Why do I feel like I'm being targeted?
Matou, who was still in the waiting area, let out a sigh and could only call out in a drawn-out voice, "Aoi—"
Wakamura shuddered all over. "Shut up! Don't call him by that disgusting name!"
Fine, he would stop glaring at Inarizaki's substitute setter, alright?
That's terrifying.
Chapter 137: The One Hundred and Thirty-Seventh Fox
Kumagai spun the volleyball in his hands, cautiously scanning the defensive positioning of Municipal Kobe.
Unlike Higashiyama Minami just now, his service turn was clearly meant for scoring; he had to seize the opportunity of the serve to pull ahead in the score in one go.
Hinata raised his hand to the back of his head. "Akuma, serve a good one!"
Although his height doesn't allow him to provide cover for Kumagai's serve, he causes too much trouble normally; if he's unlucky..
The whistle blew.
Taking a deep breath, Kumagai threw the ball up the moment he had adjusted his state.
Taking a quick approach to the end line, he jumped and raised his hand to spike the ball.
Hanae's judgment was also quite decisive: "Float serve! Move up!"
Coach Kurosu, standing by the sidelines, nodded. "This level of judgment and reaction speed is significantly better than any Libero his age."
Unfortunately, he didn't dig it out.
If he were at Inarizaki, he might have developed this kind of personality right from the start.
However, their own Unabara Uta is also a good kid; although his technique isn't quite that sharp, his mindset and resolve are top-notch, making him an excellent candidate to pair with Kumagai and Rishia in the future.
As long as no monster like Komori Motoya appears—someone who changes positions and immediately shines as the best in high school upon entering school—he won't replace Unabara.
The gap in experience was still an indescribable chasm for a Libero.
Kanzaki, who had already jumped for a Side Quick Attack, raised his hand and delivered a heavy spike.
Hinata, who had not participated in the block, stared at the ball, quickly retreated, bent his knees to receive it: "Atsumu-senpai!"
It was still a bit off-target, but within the attack line, Miya Atsumu's individual ability would definitely allow him to chase it down.
Hinata pursed his lips, his eyes filled with undisguised excitement.
Very good, I'm starting to find my rhythm bit by bit.
Miya Atsumu retreated to the attack line, Kumagai from the back row stepped up as well.
Wakamura squinted his eyes.
Is he planning to have Miya Atsumu attack on the basis of a setter dump? Or is it..
Watching the two setters from Inarizaki cross paths on the attack line, Wakamura called out directly, "A fake spike!"
Miya Atsumu's lips curled into a slight smile.
—Wrong, he could also just spike it directly.
In the next second, Miya Atsumu had already spiked the ball with one hand, slamming it down on the three-meter line before the opposing blockers could even react.
Coach Kuchibira, standing by the court, looked at Wakamura: "You're celebrating too early."
The foundation of a fake spike is the spike itself; if they realize the blockers won't follow, they'll really just spike it.
But it was true; if Wakamura didn't call it out, Tosaka might not have realized what Inarizaki was preparing to do.
Hanae quickly raised his hand to take the blame: "My fault, my fault, I didn't defend it well."
He should have realized that failing to receive it was his own fault.
Tosaka let out a soft breath, looking across the net at Miya Atsumu. This guy's reaction speed was far too fast; he had practically decided to spike the moment their block came to a halt.
There was no other way; they could only rely on the back row's defense to keep up in time.
One more for Akuma!
Kumagai readjusted his stance once again and sent a high-angle float serve toward the area near the sideline, just beside Hanae.
However, the speed of the float serve was still somewhat lacking compared to a power serve. After judging that the ball would drop sharply, Hanae and her partner moved in together to receive it.
What a great receive!
Wakamura raised his hand to deliver a back set, Tosaka, who had already jumped nearby, put all his strength into spiking the ball.
Under Inarizaki's strict defensive blocking, Tosaka didn't have much room to spike, but instead, Ginjima Yui, who had been waiting for the opportunity, received it steadily.
Miya Atsumu moved under the ball, while Hinata had already rapidly left his original Position 2, crossing in front of Suna before leaping toward Position 3.
Tosaka felt like her brain was overloading.
Was it a high ball to Position 3 from the Opposite? Or a flat quick attack to Position 2 from the Middle Blocker?
No, neither.
