Coach Kurosu said softly to Kita Shinsuke, "You and Heisuke should be ready at all times; I suspect Shoyo won't be able to play the whole match."
Kita Shinsuke nodded. "Understood."
Although he had already found someone to take care of it, Hinata had exhausted himself too much yesterday. Setting aside the pressure on his joints, his muscles alone could not handle it.
The best result would be to win the match 3-0; the longer it drags on, the more it will disadvantage them in the absence of their mainstay, Miya Osamu.
[Next up is the Men's High School Volleyball final of the 67th National Sports Festival.]
【The match features Fukuda General High School, representing Fukuoka Prefecture, against Inarizaki High School, representing Hyogo Prefecture.】
[The match is about to begin.]
[Next, we will introduce the starting lineups for both teams.]
"It's starting, it's starting." Iwaizumi Hajime hurriedly poked Oikawa Tooru, who was flipping through the player profiles for both sides.
[Fukuda General High School.]
【Number 2, Captain, Kuroo Rei.】
Oikawa Tooru let out a soft click of his tongue: "Tsk, 1.80m."
Iwaizumi Hajime almost lost control of his fist: "Do you really want me to punch you?"
【Position 1, Middle Blocker, Shiratori Natsume.】
Oikawa Tooru spoke with disdain again: "That surname is so unlucky, he's a Setter too."
Iwaizumi no longer wanted to deal with this troublesome childhood friend: "That's enough."
【Position 3, Fukai So.】
【Position 4, Shimizu Kanata.】
Waiting in the waiting area, Hinata looked up and saw the two Middle Blockers the coach had emphasized earlier entering the court.
That pink-haired Kiyoko Shimizu is also quite tall; she feels about the same height as Agatsuma-senpai. But the tallest is still Shiratori-senpai.. no, Natsume-senpai.
【Number 9, Midorikawa Aki.】
Hinata carefully observed this Wing Spiker, whom Coach Kurosu had repeatedly emphasized possessed a way of thinking different from ordinary people.
【Number 12, Kazama Junichi.】
【No. 5, Libero, Matsuda Shuji.】
——Mokoba-senpai and the Libero-senpai who needs to be targeted.
【Head Coach, Tsurumaru Masato.】
The young Coach Itachiyama stood up and bowed to the entire crowd.
After quickly labeling everyone in his mind, Hinata snorted twice through his nose.
Very good, he had already memorized the characteristics of every opponent.
Akagi Michinari reached out and poked Hinata in the back, signaling him to focus.
The announcement above had already begun calling the Inarizaki members to enter the arena.
[Inarizaki High School.]
[Position 4, Middle Blocker, Owari Aran.]
Go, go, Aran—Charge, charge, Aran—
The super Ace entered the court first, walking in with his head held high amidst the cheers and shouts of the cheering squad.
【2, Oori Ren.】
【Number 5, Ginjima Yui.】
Shiratori's eyes lit up, he hurriedly raised his hand to poke Kuroo beside him, exchanging glances with him.
—Kita isn't here.
—I know, keep your eyes on Miya Atsumu, right?
—Right, pin him down at his receiving position!
[Number 7, Miya Atsumu.]
"Aaaaaah—Atsumu-kun! You were so cool today!!" The girl's voice rang out, mixed with the cheers of several old men joining in the excitement.
Hoshiumi raised his hand and covered his ears.
Why does the style of the cheering change the moment Miya Atsumu takes the court? Does this guy have any virtues other than his face?
Oh, he plays volleyball very well.
【No. 10, Suna Rintaro.】
【No. 17, Hinata Shoyo.】
The crowd cheering this time clearly contained many more older spectators: "Go, little radish!!"
Go, Shoyo! Crush them!
[Number 15, Libero, Akagi Michinari.]
[Head Coach, Kurosu Masamune.]
Shiratori turned his head to look at Inarizaki's starting formation.
As expected, it's the S1 paired with Hinata at the Opposite position, the Middle Blocker's position also underwent the anticipated swap.
This formation basically has Ginjima responsible for receiving for Miya Atsumu; compared to him, Kita Shinsuke is indeed easier to target.
Miya Atsumu also glanced over at Fukuda General.
