Hinata touched the ball at a distance from the net.
Even though he was only a little bit higher than the net, his action was still ruled as a block.
Since he didn't jump high enough, he landed and immediately turned to dive after the ball, which he had slammed so hard it was flying erratically toward the front of the boundary marker.
Since the Libero was not on the court, it was only natural that he would be the one to handle it.
Like a cheetah, Hinata's explosive speed allowed him to successfully catch up before the ball hit the ground and send it back into the court with his back turned.
“Nice play!" Miya Atsumu praised, jumping up to prepare a set.
Just as Ogihara was being vigilant against Ginjima, that orange shadow reappeared in his field of vision, returning to the front of the net with an incredibly aggressive posture, jumping with the intent to spike.
Sakusa was startled, Inamura's face was filled with disbelief.
Is this guy planning to block, receive, spike the ball himself?!
But in the instant their attention followed Hinata, the ball in Miya Atsumu's hands had already been bumped up by him, Miya Osamu, positioned at his side, seized the opportunity to raise his hands for a powerful spike.
Bang!!
Komori dove, the instability in his lower body caused by physical exhaustion nearly caused him to make a mistake, but fortunately, he managed to make contact with the ball.
The ball flew toward the net, Sakusa had already followed up, forcefully spiking the ball down the very moment it flew over the net, even though it wasn't in a position to be spiked.
The tempo was simply too fast, the block on Inarizaki's side failed to keep up. The ball flew over the top of the recently jumped block, crashing into the back of Inarizaki's court.
The spin generated by Sakusa's wrist and arm was extremely heavy; even Arima Shuji lunged for it but only managed a glancing touch, sending the ball flying uncontrollably toward the Coach's bench.
Hinata, who had been over there preparing for a follow-up approach for an attack, accelerated without hesitation, pushing off the ground to dive toward the ball's position.
The muscles in his calves cramped the moment he pushed off the ground, the excessive tension caused his movement to deform slightly.
Hinata held his breath, rapidly adjusting his posture to some extent, stretching his arm out as far as possible with one hand to reach the ball.
Please, please, I have to touch it!
If they don't win this point, they'll be dragged into extra time by Itachiyama, they can't afford to keep playing.
Hinata reached out with all his might, stretching his body to its absolute limit, desperate to touch the ball.
Kumagai, sitting on the Coach's bench, was quick to react; he sprang up in an instant and kicked the chair at the Coach's bench.
Coach Omimi, who hadn't reacted in time, was knocked over and fell to the ground in a somewhat ungraceful manner.
But the chair that was originally in the way of Hinata's diving path was moved aside smoothly, allowing Hinata to maintain his original movement and continue the save.
Hinata's thumb, clenched into a fist and positioned near the webbing between his thumb and index finger, touched the ball, pulling it in the opposite direction.
He could only ensure that the ball wouldn't hit the floor, but where it would ultimately end up.. he wasn't sure.
But he couldn't worry about all that; in times like this, it was enough to simply choose to trust his teammates.
In the next second, the moment Shoyo's entire body made contact with the floor from his arms to his chest, he heard the dull thud of the ball hitting the net.
Hinata felt a sense of dread.
It was already his second touch; if this ball hit the net and dropped, he likely wouldn't be able to get the third touch over the net..
And at this very moment, Miya Atsumu stopped his rush toward the net, his entire body relaxing in an instant.
The ball hit the fixed strip of cloth above the net, then lightly rolled over, falling toward Itachiyama's court almost flush against the net.
Sakusa, the only one still in front, threw himself sideways with all his might in an attempt to save the ball, but the moment he started moving, he already knew..
—It was impossible to save.
Thud.
The sound of the ball hitting the floor rang in his ears, very faint.
Even the sound of shoes squeaking on the floor and the roaring cheers in the stadium made it difficult to catch, making it easy to overlook if one wasn't paying close attention.
But at this very moment, that sound became incredibly clear in the ears of the Itachiyama players, sounding like a final judgment.
—It's over.
The long whistle echoed throughout the entire arena at this moment, announcing the end of the match.
The once quiet court erupted into a frenzy in an instant, with applause and cheers ringing out incessantly.
Sakusa's fingers, which had been stretched out with all his might, slowly curled inward. Lying on the floor, he slightly closed his eyes, suppressing the intense emotions surging within him.
Inaramura and the others, their emotions swelling even more intensely, could barely suppress the tears welling in their eyes at that moment. Realizing how disheveled he looked, the Captain hurriedly raised his hands to cover his face.
Sakusa pushed himself off the ground to stand up, his arms—aching and numb after spiking with full force time and time again—constantly protesting against him; in his state of exhaustion, he nearly collapsed back down.
Komori grabbed him, preventing his face from making intimate contact with the floor.
A worried voice immediately followed, "Are you okay?"
Sakusa shook his head. "I'm fine, it's just.. a bit more physical exertion than I expected."
Hearing his words, Komori was the one left dazed.
After the two fell silent for a moment, Komori suddenly burst into laughter. "You.. you haven't let Hinata and Miya Atsumu get you all worked up, have you?"
This was a rare occurrence; the ever-rational Sakusa actually had moments where he was swept up by his emotions and did something more impulsive.
Sakusa turned his head away, not completely denying it: "I was simply forced by the circumstances."
No matter who it was, no one could remain completely indifferent under that kind of gaze.
