Inamoto's expression was serious: "Nice play!"
One more time, one more consecutive score, they would take the lead and reach set point first.
So.. they absolutely cannot let Inarizaki block this ball!
Under Suna's watchful eye, Inamoto abruptly pulled his hand back from the net, making a move as if to attempt a Second Attack.
But just as Suna and Rishia rushed after it, Inamoto used one hand to set the ball out, sending it back toward Sakusa once again.
On a ball that decides the final outcome of the match, you just have to trust your Ace.
Sakusa's countless jumps, the Inarizaki side was drawn away by the Setter's feint, leaving only Shoyo to block him.
And in a situation where he could jump significantly higher than Shoyo, Shoyo's block would be practically non-existent; he could even prevent the opponent from getting a single touch on the ball.
The ball flew over Hinata's head, crashing into the empty space in the back half of the court.
With incredibly fast reflexes, Arima Shuji lunged forward in a diving motion, extending his body with one hand to cushion the ball from below: "Atsumu!"
"Nice receive!" Miya Atsumu praised.
Although Arima's own ability was considerably inferior to Unabara Uta's.. it was enough.
If the set is high enough, it's a good set, he will provide the greatest return for that support.
Having already distanced himself sufficiently from the net, Hinata took a large step forward; although he didn't call for the ball this time, he firmly believed that Miya Atsumu would give it to him.
—Without a doubt.
Ogihara and Sakusa had already chased after them, the two of them blocking Hinata's path, while Inamoto quickly moved to cover the other side, completing the final piece of the Iron Wall.
Shoyo's expression remained unchanged.
Just like what Sakusa did just now, his hitting point could also be above the opponent's hands, in this situation, the only person he needed to deal with was Komori, who was responsible for receiving in the back row.
Before that, Komori had been relying on anticipation to cover the entire court alone when handling their spikes.
And anticipation requires observing the signs in the opponent's spiking motion, once a decision is made, it cannot be changed.
This also means.. he can finally use a feint to deceive Komori.
Shoyo's expression was full of excitement; the moment the ball flew in front of him, he snapped his wrist, intending to use a backhand roll to spike the ball toward Ishikawa.
As Komori landed from his split step and prepared to move in that direction, Shoyo suddenly spun in his current posture and spiked the ball straight down.
BANG!!
Komori was startled, but it was already too late.
Sakusa, whose front row block had just landed, turned his head to try and save the ball, but unfortunately, he was still a little too late.
The ball slammed down behind the Three-meter Line, making a heavy sound.
The moment the sound rang in his ears, Hinata threw himself toward Miya Atsumu without even looking back. "Great hit, Atsumu-ge!"
Miya Atsumu caught him: "Shoyo, that was a great play, so cool! You'll definitely make it into this year's highlight reel."
Watching Hinata and everyone from Inarizaki high school high-five and cheer, Ogihara Ayato let out a soft sigh. "That was terrifying.."
Inamura continued, "It's okay, let's move on to the next set."
Best of three, they still have a chance.
Moreover, Inarizaki's starting Libero is not on the court, which is a great opportunity for them to turn the tide and win the match.
Nishizawa Hokuto, who had traveled to the hospital in the car with Unabara Uta and Coach Omimi, broadcasted the situation in the arena to the two of them: "They won the First Set! Shoyo-senpai's spike was super cool!"
Ogata couldn't come along as the Second String manager, so he sent him to help out with errands.
However, his most important task right now is the tournament broadcast!
Unabara Uta breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great."
Author's Note:
Inarizaki High School, Miya Osamu (August 2013)
Position: OH Number: 2
Height: 185.5cm Weight: 76.4kg
Recent troubles: Struggling over whether to become an apprentice at a rice ball shop or a sushi restaurant after graduation
Ability Stats [Inarizaki High School Third Year Summer]
Power: 5 Serve: 7
Jump: 4 Receiving: 8
Explosive Power: 4 Diving: 8
Intelligence: 4 Setting: 7
Technique: 4 Spike: 8
Speed: 4 Block: 7
Chapter 342: The Three Hundred and Forty-Second Fox
Inarizaki wins!
Take it all in one go!!
The cheers from the Inarizaki supporters in the stands rang out continuously, the atmosphere on the court was burning hot.
Komori wiped the sweat from his face with a towel and sighed softly, "We've been caught red-handed."
Hinata had a faint feeling of being observed by him before, but most of the time, Hinata did not hit over the block to seek a scoring point, Itachiyama's block mostly blocked Hinata head-on, shutting down his Line shots, so he didn't often need to make predictions against Hinata.
Tooling the block can be chased down, but with Hinata's current level of proficiency in tooling the block, he won't give them the chance to chase him most of the time.
As for things like short diagonals and dumps, they can be saved with a diving movement.
Therefore, that kind of deceptive movement would only be useful if Shoyo could perform a standard Line or Sharp Cross spike while jumping past the block, as he would be doing it solely to ensure the quality of his reception.
