As Unabara Uta stepped back, Miya Atsumu, who had chased after him, leaped into the air with a thud, his back to the net.
He arched his entire body backward, pushing the ball out while maintaining a posture that allowed his eyes to capture both the volleyball and the situation at the net.
Hinata, who had just lost the joust, had already landed and jumped straight back up in place, preparing to spike.
Harukawa, who had the fastest reaction, stepped forward almost immediately, blocking Hinata's path: "Don't even think about getting through!"
In the next second, the sound of the hit rang out; a step and a half to Hinata's side, Miya Osamu, who had jumped in to follow the play at some unknown moment, had already touched the ball.
He swung his arm down, while Hinata, having already landed and crouched a step ahead to avoid being hit by Miya Osamu, had already finished his movement.
The sound of a heavy spike rang in Harukawa's ears, the trajectory of the volleyball traced a line through his peripheral vision before smashing into Rakusan's court.
The back row Libero, Yumi Matsuo, rushed forward, but the ball grazed past him.
The moment the ball hit the floor, the whistle immediately followed.
The scoreboard by the court jumped to Inarizaki 1:0 Rakusan, with Inarizaki taking the first score.
"That was fast." Hearing the whistle, Hoshiumi turned his head and glanced at the court on the other side of the Inarizaki No. 2 Gymnasium.
Their match had only just begun, while Akaashi on the opposite side was preparing to serve, yet Inarizaki had already swiftly scored a point..
Akaashi took his position for the approach, Hoshiumi Hikari withdrew his gaze, turning his eyes toward the opposing side.
Don't worry, they will achieve victory one step faster than Inarizaki.
Immediately after scoring, Miya Atsumu stepped forward and grabbed Hinata's hand. "Shoyo, are you okay?"
Hinata had been caught completely off guard and struck while competing for the ball with Aoba Haruka just now; it would be bad if he had suffered a sprain.
Hinata raised his right hand, repeatedly opening and closing his fingers to show Miya Atsumu the flexibility of his hand: "Don't worry, Atsumu-senpai, I'm fine."
It's just that Aoba-kun's strength is a bit greater than I imagined, I'm a little surprised.
Yeah, he was also a bit surprised by the sudden burst of speed the opponent just showed.
Rakusan rarely used quick attacks, Aoba Haruka hadn't done much work breaking through the block, so when he watched Rakusan's match footage before, he didn't have a real sense of Aoba's running speed.
Having faced him up close just now, to be honest.. it was quite terrifying.
If he could have judged it a bit earlier, he definitely wouldn't have chosen to fight for that ball; he should have just transitioned into a full block.
Hinata lowered his eyes with focus, analyzing Aoba Haruka's situation.
Thinking back on it now, when Aoba Haruka was selected for the Junior National Team, his height must have been less than 178 cm, but he has grown three centimeters in these past few months..
How enviable.
Watching Hinata's expression suddenly become quite colorful, Miya Atsumu, who was still holding his hand to check it, also breathed a sigh of relief.
The fact that he still had the energy to think about such nonsense showed that he was truly fine.
He let Hinata go and received the volleyball, preparing to serve the second ball.
After adjusting his distance and settling into position at the baseline, the sharp sound of volleyball shoes friction against the floor echoed as he turned around.
The Head Referee cast a glance toward the Server to confirm the current status.
After receiving an affirmative response from the Server, the Head Referee raised his hand near the serving side and swung it inward.
The whistle blew at that exact moment.
Akaashi Keiji did not hesitate for long, immediately raising his hands to toss the ball.
The Libero of Karasuno is also quite skilled; he cannot give the opponent any time to react.
Fukurodani's greatest advantage right now is the uncertainty brought by their position among the seeded teams, so he must increase the tempo of the match as much as possible.
“I've got it!” Hoshiumi Hikari shouted as he retreated to provide the setter with a receive.
At the same time, he lowered his center of gravity slightly, while his body never touched the ground, he steadily received Akaashi Keiji's powerful serve, sending it precisely above the setter's head.
"Nice play!" the Setter responded, quickly jumping to follow up.
Hakuma in the front row decisively raised his hand to call for the ball: "Give the ball to me!!"
The moment the opponent's setter arched his back, Honma Masaaki and Shiraishi adjusted their positions simultaneously, chasing toward Hirugami at Position 2.
The ball was indeed sent toward Position 2, but it wasn't for Hirugami; instead, it went to Hoshiumi Hikari, who decisively moved forward after the receiving movement and suddenly leaped up behind the three-meter line.
The Fukurodani side reacted quickly; they, who hadn't fully jumped yet, leaped again, Saru also moved in to supplement, forming an Iron Wall in a three-man Block.
Hoshiumi Hikari was performing an attack from the back row, meaning the ball's trajectory would be longer after the spike, so he would definitely be able to keep up even with a last-minute adjustment.
Looking at the Iron Wall on the opposite side, which was much taller than him, Hoshiumi's gaze remained calm.
His gaze did not waver in the slightest, remaining locked onto Honma Masaaki's arms in front of him.
But just when Honma Masaaki thought Hoshiumi Hikari was going to use the block to score, Hoshiumi Hikari raised his hand and brushed the ball at a very slight angle, sending it sliding past the side of the block.
