Miya Osamu glanced at Miya Atsumu beside him, Miya Atsumu, who already knew what he wanted to say, nodded.
—Give it a try.
It's something that will have to be tried sooner or later; Shoyo's tips are already very practiced, so now is the perfect time.
Moreover, rather than waiting until he faces a powerful opponent, it would be better to take this opportunity to practice thoroughly.
After all.. one must never stop moving forward, no matter when.
Behind him, Suna lowered his eyes.
Does it have to go to this extent? At this level, it's no longer just about putting pressure on the opponents; his teammates are also being forced forward bit by bit.
So tired..
Noticing Suna was about to slack off, Coach Kurosu glared directly at him: "Rintaro, take this seriously."
Nekoma's specialty is making a comeback from a deficit, so be careful not to trip up.
Even a large point gap doesn't mean you can let your guard down; many teams have been overtaken after the opposing side scored two or three consecutive points due to carelessness.
Suna nodded. "Yes.."
As expected, Coach Kurosu was quite satisfied with this rhythm where everyone was being forced to evolve.
This feeling of thorns pricking my back.. it's terrifying.
Inarizaki's match point.
Rishia, serve a good one!
The final rotation of this set went to Rishia's service turn.
Because of Yaku's pressure, he didn't have a single chance to score a point from a serve throughout this entire set.
Even if it was just once, he wanted to score a single point in this, his first official match.
"Go for it, Heisuke!" Shoyo shouted loudly, covering the back of his head with his hand.
Rishia took a deep breath.
Think back.. how the seniors and the opponents all used to serve.
The current facts have proven that his serve lacks the power to break through the opponent's Libero defense, so what he must do is shift his target.
—Shift from the two-thirds of the court covered by the Libero to the remaining portion.
Can he do it?
He hadn't specifically practiced his serve accuracy before this; was it really okay to try and wing it at the last minute?
Just then, Coach Kurosu's voice rang out from the sidelines: "Don't hesitate, give it a bold try."
Rishia immediately straightened up and said, "Understood."
There is no need to pursue being safe; when Inarizaki plays it safe, you can truly count the instances on one hand.
Always be bold in your attempts, risk everything for long-term victory.
The referee blew the whistle to signal the serve.
Rishia closed his eyes slightly, counting silently in his head.
If you want to pursue precision, the fastest way is to change the way you toss the ball.
Originally, in order to achieve height and power, one would toss the ball high first and then take a running start to spike it.
But if the goal is to increase accuracy, the approach must change to a projectile motion. This means performing the toss and the approach simultaneously, allowing for better calibration at the moment of impact.
Although it will reduce some of the power, in the current situation.. it doesn't matter.
At the very last moment, Rishia raised his hand to toss the ball up, while simultaneously taking a running start.
Kiryu, in the stands, made an instant judgment: "A float serve."
Choosing not to use that meaningless, powerful serve was absolutely the right decision.
Rishia worked hard to control the volleyball, avoiding Yaku's wide defensive range and spiking the ball toward the edge where the others were.
Kashiinayuki shouted, lowering his center of gravity in an attempt to receive the ball: "I've got it!"
The conclusion that "Rishia's serve is easy to receive" actually only applied to Yaku; the serves capable of threatening Yaku were basically the kind from Miya Atsumu and Aran.
But for the others on Nekoma High School, even though their receive capabilities were far superior to other schools, this kind of heavy, spinning serve was still difficult to handle.
With a heavy thud, Umi failed to control the ball, it flew straight back toward Inarizaki.
"A chance ball!!" everyone in the substitution area shouted in unison.
"Nice serve, Heisuke!" Aran shouted, following closely behind.
"I've got it!" Unabara followed up to receive the ball.
Encouraged by Rishia Heisuke's brilliant serve, Hinata called out for the ball for the first time this match: "Give me the ball!!"
Miya Atsumu had a smile spreading across his face as he prepared to set the ball to Hinata.
"Over here!" Kuroo led the team to chase after them again.
Miya Atsumu didn't even bother to fake the toss this time. Does he really give Hinata the ball just because he asks for it?
