Miya Atsumu didn't hold back and gave instructions directly: "Although the opponent's defense is very strong, we can handle them by grouping together. Kiryu-senpai, I'll briefly explain the tactical hand signals for this side."
After a brief communication with Kiryu, Miya Atsumu finally looked toward Hinata: "Shoyo-kun.. just run toward the weakest part of the block like before, try to tear through the block laterally as much as possible."
Hinata nodded. "Okay!"
In this set, Hinata is playing as the Opposite, unlike a Middle Blocker who would rotate to the back row and be substituted out, so he still needs to be careful with his receiving.
However..
Miya Atsumu looked toward Kita Shinsuke, who was listening to him quietly.
—With the Kita Team around, there is nothing to worry about.
Miya Atsumu served first after the coin toss.
Considering that Aran and Kiryu were both super aces on this side, Miya Atsumu didn't care much about the initial rotation and directly chose S1, which would allow him to take the initiative with his serve right from the start.
On their side, Kita and Rishia play as Middle Blockers, while the Libero is Jujo Kohei, who plays as Inubushi Higashi's Libero.
As far as everyone currently in the Kansai League is concerned, the one with the most solid and strongest receive is, without a doubt, Tachibana Shinji from the opposing side.
As a region with only one slot for the national tournament, Kyoto has schools like Inubushi Higashi, Seito, Rakusan—any one of which could be among the top eight in the nation—making its level of competition not much different from Tokyo's.
In contrast, Hyogo has two slots, even though Inarizaki dominates almost exclusively.
However, it is said that Kyoto rejected the previous official proposal to increase their slots, because they felt that this kind of competition was conducive to healthy development..
Thinking of this, Miya Atsumu let out a soft click of his tongue.
Indeed, the preliminaries in Kyoto every year are the most exciting to watch, while the preliminaries in Hyogo are simply incredibly boring.
Author's Note:
Because I suddenly realized that if I want to maintain a perfect attendance record, I can't miss a single day during these two months, I've adjusted the schedule. I have scheduled the next chapter for 3:00 AM, so everyone can read it once they wake up!
Chapter 24: The Twenty-Fourth Fox
Scanning the lineup on the opposite side, Miya Atsumu tossed the ball into the air the moment the referee blew the whistle.
This lineup's defense is certainly powerful, but only on the level of blocking.
And since most of them were originally Middle Blockers, it meant their receiving skills were only average.
Miya Atsumu did not use a Jump Float Serve this time, but instead delivered a heavy, spinning power serve.
He bypassed the Libero Tachibana and served the ball toward Karasuma on the other side.
Against a team with such problematic receives, it's definitely more satisfying to just use a powerful serve.
Nekoma should just.. stick to playing honest Jump Float Serves.
Although Kaifang's Ace, Karasuma Shinnosuke, is well-rounded, he is still far inferior to those Liberos when it comes to receiving a serve.
Miya Atsumu's serve was received poorly by him, sending it flying into the opponent's court.
Jujo shouted, "Chance ball!"
Miya Atsumu signaled that he didn't need to receive it, at that same moment, Hinata had already begun to move.
At this point in time, while waiting for the setter to toss the ball, it is rare for a blocker to shift their gaze toward the spikers in the front row.
With Kiryu Ya still in their front row, there were even fewer blockers who would pay attention to Hinata.
Moreover..
This was a direct contact set, so the rhythm was already incredibly fast.
Miya Atsumu's ball slipped from his hands, reaching a spot less than a meter away from him in the blink of an eye.
Before anyone could react, Hinata had already spiked the ball, slamming it into the court.
Seeing it for the first time, Kai Kiyoharu slowly let out a question mark: "Huh?"
Where is the ball? Where is the player? Did the setter set it?
What happened? How did they suddenly lose a point?
Miya Atsumu and Hinata high-fived: "Nice one, Shoyo-kun."
Coach Kusubashi, who had just stepped onto the sidelines, was also startled.
She had only heard the students talking about it, she never expected it would have this kind of effect..
Kiryu tilted his head slightly.
Even though I had seen it before, experiencing it firsthand on the court like this.. it was still quite terrifying.
A direct toss to the setter on the first touch, a spiker opening up even earlier, a ball path with the shortest distance from Position 3.. Is this the ultimate speed of a Quick Attack?
It was truly impossible to keep up.
Bōwàng frowned slightly. "It's even faster from a close distance."
Suna remained silent.
Even though he was also from Inarizaki, he was mostly on the same team as Miya Atsumu and Hinata Shoyo even during team practice, so he had never blocked that Quick Attack.
