Eh?
That's right, he actually managed to score a point from those stars!
It was still a very important first point of the opening!
He is just too amazing!
Hinata, finally snapping out of it, stepped forward and jumped onto Miya Atsumu.
“Atsumu-senpai! Was I cool just now?!”
Miya Atsumu, who had been tackled, stabilized his body; he hugged Hinata back, his hand gently stroking Hinata's back, his sensitive fingers even able to feel the shape of Hinata's spine in this situation.
Finally, one of his hands wrapped around Hinata's waist, preventing him from sliding down.
Atsumu whispered in Hinata's ear, "It's already incredible that you were able to take the most important first point from under these people's noses on your very first encounter."
Yes, exactly like that.
Don't let temporary tension and pressure knock you down.
Even if losing is a terrifying thing, you won't die from losing a single match; just pick yourself up and start over.
Not to mention that their current opponents are, in themselves, a problem far beyond their level.
Having the determination to win is enough; what matters is whether they can learn what they want to learn from the match.
Atsumu set Hinata down and looked him in the eyes, saying seriously, "That last play was super cool."
Yeah!" Hinata nodded along, a satisfied expression appearing on his face, "Atsumu-senpai's set just now was also super cool.
Coach Omimi chuckled by the sidelines, "So reliable, Captain Miya Atsumu."
Kita is indeed well-suited to managing troublemakers like Miya Atsumu and the others; he can exert enough deterrent force just by being off the court, he can even provide a safety net for everyone.
But for the players of this generation, such as Hinata and Rishia Heisuke, they are not as mischievous or unruly as Miya Atsumu and his group; instead, they often need emotional encouragement.
In times like these, a Captain who can provide comfort and strength to everyone on the court is actually the better choice.
Maekawa Shintaro asked the youngest member of their team beside him, Inunari: "Are all high schoolers like this nowadays?"
Inunari thought about it for a moment before finally giving up: "Hmm.. I don't know. It's been many years since I graduated from high school."
Maybe it's a way to share emotions? Oliver-senpai really likes it.
"That makes sense." Maekawa Shintaro nodded.
It was exactly as Inunari analyzed; the foreign players in his previous team loved to hug them in celebration after scoring a good spike.
The reliable Vice-Captain stopped the conversation, which had drifted off into unknown territory: "Stop chatting. We just lost a point to high schoolers."
Minka Shugo was also having a massive headache; although they truly hadn't prepared much, losing a point right at the opening was simply too embarrassing.
Fortunately, there was no official live broadcast of this match; otherwise, once their old rivals found out, they wouldn't know how much they'd mock them..
No, it seems Hirugami is actually here on the scene.
Minka Shugo raised his hand to cover his face. "Be serious, the opponents are two-time champions."
Hirugami, sitting in the stands, had no intention of making fun of the Black Jackals.
After all, anyone watching that last play would have been amazed; even professional players aren't superhuman, so it was only natural that they couldn't react in time.
Miya Atsumu was already standing by the sideline, preparing for the second serve.
Once he confirmed that Miya Atsumu was ready, the Head Referee blew the whistle and signaled for Miya Atsumu to serve.
Atsumu let out a soft breath, a faint smile playing on his face.
He knew that everything Hinata said was correct; they were here to compete, so their only purpose was to win.
But to be honest, Hinata's ambition was enough to make even him feel a little startled.
However.. he likes it.
Since the goal is victory, he absolutely cannot let his own powerful service turn go easily.
Let him try to take the first point with his serve.
Suddenly remembering something, Inunari hurriedly said to Maekawa beside him, "Dual Wield, be careful."
Maekawa Shintaro's head rang.
The sound of the impact had already registered in his perception, followed immediately by the volleyball tracing a beautiful arc as it curved around the antenna and crashed into the Black Jackals' court.
Maekawa rushed forward to save the ball, lunging with one leg extended and lowering his center of gravity as much as possible to dig it, finally succeeding in touching the ball with one hand.
This Dual Wield thing.. you should have said so sooner!!
"What a great first receive!" Oda breathed a sigh of relief.
To be honest, Miya Atsumu's last serve was a buzzer-beating Jump Float Serve, but for the second serve, he switched directly to a Side Spin..
This gap is quite significant, even by professional standards.
Fortunately, high schoolers' physical development is not yet complete, so their raw strength is quite a bit inferior compared to adult professional players.
Compared to those monsters whose serves both reached 130km/h, the speed of Miya Atsumu's serve was still not quite enough to look at.
