Rishia nodded seriously, holding the ball in one hand as he stood in the serving position.
Now Inarizaki holds a two-point lead, as long as he can score on this serve, the victory in this match is essentially secured. This is the victory Hinata wants most—he has known that for a very, very long time.
As the first person from Inarizaki to meet Hinata, he had seen Hinata at his most immature, back when Hinata would frequently mention the powerful and proud Kageyama.
He considered himself not to be a good mentor.
Because there was no professional volleyball coach, by the time Hinata wanted to join the Volleyball Club, the coach's focus was already on the Second Year students. Most of the Third Year students had already retired, leaving behind mostly veteran members who had already decided on their future academic paths, so his application ultimately came to nothing.
During that period, he also rarely went to the Volleyball Club because he wasn't familiar with his classmates at his new school, most of the time after school that should have belonged to club activities was instead dedicated to Hinata.
During those days at the Riverside Court, he would mostly be leading Hinata through some basic training, given how clumsy he already was.
Moreover, he himself had to attend the weekend Volleyball Classroom activities arranged by Coach Kurosu, so he wasn't with Hinata all the time.
He remembered it clearly; once, when he was returning to find Hinata after finishing his Sunday Volleyball Classroom session, Hinata was crouching by the riverside, staring blankly with a look of distress on his face.
He asked him what happened.
Hinata said that while he was practicing bumps with the others who wanted to practice serves, he accidentally bumped the ball into the river.
The two of them sat by the bank dazed, watching the volleyball drift on the water dozens of meters away until it disappeared from their sight.
At that time, Hinata swore to him that he would practice his bumps until the ball would never fly into the river again.
And Rishia also decided at that time that he would practice his serve properly, at the very least to the point where he could set the ball to Hinata, so that he wouldn't let the ball fly into the river.
For the past three years, every time Hinata had a birthday, he would receive a volleyball as a gift, but it looks like that won't be happening next year.
Because.. Hinata already has a carload of volleyballs.
But now, he had become very skilled at setting, he believed his current serve had reached the level he had once aspired to achieve.
But.. he was not satisfied.
Having followed Inarizaki to the national stage, he had seen far too many powerful players, he realized that the serve he took such pride in was actually nowhere near as strong as he had imagined.
Whether it was Kageyama or those powerful Aces, their serves were all more tricky and much harder to deal with than his.
He was unwilling to accept it.
Inarizaki doesn't need a conservative server; since he is at the very bottom of the team, there is no meaning in him staying where he is.
A little bit of effort isn't enough; since he has decided to issue a challenge.. he must take steps large enough.
Rishia's gaze gradually grew sharp.
Sitting on the Coach's bench, Kumagai's previously relaxed back straightened silently.
He looked at Rishia, feeling an unprecedented sense of threat from this usually soft-tempered companion.
Hey, are you kidding me..
Are they really going to do this right now?
The whistle sounded in everyone's ears, the moment the Head Referee moved his arm to signal the serve, Rishia raised her hand to toss the ball.
Without giving anyone time to react, the heavy thud of the final step of the approach hitting the floor was already perceptible to everyone.
The eight-second time limit for a serve is meant to give the server time to adjust their state, but.. Rishia doesn't need it.
Serving was his specialty; he was always in a state of complete readiness!
Nishinoya, who had completely failed to expect Rishia to blow the whistle, was startled by the sudden sound.
Inarizaki's Miya Twins and Tokura's serve cover were perfect, so he didn't have enough visibility to see the opponent's serving motion. It wasn't until he heard the sound that he realized what had happened.
Nishinoya's attention was focused entirely on the top edge of the net, attempting to capture the movement of the ball at the earliest possible moment.
But in the very next instant, the ball, carrying a heavy spin, soared over the net and suddenly slammed down with extreme speed.
At least.. it wasn't the speed of the serve Rishia usually produced in his memory.
Bang!!
A heavy thud exploded, Nishinoya, who hadn't been mentally prepared for Rishia's ball, failed to stabilize his center of gravity.
But fortunately, relying on his exceptional professional skills, even as he fell, he managed to pop the ball up steadily, sending it toward Karasuno's front row at a sufficiently high angle.
Rishia frowned, dissatisfied with the outcome of the play: "Tsk."
The stands were in an uproar at this moment, not just because of Rishia's stunning serve, but also because Nishinoya had actually managed to bump the ball.
"Follow up, follow up!" Coach Ukai was startled into standing up, shouting loudly to the Karasuno members, calling for them to bring their attention back.
Kageyama's follow-up speed was also fast enough; while making his run, he used his peripheral vision to complete his observation of Inarizaki's defensive positioning.
Given Karasuno's current offensive conditions.. the spiker doesn't need to think much about this ball.
The moment Miya Atsumu and Tokura shifted toward Tsukishima due to Kageyama's feint, Kageyama pivoted and delivered a back set toward the area near Karasuno's Position 2.
Tanaka, who had already gained sufficient momentum for his approach, took a large stride forward and leaped up with a heavy thud, preparing to spike.
