《The Birth of A Volleyball Legend》


 Chapter 1: A New Beginning

    It was a spring season, when a boy couldn''t fall asleep during the night time, kept rolling on his bed several times restlessly. He couldn''t shake off the nervous energy that had been building up since he realized tomorrow would be the new term of the school.


    This would be a truly new beginning for the boy, not just because he would be a high school student the next day, but also because it would be his first day going to school after his parents lost a few weeks ago.


    As hey in bed, the memories of that fateful day came flooding back, like a sudden downpour on a spring morning. He remembered the sound of his neighbor''s sobs, the shock and chaos in the hospital, and the numbness that had taken over his body. It was as if he had been transported back to the moment when he was told that his parents had been lost in an earthquake disaster.


    The words still echoed in his mind: "They''re gone, Yuki. You''re all alone now."


    The weight of those words had crushed his, leaving him feeling lost and alone in a world that seemed too big and scary. At that time, even the physical injury he received from his copsed house seemed to be nothing as he felt numb, realizing he lost everything from the earthquake.


    "Are you still awake, Yuki-nii?"


    The boy''s eyes snapped into focus as he turned his face around just to find a little girl, his heart still heavy with memories. The girl''s big brown eyes looked up at him with a gentle smile, his curly hair mussed from sleep.


    "Can I sleep with you tonight?" She whispered, her small voice barely audible.


    A soft, genuine smile curled on the boy''s face as he heard what the girl said. "Sure, Mai-chan. Come here." The girl jumped immediately into his bed, giggling and snuggling up close, wrapping her small arms around his waist.


    Her name was Higawa Mai, about six years old if he remembered it right. She was just like him, one of the victims of the cruel earthquake that hit their hometown thest couple of weeks.


    He could still remember the first time he saw the girl; the hollow expression on her face as she walked around the shelter, kept hugging the bear doll while asking where her mom was, her face was full of dirt and the trace of tears could be seen all over her chubby cheeks. He cringed, still haunted by that memory.


    Fortunately, she was still too little to remember the depressed feeling at that time for too long as she turned into a cheerful girl right now.


    "So, what do you think about tomorrow? It would be your first day going to school, right?" He asked softly.


    "Um!" She nodded, her hair bobbed, showing her excitement. But then, her face suddenly turned somber, an expression that was not fitting for a little girl like her. "Do you think my mum and my dad will be happy seeing me going to school? Or do you think they will be sad they couldn''t apany me for my first day going to school?"


    ''Ah, so that''s it.'' The boy widened his eyes in realization. Sometimes, it was hard to forget that behind the cuteness of the six-year-old girl, she just lost her parents too in the disaster. There was no way she wouldn''t miss them.


    "Come here, Mai-chan." He invited the girl into a big hug once again. "I am sure your parents would be happy and proud of you for tomorrow."


    "Are you sure?" She snuggled into his body, hiding her face so that he could see her tears. However, the boy could feel his shirt starting to get wet, so he hugged the girl tighter.


    "Yup, I am sure of it." He whispered softly, rubbing the back of her head fondly. "Tell you what, how about I go together with you to your school tomorrow?"


    The girl''s eyes lightened up. "Are you sure?"


    "Yup!" He nodded firmly. "I will ask for Aiko-obaasan to apany you tomorrow. That way, I can also know where is your school and I will also be able to pick you up."


    "But tomorrow is also your first day, though.." She said hesitantly.


    "Don''t worry, I can handle that easily." He waved his hand nonchntly. "So, what do you think?" He offered his pinkie.


    The girl giggled, wrapping her pinkie around his before she nodded, hugging him tightly once again. "Thank you, Yuki-nii." She mumbled through her shirt.


    The boy nodded, rubbing the back of the girl lovingly as he stared outside of the window. In this moment, he forgot about the sorrow, the fear, the nervousness, and all the negative feelings that had haunted him for so long.


    All that mattered was the gentle rhythm of the little girl''s breathing, the soft whisper of her voice in his ear, and the knowledge he just realized the moment he stared at the little girl on hisp, that he was no longer alone in this world.


    ----------------------


    "Did you bring your snack?"


    "Yes."


    "What about your water?"


    "It is here."


    "Do you remember what I told you?"


    "Always listen to the teacher."


    "Remember to wash your hands before having lunch, okay?"


    "Yes."


    "Remember to wait for Obaasan to pick you up and don''t go back alone, okay?"


    "Yes."


    "Remember-"


    "Yuki-nii!" Mai red with a slightly red face as she red at her new big brother. "I remember everything, stop reminding me again!" She huffed.


    She felt a bit embarrassed at his constant overprotective nature, something she just found out this morning. It didn''t help when she could hear some of the other kids'' parents smiling over at them, whispering how sweet and loving her brother was. Aiko-Obaasan, the matron of the orphanage they stayed in right now also giggled uncontrobly, amused to no end at the boy''s nagging.


    "You sound like a young father, Yuki." Shemented, her lips trembled. "Don''t worry, she would be careful and listen to her teacher. Right, Mai-chan?"


    "Yes, Yuki-nii! I will be careful!" The girl nodded.


    The boy called Yuki sighed helplessly, couldn''t help but feel worry for the little sister he just found out aboutst night. He rubbed her hair lovingly before saying, "Well, what are you waiting for? Go!"


    "Um!"


    The girl waved her tiny hand at them before running energetically toward the building. Yuki and Aiko stared at her for a while until she disappeared from their sight before the older woman turned to him and asked softly, "What about you, Dear? Will you be alright?"


    Yuki sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose under the sses. "To be honest, I don''t really know." His eyes had a distant faraway look as he thought of how life seemed to make a joke of him.


    It was just a month ago that he had a perfect life. He graduated as the best student from Yasuka Middle School in Fukushima, having two loving parents who always supported him no matter what he wanted to do. But with just a single vibration deep inside the ocean, all of that was swept, buried under the ground.


    Now, here he was, living in an orphanage, on the way to his new high school in the capital city of Japan.


    He would lie if he said he wasn''t nervous.


    "Don''t worry, everything will be alright." Aiko patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Just don''t go crazy with the girls, okay? One girlfriend is enough!" She giggled teasingly.


    Yuki sighed, knowing that she would bring this at some point. It was no secret that he was such a handsome boy. There was a saying among his peers in the past that only blind people wouldn''t admit that. His umon bright cerulean eyes sparkled behind a pair of round, ck-rimmed sses that made him look even more endearing.


    With his short, spiky ck hair perfectly messy and his cheeks flushed with excitement, Yuki was a picture of innocence and charm.


    It was no wonder girls would always flock to him, something that annoyed the boy sometimes.


    "Well, don''t forget to be happy too, okay?" Aiko hugged him affectionately. Even though Yuki was the recent addition in his orphan, since he was the oldest there, it didn''t take a long time for him to blend in with the other kids. He quickly took the role of the older brother for everyone, helping her take care of the children sometimes. That was why she was so fond of him. "Don''t worry about Mai.


    I will take care of her."


    "Thank you, Obaasan."


    After saying goodbye to the matron, Yuki started walking, trying to remember the way to go to his school. Fortunately, it wasn''t too far from Mai''s school and the road was pretty crowded, filled with the students with the same uniform as him. It didn''t take Yuki too long before in front of the gate of his new school.


    Tsunemori High School.


    That was the name of his school. It was a small school located in the middle of West Tokyo, side-by-side with the Edo River.


    Unlike Yuki''s expectations about the school in Tokyo that usually was portrayed as massive and luxurious, the building in front of him looked pretty old, yet the aura radiated from it was so majestic, as if saying how long the building had been standing there, the silent witness of so many historical events in Tokyo.


    It was still a bit early when he arrived, yet he was already surrounded by a lot of older students who gave him fliers, promoting their clubs.


    "Come on! Let''s join the anime club!"


    "No way! You are too handsome to join that! Go to the cultural club! We can have a tea party together!"


    "You are pretty tall, why don''t you consider joining the basketball team?!"


    "No,e to the football club!"


    It was like being the center of the war. The whirlwind of invitations left Yuki''s head spinning as he tried to keep up with the rapid-fire pitches. It seemed he wasn''t the only one though, as he found out there was also a crowd on the other side of the gate, surrounding another freshman to invite him to join their club.


    After struggling for a while, he finally was able to get out of the ufortable situation and went straight to his ssroom.


    Fortunately, it wasn''t too far from the entrance gate, the first room on the second floor. He nced for a second at the room that would be his ce to study for the rest of the year before noticing there was an empty seat in the front row near the windows. Without hesitation, he chose to sit there before anyone could pick that spot.


    Even though there was still a lot of empty space behind, there was no way he would pick that, especially the spot far in the back row near the windows. He wasn''t the main protagonist of an anime, there was no way he would do something that cringe, especially for a not-so-strategic spot like that.


    The only students who would go to the back row were the ones who tried to hide from the teacher or the one who arrived toote it was the only spot left remaining.


    "Hello, may I sit here?" Yuki asked politely to the girl who sat behind him, trying to strike up a conversation.


    "A-Ah!" The girl stuttered, not expecting someone to start a conversation. "S-Sure!" She nodded frantically, her face beet red.


    "Thanks." Yuki smiled, putting down his bag on the floor. "My name is Yuki, by the way. Kobayashi Yuki. Nice to meet you."


    "N-N-Nice to meet you too, Kobayashi-san!" Yuki cringed, pitying the girl for being a nervous wreck. She shouldn''t be that good at socializing with other people. "M-My name is Ayaka Kato!"


    Yuki smiled politely at the first person he knew in this school, then decided to turn around and not bother her anymore. He knew a bundle of nerves like her wouldn''t be toofortable having a conversation with a stranger like him, so Yuki didn''t force himself to talk to her again for the rest of the morning.


    After a while, the entire seats in the room were finally filled in. Yuki didn''t strike up another conversation with his soon-to-be ssmates though, since almost everyone had their own group of friends. It seemed a lot of them came from the same middle school.


    ''Well, it seems I am destined to be a loner in the beginning.'' He sighed.


    Five minutester, the sound of the bell rang loudly, echoed through the entire building. It was the sign that the first ss of the day would begin. And as if she didn''t want to bete and give a bad impression to the new students, the teacher appeared immediately the moment the sound of the bell was gone from the air.


    She was a woman with a warm, radiant smile strode in, her bright brown eyes twinkling behind the frames of her round, tortoiseshell sses. Her dark hair was styled in a neat bob, framing her heart-shaped face, and a sprinkle of freckles danced across her cheeks, adding to her approachable charm.


    She wore a crisp white blouse and a fitted skirt that fell just above her knees, exuding a sense of authority and professionalism. As she made her way to the front of the room, her confident stride seemed to fill the space with an air of quiet determination, leaving the students with no doubt that this was someone who knew exactly what she was doing.


    "Well, good morning, students." She smiled, pushing up the sses on her nose. "My name is Handa Emiko, but you might as well call me Handa-sensei. I will be your homeroom teacher for the rest of the week, so I hope we can get along well, okay?"


    And that was the beginning of Yuki''s colorful life as a student at Tsunemori High.

 Chapter 2: Challenge from the Volleyball Club!

    ''How could I be dragged into this mess?!'' Yuki groaned.


    Currently, he was inside the gymnasium, surrounded by a bunch of sweaty dudes wearing volleyball jerseys, looking at him with their eyes shining brightly. Next to him was another boy with blonde hair, something pretty umon in Japan just like his cerulean eyes, receiving the same treatment as him.


    However, there was a hint of unwillingness and jealousy could be seen in the boy''s eyes, and it was directed at him.


    Yuki groaned, now regretting his decision to join the challenge just for the 10000-yen prize for the winner.


    -A little shback-


    After the slow beginning, the bell finally rang once again, signaling the end of the day. Within a minute after thest teacher left the room, the room was buzzing with excitement. All the students there gathered together, nning on which club to visit next.


    The exuberant spring air was filled with excited chatter as they milled about, eyes scanning the colorful posters and flyers stered on the walls. The School Newspaper Club was boasting about their exclusive scoop on thetest celebrity gossip, while the Debate Team was promising to sharpen minds and spark witty banter.


    Meanwhile, the Music Club was luring in aspiring rockstars with promises of jam sessions and originalpositions. Nearby, the Robotics Club was touting their cutting-edge projects and coding skills.


    Yuki himself didn''t have that much interest in joining a club. For him, as the oldest boy in the orphanage, even though he had only been there for a month, he also felt a responsibility to help the matron take care of the other children.


    So, rather than wasting his time joining any club, he would rather use his time wisely, whether by helping the children do their homework or searching for a part-time job outside. Unfortunately, it was mandatory for students to join the club, so, amidst the crowd, he was also strolling over the corridor unwillingly.


    ''Well, it is better to join a club that doesn''t demand a lot of my time.'' He thought.


    That was when Yuki noticed themotion gathered in the gym. Intrigued, he came inside to take a look. However, it was hard for him to see what happened there when he was behind the sea of students who were also curious.


    Fortunately, based on the information he caught from the whispers and chatters from the other, he knew it was the volleyball team making a challenge for the freshmen toplete a cycle.


    What they meant by cycle was a full set of basic volleyball skills, from doing a service, setting a pass, spiking the ball, receiving the spikes, and finally blocking the spikes from the members of the volleyball team, and all of that had to be done at least three times each for the challenger to be dered as the winner. Honestly, it was a boring challenge to attract the students to join them.


    But the prize of 10000 yen was too big for anyone to pass the chance, and the same could be said for Yuki too.


    Even though he had never joined any sports team in the past, that was because there were not a lot who were interested in creating it from scratch. As a student, Yuki himself was pretty good in the PE ss, always at the top of the list for his grade. This was the boost of confidence he needed to join the fun as he entered the line.


    He waited patiently on the line, observing how the other students went for the challenge. Some of them did pretty well, managed to go until the third challenge before their effort was stopped by their senpai who was really good at receiving the spike. However, most of it failed just in the first or second challenge, making the line get thin quicker than he expected.


    "Man, this is so boring." Yuki heard the person in front of him mumbling. It was a student slightly smaller than him with unusual blonde hair that attracted everyone''s attention. "A bunch of rookies, they are."


    Yuki just rolled his eyes slightly, decided to ignore that boy. He didn''t know whether the boy was good at volleyball or just all talk with no skill, but no matter what, he hated the type of person like that, always looking down on the other''s effort just because he was good at it. If this was an anime or fictional story, he would be the first character to die from being too cocky.


    However, after ten minutes of waiting, his patience started to get thinner. The line was still long, yet time kept tickling as the sun was already near the horizon. Fortunately, Yuki didn''t promise to pick up Mai, or she would still be waiting alone while her other peers were already back home.


    After a while though, the unexpected happened. As if listening to hisint of how long the line was, suddenly, a group of students about ten people decided to walk away, their confidence died down after seeing no one was able to pass more than three challenges.


    "Yosh! After this, it would be my time to shine!" The blonde boy in front of him clenched his fist.


    Intrigued, Yuki decided to observe how this boy would go for the challenge. Like him, he might not, but Yuki was still a smart person. Until now, he had never seen a person who could challenge the volleyball team that seriously. Seeing how confident the blonde boy was, he wanted to see how the members of the volleyball club handled him.


    "Next challenger!"


    "Yosh!" The blonde boy rolled up his sleeve excitedly. "Riku Agostini, a freshman! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, Senpai!"


    Yuki blinked a few times, his brain noticing the strange name and the strong ent. ''A foreigner? Is that an Italian name?''


    The blonde boy, Riku, didn''t wait for too long before starting the challenge. And to everyone''s astonishment, he decided to do it with a bang. He took a deep breath, focused on the ball, and let it sail across the. Time seemed to slow down as the ball hovered in mid-air, and then - BAM! - itnded with a satisfying smack on the opponent''s side of the court.


    Almost all the volleyball club''s members had their jaws dropped, couldn''t believe what they just witnessed. Did a freshman hit them with an ace jump serve? That shit usually only happened in a fictional story. However, this was the reality. The handsome blonde boy stole the show with his amazing disy of skill.


    "Come on, Senpai! Get ready, because I willunch it one more time!"


    The whistle blew one more time, and Riku sprang into action. His feet left the ground as heunched the ball into the air. This time, the ball soared even higher, arcing over the andnding with a resounding crash on the opposite side of the court.


    "OH! ANOTHER ACE!"


    "Who is that monster?!"


    "Is he really the same freshman like us?!"


    "Damn!"


    The blonde boy grinned widely as everyone was talking about him. Unfortunately, before he could continue once again, he was stopped by a middle-aged man who red at him fiercely - a re that promised pain.


    "Enough, Boy!" He barked. "Don''t you think it is time to stop showing off?!"


    "Sensei!" All the volleyball members reacted quickly when they saw the man. It seemed he was the head coach of the team.


    "What?! Come on, Akira-sensei! I just started to have some fun here!" The boy whined.


    "Do you want me to say that to your dad?" The coach red. Seeing that, the blonde boy folded like a wet paper, trembling under the threat. It seemed by how close they interacted with each other, the blonde boy and the coach were rtives. After that, the coach turned around and bowed apologizingly to his yers as he said, "Sorry about him, everyone.


    He is still new here and just finished his paperwork to join the school. He is my nephew, so he will probably be your teammate in the future. Is that alright?"


    "Oh, don''t worry, Coach! If his skill is as amazing as his serve, we are happy to wee him!"


    "Yeah! Maybe, with him, we can go further in the next tournament!"


    Yuki furrowed his brows, unhappy with his words. It was a tant nepotism, yet since he was the coach here, no one was able to refute what he said. It didn''t help that the boy himself was indeed very good at volleyball. If only the coach didn''t say thatst word, he would have no problem with the current situation.


    However, just by saying that, the impression he had toward the club dropped significantly.


    ''What the hell am I thinking about?'' Yuki shook his head. ''It is not my problem if it is considered as nepotism or not. Let''s just finish this challenge first and go back home as soon as possible.''


    Yeah, the 10000-yen prize was already forgotten by basically everyone, including Yuki. The challengers saw no hope to do that after the first thirty students failed to pass the third out of five challenges. Now, they were still here to join the fun and showed some respect to their senpai.


    "Okay, next challenger! Come in!"


    Yuki stepped forward with full of confidence. One of the members of the club just handed him the ball casually, not even ncing at him. Well, it was understandable. After seeing such a powerful disy from Riku before, no one was in their right mind to see the next performance they had already deemed as another disaster just like the others even before he could start.


    Yuki didn''t mind, though. He was here not to attract the other''s attention, but to grab the prize. He took a deep breath beforeunching the ball high, doing a small runup and jumped a little before tapping the ball gently in the air. The ball flew slowly, and everyone with good eyes would be able to see it had no rotation while still flying in the air.


    The coach and Riku who were still there raised their eyebrows slightly, intrigued especially when they saw the ball wobbling in the air. It was a good floater, sending straight to the back left. If a defender was standing there, he would have a hard time handling that ball.


    "Nice serve!"


    The praise given by the members of the volleyball was hollow. It seemed they were tired already after seeing a bunch of rookie serves for the entire afternoon so they would judge every serve that went in as a good serve. They didn''t notice their coach staring intently at this new challenger.


    Unfazed by the treatment, Yuki continued doing the same. To the coach''s surprise, the next two serves were done in the same manner,nding on the same spot on the court.


    ''This boy has a good talent in serve!'' The coach marveled. ''If cultivated properly, he could be a good pinch server for us!''


    However, the surprise from Yuki was not over. He did the setting challenge wlessly, sending the ball perfectly to the spot where the hitter would usually be there. By now, all the eyes finally turned to him, giving Yuki the respect he deserved.


    "Who is that?"


    "I don''t know, but his performance is not bad."


    "Well, it is still too early to judge. Let''s see how he handles the third challenge."


    The third challenge itself was to spike the ball to the opposite area. His main purpose was to score while three defenders from the regr members would defend him properly. Since this was just a challenge, there would be no blocker standing in front of him.


    This was the challenge that everyone couldn''t get through. However, Yuki was confident, especially after observing how his predecessor failed to do the challenge. They all just wanted to hit the ball as hard as possible without thinking of the route, making it easier for the defenders to anticipate.


    He didn''t want to repeat that mistake, so while in the air, he kept his eyes open, observing the whole movement of his defenders.


    ''Huh? This should be easy, right?''


    Seeing the three defenders were far on the back, Yuki didn''t hesitate even for a second before tapping the ball gently just like what he did in the serve challenge.


    ''A dink?!''


    The three defenders were not expecting Yuki to hit the ball softly. They ran forward frantically, yet it was toote as the ball dropped faster than their recovery speed. The moment it bounced to the floor, everyone stared at him like he was an alien.


    This was the first time in the day someone managed to break the volleyball members'' defense in the third challenge, and now, he had all the eyes on him.


    "Damn! That''s a good dink!"


    "He has a good head! Twice more!"


    "Don''t be na?ve! The senpai wouldn''t allow him to score again after this!"


    "Come on!"


    Unfazed by the cheers from the outside, Yuki tossed the ball once again to the setter. Once the ball was returned in a good height, he started to run and leaped through the air, coiling back his arms as his eyes moved quickly, scanning where the ball should go.


    Seeing one of the defenders wanted to cover the front area, Yuki hit the ball directly at him without hesitation, catching the defender off guard. Seeing the ball zooming into his face, the defender could only raise his hand, trying to cover his face from the hit.


    "OUCH!"


    "Oh! Another point for the freshman!"


    "I wonder who is his name and from which ss is he?"


    "He is amazing!"


    The coach who watched from the sideline crossed his arms in front of his chest, his eyes were dead-serious. "Recruit him." He said. "He has a good IQ and knows how to handle the sudden change of situation on the court. His basic is also very good. With a decent amount of training, he would be essential for our team this year."


    Even though all of them were surprised to hear their coach praise a freshman that high, all of the members of the team knew Yuki deserved that. Once was a coincidence, but what about twice? And now, seeing Yuki fly for the third time to greet the ball in the air, everyone held their breath unconsciously.


    *BAM!*


    "An untouchable spike!"


    "The senpai couldn''t handle his spike! He will go through the fourth challenge!"


    "Another monster emerged in the volleyball team!"


    "What a beast!"


    Amidst the cheers from the audience, Yuki smirked amusedly at the members of the volleyball team who were staring at him in astonishment. "So, what should I do next? Come on, I still have that 10000-yen waiting for me!"

 Chapter 3: Aftermath

    "I am home!"


    Home. Yuki still felt a bit strange at how easily that word rolled off his tongue. Just a month ago he tried so hard to reject the existence of this ce, still thinking that everything that happened to him was a dream. However, it didn''t take a long time for him to ept this ce, especially after meeting its residents.


    "Yuki-nii, you are finally back!"


    "Aiko-obaasan has been waiting for you!"


    "Yeah! Come on, dinner will be ready in ten minutes!"


    The children who greeted him were Hiko and Hina, a pair of twins about ten years old who were also the victims of the disaster. Unlike him though, they were not that lucky. Hiko, the boy and the younger one of the twins had to lose both legs as the ruins of the building fell straight into his lower body part.


    As for Hina, she lost her right eye forever in that disaster, blinded by something that hit her face which was also the cause of scars stretched all over her ce.


    It still amazed Yuki how they both could stay cheerful even after losing so much like that.


    "Well, Hina-chan, can you help me bring this bag to the dining room?" Yuki smiled. It was at that time the twins noticed two stic bags full of things that their big brother figure brought.


    "What is that?" Hina tried to peek inside the bag curiously, yet was prevented by Yuki quickly.


    "Nope! We can see it together with the others in the dining room, okay?" He smiled yfully.


    Hina pouted slightly, yetplied with his order. She took the two stic bags from his hand and ran quickly to the dining room, leaving her twin alone with Yuki. Hiko had his face darkened a bit as he cursed his sister for forgetting about him.


    "Don''t worry, let me do this," Yuki chuckled, pushing Hiko''s wheelchair.


    The so-called dining room was just a medium-sized room, about 8 X 5 meters square with the addition of a long table and eleven old wooden chairs provided for everyone to be able to sit. For a dining room, that size was pretty big.


    But since it also became one with the kitchen and it had to be able to be filled by all the eleven children who lived under that roof, it became a bit crowded whenever dinner time arrived.


    The moment Yuki and Hiko arrived, they were greeted by a small girl who jumped straight to Yuki''s tight, squealing happily, "Yuki-nii! You are back!"


    Yuki smiled softly, chuckling silently when he saw the little girl smiling brightly at him, her face was messy with rice still stuck in the corner of her mouth.


    "Hello, Mai-chan." He greeted the girl. "Don''t you want to watch what I bring back for you?"


    The girl''s eyes widened as if she just realized something before flying away from his grasp, peeking around curiously at the other children who were also doing the same, waiting impatiently for Yuki to open up the bag.


    When they received a nod from Yuki, they didn''t need to be told anymore as within a second, the stic bag was on the floor already. Looking at the box wrapped with old paper, they tore it apart immediately, curiosity had been taking over by now.


    Yuki smiled when he saw the eight children had their eyes lightened up when they saw behind the wrapped paper, it was a huge stic box with a cute Doraemon image on the front as the cover image while what was inside could also be seen from outside.


    "It is crayons!" Hina squealed happily.


    Indeed, it was a set of crayons with 32 colors that usually was used by kids who started to learn how to paint. Yuki remembered Hina begged to Aiko-obaasan several timesst week that she wanted to learn how to draw. Since her sentiment was shared by all the children here, Yuki decided to buy it for them the moment he got the money in his pocket.


    "Thank you, Yuki-nii!"


    Yukiughed cheerfully when he was surrounded by all the children there, everyone tried to have a piece of him.


    "Isn''t it the set from that expensive merch?" Aiko''s voice suddenly attracted their full attention, she seemed worried. "From where did you get the money to buy this?"


    Yuki smiled, knowing why the matron was full of concern. This orphanage was pretty new, founded only a month ago by Aiko to amodate orphan children who had to flee from their hometown after the disaster. Since it took a long time to deal with the paperwork, the orphanage had been surviving only from the society''s donation, hadn''t been deemed eligible to receive the government fund until now.


    For them, every yen mattered, so spending so much money just for a set of crayons seemed to be a bit too much.


    "Don''t worry, Aiko-obaasan. I didn''t get the money illegally." Yuki reassured the woman. "It is like this¡­."


    -A little shback-


    "Son, are you sure you have never received proper training in the past?" Akira Shinji, the coach of the volleyball team in his school asked, his eyes full of disbelief.


    It was after Yuki finished the challenge when he was called by the teacher, being interrogated in front of all the yers. Everyone stared at him in awe as if he was the next Michael Jordan of basketball graced from heaven.


    Well, their reaction was understandable. This cycle challenge was a method of training formed by their head coach to ensure their basic was above the standard. For any rookies to subpar yers, they would already have a hard time dealing with the first two, and the most they could go was at the third challenge.


    However, not only did Yuki destroy the first four challenges, but he also obliterated thest one, sending the head coach a wet dream for the prospect of the team.


    Honestly, no one expected him to be sessful in that challenge. It was designed to find a yer who could specialize in blocking, something the school seemedcking by their reaction. At first, Yuki had to face a hitter one-on-one, blocking a simple spike without any deception.


    After he managed to do that, the number of attackers increased to three people and he had to judge where the ball would go and who would be the one who attacked him. Finally, the same challenge as before, but the number of yers was increased to five, making it a full-team offense against him.


    It was a crazy challenge that was almost impossible to deal with, yet Yuki was able to read the y well and blocked all three attempts sessfully, making him the only one who was able to finish the cycle.


    That was probably why the head coach couldn''t believe he was a rookie in this game.


    "Yeah, I am sure I have never received any practice yet in the past." Yuki nodded at the question. "Well, except if you counted the PE ss when they thought the basics of it, I guess."


    "Kuso!" Akira cursed loudly. As a head coach with years of experience, this was the first time he heard something outrageous like that. "And you have never joined any team before? Was your middle school stupid?!"


    Yuki''s face hardened as he replied, "Well, I studied in a small school in Fukushima and it had no sports club before, so I would appreciate it if you don''t badmouth my alma mater like that."


    If he didn''t exin his condition first, everyone would be surprised by his cold tone when talking to a teacher or the threat implied behind his words. However, when his hometown was mentioned, silence dropped around them, everyone was shocked and some looked at him with pity.


    Riku who didn''t know anything about it grew impatient and asked, "Why are you all suddenly so silent like that? Is there anything wrong with what he said?"


    "Shut up and be more sensitive, Riku!" Akira red, his expression turned solemn. "Fukushima was probably the prefecture that suffered the most in the chain of disaster a month ago. At least more than 1000 people are dered to be dead with more than 200 people are still missing, their couldn''t be found until now."


    ''Including my parents.'' Yuki added in his mind, his thought was dark.


    What the coach didn''t say was the aftermath only Fukushima had to suffer. As one of the few prefectures with a nuclear reactor, the moment Fukushima suffered from the disaster, it was crucial to check whether there was an anomaly or not in it. And true to what most people feared, there was some problem there as almost all of the power nt''s backup energy sources were damaged due to the disaster.


    Because of that, almost all of the people there had to flee from their hometowns while the other ces started to do their reconstruction.


    Even though Riku seemed to be new in this country, he still read the news and knew about the disaster a month ago. He stared at Yuki with pity, didn''t know what to say.


    "Where do you live now?" Akira asked softly, his tone changed a lot.


    "The Hope Orphanage," Yuki said casually. Yet once again, it made everyone cringed as they realized that he lost his parents in that disaster.


    Meanwhile, Akira furrowed his brows tightly, unfamiliar with the ce. "I have never heard of an orphanage called that before, so if you don''t mind, can you tell me where is that?"


    "Just fifteen minutes walking to the south, it was pretty close to the port. The orphanage itself is new, created to help orphans like us who don''t know where to go, so you shouldn''t know about it."


    Akira nodded, epting the exnation.


    "Anyway, can I get the prize now?" Yuki asked impatiently. "It iste already and I want to go back as soon as possible."


    "Oh, sure!" One of the yers suddenly pulled 10 pieces of 1000-yen money from his wallet. Even though no one predicted someone would win, they still prepared the money in case something like this happened. "Thank you for participating!"


    "Thanks." Yuki bowed, full of gratitude. "Can I go home now?"


    "Yeah."


    "Then, bye!"


    All of the members of the volleyball team sighed as they stared at Yuki until the boy disappeared from their sight. That was when one of them suddenly cursed, attracting the other''s attention.


    "Shit! We forget to ask his name and from which ss he is! And more importantly, we forget to invite him to the club!"


    That was the time they all realized the fatal mistake they had just made.


    "DAMN!"


    -End of the shback-


    "Wow¡­" Aiko had her mouth gaped wide in disbelief. "So, youpleted the challenge the volleyball team held and did it sessfully, a challenge which no one was able to do that if I am not wrong, and the prize is 10000-yen?"


    It wasn''t just her who was shocked, but almost all the kids who listened to his story. Mai who sat on hisp just nodded her head as if it was the most obvious thing in the world while saying, "Yuki-nii is the best."


    "Yup! I am the best!" Yuki smiled smugly, tickling the girl yfully.


    "Ow, stop it, Yuki-nii!"


    "Is it okay, though?" Aiko asked again, still worried. "10000-yen is a lot of money for a high school student, right? Which club in their right mind to offer that amount as a prize for challenge?"


    Yuki shrugged nonchntly. "I don''t know, but I won it fair and square, so it should be okay."


    "Don''t worry, Obaasan. If Yuki-nii said it is okay, it should be okay." Hina said innocently. "Hey, don''t grab the red one! That''s mine!"


    "What do you mean it is yours?! Yuki-nii said this is for us to use it together!"


    "But it was me who asked for the crayons!"


    Yuki chuckled before separating the children from their arguments. "Okay, Kids. The crayons are for us to use together, don''t fight over it. Hina, we can share it with the others. Miyu, if Hina still used the crayons, wait patiently or ask politely if you could borrow them or not. No snatching from each other, okay?"


    The two girls who were about to fight over one crayon looked at each other grudgingly before they said, "Gomen, Yuki-nii."


    "Don''t worry about it." He smiled, patting their heads fondly. "Oh, by the way, Aiko-san, here is the rest of the money. I only use 1200 yen for the crayons." He pulled out a stack of money from his pocket.


    The matron widened her eyes in shock before she shook her head immediately. "This is the money you got from your effort. Just use it wisely, okay?"


    Hearing that refusal, Yuki furrowed his brows. "Well, this is me spending it wisely. With this money, we can at least eat something decent for the rest of the week and you can also buy something that you need for this orphanage."


    Aiko wanted to refuse again, yet she was wilted under the puppy-dog eyes she received from all the kids. After battling against her dilemma, the matron of the orphanage finally sighed, smiling helplessly. "Well, I will ept it this time. But there will be no next time, okay? You will save the money you get by yourself. No need to worry about this orphanage, I am not that helpless outside."


    Yuki grinned a little as he nodded. "Sure!"


    ----------------------------------------------------


    It was the next day and Yuki came pretty early. To his surprise, he found out one familiar blonde boy was sitting already in the back row as if he was an anime protagonist, trying to look cool while all the girls in the ssroom squealed like fangirls. He blinked a few times, trying to check whether he entered the right room or not.


    ''It is 1-B, I am not wrong.''


    He stared at the blonde boy for a moment until thetter finally noticed his presence. They had eye contact for a second before finally, the blonde boy reacted.


    "You are here?! Wait, does that mean we are going to be a ssmate?!"


    Yuki facepalmed, groaned inwardly. "Man, this will be a long year.." He sighed.

 Chapter 4: Volleyball Club Once Again!

    "His name is Riku Agostini. Due to the paperwork problem, he couldn''t join us yesterday, but he will be your friend for the next three years, so I hope you guys can get along with each other, okay?"


    "Yes, Sensei!"


    That was the short introduction for the blonde boy Handa-sensei gave to the ss. And as expected, it didn''t take too long before his poprity soared among his peers. Girls were already talking and whispering and ncing at him while the boys looked at him with hostility as if he just stole their limelight.


    Yuki himself ignored themotion, didn''t even nce at the blonde boy. While he might have seen the boy in the volleyball club, they didn''t know each other that well. Hell, they had never exchanged even a single word before this morning, and it was just a short greeting with the blonde boy who was too shocked knowing they would be in the same ssroom.


    However, Yuki didn''t want to be involved with Riku for too much. As a foreigner, the blonde boy was destined to be popr, and even if Yuki couldn''t see the future, he knew that poprity would attract trouble. He had been in that position when he was in middle school, and Yuki didn''t want to repeat that one more time.


    Unfortunately, what Yuki didn''t know was that his fate was already bound to Riku the moment they met in the volleyball club yesterday, and they were bound to have a crazy journey for the next three years.


    -0-


    Riku yawned, his eyes kept moving from the clock to the teacher who exined something about mathematics. Looking at the point of the clock were still in between one and two, he sighed, slumped in his chair. There was still about one and a half hours before the day was over, and he already felt tired.


    This was his first day studying in Japan, and Riku was shocked to see how different it waspared to Italy where he lived before.


    Here, almost everything was mainly centered on teachers, emphasizing the leadership of educators and paying attention to the basic knowledge with strict rules. Not saying that in Italy the rule was not strict, but at least it focused on students'' practice based on their own exploration with interest, and the teachers were also willing to include the students to learn together.


    At least, with that method, he wouldn''t have to listen to boring lessons all day.


    Unfortunately, he could onlyin to himself inwardly as it was the system that had been running here for a long time already. There was no way the school would change its method just toply with his protest.


    His eyes then started scanning the room for anything, anything at all, to shake off the monotony. But all he saw were his ssmates scribbling notes, their pencils scratching out a rhythmic beat that only seemed to lull him further into a state of boredom. As his gaze drifted back to the present, itnded on one person that intrigued him the most since yesterday.


    ''So, his name is Kobayashi Yuki, huh?''


    His mind shed back to yesterday''s challenge when Yuki obliterated all five challenges that easily. Honestly, if he was given the same chance, Riku was sure he would be able to do the same that easily. And yes, it was jealousy that took over his body. He loved to show off and to be in the spotlight, so when it was snatched from him, it hurt.


    However, no matter how he felt right now, Riku had to admit - even reluctantly - that what Yuki did was incredible.


    That cycle challenge was something that came from his uncle''s brain when he first wanted to learn volleyball, even stating boldly he wanted to do it professionally. That was a few years ago when Italy was able to get second ce in the Volleyball World Cup and the sport spread all over the country.


    At that time, his uncle promised that if Riku could persist in this training until he was able toplete all five challenges, his uncle would support his decision to be a professional.


    And yeah, if you were wondering, his uncle was Akira Shinji, the head coach of Tsunemori High''s volleyball club.


    What hurt Riku''s ego the most was the fact that he knew Yuki had never received any training, yet couldplete all the challenges the first time he did that. It showed how much talent Yuki had for volleyball. Compared to him who needed more than a month to get it done, Riku knew he was far behindpared to Yuki just in terms of talent.


    While it hurt, this also made Riku''spetitive spirit pump up more, though.


    ''Uncle should hold a sparring to assess the freshman today, right? I should bring him to the club too.''


    -0-


    "What?! You don''t want to join the volleyball club?!" Riku''s shriek attracts people''s attention.


    Yuki groaned, wanting to run away from this troublesome blonde boy, especially after seeing he was surrounded by so many people. "Yes, Agostini-san. I don''t want to join." Yuki wanted to give himself a pat on the back for still managing to be polite in front of them all.


    The school was finally over, and as expected, almost all the students there flocked into Riku, wanting to invite him to join a club or have some fun together. This was just the nature of a high school student, always felt the need to get closer to the most popr boy in the ss. And since Riku was a half-Italian with rare blonde hair, it spelled the word ''Idol'' all over his face.


    To their surprise though, not only Riku refused their offer, he went straight to Yuki''s seat in the front row and invited him to go together to the volleyball club.


    For those who didn''t go for the volleyball club''s challenge yesterday or didn''t see it until everything was over, they didn''t have any idea why Riku was attracted to Yuki. In their impression, while Yuki was a handsome boy and always greeted them politely, there was this air radiated from him that gave them an unapproachable feeling.


    With Riku asking Yuki to go together, this was like the plot from a teen novel where the popr guy was hanging out together with the loner of the ss.


    And when they thought the surprise was over, they were shocked by the second wave that came from Yuki''s rejection.


    "Why?!"


    Yuki sighed tiredly, didn''t want to exin at all. "Well, you know my condition, right? I need to start to make some money since I am 15 already." Out of politeness, Yuki still gave the blonde boy a short answer.


    Riku winced, knowing what Yuki was talking about. While he wasn''t an orphan, he knew it was basically a universal rule in every orphanage that all the kids over 14 or 15 would have to start making money by themselves. However, Riku still insisted on inviting him, hispetitive spirit was hungry after seeing Yuki''s performance yesterday.


    "I know, but please! Come with us!" He pleaded a little. "Just this time! We will have a sparring game, and after I y against you, I will not bother you anymore!"


    Honestly, the sight of him begging Yuki toe surprised the other students. They didn''t know Yuki''s background story, so the only thing inside their mind right now was Yuki trying to y hard to get, something which made their impression toward the sses boy worsened by miles.


    "Agostini-san, why do you really want him to go with you? I can do it too!"


    "Yeah! It is just a volleyball game, right? Let me be your teammate!"


    There were several of them who offered to rece Yuki''s spot. However, Riku didn''t bulge, still staring at Yuki with his bright, brown eyes. Facing such a request, Yuki finally wilted,plying with the request. "Just this one time, right?" He asked for a confirmation.


    Riku''s face lightened up as he smiled brightly. "Yes! Just this one time! Then, I will not bother you again!"


    Yuki sighed, weighing his options onest time for a second. While he could refuse the invitation, he didn''t want to do it, considering Riku did that under more than ten pairs of eyes. Riku was bound to be a popr guy, so refusing it would make a lot of enemies for him, something that Yuki didn''t want to deal with.


    In his mind, it was okay to be a loner, but being a public enemy on the second day of his school life would be bad.


    "Just this time, right?" Yuki sighed one more time. "Don''t forget your words after this is over."


    "Sure!"


    -0-


    Yuki''s eyes blinked a few times behind his sses, his mind was wandering far when he entered the gymnasium building once again. This was his second visit in two days, some sort of record considering he had never visited a school gymnasium other than for the PE ss when he was in middle school.


    Unlike yesterday though, this time, no crowds were queueing for a challenge, making it easier for him to process everything that happened inside the gym.


    It was a massive building with two courts inside it, separated by a thin line straight in the middle. The high ceiling and gleaming wooden floor seemed to reverberate with the sound ofughter and shouts, as a group of students were busy warming up for a game on one of the two courts.


    To his left, a row of tall goals stood like sentinels, guarding the volleyball court, where a few yers were already starting to toss the ball and spike it back and forth. Meanwhile, on the other court, a group of basketball enthusiasts werecing up their sneakers and preparing for a pick-up game.


    "Oi, everyone! Look at who I bring here!" Riku''s voice suddenly snapped Yuki from his thoughts. The blonde boy was waving his hand excitedly, attracting the attention of all the people on the volleyball court. It didn''t take too long before all the eyes turned to them, and everyone was excited immediately the moment they saw Yuki''s presence.


    "Oh! You bring him here! Good job, Riku!"


    "Is he in your ss?"


    "Man, with him here, today would be interesting!"


    "What is your name, by the way?"


    "Hey, move! You overwhelm him!"


    In a second, Yuki was surrounded immediately by the overly excited yers from the volleyball club. He sighed, had already expected something like this to happen. He regretted a little inwardly, questioning his decision yesterday to show off a bit.


    What surprised him more though, was the fact that all the yers here somehow were familiar enough with Riku, to the point of calling each other with the first name basis. No matter how extrovert the blonde boy was, it was impossible to be this close to about ten or eleven people just in one day.


    ''Well, that would be a question for another time.'' Yuki took a note inwardly.


    "Are you here to join us?" When the crowds finally dispersed, one of the yers suddenly approached him, offering a handshake while smiling politely at Yuki. "My name is Noriyuki Hanji, by the way, the captain of this team. Nice to meet you."


    "Nice to meet you too, Noriyuki-senpai." Yuki epted the handshake politely, trying to ignore the noisy whisper from the other yers in the background. "I am Kobayashi Yuki, a freshman. I was dragged here by Agostini-san to join the activity."


    The blonde boy gulped nervously when his name was mentioned, especially when all the eyes suddenly turned to him.


    "Oh, interesting." Noriyuki sent a sweet smile at Riku, a smile that promised pain. "Let''s talk about itter with Akira-sensei after everything is over, okay, Riku-san?"


    "H-Hai!"


    Noriyuki sighed before saying, "Well, I apologize for any disturbance he caused for you. But since you are here, do you want to join our sparring game?"


    That was a genuine invitation. Yuki knew just by one look at his eyes that once he refused the offer, the captain would let him go immediately without holding him back. This was his chance to get away from this situation. However, Yuki was a man of principle, and he had never been the one who walked away after promising something to the others.


    He knew this principle would bite him in the asster, but for now, not even a second the idea of crossing his principle shed inside his mind.


    "Well, I have already said yes to Agostini-san, so why not?"


    Hearing his response, the hopeful eyes on Riku''s face suddenly exploded, turning into an ecstatic one. The blonde boy jumped immediately, blood seemed to rush into his head as his face was red, full of excitement.


    "Yosh!" Riku clenched his fists. "Now that we are here, let''s start the sparring immediately! Come on, Captain!"


    Yuki and Noriyuki looked at each other for a second before sighing helplessly, knowing this would be a long day for both of them.


    "Well, Kobayashi-kun, do you bring a casual shirt to wear for training?" The captain asked.


    Yuki shook his head, then rolled up his uniform''s sleeves, saying, "It is alright. This would be fine. "


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yup."


    After staring at Yuki for a moment, Noriyuki nodded a little before saying, "Well, since you just arrived with Riku-kun, how about you do some warming up with him?"


    At first, Yuki wanted to refuse, the idea of spending so much time with Riku who was still bubbling with enthusiasm sent a shiver through his spine. However, the blonde boy overheard the conversation and his eyes shone brightly, dragging Yuki immediately.


    "Come on, Kobayashi! Stand on the other side! Let''s see if you can receive my serve!"


    Yuki''s face palmed, knowing this was definitely not the warming-up he had imagined anymore. The other yers just chuckled out loud, especially seeing how helpless he was facing a bundle of joy like Riku. However, it seemed no one wanted to help him here.


    The moment Riku took a ball from the floor, all the eyes suddenly turned to him, observing every little movement he made before facing the serve. Yuki narrowed his eyes slightly in suspicion. If the reaction wasn''t this intense, he would think this arrangement was a coincidence. However, now, he suspected that the captain deliberately nned this to test his ability.


    It seemed they wanted to see more carefully his capability after the disy of skill yesterday.


    ''This is what I got for showing off, right?'' Yuki groaned inwardly.


    "Oi, Kobayashi! Are you ready?!" Riku waved his hand excitedly at him. Yuki sighed, knowing he couldn''t get away from it.


    ''Well, let''s end it as soon as possible.''


    After bracing himself, Yuki gave a thumb up to Riku, signaling that he was ready. He blinked a few times, shocked at the sudden change of expression in the blonde''s eyes. Gone was that childish excitement a few seconds ago, now he waspletely locked into the game.


    ''I need to be careful.'' His consciousness told Yuki to do that.


    He kept observing Riku on the opposite side as the ball was thrown high in the air before the blonde boy jumped. With a swift motion, Riku brought his arm back, coiling his body like a spring about to release. Then, in a sh of speed and power, he snapped forward, unleashing a blistering ace serve that whizzed straight to the other side.


    Yuki could hear dramatic gasps from the sideline. However, he had no time to think about that. All he had in mind right now was the ball that seemed to zoom into his face with light speed. He swore that the ball crossed the just a second after Riku hit it.


    He didn''t panic though. Since his eyes could track the ball''s movement perfectly, Yuki just took a step back, timing when the ball woulde in his direction, bending his knees a little before stretching his arms, letting the balle to it perfectly.


    There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to process what happened. Everything happened too fast, not all the eyes could follow it. What all of them knew was the fact Yuki killed the ball''s speed perfectly, as the ball bounced from his hand toward the spot where in a normal game the team''s setter would be there.


    The silence was finally broken when Akira Shinji, the head coach of the team suddenly appeared, apuding Yuki''s perfect y with his eyes shining brightly at the sses boy.


    "Nice receive, Son! Are you sure you have never received any formal training before?"

 Chapter 5: Yukis First Game!

    "What the hell, man?! That is insane!"


    "It was a perfect text-book receive if I have ever seen one! You kill the ball''s momentum and send it directly to the setter''s spot!"


    "Are you really a rookie?!"


    As the silence was broken, it turned immediately into joyful chaos as Yuki was mobbed by all the yers from the team. They were all patting him on the back and the shoulder, going all out to praise hisst y.


    Their reaction was understandable since no one thought Yuki would be able to handle that ace serve perfectly. In fact, it was the first time they all saw such a perfect ace, that if only Yuki couldn''t receive it, Riku would be the one they flocked into right now.


    Yuki was a bit overwhelmed though. While he was a popr guy in middle school, he had never experienced something like this, with about ten people surrounding and highly praising him like there was no tomorrow. He sent a nce elsewhere, asking for help to anyone who caught it. Akira who saw that just chuckled, coughing hard to get the attention of the others.


    "Okay, everyone! That''s enough! Don''t you see how red our poor new superstar''s face was? He would pass out soon if you don''t go away! Oh, and Riku! Come here too!"


    That was when they all realized they had forgotten Riku''s presence. The blonde boy pouted, sulking because not only the ace serve he was proud of was stopped that easily, but also the fact that everyone seemed to forget about him quickly after just yesterday they all were praising his serve was like rubbing salts on his wound.


    However, his attention right now was on the sses boy who just stole the limelight. "Four-eyes! I demand a rematch!" He shouted childishly.


    Yuki had a sweat drop on his face. ''Four-eyes? Really? Can he be more creative in his insult?''


    "If you are not a coward, don''t you dare to reject it!" Riku kept spouting his nonsense, didn''t notice that everyone stared at him like he was crazy. It wasn''t until Akira knocked some sense onto him that Riku woke up from his cringe monologue. "Ouch! What the hell, Uncle!" He pouted, rubbing his shoulder where Akira just hit him.


    "Well, that is for being a prick." Akira smiled darkly. "Now, are you going to be a good boy and apologize to Kobayashi-kun for bothering him or do you want to get punished?" It seemed he heard about how Yuki ended up here and was not happy with it.


    Riku gulped, chuckling nervously while trying to make himself look innocent. "A-A_Ahaha.. I don''t know what you are talking about, Uncle¡­" He stuttered weakly, making his innocent words look weaker in Akira''s eyes. Under his uncle''s intense gaze, Riku finally wilted, bowing down quickly to Yuki.


    "I am sorry for all the inconvenience that I caused you, Kobayashi-san! This humble Italian boy hopes you can forgive him!"


    The sweat drop that had been on Yuki''s face for a while was getting more intense at how absurd the scene in front of him right now. And by the reaction everyone had, it seemed he wasn''t the only one who was dumbfounded about this situation.


    "Well, Kobayashi-kun, how about it? Do you ept his apology?" Akira asked.


    Having no idea of what happened and thinking it was no big deal, Yuki finally nodded albeit hesitantly. "Well, I guess so. It doesn''t bother me too much."


    "Thank you, Kobayashi-san!" The blonde boy was getting more dramatic, the bow suddenly turned into a kneel. "This humble Italian boy would be forever grateful for your mercy!"


    Now, Yuki freaked out, officially. He took a step back quickly, didn''t want to be associated with either the coach or his nephew. They were too strange to his taste.


    "Well, enough for that, Boy! Get up quickly and don''t embarrass us anymore!" Akira barked like he was the head of the samurai family reprimanding his son. "Now, Kobayashi-kun, there is a question I am wondering about. Can you satisfy my curiosity?"


    Yuki turned his head around, silently asking for help from anyone there. In all fifteen years he had lived, never had he experienced something so dramatic like this. Unfortunately, Yuki forgot that Akira was the head coach of the team, and no yers there wanted to get caught in this crossfire.


    ''Shit! Traitor, all of them!'' He cursed inwardly. On the outside though, Yuki tried to give his best poker face so that he wouldn''t show any inappropriate expression that could offend the coach. He didn''t want to know what kind of punishment he would receive, especially after seeing how Riku reacted when being threatened by punishment.


    "W-W-Well, A-Akira-sensei," Yuki cursed inwardly as he stuttered. "What is the question?" He smiled weakly.


    Fortunately, even though Yuki didn''t know whether Akira noticed it or not, the coach seemed to ignore his stutter and decided to ask directly, "How did you stop the serve from Riku before?"


    "Eh?" Yuki tilted his head confusedly.


    "I mean, what do you think when you are facing the ball before?" Akira amended his question. "The serve from Riku before was a nasty one, not a lot of people could stop it as perfectly as you did. Do you mind sharing with us your thoughts about it?"


    Seeing everyone was also eager to hear his perspective, Yuki pondered for a second, imagining what he did earlier inside his head before saying, "Well, I don''t really know how to exin it, but the ball came straight to my face with a high speed, so I took a step back because I didn''t want to get hit like that. After that, everything seemed to be natural for me.


    Just bent my knees slightly to distribute my weight evenly and help me stay bnced, rxing my arms to make sure they would absorb the impact and kill the speed, then I used my forearm to guide the ball so it could go toward the direction that I wanted. So¡­ Yeah¡­ If you asked me how I did that, it is probably¡­ An instinct?"


    Looking at the unsure expression on Yuki''s face, everyone twitched their mouths slightly, cursing him inwardly as Yuki himself didn''t realize how outrageous what he just said was. This was the first time everyone, even Riku and Akira felt devastated for the monstrous talent that someone had in volleyball.


    ''What are you, a monster?'' Someone mumbled from the crowd. ''Don''t you need to, what, I don''t know, judging for the ball first or something simr?''


    "I mean, yeah, I did that too," Yuki replied. The one who had that question was taken aback for a second, then blushed in embarrassment as he didn''t realize he had said that quite loudly. "Of course, I also need to observe where the ball would go. However, I saw how Agostini-san did his serve yesterday, and while it was impressive, all of them just used brute force, no trick hidden in it at all.


    I guess this time would be the same, so I just moved without hesitation the moment the ball was released from his hand."


    Riku felt like he wanted to cry. This ace serve was something that took three full years for him to develop, sacrificing time, sweat, blood, and even money until he perfected it ¨C he begged his parents to pay some professional yers to train him. Well, he thought it was perfect. Even in Italy, not a lot of people his age could follow its movement, let alone receive it perfectly like what Yuki did.


    ''Wait a second!'' Riku suddenly stopped his train of thought, lightning seemed to strike into him as he realized something. ''Follow its movement?!''


    "Anyway, since we all are ready, let''s start the sparring," Akira said. "Let''s-"


    "Wait a second, Sensei!" Akira suddenly interrupted, startling everyone. He stared intently at Yuki, making the sses boy nervous a bit. "I just want to ask one more question. You said you made a judgment based on the serve you saw I did yesterday, right?" Yuki nodded, still didn''t know what happened. "Then, can you track down that kind of fast movement in the air?"


    All the yers there widened their eyes as they also just realized that too. It was one thing to receive the serve perfectly, but it was apletely different story if Yuki was able to track down the ball''s movement from Riku''s serve.


    That showed he had a pair of dynamic eyes and an incredible brain that could process everything from Riku''s serve that happened less than three seconds before giving themand to the body to move ordingly. To put it bluntly, if Yuki was indeed able to do that, he had some sort of God-speed reaction.


    Yuki who didn''t realize it was something incredible though, just rubbed the back of his head confusedly. "Well, yeah. Is there something special about it? I thought everyone could also do that."


    Everyone twitched their mouth speechlessly, then just sighed tiredly, giving up thinking of Yuki''s ridiculous talent and decided to just ept it.


    "Well, okay, everyone!" Akira raised his voice once again. "Since we are dyed for fifteen minutes because of thisst y, let''s do our sparring for just one set."


    That was when all the yers there realized they were there to y a game.


    "Okay, let''s make the team. Noriyuki, you are with Riku, Ogawa, Ren, Asahi, and Koji. The rest of you who I am not mentioning would be the second team. Is there any question?"


    From the reaction of all of them, Yuki knew there was something unusual with how Akira selected the yers for both teams. However, since he didn''t know them well enough, he decided to ignore that and join the five yers who would be his temporary teammates.


    "Nice to meet you, Senpai." Yuki bowed politely.


    "No need to be so formal with us." One of them waved his hand nonchntly. It was a boy with a sharp face and bald head, features that could be recognized easily by anyone from afar. "My name is Yoshi, by the way. Aoba Yoshi from the third grade. I am the opposite hitter of the team. Nice to meet you."


    Yuki still nodded politely even though he had no idea what the opposite hitter was. After that, one by one, the other four yers also introduced themselves to Yuki.


    "Hirano Fuji, second grade, a middle blocker." The tallest boy out of all of them introduced coldly. Yuki wondered if he had ever met and offended his senpai or what.


    "Just ignore that grumpy, he is just like that." Another boy came in. He had this bright smile as if the sun was never going down. "My name is Okamura Daichi, by the way. I am also from the second grade and the libero!"


    Yuki nodded, at least knowing what position Libero was in. It was for a yer who specialized himself in the art of defense, guarding every inch of the court so that the other could attack with ease.


    "Hello, my name is Yori Sakai from the third grade. Nice to meet you." Another boy suddenly approached him. In Yuki''s impression, this was the politest out of everyone else. "I am the setter of the team, so don''t hesitate to ask the ball for me, okay?"


    "Ah, yes! Thank you, Senpai!" Yuki nodded, still with the same politeness.


    "And as for me, just call me Kaede! I am from the second grade!" Another bright boy came from behind, his smile was as bright as his blond hair. "Even though I am still his backup, I am also the opposite hitter! And I will grab his position sooner orter!" He said it while pointing his finger at Aoba.


    Inwardly, it wasn''t his position that attracted Yuki''s attention, but the unusual color hair that his senpai had. Unlike Riku with his natural one, it was clear that this Kaede painted his hair deliberately to make this color, and Yuki didn''t know whether it was allowed in this school or not.


    As for the position¡­.


    "Wait, we have two opposite hitters?" Yuki frowned.


    Aoba who heard that raised his eyebrows slightly. "You know what is the opposite hitter?"


    "No, I have no idea at all," Yuki admitted frankly, startling all of his teammates. "What I know is having two people in the same position is never a good idea. And I don''t know what kind of role I have here, so what would happen if somehow I fit into that position as well? Is this some sort of a team specialized in one thing or what?"


    Yuki blinked a few times when he saw the shock reaction from the five people in front of him. "Really? This is a team specialized in one thing?" He didn''t expect the random guess he threw would hit the target perfectly.


    "Well, you sure have a sharp mind," Aoba said dryly. "And yeah, this is a specialized team. Not only us, but the other is also the same. It would take a long time to exin though, so we can do that at the other time.


    But to make it short, we are a bunch of yers that were expected by Akira-sensei to survive any apocalypses, while the opposite team is the one that can break any wall in front of them."


    Yuki furrowed his brows, having a hunch about why Akira formed the team like this.


    "Well, no need to overthink it. Let''s prepare ourselves first."


    "Sure."


    -0-


    "Come on, Sensei! Start the game quickly!" Riku shouted, starting to get impatience.


    Akira who was on the sideline ignored his nephew, checking for both teams to see whether they were ready or not. After making sure everything was okay, he gave the ball to Yuki''s team to serve first.


    "Damn, Sensei." Kaede cursed. "You really want to pit our defense against their offense, huh?"


    Yuki who overheard that mumble couldn''t help but nod in agreement. While his volleyball knowledge wasn''t too much, he knew that the one who served would have to be defensive on the first y.


    "Don''t worry, everyone! Just stay focused!" Yori tried to calm down the others. "Don''t be distracted, Kobayashi-kun. Yoshi, give us a good serve!"


    After Akira blew his whistle, Yoshi threw the ball in the air, hitting it with a not-so-great power. It was just a standard overhead serve which the messy-haired boy on the opposite side received it perfectly.


    "Mine!"


    Yuki was surprised to see Riku suddenly run to the ball while all the other yers took a step away, giving him the path to get the second contact. He kept staring at the blonde boy while using his peripheral vision to track down all the opponent''s movements, trying to figure out where Yuki would toss the ball. However, what he didn''t expect was for the half-Italian boy to not toss the ball.


    Instead, he extended one of his arms high to the sky, reaching the ball with one hand before swooping it down gently over the.


    It wasn''t just Yuki who was frozen on the spot. In fact, Hirano, the middle blocker who also guarded the front line also didn''t expect Riku to dump the ball straight in the first ce. And no, it wasn''t just those two. Almost everyone had their mouth hanging open, looking at the ball bouncing on the floor in disbelief.


    It wasn''t until Riku shouted in excitement that they woke up from their daydreaming.


    "Ha! Now, our score is even, Four-eyes!" The blonde boy pointed his finger at Yuki, smiling smugly. "Come on! It is just the beginning! There will be more chances for me to beat you today!"


    Yuki just shook his head, trying to ignore the provocation. Inwardly though, he didn''t notice something burning in his heart.


    ''Well, isn''t this interesting¡­''

 Chapter 6: Offense vs Defense! A Battle of Two Different Playing Styles!

    "Excuse me! Give me a way, please! Excuse me!"


    Outside of the gym, a girl sprinted down the hallway, sweat-drenched all over her shirt. She kept running while apologizing to the people she passed through, trying to get there as soon as possible. Inwardly, she cursed her homeroom teacher for holding the entire ss back for about thirty minutes before letting them go with their business.


    When the girl arrived at the gym, she stopped immediately, panting like a cow while holding her knees to support her body.


    "I am sorry for beingte, Akira-sensei! Genta-sensei asked us to choose the representative for each ss and hold me back for about thirty minutes!" She bowed her head, trying to apologize to the volleyball team''s coach while exining what happened.


    However, she didn''t expect that not only her sensei was not responding at all, but even the yers were doing the same. It confused the girl a bit as since she was the only female member of the team, all the boys usually would be excited for nothing whenever she arrived at the gym.


    "Sensei?" The girl tried to peek at the coach carefully from her bow.


    "Ah, sorry, Ayaka-san, what are you saying again?" The coach finally spoke to her, yet his words indicated he didn''t pay attention to her. The girl called Ayaka had her lips twitched a little in annoyance before sighing, "Well, Sensei, I am sorry I camete. Can I take a seat?"


    "Oh, yeah, sure!"


    The girl huffed before throwing her body on the seat next to the coach. Her name was Ayaka Megumi, and her identity here was the manager of the volleyball team. And no, her role was not to clean the court after the activity or wash everyone''s jersey after the game. In fact, it revolved around something every person would fear, paperwork.


