Watching the crowd cheering in the arena, Coach Omimi noticed something was wrong from the sidelines: "Isn't the height of those tosses getting higher and higher?"
"Kumagai should be testing Hinata's maximum hitting point," Coach Kurosu said calmly. What surprised him was that after trying for so long, Kumagai could actually increase it even further..
Miya Atsumu narrowed his eyes.
To be honest, this setter's mindset is quite singular, his ability to adapt to on-court situations is only average.
So..
Where is it better?
"Kumagai!" Hayakawa, from the back row, managed to send the ball to the front row, though the positioning was a bit off.
Cold sweat broke out on Kumagai's forehead.
To be honest, although the opponents played much worse than the ones at Zenin Junior High.. this frantic rhythm of receiving balls was something he was experiencing for the first time.
When the first receive is not in position, it is truly difficult to find the time to think about subsequent tactical arrangements.
Across the net, Xun Yidou was also observing Kumagai, who was moving near where the volleyball would land.
At the moment, the only attacker on the opposing side capable of scoring was that little guy, Hinata was currently in a perfect position. If everything went according to plan..
"Akuma!" Hinata shouted, calling for the toss.
It should be him, it's him again!
Xun Yidou rushed toward Hinata, who had already moved toward the edge of the net, without a second thought, seeing his decisiveness, the other two quickly followed suit.
But at that very moment, Kumagai raised his hand and passed the ball to Tokura in the opposite direction.
Seeing the ball flying toward him, Tokura Yukihito was stunned for a moment, his mind going completely blank.
Wait, does this mean he's supposed to spike the ball?
H-how exactly do you spike it?
"Go for it! Tokura!" Kumagai shouted loudly.
An empty net stood before Tokura, even the defense in the back row of the opposing team had been moved out of position by Hinata, making this the best scoring opportunity.
His body moved on instinct; Tokura rushed directly under the ball, then used the jumping technique from his dancing to reach up and touch it.
With a loud bang, the volleyball slammed into the opponent's court, Tokura Yukihito scored.
Akagi frowned. The way the ball was hit was quite strange, there was a suspicion that it might have been "pushed," but in the end, he did not call a hold on Tokura.
Seeing Tokura score for the first time in a volleyball match, Hinata was even more excited than he was: "Ohhh! We scored!"
Having just snapped out of it, Tokura was pressed into a high-five by Hinata, caught up in the excitement, he couldn't help but cheer as well: "Yes!!"
Miya Osamu, who had already finished watching a match, was wandering around the arena. As he walked toward Court 1, he happened to see Miya Atsumu with his back arched, head bowed, staring intently at the court.
That expression looked as if he was suppressing something.
Miya Osamu blinked and walked decisively to Miya Atsumu's side, then he heard Atsumu's low voice.
Yeah, you can even use it like that..
"You're smiling like a pervert," Miya Osamu remarked mercilessly.
But unexpectedly, Miya Atsumu did not snap back immediately.
The serve in the court smashed down in front of Hinata, but Hinata failed to receive it entirely.
"Sorry!" Hinata from Karasuno apologized hurriedly.
Ah.. receiving the ball is so hard.
But not being able to receive the ball won't do; he'll have to practice hard later. Now that he has a coach, he can pester him with questions!
Unabara Uta clapped his hands. "Don't worry about it, don't worry about it. Leave it to me. Hinata, you just focus on attacking."
As a libero, protecting the setter and the ace on the court was originally his duty, even though he is playing as an outside hitter now, the entire logic remains unchanged.
On the next play, the opponents targeted Hinata again, but this time Unabara Uta proactively stepped in front of Hinata to help him receive the ball.
"What a great set!" Seeing that Hinata could break free, Kumagai also quickly followed up.
Rishia focused with all his might, moving directly with Hinata's footsteps toward position two: "Not on my watch!"
But just as he was about to reach the edge of the net, Hinata's right foot hit the ground, his entire body suddenly spun, as he sprinted wildly in the opposite direction.
Miya Atsumu showed a satisfied expression.
That's it.. tear through the block using speed and the lateral length of the net.
Rishia, completely thrown off by the sudden change in direction, stared with wide eyes. By the time he reacted, Hinata had already leaped high into the air in the center of the court.
Hinata watched the volleyball in his field of vision, his gaze sweeping past the wall of players..
The opposite side was vast.
That's right, here, he is no longer alone.
On this side of the net are his teammates, while on the other side are his opponents, who are also his friends.
All he needs to do.. is enjoy the volleyball at this moment.
BANG!!