“Please, Ace!”
Miya Osamu's reaction time was fast enough; even though he was the only one able to keep up, he delivered an almost perfect response, jumping to Tanaka's side to restrict his spike's trajectory.
Meanwhile, Unabara Uta in the back row had also shifted his position deeper, ready at any moment to defend Tanaka's Line.
Having finally scored a point, Tanaka had already formulated a plan for this play in his mind.
Tsukishima had shared with them before that his strategy for blocking was to use early pressure to create a sense of habitual thinking in the opponent, ultimately allowing him to counter-attack and score.
So now, facing Inarizaki's defense, all he has to do is..
At the moment of the spike, Tanaka controlled his body to slow his descent, his fingers pressing against the bottom of the volleyball, giving it a slight upward momentum that allowed it to clear Miya Osamu's block.
It was a dump.
Unabara Uta couldn't react in time at all. Among spikers of the same level, Tanaka's ability to play a technical ball is on the weaker side, he hasn't demonstrated much ability to control the flow of this match.
No.. or should I say, Inarizaki didn't give Tanaka the opportunity to perform?
Unabara Uta had already lunged for the ball, relying on his own sufficiently fast reaction time; with his height and long limbs, he stretched out his arms and managed to bump the ball just in time.
But he didn't have enough time to control the ball, it flew directly toward the area in front of the net at Position 3.5.
"I've got it!" Miya Atsumu followed without hesitation, jumping up and preparing to spike.
It looked like there was no chance for any further adjustment on this ball, Kageyama and Tsukishima also quickly moved up, preparing to block.
But just at the moment when the ball was about to collide with Miya Atsumu's strike—
Miya Atsumu used a backhand to brush the ball, adjusting it toward a high point behind him at Position 3.
The block is falling.
At this very moment, nothing could stop Hinata, who had already taken flight.
A fake spike that turns into a true set, followed by a close-range quick attack from behind the three-meter line.
The whistle blew, Inarizaki scores.
Nice play!!
So cool, Atsumu! So cool, Shoyo!!
Is this a Volleyball Superman?!
Amidst a roar of cheers, Miya Atsumu turned his head to look at Hinata, who had already rushed toward him: "Shoyo!"
Hinata raised his hand: "I'm here!"
Atsumu leaned back slightly, his eyes subtly sweeping across the entire stands that were currently cheering for them.
The Quarterfinals for both Men's Volleyball and Women's Volleyball were being held simultaneously, a match was also being played on the adjacent court. However, since the Women's Volleyball side was currently in a Time-out, the crowd watching this side wasn't just composed of the Men's Volleyball half.
The entire Inarizaki No. 2 Gymnasium was cheering for the recent offense, Miya Atsumu felt a sense of joy like never before.
He asked loudly, "Today—are you happy!"
Hinata's answer was equally unhesitating: "Of course! Super happy!"
Miya Atsumu laughed heartily, "Hahaha—"
There was no need to play the match this way; he knew it clearly, everyone in Inarizaki knew it clearly, but no one raised an objection.
The only one who felt a flicker of doubt was himself, but that was just the kind of thought Atsumu would have as the Captain.
But he suddenly realized that such thoughts were actually completely unnecessary. Coach Kurosu and the Kita Team didn't choose him because he was a steady person; most of the time.. he actually only needed to follow his own heart.
He turned his head to look at his lover, extending a final invitation to him.
Let's end this match during the play's climax, my dear Shoyo.
Hinata nodded earnestly, "Okay."
No beautiful time can last forever; he would end the current story and achieve the victory he had dreamed of.
Next.. he would continue to wait for the next chance to compete.
The frustration that had been weighing on his heart slowly dissipated. Hinata looked at Kageyama across from him, observing his expression of frustration mixed with helplessness.
He said that no matter where Kageyama's destination was, he would go even further than his opponent.
This time, the winner was him.
Hinata took a step toward the net: "Kageyama, this is the twelfth match between the two of us, the winner will still be me."
Kageyama took a deep breath and replied with a frown, "The match isn't over yet; it's a bit too early to say things like that."
Hinata wasn't angry either; instead, he put his hands on his hips and said decisively, "I'll make you submit!"
Tsukishima wiped the sweat from his face with his hand. The lower edge of his silicone sports goggles slipped slightly due to the sweat. He took the towel handed to him from the sidelines, wiped his face, put his glasses back on.
His elevated body temperature made his breathing feel unusually hot, the soreness in his body was constantly screaming for a strike.
He looked at Hinata and Miya Atsumu, who were still talking with smiles on their faces, a powerful sense of helplessness welled up in his heart: "It's just like.. they're monsters."
The match certainly hasn't ended yet.
But.. is there really a chance of winning? Is it truly worth continuing to work hard?
Tsukishima's mind went blank.
He didn't want to think about those complex issues at this moment; he only knew that the looks on those guys' faces across the net were truly an eyesore.
If he doesn't get this revenge.. he won't be able to sleep tonight.