Chapter 75- The Interview

Hinata had just woken up, and it was seven in the morning on a Saturday. He went straight to brush his teeth before starting his morning exercises.

"Alright, today's the day of that interview... I don't know what the impact of appearing in a magazine sold all over Japan will be, but it definitely won't be negative... I hope more people get interested in my skills," Hinata thought as he finished brushing his teeth.

After some exercises and stretching, he went downstairs to have breakfast.

"Oh, I can't believe my son is going to be in a famous magazine!" said Hana.

"Did you expect anything less from your amazing son? Just get used to it!" Hinata replied with a confident smile.

"Hey! Don't forget who made you! So I deserve some credit too!" his mom said, laughing.

"Wow!" Hinata exclaimed as he looked at his phone screen.

"I just got a message from Takeda-sensei, and the place I need to go for the interview is in the city center..." Hinata said.

"Hmm... that's far from here! Don't worry, I'll take you this time! You're always biking to school, and if you do that now, you'll get too tired and show up all sweaty and late!" Hana said.

"What about Natsu?" Hinata asked, looking at his sister, who was still eating.

"No problem! Natsu, today we're going on a little outing!" Hana said.

"Oh... that sounds fun... will there be ice cream?" Natsu asked.

"We can grab some quickly!" Hana replied with a smile.

"Cool!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Alright! Now that you two are done, let's get going because the place is far, and we might be late!" Hana said, grabbing the car keys and getting in, followed by Hinata and Natsu.

After stopping by an ice cream shop to get Natsu some ice cream, they headed to the center of Sendai and arrived in front of a large building.

"This is it!" Hinata said, looking at his phone.

"Alright! I'll drop you off here and take Natsu for a walk. When you're done, message me, and I'll come pick you up!" Hana said, leaving Hinata, who entered the building through a revolving door. Inside, he noticed the empty ground floor lobby, some turnstiles leading to another part of the building, and a reception desk with a few computers but no one sitting in the chairs. He waited standing for a little over a minute until a brunette woman with glasses came out from behind the computer area.

"Good morning, I assume you're Hinata Shoyo... I'm Miyuki Sasaki," the woman said.

"Got it, nice to meet you. I just got here and was a bit confused about where to go..." Hinata said.

"There's still some time before the interview, but since you've both arrived, I'll take you to the waiting room where the other person is also waiting..." Sasaki said.

Hinata didn't understand what she meant by "the other," but he continued following the woman, who used the card around her neck to let him through the turnstile. They walked up a ramp next to the cafeteria, and after climbing another ramp, they reached a hallway with several rooms.

"You can sit there!" Sasaki said, pointing to several chairs, one of which was surprisingly occupied by Oikawa.

"Oh, Hinata-chan! So you're the one we were waiting for!" Oikawa said.

"Oikawa-san, so you're also being interviewed?" Hinata asked.

"Yes! And it's not my first time..." Oikawa boasted.

"Listen... I assume you both brought your volleyball uniforms in your bags. I'll need you to go to the locker room and change so we can take photos after the interview," Sasaki said, pointing toward the locker room.

"Okay... let's go!" Oikawa said enthusiastically, heading to the locker room with Hinata. Once they arrived, each took a booth and quickly put on their respective uniforms.

"I saw your game against Shiratorizawa... you guys really gave that bastard Ushiwaka a scare, but you're still not on his level, are you?" Oikawa said provocatively while looking at his own reflection in a large mirror in the locker room.

"Well, when it comes to pure power and scoring ability, I still can't compare to him, but when it comes to serves, I don't think any of you can keep up with me..." Hinata retorted.

"Don't get too full of yourself, because if the rest of your team improves, you won't be able to beat us!" Oikawa warned, pointing at his chest.

"I really hope your team brings something different, because if not, you won't even see our shadows!" Hinata finished as he left the locker room.

"Alright! The interviewer is already waiting for you in that room!" Sasaki said, pointing to a room at the end of the hallway. The two players entered and saw some spotlights and green screens in the background, with a table on the side where a man in a sports jacket was waiting for them.

"Good morning, I'm Genjiro Sakamoto, and I'm here to interview you on behalf of Japan Sports Weekly. Everything okay?" the interviewer, who had a rather youthful appearance, asked.

"All good!" the two said in unison.

"The questions will be the same for both of you since you'll share the column space in the magazine, but it'll be clear who said what," Sakamoto said.

"Curry," Hinata said.

"Milk bread," Oikawa said.

"Interesting... and now, what are your saying is?" Sakamoto asked.

"If you're going to hit it, hit it until it breaks!" Oikawa said promptly.

"And you, Hinata-kun?" Sakamoto asked, looking at a confused and slightly nervous Hinata.

"Hmm... It's more important to master the cards you've been dealt than to complain about the cards your opponent got," Hinata said, recalling a line from Grimsley in Pokémon that he had heard in his past life... not that it meant much to him, but he needed to say something, and he liked the phrase.

"Alright... and what are your goals for the next tournament? Will the third-year members stay on the team?" Sakamoto asked.

"In our case, all the third-years are staying, and we're focused on taking down Shiratorizawa!" Oikawa said.

"I can't speak for them, but I believe our third-years will also stay on the team, and our initial goal is to make it to nationals," Hinata said.

"That's everything! Now let's move on to the photo shoot!" Sakamoto said, putting down the pen he was writing with and directing them toward the green screens. A photographer approached and asked Hinata and Oikawa to strike a few poses, both together and individually. After the photo session, they were both dismissed.

"Alright, you clown! Next time we meet, I'll destroy you on the court!" Oikawa said, turning around and walking out the building's door.

"Hmm... now I need to message my mom..." Hinata thought, ignoring Oikawa. He waited at the reception, and after a few minutes, his mom arrived and took him back home.