Kiryu lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, being quite candid in front of his coach: "I don't know, but as long as it's a ball tossed by the Setter, I will spike it to score."
Thinking about it that way, perhaps there isn't much difference from my current position.
"A setter, huh.." Kusubashi sighed.
Despite her hard work in training, Usui Mitsuru's individual ability was still lacking.. No, to put it bluntly, it could even be said that he was lagging far behind other setters of the same age.
It wasn't just that he couldn't provide Kiryu with good offensive conditions, but he also couldn't make use of Shirabu's role as a Middle Blocker in the twin towers.
A Stronger Opposite is a playstyle that has a very low floor in terms of requirements for the Setter, but also has a remarkably high ceiling.
Even if the Setter's skill level is somewhat lower, with an Ace like Kiryu, as long as the quality of the set to positions one, two, four can be guaranteed, there won't be any major problems.
Similarly, if a setter like Miya Atsumu, who is responsible for controlling the entire flow, could derive even more offensive patterns and formations based on this foundation, all kinds of Quick Attacks and technical plays could be utilized to their full potential.
Precisely because of this, knowing that he might not even reach that baseline, Kusubashi always chose a more conservative wing spiker style of play, letting Kiryu handle a portion of the receives himself.
The image of a certain setter who had played a practice match against them a while ago flashed through his mind, Kusubashi's expression grew even more regretful: "What a shame. If we had the chance to meet Oikawa earlier, I would have recruited him no matter what."
When she had asked Kurosu about him before, Kurosu had spoken very highly of Oikawa Tooru, but it wasn't until they actually played a practice match that she realized exactly how high that "high" rating truly was.
If you were to make an analogy, it would be an Iizuna Sho with nearly the same serve intensity as Miya Atsumu.
One could even say that it should be the standard setter for a team like Shirabu's, which relies on an Ace as its absolute core and utilizes a playstyle that balances Middle Blockers and Quick Attacks.
But because of the suspension period, it is too late to dig now.
Glancing at his own team's setter and libero who were discussing the match below, Kiryu Ya said softly, "This is already quite good."
Perhaps, in terms of tactics, Shirabu's idealized way of playing should also be like Inarizaki's on the court.
But for him personally, his performance at the Opposite position might not necessarily be better than his performance as a Wing Spiker.
Being able to devote one's entire focus and energy to offense and scoring can certainly allow an Ace's value to be maximized.
But.. whether one can withstand that kind of even heavier expectation is, in itself, one of the tests.
Kiryu watched Hinata quietly as he adjusted his position on the court and went straight for a high ball at position three, clenching his fists for a moment before relaxing them again.
Whether it was Ushijima or Bokuto, or Hinata.
Their playstyle and state were like poison, making him feel fear, yet he couldn't help but feel an uncontrollable.. longing.
But Kiryu knew perfectly well—he couldn't do it.
So none of this actually mattered; he only needed to do his best at what he was supposed to do.
Perhaps one day, he will be able to say with a clear conscience, "I have no regrets."
But.. not now.
The cheers from Inarizaki on the other side were loud: "Give us a good serve!"
Standing at the service position with some trepidation, Hinata took a deep breath. "Here I go!"
He didn't have any other ambitions; as long as he didn't make a mistake, that would be enough!
Chapter 86: The Eighty-Sixth Fox
The whistle blew in his ears, the cheering behind him also fell silent.
After taking a deep breath to adjust his state, Hinata tossed the ball up without hesitation.
He didn't dare risk a service fault right now, especially after that error yesterday where the ball slipped..
Having mastered the entire serving process by heart, Hinata took three steps forward and jumped precisely before stepping on the line.
The sound of the hit rang in everyone's ears as the volleyball crossed the net at a moderate speed, landing steadily in the center of the court.
There was no applause, no cheers.
Because.. it was just an ordinary, almost ugly, serve.
But Hinata isn't a key player, so Inarizaki's cheering is quite lenient in this regard.
Facing such an easy ball, the libero from Touryou also reacted quickly, steadily sending the ball right above the setter's head.
Hinata's footsteps didn't pause for a moment, as he retreated directly to a position that gave Atsumu enough space for a running approach.
At the same time, Akagi took a step closer to his position, preparing to face the opponent's spike while covering two-thirds of the court by himself.
Although he was waiting for an opportunity to attack, Hinata was also observing the Spiker on the opposite side who was preparing to spike.
In his field of vision, the opponent's arm swing slowed down significantly as it approached the volleyball, he didn't spike it all at once, so..
It was a tip.
"Tip!" Akagi shouted.
Aran, who hadn't stepped up to block, took a step forward and steadily received the ball: "Atsumu!"
Nice receive!
Hinata bit his lip with a hint of excitement, while simultaneously taking a running start from his original position.
He guessed correctly.
Compared to Kiryu-senpai and Kami-senpai, that tip from the opposing side just now was far too crude, with very obvious movements.
