It was true that Hinata alone had scored at least ten points in this set, most of which he had achieved through these methods.
Let's set aside speed for the moment.
Given Hinata's own jumping ability, besides Hoshiumi, aside from the high school level, it would take at least a seasoned Middle Blocker of 1.95m or taller to avoid his high reach; among Itachiyama, only Agatsuma can keep up with him.
Just as Hinata said and did, he could even choose to use technical plays to avoid the block.
Besides, with Hinata's stamina reserves, he could theoretically exhaust everyone on the court to death.
Therefore, Itachiyama only dared to let the Middle Blocker Agatsuma, who was capable of resting for half a set, go on the chase; it would have been meaningless for anyone else to step up.
Amatori Toru, making eye contact with Hinata Shoyo, felt a chill run down his spine, but it wasn't because his clothes were soaked with sweat.
Rather, it was that.. feeling of being watched by something, which made even his hands feel a bit numb.
A good baby?
Who on earth thinks Hinata is some harmless, good little baby!
Amatori looked at Iizuna Sho, who was watching Hinata with admiring eyes, really wanted to shake his shoulders to wake him up.
Can you setters wake up!
The ones on the other side of the net are the enemy!
This guy intends to keep increasing the speed, playing with a completely reckless style.
It felt as if he was determined to drag the match out and exhaust Itachiyama completely.
Since when was he well-behaved!
He's just as much of a maniac on the court as Miya Atsumu!
Hinata turned around, as he looked at Miya Atsumu, his brain rapidly replayed the situation that had just occurred.
Talking about being faster.. in reality, it doesn't mean much.
Having played nearly an entire set already, he and Agatsuma Soushi were already very clear about each other's speed.
Even if he went any faster, it would only be a difference of a fraction of a second, which would have a negligible effect on the volleyball match.
The best way to completely avoid being caught by the opponent was actually..
Having come to an understanding, Hinata looked up at Miya Atsumu, who was waiting for his decision.
Under Miya Atsumu's gaze, a voice rang out, sounding somewhat expectant but mostly cautious.
Is it okay?
Miya Atsumu's smile faded slightly, as he lowered his eyes, he seemed to be weighing his options in his heart.
After a long time, he gave the answer Hinata had been expecting.
Gladly.
Since things have already reached this point, retreating would only make all the previous efforts seem absurd and ridiculous.
—Then I might as well go all the way to madness.
Chapter 103: The One Hundred and Third Fox
Listening to the two of them talk, Miya Osamu rolled his eyes silently, but nodded helplessly when Miya Atsumu cast him a glance.
Complaining about and looking down on Miya Atsumu could wait until after the match; what he needed to confirm now was securing a definitive victory.
"Give them a good spike!" On Itachiyama's side, they continued to cheer for Iizuna Sho.
Akagi took a deep breath, lowering his center of gravity in preparation to receive the ball.
There was nothing to fear; Iizuna's serve wasn't difficult to receive, it was far worse than the Miyagi setters he had encountered; he could handle it very well.
As for scoring.. he had complete faith in Atsumu and the other Spikers.
"I've got it!" Akagi stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Miya Osamu to receive the ball, so that he wouldn't have to reach for it.
Although one of the important tasks for Miya Osamu, who primarily plays as a defensive Opposite, is receiving, they should not interfere as long as the Libero can receive it.
Watching the trajectory of the volleyball falling from the back row, Hinata took two steps back, with his back to the antenna at Position 4.
After my teammate's serve, Agatsuma Soushi, who had switched positions with Amatori Toru, moved toward that side following Hinata's pace. He and Amatori Toru both noticed Suna Osamu, who had moved to the center, Miya Osamu behind him, almost at the same time.
After a long rally throughout the entire set, the members of Itachiyama should have been familiar with Hinata's rhythm, but..
The reality was quite the opposite.
After taking his final step beneath the Position 4 marker, Hinata suddenly accelerated, instantly shaking off Agatsuma.
Looking at Miya Atsumu, who had already jumped into the air near the attack line preparing to set, then at Suna Osamu, who was clearly half a step behind, Agatsuma and Amatori made their decision at the same time.
—A Flat Quick Attack from Position 2.
Alongside Inamura from the other side, the three of them rushed toward the space between Inarizaki's Position 2 and Position 3 and jumped.
