As long as he was determined to avoid Hoshiumi, the ball would never go toward Hoshiumi's side.
Burning gazes repeatedly flew across the net, aiming straight for Miya Atsumu.
Kageyama and Bai Ze clearly had not undergone specialized training for serve cover, Komori had not coordinated with him much, which directly resulted in him and Hoshiumi being able to make eye contact through the gaps.
He could also clearly perceive that.. Hoshiumi was provoking him.
But he was already a mature Captain, a mature Server as well; how could he possibly—
After careful consideration, Miya Atsumu delivered a direct Power Serve toward the corner of the court on Hoshiumi's side.
The placement was incredibly precise, sacrificing a bit of spin on the ball's speed to pursue the most extreme angle.
Without the nauseating serve cover used by Inarizaki, Hoshiumi, whose vision was crystal clear, determined the landing spot of the ball almost instantly.
Under Hinata's gaze, Hoshiumi quickly took a lateral step toward his own rear-diagonal.
He took an enormous lateral lunge, his excellent flexibility supporting his entire center of gravity as he leaned almost flush against the ground.
His upper body moved entirely along with his motion, his pressed-together forearms precisely intercepted the ball's path.
The form was impeccable, even more terrifying was the incredible speed at which it was completed.
With a heavy thud, the ball flew high into the air, dropping toward the head of Sakusa, who had already moved toward the front row attack line.
Sakusa, who had barely spoken until now, couldn't help but offer a word of praise: "What a great First Receive."
He flicked his hand, sending the ball toward Hakuma once again.
Having learned his lesson from the previous request, Hakuma no longer treated Suna as a Libero who posed a threat to him, but rather as a defensive gap that could be broken through head-on.
His spike bypassed the block and went directly toward Suna's feet.
Height affects physical flexibility and the efficiency of a diving to a certain extent. Someone like Komori, who is just over 1.8m, is fine, but someone like Suna, who is close to 1.9m, will experience a lack of coordination in his movements due to an unstable center of gravity.
Suna had already formulated a plan in his mind for how to receive this ball, but his body failed to keep up with his brain.
The moment he made contact with the ball, his center of gravity was shifted, he fell straight to the floor.
The whistle blew, signaling a point for Sakusa's side.
Ignoring Suna, who was lying flat on his back beside him, Hinata's entire world was filled with Hoshiumi: "So cool—Hikari-kun is just too cool—"
He received Miya Atsumu's Serve every day in the team, so he knew very clearly just how tricky Miya Atsumu's Serve specifically was.
And even with his familiarity with Miya Atsumu's Serve, he had never received it so coolly and composedly before.
Hoshiumi was cheered up quite a bit by Hinata: "Of course."
Catching Suna getting up out of the corner of his eye, Hinata turned his head to look at Miya Atsumu beside him.
"Atsumu-ge! You.. you.." Hinata, who was just about to say something, faltered, his mind racing as he searched for the right words to use in this moment.
You really took the bait when Hikari-kun provoked you! You did that on purpose!
As the acting captain, he looked righteous, condemning Miya Atsumu's behavior. Between them, only Miya Atsumu and Kageyama were skilled at serving; Suna, whose serves were tricky, was currently playing Libero and couldn't serve. Therefore, every Service Turn for Miya Atsumu was precious and could not be wasted like this.
Miya Atsumu turned his face away, refusing to accept Hinata's accusations: "Tsk."
So he circled around to the other side of Miya Atsumu, forcing eye contact with him: "That was a serious mistake."
Hinata's expression was very serious, as he stood with his hands on his hips, staring intently at Miya Atsumu.
Looking at Miya Atsumu's face, Hinata suddenly remembered something and cleared his throat. He raised his hand to press down his hair, staring at Miya Atsumu with an extremely calm but dangerous gaze, his expression devoid of emotion.
The moment he locked eyes with Hinata, Miya Atsumu felt a bit dazed.
Wait, wait, wait..
Why did he see the shadow of the Kita Team in Hinata!
Suna, who had already scrambled up, took a step back silently to create enough distance between himself, Miya Atsumu, Hinata. He felt a chill running down his spine, as if he were being watched by something that wasn't there.. even though he hadn't been slacking off during this rotation.
Miya Atsumu slid on his knees incredibly fast. "I was wrong, I apologize, I admit my mistake."
Help, even though the Kita Team has already graduated, he still can't be the king of Inarizaki!
Captain Hinata was satisfied. He stood on his tiptoes and patted Atsumu-player's shoulder. "Very good, Atsumu-player. Don't let it happen again next time."
Kageyama looked at Hinata, then looked at the compliant Miya Atsumu, his mind going blank for a brief moment.
So.. is Miya Atsumu-senpai's personality really this good?
Taking his own perspective into account, he had probably already hung Hinata up on the second-floor railing.
Suna glanced at Kageyama's profile, reading the emotions written all over Kageyama's face.
He couldn't agree with that, after all, Miya Atsumu's bad temper was already well known.
He felt that..
If it were anyone else, Miya Atsumu would have thrown them out of the atmosphere long ago.
