Since Atsumu-ge's three-peat is already off the table, then.. let's just leave an undefeated legend in the history of Haruko instead.
Hearing these words, Miya Atsumu was clearly surprised for a moment.
Before this, he indeed had not considered this aspect.
But it's true, thinking about it now, they haven't dropped a single set in this Haruko so far, shutting out their opponents in every single match.
Although the goal of the previous matches was to preserve their condition as much as possible and face Karasuno in the most perfect state, looking back now.. it seems that Karasuno has already been surpassed by them without even realizing it.
After the nearly perfect setup, even though the opponent tried to launch a counterattack in the previous rally, Rishia Heisuke forcefully suppressed it.
Takahashi had just cried quite bitterly, it was obvious that he had been completely broken mentally. Combined with his already severely declining stamina, it was uncertain whether he would even be able to perform the basics in the next set.
And Karasuno's substitute Libero is quite mediocre, lacking the ability to take the court in a Finals setting.
If they take these factors into account, they actually only need to put enough pressure on the opponent during the first few service rotations of the next set to pull ahead in the score quite smoothly.
Miya Atsumu curled the corners of his mouth, feeling cheerful and bright.
A great proposal, I like it.
Aran, who happened to see Miya Atsumu's expression, silently pressed his hands together in prayer from the stands, offering a moment of silence for the members of Karasuno: "That guy Atsumu, his malice is practically overflowing.."
Akagi hadn't yet realized what had happened. "Huh? What is he trying to do?"
Aran reached out and pointed at Miya Atsumu, who handed the completed rotation sheet to the Head Referee. "I bet eighty percent of Atsumu's mind is on shutting out Karasuno, I suspect Shoyo was the one who suggested it."
Shoyo looks quite honest normally, but he's actually been stirring the pot the whole time!
At this, Aran clutched his chest in agony. "It's all Atsumu's fault—"
Kita Shinsuke laughed heartily, in a good mood. "Isn't this actually quite good?"
Hayami rested her chin on one hand and said softly, "If Kanzaki were here, she would probably cry."
Sasaki-senpai was puzzled: "Why?"
Hayami replied, "Because the one who has been shut out by Inarizaki for years is Municipal Kobe; in the two years since he moved up, they haven't won a single set, whether in official matches or training games."
“—Though I think Hanae is a bit more pitiful.”
Kanzaki's skill level was indeed quite a bit lower compared to Inarizaki's extraordinary lineup, but Hanae's individual skill was superior to all of Inarizaki's liberos.
He had watched all of the Municipal Kobe match footage, they were indeed crushed by Inarizaki.
But he actually didn't think Hanae's choice not to come to Inarizaki was a mistake.
Inarizaki might be strong, but they are not a powerhouse among powerhouses like Itachiyama or Fukurodani; at this stage, the resources for developing players have actually reached their limit.
As far as he knew, Inarizaki hadn't arranged many practice matches this year besides the regular training camp, largely because their funds weren't that abundant.
In Hinata's current year, the training resources for Rishia and Tokura have also increased significantly since Oori and the others graduated, it seems that Nishizawa is also consuming a large portion of those resources.
Hanae received excellent treatment at Municipal Kobe; Coach Kuchibira arranged many private lessons for him, he also had exchange programs with professional teams, was even specially awarded individual prizes.
Sasaki stroked his chin, feigning deep thought for a moment before suddenly speaking, "Have you realized that you've overlooked a problem?"
Hayami tilted her head. "What?"
Sasaki-senpai's expression was quite serious: "We were also shut out."
This time, it was Hayami who was confused. He tilted his head, looking at this senior with a gaze as if he were looking at an idiot: "We're so bad at this, isn't it only natural?"
Sasaki felt as if he had been struck by two arrows in his knees.
Hayami added another blow: "Although my defense had its flaws, Sasaki-senpai, who failed to keep up with the opponent's offensive rhythm throughout the entire match, is the one who truly deserves the blame."
Sasaki clutched his aching stomach and tried to defend himself: "It's just that Hinata and the others are too incredible."
This time, Hayami gave an affirmative response: "That is true."
Arashiyama, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but laugh.
Today, only they were watching the Finals; the Coach seemed to have gone to the court to follow the university scouts, while Izumi Nozomi and the others had already returned to school to prepare for their exams.
He has already prepared for university admission, so Hayami doesn't need to worry about further education for the time being, whereas Sasaki has already given up on university exams and is planning to sign with a V3 team, while also securing a job at a sponsor's company.
The area around the court was crowded with various media and scouts, most of whom were wearing their club's uniforms to make it easy for the players to identify them.
From his perspective, basically all the famous names from V1 and V2 were present.
However, this probably has nothing to do with them; the only one who might be able to attempt some V1-level possibilities is Hayami.
But Hayami's training hasn't completely finished yet, since his physical development is not yet complete, it remains unknown what impact injuries might have on his physical growth.
Based on the results discussed during his conversation with the Coach earlier, Hayami would either go to a mid-to-lower tier V1 team with a less demanding schedule to play as a starter, or join a top-tier team as an emergency rotation substitute.
Hayami's own attitude is still unclear, but.. as the Captain, he actually favors the first option.
After all.. sitting on the bench is very painful.
—And Hayami loves volleyball so much.
