"Great first receive!" Tokura Ria praised, quickly moving forward to set the ball.
"Give me the ball!" Hoshiumi shouted, calling for the set.
Kumagai's gaze swept past Hoshiumi, but ultimately shifted away.
When Tokura Ria is on the court, most sets would go to Hoshiumi, but if Hoshiumi calls for the ball.. there is a high probability it is just a decoy.
As Tokura Ria delivered the back set, Kumagai shouted, "Over here!"
Masaru Haseda quickly kept up, while on the other side, Rishia also took a step forward and leaped diagonally.
Bessho Chigen's technical skill is quite mediocre; unlike the need to define the blocking range to restrict Hoshiumi, Bessho's spike only requires ensuring he doesn't give him enough clearance for a spike.
For example.. by leaving only a single opening for a line shot, you can completely control the opponent.
The moment Bessho Chigen's spike came down, Hinata suddenly lowered his center of gravity and precisely positioned himself under the ball. If he failed to receive a ball where there was almost only one option left, it would be far too embarrassing.
“Atsumu-ge!” After ensuring the ball was in the air, Hinata continued to shout, “Give the ball to me!!”
Miya Atsumu glanced sideways at Hinata, gave him a look, made a motion as if performing a set to Position 4, while at that moment, Kumagai Kuniharu was already jumping in Position 4.
Having witnessed how Kumagai Kuniharu had forcefully spiked through Itachiyama's defense this morning, the Karasuno members did not dare relax for a moment, Bessho also kept a close watch on Kumagai's movements.
Meanwhile, Masaru Haseda was already in Position 3, getting ready to jump.
Judging by the trajectory of Miya Atsumu's set, Masaru Haseda was also in the path of this ball.
Combined with Masaru Haseda's own unpredictability to Karasuno.. it's a good option.
But since the two players were positioned adjacent to each other, they could be restricted simultaneously by being caught in the middle; it would be enough as long as the back row defenders provided sufficient cover.
Having made up his mind, Bessho called out directly, "Here!"
Tokura Ria came over, but Hoshiumi's gaze was cast toward the back.
There was one noteworthy point—the Right Wing attacker, Rishia Heisuke, still had not moved forward to participate in the attack during this round of exchanges.
The moment his hands were about to touch the ball, Miya Atsumu suddenly lowered his arms slightly in a following motion.
The ball continued to fall, after a gap of a fraction of a second from the original contact point, he raised his hand to touch the ball, shifting his primary force to his right hand, which was closer to the net.
In the next second, the ball was pushed by Miya Atsumu's set, flying toward a slightly deeper position along a diagonal route.
And there.. Hinata, who had moved to the back at some unknown moment, had already leaped lightly, swinging his arm to spike the ball down at maximum speed.
But just as the ball was about to reach the net, an arm suddenly lunged forward, precisely intercepting the ball's trajectory.
Feeling the solid sensation against his hands, Hoshiumi flashed a smile: "A touch!"
Hinata's pupils shrank instantly, as the sudden appearance of Hoshiumi gave him quite a shock.
After Hoshiumi's spike, the ball flew upward at a high angle; Tokura Ria immediately sent the ball back to Hoshiumi during the first receive, the entire process was incredibly fast.
Rishia, who had retreated to cover the defensive gap left by Shoyo's participation in the attack, failed to return to position in time, allowing Hoshiumi to execute a direct spike from a high contact point that slammed down onto the Three-meter Line.
After a heavy thud, the ball bounced high into the air.
The whistle followed immediately after, declaring a score for Karasuno.
"Too easy." Hoshiumi laughed, his eyes full of triumph as he looked at Miya Atsumu.
Your intention is far too obvious, Miya Atsumu.
Hinata, whose spike had been blocked, had a serious expression: "Next time, I will score."
"It's no use." Hoshiumi's voice was crisp and decisive.
“After all.. no matter when, volleyball is not a one-person sport,” he said, the smile on his face bright and incredibly confident, “it would be meaningless if only Shoyo could play.”
Miya Atsumu raised an eyebrow slightly, but said nothing more.
Hinata wanted to argue, but Miya Atsumu reached out and pressed him down.
Meeting Hinata's somewhat confused gaze, Miya Atsumu shook his head slightly, then gestured toward the other side of the net to Hinata.
Hinata understood, mimicking Miya Atsumu's mannerisms by returning a dark smile.
Miya Atsumu felt a headache coming on. "No, don't go learning that, okay?"
Hinata chuckled. "Oh."
The intensity of Karasuno's Bessho Chigen's serve was not particularly high, Arima responded appropriately, allowing Miya Atsumu to set Rishia Heisuke in the front row for a spike to score.
Hoshiumi withdrew his gaze from Hinata, who had not launched an attack.
As expected, Hinata and Rishia Heisuke's movements were mirrored; Inarizaki would ensure that one person remained in the back row to assist with defense between the two.
Arima is not Unabara Uta; he cannot handle the entire back row defense on his own, so Inarizaki's multi-directional simultaneous attack strategy naturally cannot be executed.
Rishia Heisuke walked toward the service position holding the ball, while at the same time, Hinata in the front row gave Miya Atsumu a hand signal behind him.
Takahashi and Bessho Chigen swapped positions to return to the court, their expressions filled with uncontrollable bitterness and seriousness.