After being provoked from a distance by Hoshiumi once again, Miya Atsumu reflected deeply on his mistake.
To be honest, he knew Hoshiumi was trying to lure him into a trap.
But he also had one hundred percent confidence in his own Serve, which was why he chose to face him head-on.
As expected, is this level of Serve simply not enough?
It must not only maintain ball speed but also control the spin without sacrificing accuracy.
As long as there is enough intense spin, the serve will be difficult to receive.
That is the logic behind Sakusa's Serve.
After switching to Dual Wield, his serve practice focused more on the Jump Float Serve.
In this high school volleyball world where no one is particularly skilled at receiving or judging the ball's trajectory, the overall scoring rate of a Jump Float Serve is indeed much higher than a Power Serve, though it is slightly less visually appealing; when he wants to look cool, he will choose a Power Serve.
But they can no longer just consider the transitional matches of the early stages of this tournament. In the higher-level semifinals and finals, his opponents will be people like Komori and Hoshiumi, leaving no room for even a single moment of negligence or error.
Evolution is no longer an option..
Chapter 384: The Three Hundred and Eighty-Fourth Fox
However, a skill like a Serve, which requires long-term training to receive sufficient feedback, is difficult to change significantly in a short amount of time.
When it was time to start the second rotation, Miya Atsumu attempted a Power Serve that combined both speed and spin.
But not only did the Serve hit the net, it also landed on the line.
The ball slammed heavily against the net in the front row near Kageyama's head, giving him a real fright.
As the whistle blew, a scoff from Suna drifted over, though there was a hint of regret mixed into that mockery.
Coach Hiya smiled by the sidelines. "Miya Atsumu's mobility is as strong as ever."
However, some are a bit too eager for quick success.
But since this is a training match and the players are all still in an important stage of growth, any kind of attempt they make is actually reasonable.
They aren't afraid of the players having many ideas or making many mistakes; they only fear that these children lack the heart to take on challenges and the courage to step out of their comfort zones to become stronger.
Coach Unabara laughed heartily, "They're coordinating quite well; Hinata's ability to coordinate with Kageyama and the others so quickly is unexpected."
As a fruit farmer, what he enjoyed most was this very moment of harvest joy.
Coach Hiya agreed, but then added, "However, Hinata really does still need to practice his setting more. His multi-directional coordination is still a bit unrefined, but his feints during a Second Attack are actually quite good."
"There's no rush for that. Hinata has been learning volleyball for less than two years, a skill like setting, which requires meticulous practice, won't show significant results anytime soon." Coach Unabara rubbed his chin.
The afternoon practice matches still consisted of three sets, those who lacked the energy did not stay behind for extra practice, with most heading to the cafeteria.
As he sat down to eat in the cafeteria, Miya Atsumu felt a chill run down the back of his neck.
For some reason, he always felt like someone was watching him darkly from the shadows in the corner.
Miya Atsumu snapped his head around, but there was no one suspicious in his field of vision..
No, Suna, who was buried in his food two tables away, might be one of the suspicious individuals.
Having a faint premonition of what was coming, Miya Atsumu resolved to maintain his good image, even sitting up straighter.
Suna withdrew his gaze with a hint of regret, his phone still resting on the camera interface.
Everyone got along fine throughout the journey, Miya Atsumu also successfully finished his shower after the meal.
Hinata came out behind him, drank a bottle of milk, then opened the locker to change his clothes.
Miya Atsumu was faster than him, so he had already stepped into his slippers and was walking toward the entrance of the bathhouse.
But just as he stepped out of the Locker Room, his slippers, which he hadn't had time to dry because he was rushing to take a shower, caused him to slip, he fell on his butt right at the entrance of the Locker Room.
The camera flashes went off at that moment, capturing Miya Atsumu's undignified state in ten precise and complete shots.
Hiding behind a flowerpot, Suna finished his job with satisfaction. Before Miya Atsumu could even react, he burst into his fastest sprint of his life and vanished from Miya Atsumu's sight in a flash.
Miya Atsumu's expression contorted: "Huh?!"
Hinata, who had just finished getting dressed, rushed over in a panic: "Atsumu-ge! Are you okay!"
"I'm fine. There are no more drinks that I want on this floor. Shoyo, go downstairs and buy a bottle for me." Miya Atsumu brushed Hinata aside, then rolled up his sleeves and rushed toward the dormitory.
I'm going to settle the score with that bastard Suna!
In fact, Hinata, who had heard the cracking sound just now, didn't dare to say anything.
As the party involved in the shady deal with Suna, he really didn't want to get involved in this kind of thing either.
So he pretended not to have seen it and turned to walk toward the stairs.
“Sports drink~ The sports drink Atsumu-ge wants~”
While humming a tuneless little song, Hinata bounced out of the stairwell, searching everywhere for a vending machine on this floor.
The vending machine was in a very conspicuous location; Hinata saw it after walking only a short distance.
After inserting a coin to buy the desired drink, just as Hinata was about to head back toward the stairwell to go upstairs..
Thud!
A loud bang echoed from the side corridor, the sudden sound reverberating through the somewhat empty hallway.