However, given Imai's personality, if he knew about the injury, he would have probably called by now; the fact that there has been no contact so far means he likely doesn't know.
—That would be wonderful.
After that, he would only need to make up an excuse, like slipping on the stairs after a match, to get by.
Anyway, he felt like he was fine; it didn't even hurt anymore, it was just a bit warm in that specific area, he had no problem walking.
It shouldn't.. be serious, right?
As Unabara Uta was lost in thought, the doctor's voice suddenly rang out: "It was detected in time; it's not serious, it doesn't even qualify as a mild strain."
However, there is still some swelling, so it needs to be treated with cold compresses. A day or two of rest should do the trick.
The guillotine of judgment finally fell, but it stopped halfway down.
Coach Omimi breathed a sigh of relief: "As long as it's not serious, that's all that matters. As long as it's not serious."
If it were a serious muscle strain or a tear, it would likely affect his future life, which would be far too cruel for someone at Unabara Uta's age.
Unabara Uta spoke up proactively, "I most likely have more matches this afternoon.."
Hearing this, the doctor frowned, but sighed upon seeing the team uniform he hadn't changed out of yet.
He operated the computer in front of him as he spoke, "I'll prescribe a compression bandage for you. It will affect some of your movements, so don't squat too deep. If possible, it's best to avoid strenuous exercise as much as you can."
It's all set. Go to the pharmacy to pick it up. I'll apply an ice pack to treat it now, after that, go to the emergency room to ask a doctor for a temporary bed so he can hang your leg up for about two hours of rest.
At this point, the doctor looked up at Coach Omimi, who was clearly an elder. "It's not serious, but if possible, try to avoid strenuous exercise for the next two days."
Coach Omimi nodded. "I understand."
Unabara Uta doesn't need to think about stepping onto the court today; even Arima Shuji can't play, they can still request a special substitution to bring in players like Kosaku, Teruya Masato, or Kumagai.
Unabara Uta just needs to sit on the Coach's bench and act as a mascot; he shouldn't even think about touching a volleyball.
Nishizawa raised his hand, then immediately rushed out the door: "I'll go, I'll go!"
Unabara Uta glanced at Coach Omimi, ultimately swallowing the words in his mouth.
I have a feeling that if I said I wanted to take the court right now, the coach would definitely get angry and leave me in the hospital..
Hmm.. I should wait until the swelling goes down a bit before saying anything.
Coach Kurosu is reasonable, he will judge for himself whether he is alright after reading the medical report from the doctor.
All he needs to do now is adjust his condition and then witness the conclusion of this morning's match.
After Komori's receiving movement, he sent the ball right above Inamoto's head.
Even though Miya Atsumu's serve had tried its best to avoid him, he still managed to find an opportunity during the subsequent offense and defense.
As long as the player performing the receiving movement can deliver a good pass, the setter will provide the corresponding response.
Inamoto raised his hand to set the ball to Sakusa, providing an incredibly precise set that gave Sakusa enough time to make temporary adjustments based on the block.
Sakusa stared at Suna on the opposite side, precisely hitting the ball into his hands.
Although he had already sensed Sakusa's intention to use the block to tool him, Suna still didn't manage to pull back in time, after being hit, the ball flew out of bounds.
Glancing at the height of the ball, the Inarizaki members didn't bother to chase it; there was no point in trying to save a ball like that, as running would have been in vain.
With a loud bang, the ball struck the railing at the edge of the Itachiyama cheering section, missing the banner emblazoned with the words "Everlasting Victory" by only a hair's breadth.
Sakusa landed, his expression remaining calm and unruffled.
Author's Note:
Inarizaki High School, Kumagai Kuniharu (August 2013)
Position: S Number: 3
Height: 184.6cm Weight: 73.2kg
Recent worries: Even though I haven't done anything wrong, I often get glared at by the Captain.
Ability Parameters [Inarizaki High School, Second Year, Summer]
Strength: 5 Serve: 8
Jump Power: 2 Receiving: 5
Explosiveness: 4 Saving: 5
Intelligence: 5 Set: 7
Technique: 4 Spike: 6
Speed: 2 Block: 6
Chapter 343: The Three Hundred and Forty-Third Fox
Nice kill, Sakusa!
One! More! Ball!!
Interrupting Miya Atsumu's Service Turn, the Itachiyama side of the stands, which had been tense since the start of the Second Set, instantly erupted into cheers.
With Inarizaki having already taken the First Set, the disadvantage at the start of this set was indeed extremely oppressive. This point from the Ace was the opportunity to ignite the atmosphere and everyone's momentum.
“Only two points..” Watching Itachiyama adjust their positioning, Miya Atsumu felt a slight sense of regret.
His original expectation for the opening was to pull ahead by at least a three-point lead, so that they could avoid being quickly caught up to and overtaken by Itachiyama's powerful offense later on.
