Especially since this person is the captain of Adler, he is truly the best of the best.
Hinata repeated Hirugami Fuku's exact words: "Great Hirugami-senpai said he recommends I train both receiving and setting, so that if I can later be paired with two spikers who specialize in technical plays, I'll be able to switch between two different receiving modes at any time."
Coach Kurosu was stunned for a moment.
His first reaction was that this Inarizaki was not useful, then he thought of even further away.
Hinata's current setting skill is indeed average, but if he continues at his current training pace, it is estimated that he will reach a normal level by the time the new students enroll next year.
As for the technical hitters.. one could consider Miya Osamu, while the other can just continue being developed as Rishia Heisuke.
Inarizaki's current first-year class doesn't have any middle blocker substitutes that he is particularly satisfied with yet; the only one worth developing, Tokura Yukihito, is still a novice, he intends to train him in the same direction as Suna Rintaro.
For this year's Interhigh Junior High, he has secured a relatively well-rounded Wing Spiker and a Setter with a very powerful serve, but he still lacks any suitable prospects for a Middle Blocker.
When the rosters change next year, the best plan would likely be to move the experienced and highly disciplined Ginjima to the Middle Blocker position..
Thinking about it that way, it was unexpectedly feasible.
Kurosu's eyes lit up, before he could even ask, Miya Atsumu on the other side suddenly spoke up.
The High School's Strongest Setter looked at the rookie who couldn't set the ball properly: "Shoyo, do you dare to perform a set on the court? Just a standard high ball will do."
Coach Kurosu's smile froze for a moment.
Wait, what is going on?
Hinata, who was already immersed in the possibility of developing into an all-around player, summoned his courage and replied, "I'm fine! I can handle high balls in positions 3 and 4!"
Aran and Suna's expressions changed simultaneously, their eyes filled with terror and resistance.
—The two of them aren't sure they can spike it!
Chapter 88: The Eighty-Eighth Fox
Coach Kurosu felt a throbbing sensation in his temples, but in the end, he said nothing, even avoiding the pleading gazes of the others to some extent.
They all shared the same desire to win the match, so he was certain that Atsumu wouldn't do anything reckless in this situation.
Miya Osamu was no longer on the court, so no matter how outrageous Miya Atsumu's choice was, he wouldn't mess it up.. probably.
—Actually, it was mainly because Coach Kurosu was willing to believe in Hinata.
When it came to volleyball, Hinata Shoyo's self-assessment was never excessive; in fact, to a certain extent, he would always assume the worst of his own abilities.
Moreover, high balls to positions 3 and 4 from the setter are the absolute basics, almost everyone in Inarizaki can do them; at most, Hinata just struggles to remember the hitting points of others.
But as long as the set isn't exceptionally high—for example, setting to his own hitting point, the experienced Suna Rintaro and Aran-senpai can both spike it.
After all.. a combination achieved through pure physical ability is, in essence, also a manifestation of chemistry.
On the court, the match between Fukuda General and Star First had already completed one set, Coach Kurosu was the first to stand up: "Alright, go change your clothes and get ready to sign in and take the court."
Yes!
After changing into his uniform, Miya Atsumu leaned against the wall in the player's tunnel, wearing a jacket over his shoulders.
Glancing sideways at the court where the third set was underway, Miya Atsumu waved to Hinata Shoyo, who was asking Suna Rintaro about his spiking tendencies. "Shoyo, come here."
"Coming!" Hinata responded immediately.
Only after confirming the key points with Suna Rintaro again did Hinata walk over to Miya Atsumu's side.
The closer he got to the court, the stronger the smell of that pain relief spray became, making Hinata feel somewhat nervous.
He followed Miya Atsumu's gaze toward the match on the court, unconsciously pursing his lips.
Star First's substitute libero injured his knee while diving for a ball before they were substituted out; currently, one of their spikers is on the court wearing a bright yellow jersey as the libero.
Their starting libero caught the flu a few days before the competition began and only played one and a half matches during the entire National Sports Festival; it is said that after running a fever, he is currently in a nearby hospital receiving an IV drip.
With no substitutes available, a special substitution for another position can only be made after receiving official approval from the tournament officials.
The entire match was delayed for quite a long time because of this. According to the original schedule, the third match between Inarizaki and Karasuno should have almost started by this time.
To have the smell of pain relief spray be this strong after only playing a single match.. the injury must be quite serious.
Miya Atsumu glanced at the legs beneath Hinata's red tracksuit jacket.
Because the start of the match was delayed, everyone had basically put their jackets back on.
After all, volleyball shorts are very short, it is already quite chilly this season; if you aren't careful, you might very well catch a cold.
He said seriously, "Remember to wear your knee pads later to protect yourself."
Unlike them, perhaps the coach won't allow Hinata Shoyo to take the court without wearing knee pads until the day he graduates.
Although heavy and thick knee pads will affect flexibility to some extent, they are essentially for protecting the knees.
Especially for someone like Hinata, who requires high-intensity jumping throughout the entire match, even a slight shift in center of gravity during landing can sometimes lead to injuries to the patella or the meniscus.
He had arrived early, just as it happened, that Libero had fallen not far from the railing right there.
