The five days of training camp passed very quickly. During this period, Hank had been training with Atsumu Miya the entire time. It was clear that, as the best setter in Japan, he did have some ability. Hank even felt that his own spiking level seemed to have improved a little.
But Atsumu still did not have the same chemistry with him as Oikawa did. The improvement Oikawa brought him was not much worse than what Atsumu brought him. In a certain sense, Toru Oikawa's sets were even slightly better than Atsumu Miya's.
After all, what suited him best was what mattered most. The cooperation between Toru Oikawa and him no longer needed words. It was absolutely among the very best in the world.
"Hank, after practicing with you these past few days, I realized your playing style is completely different from your personality."
"You look like the calm and steady type, but your playing style is a bit impatient. It's even somewhat… unrefined."
"Maybe you should be grateful that you're not a setter. Otherwise, even if you'd earned a ticket to Spring High, you still wouldn't have had any chance of entering the national youth team."
Atsumu Miya walked over to Hank while taking the chance to drink some water. He said those words in a tone that almost sounded like a joke.
But those words already made Hank feel deeply uncomfortable. So he directly shot back.
"The best setter in Japan isn't actually that strong. Looks like the opponents you met before were just too weak."
The moment those words fell, Atsumu Miya, who had originally been wearing a pleasant smile, suddenly had his expression darken. He had not expected Hank to fire back at him so directly, without leaving him even the slightest bit of face. Compared with the other players of their generation, Hank was far more confrontational.
As for this, Hank showed no courtesy at all. After all, from very early on, he had never given a good face to anyone who tried to push him around.
Besides, he still had the system.
A mere best setter in Japan might look somewhat capable when placed within Japan, but in Hank's eyes, Atsumu was only a relatively impressive high school student. If Atsumu cooperated with him, then they could indeed achieve mutual benefit.
If Atsumu did not cooperate with him, then at worst, Hank could go to a club in another country. Gold would shine wherever it was placed.
"This guy… once we get to Spring High, you'll see the gap."
Atsumu Miya had originally still been preparing to say something else, but he found that Hank had no time to listen to his nonsense. Hank directly left the training court.
Now, their national youth team training had already ended. Next, they would return to their own teams and begin the final stage of preparation.
Speaking of which, Spring High would be in January. It would begin very soon. Naturally, Hank was very clear about these things in his heart.
Hank also wanted to stay a little longer, but to be honest, there was now less than a month left before Spring High.
It was better for him to stay together with his own team. Only then could he raise the team's coordination.
In the end, volleyball was still a team sport. Individual ability still had to be placed beneath that.
"Spring High, huh? I'm coming. As long as I can defeat every team in Japan, I can step onto the world stage."
"I won't leave behind regrets like in the original story."
After Hank finished packing his bag, he took one final look at all the seeded players training behind him. Then he turned and walked in the direction of the Aoba Johsai volleyball club.
Next would be the time that belonged to his own team's training.
He would strive to max out his chemistry with Hajime Iwaizumi during this period.
(End of Chapter)
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