[ There is one bright side to being so intensely thick-skulled—it means Kageyama can sip his drink impassively, untouched by his senior's ambient irritation and questionable table manners. The Karasuno team, aptly, descends on food like a pack of starved bird-rats, so this is par for the teenage boy course. They might be vultures more than crows.
But more importantly, it seems that whatever simmering agitation he's feeling has already started to metabolize into conviction. It's just been hours after their match, and they all have their minds of the next one, whether it's in the next morning or the next month or the next season. He squares his shoulders, feeling strangely challenged, even if he's tired and they're in a cafeteria instead of a court. ]
It might. Because we'll be there too.
[ He doesn't intend to lose in a rematch, even if he's sure it'll be a worse battle than today: a good majority of Inarizaki's team will still be here next year—they'll still be a threat, and come next season, they'll be even more starved for a win. It's the sort of hunger that any good player has. It's the same reason why Kageyama feels a prickle of excitement rather than intimidation.
How good will Atsumu Miya be after some months, armed with the last-ditch urgings of third year determination, and the memory of defeat? Better than today, at least. It's insanity. Despite the intensity of his volleyball thoughts and the seriousness with which Kageyama carries himself, it's undercut somewhat by way he spins the straw of his little juicebox between his forefinger and thumb. ]
You made me a better player for this match. I'll learn from what you taught me today, too. [ And despite the undertone of very natural haughtiness, he's thankful, too. Meeting Atsumu at the youth camp had been an eye-opening experience, as was their match. ]
[ They're losing some important members this year, bedrocks of Inarizaki like Kita-san, and their ace, Aran. Atsumu has some good hitters like Suna and his brother still left to use as weapons, and there's no telling what sort of first years might darken his doorstep in the future though. More than anything, now that they've played the crows, Atsumu knows some of their tricks first hand.
Though Kageyama better have some new ones to pull on him next year too. It would be boring if Atsumu didn't have to adjust and re-strategize in the middle of a game. His mind is already twisting and molding potential plays despite the fact that the game is a year off, and he has no idea if both of their teams are going to make it.
They better both make it though. Atsumu's hungry for a rematch first chance he gets. Sure, playing against powerhouses like Shiratorizawa might be nice, but without their southpaw in play next year, Atsumu would much rather have a chance to sink his fangs into the crows.
The begins of an unpleasant little smirk twitch up the corner of Atsumu's mouth, though he tries (not too successfully) to pull it back down into a frown at the compliment that Kageyama offers him. ]
I ain't playin' for your sake, just so we're clear.
[ He could not possibly sound more pleased and preening if he tried, despite the actual words coming out of his mouth. ]
[ Kageyama, thankfully, isn't riled up enough to contort his face into one of his patented awful smiles back. If anything, he's got a puzzled little tilt to his head, because he never says anything meaning for it to be praise. Even if it is a compliment, coming from him.
Some people are happy when you tell them the truth. Some people really aren't? Some people react really badly when he just says things? Atsumu must be the type to take brutal honesty well? He settles on answering with a nod. ]
I know. You're a good reference anyway.
[ As was the rest of their team; Atsumu has a similar, starlike quality to Oikawa, where his players seem to shine brighter alongside him. It's good, even as a competitor. He'd gotten a taste for it at camp, but getting to play the very best of the best from across the country has meant explosive growth for him—for Karasuno— ]
What did you think of our team?
[ —Karasuno, which is currently doing something ridiculous like arm-wrestling competitions against anyone they can goad on Inarizaki's team in the background. He looks serious all the same. ]
[ In a weird way, Atsumu is the kind of guy who takes brutal honesty well. It's one of the things he's always respected about his captain, even if that icy honesty can sometimes be painful to be on the receiving side of.
... And somehow Atsumu is one of the main targets for it. For some reason? A true mystery as to why.
What Kageyama just said to him felt more like a compliment than the other boy could ever realize, and the fact that he didn't actually mean it as one just makes it all the better in Atsumu's book. False flattery isn't particularly welcome. Sincere but overblown flattery? That's actually okay, but an honest comment from a worthy opponent is one of the best compliments a guy can get.
