A solo time difference?
Doubt surfaced in Hirugami's mind, while on the other side, Aran had already leaped into the air.
Having quickly ruled out the option of a Quick Attack, Hirugami subconsciously avoided the possibility of Hinata's subsequent attack and adjusted his direction as well, rushing toward Hoshiumi.
But in the very next second, the ball in Miya Atsumu's hands flew up, landing precisely in front of Hinata near the Position 2 marker.
Hirugami's pupils contracted.
No, it wasn't a time difference, nor was it a feint for a cover quick attack.
It was.. just a very ordinary back row spike.
Hakuma and Hirugami's jumping motions were, in the end, just a bit too slow.
Hinata jumped incredibly high; even though the spike from the back row would reduce the height at which the ball reached the net, the ball still flew over the block.
A heavy thud echoed as the volleyball slammed down near the baseline.
Following the dazzling Quick Attack, the sudden transition into a high ball felt even heavier.
It was like a mountain crashing down from above, ruthlessly crushing the momentum that had already begun to boil.
The entire stadium erupted in a roar: "What a spike!!"
Hoshiumi wiped the sweat that had already trickled down to the side of his eyes, staring at Hinata for a while as he high-fived Miya Atsumu.
Under Hirugami's gaze, he suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahahaha—Nice one, Shoyo!"
Hinata was startled, but after turning around and noticing it was Hoshiumi cheering for him, his eyes also lit up as he rushed over: "Hoshiumi-senpai!"
Hoshiumi patted Hinata's chest through the net, while casting a glance at Miya Atsumu behind him, sending him a provocative look.
That's right, just like that.
Taking the initiative away from the Setter.. bit by bit.
Coach Kurosu pressed his hand against the corner of his mouth by the sidelines.
Hinata's decisiveness was even stronger than he had expected; he didn't even wait to set up a strategy against Bessho, but instead applied it directly to Hirugami and the others.
And the results were quite significant, as the previously stagnant score was pulled apart.
Kumagai glanced sideways at Coach Kurosu: "Coach, should I go in?"
Kurosu didn't hesitate: "Go out there, bring me ten points."
Author's Note:
Kumagai: This humble servant cannot do it [cracks]
Chapter 95: The Ninety-Fifth Fox
Kumagai felt like he was hallucinating.
Who gets a perfect score? Him?
Is it him, with his jump float serve being so shaky and inconsistent?
Does he stand a chance against Karasuno, who is so skilled at receiving jump float serves?
Kumagai began to grow restless.
He glanced at Coach Kurosu, who seemed to be suppressing something, then glanced at Coach Omimi, who looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, finally spoke tentatively, "Um, how about letting Heisuke or Ginjima-senpai.."
On the court, Hinata started up his quick attacks again, but Hirugami, who had just been caught off guard, was even more cautious than before, to the point that his jump to follow the quick attack was a bit late, providing Hinata with plenty of opportunities for a counterattack.
Fortunately, Hoshiumi, who had retreated to coordinate his receiving, successfully saved the ball, preventing Hinata from scoring.
It was only then that Coach Kurosu seemed to snap out of it and looked at Kumagai: "Even if you can't score with a jump float serve, you should have other means prepared."
Kumagai's mind went blank.
Other means? What does that mean?
Seeing Kumagai looking thoughtful, Kurosu didn't say anything more and instead turned his gaze back to the court.
Inarizaki's Middle Blockers are all used for blocking in the middle, the focus of their regular training has always been on blocking and covering for Quick Attacks.
Because of this, Oori and Suna both have flaws in their back row attacks and receiving.
The purpose of substituting Kumagai into the game at this time was, of course, not to have him score via serves, but to have him, as a setter, go onto the court to coordinate the offense with Miya Atsumu.
When it switched to Suna's serve, both Hinata and Aran were in the back row.
Since Kita Shinsuke was unable to perform his duties as a strong attacker, they needed Miya Atsumu, who was capable of executing spikes or technical shots, to break through the defense.
But clearly, under the intense defensive pressure from Karasuno, Kita Shinsuke's setting could not provide enough attacking opportunities for the others.
Hinata Shoyo's setting skills can currently only guarantee the quality of a set to the wings or the center, so this kind of playstyle that requires a back-row attack is still too difficult for him.
In a situation where it is necessary to continuously widen the score gap, there is no doubt that this is the best time to put the second Setter on the court.
Especially since Kumagai himself possesses sufficient serving ability, it is the optimal choice for a comprehensive strategy.
