He wore the number 2 jersey, looking every bit the Captain.
Sae bowed deeply to Akaashi, "I'm sorry, Captain! It was my mistake!"
Akaashi reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "You did great. The opponent was Miya Osamu, being able to keep up with a heavy spike during a quick attack is truly impressive."
If you really want to put it that way, it was thanks to the efforts of Osa Noboru and Sae that this match didn't end in a direct kill the moment they faced off.
He never expected that the Quick Attack could actually keep up with the touch.
While the Fukurodani Libero was reflecting, Unabara Uta's expression was blank: "I am a useless person."
At least let him receive one ball!
One after another, they either go straight into a toss on the first touch, or go straight into a spike on the first touch—what on earth is going on!
Show some respect to the Libero, will you!
Rishia Heisuke comforted him, "It's fine, I'm even more useless."
But he will become useful very soon.
Once Atsumu-senpai's Service Turn is over and the next rotation begins, he will move to the front row; whether it's attacking or blocking and defending, he will definitely follow up!
As he grabbed the ball and prepared to serve the next one, Miya Atsumu gave Suna and Miya Osamu another "friendly" smile.
After that farce ended on the second morning of Golden Week, Miya Osamu and Coach Kurosu strictly forbade him from getting handsy with Hinata, including but not limited to things like sleeping together or hugging.
After several days of training matches, it had stopped at the stage of high-fives.
In fact, to prevent Hinata from becoming too suspicious, he even adjusted the celebration routine to first high-five Hinata, then used all of his willpower to turn around and high-five the others.
But this time was different; this time, Hinata was the one who proactively invited him!
He can hug!
Miya Osamu gave a light click of his tongue: "Tsk."
Turning his back to the court, Miya Atsumu took four steps backward, holding the ball and preparing to turn around.
Just then, he clearly felt someone glance at him, just like the gaze he had felt during the training camp with Inubushi Higashi.
No, it should be the same person.
But by the time he turned back, that gaze had vanished without a trace, leaving him completely in the dark.
Seeing Coach Kurosu's unpredictable expression, Kita Shinsuke, who had been nodding continuously at the juniors' brilliant performance beside him, was momentarily stunned.
He asked immediately, "Coach, did something happen?"
As he spoke, a hint of anxiety crept into Kita Shinsuke's voice: "Is someone injured? Or was there a serious mistake just now that I missed?"
He rarely saw Coach Kurosu with such a serious and unhappy expression, unless it was due to a severe lack of coordination or someone getting injured.
Coach Kurosu waved his hand. "It's nothing, I won't delay the match."
But Kita Shinsuke wasn't prepared to let the matter drop just like that; instead, he asked again, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Watching Miya Atsumu rotate to adjust his touch after the whistle blew, Coach Kurosu finally relented, "We'll talk about it when it's time to leave; it's nothing major."
It's just.. a bit vexing for me.
Hearing Coach Kurosu say that, Kita Shinsuke also breathed a sigh of relief.
He was very afraid that someone might get sick or injured while he was away, but seeing Coach Kurosu's attitude, it seemed that wasn't the case, so he felt relieved.
Whether it was matters regarding training or how he got along with his teammates, none of it was a big deal; they were all resolvable.
But if Coach Kurosu felt troubled, it was most likely due to issues with the relationships between the players.
Are the Twins fighting again? Like, the kind where they break off all contact?
Or is it that there are some unruly and particularly difficult ones among the freshmen?
While Kita Shinsuke was speculating, Miya Atsumu had already sent the ball flying.
This time it was also a jump float serve, but it wasn't from the standard baseline; instead, it was served from further up the court.
On the previous ball, Miya Atsumu had already realized that his touch felt a bit heavy today, so naturally, he wouldn't risk attempting such a dangerous maneuver again.
"I've got it!" Sae stepped forward once again, preparing to receive the ball.
This kind of ball is much easier to judge than before, it's also much easier to receive.
"Great first receive!" Akaashi slightly adjusted his position, lowered his center of gravity, jumped to set the ball.
Saru Nagi called for the ball: "Give it to me!"
It was his fault for failing to win the overhead ball against the Little One just now, but he would definitely take this point back!
Akaashi did not hesitate too much this time either.
Sae's set was excellent, leaving him plenty of room to maneuver.
Moreover, Saru's approach rhythm this time was quite good, as the setter, he was willing to believe that this ball would not be blocked by the opponent.
This is Fukurodani's new Ace, the successor to Bokuto-senpai.
