The opponent he would face was not someone who could be defeated by the simplest means, what he needed was actual scores, giving the opponent no opportunity for a comeback.
He said it.
Regarding how to reduce points lost and increase points scored, he still had a few insights on the matter.
When it comes to all technical balls, if you trace them back to their roots, they actually all come from the simplest fundamental skills.
Technical balls are never about following the textbook; in theory, as long as he deconstructs and reorganizes everything he has learned, he can create any ball he needs.
Now, what he needs is to avoid the Block and exclude both Line shots and Sharp Cross shots that go out of bounds..
Without any further thought, the final answer was already clearly laid out.
—All techniques can be assembled by oneself.
At the very moment of the spike, Hinata's wrist flicked, hitting the ball with a backhand motion.
It wasn't a short diagonal, but a backspin spike.
Its landing point was in the front row near the side of the block, a ball that no one in the back row could reach in time from their current positions.
In that moment of heart-stopping tension, a sharp sound rang in Hayami's ears, drowning out the sound of the volleyball hitting the floor.
Hinata landed by bending his knees to absorb the impact, exhaling as he arched his back.
He did it.
Chapter 496: The 496th Fox
In an instant, thunderous applause erupted.
Hinata stood up straight and raised both hands in celebration, high-fiving Miya Atsumu, who had just set the ball to him.
“Nice set, Atsumu-ge!”
Miya Atsumu's mouth was still slightly agape in shock when Hinata pressed it shut with a high-five; he looked back and forth between Hinata and the scoreboard several times before finally snapping back to his senses.
After a long time, he could only squeeze out a single sentence: "Shoyo is amazing."
Hinata reached out and patted Miya Atsumu's chest. "Of course!"
Miya Atsumu looked Hinata up and down and asked with a hand on his hip, "Do you have a fever? Does your head hurt?"
Although Hinata's ability to think independently was improving bit by bit, being able to pull off a ball like that just now.. he must have burned through quite a lot of brain cells.
"Not at all! Because you don't have to think for this one." As he spoke, Hinata held up a single finger.
And like Atsumu-ge taught me, you have to strike where the opponent is weakest.
“While avoiding Hayami, you also have to prevent the opponent from chasing down my short diagonal. Isn't the simplest way to handle it by hitting into the block gap even closer?"
It wasn't complicated at all; he simply saw it, so he did it.
It was as simple as that.
Hinata's face was written with pride, attempting to get Miya Atsumu to praise him a few more times.
Actually, he had already had ideas after his first clash with Star First's Block, but he hadn't received many sets from Miya Atsumu since then, he still hadn't fully confirmed where the gaps in Star First's defense were.
Now everything is ready; all that's missing is for Miya Atsumu to give him a good set.
See, even without the strength of Osamu-senpai and Ginjima-senpai, he can still do what an Ace must do.
Miya Atsumu cheered for Hinata: "As expected of our Ace, you're easily the coolest Spiker in all of Inarizaki."
That praise was truly sincere.
Not for any other reason, but simply because Hinata played a great ball.
Hirugami, standing by the sidelines, gasped, "His ball control is already invincible, isn't it?"
Hoshiumi bit his lip to keep his mouth from curling into a grin.
Even so, his entire state became extremely excited because of it.
As expected of Shoyo, the timing and angle of this ball are just too perfect!
To be honest, from a technical standpoint, it isn't actually difficult; it's not that he couldn't simply replicate it.
But.. being able to pull off a ball like that in a real match meant that Hinata was completely crushing everyone else in terms of his mindset.
—Even though he doesn't seem to feel that way himself.
Hatta, who was closest but had failed to react entirely, gave a bitter smile. "As expected, he's incredible.."
To be honest, he felt that this level of variation in the ball's trajectory didn't even feel like playing volleyball, but rather like playing some kind of tennis.
In his impression, volleyball leaned more towards playing through teamwork and coordination, Star First itself followed this pattern.
But during those two recent sets, Inarizaki often scored through the Spikers' individual efforts, the Setter's role was to provide balls that gave the Spikers enough room to perform.
Miya Osamu and Ginjima's violent breakthroughs are the best interpretation of raw power, while Suna and Tokura's playstyles basically use flexibility to make the Block feel sick.
