Inamoto, who was suddenly called upon, was stunned for a moment: "Me?"
He still had a Second Year substitute Setter above him; why was it his turn to play?
Iizuna suppressed the tears that were about to fall and grabbed Inamoto firmly: "It's fine. Believe in yourself, believe in everyone."
The opposing Middle Blocker's back attacks are very powerful. If Satomi gives a fake set, you must be careful to distinguish it. Move with Agatsuma and the others during the block, just focus on covering the gaps.
Also, when setting to Sakusa, pay attention to the distance from the net. It's fine if the set is too far, but you must never set it any closer to the net.
If you don't know how to set the ball, just give it to Sakusa. Just ensure the height is sufficient, leave the rest for him to handle himself.
The opposing Wing Spiker, Katori, loves to spike straight lines, but occasionally he'll use decoys..
Iizuna's speaking speed grew faster and faster, wanting to convey everything that could be explained within the limited time.
But there was simply too much to say, by the end, nothing remained but sobbing.
He gripped Inamoto's hand tightly, as if trying to pass his own strength over as well.
When he was being held up by Agatsuma and Amatori, the thousands of words Iizuna wanted to say could only be distilled into those final three words.
.. Please.
Inamoto's nose tingled: "I'll do my best."
Seeing the Third Year seniors preparing to leave, Komori hurriedly reached out to grab Inamoto and began giving him the remaining instructions.
Inamoto hasn't had much time training with them, but his abilities as a Setter are indeed stronger than those of the Second Year substitutes.
At this moment, switching to this was also a very unfamiliar challenge for Inubushi Higashi.
Sakusa said something to Iizuna afterwards.
Komori only heard Iizuna Sho, who had been trying so hard to make himself look more relaxed, suddenly burst into tears.
Wiping his nose, Komori said to Inamoto, who was on the other side, along with Inamura, "Get used to the rhythm of this set first. The opponents will likely try to build on their momentum, so don't put too much pressure on yourself."
It would be best if we can stabilize the score difference in this set, but it's okay if we lose; we can still play a third set.
In the stands, Miya Atsumu let out a soft sigh.
For Itachiyama, losing their soul of a Setter was much like Inarizaki losing him.
Moreover, Itachiyama is far from having a Substitute Setter as mature as Kumagai.
Any powerful weapon requires an equally powerful user, right now, Itachiyama.. is in a dangerous situation.
Hinata, sitting beside him, was restless.
He wanted to go check on Iizuna, whom Coach Himegomiya had taken away, but he also wanted to see the result of this match.
Miya Atsumu turned his head toward him and said proactively, "Go check on Iizuna-senpai in the infirmary; you can watch the live stream of the match later."
As he spoke, he pulled a tablet from his bag and handed it to Hinata, switching it to the live stream of this match. "Go give this to Iizuna-senpai."
Hinata nodded, "Okay."
Without any more hesitation, after reporting to the Kita Team, he left the stands and prepared to head to the infirmary.
As he walked to the door, the doctor's voice and Iizuna Sho's cry of pain drifted out from inside.
Don't move, don't move!
Raising a hand to knock twice on the door, Hinata pushed it open and walked inside: "Iizuna-senpai!"
Iizuna, who had already cried himself into a state of runny nose, looked up and saw Hinata's anxious face.
He sniffled, trying his best to look less pathetic. "Hinata?"
“Um, I'll come take a look at you, senpai,” Hinata said, coming to a halt by the bedside, “and also check the match livestream.”
Seeing Hinata come over, Coach Himegomiya also breathed a sigh of relief; she still felt at ease regarding Hinata.
She reached out and patted Hinata's shoulder. "I'll leave my Iizuna in your hands. I need to go check on the court first."
At this moment, the lack of a manager became apparent, as she couldn't just leave Iizuna here all alone.
Hinata arrived at the perfect time.
"Don't worry!" Hinata directly took on the task of accompanying Iizuna.
Coach Himegomiya ran off, by the time the live broadcast was handed to Iizuna, the second set had already ended.
Inamoto, who had been substituted in, made serious errors in positioning and coordination, running into Inubushi Higashi's strong period, was almost instantly overtaken, resulting in a massive gap in the score.
The score at the end of the Second Set was Itachiyama 20:25 Inubushi Higashi.
Iizuna also calmed down at this moment.
Watching Inamoto prepare to serve on the court, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Inamoto's condition has improved; there's still a chance in the third set."
Hinata couldn't focus on the livestream at all; he just stared with a grimace at Iizuna's foot, which was being treated with medicine and bandaged by the doctor, looking as if he were the one in pain.
