What Hakuma intended to do was to enjoy his teammates' cover and assistance with a clear conscience, then.. respond to them by smashing through the opponent's defense.
Looking into Hoshiumi's eyes, Hakuma was momentarily dazed. He pursed his lips and said, "That's right, I'll score more than you."
Standing at the net, Hoshiumi gave a light chuckle and looked at the Inarizaki members on the other side. "But unfortunately, the final MVP will be mine."
But just then, a clean and crisp voice suddenly drifted from the other side.
No, it's mine!
Hakuma and Hoshiumi looked over at the same time, only to find Hinata staring at them with burning eyes.
Hoshiumi laughed heartily and replied quite defiantly, "Try and take it if you can."
After Miya Osamu, who had taken over the exchange of school IDs for the court change ceremony in Miya Atsumu's absence, shook hands with Hirugami on the opposing side, the two men signaled to the Head Referee and then ducked under the net to switch sides.
After finishing, he turned his head toward the Karasuno members who had already moved to the other side: "We'll take the first set."
So.. Karasuno is at a disadvantage.
“How does it feel?” Miya Atsumu, who had sat out for half a set, personally handed a towel to Hinata, watching him rub his own hair into a messy ball.
It feels quite good, it's just a shame that Akuma doesn't toss to me much.
Hinata's tone was quite dissatisfied, causing Miya Atsumu to instinctively look toward the returning Kumagai.
Realizing something was wrong the moment he heard Hinata's words, Kumagai shrank his neck and didn't dare say a word, quickly ducking behind Tokura to let Tokura hide his figure.
Atsumu-senpai himself doesn't even toss to Shoyo very often! Why is he glaring at him!
It's all tactics! Decoy tactics!
Almost every single point is based on Hinata's assist!
Sitting on the Coach's bench, Unabara answered the Coach's question about his condition while simultaneously observing Kumagai.
He is an injured player now, so Atsumu-senpai is much gentler with him.
He thanked Akuma for sharing the heat with him!
At that moment, Miya Atsumu, who had already yielded his position to Hinata, looked down at Unabara Uta and said, "You did a good job receiving the ball today."
Unabara Uta froze for a moment, after repeatedly confirming that the praise had come from Demon Senior from off the court, he felt a surge of joy. "Yes! I'll keep working hard!"
To be praised again! I'm so moved!
Hinata also gave him a thumbs up: "Today, Unabara Uta is truly the guardian who deserves the title, the coolest person on the court!"
I was just praising Hikari-kun's reception in my head! But your reception was just as cool, Unabara..
Listening to Hinata repeat what he had just said on the court, Unabara Uta felt the world go dark and instinctively looked toward Miya Atsumu in front of him.
But fortunately, Miya Atsumu was discussing the second set rotation with the coach and wasn't paying them any attention.
That's great—I won't be silenced after the match—
On the other side, Rishia noticed the slight hesitation in Miya Atsumu's speech just now. He looked at Hinata, who was still praising Unabara Uta to high heaven, then looked at the trembling Unabara Uta..
Rishia Heisuke silently mourned for Unabara Uta in his heart.
Rest in peace, Unabara.
Chapter 361: The Three Hundred and Sixty-First Fox
Unai spoke softly from the stands, "If Inarizaki takes the first set.. it's going to be very difficult for Karasuno later on."
It feels like their rhythm is being dragged down by Inarizaki, especially that Two-Meter Giant at Position 3.
Inunari glanced at him a couple of times and suddenly laughed, "That's hard to say."
As Unai looked over with some confusion, he added, "Karasuno takes a while to warm up. Of course, I'm specifically referring to the few who are inconsistent."
As he spoke, he pointed toward the Karasuno members on the court who were already confirming their rotation for the Second Set, introducing them to Unai, who didn't know Karasuno well: "Hakuma, Bessho, Takahashi's group."
In previous matches, Karasuno's overall performance would be much stronger and more aggressive starting from the second set compared to the first set. It's probably.. because the Spiker has warmed up.
Unai sighed softly, "I see.."
But compared to Inarizaki, Karasuno might not be as experienced; their experience in long five-set matches is likely limited to the Regional Qualifiers, the pressure of national-level matches will be much greater.
Inunari fumbled through his backpack and pulled out the bread he had brought. "Even if we can take the lead in the second and third sets by relying on our momentum, there's a high probability that Inarizaki will use their stamina management and bench strength to take the lead back later."
After they arrived, they headed straight for the venue, they didn't even have time for lunch. He was already starving.
Inunari asked Unai, "Do you want some?"
Unai nodded without hesitation. "Yes."
Taking advantage of the time while the players on the court confirmed the rotation and adjusted their positions while waiting for the Server to prepare, the two of them ate two pieces of bread at lightning speed to stave off hunger.
Taking out a wet wipe to carefully clean his hands, Unai pulled a hard folder from his bag, containing A4-sized sketching paper.
Inunari leaned in curiously, "Starting work?"
Hearing the whistle signaling the start of the serve ring out across the court, Unai Aman smiled. "No, I'm just getting ready to practice some sketching."