Sakusa nodded in agreement, "Compared to last year, Shoyo's feints have become better, they're very natural."
And after performing so many high-difficulty techniques, even if one anticipated them, they would still be difficult to receive.
Komori gave a strained laugh: "The progress is incredible."
Inamura gestured with his chin toward Arima, who was currently saying something to the coach on the opposite side. "But it's going to be hard to play against Inarizaki later, isn't it?"
I haven't seen that number 8 before, he has no previous match records. I don't have much of an impression of him from junior high either; he probably doesn't have much experience.
When Akagi became a starter in his Second Year, the substitute was his classmate, later it was changed to Unabara Uta; Arima Shuji is a player who newly appeared on Inarizaki's roster for this year's IH.
While the unknown itself is a significant factor.. for the position of Libero, a lack of experience is the greatest deficiency.
Komori nodded, agreeing with Inamura's view: "Yeah, but the Third Year players should have more solid fundamentals; at most, they just perform averagely when facing technical plays."
Koldorf glanced at Hinata on the opposite side and suddenly said, "It's hard to say.."
Just as their own substitute Libero was also very skilled at receiving various types of spin serves, with an Ace who specialized in Quick Attacks and technical plays present, even if he only served as a practice partner for his own team, he could still practice those aspects quite thoroughly.
The members of Itachiyama fell into silence once again.
Seeing the atmosphere turn serious once again, Captain Inamura decided to change the subject: "Speaking of which, I've always felt like we and Inarizaki just don't get along."
Every time we play against Inarizaki, whether it's on our side or theirs, someone always ends up getting injured.
Everyone fell into an even deeper silence.
Inamura raised a hand to scratch his head, laughing awkwardly, "Haha, hahahaha.."
Sakusa held a mouthful of water in his mouth, closing his eyes to adjust his condition.
Actually, injuries are purely a matter of probability; even Iizuna-senpai, who is so careful about managing his physical condition, could sprain an ankle simply due to bad luck.
Compared to many other sports, volleyball, which involves no direct physical contact with opponents, is already considered a sport with a relatively low injury rate.
Most injuries actually occur during the most intense blockings, while the rest are likely accidents during diving movements or caused by things like slipping on sweat.
Unabara Uta.. could also be considered one of the unlucky ones.
He opened his eyes and looked at Ogihara; this guy's injury was purely due to his own carelessness, or rather, he just didn't think it mattered.
Ogihara, who had been glanced at by Sakusa, felt extremely guilty and hurriedly withdrew his gaze, pretending that nothing had happened.
His nails were just chipped, not like his fingers were fractured or dislocated; at most, it just meant something unexpected happened while he was doing his nails before the match!
Thinking of this, Ogihara, who was already standing by the pillar near the sidelines, leaned forward and asked Miya Atsumu, who was re-tying his shoelaces on the chair opposite him, "Atsumu, what brand of nail care kit did you buy? Give me a recommendation."
Miya Atsumu, who had been smiling while talking to Hinata, turned his head upon hearing the words and looked toward the peering Ogihara Ayato.
After making eye contact with Ogihara for two seconds, Miya Atsumu suddenly laughed. "Ah, that.."
As he spoke, Miya Atsumu reached out and rested his hand on Hinata's leg while in a crouching position to tie his shoelaces: "It's a birthday gift from my dear little Shoyo-kun."
Ogihara Ayato's smile froze on his face, for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
He really just felt like his nails weren't trimmed well before the match, so he wanted to ask High School's Best Setter if he had any recommendations; he wasn't here to witness someone else's public display of affection!
Miya Atsumu was still smiling triumphantly, but the hand he had placed on Shoyo's thigh was suddenly grabbed and tossed aside.
Atsumu's smile also froze as he turned his head and saw Coach Kurosu staring at him, along with Miya Osamu, who had tossed him aside.
Looking at the somewhat pitiful Miya Atsumu, Shoyo thought for a moment, then took Miya Atsumu's hand back and placed it on his own knees again.
Coach Kurosu closed his eyes, when he looked back at Shoyo, his gaze was filled with heartache.
Hinata didn't notice Coach Kurosu behind him at all; instead, he was eagerly trying to tell Ogihara Ayato about the cards Kenma had helped him pick earlier.
Miya Atsumu was quick, pinching Hinata to make him shut up.
He looked up and said to Ogihara, "You can ask Iizuna-senpai; mine certainly wouldn't suit you."
Inamoto moved closer to Ogihara. "Why not ask me? I'm a setter too."
Ogihara reached out to push his head away, saying as gently as possible, "It wouldn't be appropriate for me to use yours."
Inamoto was a little disappointed, let out a soft "oh," and then left.
Moving his injured finger, Ogihara watched Inamura from the corner of his eye as Inamoto went to speak with him, silently letting out a breath of relief.