    Yes, she was the one responsible for the team''s administrative work; from registering the new members of the team to the school database to the point of registering the team for every tournament they would enter. Without her, the team would be just a bunch of people gathering together and ying volleyball as a hobby. That was why sometimes she was treated as a queen by the boys.


    This time though, the girl was confused when she didn''t receive the warm greeting from the other. She trailed Akira''s line of sight, trying to see what kind of event would make the team ignore her like that. Then, her eyes caught two familiar figures on the court, one with rare blonde hair and the other with sses on his face.


    "Are those two the new members?" She asked curiously.


    "Well, the blonde one is the new member," Akira replied, his eyes still on the court. "He is my nephew, Agostini Riku. You should have known about him if you checked our Facebook group for once." He added dryly.


    Megumi blushed a little, trying to avoid Akira''s gaze. Facebook was the social media that bloomed recently among the students and almost every club kinda makes one for their members tomunicate with each other. Megumi was probably one of the few people who didn''t like hanging around the group, and sometimes, it caused her to get any newster than the others.


    "Oh, is he the one who kept chatting and inviting everyone to y games togetherst night?" Megumi suddenly remembered something.


    "Oh, so it seems you still take a look at what happened in the group too." Akira chuckled yfully. Then, he cringed when the memory of what happenedst night emerged in his head. "Sorry about that one. I will try to discipline him better after this."


    Megumi just gave him a little understanding smile. While there was no etiquette rule established in social media, some people thought that it was rude to invite others to chat and y games after 9:00 PM. It was usually the time when almost all the people fell asleep to get ready for the next day.


    Unfortunately, that was exactly what Riku didst night.


    He kept inviting everyone to y some sort of online game that Megumi couldn''t understand anything about. But since the group kept ringing until midnight time, she knew there were a lot of yers decided to hang out together with him. That was probably why he could get so close with each other yers even though today was just the second day of school.


    "Well, you said only one of them is the new member. What about that sses boy?" She asked curiously.


    "That boy¡­" Akira''s face suddenly turned serious, surprising Megumi a little. "He is the person I kept racking my brain since yesterday, trying toe up with an idea of how to recruit him to join our team."


    -0-


    *BAM!*


    "Shit! It bounces to the!"


    "Yuki! Cover it up!"


    "I got it, Senpai!"


    Yuki moved forward immediately, extending his arms far away while leaning his body forward, trying to keep the ball in the air. He lost his bnce a bit, falling down to the floor after saving the ball. However, it was enough to keep the ball alive.


    "Nice cover, Yuki!"


    "Sakai-senpai, here!"


    "Kaede is about to jump! Follow my lead! One! Two! Three! Go!"


    *BAM!*


    "KUSO!"


    "YOSH! Nice block, you two!"


    Kaede cursed out loud as his spike was blocked by a wall formed by Riku and Ren, the outside hitter of the opposite team. However, when they all thought the ball was dead, Okumura, the libero and the guardian of the team suddenly dived acrobatically, saving the ball with the back of his palm before it could touch the floor.


    "Oh, damn! Pancake!"


    "Yori-senpai! Follow it up!"


    "Yuki!"


    Hearing his name was called, Yuki took a step back before running forward and jumped. Riku on the other side didn''t want to lose. He also did the same while extending his arms high, trying to set a wall that Yuki couldn''t break.


    "Come on, Riku! Don''t lose again!"


    Amidst the chaos, the duel between those two happened once again. Looking at the wall in front of him though, Yuki didn''t lose his calm. He remembered the trick Riku had done when the game just started and suddenly smirked, giving the blonde boy a bad feeling.


    "Well, how about tasting your own weapon?"


    With a mischievous grin, Yuki suddenly slowed down the arms that had coiled back and was ready to be unleashed like a whip, changing his mind from a powerful spike into a soft one. He tapped the ball gently, letting it float over Riku''s hands that was still in the air.


    While several yers from the opposite side wanted to cover, they were too surprised, didn''t expect Yuki to pull up the same stunt Riku did earlier.


    "YOSSHAA!!" Yuki roared wildly.


    "Nice kill, Yuki!"


    "Damn! Genius is really different!"


    "Good job, boy!"


    As he celebrated the point with his temporary teammates, gone was all the politeness and the fake fa?ade Yuki had always worn when facing strangers, his true self as a normal hot-blooded teenager was fully exposed.


    Everyone didn''t mind though. They preferred it when Yuki was honest with himself rather than showing his mask to them. And they were also happy, thinking that Yuki finally started to ept himself as one of the volleyball team''s members. When they heard that Yuki lived in an orphanage, they knew there was a big chance the sses boy would refuse their invitation.


    However, looking at how it went until now, it seemed the genius of the volleyball would stay longer with them.


    "So, what is the score between us two?" Yuki couldn''t help but tease Riku; he pushed his sses upward. The blonde boy just huffed, annoyed. However, he still gave Yuki the answer. "It should be 4 ¨C 1 for your lead. Don''t be too happy, though. I will beat you soon!"


    Yuki shook his head amusedly. "Well, I will wait for you. Please, take your time slowly, okay?"


    He turned his head, staring at the board to check for the score. The big yellow board showed 10 ¨C 5, his team was still leading. Then, his eyes identallynded on the bench, or to be more exact, on the girl who sat next to the coach, and he was taken aback by the familiar feeling he had for the girl.


    ''Is that the girl who sat behind me in the ss? What is her name again?'' He wondered confusedly. ''Is she also a member of the team?''


    However, he denied the idea immediately after making an eye-contact with the girl, and she waved her hand and smiled to greet him.


    ''No, that girl is too shy to do that. This girl must be someone who coincidentally looks familiar with her or her rtive.''


    "What''s wrong, Yuki?" Yoshi asked.


    It still amazed Yuki how quickly he got close to everyone on the team. They even started calling each other with their first name here, something he would never befortable enough with strangers. Maybe this was how boys made friends. It only took one game of volleyball which they fought together to change the stranger status to best friends, something which Yuki himself wouldn''tin about.


    However, right now, his mind was on the girl next to Akira. "Who is she?" He decided to ask.


    Yoshi''s eyes trailed to the spot where Yuki pointed before grinning. "Ah, I get it. Are you interested in her too?" Yuki''s mouth twitched at the soft jab he received from his senpai. "Well, she is the manager of the team, Megumi-san. You will have to step on so many corpses if you want to approach her."


    ''So a popr girl, then.'' Yuki nodded silently.


    "Well, if you are really interested in her, you can ask to Koji over there." Yoshi pointed at the yer on the opposite side with wild, spiky hair. "He ims to be her number one fan and would do anything for her. Even though I don''t know whether Megumi-san had ever asked him to do anything, I do not doubt hismitment to her. Koji would jump over the cliff if she asked him to do so.''


    Yuki had a sweat drop in his face at the information he just received.


    "Well, we can talk a lot about herter. You will alsomunicate with her a lot after this. But for now, let''s continue the game."


    "Sure."


    -0-


    Megumi blinked her eyes repeatedly, still wondering what happened. She had been the manager of the team in thest two years ¨C this year would be her third and never in her mind she thought the team would be able to y an amazing volleyball like this.


    And all of that revolved around the two freshmen who were ying on the court right now.


    "Noriyuki-senpai! Ogawa-senpai! Run!"


    That was the shout from Riku, the blonde boy who Akira imed to be his nephew. He was ying as the setter for Noriyuki''s team, the brain of every y for them. It wasn''t like anything Megumi had ever seen from Yori before.


    Unlike the third-year setter who always liked to y solid and safe, with Riku, everyone was involved in the offense, and no one knew where the ball would go until the blonde boy decided it in thest second.


    He was like a conductor in an orchestra, waving his baton tomand the others to follow his arrangement.


    "Senpai, left. Follow my lead. One, two, three, jump!"


    *BAM!*


    "YOSH! Nice block, Hirano-senpai! Kaede-senpai!"


    "Good job to you too, Yuki!"


    Turning her eyes to the other team, Megumi saw how Yuki blended perfectly with his senpai. If Riku was a master at conducting offense for his team, Yuki showed off his talent as a natural leader, taking the lead inmanding everyone to defend the ball. Megumi knew while the team had several yers who were good in defense, the biggest problem alwaysy inmunication.


    Hirano Fuji, one of the best middle blockers in Tokyo was always a solo yer. He had never been good at giving orders ormanding his teammates to do something for him. And to make it worse, his cold personality was the exact opposite of Okumura, the loudmouth libero on the team.


    The sh of personalities between those two sometimes led the defense into pure chaos, making it hard for their teammates to do it properly. Only Yoshi and Noriyuki were probably charismatic enough to take themand on defense, but their reading-the-game skill was never top-notch.


    This time though, even if he had two troublesome yers on his team, Yuki united them both under hismand, making them follow his lead to win the sparring game. Hell, even Hirano who was infamous for his cold personality was willing to listen and even ept Yuki''s high-five from time to time.


    It was at this moment Megumi realized why the coach thought highly of Yuki.


    "They are interesting, right?" Akira suddenly asked, startling Megumi a bit.


    "Yeah." She admitted, praising both Yuki and Riku. "I don''t know what kind of good karma did we do in our past lives, but to have two amazing freshmen in the same year sure is one hell of luck."


    Akira nodded in agreement, then let out a long sigh. "Yesterday, his reading-the-game ability made me think he is a good seedling to be a middle blocker. Then before this game, his train of thought when receiving Riku''s serve convinced me he would be good as a libero too. But now, I realize he is the perfect opposite hitter in my mind.


    Good at receiving, blocking, serving, defending, and even spiking, he is one hell of a yer. Unfortunately, he still didn''t have any idea to join us."


    Megumi who knew that Akira was talking about Yuki and had already heard about his background story also sighed regretfully. It would be a pity for someone this talented to miss out on the team because of this.


    "Well, let''s try to convince him again after this." She said thest part to reassure the coach.


    "Yeah¡­" Akira nodded, his gaze was far away. "Let''s do it againter¡­"


    -0-


    Back to the court, Riku was cursing so loud right now. And the subject of his curse was of course the sses boy he deemed as a rival on the opposite side. He red at him at the intensity that if it could kill, Yuki would probably be six feet under right now.


    The root of it all was simple. It was Yuki''s turn to serve the ball, and twice he did, he aimed the ball straight at Riku. And while Riku was a decent defender, he had never seen a floater from this close, let alone receiving the end of it.


    ''Damn this Bastard!'' He cursed once again in Italian. ''Never received a formal training? What a joke! Which novice can serve a nasty floater like this!'' His face darkened more when Riku saw the infuriating smirk on Yuki''s face directed at him. ''I know this bastard is targeting me! Damn!''


    "Calm down, Riku!" As the captain of the team, it wasn''t the first time Noriyuki handled teammates with a bad temper like him. "Don''t think about it too much. Listen here."


    After discussing the arrangement for the next y with the captain, Riku''s face lightened up a bit, knowing this was the chance for him to get revenge.


    "Thanks, Senpai!"


    Yuki who was on the other side of the court ignored their interaction, thinking it wouldn''t change too much. He took a deep breath, tossing the ball slowly through the air before hitting it gently, making sure it didn''t have too much spin while in the air.


    Honestly, Yuki didn''t know this kind of serve had its own name. For all he knew, he had a knack for it the first time he saw his teacher doing this serve and had used this a lot in the past whenever his PE ss was having a volleyball game to tease his opponents, and it always worked. He just didn''t expect this would work against a school team that was also preparing for a serious tournament.


    However, this time, it was a little bit different. While he still aimed at Riku, ¨C he admitted he did this deliberately ¨C the moment the ball passed over the, Riku switched position with Noriyuki to avoid his serve. The captain received it perfectly, using his overhand pass to give the ball directly to Riku on the front line.


    "Nice pass, Captain!"


    Yuki was about to run forward, going back to his position as one of the blockers. However, he was surprised by how Riku handled the ball. Instead of tossing it to his teammates, the blonde boy didn''t wait for too long and killed the y directly in the second ball, spiking it straight in his direction.


    Getting caught off guard, Yuki flinched a bit, couldn''t dodge the hit that came straight to his face. He used his hand to block the ball, yet his action made it bounce far outside of the court.


    "Ha! I got you this time!" Riku smiled smugly, showing his childishness to Yuki.


    Yuki himself just shook his head, smiling exasperatedly. This was the second time he received the same trick from Riku, and honestly, he wasn''t even that mad. The intense game made Yuki forget anyone could kill the ball at any time as long as it hadn''t been touched for more than three consecutive times by one team.


    Later in the near future, Yuki would know this so-called dump trick was Riku''s go-to move whenever the blonde boy was excited.


    "Wait over there, Kobayashi! This time, I will let you see my serve!" Riku shouted from the other side. It seemed he wanted to retaliate against the torture he received before.


    Yuki just grinned slightly, challenging him with another shout. "Well, do it if you can!"


    Even though they both were separated by 24 meters ¨C the length of the court ¨C and the eight yers on the court, it was still easy for them to make an eye-contact. The clear cerulean eyes met the brown one as the tension between those two increased rapidly.


    Even though they both were just freshmen, the other yers still gave them the respect they deserved, letting those two have their duel this time. All of Yuki''s teammates stepped aside, giving him the space to receive the ball.


    Seeing this, Riku grinned, knowing their senpai had already set this stage for him. With a flick of his wrist and a burst of strength, the blonde boyunched the ball into the air, watching with fierce determination as it soared towards its target. Time seemed to slow down as the ball hurtled toward the opponent''s court.


    *BAM!*


    After that, thest thing people heard from the volleyball court was the explosion-like sound echoed all over the gym before hell broke loose.

 Chapter 7: Evaluation

    "Are you okay, Kobayashi-kun?" Megumi asked, concerned.


    It was after Riku''sst serve that everyone gathered around Yuki, some red at him full of jealousy for receiving Megumi''s tender care. Yuki himself didn''t care, busy rubbing his bruised wrists and the spot near his thumbs that turned bright red instantly after thest y.


    "It is okay, Megumi-senpai." Yuki smiled weakly. "It would sting for a night, but I bet this would disappear after I wake up tomorrow morning."


    "Are you sure?" Megumi bit her lips nervously, her face sweated a bit. Yuki felt a bit guilty for the girl since the moment the incident happened, she dashed to bring the emergency medical box every club had here as quickly as possible.


    However, before he could answer that question, a big arm suddenly tangled around his neck, dragging Yuki away from the attention. "Don''t worry about him, Megumi-san. I am sure he will be okay." Koji, one of the boys who was his opponent before smiled stiffly while secretly ring at Yuki.


    "Yeah! Don''t worry, Megumi-san!"


    One after another, almost all the yers gave testimony for Yuki, saying that he was okay while ring at him, sending a message to silence the boy. The boy himself sighed, knowing that he was somehow offending his senpai here.


    ''I am the one who is injured here, why are they the ones who were panicked?'' He thought wryly.


    Themotion stopped out of sudden when Riku walked in his direction. All the yers gathered around Yuki dispersed immediately, giving the two boys room to talk. They didn''t leave though, waiting curiously for any fight or something simr that could possibly happen.


    Yuki cursed them all inwardly for not giving him and Riku any privacy at all, ming it on the teenager''s thirst for drama. He didn''t back down though, staring back at Riku curiously, observing his expression to see what was the blonde boy thinking. There were so many thoughts reflected on Riku''s face, from concern, panic, distracted, to¡­. Guilt?


    ''Why did he feel guilty toward me?'' Yuki tilted his head confusedly.


    He furrowed his brows, trying to recall what happened before. It was just a normal y with Yuki receiving Riku''s serve for the second time today after the warmup session before, nothing special. What stopped the game immediately was because Yuki miscalcted where the ball wouldnd and instead of hitting his forearm, it went directly to his fists, hitting his thumb until its nail was bleeding.


    While it hurt, Yuki didn''t see how it could be Riku''s fault.


    "Are you okay?" The blonde half-Italian boy asked, trying to look unconcerned.


    "Just like I said, don''t worry about it. A bit sore, but after resting it for a night, everything would be alright." Yuki waved his concern nonchntly.


    "Good." Riku nodded, then walked away to the bench to grab a bottle of water. Some people were bound to be disappointed since they were there to see some drama. However, Yuki was d the awkward conversation between those two happened so quickly, not giving everyone the gossip they wanted.


    They all suddenly heard a loud cough, attracting everyone''s attention. When they turned around, they could see Akira walking toward their direction, rubbing his mustache elegantly as if he was some sort of a royal family member, the temperament that was so not suitable for the tracking suit he wore.


    While he was also concerned for Yuki, he didn''t join themotion there, knowing it would make everyone more panicked. The teacher knew Megumi was more capable of handling the situation, even though he also knew she would turn into her usual ''mama bear'' mode, nagging everyone to do what she told.


    Now that he could see the tension was gone, Akira finally spoke, announcing his presence once again. "Well, since Kobayashi-kun is slightly injured, even though he could still continue, I think it is time to stop the game, don''t you also think so?"


    That was when all of them realized that the basketball court next to them was already empty and the crowds that seemed to be on the sideline watching them y were also gone, leaving the entire gymnasium just for them. Yuki checked the sky for a second to see whether the sky was dark already or not, starting to panic as he forgot he hadn''t told anyone in the orphanage that he would bete.


    "Damn, I need to go back!"


    "You are worried you haven''t told anyone that you are here? Don''t worry about that." Akira waved his hand nonchntly, flipping up his phone and showing something to Yuki. "Here, I have already told Aiko-san. She asked me to tell you to have some fun here and she would handle the rest of the kids by herself, so you have her permission to be here.


    Oh, and in case you are wondering how could I contact her, it is mandatory for every student to leave their contact here for the school for the administration, so I got it from the school system." He said thest sentence to answer everyone''s unasked question.


    Yuki sighed in relief when he heard that, d that it was not something outrageous like his sensei stalking him or using his shady informant to get the matron''s contact. He was also somehow touched by his sensei''s thoughtfulness to inform Aiko of his whereabouts.


    "So, what would we do now?" He asked hesitantly.


    "Well, of course, it is evaluation." It was Noriyuki who answered that question for the coach. "It is a tradition for us to give feedback to each other after training sessions, throwing opinions to see what could we do to improve ourselves. Come on, let''s gather first!"


    "Okay."


    The silence there was palpable as the volleyball team yers gathered in the empty gym, the only sound being the soft squeak of sneakers on the polished floor. The fluorescent lights overhead seemed to hum a gentle melody, casting a warm glow over the group.


    The echoes of their earlier shouts andughter had faded away, leaving only the quiet murmur of conversation and the asional rustle of sweat-drenched shirts.


    "Man, it has been a long time since we had the entire gym just for ourselves." Okumura sighed, lying down on the floor. "Damn, I really miss this cold feeling."


    "So, is it that often for the team to be thest one leaving the gym?" Yuki asked curiously, sitting next to him.


    "Not really." Yori ¨C the setter of the team answered. "When the summer tournament is near, the basketball team would be crazier than us. I often found my ssmate who joined that team to be sleeping in the ss in the morning because he went back from the training session at around 9:30 PM."


    "Thatte?" Yuki was surprised.


    "Yeah. I mean, it is for the tournament, so of course, the closer it was the more intense their preparation would be."


    "Oh, by the way, I have been meaning to ask this, but how could everyone be so close to Agostini-san? Isn''t he also a freshman like me?" Yuki suddenly asked the question that had been bugging his mind for a while.


    "Oh, it is because he joined the Facebook group of our teamst day, right after the challenge was over. He is also a noisy person, keeps chatting and inviting everyone to y some sort of online game until midnight. That is probably why it is easy for him to blend in." Yori chuckled a little at that.


    He paused a second before adding, "Anyway, you can go to Megumi and give her your Facebook username, she will invite you to join the group too."


    Yuki just chuckled wryly, inwardly thinking of the Facebook ount he had forgotten by now. That social media has been booming in thest few years and almost every teenager has at least one ount for themselves, including Yuki. But since the disaster happened, he lost his phone and everything in it and this had never crossed his mind until he was reminded now.


    ''Well, not just Facebook, but I also need to think of having a phone too tomunicate with others.'' He mused. But after thinking about the amount of money he possessed right now, Yuki sighed before adding a note in his mind, ''I really need to find a part-time job after this.''


    "Okay, everyone, hear me up!" Akira suddenly raised his voice, killing all the whispers around there. "Since it is already dark outside, let''s keep it short. First, I will talk about your condition. After a month of holiday, you all are bing sloppier! Your stamina gets worsened, your movements are slower, and hell, I can even see the fat on your belly!


    Where the hell does all the discipline I trained you allst year go?!" He roared, scolding all the senpai in the gymnasium.


    Yuki winced a little, feeling sorry for his senpai. If he who wasn''t the target of the scolding felt bad and guilty, he didn''t want to think what the object of the scold would feel right now.


    "I know that you deserve a holiday too after a long year, bute on, guys!" It seemed Akira was frustrated too. "Really? After the disappointing resultst year, do you think you can be better with this kind of attitude?"


    All of the senpai just bowed their heads, didn''t even plead innocent in front of their coach.


    Akira sighed before finally deciding, "Well, as the punishment, we will restart our morning routine once again starting from tomorrow. Do you all understand?!"


    Based on how pale their face were, even though Yuki didn''t know what the morning routine the coach said was, he knew it should be terrible. However, it seemed all the yers there had some sort of self-consciousness, just sighing in resignation as they all realized they were guilty.


    "Well, let''s move on to the two new freshmen who decided to join us today." In a blink, the attention suddenly turned to Yuki and Riku. "This is your first game with us, right? What do you think? And please, don''t mince your words. This is an evaluation session, so we want to hear your thoughts."


    Yuki paused for a second, thinking of his words to not offend the others. However, Riku didn''t have the same thought, words seemed to leave his mouth so easily.


    "Well, the team is so unbnced!" Heined directly, making everyone dumbfounded instantly. "I mean, the other team is so good in defense it doesn''t make sense anymore! Don''t you know about that already, Uncle?!"


    Yuki chuckled at the name slip from Riku. This was the first time he heard the blonde boys addressing the coach as his uncle while before that, he could always restrain himself to avoid any favoritism. This slip just showed how bothered Riku was by the arrangement.


    "Indeed, the arrangement is not bnced," Akira admitted it freely. "I just want to see your and Kobayashi-kun''s capability when you were ced into the team that fit you the best. Since you are a setter, I ced you with the best attackers on the team, and since Kobayashi-kun showed his capability in blocking and receiving, I arranged for the best defensive yers to be his teammates.


    Fair enough, right?"


    This exnation basically confirms Yuki''s guess before the game. While he didn''t know the characteristic of his opponent''s team, he knew just by ying together in one set that his teammates before were too good defensively.


    "Well, it is still unbnced, though." Riku crossed his arms in front of his chest, pouting slightly.


    Akira ignored his childish behavior and turned to Yuki, asking, "What about you, Kobayashi-kun? Any opinion for the team?"


    Yuki nced at several of his teammates hesitantly, pondering about what he wanted to say. Seeing his kouhai like this, Noriyuki knew what was inside his mind and reassured him quickly, "Don''t worry, Kobayashi-kun. We all are open to critique here. You can see Riku-kun doesn''t have any hesitation to speak whatever is inside his mind, right? Just do it like him."


    Yuki chuckled wryly, knowing full well he couldn''t do it that freely like how Riku did before. He was more reserved and knew there was always a consequence to every word that came out of his mouth. However, after seeing the five teammates he had in thest game also encouraging him, Yuki became more confident to speak his opinion out loud.


    "Well, I don''t really have that much knowledge about volleyball, but from what I see, my teamcksmunication." It seemed he hit the nail as Yuki could see the intrigued look from his coach while the others had their mouth gaped wide. "I mean, the only one who is trying is Yori-senpai. Kaede-senpai might speak once or twice, but it was usually a curse or something simr.


    Okumura-senpai also the same, only roared wildly after celebrating his good y. Other than that, it is basically nothing, making it hard for me to adapt to the situation on the court."


    Yuki blinked a few times in confusion when he noticed the silence around, everyone was looking at him as if he was the second Jesus sent from heaven. He touched his face awkwardly, thinking there was something there while asking, "Is there anything wrong?"


    "No, nothing wrong with you, Kobayashi-kun." Akira chuckled richly, breaking the silence. "It is just, you said the exact same thing as I did thest year, so maybe they have a little shback here. Good observation, though, you really hit the nail here." Then, he turned around to his yers who were still processing Yuki''s words. "See? Even a freshman could see that problem too."


    "Damn, Yuki. You really saw all of that?" Yori shook his head, impressed. He was the happiest here considering he was praised by his kouhai as the only one who tried tomunicate on the team.


    "Well, isn''t it easy to see?" Yuki asked nonchntly. His words elicited a chain of sighs from the rest of the team as they were reminded of Yuki''s outrageous talent in volleyball.


    "Man, are you sure you don''t want to join the team?" Riku suddenly approached him. Gone was the guilt in his eyes as it shone brightly as if the blonde boy just found a treasure deep inside the ocean. "Your defense is so good! I have never experienced that kind of desperation before! With my offense, maybe we could make some fortune in the national tournament!


    And if you join too, we can y against each other every day! I am still down to six points against you, don''t forget about it! I will chase it down soon!"


    Looking at how excited Riku was, Yuki could only shake his head exasperatedly. Inwardly, he thought that it must be good to be as carefree as Riku was. However, even though Yuki could see the charm of the game, he still knew there was something more important for him to do rather than joining the team.


    "Unfortunately, Agostini-san, joining the club would be too much for me now. I need a job to make some money."


    Everyone cringed, just remembering Yuki''s background story. Akira had this mysterious expression when he heard Yuki mention that, but for the others, while they wanted Yuki to join the team, they knew he couldn''t do it for now.


    They all were speechless, didn''t know what to say or whether they needed to reassure Yuki it was okay to not join or it was them who needed to be reassured that it was okay for a talent like Yuki to not join the team.


    Finally, it was Megumi who broke the silence, asking the question that somehow solved the elephants in the room instantly.


    "Well, how about you apply for a part-time job at my family house? We can adjust the time so you can also join the team too. Shouldn''t that solve everything?"

 Chapter 8: A Part Time Job

    "Oi, Kobayashi, are you sure this is the right ce?" Riku asked, staring at the building in front of him hesitantly.


    Yuki sighed, knowing why Riku wasn''t so sure about this at all. It was the day after the sparing game and currently, Yuki ¨C apanied by Riku was standing in front of the building Megumi said to be where her family house was, and just by looking at its exterior, he was sure this ce was older than his school.


    It was a pretty old-looking building, with the faded sign above the door read ''Paper & Pen'' in crooked English letters, and the windows were so grimy that Yuki could hardly see inside. Even though he wasn''t a Native of Tokyo and had never explored the city, he knew this kind of ce was something any tourist would never know.


    Still, since Megumi was kind enough to rmend him, someone she had met once yesterday to work here, he still stepped forward, encouraging himself to enter the building. But as he pushed open the door, Yuki was greeted by the warm and weing aroma of old books and fresh coffee, and his hesitation began to fade away.


    He took a deep breath, wiped his sweaty palms on his uniform, and stepped inside, where he was immediately enveloped in the cozy atmosphere of the store.


    "Are you Kobayashi-kun?" Suddenly, a voice snapped Yuki from his thoughts.


    When he turned around, he could see an olddy smiling at him warmly, and it took him a second to realize who the woman in front of him was. Her sharp eyebrows, the dimples that sunk the skin of her cheeks like pits, her warm gaze, everything was so identical to Megumi that if not for the wrinkles on her face, Yuki would mistake the woman as his senpai''s mother.


    "I have already heard about you, but I don''t know about the others?" Thedy tilted her head curiously at Riku. It seemed the blonde boy was also in a daze at how simr his senpai was with the old woman before him that he forgot to introduce himself.


    "A-Ah! My name is Agostini Riku! Nice to meet you, Ma''am!" The boy stuttered a bit when he introduced himself.


    "Agostini?" The olddy furrowed her brows as if she was trying to remember something. Then, out of a sudden, her expression lightened up in realization. "Ah, you are the rude Italian boy in the Face¡­ Face¡­ Face what?" She asked confusedly.


    "It is Facebook, Ma''am," Yuki exined, hiding his smirk when he saw the blush on Riku''s face. "It is the ce where people could send a message to each other without having to wait for the physical letter toe delivered by the postman.


    That''s why some could still exchange conversation with others even though it was nighttime already." Not the best exnation for what media social was, of course. But Yuki was satisfied when he saw the old woman understood his analogy.


    "You young people and your technology¡­" The olddy shook her head in exasperation. "Anyway, please sit down first."


    Hearing that, Yuki and Riku took the chairs close to the windows quickly. Their eyes wandered around the building, noticing for the first time how contrast it was to their expectation. The creaky wooden floorboards beneath their feet seemed to whisper secrets of the past, and the musty smell of old books filled their nostrils.


    Yuki looked around, taking in the rows upon rows of bookshelves that seemed to stretch up to the ceiling, their worn leather spines and yellowed pages glowing like treasures in the soft light.


    "There should be more than a thousand books here, right?" Riku whispered, staring in awe at the sheer scale of the collection here.


    "67,338 books, if you want to be more exact." The olddy suddenly appeared again, now bringing a tray with two cups of tea and a smaller cup of coffee. "That is the amount of the books my husband collected for more than 60 years during his lifetime. Oh, please enjoy the tea here."


    "You remember the numbers of the books here?" Riku asked, impressed. He took one cup from the tray and enjoyed it while his eyes were still wandering around.


    "Well, I might be wrong, of course. But I have dedicated myst ten years to take care of this building, so I am confident here."


    "Ten years?!" Riku widened his eyes in surprise.


    "Yup! This is thest work of the love of my life, so there is no way I would abandon it." She chuckled richly, her eyes gazing far away, reminiscing the past. "Anyway, Kobayashi-kun is here to ask for a job, right? Let me introduce myself first. My name is Ayaka Sachi, and as you can guess, I am Megumi-chan''s grandmother."


    "Nice to meet you, Ayaka-san." Both Yuki and Riku bowed politely.


    "Don''t be too polite. There might be a lot of Ayaka here in the future, so just call me Sachi-baasan." The olddy waved her hand nonchntly. "As for the job, honestly, I don''t see the need to do it, but-"


    "Eh?! What do you mean by that, Sachi-baasan?!" Riku interrupted before Sachi could even finish her exnation. Yuki sent the Italian boy a re for cutting her words before she could get to the point, yet his heart sunk immediately the first time he heard her words. He had already been thinking of the worst-case scenario where he wouldn''t get the job here and had to search for another ce.


    ''Well, I shouldn''t expect to get a job this easy¡­''


    Sachi herself blinked her eyes for a moment, shocked by Riku''s interruption. It was clear by her expression that it was rare for her to receive this kind of treatment. Well, at least Riku had the decency to look sheepish and apologized immediately.


    "Wow, you really are like what Megumi-chan said, rowdy boy through and through." She chuckled.


    Fortunately, the olddy wasn''t offended by Riku''s behavior. The blonde boy himself blushed, cursing the manager of the team for filling her grandmother''s head with lies. Not that he would dare to say it out loud, of course.


    "Well, before I was interrupted by your overly enthusiastic friend here," She turned her attention back to Yuki, yet still didn''t forget to throw a yful jab at Riku. "I am content with this building as it is and don''t have any n to change it.


    However, an old colleague of my husband camest year when I was taking care of the book and he advised me to make a digital catalog to make it easier to track down every book here. So, that is the job if you want to. What do you think?"


    "What about the wage?" Riku quickly asked.


    Yuki didn''t mind though. Unlike the constant rude interruption that the blonde boy did several times earlier, this time, he asked it politely, and his question was also essential in whether he was willing to do the job or not. It was good to have a spokesperson out of nothing. He just didn''t expect Riku to be such a chatterbox, couldn''t help but keep his mouth running loose.


    "Hmm¡­ Let me think about it¡­" Sachi pondered for a second. "Well, the minimum wage right now is about 700 yen per hour, and I can input at least 8 to 10 books in one hour, so I could give you about that amount of money for every eight books you input to the catalog. What do you think?"


    Yuki was hesitant before asking another important question. "What about the work time?"


    "It is up to you, of course." The olddy replied easily, surprising the two boys in front of her. Then, she smiled amusedly before continuing, "I heard that you two are members of the volleyball team like Megumi-chan, right? I know it will take a lot of your time in the future, so you can adjust it as much as you like.


    Your payment won''t depend on the amount of time you spent but how much effort you put in here, so you don''t need to be so strict about this."


    Yuki did a hasty calction inside his head before asking, "How long do you want me to work here?"


    Honestly, this sounded like a dream work for Yuki. Not only the time was flexible and the wage was good, but the employee, his senpai''s grandmother was also a kind woman who didn''t have too many requirements for him. Now, he should consider how long could he work here to n for the future too. However, what Sachi said next was something beyond his head.


    "Well, you can work as long as you can, Dear." The olddy smiled gently at him. "Out of more than sixty thousand books here, only about 2000 books had been catalogized by now. That is just three percent of all the collections in this building. It would take forever toplete this task, so I don''t mind being apanied by you in the future."


    "Would it take a lot of money to pay, though?" Riku asked hesitantly.


    Sachi just chuckled richly as if she heard the funniest joke in the world. "Even though you cannot see it, my husband and I have been working hard and made a big fortune from a lot of good investments in the past.


    The money wouldn''t run out even if the next seven generations of my family didn''t want to work, and considering all my sons and granddaughters inherited our hard worker trait, I said that money would be thest problem my family had to worry about."


    Shiughed merrily when she saw the bbergasted expression on the boy''s face. Even though she was a private person and didn''t like to unt her wealth, it still amused her to no end whenever she witnessed the reaction of the others who heard about her wealth.


    As for Yuki and Riku, they smiled at each other wryly, were too speechless to express their feeling. While they had expected her to be wealthy ¨C with the amount of the books here, of course she was ¨C never crossed their mind that this kind, gentle woman was the owner of such incredible wealth.


    Those two boys felt like they had been living in a world of ck and white, and suddenly everything had turned into a vibrant Technicolor. Their reaction was a mix of awe, wonder, and confusion. They didn''t know what to say or do next. All they could do was stare at the olddy in amazement, their mind racing with questions and doubts.


    Who was this woman and her husband?


    -0-


    At the end of the day, Yuki decided to ept the job offer from her, thinking that this was too good to be passed. To his surprise though, Riku decided to do the same. Not to belittle the blonde boy''s intelligence, but Yuki had never seen him as a person who was patient enough to work in front of aputer for too long.


    However, Riku was determined to do so, and who was Yuki to object to his decision?


    However, Yuki was amused when he overheard the blonde boy mumbling about his motivation to join here. he wanted to beat the ''four-eyes'' in everything no matter how silly it was, thinking that this was a part of their rivalry that he couldn''t run away from. Thinking about him, Yuki just chuckled, letting the Italian boy do whatever he wanted to do.


    It wasn''t like Riku was disturbing him, and Yuki was sure the blonde boy would get tired of this sooner orter.


    That was the na?ve thought that he would regret in the future.


    As for now though, they were currently in one of the rooms hidden behind all the books there, staring in awe at the fourtest releasedptops disyed perfectly on the table, their monitor was still shining and reflecting their face as if it was a new mirror. This was just another proof of how ridiculously wealthy the olddy in front of them was.


    "So, we are going to work with this?" Yuki twitched the corner of his mouth exasperatedly. He felt pity that such a cutting-edge technology like this was only used to catalog this massive library with Microsoft Excel, never been utilized at its fullest.


    "Well, just don''t touch the two in the corner. That is reserved only for my granddaughters to use." Sachi pointed at theptop she mentioned. "As for the other two, you can use it as much as you like, but don''t bring it outside of the building. Those are gifts from a dear friend of mine."


    Once again, Yuki twitched the corner of his mouth exasperatedly, now thinking what kind of friend would send thetest releasedptop as a gift to an olddy?


    Well, nevertheless, Yuki decided not to question everything too much, afraid it would fry his brain alive. He listened carefully to the olddy''s exnation of what they had to do, and Yuki was surprised at how easy it was. It was just inputting the book''s general information from its title, the writer''s name, the publisher, genre, to the synopsis before putting the book back on the shelves.


    When Yuki tried to do that, he blinked a few times, couldn''t believe how fast he could do this.


    "Only three minutes?" Riku mumbled, also in disbelief. Then, he turned to the olddy and asked, "Obaasan, are you sure you didn''t miscount your time when you did all of this?"


    A fair question, Yuki thought.


    "Well, of course, not! I have been doing it for a while, there is no way I would miscount something so simple like this." Sachi denied the idea immediately.


    "However, if I saw a book with a good synopsis, I would get distracted easily and read it first for a while until I realized there was still a lot to do before continuing my job again, so, maybe that is why my speed is not that fast." She grinned mischievously, making both Yuki and Riku have sweat drop on their face.


    ''What a carefreedy.'' Yuki shook his head in amusement.


    However, he was the one who was happiest the most here. After several times trying to do the job, Yuki found out he could do at least one book every three to four minutes, making it almost twenty books per hour. With that kind of speed, he could gain about 4200 yen just by working for three hours, and if it was a weekend, the amount of the money could be doubled since he didn''t have to go to school.


    Thinking of the financially free life in the future he imagined yet hadn''te yet, Kouki was excited. A pang of guilt suddenly appeared from the bottom of his heart though, thinking he was scamming the kind olddy in front of him.


    However, before Yuki could say anything, he could hear a shout from the outside.


    "Obaasan! We are here!"


    Shi raised from her seat immediately, an ear-to-ear smile formed on her face when she heard the greeting. "Oh, Megumi-chan! You are here!"


    After exchanging hugs with each other, Megumi''s eyes suddenly turned to Riku and Yuki and suddenly asked, "So, how is it?"


    "Well¡­"


    Although there was a chance his wage would be reduced, Yuki still told her his concern. He didn''t want to go against his morale, knowing that it was wrong to scam the elderly. However, Megumi brushed off his concern immediately, exining why his assumption was wrong.


    "As you might guess already, my grandmother has so much money she couldn''t spend even in her seven lifetimes. What she needed right now though, was a friend to have conversations with and relieve her boredom. So, this job is just a cover for her to meet new people, so you don''t have to worry about her."


    "I told you, Megumi-chan! I am not alone!" Shi''s shout from inside could be heard out loud.


    "Yes, Obaasan!" She shouted back, yet still rolling her eyes in exasperation. "It was a lie, of course. She had been crazy after herte husband ¨C my grandfather died from an old age a few years ago. Also, I hope you can be more patient with him, okay?"


    Yuki nodded slowly, still didn''t know how to react.


    "Don''t worry about her, Kobayashi-kun. She is okay." Megumi said one more time. "Anyway, where is that girl? I swear, she would always ¨C Ah, here she is! Kobayashi-kun, I want you to meet my little sister! She is also a freshman in our school.


    Come here!"


    Yuki blinked his eyes several times, not expecting Megumi to have a little a little sister. Well, he should expect that, considering the hint Shi had been dropping earlier by saying her granddaughters, as in a plural form. The next surprise though, was also something he should expect too.


    Here, stood in front of Yuki, a familiar girl frozen on the spot as she saw him too. They both recognized each other in a second, and the girl''s cheek flushed red in embarrassment as if she was caught doing something illegal.


    Megumi who saw their expression stared curiously at her little sister before asking, "Have you known about each other?"


    "W-W-Well¡­." Her little sister stuttered, stealing a nce at Yuki secretly.


    Taking pity on her wreck situation, Yuki sighed before deciding to exin, "Well, we are in the same ss and I sat in front of her, so of course, I would know about her. Nice to meet you again though, Ayaka-san."

 Chapter 9: A 2v2 Practice, First Partnership with Riku!

    "Urgh¡­"


    As the bright sunlight streamed through the window, Yuki groggily opened his eyes to find himself tangled in a mess of sheets and nkets. He rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the lingering exhaustion that had been guing him all week.


    The first week of school had been a whirlwind of new sses, unfamiliar faces, endless homework, volleyball club, and a part-time job, and it seemed like his body was still trying to recover from the marathon. Yuki yawned, feeling the dryness of his mouth and the weight of his eyelids, which seemed to be anchored to the pillow.


    He stretched out his arms, feeling the stiffness in his shoulders and the ache in his head, and slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed.


    As he sat there, rubbing his temples, he couldn''t help but wonder if this was what they meant by ''adjusting to school life'' Aiko had told him about before the term began.


    As his gaze drifted across the room, Yuki''s eyesnded on the familiar frame on his desk, a cherished reminder of his childhood, and Yuki suddenly chuckled, full of bitterness. "Damn, can time really make me forget all the wounds?" He mumbled to himself.


    The photo showed him sitting on his parents''p, beaming with joy, surrounded by the warm glow of a sunny afternoon. His eyes lingered on the smiling faces, his heart skipping a beat as he felt a pang of nostalgia wash over him. It was a moment frozen in time, one that he cherished deeply, buttely, it had been easy to forget.


    The first week of school had been overwhelming, and amidst the chaos of everything, he had started to neglect the memories of his parents. The guilt and shame crept in like a thief in the night, stealing away the joy and warmth he once felt when looking at the photo. Yuki''s eyes began to sting as he felt a lump form in his throat.


    "Yuki-nii! Are you awake?!" Suddenly, a small, cute voice came knocking on his door excitedly.


    Yuki wiped all the traces of tears on his face quickly before shouting. "Come in!" To the little girl outside.


    He hated the shakiness he couldn''t hide in his voice right now. Fortunately, the girl didn''t notice that, jumped excitedly to his bed for a cuddle. She giggled merrily the moment she was under his arms, snuggling closer to his chest.


    "You haven''t taken a bath, Mei-chan?" Yuki smiled, asking with faux disgust as he pinched his nose yfully.


    "No!" The girl, Mei giggled more, shaking her head to make her messy hair wave around. "Aiko-baasan is still preparing for breakfast. The others haven''t woken up yet, so Ie here!"


    Yuki shook his head in exasperation, smiling fondly at the girl. For a moment, gone was all the sadness and the negative feelings inside, reced by a sense of peace settled over him as the boy kept listening to his little sister babbling about anything.


    "Well, since Aiko-obaasan is preparing for the breakfast, what about we give her a hand?"


    The girl''s doe eyes lightened up as she jumped from his arms and dashed outside quickly. "Sure! Come on, Yuki-nii! Quick!"


    The boy chuckled fondly, staring at the girl who was giggling all over the corridor. For a moment, he stared at the picture on his desk once again, and after praying for a moment for his parents, he mumbled, "Sorry, Dad, Mom, I have to go first. But I promise I will bring your favoriteter. Bye!"


    -0-


    "Come on, everyone! Keep moving!"


    "Noriyuki, don''t stop!"


    "Okumura, where is your voice?!"


    "Yoshi, one more turn!"


    Yuki blinked his eyes in astonishment when he entered the school''s gymnasium. Although it was Saturday, all the volleyball team members were there, no one was absent from the morning practice. Under Akira''s devilish torture, he saw his senpai keep running and diving forward to save the ball their coach threw in any random direction.


    "Oh, Yuki-kun, you are here!" Megumi suddenly noticed his presence and greeted him with a bright smile.


    "Good morning to you too, Senpai." Yuki greeted back, yet his eyes were still locked on the court. "Am Ite or what?"


    "Don''t worry, you are on time. Riku-kun hasn''t even arrived yet." She reassured him. "This is just Akira-sensei''s punishment for their bad performance in the sparring game before. And don''t worry, you will be included in this kind of training too in the future if you decide to join the team." She said thest part with a giggle, sending a shiver down his spine.


    Yeah, even though Yuki came to the training session, he hasn''t joined the team yet. The boy promised to the coach that he would consider it after the first week doing his part-time job and he felt he could adapt to the tight schedule. For now, his status was just a helper and an unofficial member, always ready to fill up the nks when the team needed it.


    "By the way, are you going to Obaasan''s house after this?" Megumi suddenly asked.


    "Yeah. I promised her I would be there in the evening for at least three hours before going home." Yuki answered casually. Looking at Megumi''s meaningful gaze though, he grew suspicious immediately. "Why?" He narrowed his eyes.


    "Nothing." The older girl replied immediately, schooling her features to look innocent.


    "Don''t give me that, Senpai. You are too easy to read." Yuki snorted.


    Megumi pouted slightly, pping his arms yfully. "You are so rude, Yuki-kun." She sniffed. After a while, a smile formed on her face as she exined, "Well, Kato-chan would be here, so I hope you both can have some fun together!"


    Yuki groaned immediately after he heard that, and Megumi giggled harder at his reaction. Kato was the name of her little sister who coincidentally also sat behind him in the ssroom. She was super shy though, and she would always avoid his gaze even in her grandmother''s house. It was super awkward for Yuki whenever he met the girl.


    "Oh, Kobayashi-kun, you are already here?" Another voice suddenly greeted him from behind, and when Yuki turned around, he saw Riku yawned widely, wearing a casual attire that enhanced his appearance more.


    "You are going to y volleyball or go on a date?" Yuki asked sarcastically.


    "What is wrong with my clothes?" Riku asked confusedly when he realized Yuki was talking about what he wore. "It is good andfortable! It is not my fault that my handsomeness increased ten-fold with just a simple modification like this!"


    Yuki rolled his eyes while Megumi giggled once again at Riku''s narcissisticment.


    "Oh, you both are here!" Akira finally noticed their presence and greeted them warmly. He furrowed his brows immediately when he saw his nephew''s attire. "Are you going for training or a date?"


    That was when the giggle from Megumi broke, howled as she held her stomach due to the excessiveugh she had. Riku pouted slightly, unhappy with his uncle''sment. "That''s why you don''t have any girlfriend until now. You cannot even appreciate a good-fashionable attire at all." He mumbled.


    Yuki winced when he noticed Akira heard the blonde boy''s mumble. Even if he didn''t know his coach''s personal life at all, mentioning rtionship to a single middle-aged man like this was a low blow. The coach just smiled sweetly at his nephew, yet the dark aura surrounding him was enough to intimidate all the people inside the gym.


    "So, which punishment do you want, Riku-kun? Twentyps of running around the gym or a full set of calisthenic basic workouts with 20 repetitions for every move?"


    Riku''s face grew pale as he straightened his back, shouting immediately, "I apologize for any offensivement I made, Ojii-sama! Please, forgive this humble Italian boy for his foolishness!"


    Riku had a sweat drop when he saw this, his mind went back to the first training he joined when the pair of uncle and nephew acted like a samurai out of sudden.


    "Hmm¡­" Akira hummed, rubbing his chin gently. "Well, tenps running around the gym and I will forgive you."


    "Yes, Sir! Thank you for your mercy!"


    After that, Riku ran immediately to do his punishment, leaving Yuki and Megumi alone with their head coach. Yuki gulped nervously, didn''t know what kind of mood the coach had right now. Fortunately, all the dark aura earlier vanished immediately as Akira turned around and looked at him kindly.


    "Well, Kobayashi-kun, you can start warming up first while waiting for the others to finish this session. I have to watch the boys first so they wouldn''t dare to ck off their training. Megumi-chan, please apany him for a moment, okay?"


    "Yes, Sensei!"


    -0-


    Twenty minutester, the physical training session for the senpai was finally over, which coincidentally happened right at the same time as Riku had done his punishment. They sat together in the middle of the court, panting heavily while drinking the water they brought to relieve the dryness inside their throat.


    "Man, it''s been a long time since we didn''t do this," Kaede said with a wry expression. "I have forgotten the despair feeling as the session is about to end! Damn, I am rusty now!"


    "That''s why Akira-sensei punished us." Yori smiled wryly.


    "Would this kind of training be a regr thing?" Yuki suddenly asked.


    "Not really. It usually varies from physical, technical, to a game simtion. But Akira-sensei is pissed right now, so the physical torture would be increased for the next week."


    They chatted with each other for a while, using the break Akira gave to replenish energy as much as possible. The moment the coach coughed though, they all straightened their back immediately, knowing the next training session woulde.


    "Well, let''s do a small tournament here." Akira suddenly announced, confusing all the yers there. "What we are going to do today is two-on-two games. Does anyone know why we are doing them? Yes, Yori-kun?" He pointed his finger at the setter who raised his hand first.


    "Because you want to see how good we are at everything, right?"


    "That''s right." Akira nodded. "With only two of you on a team, all of your weaknesses and strengths are going to be exposed here. Are you good at receiving? Setting? Blocking? Let''s find out today."


    Yuki furrowed his brows immediately, finding it strange for the coach to arrange this event. While the purpose was good, Akira should''ve known about his team''s strength for a long time. This wasn''t his first year training them, after all. If anything, he felt this activity was prepared to observe Yuki and Riku as the neers on the team.


    "You have twenty minutes per game, and when the rm sounds, the team with the most points is the winner and the losers have to do five sets of diving drills. Megumi-san will record everything in case you guys want to see itter today, is there any question?"


    "No, Sir!"


    "Great! Now, Riku-kun and Kobayashi-kun, you are the first team! Anyone want to challenge them?"


    Yuki smiled wryly, knowing his guess was right. Inwardly though, he cursed the coach for pitting the two freshmen against the entire team, and he didn''t even hide his intention to do that.


    Unlike him though, Riku stood up immediately, his eyes were full of excitement. "Come on, Kobayashi-kun! Let''s destroy everyone here!"


    Hearing that tant provocation, fire burning in the senpai''s eyes, all they wanted to do now was to let Riku eat his words. Yuki just shook his head, knowing that with Riku''s simple mind and loose mouth, this provocation would happen sooner orter.


    "So, who will volunteer themselves to be the first team to challenge them?" Akira asked once again.


    "I will do it, Sensei!" Kaede rose from the floor. He was a short-tempered guy, so it was expected for him to confront the provocation before. "I cannot let my cute kouhai stomp on our pride like that. Asahi-kun,e on!"


    A boy with a messy bun sighed from the crowds, rose from his spot, and went to the court together with Kaede.


    "Okay, your twenty minutes are starting from now! Good luck!"


    After a quick coin toss, the luck was on the neer''s side as they won the first ball. Riku took it without hesitation, wanting to start the game with a bang. His strong serve was enough to pierce Kaede''s defense, scoring the first point for his team.


    "Yosh!" Riku clenched his fists in celebration.


    "Come on, Kaede! Don''t just stand there like a bloody statue!"


    "Yeah! Do you really want to do the diving drills so bad?"


    Hearing the teasing and mocking tone from his teammates outside, Kaede growled in frustration before shouting, "Shut up! Come on, give it to me again!"


    Receiving such a hot-blooded challenge like that, Riku grinned excitedly, throwing a strong serve one more time.


    *BAM!*


    Kaede winced the moment he saw the ball zoomed into his direction with an incredible speed. That was when he remembered how Yuki did it for the first time a few days ago. He bent his knees a little to find his bnce, then rxed his forearms to absorb the impact of the serve. Unfortunately, he forgot to aim where the ball would go, letting it go back to the other side once again.


    "Sorry for this one, Ogawa!"


    "Don''t worry! Prepare yourself!"


    "Chance ball!"


    Honestly, everyone was surprised at how Kaede adapted so quickly and learned how to stop such a strong serve just after watching it twice. However, since the ball flew high to Riku and Yuki''s side, all the yers there were waiting for what their kouhai would do.


    "Kobayashi, here!"


    Riku was already running to the spot close to the, ready to set a ball for him. Yuki himself was calm, observing his opponent''s move while waiting for the ball toe down. When he noticed they took a step back and were ready to receive the attack, he suddenly let out a small smirk as a devious idea suddenly popped inside his mind.


    ''Well, let''s see¡­''


    Without hesitation, he jumped immediately, shocking everyone who thought he would pass the ball first to Riku. Not giving the opponent time to react, Yuki wiped the ball gently over the, letting it fall into the front side of the other court.


    The moment Yuki jumped, Kaede and Ogawa reacted, yet it wasn''t quick enough to cover their front side as Yuki executed the ball easily without any blocker bothering him.


    Silence dropped on the gym as all eyes were looking at him in disbelief. Yuki himself just smirked, turning at his coach, and asked, "It is not an illegal shot, right?"


    -0-


    *BAM!*


    "Shit! Sorry for that one, Kobayashi!"


    "Don''t mind! Keep running!"


    *BAM!*


    "Damn!" Riku cursed out loud as he went back to his position, ready to receive another attack as his spike a second ago was blocked perfectly by Hirano.


    This was the fourth game he yed today after beating the pairing of Kaede-Ogawa, Yori-Asahi, and Koji-Okumura. In total, he and Yuki had been ying for more than one hour non-stop, and their movement started to get sloppy.


    And to make it worse, currently, they were ying against Hirano-Ren, the two tough middle blockers who could run their money up against even the best hitters in the prefecture right now.


    However, no matter how exhausted he was, Riku had the time of his life right now. Partnering with Yuki was proven to be enjoyable, especially the moment something clicked between those two, making it easier for them to understand each other.


    Yuki himself was probably not the best hitter he had ever met. In fact, his strength was just average, couldn''t generate enough power to break down the easiest wall the middle blocker set in front of him. However, Riku was convinced Yuki was probably the smartest yer he had ever met.


    The sses boy covered up hisck of strength with his dynamic movement, always running around to confuse the opponent about where he would go. And to make it better, he could understand where Riku wanted him to be just with a single nce as if he could read the blonde boy''s mind.


    He was also very creative with his spike; from a dump, a good cross, hitting on the ugly spot, to deliberately hitting straight to the opponent''s middle blocker to give him another chance to set a better offense y.


    This was the type of hitter that Riku enjoyed the most ying together with.


    "Agostini, jump! They are going for a quick attack!"


    Hearing Yuki''s shout, Riku didn''t hesitate to jump and extend his arms high to cover the sky. This was also something he admired from Kobayashi, the ability to read the game and takemand to decide what would be the best action to take just in a split second.


    *BAM!*


    "Chance ball!" Riku shouted the moment the ball flew behind after he deflected it with his hand.


    "Shit! Hirano, be ready!" Ren, the third-year middle blocker cursed when he saw another one of his attacks was blocked.


    Yuki ran to the back side of the court to pick up the ball and send the ball high to give Riku time to recover first. After that, he started to run forward, ready to jump and attack. Unfortunately, Riku was too exhausted to set the ball perfectly as it went too low for Yuki''s liking.


    "Shit! Sorry, Kobayashi-kun!"


    "Hirano, get ready! He won''t be able to hit it perfectly!"


    Seeing Hirano in front of him, Yuki still jumped, gritted his teeth as he used everyst ounce of energy to spike the ball. And then, in a sh of brilliance, Yuki adjusted his trajectory mid-air and hit the ball straight into Hirano''s waiting hands. Everyone gasped in shock as the ball deflected off Hirano''s fingers and sailed far outside the court, out of bounds.


    All the yers who watched the game were so stunned that they couldn''t even react. They stood there, mouths agape, staring at the ball as it bounced away from the court. While they knew Yuki was capable of doing a lot of things, they didn''t know he could pull something like that out of nothing.


    And by the look of the boy himself, it seemed he also didn''t have any slight idea of what he had done a second ago.


    The yers on both teams were equally stunned, frozen in ce as they watched the ball roll away from the court. The silence was palpable, broken only by the sound of the rm ringing, signaling that another twenty minutes had gone.


    And after that, ps of appreciation suddenly echoed all over the gym, as Akira nodded in appreciation at Yuki.


    "You really are one hell of a yer, Kobayashi-kun. Damn, with you on the team, Tokyo preliminaries would be a hell lot easier for us."

 Chapter 10: Opponent for the Next Friendly Match!

    "A friendly match against another school?" Yuki was confused when he received the information from his senpai. "Why though?"


    "Well, it is a tradition for a lot of schools to invite another for a friendly match a week or two after the term began, to test the capability of their new team after the senior members graduated and to let the freshmen adapt to the intensity of high school volleyball." The captain of the team exined.


    "As for who will be our opponent, Akira-sensei hasn''t said anything yet, so just wait untilter."


    It was Tuesday, two days after thest training session Yuki joined that he had received another invitation from the team again. By now, all of the volleyball team''s yers had already recognized him as one of them, making it hard for Yuki to reject the invitation.


    Just like this time, when Noriyuki and Yoshi, the captain and vice-captain of the team suddenly visited him in his ss when they were in a break.


    "Does Agostini-san know about this?"


    "Well, I don''t know about Riku, since he hadn''t said anything about the news in the group. But since he is Akira-sensei''s nephew, I am sure he would be the first one who got the information." Yoshi shrugged. "We are here just to inform you since¡­ Well¡­ You know¡­" The vice-captain looked around ufortably.


    "Since I don''t have ess to the group until now, right?" Yuki finished his senpai''s exnation knowingly.


    Noriyuki and Yoshi winced, silently apologizing to him. However, Yuki didn''t me his senpai for any offense they thought they did. It was clear by now that everyone in the team knew Yuki lived in such a poor orphanage that it was impossible to get ess to such a luxurious thing like a phone, aptop, or even the inte in his ce.


    Hell, they didn''t even have ess to television, for God''s sake!


    That was why Yuki was so eager to do his part-time job.


    While Shi ¨C Megumi''s grandmother and his employee offered to lend him some money first to get a phone so he couldmunicate with the others, Yuki refused that, knowing he had already received so much kindness from the olddy. He still felt guilty whenever he remembered how much wage he earned for working at her ce. He didn''t want to owe her more than necessary.


    "Anyway, where is Riku?" Yoshi asked, trying to differ the topic. "You both are ssmates, right?"


    "Well, yeah¡­ But right now, he is¡­"


    Yuki smiled wryly, then his eyes turned to thest row next to the windows. Curious, both Noriyuki and Yoshi followed his gaze, just to scowl immediately at the sight they didn''t want to see at all.


    There, they all could see Riku was surrounded by four girls, talking andughing while the girls were giggling around, looking at him in awe as if Riku was the best thinging to their lives since they were born. Hell, there was even a cute homemade bento on his desk! Right now, the blonde boy was living the life any boy could ever dream of.


    The smile on Riku''s face though, was infuriating to watch. Noriyuki just sent a bored gaze at the Italian boy while Yoshi wanted to knock him down.


    "It has been like this since day one," Yuki exined wryly. "Well, he is bound to be popr, of course, with his origin and his blonde hair. But I don''t expect he would attract a lot of air-headed girls into his arms."


    "Let''s just hope this won''t affect his performance on the court." Yoshi scowled, his face darkened.


    "Anyway, we have to go first," Noriyuki said after ncing at the clock on the wall. "The break is almost over and we need to buy something first from the cafeteria. So, bye, Yuki! See youter!"


    "Yeah, see youter."


    Yuki nodded at his senpai for thest time before staring at them walked away until they disappeared from his sight. Then, he sighed tiredly before going back to his seat, just to see Ayaka Kato, Megumi''s little sister sitting behind his seat, busy scribbling something on her book.


    Driven by curiosity, Yuki took a nce at what kind of work she did right now, and he felt a tremendous headache the moment he saw so many numbers, calctions, and unfamiliar mathematical forms written in her book. Then, he stared at the book on the other side of her desk and noticed the question she was working on came from there.


    He winced one more time the moment he read it, the headache was getting more severe.


    On the evening of an autumnal equinox day, Tomoaki noticed that Mars was exactly along the north-south meridian in his sky at the exact moment when the sun was setting. In other words, the Sun and Mars subtended an angle of exactly 90? as measured from the Earth. If the orbital radius of Mars is 1.52 au, what will be the approximate rise time of Mars on the next autumnal equinox day?


    The only familiar words he knew there were Sun, Mars, and Earth. Other than that, everything was nk inside his head. However, it gave him an idea of what subject she was working on right now.


    "Still working on your astronomy problem?" He suddenly asked, making the girl jump from her seat.


    "K-Kobayashi-san!" The girl greeted, her face beet red. "What are you doing here?" Even though she was still stuttered a bit, Yuki was d that the girl started to open up a bit in his presence.


    "Well, in case you forget, Kato-san, I am sitting right in front of you." Yuki teased with no heat in his tone, making the girl blush more. "And I asked you before, are you still working on your astronomy problem?"


    This was something Yuki found out during his time working in Shi''s house. Kato would often also be there to read any books rted to astronomy. From a book of a famous author like Carl Sagan to the one who gave him a headache like a book about the ck hole, he had seen the girl reading it all enthusiastically.


    That was when he noticed the quiet girl was far geekier about things rted to spacepared to any people that Yuki had ever met.


    That was also the door that allowed him to have a decent conversation with the girl, as even though he wasn''t as knowledgeable about itpared to Kato, at least he knew enough to follow her thoughts.


    "Yeah, I am still working on this problem." Kato bit her lips, a thick vein popped on her temple showing how frustrated she was right now. "I had already expected the question from the National Olympiad would be hard, but not this hard. And to make it worse, this is just the first question, the easiest one out of all of this!"


