Chapter 48 Volleyball 08
Tsukishima Hotaru couldn't understand how things had turned out like this.
He had just finished an exhausting club job and was about to go home not long ago, but now he was standing on a street volleyball court, facing four people from Inarizaki High School, a strong school in Hyogo Prefecture.
He had clearly been ready to flatly refuse. Who would want to play 4v4?
But why did he agree later?
"All we need is you, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi, and then we can compete with the strongest school in Hyogo Prefecture!" - Hinata was extremely excited at that time, and the light in her eyes was so dazzling that it seemed to burn people.
"H-what, do you want to fight? Ayuki..." - Yamaguchi Tadashi's tone was cautious, but Tsukishima Hotaru clearly saw the same expectation in his expression as Hinata.
That's right, Yamaguchi is actually surprisingly bellicosity, otherwise he wouldn't have taken the initiative to learn the Spear of Attack's powerful jump ball technique. How could a person who can be a savior and score five points in a row in a crisis be afraid of fighting?
But he really didn't want to play. It was impressive that he'd managed to finish his work. Why would he play when he was almost home? He'd already showered and didn't want to sweat again.
Tsukishima Hotaru frowned and was about to refuse when she saw the popular beautiful girl model "Sana" walking towards them step by step.
"Well, don't fight?"
The girl tilted her head, her long, silky black hair falling down, and her beautiful, jewel-like blue eyes reflected her light yellow hair.
“………”
Tsukishima Hotaru was silent for a moment.
Why ask him? He never agreed to it in the first place.
The twins also came over, and the blond one stretched out his voice, "You're so slow. It seems that no one on your team agreed to fight?"
The silver-haired twin brother's tone was calm, yet quite infuriating. "It's just a 4v4 for fun. Are you scared?"
Tsukishima Hotaru: “………………”
Tsk.
Even Tsukishima Hotaru himself had to admit that no matter how much time had passed, he would still be provoked by the provocation.
Then everything went smoothly, and when she came to her senses, Tsukishima Hotaru was already standing on the street volleyball court, on the same team with Kageyama, Hinata, and Yamaguchi.
Their opponents are the Inarizaki twins, a secondary attacker with fluffy brown hair parted in the middle and slender eyes like a fox, and... the girl named Sana.
…
On the other side, Kurikawa Sana was shaking hands with Hinata Shoyo and Kageyama Tobio one by one and checking their attribute panels.
【Hinata Shoyo】
Position: MB (External Hitter)
Back number: No. 10
School: Karasuno High School (Class 1, Grade 1)
Height: 162.8cm
Weight: 51.9KG
Birthday: June 21
Constellation: Gemini
Five-dimensional abilities: Technique 1, Speed 5, Strength 1, Jump 5, Physical Strength 5, Brain 1
Siblings: younger sister
Recent trouble: There is no way to catch the ball with one hand
Favorite food: White rice with eggs
Special skills: The strongest bait, unlimited stamina, super jump, weird fast attack, extremely superior sports reflexes, unparalleled love for volleyball
[Hinata Shoyo, current favorability: 30.]
“……!!”
Kurikawa Sana was shocked.
What an extreme five-dimensional ability chart! It was the first time she saw someone with maxed-out speed, jumping, and stamina, but only 1 point in technique, strength, and brains. Was this the reason she couldn't find his name even after searching through all the volleyball monthly magazines?
This also demonstrates the immense potential of this Shoyo player. While technique, strength, and intelligence can be honed over time, jumping ability and speed are inherent talents. Given time, he'll undoubtedly become a truly exceptional athlete.
And... such a high initial favorability! This must be the player with the highest initial favorability of her I've ever met. Is she an angel? This Hinata-kun really is an angel, right?
"My name is Kurikawa Sana. I'm a second-year student like Miya Yuu and the others. I'm the manager of the Inarizaki boys' volleyball team." Kurikawa Sana smiled brightly. "Please give me your guidance, Hinata-kun."
Hinata Shoyo: “……!!”
The orange-headed boy's face suddenly turned even redder, causing him to spin at high speed and bow continuously—
"Hello, Kurikawa-san! Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity. If you hadn't agreed, we definitely wouldn't have had the chance to play this match..."
[Hinata Shoyo, Favorability +5. ]
Kurikawa Sana suddenly realized.
So this is the reason why he has such a high favorability.
