After a moment of thought, Miya Atsumu made his decision.
From what he could see so far, Karasuno's receive reaction speed was quite fast; let's see now if they can manage to handle it.
This time, Miya Atsumu did not wait until the last second of the service limit; instead, he tossed the ball up the moment he was ready.
After his approach and jump, the ball he hit maintained a high trajectory as it flew over the net.
A jump float serve.
Nishinoya Yu instinctively prepared to move forward, but the ball's excessively high trajectory left him momentarily stunned.
Was that ball..
"Out!" Sawamura Daichi made the call.
But at that moment, Yamaguchi Tadashi, who was waiting in the substitution area, realized something was wrong: "It's not.."
That ball—it's dropping!
In the next second, at a position incredibly close to the baseline, the volleyball suddenly dropped, slamming down right on the line.
The judgment of whether a volleyball is in or out is just like badminton; as long as any part of the ball is on the "line," it is considered in, Miya Atsumu's shot clearly did not go out of bounds.
"Yes!" Even Miya Atsumu clenched his fists, feeling a surge of excitement.
It actually worked; usually, when he practices by himself, nine out of ten would go out of bounds.
Aran also expressed shock: "It was just a stroke of luck."
If he didn't know exactly what level Miya Atsumu's jump float serve was at right now, he would have been fooled.
Miya Atsumu retorted, "Luck is also a part of one's skill!"
Sawamura Daichi clapped his hands. "Don't worry about it, next ball."
That was true, but a thin layer of cold sweat had already formed on his forehead.
Not only was it a powerful jump serve, but Miya Atsumu's jump float serve was actually even more troublesome.
Not to mention that for their guardian deity, receiving a serve was already a weakness.
Miya Atsumu's good luck did not favor him again; his fourth serve went out of bounds with incredible glory, it could even be called a home run.
Miya Atsumu, who wanted to learn how to hit a topspin like Oikawa Tooru, clicked his tongue. "As expected, it's no use.."
Kita crossed his arms over his chest, quietly watching Miya Atsumu.
The Miya Twins were never one to sit still; they frequently felt the urge to try out anything new they saw.
If it were a formal match, he would have to take on the responsibility of being cautious right now, but in a practice match, it didn't matter; trying out new things wasn't a bad idea.
It was Kageyama Tobio's turn to serve.
Walking to the service position while holding the ball, Kageyama's gaze swept across everyone on Inarizaki before finally locking onto Hinata.
Given Inarizaki's current receive formation, it is obvious that Hinata, positioned on the right wing, is a sitting duck.
Hinata's speed and height are indeed intimidating, but even after judging the ball's trajectory, he still failed to receive the spike, which shows that his receiving skills are quite mediocre.
So.. there's no mistake about using a serve to target him.
Meeting Kageyama's gaze, Hinata swallowed hard, feeling a bit nervous.
As a Wing Spiker, there is far more to consider than just attacking; coordinating defense and providing support for the Setter are both extremely important aspects.
Therefore, standing in this position, he had to take over Ginjima's original responsibilities, which meant—receiving serves for Miya Atsumu.
The facts proved that receiving ability is the hardest skill to develop in a short amount of time.
Kageyama's powerful serve was not much different from Miya Atsumu's; Hinata, who was targeted, failed to receive the ball entirely.
Watching the trajectory of the volleyball flying upward, Miya Atsumu held his hands up before his eyes to gaze into the distance. "That's a long one."
There's no need to chase that kind of ball; Inarizaki's cheering section can just start their taunting directly.
Crawling up from the ground, Hinata Shoyo was full of energy: "Sorry! I'll definitely receive the next one!"
He memorized the spin and speed of this ball; the next one would definitely be no problem.
"Go for it, Shoyo-kun!" Miya Atsumu cheered for him.
However, the gap between ideal and reality was indeed quite large; on the second ball, Hinata once again failed to receive it properly.
However, this ball didn't fly as far as the previous one. Miya Atsumu took two steps to chase it down and prepare a set, but unfortunately, Shoyo, who hadn't managed to get up yet, wouldn't be able to perform a Quick Attack.
But.. not being able to perform a Quick Attack doesn't mean he can't attack.
Miya Atsumu tossed the volleyball toward the center, but he missed Suna by one position from where he had originally jumped.