And as loathe as he is to admit it when he's down, Kageyama is definitely a worthy foe.
The fact that he's asking for Atsumu's assessment now fluffs his ego up even more, and he hums to himself as he takes another bite of cake, not bothering to not look like he's preening under just the right kind of attention to soothe his ego at the moment.
Without a doubt, the entirety of Inarizaki is breathing a collective sigh of relief that they don't have to deal with an Atsumu who is in an even shittier mood than he was before.
Instead they'll get a slightly more relaxed Atsumu, who is coming out of his sulky anger, and moving right along into post-game analysis Atsumu. A significantly easier version to deal with.
He raises his fork to gesture to the group of boys crowding around the food. ]
You've got a solid defense on your hands. Your libero is seriously something else. You don't often you see a guy like him, and glasses ain't half bad himself. He was really gettin' under Suna's skin near the end.
[ He doesn't sound as upset by that fact as someone might about their teammate being egged on. They're friends. Really! It's just a slightly adversarial friendship. ]
Your third years seem pretty solid too, but the real one you wanna work on buildin' up is...
[ The fork he'd been waving around before stills now as he looks directly at Hinata. ]
A little more practice and polishin' and that little guy is really gonna end up bein' something.
[ It's a valuable teaching moment to listen to another, talented setter's take on Karasuno's strengths. In a way that makes sense to only someone as socially maladjusted as Kageyama, this is a generally nice moment. Atsumu seems like a decent kind of guy. Their teams are collectively spared of having to deal with them because for some reason, they're getting along. They're gassing each other up. It's a marked change from Atsumu casually giving him an existential crisis at youth camp.
But he's matured some, and this wouldn't have been possible a year ago; he's grown enough that he's willing to learn and accept feedback, and then maybe apply it, critically. And—it's kind of nice to hear praise for his teammates, which is odd for a number of reasons he can't quite grasp, like maybe he cares about them or something. Even with Tsukishima, famously an enormous pain in the ass, there's a kind of twisted pride in knowing that he can improve and is a threat, thereby proving Kageyama right.
However, as much as Kageyama has improved as a person or as a player, he has his limits. His limits are small and orange and deeply irritating. So he is suddenly making. SUCH a face. It's like Atsumu made him suck on an entire lemon. ]
... ... ...Okay. [ His ability to remain civil for the sake of being polite to his senior lasts for about two seconds. He stares at the path of the fork one more time, just in case. ] No? Hinata? He sucks.
[ He does not suck. Okay, his serves still kind of suck. Hinata is... better at volleyball now than he used to be, because he used to really suck. Kageyama is grappling with this truth and it is showing in the obvious contortions of his face. He should've gotten a cake to stab too. ]
He thinks he can be all demanding [ in a way that Atsumu should understand, as a setter ] when he catches receives with his face half the time...!
[ Decent isn't usually a term that people would apply to Miya Atsumu, but obsessive about the sport he plays sure is. Whether it was entirely unintentional on Kageyama's part or not, he managed to approach Atsumu just the right way to have him relaxing and willing to share his "wisdom". He prefers to be out there playing and practicing, but it doesn't mean that Atsumu doesn't love a little game and player analysis too, and Kageyama is giving him a chance to do just that.
Plus, besides the third years, Atsumu fully counts on both teams making it back to nationals next year, and getting a jump start on working our details on the other team means he'll have a better idea of how to crush them come that time.
There's a lot of assumptions being made on Atsumu's part in that, but he's brushing all of that aside to focus on what he wants to instead, which is a future rematch with Karasuno. With the second and first years now, and whoever new they recruit after that. With Kageyama and Hinata specifically, even if Kageyama's assessment of his own teammate has Atsumu bursting out with a cackle loud enough to draw some attention back to them. ]
You oughta see the look on your face right now, Tobio-kun. It's something else.
[ He spears his fork into his cake as he settles back comfortably, grin stretching wider as he focuses a look on Hinata, who at least seems too food focused to worry about the fact that he's apparently the center of conversation right now. ]
You're right about that though. He's real rough and unpolished at the moment, but that's why I said you gotta put him through his paces and really make him into something.