Wow, what a well-behaved and polite little sun QAQ
"You're welcome, thank you. The Gong brothers are usually kind, warm and cheerful." Kurikawa Sana said seriously, "Even if I didn't ask, they would definitely agree."
Gong You and Gong Zhi: "..."
Rintaro Kakuname: "…………"
Kind, enthusiastic, and cheerful? Is this definitely referring to Gong Yu and Gong Zhi?
The three of them looked at each other in silence, almost unable to hold back.
"But thank you very much, Kurikawa-san." Kageyama Tobio shook her hand and nodded slightly to the girl. Unlike his cold and sharp appearance, he was surprisingly polite and respectful of the relationship between seniors and juniors. "Please give me some advice, senior."
【Kageyama Tobio】
Position: S (Setter)
Back number: 9
School: Karasuno High School (Grade 1, Class 3)
Height: 180.6cm
Weight: 63.3KG
Birthday: December 22
Constellation: Capricorn
Five-dimensional abilities: Technique 5, Speed 4, Strength 4, Jump 4, Physical Strength 5, Brain 5
Siblings: Sister
Recent trouble: Feeling excluded by animals
Favorite food: Pork curry with onsen egg
Specialties: A genius king on the court, powerful jump serve, super-fast and accurate passing, well-timed second-chance offense, perfect technique without any shortcomings, eccentric fast break, and unparalleled love for volleyball.
[Kageyama Tobio, current favorability: 9.]
...So strong! This value!
The setters are worthy of being the core position of the team. Every setter is so powerful. The five-dimensional abilities of Kageyama Tobio, Oikawa Toru, and Miya You are all comprehensive, and all of them are numerical maniacs.
However, one thing that is quite special is that the attribute descriptions of Hinata Shoyo and Kageyama Tobio both have the same sentence - "unparalleled love for volleyball."
The boy in front of him had black hair with M-shaped bangs, the standard style for anime male protagonists, and a handsome face. His deep blue eyes seemed to be burning with flames, and he couldn't wait to have a competition.
"You're too kind to teach me, Kageyama-kun."
Letting go of Kageyama Tobio's hand, Kurikawa Sana couldn't help but turn her gaze to the boy with glasses not far away.
Then, the next second——
Her gaze met the other person's cold platinum eyes hidden behind black-framed glasses.
Tsukishima Hotaru was slightly stunned and almost immediately looked away.
The young man raised his hand to support his glasses and turned his head away, leaving only the profile of his high nose bridge.
Kurikawa Sana blinked.
Well, this guy looks very aloof... She couldn't naturally take the initiative to shake hands with him like she did with Hinata and Kageyama, so she couldn't check his attribute introduction column.
No matter what, let’s start the game!
"Then, let the game begin!"
Seeing Kurikawa Sana standing in the backcourt preparing to serve, and glancing at the positions of the others, Hinata Shoyo opened his eyes wide in surprise: "This position..."
The senior...is actually a main attacker?!
Kageyama Tobio stared straight ahead, carefully watching every move of the other party.
He originally thought it would be a basic overhand serve or a safe underhand serve, but he saw that the girl threw a precisely positioned ball in front of her, and the ball generated forward spin in the air.
Her first step was to step out with her left foot, her second step was to step out with her right foot, and at the same time, her arms quickly swung back and up to lead her arms. Her third step was to bring her left foot together, and finally, she did a very standard jump and back-smash.
Kageyama Tobio's deep blue pupils dilated slightly in surprise.
This amazing jumping height... is much higher than that of the men's volleyball team!
Moreover, it was a textbook powerful jump shot.
There was a loud bang!!!
The girl's powerful dunk was so fast that it was almost impossible to catch with the naked eye. Before anyone could react, the ball had already hit the boundary of Karasuno's court - no one touched the ball, and she scored directly.
“………”
Silence once again enveloped the street volleyball court.
"What just happened?"
"Can you really catch this kind of ball?..."
Not only did Tsukishima Hotaru and Kageyama Tobio on Karasuno's side freeze, Hinata Shoyo and Yamaguchi Tadashi's souls left their bodies, but even the other three on Inarizaki's side fell silent.
Although they had known that Sana was strong, they still didn't expect her to be so strong.
And today she...seems to be even stronger than last time.
So as expected, she didn't use her full strength last time.
As for Kurikawa Sana herself, she felt her fingertips trembling slightly because of excitement.
So cool...
Having a healthy body, being able to fully devote myself to exercise without having to worry about falling ill... It feels so good!