Given the situation at the time, his entire right lower leg suffered a very obvious momentary dislocation, which was quite terrifying; it was estimated that it wouldn't fully heal for at least half a year.
Feeling Miya Atsumu's obvious agitation, Hinata looked back at him with an equally serious gaze: "I'll wear my knee pads properly, Atsumu-senpai, don't worry."
Having received Hinata's promise, Atsumu-senpai turned to the main topic: "In previous matches, your blocks were generally intended to touch the ball, but this time is different.."
Akagi Michinari, who had gone to check the situation at the infirmary, walked back and immediately saw Miya Atsumu using exaggerated hand gestures to describe something to Hinata.
Their faces were written with confusion: "What is he doing?"
Aran crossed his arms over his chest. "Atsumu is trying to remodel Shoyo a bit."
Setting those two aside for a moment, Aran looked at Akagi. "What's the situation over there?"
Akagi had known Star First's starting libero since junior high, so he had just gone to check on his friend who was currently getting an injection at the hospital, since their own teammates didn't have time right now.
Mentioning this, Akagi shook his head. "An ambulance has already been called; he needs to go to the hospital immediately for an MRI."
It's probably a meniscus injury, but it's been preliminarily confirmed that the ligament isn't torn.
The libero of Star First has always been a core player, there is an eighty percent possibility that he will pursue a professional career in the future.
If he were to accidentally get injured again, he would likely need reconstructive ligament surgery, if not properly maintained, it could easily end his entire professional career.
Aran also felt a bit of a headache: "Ah.. how terrifying."
The match on the court remained in a stalemate. Given that everyone's receiving ability was top-tier, Star First's original wing spiker played at a very high level even when acting as a libero.
The player substitutions did not affect the players' condition on the court; instead, they gave Star First a sense of "burning one's boats," playing as if they weren't considering the next match at all, with incredibly intense movement.
The long whistle sounded in everyone's ears.
The match, which had been a torment for everyone both on and off the court, finally came to an end. Fukuda General defeated Star First 2:1, advancing to the final four of the national tournament.
Wiping the sweat from her face, Fukuda General's setter, Shiratori Natsume, felt as if her entire body was losing its strength.
At the signal of the staff, the Inarizaki members entered the court and took their positions by the sidelines.
Hinata frowned slightly, looking at the strange atmosphere on the court with a sense of confusion.
Whether they were the winning side or the losing side, everyone was exceptionally silent at this moment.
There was joy on the Fukuda General side, but it was nowhere near as intense as expected.
Several players from Star First were crying almost uncontrollably, combined with the exhaustion from heavy running, their breathing and sobbing sounded almost like they were on the verge of death.
Even after such a fierce battle, they still lost the match..
Hinata bit his lip.
Kita Shinsuke clapped his hands, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere: "Everyone, make sure to warm up properly. Whether it's digging or attacking, pay attention to personal protection.."
Only by doing all of this well can injuries be minimized.
But in truth, they also knew that there was just too much unpredictability on the court.
If someone were to get injured under these circumstances, it could only be attributed to luck.
And to leave one's fate to something so ethereal..
It's too cruel.
Kita Shinsuke stared as Hinata put on his knee pads, while simultaneously wondering if he should turn back and buy another ankle brace for Hinata.
Anyway.. I'll just do my best.
Because of the unexpected turn of events in the previous match, the Karasuno side was also exceptionally serious. During the warm-up phase, the coaches on both sides simultaneously extended the time spent on joint mobility exercises.
After exchanging greetings on both sides of the court, the captains from both sides performed the coin toss.
Watching Kita Shinsuke win the toss to serve first, Suwa had an expression that suggested it was exactly as expected.
In fact, Karasuno hadn't even considered the possibility of starting in the first set; after all, looking at Inarizaki's track record, the number of times they were forced to start second was extremely rare.
It even made Hakuma Mebuki wonder for a moment if Kita Shinsuke possessed some kind of superpower.
Nodding at Kita, Suwa returned to his own team.
Now he felt.. perhaps it wasn't a superpower, but rather the blessing of the God of Harvest.
Sakusa and Komori sat down in the stands.
Itachiyama's match is the last one today, so they still have one set left to scout their potential future opponents.
"I didn't expect this day to come so unexpectedly." Watching Hinata walk over and stand beside Suna on the court, Komori couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Pulling down the mask on his face slightly, Sakusa replied in a low voice, "Yeah, but Hinata's current strength isn't on par with Hoshiumi's."
The main highlight of this match wasn't actually the so-called duel between the "Little Giants," but rather how the strongest Setter would use his Spikers to break through Karasuno's iron wall.
However, Sakusa felt that perhaps the showdown between the "Little Giants" would arrive very soon.
Given Hinata's rate of growth.. probably by next summer.
Hoshiumi squinted one eye as he turned his head for a third time to look at Inarizaki's formation on the other side of the net.
After a long silence, he asked Hinata, who was standing directly opposite him, "What are you guys doing? Is there really a need to rearrange your positions like that?"
It wasn't just a change in the starting lineup; they had even swapped the positions of the Middle Blockers, adjusting them from Suna facing Hirugami to Bessho.
It's no problem for Hirugami to deal with Suna's spike, but it's not necessarily the case for Bessho Chigen.