A straight spike tore through the air, finally slamming down at Xun Yidou's feet.
That was amazing! Shoyo!!
Nice play—
Under Miya Osamu's gaze, the distracted Miya Atsumu suddenly spoke, "That was a poor receive, but.."
But?
Looking at the expression on his twin brother's face, Miya Osamu suddenly guessed roughly what the other was about to say.
As expected, in the very next second, Miya Atsumu, who had been unusually silent until then, took a deep breath. His serious expression completely cracked, revealing the uncontrollable excitement underneath.
He can shift direction and accelerate instantly to shake off the block, even after creating significant distance, he can still jump, with his hitting height remaining completely unaffected. He even jumped from a single foot; if he were to use a two-footed approach, he would jump even higher. An ordinary block wouldn't be a problem for him at all.
His reaction speed is also very fast; he can even chase down and spike a ball that the setter suddenly sends out from the baseline..
Listening to Miya Atsumu's sudden outburst of praise, Miya Osamu's expression gradually became numb.
As soon as this guy touches a volleyball, he turns back into an eight-year-old; while he's being childish, it's also a manifestation of his pure and extreme love for volleyball.
Miya Atsumu could hardly suppress his excitement: "What is going on, what is going on? This little guy is completely different from when I saw him last year—"
So cool—he's just so incredibly cool—
Miya Osamu remained noncommittal regarding Miya Atsumu's attitude.
That freshman named Hinata Shoyo, although his various techniques are still quite unrefined, is undeniably exceptional in terms of speed.
Currently, there is no such type in Inarizaki's starting lineup, but if he can be properly trained, he could completely serve as the core of the team's spread offense.
And considering that jumping ability.. it might not be impossible for him to play high balls directly from the middle.
Unfortunately, judging from these two matches, Hinata's overall strength has not yet reached a level where he can be deployed directly.
With the IH preliminaries approaching, there will be no major changes to Inarizaki's overall lineup.
Miya Atsumu, of course, knew this as well; he knew it more clearly than anyone.
But just like Inarizaki's own motto, what they need is not nostalgia, but victory.
This kind of victory is not just about seeking immediate, small gains, but about achieving victory that lasts for a long, long time.
Potential and talent are certainly worth looking forward to, but whether they can be realized also requires time and.. a little bit of luck.
At best, perhaps they too could have a "Little Giant" of their own.
And even in the worst-case scenario, Hinata could still become a spiker capable of taking the court at critical moments and tearing through the block.
But.. Miya Atsumu felt that his luck had always been quite good.
Hinata leaped into the air once again, just when everyone thought he was going to spike cross-court, his hand lightly tapped the underside of the volleyball.
A tip flew over the block and landed softly on the ground.
Having already rotated to the back row, Rishia Heisuke had no time to save the ball and could only watch helplessly as the opposing side scored another point.
Nice hit, Shoyo!
Nice feint!
Climbing up from the ground, Rishia Heisuke reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
That was fast; only last month he demonstrated the tip shot to Hinata for the first time, now Hinata is already able to apply it in actual combat.
But.. he won't admit defeat; they still have an absolute lead!
After receiving the ball, Rishia Heisuke chose to spike directly against the block. Although Xun Yidou was originally a spiker, his setting for this most fundamental play was still sufficiently steady.
In contrast, the messy block on Hinata's side was quite vulnerable.
With the block rendered ineffective, it was also very difficult for Unabara Uta to save the ball, not to mention Hinata, whose completely unwatchable dive resulted in him crashing straight onto the floor.
Rishia Heisuke successfully scored a point.
Alright!!
Miya Atsumu had already learned to proactively find excuses for Hinata: "As expected, the fundamentals are still a bit lacking, but it's no big deal; it can be practiced.
He remembered it very clearly; when he first saw Hinata and the others playing three-on-three, Hinata was still a rookie who couldn't even manage a proper straight spike.
And the current Hinata was already a completely different person from back then.
Although in Miya Atsumu's own concept, they should all fall under the category of "ball trash," a mere ball trash and a ball trash with growth EX are different.
It was obvious that Hinata belonged to the latter.
Watching Miya Atsumu's gaze fixed on Hinata, Miya Osamu spoke with disgust, "That expression of yours is absolutely revolting."
—Like a weasel that had stolen some chicks.
"Shut up!" Miya Atsumu denied flatly.
Miya Osamu couldn't help but roll his eyes before leaving, having no desire to deal with the currently incoherent Miya Atsumu.
He just wanted to slap the words Miya Atsumu had said to Hinata, which he had heard from Aran earlier, right into his face.