    Yuki just shook his head, amused hearing the quiet girl ranted like this. And yeah, Kato wasn''t just a geek who knew a lot of trivial cool information from the encyclopedia. She was serious about diving down the path to be a real astronomer, a real scientist.


    And to do so, she had already set her sights on the International Olympiad of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the biggest stage for students all over the world topete in that subject.


    Honestly, Yuki admired her so much for this. Unlike him, Kato had a clear idea of what she wanted to do and was willing to work hard on it. While Yuki didn''t know a lot about that kind of Olympiad, he knew what Kato learned right now was something beyond her grade, and the fact that she took the initiative to learn it by herself showed how much she loved that subject.


    "Well, here." Yuki suddenly offered the girl a carton of orange juice. "Don''t let your work make you forget to stay hydrated. Megumi-senpai would hang my head if she knew I let it happen." He mumbled thest part, knowing his over-protective senpai would do something terrible if anything happened to her sister under his watch.


    The girl blushed, received the drink before mumbling, "Thank you."


    It was just a small interaction that happened almost daily between those two, nothing romantic or suspicious in it. However, unknown to Kato and Yuki, a pair of brown eyes caught it identally, looking at those two withplicated eyes.


    ''Should I tell him about her past?''


    -0-


    "Okay, everyone! Settle down! Let''s gather first!" Akira shouted, asking for his yers'' attention.


    It was after school was over when all the volleyball yers gathered in the gym. Unlike the usual though, instead of doing a warmup and preparing for the next training, they sat down quickly, waiting in anticipation for Akira''s announcement.


    "Well, as you all know, I have been trying to find an opponent for us to have a friendly game, and I am happy to say that one particr strong school epted our invitation!"


    Right after thest words left from Akira''s mouth, chatters of curiosity and excitement could be heard around them.


    "Damn! Finally!"


    "Who will be our next opponent?"


    "Akira-sensei said it is a strong school. Could it be Mihama?"


    "Idiot! They are not a strong team! They just got luckyst year!"


    "Yeah! It should be Mutsuhiga, right?"


    "No! It should be¡­"


    Although there were a lot of names thrown around, Yuki was clueless here. For one, he wasn''t a native of Tokyo and didn''t know a lot about good schools in this city, and two, he was aplete rookie in the volleyball world. Fortunately, Riku also had the same reaction, his expression was nk as if something clogged his brain.


    Seeing the two rookies who were ufortable and looked out of ce, Akira coughed, decided to take pity on them.


    "Okay, everyone! Keep your opinion to yourself for now and let me announce it first!" He raised his voice, silencing all the whispers around there. Akira smiled, satisfied with their reaction. Then, he continued, "Well¡­ Our opponent for the next game is¡­" He paused, letting his voice hang in the air as all his yers held their breath in anticipation.


    "Matsuyama Kita High!"


    The squeaky floor of the gym was suddenly still, the only sound being the heavy breathing of the volleyball yers as they stared at their coach in stunned silence. The yers'' eyes were wide with disbelief, their faces frozen in a mixture of shock and concern as if they were trying to process the enormity of the challenge thaty ahead.


    As the silence lingered, the two newest additions to the team, Yuki and Riku, exchanged a puzzled nce, their faces etched with confusion.


    "Are they a good team?" The Italian boy asked, his voice barely above a whisper.


    "Why are you asking that to me? I am as illiterate as you right now." Yuki hissed with the same low volume.


    However, due to the silence around, almost everyone could hear their conversation, and all the eyes suddenly turned to them, their faces were a mixture of amusement and exasperation.


    "Well¡­" Noriyuki pondered for a moment, thinking how to say it. "Matsuyama Kita High is a private school in North Tokyo specializing in sports, always recruiting the best yers possible to win the championship.


    They reached the final of all the national tournaments in thest five years, and even though they always lost their most crucial game, it didn''t dismiss their achievement as probably the second-best team in the country in regards to volleyball."


    Yuki was stunned, now realizing the gravity of the situation.


    "So, they are the best team in this prefecture right now?"


    The depressed chuckles suddenly could be heard again as Kaede said, "If only it is that easy¡­"


    "You heard that they have been the runner-up of the national tournament for thest five years, right?" Yori took over the exnation. Seeing Yuki and Riku nod, he continued, "Well, they were always defeated by one team in the final, and that was Konan High, the best volleyball school in Japan.


    Unfortunately, they are also in the same prefecture as us here, so if we wanted to go to the national, we have to at least beat one of them at some point."


    Now, not only Yuki, but Riku also had the same bewildered expression. They didn''t expect the level of volleyball in Tokyo to be this high.


    "What about us? How good are wepared to them?" Yuki couldn''t help but ask.


    "Us?" Kaedeughed hollowly when he heard that question. "We are just an antpared to giants like them! Our best achievement up to now was just the fourth ce in the Tokyo Preliminaries, and it happened 4 years ago! Last year, we even lost in the second round of the tournament, our worst performance in thest 10 years, for God''s sake!"


    Yuki twitched his mouth, now was bewildered by how low the level of his team was.


    As the team''s murmurs and whispers died down, Riku suddenly let out a loud, infectiousugh. "Hey, guys,e on!" He eximed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Think about it! We''re going to get to y against the second-best team in the country! That''s like, the ultimate challenge, right!"


    All of the yers there turned to him, surprised by his sudden enthusiasm. However, Riku ignored the stare directed at him and continued, "We''ve got nothing to lose, but everything to gain. We can learn so much from ying against the best. Moreover, it is just a friendly game, right? Why do you all look so gloomy right now?!"


    As Riku''s infectiousughter spread throughout the team, one by one, his teammates began to share their own optimism. Yuki who sat next to him sighed before saying sarcastically, "Well, Agostini-san has a point here. A dumb one, but still a point nheless."


    "Hey, what do you mean by that, Four-eyes!" Riku cried, elicitingughter from all the yers.


    Riku''sughter sparked a chain reaction of positivity, and soon the entire team was buzzing with energy and excitement. Okumura, the over-enthusiastic libero chimed in next. "Hey, he is right! And who knows? We might just surprise everyone ande out on top!" The team erupted into a chorus of agreement as they started to envision themselves emerging victorious from the uing game.


    As the team''s energy continued to soar, Akira couldn''t help but feel a sense of admiration for his two freshmen, Yuki and Riku. He had always known that they had potential as a leader, but he had never seen them bring such a spark of enthusiasm to the team.


    As he watched them interact with their teammates, he was impressed by the way they had taken charge of the situation, injecting their teammates with a sense of confidence and optimism.


    ''Those two are natural leaders,'' he thought to himself. ''They''re exactly what this team needs to turn things around. Maybe, with them here, things will be different this year.''

 Chapter 11: Matsuyama Kita High, The Second-Best Team in the Country!

    -A few dayster, in Matsuyama Kita High''s gymnasium-


    "Tsunemori? I have never heard of that school ever."


    "It is a small, old school in East Tokyo. Edoagawa-ku, if I am not wrong."


    "Oh, near the bay?! Man, it''s been a long time since I have been there."


    "Idiot! We are going to y here and not going anywhere!"


    It was still early in the morning, yet almost all the yers of Matsukita ¨C the abbreviation of Matsuyama Kita ¨C were already gathered in the gymnasium, ready for the friendly game. However, no one took this seriously, for once it was not apetitive game, and two, they didn''t believe their opponent would be that strong to put them in trouble.


    While doing their warmup so casually ¨C borderlinezy, they kept chatting andughing, using this opportunity to rx. Usually, this time, they would''ve started running around the school or doing another exhausting physical torture their coach set for them, so, they knew even if this was disrespecting their opponent, they could treat this game as a way to cken off a bit.


    "So, are they any good?" One of them asked.


    "Nah." Another one just waved casually, replied, "There is no way a good team would ept our invitation. Just like us, they would try to hide their new rosters for the next tournament. The team that epted this would be a poor one whose coach wanted to motivate their yers after ying against a strong team."


    "Well, that makes sense." The one who asked before nodded in understanding.


    "Yeah. Just treat it as a spiking practice." Said another one.


    "What the hell are you doing here?!" A sudden high voice suddenly snapped them from their casual chatting. They all winced simultaneously the moment a huge, imposing figure suddenly appeared, ring at them fiercely. "Move your ass quickly! The opponent wille in the next five minutes, finish your warmup!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    Seeing all the yers run frantically, that figure just sighed tiredly. He was Takeuchi Gondo, the captain of the Matsukita team and one of the four senior members left remained. Looking at his kouhai underestimating their next opponent like this, he just shook his head helplessly, trying to figure out what went wrong with them.


    ''Why are they so proud of themselves and looking down on the other team? They couldn''t even y as regrs here. Damn, those bench warmer are getting worse every day.''


    Or so that was what he thought. Of course, Gondo wouldn''t say that out loud. It would be irresponsible to alienate several of them unjustly, especially considering his position as the captain. However, sometimes, he hoped there would be a good small team that could knock down their ego and wake them up from their dream.


    "I want to win~ I want to win~ I want to win against Konan~"


    A thick vein suddenly popped on Gondo''s temple when he heard that yful discordant tone sung by someone behind him. He knew even without turning around who was that, and he guessed the person behind him was also the culprit behind the overconfidence developed by the others in the team.


    "Shut up, Amagi!" Gondo barked, having enough of this shit.


    "Eh?! Why?!" The boy called Amagi whined immediately. He was just a normal boy with a height of about 180 cm and long hair. "This is the song I created to keep up our motivation to defeat Konan!"


    The corner of Gondo''s lips twitched after hearing that. "Can you be more serious, Amagi?" He asked. The person he had a conversation with just sighed, tying his messy hair into a bun before starting to throw the ball in the air, keep tossing it to himself several times with amazing control. "You are our setter, the pr of our offense. If you gotzy, it would affect the morale of the team."


    "Yeah, yeah¡­ I know¡­" Amagi said that, but his eyes were locking into the ball he kept tossing into the air. He finally turned his attention from the ball the moment a bunch of unfamiliar people came inside, greeting them loudly.


    "Good morning, Matsuyama Kita!"


    Amagi''s eyes turned to his soon-to-be opponent, then a smirk suddenly formed on his face. "Well, look at that. Don''t they look like a strong team?"


    There, in front of the gymnasium, all of the Tsunemori yers finally arrived. They walked side-by-side with fierce expressions like they were about to go to war, wearing green jerseys with two white strips on the arms side.


    Their head coach and manager of the team, Akira and Megumi approached Gondo immediately to greet the host team first.


    "It''s been a long time, Takeuchi-kun." Akira offered a handshake.


    "Yes, Akira-san. It has been two years, right?" Gondo replied, epting the gesture.


    Amagi raised one of his eyebrows, interested. ''From what I heard, this Tsunemori should be a weak team, right? How could their coach and Gondo-senpai know about each other? And from Gondo-senpai''s tone¡­ There is a¡­. Respect in it?''


    While Amagi was busy with his thought, Akira and Gondo continued their conversation.


    "So, where is the old man?" Akira asked.


    "He said he wouldete. Well, you know how he is." Gondo shrugged nonchntly.


    Akira sighed helplessly, knowing clearly what Gondo meant. "Well, we will do our warmup first. Will the game start just as it is scheduled?"


    "Yeah!"


    Amagi who heard all the conversation was stunned. ''They both were talking about the old man?! Does that mean Tsunemori''s coach also knew about the old man too? Yes, it should be! Gondo-senpai had already thrown a hint that they knew how the old man was!''


    The old man they kept mentioning about was Honda Saburo, the head coach of Matsukawa Kita''s volleyball team.


    Just by looking at his appearance, not a lot of people knew that the old man who always had a smile on his face was a big figure in the Japanese volleyball world, what with him being one of the members of the legendary team of Japan National Team when they won the silver medal for the first time in the history in volleyball world cup 1969.


    That was probably the time when this sport started to spread widely in the country.


    After retiring from the professional world, Honda decided to be a coach for a small high school team in his hometown, and even though he had never won the national tournament with that team, he kept giving birth to a lot of amazing yers who went to be professional yers when they graduated from the school.


    His legendary reputation as the best trainee for young yers kept spreading in the country until ten years ago when he was recruited by Matsukawa Kita to handle the team. After that, even though he still had never won the national tournament, Honda had already won second ce eight times, something that only a few could achieve constantly.


    For Akira to know the old man, something clicked inside Amagi''s head quickly as he could take a guess that Akira was Honda''s former disciple in the past.


    ''Well, if that is so, this game should be more interesting than I thought¡­''


    -0-


    While Amagi was busy with his crazy theory, Akira and Megumi walked back to the team, the girl suddenly let out a deep, relieved sigh. "Fortunately, the jersey came in time. It would be rude if we use vests to y against the second-best team in the country."


    Akira who heard her mumble had the decency to blush and look embarrassed. He was thankful though, to have Megumi dealing with this stuff quickly. "Sorry about this one, Megumi-san."


    "Don''t worry, Sensei. Just, please, don''t forget something important like this again in the future, okay?"


    Akira nodded helplessly, knowing the ident was his fault. He was too enthusiastic preparing for strategy and a bunch of technical on-the-game stuff to the point he forgot the two freshmen, Yuki and Riku didn''t have the jersey of the team.


    In a panic, just a night before the game, Akira called Megumi''s phone immediately, asking if they still had two spare jerseys unused in their inventory, knowing there was no way they had even one left.


    Fortunately, he had Megumi as the manager. Within a few hours, the girl showed how resourceful she was by contacting a lot of alumni, asking if they still had the jerseys of the team that could be borrowed for tomorrow. And fortunately enough, four people sent their jerseys to the school this morning before they started the journey, saving them from embarrassment.


    So, here they are, wearing a ssic green jersey of Tsunemori High with Yuki using the number 19 while Riku had the number 7 on his back.


    "Okay, everyone! Gather up!" Akira shouted, signaling his yers to listen to his instruction. "Just like the briefing we had yesterday, the starting yers today would be Hirano for the middle blocker, Yoshi and Kobayashi as the opposite hitters, Noriyuki and Koji as the outside hitters, and finally, Riku for the setter spot.


    Okumura would be ready any time for the rotation with Hirano, and when that happened, Kobayashi would be our sole middle blocker. Is there any question?"


    Everyone shook their head quickly. They had already spent most of their time yesterdayining about this decision. After all, having two freshmen promoted already as the starting yers was a big deal, and it also offended the senior members like Yori or Asahi who had been working their asses off to get that position.


    However, they knew Yuki and Riku deserved that position, what with how they dominated the entire team in that 2v2petition a few days ago.


    Akira nodded, satisfied with their reaction. "Well, I know that our chance to win this game is not that big, so my only homework today is¡­ Do your best to make the second-best team in the country remember how strong we are!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    -0-


    ''Oh, two freshmen on the team? How bold~'' Amagi raised one of his eyebrows, intrigued. He kept bouncing the ball on the floor, ready to take the first serve of the game. ''Well, if they could take the spot from their senpai, they should have some skills. Should I test them first?''


    After pondering for a second, he grinned widely. ''Well, let''s do this!''


    All the people in the gymnasium held their collective breaths the moment they saw Amagi throw the ball high into the air, jumping high before coiling his arms back just to release it like a quick whip, hitting the ball hard to Tsunemori''s side. The ball was a blur of leather and spin, flying towards Riku with an incredible speed, even faster than the blonde boy''s serve itself.


    It was a serve that would make even the most experienced yers quiver with fear.


    However, before it could cross the, Amagi saw Riku take a step outside of the line while Yuki moved quickly, covering Riku''s defensive area. The ball was now just a few feet away, and Yuki''s instincts kicked in. He dropped his knees, his body bending into a perfect diving position, his arms outstretched like a shield.


    The ball was now just inches from her fingertips, and Yuki''s eyes locked onto it withser-like precision. With a soft whoosh of air, the ballnded in the palm of his hand, and it absorbed the impact as he brought his body back up to standing while the ball was flying high on the spot.


    "Nice receive, Kobayashi!"


    As if it was just a daily operation, no one on Tsunemori''s side was surprised that Yuki could do it. Riku went back to his spot immediately to get the second touch while Yuki and the other dispersed, ready to counterattack.


    Taking advantage of Matsukita yers who were still in disbelief after witnessing Yuki receive the serve perfectly, Riku set the ball quickly to the left side where Noriyuki had been waiting.


    By now, Yuki and Riku knew that their captain was also the ace of the team. Noriyuki was the strongest and the most agilepared to the others, and his calmness always reassured his teammates that giving him the ball was the best choice.


    As Riku''s set came to him, Noriyuki sprang into action, his eyes locked onto the ball as he sprinted towards the. The ball sailed towards him, and Alex''s arms extended out like a battering ram, meeting the ball at the peak of its trajectory.


    *BAM!*


    The impact was thunderous, and the ball exploded off Noriyuki''s hands with a loud "thwack" that sent shockwaves through the court. The ball hurtled toward the opponent''s side, leaving a trail of dust and debris in its wake.


    As the referee''s hand shot up to signal the point for Tsunemori, Amagi and his teammates stood frozen in shock, their eyes wide with disbelief. They couldn''t believe what they had just witnessed. The serve, the reception, and the attack had alle together in a perfect storm of package.


    Amagi, still reeling from the incredible y, shook his head in amazement. He couldn''t believe that Yuki had made such an incredible diving reception out of his serve, and just like any veteran national team, the other Tsunemori yers executed the sequence of y perfectly.


    Amagi couldn''t help but nce over at Yuki, the one who initiated the y. He thought that the freshman would be a ring weakness, yet he was awakened rudely by that amazing save. To his surprise, Yuki suddenly turned around at him, and they met eye-to-eye for a second.


    For a moment, Amagi felt his adrenaline spike up as he grinned widely, silently challenging Yuki to do that again next time. His excitement rose astronomically. His grin spread ear-to-ear as he took a step inside the court, ready to continue the game.


    Inwardly though, he murmured, ''Well done, Tsunemori. You won the first round, but I hope you can keep it up until the end of the game.''

 Chapter 12: Exposed! Tsunemoris Problem!

    Honda Saburo groaned, walking slowly to the gymnasium as he felt the pain in his back. This was not the first time something like this happened. A bit ironic, of course, since people said they should do sport to keep their body healthy in an old age. However, this was the consequence of him hiding his back injury from the medical team when he was young.


    Even though at the end of his career as a yer, he tried to fix that problem with a lot of surgeries, he still felt the pain even after more than 20 years after his injury. Honda regretted his brashness in the past and cursed his younger self for not listening carefully when his old coach told him to take care of his body.


    Now he knew that his old coach was right when he was told all the pain of the injuries when he was younger would umte in his old body.


    ''Whatever. After today, I will go to that ce for another massage.''


    Honda shook his head, turning his focus on the court. All the bench yers of Matsukita rose immediately from their seats to greet him, yet he narrowed his eyes to the scoreboard.


    Tsunemori High6


    Matsuyama Kita High1


    "Oh, we are five points behind?" Even though he said it casually, his words sent a shiver down all the yers'' spine. "Are we ying against Konan today?" He said it sarcastically.


    The majority of the yers on the bench were a bunch of freshmen and sophomore students. Unlike their senpai, they still had a healthy amount of fear for their coach. Hearing that sarcastic tone, they held their breath unconsciously, didn''t dare to answer his question. Honda just shook his head, trying to see how a team like Tsunemori managed to take the lead against them.


    *BAM!*


    "Yoshi! Left!"


    "Shit! Sorry! It is a bit short!"


    "Don''t worry! Kobayashi! Run!"


    "Oh! A dink! Nice one, Kobayashi-kun!"


    Honda nodded his head, clearly seeing how Tsunemori could outmatch his team until now. It wasn''t just because his team underestimated them, but also because the opponent''s setter was smart and creative enough to toy with the blockers. He noticed in thest few minutes, that Tsunemori''s offense always started from the blonde boy with the jersey number 7.


    That wasn''t so strange considering he was the setter of the team, yet what surprised Honda the most was how all of his teammates trusted his instruction and did what he said without hesitation.


    ''Other than the number 19, he called all of the yers there senpai. He should be a freshman, right?'' He nodded a little, trying to hide his smile. ''Interesting.''


    Still¡­ The fact that his team underestimated his opponent¡­


    "Is it because our opponent is just a no-name school that we couldn''t concentrate to the fullest?" He suddenly spoke, gaining everyone''s attention. His face was still full of smiles, not giving a hint of emotion at all. "Is it because Tsunemori is too weak for us?"


    "W-Well¡­" All the yers on the bench looked at each other hesitantly before replying, "That should be the case, right?"


    "Yeah. How could we treat them like how we did against a strong team?"


    "You are right¡­"


    Honda could only sigh, his smile was full of helplessness. "As expected of the second-best team in the country. They can treat any team this casually as if it is impossible for them to lose."


    The yers who heard that didn''t know what to say, couldn''t figure out their coach''s mood. However, they straightened their back immediately when they saw the smile on the old man''s face disappear, reced by the seriousness that only be there when something didn''t go as well as he thought it would be.


    "Well, I don''t know about you all, but that arrogance and recklessness¡­ I don''t really need that in my team, don''t you think so?"


    -0-


    "Come on, Senpai! Stop the opponent!"


    "Keep your eyes on the number 3!"


    "Don''t let the setter toy you!"


    All the Tsunemori yers were surprised when they saw Matsukita''s bench suddenly got excited. However, their opponent seemed to know what happened as they saw the yers on the other side of the had their faces paled.


    "Oi, the old man is mad!" One of them said.


    "Yeah."


    "Amagi! If you are still careless and y this casually, the old man will change you without hesitation, you know?!" Gondo spoke to the setter.


    "I know!"


    Noticing the sudden shift of atmosphere from casual to heavy on the other side of the, all the Tsunemori yers knew that their opponent just started to get serious. It was a no brainer for them to guess the rest of the game would be difficult for them.


    "Be careful, everyone!" Noriyuki reminded his teammates. "They are starting to get serious right now. Don''t be too nervous, just think this is another training session for us. Koji, give us a good serve, okay?"


    "Sure!"


    When the referee blew his whistle, Koji served the ball to the top left, trying to aim at Amagi. It was a normal, slow serve that no yers from Matsukita would have trouble picking it. One of them, the yer with the jersey number 4 suddenly moved forward to protect the setter from getting the first touch.


    "Nice receive, Tono-senpai!"


    The moment the ball was received though, all the five Matsukita yers ¨C including Tono who just received it ¨C suddenly scattered in all directions, trying to confuse Tsunemori''s defense. Yuki could hear curses thrown in the air by his senpai who was too shocked by Matsukita''s sudden change.


    If before, when they were not serious, Matsukita would treat a chance to attack like this as a spike practice with only one or two yers moving, now all of them made a coordinated move forward to create a distraction pretty quickly, not giving Tsunemori a chance to adapt with the situation.


    Yuki didn''t panic though. As the ball was in the air, his eyes kept locking on Amagi''s, trying to figure out where the setter would send the ball. Unexpectedly though, Amagi didn''t go for anyplicated offense y. He just yed it simple, sending it short to the middle.


    However, before anyone from Tsunemori could react, Gondo suddenly sprinted toward the ball with an incredible speed that Yuki could hardly believe came from such a huge body. With a swift and powerful motion, Gondo swung his arm hard, unleashing a mighty force that sent the ball flying to Yuki''s left.


    *BAM!*


    ''I got this!''


    Even though it was a powerful spike, Yuki''s eyes could still follow it perfectly. This was something he realized not a lot of people have, the dynamic vision to make everything seem slowing down in his world and the reaction speed that could match his eyes. He leaned his body towards the ball, ready to extend his arms far to receive it.


    However, as the ball sailed through the air, Yuki suddenly noticed Yoshi next to him also made a move. In a split second, they realized they were both thinking the same thing - they wanted to receive the ball.


    The hesitation was brief, but it was enough to cause a mimunication. Both yers hesitated, and then, as if by instinct, they retreated back, expecting the other to take the ball. The problem was, they both retreated in the same direction.


    The ball continued to fall, and as they both stopped short of where they had been standing, itnded behind them with a strong thud, hitting the floor with a resounding crash.


    "Yossha!" Gondo roared, celebrating his first point of the game.


    "Nice spike, Gondo-senpai!"


    "Damn, you gori! That could snap anyone''s hand if they tried to receive it!"


    As all the Matsukita yers celebrated with each other, Yuki raised his hand immediately when he saw Yoshi was about to speak to him. "Sorry about that one, senpai. That was my fault. I should''ve said something before, but I am too focused on the setter." He apologized immediately.


    Yoshi ¨C and all the yers who heard that ¨C were stunned, not expecting Yuki to admit it immediately. The third-year opposite hitter even thought that it should be him who apologized since it was his responsibility to lead themunication on the back, not Yuki''s. However, for whatever reason he had, Yoshi swallowed his words, just giving his kouhai a simple nod before walking back to his spot.


    Riku who saw that furrowed his brows, knowing that it wasn''t fair for Yuki to be the only one med for that mimunication. He scowled more when no one said anything to Yuki, then turned his head to Akira, asking for help. Unfortunately, his uncle just shook his head, asking him to let it go while signaling that he would address this matterter, so Riku could only keep it quiet for now.


    The next few minutes turned into a disastrous one for Tsunemori. Matsukita finally went full power, showing there was a reason why they could be the second-best team in Japan.


    Amagi ran the offense for them like a puppet master, instructing them all to move in the direction he wanted while toying with Tsunemori''s blocker, forcing them to move from left to right just to be fooled once again to the opposite direction of where they went.


    While having the same aggressive and creative ying style as Riku, Yuki noticed that Amagi did it better. Unlike Riku who still gave a hint where the ball would go by subtly ncing in one direction before sending the ball there, there wasn''t anything Yuki could see from Amagi''s bodynguage.


    No, to be more precise, he gave away so many ws in his body movement just for it to be turned out as a fake.


    This was when Yuki realized what it meant to be a fake master. All of Amagi''s subtle body movements could be used as a distraction to fool the opponent into thinking he would do something before the setter would do the opposite.


    Yuki could only shake his head exasperatedly, admiring the setter''s cunningness on the court.


    "What''s wrong, Kobayashi?" Riku suddenly asked.


    "Nothing." Yuk shook his head. "Just admiring the opponent''s setter."


    "Yeah, he is such a crazy bastard." Riku nodded, ring at Amagi. It was clear Riku was unhappy he was outmatched in the setter duel today. "Still, we need to cut off the loss here, or we will bleed forever."


    "I know."


    "So, any idea?"


    "Why do you ask me that? Should you ask our senpai?"


    "Because they are useless!" Riku hissed angrily. "Don''t you see how they acted on the court?! Always stay passive and look at each other like they don''t want to take the me! Bloody hell, I swear having four sticks would be betterpared to them."


    Yuki had a sweat drop, didn''t expect Riku to have an outburst in the middle of the game. If the situation wasn''t that bad, he wouldugh out loud at the strong ent he just heard. Even though Riku was half-Italian, Yuki had never heard him talk with a foreign ent, so to listen to it right now was something refreshing for him.


    However, Yuki could also see why the setter was so frustrated. When he first stated about theck ofmunication problem in the evaluation session after his first training game, he didn''t know it would be this bad. No one wanted to take the initiative to do something and everyone always waiting for the others to make a move to cover their asses.


    If something went wrong, no apology could be heard as everyone acted like nothing happened, sweeping it under the rug.


    If Amagi on the other side was like a puppet master handling five powerful puppets to kill the opponent, Tsunemori''s team was like a bunch of dead puppets who lost their master and didn''t know what to do.


    "So, what are we going to do?"


    Yuki pondered for a second before saying, "Well, let''s do it like when we are in the 2v2 game. Drop back a little and be ready to receive the ball. Let''s show our senpai how the game should be yed."


    It was ironic for Yuki to say that considering he was still new in volleyball, not even a month in it. However, even a rookie like himself knew how troublesome this situation is right now.


    Hearing Yuki''s words, like a beast that was about to be freed from its cage, Riku showed a feral grin, his excitement spiked up. "Fucking finally! That is what I want to hear from you, Kobayashi. Let''s fucking do this!"


    -0-


    "Sensei, are you sure you don''t want to call a timeout?" Megumi asked. "The situation is pretty bad right now. Maybe, a break and some pep talks would work?"


    Akira who heard that justughed hollowly. "Do you really trust the words that came out of your mouth, Megumi-san? You know how bad our situation has been since Hisashi graduatedst year."


    Megumi blushed, knowing clearly what Akira meant. She also noticed this problem too. Since the captain of the teamst year, Togarashi Hisashi graduated from the school, everyone acted like a confused deer being freed to the wild, not knowing what they should do in that position.


    No one was willing to take the initiative to do anything or take responsibility for something that had already been done, making them look like a pig waiting to be ughtered.


    It was painful for her and even Akira to watch from the sideline, yet no matter how hard they tried to fix it, nothing changed.


    "So, what do you think would be the difference this time?" Megumi asked.


    "Those two." He pointed his fingers at Yuki and Riku. "They are going to save us from our downfall."


    -0-


    *BAM!*


    A strong serve was thrown by Gondo, the captain of Matsukita to Tsunemori''s area. Koji and Noriyuki who were the closest to receive the ball hesitated, both didn''t want to receive it. But before they could retreat, a blonde hair suddenly shed in front of them, catching those two yers off guard.


    "Move!"


    To Matsukita''s surprise, it was Riku who received the ball. It was not often for a setter to pick up the first ball willingly or for his teammates to let him do that considering someone needed to orchestrate the offense. However, what surprised them more was the fact that after he received the ball, it was Yuki who stood in front of the, ready to rece him as the setter.


    "Kobayashi! Here!"


    "Left wing, Agostini!"


    Just with two yers, the atmosphere on the Tsunemori''s side suddenly got lively. Not just Matsukita yers, but even their own teammates were frozen on the spot, didn''t know what they should do. But Riku and Yuki ignored them all. They both moved wlessly, trying to set their own offense. Two of Matsukita''s blockers tried to follow Riku''s movement.


    However, without even ncing at the opponent''s position, Yuki suddenly turned his setter stance into a normal spike one, whipping the ball hard with his arm.


    *BAM!*


    It was just a normal spike, not even a quarter of the one Gondo did before. However, since Yuki did it in the second ball and when he acted as a setter, no one was expecting it toe. The sses boy aimed it to the bottom left near the sideline. The yer who guarded that area tried to pick it up, yet he reacted toote.


    He couldn''t adjust his stance, making the ball hit his shoulder and bounced out of the court.


    Everyone was left in stunned silence, their head turned to where the ball was as they tried to process what just happened. Riku and Yuki themselves gave a high-five to each other, celebrating the y like they were the only yers on their side.


    "Nice one, Kobayashi! Though, did you just steal my move?!"


    "Your move? Don''t be so full of yourself." Yuki snorted.


    "What do you mean by that?!" Riku cried.


    They bickered for a while before Riku suddenly turned around to the four senpai of his while letting out a challenging smirk.


    "Well, what do you think? Do you want to join here or for us to do it alone?"


    -0-


    "What the hell is that?!" Not just the yers on the court, but even the ones on Matsukita''s bench were not spared from the shock that Riku and Yuki just caused. "Did the setter switch position with that number 19? But I thought he was a defensive specialized yer!"


    Their reaction was understandable considering Yuki had never been involved in the offense before this, always acting as a good defensive yer on the back line.


    "You focused on the wrong part! He did a dump spike! Against us! What the hell?!"


    "When was thest time we got fooled by this kind of y?"


    "It should be in thest spring tournament against Mihama, right?"


    "Yeah! Even Konan''s setter couldn''t do that against us!"


    Amidst the chaos happening around him, Honda leaned his body forward, his focus was not only on Riku anymore, but also on Yuki too. He smiled, nodding his head in a satisfied manner before turning his head toward Tsunemori''s head ¨C or to be more exact, to the head coach of the team.


    "You have some interesting yers here, Shinji-kun¡­ Interesting, indeed¡­"

 Chapter 13: The Kind of Volleyball that We Want to Play!

    "So, do you understand what is your problem now?" Akira said in the ''I told you so'' manner. "How does it feel to be bested and be looked down on by your kouhai like that?"


    Hearing that, all the yers looked down on the floor, rage and depression lingering around the air. It was the intermission before the second set began, and the coach gathered all but Yuki and Riku to give them a pep-talk.


    Not only were they depressed about their loss in the first set ¨C which was quite bad considering they couldn''t score more than 12 points even after taking a quick lead at the beginning of the game, but also because they were disregarded, their presence on the court waspletely ignored by their two kouhai. It was as if they didn''t exist at all and those two decided to do it all by themselves.


    The disrespect was real, and it stung so much straight in the heart.


    "I have already told you all about this problem since Hisashi graduated, yet I couldn''t see any chance up to now. It is as if you just nod at my words but you forget about itpletely just a few secondster. If I don''t know you are a bunch of dunderheads, I would suspect you did it on purpose just to y with me."


    All the yers there clenched their fists and gritted their teeth at the insult, trying to hold back their rage. However, Akira ignored all of that and continued.


    "This problem has been lingering around for too long, right? I let it happen for a long time hoping that having freshmen as your new teammates would force you to be more mature, yet it seems I was wrong on that. I think we need to resolve this matter right now. Start from you, Noriyuki-kun!"


    "Me?!" The captain straightened his back immediately, was taken aback when his name was mentioned.


    "Yes, you!" Akira nodded. "To be honest, while I respect Hisashi as my former student, I don''t know what was inside his head when he chose you to be the captain. It is clear that Yori is a far better choicepared to you."


    His words created a sudden heavy atmosphere on the team, with Noriyuki having his mouth gaped wide in shock at this blunt insult while Yori suddenly grew ufortable when he was pitted against Noriyuki. Inwardly, everyone there thought that Akira suddenly went crazy, tearing apart the team in the middle of the game.


    "What, you don''t believe me?" Akira raised one of his eyebrows. "I know you are a smart person, Noriyuki-kun. There is no way you didn''t notice theck ofmunication problem in the team. Yet you have never done your duty as the leader even for once! You stay passive, never dare to take responsibility for anything bad that happened!


    You just stood on the sideline, watching the team crumble in silence, and walked away as if you didn''t want to y volleyball anymore! Goddamnit, Noriyuki-kun, what the hell is wrong with you?!"


    Everyone winced, knowing their coach was pissed now. It wasn''t often for Akira to raise his voice, but on several asions when he did that, it was always scary.


    "And you all are the same!" He turned his re at the other yers. "You all are here as if you don''t want to y volleyball anymore! Is that what you really want? If so, I will not hold you back here! If you want to leave, just go!"


    Silence.


    Dead silence.


    Following his roar, an awkward silence settled down in the gymnasium, even the yers from Matsukita also looked at them curiously. All the Tsunemori yers held their breath unconsciously, didn''t dare to meet their coach''s eyes even for a second.


    This was the first time Akira was so furious he drove the yers out of the team, and while most of them knew this was just a spur decision he made in anger, they still realized their coach wasn''t kidding this time.


    Akira just snorted, finally threw his body back to his seat while his face was still red from his hot temper before saying, "Think of what I said. Before the second quarter begins, tell me what do you want here."


    -0-


    "Woah, scary¡­" Yuki stared in awe at his coach. He was d he wasn''t in the position to be scolded like his senpai right now.


    "You don''t know half of that." Riku beside him mumbled, still wiping all the sweat on his face. "This is still moderate considering we are just students. When he faced professional¡­" Riku shivered as if he just remembered something that scared him.


    Unlike their senpai who were held back by their coach to get scolded, after the first set was over, those two were dragged away from the bench by Megumi who had already known first-hand what Akira wanted to do. Honestly, they should sympathize with their senpai right now, if only they weren''t that useless on the court.


    However, Yuki was still taken aback by the outburst Akira showed, didn''t expect the ever-calm coach to have it inside him.


    "Wait, what do you mean professional?" Yuki suddenly asked.


    "Hm?" Riku responded, yet Yuki could tell his blonde friend''s head was not in this ce right now. "Well, before going to Japan, he studied sports science and became a volleyball coach for the local team in Italy. Don''t you know that?"


    The corner of Yuki''s lips twitched when he heard Riku''s tone for thest question as if it were the most well-known information in the world.


    "What was he like when coaching a professional team?" Megumi couldn''t help but ask curiously.


    Once again, Riku shuddered in fear as if he just remembered something bad that happened in the past. "You don''t want to know the details, Senpai. When he was on the court, my uncle was a mafia even among the Italians."


    -0-


    Five minutester, the break was finally over, and both freshmen went back to the court immediately. Since they were excluded from the bloodbath pep talk before, those two didn''t know whether Akira set a new instruction or not. They just knew two yers wereing in, Ren to rece Hirano as the middle blocker and Yori to rece Noriyuki as the outside hitter.


    "Yori-senpai, you can y not just as a setter?" Yuki asked, surprised.


    The one who was questioned just smiled slightly before saying, "Well, I have never done that before. But it is not like I have to be anything but a setter. Riku-kun, you are willing to be a hitter for us, right?" He grinned mischievously.


    Riku groaned, clearly hating that idea. He loved controlling the game as a setter, but he knew this wasn''t the ideal situation, so he had to give up that privilege to his senpai for now.


    A few secondster, all the Matsukita yers also went to the court, ready for the second set. Amagi walked straight to the to strike up a conversation. "Man, your coach sure is scary, right? His voice echoed all over the gym. Damn, he is not afraid of embarrassment for scolding his students in another school. That''s awesome." He sent a thumbs up.


    Yuki and Riku didn''t know if it was a sarcasticment or not, yet it was Yori who replied, "Sorry about that one. There was a huge mess in our team, and it seems our sensei had enough of it." He smiled politely.


    Amagi blinked, not expecting he would be greeted this politely by a yer who had just been scolded mercilessly by his coach. "You are not ying in the first set, right? What is your position?"


    "Setter."


    "Oh? Interesting." The smile spread from ear to ear on Amagi''s face. "Please, help your two cute little kouhai to make this interesting, okay? I hate it when I have to y a game that is too easy."


    After that, he walked away immediately, leaving those three Tsunemori yers alone with their thoughts.


    "Hate to y an easy game? He is really full of himself, isn''t he?" Riku mumbled grumpily, eliciting chuckles from the other two.


    "But there is one thing he got it right though. While we are not their opponent, we need to put up a fight, at least to make it not an easy game for them. Are you ready?"


    The faces of those two freshmen suddenly lightened up, seeing hope that things would be different for the next set. It wasn''t a baseless hope, sincepared to the other senpai on the team, Yori was more willing tomunicate with them, so they were hopeful it would be the same when they were in the game.


    "Well, Yori-senpai, if you say so, maybe we could put up a better fight for the next set¡­"


    -0-


    "Ren-san, left! In my count, three, two, one, jump!"


    *BAM!*


    "Chance ball!"


    "Osh! Nice block, Ren, Kobayashi!"


    "Yori-senpai, left!"


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSHAA!"


    Five minutes after the second set started, everything turned out far better than Riku and Yuki expected. It wasn''t just Yori, but the presence of Ren to rece Hirano as the middle blocker was also a game changer for Tsunemori. While Ren didn''t have the quick reaction and good game reading like Hirano, he was a team yer and willing to listen andmunicate even with their kouhai.


    "Good job, Senpai!" Yuki gave a thumbs up at Ren. The third-year student just grinned foolishly, something that was so unsuitable with the ''David Beckham'' cool hairstyle he had.


    "Okay, good job, everyone! Let''s keep it up!" Yori praised his teammates, making them all have this proud expression on their faces. "Kobayashi! Give us another good serve again!"


    "Sure, Senpai!"


    Yuki stepped outside of the court, yet his eyes were still on Yori. To be honest, he didn''t know why it was Noriyuki and not the setter who was the captain considering how different their personality was. While he admitted that Noriyuki was a good yer packing a powerful spike, he was too quiet and too awkward sometimes to talk to the others.


    As for Yori, the setter always radiated this warm aura that told everyone how ''approachable'' he was since Yuki met him for the first time, the treat that was definitely more suitable for the leader of the team.


    ''Well, it is not my problem.'' Yuki shook his head, trying to bring back his concentration on the game. ''Let''s finish the game first.''


    Yuki took a deep breath, sent a floater serve straight to the opponent''s setter. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as one of their yers suddenly came in to receive the ball, protecting Amagi from the first touch. While today was his first game against a proper professional team, Yuki was surprised to see the floater serve he was always proud of was rendered useless here.


    ''It seems I need to think of another way to serveter.'' He mused.


    He had to save that forter, as right after serving the ball, Yuki went immediately to the front, acting as a middle blocker together with Ren. Honestly, Yuki was morefortable in the back, ying defense until no one noticed his presence before suddenly joining the offense out of nowhere. However, he couldn''t help but do it.


    Since Hirano was subbed off by the coach, his position was pushed to the front considering Ren''s terrible game-reading ability.


    "Keep calm, Ren-san. Don''t be fooled by the other''s movement. Follow my lead!" Yuki kept talking while his eyes kept scanning all the Matsukita yers'' movements on the other side of the. Right before Amagi tossed the ball to his teammates, he had already guessed where the ball would go and shouted, "Go right, Ren-san!"


    Amagi scowled, unhappy that his move was predicted once again like an open book. However, he still set the ball to Gondo who acted as the outside hitter on the left. Facing the blockering from the middle in his direction, Matsukita''s captain didn''t hesitate to go for a straight spike to avoid Ren''s wall.


    His spike was so close to the sideline that if anyone with bad dynamic eyes guarded that area, they wouldn''t know whether the ball wouldnd in or outside of the court. However, before it could hit the floor, a bald guy suddenly shed there, diving forward to save the ball.


    "OH! NICE SAVE, YOSHI!"


    Yeah, it was Yoshi, the opposite hitter who suddenly appeared there. Even though he had been quiet since the bad scolding by the coach, that didn''t mean he lost his spirit already. He had been pondering about Akira''s words for a while and realized that he should be more active for the team.


    "GIVE IT HERE, YORI!"


    Seeing one of his teammates finally rise from the slump, Yori smiled, d for his friend. Now with Yoshi joining the coordination attack, it would add his option to pass.


    Or¡­ That was what he thought before a collision happened on the left side.


    *Brugh!*


    Yori and Yuki had their face palmed when they both saw Yoshi and Riku on the floor. The first-year setter didn''t expect that Yoshi would suddenly ask for the ball actively and cut off his route, making them crash into each other.


    "Ouch!"


    Having no other choice to pass, Yori set the ball to Yuki on the right side. The first-year yer tried to y another trick with a dump, yet Matsukita had already anticipated that. They had already noticed Yuki would always go for a dump whenever he had a chance, so it was easy to predict his attack.


    "Stand up quickly, you fool!" Yori shouted to the two yers on the floor.


    However, before both Riku and Yori could do that, Amagi had already tossed the ball to the middle for a quick tempo attack, and the yer with the number 7 from Matsukita aimed his spike straight at those two.


    "Shit! Duck, Blondie!"


    "Get away, Agostini!"


    Without waiting for Riku''s response, Yoshi grabbed Riku''s jersey and pulled the blonde boy down while Yuki jumped there to receive the spike. The badmunication between the three yers once again made them all crash and fall on the same spot again. Fortunately, Yuki managed to save the ball at the end even though the ball flew again to Matsukita''s side one more time.


    "Damn! Sorry! That''s a bad receive!"


    "Don''t worry about it! Just stand up quickly! You too, Yoshi! Riku!"


    There was chaos for a moment on the Tsunemori''s side as everyone''s positions scattered randomly. And the situation was too good for Matsukita to not take advantage of. Amagi set the ball far to the left side where Gondo was already doing his run-up once again before hitting the ball hard, once again to a tricky direction close to the sideline.


    Ren and Yuki who noticed Matsukita''s captain was ready to attack one moment ago jumped at the same time. However, even though Yuki managed to block the ball, the power generated from Gondo was too much for him to handle.


    *BAM!*


    The ball flew away far outside of the court. Even though Yoshi tried to hustle and save the ball, it was a futile attempt as the ball bounced to the floor quicker than he could chase it. The moment the point was confirmed for Matsukita, Gondo roared wildly, celebrating another point by him.


    "YOSSHA! GOOD PASS, AMAGI!"


    Meanwhile, almost all the Tsunemori yers fell on the floor, their chests moved up and down rapidly as they were too exhausted to get up after that chaotic y before. Their eyes were too blurry to see anything, thebination of the sweat that rolled down their eyes and the dizziness after crashing and falling to the floor over and over again.


    However, even though after all of that, they still failed to save the ball, there were identical grins shared by all the yers with green jerseys on the court, feeling blood and excitement rushed into their heads.


    Inwardly, they all had the exact same thought, ''This is the kind of volleyball we want to y!''

 Chapter 14: Second Life for the Ace!

    "Ren-san, left! Jump with me, now!"


    *BAM!*


    "Chance ball! Senpai!"


    "I got it!"


    "Yori-senpai! Left!"


    *BAM!*


    "Shit! Fall back!"


    "Agostini, go with me and Ren-san! Quicker!"


    It was in the middle of the second set when Tsunemori finally could put up a decent fight against Matsukita. While they were still down by five points, they didn''t give the so-called second-best team in the country easy points anymore, kept causing trouble and resisting their wave of attacks days and nights.


    Even though they knew they were outssed by Matsukita, they were currently united by one same thought, make their opponent remember Tsunemori would drag them down to death before they could win the game.


    Honestly, their sudden stubborn approach to the game stunned all the members of the Matsukita team there. The bench yers kept murmuring at each other, confused about what was going on.


    "Why are they suddenly treating this game like a life-or-death matter?" One of them voiced his confusion.


    "Yeah. And they are getting loud now. All the thing I heard from the first set was their freshmen kept ying alone, but this set, I cannot even turn around without hearing their shouts."


    "Oh, I barely noticed that one!"


    "The question is, why start now? Why not do that from the beginning?"


    Honda who heard that just shook his head, smiling softly as his eyes wandered far away, reminiscing something from his past.


    ''It is not like they didn''t want to do this since the beginning, but more like they just know how should they do all of this in thest couple minutes.'' He thought. ''It has been a long time since I ever seen something like this. As a coach of a strong team, it would be difficult to witness something like this¡­ The moment when a team leveled up this quickly¡­''


    Meanwhile, on Tsunemori''s bench, Akira rose from his seat, trying to hide his trembling hands by crossing them in front of his chest. He had this big smile on his face, his heart swelled with pride. This was it. The team that he wanted. The team that all the yers there were willing to work hard and showed their love for the game, showing unity as a team to fight together for a win.


    They weren''t acting like a bunch of kids on Sunday morning getting dragged into a piano lesson by their mother anymore, something that Akira would be grateful for the rest of the day.


    The problem that had been guing the team for such a long time¡­ It finally started to get cured¡­


    Unfortunately, while they managed to put up a decent fight, Matsukita still didn''t give them a lot of chance to attack, let alone overturn the score. Matsukita really showed them that there was a reason why only one school in the country could beat them, and it wasn''t Tsunemori. And to prove that point, they only put a single gun to kill Tsunemori, and it was called Takeuchi Gondo.


    "Amagi!"


    "Got it, Senpai!"


    Seeing Gondo start his run-up, Amagi didn''t hesitate to send a slow, high ball toward his direction, letting his captain kill it with his powerful spike. Since it wasn''t a quick attack, Yuki and Ren were able to gather together to create a wall in front of the while asking for the others to be prepared.


    "Agostini! Fall back! Wait for the ball! Ren-san, follow my lead! One! Two!


    Three! Now!"


    Under Yuki''smand, Ren jumped as the main blocker while his kouhai next to him also did the same, trying to close any gap that could leak the ball. They read Gondo''s timing perfectly that the ball would bounce back to Matsukita''s floor if it wasa normal hitter who did it.


    Unfortunately, Gondo was a different beast. A second before he mmed the ball, the captain of Matsukita suddenly turned his eyes quickly, changing his target into Yuki''s fingertip. Yuki wanted to retreat his hand, yet the ball was still quicker toe in his direction before he could do anything about it.


    *BAM!*


    "OUCH!"


    Yuki winced when he felt a sudden pain stung on his finger. He didn''t even notice the ball that went far out of bounds. Seeing that, Akira took action took action immediately and approached the referee.


    "TIME OUT!"


    -0-


    "Are you sure it doesn''t hurt anymore?" Megumi asked, her face concerned. Yuki had a sweat drop a little, feeling a bit of d¨¦j¨¤ vu thinking something like this had happened before.


    "Don''t worry, Megumi-senpai. I am okay." He tried to reassure the older girl. "Still, the pain is getting worse the more I receive the spike. Damn, that giant is a monster." He rubbed his sore nails while ncing at Gondo on the other side.


    "Well, Gondo is not the best hitter in Japan for nothing," Akiramented nonchntly. However, his words triggered interest from both Yuki and Ren who had already faced Matsukita''s captain a lot today.


    "Really?"


    "Yeah." Akira nodded. "Not a lot of yers could withstand his spike, and if there was someone who could resist his power, he is smart enough to aim for a block-out, and I have to say that he is good at it too."


    "Block-out?" Yuki asked, still not familiar with a lot of terms in this sport.


    "It is when the hitter aims at the specific spot of your block so that it could bounce out of the court and give the opponent a point, just like what they did to us several times today," Riku exined. "Still, I think what amazes me is the setter. That bastard is ying with us like we are a bunch of fools."


    "Oh, yeah. I notice that too." Yuki nodded.


    They chatted for a while, discussing how troublesome their opponent was until Akira finally coughed, asking for his yers'' attention.


    "Well, I am sure you all notice that we are outssed in every aspect today." All of them nodded at his words. "But it is not like we cannot do anything against them. Do you want to listen to my thoughts?"


    Yuki didn''t know about the others, but he was intrigued right now.


    "Everyone noticed our defense cannot stand against their offense, right?" Seeing the nods of agreement, Akira continued, "Well, you might also notice the soul of their offense are the setter and Gondo, so, let''s target them."


    "Target them?"


    "Yes." Akira nodded. "For the setter, I don''t have to tell you how to do that, right? Just make sure he couldn''t get the second ball, either by forcing him to receive our spike or aiming the ball to the direction where he was so it could bounce far away."


    "What if he is in the front?" Yuki asked. For all he knew, the setter could hide himself next to the blocker so that he could be protected from the first touch.


    "If that is so, we will target Gondo," Akira answered. "You might not notice this, but Gondo is always protected by one or two yers who are ready to save the ball for him so that he can join the attack quickly. That is what we are going to aim for next."


    Yuki stared at the others, unsure of this new strategy. "How?" He finally asked. While yes, he didn''t notice that, it was because Matsukita yers were too good at receiving the ball. There was no way they ¨C Tsunemori in this case would be able to target Gondo before they could get through his bodyguard.


    Akira grinned, seemed that he had already thought about it. "Well, this is where our heavy hitter would contribute. Are you ready to y again, Noriyuki?"


    All the eyes turned to the third-year boy far in the corner of the bench. The captain of the team who hadn''t spoken anything since he was scolded to death by Akira just nodded slightly, his eyes were zing with determination.


    "Please, leave it to me, Sensei."


    -0-


    Noriyuki took a deep breath, pping his face repeatedly. His focus waspletely locked into the game as he tried to forget all the unpleasantries before. Inwardly though, he was grateful that he had a chance to watch his friends y from the sideline.


    He witnessed how Yori took over his role as a captain in the game and Noriyuki had to admit he was amazed by his friend. The setter kept staying active andmunicating with each other, bing the bridge needed to connect all the yers on the court while still doing his role as the orchestrator of the team''s offense.


    He also witnessed the rise of his other good friend, Yoshi who fell into the same slump as he was and became the pir of the team again.


    That was the sight that could only be seen when he was on the bench when he had the chance to analyze everything without getting distracted by his other duties. And while it hurt, Noriyuki had to admit thatpared to Yori or Yoshi, he was far from the ideal captain that the team needed.


    At that time, his face darkened, his expression turned gloomy as depression hit hard. A little thought in the corner of his head even told him to give up, trying to make him think that volleyball wasn''t just a thing for him. However, Noriyuki suddenly saw a glimmer of hope from inside the court.


    That was when he saw his teammates kept attacking back-and-forth, yet not a single point was produced due to theck of a powerful hitter on the court.


    That was when he remembered his other status on the team.


    "YORI! HERE!"


    Everyone was surprised, not expecting Noriyuki to shout that loudly to ask for the ball the first offensive chance the team got. To make it more surprising, this was his first shout of the game since he waspletely mute in the first set. But his friends were all grinning, excited for Noriyuki''seback.


    ''Wee back, Noriyuki!''


    Yori tossed a slow, high ball to the left side. Noriyuki gritted his teeth, starting his run-up to generate all the power inside him for the ball that came in his direction.


    ''I might not be the captain of the team anymore¡­'' He jumped. ''But I am still the ACE OF THE TEAM!''


    *BAM!*


    The ball traveled fast like aser, piercing through the area guarded by Gondo and Matsukita''s libero in the back left. Gondo tried to move back to give room for his libero to receive the ball, yet the protection he expected didn''te in time, forcing him to receive the ball by himself.


    "Shit! Tono!"


    "Got it!"


    The yer with jersey number 4 tried to cover up his mess, yet since his position wasn''t that good, he could only save the ball from falling to the ground, but not to the extent of aiming it at his teammates to initiate an attack.


    "Sorry!"


    "Don''t worry about it!"


    "Chance ball!"


    One of Matsukita''s yers was forced to give an easy ball to Tsunemori since they had already spent all three chances to touch the ball before. He was clever enough to send it to Yori to snatch the setter''s right for the second ball. Unfortunately, Tsunemori yed with two setters right now, and Riku was ready to back him up.


    "Nice pass, Senpai!" Riku grinned, still having a chance to observe the entire court first before making a decision. ''The blocker is leaned toward Noriyuki-senpai, but I can go for a quick with ¨C"


    "Riku! Here! Again!"


    The shout from the captain snapped his attention and inner monologue. When the blonde boy saw Noriyuki''s state though, he was surprised by the sheer amount of pressure his captain radiated. The hungry predator gazes from the ace convinced him that even though there were four blockers in front of Noriyuki, Riku would still give the ball to him.


    ''Well, don''t disappoint us, Captain!''


    Seeing the perfect pass flying in his direction, Noriyuki grinned. He knew since the first day that Riku was a quality setter, not just because of how good the set was, but also because Riku understood what his teammate wanted.


    With this kind of ball, while it would invite the blockers toe at him, Noriyuki was able to gather his power at the maximum level before finally jumping, coiling his arm back before unleashing it like a fast whip, his favorite kind of y.


    ''I hope you like this one, Bastard!''


    *BAM!*


    It was another powerful spike straight to Gondo. However, this time, no one was close enough to cover him, forcing Matsukita''s captain to receive the ball by himself one more time. But unlike before, his current position was not favorable to receive it perfectly. The ball just scratched his arms before it went out of the line without anyone could save it.


    Silence settled on the court as all eyes were on Noriyuki. The one who was in the spotlight panted heavily, his face flushed red in excitement. It was as if someone just breathed him a second life, resurrecting him from death. At that time, he knew, that his volleyball career wasn''t over yet.


    -0-


    "YOSSSHAAA!"


    "Goddamnit, Noriyuki! Finally!"


    "Come on!"


    All the Matsukita yers could only shake their heads, knowing it was impossible for them to save that ball. They weren''t that worried though, considering the 5 points lead that they still had until now. What they regretted the most was that the earlier y would raise Tsunemori''s spirit astronomically. But that wasn''t something they couldn''t handle.


    There was only one person who was unhappy among them.


    "Amagi." Gondo suddenly called the setter, he tried to loosen up the tension on his neck. "The next y, you know what to do, right?"


    Amagi gulped nervously, bobbing his head up and down frantically. While Gondo was a firm captain, Amagi could tell it was just a fa?ade the captain set to lead the team. Normally, Gondo was an easy-going and approachable guy, and that was why anyone close to him ¨C including Amagi, they were not afraid of their captain no matter how many times they got scolded.


    However, there were several asions where Amagi found his captain turned serious, angered, or motivated by something. And when that happened, he noticed Gondo would always loosen up his neck first. That was the sign that the captain was all for business, something that happened right now.


    "That guy¡­" Gondo furrowed his brows at Noriyuki, seemed unhappy that he was targeted by Tsunemori''s ace. "I swear I would destroy him before the game is over for this humiliation!"


    Tsunemori High912


    Matsuyama Kita High2517

 Chapter 15: Gondo Ends the Game!

    Yuki knew Gondo was a good yer.


    No matter how low his volleyball knowledge, Yuki knew Gondo was one hell of a yer just by facing against his spike for one set.


    But goddamn he didn''t expect that his already high bar for Gondo was still too modest to describe how monstrous the talent the Matsukita''s captain had.


    Power-wise, while Yuki managed to stop him several times, Gondo''s spike hurt, leaving a lot of bruises red marks on his forearms. However, that was still solvable in his mind. What was troublesome was his cleverness. He could make any sets passed to him work, whether good or bad, too high or too short. His game sense was sharp too, he always knew what he had to do on a lot of different asions.


    From block-out, spiking the ball deliberately to the blocker to get another chance, to even a simple dump like Yuki usually did, Gondo had all of that in his arsenal.


    For someone who was this huge and packed so much power inside him, Yuki couldn''t believe that Gondo would have so many tricks on his sleeve, not the stereotypical heavy hitter yer Yuki knew at all.


    Gondo was also good at defense and quick with his feet. The n to target him was proven to be futile as Matsukita''s captain would always be able to react quickly and turn the situation to his advantage.


    Hell, after failing to receive Noriyuki''s spike earlier, Gondo turned into a defensive monster, saving another two spikes from Noriyuki and Yoshi before turning both into chances for him to do a quick attack.


    With all of that, Yuki had to wonder whether Gondo had a weakness or not.


    However, that wasn''t the most troublesome part. No, Gondo''s all-around ability wasn''t the thing that gave Yuki a headache the most, but it was his outrageous powerful serve.


    If he thought before that Riku and Amagi''s serve was powerful, Gondo''s serve made him re-think the definition of power. The most outrageous thing about it was that the serve itself had so much spin it curved away immediately after passing the, making it almost impossible to predict where the ball wouldnd.


    "Are you okay, Kobayashi-kun?" Noriyuki asked.


    If it was earlier, Yuki would be touched, surprised, and maybe a little bit perplexed by the sudden concern from him. After all, this was the first time Noriyuki approached him today. However, right now, he could only give the ace a wry smile, knowing it would be ruder for Noriyuki to ignore him after Yuki kept protecting him from Gondo''s serve.


    Yeah, he didn''t know what happened, but Gondo suddenly started targeting Noriyuki as if he was offended by something. It seemed the Matsukita''s captain was unhappy after getting targeted by Noriyuki before.


    "Don''t worry about it, Senpai." Yuki tried to shrug off the concern. Inwardly though, he thought, ''Goddamnit. Even with so much spin, his serve is still powerful. What would happen if he decided to go full power?'' He shook his head immediately, didn''t want to imagine something scary like that.


    "Nori, don''t worry about us. Just let Kobayashi and I handle the ball." Yoshi suddenly said. "Everyone, go forward too. Let us handle this serve."


    All the yers there looked at each other for a second before they nodded, trusting those two to receive Gondo''s serve. It was unfortunate that the rotation right now was unfavorable for Tsunemori, what with Ren on the court and Okumura, the libero of the team on the sideline.


    Without the presence of the libero, the only yers good enough defensively to receive such a strong serve were Yuki and Yoshi.


    A bit ironic considering it wasn''t even two weeks since Yuki joined the team.


    ''Just show how bad this team is.'' Yuki smiled wryly.


    "Kobayashi, focus!" Yoshi''s voice snapped him from his thoughts. "My defensive area is wider than you, so if it is in the middle, stay out of the ball and let me handle it. I will leave the left area for you."


    "Sure." Yuki nodded.


    He took a deep breath, putting all of his concentration on the court. His eyes locked into Gondo on the other side, trying to figure out where the next serve would go. The moment the referee blew the whistle, Matsukitare''s captain threw the ball in the air, jumping pretty high before mming the ball hard into Tsunemori''s side.


    The sequence of moves happened so fast that if Yuki blinked, he would definitely miss the ball in front of him.


    ''Left! Mine!''


    With his quick reflex, Yuki''s body moved automatically, leaning sideways toward the ball while extending one of his arms to reach it safely. However, the spin on the serve was too much that the ball suddenly curved wider to the area close to the sideline. At first, Yuki wanted to retreat his hand, thinking it would go out of bounds.


    However, in a split second, he removed that thought immediately before gritting his teeth, diving toward that area to receive the ball.


    ''SHI-!''


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! That number 19 received Gondo''s serve once again!"


    "No! It is not perfect! The ball flew wild to the right side!"


