Komori and Sakusa both started moving at the same time to chase it down.
At this moment, everyone knew that the ball could no longer be saved, yet no one could maintain their composure.
Even Sakusa couldn't help but move according to his instincts.
The ball had not yet hit the ground.
Chase after it, even if it is only for that slim hope.
The volleyball hit the barrier outside, the sound of the impact reached Iizuna's ears clearly.
The prolonged buzzer brought this match to a close.
Something dripped onto the bedsheets of the infirmary bed. Iizuna looked up and saw Hinata, who was already crying his eyes out.
At that moment, Iizuna suddenly understood that saying.
—When someone is even more upset than you are, you won't feel so bad anymore.
Feeling a bit flustered, Iizuna reached out toward Hinata, trying to recall how Miya Atsumu usually comforted Hinata: "Don't cry."
Hinata followed Iizuna's movement and collapsed onto him, "I don't want the seniors to leave."
Iizuna-senpai said helplessly, "It's not like it's a final farewell. I'll make time to come watch the matches next year."
Besides, this isn't like when you sent us away; you were smiling quite happily when we lost at the National Sports Festival.
Hinata tried hard to sniffle, preventing his snot and tears from dripping onto Iizuna's clothes. "This is different."
Throughout his entire high school career, this was his last chance to face Iizuna-senpai, Agatsuma-senpai, the others.
Even though they had agreed to fight again at Haruko, the Itachiyama seniors broke their promise, leaving before they could reach the final stage of the tournament.
Don't worry," Iizuna said, patting Hinata on the back, "we'll meet again in the future, on the volleyball court.
Hinata let go of Iizuna, quickly pulling out a tissue to wipe away his tears and snot, before reaching out his hand toward Iizuna. "It's a promise, then."
Iizuna reached out and hooked his finger with Hinata's: "Anyone who lies has to swallow a thousand needles."
After composing himself, Hinata patted his chest and said, "I'll win the championship, carrying the hopes of all the seniors with me."
Iizuna waved his hand, politely declining Hinata's proposal: "There's no need for that; in the future, Sakusa and Komori will win the championship themselves."
It goes without saying that Itachiyama has its own pride.
As for something like a championship, they would naturally strive for it themselves.
Hinata rubbed his chin and said very seriously, "Then that will probably be difficult."
After all, Atsumu-senpai and the others will be Third Years next year, Heisuke is also very impressive. We, Inarizaki, will be even stronger than we are now.
According to the coach, aside from any potential dark horses, their strong competitors for next year should be Karasuno and Kyoto's Rakusan.
Iizuna-senpai struggled to maintain a smile.
After the two stared at each other in silence for half a minute, the doctor in the corner couldn't help but let out two chuckles.
After a couple of light coughs, Iizuna pulled out his phone and found Kita Shinsuke's number in his contacts.
This is Itachiyama's Iizuna, Kita Team. Could you please take your kid back?
Hearing Kita Shinsuke's confusion from the opposite side, Iizuna kept a smile on his face: "Hmm? He hasn't done anything, it's just that I feel like finding a place to bury him."
Under Hinata's pitiful gaze, Iizuna stopped paying him any attention.
Upon receiving the report, Kita Shinsuke arrived at the infirmary in a hurry and dragged Hinata out by the back of his collar.
Before leaving, he also gave a slight bow to Iizuna to apologize.
As soon as the two Inarizaki members left the infirmary, the Itachiyama members, having finished their post-match procedures, rushed into the infirmary one after another.
The doctor was quick and grabbed his laptop, squeezing out of the way to avoid being crushed into a meat patty by these volleyball-playing giants.
Waaaaah—
I'm sorry, Iizuna-senpai!!
Iizuna felt a bit at a loss after catching one or two big guys lunging at him.
He had just finished soothing one, how had even more arrived?
Iizuna turned his head, looking past the crowd in an attempt to seek help from Sakusa, who was the calmest and most rational, who had even just said that he shouldn't cry.
But.. he failed to catch sight of the other person in the crowd.
Where is he?
Hearing the crying coming from the infirmary, Kita Shinsuke set Hinata down. "Alright, stop bothering the Iizuna members, let's head back."
"Kita Team!" Hinata rushed up to Kita Shinsuke, meeting his gaze with extreme seriousness.
We will definitely win. I won't let the Kita Team cry.
Kita Shinsuke gave a slight smile. "But tears don't always stem from sadness; they can also come from joy."
Hinata's brain clearly stalled for a moment, but after realizing that Kita Shinsuke was right, he quickly added, "Then we definitely won't let the Kita Team have any regrets when we graduate!"
