Ryosuke shook his head without saying anything. Even he didn't really understand what was going on with his body, so how was he supposed to explain it to Hinata?
"I don't know. My knee hurts. I'll go get an X-ray."
"Oh… okay, okay." Hinata nodded stiffly, clearly reacting to the words "X-ray" like they'd hit some kind of nerve.
After a few seconds of standing there blankly, Hinata suddenly sprang into action. He hurriedly swung his backpack to the front, then hopped around to grab Ryosuke's bag and throw it over his own shoulder, before bustling about and somehow producing a bottle of water from nowhere.
At this rate, if you gave Ryosuke a wheelchair and added Hinata to the scene, he'd look like someone on his last legs.
Under Hinata's overwhelming care, Ryosuke had no choice but to give in and let him fuss around, carrying bags and handing over water.
By the time Ryosuke finished the X-ray, Hinata already looked much more energetic. Ryosuke stepped forward and placed his hand on Hinata's forehead, checking his temperature. Feeling it gradually returning to normal, he nodded. That vaccine shot really packed a punch.
Hinata, for some reason, turned red again, but Ryosuke didn't notice as he turned to look at the X-ray.
The doctor carefully examined the film, then glanced at Ryosuke, his expression serious as if deep in thought.
Hinata's face tightened with worry. No way… could Ryosuke actually be sick? But he didn't look like it.
Ryosuke was also confused by the doctor's expression. He knew his own body well enough. There was nothing seriously wrong, so what was with that look?
Sure enough, after looking him over, the doctor finally spoke.
"It's nothing serious."
Hinata let out a long breath.
"But…"
His breath caught again immediately.
Ryosuke looked at him, half amused and half helpless, worried Hinata might actually pass out from holding his breath. And this doctor… pausing like that on purpose.
"But your nutrition isn't keeping up. You're a bit malnourished. Your knees have grown too quickly, and your body hasn't caught up yet, which is why they hurt. You're also lacking several trace elements. You need to eat more regularly. Without a healthy foundation, your body can't support knees like that."
Ryosuke's expression turned complicated. Eat more? I already eat like a calf… chips, cream puffs, instant noodles, sushi… If I eat any more, I'll burst.
Meanwhile, Hinata nodded vigorously.
"That's right. Ryosuke, you're too skinny. You need to eat more."
Ryosuke felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Why does this sound so familiar? Why does everyone keep telling me to eat more? I'm not a pig.
...
After they each went home, Ryosuke told Coach Washijō about the doctor's diagnosis and showed him the X-rays. Coach Washijō winced.
He looked Ryosuke up and down. The boy's build wasn't thin at all. His muscles were already starting to take shape. Not sharply defined, but clearly healthy. No matter how he looked at it, it didn't match the idea of malnutrition.
And then there were Ryosuke's eating habits. If he liked something, he'd eat a few more bites. If he didn't, he wouldn't even touch it. If he could finish two bowls of rice in one meal, Coach Washijō would probably wake up laughing in his sleep.
Every meal felt like torture to him. Yet he loved snacks. The more unhealthy it was, the more he liked it. Sure, it was high in calories, but with his level of activity, it wouldn't make him gain weight. The real problem was that he only liked eating junk food.
He didn't like vegetables or fish, and that was what led to his malnutrition.
Coach Washijō gave Ryosuke another complicated look. The kid's physique is already good. Lean but muscular. How is he malnourished? Even Tendō, who looks like a walking stick, has perfectly normal health metrics. So why doesn't it work for Ryosuke?
Does he need to bulk him up like Ushijima?
The thought came out of nowhere, and Coach Washijō shuddered. A heavily muscled Ryosuke tugging at his hand and acting spoiled… yeah, that was not something he could handle.
Feeling mentally exhausted, he waved Ryosuke off.
How could he be malnourished? Coach Washijō was genuinely puzzled. He looked perfectly fine. It was also their first time raising a child, and neither he nor his wife really knew what the right approach was.
He had always raised kids like athletes. He never concerned himself with their development before. They all had their own families. Why should a coach worry about that? But when it came to Ryosuke, he realized he didn't actually know much about raising a child to grow up healthy.
He usually turned a blind eye to Ryosuke's diet. As long as his weight, body fat, and muscle mass met the standards, he didn't interfere much. And now, that negligence had caught up with him.
