When jumping from a standing position, they were indeed not as good as Hinata, but if they had a running start..
Miya Atsumu landed on the ground, not looking back at Hinata behind him.
In fact, the logic of a setter's toss has always been very simple.
There is only one reason why someone would be able to set, would place a person in a core position.
—Believe in this person.
Bang!!
The volleyball slammed precisely against Municipal Kobe's block, then bounced toward the sidelines.
Hanae rushed out quickly, chasing after the ball.
Please!
I have to catch up, I must catch up!
The moment he lunged forward, Hanae felt a faint pain shooting through his ankle.
He stretched out his hand with all his might, attempting to touch the volleyball with even the slightest bit of his body.
Wakamura, still at the net, exhaled softly and looked up at the ceiling of the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
——It's over.
The sound of the volleyball hitting the floor rang out, at the same time, the long, drawn-out buzzer sounded.
The scoreboard at the side of the court jumped to Inarizaki 25:23 Municipal Kobe.
Inarizaki leads 2-0.
Glancing toward the Inarizaki side, which was already cheering collectively, Wakamura-senpai then lowered his eyes.
He turned around and left his original position without looking back.
Watching Hanae Akari attempt to save the ball but fail, Kanzaki Hirohiko only then seemed to snap back to his senses.
"Akari!" He rushed toward her, his face filled with anxiety.
Hanae shook his head: "It's nothing."
He used all his strength to grab Kanzaki's clothes, bracing himself to crawl up.
At this stage, he had reached a limit of physical exhaustion, with his ankle potentially sprained from running too hastily just now.. he truly had no strength left to crawl up by himself.
Seeing him in that state, Kanzaki sniffled, "I'm sorry.."
It was all his fault. If he had been just a little more cautious, just a little more calm during that play, would the result have been even slightly different?
"No, I'm the one who should apologize." Hanae bit her lip.
He should have been even stronger, not just on a technical level, but also mentally.
"I.." His vision gradually blurred, Hanae gripped Kanzaki's arm.
Next time, I will definitely..
Akari, Hirohiko, well played.
Wakamura's voice rang out, interrupting the two first-year juniors' moment of reflection.
Hanae snapped his head around and saw the captain standing there with his hands on his hips, watching them.
Wakamura patted both of their heads one by one. "We can discuss reflection when we get back, but you both performed very well in today's match. This allows me to feel at ease entrusting the future of Municipal Kobe to you."
A stinging sensation rose in his nose.
Hanae almost stopped breathing in an instant.
He suddenly realized one thing.. this was their last match.
After pushing Kanzaki aside, Hanae, who had instantly lost his balance, fell directly onto Wakamura.
Tears burst forth instantly, almost immediately soaking Wakamura's clothes.
“Waaaaaaaah——”
Wakamura, who was also a bit stunned by being treated with such enthusiasm by this somewhat reserved junior for the first time, could only reach out to pat his head, attempting to soothe his emotions.
Oikawa Tooru, standing by the sidelines, clapped his hands: "What a wonderful match."
Whether it was Municipal Kobe or Inarizaki, both had done their absolute best within their respective capabilities.
And the determination of Municipal Kobe was truly touching.
But..
The outcome of competition will never change simply because one side invested more emotion into it.
Everyone on this court shares the same passion and longing for "victory."
Therefore, the only thing that can determine the final outcome.. is strength itself.
Winning means being stronger.
That's all.
Both teams lined up on the court and bowed in greeting, while the members of Municipal Kobe passed before the two from Aobajohsai one after another, heading toward the area below the spectator stands to prepare their thanks.
Compared to the others, Wakamura's expression was exceptionally relaxed.
Under the "Charge Ahead" banner at Municipal Kobe, Wakamura led the bow.
Thank you all for your support! You've all worked so hard!
Applause drifted down from above.
Wakamura closed his eyes and slowly straightened his body.
Goodbye.
Although he was in a pathetic state, he had also experienced the glorious and brilliant days of high school.
The only regret might be..
Until the very end, he couldn't even win a single set from Inarizaki.
Chapter 173: The One Hundred and Seventy-Third Fox
"We won!" Hinata reached out to high-five everyone from Inarizaki.
"Nice play, Shoyo." Looking at the cheering Hinata, Coach Kurosu smiled with eyes curved in delight.
This was essentially Hinata's debut for the entire Haruko tournament cycle, compared to the Regional Qualifiers, both Hinata's playing style and his fundamental skills had improved significantly.
Moreover, Miya Atsumu's coordination with the others has become even more outstanding, his coordination in tactical maneuvering has also become much more skillful.
In the summer, Municipal Kobe also reached the national top eight. Compared to then, their current level of coordination can only be even better.
But Inarizaki still won beautifully; all one can say is.. their progress is even greater.
The sound of crying suddenly drifted over from the other side of the net.
Hinata tilted his head slightly and saw Hanae and Kanzaki, who were clutching Wakamura and wailing on either side of him.
He was a bit bewildered and looked at Miya Atsumu beside him. "What happened? Is Hanae-senpai seriously injured?"
Why does it feel like everyone from Municipal Kobe feels as if the sky is falling?
Following Hinata's gaze toward that direction, Miya Atsumu understood.
Smiling softly, he raised his hand to rub Hinata's head: "It's not your time to understand this yet, don't think too much about it."
Tilting his head, Hinata wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't speak.
As if sensing his hesitation, Miya Atsumu continued, "At least.. before I leave."
Hinata nodded in confusion.
Hoshiumi's voice called out from not far away. Hinata turned his head to give Miya Atsumu a quick nod, then dashed off with a cheerful stride.
Watching Hinata leave, Miya Atsumu pursed his lips.
Suna walked up to Miya Atsumu's side and looked at him with a strange expression. "You're actually not stupid."
He thought this guy was already dull to a certain extent when it came to emotions.
Perhaps it won't be until he truly has to say goodbye to his seniors that he will realize he is really saying goodbye.
Miya Atsumu put his hands on his hips. "I am a senior now, after all."
On the other side, the passing Miya Osamu let out a disdainful snort, then tilted his head to signal Rishia Heisuke, who didn't dare to even breathe loudly, to keep walking forward.
This guy is just a senior who only acts a certain way around specific people.
Rishia and Unabara were also frequently bullied by him.
Miya Atsumu quickly caught up, wanting to grab Miya Osamu's clothes: "Hey! What do you mean by that! Am I not a second year anymore?"
Miya Osamu rolled his eyes so far back they almost disappeared. "You're a second year in junior high, right? Kuniharu is going to cry."
As for whether Miya Atsumu is a good senpai, there were basically no other answers among the first years, except for Hinata.
And the only first-year who had a decent impression of Miya Atsumu was Hinata, even he only regained a tiny bit of reputation after Miya Atsumu's deliberate image maintenance.
Listening to the bickering of the twins behind him, Aran's mouth twitched: "At most second grade in elementary school, nothing more."
You were just playing recklessly during those last few points of the second set, but when I sets to you, you actually spike properly," Miya Atsumu began listing Miya Osamu's offenses, "Look at Shoyo, every single one of his spikes is so beautiful!
Miya Osamu shot back without backing down: "I scored, so don't care how I spike."
The quiet players' tunnel was filled with the sound of the two people arguing.
Shinsuke Kita frowned, then turned back to look at the two of them: "Don't make so much noise in the Players' Tunnel."
The twins shut up almost at the same time.
Under Kita's gaze, Miya Atsumu raised his hand and made a zipping motion.
He will be quiet, really.
The two slowed their pace in unison, eventually falling behind the main group bit by bit.