"Oh?"
Everyone was stunned at his words.
In Karasuno's game videos, Akira didn't seem to receive many balls when he was in the back row.
What they didn't know was that it wasn't because the opposing team was deliberately targeting Akira in the back row.
It was just that, in terms of ball reception, he was no worse than anyone else!
After repeatedly trying and seeing little result, those teams eventually gave up on targeting him.
"When we serve and attack in the front row, we can focus more on his position!"
Kiryū seemed to have thought of a new possibility and said with slight excitement:
"Forcing him into mistakes is only a secondary goal."
"The main thing is to drain his stamina as much as possible!!"
"Huh?"
Hearing this, the others at Mujinazaka were also a bit stunned.
"Yes!"
Coach Michiko eyes lit up as she suddenly said:
"In today's match, Akira had to give up those powerful jumps—that's definitely related to his lack of stamina!"
"As long as we can exhaust his energy in other ways…"
"Then our problems with serve reception might be solved as well!"
"yes this method really seems more feasible!"
Hearing this, the others began discussing the plan's viability.
"Some details still need to be worked out together."
Calming down, Michiko began exchanging ideas with the team.
...
During this tense and thrilling day, while the audience still reminisced about the morning's intense match,
the players were using every bit of their brains to improve their chances of winning the next game.
Across the country, countless fans eagerly awaited tomorrow's final.
"Huh? The poster for the Inter-High Men's Finals?"
"Looking at the date, the match starts tomorrow."
"Huh?? Representative of Miyagi Prefecture… Karasuno??"
"Isn't this our school??"
"It can't be the same name, can it!!"
Posters for the national tournament were now plastered all over Miyagi Prefecture's streets.
It was a long-standing tradition by the Miyagi Prefecture Volleyball Development Committee.
Whenever a team from the prefecture advanced far in the national competition, they would promote it heavily.
On some of the busiest digital billboards, there were even impressive video trailers
to pump up the volleyball spirit throughout the prefecture and get more people excited about the sport!
"That's really him! He's in our class's group of three, and I always see him at the vending machine!"
"Wow! That's Hinata Shōyō! He's in the class right next to ours! That's totally our school!!"
"Isn't that the really handsome student from Class E? Didn't expect he was on the volleyball team too!"
"That senpai looks so familiar! That's definitely from our school!!"
"I didn't even know the volleyball team made it to nationals quietly!!"
"And now they've made the finals!! They look so strong!"
...
Two boys passing by kept staring at the big screen and shouting excitedly.
Their voices caught the attention of nearby pedestrians, prompting someone to ask:
"Are you two from this school too?"
"Karasuno! huh !!!!!!! We haven't had a team from Miyagi compete at nationals for a long time!"
"I heard Karasuno was strong enough to qualify a few years ago. Can't believe they're in the finals now!"
"This is the national finals! Only the top two teams in the country can get here!"
"Oh? You actually met Karasuno students here?"
"You must be cheering for your school, right? Watching your team win like this must feel amazing!"
...
"Yeah…"
"We're students at Karasuno…"
Though a little embarrassed by the attention, the two Karasuno students felt a quiet pride swell inside them.
The volleyball team making it to the national finals was a great honor for the whole school.
...
Time passed quietly as preparations continued.
Soon, night fell over the bustling city of Tokyo.
After dinner, it was supposed to be free time.
But everyone at Karasuno still gathered in the conference room to silently watch videos of Mujinazaka's previous matches,
looking for any advantage in this last stretch of preparation.
Crunch!
Suddenly, the conference room door opened.
Hinata Shōyō, who just came in from outside, couldn't help but be a little stunned at the scene.
He had just finished a phone call with his grandfather back in Miyagi,
and was about to watch the videos again to prepare for tomorrow's match.
But to his surprise, everyone else was already there!!
"Why are you all here??"
He laughed lightly:
"Aren't you all like me—full of energy after dinner?"
"Yeah!"
Daichi Sawamura, standing closest to the door, also looked a bit surprised to see Hinata.
"Well then!"
"I thought everyone would be out playing games or going for a walk around Tokyo!"
"Since everyone's here…"
Hinata rubbed his stomach and said:
"Let's play together for a bit!"
"But only for a little while!"
"In an hour, everyone needs to rest!!"
"Got it!!"
The conference room buzzed with discussion like a lively afternoon meeting.
...
Day 5, Tokyo Gymnasium.
"Hey!"
"You two got up way too early today!!"
Walking into the venue, Kōshi Sugawara spoke helplessly to Tobio Kageyama, who was bouncing excitedly alongside Hinata.
When he ate breakfast that morning, he saw Hinata and Kageyama had already finished their meal.
The two seemed to be arguing about something.
"No way! Suga!"
"We went to bed early last night!"
"And today is just so exciting!"
Hinata turned his head, his face glowing with anticipation.
"Today's game…"
"I Can't wait!!"