At this close range, it is easy to judge whether a setter is a good fit for their team.
Yeah, it's quite something to look forward to.
With the determination to not say a single word to Hirugami, Minka Shugo grabbed Inunari and hurried away from this troublesome place.
But Inunari, who was following behind, waved at Hinata. "Goodbye, Little Giant of Inarizaki."
Hinata, who was suddenly called by that name by a professional player, froze for a moment, only instinctively raised his hand to wave goodbye to the other person.
After a long moment, he looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Atsumu-senpai! The star called me Little Giant!"
Miya Atsumu pressed down on Hinata, who was about to jump up and cheer. "Don't be so surprised. Besides, Inunari hasn't even played a formal match yet, so don't talk about being a star."
Hinata's eyes were full of longing. "But it's the V1 League! It's so—incredible!"
Miya Atsumu felt like he wouldn't be able to hold back his excitement for Hinata: "Once we get back, we'll call Aran out, you can have him praise you however you want."
I can praise you too; I'll definitely get even better in the future.
Hearing those words, Hinata suddenly felt like his brain was overloading: "Eh?"
That's right, Aran-senpai also signed with a V1 League team, Atsumu-senpai will definitely go there in the future too.
For some reason, he suddenly felt that the distance between him and the V1 League didn't seem so great anymore.
Shoyo quickly made his request: "Then Atsumu-senpai, give me some compliments!"
Miya Atsumu responded just as quickly: "Shoyo, you were incredible. Just be prepared to shock the entire stadium in this afternoon's match."
Hinata raised his hands and cheered, "Yay!"
Hoshiumi couldn't take it anymore: "Hey, hey, hey, I'm still standing right here!"
Following behind, Hakuma Mebuki tilted his head, delivering a blow to Hoshiumi's disciple: "That shouldn't be possible. That person just now looked like a very formidable blocker; it'll be a struggle even for you to try and force your way through Karasuno's block."
It's simply unrealistic to try and force your way through a two-meter block. Just give it up.
Hoshiumi slightly raised his eyes, but he did not offer a greeting.
As the ace of a school known for its blocking, he understood this principle better than anyone, but..
“There's no need to force a breakthrough. I can use everything at my disposal, whether it's tooling the block or changing the ball's trajectory; there's more than one way to score.”
Hinata tilted his head, his eyes shining incredibly bright under the sunlight streaming through the window.
In the end, facing them head-on was the wrong way to do it, wasn't it?
Right, Hoshiumi-senpai?
Hoshiumi smiled, feeling refreshed. "Of course, of course it is."
Miya Atsumu's hands, which were behind his back, gripped his own clothes as he struggled to suppress the expression on his face.
Yes, it's exactly that kind of Shoyo that makes people feel like they can't get enough.
Hirugami was momentarily dazed, but in the end, he could only manage a regretful smile.
To be honest, he really likes that kid Hinata.
But they had already decided to recruit Hoshiumi Hikari; it was truly impossible to have two special players of the same type and similar age on the court at the same time.
If he truly offered Hinata an olive branch.. it would actually be hindering Hinata's future and life.
After reaching an agreement with Hoshiumi and snapping at Hakuma, Hinata's jumping thoughts returned to the beginning of their conversation: "When are you leaving, Hoshiumi-senpai? Can you come to my house as a guest?"
Hoshiumi shook his head regretfully. "I don't think that will work. We're planning to leave after watching today's match, we have a practice match tomorrow."
He had taken time off on short notice today, so it wouldn't be good if he delayed tomorrow's match as well.
Miya Atsumu puffed out his chest and spoke in a rising tone, "Unlike me, who can go whenever I want."
Tch," Hoshiumi curled his lip. "It doesn't matter. After all, I am Shoyo's most, most important master. I chat with him every day, I've taught him many things.
Hinata cheered for Hoshiumi: "Long live, Master!"
This was the second time Hoshiumi had emphasized this, even Miya Atsumu sensed that something was wrong.
It seems like.. he overlooked something?
Meanwhile, on the way to the locker room, Inunari looked up and asked Minka Shugo, "Captain, will there be a recording of the afternoon's match?"
"The official broadcast won't have it, but our fans will probably record it," Minka Shugo answered immediately.
He asked curiously, "What, are you going to show it to Coach?"
Inunari shook his head instead. "No, I just feel like.. I should show this match to a friend of mine."
Minka Shugo didn't ask any further questions, as he had no interest in the players' private lives: "Alright, I'll ask the fan club later and send it to your email when I have it."
Inunari, who wasn't very close with Minka Shugo yet, nodded. "Then I'll leave that to you, Captain."
As the only V1 League team invited, the organizers naturally reserved the best court for them.
In the venue, which had been temporarily converted from a basketball Center Court, Black Jackals fans had already begun to gather in the spectator stands.
The basketball hoops on both sides of the court had not been taken down; flooring had simply been laid across the middle of the court.
As the first match for the Black Jackals after the winter transfer window, the fans were naturally quite expectant, unable to wait to see their newly strengthened lineup.
However, since this match was not part of a regular competition's finals, the officials did not provide commentators, but quite a few media representatives did attend.