The volleyball, carrying an inward spin, slid precisely past Saru's side and accelerated toward the floor.
Watching the volleyball graze the net as it fell, the fastest-reacting Libero pushed off the ground and lunged toward the net.
Faster, even faster!
Under the force of sufficient speed, his neatly trimmed hair drifted backward, his well-manicured nails were positioned beneath the ball the moment it was about to touch the ground.
Thud!
A solid thud rang out as the spinning ball bounced again, flying out of bounds due to the intense rotation.
Save it!
Unabara Uta shouted loudly.
His receiving error could be considered quite serious, but before he could speak, Hinata had already rushed out, chasing after the ball that was about to fly out of bounds.
It's okay.
As long as it makes contact, as long as it reduces some of the ball's speed, as long as it doesn't fly straight into the stands in an instant, that will be enough.
Before things reach the point of no return, before the whistle declares this point hopeless..
He will definitely, definitely catch it.
The screeching sound of friction and the impact of the volleyball against a body rang out simultaneously, the ball flew back into the court.
Hinata's clenched fist intercepted the ball mid-air, as he turned, his soles skidded across the floor, using the reactionary force to accelerate back toward the court.
Great save!!
Miya Atsumu let out a shout, Suna had already moved forward.
Facing the opponent's three-man Block, Suna showed no fear; his entire body twisted suddenly, in the next second, his hand spiked the ball.
After the loud impact, the volleyball grazed the block and flew past, smashing down right next to the sideline.
The Head Referee bent down to check and ruled it in-bounds.
Inarizaki 2:0 Rakusan.
Chapter 324: The Three Hundred and Twenty-Fourth Fox
"So terrifying.." In the stands, Inamoto frowned, his face turning pale.
The winner of this match between Inarizaki and Rakusan will be their opponent tomorrow, since the match between Karasuno and Fukurodani is the last match of Group C, the winner could also potentially advance to the Finals.
Based on this brief initial exchange, both sides have demonstrated formidable strength.
Especially Inarizaki, who had just scored two consecutive points, their speed of tactical transition was completely beyond his imagination.
On the other side, Hoshiumi Hikari had just used a precise back row attack to avoid the block and drop the ball into the front court, even adding a bit of backspin to increase the ball's downward speed.
Because he was more familiar with Inarizaki, he had already completely immersed himself in the perspective of Inarizaki's opponents, while Rakusan's setter had barely even touched the ball from the start of the match until now..
Komori rested both hands on his knees, sitting very upright: "It really is quite intimidating."
To be honest, although Inarizaki's offensive tempo is fast, the offense itself is relatively easy to read.
And as long as there is a prediction, the subsequent defense is no longer a problem; he is confident that he can handle the spikes from Miya Osamu and Suna just now.
But Hoshiumi's spike was truly quite terrifying. To be honest, from the perspective of the Fukurodani Libero, he probably wouldn't be able to see Hoshiumi's movements at all, let alone predict the defense.
As for how to achieve such an effect..
If you practice receiving a lot, you can actually try to incorporate a Libero's perspective a little bit.
Hinata rubbed his chin, looking very profound.
He looked up at Miya Atsumu, who had just received the ball from the opposite side, said, "I definitely wouldn't have had any problem spiking that ball just now, since I had already moved into position in time."
I wanted to try fishing too, but Atsumu-ge didn't give me any chance at all.
When it comes to fishing, the worse your own condition is, the easier it is for the fish to take the bait.
Miya Atsumu's footsteps faltered slightly, he felt a strange sense of guilt for a split second.
Hinata's gaze was intense, his thoughts written clearly across his face, making it obvious that he was demanding the ball from him.
But Hinata's condition hadn't been very good during the last two balls; although he knew Hinata could spike, he wasn't the optimal choice.
So.. acting as a decoy is still the most effective.
Seeing Miya Atsumu about to walk away, Hinata drew out his voice: "Toss—"
Damn, he was also planning to snatch the final MVP title; if he didn't get the ball, he'd be finished.
Miya Atsumu, who was caught up in the heat of the game and had just finished calculating some wicked decoy plans in his head, gave a light cough. "Next time, for sure."
Rishia Heisuke read the strange atmosphere for himself, stepped forward to pat Shoyo's shoulder, comforted him, "Shoyo, you should conserve your stamina; leave this match to me."
Atsumu-senpai must have a serious reason for not setting to Hinata, but even if Hinata doesn't serve as the main attacker, he will still take on that responsibility.
Just like.. Aran-senpai once was, he will also become someone everyone can rely on.
“Heisuke is so reliable!” Shoyo's attention was instantly diverted, without thinking about what had just happened, he cheered for Rishia, "I really like Heisuke the most!"
Unlike Atsumu-senpai, who only thinks about how to use him as a decoy every day, it's much more natural for him.
Although he felt that he was indeed very useful as a decoy, that assisting scores and making the opponent's defense spin in circles was also quite interesting, he ultimately felt that scoring points directly with his own hands provided a much greater sense of accomplishment.
Miya Atsumu, hearing Hinata's voice, looked over silently, his cold and dangerous gaze sweeping across the back of Rishia Heisuke's head, making the back of Rishia's neck stiffen.