He lowered his center of gravity as much as possible, using his arms to make direct contact with the ball the moment it came crashing down.
BANG!!
The volleyball bounced up, landing in the open space outside the court.
Seijo reacted quickly: "It's a dig! Follow it!"
Disrupted?
Coach Kurosu, sitting in the coaching area, let a smile curl at the corners of his mouth.
The next second, Miya Atsumu stepped forward, his hand rising to support the ball while he remained in a semi-jump state in mid-air.
Oikawa Tooru's expression contorted for a split second.
Does he even need to get his hands on something of this caliber?
Under everyone's gaze, Miya Atsumu steadily sent the ball toward a high point in the center.
—A point much higher than anyone had imagined.
The middle blocker, Kindaichi, crouched slightly.
The target of this set was completely exposed; he only needed to keep his eyes fixed on Hinata.
But.. this set is way too high!
Retreating Hinata took a large step forward, the three blockers from Seijo in his field of vision were like an iron wall, blocking out the light from behind.
The closer he got, the darker it became.
The first volleyball match of his life in his memory was so despairing; no matter how many times he jumped with all his might, he could never overcome those hands.
With a thud, Hinata Shoyo brought his right leg together for the final half-step, using his arms to convert all the momentum from his approach into upward force.
In his field of vision, Kindaichi's fingers appeared once again.
Yes, it's these hands.
Hinata extended his arms in mid-air, his whole body arching backward into a C-shape.
At the same time, as he landed, Miya Atsumu tilted his head slightly and looked toward Hinata, who was chasing after that ball.
That posture..
A sight to behold.
Hinata's vision continued to rise, while those hands gradually disappeared from his sight.
The volleyball arrived right before his eyes, landing exactly at his hitting point.
Blocking the view was a very, very tall wall of people, the scenery behind it..
Incredibly vast.
The gap in the defense was glaringly obvious in his field of vision, Hinata did not hesitate for a moment, raising his hand to spike a straight ball directly onto the floor in front of him.
The volleyball suddenly hit the ground, slamming down just inside the Seijo midcourt.
The players in the back row lunged for it, but no one could save it.
The volleyball rolled onto the floor, the entire gymnasium fell silent for a moment.
Oikawa Tooru's eyes widened, looking at Hinata, who had just landed on the floor, with a sense of disbelief.
It wasn't a Quick Attack that could bypass the block, nor was it some technical shot, but rather the purest.. high ball.
Kindaichi's height was already the highest among the students Seijo had recruited in recent years, his blocking height was second to none.
But even with a block like that, a little shrimp under 1.65 meters could still easily spike over him?
Hinata let out a breath, even his exhaled breath carried a faint, almost imperceptible tremor.
His racing heart refused to calm down, even as he straightened his body, he still felt a strong sense of unreality.
In that instant, he suddenly felt as if he had broken through something, causing a massive boulder that had been hanging in his heart to crash down.
Miya Atsumu raised his hand, pressing the knuckle of his index finger against his lower lip to hide the corner of his mouth that had curled up unconsciously.
When Hinata turned back to look at him, he raised his hand high, signaling Hinata to give him a high five.
Hinata jogged over, lightly leaped in front of Miya Atsumu, raised his hand to clap against Atsumu's hand: "Atsumu-senpai, that was a great set!"
Seeing Hinata looking so happy, Miya Atsumu narrowed his eyes.
Memories can unconsciously deepen the shadows of the past; if the feeling of defeat is left unchecked, it will surely become something that cannot be erased.
And for an athlete, the best nourishment should be victory.
So..
Miya Atsumu stared into Hinata's eyes: "Now tell me, is he amazing?"
Hinata stared back at Miya Atsumu without flinching, there no longer being any confusion in his tone.
No, the stronger one.. is me, is us.
Miya Atsumu reached out and rubbed Hinata's head: "Very good."
Glancing at Miya Atsumu's back, Hinata raised his hand and rubbed his own head.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but it seemed like Atsumu-senpai had been patting his head more often lately?
Across the net, Kindaichi frowned.
If we're talking about a sense of unreality, he's the most extreme case of all.
Being taken down by such a casual super spike.. it feels so absurd.
The stunning entrance concluded, just as Seijo was preparing to stay vigilant against Hinata, Miya Atsumu switched to using Miya Osamu on the other side, giving Seijo absolutely no chance to adapt and break through bit by bit.
Coach Kurosu rubbed his chin: "Looking at those videos, Seijo is very good at observing and finding opportunities."
Just don't give them that much time.
After Inarizaki scored, the rotation turned to Hinata's serve. Hinata, having just received the ball from Seijo, was about to take his position at the baseline when Coach Kurosu's voice rang in his ears.
No need to play so conservatively; try it when you should.
Hinata's eyes lit up, he quickly took three large steps back to find his footing.
At the same time, Oori raised his hands in front of the net, protecting the back of his head.
The Seijo side collectively froze for a moment.
Wait, a Jump Serve?
Didn't Kindaichi say this little guy couldn't even handle a basic serve last year?
This can't be right!
Mimicking Owari Aran's manner, Hinata patted the ball against the floor and held it in both hands.
Although he had only practiced for a month, the fact that the coach had approved his use of it meant that he recognized his training progress.
Rishia Heisuke, standing below the court, raised his hand to cover his eyes, somewhat afraid to watch.
Hinata's jump serve was taught by Miya Atsumu personally, after practicing for this past month.. the success rate has barely reached fifty percent.
Will this serve be successful? Can he score?
"Shoyo-kun, serve a good one!" Miya Atsumu cheered for Hinata.
The whistle for the serve sounded immediately after, Rishia also lowered his hands at once.
Hinata took a deep breath, adjusted himself for a brief two seconds, then raised his hand to toss the ball.
He had repeated this process countless times during this period, to the point where it had almost become muscle memory, this toss was also flawless.
With a standard three-step approach, Hinata leaped high before the baseline, raising his hand to spike the ball in an enveloping motion.
The speed of this spike wasn't fast; one could basically distinguish its trajectory the moment it was spiked.
On the court, Rishia raised his hands, completely shielding his eyes.
The next second, at the same time as the sound of the volleyball striking.. there was also Miya Atsumu's roar.
Argh!
Hinata landed on the ground and looked toward the other side of the court with some confusion at Miya Atsumu, who was already crouching and clutching the back of his head.
The words he had said to Rishia Heisuke when the Golden Week holiday ended flashed through his mind: [As long as it doesn't hit a senior's head, it doesn't matter.]
Now he wanted to ask—what if he hit him?
No, there are no ifs.
He's finished.
Author's Note:
I love big tables, I feel like I can write ten thousand words tomorrow!
I'm going for it! (Rolls up sleeves) [Sunglasses]
Chapter 35: The Thirty-Fifth Fox
Nice play, Shoyo.
Akagi Michinari, having just stepped off the court, gave Hinata a thumbs-up.
From a certain perspective, how could that kind of accuracy not be a top-tier play?
Suna glanced regretfully at his tracksuit jacket left by the sidelines, but before he could think about how to retrieve it, a somewhat familiar voice came through the small window on the other side.
The speaker's voice was extremely excited: "Lucky, I got it on video."
Another steady voice followed immediately: "We shouldn't record private practice matches so casually."
Suna crouched down, meeting Tendo Makoto's gaze through that small window that was almost level with the floor.
Completely unconcerned about why Shiratorizawa had sent people, he simply made a gesture to Tendo Makoto, pointing at Tendo Makoto's phone and then at himself.
Under Ushijima's puzzled gaze, Tendo replied with an OK gesture.