Aran-senpai is amazing! That ball was super heavy!" Hinata looked at Goshiki, "Just a little more, but next time will definitely be no problem!
Goshiki puffed out his chest, quickly regaining his confidence: "That's right! Next time will definitely be no problem!"
Kageyama's serve was still heavy and powerful.
Goshiki Tsutomu decisively dove to save the ball, choosing not to take it head-on.
"Nice save, Goshiki-senpai!" Yura shouted lightly, then quickly moved into position to pass the ball to Kindaichi.
Hinata sprinted forward, pushing his jump to its absolute limit, managed to reach the ball.
“Touch! Hyakuwa-kun!”
The ball itself didn't have much speed after touching the block, so even Hyakuwa, who had significant trouble with the reception, could handle it smoothly.
Is the toss high enough..
Recalling Hinata's words, Hyakuwa raised his hand and then used his height to set the ball as high as possible.
Great toss.
Kageyama quickly followed up, adjusting his position before tossing the ball toward the high point near Position 2.
Thanks to Hyakuwa's toss being high enough, Hinata, who had stepped back two steps after retreating from the net, sprinted back to the net and leaped up with a thud to spike the ball.
It was a very standard short diagonal, but it perfectly avoided Goshiki Tsutomu's defensive range, spiking toward the baseline on the other side.
Kindaichi couldn't retreat in time, Hinata easily scored a point.
Hinata raised his hand and rushed toward Hyakuwa, who was closest to him: "Great toss, Hyakuwa!"
Hyakuwa nodded and gave Hinata a heavy high-five: "Yeah."
However, it was just that Hinata's contact with the ball was good, but.. he was already starting to get a feel for it.
With his height advantage, he seemed truly capable of providing a decent toss.
"Your weight is sufficient too. Actually, even with spikes, as long as it's not an Ace's full-power spike, you should be able to handle it and stabilize it." Hinata recalled what Inubata had taught him.
Once you get proficient, you'll be able to handle both jump float serves and ceiling serves with ease!
He is different; if he tries to receive a heavier ball, there's a chance it will fly right off his hands.
Hyakuwa nodded. "Understood, I'll give it a try."
Seeing Hyakuwa look thoughtful, Hinata turned his head to look at Kageyama Tobio, who was lost in thought.
"I was just about to ask." Looking cautiously at Kageyama, Hinata spoke tentatively.
Um, Kageyama, do you.. not really like playing volleyball?
Kageyama's brain stalled for a few seconds before he let out a short, sharp breath: "Huh?"
It seemed like he had only just realized what Hinata had said, as Kageyama's emotions suddenly became agitated: "Are you kidding me? I love—"
“But I feel like you aren't.. um.. happy at all?” Hinata searched his mind for the right words.
Anyway, it just feels like when playing volleyball with Kageyama, he can always sense that sense of being held back, which is nothing like Miya Atsumu-senpai.
Coach Kurosu had clearly said before that Kageyama was incredible, he had truly been looking forward to this collaboration for a long time.
But now.. I'm a little disappointed.
Kageyama was speechless.
He loves volleyball; from the time he was too young to remember, volleyball has been the only thing by his side.
He would cheer for every bit of his own progress and find endless joy in learning interesting new things; every match made him feel an even greater love for volleyball.
So, from when did he stop being able to feel this emotion?
After wondering several times in his head whether the other person was some kind of emotionless weirdo, Hinata chose to skip the topic.
If Kageyama is as fond of volleyball as he is..
Thinking of this, Hinata puffed out his chest with conviction. "Then you're the King, right?"
Itachiyama is the King, Inarizaki is the new King, so the King should be a synonym for the strongest.
Hinata looked at Kageyama standing opposite him, lifting his head, his aura not losing an inch to the other's.
No.. it could even be said that at this moment, he was more like a superior than Kageyama.
Under Kindaichi's horrified gaze, Hinata stared at Kageyama and said, "At least give me some decent plays."
Rishia covered his face with his hands.
Although.. it was exactly as he expected.
Thanks to a certain High School's Best Setter, Hinata now even dares to challenge Miya Atsumu's toss on the court, let alone a lackluster toss like Kageyama's.
But it was true; since Hinata could guarantee that his own spikes were the best, he naturally had the capital to challenge the setter.
Just like Kiryu Ya, if he were to say a setter's toss had a problem.. then it would probably be a massive problem indeed.
Kageyama's expression underwent several changes, but it ultimately settled back into a silence that was no different from before.
