However.. while the seniors around him could all see it, he couldn't understand it at all, which meant there was still so much more for him to learn.
The ball spiked by Saru Nagi from the back row had already hit Suna's hands, then, a steady voice followed immediately after.
Touch.
"I—" Before Unabara Uta could finish speaking, Miya Atsumu-senpai on the other side had already made a hand gesture.
Unabara Uta decisively took a step back, leaving the space for Miya Atsumu.
In the next second, Miya Atsumu rushed under the ball, using his momentum to jump and raise his hand to touch it.
Kageyama's pupils contracted instantly in the stands, his gaze fixed intensely on Miya Atsumu on the court.
—Is he going to pass it directly on the first touch?
Accompanied by a soft touch, the volleyball was sent into the hands of Shoyo on the other side, with the sound of the spike following immediately after.
But in the very next instant, the sound of a collision rang out once more.
“Touch!”
Osa Noboru shouted loudly, falling toward the ground as his center of gravity shifted.
Having lost his balance, Osamu fell to the ground almost at the same time Saegusa Rio received the ball in the back row, but Sae had already sent the ball steadily toward Akaashi Keiji's head.
Looking at Hinata, whose expression was equally stunned, Osamu felt an indescribable sense of relief in his heart, even his nose tingled slightly.
After Haruko ended, he had rewatched the video of that final match countless times.
He memorized every single one of those quick attacks and every movement derived from the attacks he had failed to block in the past.
He will not let a single ball slip by again.
No matter what kind of attack the opponent launches, he will block it.
Akaashi praised loudly, "Nice touch!"
Hinata frowned, but he didn't give Osamu any more unnecessary glances, instead locking all of his attention onto Akaashi, who was preparing to set the ball for the opposition.
Based on the setter's body orientation and the overall movement logic of Fukurodani right now.. the target of the toss is clearly Saru Nagi at Position 4.
Having found the answer, Hinata followed Suna by his side and rushed toward Saru Nagi's position. He watched Saru's movements, stepping forward and leaping just as the opponent jumped.
Suna was a little slower than Miya Osamu, which was just enough to ensure that the three of them could reach their peak height at the same time.
Kenma leaned back against the back of his chair, his eyes narrowing slightly.
—A perfect blocking rhythm.
Even in the eyes of the Nekoma members, who are extremely skilled at blocking, this was a top-tier block.
Whether it was reaction speed, movement rhythm, or jump height, everything was perfectly coordinated without any disconnect, which was completely different from the many times Inarizaki had used single or double blocks during the Haruko.
However..
The silhouette of the volleyball failed to appear in Hinata's field of vision for a long time.
Just as his gaze swept toward the setter Akaashi, he saw with shock that Akaashi, who had originally jumped, had already landed on the ground, his slightly bent arms increased the distance between him and the ball.
This entire sequence achieved an effect close to a setter's individual time difference, but after breaking away from the block to a certain extent, Akaashi did not immediately pass the ball out.
As Shoyo reduced his power, Akaashi's hand contacting the volleyball suddenly surged upward with force, sending the ball directly over the net.
As the ball hit the ground, Hinata twisted his body in place, reaching for it with one hand.
Seeing him make his move, Unabara Uta decisively stopped her dive and stepped back to leave space for the others to move forward and attack.
"Nice save!" Miya Atsumu moved under the ball, raising his hands to prepare for the toss.
Hinata called out for the toss: "Give it to me!"
Having scrambled up from the ground, Osa Noboru had already returned to the center of the net, staring intently at the Inarizaki members.
Who, who will be the one to spike this ball!
Across the net, Coach Anromi watched Shoyo's movements—the attack, the block, the turn to defend and receive, then pulling back a step to advance for another attack—and couldn't help but applaud in his heart.
This sequence of movements was as smooth as flowing water, without a single unnecessary motion; one could even say that he had compressed the available space to the absolute limit within such a limited timeframe, every single movement feeling incredibly solid.
But this time, Miya Atsumu did not give the ball to Hinata; instead, he took advantage of the gap created while the opponent's attention was drawn to Hinata to toss the ball across the net to Miya Osamu.
Osa Noboru and Saru Nagi rushed toward Miya Osamu immediately, jumping off one foot to extend their bodies as much as possible, attempting to reach Miya Osamu's hitting point.
So close.
Watching the ball reach Miya Osamu's toss, Osa Noboru grit his teeth.
Even though he knew he wouldn't be able to reach it, he still gave it everything he had to try.
Bam!
A heavy sound suddenly erupted as Miya Osamu spiked the ball with all his might, sending it straight into Fukurodani's court.
There was no technique involved, just a pure, heavy spike.
