In a situation like that just now, a short diagonal was indeed the best choice.
But.. this was also the only option that Miya Atsumu hadn't anticipated.
Back-row attacks, line shots, quick attacks, more skillful tooling the block than before, even short diagonals..
He suddenly felt as if he had missed some long-running plotline, all at once, Hinata felt like a stranger to him.
“Atsumu-senpai?” Hinata tilted his head.
Miya Atsumu looked at Hinata with a face full of shock. "Did you learn the short diagonal? You mean—the inside angle?! And a backhand one at that?"
Still processing the shock, Hinata said instinctively, "Ah.. there was this one time when I was doing a back set for Iizuna-senpai that it just came out naturally. Later, I asked Kami-senpai to demonstrate it to me twice, I just thought it felt right just now, so I hit it.."
No, that's not right.
Did he just successfully pull off a backhand short diagonal? Or was it during the practice match?
Hinata looked at his hands once more, finally meeting Miya Atsumu's face, which was slightly flushed from excitement.
Having suddenly realized what he had done, Hinata let out an excited shout: "I did it—Atsumu-senpai! I can hit a short diagonal on my own!"
Ohhhhhhh!! I did it!
Overcome with excitement, Hinata immediately did exactly as Atsumu-senpai had taught him before, pouncing on his Setter to celebrate with a hug.
Before Miya Atsumu could even react and hug him back, Hinata let go of Miya Atsumu and instead rushed toward Coach Kurosu on the sidelines: "Coach! I can do a short diagonal spike now!"
He then rushed toward Kita Shinsuke: "Kita-senpai! I'll spike a short diagonal!"
After one round, it felt as if he wanted to tell the whole world.
Seeing Miya Atsumu standing there dazed, Miya Osamu nudged him near the ribs with his elbow: "Are you stupid?"
As if being triggered by something Miya Osamu did, Miya Atsumu suddenly tilted his head back and burst into laughter: "Hahahaha—"
Under Miya Osamu's incredulous gaze, Miya Atsumu's uncontrollably excited voice rang out immediately after: "So cool—completely unexpectedly cool."
I had anticipated every possibility, but subconsciously I had ruled out the perfect answer. Yet Shoyo.. actually gave me a perfect score.
“In places I didn't even know, he has already become this strong.”
“It's simply—"
When it came to the most critical point, Miya Atsumu suddenly fell silent.
Watching Hinata walk back to his side, the High School's Strongest Setter lowered his eyes slightly, looking at those eyes that were almost the same color as the sun.
While there was certainly surprise, at this moment, Miya Atsumu could feel more strongly a sense of being chased from behind.
It wasn't on a distant shore, but much closer—so close that he could sense it clearly.
After leaving Karasuno, Hinata's claim that he would be stronger than him was never just a joke, Miya Atsumu believed that as well.
It was just that.. he thought it would take much longer.
But it was obvious that the upper limit of Hinata's absorption was far beyond the nutrients that Inarizaki had invested.
In a place completely out of his sight, Hinata had already climbed another step at an almost incredible speed.
Meeting Miya Atsumu's gaze, Hinata, who had just recovered from a moment of excitement, felt somewhat dazed.
What's wrong? Why is he looking at him like that?
At the same time, the referee blew the whistle, signaling Miya Atsumu to serve.
Without saying anything more to Hinata, Miya Atsumu turned his head and walked toward the service position while lost in thought.
With Miya Atsumu's serve scoring, the set came to a definitive end.
With a score of 25:20, Inarizaki secured the victory in this set with a larger margin than anyone had imagined.
After all, to the people of Inubushi Higashi, Hinata's changes were truly quite significant.
The gaps that were once scattered all over had been filled significantly, not to mention the extreme reaction speed and jumping ability he already possessed.
Even though Hinata doesn't perform high balls very often, whenever he does, it is basically a high-contact spike.
When Ginjima was originally in that position, Inarizaki's offense leaned more towards a balanced, heavy firepower attack.
And Hinata gave the Inarizaki lineup, which was originally like a tank, a pair of wings, turning them into a complete fighter jet.
During the break, Miya Osamu looked up at Miya Atsumu. "So, what did you just think of?"
Miya Atsumu flicked the lid of the water bottle with his finger, watching Hinata as he spoke with the coach, said with a low laugh, "I just suddenly felt.. it's time to give Shoyo a bit of a challenge."
Hearing this, Miya Osamu raised an eyebrow and shot back with the same words Miya Atsumu had used earlier: "What, so you're not a good boy anymore?"
I'm not a good boy," Miya Atsumu protested, "I'm different from Hoshiumi-kun, aren't I?
He only called Kageyama a good boy because the other man played like a pathetic dog who only knew how to please the Spikers, humbly begging for a toss just so someone would spike it.
As for himself, he was simply acting out of tactical considerations, merely to prevent any spikers from falling out of sync.
In short.. the initiative was still in his own hands.