Hoshiumi Hikari walked to the serving position, holding the ball.
His strategy was quite simple, still adhering to the policy of ensuring maximum disruption to the opponent's subsequent attacks.
If the opponent's attack fails, it will be beneficial for their blocking performance.
After all.. blocking and serving are Karasuno's greatest weapons.
What a great serve!
Glancing at Hinata, who was being protected in the middle, Hoshiumi raised his hand and tossed the ball.
He had no intention of lowering the ball's speed to pursue accuracy; after all, lowering the speed would mean the ball would become "easy to receive," and even with Hinata's currently immature receive technique, it would still be manageable.
—Then it would be a poor trade-off.
With a heavy topspin, the serve slammed down in an instant into the space near Aran, right beside Hinata.
Keeping Coach Kurosu's instruction to "try to receive as few balls as possible" in mind, Hinata decisively took a step to the side.
Aran slightly bent his knees and reached out to receive the ball.
"What a receive!" Miya Atsumu quickly chased after it, jumping near the sideline to prepare to lift the ball back over the net.
Hoshiumi's expression twisted.
This guy can handle any serve with a perfect reception and can adjust it to the level of a perfect set; he is practically slapping the faces of all these servers.
"Atsumu-senpai!" Hinata raised his hand, calling for the ball.
Hirugami looked at Hinata, noticing his movement as he prepared to jump up behind Suna.
For such an obvious request for the ball, Miya Atsumu usually wouldn't provide it; after all, this guy's actions are almost entirely based on his own whims.
Because Hinata showed no intention of running a Quick Attack, the blockers from Karasuno were still waiting for Miya Atsumu to set the ball.
The main focus of the back row defense was Suna, so they were positioned in the gaps on either side of the block where the ball's trajectory might change.
Hirugami frowned slightly.
No, because of Miya Atsumu's perhaps casual personality, it's very possible..
Miya Atsumu's serve landed two steps behind Suna.
Hirugami's expression was calm, he was not surprised by this.
As expected, it was meant for Hinata.
Recalling that Hinata already dared to use tooling the block, Hirugami delayed his jump timing as much as possible.
After all, because of the trajectory of a spike from the back row, delaying the jump slightly would not result in being completely blocked by the hitter.
Hoshiumi in the back row also took a step in the opposite direction of the block; Hinata's body orientation clearly indicated he was going for a short diagonal.
The next second, Hinata, who had been swinging his arm with full force, lightly tapped the bottom of the volleyball with his fingers.
A feint!
Hirugami and Hakuma, being the first to react, both lunged for the ball as it fell behind them the moment they landed.
—But it was already too late.
The volleyball landed softly in the center of the court, rolling toward Hoshiumi's feet in the back.
After bending his knees to absorb the impact, Hinata slowly stood up straight, lowering his gaze to look at Hirugami and Hakuma, who were lying on the ground looking up at him.
Beside him, Suna slightly turned his head, observing Hinata's expression out of the corner of his eye.
The court was unexpectedly quiet, so quiet that as Miya Atsumu walked over, he could hear Hinata's breathing gradually calming down.
Just as he was about to reach out and pat Hinata's shoulder, Hinata suddenly turned his head to look at him.
His originally serious expression, which had been full of pressure toward his opponents, also became lively, as if he were struggling to control the corners of his mouth from curling up to his ears.
Combined with eyes that could no longer hide his joy.. his expression became somewhat distorted.
Miya Atsumu raised both hands toward him, Hinata Shoyo also jumped up and gave him a pat.
After confirming that the two Hirugami across from them likely couldn't hear, Hinata reached out and pulled on Miya Atsumu's collar, signaling him to bend down.
Miya Atsumu leaned in following his movement, immediately heard Hinata's voice reaching a peak of excitement.
Atsumu-senpai! They're looking at me on the ground!
When Miya Atsumu curled his lips into a smirk, Suna also let out a soft laugh.
Although Hinata didn't describe it accurately, those who had been there before knew exactly how Hinata was feeling right now.
The two-meter-tall wall that should have been unreachable was now at a lower point, the small-statured player who had used beautiful feints to deceive everyone looked down at them with the gaze of a victor.
The guy, who should have had every advantage in volleyball thanks to his height, was being toyed with by Hinata Shoyo.
Like the two sides of a scale tipping.
That sense of accomplishment.. was truly incomparable.
Miya Atsumu, who was also in an excellent mood, replied, "Then let's make sure they can't get back up, Shoyo."
—To turn that big idiot into a failed crawler, left only to look up at them from a lower position.