Among everyone on the Inarizaki court, Miya Osamu was already a spiker who possessed the strongest power.
Even if he still cannot reach Aran's level of intensity, it is still his responsibility to deliver strong attacks and powerful spikes.
When necessary, violent spikes must be used to boost morale; if Shoyo-senpai, as the Ace, cannot do it, then he will.
Saegusa stared at the ball, stepping forward and reaching out both hands to receive it.
Although he didn't have enough time to adjust his posture to absorb the power of this ball, he absolutely could not let the ball pass.
That position.. he can reach it!
The sound of a collision rang in everyone's ears once again. After hitting Saegusa Rio's arm, the ball flew upward again, but the angle was too high, it looked as if it was about to fly over the net.
“Sorry! Nagi!”
Saegusa Rio called out loudly to Saru Nagi at the net, signaling him to reach for the ball.
It was his mistake; he completely failed to control the ball.
Really..
I haven't improved a single bit.
It was the same before, letting the seniors graduate with such great regrets.. Every time I think back on it, I feel like a useless piece of trash.
It was so close; that championship trophy had been within reach.
Saegusa Rio used his hands to brace against the ground, preventing himself from falling and wasting time.
He tilted his head back again, looking toward the other side of the net.
The people from the past are the obsessions they must overcome today—
Bang!
Something flew into his field of vision, before his gaze could follow it, a powerful gust of wind suddenly brushed past the side of his face, followed immediately by a sound that could only be described as despair entering his perception.
That was.. the sound of a volleyball slamming against the floor.
The orange figure landed lightly, the whistle followed immediately as the referee announced that Inarizaki scores.
Saru Nagi, who had jumped a step too late, stared with wide eyes as the opponent spiked the ball right in front of him, beating him to it.
Shoyo slightly bent his knees to absorb the impact, then straightened his body back up, casting his gaze toward Saegusa Rio, who was staring at him blankly on the opposite side.
After a long, long rally following the opening.. in the end, they were simply superior.
He was confident that he wouldn't be slower than his opponent at this kind of tip.
He let out a long breath, turned his head toward Miya Atsumu who had already walked over, opened his hands toward him.
“Atsumu-senpai!”
Seeing this scene, Suna and Miya Osamu both fell silent for a moment.
After a brief moment of daze, Miya Atsumu turned his head to look at the two of them, curling his lips into a very smug smile.
Afterward, Miya Atsumu ignored the two of them and decisively threw himself into Hinata's arms, rubbing his face against Hinata's hair.
As expected of Shoyo, that was a very decisive spike.
Shoyo puffed out his chest and leaned forward: "Of course!"
Damn it! Spiking is definitely the coolest!!
Nishizawa Hokuto, who had been quietly watching the game from the second floor, suddenly began flailing his arms and legs against the railing in front of him, his face full of admiration for Shoyo on the court.
This sudden shout was quite startling, even startling Kageyama, who was right next to him, as he was immersed in analyzing Inarizaki's recent tactical rotations.
Nishizawa Hokuto had a distorted expression, looking as if he might start gnawing on the railing.
He muttered under his breath, "Why can't I grow to 1.9m, why can't I jump.. Spikers are the coolest.."
Kageyama hadn't intended to say anything, but after hearing that, he still spoke to the Inarizaki junior: "The coolest one is the Setter."
Nishizawa Hokuto firmly refuted, "No, the coolest is Giant-senpai."
Hearing this, Kageyama was a bit dazed, then he asked tentatively, "Then, do you want to come to Karasuno?"
Ogata snapped his head back, staring at Kageyama with wide eyes.
What do you mean, what do you mean? He's still right here! You're just blatantly trying to poach his kid!
Nishizawa Hokuto was a bit confused: "What would I do at Karasuno?"
Ogata gave Kageyama a sharp glare, then looked at Nishizawa Hokuto and explained, "The original Little Giant was a Karasuno senior, Shoyo's idol."
Nishizawa Hokuto realized it with a sudden epiphany: "So that's the idol of the idol! But it doesn't matter, the one I admire is Shoyo-senpai."
So whether he is alive or dead, he belongs to Inarizaki!
Kageyama nodded. "Understood."
Is he a follower of Hinata's.. Indeed, those last few spikes from Hinata were quite beautiful; from his tactical execution to his innate aggressiveness, he is top-notch in every way.
He must be the kind of spiker that many setters dream of having, of course, that includes him.
Just watching how Miya Atsumu-senpai set the ball for Shoyo made him feel his hands itch.
He really wanted to try giving Shoyo a toss on the official court.
“Don't worry about it. On the next play, being able to go toe-to-toe with Inarizaki like this is already impressive.” On the court, Akaashi Keiji clapped his hands, signaling for everyone to calm down a little.