    "Yoshi-senpai!" Yuki shouted, standing up quickly after falling to the floor.


    "I got it!" Yoshi ran outside of the court while his eyes were up to the sky, following the ball''s movement that finally started to fall down. Fortunately, it didn''t go too far or too fast, making it possible for Yoshi to save it.


    "NORIYUKI!"


    Yoshi didn''t hesitate to send the ball in Noriyuki''s direction, knowing his friend would be able to do something to change the direction of the game. Unfortunately, his stance when passing the ball wasn''t perfect and with his eyes on the ball, he couldn''t even see Noriyuki''s position, so it went slightly higher than what Noriyuki wanted. However, Noriyuki didn''t mind.


    He took quick three step-backs immediately, then started his run-up before leaping forward to kill the ball.


    ''If the ace of the team couldn''t do anything while his teammates fought to protect him¡­ Then¡­ The ace is useless!''


    *BAM!*


    He swung his arms fast like a whip, hitting the ball straight on its center to send it back to Matsukita''s right back, the position that Gondo guarded. This spike was his answer for the targeting Gondo did in thest few minutes that put Yuki in a bad position. He put all his strength there, wanting to convey his message, ''Don''t mess with me!'' to Matsukita''s ace.


    It went straight to the area in front of Gondo which forced him to dive or at least kneel and lean his body forward to receive that ball.This was to ensure that he wouldn''tbe able to participate in Matsukita''s defense.


    Unfortunately, while that trick might work against any ordinary hitter, Gondo wasn''t the ace of Matsukita for nothing. He showed off the incredible physique he possessed by using his agility to lean his body forward and receive the ball without having to lose his bnce before following it with his quick speed, jumping even before Noriyuki''s feet could touch the floor again.


    "AMAGI!"


    Without being told twice, the setter tossed the ball to his captain, initiating a quick attack. Tsunemori''s blocker couldn''t react in time, what with Noriyuki still adjusting his bnce after spiking the ball a few seconds ago. Taking advantage of no blocker in front of him, Gondo hit the ball hard, angled it expertly with a cross spike to Noriyuki.


    "SHIT!"


    Noriyuki couldn''t even react as he saw the ball zoomed into his face with an incredible speed. The only thing he could do was to use his arm as a shield to protect his face instinctively, letting the ball hit his body before it bounced on the floor, giving another point for Matsukita.


    Yuki had the corner of his lips twitched, finally convinced that Gondo was offended by Noriyuki''s attack before. This was the sixth time Matsukita''s ace targeted Tsunemori''s ace, and this time, the cross spike was like a statement from Gondo as if telling Noriyuki how it should have been done.


    "Are you okay, Nori?" Yoshi asked. Being targeted by one of the best hitters in Japan would definitely affect someone''s psychology in one way or another.


    "Don''t worry, Yoshi." Noriyuki tried to dismiss the concern. His eyes were still zing with determination, yet unlike when he just joined the team for the second time, his expression this time told them all that he wanted revenge. "Anyone, pass the ball to me again after this. I will definitely kill it."


    Yuki rolled his eyes immediately when he heard his senpai''s words. "Well, in case you forget, senpai, the next one who serves the ball would still be him, and they are one point left to win the game. If we couldn''t save the serve perfectly after this, you might as well forget your egoistical desire to get beaten again."


    He said thest part with a hint of mocking tone, surprising all the yers there. They didn''t expect Yuki who usually was polite and respect his senpai would attack his captain with his words. Even though Akira had said before that Noriyuki was unfit to be the captain of the team, that status was still on him right now, so everyone still treated him as the leader of the team.


    Honestly, Yuki was just bitter with the team. When they all were so down and he and Riku had to take over the game, there was not a single gratitude thrown at those two, but the moment Noriyuki went back on the court, everyone acted like he would be the savior of the team. It was as if their effort to save the team''s ass was far less important than Noriyuki getting out of his slump.


    It was even worse for Riku. If Yuki still had his value due to his defensive ability, his blonde friend was stripped of all his role. Not only was he set aside from his position as a setter for his senpai, but even as a hitter, Riku waspletely ignored there, no one gave a shit about him as if he didn''t exist at all.


    Of course, Yuki knew his and Riku''s status as freshmen was far lesserpared to Noriyuki as a captain. However, to be treated like this was a bit too much. So, yeah, Yuki was bitter here.


    "Okay, please, calm down first." Noticing the rising tension around them, Yori tried to y a peacemaker. "We still have a game to y, so let''s settle everyone''s down after this."


    Yuki snorted, leaving them all and went back to his position. While it was true that they still had a game, he had a hunch Yori said that to bury all of this under the rug just like before. This was the first time he realized how toxic the team was, and Akira had a lot of work to do if the coach wanted to keep him on the team.


    Still, the game had to be resumed, so he had no choice but to back down for now. Yuki had to put all of his focus back on the game, staring at Gondo wryly as the ace was ready for another serve.


    ''Goddamn, this is his eighth serve in a row! Is he a monster or what?'' Yuki thought inwardly. He turned around at the scoreboard showed the numbers 24 ¨C 12 there and took a deep breath. ''Well, it would be embarrassing to be killed by eight serves in a row. Let''s try to stop him first before thinking of anything else.''


    Yuki bent his knee a little, trying to adjust his stance for the next y. Just like before, he was on the back again with Yoshi to receive the serve. However, like poetic justice, the ball Gondo served stuck on the first before it fell down to Tsunemori''s area, straight in front of Noriyuki on the front right.


    Noriyuki was taken aback by the sudden let-serve falling down in front of him. He dashed immediately, trying to save the ball. Unfortunately, he wasn''t quick enough as the ball fell slowly yet mockingly to the floor, sealing the game for Matsuyama Kita''s win.


    Tsunemori High912


    Matsuyama Kita High2525


    -0-


    "Boy, you have a lot of internal trouble to be dealt with." Honda chuckled out loud when he greeted Akira after the game. Akira could only smile wryly, knowing that the old man was right. "Still, they have good potential though. Especially, those two freshmen. Any chance you will give them to me?" He asked yfully.


    "No way, Old Man!" Akira retorted snidely.


    It was at the end of the game, and the tradition was for everyone to gather around and exchange pleasantry with the other team before they went back to their own business. And to no one''s surprise, Yuki and Riku were the two Tsunemori yers who got the most attention from Matsukita.


    "Really? You have just started learning volleyball in two weeks?" Amagi asked, his eyes went wide. "What are you, a genius?"


    "I know, right?" Riku grumbled next to them with a tone that was close to aint.


    Yuki just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, a shade of red appeared on his cheek for the praise. "Just a normal operation, not worth the praise." He said, trying to sound humble.


    "Don''t be too modest. Take some pride in the talent you have. God knows there are a lot of people who would droll in jealousy for that." Amagi smiled warmly at him. "Man, with your talent, only the sky would be your limit." He paused for a while before continuing, "Well, the sky¡­ Or your teammates." Amagi added thest part cheekily.


    Riku and Yuki could only smile wryly, knowing that today, they had already offended most if not all of their senpai here. They knew it would be awkward in the next training session, assuming they both would be allowed toe back there. Well, of course, they would be allowed, considering Akira was still the head coach. But¡­ Yeah, that would be awkward.


    "Good game, you two." Gondo suddenly approached them both. He patted their shoulder before saying, "Your two-manbination in the first set was amazing. It is a pity that your teammates dismissed you in thest set." Thest part was for Riku who could only smile wryly.


    "As for you¡­" Gondo turned his attention to Yuki. "Damn, I have never seen someone so stubborn and persistent to receive my serve. Usually, it would only take two or three ace serves to break my opponent''s mentality in the game. You did really well today."


    Yuki had the same wry smile as the one on Riku''s face before saying, "Well, if you could score from eight serves in a row against my good performance, I hate to think how many points I would suffer when I am not in my best."


    "Bahaha!" Gondo suddenlyughed out loud. "Don''t be so hard on yourself. I am probably the best serve-taker in Japan right now, so for you to keep up with it is incredible. I am sure you will be able to rise more in the next tournament." There was no hint of humbleness in his tone, yet they both had no problem with it.


    Yuki kept staring as Gondo went to exchange pleasantry with others, yet his mind kept recalling being dominated by Gondo''s serve in the second set. A topspin serve, a sidespin serve, timing, where to aim¡­ Today, he learned a lot just by watching how Gondo served the ball. In fact, it wasn''t just the captain.


    He also learned a lot by observing how well they coordinated, how they established theirmunication, even to the point of how they gave their teammates feedback in every situation that happened on the court.


    If he could put half of what he learned today into reality, Yuki was sure his serve game would be elevated to a new level.


    "So, this is the second-best team in the country, huh?" Yuki muttered, then a grin spread ear-to-ear on his face. "Interesting¡­"


    -0-


    Far from Matsuyama Kita''s gymnasium, unknown to Yuki, there was a hugemotion that happened in the Hope Orphanage. All the kids there screamed in panic, crying for help from anyone who could hear them.


    "HELP! ANYONE! PLEASE, HELP US!"


    "Damn! Where is Yuki-nii when we need him?!"


    "Leave a small note for him and let''s send Aiko-obaasan to the hospital first! Quick! This is an emergency!"


    "Yeah! Go! Go! Go!"

 Chapter 16: Trouble from All Directions!

    Yuki''s appearance was a mess. His usually neat and tidy hair was now messy and unkempt, sticking up in every direction as if he had been running his hands through it in frustration. Hell, he still even wore the volleyball jersey he used earlier even though it wasn''t his in the first ce.


    However, Yuki didn''t care about that.


    He kept walking fast in panic, his eyes were scanning the crowded waiting room, trying to see the sign of any kids from the orphanage.


    It was the evening after the game, and never crossed his mind for Yuki toe back to the orphanage just to find out there was no sign of life there. He had a bad feeling when he found out the usually crowded and lively kitchen was quiet, and even the light was off there. His heart skipped for a second when he noticed a small note ced on the table.


    ''Aiko-obaasan passed out. Toshima Hospital, quick!''


    There were just two simple sentences there, yet it was enough to let everything crumble inside him. His heart suddenly beat violently, his palm was sweaty. For a moment, Yuki lost himself as his breath was frantic and a massive headache suddenly hit his head. His mind was chaos, filled with every worst scenario possible to happen that he could think of.


    The panic attack happened for a while before he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.


    ''Don''t panic, Yuki. Come on! Take a deep breath¡­ Again¡­''


    He tried to repeat those words like a charm, trying to loosen the tension inside his head. Once he was calm enough to re-process what happened, Yuki jumped from his spot immediately and rushed toward the Toshima Hospital.


    The hospital was pretty close, only ten minutes away from the orphanage if Yuki ran at his full speed. However, the journey there was more exhausting for him than two hours of ying the volleyball game against Matsuyama Kita earlier. His heart was racing the moment he entered the tall building, his stomach was in turmoil at all the negative thoughts he had right now.


    It had been a month since thest time Yuki entered this building, and honestly, if possible, he never wanted to go there again. This ce reminded him of so many bad memories, especially when he was toldhis parents were lost in the disaster. There were even times when he associated the hospital with a police station, both were the bearer of bad news.


    However, right now, he hoped that the bad news wasn''t that bad.


    "Excuse me, Nurse-Oneesan, but do you know where is Akimura Aiko''s room?" Yuki asked a nurse who was at the reception desk, inwardly cursing how shaky his voice was.


    The woman raised her head for a moment to see him before smiling kindly and nodding. "She is in the room 403. Don''t worry, kiddo. She is just too exhausted, but nothing bad happened."


    The nurse''s words of reassurance suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. His knees buckled beneath him, and he felt his legs give way as he let out a sigh of relief. He slid down the wall, his messy appearance now forgotten in the face of relief. Tears of relief pricked at the corners of his eyes as he tried to process the news.


    "Do you want me to show you the room?" The nurse asked kindly, snapping Yuki from his thought.


    "Thank you so much, Oneesan!" He bowed deeply, full of gratitude.


    Unlike the journey to the hospital, the walk to Aiko''s room was light, as if a heavy burden suddenly lifted up from Yuki''s shoulder. He kept asking the nurse what happened to his matron, yet unfortunately, the older woman next to him didn''t know a lot about it. She just knew that Aiko was okay from her colleague''s words.


    "When nine children who are not even in their teenagers run in panic while the oldest one had a woman old enough to be their mother passed out on his back, it bounds to be amotion. Everyone was curious about what happened, that''s why the news of your matron''s condition spread quickly among the nurses." The woman exined. "Still, why not call for an ambnce?" She asked, bemused.


    "Only Aiko-obaasan has a phone in the orphanage, and I am sure no one knows how to operate it." Yuki furrowed his brows when answering the question, inwardly thinking, ''It seems I need to buy two phonester. One is for my private business, and the other is for everyone to use it together.''


    The moment they arrived at the fourth floor, Yuki was greeted by the sight of two kids he was familiar with waiting outside of the room, taking a nce from the windows on the door that was slightly higher than their height. Even though their appearance was a mess, Yuki was d their expression was as bright as ever.


    "What are you doing here?" Yuki asked.


    Those two kids were taken aback, turning their heads immediately from the windows. Their expressions lit up when they saw who was the person greeting them, a sign of relief could be found there.


    "Yuki-nii, you are finally here." One of them, a girl with a ponytail hairstyle whispered lowly. "We have been waiting for you."


    "Yeah." The other kid, a boy with bald hair nodded. "And we are just checking inside to see whether the other kids are bothering Aiko-obaasan''s rest or not."


    Yuki raised his eyebrows, taking a nce slightly at the room inside from the windows. There, he saw a heartwarming sight where Aiko was surrounded by six little children on her bed while one was in a wheelchair next to it, all of them fell asleep peacefully.


    Are you both the ones who think of going to the hospital first without waiting for me?" He also whispered, didn''t want to attract the children''s attention inside. Seeing the nods from both kids in front of them, he nodded in appreciation. "Good job, you two. You did well in this situation."


    Their face brightened up hearing the praise from Yuki. They both were Taro and Aina, the second and third oldest children in the orphanage after him. Those two were still freshmen in middle school, so for them to handle it clear-headedly like this was worth of praise.


    "So, what happened?"


    "Obaasan suddenly copsed when cooking for dinner," Aina answered. "We didn''t know what happened, but since she wasn''t responding to our shout, we knew it was an emergency situation, so we ran here as quickly as we could."


    "The doctor said she was okay, though," Taro added, a sign of relief was still there. "Just the umtion of a lot of Obaasan''s bad habits. He said she was too exhausted and her bad eating habit made things worse. Fortunately, nothing bad happened. But for precaution, she is needed here for one more night."


    Yuki furrowed his brows at the exnation, somehow feeling guilty for not noticing that sign.


    He knew his matron had three part-time jobs outside to keep the orphanage alive, so exhaustion was bound to happen. The bad eating habit, though? He had never noticed that. But when he thought about it, he couldn''t even remember thest time Aiko ate together with them.


    In his mind, Yuki knew the matron didn''t want the children to see her eating their leftovers, so he had never bothered her about that. Now, he regretted never addressing this matter before.


    ''Well, I guess, I need to be more caring toward the orphanage in the future. Should I consider my position on the volleyball team again?''


    -0-


    Riku yawned widely, trying his best to keep his eyes open. Currently, he is in the Japanese ss, and the fatigue after the game yesterday finally hit his body. Fortunately, his seat was far behind, the ce where all the delinquents sat, so no teacher cared enough to bother him.


    He took a nce at the book in front of him once again, but his mind flew to the game against Matsukita yesterday, especially to Yuki''s mocking retort toward the captain. While he was also dissatisfied with the team, Riku had never thought of antagonizing their senpai, knowing clearly even though he grew up in Italy how deeply rotten the seniority culture was in Japan.


    ''He sure had the ball of steel here.'' He smiled wryly. ''Still, it should be me who said that. Unlike him, I still have Akira-jiisan to back me up. Now, there is no way the senpai would be willing to let him join the team again.''


    Riku shook his head quickly, trying to banish the sleepiness that wanted to attack him again. His eyes wandered around the ss for another few seconds before theynded on the seat where Yuki was usually there, only to find out it was empty.


    ''Is he still exhausted and couldn''t wake up from his bed? It should be. Yesterday should be his first game ever, right? Maybe that is the case.'' He mused, then shaking his head immediately, dismissing that idea far away. ''What the hell am I thinking? It is Kobayashi I am talking about, the volleyball genius who can learn anything in a night.


    There is no way exhaustion would hold him down like this. There must be something happening in his ce. Should I check itter?''


    -0-


    "So, where are those two little bastards?" Yoshi asked, his expression was ugly. "They didn''t even dare toe here after all that insults and mockeries they threw at us yesterday! Goddamnit!"


    "Calm down, Yoshi." Yori tried to appease his friend''s fiery temper. "I am sure there is a reason why they both didn''te today. And what we did would definitely make a hugemotion. Should we try to use¡­ Milder method?"


    It was after school, and other than Yuki and Riku, all the volleyball team members had already gathered there. Their eyes were full of hostility, ready to confront their kouhai. As expected, they didn''t forget the offense they received yesterday and wanted to settle the score right now.


    "Shut up, Yori!" Yoshi snarked indignantly."Don''t you forget their disrespect yesterday? Those brats need to be reminded who is in charge of the team! I will not let this slide without any consequence!"


    Yori sighed, asking Noriyuki for help silently. However, the captain seemed to ignore him since after the game yesterday. It seemed Noriyuki also remembered suddenly that he was told Yori was more suitable as the captain of the team than him and he took offense at it somehow.


    Honestly, in a normal condition, they wouldn''t be so offended by this little thing. They would probably just call their kouhai privately and tell them to be more respectful. However, this time, they snapped. After receiving the worst scolding they had ever heard from Akira, their temper boiled silently, and it finally erupted, triggered by their kouhai.


    Now, the only thing that could appease them was retribution, or maybe for Akira toe and calm them down.


    ''Speaking of which¡­'' Yori mused. ''Where is Akira-sensei? It is not often he wouldete for the after-the-game evaluation. Is there any trouble outside?''


    -0-


    True to Yori''s thought, the one person he thought could appease the yers was still in the middle of trouble. Currently, Akira was sitting in the headmaster''s office, surrounded by six higher-ups of the school. The atmosphere there was tense as everyone was waiting for the headmaster to decide something.


    "I am sorry, Akira-sensei." The headmaster sighed.


    "So, what is the verdict?" Akira asked, trying to sound nonchnt even though a pang of sadness popped up in his heart.


    "Due to theck of achievements in thest five years you are here, we can only give you one more chance. If you couldn''t bring the team to advance to the top four of the Tokyo Preliminary Tournament, we have no choice but to give up on you, and maybe on the volleyball team too."

 Chapter 17: A Day in the Orphanage, A Bonding Session with Riku & Kato

    "YOU WHAT?!"


    "Ssst" Yuki hissed immediately the moment Riku''s shriek registered in his head. "Tone it down!"


    It was after school was over when Riku and Kato decided to visit Yuki in the orphanage. Those two were relieved when they saw Yuki was in good health, chatting andughing with the other children there. They also expressed their condolences for Aiko''s ident which forced Yuki to skip school for a day. However, when Riku heard Yuki''s idea, he was too bewildered to consider how high his voice was.


    "What do you mean by quitting the team?" Riku hissed, now with the same low voice as Yuki.


    "It is exactly what you thought, I need to focus more on what is more important for now." Yuki sighed. "The orphanage is lucky that Aiko-obaasan is okay, but God wouldn''t always be in our favor. What if something worse happened to her? This ce would crumble immediately like a wet biscuit. I am the oldest out of the children here, so I need to help her manage this ce."


    Riku had his mouth gaped wide, still too speechless to make a response.


    "And it is not like I will be missed in the team, right? Especially with what happened yesterday." Yuki added wryly.


    Riku could only nod, couldn''t even deny his friend''s words. They both turned their eyes to the children who were chatting with Kato who was kind enough to help cook for them all.


    "I am sorry for bothering you, Kato-san." Yuki apologized one more time to the girl. "You are here just to see if I am okay, yet it ends up with you cooking for all of us. It is so embarrassing for us."


    "It is okay, Kobayashi-kun." The girl smiled, even though there was still a hint of shyness on her face, she had this light of confidence in her eyes when she operated around the kitchen. "I love cooking for my family, so this is nothing. And it is not like the little ones are embarrassed to eat my food, right?" She smiled at the children.


    "Right, Kato-san!" Almost all of them replied, showing their toothy grin to the girl. Yuki had his eyes rolled exasperatedly at how shameless his little siblings acted around his friend.


    Honestly, the reason why he was absent from school today was to help with the household chores until Aiko went back from the hospital. The doctor said that the matron would be back again before the night. He was so excited to make this building as bright as new again, and true to his words, everything was shining like it just came out of a package even before the sun was straight above their head.


    Unfortunately, out of all the chores in the world, the only thing he couldn''t do was the most important one, the chores that could keep him alive.


    Cooking.


    "If only I could cook as good as you." Yuki sighed. All the children there suddenly grimaced at the same time before theyughed at him.


    "Don''t feel bad, Yuki-nii! A person cannot be too perfect!"


    "Yeah! Just stay away from the kitchen!"


    "I don''t want that atrocious thing you called egg fried rice again, Yuki-nii!"


    "Yeah! Don''t do it again!"


    "Well, thank you for your glowing review, guys." Yuki sniffed, ring mockingly at the children. "As the punishment for it, you all will have to finish the leftover food I made earlier. How about that?" A menacing grin suddenly grew on his face, eliciting horror gasps from the children.


    "NO!"


    "Please, keep that as far away as possible from me!"


    "Yuki-nii, you evil!"


    Riku and Kato couldn''t help but smile, all the trouble they had suddenly seemed to disappear when they saw the interaction between their friend and the children there. Driven by curiosity, Riku asked, "How did you make the egg-fried rice that would make them react like that?"


    In his mind, egg fried rice was probably the universal dish anyone had to be able to cook if they wanted to survive adulthood. There was no way Yuki would mess up so badly as the children suggested in the conversation.


    "It wasn''t that bad." Yuki furrowed his brows. "I just add a little twist to it. Like carrots, potatoes, a few veggies like spinach and broli, oh, and that cabbage Aiko-obaasan left in the fridge! You know, to keep it healthy."


    Now, it was Riku and Kato''s turn to be dumbfounded. They had never expected those ingredients that came out of Yuki''s mouth would be associated withfried rice.


    "You know it only takes three ingredients to cook a ssic egg fried rice, right?" Riku asked hesitantly.


    "What is so healthy with just rice, egg, and oil?" Yuki retorted.


    Kato couldn''t help but sigh, finally realized why the children were antagonizing Yuki''s food. "Did you at least boil them all first?" She asked, seemed to be afraid to hear the answer.


    "Boil?" Yuki tilted his head confusedly. "Why should I boil it if, in the end, I would just cook them all?"


    Kato sighed once again, now giving the children a sympathetic gaze. "I hate to say it, Kobayashi-kun, but the children are right. You should be as far away from the kitchen as possible."


    "EH?! WHY?!" Yuki criedically, followed by the roar ofughter from the others.


    -0-


    "Thank you for visiting us." Yuki bowed gratefully after they had done their dinner there. "Even though they all looked carefree, I know the children were still worried a lot about our matron, and your presence here at least managed to lift up the mood. For that, I am grateful to you."


    "Eh, don''t worry about it." Riku rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly. "We are happy to help."


    "U-Um!" Kato nodded too, went back to her default shy mode again.


    There was an awkward silence settled over there as they didn''t know what to say once again. For all the times Yuki and Riku spent on the volleyball team, they had never tried to get to know each other well, and Yuki also always tried to respect the boundary Kato set in the ssroom, so he couldn''t find a topic to start a conversation with those two.


    It didn''t help that Riku who was usually a chatter-box was not himself today, didn''t speak a lot evenpared to Kato.


    "Wait." Yuki suddenly said, realized something. "How could you two go and visit me together? I swear you both didn''t know each other."


    Yuki blinked several times when he saw Riku turn his head away guiltily while Kato clicked her tongue loudly in an udylike manner, then narrowed his eyes at the blonde boy suspiciously. "Did you do something idiotic that would possibly bring trouble to her?"


    "Hey, I resent that usation!" Riku sniffed.


    "Resent all you want! I know a trouble when I see one!"


    "Speaking from experience?"


    "Why, you!"


    "Enough!" The two boys jumped from their seats reflexively, then widened their eyes in shock immediately. They had never thought Kato had a big lung inside her petite body. The girl herself just blushed, her face beet red as she had never imagined herself to raise her voice like that. However, she still acted ordingly, narrowing her eyes while hissing at the boys. "Lower your tone!


    The children are sleeping there!"


    Yeah, they forgot it was dark already, and although they were in the kitchen and the children were in their room, the orphanage was not that big to prevent the sound from traveling to the other room.


    "Damn, Kato-san. That is straight in my ears." Riku whispered in a low voice, wincing while rubbing his ears painfully.


    Kato blushed in embarrassment, yet she still crossed her arms in front of her chest while showing a firm expression to let the boys know who was in charge here.


    Having finally recovered from the shock, Yuki asked once again while pointing his finger at Riku. "So, how could you get dragged by this idiot, Kato-san?"


    "Well¡­" Riku chuckled helplessly when he saw Kato throw away her face from him, still fuming at what happened. Seeing he had no choice, the blonde boy sighed before exining, "It is like this¡­"


    -shback-


    Just like usual, the moment the school bell rang to end the school, three or four girls flocked into Riku''s seat immediately, either to ask him to go home together or just to strike up a conversation. By now, all the students in the ss were used to it, and while some boys still looked at Riku in jealousy, no one tried to bother him.


    However, unlike how normally he responded, today, Riku stood up immediately, not even greeting those girls back politely. He walked quickly to the front row where Kato sat, eliciting gasps and murmurs from all around the ss.


    "Who is she?"


    "She is the loner nerd who has never spoken anything to anyone! I forget her name!"


    "Does Riku-san have an interest in that kind of girl?"


    "No! She is a friend of Kobayashi-kun, right? Maybe it is a revenge!"


    "Revenge for what?"


    "Don''t you hear how Kobayashi-kun beat Riku-kun in a volleyball game?"


    "No way!"


    "Yes! This should be a retribution for that!"


    "Is this the legendary triangle love? Kyaaa! I hope I am in the girl''s position!"


    -End of the shback-


    Yuki had a sweat drop when he saw Riku trying to mimic what the girls in the ss said. Hell, the expression was on point that he suspected if the blondie wanted to go for acting, any good agency would be willing to lend their hand.


    Still¡­


    "So, to put it simply, you ignored all themotions around you, which was basically ABOUT you, and like an idiot, you approached Kato-san to draw more attention, and by doing that, you dragged me too to this triangle love gossip. Am I missing something?"


    Riku turned his head around, trying to avoid his eyes while putting on his best ''I am innocent'' look.


    "You forget the fact that he knew and could hear all the murmurs around yet decided to make it worse." Kato crossed her arms in front of her chest, didn''t bother to hide her displeasure.


    "Hey, I didn''t do it deliberately!" Riku tried to defend himself.


    "Really?" Yuki raised his eyebrows sarcastically. "I thought you were the one enjoying gossip and attention around you."


    "Not you too, Kobayashi-kun!"


    Yuki sighed before turning his attention to the girl next to him. "So, why did you agree to his invitation?"


    "Because he dragged me without giving me any chance to refute!" Kato red heatedly at Riku who shrunk small on his seat immediately. "Thus, further cement the idea that you both have some sort of problems in the volleyball team and I am the trophy you both wanted to get for revenge." Thest words wereced with venom, something that Yuki had never thought the girl had in her.


    "Well, what do you say, Mister Agostini?" Yuki crooked his eyebrows judgy.


    "I am not guilty here!" Riku crossed his arms, red at the two friends in front of them.


    Silence settled over once again as they all red at each other before a small giggle cracked from Kato to break the quietness around. Then, it spread like a charm, as a smile and small chuckle suddenly could be heard from the two boys. And after that, a burst ofughter broke, filling up the silence in the small kitchen there.


    "Man, that''s a good one," Riku said, wiping up tears from the corner of his eyes.


    "Yeah." Yuki nodded. "Still, you have to be responsible for dragging us into this mess!"


    "How?"


    "Hmm¡­" Yuki and Kato pondered for a moment before having an idea. "You have to hang out with us two to show everyone we are not in a hostile rtionship! That would at least answer one of the rumors about you doing this for revenge."


    "But it didn''t do anything to the more important rumor, which was the one that said we are in a triangle love rtionship." Kato frowned.


    "Well, I would be happy if you could provide some ideas too." Yuki also frowned.


    They both pondered in silence for a moment before Riku said, "Guys, are you treating this too seriously? I mean, it is just a rumor, right? As long as it doesn''t affect our lives, why should we bother?"


    Yuki and Kato stared at each other for a moment before the former sighed. "As expected of a popr guy." He said.


    "Eh?" Riku was confused. "What do you mean by that?!"


    Seeing his panicked expression, Kato giggled more before saying, "But Agostini-kun is right, you know? Why would we bother with the rumor? As long as it is harmless, they can say anything they like."


    Yuki just sighed helplessly, knowing that they both were right. He just didn''t like being in the middle of gossip, knowing it would be hard to get out of the stigma once it stuck in him. The only thing that eased his mind was the two friends of his who would suffer the same treatment together.


    ''Well, it is better than doing it alone.''


    They kept chatting for a while, by now starting to get to know each other. From this conversation, Yuki knew that Riku moved from Italy due to his parent''s work, which rted to the diplomacy between the two countries. And he also found out that once Kato was out of her shell, the shy, innocent girl turned into a sassy sarcastic one, her tongue was sharp enough to cut everything in front of her.


    They also learned some parts of Yuki''s life, like what happened during the fateful day, what kind of injury he suffered from the disaster, and how he coped with all the bad things that just changed his lifepletely. Yuki felt a bit strange about how easy it was to tell that story. It was as if the one suffered there wasn''t him and he was just the storyteller of another person''s experience.


    But he was d that all the shadow lingered in his heart since that disaster started to dissipate.


    Under the dim light of the small kitchen in the Hope Orphanage, the three teenagers grew closer to each other. They chatted,ughed, shared their stories, and even contemted together the future that held for them.


    Somehow, Riku and Kato forgot about the time, and why they were still there although the other children were on the bed already. It wasn''t until the sound of a car engine whirring could be heard from the inside that attracted their attention, and when they took a look outside, Yuki saw the familiar figure he had been waiting for since the beginning of the daying out of a taxi.


    "Aiko-obaasan!" He eximed in delight. Hearing his words, his two friends also stood up to greet the matron of the orphanage. "Obaasan, you are back! How is it? Is everything okay?" While he was excited, Yuki still said in a small whisper, didn''t want to wake up all the children inside.


    After paying the bill to the driver of the taxi, Aiko smiled a little at the boy in front of him before rubbing the top of his head fondly. "I am okay. Thank you for worrying about me and taking care of your little siblings during my absence, Yuki-kun."


    Yuki''s face was beet red in embarrassment, yet his eyes shone brightly at the praise. Then, Aiko''s eyes turned to Riku and Kato and she smiled at them. "You should be Yuki-kun''s friends, right? Thank you for taking care of him."


    "Ah¡­ It is no problem¡­" Riku rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.


    "U-Um! D-Don''t worry, Obaasan!" Kato nodded in agreement, turning back into her usual shy persona again.


    "Anyway, we have already stayed for too long! Our parents should be worried right now." Riku said. Kato also nodded, noticing that it waste already. "Thank you for the hospitality, Kobayashi-kun. See you tomorrow!" She bowed before running away without waiting for Riku to say something.


    "Eh?! Why are you leaving me like that, Kato-san?!" Riku was dumbfounded. "Anyway, I have to leave too. And about the volleyball team, don''t be too hasty, Kobayashi-kun! I will try to talk to Akira-jiisan first, so don''t you dare to leave the team that easy! See you tomorrow!"


    Yuki blinked a few times, still processing what just happened. One moment they had a pleasant conversation inside, and in a second, those two suddenly grew shy under Aiko''s eyes and went back to their home quickly as if they wanted to run away from the matron. It was so strange.


    "Your friends sure are interesting, Yuki-kun." Aiko let out a small giggle.


    "Yes, they sure are." Yuki nodded in agreement.


    "Well, let''se inside first. It iste already. You will need to go to school tomorrow, right?"


    "Oh, yeah!"


    Yuki jogged, followed Aiko from behind. Inwardly though, he had a hunch that this day would change his life, and it would be because of the two people that he grew closer with today.

 Chapter 18: Problem with the Senpai!

    It had been a few days since Yuki''s absence from school, and while he did it only for one day, it was as if everything changed just in those twenty-four hours. All the students suddenly took a nce at him, hushes and whispers following him whenever he was out in the school corridor.


    Some didn''t even try to hide their hostility toward him, which while not affecting his life, was still pretty annoying.


    It was as if the residents of the school turned hostile against him.


    "Is it him?"


    "Yeah. I heard he is the one who did that."


    "How could he?!"


    "Well, some people were just born to be a bastard like that."


    "Yeah. Just ignore him."


    "Oh, shit! He sees us! Pretend you didn''t know anything!"


    Yuki clicked his tongue in annoyance as he heard all of that. He didn''t even know what he had done, yet everyone looked at him as if he just murdered the headmaster and danced on his corpse.


    He increased his walking speed, getting through the crowds while trying his best to ignore the murmurs. After a while, he finally arrived at the rooftop, the forbidden ce in the school where all the delinquents usually met.


    Fortunately, this school didn''t have one, and nothing good could be seen from the highest spot of the building, so it wasn''t often for people toe here even during the break.


    As for why Yuki went there, he had already made a promise to talk to Riku and Kato privately, and the rooftop was probably the most isted ce in the school that they could ever hope. There, except if they let their intrusive thought take over their body and decided to burn down the school to the ground, no one would be bothered to check them out.


    "Oh, Kobayashi! Here!" Riku waved his hands when the blonde boy saw him from afar. There was still a sandwich in his hand while he still chewed some part of it inside his mouth.


    Kato also looked up from her book when she heard he had arrived, and with a single nod, she turned her attention back to the thick book she brought here.


    "What book do you read right now?" Yuki tried to peek just to be blinded by all theplicated words there, not even the simplest hiragana could be found there. All the words were written in English, something that was beyond his mind.


    "It is a book about CMB," Kato said without even batting her eyes on him. "It is the abbreviation of Cosmic Microwave Background, the oldest light that humans could detect up to now. It told us a lot of stories of the time near the Big Bang, where everything began in this world. This book is interesting."


    Yuki had a nk expression, couldn''t process what he just heard from the girl, and couldn''t find anything interesting from it.


    "You won''t understand the book, Kobayashi." Riku chuckled. "Even I who grew up in Italy and learned three differentnguages to survive abroad couldn''t understand even one page of it, let alone you."


    "Wow, it is insulting how youpare me with your intelligence," Yuki said sarcastically.


    "Ha?! So, you mean to tell me you are smarter than me?!"


    "Of course, I am!"


    "Bullshit! I bet you won''t even understand the brief synopsis of the book!"


    "Well, at least I know it is rted to astronomy! I bet you don''t even know what astronomy is, right?!"


    "Why, you!"


    Kato sighed, rubbing her temple in headache as the two boys started bickering again. She coughed loudly, making them stop and look at her sheepishly.


    "Sorry about that one, Kato-san." Riku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.


    "Yeah. Sorry for disturbing you." Yuki nodded in agreement.


    "It is okay." The girl let out a small smile before closing her book. "Anyway, we are here to talk about you, right, Kobayashi-kun?"


    "Oh, yeah! I have been poking around for thest few days!" Riku eximed in realization.


    "So, what happened?" Yuki narrowed his eyes, his expression turned serious. Yeah, all three of them were here after Yuki asked his two friends to inquire about the gossip about him from the other students, and it seemed they already knew what the problem was.


    "Well, there are a lot of rumors flying around about you." Riku started to exin.


    "There is one about you creating trouble in the volleyball team, one about you having a hidden backer to kick out Noriyuki-senpai from his spot as the captain of the team, one about you picking up a fight against the entire senpai, and some outrageous one that I am curious what is inside the mind of the culprit when he spread the gossip."


    Yuki narrowed his eyes, looking at the pattern that was so obvious there. "So, it is rted to the volleyball team, huh?"


    "Yeah." Riku nodded solemnly.


    "Wait!" Yuki suddenly widened his eyes as if he just realized something. "If it is about thest game, should you also be dragged into the gossip too? Your action did more damage than my words!" He asked Riku.


    "You forget one thing, Kobayashi," Riku said.


    "Oh?"


    "Yeah. Unlike you, I have Akira-jiisan as the backer, so they wouldn''t dare to spread a bad rumor about me."


    Yuki groaned, clearly forgetting that part. Still, he had a hard time believing that his senpai would be petty enough to spread the rumor as revenge instead of solving this problem faced-on.


    "What a mess¡­" He murmured.


    "Well, at least it is not about our triangle love, right?" Kato suddenly threw a joke that cracked a smile on Riku and Yuki''s face. "Also, I have called one person from your team to exin to us the situation inside and what your senpai want from spreading the rumor. Ah, speaking of which, here she is."


    The moment Kato finished her words, a light step suddenly could be heard from behind, and when Yuki and Riku turned around, their senpai and the manager of the team, Megumi was there with her usual carefree smile on her face.


    "Yo~ho~" She greeted them yfully. "It has been a long time since we met, Kobayashi-kun. How are you?"


    "Fabulous, as you can see," Yuki answered sarcastically. "Still, I feel honored though. It is not often a freshman is ganged by his senpai, being plotted from behind the scenes to ruin his reputation instead of confronting him directly. To take this cowardly approach, they should be frightened by my name, right?"


    His words were full of venom, making Megumi wince on the spot. The older girl pondered for a second before letting out a deep sigh, her face seemed to age a few years suddenly.


    "The team is a mess right now." She spoke. "Honestly, most of their anger was for Akira-sensei for-"


    "Wait, for my uncle?!" Riku interrupted, asked in surprise.


    "Yes, Riku-kun. It was directed to your uncle." Megumi nodded. "At first, it was because of his hurtful words. However, they couldn''t do anything about it since Akira-sensei is¡­ Well¡­ A sensei, as you can see. And they didn''t dare to target Riku-kun for the obvious reason, so, they directed it to you, Kobayashi-kun,"


    "Wow, lovely," Yuki said, starting to get tired of his sarcastic tone. "Well, nothing we don''t know before. It is just confirming our guess, no more and no less. Still, what is Akira-sensei''s reaction? Speaking of which, what is his reaction after I decided not to go for training anymore?" He asked curiously.


    Megumi and Riku stared at each other confusedly for a second before realization suddenly hit them. "Of course, you don''t know! Akira-jiisan had some urgent matters outside, so this week''s training would be handled by ourselves." Riku exined.


    "Further give them the authority to do anything there. Lovely." Yuki said wryly. Then, he turned to Riku and asked, "What about you? What is the treatment you received from them all?"


    "Eh, I don''t know." Riku shrugged. "Since Akira-jiisan is not here, I decided to skip the team training and do it alone. It is not like there would be a big difference." Hearing Riku''s tone, Yuki was d that he wasn''t the only one who had a negative impression of the team.


    "So, now that we know the cause of it, what should we do?" Kato suddenly asked.


    Megumi blinked a few seconds before her hand moved fast, pinching Kato''s cheek as if she tried to reassure herself that the younger girl was still her little sister. "Wow, Kato-chan, I don''t expect you to be this open so quickly. Where was the shy little sister who would hide behind me whenever she was meeting new people? Girl, you grow up so fast!"


    "Stop it, Megumi-nee." Kato pped her sister''s hand in annoyance. "Please, focus for a moment! What should we do now that we know the cause of all this problem?"


    "What is there to do, Kato-san?" Yuki threw his hand helplessly. "Ask them for an exnation? Apologizing? Forcing them to apologize? No matter what to do, it wouldn''t change anything!"


    The atmosphere turned somber as everyone knew Yuki was right.The problem was the rumor had already spread wildly among the students, and just like how any rumors worked, once one person believed that, no exnation would be enough to kill that rumorpletely.And while of course, Yuki could ignore it, if the entire school had a negative impression on him, of course, it would make his future as a student here difficult.


    Just in thest few days since this all started, no one but Riku and Kato were willing to get closer to him anymore.


    Megumi put her hand on her chin, racking her brain hard to figure out the solution to this problem. If no rumors were flying around, it would be easy to solve all of this. Just put Riku and Yuki in front of the senior members and force them to talk about it, and maybe, the word ''sorry'' woulde out from both sides to ease the tension.


    But this time, just like Yuki said, even if the preparator was punished, it wouldn''t change the minds of those who believed that.


    "Let''sy low for the next few days first." Megumi sighed, finally giving up on thinking of a solution. "Let''s wait for Akira-sensei toe back first and let him handle the rest. No matter what happened, I am sure Sensei could treat it fairly for all of us."


    Yuki and Riku stared at each other for a second before their shoulder slumped helplessly. Even though Yuki had a hunch that nothing would change even with Akira''s intervention, this was the best thing they could do. If even a teacher couldn''t help him get out of this shitty situation, then, Yuki could probably say goodbye to a peaceful high school life he was imagining of.


    -0-


    Akira rubbed his temple in headache when he saw the message on his phone from Megumi. Currently, he was still in the middle of a meeting with his old friends when he received a long three-paragraph chat from his manager containing all the troubles that happened on the team while he was away.


    When he finished reading it all, Akira couldn''t help but feel angry and wanted to smash something on the ground.


    ''What the hell are those brats doing there?! Damn! Why are they doing it right now after the headmaster''s ultimatum? Is this how they wanted to drive me out of the team?''


    "Anything wrong, Sir?" The one friend in front of him asked in Italiannguage.


    "Don''t worry about it, Mattheo. Just a school-rted problem." Akira waved his hand nonchntly, replying to the question in fluent Italian too.


    The one Akira called Mattheo was a handsome Caucasian man with a tall and athletic body that would make any girl droll. He was also a former student of Akira when he was in Italy and currently, Mattheo was on a holiday with their family.


    Hearing the nonchnt tone from Akira, Mattheo just raised one of his eyebrows for a second before turning his attention back to a te of spaghetti in front of him. Akira furrowed his brows, kept reading the message Megumi sent before. His mind was spinning so fast, trying to think of a solution.


    And when his eyes suddenlynded on the man in front of him, a crooked smile suddenly formed on Akira''s face.


    "Say, Mattheo. How about I invite you and your wife to see my current team? Maybe, you could also help solve this troublesome situation."

 Chapter 19: Solve the Conflict with Volleyball!

    "So, is there anyone here brave enough to tell me what is going on?" Akira asked, giving his yers a t look that dripped with disapproval, making them all squirm on the spot.


    It was the day when he finally went back to the school, and Akira was shocked when the first thing he saw Yoshi and Yuki were shing against each other with fierce res on their face as if they were ready to brawl. The only thing that prevented them from doing that was Megumi who tried her best to separate them.


    Seeing the segregation that was shown clearly between the old members of the team and the two freshmen here, Akira sighed tiredly, knowing that a part of this was his fault.


    "Well, if you both didn''t want to say anything, let me be the one who speak." He coughed. "First of all, I want to apologize to everyone here for my negligence. I should have addressed this problem from the beginning rather than waiting until things got worse like this.So, for this failure, I am so sorry!"


    Akira bowed deeply, making everyone ufortable. While some of them still felt unhappy with Akira, they all were good boys in nature, so to see the older man ¨C their teacher nheless lowered his head to ask for their forgiveness, it made them unsure of what to do.


    "However¡­" Akira suddenly narrowed his eyes, dark aura suddenly emerged from his body, making everyone gulp nervously. "My mistake is not a good enough reason to justify what you all did to your junior, right?!" Everyone flinched when Akira suddenly roared angrily.


    "I don''t want to point out my finger at anyone and judge them guilty without hearing the story from your side, but you all make it impossible! Just like today, what the hell are you thinking?! Trying to pick up a fight in the school like this, do you really want to get expelled or what?!"


    Seeing no one dared to look into his eyes directly, Akira turned his attention to probably the only one who could exin this situation neutrally. "Megumi!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    Everyone winced, feeling pity for the girl. She was probably the only one who was trying her best to separate the fight, yet still got yelled at by the coach. It seemed Akira also realized that as he softened his features immediately for the girl.


    "Sorry for raising my voice, Megumi-san. But can you tell me what happened before I arrived here?" Seeing the hesitant look from the girl while she had her eyes looking around uneasily, Akira knew what Megumi thought and added, "Don''t worry. No matter what you say, no one will me you. Am I right?" He asked thest part while ring at his yers who nodded frantically.


    "See? No one will bother you. So, please, enlighten us."


    "Well¡­" Megumi was still a bit hesitant before finally telling the truth. "When Kobayashi-kun and Riku-kun entered the gym, everyone tried their best to ignore them. Some might give them res from afar. Then, Kobayashi-kun mumbled about cowardly or something like that, and Yoshi-kun who overheard him snapped and pushed Kobayashi-kun to the ground.


    After that, Kobayashi-kun rose and wanted to retaliate, then you arrived to stop the conflict before it could get worse."


    Even though it was just a simplified version of what happened and couldn''t convey the emotion at that time, Akira could imagine how severe the situation was, especially if even now, Yoshi and several senior members still had this heated re directed at Yuki for hisment.


    "So, Kobayashi-kun, what prompted you to say that?" Akira asked.


    "I don''t know. Maybe because it is the truth?" Yuki shrugged nonchntly, not caring how hisment provoked his senpai once again. Akira sighed, silently cursing God for giving such a talented yer like Yuki a troublesome personality. However, Yuki wasn''t over here.


    He continued speaking, "I mean, for all the talks and rumors they spread about me, they sure went silent and ignored me the moment I came here, not daring to confront me head-on. If that is not cowardly, then, I don''t know what else fits into that category."


    "Enough!" Yoshi finally snapped. "You keep sputtering that bullshit about cowardly, don''t you know that is what we meant by disrespect?! And you still asked why we treat you like this? Really?! Never in my mind I have imagined a mere freshman like you dare to talk to us like that!"


    Everyone was tense momentarily, ready to separate another conflict between those two. Yuki himself didn''t back down. The moment he saw Yoshi approach him, he waited until his senpai was in front of him before meeting eye-to-eye.


    "Well, if what you mean disrespect is standing on my own feet, then, sure, I will disrespect anyone here. Just because you don''t have a spine doesn''t mean I have to throw away mine too, ''Senpai''. Maybe, try to search where is yours first before talking?"


    His words were full of venom, making Yoshi''s face red, exploding in fury.


    "ENOUGH!"


    All the people there ¨C even Akira jumped on the spot, not surprised by the shout, but rather by the one who did that. When they all turned around, they flinched at the intense res that radiated from Megumi''s eyes that promised them pain.


    "I have enough! This childishness has to stop!" She roared. "Kobayashi, stop provoking everyone here! You are just making things worse! And Yoshi, don''t look so smug! You are just as bad as Kobayashi!"


    Silence settled over the gym as everyone had their jaws dropped, not expecting Megumi to take over the situation this way. They knew the girl had a temper, but it was probably the first time they saw her explode like this. This just proves that the current situation was bad though, and they had finally touched Megumi''s bottom line.


    Seeing the tension finally ebbed away, Megumi nodded in satisfaction. Her face still flushed red, yet she didn''t have the intention to let the control go. "Good, you all can shut your mouth for once. Now, let''s solve this situation like an adult. Only the one who I allowed to speak will open his mouth, understand?!"


    "Yes, Ma''am!" For a moment, all of them acted like a bunch of trainee soldiers under themander''s eyes.


    "Good. Then, let''s start with either Noriyuki or Yoshi, or you both could just speak together." The two higher-ups of the team stared at each other for a moment before nodding simultaneously. "Now, please, exin to us the reason why you spread such a nasty rumor about your junior, nheless among the students in the school. You know that he would be a public enemy right after that, right?


    What do you want to achieve here?"


    Having been under Megumi''s intense stare for a while, Yoshi gulped nervously, didn''t want to provoke the girl''s ire anymore. Yet, he still felt he had to answer the question since all thismotion was because of him, not Noriyuki.


    "Well, we just wanted for them to apologize for their remarks in the game against Matsukita, no more or no less. While I know there are some truths in their words, the way they said it was not right. I mean, have you ever seen a kouhai dare to disrespect his senpai as they did?"


    "You should emphasize his usage of the pronoun ''they'' here, Megumi-san, and not ''he''. That means his first target is not just me here." Yuki interrupted rudely.


    While of course, everyone knew about that, Yuki just wanted to remind them all that they targeted him because they were too afraid of doing that to the other freshman who had a backer in the school. However, Megumi didn''t appreciate his interruption as she turned her re to him immediately.


    "Shut up, Kobayashi! You will have your turn to speakter!" She retorted. Yuki shut his mouth immediately, knowing that the girl''s temper was still on fire. Seeing that, Megumi nodded before turning back to Yoshi again. "Continue. Tell us why you think it is a good idea to spread that rumor." She asked bossily.


    Hearing that question, Yoshi seemed to shrink on the spot that everyone thought if the ground could eat him alive, he wouldn''t even fight to save himself. Still, no one dared to voice that thought loudly.


    "W-Well¡­ I didn''t mean to do that!" Yoshi tried to defend himself. "I was just frustrated at that time and vented everything out to my ssmates! I didn''t expect it would spread wildly just in a few days!"


    Megumi let out a deep sigh, finally figured out why everything happened. "So, with you causing this much trouble for Kobayashi, do you still expect him to apologize?"


    Yoshi could only nce at his kouhai secretly, yet still kept his mouth shut. Megumi sighed once again, she even started to get tired of hearing her sigh. "What about you, Kobayashi?" She turned her attention to the freshmen. "Are you willing to apologize?"


    "Why should I?" Yuki shrugged. "If it was before the rumors, maybe I am willing to do that out of respect to my ''senpai''." He quoted thest word in the air. "But now, after all of this shit happened, there is no way I would apologize for hurting his fragile ego."


    "Why, you!"


    "ENOUGH!" Megumi raised her voice again, making everyone step back in fright. "Kobayashi, speak your mind clearly, and no need to be sarcastic! No one appreciated that cheeky tone of yours here right now!"


    Yuki shut his mouth immediately, inwardly taking a note to himself to not try finding out his senpai''s bottom line. He could hear stiffened chuckles from behind, yet it died down quickly the moment Megumi red at them too. Right now, Megumi was like a police patrolling around to catch anyone who dared to not take this situation seriously.


    After everything was under her control, Megumi sighed once again before turning her head to Akira, silently asking the coach to handle the situation. Akira gulped, for a second thought he would be the next one to get scolded. Honestly, after more than two years they working together, this was the first time he saw Megumi snap.


    However, that was understandable, considering the team had never had a problem this severe.


    "Well¡­" He coughed, trying to get everyone''s attention. "It is clear that no one wanted to take the initiative to apologize, right?" Yuki and Yoshi nodded simultaneously. Akira grinned, then continued, "Since we are in stagnant here, how about solving everything in the most ssical way?"


    "ssical way?" All the yers there turned around to the coach, parroting his words.


    "Yeah." His grin kept getting wider, creeping the hell out of his yers there. "Since we are a volleyball team, why don''t we use a game to decide the oue? Let''s make it public for the school residents so that whoever loses the game, they had to apologize directly under the scrutinization of the audience! What do you think?"


    Dead silence followed his words as everyone had either their jaws hanging or their eyes widened in shock. Honestly, even though it sounded outrageous, a public game was probably the best solution possible for this situation.


    With this, if Yuki won, he would receive the apology that would nullify all the rumors outside, while if Yoshi won, he would get the apology he wanted while Yuki woulde as the bigger man in the end for daring to apologize in front of the crowds¡ªa win-win solution for both parties.


    There was only one problem, though.


    "How about the team, Sensei?" Yuki asked wryly. "I am sure none of them were willing to work with me now. Should I y with only Agostini-kun as my teammate?"


    Akira also realized that problem too. However, he didn''t say anything first, wanting to see the other yers'' attitude. Seeing that no one was willing to fight for Yuki though, Akira sighed in disappointment before his expression lightened up.


    "Don''t worry, I have already thought of the solution for this. Ah, and speaking of which, here they are. Come in, you four!"


    All the eyes turned around, wanting to see who were the people Akira greeted before. They were blinded immediately by the seemingly family of four gorgeous people who looked like they were descended from heaven.


    Hell, if they weren''t distracted, all the yers there would find out Megumi''s face blushed red at the sight of the man in front of them, something that no one would ever believe if they didn''t see it themselves.


    "Well, let me introduce them to you. From the oldest to the youngest, the man is Mattheo Silvestri, my former student when I was in Italy. Next to him is his wife, Maria Silvestri, and then their twin daughters, Gabrie and Isabe Silvestri. I have already talked to them yesterday, and they are willing and excited to be a part of the team for one day.


    So, it seems the Silvestri family will be Kobayashi-kun''s teammates. Anyints?"

 Chapter 20: Freshmen VS Senior! Duel for Dignity!

    "Hello and wee everyone, to the volleyball exhibition game between the freshmen against the senior members of the team! An important game for both freshmen and senior''s dignity, because the stake is the public apology here! So, please, give me your best cheers for the yers you support!"


    "OH!"


    "Come on, Yoshi! Kill them all!"


    "Don''t lose against those bastards, Noriyuki!"


    "Come on!"


    It was a Friday evening, the time settled over by the volleyball team as to when the game would be yed. At first, Yuki and Riku thought that there wouldn''t be that much of spectators there, considering volleyball wasn''t that much popr in the country and the team wasn''t that good in the first ce.


    However, they were so surprised to see that the gymnasium was full of crowds who wanted to join the fun here.


    Hell, there was even amentator boot close to the court that was made for a member of the broadcasting club just for this game!


    "Wow! There is a lot of support for the senior team here." Thementator continued speaking. "Well, they are the boss here, so of course everyone will put their money on them. Anyway, since I will be the one who will guide you through the game, let me introduce myself here! I am Keisuke Hori from the broadcast club, and I am joined by-"


    "Matsumoto Ichika! We will be yourmentary for the game today!"


    Everyone cheered and waved at them, clearly showing how popr they are.


    "And we are not alone today, Ichika-chan. There is one more guest that will be here to apany us today."


    "Oh? Who is that, Senpai?"


    "He was the most important yer on the teamst year, the sole leader of the team, the one and only Togarashi Hisashi!"


    Followed by the introduction from thementators, a boy ¨C borderline a man with long loose hair appeared, his serious demeanor could be felt even from afar, making it easy for anyone to mistake him for a samurai. He bowed deep to the crowds first before joining bothmentators on the boot prepared close to the court.


    "Well, since everyone is ready, let us introduce both teams who will y today! First, the senior team, Yori Sakai as the setter, Hirano Fuji as the blocker, Okamura Daichi as the libero, and finally, Noriyuki Hanji, Aoba Yoshi, and Takata Koji as the three hitters!"


    The crowd cheered and apuded as six yers dressed in green and white jerseys with the huge kanji of Tsunemori written on the front stepped into the court. The fact that they wore the school jerseys made the audience feel more personal, as if they were supporting their team against an opponent from the outside.


    "Now, introducing their opponent, the freshmen team with four ringers from the foreignnd, here we go! Agostini Riku as the setter! Maria Silvestri as the middle blocker! Mattheo Silvestri as the libero! And finally, the twin sisters Gabrie and Isabe Silvestri and the captain of the team, Kobayashi Yuki as the three hitters!"


    The moment they all stepped into the court, they were greeted by boos mixed with cheers that could be heard vaguely from the stands. The boos were because¡­ Well, they were the viins here, and the cheers were from those lusting over their bodies.


    A lot of girls had this lovestruck expression as they were eyeing both Mattheo and Riku who had the ideal figure of a foreigner in their imagination, while boys had their eyes bulged, looking at the three female yers on the team lustfully.


    The team was so ridiculously gorgeous that even Yuki who got the lowest attention here was probably still on the top tier of the best-looking students in the school.


    "Hahaha! Interesting!"Mattheoughed out loud. "It is the first time I have seen a high school game that draws this much attention! As expected of Sensei''s homnd, the enthusiasm is different here."


    Yuki could only chuckle wryly as he proceeded what Mattheo just said. For convenience, the Silvestri family decided to use English tomunicate since Yuki couldn''t understand Italian. However, while the change ofnguage made it easier, that didn''t mean there was no problem at all.


    Even though Yuki had a good grade in his English ss, just like any Japanese boy, he was good at theory, yet it was still hard to apply it in real life.


    "I am sure they are here not for the game, but for the fun after that, Mattheo," Riku said wryly.


    The appearance of the Silvestri family was a blessing for Riku to show off his ability. Growing up in a multilingual family, he was able tomunicate with them fluently whether when using Italian or English.


    "Oh, yeah! I remember that!"Mattheo said in realization. "Then, we cannot lose to save your dignity right, Kobayashi-kun?"


    Yuki just nodded slightly, inwardly embarrassed since he had a hard time forming the words to answer Mattheo''s question. He took a note inside to drag Riku ¨C and maybe Kato after the game to help him learn English better.


    Meanwhile, on thementator box, Keisuke Hori had already done his homework as he exined, "His name is Mattheo Silvestri, a 37 years-old professional yer who had just retired from A.C. Parma, a historic volleyball team in Italy that fell off into the mid-tablest season.


    Then, we also have his wife, Maria Silvestri, formerly known as Maria Salimova, a Bulgarian yer who was the ace of the Catania team in Italy for so many years before she retired from the professional world two years ago.


    So, even though we don''t have any information about the twin sisters, we can bet our money they inherited their parent''s volleyball genes, so the senior team has to be more careful today."


    The information about Mattheo and Maria being former yers made everyone frown, some even thought that it was unfair for the senior team. Fortunately, Hisashi understood what the crowds thought and grabbed the mic immediately.


    "While yes, they have to be more careful today, I believe the opponent is not as strong as we imagine them to be."


    "Oh?" Matsumoto Ichika raised her eyebrows. "Why do you think so? Please, enlighten us, Senpai."


    "Well, for once, even if there are two professional yers, if you take a look at their basic information, the twin sisters are still 13 years old, a middle schooler. This will be thepensation for their parents. Moreover, we have to understand that yers retired because they couldn''t find their best form anymore, either because of age or health.


    So, no matter how good their resume is on paper, I bet they cannot keep up with the game anymore."


    "So, your conclusion?"


    "A close game, but the senior team woulde out with the victory," Hisashi said firmly.


    "Oh, we are getting underestimated here, Honey." Maria smiled sweetly as she heard Riku trante thementator''s words. "So, what should we do?"


    "Isn''t it obvious?"Mattheo had the same sweet smile that creeped Yuki and Riku out. "Just like what Akira-sensei always said, there is no problem that cannot be said on the volleyball court. So, let''s give them a lesson!"


    "Osh!"


    -0-


    "And here we go! Akira-sensei, the PE teacher and the coach of the volleyball team has finally arrived! He will act as the referee of the game today with Yamada-sensei and Nanami-sensei as his assistant! We are so close to the beginning of this game!"


    "Noriyuki, Kobayashi,e here!" Akira called the two captains first before the game began. "I want a clean game and I want everything to be resolved after this is over, so no matter who wins the game, I don''t want to hear this conflict again in the future. Do you both understand?"


    Yuki and Noriyuki nodded simultaneously, their expression was solemn.


    "Good. Now, let''s settle over who will have the ball first. Noriyuki, head or tail?" Akira asked while showing a coin.


    "Tail," Noriyuki answered without hesitation.


    "Then, Kobayashi, you will go for the head. Okay, let''s do it." Akira tossed the coin high before catching it and flipped it on the back of his palm. Without being dramatic, he showed the result immediately, as the picture of the coin showed there was a tail. "Then, Noriyuki will have the ball first."


    Both captains went back to their team, and Yuki apologized immediately for losing the coin toss.


    "Don''t worry, not much will change even if we get the ball first," Maria said.


    "Yes. Just prepare yourself for the first ball." Mattheo added.


    Yuki nodded, taking a deep breath before adjusting his stance. He stared at the opposite side to see it was Noriyuki who served the ball first, and he took a step back unconsciously, knowing it would be a powerful serve.


    True to his thought, the ace of the team hit the ball with all his might, sending it toward Gabrie on the back left. The ponytailed girl was surprised for a second to see a powerful ball zoom in her direction. She tried to receive it, yet the ball was too much for her to handle as it just bruised her skin before deflecting far outside of the court.


    "OH! AN ACE!"Keisuke Hori shouted excitedly, his voice was covered by the cheers exploding on the crowds. "Noriyuki starts the game with a powerful ace! As expected from the captain!"