Move, run, jump - don't be afraid that your body is as fragile as paper, the feeling of your heart beating with all its might is so wonderful.
With a "ding" sound, the sound of the favorability of the possible targets increasing rang in my mind.
[Gong You, Favorability +5.]
[Miyaji, Favorability +3.]
[Kadona Rintaro, Favorability +3. ]
"Wow! Kurikawa-san is amazing!" Hinata Shoyo excitedly jumped up and down on the opposite court, waving his hands and feet. "That ball went flying over here with a whoosh and landed with a thud! I couldn't catch it at all!"
[Hinata Shoyo, Favorability +5. ]
[Kageyama Tobio, Favorability +10. ]
Kurikawa Sana was stunned for a moment.
As expected, they are two sincere young men who have a line in their profile saying "They have an unparalleled love for volleyball". If you show them their outstanding volleyball skills, their favorability will increase rapidly.
But when preparing to serve the next ball, Kurikawa Sana hesitated.
Should I switch to a regular overhand serve? The rules of volleyball state that if you don't break the serve, the opponent can keep serving and scoring. If this continues...
"Senior, please don't be careless and hit every ball seriously!" As if he had seen through something, Kageyama Tobio suddenly raised his voice and shouted at her, "I will definitely break your serve!"
“………”
Kurikawa Sana opened her mouth wide.
Gong You twitched the corner of his mouth and frowned, "You shameless brat."
Senior, senior, you are shouting so happily.
"Then... I'll do it?" Kurikawa Sana jumped hesitantly and launched another powerful jump shot like a heavy artillery.
This time, Kageyama Tobio was the first to see where she was going to throw the ball. He quickly moved, clasped his hands together, and squeezed his shoulders together, catching the ball in a standard posture.
However, with a "bang", the ball flew far out of bounds.
A powerful serve with a speed of over 100 km/h can easily fly away even if it is received.
[Kageyama Tobio, Favorability +5.]
"Come again." The fire in Kageyama Tobio's deep blue eyes burned even more fiercely.
Another ball, this time it finally flew back to Inarizaki's court, but it went out of bounds, and Kurikawa Sana still scored.
[Kageyama Tobio, Favorability +6.]
Kurikawa Sana: "..."
Touched. If serving could keep increasing her favorability, she could really keep playing.
Another serve, and this time Kageyama Tobio finally caught it. He rolled backwards to relieve the force and finally caught the ball.
But when the ball reached Inarizaki's court, it was ended by Miya Yu with a perfect pass and Miyaji with a powerful spike - Inarizaki still scored.
The golden fox put his arm around his brother's shoulder, smiled with his eyes curved, and said, "We won't let Sana-chan's serve be broken so easily."
The silver-haired fox raised its chin and said calmly to Tsukishima Hotaru, who had just blocked the ball, "Ah, that's strange. You're so tall, but your blocking is surprisingly weak."
Tsukishima Hotaru: “…”
There are people who are even more arrogant than him.
What no one expected was that in the end, Kurikawa Sana's serve, which had scored 6 points in a row, was broken by Hinata Shoyo.
When Yamaguchi Tadashi received the serve from Kurikawa Sana and the ball was bounced far away, the orange-haired boy rushed towards the ball at an astonishing speed. Before the ball was about to land, the boy kicked the ball back with a bicycle kick!
The ball that was kicked back landed within the boundaries of Inarizaki's field - Karasuno finally scored.
“………”
The palace twins looked at Hinata Shoyo in surprise.
This guy...
Volleyball is a sport where you can use your entire body to catch the ball, so this bicycle kick certainly didn't violate the rules. It's just that few people can score by kicking a volleyball like a soccer ball. And the astonishing speed he just used to accelerate from zero to catch the ball... This Hinata-kun has quite the athletic ability.
"It's amazing that you were able to catch it. A normal person would have given up on that ball long ago." Tsukishima Hotaru looked at Hinata Shoyo with complicated eyes.
Hinata Shoyo answered him with a bright smile, "Because the ball hasn't landed yet! If it hasn't landed yet, it hasn't been lost yet. There's still hope."
It's always like this.
Kageyama and Hinata were the two who always walked in the front.
Tsukishima Hotaru raised her head and just saw that the black-haired girl opposite her was also looking at Hinata Shoyo. There was a smile on her face and her blue eyes were full of admiration.
Not only her, but the other three players from Inarizaki also looked thoughtfully, but their gazes only stayed on Hinata and Kageyama.
