Atsumu looked up, meeting Hinata's eyes, which were filled with worry.
Observing him from up close, Hinata's condition was unexpectedly alright; he wasn't sweating excessively, his mental state wasn't as hyperactive as it had been just a moment ago.
Miya Atsumu raised his hand, pulled Hinata closer, tested the other's temperature with his forehead.
Hmm.. It seems his own temperature was a bit higher, which meant Hinata wasn't experiencing that fever from last year, so it shouldn't be a big problem.
Hinata squeezed himself between Miya Atsumu and Miya Osamu, turning his head to say to Miya Atsumu, "Hehe, I'm a little too excited."
After those last few plays ended, his heart wouldn't settle down for a long time.
It wasn't because of any effect caused by fatigue; it was simply because he had played a good ball.
He looked down at Miya Atsumu's knees: "I was so nervous when I was setting just now, but for some reason, seeing Atsumu-ge's figure coming back made me suddenly feel calm."
“It’s like.. a feeling that as long as I pass the ball out, Atsumu-ge will score.”
Hearing Hinata's words, Miya Atsumu suddenly let out a low laugh: "Shoyo, you really do trust my spikes."
He is a setter, so his spiking isn't particularly good either.
He personally felt he was only just a little bit better than Miya Osamu; when facing defense of Itachiyama's level, he couldn't break through a hundred percent of the time, in those situations, he was simply acting on quick wits.
Hinata blinked, looked up to meet Miya Atsumu's eyes, said very seriously, "But Atsumu-ge usually trusts me like this too, right?"
He trusted that he could score, so every ball he gave him was incredibly stable.
It was as if, as long as a sufficiently good set was given, he would definitely, without a doubt, be able to spike and score.
So.. he just gave Miya Atsumu the same level of trust.
Miya Osamu felt a slight ache in his teeth.
He knew Hinata's learning ability was incredibly strong; he had learned almost everything from serving to setting from Miya Atsumu, so he looked very similar as well.
But looking at the current situation.. Hinata has learned Miya Atsumu's theories and way of thinking to a tee.
Miya Atsumu laughed even more happily, raising his hand to brush through Shoyo's sweat-soaked hair: "Of course, Shoyo is doing great, whether it's the setting or your usual spikes."
He certainly knew what kind of poison the trust he gave to his spikers was. To say it was a form of kidnapping and coercion wouldn't be an exaggeration; in fact, he had even had many conflicts with people in the past because of it.
And at this very moment, when this trust was given to him by Hinata in the exact same way..
He relished it.
Author's Note:
Inarizaki High School, Arima Shuji (August 2013)
Position: Li Number: 8
Height: 172.6cm Weight: 70.0kg
Recent troubles: Being told he sounds like an old man whenever he's lamenting how much the juniors have improved.
Ability Parameters [Inarizaki High School Third Year Summer]
Strength: 2 Serve: 1
Jump: 2 Receiving: 6
Explosiveness: 4 Dig: 6
Intelligence: 3 Setting: 4
Technique: 3 Spike: 3
Speed: 2 Block: 2
Chapter 349: The Three Hundred and Forty-Ninth Fox
After a brief rest, everyone returned to the court to continue the unfinished match.
Itachiyama's counterattack came quickly and fiercely.
After Komori successfully received Hinata's Quick Attack once again, Inamoto organized an attack on both sides, executing a Second Attack the moment Inarizaki's block was split.
The score jumped to Inarizaki 18:17 Itachiyama at this moment, with Itachiyama scoring consecutive points.
Great play, Inamoto!!
This consecutive scoring moment ignited the passion on Itachiyama's side, the emotions that had previously been dampened by Inarizaki's rapid momentum surged once again.
Coach Himegomiya shouted loudly, "Keep the momentum! Tie the score!"
Miya Atsumu shouted sternly, "Don't give them a chance!"
There can be not even a single moment of relaxation. Although Itachiyama isn't opportunistic like Inarizaki, when faced with an opponent's opening, they will bite down on their target like a predatory crocodile.
Moreover, at this critical moment of life and death.. Itachiyama's counterattack will only be even more terrifying.
Hinata bit his lower lip, the sting of pain cleared his mind, allowing him to quickly mentally review the previous situation.
It wasn't a big problem. He would be back in the front row very soon, he could let Koldorf handle it; he would score with a Quick Attack.
Just as Hinata had anticipated, now that both sides' physical strength was gradually declining, Koldorf, who couldn't keep up with him last year, was completely left behind. His quick attack countered rapidly, solidifying Inarizaki's advantage.
Hoshiumi frowned in the stands: "They're so difficult to deal with.."
In fact, whether it was Koldorf or Ogihara Ayato, their skill level was only that of an average Middle Blocker from a top-tier team; neither their block scoring rate nor their touch-to-score conversion rate was high.
