On the other side, Arashiyama smiled and reached out to tap Sasaki on the back. "Stop teasing him."
Komori was standing ready.
Fukami's Power Serve is at a very high level; his power, precision, control over spin are all incredible. As long as he is sent onto the court, he can basically score one or two points per set.
As for Fukami himself, he is not skilled in other areas, so he reasonably speculated that the opponent might have specialized in volleyball, it was possible they had mastered other different types of serves, such as Dual Wield or Side Spin.
Fukami did not play in yesterday's match, so he was also unaware of the opponent's situation.
In short.. stay on guard against both the Jump Float Serve and everything else.
The time for the serve had been dragged out to the very last second. Behind the arm raised in his field of vision, Miya Atsumu tossed the ball up with one hand, while simultaneously leaning his body forward and tilting slightly to the side.
Komori paused.
Wait, isn't that movement a bit strange?
This doesn't look like a movement starting from a running approach; instead, it's..
The ball was tossed almost vertically upward and then fell; at the same moment Komori's expression changed drastically, the sound of a heavy strike already ringing in everyone's ears.
The next second, the volleyball, struck with immense force, soared to an incredible height, turning into a black dot in everyone's field of vision, almost merging with the dark ceiling after the bright light.
The Karasuno members, who were watching the match via live stream on tablets in the meeting room, erupted in a massive roar: "A Ceiling Serve?!"
The ball, struck to an extreme height, accelerated as it fell, Komori, who had not anticipated this at all, failed to find the right position.
On the other side, Ishikawa failed to react in time, the ball struck the space between him and Komori, so Inarizaki scores.
Fukami froze for a moment, then pumped his fist and cheered, "Yes!!"
A serve scored! And it was from the hands of the High School First Libero!
He is simply too amazing!
Hinata was also quite surprised; considering that Komori's first receive was so high-level that even Miya Atsumu couldn't score many points from it, Fukami's sudden attack had actually worked.
He turned his head and praised, "Subaru, you did great!"
Fukami gave everyone a thumbs up. "Of course!"
Hoshiumi slapped the table. "What on earth is that? What do you mean by that!"
Hirugami rubbed his chin. "Is it something new that was added on short notice?"
He turned his head toward Takahashi Ai, who had somehow managed to crawl under the table at some point, asked, "Ai, can you receive it?"
Takahashi, who was trying to disappear from the seniors' sight, sighed, "I can't do it—"
Komori felt like he was going to laugh from sheer frustration.
Generally speaking, players performing a serve would stand near the baseline to serve, as a ceiling serve itself requires immense strength, even an extra centimeter of distance when sending the ball over the net requires a higher degree of control.
But to maximize the element of surprise, this person tossed the ball while in a three-step approach, yet still delivered a Ceiling Serve that landed near the three-meter line.
Inarizaki hadn't even brought out their full strength yet; it turns out they were waiting for this.
Komori wiped the smile from his face and lowered his head slightly, letting out a slow breath.
Sakusa had finally managed to almost tie the score, but now the gap had been widened again.
But it's fine, he won't give Inarizaki another chance to score.
This challenge.. he accepts it.
Sakusa glanced slightly toward Komori in the back row, not feeling worried about him.
All he needs to think about right now is how to take the next point, that is all.
After scoring directly from the serve, Hinata's cheering grew even louder: "One more, Subaru!!"
That was a service ace scored right against Itachiyama!
Moreover, Sakusa will rotate to the back row in the next round, which will further decrease Itachiyama's chances of making up the score; this is the best opportunity for Inarizaki to significantly widen the gap.
Komori's positioning was quite deep in the back, so whether it was Fukami's specialty Power Serve or a Ceiling Serve, he would need to leave enough space to receive it.
Seeing Itachiyama's positioning, Fukami felt a small surge of excitement.
Very good, the opponents have indeed shifted their positioning backward just as Atsumu-senpai suggested. In that case, next..
Fukami remained at the three-meter line preparing to serve, his eyes fixed intently on Komori, who was guarding half of the opponent's court alone.
The whistle blew in his ears, the Head Referee signaled that Fukami could serve.
In the stands, Hayami rested his chin in his hand, his eyes cast down toward Fukami.
It was still at the very end of the serve limit when Fukami raised his hand and tossed the ball up.
