No matter how you weigh the situation, the result should be to play conservatively.
Although he also really wanted to keep trying.. but you can't just keep the accelerator floored forever!
He was very afraid of truly causing trouble, or else the Kita Team would glare at him.
Miya Atsumu was still staring at Hinata, seemingly completely ignoring Hinata's panic.
Hinata closed his eyes.
Forget it, since Atsumu-senpai is willing to charge forward with him, why should he be a coward? After all, if things go wrong, Atsumu-senpai will be the first one to get scolded!
So he opened his eyes, instantly shaking off the disappointment of losing points.
An eager voice rang in Atsumu's ear: "Alright! I'm going to observe more of Amatori-senpai's habits!"
Afterward, Aran cleared his mind.
So.. does anyone care that he was being suppressed by a sudden spike for no reason?
The answer is no.
If sacrificing the Ace could make Miya Osamu's quick attack and Suna Rintaro's spike smoother, Miya Atsumu would give up the Ace without hesitation.
After all.. Inarizaki has simply too many scoring options.
The Ace was becoming increasingly sluggish, Miya Atsumu and Hinata were actively trying new things, Miya Osamu had also begun taking over Hinata's responsibilities, frequently executing Quick Attacks.
Due to a combination of various factors, the direct result was that Inarizaki's tempo became more than twice as fast as before.
Just as Aran was trying to protest with Miya Atsumu, an invisible pressure suddenly drifted over from the sidelines.
Crack.
A crisp sound, not too loud, suddenly rang in everyone's ears, sounding like the blade of a guillotine falling.
Just as Amatori was wondering what it was, he discovered to his surprise that everyone on the Inarizaki side had gone silent.
Sitting on the coach's bench by the sidelines, Kita Shinsuke rubbed the sign he had just lightly tapped onto the chair with his fingers, gazing at everyone on the court.
All that hot-blooded passion and courage to try were all extinguished in this moment, as if doused by a bucket of cold water.
Hinata shrank back behind Miya Atsumu, attempting to make himself disappear from Kita Shinsuke's line of sight.
After two honest rounds of offense and defense, the substitution signal, which had caused everyone's breath to hitch, finally rang out.
Hinata ducked his head and turned to the side, terrified that the number on that board would be 17.
But to everyone's surprise, Kita Shinsuke held number 4.
Inarizaki Captain Kita Shinsuke substituted the Ace, Owari Aran, into the game to serve.
Watching everyone become so well-behaved, Kita Shinsuke, who had already walked to the service position, curled his lips into a slight smile.
Do not be afraid.
He wasn't actually the one who came up to slam on the brakes and stop everything.
Coach Kurosu stood with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at everyone on the court.
Since mistakes will occur when trying out new playstyles, then we should strengthen our defense and reduce the frequency of losing points, giving them more opportunities.
—Go ahead and take the risk.
——Let Kitagami step on the gas one last time.
Chapter 108: The One Hundred and Eighth Fox
What is Inarizaki planning to do?
Amatori repeatedly glanced at Kita Shinsuke, who was preparing to serve, his mind racing as he tried to guess Inarizaki's strategy.
Strengthen the defense in a situation where they are already trailing in score?
Inarizaki's blocking actually rarely gets the chance to score when facing Itachiyama; in this situation, the most reasonable course of action would be to find a way to unleash the Ace's powerful spike.
The gymnasium gradually quieted down, the hearts that had been racing from the intensity of the match on the court slowly began to calm.
Hinata's hands, which were held beside his head, involuntarily relaxed and curled, as he tried to catch a glimpse of Miya Atsumu beside him out of the corner of his eye.
A sharp whistle blew, abruptly cutting through all his thoughts.
Stretching his fingers straight again, Hinata stared intently at Iizuna and Amatori on the other side of the net.
Forget it, there's no use thinking about that.
Neither Miya Atsumu nor Kita Shinsuke actually gave him any new instructions, which meant.. they were still playing according to the original plan.
The volleyball hit the top of the net precisely and dropped right in front of Agatsuma Soushi.
—Just like when Iizuna suppressed Hinata with a net ball earlier.
Agatsuma was clearly stunned for a moment, but his body's instinct drove him to reach out and attempt to receive the ball.
This ball from Kita came so unexpectedly, dropping suddenly above the net, that he had no time to react at all.
In the heat of the moment, he could only drop to his knees, sacrificing his own form to make the save.
On the other side, Iizuna quickly moved in to cover, using his hands to dig the ball up.
The ball floated above the three-meter line, Sakusa was already jumping from the back row to chase it down.
The ball was far from the net, giving Sakusa enough time to make his move.
The volleyball traced an arc through the air, sailing past the libero on the other side and landing a step away from Miya Osamu.