The rotations for both sides on the court had been completed, the players had returned to their positions on the court.
Hayami and Sasaki stopped their argument over "whether Hinata or Miya Osamu has a greater impact" and shut their mouths, turning their attention back toward the court.
In the Third Set, Inarizaki took the first serve.
But this time, Inarizaki unusually did not choose S1, but instead had Rishia Heisuke serve first.
Takahashi felt like everything went black.
The feeling of being sent flying in the last set was still incredibly vivid, he knew very clearly that he was still completely unprepared.
The sound of Rishia slamming the ball against the floor sounded like a death knell at this moment. Sweat beaded on Takahashi's forehead, his arms instinctively recoiled, yet he forced himself to remain calm, keeping them at his sides.
Don't be afraid, he already knows the opponent's serve route very clearly.
As long as he can stay steady, Inarizaki will have no chance to resist when they are in their first rotation for serving.
Miya Atsumu sized up the Karasuno starters on the court.
Karasuno's choice to have the setter start in Position 2 for the serve, which is a position from which they can serve from the first rotation, was a strategic move.
As for the lineup, they did not send out Asahina, but Tokura instead.
Tokura specializes in power serves, in the current situation, his power serves are indeed more threatening than Asahina's serves.
But it wasn't a big problem.
They adjusted their rotation to allow Tokura to match up against Hakuma.
Tokura's fingers had already undergone a second round of reinforcement, ensuring that if there was a touch.. Unabara Uta would definitely be able to keep up.
Moreover, he didn't think that Hakuma's large physique would really allow him to keep up with them for an entire set.
The whistle for the serve sounded for everyone, after adjusting his touch, Rishia tossed the ball immediately, without the slightest hint of hesitation.
It was still his signature high toss, carrying a spin that could be utilized for a follow-up.
Right now, his abundant physical strength is the greatest weapon he can utilize, he can use it to his heart's content without any problem.
He didn't want to give Takahashi any extra time to adjust; while the sense of dread from the opponent's last set had not yet faded.. he would add fuel to the fire.
BANG!!
The sound of a heavy spike exploded once again, Takahashi's mind went blank for a moment as he kept his eyes fixed on the ball.
He had indeed memorized the trajectory of Rishia's previous serve, but.. Rishia had never said he only knew how to use this one type of serve.
The ball carried topspin, tracing a massive arc before landing in the space between him and Norikura Isao, rather than hitting the corner like the previous shot.
Takahashi didn't react immediately, his positioning was even a bit too close to the sideline.
He failed to call out in time, while Norikura Isao, who had mistakenly thought Takahashi wasn't going to receive it, decisively shouted and lunged toward the center line, "I'll take it!"
In a diving position, the ball hit Norikura Isao's arm, but due to the unusual spin and the inability to absorb the impact while diving, the ball bounced toward the back of the court, looking as if it were about to fly right out past the guardrail.
Actually, Takahashi, who had already prepared to receive it, hurriedly pulled back his center of gravity, preventing himself from crashing into Norikura Isao, instead turned to chase after the ball.
Unlike the ball at the end of the previous set that flew out of bounds with a sharp cross toward the corner, this ball landed almost directly on the center axis of the court. Although it was just as far, Takahashi managed to chase it down through a full sprint.
He scooped it up with one hand and sent the ball back toward the court.
His body lost control slightly and failed to brake, causing him to crash directly into the guardrail and nearly tumble over it.
"Opportunity Ball!" Miya Atsumu signaled for Unabara Uta to receive the ball.
He is currently in the front row, so running to the back to chase this kind of ball just to make a direct pass on the first touch is somewhat inefficient.
Unabara Uta slightly stood on tiptoe, reaching up to send the ball toward Miya Atsumu's head.
Atsumu adjusted his position, while Suna and Ginjima had already moved to opposite sides of the net to prepare for the attack, Hinata had already adjusted to Position 4, preparing to coordinate with Ginjima for a Hou Si attack.
Hirugami stared at Miya Atsumu's movement, the moment he pulled his hand back, Hirugami jumped and lunged toward him.
But in the next second, Miya Atsumu used one hand to touch the ball, setting it toward the back of Position 4.
With a sharp crack, the ball was spiked across the net at maximum speed.
Hinata scored a line shot with a Hou Si Quick Attack.
Chapter 543: The 543rd Fox
Miya Atsumu raised a hand and high-fived the rushing Hinata: "Nice play, Shoyo!"
Hinata grinned. "Atsumu-ge tricked them."
In reality, Miya Atsumu didn't provide enough direction beforehand for this play; his decision to run to Position 4 was his own choice.
To be able to deliver the ball precisely to his hitting point even while performing a Second Attack feint.. Atsumu is truly the most amazing.
Hirugami frowned slightly. "Sorry, I'll make the right call on the next ball."
Hoshiumi shook his head. "Don't worry about it."
Even if they had guessed, they wouldn't be able to keep up. Unless it was a predictive block, a negative-tempo quick attack would be impossible for them to chase down from a back-row position, given their current poor condition.
What surprised him was.. that a certain little guy could still run like that at a time like this.
He felt as if he could barely jump for a Center High Ball anymore.
Hoshiumi wiped the sweat from the side of his face and suddenly remembered something that happened during the summer.