugawara!" The moment Hinata saw everyone familiar, his eyes turned red.
All the grievances he had held in at Shiratorizawa suddenly could not be hidden anymore. His eyes reddened, and he looked like he was about to cry.
Hinata sniffled. So this was how reassuring it felt to be somewhere his seniors were.
Takeda-sensei stood by the door with a smile in his eyes, watching them warmly. How wonderful. Hinata was back.
The atmosphere at Karasuno was incredibly harmonious. Over in Tokyo, however, things were different. The mood there was a little oppressive.
... Tokyo Gymnasium
At noon, Coach Nakagaichi had just said he wanted everyone to experience the national team's training methods. By the afternoon, he had already kept his word and arranged it for them.
Only now did everyone realize that the training volume from the previous two days had only belonged to the training camp team. For the national team, it was nothing more than an appetizer. Physical training, basic drills, all of it seemed like a joke compared with the national team's standards.
The running portion of physical training went from twenty laps to thirty laps. It was not exactly doubled, but it was still more than enough to make them suffer, especially after they had already exhausted themselves in the morning practice matches.
By contrast, although the national team members had looked very tired at noon, after resting for the afternoon, they trained as if nothing had happened. There was no trace of their earlier battered state. They looked completely used to it.
"Ran, if Coach does this, won't the juniors be too scared to come to the national team in the future?"
Shoma Tomita scratched his head. He was genuinely worried Coach would scare the juniors away. A symbolic taste would have been enough. Why was he taking it so seriously?
Ran Takahashi rolled his eyes as he ran.
"You're overthinking it. If they can't even get through this much training, why are they still playing volleyball? It's not like anyone's dead."
Hearing that, Shoma Tomita turned back to look at the long line behind them.
Hiss... That was true. Not a single person had fallen behind.
Only then did he relax and put his mind back into training.
By the time they reached the twenties, everyone realized that the training camp team really did have something to them.
They were not exactly running without flushed faces or heavy breathing, but at least they were not dead tired, unlike a certain blond Setter.
Atsumu Miya was panting hard. He really could not accept the national team's training method. This was practically risking their lives. Inarizaki's training had always leaned more toward technique.
He had not experienced such a simple, brutal training style since his first year.
Atsumu Miya looked at the others with doubt written all over his face as they acted like nothing was wrong. He really wanted to curse out loud. Was there no one here who cared about how he felt?
After more than ten years, Atsumu Miya finally realized today that he was actually useless at physical training.
"Hey, hey, hey! One more lap!"
Unlike everyone else, Bokuto grew more and more excited. He could not stop at all. He was too happy. The national team and the training camp team really did suit him. Everyone here was like him, and they could all keep up with his pace.
This time, he was not alone.
This kind of training might be exhausting for others, but for a high-energy bird of prey like Bokuto, it was actually just right.
Keiji Akaashi ran at the very back, tiredly watching the dazzling figure ahead. This was wonderful. Senpai Bokuto had found his own comfort zone too. It seemed he had finally found the training method that truly suited him.
"Oh my, not bad, not bad at all. What a stamina monster."
Hibarida clapped with a look of wonder on his face. He really had never seen a player with this much energy before.
If Ryosuke knew about this, he would definitely push Hinata in front of Coach Hibarida and let him see this guy who was practically a reincarnated spring. If Hinata trained together with Bokuto, they could absolutely wear out an entire team.
Ryosuke handled this kind of training quite well too. It had really been a long time since he last felt the kind of running exhaustion that made his throat burn. After running, they would do a full back workout, then three hundred Serve Receives, then four sets of practice drills.
That kind of soreness and satisfaction was something only those who tried it would understand.
...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.