The camera flash went off, Aran took a photo of Miya Atsumu wearing his number 1 jersey with a jacket draped over it.
Hinata's face was filled with pleasant surprise: "Akagi-senpai and Oori-senpai!"
Akagi put his hands to his mouth and shouted loudly, "Good luck in the match!"
Kita Shinsuke also raised his voice slightly: "Go!"
After jumping up to greet several seniors, Hinata happily rushed toward the coaches who were already waiting for them in the court.
“Great! You've got even more drive now!”
Just thinking about how all the seniors had actually made time to come watch their Finals, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upward.
He would bring out his absolute best; he absolutely could not let the seniors down.
Coach Kurosu had a brief exchange with Coach Kuchibira from the opposing side to confirm the subsequent warm-up routine.
Watching both sides of the players already in the zone, the man in the stands stroked his chin. "Is there.. something missing?"
The person beside him asked, "What?"
The man thought seriously for a moment, then replied, "The segment where the Twins perform stunts and interact with the fans is gone?"
Some people had also realized this: "That's true, wasn't that a fixed part of the warm-up before?"
A fan holding an Osamu-kun cheering fan sighed sadly, "What a shame.. Even though it's hilarious, Atsumu-kun and Osamu-kun are truly so cool."
But she quickly finished brainwashing herself: "But it's understandable; after all, they are Third Year seniors, the Captain and Vice-Captain at that; being more composed is certainly more charming."
Meanwhile, in the very last row of the opposite stands, three fully equipped people sat there, the atmosphere so heavy it was almost dripping with tension.
The first Setter turned to the second Setter beside him and said, "The victory will surely belong to us, Municipal Kobe, right, Seijo?"
The second setter turned to the former second setter in position three beside him: "Inarizaki, what do you think?"
Number 3 didn't dare to speak, only able to silently pull his mask a bit higher on his face.
Help, if Coach Kurosu finds out that I've defected to the enemy camp, I'm dead!
On the court where the receiving warm-ups were already underway, Hinata, who had perfectly completed his receiving drill, exchanged a glance with Hanae, who had just walked up beside him.
Hanae spoke first, "We will definitely win this time."
Hinata also wiped the smile from his face and looked at Hanae very seriously: "Sorry, Inarizaki will definitely win the championship, I will beat you."
Hanae, who had only understood the previous sentence, blinked, chose to ignore it, replied, "We'll see."
The Libero, who had been making consecutive mistakes due to a poor mental state, the Wing Spiker, who was only capable of following the team as a manager due to insufficient skill, locked eyes once again one year later.
Hey, you wild boar, what do you think you're doing to our Ace?
Miya Atsumu stood firm behind Hinata, glaring at Hanae opposite him with a rather ferocious expression.
What is that Little One from Yako telling our Ace Libero?
Higashiyama, who had already taken over the position of Captain and the number 1 jersey, also stood behind Hanae, glaring back at the two from Inarizaki with equally fierce eyes.
Watching the subtle tension on the court from the sidelines, Coach Unabara couldn't help but let out a laugh. "So much vitality, it's wonderful."
People should watch things like this; it's so refreshing.
Coach Hiya, standing beside him, nodded in agreement: "A match worth looking forward to."
Why did the Inarizaki High School Interhigh qualifiers start so early this year?
Of course, it was the result of changes made through communication with the national team's reserve development system, led by Unabara Uta.
After experiencing the heartbreak of two setters running away, Coach Unabara decided he would personally watch some of the prefectural finals on-site, so he staggered the match times for the prefectures with more intense competition.
He would also take advantage of the relatively sparse schedule between the spring and summer tournaments to watch tapes of various teams, in order to facilitate the screening process for this summer's youth training.
National team youth training sessions are not held frequently, but these past few years have been special, so they will be held at least twice a year for the next five years.
The host city for the 2020 Olympics will be announced this September. Insider information suggests it is almost certainly Tokyo, with a small possibility of Istanbul or Madrid, so official organizers of major domestic events are currently making active preparations.
For the Volleyball Association.. failing to secure a spot in last year's Olympics was a very serious matter, so the task of nurturing new talent is even more of a top priority.
Next week they will go to Miyagi, followed by Fukuoka, Kyoto, Kumamoto, Aichi, other places, before finally returning to Tokyo, which has the longest schedule and will continue until July.
Unabara raised a hand to touch the top of his head and gave a lighthearted chuckle, his mindset remarkably positive.
It's just hair, at worst he can just wear a wig!
Coach Unabara, who had just arrived in Kobe and had not yet had a chance to look at the player roster, spoke up and asked, "Who is the current Setter for Municipal Kobe after Wakamura graduates?"
A member of the Hyogo Prefecture Volleyball Promotion Department, who was responsible for leading the two, said, "It's a first-year student, Kito Kitosuke."
Coach Unabara rubbed his chin, his expression looking a bit puzzled. "Ah.. the name sounds familiar."
The name sounds very familiar, but.. does this person play volleyball?
The club member nodded. "He used to play basketball; I remember him being a Shooting Guard, but after the Junior High Interhigh, it seems he was taken away by Coach Kuchibira."
Coach Unabara nodded. "That's not surprising, then."
Transitioning between basketball and volleyball is quite convenient, as many elements are shared between them, making it an ideal time to start during the Junior High or High School stages before any in-depth study is conducted.
In other words, a Shooting Guard is a shooter who specializes in three-pointers, they are very strong when it comes to ball handling.