Komori watched his movement; that tossing angle meant the opponent intended to use a Serve.
But just at the moment the ball dropped into its intended position, Komori heard a soft, crisp sound.
The ball was hit at a low angle toward the net via a sharp cross, then.. it precisely grazed the top of the net.
A roar erupted in the arena as the ball cleared the net and dropped toward Itachiyama's court.
Ishikawa decisively threw himself onto the floor, reaching out to receive the ball.
His timing was extremely precise; he placed the back of his hand between the ball and the floor, forcibly preventing the ball from hitting the ground.
Komori, who had originally been positioned further back, also reacted very quickly, rushing forward in two steps to dive for the ball in an attempt to save it.
But the position of his dive was poor, the ball was already unstable; once he touched it, the ball flew straight down into Inarizaki's court.
Miya Osamu lowered his center of gravity and received the ball at a low angle, sending it as high as possible toward the front of the net.
The opposing team's positioning was in complete chaos; in such a situation, attempting to organize a conventional offense would have been the wrong choice.
Suna seized the opportunity from this ball, stepping forward to jump and spike it down directly.
Inamura in the back row tried to chase it down, but Suna spiked the ball precisely into the corner furthest from them, ultimately giving him no chance to reach it.
The whistle blew, Inarizaki scores.
Arashiyama, in the stands, gasped, "That's three points in a row."
Inarizaki's scoring momentum this time was a bit too terrifying; from his perspective, Itachiyama wouldn't be able to catch up within two rounds.
The Inarizaki members stood together, high-fiving Fukami Subaru one by one in celebration.
“Subaru! That was amazing!”
Great play, so much energy.
Ten points! I'll get ten points!
Subaru Fukami was being praised to the heavens, feeling a bit lightheaded: "I'll work hard to get ten points!"
Hayami let out a soft huff from the stands: "Hmph."
Sasaki waved a hand in front of Hayami and said in a teasing tone, "You're angry."
Hayami replied expressionlessly, "No."
Sasaki turned his head to look at Arashiyama: "He's definitely angry."
Hayami snapped her head around. "I told you, there isn't!"
What is he angry about? What is there to be angry about?
He is not the only one in this world with the surname Hayami, nor is he the only one capable of executing a Jump Float Serve; he isn't that special.
He found the right way to move and the ideas to perfect the decoy system from Hinata; what was wrong with Hinata finding some serving ideas from him?
He isn't angry, he's really not angry.
And.. he felt that it was most likely Miya Atsumu instigating it.
That guy is wicked! And I've always found him incredibly annoying!
Sasaki said to Arashiyama with a grin, "Look, you've made him anxious."
Arashiyama sighed, "Stop bullying him."
Hayami wrinkled her nose, straightening up and emerging from her collar. "I've decided."
Sasaki asked curiously, "What?"
But Hayami ignored him, treating him as if he were invisible.
Actually, he didn't have any other thoughts; he was just.. a little unwilling to give up.
He wanted to try and fight for it one more time!
Komori was a bit at a loss for what to do.
It was obvious that the opponent's server possessed such well-rounded abilities that it was difficult to make a preemptive judgment.
After analyzing the current situation, Sakusa said decisively, "I'll drop back."
Komori nodded. "Okay."
Rather than ensuring Sakusa's subsequent offensive opportunities, the immediate priority was to find a way to ensure they wouldn't lose the point on a serve.
Komori and Ishikawa were in the back half, while Inamura and Sakusa stood forward to defend the front half.
Looking at the opposing team's positioning, Fukami Subaru, who had just begun to think about scoring ten points, bared his teeth. "They've turned into an Iron Wall!"
Miya Atsumu said without looking back, "A truly great Server fears no Iron Wall. You can do it, now go!"
As he spoke, he also gave a look toward Suna.
Suna also added, "Good luck."
Fukami Subaru felt as if a small universe was burning fiercely within his body.
Alright! Ten points! He's coming!
With the Itachiyama members on high alert, Fukami's third serve was a Ceiling Serve.
The ball was incredibly high, giving Komori the sensation that it was about to hit the ceiling.
The black dot in his field of vision descended, becoming increasingly clear within Komori's perception.
He let out a soft gasp.
In the next second, the ball dropped behind Komori, hitting less than two centimeters from the end line.