He stood in the living room thinking for a long time before finally calling Saito, the team doctor, for advice. What else could he do? This was his kid. He had to take it seriously.
Ryosuke, meanwhile, had no idea that Coach Washijō had already set his sights on his lunchbox.
Malnourished?
Ryosuke absentmindedly touched his abs. This counts as malnourished? Then wouldn't Tendō-senpai be terminally ill?
"Pfft, hahaha."
The ridiculous thought made him laugh.
He turned and flopped onto his bed, pulling out his phone to check his messages.
He realized that Sakusa had sent him messages hours ago. At the time, he'd been playing volleyball with Udai-senpai and Hinata, so he hadn't seen them.
Clean Freak: I'm going too. See you in Tokyo then
Clean Freak: Remember to miss me
Clean Freak: cat sending heart jpg
Ryosuke's eyes curved into a smile as he read the messages. He tapped the white cat making a heart on the screen, looking completely satisfied.
Ah, Sakusa stole my sticker again.
He flopped around happily on the bed, looking like a lovestruck teenage girl. No, a lovestruck teenage boy.
Ryosuke was in a great mood, but things hadn't been going so well for Sakusa over in Tokyo.
Ever since what happened last time, when Keigo Atobe caught him red-handed, things had gone downhill. That very afternoon, right after Ryosuke left, Keigo Atobe stormed straight into the Itachiyama gym.
Sakusa would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. That handsome face twisted with anger the moment he saw him, his usual noble demeanor completely shattered. If Matsukawa Issei hadn't been there holding him back, Atobe might have torn Sakusa apart on the spot.
At first, Sakusa didn't know who he was. But when he saw that face, which looked about seventy percent like Ryosuke's, his heart sank.
This is bad.
Although Atobe didn't explode on the spot and gave him some face, he still dragged Sakusa away.
The rest of Itachiyama was naturally curious about that extremely handsome guy. They exchanged gossip-filled looks, wondering if Sakusa had suddenly lost his germophobia.
Only Komori racked his brain, trying to remember where he had seen that person before.
In the small grove behind the gym, a flock of birds scattered into the air before settling back down again.
No one knew what kind of agreement Sakusa and Atobe reached. But when Sakusa returned, one of his eyes was badly swollen.
His usually neat and tidy hair was disheveled, hanging down messily, making him look like he'd just been roughed up. Completely miserable.
Komori and the others were shocked, thinking he had been bullied. They all rushed over, but Sakusa stepped aside with visible disgust, pretending not to see them.
It was honestly pretty embarrassing…
After that, for some reason, Atobe kept having people make harassment calls to Sakusa every single day. It was like he had eyes on him at all times.
Sakusa was helpless. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't beat him in strength, wealth, or influence.
And to make matters worse, the guy was Ryosuke's older brother…
Sigh… the road ahead is long and full of challenges.
Sakusa rubbed his temples with a headache, but the moment he saw Ryosuke's message, he broke into a silly grin. Everyone at Itachiyama thought something must be wrong with his brain. Otherwise, why would he be smiling so strangely?
Everything had already been arranged. Now everyone was gearing up, waiting for the next round of training and the chance to grow stronger.
As for Hinata, after saying goodbye to Ryosuke, he didn't go home. He checked his temperature, still feeling a bit warm, and with a slight cough, he put on a mask. He looked a little pale, and even his orange hair seemed duller, but at least he didn't look as bad as he had that morning.
With his mask on, Hinata carried the large bag of cold medicine Ryosuke had forced on him and headed to Karasuno.
On the way, he kept staring at the seven or eight boxes of medicine in the bag, his eyes turning blank with disbelief. Then he thought about what Ryosuke had said, "Take your medicine on time." Did that mean he really had to finish all of this?
If that was the case, did he even need to eat anymore?
Hinata fell silent, pressed his lips together, and quickened his pace. He decided to go to school and ask Sugawara. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ryosuke, it was just that Ryosuke really didn't seem like someone who took care of others.
He looked so… refined. Like someone who was always being taken care of. Like a glass doll displayed behind a shop window.
Hinata searched for the right words as he absentmindedly thought about Ryosuke, and before he knew it, he had arrived at the gym entrance.
Just as he was about to open the door, he heard voices inside. His hand froze midair.