“………”
Tsukishima Hotaru clenched her fists in silence.
It was as if a tiny flame was ignited in my heart.
It was Karasuno's turn to serve, and Hinata Shoyo shouted, "Yamaguchi, serve well!"
Yamaguchi Tadashi nodded, jumped up, and hit a floating ball.
"Oh? Interesting." Gong You raised his eyebrows, realizing that the ball would continue to float upwards, and caught it with his upper hand.
If it were someone else, the goal would probably have been scored directly by the opponent.
This Karasuno is not weak either. From Kageyama-kun to Hinata-kun and then to this Jumping Ball-kun, this 4v4 entertainment game is not boring.
But the following Monster Attack made him fall silent.
The ball that Kageyama Tobio passed to Hinata Shoyo was extremely accurate and directly reached his highest hitting point. Hinata also had 100% trust in Kageyama and quickly swung his arm to smash the ball without any hesitation.
The ball hit the ground with a "bang" at an almost vertical angle, scoring directly.
Rintaro Kakuname: "..."
Miyaji: “…”
Gong You: “…”
After a second of silence, Gong You's brown eyes quickly brightened. "Zhi! Did you see that just now, Zhi?! It's so cool! I order you to learn it immediately! It's so cool, I want to hit this!!"
Miyaji twitched his lips, "Then why don't you show me the same toss."
"No problem, I'm the top setter in the country's high schools!" Gong You smiled, "But now, I have to pass the ball to Sana-chan first. Sana-chan wants to play today."
Gong You gently pushed the yellow and blue volleyball with both hands, and it flew to the side in a graceful curve.
Kurikawa Sana quickly took a run-up and jumped, starting the first spike of the game today -
...Are you kidding?
Tsukishima Hotaru and Kageyama Tobio, who were blocking on the opposite side, both had their pupils dilated in surprise.
Does this high reach thing really exist?! It looks like he's almost reaching 340cm easily! And this airborne power——
The two men, who were over 1.8 meters tall, had already started falling and could only watch the girl waving her arms in the air and dunking the ball with all her strength!
With a loud bang, the ball's shocking bounce caused Kurikawa Sana's spike timing to completely miss the opponent's block. The ball flew straight over their heads and landed squarely on Karasuno's court.
A perfectly straight shot.
The height, speed, power and technique of the spike are all close to perfection, like art.
“……!!”
When she landed, Kurikawa Sana once again heard the voices of many people increasing their favorability, and also saw the shocked expressions of the two people who blocked her.
Stay calm, stay calm, this is the power of the great system mall.
Compared to the Shaquille O'Neal possession of basketball, this is already very scientific:D
In terms of favorability, Kageyama Tobio still added the most, this time adding a full 15 points of favorability.
Kurikawa Sana wiped away tears in her heart, moved. Kageyama-kun, there is a boy in the world who loves volleyball so much!
…
The following game can still be said to be one-sided. During the game, the three players from Inarizaki were obviously "favoring" Kurikawa Sana.
They basically did not participate in the offense. One of the Gong brothers was responsible for passing the ball, the other was responsible for receiving the ball, and Kakuna Rintaro was responsible for blocking and defending, leaving all the offensive scoring opportunities to her.
But even so, Karasuno still benefited a lot. After all, the four opponents were incredibly strong, and Kurikawa Sana's offensive skills were exaggeratedly comprehensive, including lobs, super small diagonal balls, straight balls, and scoring by hitting the ball out of bounds. Just watching it was a dazzling visual feast.
As for Inarizaki, Miya Yu and the others were also feeling relaxed and happy. They had never expected that the unknown and unheard-of Karasuno High School would give them such a big surprise, especially Kageyama Tobio, who was so strong that he didn't seem like a first-year student.
The final score of the game ended with a score of 3 to 1, and Inarizaki won.
After the last ball landed, Kageyama Tobio picked up the ball and shouted to the back of the black-haired girl opposite him: "Kurikawa-senpai, you have such powerful strength and talent——"
"Why are you the manager of the men's volleyball team and not the women's team?!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the air suddenly became silent, and an awkward atmosphere enveloped the entire street volleyball court.
“………”
Both Miya Gemini and Kakuna Rintaro turned around and looked at him with an expression that was almost shocked.
Hinata Shoyo and Yamaguchi Tadashi were trembling beside them, and Tsukishima Hotaru twitched his lips speechlessly.
This guy Kageyama... is really scary how straightforward he is.
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