Regardless of what happened, he would secure this final point for the team.
The whistle blew in his ears, Rishia released his hands, slamming the ball down toward the floor.
After tapping it twice, he caught the ball in one hand and looked up at Takahashi, who was staring intently at him.
The opponent's expression looked terrible; his lips were pale and dry, his sense of mental focus and concentration was also quite poor..
But none of that had anything to do with him. They were enemies, against enemies, one should use their strongest strength.
This time, Rishia was patient, calmly spinning the ball in his palms as he waited for the seconds of the service time limit to pass.
In the split second before the final second arrived, Rishia tossed the ball into the air with one hand.
Takahashi's breath hitched.
In the next instant, the heavy thud of a nightmare appeared once again.
It was still a heavy spike with heavy spin, flying toward him at a speed that was almost impossible to track visually.
In a sense, this serve was no different from the previous two.
A sense of absurdity surfaced in Takahashi's heart; the ball before his eyes seemed to be mocking him.
—Third ball, you still can't receive it.
You've got to be kidding me!
Takahashi grit his teeth, stepping to the side while shifting his center of gravity forward, facing the ball with his forearms.
This time he kept his center of gravity forward; although he couldn't completely neutralize this heavy spin, as long as he gave it height, Kongming would find a way.
Thud!!
The moment the heavy thud rang out, the ball struck Takahashi's arm and flew toward the ceiling at a nearly vertical angle, appearing as nothing more than a dark blur in everyone's eyes.
Asahina looked up, frowning as he tried to track the ball's position.
It was no different from a high toss or a Ceiling Serve; even if he could receive this ball, he had no certainty of controlling it, only being able to send it over the Net as best he could.
"I've got it!" Hoshiumi called out in time.
Asahina stepped back, giving the space to Hoshiumi, who was skilled at receiving movement.
But in truth, Hoshiumi didn't feel confident at all.
Unlike the usual Ceiling Serve, the spin generated by Rishia's power serve was left almost entirely unhandled, which meant.. the speed at which the ball would slam down would be terrifying, it wouldn't necessarily be a line shot.
Hoshiumi took two steps back, squaring his stance toward the ball, squinted in the direction of its flight.
The ball's trajectory fluctuated violently, growing larger and larger in his field of vision.
The moment his fingers touched the ball, Hoshiumi knew it was over.
Bang!
Another heavy thud occurred.
Even though Hoshiumi had already actively applied force to adjust the ball's direction, the spin on top of its original momentum made it impossible for him to successfully neutralize it.
The ball flew diagonally over the net, landing far away.
Rishia, who was positioned nearby, glanced up at the ball but did not move.
The next second, the ball slammed down just outside the Inarizaki sideline, followed immediately by the sound of the whistle.
Out ball, Inarizaki scores.
Inarizaki 26, Karasuno 24. Score 2-0.
The court fell silent for a moment, only to be met by an even more enthusiastic roar of cheers the next second.
Takahashi's hearing was overwhelmed by the massive roar, his vision blurred slightly as his footing gave way, causing him to fall straight down onto the floor.
It's over.
The advantage they had worked so hard to gain, the set point they had so painstakingly secured.. were all lost because of his mistake.
His vision blurred, something trickled down the side of his face.
Takahashi raised his hand to wipe them away, but the sweat and tears mixed together, leaving his face a complete mess.
Damn it, damn it, damn it..
He really is hopeless.
Hoshiumi grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and hauled him up. "Alright, get up, it's time to switch sides. It's only been two sets; there's really nothing you can do against that kind of serve."
What are you doing crying like this? If you ruin your eyes, are you just going to hand the next set straight to the opponents?
Takahashi completely lost control of his tears: "I'm sorry.."
Asahina also didn't know what to say.
To be honest, Takahashi is indeed to blame for losing this set, but they are also at fault for failing to handle that final ball properly.
Inarizaki had been hiding Rishia's serve until now to catch them off guard; if they lacked the skill to avoid the trap, there was nothing they could do.
However, some moves might work once, but they are far less effective when used a second or third time.
However, this seemed to be the second time Takahashi had been brought to tears by Inarizaki.. but to be honest, he wanted to cry too.
Asahina reached out and patted Takahashi's back. "Ai, I'm afraid Rishia-senpai will be in the starting lineup next set, so we'll still have to rely on you. Pull yourself together!"