Kita Shinsuke's voice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, rang in Miya Osamu's ear: "I've got it."
A perfect release of power; even though the volleyball's intense spin still remained, the entire trajectory of the ball had been controlled.
Almost at the same time the ball flew up, Hinata had already leaped high into the air at Position 4.
There was no one in front of him, his field of vision was incredibly vast.
It wasn't until the volleyball had traveled halfway across the net and reached him that a fingertip finally appeared in the bottom right corner of his field of vision.
In a spike route, the most basic point of deception should actually be..
Glancing at Komori, who was already moving toward the line, Hinata flicked his wrist just before spiking, sending the ball toward the space in front of Inamura Gen with a backhand motion.
Inamura Gen instinctively lunged forward, but unfortunately, he couldn't keep up at all.
Coach Kusubashi couldn't help but nod. "His short diagonal is already very smooth."
Hinata landed on the ground, glanced at Agatsuma, whose expression didn't look great, then turned to rush toward Kita Shinsuke to high-five him. "That serve from the Kita Team was amazing!"
Kita placed his hands in front of his chest and gave Hinata a light high-five. "How does it feel to be playing?"
Even though Kita didn't say it explicitly, Hinata reacted immediately: "It was absolutely amazing! As expected, there are so many more options when there's no block. Inamura-senpai didn't react at all—"
At this point, Hinata's voice suddenly caught in his throat.
Under Kita's smiling gaze, his eyes widened, a surge of surprise rushed over him, nearly overwhelming his entire being.
Did the coach and the captain give them tacit permission to try whatever they want on the court!
Hinata raised both hands high. "Long live Kita Team! Kita Team is amazing!"
Standing by the sidelines, Shiratori sized up Kita Shinsuke, unable to help but raising a hand to stroke his chin. "As steady as a rock, this captain.."
If the winner is Itachiyama, there is a high possibility that Agatsuma will be worn down, but overall, their strategic deployment wouldn't need much change.
But if Inarizaki wins this match.. there would be too many variables.
Just the key servers Inarizaki has substituted into official matches are all highly capable, since Hinata himself is a substitute, the true starter in their regular lineup is Ginjima Yui.
With a Captain whose defense is comparable to a second Libero, even if Miya Osamu and Hinata are both unable to play tomorrow, they would really only need to adjust their playstyle.
Moreover.. given how energetic Hinata is right now, there's a good chance he could still play tomorrow.
Kita gave a simple instruction: "Don't make your body orientation too obvious when you jump. Even if you want to hit a short diagonal, try to control it so the opponent doesn't see it coming. Think about how Rintaro usually does it."
Hinata applied the logic to himself: "Then if I jump to spike a short diagonal, but ultimately choose to spike a line or tip it over, the deception would be just as strong, right?"
Kita Shinsuke nodded with relief, "That's right."
Hinata put his hands on his hips and stretched his waist: "Alright! I completely understand!"
The referee signaled for Kita Shinsuke to serve, while Miya Atsumu, who hadn't been able to get a word in throughout the entire process, felt a sudden sense of foreboding.
Wait, what did Hinata realize? Is he going to become the next Inarizaki King?
That's not allowed! You'll throw your back out!
As it turned out, Miya Atsumu had overthought it; Hinata's movement was just a simple feint, instead, he executed a beautiful tip over the net, but unfortunately, Komori managed to save it.
Amatori spiked through the center, forcing a score by breaking through the block.
Clutching his finger, Miya Atsumu grimaced for the countless time.
He had been quite careful, but he couldn't withstand these guys' bull-like strength; even Oori Ren, who was beside him, wouldn't have been able to take a hit like that.
—This is why he hates playing against Shiratorizawa.
The blocker's hands hurt, his receiving arms hurt even more.
A hint of regret flashed in Kita Shinsuke's eyes; this serve failed to provide enough interference for Agatsuma Soushi, so Hinata didn't have the chance to play as smoothly as before.
In a high-speed pursuit like the one between Hinata and Agatsuma Soushi, even being able to disrupt the opponent's movements for just a fraction of a second provides an absolute advantage.
But it doesn't matter; even if they fail once, they can continue to counterattack.
Yaku dug Amatori's spike, Kita Shinsuke quickly got up, preparing for the subsequent counterattack.
From beginning to end, he never once considered anything regarding offense, instead becoming part of the solid foundation of Inarizaki alongside Akagi on the other side.
What are they going to do?
It wasn't about liberating the Ace, but about finding someone more capable of handling pressure to take on the heavy burden of defense.
What they want to do.. is to liberate the others.
—To let others take turns becoming the Ace.
As his peripheral vision caught Hinata preparing to cross the net once again, Miya Atsumu leaned back slightly, using both hands to push the ball into a Second Attack.