The players' individual introductions were also omitted, so after the warm-ups, the process went straight to submitting the first rotation sheet and confirming the positions.
Contrary to the expectations of Miya Atsumu and Coach Kurosu, the Black Jackals actually fielded their full starting lineup in a match like this.
Looking at the All-Star lineup on the opposite side, Coach Kurosu was a bit stunned.
Is Inarizaki being given such special treatment?
This isn't the composure of high schoolers; this is a lineup for the V1 League Semifinals!
On the opposing side, Coach Sansou stroked his chin in high spirits, wearing a very happy smile.
That's right, this was exactly the lineup they planned to use for the Semifinals on April 4th.
Compared to the regular season, the only changes are the newly added Libero and the Left Wing spiker Maekawa Shintaro, who transferred from the Azure Rockets.
Miya Atsumu forced a difficult laugh.
Although he knew from the very beginning that this match would be hard to win, that.. didn't mean he was willing to let his score be beaten into single digits.
Thinking of this, he immediately turned his head to look at Unabara Uta.
“Unabara, you must get the first receive no matter what. Don't worry about the quality; just get it up to me. Bring your absolute best to face every single attack from the opponent.”
Heisuke, Osamu, I'm counting on you to cover the out balls after a block. You absolutely, absolutely have to touch them.
Shoyo, handle the counterattack and the dump feints well. The power of the front-row balls isn't that great, so try to place them precisely.
Everyone responded in unison, "Understood!"
Cold sweat broke out on Miya Atsumu's forehead.
They had expected the Black Jackals to take out their Opposite and Wing Spiker, rather than letting the ultimate powerhouse Opposite, Oliver, who stands over two meters tall, deal with them.
People in the stands were whispering, "The Black Jackals are being too ruthless; aren't they afraid of breaking the high schoolers' spirits?"
The people nearby speculated, "A team with two consecutive championships wouldn't be that fragile, right?"
Besides, the Black Jackals aren't some team that just bullies the weak. This decision should have been carefully considered by Coach Kurosu; perhaps he has other plans.
Sitting in the back row, Hanae was filled with resentment: "I knew it, I said Inarizaki was the most despicable!"
“A chance to play a match against the Black Jackals players like this.. I want that too!!"
He is a fan of Oliver and Minka Shugo! He wants their autographs!
Of course, what he wanted most of all was to play a match against these people on the court!
Kanzaki gestured, "Is that so? I still prefer Hirugami-san from the Adlers; his blocking was just so cool."
Hanae pointed toward the door. "What are the Adler fans doing here? Get out."
A traitor has appeared among them Kansai people!!
Meanwhile, one row in front of the two of them, Hirugami Fuku silently pulled down his baseball cap, covering himself even more tightly with his mask.
This venue is.. indeed a bit dangerous for him.
Having successfully secured the starting position, Miya Atsumu walked toward the service area behind the baseline under the gaze of everyone on the court.
Inunari, who had taken Feng Ma-shi's position, shook his hands and lowered his center of gravity, staring at Miya Atsumu on the opposite side: "Let me see the current strongest server in high school for myself."
Facing Miya Atsumu's serve, the Black Jackals employed a strategy where the middle blocker and the opposite both participated in the first receive.
As an absolute powerhouse of a Stronger Opposite, the Black Jackals generally would not have Oliver handle the first receive; the level of protection he receives is the same as that of the setter, Oda.
But if they were facing a team with an extremely high offensive level like Shwaiden Adler, they would also consider having the front row wing spikers drop back to compensate for the defense.
Of course, in that kind of situation, the better choice would actually be to recruit another all-around Opposite to substitute for Oliver.
However, talent like that is a rare find.
Inarizaki's Miya Osamu would be a viable option, but according to the background check results from the Junior National Team, Osamu has no intention of continuing to play volleyball.
Glancing at Hinata, who was currently playing as the Opposite, Inunari narrowed his eyes slightly.
Inarizaki is choosing to have Miya Osamu, whose defensive capabilities are strong enough for this current lineup, play on the Right Wing..
The whistle sounded in his ears, in the very next instant, the sound of the ball leaving his hands echoed in his consciousness.
Eh?
Inunari was momentarily stunned, but his reaction was incredibly fast; he decisively raised his hands and jumped, intercepting Miya Atsumu's jump float serve mid-air.
Oda quickly moved into position to set, while simultaneously glancing toward Inarizaki's rotation: "What a great first receive!"
The Black Jackals' current overall strategy is still to ensure Minka Shugo starts in the front row; after all, he is their Black Jackals' Iron Wall, he is extremely strong at both blocking and quick attacks.
Combined with Oliver's sufficiently powerful back-row attack, it could catch the opponents off guard at any time.
Miya Atsumu let out a light click of his tongue after landing.
He played the buzzer-beater on purpose, because when he had previously studied the Black Jackals' rotation, he had noticed they weren't very good at handling this kind of buzzer-beater.
The best representative of the buzzer-beater play currently is Shwaiden Adler's Hirugami Fuku; this move can be said to be the best at disrupting an opponent's formation in the V1 League.
But..