Except for him and the middle blocker Narita, everyone else retreated to receive the ball.
Hinata also keenly adjusted himself to a position that wouldn't be obstructed by the cover for Tsukishima and Enoshita's serves.
After all, the main targets for both of those two were Nishinoya Yu, so there were still plenty of openings he could exploit.
This is where the advantage of having a small stature lies!
Glancing at Miya Atsumu, who was sizing him up, Kageyama slammed the ball against the ground and then caught it, spinning it in his hands.
He had just heard from Yamaguchi about the confrontation between Nishinoya and Miya Atsumu, saying that Nishinoya had received Miya Atsumu's third jump.
But Miya Atsumu adjusted his strategy very quickly as well, changing tactics on the fourth serve to ensure Nishinoya Yu wouldn't get another chance to receive it.
Kageyama knew very well that Nishinoya was not good at receiving serves, so his adaptability to the Jump Float Serve was significantly worse.
If it were a Power Serve, the speed at which Nishinoya Yu could perfectly handle it would be even faster.
But based on the success rate of Nishinoya's first receive against Miya Atsumu's serve that Yamaguchi recorded, Miya Atsumu was clearly the winner.
Even though they wouldn't rely on just one person for a First Receive in a formal match, Miya Atsumu also didn't use any cover for his Serve.
If that standoff had happened in a real match, they would have already lost.
So.. for a setter, the serve is the best weapon for scoring.
Kageyama held the ball in front of him, staring directly at Nishinoya Yu on the opposite side.
In the final second of the service time limit, Kageyama raised his hand and tossed the ball up.
BANG!!
Hinata's gaze locked onto the volleyball as it rushed toward his side immediately after the loud bang.
—The target of this ball was him.
Although the ball itself had spin, it wasn't a side spin that would create a special trajectory, so the only difficult part to handle was the ball's actual speed.
Akagi-senpai had taught him about this kind of situation before; he just needed to receive it as if it were a spike during an Ace's open net or a super-high set.
But before this, he had already received many, many heavy spikes.
So he won't make a mistake this time either.
The moment the ball flew over the net, the entire trajectory of the Power Serve was already clear.
Hinata immediately lowered his center of gravity, reaching out to "scoop" the ball.
With a loud bang, the ball flew straight up and dropped toward the net.
Hinata rolled backward on the ground, successfully coming to his feet after a perfect back roll.
Although the transition into his approach for the subsequent attack was a bit slow, his first receive was exceptionally high, giving himself plenty of time to handle it.
Tsukishima approached the net on the other side of the court, preparing to block.
They had seen many live broadcasts and recordings of Inarizaki's matches, so he knew very clearly that Miya Atsumu would definitely be able to set this ball.
In fact, the more difficult the ball was, the more willing he was to set it to Hinata Shoyo, not to mention that Hinata was the only player on the opposite side of the court that Miya Atsumu was familiar with.
Because of this, Miya Atsumu would inevitably pass this ball to Hinata Shoyo.
The moment he saw the ball fly up, Miya Atsumu couldn't help but praise it: "What a great first receive!"
Kageyama clicked his tongue.
It was indeed a great first receive; setting aside the placement for a moment, the height alone was perfect, not to mention that Hinata had also ensured his own possibility for a follow-up attack.
Seeing Hinata rush under Position 4 to prepare for a spike, Tsukishima, Enoshita Chikara, Tanaka all converged on that area at once.
And in the very next second, Miya Atsumu raised his hand and gave it a light tap, sending the ball—which was already extremely close to the net—into a gentle tip, precisely aimed toward the area near Kageyama.
With the Libero off the court and down a Wing Spiker, the Setter cannot receive sufficient protection.
Especially since Karasuno still chose a three-person block to restrict the opponent's attack.
Kageyama was forced to push off the ground and dive, reaching out in an attempt to dig the ball.
But unfortunately, he was too far away and couldn't keep up at all.
Miya Atsumu lifted his chin and gave a light, contented hum.
That's right, he was targeting Kageyama.
Hinata landed on the ground and turned his head to look at Miya Atsumu, looking as if his feelings had been betrayed.
He could spike, he could score, yet Atsumu-senpai actually didn't pass to him.
Miya Atsumu gave Hinata a quick high-five. "Shoyo, your cover was good."
Hinata pursed his lips and reluctantly gave Miya Atsumu a high five. "Atsumu-senpai, set for me."
Atsumu-senpai agreed readily, "I'll set, as many as you want."
Hinata frowned, expressing his dissatisfaction with Miya Atsumu's perfunctory response.
When it comes to setting, Atsumu-senpai is a total liar!
Nishinoya Yu later expressed that it was painful to watch.
