Chapter 450: The Four Hundred and Fiftieth Fox
The ominous premonition was gradually being realized through Inarizaki's step-by-step actions, Hoshiumi's mood sank lower and lower.
Although he had long known that Inarizaki would come to this match with the most complete strategy, their composed demeanor at this very moment was still startling.
What are they going to do? What exactly is Inarizaki planning to do?
The answer to this question might not be very important at this moment; no matter what kind of scheme is used, it cannot be effective enough in front of a truly powerful person.
As long as he simply does his absolute best, he will naturally be able to become impeccable.
Hoshiumi took a deep breath, stared at the Inarizaki members opposite him, shouted, "Bring it on!!"
Miya Atsumu gave a light chuckle. "You've got plenty of spirit."
But.. spirit alone is of no use.
After all, his serve was undoubtedly the truly powerful one!
Thud!!
The moment the heavy thud occurred, the ball had already cleared the net and slammed into Karasuno's back row.
This time, Miya Atsumu did not set a chest-aimed spike to Hoshiumi, but instead delivered a jump float serve at a very high angle, controlling its descent toward the corner of the court behind Hoshiumi; it was a remarkably standard dropping ball.
The only difference was that Miya Atsumu's Jump Float Serve was also quite heavy.
To reduce the probability of his serve being received, Miya Atsumu had undergone specialized training to strengthen the power of his serves, which of course included his Jump Float Serve.
Confirming the trajectory of the ball, Hoshiumi couldn't help but click his tongue.
That guy Miya Atsumu.. is as tricky and difficult to deal with as ever.
The tug-of-war between offense and defense began once again, Inarizaki continued to carry out their previous playstyle.
Although Miya Atsumu's Service Turn failed to continue scoring, Karasuno also had no opportunity for consecutive points; instead, Hoshiumi kept hitting the floor due to Inarizaki's intentional targeting.
In the stands, Iizuna frowned: "Hoshiumi spent several rotations at the back row since the opening; it really was quite difficult for him to play."
From the opening to now, Hoshiumi has only had one rotation in the front row, which was during Asahina's serve at the start of the match.
Next was Miya Atsumu's serve; although Hoshiumi was in the front row, because he had to retreat to cover the setter, he was essentially performing back-row defensive cover.
In this situation, Inarizaki still exerted offensive suppression against him.. making it incredibly difficult for him to play.
Amatori waved his hand dismissively and said with a pout, "The main problem is that Hakuma, who should be carrying the heavy burden of the offense at this time, hasn't provided enough feedback."
There was nothing wrong with Karasuno's rotation itself. Although Hoshiumi is the Ace, he is a well-rounded player, his defense is consistently excellent.
In terms of offense alone, Karasuno's true core should be Hakuma, who possesses an absolute advantage in height.
Hoshiumi is currently under pressure in the back row, so Hakuma should be liberated.
But the fact remained that Hakuma failed to score, which directly resulted in Karasuno's strategy not being able to unfold at all.
If I had to say.. Inarizaki's approach should be described as being tailored to the individual.
Shiratori reached out a hand and gently smoothed his hair, speaking softly to himself.
Bokuto put down the teething biscuit Shiratori had stuffed into his hand and tried hard to strike up a conversation with Shiratori: "In-divi.. dual? What do you mean?"
Only the two of them came today as well.
He had invited Akaashi to come before, but Akaashi said he wanted to watch this match with everyone at Fukurodani, so he declined.
If he can't talk to Shiratori.. Shiratori will definitely be lonely!
Shiratori glanced at him twice, looking as if he had something to say but hesitated.
Appearing to struggle with his thoughts for a moment, Shiratori finally held up two fingers toward Bokuto: "You mean, using different methods of suppression against different people?"
Bokuto scratched his head: "Suppression methods?"
Because he woke up late and had no time to style his hair, his hair was messy from static electricity from sleeping, so Shiratori eventually gave him a headband that Shimizu usually uses for washing her face, forcing him into a "slicked-back" look.
Taking a glance at the pink, plush-textured hairband on Bokuto's head, Shiratori felt that he looked a bit more presentable.
Shiratori kept his tone calm and continued his explanation: "In other words, Inarizaki used tactics against Hoshiumi to force him to cover the Setter, thereby interfering with his subsequent offense, they also made targeted adjustments against Hakuma's spike when blocking."
You see, Hakuma's spikes almost always result in a touch, making it very difficult to get a direct point.
Bokuto stared at the court for a long time before finally nodding, "I completely understand."
He couldn't understand the explanation at all, but when it came to volleyball, he seemed to understand a little bit more.
As expected, Akaashi was right, he was still very smart!
Shiratori felt very gratified, his entire aura became bright and cheerful.
Bokuto applied the logic to other situations: "So Hakuma, Hirugami, the others' blocks against Shoyo and Miya Atsumu were also that.."
At this point, Bokuto paused. In the moment Shiratori turned his head, a flash of inspiration struck him as he recalled the phrase he was looking for: "Teaching according to the student's ability?"
Shiratori's expression froze.
The pink headband isn't even cute anymore; this guy is a hopeless case!!