—He was willing to trust the other person just as much as he trusted Bokuto-senpai.
After performing a feint with a back arch, Akaashi tossed the ball to Saru Nagi, who was positioned directly in front of him.
Having already reached the peak of his jump, Saru Nagi raised his hand and delivered a precise spike on the ball.
Inarizaki's block centered in on the line, shutting down the cross-court shot, leaving only Miya Osamu in front of Saru.
Saru's spike transition was also very fast; his wrist imparted a spin on the volleyball toward his dominant side, causing the ball to curve around the side of the block.
Unabara Uta dove from a short distance away, diving steadily to cushion the ball: "Atsumu-senpai!"
Nice play!
Hearing Miya Atsumu's praise, Unabara Uta finally feeling useful, grew quite proud.
Using Hinata's cover, Suna's powerful spike, driven by the strength of his waist, bypassed the block and spiked straight into Fukurodani's court.
Sae dove, placing one hand under the ball to barely send it toward the net.
“Akaashi-taicho!”
Akaashi sent the ball right to Saru, this time, the speed of their overall offensive coordination was extremely fast.
The slightly late block from Inarizaki failed to fully keep up, allowing Saru to seize the opportunity to hit the ball out of bounds off the hands.
The score jumped to 1:1 at this moment.
Akaashi and Saru high-fived, both of them letting out a sigh of relief.
It looks like everyone's condition is pretty good today; this match is still winnable..
Glancing sideways at the Inarizaki members, Akaashi turned his head again to sweep a look over his team's newly appointed Little Ace.
This person was completely different from Bokuto-senpai; he was the type who was calmer and more rational than Bokuto, though he was also a bit slow to warm up.
Relatively speaking, his movement volume had actually decreased, he no longer needed to focus his extra attention on how to coax the Ace.
Hmm.. I'm a little moved.
Although Bokuto's year has already graduated, he and Bokuto have remained in constant contact.
Moreover, the university where Bokuto is located isn't particularly far from Fukurodani, so Bokuto also frequently looks for them to hang out or grab a meal.
Akaashi recalled the scene from their last meeting.
Speaking of which, a few days ago, Bokuto-senpai mentioned that his current setter is a very interesting person.
Although he says things every day that I don't understand but seem very cultured, his personality is quite interesting.
What do they mean, having a split personality?
He's gentle most of the time, but occasionally he gets inexplicably angry and goes to headbutt a wall?
Akaashi smiled, having already guessed the general idea of what had happened.
I bet that setter was driven crazy by Bokuto-senpai; after all, communication can indeed be difficult sometimes, as not everyone can understand what Bokuto-senpai is saying.
—Good job, mysterious Setter-senpai.
Chapter 281: The Two Hundred and Eighty-First Fox
After offering a brief moment of silence for the unknown senior, Akaashi turned his gaze back to the court, looking toward Hinata on the opposite side.
Although Hinata was more timid and inexperienced than Bokuto-senpai, for some reason, he felt that the two of them were actually quite similar from a certain perspective.
—They're the type that just makes you happy to look at.
Noticing Akaashi's gaze, Miya Atsumu gave him a decisive glare.
Akaashi's expression froze for a moment, feeling completely bewildered.
Why is Miya Atsumu staring at him like that? He didn't do anything. What, is he not even allowed to think that the spiker is quite impressive?
Vice-Captain Honma Masaaki, the number 1 player who switched positions with Sae, was a bit confused. "Akaashi, what are you doing?"
Akaashi replied for himself, "I don't know."
Miya Atsumu was the one who started acting so strangely; he was just a bystander.
Shiraishi was even more bewildered: "What on earth is going on.."
Osa Noboru walked to the service position holding the volleyball, while simultaneously turning his head to glance at Anabetsu Shuichi in the waiting area.
The two exchanged a glance, Osa Noboru relaxed slightly, standing in the approach position to prepare for his serve.
His jump serve was still far from proficient, so in Fukurodani's current tactical arrangement, Anabetsu Shuichi would substitute for him to serve when necessary.
However, the start of this match was far from being that serious, especially since they had already endured the most difficult part—the service turns belonging to Miya Atsumu.
At this moment, he just needs to perform normally.
He won't be nervous; if anything, quite the opposite, he is currently very excited and full of fighting spirit.
So.. they will definitely turn this match into their own battle of revenge!
Unabara Uta placed his hands at his sides, quietly watching the enemies on the opposite side.