The setter was forced into a diving receive on the very first serve of the opening.. If it were him, this kind of thing would never happen.
Yamaguchi's reaction speed on defense was indeed not fast enough, Tsukishima's judgment on the block also had issues.
But indeed, he also thought that the previous ball would have come to Hinata.
Ukai Keishin rubbed his chin. "Whether it's receiving or setting, his form is quite beautiful."
He had noticed it in the afternoon; Hinata's movements were much more beautiful than Enoshita's. In fact, in terms of technical standard alone, he was even better than Kageyama.
Not to mention Miya Atsumu, whose every move could be called textbook, a top representative of the Academic Style.
And Kageyama's habit of flicking his wrists outward during a set is something he hasn't been able to correct even after a whole year.
It is said that Coach Washijo also noticed this problem not long ago, but Kageyama's habit from so many years can be difficult to change, so it can only be dealt with slowly.
Tsukishima could already be considered a strategist within Karasuno, yet he was still outmaneuvered by Miya Atsumu during their very first encounter.
It wasn't a lack of intelligence, but rather a lack of insight and understanding of the human heart.
In this regard, the players of Inarizaki all performed excellently, especially the Miya Twins and Suna.
Thinking about it now, there is a high possibility that Inarizaki's starting lineup for this year's IH will evolve toward a style that lacks heavy hitters but is full of schemes and tricks.
—His mind is too dirty.
The Service Right naturally passed to Miya Atsumu.
Atsumu didn't just use a Jump Float Serve like he did when playing against Nishinoya in the afternoon; instead, he created a six-step distance right from the start, prepared to push his Dual Wield to its absolute limit.
Atsumu-senpai, give us a great serve!
Miya Atsumu did not disappoint Hinata's cheers, sending a beautiful Power Serve directly toward the space in front of Kageyama.
But Enoshita Chikara's positioning speed was also quite fast, he directly abandoned a conventional receive, choosing a diving back receive—a play that provided the bare minimum guarantee of being able to keep the ball up.
“Nice!” Kageyama breathed a sigh of relief, quickly rushing forward to jump and perform a back set.
Tanaka, at the net, received the ball under Tsukishima's cover and executed a spike, but only Narita managed to follow Miya Atsumu's side.
With Nishinoya Yu in the back row to handle the receive, Miya Atsumu calmly directed the play to bypass the block.
"Narita!" Miya Atsumu called out to Narita, but he instead tossed the ball to Hinata.
Hinata, who had been in position for a long time, executed a beautiful spike on a off-tempo quick attack, the tempo so fast that Tsukishima couldn't keep up at all.
The ball slammed onto the floor, Hinata scored.
Yamaguchi's expression became even more solemn and serious: "That's incredible.."
Even though he was playing with two Karasuno substitutes, Miya Atsumu still perfectly coordinated several spikers to provide cover for Hinata.
With Nishinoya Yu there to receive, Miya Atsumu's side held the advantage through several rallies.
Coach Ukai sighed.
When he was taking the Old man back, he had mentioned whether they should take this opportunity to arrange a practice match with Inarizaki, but he was scolded by the Old man for being "overambitious."
Indeed, even Fukurodani, whom Inarizaki has never once defeated, has managed to win.
Given Karasuno's current situation, they are in no position to compete against such powerful opponents; they'll have to wait until the new students join after Golden Week.
Having made up his mind, Coach Ukai clapped his hands. "That's all for today. Everyone go home, eat well, get some rest. We'll continue tomorrow."
“Yes—!”
Watching Hinata sit by the door and begin tying his shoelaces, Kageyama looked down at him and asked, "Are you coming again tomorrow?"
Miya Atsumu stood under the light of the corridor at the entrance, arms crossed over his chest, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.
Hinata shook his head. "No, thanks. Oikawa invited me to Aobajohsai tomorrow, Atsumu-senpai will probably be coming with me, right?"
Miya Atsumu put his hands on his hips, his smile deepening.
But Miya Atsumu, who quickly realized what Hinata was saying, froze in his tracks.
Wait, where are we going tomorrow?
Aobajohsai??
Damn, he didn't bring facial cleanser when he came, nor did he bring hair gel, he certainly didn't bring his hair dryer.
What's even worse is that Hinata probably doesn't have any of those things either.
Miya Atsumu stopped thinking.
Are we—are we really going?
Chapter 243: The Two Hundred and Forty-Third Fox
Walking out of the Karasuno gates, Hinata immediately noticed that Miya Atsumu's steps were somewhat hesitant, as if he wanted to say something.
He blinked. "What's wrong, Atsumu-senpai?"
Miya Atsumu seemed to find it difficult to speak, but in the end, he succumbed to the fate that might last for two full weeks.