But.. in fact, they don't even need to do that.
With Komori and Sakusa, two pillars of defense, holding down the back row, even if their stamina meant they could no longer keep up with Hinata and the others' pace, it would be enough as long as they could ensure basic restrictions on the opponent's spiking areas.
To overcome this, Hinata kept trying to increase the tempo, but unfortunately, the results were minimal.
Miya Atsumu was also very clear on this, so he coordinated Miya Osamu and Ginjima, striving to score by combining direct offense with Hinata's decoy role.
But it was obvious that Hinata had no intention of settling for that; he wanted to further pursue jumping height on top of his speed.
Watching Hinata score with a high ball spike at Position 3, Hoshiumi let out a long sigh.
Hirugami looked at him: "What, are you worried Hinata won't have the stamina to play against you this afternoon?"
Hoshiumi shook his head, denying Hirugami's guess: "That won't happen. Shoyo's stamina isn't any worse than mine right now, with the rest time, he'll be able to maintain his condition this afternoon."
After a pause, Hoshiumi turned and said, "I just feel.. it's a bit of a shame that I'm not one of the people on the court right now."
Hearing his words, Hirugami froze for two seconds, but then he let out a helpless smile.
Indeed, Itachiyama is quite enviable.
The opponents, both being equally intense in their offense, spurred each other on, their competitive fire visible to the naked eye.
Indeed.. there is a sense of unwillingness.
Ginjima Yui's spike broke through Itachiyama's block.
The whistle blew. Inarizaki 24, Itachiyama 22. Match point for Inarizaki.
Arima Shuji and Tokura completed the transition, Suna served.
As long as they can score consecutive points to take this rally, it will be a victory for Inarizaki.
Suna's movements were also decisive; after a quick adjustment to his form, he raised his hand and tossed the ball with absolute decisiveness the very instant the Head Referee blew the whistle, delivering yet another perfect serve.
But Ishikawa, who had already begun to criticize Suna's serve, was not threatened by the ball; he lowered his center of gravity and received it steadily.
Inamoto!
“Great First Receive! Follow up!”
Inamoto, whom he had called upon, also rushed forward quickly, jumping near the Attack Line and raising his hands to make a touch, sending the ball into the hands of Sakusa in the front row.
Sakusa, jumping from Position 4, spiked with full force, slamming the ball directly into the gap in Tokura's arms caused by his delayed follow-up.
The ball, carrying a heavy spin, broke through directly from Tokura and smashed into Inarizaki's court.
Miya Osamu stepped forward and used a forearm pass to get under the ball, absorbing its momentum to send it high into the air.
As for the spin on the ball.. let Miya Atsumu handle it himself.
Beautiful!
Miya Atsumu gave a word of praise, then followed up with a set.
Hinata lunged from near Position 2 across the entire net toward the center, but the moment he cleared Position 3, his center of gravity dipped slightly. At the exact moment Ogihara thought he was going to jump, he suddenly took two large strides in the opposite direction before leaping cleanly and decisively.
It was too late for Ogihara to turn, Sakusa, who was already positioned there, quickly caught up, reaching out a single hand to adjust the touch.
But.. he couldn't reach it.
As he jumped with all his might and reached out his hand, Sakusa's expression twisted slightly.
It was still a high ball with a contact point exceeding 3.4m. At this stage, so close to the very end, this guy.. can he really maintain this kind of running speed and jumping quality?!
BANG!!
The heavy sound of the hit suddenly rang out. The ball was just a step away from hitting the ground, but Ishikawa's reaction speed was incredibly fast; as he lunged forward, he used the top of his foot to precisely bump the ball back up.
At this moment, he was no longer acting based on his own receiving ability. Instead, after three long sets of adaptation, he had relied on bodily instinct and intuition to make a save that he hadn't even dared to imagine before.
Inamoto stepped forward quickly. "Beautiful!"
The set wasn't great, but it was enough; at least he had the chance to perform a simple feint.
Sakusa's voice calling for the ball rang out again: "Give me the ball!"
Tokura's brain worked at high speed.
Kumagai had told him before that most of the time, Itachiyama's setter would give the ball to the Ace when he requested it.
But.. at this moment, perhaps using the Ace as a decoy would be the better choice?
The moment that thought occurred, Tokura saw Inamoto's back arching backward.
Beside him, Ginjima made the same decision, the two of them lunged toward Itachiyama's Position 2, attempting to block Ogihara, who was spreading out for a hit.
But at that moment, Inamoto sent the ball up toward the ceiling, letting it drop toward the area near Position 4.
Sakusa's final step of his approach suddenly changed direction, stepping out toward his right side, spiked the ball into the corner of Inarizaki's court while nearly hitting the net.
But just at the moment the ball left his hand, a hand reached out from the side below.