Reaching out to pat Hinata's head, Kita smiled and said, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself; I have no regrets in my high school career."
We've already won the championship; no matter how you look at it, those were days where we lived up to ourselves and to everyone else.
Just as Hinata was clearly feeling a bit downcast and began racking his brain for a new topic, Kita Shinsuke suddenly changed the subject.
However..
I hope that one day in the future, I can tell my descendants that my high school teammates were the strongest.
Hinata's eyes widened.
He quickly puffed out his chest, held his head high, said with extreme decisiveness, "Leave it to me!"
They will win two championships, three championships, even establish a dynasty belonging to Inarizaki.
In the far future, perhaps the Kita Team could say that his teammates were world-class players.
Kita Shinsuke smiled very gently. "I'm looking forward to it."
The match between Karasuno and Ichibayashi was about to begin, knowing that Hinata was eager to watch it, Kita Shinsuke also quickened his pace as he led the way.
As they passed through a corridor, the two of them brushed past Sakusa, who was already wearing a mask.
Hinata had intended to say hello, but he was completely ignored by the other person; watching Sakusa's hurried pace, it seemed he hadn't seen them at all.
Noticing that Sakusa's eyes were slightly red, Kita Shinsuke shook his head. "Don't disturb them, let's keep walking."
"Okay." Hinata nodded.
Watching Kita Shinsuke bring the group back, Miya Atsumu patted the empty seat beside him. "Shoyo, sit here."
Kita asked Aran, "What's the situation right now?"
Aran shook his head. "It's a bit tricky. Both sides played very aggressively right from the opening, Ichibayashi's offensive capability is quite strong."
In a sense, they're a bit like Shiratorizawa, equipped with a powerful Setter.
Hearing this, Kita Shinsuke basically understood what was going on.
Karasuno's strength lies in their blocking, which likely plays right into Ichibayashi's comfort zone.
As both sides clash with such strength, it is bound to be a grueling struggle.
But for us, it's still relatively easy to play," Miya Atsumu said, clasping his hands behind his head. "Their Libero is quite mediocre; we can just use strong attacks to suppress them so they can't counter-attack.
Inarizaki is a team luxuriously equipped with four powerful offensive points, making them completely different from typical offensive teams.
By contrast, Karasuno, who might be extremely proficient in blocking and serving, might be a bit more difficult for them to play against.
Aran frowned. "These two sides are head-to-head; it feels like this won't be over anytime soon."
With only two points scored in the first ten minutes of this opening, he'll probably have time for a good nap before Inarizaki's match begins next.
"The more fiercely they play, the more advantage we'll have," Miya Atsumu said in a relaxed tone.
For a long-term tournament like Haruko, the demands for physical stamina and bench depth only increase as the competition progresses into the later stages.
If Karasuno and Ichibayashi can wear each other down, whoever advances will essentially have reduced the burden on Inarizaki.
After all, whether it was Inubushi Higashi, Shirabu, or Fukurodani, none of them were easy opponents.
As for physical strength, naturally, the more you can conserve, the better.
Miya Atsumu turned his head toward the group and said, "If anyone's energy is running low, say so now so the coach can arrange for substitutions in advance."
Suna tried to raise his hand, but was pressed back down by Ginjima on the other side.
Help, he could even play for Oori-senpai, but he absolutely cannot play a position like Suna's that relies on mental coordination!
Besides, a Middle Blocker only needs to play half the court; Suna has no reason to keep refusing!
Making eye contact with Ginjima, Suna indicated that he did.
Chapter 185: The One Hundred and Eighty-Fifth Fox
Karasuno and Ichibayashi fought through an extremely difficult match to reach the Third Set.
The Inarizaki members also stood up at this time, preparing to head to the Sub-gymnasium for warm-ups.
Even though they had already played a match in the morning, the warm-up session could not be skipped.
Moreover, the overall match schedule for the third day of the Demon's Day was extremely tight, leaving little free time for everyone to adjust their condition, so they had to make the most of their time to maintain their touch.
Hinata followed behind his seniors and stepped through the doors of the Sub-gymnasium; the Aobajohsai members were already there.
Oikawa Tooru stepped forward and reached out his hand to Kita Shinsuke.
The captains of both sides shook hands to greet each other before the match.
Seeing Hinata waving frantically at him, Kindaichi nodded and greeted him.
Iwaizumi Hajime glanced sideways at the two juniors who were exchanging glances with Hinata, looking slightly surprised. "Are you guys close?"
How did he not remember that they had an unexpected encounter with the Inarizaki members during that training match?
Kindaichi nodded. "Yeah, Hinata and Rishia from Shiratorizawa came during the previous training camp. I mentioned it to Oikawa-senpai before."