Akagi raised his hand and sent the ball toward Miya Atsumu's side.
Miya Atsumu glanced at Hinata, who was still on the ground, sent the ball toward Ginjima at position four.
Fully prepared, Ginjima raised his hand for a heavy spike, his powerful spike smashing directly through Kindaichi's blocking arms and landing on the line within Seijo's court.
Ginjima pumped his fist hard: "Hell yeah!!"
"Shoyo?" Miya Atsumu didn't high-five Ginjima immediately; instead, he looked down at Hinata on the floor.
Hinata looked up and said seriously, "I hit my finger."
Miya Atsumu's originally calm expression cracked, he snapped his head toward the coaching bench: "Coach, Shoyo-kun's finger is injured!"
Coach Kurosu, who had been watching from the sidelines, was startled. Seeing Miya Atsumu's expression, he hurriedly signaled for a substitution.
After they scored, it was exactly Hinata's serving turn, so he could be substituted in to serve directly, then the Libero could be substituted in later.
Rishia Heisuke replaced Hinata to serve, Coach Kurosu also brought Hinata back in.
Seeing Hinata looking completely unhurt, he briefly suspected that Miya Atsumu had provided false intelligence.
However, given the intensity of Iwaizumi's spike, it would be quite normal to get injured if it hit your fingers directly.
Coach Kurosu said to Hinata, "Move it around so I can see."
Hinata did as he was told, his fingers were still very flexible, which meant there was nothing wrong with his bones.
He looked at his fingers. "It's just a bit painful, the bone should be fine.. right?"
Coach Kurosu also breathed a sigh of relief: "There shouldn't be any problems. The painkillers in Seijo's first-aid kit are running low, so I've asked Omimi and the team leaders to go get some new ones. Just wait a little bit."
Just to be safe, you should still go to the hospital this afternoon to get an X-ray. If there's a fracture or something, you'll still need to be careful.
But there's an eighty percent chance it's nothing serious..
Although Hinata felt that he probably didn't need painkillers, he just listened to whatever the coach said.
But.. as expected, what he cared about more was that last play.
Noticing that he had just fallen and his shoelaces had come undone, Hinata crouched down on one leg and carefully tied them back up.
Not only was Ginjima-senpai's receive targeted by Aobajohsai, but his running rhythm was also seen through by the opposing team.
In addition, his recovery speed after that previous high ball was a bit slow, which caused him to be slightly late in closing the gap for the block, resulting in him being hit directly by the number 4 spiker.
After stealing a glance at Kita Shinsuke, who was watching him from the waiting area on the side, Hinata Shoyo abruptly pulled his gaze back.
Impatience is a fatal flaw; he made sure to remember that.
However.. whether it's blocking or receiving, it really can't be mastered overnight.
He was also unfamiliar with overall defensive positioning, which is why the extremely perceptive opponents were able to exploit him.
Being forced to become the team's weakness or something.. it was too painful.
Relatively speaking, he still preferred the feeling of running—leaping, leaving the ground, touching the sky that, in the eyes of most people, was unreachable.
That feeling.. it's exhilarating.
But even so, that alone is absolutely not enough.
Volleyball is not a sport where you can win simply by jumping high or running fast; otherwise, Inarizaki wouldn't have lost to Itachiyama time and time again.
Atsumu-senpai once said that Itachiyama's overall achievements in quick attacks are limited. Aside from the Ace's very special spikes, they rely more on their absolutely solid serves and blocks.
Even Aran-senpai or Suna-senpai would be helpless against that kind of block.
From the moment he joined the Inarizaki Volleyball Club, Coach Kurosu repeatedly emphasized to him that he must learn everything he possibly could.
—Offense and defense integrated is a mandatory lesson for any Wing Spiker.
Coach Kurosu watched Hinata, who remained kneeling on one knee before him without getting up, while simultaneously using his gaze to soothe Miya Atsumu, who was casting uneasy looks from the court.
“Shoyo, calm down,” he said softly.
Hinata raised his head and met the coach's eyes, his gaze devoid of confusion or urgency. "Coach, I am very calm."
I was just thinking.. in that situation just now, should I have given up on the block and retreated to receive the ball? After all, Osamu-senpai is still on the court.
Number 4's spike just now had quite a bit of power, I touched it and it flew right off my hands, that Kyaku-tou's spike.. I jumped right where I was, but I still couldn't reach it..
With a hint of frustration on his face, Hinata said, "Coach said before that if I want to increase my blocking height through a running approach, I need to have enough certainty regarding.. regarding.. the opponent's attacking timing."
But clearly, I can't do that yet.
As expected, someone like Aran-senpai is a true Ace; his spiking, receiving, blocking, serving are all impeccably strong, he is constantly on his opponents' radar.
Simply.. incredibly cool!
In this instant, looking down at Hinata, Coach Kurosu suddenly thought of Hoshiumi Hikari, then thought of Unai Aman.