The patient, Iizuna, spoke up to comfort Hinata: "The painkiller has taken effect, it doesn't hurt anymore."
Facing Hinata's expression, which looked as if he were about to burst into tears, Iizuna gave a helpless smile.
Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Sometimes, when luck is bad, there's really nothing you can do.
Looking back, those few extremely unlucky cards he drew at the beginning of the year were practically a death omen..
Hinata sniffled, "But, this is Iizuna-senpai's last high school tournament."
Even if Itachiyama wins today, Iizuna-senpai won't be able to play in tomorrow's or the day after's matches.
Ending it like this, will there really be no regrets or remorse?
Iizuna felt like he had been stabbed in the back: "There's no need to emphasize that.."
The doctor wrapped his ankle, which had already begun to swell, applied an ice pack to reduce the swelling.
Afterward, he placed a pair of slippers nearby and thoughtfully brought over a crutch.
After finishing everything, the doctor returned to the computer to attend to his own work.
Silence fell over the infirmary, with only the sound of commentary continuously streaming from the tablet in Iizuna's hands.
Having finally calmed his emotions, Iizuna reached out and grasped Hinata's hand.
He spoke in a softened tone, "Don't dwell too much on things that have already passed; no matter how much you regret them, you can't change them."
The only thing I can do now is believe in Sakusa and the others; even if I'm just watching, I will feel the same joy.
Iizuna looked up at Hinata, his gaze very serious. "As for me, crying once is enough; I want to play every match in the future with a smile."
He gripped Hinata's hand with uncontrollable force, the smile on his face looking even more sorrowful than his tears.
After a long time, he spoke softly.
“You too.”
Chapter 184: The One Hundred and Eighty-Fourth Fox
As the Captain, Iizuna was naturally familiar with every player on Itachiyama.
From the moment he watched Inamoto's first serve in the final set, he felt at ease.
After all, when he had first entered the game as a substitute in the previous set, Inamoto could barely even hold the ball during his serve, his legs were shaking.
But even so, Inamoto is destined to carry the future of Itachiyama on his shoulders for the next two years.
Just as Coach Utsunomiya and Coach Himegomiya were worried about, Itachiyama has yet to find a suitable successor for the setter position.
In comparison to the setters from other schools, Inamoto's talent and ability were a far cry behind, not to mention that he was a Second Year substitute who could at most only enter the court to serve.
Because of this, Iizuna was extremely attentive to managing his own physical health, but unfortunately, he still ultimately could not overcome the cruel twists of fate.
Fortunately, Inamoto's condition also stabilized bit by bit. His several sets of coordination were played exceptionally well, ensuring that Inubushi Higashi was unable to pull ahead in the score.
He even provided Sakusa with multiple opportunities to spike over the net near the end of the set, ultimately forcing the match into a tie-break.
Iizuna frowned slightly, gently setting down his tablet just as Kai prepared to spike the final ball.
Komori had run too far out to save that last ball; given the speed of Kai's spike, Amatori probably wouldn't be able to catch up.
A clear sound of a hit suddenly rang out from the tablet, in the next second, the volleyball flew into the air.
"I saved it." Hinata clenched his fists.
Iizuna slightly raised his eyes and looked back at the computer screen.
Amatori from the back row slid directly toward the ball, using her lower leg to bump it up.
But the height of this ball was insufficient, it slammed straight into the net.
Inamoto, who had already moved to the front row, lowered his center of gravity and performed a low dig to send the ball back toward the net.
The Ace jumped once again; even though his conditions weren't ideal, he still leaped, preparing to spike.
With a flick of his wrist, Sakusa produced a beautiful arc, sending the ball around the block and toward the Inubushi Higashi side.
Inubushi Higashi's Libero, Ishikawa, quickly moved into position to receive the ball: "Satomi-senpai!"
Satomi looked up at the volleyball falling down.
Although I feel bad for the people from Itachiyama, fate has truly sided with Inubushi Higashi this time.
So.. let them take those Semifinals spots.
He raised his hand to set the ball again, this time, the ball went to Kai once more.
As the only first-year player on the Inubushi Higashi starting lineup, although Kai lacks experience, his physical attributes are top-tier.
So.. at this moment, all he had to do was believe that the opponent would spike the ball straight down.
Kai stared at the volleyball that had already flown in front of him, then looked at Koldorf, who was throwing everything he had into a block, before finally locking his gaze precisely onto the opponent's fingers.
When it comes to not wanting to lose, everyone on the other side of the net is the same.
It was just that this time, victory belonged to Inubushi Higashi.
That's all.
Watching the volleyball hit Koldorf's hands, Iizuna gave a bitter smile: "This time.. it's completely over."