Even in this position, they could still cover it even if Miya Osamu played from Position 1.
But even though he knew their feet had already left the ground, the sound of the ball being contacted was delayed.
Doubt surfaced in Amatori's mind.
In his field of vision, Miya Atsumu, who was behind Suna in the center, had already begun to descend, yet he had no contact with the volleyball at all.
Atsumu landed, taking a step forward and slightly bending his knees.
Agatsuma's gaze suddenly dropped, seeing Hinata, who had already lowered his center of gravity and was preparing to swing his arms for a jump.
The opponent was also looking up at him, his extremely calm and sharp eyes reflecting the shadow of the blocker, as well as the overhead lights behind them.. which were like the sun.
Neither the Setter nor Hinata, who was spiking, moved at the original timing for a negative tempo Quick Attack; instead, they dropped to a first tempo.
Spiker's timing?
The Setter's individual timing?
No, neither.
This was a masterpiece, a coordinated effort between the two of them.
A thud rang in everyone's ears.
Hinata Shoyo leaped high, giving it his all to reach for the sky.
In front of the already descending block, he raised his hand to spike the volleyball that Miya Atsumu had already sent toward him.
Komori Motoya, from the back row, took a step closer to Hinata Shoyo.
While Hinata did manage to get past the block, it wasn't a negative-tempo Quick Attack, so Komori was able to fully chase it down.
Komori stared at Hinata's movements, positioning himself in the best spot to receive a Line shot.
Will he spike?
He can spike.
Sakusa's mind was ringing like an alarm, he rushed forward, driven almost entirely by instinct.
No, this timing.. it's the perfect opportunity for a tip!
Standing from a third-person perspective, Shiratori Natsume gave a light smile: "It's taken."
In the next instant, the heavy sound of a spike echoed through the court.
It was indeed not a line spike, nor was it the tip that Sakusa had judged it to be.
Instead, Hinata used his sufficient jumping height to smash the ball directly downward from above, a spike that landed right on the three-meter line.
Sakusa, who was preparing to receive the ball, was completely unprepared for such a powerful spike. The volleyball traveled much faster than expected, slamming into the floor a step ahead of him.
As it slammed into the floor, Hinata bent his knees to absorb the impact, while simultaneously looking at Sakusa, who was sprawled on the ground, with a look of surprise.
That was close, he almost got caught.
The whistle blew, the score jumped to 24:24, with both sides tied.
Nice play!!
Go all the way in one breath!
Before Miya Atsumu could open his arms to Hinata, Akagi Michinari, who had just received a serve, stepped forward and pulled both of them into a hug, one in each arm: "Beautiful play!"
Hinata replied, "It's because the seniors provided good cover."
After saying that, he turned his head slightly to look at the members of Itachiyama on the opposite side.
Would it have been better to have considered the possibility of needing to hit a short diagonal just now..
Amatori felt his scalp go numb for a moment after being glanced at by Hinata Shoyo. He had only just begun to get the hang of things when Inarizaki completely broke the established pattern.
Miya Atsumu used the negative-tempo Quick Attack itself as a decoy, actively slowing down the pace through the setter's time difference.
Hinata also adjusted his footing to jump higher, increasing his hitting point; he didn't let his guard down until the very last moment, even managing to bluff Komori.
This is just too ridiculous!
And to be able to pull that off with a last-minute decision.. both of these guys are just ridiculous!
A once-in-a-generation presence.
Shiratori offered his third sincere compliment: "You're already showing your true colors, Inarizaki."
Considering the rotation, the winner of this set was already clear in Shiratori's mind.
Kuroo looked up, looking a bit disgusted with Shiratori beside him: "Are you a Miya Atsumu fanboy? You're praising him way too much."
Shiratori gave a light laugh. "No, this time I was praising Hinata."
After a brief pause, he added, "I should say.. both of them."
Miya Atsumu serves.
Agatsuma and Hinata, who was on the opposite side of the net, locked eyes, his expression showing little emotion.
He knew it was impossible for Inarizaki to keep reducing their speed, as their purpose in using the Quick Attack was to pin him down. If they were to reduce their speed frequently, there would be no need for him to continue following Hinata so closely.
In short, I'll treat the deceleration as just another type of technical play to deal with.