    "No offense to the twin sisters, but they are the youngest on the court, and adding to the fact that they both are girls, it would be hard for them to adapt to the game. As long as the senior team aims their attack at those two, I am sure they would find this game easy." Hisashi added hisment.


    "Gabrie, take a step forward quickly after he serves the ball. Let me and Kobayashi-kun handle the ball."Mattheo ordered his daughter.


    "Yes, Papa."The girl pouted, seemed a bit upset for failing to receive the ball.


    "Sorry about that one, Kobayashi. She is still young and improving." Mattheo apologized.


    Yuki just shrugged it off before saying, "Don''t worry, it is just one point. The game is just beginning."


    Noriyuki took his second serve, and once again, it was a powerful one. However, the moment he sent it toward Gabrie, the girl ran forward immediately, and Mattheo was already there to cover the ball.


    *BAM!*


    Even though the power was good, it was nothing in front of Mattheo. The Italian man received the ball perfectly and even sent it to the where Riku was waiting. Without too much talking, the blonde boy tossed the ball immediately to the middle. Maria who was doing her run-up furrowed her brows before leaping forward, hitting the ball with the strength that no woman should ever possess.


    *BAM!*


    Everyone winced when they heard the loud sound of the ball hitting Hirano''s hand, imagining how hurt that would be. However, the middle blocker was sessful in preventing Maria from scoring the first point for the freshmen team.


    "Oh! Hirano for the block! But damn, Maria-san sure knows how to hit hard."


    "Well, she is a former professional yer, so of course her power cannot be underestimated. And it is also a good rebound to reset the ball."


    "Rebound?"


    "Yes, she spiked the ball to the blocker with the intention of recovering the ball so the team can have another chance at hitting the ball," Hisashi said, using this chance to poprize the sport.


    "So, she did it deliberately?"


    "Yes. And now, we can see the real attack here."


    "Riku, use the wing!"Maria shouted. The fact that it was in Italian made it impossible for the senior team to understand theirmunication.


    As Maria took a few steps back for another run-up, Hirano and Koji followed her movement, thinking that the ball would go in her direction once again. Poor them, they didn''t know Maria was the bait as Riku followed her order, passing the ball far to the outside wing where Isabe, the other twins had already been in the air.


    "Oh! A pass to Isabe! What a trick by Agostini-kun to deceive Hirano and Koji! Now she can hit it freely! Can she score the first point of the game?!"


    *BAM!*


    "AND SHE CAAAAAAAANNNNNN!!!!"


    The crowds roared wildly as Isabe mmed the ball straight to the left side. It wasn''t that powerful, yet the direction was tricky enough to be handled by Noriyuki.


    "Good job, Isabe!"Yuki gave a thumbs-up, making the girl blush a little.


    "Riku, don''t give me a quick. My old knees will suffer if you keep forcing me to do that. And your set is too low! Are you underestimating me?" Mariained.


    "Sorry about that one, Signora. You are in such a good position to handle the ball." Riku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.


    Maria pouted, then huffed. "Well, just remember, go slow and high for me, okay? If you want a quick, I am sure my twins are happy to indulge your desire. And how many times do I have to tell you, don''t be too formal!"


    The game continued with Gabrie as the next one to serve. It was a pretty normal one, with no trick or power to trouble the senior team. However, she aimed it straight in Yori''s direction, making the others have to go there to cover their setter.


    "Nice receive, Okamura!" Yori praised before taking over the ball. He nced for a second to see his teammates first before sending the ball to the right wing.


    "Yoshi!"


    "Okay! Nice toss, Yori!" Yoshi jumped immediately, coiling his arms back to spike the ball. However, the moment he was about to unleash it, a big wall suddenly appeared in front of him, surprising him a little and making the power he generated lose about twenty or thirty percent.


    "SHIT!"


    *BAM!*


    "One touch!" Maria shouted as she deflected the ball.


    "Nice block, Maria-san!"


    Yuki ran to pick up the ball and gave it to Riku. Then, he also started his run-up, trying to join the attack. Riku grinned when the ball was about to fall from the sky in his direction, knowing what to do. While all the senior team''s yers were busy marking the spikers, he suddenly changed his stance from doing a set to a dump.


    "Oh! Another trick from Riku! But Okamura was there!"


    To Riku''s surprise, the libero on the other side seemed to be able to read his move. Yori picked up the ball quickly before tossing the ball to Noriyuki. Yuki narrowed his eyes, knowing that this would be the first confrontation between him and the captain. All the grievances they had for each other, they knew they could settle everything down directly at this moment.


    Noriyuki seemed to feel the same as the captain suddenly speeding up before jumping, thick veins suddenly popped up creepily on his face as he tried to generate power from inside. After doing his timing inwardly, Yuki jumped too, trying to block the spike. His timing was perfect as both his hands covered Noriyuki''s sightpletely.


    However, the captain didn''t care. He used brute force to break the wall directly.


    *BAM!*


    Yuki was taken aback by the spike. He wanted to strengthen his hands, yet the fact that he was already in the air made it impossible for him to do that. He couldn''t control the ball he just blocked it as it flew directly into the crowds.


    Silence settled over the gymnasium for a moment as Noriyuki stared at Yuki coldly. For a moment, time seemed to freeze as all the negative emotions Noriyuki held back in thest couple of days rushed into his head, his mouth was itching as so many bad words wanted to get out to attack his junior.


    However, after a moment, he only said one short sentence.


    "Please, show me that you are not just a bark and could bite too, Golden Boy."

 Chapter 21: The Twins Take Over the Game! Rikus Masterclass! (I)

    It had been ten minutes since the game began, and the freshmen team was in danger. They were currently five points behind, only able to score once from Isabe before. However, there was no panic at all in their team, and even Yuki who would lose the most if they were defeated was still pretty chill on the court.


    The only reason they were able to do that though, was because of the conversation they hadst night.


    -A little shback-


    "Listen, Kobayashi-kun.'' Mattheo said in English. ''While of course, we are willing to be your teammates, honestly, when Akira-sensei asked us toe to your school before, we didn''t expect to be dragged into this schoolyard fight.


    And since we are here to rx and enjoy our holiday, we are not prepared for a game like this, and it would take time for our old body to get used to apetitive state as you hope from us."


    "What my dear husband is trying to say is¡­" Maria interrupted. "We might be five to ten points behind at the beginning of the game, so I hope you will not panic when we are in that situation."


    Yuki who heard that nodded, before saying, "I understand. I have already expected having to chase the score from behind too, considering it would take time for us to adapt to each other''s ying style. We are at a disadvantage here, with them having been teammates for so long. Nevertheless, I am grateful that you are kind enough to spare your time to help me get out of this schoolyard fight.


    So, thank you."


    Seeing Yuki bowing deeply at them, the foreign couple just stared at each other awkwardly. Even though they were Akira''s former students, they were still not used to the formal bowing like this, thinking that the gesture was a bit exaggerated.


    Still, they understood why Yuki did this and waved their hand nonchntly. "Don''t worry, Kobayashi-kun! We will y the game seriously! And I know this will be fun too! But for now, let''s forget about everything and eat first!"


    -End of the shback-


    Yeah, the night before the game, the couple invited him to one of the fancy restaurants in Roppongi, the ce where the liveliest nightlife in Tokyo buzzed loudly until the sun rose again. Even though at first, Yuki was hesitant to go there, he was d he came and got to know about this wonderful family.


    Even though they had to speak slow English so that Yuki could understand what they were saying, they were still patient enough to deal with him. Hell, they even bought him a box full of luxurious delicacies that would have never crossed Yuki''s mind even in his imagination while saying that it was for the children in the orphanage.


    That put the Silvestri family straight into Yuki''s good book.


    Still, since they were a volleyball family, of course, the conversation would fly around that topic, and honestly, Yuki enjoyed it. Unlike Riku, Mattheo and Maria had a lot of insights, and Yuki''s favorite topic was about their professional life.


    He heard a lot about how they managed to stay fit under the tight schedule for a full year, their diet and habits, and even how they handled fans and rumors from the outside world.


    Yuki preferred talking about this rather than about the game itself.


    Of course, they also inquired about the game too, like what caused thismotion and what was Akira''s reaction. The couples guffawed when they heard the story of how Megumi silenced everyone and even put some fear on their sensei too, and after that, they were eager to meet her.


    Still, they promised to do their best and took the game seriously, which was the reason why Yuki wasn''t worried even if they were left behind.


    Still¡­


    "It seems they did their homework well, Kobayashi-kun." Mattheomented. "They were able to read your and Riku''s attack like an open book."


    "Yeah." Yuki couldn''t help but nod wryly. His eyesnded on the only female figure on the opposite team, could guess she was responsible for this. "It seems I underestimate Megumi-san''s intelligence-gathering ability here."


    "Oh, the manager girl?" Maria''s interest perked up. "Kobayashi-kun, After hearing your story about how she frightens everyone, and even Sensei too, I really want to talk to her!"


    "Maybeter, Maria," Riku answered with the same wry like what Yuki had on his face. "Now, we have to think of a way to get out of this situation first. Any idea?"


    Out of all the yers there, besides the twin girls who were being the easy prey for the opponent, Riku was probably the most frustrated one. The senior team was able to read all the offenses started by him, no matter whether it was a quick, a dump, a dink, or even the synchronization attack he initiated.


    Riku knew this meant the opposite team had already noticed some sort of behavior that he had before doing something. However, even after thinking and recalling all the ys frame by frame, he still hadn''t figured out what kind of w he revealed in his game.


    Honestly, he started to feel frustrated right now.


    "Well, if our offense is stuck, what about trying something new?" Mattheo suddenly offered.


    "Eh?" Yuki and Riku''s eyes turned to him, intrigued.


    "Yup!" Mattheo nodded, then turned his eyes at his twin daughters. "What do you think, girls? Do you want to try the new attacking move you practiced and have some revenge?"


    The twins'' eyes lit up immediately as if they were given permission to do something forbidden. "Are you sure it is okay, Papa?" One of them asked.


    "Well, we are in Japan right now, so no opponent of yours would be here to see what happened. Moreover, is this the best chance to see how effective the new movement was against the opponent?" Mattheo grinned, still ignoring Yuki and Riku''s questioning gaze. "So¡­ Just¡­ Go crazy!"


    The twins had the same identical grin as their father had as they nodded simultaneously. "Sure, Papa! Let''s go crazy!"


    -0-


    "Now, the timeout for the freshmen team is over, and they are still five points behind the senior team!" Matsumoto Ichika announced from thementary box. "Hisashi-senpai, what do you think will change after this? Can the freshmen survive and prolong the game?"


    "Well, not only they would be able to do that, but I think there is a small chance of them overturning the score." Hisashi suddenly threw a hot take publicly, triggering boos from the crowds.


    "Oh?" Keisuke Hori smiled, happy about the controversy. "Why do you think so, Hisashi-senpai? For all we know, you are on the side of the senior team, saying in the beginning that they woulde out as the winner."


    "Yeah, but you have to remember I said it would be a close game," Hisashi said calmly. "In case you didn''t notice, the two adults on the freshmen team hadn''t made their move yet. While Mattheo Silvestri couldn''t do a lot to help the team''s offense as libero, his wife is more than capable of doing that. So, why wouldn''t she help them?"


    "Why?" Matsumoto Ichika asked.


    "Because they are still adapting to this new situation," Hisashi answered his own question. "You have to know that as a professional yer, a lot is happening on the court. Not only they are retired yers who would need to turn on their engines first, but their teammates are also different. They need to get used to it first before they can contribute more to the game."


    "He is a smart one, isn''t he?" Maria smiled when she heard Riku''s trantion.


    "Well, he is the former captain of the team, so of course, he has a good insight." Riku shrugged. "Still, this would only make the senior team more cautious. Not a good thing for us."


    "Don''t worry, Rikkun!" One of the twins addressed his name yfully. "Just give us a quick on the wing and don''t get distracted by our movement! Oh, and pass the ball the moment you notice our run-up, okay? Not a second before, and not a second after. Remember that!"


    Riku could only chuckle wryly while Maria giggled silently next to him. He didn''t know why the twins who were so shy even to Yuki and still blushed furiously whenever his friend chatted with them would turn into mischievous ones when they faced him like this.


    "Well, listen to that, Rikkun! Don''t forget what they said, okay?" Yuki also took his turn to tease him with his new nickname, making the blonde boy groan.


    "Not you too, Kobayashi!"


    After a while, the game finally resumed once again, the privilege to serve was still on the senior team. Koji served the ball straight to Gabrie, still sticking with the ''target the twins'' strategy. However, Gabrie took a step aside quickly, letting Yuki receive the ball before doing her run-up.


    On the other side, Isabe also started to do her run-up too. And as ifmunicating with each other telepathically, those two suddenly crossed in each other''s direction. Gabrie on the right wing went to the left, while Isabe on the left ran to the right.


    It was incredible to see how the twins crossed right in front of Riku without crashing into each other. And this movement seemed to catch the opponent off guard as when those two jumped, no blocker could be found trying to stop the attack. Seeing that, without hesitation, Riku tossed the ball to the right wing, sending it straight to Isabe who spiked it hard near the sideline.


    *BAM!*


    Even though the power generated from her spike wasn''t that impressive, with the run-up she and her twin sister did before andbined with the tricky route she chose, the ballnded perfectly on the other side of the, and the yers of the senior team could only have their mouth hanging open.


    Seeing her attack was sessful, Isabe turned quickly to Gabrie, excitement could be seen on their face. Then, they gave each other a big thumbs up while grinning, saying, "Nice, Sister! The first debut of the Criss Cross attack, sessful!"

 Chapter 22: The Twins Take Over the Game! Rikus Masterclass! (II)

    "OOOOHHH!!!! THE FRESHMEN FOUGHT BACK!" Keisuke Hori roared in excitement from the booth. "It is not the adults who did it, but one of the twin sisters, GABRIELLA SILVESTRI!" The crowds ¨C especially the male ones cheered excitedly as if they had just seen an idoling there. "Having enough of being an easy prey, they show to everyone why they wouldn''t let this disrespect go easily!"


    "That is a smart y." Hisashi praised. "They take advantage of the fact that any yer would only lock into one opponent in defense, so by doing that crossover movement, they confused the senior team of which one should guard which one there."


    Keisuke Hori nodded his head thoughtfully as if he understood the exnation before grabbing his mic again. "Anyway, the twins finally started to show to us that they are here not just to show off their beauty! They are more than that! They are like roses, too pretty to be seen, yet too dangerous to be touched!"


    "Hey, I like that one!" Gabrie eximed excitedly when she heard Riku tranting thementator''s words.


    "He is not wrong, though, we are like roses." Isabe nodded in agreement.


    "Of course, you would say that." Riku smiled wryly. "Still, you both sure know how to name your move. A Criss Cross Attack? That is one hell of a name."


    "Of course, we know!" The twins high-fived each other.


    "Good job, you two!" Yuki didn''t forget to praise. "Show them that you are more than your pretty faces!"


    Both girls turned around, blushed furiously when they received Yuki''s praise. They whispered loudly with rapid Italian that he couldn''t understand, and when they giggled at each other, Yuki turned immediately to Riku, asking for help. Unfortunately, his blonde boy just shrugged off his shoulder here while muttering, ''Girls¡­''


    If before, Riku was confused as to why the twins would turn mischievous when they faced him, now it was Yuki who felt the same, puzzled at why the girls would be so shy whenever he talked to them. Still, he decided to not think about it too much and focused on the game.


    Meanwhile, on the opposite side of thes, the senior members gathered in a circle, discussing what to do against this new development. At first, they were at a loss and confused about what was happening. But after hearing Hisashi''s exnation from the mic, they had the basic idea of the attack, which was already half a step to figure out how to stop it.


    "Hirano, just stay in the middle. You will be the helper right now. When the ball is about to fall to Agostini, read it quickly and decide where the ball will go. Help us who are in the wing quickly, understand?!" Yori exined.


    Hirano nodded slightly, his eyes were on the girls.


    "And whoever on the wing side, just stay there! Protect your area! Don''t get attracted by that fancy move! It is a bait, so just focus on your area. Do you understand?!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    "Good! Now, let''s stop their attack!"


    Yori smiled in satisfaction as everyone followed his order. He had the confidence that his strategy would be able to crack the twins'' attack easily. What he didn''t know though, from behind, Noriyuki stared at him, the ace''s expression wasplicated. No one knew what the captain thought right now.


    In hindsight, Yori''s instruction should be a good way to stop the attack. However, what seemed perfect in theory would always be trash in reality. The moment the twins started doing their Criss Cross move, instead of going in the opposite direction of each other, one of the twins, Gabrie, stopped in front of Riku before turning around to her normal route, creating a big V movement.


    "WHAT?!"


    Now, with two yers attacking the right wing, Yoshi who guarded that area was overwhelmed, didn''t know what to do. Hirano tried to support his senpai by moving from the middle. However, Riku tossed the ball far to where Gabrie had already jumped on the outer wing as the girl sent a straight spike close to the antenna, scoring another point for the freshmen team.


    "YOSSHAAA!"


    "Good job, Gabrie!" Riku praised, giving the girl a high-five.


    "No, I am not Gabrie!" The girl he talked to said, pouted.


    "Eh?"


    "Yes, Rikkun! I am Gabrie!" The other girl said, also pouted.


    "Hahaha¡­ Sorry, sorry¡­" Riku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.


    "Well, we are kidding." The corner of the girls'' lips suddenly wiggled upward. "I am Gabrie." The one who said he was Isabe before confessed.


    "And I am Isabe." The other girl followed.


    Then, giggles broke there as they saw Riku had this dumbfounded look on his face.


    "Are you an idiot or what?" Yuki rolled his eyes while even the parents giggled at Riku too. "The one with the jersey number 3 is Isabe, and the number 4 is Gabrie. How could you still get tricked?"


    "Ahaha¡­" Riku turned his face away, looking embarrassed. "Anyway, let''s focus on the game first!" He tried to shift the topic.


    The next few minutes turned out to be a nightmare for the senior team. They couldn''t figure out the pattern of the twins'' attack. One moment the two girls crossed each other to the opposite wing, and in the next moment, only one did that, making the attack lean heavily on one side.


    Sometimes, they even stopped right in front of Riku before turning back and went to their original route, using the Criss Cross attack to deceive the senior team.


    And even though the girls'' spike was not that powerful, that didn''t mean they could receive it perfectly. Just like the senior team did to the twins in the beginning, the twins returned the favor by targeting the weakest link in their defense over and over again, and their victims always revolved around Noriyuki, Yori, and Koji, the main attackers of the team.


    They also tried their best to avoid Okamura, knowing the libero was the best defensive yer on the opposite side of thes, making it hard for the senior team to return the y.


    But what they forgot was that it was not the twins who were the brains of the offense, but the setter. And in this case, Riku was able to attract their attention perfectly by using the twins'' new attack to make them look like a fool.


    Yeah, when the blonde boy noticed the attack could have a lot of variations, he and the twins established a lot of signals quickly to decide what kind of attack they would use. If he raised his left hand first, that meant the girls should go to the left side together. The same could be said for the right side.


    And when he dropped down both his hands first before doing a set, they should go back to their original route. But when he nodded first before setting the ball, the girls would cross each other to the opposite wing to do their attack.


    Riku was able to stay low for so long, using the twins to manipte the y perfectly like a puppet master controlling his subjects to do what he liked without being noticed by anyone else.


    And when they were finally one point away to win the first set, the blonde boy finally made his move, announced his presence by setting the ball to the middle, something that he hadn''t done for a while since the twins started going berserk.


    "Oh, nice pass, Rikkun!"


    *BAM!*


    Maria jumped, mmed the ball immediately to the attack line where no one guarded it. Okamura reacted quickest, diving forward to get the ball. Unfortunately, he wasn''t quick enough to do so, as it bounced strongly to the floor to end the first set.


    When all the eyes of the senior team turned at him in disbelief, Riku just shrugged innocently and said, "What?"


    Senior 14 ¨C 25 Freshman

 Chapter 23: Second Set Starts, Yuki Takes the Initiative!

    "Agostini, I know that you are an idiot, but the level of idiocy you possess keeps giving me surprise." Yuki sighed while Riku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "We have already had all the advantages in the world with you being under their radar for too long and could use the twins to manipte the game to your liking, what prompted you to decide to throw it all away? Just to show off?"


    "Hey, that''s rude!" Riku sniffed. "It is not just to show off, but also to make a statement!"


    The corner of Yuki''s lips twitched in annoyance as he sent another karate chop straight to his blonde friend''s head.


    "Ouch! What the hell?!"


    "It is me who should have said that! What the hell, Agostini?! What statement do you want to make here, that you are the biggest idiot in the room? Come on, Agostini! You are not that dumb!" Yuki ranted.


    The Silvestri family who couldn''t understand even a single word uttered by those two just chuckled at their antic, still had an educated guess as to why Yuki was so irked right now. "Okay, Kobayashi-kun, calm down first. We are still on the lead here." Maria said soothingly.


    Yuki huffed in exasperation one more time before giving onest chop to Riku''s head.


    "Ouch! What the hell, Kobayashi?!" He whined, eliciting giggles from the twins.


    Meanwhile, the three people who guided the crowds through the entire game in thementary booth also saw that, and needless to say, they had a hard time holding back theirughter.


    "It seems Kobayashi-kun is not happy with Agostini-kun''sst y, right, Hisashi-senpai?" Keisuke Hori asked, still feeling amused.


    "Well, if I was in Kobayashi''s position, I too, would feel annoyed," Hisashimented, sending his best sympathy over Yuki.


    "Oh? Please, do tell me why?" Keisuke Hori asked, intrigued.


    "Well, they have a solid strategy that works for the entire first set, using the twins as the deception for Agostini to manipte the game. And you know the second most primitive rule here, if a strategy works well and is not broken, don''t try to fix it. Agostini broke that rule and tried to fix something unbroken, which is why Kobayashi-kun looks so ruffed now."


    Several people in the crowd nodded simultaneously at his exnation as if they understood what happened. Still, those who didn''t like Yuki from the beginning just furrowed their brows, this incident just fuelled their dislike toward their junior.


    "Agostini-kun had already worked so hard to carry the team until they won the first set, yet still got scolded like that? Who the hell does he think he is?"


    "Yes! I don''t even know what he did in this game. Does he really deserve to be the captain?"


    "Now he scolds Agostini-kun to make himself look important. He is so cunning."


    "Yeah. No wonder the members of the volleyball team don''t like him."


    Riku who heard the general opinion of the crowds chuckled richly, nudging Yuki''s hips teasingly. "See, they all agree with me. Come on, don''t be too harsh."


    Yuki rolled his eyes in exasperation before saying, "So, you also agreed that I scold you just to make myself look important?" There was a sarcastic tone in his question.


    "No way!" Riku crossed his arms, making a big X with it quickly, shaking his head rapidly to deny his usation. "I am not that stupid, you know?" He said, hurtful."


    Yuki sighed, knowing he was almost crossing the line before apologizing. "Sorry about that one. I shouldn''t have said that."


    Riku''s features softened before he patted his friend''s shoulder. "Don''t worry. Even though the crowds couldn''t see your role, we noticed your presence on the court. Don''t listen to them."


    It wasn''t just an empty word to reassure Yuki. Just like he said, Riku indeed noticed Yuki''s important role on the team. Besides being the twins'' guardian whenever they were targeted, Yuki was also the bridge that connected everyone on the team.


    Yuki would always put himself in such a position that allowed him to receive the opponent''s attack and send the ball directly to Riku. More often than not, he would also try to protect the twins'' attack by following them from behind to ensure if their spike was blocked, someone would be there to recover the mess.


    It was a difficult thing to do, trying to read the game perfectly to always cover all the area around him. However, Yuki did it so effortlessly, making it look like what he did was nothing special and made him be underestimated so much by the crowds.


    To put it simply, Yuki''s role was being a libero, and he was so good at it that Mattheo, the real libero on the team had no role in the first set.


    "Well, if you are bothered so much by their opinion, what about trying to prove them wrong?" Riku asked, his expression turned into a mischievous one.


    "Oh?" Yuki raised one of his eyebrows. "Now you catch my interest. I am all ears, so please do tell me your n."


    Riku pondered for a moment before saying, "Well, while you did a good job in the first set, you still took Mattheo''s job and too focused on defending their attack. What about being more active here? Being the new pieces to add theyer of the twins'' attack?"


    "Hmm¡­ Interesting¡­" Yuki hummed lowly.


    While he was content with his role and position to defend from the opponent''s attack, Yuki knew Riku was right. This conflict revolved around him, so he needed to be more active and take initiative in the offense. At least, that would show the crowds that if his team won the game, he wasn''t just riding on the other''s shoulder to get it done.


    After a moment, Yuki nodded before saying, "You are right, Agostini. Count me in."


    Hearing what Yuki said, Riku grinned, knowing the next set would be more interesting. Even though he had only been ying together with Yuki a few times, Riku knew his friend was a creative attacker. He would roam around the front line and be willing to act as bait first, and when the ball was sent in his direction, the sses boy would always find some tricks to deceive the blocker.


    In Riku''s opinion, Yuki was probably the most interesting attacker he had ever partnered with. And that was why, he couldn''t wait to see how much fun they would have in the next set.


    -0-


    "And here we go again! The next set will be started in the next few minutes, and the life of the senior team is on the line! Would they be able to pull a miracle and prolong the game to the final set, or would the freshmen team bury them alive in this set?! We will see it unveiled in the next few minutes. But for now, please, give your best cheers for the yers on the court!"


    The crowds exploded the moment the yers went back to the court. Cheers of encouragement could be heard for the senior team as almost everyone there was rooting for them.


    "Come on, Yoshi! Where is that spirit of yours in the beginning?!"


    "Noriyuki! Kill them from me!"


    "Yori-sama! Don''t lose!"


    "Come on, Koji!"


    "You know, Honey, this situation reminds me of Monza." Mattheo smiled as his eyes wandered on the crowds, listening to the cheers around that weren''t even directed at him.


    "Oh, yes, their supporters are always the loudest and the craziest even in the league." Maria also smiled, reminiscing about their past.


    "Monza is a small city in the northern region of Italy. They also have the best team in the country, and their supporters are amazing." Riku whispered after seeing Yuki''s questioning gaze.


    Yuki nodded in understanding before taking the ball outside of the line, ready to serve the ball. The moment he heard the whistle was blown, he took a deep breath before throwing the ball in the air, pping the ball gently so it wouldn''t cause so much rotation. He clicked his tongue in annoyance though, as Okamura suddenly moved to receive the serve.


    By now, almost everyone on the senior team knew how to handle Yuki''s floater serve. They just need to step forward and greet the ball directly with an overhead pass rather than waiting for it to move around and destroy their formation. And while not everyone was proficient in doing that, since Okumura could receive it perfectly, they just let the libero wander around whenever he served the ball.


    "Good receive, Okumura!" Yori praised, taking over the ball while ncing around quickly to scan his teammates'' whereabouts.


    Yuki didn''t dwell on his failure for too long, going forward quickly while keeping his eyes on Yori. In the next second, he had already moved to the left even before the opponent''s setter tossed the ball. And right after that, true to his prediction, Yori gave the ball to Yoshi who was already doing his run-up, ready to attack.


    Maria and Gabrie jumped, trying to block the attack. However, Yoshi was clever enough to target the younger girl who was clearly the weakest one of the two. He overwhelmed Gabrie''s block, breaking the wall she created and making the ball bounce down the floor immediately.


    *BAM!*


    "OH! A tool! Nice spike, Yoshi!"


    Tool was a term in volleyball to describe the situation when the ball was blocked, yet it still fell to the blocker''s side or to the outside field to add a point for the attackers. By now, almost all the members of the senior team were ready to celebrate, especially seeing the ball was about to touch the floor.


    However, what they didn''t notice was for Yuki to dive down, trying to save the ball. He extended his arms far ahead, putting it on the floor so that the ball would bounce on it rather than the floor.


    "A PANCAKE!" A roar suddenly exploded from thementary booth, and everyone was surprised to see it was Hisashi who did that. Gone was the calm demeanor the former captain had since the beginning, as now, he rose from his seat while his eyes were still on the court, his hands trembled in excitement. "KOBAYASHI SAVE THE BALL WITH A PANCAKE! IT IS STILL ALIVE! WHAT A PLAY BY THE FRESHMAN TEAM!"


    His excitement was understandable. A pancake was another term in volleyball when a yernded on the floor with their body in an attempt to save the ball with one open hand on the floor to allow the ball to bounce off of it.


    That might sound simple in theory, but in reality, a yer had to be able to read the game right and jump at the right time while ready to fall to save that one ball, something that not even a professional could do every day.


    However, the y wasn''t over.


    "Nice save, Kobayashi!"


    Seeing the ball was saved, Maria reacted quickly, giving the ball back to Riku for thest attack. Being in the back, it wasn''t the best position for the blonde boy to attack. However, he had no choice and jumped, spiking the ball as hard as possible to get it across the quickly.


    *BAM!*


    Unfortunately ¨C or fortunately, his spike was too short, making the ball hit the first before it rolled down the other side of the court slowly. All the yers of the senior team were surprised, rushing forward to save the ball. It was Hirano who was the closest there who managed to reach it first and made it fly high to keep the ball alive.


    "Nice save, Hirano!"


    "Fall back! Let us do the rest!"


    Unfortunately, the ball flew too close to the, and before anyone from the senior team could reach it first, one yer from the other side of the suddenly shed forward, jumped, and wiped the ball first before anyone could get the ball first to make sure it fell on the senior''s side, killing the y perfectly.


    Silence settled over as all the eyes turned around quickly, just to see a cold gaze reflected behind the sports sses Yuki wore. Their junior just stared at them for a moment before letting out an infuriating smirk, breaking the silence with just one short sentence.


    "Well, what do you think after being beaten by the golden boy?"


    Golden Boy was the nickname the senior gave to Yuki since the coach favored him so much that it drew jealousy from them. Yuki himself only knew that when Noriyuki called him that with a mocking tone in the first set after the ace was able to prate his defense.


    However, that one time was enough for him to let that horrible nickname rent freely inside his head for the entire game, and the moment he had a chance, Yuki retaliated brilliantly by using his new nickname to mock them all.


    And it worked so well, as the temper of the yers on the other side exploded immediately, and hell broke loose.

 Chapter 24: Chaos! Lets End This Game Quick! (I)

    "What the hell is your problem, you brat?!" Yoshi scowled heatedly. "You think mocking your senpai like this would make you look good?!" It seems he was unhappy with Yuki''s words.


    "Oh, yes, it is funny indeed," Yuki answered with the same intensity. "You think you are the only one who can talk trash to me? Don''t be na?ve! Your captain has already done so a lot of times in the first set, keep calling me Golden Boy whenever he scores. And now I score the first time, and you snap immediately, what are you, a baby?!"


    Yeah, Yuki had been receiving a lot of banters from the senior team, and while he hadn''t said anything about it yet, that didn''t mean he was willing to let that slide. No, he just waited for the right moment, for when he was able to score against their defense to do that. After all, only the winner had the privilege to look down on his opponent.


    Yoshi''s face turned red as he was furious right now. He wasn''t the calmest person in the first ce, so after hearing Yuki''s provocation, he snapped. He crossed the immediately to the other side of the court before pushing down Yuki''s body until his junior fell to the floor, and after that, themotion erupted immediately like wildfire.


    All the yers suddenly rushed to join themotion, yet not everyone was there to soothe the situation. Some just joined the fun, adding more oils to the fire.


    "Kill them, Yoshi! Don''t let your kouhai make fun of you!"


    "Yeah! He is just a brat! Show him how to respect his senpai!"


    "Beat him!"


    Hearing the encouragement from the crowds around him, Yoshi got more excited. He rushed forward immediately tond his second blow, ready to make things bigger. But just as it seemed like a full-blown brawl was about to erupt, Akira finally stepped in, his re freezing the yers in their tracks.


    With a stern expression, he yelled "Enough!" and the yers slowly backed off, still seething but momentarily defused.


    The referee''s re turned to the two yers who started themotion, then turned again to the entire team as everyone wilted under his eyes. Then, when after a few seconds nothing was heard from the coach and all of them started to sigh in relief, thinking that Akira wasn''t that angry, they were proven to be wrong immediately.


    "You''re all acting like a bunch of children!" Akira thundered, his voice echoing across the court. "This is a game, not a yground! You''re here to y volleyball, not to engage in petty squabbles and childish behavior. I''ve seen more maturity from a group of kindergarten students!"


    The yers from both teams looked at each other in shame, yet they still red at each other, trying to put the me on their opponent.


    "Are you not ashamed of the guests here that spare their time to y with you all?!" Akira continued, pointing his fingers at the Silvestri family. The parents were at the front, shielding the twins from themotion as the girls looked at the crowds curiously.


    Apparently, the moment the chaos started, Mattheo pulled his family out of the crowd immediately,didn''t want to get dragged into themotion.


    "They are here not just to help the freshman, but also to share their experience as professionals with you! And you show them this shameful behavior! Never have I been so embarrassed in my life before today!"


    Yuki, still on the floor, grunted a bit, using his knee to support his body as he tried to get up from his position. "Sorry, Sensei." He murmured.


    Usually, Yuki would be calmer than this, handling the situation wiser under such a provocation. However, he didn''t know why, but there was something in Yoshi''s tone that always irritated him. It wasn''t just today, but even in the past, Yoshi''s loudness and fiery temper were always able to get under his skin.


    Akira''s features softened a bit, knowing that Yuki was probably the least to be med for thismotion. Banters and trash talks were always a part of the game, and all the yers here knew about that.


    Hell, he could hear so much banter directed at Yuki whenever the first-year failed to protect the ball, and that kind of pressure wasn''t something that a yer with two weeks of experience should endure.


    The fact that Yuki didn''t react at all for so long showed Akira that the freshman had the patience of a saint, and even a saint had the period when he snapped and wanted to vent out all of his emotions, so Akira understood why Yuki reacted like that.


    He was more disappointed with Yoshi''s behavior, though. The opposite hitter had always had his vtile temper whenever he yed, and it wasn''t the first time Akira saw him creating a ruckus after being provoked by the opponent.


    Akira had already talked and scolded him several times to control his emotions, yet based on what happened today, it seemed his words still couldn''t get through Yoshi''s thick head.


    Still, Akira had to make a decision here, and he had to be impartial here. After thinking for a while, he finally said, "I know the stakes here are big for you both. Your dignity is on the line in this game. But that doesn''t mean you can do anything you want like this. So, I will have to punish you both."


    After that, he took a yellow card from his pocket and gave it to both yers, eliciting gasps from the crowds.


    "A yellow card for Kobayashi and Aoba!" Keisuke Hori shouted from thementary box. "What do you think about it, Hisashi-senpai? Is it fair?"


    The whispers from the crowds died down a little, wanting to know Hisashi''s opinion. For some of them, this incident only made them believe more in the rumor that Yuki disrespected his senpai. After all, if he was alright, there was no way the senior yers would gang him like this, right?


    "I think it is a bit unfair for Kobayashi-kun." Hisashi gave another hot take again, making the crowds frown. "Banters and trash talks are parts of the game, and the senior team had already done the same in the first set. It is unfair for Kobayashi-kun to be punished for the same offense that his opponent got away from before."


    Those who yedpetitive sports all nodded, knowing Hisashi was right. Unfortunately, the majority of the crowds here were regr students, especially from sophomore and third-year, so they didn''t care about his opinion. They knew the rumor was right, Yuki did the senpai wrong here.


    "Unsportsmanlike!"


    "Shame!"


    "Yoshi, no matter what happened, never apologize!"


    "Yeah! Kill that brat!"


    As the boos grew louder from the crowds, Yuki sighed, knowing all the imagination of an ordinary school life he had at the beginning of the term had gone to the trashcan by now. Still, he didn''t care, walking toward his teammates and bowed deeply.


    "I am sorry, everyone!"He eximed. "I lost my cool and my rash behavior made this a terrible experience for you all."


    The Silvestri family nced at each other before Mattheo chuckled. "Don''t worry, Kobayashi-kun! That is how a youth should react facing such a humiliation!"


    "To be impulsive and pick up a fight against his senior? Don''t give him a bad example, Dear."Maria chided her husband. "But I am d you can be calm even after being pushed down like that. It takes maturity to not retaliate against everyone who provoked you. I am so proud of you." She praised.


    Hearing the praise, there was a slight blush on Yuki''s face, yet his face beamed in delight. Thest person to say she was proud of him was his mother, and Maria''s words reminded Yuki of her. He got teary for a moment before the feeling disappeared with the squealing from the twins.


    "Kobayashi-san, you are so cool!"Gabrie gushed.


    "Yeah! You just stared at them coldly and said one sentence, and everyone lost their temper immediately! You are like a viin in the story!" Isabe added.


    Yuki had a sweat drop on his face when he saw the twins who were so shy whenever he was around suddenly turn into fangirls, looking at him with shining eyes as if they were ready to worship him. He nced at Riku who he believed had more experience in this regard, just for the blonde boy to shake his head in amusement.


    Cursed ''traitor'' inwardly to his blonde friend, Yuki could only chuckle awkwardly at the twins.


    "Thank you, Gabrie, Isabe. Your support means a lot to me." He said it genuinely.


    Hearing his words, the girl blushed furiously before running away, still giggling while whispering with each other in rapid Italian, confusing Yuki more.


    "Girls¡­" He muttered, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

 Chapter 25: Chaos! Lets End This Game Quick! (II)

    *BAM!*


    "One touch!"


    "Oh, nice block, Kobayashi!"


    "Agostini! Left!"


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSHAAAAA!"


    It was ten minutes since the game resumed again after themotion was over, and Yuki hit the elerator immediately. It was as if he wanted to vent out all his grievances for the earlier incident, kept attacking the senior team left and right, not giving them any chance to recover.


    He exposed the opponent''s weakness wlessly, kept targeting Noriyuki and Hirano who always acted as a lone wolf on the team. As long as he hit the ball there, a point was always guaranteed for the freshman team.


    On the senior team''s bench, Megumi bit her lips nervously. She had already noticed Yuki''s trick, yet she didn''t know what to do in the position. The morale of the team was hit to rock bottom, and now, everyone had already lost their spirit to continue the game.


    Honestly, it wasn''t the first time she cursed theck of leadership on the team. The two most vocal yers there, Noriyuki and Yoshi were problematic. While Noriyuki had a hard time socializing, Yoshi was too vtile to control his temper for the entire game. And while Yori might be a good candidate, the others did not respect him enough to elevate his status on the team.


    This was also the problem that gave Hisashi a headache the mostst year. Thest year''s captain of the team even considered a lottery to choose which one would inherit the status of the leader of the team from him. In the end, he picked Noriyuki since everyone listened to him more than anyone else.


    The problem was he didn''t talk andmand the team enough, thinking he could lead his teammates by giving them examples of what should they do. It might work in a good team where everyone had the consciousness of winning the tournament, but not in a mediocre team like Tsunemori.


    Just like right now, when the team needed a leader the most, Noriyuki disappeared, turned mute on the corner of the court.


    Megumi sighed, finally had enough, and decided to take over the situation by herself.


    "Kaede-kun, Ogawa-kun, Ren, prepare to y." She spoke, surprising the yers whose names were mentioned. "You will rece Hirano-kun, Yoshi-kun, and Noriyuki-kun."


    All the eyes there widened in shock, not expecting Megumi to take this bold decision. Ren who was the most experienced yer out of the three asked hesitantly, "Is it okay though, to rece them right now?"


    Megumi nodded firmly, there was no hesitation in her eyes. "While you might still believe they could do something, Ren, I don''t have the patience to wait for a miracle. I know you notice it too, that whenever things turned bad, those three would suddenly disappear. This happened several times in the past that it became a pattern, so I don''t believe this time would be different."


    Some yers turned their heads away immediately, didn''t want to be seen agreeing to her words. While they acknowledged the truth behind it, they didn''t want to be caught antagonizing their senpai.


    The moment the substitution was announced though, the three yers on the court widened their eyes in shock. Never crossed their mind they would be reced in the middle of the game, especially since they were the most important yers on the team.


    Fortunately, Megumi was probably the second most intimidating person on the team besides the coach, so no matter what she decided, they followed obediently.


    "Oh! Substitution for the senior team! Three key yers of the team are reced! What do you think of this situation, Hisashi-senpai? Is it wise to do that?" Keisuke Hori asked.


    "Not only it is wise, but I think Megumi should have done this earlier," Hisashimented. "You can see the mood of those three were worsened after the incident, and it affects the state of the team. If not reced immediately, they would be the parasites who would destroy the team from inside."


    "Interesting analogy." Mattheo nodded approvingly. "But it shouldn''t do them much, right? I mean, the game is already in our hands right, Kobayashi-kun?"


    The boy who received the question just nodded, full of confidence. "Yeah, let''s end this silly game as soon as possible."


    "Those three are reced? Does that mean the game is over?"


    "Well, even if it is not over, I doubt they could overturn the situation."


    "Man, this is disappointing. No wonder our volleyball team sucks in the real tournament."


    Amidst the disappointed whispers from the crowds, one by one started to leave. Only those who wanted to see the fun when the loser apologized in the end were still here, yet their focus wasn''t on the court anymore. More than third-quarters were gone already, emptying the gymnasium instantly. However, the game had to be continued again.


    Isabe took the serve. She sent it directly toward the back left, which was received perfectly by Koji. Yori took a nce for a second before setting the ball to the left wing, yet the moment Kaede jumped to spike the ball, Yuki was already there to form a wall.


    *BAM!*


    "One touch!"


    "Oh! Another soft block by Kobayashi! This is his fifth in a row since the brawls!" Keisuke Hori shouted excitedly.


    "Nice block, Kobayashi!"


    Gabrie, Isabe, and Yuki took a step back simultaneously, ncing at each other for a moment before starting their run-up together.


    "Ren, you go for Kobayashi! Ogawa, mark the left! Kaede, to the right! Okamura, be ready for the back attack!" Yori took themand quickly.


    "Got it!"


    The wait was so intense as all the yers on the senior team tried to predict where the ball would go, just for Riku to tap it simply to let the ball fall down the other side of the gently. Everyone had their jaws dropped, never expecting the oue to be like this.


    Since the second set began, Riku hadn''t done anything outrageous yet, always setting the ball perfectly to provide the best pass to his teammates. To see him suddenly pulling a dump when everyone focused on his teammates was like watching witchcraft from thend afar.


    Seeing the gobsmacked reaction from his opponents, Riku smirked infuriatingly before saying, "Please, don''t forget about my presence again, okay?"

 Chapter 26: The End!

    The rest of the game went one-sided, with the freshman team dominating the court without giving the senior team any chance to get out of their slumps. Yuki who was mocked by the crowds for doing nothing in the first set went crazy, taking the initiative to be on the front line.


    As a blocker, he was everywhere, always able to form a soft wall in front of the attacker to give his team another chance to attack. And as a hitter, he was unpredictable.


    While his spike might look easy to receive from the perspective of the audience, those who had experience ying volleyball knew Yuki was a troublesome opponent. He had a lot of tricks in his arsenal, from dink, block-out, wipe, and even an ordinary spike could be dangerous in his hand.


    Still, what made him stand outpared to the others was his defensive area coverage.


    Whenever Yuki was on the back, he was always everywhere. It didn''t matter what kind of trick the senior team wanted to pull off, he would always be able to read them like an open book. Even Akira and Hisashi who watched from the sideline shaking their head, couldn''t understand how Yuki did that.


    It was even more mind-blowing for Akira since he knew Yuki had only been exposed to a serious volleyball game in thest two weeks. His movement was wless, and while his technique was still rough, Yuki made it up with his cleverness. If he trained more for at least two weeks to one month to polish his basic¡­ ''


    Akira shuddered in excitement at that prospect.


    Still, it was the thought for another time, since right now, he had to observe the game closely. With Yuki''s all-around performance, coupled with the twins'' mobility when they attacked and Riku''s guidance as the control tower of their offense, the freshman team was able to push the senior team to the end of their rope.


    What amazed everyone was the fact that the two professional yers they thought would have big roles in making the game close turned into side characters, their light was stolen by their daughter.


    Until¡­


    *BAM!*


    "Nice cover, Kobayashi!"


    It was another attack by the senior team, and once again, Yuki managed to cover the hole in the wall formed by Maria and Gabrie and received the ball perfectly, sending it to Riku to turn the defense into a quick offense.


    After that, he recovered his position quickly, taking a few steps back before starting his run-up. Gabrie and Isabe also did the same, making it another one ¨C and probably thest one of their three prongs attack.


    All the senior team''s yers stepped back, preparing themselves for the attack. However, even from the other side of the, Yuki and his teammates could see their hearts weren''t on the game anymore. With the opponent''s unenthusiastic attitude, it was easy for them to pierce their defense.


    "Agostini!" Yuki shouted, asking for the ball. It was fitting for him who was the captain to end this troublesome game with this attack.


    The moment the ball was sent to him by the blonde boy, Yuki jumped, recoiling his arms to unleash a spike. Ren also jumped too on the other side of the, trying to stop his attack. However, in a one-on-one game like this, Yuki had so many ways to deal with a blocker, and thinking that this would be thest offense of the game, he decided to go with the finest trick he had on his arsenal.


    *Tap!*


    "OH! ANOTHER DINK!"


    Ren could only stare helplessly as the ball moved in a parabolic route to escape from his hands. Two teammates of his ran forward, trying to save the ball. Unfortunately, they were not quick enough, as the ball fell down the floor first, bounced slowly before it rolled over the court.


    "GAME SET ¨C ! The freshman team won!"


    Senior14 11


    Freshman25 25


    -A minute earlier-


    "Kaede-kun spikes! And ¨C OH! Kobayashi! It is Kobayashi again! He is everywhere, covering the entire court by himself!" Keisuke Hori shouted excitedly.


    The crowds also rose from their spot too, trying to have the best view of probably thest scene of the game. Even though the gymnasium was almost empty at this point, the excitement was still there. In fact, it was more intense, considering those who weren''t leaving were the ones who were genuinely interested in the game, not just nobody who joined the fun.


    "The ball flies high, and now, Agostini is in position, ncing at his teammates around him! The three yers, the twin sisters and Kobayashi have already started their run-up, ready to attack! Now, can they seal the game here? What will Agostini do, will it pass to the twins? Or to Kobayashi? Or will he surprise us with ¨C OH!


    HE PASSES THE BALL TO KOBAYASHI! AND KOBAYASHI TAPS IT GENTLY! BEAUTIFULLY! KILLING THE GAME FOR THE FRESHMAN TEAM!"


    Keisuke Hori spoke like a rapper, so many words were out of his mouth just in a minute. However, no one had a problem with it. No, in fact, he was sessful in building tension for the audience, and the moment Yuki scored thest point, cheers erupted immediately from all over the court.


    "OH! What a game!"


    "Damn! Those two freshmen are amazing!"


    "No, my goddesses Gabrie-hime and Isabe-hime are the best!"


    "KYA! MATTHEO-SAMA! PLEASE, NOTICE US!"


    "MARIA-HIME! PLEASE, STEP ON ME!"


    Yuki who was still in a daze after winning the game had a sweat drop on his face after hearing the cheers kept getting more outrageous, especially for the Silvestri family. Fortunately, Riku was still drowning in euphoria, especially when he was surrounded by his ''so-called'' who rushed into the court immediately, so he couldn''t trante the cheers for the foreigners.


    It was a fest for the next few minutes, with the students who watched the game since the beginning trying to strike up a conversation or two with them. Hell, even Yuki who was the viin of the game was also surrounded by several people too, some girls even gave him love letters before running away immediately from the spot, their faces red like a boiled lobster.


    And in that moment too¡­ They forgot about their opponent, especially the two yers who stormed out of the gymnasium silently.

 Chapter 27: Interview & Resolution

    "Well, what a game we have today, Hisashi-senpai." Keisuke Hori spoke, wiping the sweat on his face after taking a bottle of water from aside. "An impressive performance by Kobayashi-kun in the second set, what do you think about him?" He still provided an after-the-game analysis from the microphone for those who wanted to hear it.


    "He is an amazing yer." Hisashi didn''t shy away from praising Yuki. "Even if he went to a top team like Konan or Matsukita High, he would have a spot on the team with his ability."


    "Wow, for such sky-high praiseing from you, you must be very impressed with his performance, right?"


    "Indeed." Hisashi nodded. "Still, I also want toment about the senior team, the team that I leftst year. Honestly, I am disappointed. The fate of the game had already been sealed the moment they lost the first set. You can see how they approached the game. No seriousness, no willingness, it is as if they don''t want to be here in the first ce.


    I am d they lost today."


    Hisashi didn''t mince his words at all, making several students cringe while trying to see the reaction from the senior team''s yers. Some yers like Yori, Kaede, and Ren had the decency to look embarrassed after being called out like that, while some turned their heads away as if they didn''t care about Hisashi''s words at all.


    However, two people couldn''t be found there, and those were the most important ones for the next part of the event, Yoshi and Noriyuki.


    Akira also noticed that too and sighed tiredly, disappointed with his yers'' attitude. Seeing the coach''s expression, Keisuke Hori didn''t dare to ask him anything, so he turned his attention to the Silvestri family.


    "Mattheo-san, what do you think about today''s game? Is there anything you want to share with us?"He went through the crowds that surrounded the Italian man before asking the question in English with a thick Japanese ent.


    "Oh, are you thementator boy? You did a good job guiding the atmosphere of the game."Mattheo gave a thumb up at him. Even though Keisuke Hori had a hard time understanding his words since Mattheo said it so quickly, he knew by the gesture that the Italian man praised him, so he blushed a bit in embarrassment. "As for today''s game, it is amazing! As expected of Sensei''s homnd!


    Even such a schoolyard fight like this could gather so many crowds. Now, I am curious about what the national tournament Sensei kept talking about would look like."


    "What about your teammates? Any opinion about Kobayashi-kun and Agostini-kun?" Keisuke Hori asked.


    "He is good. Extremely good."Mattheo said seriously. "His reflex is insane, and his ability to read the game is second to none today. He is unstoppable!" He grinned.


    Keisuke Hori could only nod, pretending to understand his words. In hindsight, he had a headache talking to Mattheo since the Italian man had a tendency to speak fast. Fortunately, he recorded all of this so he could just listen to it againter.


    After the short interview with Mattheo, he turned his attention to the female members of the family. However, Maria shook her head at him even from afar while protecting her daughters from the crowds, signaling Keisuke Hori to skip the interview with them. Even though a bit reluctant, he still did that, respecting their privacy.


    Then, he wandered around for a moment before his eyes met Akira''s and even though he was a bit afraid, Keisuke Hori knew it was his chance to speak with the head coach of the team.


    "Akira-sensei, what do you think about this game? Especially about the yers you trained for so many years. Can you give us a word or two here?"


    All the people there gasped for the straight-to-the-point question, and now, all the attention was on Akira. They wanted to hear what the coach would say, especially since Yoshi and Noriyuki were not here, it nullified all the agreements before the game for whoever lost would have to apologize publicly.


    "I am disappointed," Akira spoke truthfully, not mincing his words. "Not because of the defeat, since I know we cannot win forever. We lose and we learn, that is my principle. What I am disappointed with is their attitude after losing the game, especially my captain and vice-captain. They didn''t even greet their opponents, not showing enough respect for the game. I would have a word or two with them."


    Everyone winced at the harsh critique Akira sent to his two yers. To receive such a word publicly, that could kill the students'' reputationpletely. Even if not among the students, at least, they were alreadybeled as delinquents by the teachers at the very least.


    "What about the performance of the two freshmen on the team? Are you satisfied with them?" Keisuke Hori asked, trying to soothe the tension.


    "I am more than satisfied with them." Akira nodded, a small smile finally curled on his mouth.


    "Then, can we expect their performance in the next tournament?"


    "Yes." The head coach nodded once again, now looking firmer than before. "They are already in my n for the preliminary tournament in the next month. You will see them shine soon." He said confidently.


    Poor Akira, didn''t know that Yuki was ready to announce something outrageous.


    After exchanging more pleasantry with the head coach, Keisuke Hori turned his attention to Yuki before smiling. "Here we are! The main protagonist of the game, Kobayashi Yuki!"


    Cheers exploded from the crowds when they heard his name was called. Even if he was the viin in the beginning, at the end of the day, it was always the winner who would steal the limelight. It didn''t help that the other focus of the game, Yoshi vited the agreement of the game by storming out immediately after his team was defeated, pushing Yuki into a good light.


    "So, tell me, how do you feel after winning the game?" Keisuke Hori asked the basic question.


    "Ecstatic," Yuki answered shortly. "Even though in the end, this game didn''t mean anything since anyone who believed I was wrong would not change their mind at all, at least I prove that even if the odds are against me, I can stille out as the winner."


    Cheers exploded one more time, and now, even some of the yers from the senior team also gave him his flowers. This kind of domineering speech was something needed to raise the morale of the team, after all.


    "What about the agreement before the game? What do you feel for Aoba Yoshi who vited the agreement right now and Noriyuki Hanji who also stormed out before shaking hands with you?"


    "I will just let Akira-sensei deal with them."


    Akira''s face beamed, appreciating Yuki''s diplomatic answer. If the freshman said anything other than that, he had no doubt the crack on the team wouldn''t heal even after all of this. But by saying he would hand this matter to Akira, Yuki basically said he still trusted the coach and respected the team to say anything bad about the yers there.


    "Before everyone goes, I want to say one more thing." Yuki suddenly spoke on the mic, stopping everyone from leaving the gymnasium. Having all the attention here, he took a deep breath before bowing deeply. "I want to apologize to everyone here for themotion I created. While the rumors are something I am unhappy with, I know there would be no smoke existing without a fire.


    This will be a good opportunity for me to reflect on whether I am too casual when talking to my senpai, making them think I am disrespecting them or not. But still, it would be a discussion for another day. For now, I am sorry."


    This was hisst attempt to fix his reputation. While Yuki knew the peaceful school life he wanted was gone, at least he could make it pleasant by giving everyone here a ''good student'' persona.


    The crowds apuded him one more time, their impression of Yuki turned drastically. By apologizing, this made him look like the bigger man, brave enough to acknowledge his mistake. Now, he threw the hot potato to Yoshi and Noriyuki, and for the next few days, it would be them who were under everyone''s scrutiny.


    "Also, I want to make one more announcement." Yuki took a deep breath as all the eyes turned to him once again. "Due to personal circumstances, after today, I will leave the team permanently. So, except if something drastic happened, I am sorry, everyone, but you won''t be able to see me ying for the school."


    "Eh?!"


    All the eyes widened in shock. Even Riku who already knew his decision was stunned, couldn''t believe his friend would announce it like this. And poor Akira, he was too stunned to say anything, yet his face grew paler in a second. It was as if he was about to pass out on the spot.


    "Well, except for sorry, what can I say in this position?" Yuki shrugged nonchntly, ignoring the disbelief stares he received. "I hope that you can still support the team even if I am not here. Until then, bye! Thank you! Kobayashi, out!"

 Chapter 28: Aftermath & Hanging Out With Friends (I)

    "Kato-neechan! You are here!"


    "Riku-niichan too! Come inside!"


    "Are you going to cook for us again?"


    Yuki let out a deep sigh as he saw two friends of hise to the orphanage once again, greeted by the happy squeals from the children. Not that he was unhappy with their presence, of course, but he knew other than visiting and bringing the stuff he requested, they wanted to talk about his announcement two days ago.


    And honestly, he had a hunch this was going to be a topic he had to repeat over and over again for the next few days.


    Still, Yuki was grateful those two were kind enough to spare their time to visit him, even bringing books, food, and some toys for the children here.


    "What do you bring here, Kato-neechan?" Hina asked, taking a peek at the bag Kato carried. Hiko, her twin brother also wanted to peek, yet he couldn''t see anything from his wheelchair.


    Noticing their curiosity, Kato smiled before putting her bag on the floor and took out the things inside one by one. The children''s eyes shone the moment they saw what was inside. The girls squealed happily when they noticed soft stuffed animals while the boys grabbed the robot stuff handed to them with delight.


    "I want the dolphin one!"


    "Hey! That''s mine!"


    "I want the bear one! It is so cute!"


    "Look over here! This mecha is awesome!"


    The room was filled with children''s squabbles as everyone wanted to show off what they just got. Riku smiled for a moment before noticing the two children who weren''t as enthusiastic as the others and waved at them. Curious, those two kids came to Riku just to find out they also had something prepared for them.


    "Well, I know you are already in middle school and wouldn''t be as interested as the others, so I brought something different for you." The blonde boy grinned brightly at them. "Fortunately, Kobayashi said that you both have the same interest, so it is easier for me to prepare this.


    Here!" He gave another bag to Taro and Aina, the two children who were always responsible for their little siblings whenever Yuki was not around the orphanage.


    Those two had their eyes shining brightly the moment they saw what was inside. It wasn''t just a toy or something simr that their siblings received, but full of books and some drawing tools that looked pretty new. Megumi took a look at the books there and shook her head in exasperation when she read the title.


    "''How to draw a manga''? Really?"


    "Hey, Kobayashi said they are interested in it!" Rik defended himself. "And it is not a bad thing to have a hobby! They like it, right?"


    "Um!" Taro nodded eagerly, his eyes were locking in the drawing tools in his hand. "Thank you, Riku-nii!"


    "Yes! Thank you, Riku-nii!" Aina echoed the sentiment before they both were busy with their package.


    Yuki could only shake his head helplessly, yet the big grin on his face told his two friends that he was pleased with the children''s reaction. "Thank you for helping me buy all of this, you two." He said it with a genuine tone.


    "Bah! Why are you so polite?" Riku waved his hand, dismissing his gratitude nonchntly. "We bought most of it with your money, after all. Kato and I just added a little more for the children."


    Yeah, even though it was Riku and Kato who brought the packages, they did it at Yuki''s request. Yesterday was his first time receiving his sry, and he was excited to buy his siblings a gift to liven up the orphanage. Still, since he didn''t know where to buy it, he asked his two friends who were kind enough to even contribute too.


    "Are you not afraid you will spoil them too much?" Kato asked teasingly, still watching the children ying with the new stuff animatedly.


    "Spoil them too much?" Yuki snorted. "I don''t have to worry about that. In fact, I want to do that someday. God knows they have already suffered enough up to now."


    The atmosphere turned somber instantly at the children''s situation right now. All these children were orphaned after the earthquake disaster two months ago, and some even had permanent injuries that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.


    And to make it worse, not even one child here was a native Tokyo, having to live in a small orphanage that didn''t even get funds from the government as they had to survive with so little they had days after day while keep thriving for a better future life.


    That was a messed-up situation that even full-grown adults wouldn''t be able to survive easily.


    "So, are you ready to go?" Riku asked.


    "Sure." Yuki nodded, grabbing his ransel before turning his attention to the two oldest kids here. "Taro, Aina, I will go out with them first, keep your eyes on the others and don''t let anyone y outside until Aiko-obaasan arrives okay?"


    "Yes, Yuki-nii!" The two kids relied, yet they didn''t even nce at him.


    Yuki sighed helplessly, yet still d that the others were busy with their new stuff. While the children were always good and obedient, he knew it was hard for those between the ages of 7 to 12 to just stay at home without anything to entertain them. Yuki knew about it from his experience in the past, that was why he bought them so many things the moment he received his first sry.


    And now, with the children busy inside, he could go out to buy the thing he had already had his eyes on for thest few days. Together with Riku and Kato, they walked for about twenty minutes to the Shinjuku district, probably the most crowded ce in Tokyo, and went to one of the stores there with its name written big on the top of it.


    NTT Do.


    "Oi, Agostini, are you sure the price here is within my budget?" Yuki asked hesitantly, getting intimidated by how fancy the store was.


    "Don''t worry, I have already checked it beforehand. Come on!" He waved his hands, asking Yuki and Kato to follow him.


    Those three entered the store together, greeted by sleek devices and shiny screens being shown on the disy case. Yuki gulped, a bit nervous looking at so many phones here that the price was something he could never afford in his life. While ncing around curiously, he also walked cautiously, didn''t want to have any idents that would bring him to his grave within a second.


    Noticing his awkward walk, Kato giggled before saying, "No need to be afraid, Kobayashi-kun, the disy case here is bulletproof, so no ident will be able to knock it down."


    Yuki blushed, embarrassed at getting caught by Kato. He turned away, decided to change his focus on the shiny phones in front of him, looking around to see which kind of phone he could buy today.


    Yeah, he was here to buy a phone. It wasn''t for the entertainment purpose, of course, but for his convenience tomunicate with the others. At first, he thought it wasn''t that urgent, seeing the only thing he had to get in touch daily was the volleyball team.


    But after two weeks of school, he noticed he was always thest one to get the news in the ss, and when he asked Riku, he finally realized everyone here was in the same group to share information, and even Handa-sensei was also there.


    That was what urged him to buy a phone as soon as possible.


