Gathering all his courage, Hinata looked at Kumagai with eyes full of anticipation: "Can you give me a toss! I'll score!"
He would cherish every toss given to him by the setter and would do his absolute best to score.
On the other side, Tokura, who was on the same team as Hinata, summoned his courage and walked toward the seemingly easygoing Akagi Michinari. "Um, Akagi-senpai."
Akagi flashed a smile. "What's up? Do you have a question about the rules?"
This was already the fourth person from these two teams to come to him with questions; they were basically all novices with little practical experience, but they all had a basic understanding of volleyball and asked about specific details.
As for why they all asked him.. it might be because the other two looked far too fierce.
Under Akagi's gaze, Tokura Yukihito—who came from a track and field background, stood 181 cm tall, had simply joined a club on a whim—asked a question that made everyone's eyes go dark.
“Senpai, what is a middle blocker?”
Tokura Yukihito had grievances he couldn't express; he was truly just here to coast through his days!
Watching everyone take their positions on the court one by one, Miya Atsumu, who held a whistle and stood by the sidelines, cast his gaze toward Kumagai, who was preparing to serve.
He still had an impression of this person; they had clashed before, he was a rationalist setter whose overall strength.. was just average.
At the starting position for his approach, Kumagai spun the ball in his hands.
Glancing at the people on the other side of the net, he decisively locked his gaze onto Teruya in the back row.
This guy is a former middle blocker, so his receiving skills are quite mediocre.
The team's scoring methods are truly limited; he must make the most of his service turns.
Two seconds after the whistle blew, he raised his hand and tossed the ball into the air.
Omimi was a bit surprised by the sidelines: "A jump serve? He wouldn't have known how to do that back in junior high, right?"
Kurosu instantly made a judgment based on the direction Kumagai's body was facing as he jumped: "It's a float serve."
Consistent with Coach Kurosu's judgment, the ball Kumagai served had no spin, its trajectory fell unpredictably toward Teruya.
Teruya, who was being targeted, did not panic and simply took a step back to let the front-row ace, Rishia, receive the ball.
With a loud thud, Rishia received the volleyball with his hands and sent it up toward the head of the setter.
What a great set!
Kumagai clicked his tongue and quickly stepped forward, preparing for the subsequent counterattack.
After receiving the ball, Rishia Heisuke charged straight forward, leaping at the net to attack: "Give me the ball!"
Kurosu nodded. "Receiving and immediately attacking—not a bad mindset."
Although the opponent's serve wasn't difficult to receive, being able to maintain an offensive stance after receiving the ball was quite impressive.
Rishia's spike was at a very high point; the front-row block, caught completely off guard, was easily bypassed as the spike slammed down toward the back row.
Unabara Uta, who possessed the best receiving skills, bore the heavy responsibility of the entire team's defense, diving beautifully to attempt the receive.
But Rishia's spike was incredibly heavy, Unabara Uta's receive was unstable.
Cold sweat beaded on Kumagai's forehead.
That ball is too close to the net. If he were to set it, Tokura's position would be the best choice, but.. that guy is a complete novice.
The next second, a crisp voice came from behind him.
“Give me the ball!”
Hinata's voice filled Kumagai's mind in that instant, he suddenly remembered what Hinata had said before the match began.
Even though he had taken it as a joke at the time, he really had no one to rely on but Hinata now.
Please—
The moment the ball slipped from his hands, both Kumagai and Miya Atsumu, who was holding the flag by the sidelines, saw their expressions change.
It was a mistake; the pass was too high and too far. In this situation, I'm afraid..
Just then, while the others on the opposite side of the net had not yet reacted, Rishia had already bolted forward, chasing after Hinata, who had already moved toward the edge of the net.
You've got to be kidding me!
This height and distance.. it's Hinata's most comfortable hitting point!
Hinata looked up, the volleyball being the only thing in his field of vision.
Run, catch up, shake off the others.
In less than a second, Rishia and Hinata, who had started almost simultaneously, had already pulled half a step ahead of each other.
Stuck at the edge of the net, Hinata came to a sudden halt, using the momentum from his run-up to drive through his arms, planting one foot to stabilize himself before jumping.
