No matter what kind of declaration of war it is, he will accept it all.
And then.. prove everything with victory!
Aoba Haruka's footsteps faltered slightly, then she turned her head, looking at Hinata with a complex expression.
After a long silence, he suddenly spoke, "It will be me."
“The winner will be me.”
Chapter 327: The 327th Fox
After three rounds of quick rotations to cover Aoba Haruka's line spike to score, the service right naturally passed to Harukawa.
Watching the tall figure standing at the net, Hinata blinked. "The little one is coming up."
This person seems to be a little bit shorter than their Captain in the player roster, but because the Captain's hair is pressed down so flat, they actually look about the same height to the naked eye.
In the video, this kid's blocking level is quite average compared to players who specialize in the Middle Blocker position, so forcing a breakthrough through should not be much of a problem.
Fine, I'll give it a try in a moment.
Being stared at by Hinata, Aoba Haruka felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, could only try to glare at Hinata with a look that was meant to be fierce but was actually quite cowardly.
Combined with the kind appearance they inherited from their mother, they were truly not threatening at all.
Hinata blinked and gave Aoba Haruka a smile, making Aoba Haruka's face turn even paler.
As for Aoba Haruka, who had finally escaped Hinata's gaze, she let out a laugh and then, adhering to the philosophy that as long as she couldn't see Hinata, Hinata wouldn't be able to see her, she stared straight ahead, resolutely refusing to make eye contact with Hinata.
That Little One..
His marking was like a hungry beast eyeing a piece of meat; it was terrifying.
The Head Referee blew his whistle, signaling that the Server could serve.
Compared to Miyazaki, whose serves were quite tricky, Harukawa's serves were relatively manageable, allowing Unabara Uta, who had been on edge the entire time, to finally catch a brief breath.
What a great first receive!
Aoba Kureha observed Miya Atsumu, who was preparing to set, from the corner of his eye, while simultaneously focusing his attention on the rapidly moving Hinata.
He had indeed only recently moved to the Middle Blocker position, but that didn't mean he couldn't perform a good Block.
Blocking, much like receiving, is a skill that everyone must master, aside from specialized positions like the Libero.
What he lacks is only the ability to coordinate the block as a Middle Blocker, but when it comes to one-on-one Block..
In the moment Miya Atsumu adjusted his back set, Aoba Haruka decisively followed up, stepping forward to dive toward Hinata, who was jumping at the edge of Position 2.
The next second, Miya Atsumu gave a back push, the ball flew toward a slightly more recessed position.
Miya Osamu, who appeared there, raised his hand to spike the ball, smashing it into Rakusan's court despite nearly hitting the net.
The whistle blew immediately after, announcing that Inarizaki scores.
"Eh?" Aoba Haruka's eyes widened.
"Huh?" Hinata turned his head to look at Miya Atsumu.
Miya Atsumu had already ignored Miya Osamu and walked over, waving his hand at Hinata to signal him to come for a high five.
Hinata, who had been played as a decoy several times, hesitated for a moment, but still walked toward Miya Atsumu when he put on a pitiful expression: "Atsumu-ge, your setting is amazing."
Having received the response he deserved, Miya Atsumu replied with a smile, "Shoyo, you played beautifully too—"
On the other side of the net, Aoba Kureha was still questioning his very existence: "No, this can't be right."
He had certainly considered the possibility that Hinata might be a Decoy, so he only committed to the Block after seeing Miya Atsumu's setting motion, but he still failed in the end.
How did Miya Atsumu just adjust from a high-angle set into a close-range back-row attack?
A monster?
Noticing Aoba Kureha's bewildered and shocked gaze, Miya Atsumu curled his lips into a satisfied smirk.
Miya Osamu, who had just scored, turned his head to look at the mischievously smiling Miya Atsumu. "You're playing like a scumbag in this match."
Miya Atsumu shook his finger and clicked his tongue softly. "As they say—to deceive your opponent, you must first deceive your own teammates."
His face was written with smugness: "See, our decoy tactic was a huge success. That big dummy was completely fooled."
Miya Osamu glanced at Miya Atsumu, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
After a long time, he added one more thing: "He isn't as tall as Suna."
The super giant Suna, who was even taller than the big oaf, silently turned his head and stared at Miya Atsumu.
Miya Atsumu raised his hand, making a zipping motion over his mouth, gestured to Suna with a side-on "after you."
Suna walked past Miya Atsumu, but because his gaze remained fixed on Miya Atsumu, his head stayed relatively still, which for a moment gave Miya Atsumu a creepy feeling.
Feeling a bit guilty, Miya Atsumu chose to play dead, silently turning his head away to avoid looking at Suna, who was behind him and preparing to serve.
He wondered how many of his reaction memes and ugly photos would be produced after this Interhigh is over.
But considering his image has already been almost ruined by that widely circulated video, so.. some that aren't incredibly hideous can be set aside for now.
After all, his pocket money has a new purpose now; he's even going on a date with Shoyo!