    After looking around for a while, Yuki''s eyes caught a teal flip phone disyed there, and he didn''t hesitate to grab it. While it was thetest model, the price was still within his budget. Still, he cringed a bit when he got the receipt.


    ''20,000 yen in one go? I hope this is worth the money I spent for.'' He murmured lowly.

 Chapter 29: Aftermath & Hanging Out With Friends (II)

    After spending another 1,500 yen for additional features like inte and something simr, Yuki finally walked out of the store, followed by Riku and Kato. To show his gratitude toward his friends for visiting the children and apanying him today, he invited them to have a scoop of ice cream before going back.


    After walking in the middle of a sea of people strugglingly, they finally found a small caf¨¦ a bit far from the phone store and the moment they arrived there, those three sighed tiredly while throwing their bodies to the seat, their faces were full of sweat and dirt.


    "Man, this is the first time I''ve gone to Shinjuku, and I thought the lore I read on the inte is bad enough. I don''t know it could get worse." Riku grumbled.


    "Today is Sunday, and the weather in thest few weeks has been warm enough for people to go outing," Katomented, her eyes on the menu book she had in her hand. "And today is not that bad. If you go to Shinjuku in the middle of summer, you will feel what hell looks like."


    Yuki grimaced, didn''t want to imagine that. He couldn''t even stand the crowds that Kato described as not bad, let alone what she described as hell. Still, something caught his interest here.


    "So, do you oftene to Shinjuku, Kato-san?" He asked curiously.


    "In the past, maybe," Kato answered casually. "When Megumi-nee was in middle school, she was a crazy otaku. She would always drag me here whenever there was some anime event held, and that is probably why I am familiar with this ce."


    "Really?" Riku asked, interested.


    "Yeah, and if you mentioned it to her, it would be the fastest way to get Neechan embarrassed." Kato let out a small giggle. "Honestly, she was horrible in the past. I don''t know how I can stand around her for so long."


    "Oh, I am so going to tease her the next time we meet," Riku mumbled, a mischievous smile curled on his face.


    They exchanged small conversations while waiting for their order to arrive, talking about anything from Megumi''s past as an otaku until a school-rted event like the mid-term exam that woulde soon. Never during this time did they touch on the topic of thest volleyball game, knowing it was the main topic after this appetizer.


    And the moment what they ordered finally arrived, Kato finally asked the question Yuki had been expecting.


    "So, you are quitting the volleyball team?" She asked casually. Riku straightened his posture, his eyesnded on Yuki immediately.


    "Yes, and you know my reason." Yuki nodded, trying to sound casual too, yet there was a hint of defensiveness in his tone.


    Kato caught that and soothed him immediately. "Don''t worry, Kobayashi-kun. I am not here to judge you. Well, I am about to judge you, but not about that."


    "Oh? Then, about what?" Yuki asked, a bit wary.


    "Well, you always said that you want a peaceful school life, so why do you think announcing your leave publicly would be a good idea? Don''t you think it would only attract more attention to you?"


    Yuki blushed before answering, "Well¡­ Impulsiveness?" He said hesitantly, ring at Riku who stiffened hisughter beside him.


    Kato just rolled her eyes in exasperation before muttering, ''Boys¡­''


    Honestly, Yuki also had no idea why he announced his decision in thest game. Maybe, in such a heated moment like that, he wanted to make it memorable for the audience. Still, Kato was right. This was a stupid decision, especially if he wanted a peaceful life.


    "But it is a pity that you quit the team," Riku said while enjoying his ice cream. "Akira-jiisan is going crazy right now. He lost three important yers on the team just a month before the tournament. It would be hard to fill the gap."


    "Three yers?" Yuki asked.


    "Yes. It is you, Noriyuki-senpai, and Yoshi-senpai." Riku answered. Yuki was surprised to hear the two seniors who were responsible for all the troubles that happened on the team suddenly left too. "Even though they haven''t said anything yet, they left our Facebook group, and that is the biggest sign that they are not going toe back in the future."


    Yuki was speechless, somehow feeling guilty for the team that suddenly was torn apart like this.


    "Hey, it is not your fault, you know?" Kato suddenly patted his shoulder,forting him. "If a team could be broken by a freshman like you, that means it is just a timebomb that could explode at any time. It is unfortunate that you are the one who pulls the trigger, but you are not responsible for this."


    "Thank you, Kato-san." Yuki smiled at her, sending his gratitude to the girl.


    "Is there any chance for you toe back to the team?" Riku asked. "I mean, those two are not there anymore, so it would be awesome if we could y together without getting restrained by those stickmen."


    "Stickmen?" Kato tilted her head confusedly.


    "Oh, yeah, you don''t know about it." Riku pped his forehead. "I call them that since they are acting like stickmen when we y against Matsukita, trying to be invisible and running away from their responsibility."


    The corner of Kato''s lips tugged upward, amused with his analogy. "Well, you are not wrong here." She concluded.


    "So, what do you think?" Riku asked once again to Yuki.


    After pondering for a moment, Yuki shrugged. "I don''t know. I mean, my priority right now is to help Aiko-obaasan take care of the orphanage. But if our situation gets better, maybe there is a small chance for me toe back. But it is small, okay? Like, miniscule." He made a gesture by putting his thumb close to his index fingers.


    "I get it." Riku nodded in understanding. "I cannot help but feel disappointed, but I am still respecting your decision. Just, don''t ck off, okay? Maybe, there will be a miracle in the future."


    Yuki snorted. "Yeah, if a miracle happens, maybe, I will join the team again."


    -0-


    Unbeknown to him, far in Tsunemori''s teacher''s office, two people met there, trying to create the miracle to force Yuki back to the team.


    "Are you really okay with it, Mattheo?"Akira asked solemnly.


    "For thest time, Sensei, I am sure with it!"Mattheo''s tone was a sign that he was annoyed. "Kobayashi is too talented to leave this sportpletely. I don''t want him to get buried before he could even shine because of his condition, so please, let me do it." He said thest part with half-begging.


    Akira sighed, ncing at the paperwork in front of him before saying, "You know I cannot decide it by myself. Let''s talk to him tomorrow and hear his opinion first."


    Mattheo sighed, knowing his sensei was right. What he wanted to offer would be a life-changing decision for Yuki, and since Akira''s rtionship with the boy was just a student and a teacher, he had no right to decide anything outside of the school-rted thing for Yuki.


    "Let''s just hope he agrees with your proposal."


    "Yeah." Mattheo nodded solemnly before walking away from the office, leaving Akira there alone with his thoughts.

 Chapter 30: A Big Offer from the Silvestri Couple (I)

    "Pardon me, but what?" Yuki blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to process what he just heard.


    It was a new day for him in the school when in the break time, Yuki was called suddenly, being asked to meet Akira in the teacher''s office. When he was there, he was greeted by not just the volleyball coach, but also by the two foreigners he was familiar with, Mattheo and Maria.


    Although Yuki was confused as to why the couples were there too, he still greeted them politely, especially since they had helped him deal with the conflict against the senior team a few days ago. To his surprise though, it wasn''t Akira who asked for his presence, but Mattheo and Maria, and those two offered something big that he didn''t seeing even in his wildest imagination.


    "You heard us right, Kobayashi-kun," Maria said softly. "We want to sponsor your education, at least until you finish high school."


    Yuki''s mind went nk as if he was just hit by a lightning in this broad daylight. Question after question kept popping up inside his head, like was this really happening? Did he just mishear their words? Was this some sort of a new prank?


    But as he turned around to face the couple, their expression told him that it was not a joke.


    "Why, though?" Out of all the questions spinning around his head, this was what finally came out of Yuki''s mouth.


    Mattheo and Maria nced at each other for a second before Maria patted his shoulder reassuringly, then to Yuki''s surprise, she hugged him fondly. "I have heard about your circumstance from Akira-sensei, and I am so sorry about your family. No child should have ever suffered that."


    Yuki''s body stiffened for a moment as he tried to send a re at Akira. While he was grateful for the Silvestri family''s help, they weren''t that close for him to befortable sharing this story. The volleyball coach himself turned his head away quickly, walking away from his spot as he didn''t want to take any responsibility for what he told the Silvestri couple.


    "That still doesn''t exin why you want to help me, though." He murmured lowly.


    Mattheo sighed, taking over the conversation. "Have you ever heard how I met Akira-sensei for the first time?" He asked.


    Yuki shook his head quietly, didn''t quite understand the rtion between Mattheo''s past and this situation. And honestly, he didn''t even care. Outside of thest volleyball game when they were teammates with each other, the only time Yuki exchanged conversation with him was a night beforehand, and their conversation had never touched anything personal there.


    Let alone how Mattheo met Akira, Yuki didn''t even know how old the Italian man was until thementator of the game announced it publicly.


    Still, out of respect for people who had a good heart to help him ¨C and wanted to do more here, he decided to listen to Mattheo''s story.


    "Well, to put it shortly, my situation in the past was so close to yours right now it gave me a shiver when I heard it from Akira-sensei, an orphan desperate to help keep his new home alive."Mattheo hummed. Yuki was surprised to hear the Italian man was an orphan since teenager like him.


    "I will not go down into thepetition of who has it worse, since while I was lucky enough my orphanage still received funds from the government, there were too many children to be fed, forcing some of the oldest ones to drop out of their school. And as you can guess, I was one of those unlucky children."


    Maria patted his shoulder when she saw her husband started to get emotional.


    "Thank you, Honey." Mattheo smiled gratefully at his wife, his voice was thick. "Anyway, after that, I spent the three years I should have been in high school working hard in construction, gathering every penny I could to help keep my home alive. At that time, I didn''t mind working crazily like that, thinking as long as it could help my orphanage, everything would be okay.


    It wasn''t until that time when I was invited to y in a volleyball game between mypany and the neighborhood there that my fortune changed. That was the first time I met Akira-sensei."


    -A little shback-


    "Oi, Little Mattheo! Someone from the neighborhood wants to talk to you!" One of his co-workers called him after the game.


    "Stop calling me little, Fabio!" He retorted back, elicitingughter from his co-workers. Still, Mattheo was curious about who wanted to meet him. And when he saw the person, it would be a lie if he said he wasn''t surprised.


    ''Oriental face? An Asian?'' He mused inwardly. Still, he offered a handshake to the man.


    "I am Mattheo. I heard you want to talk to me?" He said thest part in a questioning tone.


    "Yes, my name is Akira, and as you might think in the beginning, I am Japanese." Akira chuckled richly when he saw Mattheo''s embarrassed face after he read his mind like an open book. "As for why I am here¡­ Here, let me show you my business card."


    Mattheo furrowed his brows when he saw a small card just given to him, reading it slowly.


    Akira Shinji


    Volleyball Scout


    "I¡­ Don''t understand¡­" Mattheo said slowly, still confused about what was going on.


    "Well, I saw the game you have just yed, and I could see a potential to be a great volleyball yer inside you. I myself am a scout working for Farmitalia Catania, and I am here to invite you to join the trial for the team in the next three days. What do you think?"


    -End of the shback-


    "That was the meeting that changed my life." Mattheo sighed as he finished his story. "Honestly, when I heard about your story for the first time, I saw a lot of myself in you. We''ve got the same drive to keep our new home alive even if we have to sacrifice ourselves in the process.


    And while I am happy now as a retired volleyball yer, I regretted not going to high school when I was young, and while I don''t think your case would be like mine, I don''t want you to have no choice if the worst situation came."


    Yuki just stood there, frozen in a mix of shock, bewildered, and maybe a little of gratitude. To get offered like this meant Mattheo could really understand his situation because even though Yuki had never told anyone about it, he was ready to drop out of the school any time the orphanage was in a bad situation. Still, he knew things weren''t that easy.


    "What is the catch?"He asked quietly.


    "We don''t ask too much from you," Maria spoke softly. "Just maintain your grade to the top ten in your ss and maybe help Akira-sensei with his team. Oh, and I demand you to contact us on a weekly basis so that we can at least know you are okay."


    Of course, they could just give everything freely. However, if Yuki was anything like Mattheo in the past, they both knew he would be too proud to receive it, so by demanding something, they changed everything from a charity to some sort of schrship, and Yuki appreciated that.


    After what felt like an eternity, I managed to find my voice, albeit barely above a whisper. " I... I don''t know what to say," I stammered. "This is... this is incredible. I just need a little time to think about it."


    It wasn''t like he was ungrateful for the offer, but this came too suddenly, overwhelming his rational mind. Fortunately, the couple were kind enough to understand his feelings right now.


    "Take all the time you need, Dear. We are not going anywhere. You can talk to your friends or the matron of your orphanage to give you a second thought. Just remember that this offer is open-ended, and you can say no whenever you feel ready." Maria paused, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "But if you''re willing to take the leap, we will be here to support you every step of the way."

 Chapter 31: A Big Offer from the Silvestri Couple (II)

    As the day went by, Yuki found himself struggling to focus on even the simplest of tasks. His mind was consumed by the weight of Mattheo''s offer, and the possibilities thaty before him. He couldn''t concentrate on his sses. It was as if he was stuck in a never-ending loop, reying the same conversations over and over in his head.


    Before he knew it, the bell had rung, signaling the end of the school day. Yuki gathered his belongings, still lost in thought, and stumbled out of the ssroom. His feet seemed to carry him on autopilot, and he didn''t realize where he was going until he found himself standing in front of the old building he was familiar with in thest couple of weeks.


    "Yuki-kun, you are here! Come in!" The rusty voice of an old woman greeted him from inside the building.


    Yuki shook his head, entering the building quickly while putting his bag down on one of the chairs there. "Good evening, Sachi-baasan." He greeted the old woman politely.


    Yuki let out a deep sigh as he was trying to take his mind off the conversation with the Silvestri couple before and started doing his work, turning on one of theptops there while checking for a stack of books on the desk. Sachi nced at him from behind her crescent moon sses before asking, "So, what is bothering you, my boy?"


    Yuki''s body straightened for a second before he shook his head. "Nothing, Baasan."


    Sachi snorted lightly. "If you don''t want to share, I don''t mind. But I hope you don''t think you need to lie to me, okay?"


    Yuki closed his eyes for a second before letting out another deep sigh. "What gives it away?"


    "Well, unlike the usual, youe here alone and not with Riku-kun or Kato-chan, and I have seen youing from afar and you didn''t even realize you were walking here, looking so surprised the moment you heard my voice. If that is not telling about a man full of problems, I don''t know what is."


    Yuki snorted back at her. "That''s funny. If I don''t know better, I would mistake you for a detective, Baasan."


    "What makes you think I am not one already?" She grinned cheekily while waving a Sherlock Holmes book in her hand. They bothughed merrily at the bad joke she made, lightening up the atmosphere.


    After spending a few seconds in silence with him waiting for hisptop to be ready while Sachi was waiting for him to say, Yuki finally sighed, decided to trust his instinct, and told her the story.


    "I received a big offer today, Baasan."


    "Oh?" Sachi raised her eyebrows, putting down the book in her hand.


    After that, without even beingmanded to, the story came out of his mouth as he recounted the conversation that he had with the Silvestri couple from A to Z. Sachi listened to her words patiently without interrupting even for once, sometimes even nodding in understanding or shaking her head in disagreement to show her stance.


    Yuki took about fifteen minutes to finish the story, and when he finally did it, he sighed in relief, and this time was a true relief that came from inside his heart. Before this, he didn''t know he needed to tell someone about it, but he was d Sachi was here to listen.


    "So, what do you think, Baasan?" He asked.


    Sachi smiled for a moment before saying, "Well, what I am thinking right now is you need a ss of water to relieve your throat first." She offered him a ss of water.


    Yuki chuckled as he epted it. "Well, you are not wrong. Thank you, Baasan."


    "As for your story¡­" Sachi waited until Yuki finished his drink. "You are offered a sponsorship that would pay your school for the next three years and still give you pocket money better than what you could earn here, and the only thing you need to do is to keep your grade in the top ten of your ss and help the volleyball team? I don''t know why you are so hesitant at this point.


    This looks like a steal in my eyes."


    "I don''t know¡­."


    "Wait, let me guess it first!" Sachi stopped him from exining more, fixing the angle of the sses on her face so she could look more like a detective. Yuki snorted, couldn''t help but smile a little at that. "If I were you, I have two reasons to hesitate.


    First, this deal is too good to be true, and second, you feel responsible for helping the orphanage, especially after your matron had to go to the hospital a week ago, is that right?"


    Yuki threw his face away, couldn''t help but feel embarrassed to get read like an open book by Sachi. Still, he had to admit the words came from the older woman was right. For the first reason, he could count the times he met the Silvestri family with one hand, so for them to be this kind was something unnerving.


    And for the second, right when he was determined to help the orphanage, this kind of offer came, and it would be a lie if Yuki said he wasn''t shaken off by it. Still, he felt guilty when he thought it would just be him who received all of this and not the others.


    "Well, if you are still hesitant about this Silvestri couple, you can research them once again after you go home, either asking your sensei or diving into the inte. They are former professional yers, right? It should be easy for you to find the information about them." Sachi advised him patiently.


    "As for your feeling toward the orphanage, hey, it is not like you are leaving them! You are still living in the orphanage, and the money you earn will be a lotpared to working here! You don''t even have to work hard anymore, just fulfill your promise to help the volleyball team and you can use your free time to apany your little siblings. Isn''t that a win-win solution?"


    "I guess you are right¡­" Yuki sighed, putting the ss on the desk.


    Seeing the hesitation still lingered on his face, Sachi rose from her seat, decided to give him one more advice. "Listen, Yuki-kun, sometimes, the more you think about it, the more hesitant you will be, always weighing the pros and the contras. But sometimes, the only need to listen about what you need or what you want is," She poked Yuki''s chest, "Right here."


    Yuki nced at the ce where he got poked. "¡­My heart?"


    "That''s right, because this," Sachi flicked his forehead then, "Is not always as helpful as you think."


    Yuki rubbed his forehead, frowning. But after a moment, he gave a tentative nod. He realized that he genuinely appreciated this entire conversation.


    "I don''t know how you wouldn''t cringe even after giving such clich¨¦ advice like that, Baasan." Yuki chuckled a little.


    "Bah! I am an old woman! I can be as clich¨¦ as I want and no one would give a shit!" She waved her hand nonchntly, making a rude gesture that would make her two granddaughters frown in disapproval.


    Yuki''s grin widened as he couldn''t help but tease her. "Should you try to prevent me from epting the offer? I mean, I wouldn''t work here as often as I do right now if my financial situation was better, you know?"


    "Bah! I don''t believe it! I know you will get dragged by Kato-chan tomorrow and everything will just go as usual!"


    Yukiughed, knowing that she was right. For a moment, they both chatted andughed with each other, the more than 50 years gap between their age was like nothing there. Inwardly, Yuki was d he had this talk with Sachi. The old woman might be strange sometimes, but she could alwayse out with genuine advice.


    And while he was still hesitant about everything, at least he could see the truth behind her words.


    Sometimes, the only thing that he needed to listen to was his heart.

 Chapter 32: Accepting the Offer, Back to the Team! (I)

    Yuki sighed, closing his flip phone before putting it on his desk. Then, he rolled over on his bed, staring at the roof silently as he pondered what he just found out on the inte, especially about the Silvestri couple.


    It seemed he didn''t have to worry too much about Mattheo. Even though his volleyball career was not the best, outside of the court, the Italian man had done so much for hismunity. He had his own foundation that helped children who dropped out of school to continue picking up their studies again, and it helped more than 30 people already in thest decade.


    More than that, at least six young professional yers were expressing their gratitude toward the man because he helped them get out of the slumps. And when Yuki checked their background, he felt a kinship with them, since they were alling from an orphanage in theirte teenager just like him.


    Yuki was relieved that Mattheo had such a bright track record in this regard. Not that he didn''t trust the Italian man, of course, but at least he knew Mattheo knew what he was doing. Still, that basically answered one of his concerns, and he needed to address the second one.


    ''Let''s talk to everyone when dinner is ready.''


    An hourter, all the children and Aiko had gathered to eat dinner together like usual. Chatters andughter echoed in the small dining room as all the children exchanged conversations about how their days went while Aiko was still busy in the kitchen. After all the residents of the orphanage sat, he coughed a little, gaining everyone''s attention.


    "So¡­ There is something I want to ask¡­"


    "Is this also the reason why you look so rumpled today?" Mei, the youngest child asked innocently while scooping rice to her te. Yuki gawked at her words while the others were trying their best to hold back theirughter.


    "Well¡­ Yes, basically." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, a bit embarrassed someone noticed his dazed state. He thought he was sneaky enough to go unnoticed, but it seemed he was wrong here.


    Still, he put a file on the table, and everyone had their eyebrows raised at it. As the oldest one, Aiko took the file from its ce and read it for a second before she stared at Yuki with sparkling eyes. Based on her reaction, the children knew it was good news, so they rushed quickly toward the older woman, trying to take a look at the file.


    "Hey, don''t push around!"


    "I am here first!"


    "What do you mean you are here first? I am the one who sits next to Obaasan! I should have looked at it first!"


    "Hey, you are the older one! You should be thest one here!"


    "What do you mean by that?!"


    Yuki chuckled at their antic while Aiko could only sigh helplessly as she took away the file secretly from the table, letting the children finish their squabble first. After arguing with each other for a while, they finally remembered why they were doing this in the first ce before rubbing their head sheepishly, trying to look at Aiko innocently.


    "Obaasan¡­ Do you mind reading the file for us?" Aina asked. This was the best solution, with none of them having the privilege to look at the paper yet everyone would know the content of it from listening to what Aiko said.


    Aiko snorted in amusement at her ''not-so-innocent'' look before coughing, putting the file back before reading it loudly.


    "Letter of Sponsorship. Student''s name, Kobayashi Yuki. Sponsor''s name, Mattheo Silvestri¡­"


    The more she read the content of the file, the more the children''s eyes widened in surprise. Yuki cringed a bit, inwardly trying to calm himself down. The biggest fear he had right now was for anyone here to react negatively toward him, either from envy or jealousy. However, what he was afraid of didn''t happen.


    "That is amazing, Yuki-nii!" Hina squealed.


    "Yeah! With this, you don''t have to worry about paying the school anymore! And you even receive pocket money! Man, I am so jealous!"


    "Yeah! It is so much! We can buy a lot of things with it!"


    "What do you mean by us? That is Yuki-nii''s money, you idiot!"


    Even though the words jealousy were thrown a lot, there was no heat in it as everyone was genuinely happy for Yuki. They bombarded him with questions, asking what kind of powers Mattheo had, and what the Italian man wanted in return for sponsoring his study.


    Yuki answered all the questions patiently, telling the story of his first time meeting Mattheo, the conflict in the volleyball team, the conversation he had with the Silvestri couple earlier in the day, to the research he did about Mattheo before going to dinner.


    Everyone listened attentively as Yuki recounted the story, sometimes interrupting here and there if there was something they didn''t understand. As he finished, the room fell silent. The children''s eyes were wide with excitement, their faces aglow with anticipation. He could see the wheels turning in their minds as they processed the magnitude of what was being offered to him.


    Aiko was the first one to react after a while, rising from her seat to engulf him in a bear hug. "You deserve it, my boy. Congrattion. I am so proud of you."


    This was the second time someone said they were proud of him today, and while it was nice, Yuki couldn''t help but feel embarrassed. He felt that he didn''t do anything worthwhile to get this sponsorship as the only reason Mattheo did this was due to pity and some sort of kinship.


    And bless Aiko, the matron noticed his under-the-weather mood and asked, "What''s wrong, Yuki-kun?"


    All the celebrations and excitements died down immediately, all the eyes turned at him concernedly.


    "It is nothing." Yuki smiled, trying to look normal. However, no one was fooled by his fake smile as they kept staring at him intently. After a while, he finally sighed, gave in to the silent pressure from his little siblings before saying lowly, "Just think I didn''t do anything special at all."


    Aiko furrowed her brows before flicking his forehead. "Why are you saying that? Mattheo-san chooses to support you because he sees something in you, and that is your wonderful character. Even though you have just lived here for two months, I am proud of myself to say I have a good grasp on you, and Mattheo-san is right.


    You will always be willing to sacrifice yourself for any children here, and I cannot be prouder of you than that. So, no matter what happens, you will always be a special kid in my eyes."


    Yuki had a lump in his throat for a moment, tears piling up in the corner of his eyes. He could also see from the corner of his eyes the children nodding at him, chiming in with words of encouragement.


    "Yes, Yuki-nii! You are the best!"


    "Just don''t forget to buy us more toys in the future, okay?"


    "Taro, you idiot!"


    Yuki let out a small chuckle, a small burden in his heart was lifted a bit. Still¡­ "Aren''t you worried I will abandon you guys?"


    The squabble stopped immediately as all eyes turned to him, looking at the boy with incredulous expressions. Then, Mei, the youngest out of all the children there stepped up and without hesitation, she headbutted Yuki, catching off everyone''s guard.


    "What''s wrong, Mei-chan?" Yuki blinked, still baffled at the sudden attack from the girl. It wasn''t hurt, per se, and he would haveughed if only the situation wasn''t serious.


    Still hiding her face on his chest, she took a nce at Yuki before asking, "Are you going to leave the orphanage?"


    "What? Of course, no!" Yuki denied it quickly.


    "Then, there you go." Mei smiled smugly, an expression that was unfit to be on a young girl. "It is not like you are going anywhere. This would only give you more free time to spend with us. You don''t have to work anymore, right?"


    Silence settled over the room as everyone was stunned by Mei''s train of thought. Still, she was right, as slowly, all the children nodded in agreement.


    "Yeah, Yuki-nii! You will still have more free time to spend with us! Maybe, you can ask Kato-neechan and Riku-niichan toe here too!"


    "Yeah! I want to show them my drawing!"


    "Me too!"


    Amidst the chatter around him, Yuki finallyughed, feeling full of relief. It was as if all the weight on his shoulder finally disappeared, letting him breathe more freely. Mei was right. It wasn''t like he was going to abandon them. He felt a bit silly right now for overthinking about it.


    Still, with two of his biggest concerns answered, Yuki no longer hesitated.


    ''With this kind of support from my new family, maybe Sachi-baasan is right. I should try to listen to my heart instead of overthinking the pros and the contras of it. And my heart knows what I want to do.''

 Chapter 33: Accepting the Offer, Back to the Team! (II)

    "I ept the offer," Yuki said, no hesitation could be traced on his face.


    It was the next day, and even without confirming it first to Akira, he knew the Silvestri couple would be at school. They had been hanging around here for thest couple of days, getting dragged by Akira ¨C who was also a PE teacher to educate the students about the life of a professional yer.


    Maria''s face beamed in delight when she heard that, then jumped on him straight while giving her best hug to the boy, squealing happily."I know you are going to ept it! Oh, wee to our family, Yuki-kun!"


    Yuki had a sweat drop on his face when he saw Maria''s excited reaction. Mattheo just chuckled a bit before saying, "Well, she was probably the most excited one when I proposed this idea. Saying that you are a good kid and some stuff like that."


    As he kept rubbing Maria''s back awkwardly, Yuki was touched by the woman''s sincerity. Even though she only knew him for a few days and it wasn''t even a full-day interaction, she still believed he was a good kid and excited to sponsor his education. If this was not screaming sincerity, Yuki didn''t know what it was.


    "So, what should I do?"Yuki asked after he was released from the hug.


    "Well, have you filled up the form we gave you yesterday?" Mattheo asked. Yuki nodded, pulling out a file from his backpack. The Silvestri couple checked it for a moment before nodding their head in a satisfied manner. "Good. You will receive the news in the next few days."


    "That''s it?" Yuki raised one of his eyebrows.


    "Yeah." Maria nodded. "It is easier to sponsor someone''s education here rather than doing an adoption, especially for an older kid like you." She said thest part while apologizing to him.


    Yuki waved his hand, dismissing her concern before asking again the same question, "So, what should I do?"


    "Well, maybe¡­ Nothing."Mattheo shrugged. "Just enjoy your school life, oh, and don''t forget to exchange your contact with Maria. She will expect you to call on a weekly basis."


    Yuki nodded, yet still a bit dumbfounded with how easy it was. His head still processing what just happened in thest couple of days. One moment he was under the scrutinization of the entire school, and in a blink, he had a backer to cover all his education expenses for the next three years.


    If he wasn''t the one who received it, Yuki would think something like this only happened in a story.


    "Oh, before we part away, here is for you."Maria suddenly offered him the stic bag she had been carrying since the beginning. "E and Be are upset they couldn''t see you since they have to go with their grandmother, but they have prepared something for you. Here."


    Yuki took a peek inside and was touched to see a pair of volleyball shoes inside. It seems the twins also noticed the horrifying condition of his ''one-for-all'' shoes that he wore at thest game and wanted to give him a present.


    "Isn''t it a bit too much?"


    "No, dear. Don''t worry about it." Maria smiled. "Even though we have already done this a lot, this will be the first time we sponsor a kid that his age isn''t that far from our daughters, so they are excited about this too. Just, be ready to get spoiled in this family."


    Yuki nodded once again, bowing his head deeply before shouting, "Thank you so much! I will never forget your kindness for the rest of my life!"


    -0-


    In the gymnasium, Riku sighed deeply, starting to feel bored. It had been a few days since Yuki didn''te again to the training session, and the situation here was getting more terrible as days went by. Only nine yers and Megumi left here, and none of them could lift the mood. They were so preupied with their own thing that they didn''t bother to take care of the team anymore.


    ''Is this really a team?'' He sighed.


    Riku even started to lose the joyful feeling of ying volleyball, something he didn''t know could happen yet terrified him to no end. Still, out of respect for his uncle, he kept going to the training session every day, even with half-assed teammates around him.


    "Megumi-san, what are we doing today?" He asked casually.


    "I don''t know. Akira-sensei said it would be a surprise today." Megumi shrugged. Riku couldn''t help but furrow his brows, starting to hate a surprise in this team. Still, anything would be better than the monotonous routines they had kept doing in thest few days in the name of practice.


    ''I wonder what that was.'' He mused.


    It didn''t take a long time though before his silent question was answered, when suddenly, the boy who said he was quitting the team a few days ago suddenly appeared once again here.


    "Yo, Agostini!" Yuki greeted casually as if nothing happened in thest couple of days. "What are you doing, daydreaming in such broad daylight?"


    It wasn''t just Riku who had his jaw dropped, but almost everyone here had the same reaction. Even Hirano, the cold middle blocker who always had no expression on his face bulged his eyes in surprise to see Yuki was here.


    "What are you doing here, Kobayashi?!" Riku hissed, finally woke up from his dazed state.


    "Of course, training. Why are you so surprised? Aren''t you going to do the same?"


    Riku nodded in understanding for a second before realizing it wasn''t the problem here. "Ni! I mean, I thought you were quitting the team. What happened?" By now, everyone leaned forward, wanting to know about his situation too.


    "Well, it is a long story. Let''s just say a miracle happens and leave it for now. I will tell you the detailster when Kato-san is here."


    Riku nodded in understanding as Yuki referred to a miracle in the conversation they had a few days ago. Still, Riku was surprised to see it became a reality, and now he was curious about what kind of miracles his friend was blessed with.


    After a while, Akira finally appeared. He didn''t look surprised to see Yuki was there, seemed that Mattheo had already informed him of Yuki''s decision.


    "Okay, everyone! Gather up!" He shouted. All the ten yers rushed toward their coach immediately, didn''t dare to let him wait. Akira stared at them one by one for a few minutes before sighing, "Well, we lose our captain and vice-captain, huh?"


    The atmosphere turned somber immediately, the senior yers couldn''t help but have their eyes cast downward in defeat. While Yuki and Riku were not close enough to Noriyuki and Yoshi, for the others, those two were their leader. Without them around, the team suddenly felt lost and leaderless.


    The prospect of having to y without them on the team would be something the yers here would have a hard timeing up with.


    "You know what? It wouldn''t be fair if I gave the chance to back out only to those two. Let me make a deal with you. If any of you feel you also want to quit, I will let you go today. No hard feelings. But after this, I hope that everyone who is still here will be the yers who really want to y volleyball."


    All the yers ¨C and even Megumi was stunned by Akira''s announcement. The team''s morale currently was low, and his first priority should be to lift it up first. However, what Akira did was the opposite, seemed to want to break the team into smaller pieces until nothing was left.


    "Come on, I will give you five minutes to think."


    Except for Yuki and Riku, everyone stared at each other hesitantly, didn''t know what they should do. Finally, it was Yori who was the one to leave first, surprising everyone. They all thought that since without Noriyuki, Yori would be the captain of the team, the setter would stay here until the end.


    But after seeing Ren, another third-year student leave the team too, they all knew it was a solidarity move to support the first two who had left the team.


    As for the sophomore yers, they were hesitant too. But until the end, no one left the team. Seeing that, Akira sighed in relief before coughing to get everyone''s attention.


    "So, only eight yers left, huh?Apart from five regr yers and libero and middle blocker who would always rotate with each other, we only have one backup." He muttered, his face was gloomy for a second. However, his expression changed into an excited one as he pped his hands. "But that''s fine! At least, we know that all the yers here are the most serious ones!


    Let''s show everyone outside that although we are short of yers, we can still make a big ssh in the next tournament! Are you with me?!"


    "YES, SIR!"


    And with that shout, the journey of the new Tsunemori volleyball team had finally begun.

 Chapter 34: Team Training

    It was Saturday morning, and the usually empty field outside the school was filled with whistles and a group of people running non-stop since a while ago.


    *FWEEE!*


    "Come on! Run again! Don''t slow down!"


    "Kobayashi, you can still increase your speed, right? Do it!"


    The shout echoed on the empty field, filling their weekend morning with sweat and tears. Inwardly, almost all the victims here cursed their coach for not warning them of how torturous this practice was. They still remembered how their coach gave the instruction.


    "Our practice menu today is interval running."


    "Interval running?"


    "Yeah. Basically, it is a practice form where you will deliberately change your pace as you run, alternating brief intervals of high-intensity exercise with periods of active recovery. To put it simply, this is a practice alternate between running and jogging, aiming to strengthen all the muscles in your body and build your endurance."


    When exined verbally, the practice seemed to be ordinary, not that bad. However, the moment all the volleyball yers started running, they finally felt the torture of interval running.


    "RUN! RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! COME ON!"


    Yuki gritted his teeth as he increased his speed the moment he heard Akira''s shout. It wasn''t just him, but Riku and the other five yers also doing the same. The moment Akira blew his whistle for the umpteenth time ¨C that even everyone forgot how many times their coach had blown his whistle that day, the yers slowed down, entering another period of slow running tempo.


    At this time, it was clear for Akira to see which one of his yers had the best physicality and which one had the worst. He was a bit grateful for the smaller team, thinking that it only made him easier to check their condition thoroughly one by one.


    Still, looking at them whose breathing was raged and uneven and even some of them having to drag their body to keep running, Akira knew he still had a lot to do.


    *FWEEE!*


    "RUN AGAIN! INCREASE YOUR TEMPO! COME ON, KOBAYASHI! KAEDE!"


    Seeing the yers running with all their might even though they were already half-death, Megumi bit her lips nervously.


    She also felt bad for the yers there, knowing even though the description of the exercise sounded easy, increasing the running tempo for one minute, then changing it to a slow jogging tempo for another one and a half minutes before they went back for another fast tempo, if that was repeated over and over again, it would take no time for the yers to copse on the spot.


    "Sensei, when will this interval run over?" She couldn''t help but ask.


    Akira nced at her sideways for a second before saying, "It is either until thirty minutes pass or when they have reached their limit first."


    *FWEEE!*


    "JOGGING! SLOW DOWN, EVERYONE!"


    Fifteen minutes had already passed, yet everyone looked more exhausted right nowpared to one hour of ying volleyball on the court. Megumi could only pray everyone would be able to survive this kind of torture, especially when she heard Akira wanted to make this a regr practice.


    "Come on, Okamura! Increase your tempo!"


    The yer whose name was mentioned was running staggeredly, dragging his heavy body until he left the track before copsing on the ground. He was the first one to give into the situation, lying on the ground immediately. After that, one by one started to copse, from Ogawa, Yuki, Riku, Asahi, and Kaede.


    After twenty-five minutes, only Koji and Hirano were left running, still trying to fulfill the assignment.


    "Man, those two are awesome," Rikumented.


    "Yeah. They are the best in our generation." Kaede nodded proudly. "You know what? Even though we don''t like it, we admit your talents are better than us, both of you. Still, if it is just endurance, maybe, we can outperform you two."


    Riku and Yuki nced at each other before shrugging helplessly, knowing that their senpai was right. Akira who heard that smiled before saying, "You are right, Kaede-kun. In terms of endurance, you might even be the number one in Tokyo."


    "EH?!" All the eyes turned at him, shocked by the sudden praise.


    "However," The coach still had this calm expression. "You know that endurance is not the only deciding factor in the game. So, in order to elevate the team to the next level, this is not enough. I will bring you to hell and drag you back, and after that, maybe we can be more optimistic for this team."


    Thinking of the torture that they would have to endure in the future, some of them wanted to puke on the spot. However, the prospect of the improvement they would have after enduring all of this, they started to get giddy.


    ''Akira-sensei is right. It is not enough for us to be the number one only in endurance. We need to get better!''


    After a while, to everyone''s awe, Hirano and Koji were able to finish a full thirty minutes of interval running. While their condition was definitely worse among the yers, they had this big grin that showed how proud they were of their own achievement.


    "Good job, Koji!"


    "Damn, Hirano! You are still a beast!


    "Bah! It is still easy! Come on, give me another one!"


    "You brat! How could you get so cocky suddenly?!"


    Chatters andughter spread among the yers as they enjoyed the short break Akira gave. After twenty minutes, the whistle was blown again, and while they groaned and stood up reluctantly, there was something different in their eyes. Their expression changed, zing with determination. It seemed Akira''s words about the number one team in Tokyo in terms of endurance gave them a new motivation here.


    "Well, as you can see, we only have eight yers here, only one yer on the bench when thepetition began. Not an ideal situation, of course. That is why what I want to create first is an army full of restless yers, an army who will still stand tall when our opponent has fallen from exhaustion. That way, we will have the ability to fight for the entire five sets even without a deep squad.


    That is why we will increase the portion of the endurance practice until the national tournament begins."


    Everyone groaned when they heard that. At first, they thought this interval running practice would only happen asionally. But it seemed they were wrong. Akira was ready to torture them again with a more creative way to push them off their limit.


    "As for your technical ability, I will be more specific training you lot about it." Akira continued. "We only have three weeks before the tournament begins, so it is impossible for a drastic change to be made. We also lose our big gun here, so to be an attacking team is impossible.


    What I want to train you is how to keep the ball alive, because as long as it is still in the air, we are not losing yet. So, the next training session would be another survival test for you. Are you ready?"


    "Yes, Sir!"

 Chapter 35: Serve Training for Yuki!

    It had been a full week since Yuki joined the team again. The training was getting more intense, something he had never done before in his life. Every day would end up with him dragging his body back to the orphanage. Still, he persisted, did everything with noint at all.


    Yuki still remembered Aiko''s request the night he decided to ept Mattheo''s offer.


    "Even though they didn''t give you a lot of requirements, I want you to excel in everything they ask. If they want you to be in the top ten students, don''t be satisfied with that. Be the top three or even the best one. If they want you to help the volleyball team, don''t just help casually. Be the best yer possible for them.


    That way, you will not embarrass yourself in front of Mattheo-san and Maria-san. Can you do that?"


    Even though it wasn''t easy to improve his grade while keeping up with the volleyball team, since it was Aiko''s request, Yuki still did it without hesitation. In the morning, he would always wake up earlier than anyone else, start running around to warm up his body before finishing all the homework he hadn''t done yet.


    After that, he would try his best to listen to what the teacher taught in the ss so that he wouldn''t have to study more outside, then after school was over, he and the other nine yers would receive the torture Akira called practice for two full hours before finally went back home.


    Still, Yuki felt it was not enough. He still had so many weaknesses he needed to cover. And one of them was theck of special ability to intimidate opponents. That was why on Friday, when the team had a day off, he dragged his two friends to help him practice alone.


    "I get why you asked Riku to join, but why are you dragging me into this too, Kobayashi?" Kato grumbled, putting her book in her bag.


    Yuki could only p his hands, sending an apology gesture toward the girl. He knew she was not keen on a physical activity like this. Still, the boy appreciated the fact that she was willing toe and help him train.


    "So, what are we going to do, Kobayashi?" Riku asked, still doing his stretching.


    "Well, let''s work with my serve first," Yuki said. "I have a lot of ideas of how to make it deadlier, but first of all, I need to get my control better. I need to be able to send the ball where I am aiming to, not even a single inch could be missed."


    Riku had a sweat drop on his face. "Aren''t you a bit too harsh for yourself?" For all Riku knew, while power-wise, Yuki was far behind, the sses boy had far better serve uracy in the teampared to the others, and he might even be the best one there. However, Yuki was not satisfied with that.


    "I know I can still get better at it. Just bear with me." He said stubbornly.


    Riku and Kato stared at each other for a while before they shrugged and decided to help their friend. There were no people there in the gymnasium on Friday evening, everyone seemed to be busy preparing their weekends. But that worked well with Yuki, as he could modify the court as much as he wanted for a day without anyints from the other students.


    In a moment, the in court in the gym suddenly had many circles with different colors on one side of the.


    "So, how are you going to practice?" Riku stared at the modified court interestedly.


    "Well, for the first half an hour, I am going to serve toward that side," Yuki pointed at the side with circles in it. "You are going to pick a color. And I have to aim my serve at the colored circle. If my servends on the colored circle, it is one point for me. But if I miss a circle, for every miss, I will have to do five serves on the wall.


    At the end of the day, you tell me how many wall serves would I need to do, okay?"


    This time, Riku gulped nervously, clearly intimidated by the practice method that Yuki came up with by himself.


    "Once again, aren''t you a bit too harsh to yourself?"


    "No, trust me! This will work!" Once again, Yuki was stubborn that his method would work.


    Riku pondered for a while before sighing at himself. "Well, if you are sure."


    After that, the only sound that could be heard in the gymnasium was the ball hitting the floor and Kato''s shout to tell whether it was in or out. For the first ten serves, Riku and Kato still went easy for Yuki, giving him an easy target to aim. It was in the area around the middle back, which also was the easiest spot among the others.


    However, when the count was more than 10, the two suddenly up their game. From one corner to another, Riku and Kato kept giving Yuki a tough spot to aim, always ying near the sideline. The sses boy clicked his tongue as he missed five serves in a row.


    "Oi, Kobayashi! What happened? Do you really want to do wall serves that badly? It is fifteen already!" Riku shouted mockingly.


    "Shut up, Agostini!" There was a thick vein popped in Yuki''s temple as he also started to feel frustrated. He took a deep breath, knowing he needed to be calm if he wanted to do this sessfully. In his mind, Yuki recalled everything, from starting his run-up to hitting the ball slowly, trying to see which part he could do better.


    ''My wrist is a bit stiff. Maybe, I need to rx a little.''


    Yuki yed with his wrist a little before taking a deep breath, starting to do his serve again. This time, Kato gave a purple color, the sign to target far into the baseline on the left side. It was the spot where Yuki failed to aim before, yet this time, he hit the ball with confidence.


    Riku who watched from the outside widened his eyes as he saw the quality of the serve was far better than before. It flew far to the back where Yuki was aiming in the first ce. Riku kept his eyes close to the ball until¡­


    *Thug!*


    "Out!" The blonde boy shouted.


    Still, even though the ball didn''t go into the circle Yuki was aiming for, Riku knew this attempt was closer than before. The ball justnded slightly further, yet everything Yuki did was right. And it seemed the sses boy also realized that as he also had a big grin on his face.


    ''Finally, there is something here!''


    -0-


    Unbeknown to them, in the teacher''s office, Akira took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. The drawing of the first round of the national tournament was finally over, and the result was on his desk. He hadn''t seen it yet, praying inwardly that the worst-case scenario didn''t happen.


    Unfortunately, Murphy''sw worked like a bitch here.


    The moment he saw the name of the school paired against Tsunemori, Akira widened his eyes, his mind went nk. After a while, he finally reacted, yet only one word came out of his mouth.


    "Shit!"

 Chapter 36: The First Opponent of the Tournament!

    Yuki yawned tiredly as he stretched his stiff body, having a hard time waking up early by now due to the harsh training in the volleyball team. Akira had been crazy in the past few days, kept increasing their training portion to the maximum limit, pushing them to the edge in every session. He didn''t know why the coach suddenly did that, but still, no one dared toin.


    After gathering his soul, Yuki blinked for a few seconds before checking his phone. It was his morning routine now, checking any new information either from the ss''s group or from the team''s group. He furrowed his brows the moment he saw thetest update on the team''s group.


    ''Gather up at 6:30. I have an announcement to make.''


    There was no morning training today, and Akira had never asked for a team meeting this sudden. Yuki wondered what kind of announcement his coach was going to make. Still, he rose from the bed before doing his morning routine, tidying it up and taking a cold shower before he went down to the kitchen.


    There, Yuki could see Aiko was preparing for everyone''s breakfast alone as the other children hadn''t woken up yet.


    "Are you having a morning training?" Aiko asked without even looking at him, flipping the egg on the pan proficiently.


    "No, Obaasan. But Akira-sensei wants us to have a team meeting this morning, so I have to go early." Yuki answered while chucking a slice of in bread into his mouth. "What about you? How does your day look?" He asked back.


    "Hmm¡­ Let me think about it¡­" Aiko pondered for a second. "After apanying Mai-chan to her school, I have to go with Hiko-kun for his checkup, and after that, go for some shopping to fill the fridge. After that, I will probably go to Sachi-san''s ce like yesterday. Oh, thank you for introducing us, by the way."


    "Don''t worry about it." Yuki waved his hand nonchntly.


    Yeah, since Yuki didn''t work again after getting sponsored by the Silvestri family, he brought Aiko to Sachi so that the matron could rece him there. Fortunately, the old woman didn''t mind that, weing Aiko enthusiastically. Yuki was d though that Aiko could work there, as it meant she could cut off her work as a waiter which exhausted all of her energy and reced it with the easier job.


    After checking the time on his phone, Yuki rose from his seat while snatching two more slices of bread. "Sorry, Obaasan. I have to go first."


    "Well, don''t forget to text me if you wille backte, okay?"


    "Sure!" Yuki nodded, putting on a pair of shoes that the twin sisters of the Silvestri family bought for him. "Bye, Obaasan! Say hello to everyone for me!"


    "Bye! Take care!"


    On the road, Yuki met Kaede and Okamura who came from the other side, they both had the same tired look on their face as him.


    "Good morning, Senpai." Yuki greeted politely.


    "Morning." Okamura yawned big. "Any idea why Akira-sensei calls us this early?"


    "Nope." Yuki shook his head. "But if I have to guess, it is probably rted to how anxious he was in thest couple of days."


    "You are right. And it is us who received the end of it. Life is unfair, for sure." Kaede grumbled. "By the way, I heard you have been training your serve recently. How did it go?"


    Yuki cringed a bit when he remembered his training. "It didn''t go as well as I thought." He admitted. While there were several asions where he seemed to get inspiration, Yuki couldn''t still control his serve as well as he was expecting himself to be.


    "Well, that is training for you. Not everything would go instantly even for a genius like you. Just enjoy the process and don''t be too anxious." Unexpectedly, Kaede gave him good advice.


    "Yeah." Yuki nodded quietly.


    It still amazed him how Yuki could get this close to his senpai, especially after the big mess he made that sent all the third-year yers out of the team. Fortunately, the sophomore yers had no hard feelings for him, and after getting tortured together by Akira, they were as close as they could be right now.


    It seemed it was true that only suffering together could bring people closer immediately.


    They arrived at the school ten minutester, and there were still no students could be seen around them. There was still one hour before the ss began, so it was no wonder the school was still pretty empty. But the moment those three entered the gymnasium, they were surprised to see they were thest ones to arrive.


    All the five yers together with Megumi and Akira were already gathering there, waiting for their arrival.


    "Good, you are here. We can finally start our meeting." Akira nodded.


    Yuki sat next to Riku immediately, whispering to the blonde boy quietly, "What happened?"


    "I don''t know. Jiisan has been so cranky in thest few days that I don''t want to be in his sight again until he is better." Riku shrugged, yawned big. It seemed he was also still sleepy here.


    After a while, Akira finally coughed, gaining everyone''s attention. When all eyes were on him, he announced immediately, not beating around the bush. "The drawing for the first round is out already."


    There was silence for a couple of seconds as his words were still processed inside everyone''s heads until it was Kaede who reacted first. "Really? Howe we haven''t heard anything about it yet?" He asked skeptically.


    "Because I haven''t told you anything about it yet, sorry about that one," Akira admitted freely. "At first, I want to tell you only after I have an idea of how to deal with them, but unfortunately, our first opponent would be a massive headache."


    While Yuki had no reaction on his face, the other yers were confused. The first round usually was filled with either weak teams or new teams. There should be no strong opponent there. Or even if there was, it should be a new school that went under the radar, so there was no way their coach would be this worried.


    Unfortunately, they were so wrong this time.


    "Our next opponent is¡­" Akira sighed deeply before continuing, "Shimoyawata High."


    Silence settled over once again, and this time, it was more severe. Even without knowing anything about Shimoyawata High, Yuki knew by everyone''s reaction that this was a strong team.


    Apparently, Riku also noticed that and asked the question, "So, are they as strong as Matsukita?" Since the only opponent he faced in this country was Matsukita, the blonde boy could onlypare the next opponent to them.


    "As strong as Matsukita? Definitely no." Akira snorted. "But in thest couple of years, they were probably the most famous rising star in Japan''s volleyball. Just three years after they joined the tournament, they made a hugemotion by beating everyone in Tokyo before being beaten by Konan High.


    And since then, up until now, only two teams have managed to beat them in a real game, and that is Konan and Matsukita High."


    Riku widened his eyes in surprise. "Howe such a good team dropped into the first round? Should they be qualified for the second or the third round immediately?"


    "Well, they should be, if only the incident one year ago didn''t happen." Akira nodded. Yuki straightened his back immediately, ready to listen to the story. "At that time, they have just recruited Ezaki Tachi, probably the most talented hitter in the middle school tournament two years ago.


    All their supporters were excited, thinking that it was finally the year they would beat the top two national teams. Unfortunately, in the quarter-final of the Tokyo tournament, Ezaki suddenly snapped, throwing a fist toward the referee, creating a big chaos.


    Long story short, he and the team were punished by a year ban from allpetitions and had topete from zero again, and this tournament would be theireback time."


    "And they would y against us, for fuck''s sake!" Kaede groaned immediately. "What the fuck happened to our luck?!" The atmosphere there turned gloomy as everyone also cursed their luck.


    This was the worst situation for the team. They hadn''t recovered from losing their important third-year yers yet, and the first opponent they would have met was probably the strongest team out of everyone in the first round.


    For a moment, the future seemed to be so bleak that even Riku who was usually cheerful couldn''t say a single word. However, the one who felt stressed the most was Akira. Even though he had never said anything yet to the team, he still remembered the headmaster''s ultimatum.


    ''If your team couldn''t reach the semifinal, unfortunately, we have to give up on you and the team as well.''

 Chapter 37: The Night Before the Game

    KY: We are going to have our first game tomorrow.


    Gabrie: Really? That fast?


    Isabe: What do you mean that fast? It is almost May already!


    Gabrie: Shut up, Be!


    Isabe: Make me!


    Maria: Girls¡­


    Maria: Still, I am so excited about your first game!


    Maria: Don''t forget to take a photo, okay?!


    Maria: No matter winning or lose, just enjoy the game!


    Maria: Good luck!


    Yuki shut his eyes, closing his phone after he read thest message from Maria. It was the night before the game, and while the time on his clock showed 22:12 already, he still couldn''t fall asleep. Somehow, he felt a bit nervous about the game tomorrow.


    Yes, nervous. Something Yuki had never expected he would feel. However, this feeling was understandable. While he had already yed for the team when they yed against Matsukita, tomorrow would be his first official appearance for Tsunemori. The word official seemed to put a weight on his shoulders, and coupled with how difficult the opponent was tomorrow, everything added up to mess up his nerves.


    Shaking his head a little since no sleepiness attacked him yet, Yuki opened his phone once again, operating it for a while before sending a quick text to a group.


    KY: Hello?


    KY: Is there anyone still alive here?


    It was a group created by Riku for the three tomunicate with each other. Honestly, Yuki didn''t expect anyone to answer his text, considering howte it was. However, he was wrong. Within a few seconds, someone replied to his message.


    Ayaka Kato: What''s up?


    Yuki raised one of his eyebrows slightly before his fingers flew over the keypad.


    KY: It is rare for you to still be awake thiste, let alone answering any texts. What are you doing?


    KY: And I half-expected Agostini to answer this first.


    Ayaka Kato: IMG1.jpg *check thement to see the picture.


    Ayaka Kato: Our local Lothario is probably still busy with his ''friends''. Maybe you can tell him to stop.


    Yuki couldn''t help but blush a little when he saw the image sent by Kato. It was her in a white hoodie in front of the telescope, seemingly busy with some parts of it. While he had never admitted it, it was hard for Yuki to deny that his friend was pretty.


    Still, Yuki chuckled a bit when he saw her next message. Lothario was the new nickname Kato gave to Riku since she was fuming at how flirtatious the blonde boy was toward the opposite sex. The most frustrating thing was that his charm worked perfectly for the female students in the ss, infuriating Kato more. That was why she called him that.


    KY: Where is that?


    KY: By the way, I have never seen you taking a photo of yourself. What''s up?


    KY: And for our local lothario, I don''t know where he is right now, honestly.


    Ayaka Kato: It is near Mitake-san.


    Ayaka Kato: I don''t know. Just feel like it.


    Ayaka Kato: What about you? It is rare for you too to still be awake thiste


    Ayaka Kato: Are you¡­. Nervous?


    Yuki sighed at thest message before sending back a reply.


    KY: Yeah. Any encouragement?


    Ayaka Kato: Well¡­ It is good to be nervous. Means you take everything seriously. Just do your best.


    Yuki waited for a moment for her to add more. However, after a while, there was no new message again, which dumbfounded him somehow.


    KY: That''s it? No encouragement that I have been working hard and will win tomorrow?


    Ayaka Kato: That would make you arrogant and it would hurt more when you lose.


    Ayaka Kato: Remember, it is not just you who work hard, but the opponent too.


    Ayaka Kato: If every hard work deserves a win, it will be unfair for the one who loses the game.


    Ayaka Kato: Just do your best, and let the better team win.


    Ayaka Kato: That is my advice.


    Yuki couldn''t help but smile when he read all of that. Maybe, this was the kind of encouragement that he wanted. Not the ''You will win because you work hard'' kind of speech, but the realistic one.


    KY: Thanks. I appreciate the advice.


    At that time, all the nervousness inside him suddenly disappeared. No, not disappear. It was still here, but at least, Yuki was finally able to ignore it, easing the tension that he felt for thest few hours.


    For the next hour, he kept chatting with Kato, talking about everything from Riku''s behavior to the astronomical objects she wanted to see. Without him noticing, his consciousness suddenly slipped away, as his body finally fell into the bed.


    -0-


    The next morning, Yuki woke up pretty early. Even though he stayed upte, his biological clock kicked in, not allowing him to stay in bed longer. He prepared for the day quickly, washing his face and brushing his teeth before changing into the green jersey he hung outside. It was his own jersey, with the number 19 written on the back.


    To his surprise though, all of the children were already in the kitchen, waiting for him eagerly.


    "Yuki-nii! You are finally here! We have been waiting for you!" One of them eximed.


    "Today is your first game, right? Is your opponent strong?"


    "Don''t be an idiot! It is Yuki-nii we are talking about! He is that awesome!"


    "Yeah! No one would be able to beat him!"


    Aiko chuckled richly when she heard the debate erupt among the children before staring fondly at Yuki who was still dumbfounded. "They insist for me to wake them up early, wanting to send you off for today''s game."


    Yuki couldn''t help but feel touched by their support. Looking at the children who were staring at him in admiration while some still had their debate running around, he couldn''t help but let out a chuckle too.


    "Thank you. I appreciate it." His tone was genuine.


    "Don''t worry, my boy." Aiko hugged him fondly. "Just give your best and have fun outside! No matter what happens, we will always be here."


    Yuki couldn''t help but chuckle again,ughing at how perfectly simr Aiko''s advice with what Kato and Maria said in the text yesterday. He enjoyed the breakfast with all the children amidst the noisiness that seemed to be a bit too early,ughing together whenever someone said or did silly things.


    For a moment, hepletely forgot about his nervousness. His heart was warm, knowing that all the advice he received was right. No matter what happened, this was just one game. Everyone would still be here even though they lost today. The most important thing was to have fun and do his best.


    With that new motivation, Yuki put on his shoes before nodding to the others, a smile couldn''t be hidden from his face. "I will go first. Be obedient to Aiko-obaasan, okay?"


    "Yes, Yuki-nii!"


    "Good luck!"


    -0-


    Meanwhile, in Shimoyawata High, all the volleyball team''s yers were ready for the game too. Excitement could be seen even from afar since everyone couldn''t wait for their first game after the one-year ban they have suffered.


    "Everyone is ready, right?" Their coach asked. "Let''s use this Tsunemori High as our stepping stone to tell everyone that Shimoyawata is back! Are you guys with me?!"


    "YES, SIR!"

 Chapter 38: Start with A Bang!

    The first round of the tournament would be held with one of the teams acting as the host. This would be the case for at least until the third round, and after that, everything would be held in the Tokyo Gymnasium. Unfortunately, Tsunemori''s luck on the draw was bad enough that they had to be the guest for this round.


    Yuki and the other Tsunemori yers had to gather at the school first before they went together to catch the subway in the Edogawa Station, continuing their journey to the Naka Meguro Station for about twenty minutes. It took five more minutes for them from the station to go to Shimoyawata High by walking, and the moment they arrived there, they already felt exhausted.


    "Man, the home advantage is unfair," Kaedemented, stretching his body after couldn''t move freely on the subway.


    "Well, it is what it is. If we win the game, the second round will be on our home court." Okamura said.


    "Yeah, if we win," Kaede said gloomily.


    The atmosphere turned heavy as once again, they were reminded of how strong their first opponent was. Akira sighed, knowing that this couldn''t be helped. Usually, he would try to encourage his yers, knowing thating to the opponent''s home court with this spirit meant they had already lost half of the battle.


    Still, no matter what kind of encouragement he had in his head, the coach knew it would be futile right now.


    What the yers needed right now was to experience it themselves, letting everyone know the opponent was beatable.


    "Okay, everyone! Let''s go!"


    -0-


    The moment they entered the gymnasium, all the Tsunemori yers were greeted by the sight of Shimoyawata''s yers warming up. Several of them were intimidated by how hard their soon-to-be opponent''s yers spiked the ball. Still, Yuki didn''t have that feeling at all. It wasn''t like he was calm or arrogant, but when hepared them to Matsukita''s hitters, it seemed theycked something in it.


    "Okay, everyone! Gather up!" Akiramanded after talking for a while with the opponent''s head coach. "Before warming up, I will talk for thest time, so listen carefully."


    All his yers nodded solemnly, having their attention full on the coach.


    "First, our starting yers," Akira announced. While he had already announced this yesterday, the coach still repeated his words. "Hirano-kun, middle blocker. Riku, Setter. Kaede and Kobayashi-kun, opposite hitters. Ogawa-kun and Koji-kun, outside hitters.


    Okamura-kun, be ready for rotation whenever we need a libero. Asahi-kun, you will be our weapon in the second set, be prepared to rece anyone who is exhausted first, okay?"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    Akira sighed in relief, feeling lucky that in such a messed-up team, there was someone like Asahi who had a team-oriented mind. Even though two freshmen yed over him, Asahi didn''t make a fuss, supporting everyone while always getting ready to y at any time. Akira didn''t have any intention to take advantage of his willingness, though.


    He still nned to give Asahi the minutes y he deservedter.


    "Lastly, I will not talk a lot about strategy." Akira turned solemn. "You have been in the hell training I design, so you should know how I want to approach the game. Stay connected, keepmunicating, and don''t let the ball fall. No matter how hard the opponent attacks us, as long as we can still return the ball, we haven''t lost yet. Do you understand?!"


    "YES, SIR!"


    "Good! Now, give me your best out there!"


    -0-


    After warming up for the next fifteen minutes, the official referee finally arrived. He called the Shimoyawata''s captain and Koji who acted as the temporary captain for Tsunemori to have a coin toss. After a quick coin toss, Koji won it and asked to serve the ball first. He gave it to Riku who knew what his duty was here.


    ''Riku, Kobayashi, listen to me.'' Akira called the two freshmen before the game. ''Our morale is low right now, and no one here believes we can win today. So, when the opportunity knocks in, I need you both to raise the morale of the team, making everyone think that our opponent is beatable too. Can you do it?''


