Miya Atsumu's expression was extremely joyful.
Yesterday, the things Hinata tested at Karasuno worked very well, especially after adding some cover; even Itachiyama was defeated by them.
Their goal was simple: just to make Itachiyama clearly realize that they could choose another way to score.
Repeatedly deepen the opponent's impression of this matter, leaving an indelible mark.
As long as he remains wary, his actions will become even more cautious.
And as long as he becomes cautious, there will be more opportunities for Miya Atsumu to strike.
When it comes to reading people.. Miya Atsumu didn't think Itachiyama was any stronger than he was.
What is the responsibility of a Setter?
A conductor under the spotlight? An absolute offensive point that wins the match with a serve?
—Neither.
In the absolute silence of the environment, Miya Atsumu raised his hand and tossed the ball.
A setter is essentially the most devoted stepping stone on a spiker's path to scoring.
Whether it was using Hinata to provide cover for Aran and Suna, or using his own feints to coordinate with Hinata to shake off the blockers, the essence was the same.
What he had to do was clear a path for the Spiker.
Miya Atsumu's serve severely disrupted the rhythm of the subsequent attack on Itachiyama's side, forcing the setter, Inamura Gen, to compensate with a set.
"Sakusa!" Inamura Gen raised his hand to set the ball for Sakusa in the back-four position.
Sakusa's serve maintained its absolute high quality; Akagi could only barely control it, but for Miya Atsumu, it was more than enough.
Hinata instantly turned and rushed toward the area near Position 2.
Yatsu, who no longer dared to predict and block like that, swallowed hard. Fortunately, Miya Atsumu's ball wasn't given to Hinata, but was instead sent to Miya Osamu on the other side.
But the bad news was.. Miya Osamu's spike was also a negative-tempo Quick Attack.
The spike from Miya Osamu, which had even more power than Hinata's, was even harder to handle; the targeted Iizuna players didn't have time to dodge and were hit squarely by it.
And Iizuna, whose receiving ability was already limited, completely failed to handle the ball.
Inarizaki 25:24 Itachiyama, Inarizaki reaches set point.
Consecutive points!
Keep the momentum going!!
Iizuna quickly spoke up to steady everyone's morale: "Sorry, sorry! My bad!"
Amatori's face was contorted like a bitter melon: "Double Quick is such a pain."
Inarizaki's frequency of using Double Quick Attacks isn't actually that high, after all, it requires Miya Osamu to coordinate the subsequent defense.
So their best chance is right now; with Miya Osamu, Suna, Hinata all in the front row, it being Miya Atsumu's service turn, they can disrupt the opponents' rhythm to the maximum.
Komori also felt a headache coming on: "Of all times, it has to be at the end of the set.."
Iizuna grit his teeth: "Don't panic! Break their rhythm!"
As long as they can survive this rally, it will be Itachiyama's period of dominance; once Sakusa moves to the front row, his unique spin will be even more effective.
Miya Atsumu's second serve clipped the net and dropped.
"I've got it!" Komori performed a diving save to receive Miya Atsumu's serve and tossed it to Iizuna Sho.
Beautiful! Amatori!
Touch!
Agatsuma leaped at the edge of the net, chasing after Hinata, while on the other side, Suna found an opportunity, forced by Miya Atsumu to jump to his absolute limit at the hitting point.
"Touch!" Amatori successfully touched the ball.
After a simple two-round struggle, Agatsuma's quick attack was once again saved by Akagi.
Atsumu!
Miya Atsumu quickly chased down the ball, while simultaneously leaning back slightly and turning his head to observe the situation over at Itachiyama.
Hinata had already jumped near the Position 2 marker, his beautiful arm extension providing absolute hang time.
Agatsuma was left half a step behind him, while simultaneously moving closer to the center to defend against Suna.
Even though there was still a distance between Agatsuma and the sideline, Hinata, who is right-handed, could not possibly spike a line shot under this kind of pressure, since the direction of his natural-handed spike had already been completely blocked.
But this positioning.. for them, it was a perfect opportunity.
Is it okay?
That sentence wasn't Hinata asking for his consent, but rather telling him..
I need a more tricky toss; I want to break through the block.
The volleyball spun upon contact with Miya Atsumu's hands, flying unerringly toward Hinata from the perspective of Miya Atsumu's overhead toss.
