Everyone responded, "Yes!"
Coach Kurosu did not make any further tactical arrangements; he simply told them to maintain the initial rhythm and left everything to Miya Atsumu's judgment.
He did not want to interfere too much with the players' match.
At the same time, Coach Omimi had also finished organizing the data from the first set.
Looking at the notebook Coach Omimi was using for statistics, Hinata exclaimed in shock, "Whoa—Atsumu-senpai's serves scored 9 points this set!"
Miya Atsumu had served a total of three times, averaging three points per serve..
“That's incredible!”
Miya Atsumu had a smile plastered on his face; while drinking water, he looked toward Hinata and asked, "By the way, how has Shoyo-kun's serve practice been going?"
Hinata raised his hand and waved. "I can barely control the direction of my serves!"
If he were to perform a serve from the same spot, he would have an eighty percent certainty of not hitting Kumagai in the back of the head!
Miya Atsumu turned his head toward Coach Kurosu. "Coach, if we aren't in a rush to play in a full match, shouldn't we also start practicing more advanced techniques?"
Coach Kurosu nodded. "You can start practicing at this level now. Do you want to volunteer, Atsumu-senpai?"
Anyway, based on the current data, Miya Atsumu has basically secured his position as the best server in Hyogo Prefecture; no one would be more suitable than him to serve as this guide.
"That would be wonderful if it's possible," Miya Atsumu agreed immediately.
Still processing everything, Hinata's gaze darted between the two of them, as if some destiny belonging to him had been decided in just a few words.
Hinata blinked. "What? What advanced training?"
Ginjima had already guessed: "Jump Serve, I assume."
“Jump Serve?!” Hinata's eyes widened. “Is that something I can learn?”
Is he really able to do it at that level? Even Kageyama-senpai and the others haven't started practicing it yet.
Aran replied, "This is something that must be practiced; it's a mandatory course for an Inarizaki Wing Spiker."
If you want to be a Wing Spiker, you must develop all-around skills. You need to consider your ability to continue attacking after a receive, your scoring rate on serves, your frequency of touching the ball during a block, your success rate on counterattacks, even your ability to perform as a Setter.
Like Ginjima, he has always struggled with things like receiving and setting, has been constantly being drilled by the coach, but unfortunately, he hasn't seen much significant progress.
Aside from Middle Blocker and Libero, the Jump Serve is an absolute requirement among requirements.
Currently, among the players Coach Kurosu has cultivated over the past two years, the only one who cannot perform a Jump Serve is Hinata; even the Libero, Unabara Uta, can perform a Jump Float Serve.
Miya Atsumu looked into Hinata's eyes. "Shoyo-kun, you've been practicing your jump serves for almost a year now, haven't you?"
That look, which seemed to be discussing something as casual as daily life, made Hinata feel inexplicably at ease.
Hinata counted on his fingers. "I think so.."
In just over another month, it will be the first anniversary of when he and Rishia met, Rishia had taught him the jump serve on the second day they met.
You'll never know how far you can go if you never start," Coach Kurosu said, reaching out to pat Hinata on the top of his head. "After training every day, have Atsumu-senpai take you through a hundred serves and give it a try; don't be afraid of making mistakes.
Yes, sir!
"That's right, don't be afraid of making mistakes when you serve." Coach Kurosu immediately turned his gaze toward Ginjima.
As the one with the least experience currently in the starting lineup, Ginjima's overall number of errors was still higher than the others, he felt a bit hesitant to play aggressively toward the end of the set.
"Understood," Ginjima nodded.
Submit the roster for the second set," Coach Kurosu said, clapping his hands. "Alright, the second set—let's take it in one go!
Let's go!
After the coach approved the use of various Quick Attacks, Miya Atsumu's originally steady playstyle completely vanished, replaced by a match tempo that had been heightened by several levels.
The score gap also widened rapidly before Kobe City Gymnasium could even adjust, until Inarizaki secured a match point with a massive lead.
A quick attack from the middle, a pipe attack from the left, an Ace coming from the back row.. the situation is quite chaotic.
This was a state Inarizaki didn't often find themselves in, because most of the time, they only began to move after Miya Atsumu directed them.
And right now, it seems as if they are waiting for Miya Atsumu to choose one of them.
What is Inarizaki going to do?
Wakamura stared at everyone on the other side of the net, watching Miya Atsumu make a movement that looked like a back set.
A back set; that would mean a quick attack from the back row or the center.
But Miya Atsumu would never make such an obvious offensive move.