    Both Yuki and Riku stared at each other before asking, ''How?''


    ''It is easy.'' Akira grinned widely. ''Just do it with a bang!''


    Riku took a deep breath, ncing at Yuki who gave him a nod of encouragement. After seeing how the opponents prepared themselves, the blonde boy knew this was the opportunity that Akira talked about.


    ''They underestimate us. If we cannot score with such a nonchnt opponent, we might as well give the win to them.''


    The moment he threw the ball in the air before starting his run-up and jumped, all the Shimoyawata yers had their eyes widened in shock. They didn''t expect there would be a yer who could do a jump serve in the Tsunemori squad.


    "Fall back!" One of them shouted,manding the others to get ready.


    Riku had no time to care for all of that. The moment his hand contacted the ball, he unleashed a powerful serve that sailed towards the opponent''s side.


    *BAM!*


    There was a panic for a moment in Shimoyawata as they didn''t see thising. In the middle of the chaos, one yer suddenly moved, taking over the serve. However, he could only receive it, not able to control the ball as it flew back to Tsunemori''s side.


    "Sorry! Bad receive!" The one who did that apologized immediately.


    "Don''t worry! Get ready to defend!"


    "Chance ball!"


    "Mine!" Yuki shouted immediately, asking everyone to take a step aside.


    All the Shimoyawata yers moved already to their base position, ready to stop Tsunemori''s offense. All the eyes were on Yuki who received the ball and Riku, the setter of the team. They wanted to know how the blonde boy would initiate the first attack of the game.


    Unfortunately, they didn''t know it wasn''t just Riku who could set a ball.


    As the ball flew in his direction, instead of receiving it to the setter like a normal yer would do, Yuki did the opposite. He received it with an overhead pass, initiating the attack directly from the first touch. He tossed the ball perfectly to the middle front, and within a second, a yellow hair shed like lightning.


    The blonde who had just done his serve suddenly appeared in front of the, and as the ball was above him, he jumped, mming the ball hard to the opposite side of the court.


    *BAM!*


    All the Shimoyawata yers could only stare at the ball nkly. From the serve to the spike, it only took Tsunemori five seconds to attack. No one from their side would expect that their opponent wouldn''t go for the regr three-touch attack to set up the tempo first, but quickly pull out their gun from the beginning.


    When they stared at the two main actors of the y, they felt shiver down their spine as both Yuki and Riku stared back at them hungrily.


    That was the stare of a predator hunting their prey.

 Chapter 39: Quick Four Points Lead!

    "Good job, Riku!"


    "Nice spike!"


    "Damn! That serve is killer!"


    All the Tsunemori yers praised the blonde excitedly. While they knew Riku had a powerful ace, they didn''t expect it would work against Shimoyawata. Well, they should have expected that, since it worked a few times against Matsukita. Still, this was a good thing for Tsunemori whose morale was low before.


    As for Riku himself, he furrowed his brows before turning at Yuki, asking, "Wha the hell is that set? Slow it down, Kobayashi!"


    "What do you mean by slow it down? You think I don''t know how fast you can run? Please, don''t be such a baby." Yuki just rolled his eyes, looking at him in disgust.


    They both red at each other for a moment, making everyone afraid that the two freshmen would make amotion. It seemed they had not forgotten yet the cause of all the chaos inside the team was those two.


    However, their worry was unwarranted, since a secondter, they both had a simr grin on his face before high-fiving each other.


    "Good job, Kobayashi!" Riku''s grin was ear to ear as he praised his sses friend.


    "Yeah! You executed the ball perfectly." Yuki also nodded, praising back his blonde friend.


    Still, they were not as excited as the others. For both Yuki and Riku, thest y was just a normal operation, built from the understanding of each other''s ability to react. Yuki knew Riku was as good as any hitter when he was given a chance, and he also knew the blonde boy liked to do a quick attack, so he gave a quick set near the to take the opportunity of the confusion from the opponent.


    The same could be said for Riku who understood his friend''s ability to set the ball really well, so he could just let the sses boy take over the ball.


    This was the connection between them both that came from always ying with each other in thest month.


    "Come on, Agostini. Give us a good serve again!"


    "Sure!"


    Riku took the ball again, bringing it to the outside of the court for another serve. The momentum was on his side, and as all the confidence in the world was in his grasp, the blonde boy unleashed another powerful serve. However, Shimoyawata was ready this time. There was no chaos on their side as they moved neatly, giving room for the yer who received Riku''s serve before to do the same again.


    *BAM!*


    "Sorry! That is a bad one!" The yer apologized quickly.


    The ball he received flew close to the, far from the setter who was on the right side. Having no choice, the on the left side had to cover for the second ball, and as he was no setter, he couldn''t set it perfectly to his teammates, wasting the opportunity for them to attack.


    "Send it to the number 19! Don''t let him get the second ball!" One of them shouted.


    It seemed since Yuki set the ball earlier, Shimoyawata thought Tsunemori''s setter was him. It was a good strategy to force the setter to receive the first ball. Unfortunately, they werepletely wrong here.


    "Agostini!"


    "Got it!"


    The moment Yuki shouted Riku''s name, the blonde boy prepared himself immediately to initiate the attack. All the opponent''s yers had their eyes widened at the gesture, looking at the blonde boy in disbelief.


    "What the hell?! Isn''t he the outside hitter?!"


    Yeah, they mistook Riku as an outside hitter since he delivered a powerful serve and spike before. Seeing the moment of confusion that hit the opponent one more time, of course, Riku didn''t hesitate to take advantage of it.


    He tossed the ball far to the left side where Koji was waiting, and the second-year hitter executed the y perfectly, sending a cross spike to the right back of the opponent''s side.


    *BAM!*


    "OSH! Nice spike, Koji-senpai!"


    "Yeah! Goddamnit, Koji! That is such a beautiful cross!"


    "Hey, don''t shake my hair like that, you bastard!"


    As the Tsunemori yers celebrated another point for them, their opponent gathered around, discussing about what to do. Gone was all the trace of yfulness and excitement that could be seen before, and now, they all had this serious expression that meant business.


    "Ueno, what do you think? Who is the setter between those two?" Hideo, the captain of the team asked.


    Ueno, the boy with ponytail hair who was also the setter of the team shook his head. "It is difficult to determine that right now. While the blondie looks more natural, the quick set the four-eyes did is not something anyone who has no experience could pull that easily. I need more time to observe."


    After pondering for a moment, Hideo finally said, "Maybe, it is their strategy to mess with us. Facing such a difficult opponent like those two, we need to be more careful to not fall into their trick. Keep your eyes on them carefully, okay?"


    "Sure."


    That was a solid approach based on logical reasoning. Unfortunately, they made a rookie mistake here. Too focused on figuring out who was the real setter, they forgot to talk about the dire threat from Tsunemori that they hadn''t solved yet, and that was Riku''s ace serve.


    That was why when the next serve came, they had no strategy to deal with it, could only repeat their mistake earlier.


    *BAM!*


    "SHIT! Someone, cover it up!"


    "I got it!"


    Luckily for them, while the ball was flying far outside of the sideline, the closest yer to get the ball was Ueno. As a setter, he had the ability to start an attack even though he was in an unfavorable position. Without even looking at his teammates, he sent the ball back to the court, straight to the yer with the jersey number 3 on the right side.


    Since it was an emergency set, the uracy was not good, and the set was too short for the number 3 to spike the ball with full power. He wanted to aim the ball to a specific spot in Tsunemori''s blockers to get a second chance to attack. However, the two big walls formed by Hirano and Yuki ¨C who suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the front line ¨C were enough to stop the attack.


    *BAM!*


    "OH! A clean block! Nice one, Hirano!"


    "Good job closing the gap too, Kobayashi!"


    "Come on!"


    As the momentum for Tsunemori was at its peak, Riku put thest nail in the coffin by hitting an untouchable powerful ace serve, straight piercing the defense area between the middle back and the left back, adding the lead for Tsunemori into four points.


    "YOSSHAAAAAA!" Riku roared wildly, followed by the other yers whose excitement went far and beyond.


    It was at this time that the Shimoyawata''s head coach finally rose from his spot and asked for the referee, "TIME OUT!"

 Chapter 40: Survival Mode! (I)

    Miura Hata, the head coach of Shimoyawata High crossed his arms in front of his chest, staring at his yers with a nk expression. This kind of nk was something that his yers knew exactly what it meant. His coach was pissed. That was why they just bowed their head, not daring to meet his eyes directly.


    After the ufortable silencested for a few moments, Miura finally sighed, saying, "It seems a part of this is also my fault." He admitted. His yers raised their heads immediately, looking at him in disbelief. He continued, "I am too excited for our first game, thinking of making a statement that we are back and the only worthy opponents for us are Matsukita and Konan.


    You are just poisoned by my thoughts, so I apologize."


    Everyone around him just stared at each other confusedly, didn''t know what to say.


    "Fortunately, this happened in the first round, so we have a chance to fix it quickly." He continued. "Let''s start thinking about our immediate problem first, and that is how to stop the ace serve from that number 7." His eyes turned to the blonde boy on the other side of the court.


    Everyone straightened their back when they heard this.


    "Of course, I can put Kubo-kun on the court this early, and it would solve everything," Miura said. Kubo was the libero of the team and probably the best defensive yer they had right now. "But it would mess up our entire rotation system. Besides, if we have difficulty ying against Tsunemori, what would we do against Matsukita or Konan? You still remember their serve squad, right?"


    The solemn nods were shared by everyone there as they had been studying about those two teams for a long time and knew how terrifying they were.


    "Since I will not bring Kubo-kun this early, that means we need to think of a way to stop the opponent''s serve. Your approach before was good, clearing the area and letting Wakamatsu receive the ball. You just need a bit more time to adapt to his serve. Sooner, you will get it. But let''s modify it a little. Hideo, you will also help him, okay?"


    "Yes, Sir!" The captain of the team nodded firmly.


    "Good. Here is what we are going to do¡­"


    -0-


    A momentter, the referee blew his whistle, asking for the yers from both teams to go back to the court. The timeout was over, and the game should be continued again. The atmosphere in Tsunemori was bright, everyone was still excited for this quick lead.


    They all heard the reputation of Shimoyawata High as a school that could break the hegemony of Konan and Matsukita in the past, so for them to dominate the game this early, it was like a fever dream.


    However, their cheerfulness was subdued a bit when they saw the expression of their opponents change. Gone was all the arrogance before, reced with the firm determination that only meant business. No one looked down on Tsunemori anymore, knowing that it could bring them to their downfall.


    "So, they are finally starting to get serious, huh?" Yuki muttered.


    "Yeah." Riku nodded with a solemn expression. "It seems we are finally going to see their real ability. Be careful."


    "You too."


    The game was restarted again with another serve from Riku. However, while it was still powerful like before, the moment the blonde boy unleashed its serve, all the Shimoyawata yers rushed forward, leaving two in the back to receive the ball. This was the perfect strategy to cut off the opponent''s serve momentum.


    By putting one or two best defenders of the team, the others rushed forward, ready to counterattack by overwhelming Tsunemori''s blockers with their number.


    *BAM!*


    "Nice receive, Wakamatsu!"


    Wakamatsu, the yer with jersey number 6 who failed a few times to receive Riku''s serve earlier saved the ball perfectly. It was true what Miura said before, that what Wakamatsu needed was time. The ball flew straight into the setter''s position on the right side, and with three yers ready to attack, Ueno, the setter of Shimoyawata had a lot of choices to pick here.


    Yuki had his eyespletely on Ueno. He observed every detail of his movement before finally reacting.


    "Hirano-senpai, left!"


    Hearing that, Hirano moved quickly toward the left. By now, everyone on the Tsunemori team had already acknowledged that Yuki''s game-reading ability was far superiorpared to the others. That was why when Yukimanded one thing, even Hirano, the proudest of them all had to listen to what he said.


    Yuki himself didn''t just stand there and do nothing. Even though he was on the right side, he still followed Hirano''s movement. It would be good for the middle blocker to have someone assisting him, at least it would cover up the space around him.


    Unfortunately, this decision was proven to be incorrect a secondter, when Hirano managed to deflect the opponent''s spike to slow it down, the referee suddenly blew his whistle.


    *FWEEE!*


    "Eh?" Yuki turned his head immediately, confused at the referee who signaled it was a point for Shimoyawata. "What happened?" He asked.


    "It is a blocking fault." The referee exined. "You touched the first before your teammate made contact with the ball."


    This was a new knowledge for Yuki. He could only nod silently, couldn''t evenin to anyone. Still, he regretted the momentum that would be gone after this since Shimoyawata finally got their first point.


    "Kobayashi," Hirano suddenly called his name, surprising Yuki a bit. In his memory, this was probably the second time hemunicated with the middle blocker directly, the first one was when they introduced each other in the past. "You don''t have toe to help me. Let me do the blocking alone, join the others to defend the back side. Just tell me where to go."


    Once again, Yuki was surprised. This was the longest he had ever heard Hirano talk, and it had been about a month since he joined the team. Still, the sses boy furrowed his brows, couldn''t agree with his senpai''s request. In his mind, blocking was a team event, couldn''t be done by only one person. However, before he could say anything, he was dragged immediately by Kaede.


    "Don''t worry, Kobayashi. Just follow his words. In terms of blocking, there is no person in this team that could beat him."


    Even though Yuki hesitated, looking at the conviction in his senpai''s face, he could only nod, decided to trust them for once. It wasn''t like he couldn''t help in the blocking, and if the worst happened, he could go back on the front line. And it would be a lie if Yuki said he was not curious about why anyone could trust Hiranopletely in terms of blocking.


    With this, he would be able to see directly, how Hirano took control of the front side.


    ''Well, let''s hope it is not a mistake¡­'' He murmured.

 Chapter 41: Survival Mode! (II)

    The game continued again, and like a phone that was just recharged, Tsunemori''s yers found their opponent came with a new spirit, kept attacking them while not giving them any time to breathe.


    *BAM!*


    "Nice save, Kobayashi!"


    Cover up! Don''t let it fall!"


    Even though Yuki hadn''t seen Hirano''s fullest ability as the middle blocker, he was able to catch a glimpse of it, and it would be a lie for the sses boy to say he was not impressed. While it took a while for him to notice, after receiving three spikes in a row, Yuki was finally convinced that Hirano yed a big role in it.


    He didn''t know what his senpai did, but the middle blocker managed to force the opponent to hit the ball in his direction.


    "Riku! Left!"


    Seeing Koji start running from the left side, Riku sent the ball there, hoping that the outside hitter would break the opponent''s blocker. Unfortunately, while Koji had the potential to be an ace, his strength wasn''t enough yet. He was not Noriyuki who had enough strength to pierce any blocker in front of him.


    *BAM!*


    "One chance! Ueno!"


    "I got this!"


    The rally had been running for at least one minute full, with Shimoyawata pressing while Tsunemori was forced to fight for their life just to keep the ball alive. Don''t underestimate one minute, thinking it wasn''t a long time. The fact was, that volleyball was a fast-tempo game. Just in that short period, Yuki had already received four spikes in a row from the opponent.


    And this time, he was already preparing himself once again to receive another spikeing from the opponent''s captain, Hideo. Unfortunately, he was too far to the middle, couldn''t reach the ball as Hideo unleashed a powerful spike straight near the sideline.


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSHAA!" Hideo clenched his fist, celebrating another point he contributed to his team.


    "Sorry about that one." Yuki apologized immediately. "I am not quick enough to recover and go back to my position."


    "No, that''s my fault." Kaede shook his head. "I should''ve covered your spot the moment I saw you fought like that. My bad."


    If only Akira could hear the conversation, he would shed tears immediately. Themunication problem that haunted the team for a long time finally started to disappear. It seemed his strategy worked. By forcing all of his yers to survive together in several extreme training sessions, they would get close to each other quickly without any awkwardness between them.


    Still, it wasn''t the right time for Akira to be happy with that. The coach bit his lips, knowing that the wave of attacks woulde from the opponent after this. He pped his hands, instructing, "Everyone, always cover each other! Don''t try to y alone! Alwaysmunicate with each other when you need help!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    The next few minutes turned into a survival mode for Tsunemori. The wave of attacks kepting from the other side of the, never stopped until their defense broke. However, Tsunemori put up a stubborn fight by keeping the ball alive. The training they had with Akira for thest few weeks was always about this, and it finally paid off.


    "Kaede-senpai! Left! He is going for a straight!"


    "Got it!"


    *BAM!*


    The ball flew once again, back to Shimoyawata''s side as Kaede couldn''t receive the ball perfectly. This happened a few times, whenever the ball was aimed at anyone but Yuki. Akira gritted his teeth, watching as the opponent was about to initiate an attack once again.


    This was the shoring that he also noticed about his team. They only had two decent defenders in Yuki and Okamura as the libero. Even though Akira had tortured his yers for days and nights about receiving, there was little he could do in less than a month. While their reflex was clearly better than before, there were still only two yers who met his requirement to be a defender.


    "Free ball! Ueno!"


    "Got it!"


    Yuki stared at the setter once again, trying to figure out where the ball would go. Fortunately, unlike Amagi from Matsukita, this Ueno couldn''t hide his intention more subtly. He would always nce a little toward the teammate he wanted to give the ball before sending it, making everything easier for Yuki to guess.


    Not an easy thing to do, of course, to notice that single second when the setter nced. But with Yuki''s dynamic vision, it was like staring at an elephant trying to cross the road.


    And when he noticed Ueno nced subtly at someone who started running from the back, Yuki reacted immediately.


    "Kaede-senpai! Stay there!"


    It wasn''t a call for Kaede to receive the ball, but for the second-year yer to step aside. Yuki had his eyes locked in, ready to handle the next y by himself. True to his prediction, the setter went for a quick attack from the middle, using two yers who also jumped at the same time on the wing side as a distraction. By now, Yuki knew he didn''t have to worry about the blocker.


    Hirano would just handle it perfectly, and all he needed to do was wait for the ball.


    *BAM!*


    Another spike was unleashed. Hirano managed to touch it first. Unfortunately, the ball deflected far outside of the court. Yuki reacted quickly, rushing outside while his eyes were still locked into the ball. When it was within his reach, he dived, stretching his arms far forward before punching the ball back to the court.


    "OH! NICE SAVE, KOBAYASHI!"


    However, it wasn''t over. While yes, the ball flew back to the court, it was close to the, threatening to fly over to the Shimoyawata''s side once again. Realizing that, Riku sprinted, outstretching his arms in a desperate bid to reach the ball before it could cross the.


    But just as he was about to get his hands on the ball, Hideo, the captain of the team, sprang into the air with an incredible burst of speed, his long legs propelling him higher than Riku''s outstretched arms. With a nimble touch, he tapped the ball, sending it fluttering down to the floor, just out of Riku''s reach.


    As the ball rolled on the floor, a sense of despair and exhaustion suddenly attacked the entire Tsunemori yers. Before Hideo killed the y, it was a long rally, with them surviving one attack after another. But when in the end, they still lost the point, they couldn''t help but curse inwardly, a thought suddenly crossed their mind.


    ''Damn! They are finally getting serious! How can we beat them now?''

 Chapter 42: Substitution to Change the Game!

    Akira sighed, ncing at the scoreboard for a moment before turning at his yers who were too exhausted to exchange conversation. After losing another five points in a row and the score was overtaken by Shimoyawata, he decided to ask for a timeout. Not only to give his yers a break but also to cut off the opponent''s momentum, just like what the other team did to them before.


    Still, the atmosphere here was so gloomy right now.


    Even though no one spoke anything, Akira could guess what they were thinking right now. The loss of thest five points earlier hurt, especially considering how hard they defended the ball. They put up a stubborn fight, not giving the opponent any easy points while also trying to strike back whenever they had a chance.


    But when all their efforts produced nothing, they would definitely start questioning themselves, can they really beat their opponent?


    "Okay, everyone! Listen to me!" He raised his voice to get everyone''s attention. "Our strategy has been working pretty well until now, keep fighting over every ball and not giving them any easy point at all. We just have to be more clinical in our offense, not wasting opportunity in front of us."


    All the yers stared at each other silently, not knowing what to say. They also learned about their offense problem, but if only it was as easy to solve as Akira said.


    "Well, since we need a change in our offense, Asahi, you will y after this." Akira continued.


    "Yes, Sensei!" The bun-haired boy straightened his back while nodding firmly.


    "Kaede, you are out for now. Preserve your energy and be prepared toe in again whenever you are needed." Akira said to the opposite hitter.


    Yuki furrowed his brows for a moment, a bit confused with the change. While it was understandable to bring in Asahi from the bench since his senpai was better at attacking, it was illogical to rece Kaede who yed well until now. If anything, it should be Ogawa who hadn''t done anything yet up to this point.


    However, it seemed Akira had his own arrangement.


    "Asahi, you, Koji-kun, and Ogawa-kun will form a three-prong attack. Riku, you know what to do. Kobayashi-kun, if you can sneak from the shadow to add chaos, do it! Right now, what we need the most is to score, especially when our opponent thinks we don''t have enough guns to break their defense. This will alert them and at least open up many options for our offense. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    -0-


    The exhaustion didn''t just hit Tsunemori, but also Shimoyawata on the other side.


    "Damn, I have never thought our first opponent would be this stubborn." One of the yers cursed.


    "Yeah. I thought we have to wait for at least in the third or fourth round to get this kind of tough opponent." Someone nodded in agreement.


    "That number 19, though. He is something else." Hideo, the captain of the team shook his head while staring at Yuki. "He is reading us like an open book. That is something that even a top team in Tokyo would want their yers to have. I wonder why he joined Tsunemori."


    "Yeah! His game-reading ability is a beast!"


    Everyone on their team noticed that Tsunemori''s defense revolved around Yuki, and the sses boy had already proven to everyone else that he deserved the position. Still, knowing the fact was one thing, and knowing how to solve it was another. Miura, the coach of the team kept tapping his chin, pondering on what was the best approach for this situation.


    ''If they suddenly have a solution to fix their offense, we will be in trouble. We need to overwhelm them first before they can do anything. Should I bring more offensive yers to the court?'' Then, his eyes turned to a yer with jersey number 11 who tried his best to shrink his presence. ''Should I bring him in?''


    Miura shook his head quickly, denying the idea. ''No, he is only for emergency. If we couldn''t even beat a no-name school like Tsunemori, we might as well say goodbye to the tournament. And we are still on the lead, so why would I be so anxious?''


    After having that thought, Miura coughed, gaining all of his yers'' attention.


    "Okay, everyone! Listen to me!"


    -0-


    A few minutester, all the yers came back to the court. While there was still a bit of excitement shown in Shimoyawata''s side, they were more subdued right now. And while depression still lingered around Tsunemori''s side, they looked a bit betterpared to before the timeout.


    This was the essence of a timeout. By calling it, the coach wanted to cut off the momentum of the opponent while raising the morale of the team. That was what Miura did when Riku dominated the game with his serve, and that was also what Akira did too right now. This showed that both coaches mastered the timing of the timeout already.


    "Kobayashi, be careful." Riku patted his shoulder.


    Yuki nodded a little, rubbing his forearms a bit. By pulling out Kaede from the court, Tsunemori basically went all-attack for the game. Yuki knew why the coach did this, but it would make everything difficult for him who was responsible for defense.


    Fortunately, the opponent didn''t have anyone who could do a strong serve. Like this time, it was another ordinary one that went straight in his direction. Yuki had to wonder whether the opponent was dumb or something else, considering that he was the best defender of the team. Still, he received the ball, aiming it directly at Riku.


    "RIKU!"


    That shout was what made Yuki realize why the coach put Asahi on the court. The moment the ball went in Riku''s direction, Asahi on the right side started to sprint forward, raising his hand to ask for the ball. Meanwhile, Ogawa also did the same from the left wing, creating a perfect mirror of each other.


    Their movement was so in sync that it was impossible to predict who would receive the ball, something that didn''t happen when Kaede was there.


    Not only that, Koji also lurked from the dark, using Ogawa as a distraction to move from outside of the sideline. Hirano also did the same, stepping back a few before running to the middle, ready for a quick. At that time, Yuki remembered Akira''s message for him.


    ''If you have the opportunity, move from the shadow and create more chaos.''


    This was the opportunity that the coach talked about.


    Without hesitation, Yuki also moved to the right, supporting Asahi while spreading the opponent''s blocker thin. All the Shimoyawata yers had their eyes widened in shock, never expecting such an erratic coordination movement to be done in the middle of the game. They all stepped back except for two yers who acted as the middle blocker on the front, trying to guess where the ball would go.


    Would it be to the left?


    Would it be to the right?


    Or would it be a quick from the middle?


    They guessed wrong all the time, since Riku who went unnoticed by the opponent suddenly changed his stance. Instead of tossing the ball overhead, he reached it with one hand before flicking it gently toward the opponent''s area.


    The ball bounced once on the floor, and for a split second, all the Shimoyawata yers were paralyzed, unable to react in time. Then, they raised their head, turning their gaze to Riku in disbelief. The blonde boy himself just grins widely, wiggling his point finger yfully before provoking the entire opponent with one short sentence.


    "Don''t forget my existence, okay?"

 Chapter 43: A Tough Game for Both Teams!

    "Good job, Riku!"


    "Damn, that is awesome!"


    "How in the hell could you always have the coolest y of the day?!"


    All the yers with green jerseys on the court gathered around their setter, pping the blonde boy''s head excitedly. While they were still a bit down from being dominated by Shimoyawata, at least this y sparked a small fire inside them.


    Yuki could only shake his head in wonder when he saw Riku was surrounded by his senpai. He knew full well by now that this was the blondie''s modus operandi, always doing something shy to make everyone excited.


    "Oi, Kobayashi!" Riku suddenly called him when the blonde boy finally escaped from the crowds. "If you saw everyone moving to attack, you wait in the back for defense. If not, our team will be full of holes. Look into my eyes and you will know where I want to go, so you need to be ready to save the ball if it is blocked by the opponent."


    Yuki hummed for a second before nodding his head in understanding. That was a logical arrangement that he himself was embarrassed to admit it had never crossed his mind until now. There would always be one or two yers needed to cover whenever the team attacked, and right now, he was the most suitable out of everyone on the court.


    "Don''t worry, I will do that." He gave a thumb up toward his friend.


    The game continued with the tempo suddenly fastened, especially after Asahi joined the fun. Tsunemori shortened the gap little by little until at one point, they finally managed to tie the score again. It wasn''t like Asahi was so good that he could change the direction of the game, but he brought something different that elevated Tsunemori''s offense.


    Yeah, usually, the attack would be one-sided toward the left where all the heavy hitters gathered. It wasn''t like no one was able to do it from the right, but since most of them were right-handed hitters, they preferred to be on the left side. Whoever on the left side usually prepared themselves to get ready defending the attack from the opponent''s outside hitter.


    However, Asahi was a left-handed man, and he preferred to attack from the right side. That meant all the wing side was upied by Tsunemori yers, which activated Riku''s ability to spread out the blockers and attack the opponent with more variations.


    To put it simply, Asahi''s appearance unlocked Tsunemori''s offense from all over the court.


    *BAM!*


    "Nice receive, Wakamatsu!"


    That didn''t mean it was easier to pierce Shimoyawata''s defense, though. They were still tough as usual, proven by Wakamatsu who dived spectacrly to save the ball that was about to fall.


    "Ueno, keep calm! Don''t be hasty! We can kill it!"


    The setter nced around for a moment, looking at where he would send the ball. Fortunately, he hadn''t known that Yuki figured out his tick yet, so he didn''t know how the sses boy could read him like an open book.


    "Hirano-senpai, dump!" He shouted.


    Yuki could see the opponent''s setter was frustrated he was able to predict his movement once again. Hirano who heard the instruction backed down instantly. While it was possible to block the dump directly, he was too close to the and was not willing to risk another blocking foul.


    He received the ball awkwardly, letting it fly on the spot.


    "Senpai, move!" Riku suddenly appeared.


    Since it was still too close to the, even though Hirano received the ball well, it only turned into an overpass situation. Fortunately, Riku reacted immediately, sprinting over in that direction and jumping, wiping the ball first before the opponent could do it.


    However, one of the yers with a white jersey suddenly rushed forward, saving the ball before it could touch the floor.


    "Oh! Nice save, Senki!"


    "Hideo, follow it up!"


    All the Tsunemori yers cursed the same thing the Shimoyawata did often earlier. They both started questioning what kind of joke God wanted to make by letting two stubborn teams meet against each other in the first round.


    Still, since it was an emergency save, the setter couldn''t get the second ball, and the captain had to set the offense by himself. He passed the ball awkwardly to the left, far lower than the height of the. It was impossible to end the turn with a spike, so the outside hitter there just sent the ball toward the Tsunemori''s side once again.


    "Chance ball!"


    Having another chance to attack, all the Tsunemori yers stepped back a little before doing their run-up simultaneously. It was a sporadic attack with four yers running in all directions to create more chaos on the opponent''s side.


    By now, while all the yers with white jerseys were eyeing Tsunemori''s yers one by one, they also kept their eyes on Riku, didn''t want to receive the end of another dump trick.


    Without even looking, Riku sent the ball to his back, where Asahi was waiting on the right wing. Seeing the balling, the bun-haired boy didn''t hesitate to jump, recoiled his arms back and got ready to hit the ball. The outside hitter of Shimoyawata on the other side also moved, wanting to at least disturb the spike.


    Even though separated by the, the collision between those two was unavoidable as when Asahi spiked the ball, the opponent''s body crossed the half-court line.


    *FWEEE!*


    The referee''s whistle echoed immediately. No matter where the ball would go, it was another point for Tsunemori, considering the opponent touched the first. It was the same blocking fault that Yuki had done earlier.


    However, no one cared about that.


    "YOSSSHAAAA!!!"


    All the yers with green jerseys roared simultaneously, celebrating the point. Meanwhile, some of the Shimoyawata''s yers sprawled on the ground, their chests heaving as they struggled to catch their breath. This was another one of an exhausting rally.


    Looking at the score that hadn''t even touched 20 in the first set, they all cursed at the same time, knowing it would be long before the game was over.


    However, there was someone on Tsunemori''s side who wanted to cut the game short. He walked outside of the court line while grabbing the ball, preparing to serve. Pushing his sses slightly upward, he recalled all the sweat and tears he shed to train his serve in thest two or three weeks to reach the level of perfection.


    While it wasn''t there yet, he had the confidence the level of his serve would be enough for his team to take over the lead and even widen the gap between the two teams.


    ''Well, let''s see how effective it would be¡­''

 Chapter 44: Yukis Serve Dominating the Game!

    As he grabbed the ball from the referee, Yuki nced sideways toward the scoreboard.


    Shimoyawata High16


    Tsunemori High13


    ''Three points behind, huh?'' He muttered while bouncing the ball to the floor.


    As thest person in the rotation to serve the ball, Yuki was surprised it took so long for his turn toe finally. But that just meant once one team gained momentum, it was hard for the other team to stop it. Still, he was proud that the team could match the intensity of Shimoyawata, the so-called third-best team in Tokyo right now, and still put up a decent fight.


    However, Yuki knew something needed to be changed here.


    If all the long and exhausting rallies that had already happened in this game were prolonged until the end, it would be Tsunemori who was at a disadvantage. After all, there were only two yers avable on their bench, and one of them had to be rotated constantly with the middle blocker.


    It was farpared to the thick squad that the opponent had, which contained at least six to seven bench yers that were ready toe into the court.


    So, if nothing drastic happened, they would die first before seeing the end of the game.


    ''Okay, I have been training my ass off for this. Let''s see how effective my new serve is.''


    Yuki took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he as trying to visualize where he wanted his serve tond. The moment the referee blew his whistle, Yuki tossed the ball slightly into the air before hitting it softly. It was a normal serve, not the floater he was proud of. He saved it untilter since after three weeks, he wasn''t able to reach the level of control he wanted.


    But with a normal serve, everything was different.


    There was no twist in his ball as it flew directly to the other side of the. One of the Shimoyawata yers moved forward since the ball was about to fall into the middle front. However, he was frozen on the spot out of a sudden, letting the ball fall gently into the floor.


    *Thud!*


    "Yosh!" Yuki clenched his fist, celebrating his first sessful serve. While they didn''t understand what happened, all of his teammates also came to him for a high-five.


    "Good job, Kobayashi!"


    "Keep it up!"


    Meanwhile, all the Shimoyawata yers stared at the yer who was frozen on the spot with questioning gazes. The yer himself flushed a little before apologizing. "Sorry, that was my bad. I don''t know what happened."


    Hideo as the captain nodded before anyone could say anything. "Don''t let the same mistake happen twice, okay?"


    "Yes, Captain."


    In their mind, there was nothing special in Yuki''s serve. It was a normal one that any novice yer should be able to receive. However, when the second serve wasing and the same yer reacted toote to pick up the ball, questions came into their head.


    "What happened, Senki?" Hideo asked. "Is there anything wrong with his serve?"


    "I don''t know." The yer named Senki was as confused as the others were. "It looks like any ordinary serve, but I don''t know why I hesitate again."


    The confusion grew as the third serve from Yuki came, and this time, while Senki could receive the ball, it was a shaky, short pass. Ueno as the setter couldn''t pass the ballfortably with that kind of ball, so he could only rely on an underhand pass toward the left side.


    *BAM!*


    As Hideo tried to spike the ball to pierce Tsunemori''s blocker forcefully, the set-up was too short, making it easier for Hirano to block it. The cold-blooded blocker didn''t even move from his spot, just jumped and the ball came into his hand.


    "NICE BLOCK, HIRANO!"


    "Goddamnit, that is a clean block!"


    "Nice! We tie the game!"


    As celebrations broke on the court, Akira on the sideline couldn''t help but shake his head, looking at Yuki with a marveled expression.


    "That boy¡­ When did he learn that trick?"


    Seeing the coach noticed what happened, Megumi who had no idea asked, "I don''t understand, Sensei. What Kobayashi-kun did was just regr serves, nothing special like his usual floater. How could that Shimoyawata''s yer not able to receive it perfectly?"


    Akira nced at the girl sideways before exining, "It is because of his tricky route that Kobayashi picked."


    "Tricky route?"


    "Yeah." Akira nodded. "Do you know the base position for a setter on the court?"


    Not understanding where the conversation would go, Megumi still answered, "The front-right, right? To make it easier for the setter to pass the ball to a right-handed outside hitter on the left."


    Akira nodded once again in approval. "No matter where is his position in the rotation, right after the opponent serves, he has to move to that position quickly. It seems Kobayashi noticed that and aimed at the setter''s route to go back into that spot.


    When seeing the settering from the corner of his eyes, the yer who has to receive the ball unconsciously thinks that the setter is about to receive it. That is why he was alwayste to receive the ball."


    Megumi and Kaede who heard the exnation could only stare at their kouhai in awe. Don''t think it was easy, but it required a precise serve that someone wouldn''t be able to achieve overnight. Then, all the personal training that Yuki always did after the normal session suddenly made sense for them all.


    "So, that is why he always said that he wanted to hone his control, huh?" Kaede grinned in admiration. "What a beast."


    Akira also nodded in agreement with Kaede''s sentiment. He didn''t know how could a yer with only one month of experience in volleyball think of such a way to exploit the opponent''s rotation to turn an ordinary serve into a killer one. It seemed that he had to talk to Yuki about more tricks in serving the ball so that the sses boy could be more creative and versatile there.


    It had to wait forter though, as right now, Yuki was preparing himself to do his sixth serve in a row. He took the ball calmly before releasing such an ordinary ball. However, this kind of ordinary ball would give Shimoyawata PTSD if they lost the game.


    "Move, Senki!"


    Wakamatsu, the guy with the second-best defense in the opposite team besides the libero stepped forward. While they still didn''t know why Senki was unable to receive such an easy ball, they knew there was something wrong with it. As the best defender on the court right now, it was Wakamatsu''s duty to check it out by himself.


    Unfortunately, he was so focused on the ball that he didn''t notice the presence of Ueno that came into his peripheral vision affected his judgment. It was just like Senki before, he was frozen on the spot as if waiting for his teammates to receive the ball first. In the end, the ball fell shortly in front of him with ease, no one was quick enough to save it.


    Horrors could be seen in Shimoyawata''s yers'' expressions. It was as if they were somehow bewitched by Yuki to freeze on the spot. No logical exnation came inside their head to exin the serve, and why they couldn''t react in time for that.


    Meanwhile, Yuki who had just done another masterss serve spread his arms widely, nothing could hide the smug smile on his face. The sessful six serve in a row was a testament to his hard work in thest three weeks. Even though at first nce, nothing special in it, he could still toy with such a difficult opponent like Shimoyawata as if they were just a novice team.


    ''Now that we are on the lead with three points, let''s see what they would do. Can they figure out the secret of this serve?''

 Chapter 45: Snatching the First Set!

    Miura furrowed his brows deeply as he witnessed this disaster. One serve after another, his team couldn''t even react at all, letting it fall to the floor. This was honestly the first time he received the end of such a y, and it would be a lie if he was not afraid.


    He turned his attention back to the court once again, looking at who was the one on the back left. Seeing it was an opposite hitter who hadn''t done much, Miura sighed, pondering for another few seconds before asking his libero toe.


    "Kubo-kun,e here!"


    "Yes, Coach!" The libero with a bright, red jersey came.


    "I need you to go there and stop this nonsense," Miura said. "Form a two-yer defense with Wakamatsu on the back like before and don''t let it fall again."


    Kubo nodded, trying to fix the corner of his shirt. "So, am I going for Genta again?" He asked.


    "No, you are going for Tadano-kun."


    Kubo widened his eyes for a moment, surprised by the decision. Usually, he would always rotate with Genta, the middle blocker of the team whenever he was on the back. However, this time, Miura called him to rotate with Tadano, the opposite hitter who was good at blocking too. Looking at the position Tadano was in right now, Kubo understood quickly why the coach did that.


    "You only want me to stop the serve?" He asked.


    "Exactly." Miura nodded.


    What the team needed the most right now was to stop the strange serve from the opponent, and Kubo was probably the best one to do that. After that, when the team managed to win a point, the rotation would ur, and the libero would have toe out once again as he couldn''t be on the front line.


    This assignment was perfect for stopping the opponent''s attack while ensuring their next turn would still be as attacking as before.


    "Okay, let me do this." Kubo nodded with confidence.


    After another one of Yuki''s serve that couldn''t be stopped by Wakamatsu or Senki, the libero finally came into the court. His presence was enough to send relief to the team, knowing that he was here to cut off the loss.


    "Wakamatsu, you are with me. Everyone, move a little bit forward. Give us more space." He instructed.


    Everyone nodded, following hismand. This was not a strange arrangement for the yers. Before, when Riku was on fire at the beginning of the game, the same kind of defensive method was also implemented by the team. However, this time, with the two best defenders of the team there, they were not worried about it anymore.


    "Stop the serve for us, Kubo." Hideo patted his shoulder solemnly.


    "Don''t worry, I will."


    A momentter, Yuki served another one into the same tricky route as before. While the same thing happened with the setter''s presence affected Kubo''s judgment, his reaction was quick enough to save the ball. He leaned his body forward to the point it was almost parallel to the floor before extending his arms, receiving the ball perfectly to let it fly on the spot.


    "Oh! Finally!"


    "Nice, Kubo!"


    "Ueno! Go to the left!"


    Excitement rushed as all the yers with white jerseys saw their libero receiving the ball. Now, three yers rushed forward, waiting for Ueno to send the ball. Without hesitation, the setter tossed it toward the left side where all the strong hitters gathered.


    *BAM!*


    Hideo spiked the ball hard, trying to pierce the wall formed by Hirano and Asahi. It hit the middle blocker''s hand, yet unfortunately for Tsunemori, the ball bounced far outside of the line.


    "OOOOH!"


    "FINALLY! No more bullshit serve!"


    "Damn! Good job, Kubo!"


    As the celebration broke, Yuki could only shrug helplessly on the other side. Still, everything went beyond his expectations. At first, he thought that if his serve could at least contribute two or three points, he would be satisfied. But to his surprise, he scored seven points in a row with his serve.


    To make things better, never once he exposed that he had a floater in his arsenal, making it more difficult for the opponent in the future.


    And it wasn''t like losing the point here was the worst thing in the world. In fact, the situation was still under Tsunemori''s grasp as the mentality of Shimoyawata''s yers was shaken by his serve. The moment their next yer came to serve, it fell shortly into the, couldn''t even deliver the ball across the other side of the court.


    "Yes!"


    "Come on! Five more points!"


    The excitement in Shimoyawata''s side moved quickly to their opponent as by now, all the Tsunemori yers had this bright face. Not only was it because they reached 20 points first and only needed five more to snatch the first set from the opponent, but also because the next one to serve gave them the confidence to do that.


    Yeah, it was the blonde boy who created a nightmare at the beginning of the game.


    "Give us a good serve, Riku!"


    "Yeah! Score one or two!"


    "Don''t you dare to mess this up, Agostini!"


    Riku walked outside while bouncing the ball on the floor, the grin on his face was full of confidence. He knew this was a crucial time for the team to snatch the first set, and the setter was determined to make it happen in one go.


    The moment the referee blew his whistle, Riku came once again with his powerful ace serve. While he didn''t have absolute control like Yuki, the blonde boy always had confidence in his serve, and it was justifiable confidence as the ball pierced through the area between the middle back and the left back, causing a mimunication between the two yers guarding that area.


    *BAM!*


    "OH! THE FIRST ACE SERVE!"


    "Come on, Riku! Do it again!"


    After that, the serve came again. This time, it went directly to Hideo. Shimoyawata''s captain managed to pick up the ball, yet receiving the ball wasn''t his strong point. It was a shaky receive that flew in the direction no one was guarding.


    "Shit! Anyone, cover it up!"


    "I got it"


    Senki rushed toward the ball, trying to reach the ball before it could fall to the floor. Unfortunately, he was too slow, couldn''t save the ball which added one more point for Tsunemori.


    "Nice!"


    "Come on! Three more points!"


    "You can do it, Riku!"


    Meanwhile, Miura on the sideline shook his head repeatedly when he saw the disastrous performance his yers showed. While Riku''s serve was powerful, they were able to receive it before, and in theory, it shouldn''t be a problem too this time. However, they were still shaken up by Yuki''s witchcraft serve which made their performance far sloppier than usual.


    It wasn''t until Tsunemori got another two points and one away from winning the first set that he finally rose from his seat.


    "Wakamatsu! What happened?! Are you going to keep closing your eyes on their serve?! Wake up, you fool!"


    "Hideo, you too! Where is your voice?! You are the captain, for God''s sake!"


    "Senki, don''t just freeze there like a bloody statue! Move! Do you want me to rece you?!"


    Everyone was surprised to see Shimoyawata''s coach suddenly roar at his yers like that. He always gave the impression of a calm person, so for him to vent out like this, it seemed everything that happened on the court reached his bottom line. Even his own yers also had the same reaction, with some bowed their heads in fright as they didn''t want to be the next target of his scolding.


    Unfortunately, it was toote for him to do that, as his yer''s mentality couldn''t be fixed instantly, especially when they still had to face another one of Riku''s ace serve.


    *BAM!*


    The ball''s trajectory was a perfect arc, soaring high above the and plummeting down towards Shimoyawata''s court. In the blink of an eye, the ball mmed down onto the floor, its force sending shockwaves through the air as it buried itself into the sand with a loud thud.


    The moment he saw the ball fall perfectly into the spot close to the sideline, Riku raised his fist high, his eyes lit up with a triumphant grin on his face. After that, all the yers with green jerseys jumped into his body as they screamed in delight.


    "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT, RIKU?!"


    "GODDAMNIT, THAT IS AWESOME!"


    "WE TAKE THE FIRST SET! WE TAKE THE FIRST SET!"


    "COME ON! WE CAN WIN THE GAME!"


    Miura on the sideline could only shake his head in disappointment when he saw Tsunemori''s yers celebrate. While Riku''sst serve was amazing, he couldn''t help but feel if his yers were in their best state, they would be able to receive it. Still, no matter what happened, it had already happened, and nothing would change no matter what.


    Right now, what he thought inside his mind was how he should get away from this mess as quickly as possible.


    "Ezaki," He suddenly called the yers with jersey number 11 on the bench. "Prepare yourself. It is time for you to repay all the debtsst year."

 Chapter 46: New Character Appeared! Ezaki Nakamoto!

    "Good job, everyone!" Akira pped excitedly, his face was full of smiles.


    It was the intermission before the second set began, and the atmosphere on Tsunemori''s bench was lively. While the exhaustion after such a long set was still there, it couldn''t dampen everyone''s excitement, and Akira didn''t have the intention to do that too.


    Winning the first set against Shimoyawata High was a big deal, after all.


    Even Akira didn''t expect his team would do wonders against them. In his mind, as long as they were not behind for more than five points, everything would be fine. It wasn''t until he saw the performance of his two freshmen that Akira changed his thought.


    ''Maybe, we can really win this game.''


    "Okay, everyone, listen to me!" He shouted once again, attracting his yers'' attention. While excitement was good, they had to know that the game was still on. They had done half of the job well, and now, they had to ensure that they could finish it all. "We have done so well earlier, but there is still room for improvement. Koji!"


    "Yes, Sir!" The boy who took Noriyuki''s role as the ace of the team straightened his back.


    "You have to participate more actively in defense! We are not the old Tsunemori who gave such a leeway for one or two particr yers anymore!"


    "Yes, Sensei!" The boy replied in a military fashion.


    "And that is for you all too." Akira turned his head toward all of his yers. "Don''t think that since Kobayashi or Okamura or Kaede could cover your asses, you can do anything you want! While they are amazing defenders, they cannot do everything alone! Remember, I want you all to cover each other and stay connected! Alwaysmunicate and don''t let your teammates fight alone, do you understand?!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    -0-


    A momentter, the referee blew his whistle, asking for the yers from both teams to enter the court again. The second set of the game would be started in a second, the fateful set for Shimoyawata''s future, whether they would survive and prolong the game to the final set or die here straight away would be determined by whether they could get 25 points first or not in the set.


    That was probably why they were so tense at the moment.


    However, Yuki who was the most observant yer in the team furrowed his brows deeply, noticing something wrong. While he could understand the gloominess on the opposite side after losing the first set, there was something else he couldn''t figure out based on their expression. It was a... Hostility?


    ''Toward whom, though?'' He murmured confusedly.


    "Anything wrong, Kobayashi?" Riku asked, noticing his friend who was in a dazed state.


    "Nothing." The sses boy shook his head. "Just thinking there is something wrong on Shimoyawata''s side."


    "Really?" Riku asked skeptically, turning around at the opponent too. "The only thing changed on their side is the presence of that yer number 11."


    "yer number 11?" Yuki''s eyes wandered for a moment before they locked into one particr yer that Riku mentioned. It was a boy with slightly curly hair and a meek demeanor that gave everyone the impression he was easy to be bullied. "Since when was he there?" Yuki asked confusedly.


    "Dunno." Riku shrugged. "Maybe the opponent''s coach is not satisfied with their performance and he thought this number 11 would be the game changer for them."


    Yuki nodded, knowing what Riku said was reasonable. But if he was the game changer, how could his teammates look at him with such an intense hostility?


    "Anyway, don''t overthink it, Kobayashi." Riku waved his hand nonchntly. "I doubt he would be able to make such a drastic change. Come on, we have to prepare ourselves too."


    Yuki nodded, yet his eyes still locked on the number 11 yer. The tiny bit of worry didn''t go away, as his hunch told him that this new yer would be someone troublesome for the team.


    ''I need to keep my eyes on him.''


    -0-


    Just like Yuki''s thought, the atmosphere on Shimoyawata was tense. It wasn''t much for the lost, but for the presence of the yer that their head coach brought into the game. While some of them were neutral, there were yers who scowled at the new boy, looking at him with a hostile intention.


    "Oi, Ueno," Senki called the setter. " Don''t pass him the ball, okay?"


    Ueno pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "I am sorry, Senki. I cannot do that."


    Senki froze on the spot for a second before his expression changed, couldn''t hide his rage anymore. "You know what he didst year, right? Because of his stupidity all of our senpai had to bury their dream for nothing!"


    "I know." Ueno nodded solemnly. "But thus opponent, Tsunemori, is stronger than we thought. We cannot win against them without his ability.


    Senki was speechless for a second. While he knew his friend was right, his heart wouldn''t let go of the hatred inside his heart. After a while, he just clicked his tongue to express his thoughts and turned away.


    "Just do whatever you like." He said finally.


    A momentter, the second set finally began with Hideo doing the first serve. While he had a powerful jump serve, it wasn''t at the same level as Riku, and Tsunemori also started the rotation with Yuki and Okamura, the two strongest defenders on the back. They did not worry that Hideo would be able to pull something like Yuki or Riku did earlier.


    *BAM!*


    A strong serve delivered toward Okamura''s direction. The libero didn''t have any problem receiving the ball.


    "Senpai!"


    Okamura knew who just called his name, and he directed the ball easily toward him. The blonde boy on the right side grinned after seeing such a perfect passing at him.


    Asahi and Koji started his run-up immediately, moving in sync. Knowing that Okamura was here, Yuki also decided to join the attack. The simultaneous movement from the three of them was enough to give the opponent a headache.


    Riku himself was calm, didn''t give away any notable tick that indicated where he would send the ball. It wasn''t until the ball was about to fall in his hand that the blonde boy started moving. Without hesitation, he sent the ball toward the left, fooling one of the blockers who tried to read his game.


    "Nice pass, Riku!"


    Koji who received the ball had the same grin as Riku before, knowing that this was such a perfect toss crafted for him. Without hesitation, he recoiled his arm back before unleashing it like a whip, killing the ball with such incredible power.


    *BAM!*


    It was a perfect spike, and with only two yers forming an iplete wall in front of him, normally, it would be easy for Koji to score. However, not this time. Before it could touch the floor, one yer suddenly dived forward with one of his arms extended far. A secondter, the ballnded perfectly on his forearm before it flew once again, high close to the ceiling.


    "WHAT THE HELL?!"


    "HOW COULD HE DO THAT?!"


    All the Tsunemori yers had their eyes widened in shock the moment they saw Koji''s spike was saved by the number 11. Yeah, it was the same number 11 that Yuki was wary of earlier.


    However, the y was not over. The number 11 rose immediately, his feet were quick enough to allow him to recover his position in a second before he was ready to join the attack. Seeing that, Ueno didn''t hesitate to send the ball high in his direction, allowing the number 11 to kill the ball.


    "Ezaki!"


    "He ising! Fall back!" Yuki shouted an instruction, snapping his teammates from their shock. Everyone recovered quickly, preparing themselves to receive the spike.


    However...


    *BAM!*

 Chapter 47: Ezakis Redemption Arc!

    Senki Haraguchi.


    Ueno Koki.


    Ezaki Nakamoto.


    Those were the three names that joined Shimoyawata Highst year. It was clear since the beginning that they were talented, at least enough to be on the bench of a national-caliber team like Konan or Matsukita.


    However, out of the three talented yers, there was one who shone the brightest, and that was Ezaki. Since he joined the team, Ezaki had already shown his talent, from a powerful ace-serve, good game reading ability, great at blocking and receiving a spike, up to his killer spike that would make any defenders tremble in fear.


    However, just like any talented yer outside, he had his own problem. He was so arrogant that he thought it was impossible for anyone at his age to stop him. He also had a short temper. Whenever someone was able to put up a decent fight, he would always lose his calm and resolve everything with violence.


    There were several asions in the past when he snapped against a strong opponent and ended up getting a warning, a yellow card, and sometimes even an ejection from the game. But since Ezaki was always the best yer on his team, his former coach had never scolded him openly, forming the thought that losing control of his emotions in the middle of the game was not something big.


    It wasn''t untilst year in the third round against another strong opponent from North Tokyo, when Ezaki faced a tough blocker who kept pestering him all the time that he finally messed up. After getting blocked three times in a row, Ezaki was so frustrated he let his intuitive thought take over him. He punched his opponent straight in the face, causing a bigmotion to happen on the court.


    Something forbidden in any sports event ever.


    "The punishment from the association would be announcedst week." The headmaster of Shimoyawata High said to the coach. "But from my perspective, we need to make a decision faster than the official did. We are a private school, and by doing that, we would be able to protect what was the most important thing for us, which is the public impression of us.


    We need to show the public that our school would never tolerate that kind of behavior here."


    Miura nodded solemnly, agreeingpletely with the headmaster''s words. After that, the school finally announced their withdrawal from any official tournament, noting that they would take care of the yers'' attitude first before going outside, and also prohibited Ezaki from any student activity for the rest of the year.


    At that time, there were still many people who thought the punishment for Ezaki was too harsh.


    However¡­


    "While it sucks to not be able to y in an official tournament again, at least we can train our asses off for the rest of the year and show everyone our might again, right?" Ezaki said nonchntly.


    What came from his mouth made all of his friends speechless before Senki scowled. "Ezaki, we are here tofort you because we thought you would be depressed. But¡­ Is that all you can think about?"


    "Eh? Depressed?" Ezaki was confused. "Why?"


    All his friends looked at each other for a moment before Senki with his face darkened said, "All of our senpai were so determined to beat Konan and Matsukita this year. But now¡­ All eight third-year students announced their retirement from the team, knowing they couldn''t participate again for their final year in this school."


    Ezaki was stunned on the spot straight away. That was when he finally realized the gravity of this situation.


    Just because of his stupidity, eight yers had to bury their dream to challenge the best team in the country again. This was something that Ezaki had never thought about. For a while, the guilt he felt was trying to eat him alive. The weight of snatching eight people''s dreams like that¡­ It was too heavy for him to carry it on. He even thought about resigning from the team.


    However, Miura rejected his request.


    "No, I will not allow you to resign. You are also not allowed to skip the training." Miura shook his head firmly. "I will never let you run away like that."


    ''Come on, Ezaki! Keep moving!'' He thought to himself after saving Koji''s spike. Then, when he saw Ueno send him a high pass, Ezaki couldn''t help but feel touched. ''Thank you, Ueno. Even though I don''t know why you are still so kind to me, but because of you, I can still be here. And for you¡­ I will kill this ball!''


    *Whoosh!*


    All the Tsunemori yers were so shocked that some even had their jaws dropped when they saw Ezaki jump. No, it was not a jump, but a flight. The boy with jersey number 11 leaped so high that half of his body was above the. And a secondter, he unleashed a powerful spike that no one would believe it coulde from such a thin body.


    *BAM!*


    "SHIT!"


    Okamura received the spike, yet his body was thrown a few meters away. It flew wildly outside of the court, which would result in a point for Shimoyawata if nothing happened in the next few seconds.


    "COVER IT UP!" Okamura shouted.


    Yuki didn''t need to be told twice, as he rushed already toward the ball, trying to track and predict where it would fall. The moment it lost its speed in the air and started to move down, he dived and punched it back to the court.


    "OH! NICE SAVE, KOBAYASHI!"


    "SEND IT BACK TO HIM!" Yuki shouted immediately. "DON''T LET HIM SPIKE THE BALL AGAIN!"


    His hunch was right. Ezaki was a troublesome guy. That kind of spike was on the same level as Gondo''s, and Matsukita''s captain was one of the best hitters in the country. Riku also realized that, and he spiked the ball that Yuki saved toward Ezaki''s direction.


    *BAM!*


    Even if the blonde boy spiked it from the back without doing his run-up, it was still a powerful hit. Unfortunately, he didn''t know Ezaki''s ability in defense. The opponent''s new yer received the ball perfectly before using his quick feet to run, even when all of his teammates were still frozen on the spot. He knew, though, that the setter would pass the ball to him.


    "UENO!"


    "I got it!"


    *BAM!*


    They did a quick tempo attack, not giving any Tsunemori yers to react and recover. Hell, Ezaki evenndedter than the ball hitting the floor, putting everyone in awe. The man in the spotlight himself also had a dumbstruck expression, his chest moving up and down rapidly.


    He had never expected that the first time he came to the court, he would be able to change the direction of the gamepletely.


    In his mind, Ezaki suddenly recalled his coach''s words before he came in, and he couldn''t help but agree with that.


    ''Now, it is time for me to repay all the debtsst year for the team.''

 Chapter 48: Ezaki VS Tsunemori!

    "What the hell is that?!" Megumi eximed, her eyes bulged wide. It wasn''t just the yers on the court who were shocked by this sudden development, but even those who were on the bench felt the same too. "His spike is harder and faster than Noriyuki-kun!"


    "I should have expected something like this to happen soon." Akira groaned. "That boy is Ezaki, the culprit behind Shimoyawata''s absence in any official tournamentst year."


    Once again, Megumi had her eyes widened which made Akira afraid it would pop out soon. "You mean the problematic guy who always picked up a fight left and right?"


    Akira snorted at her description. "Notpletely wrong, but you forget one thing, Megumi-san. He is not just an ordinary problematic guy, but a talented problematic guy. He was one of the best hitters in Japan when he was in middle school."


    The problem Ezaki possessed for Tsunemori was not how hard he could spike. If so, Akira would be happy to stick Hirano onto him all day. No, the problem herey in Ezaki''s jumping ability which was far from normal. Freakish even. No matter how good the blockers he had, it wouldn''t matter if the hitter could jump higher than them.


    Akira kept rubbing his mustache while observing the court. While he looked calm, by now, everyone knew it was the coach''s way of dealing with his uneasiness. After a while, he finally took a decision.


    "Kaede-kun, prepare yourself. You will go for Ogawa-kun after this."


    "Yes, Sir!" Kaede straightened his back and nodded solemnly


    -0-


    "Eh? Kaede-senpai is recing Ogawa-senpai? Why?" Riku asked, confused at his uncle''s decision.


    "I don''t know." Koji shrugged. "But let''s trust Akira-sensei''s arrangement."


    Riku nodded slightly, yet still confused and a bit unhappy with this decision. He had no grudge against Kaede, of course, but the blonde boy would prefer to y with Ogawa who was more active in offense, especially when Yuki and Okamura were still on the court too.


    By doing this substitution, Akira basically told his yers that he intended to go defensively and y passively at the beginning of the second set.


    ''Is it because of that guy?'' Riku stared at Shimoyawata''s number 11. ''Kobayashi is right. He is so troublesome.''


    The game continued once again with Hideo doing another serve. This time, with three of the best defensive yers were on the court, there was no worry on Tsunemori''s side. Kaede received the ball perfectly, letting it fly slightly above him.


    "Nice receive, Senpai!"


    "Riku! Here!"


    With Ogawa out of the court, now, the blonde boy only had Koji and Asahi on the wing to attack. However, an idea suddenly popped into his head. He nced sideways at Yuki, and just like any good friends, their chemistry kicked in as the sses boy also started to move.


    "They are going for a back attack! Be wary of the number 19!" Wakamatsu shouted when he saw Yuki lurking from the shadow, trying to warn his teammates.


    But as they had their eyes on Yuki and the two other attackers on the wing, they forgot about Riku''s biggest weapon here as the blonde boy tapped the ball slightly over the, dumped it gently to fool the entire court.


    Well¡­ Everyone¡­ But one yer with the jersey number 11.


    "WHAT?!" Riku widened his eyes in shock, never expecting someone to see his trick. In hindsight, he should have expected that, considering the setter would always do the same whenever the team did a synchronization attack.


    Ezaki managed to recover the ball perfectly on the front side, and after that, he ran back a little to get some space before rushing forward and leaping to the sky. No matter if it was the first or the second time they saw it, Tsunemori''s yers were still in awe at the sight of Ezaki''s upper body slightly above the. However, this time, they came prepared.


    "Kaede, tell everyone except for Hirano to fall back whenever that number 11 is going to attack," Akira told Kaede when he was about toe into the court. "His jump would render our wall useless, so rather than being stubborn and keeping the wall intact just to be ignored by that yer, let''s retreat and receive the ball openly."


    That was Akira''s instruction to countermeasure Ezaki''s threat. As for why left Hirano as the sole middle blocker instead of retreatingpletely, well¡­ Let''s just say the cold-blooded middle blocker had something inside him that could intimidate the hell out of the opponent.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice, Hirano-senpai!" Yuki shouted as he received Ezaki''s spike.


    Yeah, just like earlier, thebo between Hirano''s intimidation on the front with Yuki''s tough defense in the back was enough for Tsunemori to stop the opponent''s attack. Yuki could only shake his head when he saw his senpai just walk it off as if he didn''t do something special. Sometimes, he wondered why such an amazing middle blocker came to a no-name team like Tsunemori.


    Still, the spikeing from Ezaki hurt. A lot.


    If by the look of it, Yuki guessed it was at the same level as Gondo from Matsukita, when he received the ball, he knew he was wrong. It was on apletely different level. Like, Gondo''s spike was a child workpared to Ezaki''s. The pain in his forearms was real, forcing him to retreat after that and not join the attack.