After a long time, he replied softly, "I understand."
Hinata blinked.
What did he understand? How could he not understand?
Kageyama lowered his eyes; he hadn't decided exactly how he was going to play yet, so he would learn from Miya Atsumu first.
But from a technical standpoint, he felt he could give it a try.
Hinata retreated to receive the ball, bumping it high enough to give Kageyama plenty of room to work with.
Looking up at the falling ball, Kageyama's mind continuously flipped through the reference answers he had studied.
What was Miya Atsumu-senpai doing.. what kind of tosses had he given at times like this? What would a toss that wasn't for a "good boy" even look like?
The blocking position, the habits, the position of the opponent's back row libero, the ball speed, the height..
All the clues pointed to a single path.
And the Spiker..
——Right there.
Hinata wasn't even looking at him, but for some reason, he felt a sense of being pressured.
I'm here, toss the ball to me.
Get the ball to me; this is the best attacking point I've chosen.
Can you do it?
You must do it.
With a loud thud, the volleyball was struck in an instant, soaring over the opponent's block and crashing straight down near the sideline.
Hyakuwa, who was still in the center and hadn't had time to move, widened his eyes, but the moment he turned his head, he only saw the shadow of the volleyball hitting the floor.
Yura Shota lunged with all his might, but he was not even close to reaching the ball.
My God, how was that ball just played?!
Was that a Quick Attack? You've got to be kidding me, even a Quick Attack isn't that fast!
On the other side of the net, Kindaichi's eyes widened, completely unable to process what had just happened.
This is.. the Quick Attack that Inarizaki used to use; both the Twins and Hinata have used it.
Oikawa-senpai once said that this style of play requires a very high level of chemistry between the Spiker and the Setter, the technical demands placed on the Setter are even more terrifying.
But now.. Kageyama and Hinata have managed to pull it off together.
Whoa—" Looking at his own hands and then at Kageyama, Hinata's face was full of surprise, "Aren't you incredibly amazing!
Then Hinata decisively continued ordering food: "Then can you make the ball hang in the air at its highest point? Atsumu-senpai's tosses are all like that!"
The entire day's experience had been too surreal; Kindaichi was nearly losing his mind: "There's no way you can do that.."
But in the next second, Kageyama's voice rang out: "I'll try, but I'm not sure I'll succeed."
"Nice!" Hinata cheered.
In the office, Coach Saito's eyes widened slightly.
How should I put it.. I take back what I said before; Kageyama is indeed a very talented setter.
The contact time during a setter's toss is extremely short. Not everyone can deliver a toss so precise to the millimeter that it can be called perfection; without talent, even if one keeps up with the training volume, it's simply impossible.
Therefore, including Shirabu and Wase Eita, they all put in effort in different areas.
In the footage, after Asahi gave Hinata a quick attack, Kageyama coordinated the defense, after Hinata drew away the blockers, he gave Hyakuwa a rather gentle toss.
Coach Washijo, who had remained silent until now, finally let out a faint smile: "The grandson of Ukai is quite capable after all."
He actually never thought there was anything wrong with Kageyama's condition.
Proactively adapting to the team is the responsibility that a setter, as a playmaker, must fulfill.
After all, not every team has sufficiently outstanding spikers; if external conditions cannot be forcibly changed, then one must change oneself.
Karasuno itself lacks sufficient strength; if he continues to play too aggressively without any spikers capable of keeping up, Karasuno will eventually become the next Kitagawa Daiichi.
A setter with exquisite technique and superb awareness isn't necessarily a good setter, but a setter who can adapt to the team and make appropriate changes, who knows what choices to make at the right time, certainly is.
This is also why he chose Oikawa and Shirabu, instead of Wase and the former Kageyama Tobio.
As for Miya Atsumu.. he is a perfect setter who can weigh both sides to the extreme.
Coach Washijo sighed with emotion, "If Kageyama could truly get in on his own merit, I would also put him on the substitute bench to temper his temperament for a couple of years."
Ukai managed to mold Kageyama in just one year, which was quite impressive.
Just as Hinata was preparing to serve, a student from Shiratorizawa poked their head through the doorway, carrying a pale yellow bag.
A phone—whose phone keeps ringing!
Hinata took a quick glance and hurriedly shouted, "Rishia—answer it for me!"
Rishia Heisuke, who had been checking the scoreboard, quickly rushed over to take Hinata's bag and fished out Hinata's phone from inside.
Before he could say anything, Miya Atsumu's voice came from the other side, "Little Shoyo—"