And that spot.. is clearly the position between Coach Kaku and Hakuma.
Both of them aren't particularly good at receiving, without a Libero to provide cover, the probability of him scoring directly is very high.
With a complete plan in mind, Rishia took a deep breath after the referee's whistle, adjusted his state, decisively tossed the ball forward as he began his approach.
He was quite confident in his ball control during a Power Serve.
After the heavy thud, the ball flew over the net and slammed precisely into the spot Rishia had anticipated.
After having had enough rest, the quality of Rishia's serve was even higher, the ball's speed had increased by more than just a little.
Hakuma decisively pulled back, leaving the space for the receive to Coach Kaku.
He himself pulled back to create distance for a running approach, preparing for a strong attack from Position 4.
During his usual training, he played the most in Hoshiumi's relatively less dominant Position 4 strong attacks and back-row attacks; although his current stamina is somewhat struggling to keep up.. pure, violent spiking still doesn't require that much energy to support.
As long as the ball is given to him, a spike to kill is all he needs.
Kumagai and Masaru Haseda locked onto Hakuma Mebuki almost instantly, following the movements of the setter Tokura. At the moment the opponent made the pass, the two of them moved in sync; following the rhythm of Kumagai's shout, Masaru Haseda leapt violently upward, reaching out to touch the ball.
The trajectory of a back-row attack is naturally low, making it very easy to time the touch under these circumstances.
Hakuma looked at the two people on the opposite side; the two from Inarizaki were full of energy, while his own face was already covered in sweat, meaning he was at a disadvantage in terms of condition.
So this ball.. will be blocked.
Hakuma Mebuki, who had always relied on his height and physique to achieve results, hesitated at this very moment.
This won't work; he must find another way to get the ball across.
In that case, what do the technical players like Hoshiumi and the others do..
In that brief moment of suspension, Hakuma Mebuki found the answer within his own memory—the one he could choose and was capable of executing at this stage of his development.
Under the watchful eyes of Kumagai and Masaru Haseda, Hakuma Mebuki suddenly pulled back his strength at the moment his hand was about to touch the volleyball, using the base of his palm to gently push against it.
With a light thud, the volleyball was sent off by Hakuma, maintaining a high angle as it sailed over the net and dropped gently onto the court floor behind Kumagai and Masaru Haseda.
Hinata's mind went blank as he failed to step up for the block. Although his brain was screaming danger and his body wanted to lunge into a diving save, his physical response failed to come in time.
In the end, the sound of the volleyball colliding with the floor rang out; the distance between the ball and Arima, who had dove from the back row, was only a tiny sliver.
The whistle blew, Hakuma scored with a dump.
It wasn't just Miya Atsumu who looked surprised; even Hoshiumi was momentarily stunned.
Coach Unabara, standing by the sidelines, clapped his hands: "Not bad, not bad at all. There's growth. Although it wasn't perfect, a back-row attack dump is inherently difficult to control in terms of power and trajectory; doing it this well is already quite impressive."
Coach Hiya also nodded in agreement: "After all, there are experts right by his side; he sees them often, they can always be called upon at critical moments."
With that height, Hakuma would have been good enough as long as his technique was decent, so the fact that Hakuma is now actively seeking to improve his technique is excellent news for them.
Coach Unabara rubbed his chin. "However, Hakuma has been jumping a bit too frequently today. When we get back, I'll have to ask Coach Aran to tell him to get some good rest, otherwise it'll be hard for us to carry out the training camp for the second half of the month."
The same applies to Hinata, but since Hinata's body is naturally small and light, the physical strain from the same amount of jumping is definitely less than what Hakuma experiences.
"However, Hinata's physical condition is truly amazing. He played almost the entire match during this IH, his current state is much better than anyone else's." Kumoita glanced at Miya Atsumu, who was standing with his hands on his hips, struggling to catch his breath.
Actually, regarding Hinata, someone from the Football Association has already come to ask about him.
However, considering that Hinata himself is incredibly passionate about volleyball, that his jumping ability and speed levels are virtually unmatched within the Volleyball Association, it would be impossible to use Hinata as a bargaining chip with the Football Association.
Coach Fire echoed, "Yeah, but if Hakuma can play from the back row as well.. combined with Hoshiumi's technical adjustments in the front row, Inarizaki will still be a tough opponent to play against."
Plus, with Karasuno leading by a large margin, from my personal perspective, Inarizaki's overall win rate won't reach fifty percent.
As he spoke, he glanced at Hinata, who had risen again to prepare for an attack after being targeted by the serve: "Besides, no matter how high Hinata's physical reserves are, they aren't infinite. Inarizaki's rookies are clearly lacking in experience, combined with the decline in Miya Atsumu's form as a core player.."
“That's enough.”
Kageyama's voice was decisive, interrupting Tsukishima's thoughts.
“What?” Tsukishima Kei slightly raised an eyebrow. “King, are you trying to say that the advantage Inarizaki gained during the opening is enough?”
With the match being so intense, he had no leisure to argue with Kageyama; he just.. he couldn't quite grasp the current situation between the two sides and wanted to hear what Kageyama thought.
"No, it's not." Kageyama shook his head.
Seeing that Kageyama stopped talking mid-sentence, a vein popped on Tsukishima's temple. "Do you really have to stop halfway through everything you say?"
Can Kageyama ever fix this habit of stopping mid-sentence! It's really exhausting having to guess what he wants to say every single time!
If Kageyama were willing to change this, he would be willing to snap at him half a sentence less.
"Huh?" Kageyama, who had just reached out to grab a tangerine, froze for a moment. He lifted his eyes, seriously considering what Tsukishima Kei wanted to ask.
Yamaguchi Tadashi raised a hand to scratch his head, his gaze sweeping over the two classmates on his left and right, momentarily unsure of what to say.
