The preparatory movements were almost identical; by the time he reacted, the volleyball had already hit the ground.
This is.. a Second Attack, it should go past Oori-senpai's left side.
The next second, the scene unfolded exactly as Hinata had envisioned, Miya Osamu, who was still at the net, reacted quickly, reaching out his hands to dig the ball up.
Hinata's expression lit up with excitement.
He guessed correctly!
Miya Osamu sent the ball near the attack line, then immediately retreated to prepare for an attack.
Hinata shifted his gaze toward Inarizaki. At this moment, Oori and Miya Osamu were both on the left side of the net, the angle of Atsumu-senpai's set.. it should have been a flat, wide set just beside the marker at Position 4.
Atsumu-senpai had set this kind of ball to him many times before, but the angle of this one was indeed a bit lower.
Atsumu raised his hand and sent the ball up, but he kept a significant distance from the net as he delivered it into Oori's hands.
Eh?
Hinata's eyes widened.
He thought the ball was definitely going to Osamu-senpai, because to achieve the best spiking position, the placement of this set would inevitably have to bring the ball closer to the net.
It actually went to Oori? Was it too far from the net?
Oori had already spiked the ball, the game moved into the next rally.
Hinata also raised a question to Coach Kurosu immediately.
A good spiking position is certainly important, but it requires trade-offs," Coach Kurosu explained patiently. "Compared to a comfortable spiking position..
His finger pointed toward the Shiratorizawa block that had just been fumbled by Miya Atsumu's toss: "The opportunity to hit into an open net is even more important."
Besides, when you have enough vision, it doesn't matter if you're a bit further from the net.
Hinata nodded as if lost in thought.
Kurosu gave a light laugh: "Shoyo, you're interested in being a Setter now?"
But whether he has an interest or not, he'll have to practice when the time comes; it'll probably require Atsumu to guide him personally.
——I hope he doesn't make Atsumu-senpai angry.
"No, I just feel.. Atsumu-senpai is truly amazing after all." Hinata watched Miya Atsumu's figure on the court.
To be able to consider so many things in such a short amount of time and still deliver such precise balls.
Once you experience the sensation of spiking one of Miya Atsumu's balls, you can never forget that feeling.
At this very moment, he suddenly realized what being called the "High School's Strongest Setter" actually meant.
When Oori's block directly scored against Shiratorizawa's spike, everyone cheered with high-fives, Miya Atsumu turned his head slightly to look toward the coaching bench.
It had been nothing more than a subconscious glance, but a gaze filled with longing and admiration appeared in his eyes.
But beneath that was a trust that allowed him to surrender his entire being to him.
The feeling of tossing the ball to Hinata and using him on the court.. after experiencing it once, he became completely obsessed with it.
"Ah.." Miya Atsumu let out a soft sigh.
His heart skipped a beat. Miya Atsumu hurriedly withdrew his gaze and looked back at everyone on the court.
What is.. this feeling?
Aran turned his head and saw that raging flames were erupting from behind Miya Atsumu, who had just returned to his position, his entire being filled with fighting spirit.
"What's going on?" Owari Aran was completely bewildered.
He only looked away for a few seconds, so how did Miya Atsumu suddenly get such a sudden burst of energy?
As the rotation turned again, Hinata once more observed Shirabu's setting.
Rishia Heisuke, the first to notice something was wrong, looked at Hinata, who was staring at someone. "What.. are you looking at?"
Hinata blanked for a moment, then replied blankly, "Bowl Cut?"
Rishia remained silent, a sense of "just as I thought" surfacing in his heart.
He said helplessly, "It's the black bowl cut, also, the Shiratorizawa Setter has side-swept bangs."
As he spoke, Rishia drew a diagonal line in front of his forehead.
Hinata, who had been staring at Shirabu, also fell silent and immediately averted his gaze from him: "I'll look right now."
He wondered why Coach had told him to watch the Setter. He had to try to control his gaze so it wouldn't wander toward Ushijima, while simultaneously trying to watch the Setter, whose play he found a bit difficult to understand..
Kurosu burst out laughing, "Watching the Setter is fine too; it helps gain a clearer understanding of the tactics."
That Goshiki definitely shows that he is Ushijima's successor, but in terms of grit, he still falls quite a bit short of Ushijima.
But it's hard to say. After all, at this stage, he is playing as a wing spiker, his more important task is comprehensive support. If he played as a pure ace like Ushijima.. he might even be more ferocious than Ushijima.