As usual, it was an abstract opening; he still couldn't imagine why a team would start with their Ace in Position 1 and their Setter in Position 4.
But truly, this formation.. the blocking strength is ridiculously high.
The ball was handed to Miya Atsumu, the referee signaled for him to serve.
Raising his hand to signal the Inarizaki Brass Band to stop playing, Miya Atsumu's gaze passed over Oori Ginjima, who was in front of him providing serve cover, finally landed on the libero, Matsuda.
This one is a fake Libero; the real Libero is Midorikawa, who is standing nearby preparing to receive the Ace's spike.
If the sole purpose is to score.. as expected, targeting Matsuda directly is the best choice.
With a loud thud, feeling himself targeted, Matsuda dove forward, completely abandoning the dig and choosing a back reception instead.
It didn't matter anyway, as long as it could be received; no one was being picky about the ball.
Great pass!
Shiratori quickly followed up, using a bump to send the ball behind Position 3.
He certainly didn't possess the same superb technique as Miya Atsumu, so he specifically trained his underhand setting skills, he could now basically perform them with complete ease.
Even if the blocking effect wasn't as good as it was when he was on the court, it was definitely enough for their players.
Kiyoko Shimizu took a step forward, her excellent leg length allowed her to charge directly to Shiratori's side before leaping up on one foot.
Oori and Ginjima quickly caught up, while Shimizu abruptly changed the offensive state, sending a gentle tip over.
Akagi Michinari kicked out with one foot, using the top of his foot to kick the ball up: "Atsumu!"
Atsumu took two steps back after eyeing the ball's position, crouched slightly, then leaped suddenly to set the ball with his hands.
The volleyball flew out with a loud thud, the ball, which had been hit with full force, suddenly arriving near the Position 4 marker.
The ball was fast, but it came to a sudden halt at its peak.
Kiyoko and Shiratori, who had snapped out of their daze, jumped toward this side, but unfortunately, they lacked the ability to catch the volleyball.
But what's even more regrettable is.. Inarizaki has it.
Bang!
The volleyball was spiked, flying over the block that hadn't even reached it yet, slammed down at Matsuda's feet.
Meanwhile, Matsuda, who hadn't realized what had happened from beginning to end, was completely dazed.
Hinata landed on the ground, exhaling a breath while secretly pulling back his foot, which had already crossed more than halfway over the center line, under the referee's watchful eye.
Yeah, he hadn't fully crossed it, he didn't interfere with the opponent's reception, so it wasn't a foul.
In the stands, Hoshiumi crossed his arms over his chest. "Even after watching the footage, it's still a first-time kill."
At the same time, Ushijima, who had just landed, was also slightly dazed.
But then he smiled at Hinata: "As expected, from this distance, it feels like chasing the wind and lightning."
In the end, Ushijima chose a way of speaking that Hinata would definitely understand: "It was simply too cool."
After a brief half-second pause, he leaned down to look Hinata in the eye: "But I've noted it; I'll anticipate the next one."
Hinata took a small step back, moving closer to Miya Atsumu behind him.
Having regained his confidence, he pressed his hand against his chest, his voice sounding firm.
It's okay, I will score.
Chapter 115: The One Hundred and Fifteenth Fox
"I'll cover it, I'll cover it." Midorikawa clapped his hands, coordinating the defensive coverage with Matsuda.
This incredibly oppressive serve.. is indeed something their Libero junior wouldn't be able to handle smoothly.
At the same time, Kiyoko Shimizu, who was originally in the front row, stepped back and came to a halt in front of Kuroo Rei.
In the stands, Hakuma raised an eyebrow: "What's going on? Is the Middle Blocker going to receive for the Spiker?"
Hirugami rubbed his chin: "Probably because Fukuda General's back row tactics are excellent, the Ace is a point that must be protected."
However, under standard play, Fukuda General's spiker and middle blocker should switch positions, letting Fukai go to receive the ball for the opposite.
But to be honest, although they were somewhat familiar with Inarizaki, they truly had never watched a match played by Fukuda General. Their impression of their playing style was basically just based on the brief live performances they had seen a few times in the past.
Miya Atsumu lowered his eyes, tossing the volleyball between his hands.