That kind of volleyball.. it truly makes one yearn for it and feel anticipation; he was certainly no exception.
Komori patted Sakusa's back: "Let's fight again at the National Sports Festival."
Sakusa responded softly, "Yeah."
We won!!
Great play, Shoyo! You're so cool, Ace!!
Inarizaki is the strongest!
Atsumu-kun—Osamu-kun—you guys were amazing—
The Inarizaki cheering section was boiling over, the Brass Band Club's conductor was also waving his baton frantically, leading the members of the Brass Band Club to play even more upbeat music with a faster tempo.
Coach Kurosu stood up and applauded for everyone, while the people in the waiting area had already rushed onto the court, hugging and cheering for one another.
Hinata struggled to roll over and lay on his back on the floor.
The cheers and applause from the stands brought a powerful vibration that traveled through the floor and into his senses.
His chest heaved violently, the movement required for those final few points—which had pushed him entirely to his physiological limits—left his entire respiratory tract with a burning pain, making it impossible for him to regulate his breathing for a long time.
He gasped, his mouth agape like a dying fish struggling to take in oxygen.
In a daze, hearing footsteps approaching, Hinata struggled to tilt his head back, in his upside-down field of vision, he saw Miya Atsumu's figure walking over.
The motion of tilting his head back put pressure on his windpipe, causing Hinata to choke on the saliva he had swallowed subconsciously.
Cough, cough, cough—
Hinata turned his head and began coughing violently.
Physiological tears leaked from the corners of his eyes, flowing down to the floor as he turned his head.
The person who had already walked to his side withdrew the hand that was about to reach for him, kneeling down with some urgency and leaning forward to brace his hands on either side of his head.
Shoyo, are you okay? Can you hear me?
Atsumu's voice was a bit panicked. He reached out, using the back of his hand, which felt somewhat cool after the sweat had evaporated, to touch Hinata's face.
As his heartbeat gradually slowed, Hinata, finally catching his breath, leaned closer to that cool sensation and rubbed his face against it.
He looked at Miya Atsumu in his field of vision and spoke somewhat pitifully, "I was.. *cough*.. choked by saliva."
Seeing that Hinata still had the energy to act pitiful, Miya Atsumu breathed a sigh of relief.
"I look like a mess.." Hinata raised his hand to cover his face, blocking Miya Atsumu's gaze.
When he was coughing just now, there was most likely a bit of saliva stuck to his face, but now his face was covered in sweat and even a few tears, making it impossible to tell them apart.
Miya Atsumu reached out to take the towel Rishia handed him, pulled Shoyo's hand away, simply wiped his face. "Not at all, Shoyo is incredibly cool; everyone is cheering for you."
Feeling a bit better, Hinata shook his head and lifted his hair, signaling Miya Atsumu to wipe his forehead and bangs: "The cheering is for everyone."
Miya Atsumu chuckled softly and used a towel to mess up Hinata's hair. "There, you can get some good sleep once we head straight back to the hotel in a bit; the Finals don't start warming up until three-thirty this afternoon."
After enjoying the setter's supreme service, the Ace reached out his hand toward the setter.
Atsumu leaned down following Hinata's movement, allowing Hinata to hook his arms around his neck. His hands supported Hinata's back from behind, providing him with a point of leverage as he stood up.
Miya Atsumu felt that he should have used this movement to lift Hinata up, but unfortunately, he felt he couldn't carry him right now.
Miya Atsumu sat with Hinata on the ground for a while without saying anything, just quietly listening to the breathing beside him gradually calm down.
No one else came over to disturb them, save for the worried glances being cast from not far away. As the winning side, they were exceptionally quiet after their brief moment of jubilation; everyone was waiting for Shoyo to recover his composure.
Hinata sat on the ground, gradually calming his heartbeat and breathing, while his limbs, which had been somewhat numb, slowly regained their warmth.
A finger was pressing against his pinky, the warm sensation constantly reminding him of the other person's presence.
As soon as his brain started working again, Hinata glanced at Miya Atsumu's fingers hooked around his own.
Hmm, between the two of them, with clothes and legs in the way, there's a high probability it won't be caught on camera..
Seeing that everyone had almost finished adjusting their state, the Head Referee also signaled for both sides to line up and bow.
Miya Osamu walked over and looked down at the two of them. "Time to line up, Captain."
After Miya Atsumu stood up, he decisively tossed the sign that read "Inarizaki High School, Hyogo Prefecture Representative" into Miya Atsumu's arms.
Just as when the match began, Captain Miya Atsumu stood at the very front of the team, holding the sign. At the Head Referee's signal, he led everyone in bowing to their opponents, whom they had battled fiercely for three full sets.
Thank you for the match!!
The atmosphere among the Itachiyama players on the other side of the net was quite low. As he stepped forward to shake hands, Miya Atsumu clearly felt Sakusa's heavy mood.
Looking at his old rival across the net, Miya Atsumu reached out his hand to him: "Let's fight again at the National Sports Festival."
Sakusa cast a downward glance at Miya Atsumu's hand.
Just as he raised his hand, Miya Atsumu pulled his hand back and turned to walk away: "I didn't use hand sanitizer, so never mind, let's just pretend we shook hands."
Hinata, following behind Miya Atsumu, grabbed Sakusa's outstretched hand: "Kami-senpai! I had a great time playing today's match, let's keep it going next time!"