Chapter 71- Are You Sure?!

After waking up the next day following the match against Shiratorizawa, Hinata got up to follow his usual routine when there are no tournament games. He woke up, had breakfast with his mom and sister, and went to do his morning exercises before taking a shower and heading to school.

"It's clear that in terms of physical strength, I still don't compare to Ushiwaka, even though I can jump higher and am faster. I still lack power in my serves!" Hinata thought while doing some sit-ups.

"But the big problem is that there's no magic formula for increasing physical strength. I'm following my exercise routine properly and have been going to the gym frequently, but I'm at the mercy of time until my body develops. So, I need to find alternative ways to increase the power of my spikes, especially for attacks that aren't the super-quick one... I can't rely on it if I want to be the best in Japan!" Hinata thought, now doing some push-ups.

"Alright, I'm done!" Hinata thought as he got up, took his shower, and then put on his uniform to head to school.

"I'm leaving, Mom!" Hinata shouted as he left the house.

"Alright!" his mom shouted back.

"But anyway, I need to think about improving my skills. However, I shouldn't forget the lesson that the game against Shiratorizawa taught me. I also have to focus on helping my teammates improve with me... It's not like it's something new. Back in middle school, I had to teach practically all my old teammates." Hinata pondered as he pedaled his bike toward Karasuno.

After arriving at school, Hinata went straight to his classroom.

"Hinata-kun, we saw your game yesterday. You were amazing! Too bad we couldn't win," said a girl, blushing slightly.

"I AGREE! I really wish I could play like that! Too bad I'm so short!" said a guy.

"Oh, thank you! We're still accepting new members. Height has never stopped anyone. The Little Giant exists to prove that, and there's always the option of being a libero, which is also a cool position!" Hinata said as he approached the boy and the girl.

"Nah, I'm not interested in taking hits!" the boy said as he returned to his seat, while the girl did the same. Shortly after, the history teacher arrived in the classroom.

"Alright, class has started. It's time for it! Time to make some progress on my Pokémon save!" Hinata thought with a smile on his face as he grabbed his console and hid it so the teacher wouldn't find it.

After a little over an hour, the history class ended, and Hinata had two more Pokémon in his Pokédex: a Golett and a Timburr.

"Nice! Time for lunch because muscles won't grow if I skip meals," he thought as he walked toward Kageyama's classroom, who had just finished his class, and the two headed to the cafeteria.

"Hey... are your grades okay? It'll be bad for you if you're struggling," Hinata said while eating.

"Well, it's not all bad... I think..." Kageyama pondered, his voice faltering at the end.

"But anyway, there are still supplementary exams, so I don't think it's a big problem," Kageyama continued.

"You do you, but remember that we never know what's coming, so it's better to always be prepared!" Hinata commented, leaving it hanging as he threw his trash in the bin.

"What do you mean by that?" Kageyama asked, confused, as he followed Hinata.

"It's nothing, just forget it!" Hinata said casually, leaving behind a confused Kageyama as he headed back to his classroom for the rest of his classes.

After classes ended, Hinata went to the locker room to change before practice and ran into Tanaka, Nishinoya, and the rest of the second-years who were already there.

"Good afternoon, Tanaka-san... Nishinoya-san," Hinata said as he entered.

"OH, Hinata-kun, how are you? Ready for another day of practice? Because I am!" Tanaka said confidently.

"Yeah! We have to give it our all. We lost yesterday, but we'll bounce back!" Nishinoya said energetically.

"Definitely! We lost to Shiratorizawa, who's going to nationals and will face even stronger teams. We can't fall behind," Hinata said.

"Wait, do you think there are teams stronger than Shiratorizawa?" Tanaka asked.

"Probably. They're really strong, but there are plenty of scary teams out there," Hinata commented as he put on his practice shirt.

"Did you hear that, Noya-san? If there are teams stronger than Shiratorizawa, we have to go way beyond what we thought!" Tanaka said with fire in his eyes.

"LET'S GIVE OUR SOULS, RYU!!!" Nishinoya shouted.

"I'm heading out..." Hinata said as he went down the stairs toward the gym. Upon entering, he noticed Asahi, Daichi, Sugawara, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi talking.

"WHAT? Are you sure you want to quit? You're still a first-year. There's still a lot of growth and a lot of volleyball to be played!" Daichi said.

"Think about it! With your height and reading ability, you could become one of the best middle blockers! There's no reason to quit now!" Sugawara said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I'm sorry, but I've made my decision... Excuse me," Tsukishima said as he left, passing by Hinata without looking at his face.

"Wow, it seems like Ushiwaka really hit him hard!" Hinata said while laughing.

"This isn't the time for jokes, Hinata... This is serious!" Sugawara warned.

"Sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood," Hinata said, shrugging.

"Well, Yamaguchi, you're that idiot's closest friend. You must know some way to make him change his mind," Hinata questioned.

"Honestly, I've tried talking to him several times not to do this, but he wouldn't listen to me," Yamaguchi said, looking down, upset.

"Even without Tsukishima, our practice routine has to continue... Let's wait for the rest to arrive and get started!" Ukai said, appearing suddenly.

"Did you already know about this, Ukai-san?" Daichi asked.

"Yes, he told me yesterday before we left the restaurant. Of course, I tried to stop him, but if he's made a decision, there's nothing I can do about it... but you guys can try!" Ukai said.

"Alright, we'll deal with that later! For now, let's get started!" Daichi said as he noticed the rest of the members arriving at the gym.