For the experienced Inunari and Maekawa, this kind of serve was not particularly difficult.
Miya Atsumu couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration.
As expected of professionals, their fundamentals in the most basic skill, the First Receive, are truly incredibly formidable and flawless.
Hinata stared at Leonard on the other side of the net, but the moment he and Minka Shugo completed a cross-rotation, he shifted his focus back to Minka Shugo.
The center was no longer his defensive area to the right; he only needed to focus on the person in front of him.
Under the cover of Leonard and Minka Shugo, Oda sent the ball once again to Oliver, who was jumping in the back row.
After seeing that last play, Oliver was in a very serious state of mind.
He admitted that he had underestimated them, having failed to place these high schoolers on the level of true "opponents" before, had even been quite confused as to why the coach wanted them in the starting lineup.
Now he understood completely.
These kids certainly possess enough potential and strength to warrant facing them with a full starting lineup.
Because of this, he treats the Inarizaki members with the same level of respect as professional players.
Oliver, who had been treating this as a mere practice match and playing along with the kids, shed that gentleness at this moment, replaced by a sharpness like a blade drawn from its sheath.
A thud echoed in Hinata's ears.
The 2.07-meter opposite jumped into the air, with full power, his spike from the back row even went over the hands of Suna and Miya Osamu.
When it comes to volleyball, height is the most important thing.
Even though Hinata, Hoshiumi, the others focus on their technique, they never give up their struggle to seize control of the air.
Because.. that is where a spiker's battlefield belongs.
Bang!!
In the blink of an eye, the ball had already smashed down in front of Unabara Uta, its speed and power carrying an incredibly overbearing sensation.
The moment of contact sent Unabara Uta crashing to the floor in a violent slam.
As his back slammed against the floor, the violent impact caused Unabara Uta's vision to go black.
He knew the impact of this ball would be great, so he didn't tense his arms to receive it, but instead tried to cushion it.
But even so, he still failed.
"Alright!" Oliver raised his hand to high-five his teammates, while he was at it, he gave the setter Oda a quick hug.
Hinata's breath, which had come to a standstill, began to flow again at this moment.
He stared intently at Oliver, captivated by his presence.
—This is what a top-tier Ace looks like.
That figure momentarily reminded him of his absolute favorite volleyball player—the Brazilian national team's Ace, Romero.
Hinata's mouth hung slightly open. "So cool.."
Before Rishia Heisuke could even reach out to grab him, Hinata had already rushed to the front of the net, clutching the net and looking at Oliver with eyes full of longing.
His eyes were full of stars, his gaze filled with unreserved longing and desire.
Mr. Ace! Please give me your autograph when the match is over!!
Oliver, who had just finished switching positions, looked up at Hinata.
Although he didn't understand what Hinata was saying, having participated in several fan appreciation events in Japan, he understood the words "autograph."
According to the original schedule, their autograph session would be tomorrow at noon, but he was more than willing to give autographs to these kids on the opposing side ahead of time.
So Oliver raised his hand and made an OK sign.
"Ohhhhhh—" Hinata raised his hands and cheered.
Meanwhile, Unabara Uta, who had just scrambled up, was still rubbing his back: "Count me in, I want one too.."
He's been hit by it, so asking for an autograph shouldn't be too much to ask.
Feng Ma-shi, in the waiting area, exclaimed, "They are all incredible. This libero is only a first-year, yet he actually read the ball's trajectory at that speed; it's just a shame he couldn't control it."
Coach Kurosu rested his chin in his hands, quietly watching the match on the court.
That being said, the technique of absorbing force is actually what's most important, especially since the high school volleyball world is still dominated by power spikers.
Someone like Yaku Hanae is a master of this technique, whereas by comparison, Unabara Uta's level is somewhat lacking.
Miya Atsumu clapped his hands. "Don't worry about it! Next point!"
He didn't have much of an opinion on autographs, unless the person was Romero; otherwise, they wouldn't pique his interest.
Oda, the Black Jackals' setter, prepared to serve, while simultaneously announcing that the ace, Oliver, was moving to the front row.
Hinata, also at the net, stared intently at Oliver, as if telling him, "Bring it on."
Oliver replied with a smile, then raised his hand behind his head to provide cover for Oda's serve.
Oda's serve was a textbook Power Jump Serve; although it lacked the movement of a side spin, its sheer power made its velocity far exceed that of a high schooler.
Rishia Heisuke, being targeted, completely missed the receive, unable to keep up with that terrifying ball speed.