Takahashi worked hard to wipe his face with a towel, his muffled voice coming from below, "I've memorized his serve trajectory; I'll receive it next time."
Hirugami patted his head. "So reliable."
After switching sides, Hinata, having recovered his breath, decisively tossed the oxygen tank to Coach Omimi and rushed toward Rishia with his arms wide open, cheering, "Heisuke!! You were so cool today!"
Rishia also raised his hand, giving Hinata a heavy high-five: "I told you, there's absolutely no problem."
Like this.. the next set will be set point for Inarizaki.
Coach Kurosu reached out and patted Rishia's shoulder. "Well done."
Miya Atsumu raised his hands to stretch his body, leaning back to loosen up his neck and shoulders.
He turned his head toward Miya Osamu, whose hair was completely soaked with sweat. "All the spotlight today is being stolen by the juniors.."
Miya Osamu lifted his eyes slightly and mocked him in return, "Yeah, the strongest Server in high school."
Miya Atsumu rolled his eyes and gave Miya Osamu a heavy pat on the shoulder. "Tsk, I'll forgive you since you actually worked hard today."
He asked with concern, "Can you still play? Do you want to take a half-set break?"
Suna silently raised his hand. "I think I.."
Miya Osamu said without hesitation, "Yes."
His intensity in these two sets was not inferior to Hinata's at all; if he didn't rest, he really might fall into a permanent sleep on the court.
Atsumu nodded. "Alright. You'll go back in after the second time-out, Heisuke will be in the starting lineup for the next set."
Ignoring Miya Osamu and Suna again, Miya Atsumu looked toward Hinata, who was stretching his legs and staring at his wrinkled skin after taking off his knee pads.
Shoyo, are you happy today?
Hinata looked up at him: "I'm happy, but not that happy."
—Because he hasn't won the championship yet.
Miya Atsumu gave a low chuckle.
He bent his knees, crouching slowly in front of Hinata, his right knee touching the ground.
His voice was somewhat lighthearted, carrying a hint of coaxing, "How about we have even more fun in the next set?"
Staring into those eyes that were like honey, Hinata nodded seriously, "Okay!"
Miya Atsumu held out a hand in front of Hinata and beckoned him.
Hinata tilted his head, although he was confused, he still placed his hand on top of it.
To ensure the feel of his setting, Miya Atsumu's fingertips always had a layer of calluses, which he would sand down if they became too thick. Consequently, those beautiful hands of Atsumu's always felt rough to the touch.
Miya Atsumu looked into Hinata's eyes, his grip tightening slightly on Hinata's hands.
It seemed that the last time they spoke in this manner was nearly a year and a half ago.
At that time, Hinata was still quite green; rather than an "Ace," he was more like a useful weapon belonging to him.
But at this moment, his youth had already gained a more upright physique and more mature skills than before, as well as a body covered in honors and the pride belonging to a strong player.
They no longer needed to prove anything; Hinata had long since stood before everyone.
A Setter exists to clear the way for the Spiker; rather than a "king," he is perhaps more like a "strategist."
Now, his Ace has grown to a level where everyone cannot help but take notice, having long since snatched the MVP medal from his hands.
He was so high-spirited, so.. moving and captivating.
“Shoyo.”
Hearing this call, Hinata, who had been staring blankly at Miya Atsumu's fingers, lightly raised his head, but his gaze instantly collided with that boiling pot of syrup.
The strongest Setter leaned forward slightly; although there was a distance between them, it was as if he were kissing the Ace's hand.
This time.. let me be the one to bring you the championship.
Chapter 542: The Five Hundred and Forty-Second Fox
Hinata stared blankly at Miya Atsumu.
For some reason, he suddenly felt that his body wasn't quite as exhausted anymore.
Miya Atsumu was right. Since he was already very tired, the best solution to the problem was to shorten the match as much as possible.
He would have no problem playing another full set at maximum capacity, but if it drags on until the Fourth Set, it's hard to say.
By then, Miya Atsumu's condition would also decline, if all the starters had to be subbed out.. there would be a high probability that Karasuno would lose the Fourth Set to Karasuno, they might even end up giving Karasuno a chance to come back from two sets down.
Thinking of this, Hinata gripped Miya Atsumu's hand tightly: "Let's win the next set too."
He stared into Miya Atsumu's eyes, his gaze firm and full of ambition.