On the other side, fine beads of sweat seeped from Matou Yukimaru's forehead; the overly chaotic situation was also affecting his judgment.
To be honest, trying to close such a gap right now was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Once Inarizaki's quick attack tactics were put into use, the entire rhythm of their offense became exceptionally fast, so fast that they simply couldn't keep up.
The gap between the top sixteen in the nation and third place in the nation might not sound large, but it is a distance of three rounds of matches.
And the distance of those three rounds.. was even longer than the distance from securing a spot in the nationals to reaching the top sixteen.
Inarizaki was like a giant, reaching heights that were unattainable at this moment.
At this very moment, an answer that could only be described as "the only one" lay before them.
—They will lose.
Is failure scary?
Of course it is terrifying.
But for Wakamura, the dozen or so years from when he first started learning volleyball until now had been spent entirely in failure.
After all.. as long as they don't hold the national championship trophy, they will always be losers.
In this regard, Inarizaki is the same.
So.. he is no longer afraid.
He saw the dawn of their victory, but unfortunately, it was not yet time.
The seedlings that belong to them still need time to grow, but he.. can afford to wait.
In his field of vision, the shape of Miya Atsumu's hands as he held the ball changed slightly; Wakamura knew that was the motion for a Second Attack.
But.. there was no way he could catch up at that distance.
“Matou Yukimaru!” he shouted, calling out to the Middle Blocker who had been preparing to block, while simultaneously sprinting toward the net.
What if he can't catch up?
—Let's wait until the ball hits the ground before we talk.
Like a mask torn away by a manipulator just as a gambler believes he has won.
The volleyball lightly cleared the net, passed over the blockers who were waiting for the spiker's spike, landed toward the three-meter line.
On the other side, the black-haired boy threw himself forward with all his might, his ingrained instincts allowing him to complete a perfect diving save even in such a situation.
His long fingers had meticulously trimmed nails, he stretched out his arms, attempting to place even a single fingertip underneath.
But in the end..
It missed the ball by less than two centimeters.
The sound of the ball slamming against the floor was exceptionally clear, sounding like the tolling of a bell by the Grim Reaper.
The long whistle echoed throughout the entire arena.
The setter lowered his eyes toward the boy still on the floor, his eyes filled with the relief of a victor.
He turned his head and walked toward his teammates, not casting a single glance back.
Cheers erupted simultaneously from across the net, far away, feeling heavy enough to take one's breath away.
The scoreboard at the side of the court jumped to Aobajohsai 25:21 Karasuno.
Kageyama slowly clenched his fist and slammed it heavily against the ground: "Damn it, just a little bit more."
If he could have reacted just half a second sooner, he definitely would have—
A concerned voice from a senior reached his ears: "Kageyama, can you still stand?"
Still somewhat dazed, Kageyama raised his head and met Sugawara Koushi's concerned gaze.
A hand reached out toward him, he grabbed it without hesitation.
“Just now..”
Just as Sugawara Koushi was about to take the blame, Kageyama bowed to everyone and apologized directly, "I'm sorry! My reaction was too slow! If only—"
"Kageyama, lift your head." On the other side, the Ace reached out and grabbed his shoulder.
Nishinoya, acting as the Libero, nodded. "Being able to keep up is already amazing enough. If I had to say, it was a defensive error by the Libero and the Wing Spiker."
Captain Sawamura kept a smile on his face at all times, attempting to soothe this prickly junior: "That's right, there is absolutely no need to apologize."
"The last few plays were beautifully organized." Sugawara patted the junior's shoulder vigorously.
So.. don't lose heart. We'll fight again at Haruko.
Kageyama lowered his eyes: "Yes."
After shaking hands, exchanging greetings, a brief summary, everyone left the gymnasium for some light exercise.
Splashing cold water over his head, Kageyama tried to calm himself down.
The Miyagi Prefecture Interhigh venue was set up in the Municipal Gymnasium, which was also the same gymnasium he had used the last time he participated in the Interhigh Junior High.
That summer.. was unforgettable for Kageyama.
The sky gradually turned an orange-red hue.
Kageyama wiped his hair with a towel, but despite his emotions gradually calming down, he felt a strange sense of emptiness.
He tilted his head to look at the stairs of the Municipal Kobe Gymnasium across from him, but his thoughts drifted back to that day a year ago, which was just like now.. it was evening.
An orange-haired guy was standing right there on those stairs, talking big to him.
He had great physical strength, his jumping ability and running speed were also top-notch. Combined with that occasional burst of reaction speed, he undoubtedly possessed excellent athletic genes.
But.. his volleyball skills are absolutely terrible.