At this moment, Tosaka, who had grown accustomed to observing the whole field, caught sight of a dark shadow rushing up from behind.
“Over here!” he quickly called out to Kanzaki, who was performing a one-on-one block on Hinata on the other side.
The three-man block quickly closed in, Aran's presence blocked his spike's path right in front of him.
Aran, having held his breath, put all his strength into a spike, Kanzaki, who had been targeted by him, failed to tense his body in time and was sent flying by the impact.
Seeing that he wouldn't be able to reach it, Hanae performed a direct sliding save, extending his legs and forcefully meeting the ball with his shin just before it hit the ground.
With her expression contorted, Hanae hurriedly shouted, "Spike it directly!!"
The ball flew above the net once again.
Hinata also started running to chase after it, spiking such a tip.. he was simply too skilled at it.
But.. this time, someone was a step faster than him.
Kanzaki's hand suddenly reached out from below, just as Hinata's height was impressive, his arm length was even more exceptional.
Even though he didn't jump as high as Hinata, his arm length alone was enough to allow him to reach the ball.
Bang!
Kanzaki spiked the ball at a diagonal, giving Hinata no chance to adjust his contact.
Seeing Hinata's slightly bewildered expression, Kanzaki felt in high spirits.
He had been tormented by Sakusa during the Interhigh, but now he was even stronger than before, he was also using one hundred percent of his vigilance and strength to deal with Hinata.
As he landed, Kanzaki flashed a smile at Hinata, tilting his chin up, his face filled with unmistakable pride.
—So, how was that? Not bad, right?
Miya Atsumu proactively dove near where the ball landed, sending it back toward the front of the court.
If Akagi were here, he might hesitate in order to preserve his ability to organize subsequent attacks.
But Kumagai is still on the court, so he should save the ball.
However, he could only control the ball so that it wouldn't go over the net, but as for exactly where it would land.. that was hard to say.
In an instant, Kumagai, who had rushed in to follow, was already breaking into a sweat.
Can someone really keep up with a ball like this?? Can someone really.. receive it?
Akuma!!
Hinata's voice suddenly exploded in his ears, Kumagai's body moved before his brain could even process it.
In an instant, he took a step forward, his entire body leaping slightly beneath the ball that wasn't high enough; after arching his back into a deep curve, he touched the ball with his fingers.
Can you set it for me?! I'll score!
That's right, when you don't know what to do, just give the ball to Hinata.
He will definitely score.
Just like.. when they first worked together on the court.
In the next second, Hinata, who had already rushed under the ball, leaped up with a thud.
But the ball itself was in poor condition, his movement was actually quite conspicuous, so the players from Municipal Kobe had already rushed over, their three-man block had practically shut down his path.
What should he do? What is he going to do?
In this situation, hitting a backhand short diagonal is relatively easy, but this ball came so urgently that it actually didn't give him enough room to maneuver; wanting to control the ball's trajectory in an instant..
The volleyball slowed down bit by bit in his field of vision. Amidst the spinning ball, a voice that sounded extremely gentle, perhaps even like it was coaxing a child, rang out.
What must you do to maximize control over the ball's trajectory?
Looking up at Coach Inubata, Hinata answered instinctively, "Decide where to hit, then hit different parts of the ball while it's in the air."
"Then.. what do you do when the setter's pass is off, the opponent's Libero is defending a tip?" Coach Inubata took the volleyball from Hinata's hands.
Hinata lowered his eyes in thought, before tentatively saying, "A rebound?"
Coach Inubata was very satisfied: "One of the correct answers."
However, when the opponents are well-prepared, their blocks are mostly directed downwards, making it difficult to handle the rebounds.
"Then what can we do? We can only tip it over and prepare for the next round of offense and defense?" Hinata had no answer.
Of course not," Coach Inubata said with a smile spreading across his face, "Shoyo, do you know what most of the time a setter is thinking about when they set the ball?
Without waiting for Hinata's answer, Coach Inubata had already said, "Spike that ball to death for me."
It's still that same question.
—How can one control the trajectory of a volleyball with the greatest precision in the shortest amount of time?
The answer is actually quite simple.
As his wrist flipped, Hinata's entire palm wrapped around the volleyball, before whipping it to the right with force.
The volleyball shot through the front of the net in an instant, slamming heavily onto the floor beside Hanae.