Hearing that, Inunari stopped asking and instead refocused all his attention on Miya Atsumu, who was preparing to serve.
Compared to the positional adjustments Inarizaki made against Hinata and Hirugami in the previous set, Inarizaki decisively chose to ensure Miya Atsumu's service turn in this set.
They were certainly aware of Hakuma's tendency to start slow, considering how badly Hakuma had been targeted at the end of the last set.. they would likely face an even more terrifying counterattack.
They had to find a way to lay the foundation for victory right from the start, they couldn't give Karasuno even the slightest opportunity to take the lead.
Taking a deep breath, Miya Atsumu lightly spun the volleyball in his hands, then decisively tossed it at the very last second of the service time limit.
Hoshiumi is not in the back row right now. Whether there are any players in Karasuno's first string who are particularly skilled at the jump float serve or not, Takahashi's performance in this area is mediocre, so directly choosing to use the jump float serve against them is the best option.
"I've got it!" Norikura Isao stepped forward from the side, raised his hands to receive the ball, sent it to the front row.
“Give me the ball!!”
A loud roar from Hakuma came from the side, but Asahina did not blindly give the ball; instead, after confirming Hoshiumi's position, he raised his hand to set the ball directly to Hakuma.
Hoshiumi was being watched very closely by Hinata and the others, so there was a high probability he wouldn't have a chance to score directly.
At a time like this.. choosing a purely aggressive style is best.
Suna had already followed the ball to in front of Hakuma, decisively jumping to prepare for a block. He had blocked several of Hakuma's hits in the previous set, so he knew what to expect.
But this ball was unexpectedly heavy; Suna couldn't control it for a moment and failed to adjust his touch immediately.
The ball hit his hands and then popped out of bounds.
"Nice!!" Hakuma raised his hands and cheered.
"Nice play, Meisei!" Hoshiumi also came over to high-five him.
"Mine." Suna exhaled.
Should I have chosen to touch the ball after all..
Miya Atsumu didn't say anything either; Karasuno's state was something he could have predicted.
After Karasuno took the lead, he also decisively began to coordinate quick attacks, scoring points by using a sharp style of play while also using Hakuma as a decoy.
However, even though Karasuno's offense was very fierce, it yielded little result.
Asahina from Karasuno serves.
Looking at the scoreboard showing Inarizaki 5, Karasuno 6, Inamura couldn't help but say, "After one rotation, even with such fierce play, neither side has managed a single consecutive scoring run.."
Sakusa said, "Both sides are playing very cautiously."
With no errors, they naturally wouldn't give the opponent any opportunities for consecutive scoring.
The sound of the hit rang out as Takahashi spiked the ball heavily, aiming it directly at Hinata in the Inarizaki back row.
Ginjima provided defensive cover for him from the side, but this ball was aimed at the sideline near Hinata's side, so Ginjima had no way to reach it.
The Inarizaki members showed no signs of panic; Miya Atsumu had already moved to the setting position near Washio, waiting for the first receive to come his way.
A ball of this level.. there's absolutely no problem.
Hinata stepped one pace toward his left, lowering his center of gravity to steadily set the ball: "Atsumu-ge!"
What a great first receive!
He certainly couldn't handle a jump serve like Unabara Uta and the others, but he didn't need to pursue that kind of effect; it was enough to provide a first receive in the simplest way possible that would be most comfortable for his teammates.
Then.. his job was to think about how to execute a more perfect offense.
The moment Miya Atsumu touched the ball, he sent it toward Inarizaki's Position 4, where Miya Osamu, who had already swapped positions with Suna and was jumping there, received the ball and decisively spiked it straight into the Karasuno block rushing toward him.
The moment Hirugami pressed down, Miya Osamu lightly touched the volleyball underneath, sending it into a soft tip over the net.
Takahashi from the back row dove forward, using his hands to receive the ball underneath it.
Cover!
Asahina quickly moved under the ball, estimated its position and speed, decisively jumped, raising his hands to toss the ball toward Hakuma, who had already rotated to Position 4.
Hakuma held his breath.
In the last rotation, he failed to make an impact in the front row, but this time.. he is going to pave the way for the team!
Bang!!
Bang!
Touch!
Suna's flat voice appeared in Hakuma's ears the next second, making him unable to help feeling a bit irritated.
Not this again.. Damn Suna, he plays without any passion at all!
Knowing he wouldn't be able to block it, Suna intentionally chose to touch the ball, letting it fall to the ground. He then stepped back to create distance for a run-up and moved toward Position 4.
After the touch, the volleyball bounced high, allowing Unabara Uta to receive it comfortably; he sent the ball toward Miya Atsumu's head in a nearly perfect manner with almost no effort.
At the same time, Hinata had already rushed from deep within the court, charging into the vision of the Karasuno members with an incredibly aggressive presence.
Hirugami decisively moved a step toward the center, at this moment, Miya Atsumu had not yet tossed the ball; he had to be more cautious..
Miya Atsumu snapped his wrist, sending the ball directly into the path of the ball with extreme speed.