In a situation where neither side can score consecutive points, there is an urgent need for someone or something to change the momentum.
To be honest, although his own physical strength was better than Miya Atsumu's, it was only slightly better; he simply couldn't compare to Aran at all.
And that guy Miya Atsumu..
He has already been completely spoiled by that physical monster, Hinata.
While performing a sliding block, he was also being toyed with; the quick attacks that swung from left to right truly made his scalp tingle, not to mention those occasional whimsical tosses.
At this rate, he's going to be worn out by his own teammates first.
That bastard Atsumu really intends to squeeze out every last bit of his value.
But at this rate, he was worried about whether he could hold out until the very last day.
Squinting his eyes, Miya Osamu cursed Miya Atsumu several times in his mind before turning his head toward the Coach's bench.
That Hinata guy.. why is he still chatting and laughing with the coach?
Seeing that the coach had no intention of making any substitutions, Miya Osamu could only regretfully withdraw his gaze and refocus his attention back onto the court.
As the match approached its end, the situation on the court shifted; Oikawa Tooru watched Miya Osamu's blocking movement closely and used a Second Attack to actively deceive him and score a point over the net.
22:24, Set point for Aobajohsai.
The Aobajohsai supporters in the stands were exceptionally excited: "Give it your all! Win this set!!"
The notification sound at the edge of the court rang out at that moment.
The Inarizaki members turned around and saw Hinata holding up the number 1 sign.
The one who breathed a sigh of relief was neither Kita Shinsuke nor Miya Atsumu, but Miya Osamu.
Oikawa raised an eyebrow. "Can you finally not sit still anymore?"
He knew that the Inarizaki side had been giving Hinata time to adjust his state precisely because the situation on the court had been at a stalemate; once this balance was broken, Inarizaki would inevitably lose their composure.
And his choice to suddenly exert his strength only when approaching the set point was indeed a wise move; doing it too early or too late could have both allowed Inarizaki to launch a counterattack.
"Good luck." Kita Shinsuke patted Hinata on the back.
"Okay," Hinata nodded.
Kyokutsu, on the other side of the net, had already walked to the service position.
He had been booed for two whole sets already, even Kyokutsu had become accustomed to it, to the point where he could treat the booing as background music for his serve.
It's just a bit like mosquitoes, very annoying.
He didn't give the Inarizaki supporters any chance to get into a rhythm; as soon as the referee blew the whistle, Kyokutsu tossed the ball up immediately.
His serve hit the Inarizaki back row with heavy spin, but Akagi, who had already anticipated the trajectory of the ball, received it accurately.
Hinata in the back row followed almost simultaneously with Miya Osamu in the front row, performing a staggered quick attack.
The sudden increase in offensive speed was a bit much even for Matsukawa to adjust to, but since the ball was aimed at the center, he didn't need to chase it.
Touch!
The touched ball flew toward the back row, where Watari Chikaharu lunged to receive it.
The three players in the front row stared at Oikawa Tooru's movements simultaneously, prepared to block at any moment.
"Give me the ball!!" Iwaizumi Hajime called for it from the back row.
—The Ace's staggered formation in Position 3.
Oori Ren, who had been staring intently, adjusted his position to face Iwaizumi Hajime almost instantly.
But Oikawa Tooru instead passed the ball to Matsukawa, who was acting as cover.
Matsukawa's gaze remained fixed on Hinata, just as before, but Hinata did not look at him.
Hinata's gaze remained fixed on Matsukawa's body, observing his every move.
That body orientation, that arm posture..
He had seen it many times during this match, he had also been hit by it many times.
The landing spot of this ball will be between him and the sideline, closer to the sideline.
He couldn't make a normal receive in time, so he had no choice but to go for a diving save.
All thoughts were completed in less than half a second.
The moment Matsukawa spiked, Hinata had already pushed off the ground and lunged forward, positioning himself perfectly in the ball's trajectory.
The arm that swung proactively applied an upward force to the volleyball once more, sending it flying high into the air.
The more complex the situation, the simpler the solution becomes.
—He just needs to ensure the ball is high enough.
A sufficiently high first receive, combined with a second set that used spin to stretch the ball out, created a runway for takeoff.
Miya Atsumu didn't give a difficult-to-handle high ball to Position 3, but instead sent a near-flat quick attack to Position 4 on the other side.
A back row quick attack after a diving receive?!
In the stands, Iizuna was so excited he almost stood up, but unfortunately, his legs wouldn't support him.
