Coach Unabara, standing by the sidelines, let out a sigh. "If you ask me, Shiratori is simply not suited to be a Setter, but he is very stubborn."
With his height, strength, jumping ability, he possesses every essential requirement of a qualified Wing Spiker, combined with his excellent setting skills.. he could be described as an excellent candidate for the Right Wing Spiker position.
But for some reason, he was extremely obsessed with playing the Setter position, even though he performed plenty of spikes for the team during regular play.
Under the heavy spike, the volleyball slammed down beside Oori Ren.
But just as the ball was about to clear the top of the net, a pair of hands pushed up from below.
BANG!!
Shiratori's pupils contracted.
The volleyball flew past the corner of his eye and landed softly at his feet.
Kazama, who was beside him, stretched out his arm in an attempt to save it, but ultimately missed by a hair.
The sound of the volleyball hitting the floor was very light, but at this moment, it was exceptionally distinct.
Hinata scored with a block.
Tsurumaru, on the sidelines, raised his hand to cover his face, nearly knocking over the Coach's bench as he leaned back: "How could a ball like that be missed—"
Theoretically, it should be counted as a point from a block, but the ball wasn't directly crushed down; one could even say it was an opportunity ball.
Kazama was being far too careless; he missed that reception. He can go back and look forward to extra practice.
"Ah.." Hearing the cheers from the Inarizaki supporters behind him, Shiratori let out a soft sigh.
The moment his expression stiffened, he pursed his lips and struggled to force a smile, "Your timing was perfect, Shoyo's block was quite good too.."
He swallowed the last syllable, his smile freezing on his face as the image of Hinata's slightly frowning face from that day appeared in his vision.
The boy's voice sounded, tinged with nervousness but mostly with an inexplicable sadness: "Natsume-senpai.. if you don't want to smile, then please don't force yourself."
A buzzing sound echoed in Shiratori's head.
He leaned forward uncontrollably, moving a little closer to Hinata Shoyo on the opposite side.
He wanted to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat.
Hinata took an inconspicuous step back, putting some distance between himself and Shiratori.
His previously relaxed state suddenly tightened, a drop of cold sweat slid from his temple, trickled down his chin, fell to the ground.
Watching Hinata clearly becoming nervous, Shiratori clenched his fists.
He straightened up to create some distance from Hinata, his hands behind his back, his voice, still calm and gentle, rang out: "What do you mean? I am truly happy."
Kuroo Rei, standing behind, fell silent.
This guy is lying through his teeth; if he's so capable, he should let go of his hands behind his back.
But.. since entering high school, it really has been rare to see Shiratori in this kind of state.
Don't worry about it, don't worry about it," Shiratori said, clapping his hands to soothe everyone's emotions, "Kazama, pay more attention to the front-row counterattacks and coordinate the defense.
Kazama nodded: "Understood."
Looking at the Fukuda General members who had already begun to circle up and discuss, Atsumu called out to Hinata, who was still staring at Shiratori's back: "Shoyo?"
Hinata turned his head slightly, the fear in his eyes not yet fully faded.
So dangerous, it was just a hair's breadth away.. from being devoured.
He raised his hand and tugged on Miya Atsumu's clothes: "Natsume-senpai is so scary."
Pulling Hinata's hand away, Miya Atsumu narrowed his eyes: "That's why I told you long ago, stay away from him.."
Hinata swallowed hard. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."
He would definitely listen to Atsumu-senpai from now on; as expected, every word from his seniors, who had all been through this before, made sense.
After comforting Hinata, Miya Atsumu glanced toward Shiratori Natsume once more.
Anyway.. there's nothing for Sakusa-senpai to be afraid of right now.
Across the net, Shiratori was still giving instructions: "Midorikawa, be more decisive when you set. The opposing blockers don't move in as a whole as quickly as they seem. We'll just deal with them as they come."
Bōwàng, in the stands, looked at Kiryu beside him. "I remember Shiratori Junior High had a Wing Spiker, right?"
He remembered it very clearly, because when they were in junior high, the school Shiratori attended had played a match against a school from Nagano in the Interhigh Junior High quarterfinals.
The final set of that match reportedly ended at 39:37, it was incredibly shocking.
But he had indeed just recognized him, because this person didn't look anything like this in junior high; he remembered him having a buzz cut..
Kiryu nodded. "Yeah, he was the team's Ace back then."
"So everyone starts growing their hair out once they enter high school?" Hakuma Mebuki looked at the two people beside him.
Both of them had short hair in their junior high school photos too!
