Coach Kurosu could not convince himself.
He raised his hand to cover his eyes and sighed deeply once more.
Compared to Miya Atsumu, who is mature in many aspects and close to an adult state, the seemingly clueless Shoyo is truly still so small—
No, in terms of psychological maturity, could it be that Shoyo is actually the one who is a step ahead?
After a mental struggle, Coach Kurosu came up with the final solution.
It's decided; I'll have a chat with Miya Atsumu once we get back.
If he really was just doing it for fun, he would definitely give Miya Atsumu a good talking-to!
Watching Coach Kurosu's expression shift several times before finally settling into a look of irritation, Coach Omimi became even more bewildered.
What happened?
Whose performance was so poor that it had even driven Coach Kurosu to the point of losing his temper?
"I've got it!" Inunari dove forward, despite facing Hinata and Miya Osamu's staggered quick attacks, she still read the ball's trajectory and delivered it precisely to the Setter's head.
The entire process was smooth as silk, without a single shred of doubt regarding her own judgment.
Even if it's faster, a quick attack is still just a quick attack.
The quick attacks he has received over the past decade and a half number in the thousands; they are just a bit faster, but they won't change the final result of the receive.
Maekawa Shintaro teamed up with Oda to execute a beautiful back-row attack after receiving the ball, but Suna's reaction was also quick, successfully managing a touch to pop the ball back up.
"First touch." Although Suna's voice was calm, if one listened closely, one could hear the grit in his teeth; it was obvious he was struggling against such a heavy spike from an adult.
Unabara Uta quickly followed up, raising her hands while jumping to touch the ball, sending it toward the Attack Line.
“Nice.” Miya Atsumu praised.
Minka Shugo stared vigilantly at Hinata, who was already poised to move, staying alert for any sudden movements from him, while also keeping an eye on the movements of the setter, Miya Atsumu.
He admitted that kind of quick attack was cool and brilliant, but to him, it was still far from enough; as long as he stayed focused, he could keep up.
Moreover, Inunari was behind him, with that double defense, he wouldn't be given any chance.
Having originally positioned himself near Position 2 due to the block, Hinata slightly lowered his center of gravity while leaning his body forward, like a beast poised to strike.
—Is he going to make a move?
Minka Shugo stared at him without blinking, feeling his own breath catch for a fleeting moment.
To be honest, even in professional matches, he had never been this focused while watching a Quick Attack.
But in the blink of an eye, Hinata's figure completely vanished.
A white shadow suddenly swept across the entire net, rushing toward the area near the Position 4 marker.
Having reacted in time, Minka Shugo quickly followed up, rushing toward that area as well.
His reaction speed was already very fast, combined with his advantage in height and long legs, he wasn't far behind Hinata and was about to catch up completely.
But just as Hinata took his final step toward the standard jumping position at Position 4, he suddenly pivoted, performing a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn to change his running direction.
The entire process was so fast that Minka Shugo completely lost the chance to follow up; by the time he caught up to Position 2, he was nearly a full meter behind Hinata.
Hinata's approach was completed in almost a single breath, even before the setter's hands had touched the ball.
The next second, following the soft sound of the setter's touch, the "thud" of the final step of the approach hitting the floor became incredibly distinct.
Hinata's entire field of vision was somewhat blurred due to his own speed, but the point where his vision was focused remained clear.
He had already broken through the block, there was only one person left standing in front of him. In this situation, there was absolutely no need for them to fight for the highest point; a single-footed jump driven by inertia was more than enough.
In this situation, there was no standard arm extension; Hinata stretched his entire body like a bow toward the upper diagonal, the moment his arm swung down, the ball arrived there as well.
There was only one goal, the path to scoring had been clearly laid out before him.
All he had to do was swing his arm, because Atsumu-senpai would send the ball his way.
BANG!!
The crisp sound of the hit resonated in everyone's perception.
And immediately after, before anyone could even react, the sound of the ball hitting the ground had already occurred.
The ball bounced high into the air, landing out of bounds.
Nice kill!!
That was so cool—
Orange-headed Little One! That was so cool!!
The entire arena nearly boiled over in an instant, as the Black Jackals fans cheered, shouting for this breathtaking play.
Even though they came here to watch their favorite professional players, at this very moment, they had already been won over by Inarizaki.
A man's voice rang out in the next moment: "It's the little carrot—"
That's right! A little carrot!
Under the leadership of several older men, the cheers in the stadium quickly took on a completely different tone.
So amazing—little orange-head—
Super invincible little radish head—
Hinata, who was just about to embrace and high-five Miya Atsumu, turned his head to protest, "I'm not a carrot-head!"