Perhaps, Hinata should also be a bird soaring through the sky.
But.. Shoyo himself wouldn't be able to settle for less, would he?
Having already seen the best views from the summit, one would never want to settle for being beneath others.
Kurosu Masamune would never deny his eye for people.
And the youth before him would not limit himself to a fixed domain.
He would drive himself to go even further, becoming.. stronger than anyone else.
The patriarch of Inari's followers said softly, "Shoyo, become a fox."
Not a bird in the sky, but a ground predator capable of preying on birds.
Hinata froze for a moment. "Eh?"
The sunlight from the window above reflected off Coach Kurosu's glasses, making his gaze incredibly sharp.
“Hide your presence, blend yourself into the natural environment, use all your senses to observe the prey's movement patterns and behavioral habits, wait for the right moment to attack, then..”
A single, lethal strike.
Hinata's eyes lit up: "That sounds.. so cool!"
Immediately after, he rubbed his chin in confusion. "But Coach, if the representative of our Inarizaki is a fox, then shouldn't I have been one already?"
This time, it was Coach Kurosu who was stunned.
After a brief silence, he suddenly burst into laughter. "Shoyo, you still haven't grown up."
Coach Kurosu brought the topic back to what Hinata had said at the beginning: "Additionally, I think you can decide for yourself whether or not to participate in blocking, but if Osamu-senpai or Aran-senpai calls for you, remember to follow up promptly."
“Yes!” Hinata was quite excited.
The coach approved his ability to make his own decisions at the net!
This is a great start.
Right now, he basically relies on his teammates, who are the strongest in their respective fields, to direct and coordinate, but if he keeps working hard, one day he will be able to play volleyball entirely through his own judgment.
Coach Kurosu certainly knew what Hinata was thinking.
When that day finally comes.. Shoyo will be able to hold his head high and declare himself a true Ace.
The whistle blew behind him, Hinata turned around to see the scoreboard reading 25:18.
Ah, they won.
Everyone from Inarizaki is truly powerful; after all, those are the seniors of the kings, the great kings!
Looking at Hinata, who had been sitting there tying his shoelaces without getting up, Miya Atsumu had a look of confusion on his face: "What are you doing?"
He had thought Hinata had been scolded by the coach for acting rashly, but he found that things were quite peaceful here; he had worried for nothing.
Hinata looked up at Miya Atsumu, suddenly snapping back to his senses.
That's right, he had finished tying his shoelaces long ago, so why was he still crouching here?
Miya Atsumu originally thought Hinata would stand up immediately, but the other party remained in that position.
He spoke up in confusion again, "Shoyo-kun?"
He couldn't help but wonder if he had actually been injured by that last hit. It shouldn't be; if he were truly injured, he should be sitting on a chair instead of crouching on the ground.
The members of Inarizaki gathered in a circle around Hinata, preparing to listen to the coach's meeting, but he, under everyone's gaze, simply sat straight down on the ground.
Hinata suddenly covered his face with his hands. It was over; he had completely lost all face—
Coach Omimi, who had just returned with the Seijo first aid kit, had a look of utter confusion on his face: "What happened?!"
He only stepped away for a moment, now Hinata has collapsed on the floor?
Aran's mouth twitched. "Your feet must have gone numb from squatting for so long."
Ginjima waved his hand dismissively. "Just carry him away. This is the first time I've seen someone make themselves unable to even stand up."
Hinata could no longer lift his head at all.
How embarrassing!
Amidst the group's teasing, Kita spoke up and asked Hinata, "So, your hand is fine, right?"
Hinata shook his head, while doing so, handed his hand to Kita Shinsuke: "It's completely fine, just my ring finger is a little red."
Kita Shinsuke remained silent for two seconds before saying helplessly, "Get up first before we talk about this."
Hinata climbed onto the bench and began moving his legs. He had truly lost all sense of shame today; he had nothing left to fear from now on.
Kurosu took the painkiller and ice pack from Omimi and briefly examined Hinata's hand.
If we leave it alone, it'll probably swell up in a bit, so I'll apply some medicine and ice it for you. Rintaro will play the second set, Shoyo, you should take this opportunity to observe the situation over at Seijo.
Hinata nodded: "Understood."
For Inarizaki, where player substitutions were already very frequent, not being able to take the court was not being cast aside, but rather an opportunity to adjust one's condition.
Even the Ace, Aran-senpai, gets subbed out for being too aggressive, let alone him.
Besides, being off the court doesn't mean he can't learn anything; in fact, given his current state of lacking so much in many aspects, he might actually learn even more while on the sidelines.
More importantly.. there is still the match against Karasuno tomorrow; if he misses it, the loss will be too great to compensate for.
The two sides switched sides to begin the second set.
Suna Rintaro, who had originally intended to record the match with his phone, reluctantly handed the phone to Rishia Heisuke, gesturing for him to help with the recording.