[ There's something just this side of unpleasant about the way one side of his mouth crooks up even further. ]
Sounds like he's already doin' it to you.
[ Atsumu knows it well, the control freak side that came come with being a setter, that so often does come with being a setter. It makes it frustrating when players don't dance to your tune, and try to force the setter to follow their steps instead, but that's kind of exciting, isn't it? That sort of demanding shakeup, having a person there that'll keep pushing you to do better than you did just the day before. Atsumu has that to some extent with his twin, but his brother doesn't have the same sort of hunger and drive for it that Hinata does.
He likes that he sees that in Hinata. Hell, he likes that he sees it in Kageyama too now that they've actually played a proper match against each other, but they're talking face to face right now and share a position on the court, so like hell Atsumu's going to tell Kageyama that much. ]
I'm real envious of you honestly, gettin' to build up a guy like that from scratch. I'd steal Shoyo-kun away from the crows right now if I could.
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But more importantly, it seems that whatever simmering agitation he's feeling has already started to metabolize into conviction. It's just been hours after their match, and they all have their minds of the next one, whether it's in the next morning or the next month or the next season. He squares his shoulders, feeling strangely challenged, even if he's tired and they're in a cafeteria instead of a court. ]
It might. Because we'll be there too.
[ He doesn't intend to lose in a rematch, even if he's sure it'll be a worse battle than today: a good majority of Inarizaki's team will still be here next year—they'll still be a threat, and come next season, they'll be even more starved for a win. It's the sort of hunger that any good player has. It's the same reason why Kageyama feels a prickle of excitement rather than intimidation.
How good will Atsumu Miya be after some months, armed with the last-ditch urgings of third year determination, and the memory of defeat? Better than today, at least. It's insanity. Despite the intensity of his volleyball thoughts and the seriousness with which Kageyama carries himself, it's undercut somewhat by way he spins the straw of his little juicebox between his forefinger and thumb. ]
You made me a better player for this match. I'll learn from what you taught me today, too. [ And despite the undertone of very natural haughtiness, he's thankful, too. Meeting Atsumu at the youth camp had been an eye-opening experience, as was their match. ]
no subject
Though Kageyama better have some new ones to pull on him next year too. It would be boring if Atsumu didn't have to adjust and re-strategize in the middle of a game. His mind is already twisting and molding potential plays despite the fact that the game is a year off, and he has no idea if both of their teams are going to make it.
They better both make it though. Atsumu's hungry for a rematch first chance he gets. Sure, playing against powerhouses like Shiratorizawa might be nice, but without their southpaw in play next year, Atsumu would much rather have a chance to sink his fangs into the crows.
The begins of an unpleasant little smirk twitch up the corner of Atsumu's mouth, though he tries (not too successfully) to pull it back down into a frown at the compliment that Kageyama offers him. ]
I ain't playin' for your sake, just so we're clear.
[ He could not possibly sound more pleased and preening if he tried, despite the actual words coming out of his mouth. ]
no subject
Some people are happy when you tell them the truth. Some people really aren't? Some people react really badly when he just says things? Atsumu must be the type to take brutal honesty well? He settles on answering with a nod. ]
I know. You're a good reference anyway.
[ As was the rest of their team; Atsumu has a similar, starlike quality to Oikawa, where his players seem to shine brighter alongside him. It's good, even as a competitor. He'd gotten a taste for it at camp, but getting to play the very best of the best from across the country has meant explosive growth for him—for Karasuno— ]
What did you think of our team?
[ —Karasuno, which is currently doing something ridiculous like arm-wrestling competitions against anyone they can goad on Inarizaki's team in the background. He looks serious all the same. ]
no subject
... And somehow Atsumu is one of the main targets for it. For some reason? A true mystery as to why.
What Kageyama just said to him felt more like a compliment than the other boy could ever realize, and the fact that he didn't actually mean it as one just makes it all the better in Atsumu's book. False flattery isn't particularly welcome. Sincere but overblown flattery? That's actually okay, but an honest comment from a worthy opponent is one of the best compliments a guy can get.
And as loathe as he is to admit it when he's down, Kageyama is definitely a worthy foe.