That's right.
—Jump to this position.
Hinata scrambled up and rushed forward, leaping high with a thud just a short distance away.
It wasn't a Quick Attack, but a high ball that slowed down the tempo.
Hinata adjusted the direction of his spike, sending the ball into the defensive gap on Karasuno's side.
Watching Hinata's hitting point, Kageyama's eyes widened.
This is way too high..
"I've got it!" Nishinoya Yu stepped forward, lowering his center of gravity to receive the ball.
Miya Atsumu sighed in admiration once again: "His reaction is truly fast."
In terms of receiving ability, Karasuno's Libero is not inferior to those from the powerhouse schools in the slightest.
"Nice receive." Kageyama stepped forward and took his position.
He raised his hand to set the ball to Tsukishima Kei.
Tsukishima usually spiked the ball a bit further from the net, at a height that wasn't particularly high, giving him enough time to react.
Miya Atsumu narrowed his eyes slightly.
This guy.. he's like a machine.
Suna and Tsukishima jumped almost at the same time, but Suna's superior blocking height crushed Tsukishima's attempt at a tip.
In the heat of the moment, Tsukishima could only spike the ball to the side.
Aran, waiting for the opportunity, steadily received the ball and then stepped back, preparing to attack.
With a heavy thud, Miya Osamu delivered a powerful spike under the cover of the others; Azumane jumped for the block slightly too early, allowing Miya Osamu to successfully score off the block.
The serve passed from Kageyama to Hinata.
Hinata suddenly became excited.
He was going to show the King his Jump Serve!
This time, he definitely won't hit the back of the seniors' heads!
Miya Atsumu, still standing at the net, looked at Kageyama with a meaningful gaze.
Generally speaking, for a player in the Setter position, their personality is highly consistent with their playing style.
Kageyama Tobio, who Hinata had always considered a "Tyrant," shouldn't play like a well-behaved child, but the reality that Miya Atsumu saw now was quite the opposite.
Every ball Kageyama set was aimed at coordinating with the Spiker as much as possible—from the height and the distance from the net to determining who should Spike under which circumstances.. There was very little of Kageyama's own personal judgment involved.
That was why Miya Atsumu could feel a strange sense of dissonance.
And.. it's getting a bit boring.
After watching only a few rallies, Miya Atsumu found it difficult to keep watching.
Just like that last play, that tall guy with glasses clearly could have jumped higher to hit a direct over-the-top spike, but Kageyama accommodated him by tossing a mediocre set..
Just as Hinata said, Kageyama had previously cared about Hinata wasting his talent.
And now.. the one wasting his talent is actually Kageyama.
"Your technique is indeed impeccable." Miya Atsumu watched Kageyama Tobio quietly on the other side of the net, while simultaneously reaching out to hold down Hinata, who was fidgeting beside him.
Kageyama froze for a moment. "Thank you?"
Just as Kageyama thought his skills were being recognized, Miya Atsumu changed the subject: "However.."
Shoyo-kun, are you what they call a people-pleaser?
Kageyama didn't react in time: "What?"
Miya Atsumu's eyes gradually darkened. "I mean your setting; you're always catering to the Spiker like a good little boy, without any personality of your own."
—It's a complete waste.
The entire court fell silent.
In an instant, Kageyama felt a buzz in his head, then he fell into a brief, blank void where his thoughts ceased.
"Me? A good boy?" he said subconsciously.
But Miya Atsumu didn't stop there; instead, he continued with a smile on his face, "I'd actually like to know, what have you been doing this past year?"
Hinata was so startled he wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
Stop talking; if they keep this up, will they even make it out of Karasuno alive?
As if his wounds had been poked, Kageyama felt an extremely absurd sensation throughout the entire day.
What did he do?
He was abandoned by his original team and rejected by Shiratorizawa.
He also gradually smoothed out his sharp edges, barely finding a place for himself at Karasuno.
And now, he is being told.. that this is wrong?
——He wouldn't accept it.
Just as Kageyama was about to say something else, Coach Ukai's voice came from the sidelines: "Timeout, timeout!"
Damn it, he had intended to take his time addressing the issues with Kageyama, but Miya Atsumu suddenly dropped a bombshell..
Things are about to get bad.