Kageyama was halfway through his sentence, Tsukishima wouldn't say directly what he wanted to ask; he couldn't let things stay this awkward..
Before he could even speak, Kageyama had already discovered the answer for himself.
He let out a soft hum, then said, "I mean, Miya Atsumu-senpai's state is enough."
Even though I have never reached such an exhausted state before.. regardless of the situation, ensuring the environment for the Ace's spike is what a setter should do.
If it were me, I would do that.
Kageyama's voice was firm and decisive; it was an answer he had reached after truly putting himself in Miya Atsumu's shoes to think.
After all.. that Ace himself can ensure that every set from the setter can be utilized to its maximum value.
Then, as a setter, he and his teammates would surely be willing to give the same level of trust and effort to the Ace.
Tsukishima withdrew his gaze from Kageyama and shifted his attention back to the television at the end of his line of sight.
Kumagai has already moved into the service position.
Watching Kumagai, with his Dual Wield, use a successful serve to disrupt Karasuno's first receive formation, Inamura spoke softly, "Not necessarily. Inarizaki is playing a 4-2; perhaps Miya Atsumu is struggling, so they've sent in a substitute to assist him."
Iizuna turned his head toward the guy who had become increasingly unreliable since taking over as Captain: "Do you believe that Miya Atsumu can't make it, or do you believe that I've been reincarnated from five hundred years in the future?"
He had always thought Inamura was quite reliable before, but now it seemed.. perhaps it was only because Amatori was so unreliable that this junior stood out among a bunch of eccentric juniors.
So.. when will the Libero become the Captain?
Komori said, "It's hard to say what Miya Atsumu is planning, but Kumagai can definitely be used as a powerhouse."
However, under these circumstances, there was indeed a possibility that some might want Kumagai to act as a substitute setter.
But.. from the start of this set until now, Kumagai hasn't made a single set.
However, considering that a 4-2 is essentially a back-row setter setting for the front row, Inarizaki's specific rotation will depend on the next ball.
"Nice!" Tokura Ria successfully made contact from the front row. After praising the play, Miya Atsumu, who had not jumped for a block, reached out his hand to signal Rishia Heisuke to receive the ball.
Rishia quickly retreated to touch the ball, while Miya Atsumu also moved backward to a position beneath the ball near the Attack Line.
Hoshiumi's gaze swept across Hinata, who was moving quickly from Position 2 to Position 4, finally landed on Kumagai, who had stepped forward to prepare for a follow-up set.
Miya Atsumu retreating doesn't necessarily mean he is preparing to set; he might also be creating space for a running approach to attack, so they cannot be impatient.
But in the very next second, as Kumagai came to a halt behind the three-meter line, Miya Atsumu also jumped backward directly while retreating.
The sound of a light touch on the volleyball rang out immediately after, with a tilt of his body, Miya Atsumu sent the ball flying to the side.
Unlike the usual passing routes for Inarizaki's quick attacks, this ball was a true straight line; both Hinata and Miya Atsumu, positioned in the front row, compressed the ball's trajectory to its shortest possible path.
And Hinata also utilized a one-footed jump, a technique he hadn't used much before; he maintained his approach speed and suddenly leaped near Position 4, using his lateral momentum to propel himself into the hitting point at Position 4.
The height wasn't high enough, but.. it was enough.
Bang!
The sound of a heavy spike echoed throughout the entire gym; Bessho Chigen and Coach Kaku, who had rushed over to cover the play, failed to touch the ball entirely.
They jumped too late, even without Hinata increasing his hitting point, they still failed to touch the ball. It pressed down over their heads and landed precisely on the floor near the sideline of Karasuno.
Hirugami in the back row also failed to save this ball.
The whistle blew, Inarizaki scores, interrupting Hirugami's serve.
Beautiful! Shoyo, what a great play!!
So cool! Little Radish! Just like lightning!!
Radish Lightning!
Hinata, who had just opened his arms to welcome the cheers of the entire crowd, was hit head-on and loudly protested, "It's not a radish!"
Coach Kaku tried his best to smile. "That was fast.."
As a substitute, he had only seen Hinata's quick attack from off the court; how could no one have told him that Hinata was this terrifying on the court?
Bessho said simply, "More terrifying than before."
He glanced at Hinata, who was currently arguing heatedly with the cheering squad.
To be honest, before this match, Hinata had also been performing quick attacks, even coordinating with Miya Osamu for Double Quick attacks. He had blocked more than once as well, but not once had it been as impossible to react to as this ball.
While Miya Osamu sat on the Inarizaki coach's bench eating a lemon, Bessho's thoughts momentarily stalled at this very moment.
No..
Was it because he was trying to coordinate with Miya Osamu that Hinata proactively slowed down?
Catching the flash of panic in Bessho's gaze as he looked toward Hinata, Miya Atsumu curled his lips into a smirk.
He stepped forward and patted Hinata on the head, pulling him back. "Alright, I'll have the cheering squad come up with a cooler nickname for you later. We're not using that 'Radish' thing anymore."
“Yeah!” Hinata nodded vigorously.
He has grown a lot more than before, but those old men still like to call him Little Radish.
At this rate.. he should be called a Big Radish by now!
"Are you tired?" Miya Atsumu asked softly.
"Tired, but it feels great," Hinata replied.
To be able to pour out every bit of my energy without holding anything back.. that feeling.. it's truly wonderful.
Atsumu reached out and rubbed Hinata's head. "It gets even better in a bit."
After the time-out at 8 points, the service right was returned to Miya Atsumu.
The current situation remained that Inarizaki was leading, but it was limited to the consecutive scoring at the very beginning; since then, Karasuno had been staying right on their heels.