This kind of handling is perfectly fine; a newcomer should be placed in a position with a heavy workload right from the start to facilitate future coordination.
And when it comes to basic skills like receiving, Ushijima's position doesn't actually require much receiving, but.. one can't be unable to do it.
In a critical moment, that becomes the key to saving the game.
Author's Note:
I've received everyone's blessings on the New Year's blessing wall!
Dear e-treasure and dear Ye-treasure (shortened), you two have ordered so many wuwuwuwu [heart][heart][heart][shy]
Chapter 46: The Forty-Sixth Fox
Considering Goshiki Tsutomu's current role, his playstyle is basically very similar to Aran's, but..
Watching Goshiki Tsutomu spike a line shot that landed right on the sideline, Hinata Shoyo was the first to get excited: "The ball speed is so fast! His movements are so decisive! And the landing point was so perfectly on the line!"
It's practically a—'Super Straight Shot'!
Rishia tilted his head slightly.
Ah, this.. actually, he can do it too, but he probably can't be quite so decisive.
Coach Kurosu spoke affirmatively about Goshiki Tsutomu's abilities.
As expected of the Ace that Shiratorizawa has been pouring all its efforts into cultivating since middle school; his style is not much different from Ushijima's back in the day.
To secure a starting position as a first-year in a powerhouse school like this, you really need to be someone like Goshiki Tsutomu or Inubushi Higashi, or even Kai Kiyoharu..
It was a pity; if Hinata and Rishia had started training a year or two earlier, their levels probably wouldn't be lagging much behind by now.
Coach Kurosu thought seriously for a moment.
Constantly scouting people like this isn't really a solution either; take these two little guys, for example—they haven't played much volleyball in junior high, but they certainly possess extraordinary talent.
Should he also go work part-time at a club to learn how Coach Nekota nurtures talented youngsters from a young age?
The clash between the two sides on the court was intense, but in the end, the firepower from Inarizaki was superior, ultimately taking the first set 25:22.
Hinata jumped up: "I'm ready!"
Miya Atsumu looked at him, seeing how eager he was, replied in a great mood, "Alright, then let's go and scare those big dummies on the other side."
Looking at the lineup Inarizaki brought on for the second set, Yamagata Hayato was a bit stunned: "This is too exaggerated, they even subbed out the Ace.."
To play against Shiratorizawa and actually dare not use the Ace—just how much confidence does he have in his own new life?
And this positioning..
Yamagata looked at Hinata, who had replaced Aran in the left wing spiker position, a sense of absurdity washed over them once again.
Was this really not just a decision made by the Inarizaki coach in a moment of impulse?
Hinata jumped up and down on the spot, his eyes filled with eager excitement.
The top eight in the nation! Now he finally has the chance to face them!
I wonder if he'll even have the chance to receive one of Ushijima-senpai's heavy spikes..
The next second, Hinata dismissed the thought himself.
If he isn't blown away, it will be a major victory!
Miya Atsumu served first.
Shiratorizawa adjusted their rotation and positioning; as Tendo and Kawanishi swapped positions, they rotated to start with Goshiki Tsutomu at Position 1.
This formation was clearly a gamble that Inarizaki would choose their S1, allowing Tendo to rotate to the front row immediately to face Owari Aran.
Unfortunately, Owari didn't even take the court in this set.
But..
Miya Atsumu clicked his tongue lightly.
Oh no, how did that annoying block happen to line up right against Hinata?
Coach Kurosu rubbed his chin. "Not very good luck, but it's not a big deal; it just happens to be a challenge for Shoyo."
Even looking at the entire high school volleyball scene, Tendo's blocking is absolutely unique; perhaps the only one with even a slight resemblance is that one from Itachiyama.
A blocking style that relies entirely on intuition is quite risky, but it is also incredibly frustrating to deal with.
Goshiki Tsutomu glanced at Hinata, unable to hide the curiosity that welled up in his eyes.
This was the first time he had seen such a short player on a volleyball court, let alone one who, like him, served as a substitute for an ace at a powerhouse school.
What kind of player would he be?
Is he great at receiving? Can he coordinate the whole court with his setting? Or does he look unassuming but actually possesses superhuman strength?
No, no, no, if he's a substitute for that Aran, standing in Aran's position, he should be the type who excels in both offense and defense, just like Aran..
In short, it must be handled with caution.
A great serve from Atsumu!
The Inarizaki members cheered for Miya Atsumu as he prepared to serve, while Coach Kurosu, standing below the court, adjusted his glasses.
To be honest, this positioning was truly the result of his impulsiveness.