—As if.
In the next instant, Miya Atsumu shifted his entire body's orientation and used one hand to spike the ball directly over the net.
The volleyball slammed into the area near the front line of Nekoma, letting out a heavy thud.
A second attack.
With the first set successfully secured, everyone cheered, "Nice hit, Atsumu!"
Beautiful!!
Hinata blinked in confusion, as Rishia reached out to pat him, he suddenly covered his face with his hands and crouched down: "How embarrassing—I thought he would definitely give it to me!"
As expected, he shouldn't have spoken up to ask for the ball; there was no such provision in their tactical arrangement.
Miya Osamu nudged Miya Atsumu's waist with his elbow, gesturing with his eyes for him to go over and comfort the person.
Miya Atsumu was in an excellent mood and spoke up directly, "Next time, Shoyo-kun, if you're absolutely sure, you can keep asking for the ball too."
"Really!" Hinata instantly came to life.
Can he ask for the ball!
Miya Atsumu nodded. "Of course. Actively asking for the ball also shows that you're in good form, so I'll take it into serious consideration."
However.. whether or not he gives it to him is another matter entirely.
Usui, in the stands, also expressed shock: "Wow, even after all this, he's still not considering giving the ball to them?"
If it were me, I definitely would have given it to him. Even the little guy is asking for the ball so sincerely.
Kiryu said, "Inarizaki must have its own arrangements; Miya Atsumu has a lot on his mind."
Miya Atsumu looked like the type of person who would use everyone as bait; a Wing Spiker's true feelings were completely outside his considerations.
But it was true; for the sake of victory, nothing else mattered.
Not to mention that this style of play is indeed effective.
The more everyone expects it to be given, the more it must not be given.
Doing the exact opposite is the optimal solution, the same applies to feints during an attack.
Usui had a serious expression. "To be honest, I'm a little curious about what it feels like to set for him."
Scoring points using a little guy like that would definitely feel rewarding.
But.. he'll probably be left behind, after all, no one will spoil them like Kiryu Ya does.
Honda suggested, "How about inviting him for a three-on-three tonight?"
Usui expressed his regret: "There probably won't be a chance. Yesterday, I saw him being forced to practice his arm swings.."
From the moment he started slacking off until he was called over to set for Kiryu.
Shoyo knelt on one knee on the ground to spike, spending over an hour spiking under the supervision of the senior standing nearby.
——That's terrifying.
However, the results were also remarkable; not only was Hinata's running speed fast, but his spiking speed was also incredibly fast, leaving no time for anyone to react.
Hmm, I'm even more curious now.
Author's Note:
[Finger Heart](spinning entrance)[Finger Heart]
Chapter 21: The Twenty-First Fox
Usui turned his gaze toward the Nekoma side, who were currently in the middle of a discussion: "To be honest, Nekoma is playing way too frustratingly.."
I feel like their receives are very stable too, their overall defense is consistently without many mistakes, but the score just keeps being pulled away bit by bit.
That level of reception quality could be described as something they could only dream of achieving.
Bōwàng analyzed, "There are too many ineffective blocks, there aren't any truly effective offensive means."
Whether it was Inarizaki's Quick Attack or Suna's feints, they could basically break through Nekoma's block.
Too many ineffective blocks will lead to a decrease in the team's overall defensive success rate.
Nekoma's reception skills are indeed high, but many times.. they don't even get a chance to connect.
Even setting that aside, Nekoma was unable to bypass Inarizaki's blocks due to various issues, such as their overall lack of offensive intensity and insufficient hitting points.
Inarizaki didn't choose to go for direct blocks very often; throughout this set, they consistently made more touches and maintained a balanced coordination between offense and defense, leaving Nekoma with very little room to maneuver.
Kiryu asked Bōwàng, "What would you do?"
Bōwàng pondered for two seconds before answering decisively, "Let Hinata through on the block and shift the pressure onto the Libero."
Of course, Shirabu wouldn't do that, since their Libero, Nishi Haruma, had limited skill.