The fact that he's asking for Atsumu's assessment now fluffs his ego up even more, and he hums to himself as he takes another bite of cake, not bothering to not look like he's preening under just the right kind of attention to soothe his ego at the moment.
Without a doubt, the entirety of Inarizaki is breathing a collective sigh of relief that they don't have to deal with an Atsumu who is in an even shittier mood than he was before.
Instead they'll get a slightly more relaxed Atsumu, who is coming out of his sulky anger, and moving right along into post-game analysis Atsumu. A significantly easier version to deal with.
He raises his fork to gesture to the group of boys crowding around the food. ]
You've got a solid defense on your hands. Your libero is seriously something else. You don't often you see a guy like him, and glasses ain't half bad himself. He was really gettin' under Suna's skin near the end.
[ He doesn't sound as upset by that fact as someone might about their teammate being egged on. They're friends. Really! It's just a slightly adversarial friendship. ]
Your third years seem pretty solid too, but the real one you wanna work on buildin' up is...
[ The fork he'd been waving around before stills now as he looks directly at Hinata. ]
A little more practice and polishin' and that little guy is really gonna end up bein' something.
no subject
But he's matured some, and this wouldn't have been possible a year ago; he's grown enough that he's willing to learn and accept feedback, and then maybe apply it, critically. And—it's kind of nice to hear praise for his teammates, which is odd for a number of reasons he can't quite grasp, like maybe he cares about them or something. Even with Tsukishima, famously an enormous pain in the ass, there's a kind of twisted pride in knowing that he can improve and is a threat, thereby proving Kageyama right.
However, as much as Kageyama has improved as a person or as a player, he has his limits. His limits are small and orange and deeply irritating. So he is suddenly making. SUCH a face. It's like Atsumu made him suck on an entire lemon. ]
... ... ...Okay. [ His ability to remain civil for the sake of being polite to his senior lasts for about two seconds. He stares at the path of the fork one more time, just in case. ] No? Hinata? He sucks.
[ He does not suck. Okay, his serves still kind of suck. Hinata is... better at volleyball now than he used to be, because he used to really suck. Kageyama is grappling with this truth and it is showing in the obvious contortions of his face. He should've gotten a cake to stab too. ]
He thinks he can be all demanding [ in a way that Atsumu should understand, as a setter ] when he catches receives with his face half the time...!
no subject
Plus, besides the third years, Atsumu fully counts on both teams making it back to nationals next year, and getting a jump start on working our details on the other team means he'll have a better idea of how to crush them come that time.
There's a lot of assumptions being made on Atsumu's part in that, but he's brushing all of that aside to focus on what he wants to instead, which is a future rematch with Karasuno. With the second and first years now, and whoever new they recruit after that. With Kageyama and Hinata specifically, even if Kageyama's assessment of his own teammate has Atsumu bursting out with a cackle loud enough to draw some attention back to them. ]
You oughta see the look on your face right now, Tobio-kun. It's something else.
[ He spears his fork into his cake as he settles back comfortably, grin stretching wider as he focuses a look on Hinata, who at least seems too food focused to worry about the fact that he's apparently the center of conversation right now. ]
You're right about that though. He's real rough and unpolished at the moment, but that's why I said you gotta put him through his paces and really make him into something.
[ There's something just this side of unpleasant about the way one side of his mouth crooks up even further. ]
Sounds like he's already doin' it to you.
[ Atsumu knows it well, the control freak side that came come with being a setter, that so often does come with being a setter. It makes it frustrating when players don't dance to your tune, and try to force the setter to follow their steps instead, but that's kind of exciting, isn't it? That sort of demanding shakeup, having a person there that'll keep pushing you to do better than you did just the day before. Atsumu has that to some extent with his twin, but his brother doesn't have the same sort of hunger and drive for it that Hinata does.
He likes that he sees that in Hinata. Hell, he likes that he sees it in Kageyama too now that they've actually played a proper match against each other, but they're talking face to face right now and share a position on the court, so like hell Atsumu's going to tell Kageyama that much. ]
I'm real envious of you honestly, gettin' to build up a guy like that from scratch. I'd steal Shoyo-kun away from the crows right now if I could.