The incredibly long hang time gave Hinata enough time to react.
This was also the opportunity he had carved out for himself, the one he had agreed upon with Miya Atsumu.
And this wasn't the first time Hinata had spiked a ball like this; the moment the toss arrived, he already knew what he needed to do.
His gaze swept toward the edge of the court.
—It really is an impeccable ball path.
Miya Atsumu's toss passed through the point where Hinata's right hand would have been, dropped to the left after passing over the highest point of his head.
And then.. it overlapped with Hinata's left-handed hitting point.
With a loud bang, the ball spiked by Hinata's left hand slammed down along the sideline of Itachiyama, landing steadily in the corner of the court, while Komori on the other side failed to dig it.
The sound signaling the end of the match rang out.
The score ended at Inarizaki 26:24 Itachiyama.
The Inarizaki members boiled over with excitement: "Yes! We took a set!"
It was rare for their matches against Itachiyama to end with a win in the first set, but now.. this was truly a groundbreaking moment!
Shiratori clapped his hands: "A miracle."
A setter capable of controlling things with such precision can be called nothing less than a miracle.
And the Spikers who could react in time and coordinate with the Setter's movements were equally terrifying enough to make one tremble.
Amatori stood at the net without moving, staring at Hinata, his heart filled with an indelible sense of absurdity.
He had known for a long time that Hinata was very good at finding the ball, but.. he never expected it to reach this level.
Can a normal person confirm that was not a setter's error, but rather a signal for him to substitute?
Suddenly, Hinata's words from a long time ago flashed through his mind.
[Atsumu-senpai wouldn't have this kind of problem, right?]
Amatori's expression was distorted.
To trust them like that? That's absurd.
Noticing his gaze, Hinata, who was walking toward the Coach's bench behind Miya Atsumu, tilted his head slightly and looked back at Amatori.
It was only at this moment that Amatori suddenly realized something.
From beginning to end, Hinata never showed even the slightest hint of retreat, as if he had not the slightest doubt regarding Inarizaki's victory.
Even during the match, he was constantly absorbing knowledge, thinking about how he could score more effectively.
Those eyes.. at this moment, they were even more dazzling than the lights overhead.
Amatori cursed himself inwardly.
Damn it.
I can't take my eyes off him.
Chapter 104: The One Hundred and Fourth Fox
Iizuna reached out and patted Amatori's back: "The coach is calling you."
Amatori snapped back to reality, turning her head only to meet the indescribable stares from the Itachiyama members.
Especially Iizuna Sho, who seemed as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
In the end, Iizuna could only squeeze out four words: "It's no use watching."
Amatori's expression contorted for a moment, then he cleared his throat. "What's wrong?"
Coach Utsunomiya said, "I'm talking about you. Don't just charge in after Agatsuma and the others; your job is to keep an eye on the opponent's Ace's spike."
That kind of Quick Attack isn't something a Block can control anyway, if you don't go for the spike.. it's easy to cause an injury to Komori.
Komori scratched his head.
Actually, he was doing fine; he was originally a Spiker, with his height and weight advantage, his strength was quite excellent. Even if Aran's and Suna's spikes weren't blocked, he could still manage them.
Amatori, who had become a bit overly worked up by Hinata's hot-bloodedness in the later stages, shrank his neck: "Understood, I won't look after Hinata anymore."
Coach Utsunomiya felt his vision go dark: "I didn't tell you to stop following him, I just told you not to charge blindly. If he slows down or plays with timing, you still need to block him."
How did their IQ drop so much after just one set?
Before Yatsu could say anything else that would cause a heart attack, Coach Utsunomiya immediately glared at Agatsuma Soushi: "You too, adjust yourself. Touch the ball as much as possible; don't just aim to limit the ball's path if you can't kill it at the net."
Touch the ball! Touch the ball for me! If you don't touch the ball, are you trying to make Komori and Sakusa run themselves to death?!
Agatsuma didn't know what to say, so he could only offer a smile to the coach, who was becoming increasingly angry.
Watching the two third-year "pillars" of Itachiyama, Iizuna raised both hands and covered his face.
Why is it that the reliable ones are actually the second-year juniors..
Utsunomiya picked up the tactical board beside him and tapped each of them on the head with it. "Stop laughing!"