Tanaka was muttering to Nishinoya about him.
"Hinata hasn't shown up all day… do you think he's really upset?"
Nishinoya waved a hand dismissively, fully focused on practicing a new move.
Seeing he was being ignored, Tanaka kept pestering him.
"Hey, Noya, at least answer me! Hinata's been gone all day, and it just feels weird. Do you think we should cheer him up tomorrow?" Tanaka really was a dependable senior.
Nishinoya finally got fed up. He tossed a volleyball at him and planted his hands on his hips.
"Are you an idiot, Tanaka?! Hinata's definitely not taking it that hard. His love for volleyball is no less than ours. Someone like that is meant to stand on the court. I had that feeling the first time I met him."
Tanaka blinked, stunned.
Nishinoya walked over and picked up the ball again.
"Hinata's not the type to give up so easily. He'll sort himself out. Tomorrow, you'll see the same Hinata as always."
Tanaka scratched his head blankly.
"Are you sure he's not upset? I still think we should pay more attention to his feelings. My sister says people who seem happy are often hiding their sadness inside."
"Your sister's right, but Hinata doesn't need us to cheer him up. He can handle it himself."
Nishinoya had had enough. He grabbed Tanaka by the hem of his shirt and dragged him off to practice. With Nishinoya's strength, even someone as big as Tanaka was pulled away like nothing.
Hinata stood outside, listening to everything. After a moment, he let out a relieved laugh. He had been worried everyone might think he was making a fuss, but it turned out they cared about him so much. A warm feeling spread through his chest.
Teammates are family too…
Hinata let out a silly "hehe" and stood there at the door like an idiot.
Then he deliberately waited a few more minutes before suddenly pushing the door open and shouting,
"I'm back!"
Immediately, everyone who had been resting popped out from all corners.
Tsukishima and Yamaguchi peeked out from the side room. Tsukishima's expression looked a bit unnatural. It wasn't like he was worried about that short guy or anything. But if Hinata really got knocked down by this, he would be disappointed. Yamaguchi also looked at Hinata with concern.
Sugawara and Daichi came running in from the back door. Kageyama got smacked by the volleyball in his hands. Takeda-sensei walked out of the staff room carrying ginger tea.
In the distance, Tanaka and Nishinoya were dragged back by Ennoshita, one in each hand, his face full of helplessness.
Asahi stood beside Daichi, tying up his hair.
Ukai, who had been smoking, saw Hinata standing there in a mask looking pitiful and immediately put out his cigarette.
The gym, which had been quiet just moments ago, instantly became lively again with Hinata's return. It finally felt warm and full of life, like a home. Karasuno's home.
"Hinata, how are you? Are you feeling unwell? Why do you have so much medicine?!"
"Did you go see a doctor?"
Sugawara and Daichi fired off questions one after another, leaving Hinata a little dazed. Looking at everyone's concerned faces, he lowered his head awkwardly.
Then he suddenly remembered something and looked at Sugawara.
"Sugawara-senpai, Ryosuke took me to the hospital today. The doctor prescribed medicine, but I don't know how to take it."
Sugawara picked up the bag and carefully explained everything, while Daichi frowned, still worried.
Nishinoya tried to squeeze in but was immediately pulled back by Ennoshita.
Before long, a whole crowd had gathered around Hinata.
Even Tsukishima stood nearby, not too close, not too far.
Takeda noticed the scene and smiled even more warmly.
Hinata was like the sun. Wherever he was, that became the center. He naturally drew people in.
Kageyama stood there, lips pressed together, looking a bit awkward. Seeing that Hinata hadn't noticed him yet somehow made it worse.
Hinata suddenly turned around and looked at Kageyama with a smug grin, unable to hide his excitement.
"Kageyama, I saw the Small Giant today! I met my idol. You didn't, right? Hahaha, this time I win!"
"Hah? Hinata, you idiot. Who's competing with you over something like that?!"
Seeing the two return to their usual dynamic, everyone finally relaxed.
It really would feel strange without these two making noise.
And just like that, Karasuno's day came to an end with Hinata's return.
The sky gradually darkened. Across Miyagi, in places big and small, people looked up at the stars, thinking about their futures.
Hinata glanced back at the twinkling sky, then pedaled off on his bicycle, disappearing into the night.
...
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.