He went crazy for the first time today: "It depends on the person! Those two terms are completely different, okay!"
While Shiratori's mini-lesson was a complete failure, Karasuno finally managed to seize an opportunity for a counterattack on the court.
Rishia's spike was blocked by Bessho, Hinata dove to save the ball, completely disrupting the rhythm of the offense.
Miya Atsumu passed the ball to Suna on the other side of the front row, Suna performed a spike with a changing trajectory, but in the end, it was still touched by the extremely quick-reacting Bessho.
Takahashi praised loudly, "Great touch!"
As expected, once two of Inarizaki's offensive trio rotated to the back row, his world brightened up.
Hinata quickly retreated two steps, creating distance from the net.
Asahina on the opposite side had already secured the ball, seizing the perfect moment to set it directly to Norikura Isao.
Norikura Isao's spike wasn't directed toward Hinata's side, so Suna and Rishia Heisuke performed the block.
Exchanging a glance with Hakuma, who had just rotated, Hinata raised his hand without hesitation to call for the ball: "Give me the ball!!"
At the same time, the ball just barely touched Suna before falling into the back row.
Miya Osamu stepped forward with extreme speed, also applying enough force at the moment of receiving to ensure the ball reached the setter's position even faster.
Miya Atsumu stepped up from the back row, after finding his position, he decisively sent a high ball to Hinata, who had already rushed toward Position 4.
This set was incredibly stable, syncing almost perfectly with the extra-long hang time Hinata would have in his peak state, giving him enough time to make any necessary adjustments.
Staring at Hakuma Mebuki and Bessho Chigen chasing from the opposite side, Hinata's gaze locked onto the position beside Takahashi in the back row.
Bessho Chigen keenly sensed this, instinctively preparing to adjust the direction of his arms to intercept Hinata's short diagonal spike.
But in that very instant, Hinata used a backhand to tip a short diagonal, sending the ball flying right past Bessho and landing in the space behind Norikura Isao.
It wasn't an extremely sharp Short Diagonal, but rather one with a wider angle, specifically aimed at a spot where Norikura Isao would find it difficult to receive.
Hoshiumi decisively dove from the side, performing a diving save to keep the ball up.
The situation was truly urgent, Hoshiumi didn't have the time to handle the ball with any finesse; he could only focus on ensuring that the ball was successfully received.
Hakuma called out for the ball: "Give it to me!"
Seeing that the situation was looking grim, Asahina made a quick decision in his heart.
Hoshiumi and Norikura Isao were both on the ground, with Rishia Heisuke watching from Bessho's side, the only option he had at this moment was Hakuma.
Moreover, the closest blocker on the opposing side is Hinata, so Hakuma has an absolute advantage in vertical height..
It can be done!
The moment Asahina touched the ball, she did her absolute best to take the spin off the volleyball, giving Hakuma a ball that was, for the time being, high enough.
Hinata also retreated to create enough distance for a running approach before moving forward again, jumping at a certain distance from the net.
On the other side, Suna had also lunged forward; both of them leaned their bodies back slightly, clearly preparing to cut off Hakuma's spike trajectory.
At this rate.. the ball will still be touched.
Hakuma's brain went blank for a moment, but in his daze, he suddenly remembered what he should be doing right now.
Woguo, in this situation, the best choice is Woguo.
He subconsciously adjusted the angle of his arm in preparation for a spike, but he saw Hinata and Suna's palms pressing down from the opposite side.
No, he'll be blocked.
But it's too late to adjust for a high ball now.. Is the only option to try tooling the block?
The ball about to be spiked by Hakuma was reflected in Hinata's pupils.
Now is the time!
Two heavy thuds rang out in succession, the ball landed directly back into Karasuno's court at an extremely high speed.
The Head Referee froze for a moment, but in the end, he did not call a point for Inarizaki's block; instead, he called Hakuma's spike as an Internet Surf.
Amatori in the stands finally thought of an adjective: "Thugs! This is a thuggish way of playing by Inarizaki!"
Yamamoto at the commentary desk was so excited he almost stood up: "The Little Giant Hinata! A one-on-one block against the 2m giant Hakuma!"
But the headphone wire tugged at him, he couldn't stand up smoothly.
Kito also got excited: [This is simply a miracle—]
—Even though the final ruling was Internet Surf, it didn't negate the success of Hinata's block.
Unlike the two hardworking seniors beside him who were trying their best to hype up the atmosphere, Oikawa Tooru rested his elbows on the table and shielded his face with the back of his hand, looking a bit hesitant to watch the situation on the court.
The Inarizaki stands fell silent for a moment. Aran was the first to lose his composure, raising a hand to cover his face as he let out a sigh. "What on earth is even happening.."
Next to him, Unai Aman also tried hard to stifle her laughter, but she ultimately failed.
Starting with him, everyone behind him who was part of the Inarizaki supporters was laughing uncontrollably, the neighboring students' cheering squad also repeatedly hissed at Hakuma.
Hoshiumi, who had just scrambled up from the ground, had a ferocious expression on his face, his complexion had visibly reddened; he was clearly fuming with rage.
He roared, "Meisei! You've got a grudge against me, don't you!"