Looking at it now.. so this is what the opponent's angle feels like?
What a great serve!
Miya Atsumu prepared to serve the second ball.
The Libero, Tachibana, received this ball, his pass was very stable.
The already advanced setter Fujimaru raised his hand and gave the ball to the front-row Kai Kiyoharu.
Kiryu Ya and Rishia Heisuke both reacted very quickly, moving up to follow the ball the moment the setter tossed it.
Seeing that there was little chance, Kai lightly tapped the bottom of the volleyball, sending it over the net in a tip.
The closest one, Miya Atsumu, was forced to dive for a save: "Damn it."
Seeing the Setter receive the ball, Fujimaru was overjoyed: "It's a scramble! Follow up!"
Just then, Rishia Heisuke called out proactively, "I'll take it!"
The setter was not Miya Atsumu, Hinata did not start his run too early this time; instead, he moved forward in a state almost perfectly synchronized with Kiryu Ya on the other side, before leaping with a thud at the net in Position 4.
Rishia raised his hand to send the ball to Hinata's most comfortable hitting point.
That point was high enough that it was a place a stationary jump block would have a hard time reaching.
Hinata's power is insufficient, so he needs to avoid blockers as much as possible.
Aside from a Quick Attack, a serve that could provide Shoyo with the conditions for an overhand spike would be the most suitable.
Bōwàng and Kai Kiyoharu both had exaggerated heights, but even so, once they jumped, they were still shocked to find that the opponent's contact point was even higher.
Kai Kiyoharu's eyes widened.
—You've got to be kidding me.
The volleyball flew over their fingers, landing in the corner of the back row.
Tachibana dove to receive the ball, barely managing to send it back up.
Kai Kiyoharu, who had just landed, had shock written all over his face.
How tall was that little brat? He didn't even reach his shoulders, so how could he possibly jump higher than their block?
This.. is too absurd!
But that was the truth, he had no choice but to believe it.
Only now did he believe that everything Shirabu had said yesterday, that Usui-senpai, was true.
Fujimaru sent the ball to Suna for a flat set to Position 2.
Among these three players in the front row, Bōwàng and Kai are clearly specialists in blocking, while only Suna has a playing style of his own when it comes to attacking.
It looked like he was preparing for a cross-court spike, but the moment he faced the block, he would use a twist of his entire upper body to force it into a straight spike.
The volleyball flew past the block, smashing into the ground behind Hinata.
Under the failed block, the spike was incredibly fast; even Jujo could only barely save Suna's spike.
"Miya!" he called out to Miya Atsumu.
Miya Atsumu also immediately took his position.
However, the entire spiking and receiving process was incredibly fast; combined with Hinata's recent participation in the block, there was simply no opportunity to create any separation.
At this moment.. it really would have been better to give the ball to Kiryu.
Kiryu, who had spiked the ball out of bounds, could give his all to snatch points away from his opponents at any time.
Landing on the ground, Hinata was also somewhat dazed at this moment; this was the first time he had encountered a ball with a rhythm so fast he couldn't keep up with it.
There was no time to run, not even a chance to take a running start after adjusting himself..
Just then, the volleyball flew toward Kiryu, who was far away in Position 2.
Hinata's gaze followed the volleyball, he immediately noticed Kiryu Ya's near-perfect approach.
Block, land, step back, then.. step forward and jump directly, preparing to spike.
The entire process was incredibly smooth, finding the optimal solution without the slightest hesitation.
Miya Atsumu's set was sent with extreme precision to Kiryu's most comfortable hitting point, a feeling that Kiryu had found difficult to experience back when he was at Shirabu.
Watching the volleyball fly toward him, Kiryu's gaze swept across the approaching Kai Kiyoharu and Bōwàng, he raised his hand to spike the ball directly at Kai Kiyoharu's fingers.
With a loud thud, the volleyball flew out of bounds, hitting the high wall with a dull sound.
Coach Kusubashi, standing on the sidelines, couldn't help but clap his hands: "Great hit, Hachi!"
Unlike Sakusa, who plays with technical skill, or the purely power-oriented Ushijima Wakatoshi, Kiryu Ya ranks among the top three Wing Spikers due to his powerful adaptability and the stability to deliver perfect Spikes regardless of the conditions.
And this stability.. was actually, to a large extent, forced evolution.
Shirabu was unable to provide Kiryu Ya with better attacking conditions, which was why he had to devote more energy to exploring how to spike every poorly set ball.
But now, the one setting for Kiryu is the top talent of high school setters, Miya Atsumu.