But his strength alone was ultimately limited, he couldn't resist the older men who loved to tease him; he could only let them spread that nickname all over the world.
Watching Hinata's sulky expression, Miya Atsumu patted his head. "Alright, alright, don't be angry."
“You are our most, most amazing Ace, the super orange lightning!”
"Yeah!" Hinata nodded vigorously.
It's not a carrot!
Inunari, having been hit head-on by that quick attack, couldn't bring a smile to his face: "This is just too ridiculous.."
Actually, the rhythm and speed of this play were no different from the previous few, it was likely the best possible result within a controllable range.
But the reason he couldn't reach that ball was because Hinata used his positioning to completely shake off their block.
Without any block or touch to restrict the ball's path, Hinata could spike the ball into the most difficult spot for them to receive.
In the end.. that ability to change direction was just too terrifying.
Minka Shugo didn't understand either: "He's wearing an ankle brace, right? That's an ankle brace, isn't it?"
Although it wasn't the thick, steel-plate type, he was definitely wearing one.
In this situation, was it possible to use that ankle movement to change direction just now?
Just how long are this guy's Achilles tendons—
Coach Sansou couldn't help but clap, saying in English, "Unexpectedly strong; I underestimated his individual ability."
It wasn't a quick attack achieved entirely by relying on the setter, but rather one where the spiker found the opportunity himself.
Breaking through the block is normally the task of a setter, but Hinata managed to do it himself, significantly reducing the setter's workload and allowing the setter to focus entirely on how to deliver an extremely difficult ball.
Indeed, it's actually Miya Atsumu who is in a bit of a difficult position right now.
Hoshiumi nodded, feeling very satisfied with the current situation.
A Quick Attack is inherently something led by the Spiker; after all, in such a short amount of time, there is only so much a Setter can do.
Miya Atsumu's ability to handle a poorly received pass to this extent was nothing short of divine.
But for the attack, it was Hinata's ability to break away from the block on his own that was the true key to making this coordination successful.
Inunari ultimately let it go: "As expected, he's amazing."
This level of jumping ability and explosive power was no longer something that could be achieved through simple training alone.
In both respects, Hinata is the strongest person he has ever seen in this age group.
After Suna's serve, the service right passed to Minka Shugo, the Middle Blocker, Thomas, was replaced by Inunari.
Inarizaki had no effective way to handle Oliver's spikes; not only were their blocks easily deflected, but their back row also struggled to receive them.
Since the start, they have only managed to defend two balls.
Thomas stood at the net, scanning the Inarizaki members with a good mood.
Inunari, who had stepped off the court, shouted loudly, "Go for it! Thomas!"
Adrian Thomas was a player scouted by Coach Sansou during last year's University League in Japan, but since he is an international student from Italy, it took a lot of persuasion from the manager to convince him to join the Black Jackals and settle in Japan long-term.
However, Thomas's height of over two meters and his exquisite blocking skills were exactly what the Black Jackals lacked last year, not to mention that Thomas is also a highly skilled spiker.
Even if they were to play a standard wing spiker tactic, or switch to an all-around opposite, there would be no problem at all.
Additionally, his features were striking and he was very handsome, making his commercial value extremely high for the manager.
Of course, he was worth the effort for the manager, the many sponsors of the Black Jackals, the owner to handle all those complicated procedures for him.
Hinata, still standing in front of the net, widened his eyes. "So tall."
This was the fourth person two meters tall he had seen in real life, though compared to Oliver, this person gave him a much calmer impression.
Noticing Hinata's gaze, Thomas looked down and gave him a small smile.
Inunari found a seat in the waiting area and watched Hinata on the court, who was working hard to keep his chest out and head high so as not to lose momentum; he couldn't help but smile.
Since the court on this side was set up specifically for their match, a row of chairs was provided for both sides according to professional match arrangements, allowing even the players in the waiting area to rest as they pleased.
Covering his legs with his jacket, Inunari let his mind wander.
Since the end of the previous University Championship, he has been working on integrating with the Black Jackals to take over the role of the previous Libero.
And the biggest problem encountered during the entire process.. was actually the language barrier.
The Black Jackals' Captain, Ace, Coach, as well as Leonard and Thomas, who is just one year older than him, all come from different countries.
Although they could all speak a few words of English, their proficiency was mediocre; after all, even among foreigners, not everyone came from an English-speaking country.
Their communication was mostly limited to simple tactical instructions during matches; anything slightly more complex required them to rely on wild hand gestures and body language.
Fortunately, Thomas went to university in Japan, so he could understand what he said; otherwise, he would really have to cling to Captain Minka Shugo every single day.