Watching the volleyball that had already reached him, Hinata flashed a smile.
Ah.. it's a toss.
Bang!!
Rishia, being half a step too slow, attempted to block the ball with one hand, but in the end, his fingers missed the volleyball completely.
The ball Hinata spiked flew in a wide diagonal, smashing into the other side of the court.
As the ball landed at the same time as Hinata, the referee Suna, standing by the sidelines, raised his flag and blew his whistle, signaling that it was in bounds.
Hinata's eyes widened, while on the other side, Kumagai looked completely incredulous, having been ready to apologize in panic just a second ago.
Instinct drove him to rush toward Hinata, raising his hand to high-five him.
Nice play!!
It wasn't until this moment that Hinata finally snapped out of his daze.
—He scored.
—He scored.
He looked at his hand from the spike he had just delivered and cheered, "Ohhhhh—I scored!!"
Suna was also shocked, subconsciously said to Miya Atsumu, "That guy.. does he have springs under his feet?"
But he did not receive the response he deserved for a long time.
He looked up and saw Miya Atsumu's dazed expression.
Hinata, still in the middle of the court, was cheering excitedly: "Kumagai-kun, you're the first setter to give me a toss!"
That's amazing!!
Author's Note:
Atsumu: Cat Universe ([Good Luck])
Chapter 5: The Fifth Fox
It was so close to the net, but it still whipped right past!
That was amazing! One more!
Jumping beside Kumagai, Hinata, who was still savoring the feeling of that recent spike, radiated a joy that truly infected everyone.
Although Rishia Heisuke had also set for him and taught him how to set.. the balls set by a setter felt different.
Kumagai, who had been agonizing over his own mistake, had already completely forgotten the unpleasantness of a moment ago.
He scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "It's not that.. um, you can just call me Akuma."
He was grateful to the little one before him for preventing him from making a fool of himself on his very first play after arriving at Inarizaki.
Akuma can call me Shoyo!
By the sidelines, Suna eventually couldn't help but ask Miya Atsumu, who was clearly not in his usual form, "What's wrong with you?"
Didn't eat enough breakfast? Had his rice ball snatched by Osamu? Or was it because Osamu stepped into the gym with his left foot first today?
Miya Atsumu was still staring in Hinata's direction, not hearing a single word Suna was saying.
After a long time, he rubbed his chin. "How is this any good.."
Kumagai was just about to go back to serve again when Akagi Michinari's whistle sounded from above.
Kumagai, who had thought he had committed some kind of foul, was startled, only to look up and see Akagi staring at the motionless Miya Atsumu by the sidelines.
Only after being called out by his senior did Miya Atsumu snap out of his daze and move back to his proper position.
Akagi was speechless.
What is he doing? What even is this? Miya Atsumu is such a terrible referee..
The first ball seemed to be just the beginning; having already established coordination, Kumagai decisively chose to trust Hinata for the rest of the play.
Even among the short ones, Hinata, who could run, jump, spike, was significantly stronger than the others.
Of course, Rishia and the others on the opposing side also noticed this and began deploying a block specifically targeting Hinata.
Even with great jumping ability, it is difficult to break through the block of three opponents when one's own strength is insufficient.
I'll take it!
Rishia!
Rishia's spike came crashing down. Teruya, being the quickest to react, stepped forward to try and receive the ball, but with his clumsy receiving technique, he still sent the ball flying.
Kumagai, who had reacted instantly to attempt a recovery, had already chased after it, jumping up near the baseline in an attempt to send the ball toward the net.
This ball came so suddenly, with no prior setup..
Coach Omimi rubbed his chin. "Was he trying to tip it over the net but messed up?"
Coach Kurosu decisively denied it: "No."
This wasn't a mistake, but rather a firm belief that someone would definitely be able to keep up with this ball.
Just as Coach Kurosu expected, the moment the volleyball flew toward the net, Hinata had already rushed beneath it.
He jumped again as if he were tireless, jumping even higher than he had any time before.
It was once again Hinata's signature diagonal spike, breaking through the defense to successfully score a point.