And Hinata was already playing with ball trajectories so much that he was making them look like art.
It proved that top-tier teams like Inarizaki don't just excel at teamwork and coordination; even when forced into solo play under pressure from a Block, their performance remains outstanding.
The score gap has widened now; it will likely be impossible to play the rest of this set.
Thinking of this, Izumi Nozomi turned his head to look at Hayami beside him: "Hayami, in a moment.."
Noticing Hayami looking down with an unreadable expression in her line of sight, Izumi Nozomi's voice faltered.
“Hayami? What's wrong?”
This unsettling feeling was almost spreading over to him..
Sasaki stared straight ahead, not daring to turn around completely to look, but he still tilted his head slightly to observe Hayami.
He really spoke without thinking just now; if he could do it all over again.. he would definitely beat himself for what he said.
As if having completely come to terms with something, Hayami's shoulders slumped in dejection. "I was just thinking.. Hinata is truly amazing."
Izumi Nozomi gave a light laugh. "What, feeling a sense of crisis?"
Hayami was noncommittal about this: "Yeah."
“After seeing the gap, I feel a bit despairing."
Sasaki snapped his head around, only to see Hayami's calm face, as if he hadn't just said those words.
Putting his heart back in his stomach, Sasaki slowly withdrew his gaze.
"Don't worry about me, senpai." Hayami's voice came from behind, carrying an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
We have an agreement, I will keep moving forward.
The whistle blew, the Head Referee signaled for the server on Inarizaki's side to continue the serve.
He raised his head once again and delivered another perfect first receive.
Hayami's mood remained incredibly peaceful.
He always dreams.
Whether they were sweet dreams, nightmares, or just unrealistic daydreams and delusions.
He would never stand on the same side of the court as Hinata; he had known that for a long time.
It wasn't just because he knew clearly that Central Physical Education University had brought in Komori Motoya, but because he understood that a player like Hinata would never stay in the position he occupied.
The gods of fate have never favored him.
Whether he ever had the chance to go anywhere, he didn't know. Now.. he had long since lost that ticket to the top.
But it doesn't matter; just as he said, he will keep moving forward.
Compared to those pessimistic things that once filled his entire world, he was even more certain of another thing at this moment.
—There will always be a place for him on this court.
That is enough.
The whistle blew, Inarizaki 25:20 took the first set of this match.
Sitting on the Coach's bench resting, Hayami's eyes darted around as she took the initiative to speak to everyone.
Actually, Atsumu-senpai also helped me a lot when we were in the Junior National Team.
“This is already Atsumu-senpai's last high school match, so.. I want to give him a gift he'll never forget.”
Sasaki nearly choked on his water.
He spoke in disbelief, "So you've finally made up your mind to steal Miya Atsumu away?"
Although he was mostly on Hayami's side, this was still a bit too unscrupulous!
“Besides, even if Hinata comes over, he'll still be suspended until graduation!”
The person who almost choked this time was Hayami: "What are you saying, Sasaki-senpai! I don't have those kinds of thoughts!"
The two stared at each other, until eventually, Captain Arashiyama stepped in to break their deadlock.
“So, what do you want to do about it?”
Hayami accused Miya Atsumu once again: “Back when we were at the Volleyball Association, Atsumu-senpai treated me like a dog on a leash. I was kind enough to give him a heads-up, but in the end, he snatched my dorm room, stole my position, even secretly asked Coach Kosano to give me extra training."
“So I'm going to get my revenge!”
As a setter, what would be the thing Miya Atsumu hates or even loathes the most?
Of course, it is when the balls he sets cannot be converted into points, or even worse, result in losing points.
Hayami was eager to give it a try: "Captain Arashiyama, let's use that Karasuno blocking style. Play boldly and don't worry, I've got the back row covered."
Sasaki agreed readily, "Sure."
Isn't it just cosplaying Hirugami?
Although his blocking ability certainly isn't that strong, he can't cosplay Hirugami, but he can easily cosplay Scale God.
In any case, his back row block and read blocking are both quite good; although he lacks the same overwhelming pressure from height that Hirugami possesses, the wing spikers on Inarizaki's side aren't very tall either.
He can still hold his ground with his height of just under 1.9m.