He had already promised to go to Kobe for an all-you-can-eat beef buffet, he was ready at any moment!
He must defend his already insufficient pocket money!
Defend it resolutely!
Feeling the blazing fighting spirit of Miya Atsumu beside him, Miya Osamu was somewhat surprised.
This guy.. what's going on?
Suna's serve followed its usual pure and tricky trajectory, not only landing right on the line but also hitting the corner.
Bombarded by a succession of different serves, Rakusan's Libero, Uehara Tsuyoshi, frowned deeply and decisively dove to make a save.
Hinata watched the volleyball fly through the air, silently adjusting his position a bit further back.
This ball is a bit close to the net; with the skill level of the Rakusan Setter, there is a high probability that he won't be able to set up any kind of Quick Attack.
Moreover, the Spiker's spike point would be extremely close to the net because of this, if it isn't handled properly, it will result in a net touch.
If he were to handle this situation himself, he might choose a dump.
The ball reached the net near Aoba Haruka the next second; the position wasn't particularly good, Yumi Matsuo himself lacked the same powerful back set setting ability as Miya Atsumu.
He could only choose a forward set, doing his best to make the ball move away from the net.
This was exactly as Hinata had judged; because Aoba Haruka had long arms, he didn't dare to spike the ball directly after receiving it.
Hinata accurately timed Aoba Kureha's jump, Ginjima Yui jumped alongside him at the same time. The two of them controlled their heights and jumped to a position where they could cover Aoba Kureha's spike.
Although Aoba Haruka was tall enough, the setter's set wasn't high enough, rendering all the advantages of height and jumping ability futile.
Realizing the same problem, Aoba Kureha pulled back in time, attempting to deceive the two into a net attack.
But neither Hinata nor Ginjima was moved, neither rushed to press the ball over the net.
The ball hit Hinata's arms and then dropped straight back onto Rakusan's court.
To avoid being called for a foul, Hinata's arm did not tilt excessively. The ball maintained a relatively high angle and was not pressed straight down against the net like a block.
Aoba Haruka, having landed, used a backhand to scoop the ball back into play.
“One more time!” he shouted.
Yumi Matsuo also breathed a sigh of relief; this ball was well-set, so.. he would provide the most perfect set.
Hinata, having pulled back from the block, retreated and took his position once again near their Position 2 marker.
And Ginjima had already returned to the center, watching Aoba Haruka on the opposite side along with Rishia Heisuke on the other side.
It counts as a fairly standard two-plus-one configuration.
And this "one" at this moment happened to be Hinata—a player who was widely recognized as a weak link at the net.
The Ace Wing Spiker, Aoba Haruka, called out as she rushed to the net, her center of gravity sinking low.
At that moment, after the Setter performed a back set feint, the ball was thrown toward Rakusan's Position 4.
It wasn't a Quick Attack, but because the Spiker's approach and jump rhythm was so fast, the actual tempo of the play was even faster than a typical Quick Attack.
Although it wasn't a Quick Attack that forced Inarizaki to break their rhythm, the visual perception of it was not much different.
Hinata, who was responsible for watching Aoba Kureha, felt his pupils suddenly contract. In that split second before Aoba Kureha was about to jump, many things flashed through his mind.
This kind of quick attack.. in his memory, Kageyama had performed it with Karasuno's spikers.
A negative-tempo Quick Attack requires a high level of trust and chemistry between the Spiker and the Setter, but this slightly inferior Quick Attack is merely a temporary tactic built upon the constraint of a "fixed point."
Of course, he, Miya Atsumu, Miya Osamu, Kumagai, even Suna have all tried it.
This kind of Quick Attack is actually half a beat slower than a Negative Tempo Quick Attack, which means.. it's something Yaku can catch up to.
Shimizu-senpai had once told him while they were playing beach volleyball that, under conditions where one cannot take a running start to jump, one can choose to use a single hand to extend their reach.
But a one-handed block requires an extremely high level of skill to read the opponent's spike point, under normal circumstances, it can only serve to restrict the ball's trajectory.
Even so, his height was still not enough.
To achieve this, he had watched Hoshiumi's block many, many times, when he went to Karasuno at the beginning of the year, he had asked Coach Aran about things to watch out for, Hoshiumi had also taught him many practical little tips.
How to have enough counter-force when one's own blocking height is insufficient and one is only pursuing a touch-block from bottom to top.. he actually knows quite clearly.
The moment Aoba Haruka jumped, Hinata, who had been lowering his center of gravity in place, also leaped up violently.
His whole body tilted slightly as he reached out a single hand toward the destination of the Setter's set.
Although his jumping height from a stationary position was not quite satisfactory, as long as any part of his body went over the net, it counted as a block.
As for the point he needs to block..
There was no need for even a moment of hesitation, combining his positioning with the positioning of Suna-senpai, who would definitely move back to cover defense behind him.
This kind of extreme Strong Attack from Position 4 is something Atsumu-ge has taught him many times, step by step, a long time ago.
So.. there is only one answer.