However, it wasn't a huge problem in the current situation; at least they had secured a slight lead, they just needed to do it again in the next rotation.
Thinking of this, Miya Atsumu gave Kumagai a look as he turned back toward his position, gesturing the number 8.
Kumagai nodded, understanding Miya Atsumu's meaning.
He was called over by Coach Kurosu specifically to take over the service position during Suna's first Service Turn. Once he enters the game in a while, he will further consolidate Inarizaki's advantage.
Since Atsumu-senpai has other arrangements for him, he just needs to do as he's told.
Thinking of this, Kumagai turned his head and said quietly to the Coach, "Atsumu-senpai wants me to switch with the Libero after Suna-senpai's service turn."
Coach Kurosu nodded, "Alright."
Koldorf took his position for the Serve, changing his usual playstyle; this time, his target was aimed directly at the Libero, Arima Shuji.
Uncertainty is the most dangerous thing; he must timely scout the path ahead for Itachiyama.
Just how strong is this number 8.. let him find out for himself!
Under the force of Koldorf's powerful strike, the ball reached Arima in an instant.
Arima held his breath, planting his lower body firmly to stabilize himself, decisively raised his arms to use his forearms to bump the ball before he could even adjust his stance.
His physical condition was quite good, he managed to hold the ball through sheer stability.
BANG!!
"What a great first receive!" Miya Atsumu rushed over, leaning his body slightly backward as he popped the ball up behind him.
Meanwhile, Hinata had already leaped up near Position 4, precisely catching the gap in the block between Inamura and Sakusa, driving the ball down in an almost straight line.
Komori, who had moved to cover, stabilized himself and received the ball steadily beneath it, his posture remaining completely undisturbed by Hinata's spike.
Hoshiumi frowned and couldn't help but let out a small click of his tongue. "This is going to be bad.."
Sakusa, who had just achieved another perfect set, also set his sights on Arima Shuji.
Based on those few brief exchanges just now, Number 8's receiving ability was only mediocre.
Although he can receive it, his reception is unstable.
And this instability would ultimately translate into a weakening of Inarizaki's offense, giving Itachiyama the opportunity to counterattack.
No, to a larger extent, the block was better positioned to follow up.
Watching Miya Atsumu quickly move to follow up on the set, Ogihara's peripheral vision fell on Hinata.
Inarizaki's current front row is their strongest three-point attack, but the conditions of this ball itself aren't particularly good.
While a powerful setter like Miya Atsumu can adjust a ball's condition to perfection, any offensive coordination and cover prior to that will become unmanageable due to poor receiving.
This also meant.. Miya Atsumu's target for the set would become extremely clear.
Watching the ball fly toward the center, the three players from Itachiyama quickly converged on it, while at that moment, Suna, who was in the center, had already stepped back to a sufficient running start position and was charging toward the net with large strides.
But just at the moment Suna dropped his center of gravity and prepared to jump, an orange shadow suddenly appeared in everyone's peripheral vision.
Hinata suddenly sprinted from Position 4 toward the net, chasing after the highest point of the ball while maintaining a nearly lateral approach run.
In the final instant as the ball hung in the air, Hinata's hand struck it precisely, driving the volleyball down in the opposite direction.
The volleyball grazed past the block at a very sharp angle, crashing down just in front of the net.
Ishikawa dove from the back row in an attempt to save the ball, but ultimately, he missed it.
At the same time, Hinata, landing from his dive, shifted his weight to the side, perfectly avoiding Suna and preventing a collision.
Nice play!!
What was that just now? That was so cool!
Hoshiumi's expression in the stands did not look very good: "That was incredibly gutsy."
With that kind of playstyle, if there were even the slightest flaw in their coordination, it could result in the two of them colliding and getting injured.
Hirugami added, "The fact that they dare to play it means they've practiced it. Although Miya Atsumu loves to act recklessly, he wouldn't make light of other people's bodies; Hinata and the others know what they're doing."
Hoshiumi scoffed at this: "You can't practice something like that if you don't mess around?"
Who did he learn that from? It couldn't be that guy from Aobajohsai, could it?
He knew Oikawa wasn't a good person! He was going to drag the whole of Aobajohsai onto his blacklist!
Meanwhile, Oikawa Tooru, who was still at Tachibana preparing for the practice match, suddenly sneezed, startling Aran beside him. "You didn't leave the window open when you went to sleep last night and catch a cold, did you?"
He had gone to sleep early yesterday, so he wasn't quite sure when Oikawa Tooru had closed the window; he hoped it wasn't in the middle of the night.
Oikawa Tooru waved his hand, decisively denying it. "No way, I saw you close the window as soon as you fell asleep."
Even if it was just to turn off the air conditioning in the living room to cool down, he would still close the window!