Miya Osamu was not optimistic about Miya Atsumu's behavior, he frowned. "Be careful not to play too hard, or you won't be able to control yourself when the time comes."
Although it's not obvious in his daily behavior, Hinata is clearly a carnivore.
Miya Atsumu gave a seemingly indifferent smile. "I know. I know exactly what kind of person Shoyo is. After all, I'm the one who raised him bit by bit, aren't I?"
Miya Osamu rolled his eyes. "Stop giving yourself so much credit."
However, those words weren't wrong. Although Miya Atsumu didn't teach him anything technically, that style of ball control and setting had subtly influenced Hinata.
Moreover, unlike them, for Miya Atsumu..
Hinata was something he had custom-made for himself.
“Don't worry, don't worry, I know what I'm doing.” Miya Atsumu suppressed the smile on his face and looked at Hinata, his eyes filled with an indescribable emotion.
After all, Shoyo is different from Osamu; he's an obedient, good boy, isn't he?
Miya Osamu rolled his eyes at Miya Atsumu. "Boring."
"Osamu, you better watch out, or one day Shoyo might steal your starting position," Miya Atsumu said with a grin, continuing to provoke his twin brother.
But unlike the expected scenario, Miya Osamu simply replied nonchalantly, "I look forward to it."
But that was impossible; the nearly ten years of effort they had put in from childhood until now could not be surpassed by a novice in just two years, even by the most top-tier genius.
However..
Miya Osamu looked up at the ceiling of the gym and silently peeled a banana to eat.
He had enough patience to wait.
Whether it takes one year or five years, he will wait here for Hinata to take that so-called "starting position" from him.
Miya Osamu's eyes suddenly lit up, he quickened the pace at which he ate his banana.
So sweet, so delicious.
On the other side, Suna, who had listened to the whole thing, sighed softly and whispered to Ginjima beside him, "Being teammates with these guys.. we're going to die of exhaustion sooner or later."
They don't give you even a single moment of rest.
Ginjima was bewildered: "Can they?"
Author's Note:
Do you have 30 coins? There should be, right [confetti]
Anyway, let's eat!
Chapter 57: The Fifty-Seventh Fox
With less than a month left until the opening of Interhigh, after briefly checking Hinata's current progress, Coach Kurosu decided not to arrange any more matches for him.
However, after the first set, both Inarizaki and Inubushi Higashi entered a rest period, while Seito and Shirabu, Inubushi Higashi and Kaifang, competed in the same period.
After a brief greeting to Coach Kurosu, Hinata quietly walked over to the Shirabu side, just as he had last time.
Seeing Hinata approach, Coach Kusubashi naturally patted the seat beside him. "Come, sit."
Hinata sat down beside Kusubashi Michiko.
Before he could even say hello, Kusubashi spoke first: "How was it? Ushijima and Sakusa are both incredibly strong, aren't they?"
Hearing Kusubashi's words, Hinata nodded vigorously. "Yeah! I've managed to receive three of Ushijima-senpai's spikes during this time, but otherwise, they basically fly right past me. As for Kami-senpai's spikes.. I can't really touch them."
Through this period of adaptation, Hinata had roughly grasped the trick to receiving Sakusa's spinning spikes; if he could predict the landing spot in advance, he could still receive them.
But for Hinata, Sakusa's spike directions were incredibly difficult to judge; he couldn't even get a touch on them.
As for Ushijima Wakatoshi, that was pure suppression through strength.
Combined with the unique left-handed spin, it meant that even if Hinata managed to touch the ball, he couldn't control it properly, many times he had to rely on luck to stabilize it.
Kusubashi understood instantly what Hinata was saying; after all, they had faced off against Itachiyama and Shiratorizawa before, Sakusa's incredibly unique spikes were truly impressive.
She looked at Kiryu Ya on the court: "That's certainly true."
Compared to Sakusa or Ushijima, Kiryu Ya might be the most unremarkable one.
He didn't have Sakusa's flashy skills, nor did he have the overwhelming power of Ushijima, but..
Watching Kiryu once again faithfully spike the ball from the Setter, Hinata suddenly spoke up, "But I still think Kiryu-senpai is a bit more impressive."
Kusubashi looked over, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes, but she immediately lowered her head and revealed a knowing smile.
Hinata's gaze followed the Ace on the court, confirming once again, "For me personally, Kiryu-senpai's skills are the best in every aspect."
Physical talent is a gift given to them by their mother and father.
Sakusa and Ushijima's playing styles are filled with intense personal character; even if Hinata underwent the same grueling training as them, he would still be unable to reach that level.
But Kiryu Ya was different; the feeling he gave Hinata was actually almost the same as Hoshiumi Hikari—a heavy, moist, solid sensation, much like soil.
To hone everything within one's capabilities to the absolute limit, that feeling is almost like—
Like becoming your ideal self.
Coach Kusubashi laughed very happily: "Right? That's what I think too."