The members of Touryou also noticed Hinata running from the back row: "Back row Quick Attack!"
Just as they were gathering in front of Hinata, Miya Atsumu raised his hand and flicked it lightly, sending a Second Attack over with effortless ease.
"Nice play, Atsumu!" the crowd cheered from the stands.
But the Touryou Setter's reaction was also incredibly fast; just before the ball hit the ground, he extended his leg and dug it out.
This time, it was the Touryou side that erupted: "Great save!!"
The Libero on the other side also lunged forward, sending the ball to a position just above the net.
Hinata instinctively retreated a bit further, ready at any moment to receive Kiryu's spike aimed near the baseline.
But.. the Ace of Touryou didn't even jump; instead, after the ball dropped, he reached down to tip the ball over the net.
Coach Kusubashi laughed for a moment in the stands: "There was no way to spike a ball like that. Has that little guy been watching you play too much?"
Kiryu gave a shy smile. "It's not necessarily only I can hit it."
The opponent set the ball very high, Akagi shouted, "Free ball!"
Miya Atsumu quickly reached out his hand to signal not to receive it, as he rushed forward, preparing to set the ball.
At the same time, someone else jumped a step earlier near the attacking line close to the center.
Miya Atsumu leaned back slightly, sending a back set into Hinata Shoyo's hands.
Touryou's blockers had already closed in, but their libero was currently facing an internal struggle.
A back-row Quick Attack? Or is it.. a fake spike?
In the next second, Inarizaki had already provided the answer.
Hinata spiked the ball down in the blink of an eye, giving the opponents no chance to follow up at all.
The shortest line shot hit the ground at an incredible speed, soaring beautifully over the block even when the back row jumped.
In the stands, Hirugami Yukio felt a sudden headache: "That kind of hang time is incredibly hard to block."
With that kind of hang time, the requirements for timing a block are incredibly strict.
If he jumps too early, he'll give Hinata a chance to use the block for a tool; if he jumps too late, he'll be completely outplayed..
Hoshiumi cheered for Hirugami: "I think you'll be fine."
Hirugami laughed, "Probably."
On the court, cold sweat trickled down the forehead of the Touryou Middle Blocker.
Inarizaki had too many offensive options to defend against, not to mention that their movements were quite subtle and their coordination was seamless.
Coach Kurosu crossed his arms over his chest, his voice quite calm: "Shoyo's spike speed is very fast, he also has great potential in his serves."
However, he doesn't have as many things to deal with during the spiking process. After all, the setter will deliver the ball precisely to his hitting point; he only needs to chase it and spike.
So, the reason his serve level can't improve is ultimately because his serving process isn't proficient enough; he can't toss the ball exactly how he wants it.
Watching everyone high-five, Coach Kurosu had a very gentle smile on his face. "However, there's no need to rush. Serving and receiving are both skills that require long-term practice, Shoyo isn't relying on them to score points right now anyway."
Miya Osamu pulled at the mask on his face and cast a brief glance at everyone on the court.
The coaches certainly aren't in a hurry, but it's hard to ignore.. there's a real hothead on the court right now.
—That guy must be quite dissatisfied.
The volleyball was thrown back, Hinata, having caught it, immediately left the crowd.
“Shoyo, wait a second.” Seeing the opponent still wiping the floor, Miya Atsumu grabbed the opportunity to call out to Hinata, who was about to step back to serve the second ball.
Hinata looked back with some confusion and saw Miya Atsumu beckoning to him.
Noticing Miya Atsumu pointing toward the other side of the net, Hinata Shoyo understood immediately and jogged over to Miya Atsumu's side, standing on his tiptoes to lean his ear close to him.
Miya Atsumu narrowed his eyes and asked in a low voice, "Be a bit bolder."
Hinata was momentarily stunned by the words, even Ginjima, standing beside him, looked somewhat shocked.
Recalling the disastrous scene from the past, Ginjima looked at Miya Atsumu: "Atsumu.. are you sure? You want Shoyo to be even bolder?"
Has this guy's head stopped hurting? This time, Hinata is positioned right against him, so he'll be able to hit him perfectly.
Miya Atsumu was momentarily speechless.
He used one hand to hold Hinata back to prevent him from running away, whispered back to Ginjima, "That's impossible. Shoyo has improved a lot, with the chemistry Shoyo and I have—how could he still hit me!"
Finally, he added, "If anyone's going to hit me, it'll be Kuniharu!"
In the waiting area, Kumagai felt as if he had been pierced by an arrow in his back for a split second, though he didn't know why.
Atsumu looked down at Hinata: "Shoyo's serve is already very stable. Even though there are many ups and downs.. overall, the success rate is already close to eighty percent."
The opposing Libero is no pushover either. If the opponent can almost certainly receive it, continuing with this kind of serve is of little value.
Hinata was a little afraid to look Miya Atsumu in the eyes.