Beside him, Amatori also had no heart to soothe the Captain's excited heart, but instead joined in the shock.
This guy's acceleration is way too much!
Having already risen on the court, Hinata pushed off the ground with his hands, springing forward like a four-legged beast in an instant.
It was a pure hundred-meter sprint start, combined with Hinata's own ability for short-distance acceleration, he managed to forcefully overtake the volleyball despite being behind in the start.
Leaping up on one foot below Position 4, Hinata kept his eyes fixed on the ball.
His cheeks puffed out slightly as he held his breath, as his gaze swept past Matsukawa, who was diving with all his might, his pupils suddenly contracted.
The original spin on the volleyball became the best acceleration boost for Hinata at this moment.
The moment it made contact with the side of the volleyball, Hinata used the existing spin to flick it away.
The volleyball traced an arc, sailing over the Inarizaki block that had just jumped, barely clearing the net as it approached Position 2, before finally accelerating and smashing down onto the floor beneath the net.
Hinata only landed when the whistle blew.
As his left foot hit the ground first, he quickly leaned back, shifting the weight onto his heel to minimize the impact on his knee.
23:24, Inarizaki scores, breaking Kyokutsu's service turn.
Shiratori in the stands couldn't help but clap his hands: "A god descending from the heavens."
In this situation, a fully recovered Hinata was more than capable of breathing new life into the team.
This sudden increase in speed.. even Aobajohsai wouldn't have the chance to adapt quickly.
Watching Hinata hugging Miya Atsumu on the other side of the net, Oikawa Tooru felt a bit irritable.
Tsk, it really isn't that easy, after all.
He thought Hinata wouldn't even step onto the court for this set, after all, their captain's performance on defense was indeed much more stable.
After the score, the serve naturally passed to Miya Osamu.
Cheering and encouragement erupted from the stands: "Osamu-kun, serve a good one!"
Miya Osamu raised his hand to wipe away the sweat that had already trickled down to his chin, then caught the volleyball thrown back by the opponent.
With Hinata on the court, as long as they can gain a certain advantage through their serves, they can carry out powerful counterattacks, will have a complete chance to score consecutive points to tie the score.
As long as they tie the score, they will have the chance to take the lead.
"Give them a good serve!" Miya Atsumu shouted along.
Miya Osamu spun the ball in his hands, waiting for the referee's whistle.
With Aobajohsai's current formation, the best strategy would be to suppress the setter on the wing..
Simulating rapidly in his mind, Miya Osamu tossed the ball up the moment the referee blew the whistle.
But the moment the volleyball left his hands, he had a bad premonition.
The ball he spiked with full force grazed past Hinata's ear and slammed into the net next to Aran, making it an indisputable net error.
The volleyball rolled to Hinata's feet, causing his whole body to tremble uncontrollably.
That was close, I almost got assassinated..
The whistle blew, at that moment, the score on the sidelines jumped to Inarizaki 23:25 Aobajohsai.
Aobajohsai took the victory in the second set, making the overall score 1:1.
Hoshiumi clapped his hands gloatingly: "This is what happens when Inarizaki gets too cocky."
Miya Atsumu snapped his head around in an instant, looking completely broken. "Osamu! What are you doing!!"
Don't go showing off that incredible home run at a time like this!
Coach Kurosu, standing by the sidelines, frowned slightly.
Miya Osamu couldn't have done it on purpose; that means his own condition must have been the problem.
Was it because he had been covering Hinata's role for too long, causing his stamina to be depleted too quickly..
Miya Osamu's expression was also grim at this moment.
This point was quite important for Inarizaki, losing it directly resulted in them having to play a Third Set.
Miya Atsumu had a very foul expression on his face, but he still clapped his hands and said, "Don't worry about it, just consider it a gift to the other side."
Coach Kurosu handed a towel to Miya Osamu immediately, then strapped a heart rate monitoring band onto Miya Osamu's wrist.
Looking at the data, which, while not yet at Miya Osamu's limit, was already very close, Coach Kurosu asked, "Do you want to keep playing?"
Coach Omimi handed the honey lemon he had brought to Miya Osamu, telling him to eat it.
Osamu-kun stared at the delicious-looking lemon, his mind going blank for a few seconds before he finally replied, "Play."
Coach Kurosu didn't object, he just continued with the other arrangements: "Understood. Heisuke, come here for a moment."
Miya Atsumu turned his head to look at his twin brother: "You're giving up already?"
Miya Osamu took the fork and said indifferently, "Whose fault is it, anyway?"