As long as he can break the habit of holding onto the ball, he would indeed be very suited to be a Setter.
That club member couldn't help but laugh: "Our volleyball is really on the rise."
At least it is that way in Hyogo; among the younger children, volleyball has become an option on par with soccer and basketball, rather than being left out of the big three sports, relegated to picking up the scraps left behind by basketball.
Coach Hiya nodded. "More people will fall in love with volleyball in the future; volleyball itself possesses that kind of charm."
[Next, we will introduce the starting players for both teams.]
A female commentator's voice came through the television, providing brief introductions for all the players to those watching the match, striving to pique the interest of anyone who might not be very familiar with either side.
[The player currently taking the court is the Captain of Municipal Inarizaki High School, Number 1, Miya Atsumu.]
[Before this, Miya Atsumu had already led his team as the starting setter to win two national championships, two national runner-up titles, one third-place finish, one fourth-place finish.]
Moreover, as a player selected for the National Youth Team's intensive training camp, Miya Atsumu is a setter who already possesses significant fame across the country, having repeatedly executed miraculous plays on the court.
A true genius who possesses both handsomeness and wisdom, strength and charm—a genius who will illuminate the entire next generation like a sudden clap of thunder!
Hearing this introduction, Oikawa Tooru silently removed the headphones from his ears, choosing instead to listen to the emotionless robotic narration inside the stadium.
"But it is the truth." Yamaguchi said, resting his chin on his hand, unable to help himself.
Miya Atsumu's life history, which could only be described as perfect, truly had no flaws whatsoever.
Nishinoya Yu, sitting in the very front, laughed loudly, "But Kageyama is also very strong!"
Listening to the introductions of Miya Osamu and the others coming through the speakers, Kageyama nodded. "I'll work hard to become stronger."
【Number 10, Hinata Shoyo.】
[Standing at 166.6 cm, Hinata Shoyo plays the Opposite position, has become famous in previous matches for his extremely high mobility and jumping ability. He is widely known as the "Little Giant of Inarizaki"!]
[Hinata has torn through the opponent's defense at many critical moments, bringing life back to the team; he was Inarizaki's former second Ace.]
[And now that he has taken over the Ace position, he will also be an orange lightning bolt unique to the court!]
Komori couldn't help but nod. "Yeah, that's a very fair assessment."
Sakusa also added, "Yeah, they'll be a very troublesome opponent."
In front of the two of them, Inamura Gen turned his head. "That's not what you two were saying just now."
Saying the commentator overpraised Miya Atsumu, or something..
These standards are a bit too flexible.
Chapter 297: The 297th Fox
Standing at Position 4, Hinata raised his hands to stretch his shoulders, then jumped up and down to check his condition.
Great, after watching games all day, he is in top condition and ready to go!
This was the first official match since he entered his second year, also his first match specifically for the Interhigh; just thinking about it was incredibly exciting.
Miya Atsumu glanced over at Hinata in front of him, gave a slight smile, then took the ball from the referee at the sideline and walked toward his designated serving position.
At the same time, Libero Unabara swapped positions with the Middle Blocker Ginjima in the back row.
Coach Unabara froze for a moment, unable to help but raise a hand to rub his chin. "Doesn't Inarizaki have two very tall players on the bench? Aren't you going to sub them in?"
He recognized the Middle Blocker who had just stepped off the court, but in his memory, he was a Wing Spiker.
Coach Kurosu clearly has Middle Blockers with sufficient height in his hands, yet he chooses not to use them?
A member of the publicity department explained, "Ah, that exceptionally tall one played yesterday, but his performance was very mediocre. There was nothing impressive about his blocking or his spiking; I can only describe it as average."
The slightly shorter one is a first-year, a Wing Spiker, looks to be an Ace substitute.
Hearing this adjective, Coach Hiya lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment: "Mediocre??"
This term doesn't mean mediocrity; on the contrary, it means the person being evaluated performs well in all aspects, at the very least reaching a "passable" level. In other words, it refers to a balanced performance that sits above the passing line.
That club member nodded: "It's a lack of experience, I suppose. Many times his judgment isn't fast, but his reaction is very quick. After all, a height of over 1.9m is already a huge advantage. I feel like if he practices a bit more.. he'll have a chance to play in the National Sports Festival or Haruko."
Coach Unabara tapped his arms, which were crossed over his chest, said, having gained a basic understanding of the current situation on both sides, "I think I understand."
The two newly promoted Middle Blockers from Municipal Kobe aren't particularly tall, being roughly the same height as Suna; among the Middle Blockers of the top-tier national teams, they can only be considered middle-of-the-pack.
But.. it's enough.
Even if they aren't high enough to provide a sufficient suppressive effect most of the time, it doesn't really matter as long as Municipal Kobe's Wing Spiker and Libero can keep up.
Similarly, Inarizaki's Middle Blocker also lacks sufficient blocking height, in terms of defense, he largely relies on whether the others can keep up.
Oikawa Tooru, sitting in the stands, finally removed his gear because he found the mask too hot: "Are both sides starting with an Ace at Position 4?"
Wakamura looked at him, finally, he also removed his self-deceiving disguise.
Yeah, dressing like this in late May really does make him look like a lunatic; they were already receiving strange looks from many people on their way here just now.
And.. this is his own home! He doesn't need to disguise himself!
Nagumo silently shrank his neck, only daring to take off his scarf, while the mask remained firmly welded to his face.