He truly cannot smile right now; Rishia Heisuke's serve is also quite difficult to deal with, Inarizaki has no intention of giving him a chance to catch his breath. If he wants to relax even a little, perhaps he will have to wait until Hinata and Tokura's service turn..
Moreover, although the intensity of the serve cover decreased after Hinata moved to the front row, Rishia Heisuke's power serve did not rely on coverage in the first place, so the final result still depended on receiving it head-on.
In the second after the whistle blew, Rishia Heisuke decisively raised his hand to toss the ball.
Having had enough rest, he was in excellent condition; this high toss was perfect, a perfect toss is an essential factor for a perfect serve.
Taking a large stride forward, Rishia Heisuke leaped for a spike.
Thud!!
"I've got it!" Takahashi gritted his teeth and lunged for the ball, reaching out to dig it with a forearm pass.
Watching the ball fly up at a high angle, Tokura Ria praised, "Great first receive!"
Hirugami and Hoshiumi launched their attacks from Position 3 and Position 4 simultaneously. Tokura Ria also cautiously attempted a feint for a Second Attack, but his execution was somewhat crude, the Inarizaki members did not take the bait.
The ball was sent to a high point in the center, Hirugami jumped to spike.
Hirugami, who thought he would be able to spike over the block, instead met Masaru Haseda's hands at the moment of his spike. The sudden shock left Hirugami somewhat dazed; he remembered that Masaru Haseda's block just now didn't seem like this..
This time, Masaru Haseda timed it perfectly, using his excellent arm length to forcefully touch the ball that Hirugami had spiked.
"Touch!" Masaru Haseda shouted.
That was the best block he could manage at this stage; he had already pushed himself to his absolute limit. From here on.. it's up to the Ace!
“Nice play!” Arima Shuji praised.
He sent the ball low toward the attack line, handing it over to Miya Atsumu for the follow-up play.
Hinata pulled back to create sufficient distance in Position 4 of the front row, while Kumagai, beside him, was closing in.
The moment Hirugami's gaze shifted toward Hinata, Hinata, who had initially taken a step straight forward, charged diagonally toward Position 3 on his second step.
He and Kumagai's figures intertwined at the net, the two of them shifting their weight to jump almost simultaneously, with less than two steps between them.
Miya Atsumu let out a light chuckle, raised his hand, pushed the ball out, sending it toward Position 4 at a relatively high angle.
Hirugami made a quick judgment.
The final trajectory of this ball.. should be toward Kumagai in Position 4.
But just as the ball approached the center, Hinata, dropping his center of gravity low, suddenly leaped upward, swinging his arms to increase his height.
In the end.. the ball was intercepted mid-air, right where it had almost no hang time.
Neither Hirugami nor Hoshiumi, who had rushed up urgently, could reach Hinata, could only watch helplessly as he performed a spike from above, smashing the ball toward the three-meter line.
Thud!!
With a heavy thud, Hinata spiked the ball to score.
As Hinata landed, Miya Atsumu tilted his head slightly toward Hoshiumi and gave him a smile.
“Volleyball isn't a one-person sport, right?”
—He is still here.
Chapter 371: The Three Hundred and Seventy-First Fox
"So fast." Komori supported his chin with his hand.
Sakusa nodded. "Inarizaki has managed to wear them down, Karasuno isn't familiar with Inarizaki's current playstyle."
Even though the substitute players newly brought on for Inarizaki might not possess top-tier strength themselves, their decent physical condition, combined with the element of the unknown, will yield even better results.
Especially since Hinata, who is currently a main offensive player for Inarizaki, can clearly still play. Combined, these factors are enough for Inarizaki to build an advantage at the fastest possible speed.
As the match reaches this stage, once a gap is created, it becomes very difficult to catch up.
Inamoto's expression was serious: "That setter's performance is very impressive.. I mean Position 3."
He is the same age as Kumagai, but setting aside the setter's skill level, that touch during Kumagai's block just now was something he could never achieve no matter what.
"Hmm.. very skilled," Iizuna commented.
If he had to put it into words, it was a form of keen insight, as well as a habitual behavior that allowed him to promptly compensate for his teammates' mistakes.
It was clear that Kumagai, who was a substitute himself, must frequently partner with Masaru Haseda and others during team practice, could even predict his teammates' mistakes by observing their condition.
Of course, this effect of reducing errors through coordination happened to compensate for the gap left behind after Suna's substitution.
Hoshiumi clicked his tongue lightly with his back to the net.
As expected, Inarizaki isn't that easy to deal with..
Hinata turned his head toward Miya Atsumu, making a gesture for number 13 with his back to the net, sent a questioning look his way.
They had already tested the level of Number 13's receiving, but since the opponent was taking over for Norikura Isao, they also had to make certain guesses regarding the opponent's offensive and blocking skill levels.
Miya Atsumu waved his hand, signaling Hinata not to worry too much.
If he were truly capable, he wouldn't just be a substitute; this set would definitely revolve around Hoshiumi, there would be no need to divert too much attention to observing anyone else.
Rishia Heisuke was already standing in the service position, waiting for the Head Referee to blow the whistle.
Even if Ginjima played more in the earlier parts of this match, his own serve was no longer something unfamiliar or difficult for Karasuno to handle.
What he must do even more is to exploit the opponent's weaknesses and strive for a decisive blow.