Hoshiumi, who was working hard to style his hair with hairspray, rolled his eyes, while Hirugami simply smiled without saying a word.
Miya Atsumu was already preparing for his second serve on the court.
With the spin on the ball still unstable and the opposing Libero already prepared, Atsumu settled for a second-best option and chose a Power Jump Serve.
Matsuda shouted, "I'll take it!"
He turned his body and reached out, taking the ball with the front of his arm, sending the volleyball flying high into the air, nearly hitting the ceiling.
Iizuna's vision went dark: "This guy just gave a ceiling-high serve to his own setter.."
How can you receive that? You can't even see it clearly, so why even try to receive it?
Shiratori stepped back one step with an expressionless face.
He had received many ceiling serves, they were indeed easier to handle.
All he had to do now was turn the ball intended for the Setter into one for the Spiker, just by aiming it..
“Kanata.” After the heavy sound, the volleyball flew toward Shimizu.
Kiyoko leaped up lightly, Hinata rushed over from the opposite side, joining Oori to block in front of him.
He, who hadn't fully jumped, decisively abandoned the heavy spike and instead sent a light tip over the net.
Akagi, in the back row, dove forward and used one hand to keep the ball in play: "Atsumu!"
Hinata and Ginjima both started moving at the same time.
Shiratori and Kazama completed their rotation, acting as blockers in the center.
The Setter's strategy, the Libero's positioning which served as a "weakness" on their side, the blocking positions, the Spiker's own approach speed and jumping position..
Almost the very moment Miya Atsumu set the ball, Shiratori and Shimizu both stepped forward at the same time.
Bang!
BANG!!
Two heavy thuds rang in everyone's ears in quick succession. Before Hinata could even react, the volleyball had already been slammed back into Inarizaki's court, leaving him with absolutely no time to react.
It was as if.. he had suddenly reached out to block it right after jumping.
Hinata, having completely lost his balance, fell to the ground, looking a bit dazed.
Ushijima, standing opposite him, leaned down and reached out a hand to him. "Are you alright?"
Hinata froze for a moment, but ultimately took the hand and used the momentum to stand up. "I'm fine.."
What just happened? Did he slow down on his own?
Miya Atsumu frowned.
No, it's just that the opponent's predictions were too precise; as expected, using the same running patterns and sets will gradually lose its effectiveness.
When there isn't enough space to utilize technical plays, it's true that one must avoid using the same offensive pattern too frequently.
Watching Shimizu prepare to serve, Kuroo turned his head to ask Shiratori, "The calibration worked quite well, didn't it?"
Of course," Shiratori said, clenching his fist. "As expected, the sense of accomplishment from strategizing under known conditions is the most satisfying.
Kuroo raised an eyebrow. "Set it to me in a bit, I'll spike right through them."
Shiratori replied with a smile, "Sure."
Atsumu-senpai—" Hinata called out, drawing out the name, "Give me that ball, that one.
Miya Atsumu responded, "No problem at all."
Indeed, it's time to pull something new out of the bag.
Having just returned to the waiting area, Matsuda sneezed again, that ominous feeling returned.
Damn it, just who is always watching him from behind!
One ball interrupted Shimizu's serve, the serve passing to Ginjima, while Aran stepped forward.
Shiratori clapped his hands: "Watch out for the opponent's rotation."
Fukuroshi nodded: "Understood."
I'll get it!
Matsuda performed a diving save to receive Ginjima's serve, while Shiratori, who was already in position, raised his hands to send the ball to Kuroo, who was preparing for a back-four attack.
There's no need to be overly meticulous about the Ace's spike; he only needs to believe that the Ace will smash the ball down, that will be enough.
Carrying everyone's expectations.. as expected, it takes an Ace.
As his expression contorted, Oori Ren shouted loudly, "Touch!"
The strength of this Number 2 player is truly immense; it could be described as pure brute force.
"Nice touch!" Akagi stepped back, raising his hands to intercept the ball and send it up toward Miya Atsumu's head.
“Give me the ball!!” Aran shouted, calling for the toss.
As he stepped back toward the end line to prepare his approach, Hinata had already come to a sudden halt at Position 2, past Oori Ren.
Taking one final step, he leaped into the air, his extended body supporting him throughout the entire process of his arm extension.
The volleyball flew out immediately after, following the arc created by Hinata's strike, hanging in the air for quite a long time at its peak.
Shiratori and Fukui moved toward the ball at the same time, both jumping after a one-step approach, aiming to reach a higher point than their usual blocking height.