    But the y itself wasn''t over.


    Yuki had to recover his position quickly as Asahi''s spike was deflected by Ezaki, creating another chance for Shimoyawata to attack once again. And when the attack came again, he received another one, smirking when he saw Ezaki had a thick vein popped on his forehead, fuming that another one of his attacks was received as if it was nothing.


    "Nice receive, Kobayashi!"


    "Kill the ball immediately!"


    The game went back and forth for a while, with Ezaki as the main attacker for Shimoyawata started to get frustrated after his spike was saved by Yuki perfectly three times in a row. The heated battle between Ezaki and Yuki made all the people outside of the court hold their breath unconsciously, sometimes wincing when they heard the sound of the ball hitting Yuki''s forearms.


    It wasn''t until the fifth attack Ezaki wanted to hit that everything changed. Blinded by the frustration for Yuki, he ignored everything else, and when he spiked the ball, a wall formed by two arms suddenly appeared in his sight.


    ''Wha-?''


    *BAM!*


    As he spiked the ball, it hit the wall straight away, and when Ezaki turned around, he was greeted by a cold stare from Tsunemori''s middle blocker. Yes, it was Hirano who came in clutch, blocking the shoot for the first time in the second set. He didn''t speak anything, but his eyes told everyone what he thought.


    ''Don''t think I alone cannot stop you!''

 Chapter 49: United! Shimoyawatas Full Attack!

    Miura furrowed his brows deeply, not liking how the game developed to this point. At first, he thought that it would take a while for Ezaki to receive a pass. However, Ueno did something beyond his expectations, keep feeding Ezaki passes to attack the opponent. It was what the other yers did that made him unhappy.


    The moment Ueno passed the ball, it seemed they had the same thought to boycott everything by letting them fight alone. No help to distract the opponent, no bait to spread the opponent''s blocker, no initiative to do the cover for if something went wrong, it was like watching a 2 vs 6 game, and it would be a lie if he said he wasn''t frustrated.


    Oh, don''t get him wrong, Miura knew the animosity directed at Ezaki, and he saw it as a reasonable response to Ezaki''s stupidityst year. However, Miura didn''t know it wouldst this long and even the yers from the other generation also shared the same sentiment.


    Hell, if Hideo, the calmest out of everyone and also the captain of the team did the same, Miura should have known that the hatred toward Ezaki went beyond his simple mind.


    Still, Miura knew Ezaki was needed. If it wasn''t for this game, he would definitely be needed for the game against Konan or Matsukita.


    In his mind, he wanted to integrate Ezaki into the team slowly, using the weak opponents in the early stage to let Ezaki regain the trust of his teammates. Who would have thought that the first game, the first round of the tournament would be this troublesome?


    "Hideo!" Miura finally moved from his spot and called his captain. "Tell everyone that if they don''t want to win the game, I will be happy to rece them on the spot right now."  Hideo widened his eyes before nodding frantically, rying his words to the others.


    It was not without a reason why Miura called his captain and not anyone else. Out of all the yers he currently had, Hideo was the most motivated one to win everything this year, thinking that he owed his senpai a trophy for the failurest year. Miura knew Hideo would do anything just to ensure the win, even if he had to be the best buddy with Ezaki.


    And if the captain was willing to do that, everyone would follow him no matter whether they liked it or not.


    And it was proven to be the right decision in the next y.


    "UENO! LEFT!"


    "RIGHT!"


    The moment the ball crossed over Shimoyawata''s side after Kaede''s serve, both Hideo and Senki as the wing spikers started to run even before Ezaki could do that. Their movement caught all of Tsunemori''s yers off guard.


    This was the first time they witnessed the opposite team do a synchronization attack, and it was shown by how erratic their run-up was that they had second to no experience doing this.


    *BAM!*


    In the end, the ball flew to Senki who was on the right. However, it was clear that the sophomore hitter was not used to spiking the ball from that spot as he couldn''t aim it away from the block. His attack was easily stopped by Koji who jumped at the same time as him.


    "SHIT!"


    "I GOT THIS!"


    Senki widened his eyes when he saw Ezaki covering his spike that was blocked by the opponent. His feeling wasplicated right now. On one hand, he was d that Ezaki was here since the boy with the jersey number 11 was always reliable.


    On the other hand, he didn''t want to forgive Ezaki that easily, thinking that if he did that, it would be disrespectful toward the 8 former senpai of his whose dreams were buried by Ezaki''s stupidityst year.


    In the end, Senki scowled, not even saying a thank you before stepping back a few to do his run-up again.


    "UENO! SECOND BALL!" He raised his hand, asking for the ball again.


    While Senki knew it was impossible for the ball toe at him again, he still had to ask to attract Koji''s attention. What he didn''t expect though, was for Ueno to pass the ball in his direction.


    "Eh?"


    Senki was confused. He had been ying together with Ueno for about a year, and he knew the setter had a habit of not using the same hitter who failed to score twice in the same sequence. Still, it was a weed surprise as he jumped, ready to spike the ball again.


    However, a secondter, the scene that would be repeated in his nightmare happened. As Senki jumped, two Tsunemori yers read his move perfectly and jumped at the exact same moment, their arms outstretched like giant ws, ready to crush his spike.


    Senki''s eyes widened as he realized he was staring down the barrel of a block, the pressure radiating from those two blockers like a palpable force. His usually steady hands began to tremble, and his eyes darted wildly around the court, searching for a way out of this precarious situation.


    ''SHI-!''


    *BAM!*


    Senki who was helpless already and had epted his fate was shocked, not expecting someone to kill the ball first. When he turned around, he saw Ezakinded at the same time as him, the frozen hatred inside his heart melted immediately.


    While yes, he still had a grudge for Ezaki, at least Senki noticed the boy''s effort to make it up. Since he entered the court in the second set, Ezaki had been the yer on their set who ran the most, which could only bepared to Yuki on the other side of the.


    Still, it was not the best time to think about it. The y wasn''t over as Ezaki hit the spike deliberately to the blocker to get a second chance to attack. And now, all the Shimoyawata yers had to move together to break Tsunemori''s defense.


    "UENO! HERE!"


    Those shouts echoed all over the court as five yers with white jerseys were moving in synch. This time, no matter how Tsunemori prepared for the attack, they couldn''t stop it all as Hideo killed the y with a powerful straight spike near the sideline.


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSHAAAAAA!"


    -0-


    On the sideline, Miura nodded in approval as he watched his yers celebrate with each other, Ezaki included. This was the interaction he wanted to see in his team. They didn''t have to be the best buddies and forgive each other for their past mistakes, but they had to be united to face the opponent in front of them. And it was clear that his yers passed the test.


    ''With this, everything would be easier next.''

 Chapter 50: Exhaustion!

    The game continued once again with Shimoyawata having a slight edge over Tsunemori. The appearance of Ezaki changed the gamepletely, and when all of his teammates supported him, their offense became way more dangerous.


    It wasn''t perfect, per se, since they needed to adapt to each other in the middle of the game considering Ezaki had been training alone almost all the time this year. Their movements were chaotic with no coordination, no game-calling strategy, and not even a single sign of what they should do or where they should run.


    However, they were able to make everything work by bombarding Tsunemori with one powerful spike after another.


    However, that didn''t mean Tsunemori couldn''t do anything. In fact, while they kept getting pressured by Shimoyawata''s new wave of offense, there were two yers who shone the most to keep them alive. Those were Hirano and Yuki.


    Yeah, just like before, Tsunemori''s middle blocker kept haunting the opponent''s hitters with his presence. Even though he almost did everything on the front side alone since everyone had to retreat to anticipate Ezaki''s attack, Hirano was still able to scare the shit off everyone on the other side of the.


    His intimidating tactic worked perfectly, forcing the hitter to keep spiking the ball toward Yuki''s direction. Meanwhile, Yuki also did the same, trying to appear in the hitter''s line of sight so the ball would be spiked into the other direction, the one that Hirano had been guarding.


    Their chemistry worked perfectly in the second set, keeping the team alive while helping them score with a kill block or two. Their performance even made Miura shake his head in wonder and admiration, cursing Akira''s good luck for being able to get two amazing yers like them in such a weak team.


    ''How could he have all the luck in the world? Did he feed the fucking entire world in his past life or what?''


    Still, Miura was not worried. It was clear that his team was slowly taking over the control. And no, it wasn''t his team who suddenly got better, rather it was Tsunemori whose performance was declined. Their movement got sloppier, their reaction was slower, and even their defense was not as perfect as before.


    At first, all the Tsunemori yers didn''t notice the problem. They thought it was because Shimoyawata was getting better with Ezaki on the court. However, they finally realized something was wrong when...


    *BAM!*


    "Oooh!"


    "Nice spike, Captain!"


    "Goddamnit! Finally!"


    While the opponent was celebrating, all Tsunemori yers looked at each other confusedly. The spike from Hideo before was just a normal one, not as powerful nor as deadlier as the one that came from Ezaki. However, how could they all freeze on the spot and couldn''t move their body?


    "They finally reached this point, huh?" Akira muttered gloomily.


    "Eh? What do you mean, Sensei?" Megumi who was not as knowledgeable as Akira asked confusedly. "Reach what point? Was the point lost before because of something else other than the spike?"


    "Yeah." The coach nodded solemnly. "Normally, Kobayashi would be able to save such a weak spike. However... He couldn''t move his body as freely as he wanted."


    Megumi was still confused before she pondered for a moment, then her eyes widened as she finally got it.


    "Exhaustion?"


    "Exactly." Akira nodded.


    His eyes turned to his yers, especially Yuki. It was clear that the sses boy looked exhausted, from the way he held his knee to support his body and how erratic his breathing was.


    Out of everyone else, Yuki was probably the one who deserved rest right now. Not only because he was the most active yer in the second set, but because he was also a rookie. No matter how talented he was, being exposed to systematic training only for a month wouldn''t be enough to put his physical ability up to the standard.


    Still, Akira had no intention to let Yuki rest. It was cruel, maybe, but he needed the sses boy on the court right now more than ever. Yuki was the pir of the team''s defense, so if he were reced, it would hit the other yers'' morale.


    After pondering for a while, Akira finally took a decision. "Ogawa, be ready. You will y again after this."


    "Yes, Sir!"


    It was a hard decision to take, yet the only thing Akira coulde up with to keep the team alive. Rather than staying passively, it would be better for the team to take control of the game, and what was the better way other than turning the gear into an offensive one?


    Meanwhile, on the court, Yuki was still holding his knees, trying to regte his breath more steadily. Three times he yed in a regr game this month, this was probably the worst exhaustion he had ever felt. His muscles ached and were so stiff, making it harder to move.


    "You okay, Kobayashi?" Riku asked, concerned.


    "Don''t worry, it is nothing," Yuki reassured with a fake bravado that was obvious enough for the blonde boy to tell that his friend was lying.


    Still, Riku didn''t expose his friend. He just gave a simr reassuring smile that Yuki just had while patting his friend''s shoulder before saying, "Well, we better end this game as quickly as possible, okay?"


    Yuki nodded slightly before they both nced at the scoreboard. 16 - 12. While they were tailed behind, it was still within reach. But if the game prolonged into the third set, they could say goodbye right now.


    "You are right, Agostini. Let''s end this game as quickly as possible."


    -0-


    After a while, the game resumed again with Shimoyawata''s turn to serve the ball. Fortunately, while exhausted, Yuki still gave the impression that his defense was impable, frightening the opponent to aim the serve at him. In the end, the ball went to the right back where Ogawa who juste back to the court stood.


    *Thud!*


    "Nice receive, Ogawa!"


    "Riku! Left!"


    "Right!"


    While his teammates shouted to ask for the ball, Riku waited patiently until they reached their base position. The tempo was a bit slower whenever they wanted to do a synchronization attack, but Tsunemori made it up with the quantity of attackers who participated.


    After ncing at thest moment at Shimoyawata''s side for confirmation, Riku sent the ball to the right side, far away from Ezaki''s side. Yeah, he ran away. There was no way the blonde boy would do anything stupid by passing the ball in the direction of the opponent''s strongest blocker.


    "Nice pass, Riku!"


    *BAM!*


    "DAMN!"


    Asahi spiked the ball straight, aiming at the sideline. However, Oda, the libero of the team was quick enough to recover. Now, the ball flew again to the middle where Ueno had anticipated its route before.


    "UENO! HERE!"


    Even though the shout didn''te, the setter would still pass the ball there. When the team''s stamina was low, Ezaki was his best bet. And the boy didn''t disappoint, by spiking the ball in a particr direction that it touched Hirano''s block and deflected far outside of the court.


    "YOSSHAAA!"


    "NICE SPIKE, EZAKI!"


    "COME ON!"


    All the yers with white jerseys had already celebrated as if it was clear they would get a point. However, when a green jersey suddenly rushed with incredible speed, Oda realized something.


    "NO! IT IS NOT OVER! EVERYONE, GO BACK!"

 Chapter 51: The Beginning of the End!

    Yuki gritted his teeth, increasing his speed when he nced above and noticed the ball was about to fall. He dug deep into his reserves of strength, his weary legs screaming in protest as he sprinted across the court to reach the wild ball that had careened out of bounds.


    ''Come on, legs! Keep going!''


    As he felt the ball was within his reach, Yuki jumped. He outstretched his arms, trying to get the ball before it couldnd on the floor. He felt his body weight shift forward, his legs extending in a perfect arc, his arms bending to cradle the ball in a perfectly timed dive.


    The moment Yuki felt his fingertip touch the ball, with a swift flick of his wrist, he sent it soaring back toward Riku who was waiting with open arms to receive the perfectly ced pass,


    "NICE RECEIVE, KOBAYASHI!"


    Within a second, Tsunemori''s collective momentum shifted from chaos to control in the blink of an eye, and the exact opposite happened to Shimoyawata.


    "Fall back!"


    "Keep your eyes on them! Don''t let anyone slip away!"


    As chaos descended on the opponent''s side, Riku didn''t hesitate to take advantage of it. Instead of passing the ball, he jumped immediately, recoiling his arms back while getting ready to spike the ball. All the yers with white jerseys on the other side of the who were still trying to recover their position were taken aback, didn''t expect Riku to spike the ball immediately.


    *BAM!*


    The ball hit the floor instantly without anyone could even stop it, adding another point for Tsunemori


    "COME OOOOON!" Riku roared before he ran toward Yuki''s direction, hugging the sses boy excitedly.


    It wasn''t the point that triggered his excitement, but the hustle and the spirit of not giving up that Yuki showed that made his blood boil. Even though he was alone, even though the ball was far out of his reach, even with all the fatigues that were about to kill him, even if it seemed impossible, Yuki still ran, hustling through all the difficulty to save the ball.


    And when he did it, as his friend and teammate, Riku couldn''t help but feel touched.


    "Goddamnit, Kobayashi! That shit is amazing!" Riku eximed.


    "A bit gentler, please. My body feels like a jelly right now." Yuki said weakly, rubbing his shoulder that was hit by the overly excited blonde boy. "Also, Agostini, when will you go all out again? Did you say before that it is time to end this game? I have already done my part, and now it is time for you to fulfill yours too."


    Riku was stunned for a second, then nodded his head solemnly. Yuki was right. With the condition of both teams getting hit by fatigue right now, the one who was in advantage was Shimoyawata who had more yers on the bench.


    They could just rece the yers who were too tired right now and save it for the final set if that scenario happened, so he and the other Tsunemori yers had to make sure they won this set.


    Even though the team was still behind, the point he got earlier cut off the gap into three points. While it was still a lot, at least the momentum shifted into Tsunemori right now. Moreover, it was time for Riku to serve the ball, and it would be a lie for all the yers with white jerseys if they said they were not nervous.


    "Come on! Concentrate, everyone!"


    "We have done it before! We can stop the serve!"


    Riku snorted, amused at the shout of encouragement from the other side. Still, he took a deep breath, closing his eyes to concentrate while waiting for the referee to blow the whistle. The moment it sounded, he threw the ball immediately, starting his run-up and did the sequence of movement perfectly before hitting the ball hard.


    *BAM!*


    The sound of his hand making contact with the ball echoed all over the court, making everyone flinch unconsciously. It crossed the in a blink, getting through the area between Ezaki and Wakamatsu like a lightning sh before creating a little shockwave as the ball hit the floor. No one could react, let alone touch the ball during the process.


    Everything seemed to freeze before Riku clenched his fist and raised it to the sky, making a cool pose as if it were thest thing he could do.


    "OOH!"


    "Holy shit! What the hell is that?!"


    "Are you kidding me?!"


    While they were celebrating, the yers on the other side of the were hit by sudden depression. If Yuki''s amazing save before was the y that changed the momentum of the game, this ace serve from Riku was the one that ensured it would stay at Tsunemori for a while.


    "Come on, everyone! We are still in the lead! We can do this!" Ezaki pped his hands, trying to encourage his teammates. Still, no one took his words seriously.


    While they softened their judgment of the boy, it was impossible to erase the grudge that had been in their heart for about a year that quickly. And most importantly, they were all just teenagers carrying the vtile mood inside them. They could forgive someone so easily when something good happened, but when the opposite urred, the grudge would continue or even be worse than ever.


    Still, there was someone who shared Ezaki''s sentiment right now.


    "He is right, you know?" Hideo suddenly said. Everyone snapped their head, couldn''t believe their captain would show his support toward the problematic boy. "We are still in the lead, so we need to adjust our mentality. Also, I don''t care how you hate him, but it is clear in this game that he is more useful right now than anyone else here.


    So, just like Miura-sensei said before, if someone couldn''t ept that fact and didn''t want to work together with him as a team, say it directly and I will talk to Miura-sensei. I hate if we lose the game because of something stupid like this¡­"


    The expression on Shimoyawata''s side changed. Thest sentence uttered by their captain really pped them hard straight to the face. Hideo was right. It didn''t matter how much they hated Ezaki, but currently, he was the most useful yer out of everyone else.


    And if they still hesitated to y together with him even when the team was in danger, it was no different from what Ezaki didst year, and this time, they even did it consciously.


    ''Do we really be the thing we hate the most here?''

 Chapter 52: The End (I)

    Miura furrowed his brows once again. He had lost count of how many times he did that during this set, just showing that the game didn''t go in the direction he wanted. And no, it wasn''t because of Ezaki''s situation, but also for Tsunemori''s resilience. Their opponent was able to survive no matter how hard they kept attacking, even to the point that they looked like they were about to fall on the spot.


    The four-point lead they had earlier even shortened to only one this time, and the frustration shown by his yers was real.


    Once again, Miura cursed his luck to meet such a troublesome opponent in the first round.


    ''Why in the hell do they have to be in the first round too? With this kind of stubbornness, they should be able to reach a good positionst year and at least be ced automatically in the second round right now.''


    However, he wasn''t worried at all, especially considering what he heard from the opponent''s bench side.


    "Come on, everyone! Keep attacking! Riku, spread their blockers thin! Ogawa! Koji! Run more!


    Come on! We can do this!"


    ''They are anxious.'' Miura realized as he heard what Akira instructed his yers. ''They know if the game is prolonged to the third set, they are at a disadvantage. We still have four fresh yers on the bench, yet no one could rece Tsunemori''s yers right now. We need to take the initiative to win this set and kill their spirit.''


    After thinking for a moment, Miura decided to make a change too. He reced Wakamatsu, probably the best defender on his side besides the libero for a yer who was better offensively. Just like Akira, he also knew that gaining initiative right now would be crucial.


    "Oi, Kobayashi, anything wrong with this guy?" Riku asked, whispering at his friend while ncing at the new yer who juste to the court.


    Yuki stared at him confusedly before asking, "Why do you ask me that question? How could I know?"


    "Because it is you who noticed something wrong with that number 11 first," Riku answered matter of fact.


    Yuki twitched his mouth a bit, speechless at the answer he got. Still, he shook his head to answer the first question. "I don''t think there is something wrong with him. If anything, they want to intimidate us by showing they could rece anyone who is exhausted already with another fresh yer."


    "You are right." Riku nodded solemnly. "Still, we are just one point away from them. We can do this."


    "Yeah." Riku nodded, also with a solemn expression. "It is time to win the game."


    -0-


    When everyone was finally ready again on the court, the referee blew his whistle to resume the game. Just like before, Riku threw the ball high into the air before starting his run-up, jumping and doing a sequence of movements perfectly before hitting the ball straight to the other side of the.


    His serve became more powerful as time went by, making everyone wonder whether the blonde boy consumed some sort of drugs before the game or not. However, this time, Oda managed to receive the ball even if the libero had to dice acrobatically toward the sideline.


    *BAM!*


    "Nice receive, Oda!"


    "Someone, cover it up!"


    It wasn''t a perfect receive. The ball flew a bit too high and almost crossed the. Noticing that, Ueno, Hideo, and Ezaki on the front line rushed immediately to save the overpass ball. Hirano and Koji also jumped from the other side, trying to wipe it off for another point.


    Unfortunately, Ueno''s hand reached the ball first as the setter flicked it back, giving a chance for Hideo who ran behind him to spike the ball.


    *BAM!*


    "Deflection! Chance ball!" Hirano shouted.


    At first, Yuki wanted to rush forward to save the ball. However, when his peripheral vision caught Kaede did the same, he stepped back, choosing to preserve his stamina while thinking what he should do next. He nced sideways toward Shimoyawata''s side before noticing one particr yer who had been passive since a few minutes ago, not contributing anything to the team.


    ''Is he exhausted? I have to check it first.''


    "Agostini!"


    Riku who was still observing everyone''s movement while waiting for the ball to go down his direction was taken aback by Yuki''s shout. It was the first time his friend took the initiative to ask for the ball during this game, and it would be a lie if he said he didn''t want to pass the ball to the sses boy.


    Their eyes met each other for a second before Riku knew exactly what his friend wanted to do.


    Meanwhile, the yers on the front of Shimoyawata''s side also tensed a bit, observing where he would go. Even though it had been a while, they still remembered how thebination y between Riku and Yuki toyed their defense at the beginning of the game, and they didn''t want something like that to happen again, especially in such a crucial time like this.


    They kept their eyes on Yuki for a while as the sses boy kept running to the front line before he pulled a break and changed direction immediately to the left side.


    "WHAT?!"


    "SOMEONE! FOLLOW HIM! DON''T LET HIM DO ANYTHING HE WANTS!"


    "I GOT THIS!"


    Yuki clicked his tongue in annoyance when he saw Ezaki was following his movement. However, he ignored the boy''s existence and focused on the ball. Besides the fact that Ezaki''s presence as a blocker was not as imposing as Hirano''s, Yuki also didn''t want to go on a one-on-one contest against him. No, his target was the one on the back line.


    *BAM!*


    He spiked the ball through Ezaki''s left side, aiming it close to the backline. It was a short jump, followed by such a weak spike that anyone could receive that easily, showing how exhausted Yuki was at that time. However, Senki who was guarding the back at that time reactedte, couldn''t even stop the ball as it bruised his forearm before bouncing far to the outside of the court.


    Everyone was stunned, not expecting such a weak attack like that to score a point for Tsunemori. Hell, even Yuki didn''t expect that too. He aimed in Senki''s direction to test his reaction speed and see how exhausted he was. Who knew it would expose the opponent''s outside hitter directly like that?

 Chapter 53: The End (II)

    "Are you okay, Senki?" Ezaki asked cautiously.


    Normally, Ezaki wouldn''t dare to approach his ''former'' friend like this. Not because he didn''t care, but usually, he would be ignored or even mocked, and Ezaki was fine with that, knowing everything was not unfounded. However, this time, he had to ask the question since Senki looked terrible.


    Senki''s face was full of sweat while he was panting heavily, holding his jelly knees to support his body. It was clear that he couldn''t hold it anymore and needed some rest. Still, the determination shown in his eyes when they met Miura prevented the head coach from recing him right on the spot.


    The coach knew that while Senki was not the yer with the best stamina on the team, he still yed a big part as probably the third-best attacker on the team besides Ezaki and Hideo. Miura needed his presence now more than ever on the team, especially when he wanted to take control of the game.


    That was why, against his moral dilemma, he refused to rece Senki on the court, something the yer was grateful for.


    "Thank you, Ezaki," Senki said unconsciously. "Don''t worry, I am okay here." He said it casually.


    However, those words were not casual in Ezaki''s ears. While Ezaki noticed the others started to get warm at him, the boy knew it was just because of the heated moment in the game. But to hear those genuine words from Senki, Ezaki''s feeling wasplicated right now.


    Still, this was not the right time to talk about it. There was still a game that needed to be continued before they resolved all the problems in the past, and currently, they had to think of a way to stop Tsunemori''s wave of offense.


    It took a while, but after losing two more points from Riku''s serve and Hirano''s perfect block, Shimoyawata finally cut off their loss. However, no one celebrated that, considering right now, they were one point behind their opponent.


    ''Damn! This is bad! We cannot lose right now!'' That was the collective thought of the team.


    After that, the game went with a quick pace. Both teams kept exchanging one attack after another, no one wanted to lose right now. Due to the exhaustion that hit them both, points dropped from mistakes also happened a lot. The game that once looked proper now turned into a chaotic street volleyball that even they themselves wouldn''t be able to watch without cringing hard.


    When the score was tied again at 23 ¨C 23 though, Akira finally made a move. He used hisst timeout to give the instruction to his yers while also letting them rest for a while. This was the best decision in his mind, especially considering some of his yers couldn''t even move a single step again.


    "Megumi-san, please, bring us some water."


    "Um."


    It didn''t take long before the girl distributed mineral water to all the yers there. She bit her lips, worried about their state, especially the two youngest yers on the team. Yuki and Riku both had been the most active yers in this game, doing everything from defending, setting an attack, and sometimes even executing it themselves.


    All of that was taking a toll on them as right now, they looked like they were about to pass out at any time.


    "Can you both hold it?" Megumi asked, concerned.


    Yuki and Riku stared at each other for a second before they nodded simultaneously, not even hesitating to answer the question. "Don''t worry, Megumi-senpai. We are okay." While they both were on the edge of copsing right now, there was no way they would admit it, not willing to risk getting reced at such a crucial moment.


    They wanted to be on the court until everything was over, whether they won or lost the game.


    Megumi could only nod helplessly as she also knew their feeling. "Just be careful, okay?" She asked softly.


    The three didn''t notice that their interaction drew jealousy from his teammates. Koji, the self-proimed biggest fan of Megumi chimed in suddenly and said, "Don''t worry, Megumi-senpai! We still have so much stamina we could y for another five sets after this!"


    "Yes, Megumi-senpai!" The others also nodded in agreement, putting their arms on Riku and Yuki''s shoulders. "Don''t worry about them! This is easy for them, right?" Facing such an intimidating question from their senpai, the two freshmen could only nod frantically, not wanting to provoke their ire.


    Megumi giggled a little, making all the yers there blush. She knew everyone was on the verge of copsing right now, yet she couldn''t help but appreciate how they still wanted to reassure her that they were okay.


    "Well, if you all still have so much stamina¡­ Please, spend it all to get the twost points and win the game for me, okay?"


    "YES, SENPAI!"


    -0-


    Even though the score was even and Tsunemori was at a disadvantage due to its short number of yers, it was Shimoyawata who felt uneasy right now. Even though the opponent overused their yers for two full sets, they still managed to hold their ground against them, and if their opponent could score two more points before them, they could say goodbye to the tournament straight away.


    They wouldn''t feel this uneasy if only the next one who served the ball was an ordinary yer. Unfortunately, the one holding the ball right now was Yuki, and they still couldn''t figure out the witchcraft serve that seemed to cause their movement to get slower. That was why they were anxious right now.


    "Oda, move to the left a little," Wakamatsu instructed the back line. "You are only responsible for the left wing. If the ball came in between the middle and your area, let me take it over."


    "Yes, Senpai." The libero nodded.


    "Also, Ezaki, you are the yer with the best reaction speed here, so be ready if you see we couldn''t react to the serve, okay?"


    "Sure." Ezaki nodded.


    However, they didn''t take an ount on Yuki''s exhaustion and the probability that the serve would bepletely different than before. And when they saw the ball hit the top of the before bouncing a little toward their front side, they cursed at the same time while running forward frantically to save the ball.


    "SHIT!"


    Unfortunately, while Hideo on the front left and Wakamatsu on the middle back rushed immediately, they didn''t react quickly enough, could only stare at the ball bouncing at the ball gently as if it mocked their useless effort. Yuki who did the serve punched the air immediately when he saw the ballnded.


    "GODDAMNIT, YUKI! WHAT KIND OF GOD DID YOU PRAY BEFORE THE GAME?!"


    "HOLY SHIT! WE''VE GOT THE GAME POINT! WE ARE GOING TO WIN!"


    "COME ON!"


    For a moment, the exhaustion on Tsunemori''s side faded away as they all were too enthralled by the prospect of winning this game. This reaction was understandable. While Shimoyawata hadn''t achieved anything formally, they were considered the third-best team in Tokyo in thest couple of years.


    To be one step away from winning against them after such a crazy long game, they couldn''t help but feel like they were in a good dream.


    "Okay, everyone! Don''t panic!" Hideo pped his hands, trying to encourage his teammates. "It is not over yet! We still have a chance!" Unfortunately, that kind of encouragement didn''t work anymore. They were too depressed right now after being hit by the prospect of losing in the first round.


    No matter how many yers were still fresh and could be their advantage in the final set, it would be useless if they lost right now.


    And that was what Yuki tried to ensure at this point, as he changed his approach to his serve. It was a subtle change that no one noticed, but when Ezaki on the back right was about to receive the ball, it wobbled slightly before deviating its route as if wanting to avoid Ezaki''s hand and went straight to the floor.


    ''Shi-!''


    *Thud!*


    The entire court went silent as they stared at the ball bouncing slowly on the floor before it finally lost its momentum to move. For a while, there was no reaction, only disbelief could be seen on everyone''s faces as if they didn''t know what to do. Finally, it was the referee who broke the silence by blowing the whistle, announcing the final result of the game.


    "GAME SET! TSUNEMORI HIGH WINS THE GAME AND ADVANCES THROUGH THE SECOND ROUND OF THE TOURNAMENT!"

 Chapter 54: Aftermath (I)

    "YOSSHH-------!"


    "------------SSSHAAAAAAAA!"


    As the referee announced the final result, Yuki roared wildly, followed by Riku who jumped in his direction immediately with a simr enthusiasm. Then, they were followed by their teammates who rushed into their direction and hugged them tightly as if what just happened was a dream.


    Megumi who was on the sideline could only cover her mouth, her hands trembled a little as she tried her best to hold back her tears. It was an exaggerated reaction, she knew, considering this was just the first round. However, she couldn''t help it.


    Not only because the opponent they had to face was close to the final boss in terms of quality, but also the rough journey they had to take to reach this point.


    She could still remember how devastated the state of all the sophomore yers here the moment they realized their senpai left them alone with only two freshmen on the team.


    And even before that, the fight between the freshmen and the senior team¡­ The dramatic walk out from Noriyuki and Yoshi¡­ The torture they had to endure in the name of training just to fill up the nk spot the senior members left¡­ It was always a tough battle for them, and she was proud to say they overcame the situation really well.


    Meanwhile, on Shimoyawata''s side, the situation was the exact opposite. Exhaustion hit them hard as some of them let their jelly legs take over their body, letting them fall to the floor without any resistance. Tears shed on their faces as they realize that they lost the game.


    ''Is it really over?''


    ''After waiting for a year¡­. Damn¡­''


    Their shoulder trembled as they wanted to hold back the tears that kept falling down stubbornly, didn''t want to admit the reality. The first one who finally epted everything was Hideo as their captain had some sort of relieved expression on his face.


    "Don''t think about it too much," Hideo said. "We still have one more chance this year, so, just like Ezaki said in the past, let''s train our asses off and show everyone the new Shimoyawata High."


    He said it casually, didn''t intend to make a jab at Ezaki. Still, the boy who was mentioned was stunned immediately, then he bowed his head deep down to the ground with his eyes getting teary.


    "I am sorry!" He shouted, getting everyone''s attention. His body trembled heavily which made everyone afraid he would copse on the spot. However, Ezaki himself didn''t care. He still bowed his head while tears kept rolling down the floor.


    "When the opponent number 19 managed to score before¡­ Senki apologized to me for not being able to receive it¡­ That was when I realized¡­ That I¡­ That I¡­ I have never apologized to you all before¡­ It is because of me that we couldn''t y for almost a year¡­ But I¡­"


    All the yers around them also had tears when they heard Ezaki''s words, knowing this was what they had waited for a year since that incident.


    "I AM SORRY!" Ezaki finally couldn''t hold it anymore and did a dogeza pose, kneeling down on the floor while crying hard for forgiveness.


    "There are so many people who are ready to forgive you, you know?" Wakamatsu said, his voice was thick. "However, if you don''t apologize, how could we forgive you?"


    "Yeah¡­" The one who was reced by Ezaki before also nodded, his shoulder still trembling. "If only you are the one who ys since the beginning instead of me¡­"


    "No, the result would be no different than right now." Senki shook his head, surprising everyone else. "I mean, is there anyone between us who runs as hard as they did in this game? They really deserve the win today¡­"


    "Yeah." Hideo nodded, wiping the tears from the corner of his eyes. "Now, what we have to do is to start from the beginning again. The next winter tournament¡­ Let''s show everyone else, including Tsunemori, the new Shimoyawata who is better than this!"


    "Yes, Captain!"


    Miura nodded in satisfaction when he saw his yers'' interaction after losing the game. While he had a lot of dissatisfaction for the game to be voiced out, the coach could wait forter. Right now, all his yers needed was encouragement to get better, and he was sure the conversation today would help them more in the future.


    ''I am d that our opponent today is Tsunemori, the same team who is trying to climb to the top.'' He muttered. ''I doubt something like this would happen if we lost against Matsukita or Konan.''


    -0-


    "Good game." Hideo offered his hand to Yuki.


    After all the enthusiasm went down on Tsunemori''s side, they went to Shimoyawata''s side to offer a handshake. Just like anyone expected, it was Yuki who got the most attention, what with his incredible performance on the court. He was surrounded by the yers with white jerseys who wanted to congratte him or just exchange a small talk or two with him.


    It took a while for Yuki to get away from the crowds, and the moment he was able to do that, he was greeted by Hideo who looked at him with aplicated gaze.


    "Ah, thank you." Yuki scratched the back of his head shyly, not knowing what to say.


    "You catch us off guard and deserve to win today." Hideo continued. "But don''t expect you will always be able to win like this. The shaky performance your team had in the second set would be exposed in thete stage of the tournament."


    "I know." Yuki nodded solemnly as he could see that too.


    "Good." Hideo nodded in a satisfied manner. "Don''t lose embarrassingly in the future, it would bring shame to us who lost to you in the first stage. If you could, keep going on until you were beaten or Konan or Matsukita."


    Yuki arched his eyebrow a little before asking, "What makes you think we will lose against them?"


    "As if you are going to beat them." Hideo snorted. "If anyone could break those two teams'' domination, it would be us, Shimoyawata, and not you, Tsunemori. Just remember that."


    "Well, that means we have to agree to disagree here." Yuki snarked.


    They both red at each other, for a moment, the tension was heated between them. However, after a while, Yuki let out a small smirk, and it was mirrored by Hideo who chuckled merrily.


    "Good. You have the spirit. As expected from the team that beat us." Hideo nodded in approval. "Good luck with the tournament. Next time we meet, you will see the new Shimoyawata that wouldn''t be so easily to be beaten again."


    "I will wait for that." Yuki nodded genuinely.


    After that, all the yers on the court could hear the referee blow the whistle, and they formed two lines quickly before they bowed deeply without even beingmanded by anyone else.


    "SE! NO!"


    "THANK YOU FOR THE GAME!"

 Chapter 55: Aftermath (II)

    "Congrattions on the first win, Akira-sensei!" The headmaster congratted Akira excitedly the next day. "I heard it was a tough and dramatic game thatsted for about one and a half hours! You deserve the win!"


    "Thank you, Headmaster." Akira nodded, hiding his pleasant expression. "It is all because of the students we won yesterday''s game."


    By the day after the game, the news that the volleyball team advanced through the second round had already spread in the school, and once again since the game between the senior against the freshman, the team became the trending topic of the day.


    Almost all the residents here talked about them, from whispers to the excited shootout to the yers from the students they didn''t even know existed in the first ce.


    When they were talking in the school hallway though, a tall figure wearing round sses suddenly appeared. He had a gloomy expression on his face as he passed through both Akira and the headmaster rudely without even greeting them, causing a frown on their face.


    That was Shiratori, the history teacher in the school. There were so many reasons why Akira didn''t like him, but the biggest one was because the history teacher was probably the one who was the most adamant about dissolving the volleyball team. In his opinion, the team that couldn''t even achieve anything should not exist at all since it was just a waste of money.


    "Why is he so gloomy this early?" Akira muttered lowly.


    He didn''t expect that the headmaster would hear hisint though, and was surprised when the headmaster whispered, "It is like this, Sensei¡­"


    "What? He had already asked to proceed with the disbandment of the volleyball team the moment he heard our opponent is Shimoyawata?!" He raised his voice deliberately so that Shiratori could hear that too, making the history teacher freeze on the spot. "Doesn''t he know not to count the chickens before they hatch?" Akira said it mockingly.


    A thick vein popped on Shiratori''s temple when he heard that jab.


    "Urgh¡­ You are so childish, Akira-sensei¡­" The headmaster groaned embarrassedly.


    "Let me say congrattions for the win, Akira-sensei." Even though he didn''t appreciate the jab, Shiratori still showed his maturity by congratting Akira as well. "After ying against Shimoyawata High, the confidence of the team would be at its peak. Don''t let it get through the students'' heads and make them arrogant."


    Akira stared at his colleague intently before asking, "For one who wants the team to be disbanded, you sure know a lot of things about thepetition and yers'' psychology, Shiratori-sensei."


    Shiratori was taken aback, shocked while seeming to berate himself for the slip.


    Akira ignored that and asked his question, "Why does a person like you want to see the team disbanded more than anyone else?"


    Shiratori went silent for a moment before turning away, nodding at the headmaster while saying, "Excuse me." Before running away from the question, not giving any hint of an answer that could satisfy both the headmaster and Akira.


    -0-


    "Congrattion, Kobayashi." Kato said genuinely. "I heard from Megumi-neechan that you did amazing yesterday."


    "Thank you¡­" Yuki rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, still not getting used to being praised by the girl. "Anyway, thank you for your encouragement the night before the game too. It helps me beyond my expectations."


    This time, it was Kato who blushed, her cheek went red. "W-Well¡­ I-I am happy to help!" She stammered.


    Yuki tilted his head confusedly before asking, "Why are you so shy? It is not like this is our first meeting, right?" He joked feebly. This was a yful callback to their first meeting where she would always have her face so red like a boiled lobster.


    "Of course, no, you idiot!" She pped his shoulder yfully. "It is just¡­ I remember something not important Megumi-neechan said yesterday¡­"


    "Hey, Kato-chan, Yuki-kun sang so much praise for you earlier, saying he could perform really well because of your encouragement," Megumi said in a sing-song voice. "Is there anything you want to tell your big sister? Do I have to say anything to our handsome sses boy? Are you going to congratte him? Do you¡­ Fancy him?"


    Kato blushed once again when she remembered being teased by her sisterst night. She didn''t know how could Megumi connect such a feeble gratitude from the boy for her encouragement to the topic of whether she fancied him or not, but Kato was sure she didn''t want to answer that question right now.


    "Hello?" Yuki waved his hand in front of her face, trying to get her attention. "Earth to Kato-san, are you still with me?"


    Kato smiled a little before letting out a giggle. "That''s funny."


    "I know, right?" Yuki grinned, the expression that made her blush once again.


    "A-Anyway!" She cursed herself the moment she noticed her voice cracked. "Don''t you want to celebrate the win like the others?"


    "By the others, do you mean like our local lothario?" Yuki asked back wryly. They bothughed together, always loving to make fun of their friend behind his back. Fortunately, Riku knew that it was nothing personal and would always answer with a simr yfulness, so no harm was done here.


    But yeah, unlike Yuki who was a low-key student, Riku was the popr guy. The moment he entered the ssroom, he was surrounded by his fangirls who either wanted to congratte him or did something indecent toward the blonde boy that no sane teenagers would ever be brave enough to do inside the school.


    Even by now, the blonde boy was still being surrounded by five empty-headed girls who looked at him in awe. Yuki and Kato snickered when they received the pleading gaze from their friend, asking them to help him get out of his situation. They ignored the plea, knowing that Riku somehow enjoyed the attention too.


    "So, when will your next game be?" The girl asked.


    "I don''t know." Yuki shrugged. "The coach gives us two days off, so I think it should be a while before the next round begins. That is good, though. Even though it doesn''t look like that, thest game took a toll on us. I don''t know about the others, but I still have fatigue right now and I had already slept for 10 hoursst night."


    "That''s good." Kato nodded softly. "Let''s just hope that your luck will be better in the next round." She said with a teasing tone.


    Yukiughed and said, "Yeah, I don''t think I can survive the entire tournament if we have to face a tough opponent like Shimoyawata in every round. Let''s just hope that our luck will be better in the future."


    Little did he know though, that at that time, the Murphy''sw worked like a bitch against Tsunemori.

 Chapter 56: Tournament Draw! (I)

    Yuki grunted a little when he noticed dawn broke fully, shining brightly on his bed. He woke slowly, feeling something heavy that didn''t belong to his bodytched onto his chest. When he took a peek, Yuki couldn''t help but smile at the sight of a little girl squeezing onto his bed.


    ''I still got invaded again, huh?'' He muttered wryly.


    The little girl was Higawa Mai, the youngest child in the orphanage. After he decided to get more serious in volleyball, Yuki seemed to have less time to spare for the children there. They didn''t mind, of course, since the sses boy would always try his best to spare his time for the residents of the orphanage.


    The fact that he won his first game also made everyone proud and encouraged him to do better.


    However, Mai who was the youngest one out of the 11 children here didn''t think so. It seemed she was unhappy with the less time spent with Yuki and decided to invade his bed almost every night. Not that Yuki minded, though, since it was a cute invasion and he secretly enjoyed every moment of it.


    Still, Yuki had to wake up earlier than the girl, considering he had to help Aiko prepare the children for the day and go to the morning training if Akira asked the team to do that. He maneuvered the little girl to sleep on his bed before scrabbling on the desk next to him, searching for his sses.


    After finding it and stretching his body for thest time, he finally got down from his bed, found his way to the kitchen where Aiko was busy already in that room.


    His nostrils were immediately greeted by the savory aroma of Aiko''s expertly frying egg, wafting up from the sizzling pan on the stovetop. Even though every day was filled with simple dishes like this, the matron had the uncanny ability to make ordinary things look special just like the frying eggs in front of him.


    "Good morning, Yuki-kun." Aiko greeted without even turning around her head. "Are you still being invaded by Mai-chan?" She held back a giggle.


    "Yeah, yeah,ugh it up, Baasan." Yuki smiled wryly.


    "Oh, don''t worry, I will." Sheughed merrily. "Still, even though I know she would always go to your room, I don''t have the heart to stop her. And I know you enjoy the invasion more than you would admit."


    "You would never hear that from me." He sniffed, making the woman giggle more.


    There was a peaceful silence for a moment as Yuki sat on the stool. His bright, blue eyes locked on Aiko''s swift movement that left him in awe. He couldn''t help but wonder, how could the matron move so proficiently in such a small space without shing into so much stuff that was forced to fit there?


    "What is in your mind, Yuki-kun?" Aiko asked, snapping him from his thoughts.


    "Nothing." The sses boy shook his head, feeling a bit silly. "Just letting my mind wander far."


    "Hmmm¡­" The matron hummed for a while. "Well, if you have nothing to do, why don''t you help me wake up your siblings?"


    "Sure." Yuki rose from the stool immediately, having nothing better to do.


    It was strange how normal this kind of routine was for him now. If Yuki asked himself two months ago whether he was willing to wake up early without any resistance, his past self would haveughed at him. Before the disaster, he was the only child his parent had, and he was not embarrassed to say he was spoiled by them.


    From being woken up in the morning, preparing his breakfast, school uniform, bento, and everything, he had never done it by himself. That showed how much his parents loved him, and while it wasn''t good for his adulthood, Yuki enjoyed that attention much back then.


    That was probably why the first week in the orphanage was hard for him, and that was also probably why the loss of his parents didn''t quite sink in for a while as he had to adapt to his new life.


    And right now, even though his routine was different, he had to act more mature as the oldest child here while having to help Aiko with domestic chores, Yuki surprisingly didn''t find himself doing everything reluctantly. He enjoyed his new role as everyone''s big brother here. It didn''t help that everyone here also epted him pretty quickly, willing to treat the others as their new family.


    Even though they all were a bunch of broken children after losing their families, at least they could hold hands together and stay strong together for now.


    After waking up the children from one room to another, Yuki took a shower quickly before going down to the kitchen once again to enjoy his breakfast. Only Aiko was there as everyone was busy preparing for their day too. Squabbles andughter could be heard echoing through the building, making him and Aiko shake their head in exasperation.


    After a while, Yuki decided to go first, knowing he had to go for a meeting with the team.


    "Do you have a morning practice today?" Aiko asked.


    "No, Baasan." Yuki shook his head while putting on his shoes. "This morning, we will gather together to see the drawing of the tournament. I cannot wait to see which opponent would we have to face in the future."


    "Oh, I see¡­" Privately, Aiko couldn''t understand what he said.


    "Okay, I am ready." Yuki tapped his shoes on the ground for a moment before giving the matron a final hug. "I have to go first. Wish us luck!"


    "Okay! Be careful on the road!"


    -0-


    The moment Yuki arrived at the school, the atmosphere was still quiet. There were not a lot of students who had arrived there even though the sun was already high. The atmosphere of a long holiday could be felt by everyone as all the talks around were where they would go.


    Yeah, even though it was still a spring season, they had the luxury of enjoying a full holiday from thest week of April to the first week of May. That was what Japanese people celebrated as the Golden Week.


    However, that kind of atmosphere wouldn''t be found in the sports team. Instead of thinking about the holiday, all they had in mind was to use that week to train their asses off, knowing their rival would also do the same. And unfortunately, the volleyball team was included in that list.


    "So, we are at this time again, huh?" Kaede stretched his body, yawned big as he waited for the coach to arrive.


    "At what time?" Riku asked curiously.


    "A golden week time," Okamura answered. "This is the two time when Akira-sensei would go all out to either kill us or make us stronger, so be ready."


    Yuki and Riku stared at each other, couldn''t help but gulp. "So, when is the second time he does that?" The blonde boy asked.


    "It is the summer holiday." The atmosphere suddenly turned gloomy as all the faces of the senior members showed depression, frightening their kouhai more. "If you think the training up to now is hellish, you are in a rude awakening. Akira-sensei would make you stronger in the golden week, just to kill you one more time during the summer.


    And if you were able to survive all of the stages, that was when he would recognize you as a true volleyball yer."


    Yuki and Riku swallowed their saliva nervously after hearing Okamura''s story. It didn''t help that the libero was a good storyteller, had a way to tell a story with such a dramatic tone, enhancing the legend of it. Yuki asked Riku silently whether it was a true story since the blonde boy was the coach''s nephew, just for his friend to shake his head frantically.


    Fortunately, before their mind could go too far, Megumi appeared to save the day.


    *BONK!*


    "Ouch!" Okamura winced as he felt a book hit his head. "What''s wrong, Megumi-senpai?" He asked, smiling innocently at the girl.


    Megumi just snorted udylike before saying, "Don''t scare your kouhai like that, okay?" Then, she turned to reassure the two freshmen with her best innocent smile. "Don''t worry, the training is not that bad. You will enjoy it."


    Somehow, it only scared Yuki and Riku more.


    "Okay, everyone!" Akira arrived at the gymnasium, taking out a smallptop from his bag. "Before we start our meeting, let''s witness together how difficult our journey in this tournament would be!"

 Chapter 57: Tournament Draw! (II)

    As all the yers sat in the gymnasium, the live broadcast of the tournament drawing finally started on Akira''sptop. They all could see immediately four massive brackets with sixteen nk spots in every bracket.


    The four teams who won the entire bracket would be in the semifinal and fight against each other to be the number one team in Tokyo this year, and the top three teams would also be the representatives of Tokyo in the next national tournament.


    Unlike the first round where the team couldn''t know their next opponent, this time, every team would be able to predict how hard their journey would be, and everyone prayed to not be ced in the same bracket as Konan or Matsukita. The same could also be said for Tsunemori too. While Riku might love the challenge, he wasn''t crazy enough to want to meet a strong opponent too early.


    It would be better if those strong teams killed each other first and let them win against an easy opponent quietly.


    After waiting for a while, a person finally appeared on the screen, walking in front of the bracket. He had this brilliant smile that would light up the atmosphere in the room just by standing here, something that Yuki thought was impossible to do. However, it seemed everyone ¨C even Riku knew who that person was as gasps echoed throughout the gymnasium.


    "It is him!"


    "Damn! I haven''t seen or heard any news about him for a while! Would he be the one announcing the drawing?"


    "Does that mean he would say our team''s name too?"


    "Who is he?" Yuki who was the only clueless person there decided to ask. Seeing the disbelief eyes directed at him, he raised his hands quickly. "Hey, a newbie in volleyball, remember?"


    After realizing that Yuki was right, it was Koji who exined. "That person is Adachihara Ken, probably the most decorated athlete Japan has ever had in the history. He yed for the country since he was 16 for about neen years and brought back so many achievements, including one gold medal and two bronze medals in the Olympics.


    He retired two years ago, and after that, he hasn''t been exposed to a lot of news up to now. Never in my dream I would see him standing there to announce the draw."


    "Yeah." Asahi nodded enthusiastically. "He is my hero even now! It was him who made me train myself to be a left-handed yer like him!"


    "Hey, I tried that too! But I sucked, so I gave up quickly!"


    "Same! Hahaha!"


    Yuki blinked when he heard the excited conversation about the guy on the screen. Even the cold-blooded Hirano smiled a little, which just showed him how big this Adachihara Ken was in the volleyballmunity.


    "So, how do you know about him too?" He whispered to Riku.


    "Adachihara was a big name in Italy too." The blonde boy whispered back, still staring at the screen in awe. "He joined Sisley Treviso, a team based in a small city called Treviso in the northern part of Italy in 2001.


    After that, he brought back the glory to the team by winning 6 Serie A in a row and being dubbed as the MVP of the tournament 4 times, making him one of the best yers that had ever graced Italian volleyball."


    That was when Yuki realized how much weight the person on the screen carried for the Japanese volleyball.


    ''Still, he is not ying anymore. He is there as the representative of the association for the drawing, so let''s focus on that.''


    After exchanging pleasantry with the people there and greeting the audience who watched the live broadcast, Adachihara finally started the drawing. Instead of calling every team one by one, the association used a randomizing program created for this, so the only thing the volleyball legend had to do was press the button, and all the teams would be ced all over the brackets randomly.


    The moment he did that though, everyone held their breath unconsciously, leaning their body forward to search Tsunemori''s name frantically.


    "Where is our team? Do you find it?"


    "No! We are not in the first bracket!"


    "Hey! Don''t push around!"


    "It is you who push us! Don''t me the others!"


    "Hey, I found it! We are on the third bracket!"


    All the eyes suddenly turned to the third bracket to see the name of their school. It was easy to find since their name was ced in the second to top of the bracket. What they excited the most though, was the opponent they had to face next.


    Tsunemori High ¨C Tokamiyama High


    "Tokamiyama? Is that a good team?" Yuki asked.


    "I don''t know." Kaede shrugged. "I have never heard about them until now." They all stared at each other for a moment to see whether anyone knew anything about their next opponent or not. Seeing that no one voiced any information, they all grinned, knowing Tokamiyama was just a no-name team.


    "Yosh! It should be an easy game, right?!"


    "Don''t underestimate your opponent!"


    "But Koji is right! It should be easier than Shimoyawata, right?!"


    "It should be!"


    "Let''s see who will be our next opponent if we win the second round!"


    "Hey, you are right!"


    Their face lightened up when they read the names of the teams that were in the same bracket as them. The opponent they had to face in the third round if they won the next game¡­ Another no-name team! In the fourth round¡­ A decent team whose achievement kept going down in thest recent years! In the final of the bracket¡­. Konan High! Everyone groaned when they read thest name.


    "Oh,e on! We are so close to entering the semifinal!" Okamura groaned.


    "Yeah! Goddamnit! How could our luck be so bad we are in the same bracket as the best team in the country?" Kaede moaned.


    "Well, at least we would face them in the top eight, right?" Koji sighed. "Our achievement should be higher thanst year."


    "Yeah! Last year, we lost immediately in the second round! Compared to that, this year should be better!"


    "We should be able to get into the top 8, right?"


    "Yes!"


    As they chatted about the result of the draw, no one noticed the coach reacted badly to the result of the draw. His face went pale, and cold sweat suddenly rolled down his hands. It wasn''t until he spoke that everyone finally turned their head on him.


    "No, top eight is not enough."


    All the eyes turned to him, looking at him with concern as bad feelings suddenly crept into their body when they saw their coach reacted so badly.


    "What do you mean, Sensei?" Megumi asked softly, her tone was full of concern.


    Akira went silent for a while, pondering for a moment about something. The team waited in tense anticipation for him to say something, starting to hate their coach for ying with their nerve. After a few seconds, Akira finally sighed, revealing the truth.


    "There is an agreement made between me and all the teachers in the school, that if I cannot bring you to the semifinal this year, the team has to be disbanded forever."


    Silence settled over the gymnasium for a while as everyone proceeded with his words. When everything sunk in though, they had their eyes widened, only one word could express their feeling right now.


    "WHAAAAT?!"

 Chapter 58: The Agreement Revealed!

    "Sincest year, our school has been suffering from financial problems, either due to the budget from the government getting cut off more than half of what we usually received or due to the bad management from the higher-ups," Akira exined the background of the agreement he had with the school. "That was what started the purge that has been happening this year."


    "The purge?" Everyone looked at each other confusedly.


    "Should we really talk about this right now?" Megumi suddenly asked, a bit uneasy. "I mean this is basically talking bad about our school, right? Should we do it¡­ I don''t know, more secretly, I guess?"


    It wasn''t like she was not curious about the situation, but the girl was worried that someone would overhear the conversation and spread another bad rumor about them. One bad rumor three weeks ago was enough for her, she didn''t want to repeat that episode once again.


    "Don''t worry, Megumi-san." Akira waved his hand casually. "Have you not noticed that besides the PE ss, the only one who uses the gymnasium is our team?"


    "Eh?!"


    "Really?!"


    All the yers there were stunned when they heard the new information, but after pondering for a moment, they realized that it was true. The only time the gymnasium was used by anyone other than the volleyball club was on the second day of the term by the basketball team. But since then, they hadn''t seen the other teams use the facility again.


    "It is rted to the purge that I am talking about." Akira nodded solemnly, confirming their guess. "While we are far from bankrupt, our financial situation is bad. To save the school, the headmaster gathered all the teachers before the term began to discuss what to do, and the best solution provided was to close the club they deemed just a waste of money.


    Unfortunately, so many sports clubs were included in that list, and the volleyball team is one of them."


    The team was stunned, didn''t even know how to react to the revtion. Even the bright sun outside couldn''t outshine the gloomy atmosphere there as they couldn''t ept the situation.


    "Why is it only the sports clubs that are threatened here?" Kaede asked, still trying to process the information.


    "Because the sports club always requires a lot of members, and the maintenance cost is too high for the school to afford," Akira answered gloomily. "And it is not just the sports club. We are lucky the school is willing to be more lenient with us and not to close the team directly.


    The others such as the football team, basketball team, athletic team, and even a major club for the school like orchestra team and science team were reduced to the ashes, all in the name of saving the money."


    The reaction from the yers varied from shocked, bewildered, disbelief, and even worry for the future of the team. Yuki himself had eye contact with Riku, both questioning how Kato was doing currently. The girl joined the science team, so she would probably be in the same situation right now.


    "So, what is so special about our team that we were able to escape from the purge? I am sure, we didn''t do anything special. If anything, themotion we made a while ago should receive a negative review from the teacher, right?" Ogawa asked.


    Yuki couldn''t help but wince unconsciously as the incident with the senior members was mentioned again. While he didn''t regret ying against the senior team to clear his name and wasn''t embarrassed about it, the sses boy had to admit that themotion was a bad thing for the volleyball team.


    It exposed the disharmony inside the team, which should be enough for the teachers to include the team in the purge instantly.


    "Well, I don''t know the details, but it seems that our esteemed headmaster is a former member of the team when he was your age, ying as a captain for this school about thirty-seven years ago," Akira answered nonchntly as if he answered the question about the weather outside.


    "So, he is a former yer¡­" All of them nodded in understanding, the words hadn''t sunk inside their head yet. A momentter though, they all snapped their head toward the coach, looking at the man with eyes wide in disbelief. "SAY WHAT?! THE HEADMASTER IS A FORMER PLAYER AND PLAYED FOR THIS SCHOOL TOO?!"


    "Psst! Keep it down!" Akira hissed immediately. "But, yeah, he is a former captain of the team, and from what I got, he achieved good things too as a yer. That is why he is adamant about defending our team even if we are a big mess. He has so many memories here, and most of them are the good ones."


    The nine students there noddedically like a bunch of parrots, still processing the information they just received. Who knew the esteemed headmaster whom everyone respected and some were scared of was also a yer in the past, standing in their position too? This somehow got them excited for no reason apart from having a good backer for the team.


    However, it was subdued immediately when they remembered the agreement to disband the team still existed, which meant it wasn''t enough to only have their headmaster behind their back.


    "So, we are still here just out of respect toward the headmaster, eh?" Okamura asked no one, his face darkened.


    "Well¡­ Basically, yes." Akira nodded, confirming the question.


    The air turned heavy suddenly inside the gymnasium. While they didn''t like the fact that they were still here out of pity, they couldn''t help but be d they still had a chance to prove they still deserved to exist in the school.


    However, those feelings ebbed away as they remembered they had to face Konan before they went through the semifinal, a mission impossible for any team but Matsukita in the country.


    "Well, this makes everything more interesting, right?" Suddenly, a voice snapped them from their depression.


    All the eyes turned immediately to the source of the voice, and Yuki had a thick vein popped on his forehead when he saw his blonde friend grinning stupidly.


    "What are you talking about, you idiot?!" He pped Riku''s back immediately, then turned to the others and bowed, "I am sorry Senpai. You know something always goes wrong inside his head. Please, don''t take his words seriously." As the only one from the same generation, Yuki felt responsible for all Riku''s antic.


    That was why he pped Riku''s back without hesitation the moment the blonde boy uttered something nonsense again.


    "OUCH! What the hell, Kobayashi?!" Riku rubbed the spot Yuki hit sourly. He wilted immediately the moment he received the sses boy''s re, didn''t want to provoke his friend''s ire. Still, he said, "Hear me out first, will you?"


    All the students here who were essentially older than those two just snickered loudly when they saw their kouhai''s antic, lightened up the atmosphere. Noticing that, Yuki sighed, letting it slide while still ring at the blonde boy. "Well, what do you want to say?"


    Riku gulped before finally saying his thoughts. "Well, this is basically all or nothing, right?"


    "Huh? What do you mean?" Everyone tilted their head confusedly, couldn''t understand his words.


    "Think about it!" Riku said, getting more excited. "We have to face Konan High if we want to advance through the semifinal. If we lost, that would mean we were disbanded. But imagine if we won the game. It would be a legendary story! Everyone would remember our name!


    The one who destroys Konan High''s domination! The one who create the miracle! Can you imagine the glory we would receive?!"


    They all pondered his words, starting to imagine that scenario. The more they thought about it, the more they liked what they saw. Meanwhile, Yuki also nodded in agreement ¨C to his own surprise. This was basically all or nothing. They lost, and everything was over, but if they won, they would be pushed into the spotlight immediately.


    He couldn''t help but admire his friend once again. Despite all Riku''s ws, Yuki had to admit there was one thing the blonde boy had that he didn''t possess, and that was the ability to motivate the others. Just a few minutes ago they were so depressed with the prospect of the team''s disbandment, but now, the air was filled with positivity, smiles and excitement spread inside the gymnasium.


    ''Let''s just hope that our future will be friendlier to us.''

 Chapter 59: Training Camp Starts!

    "Oi! Kimura! You are here!"


    Hearing his name called, a man in his middle age turned around, just to see his old friend waving at him. "So, you came, huh, Akira?"


    "Yes." Akira nodded with a smile on his face. "Please, take care of us."


    "Me too." The man named Kimura also nodded. Then, his eyes turned to Akira''s back to see a bunch of students following his friend. "So, those are your boys? They look rather displeased."


    Akira could only sigh helplessly when he saw his yers had some sort of sour expression on their faces. He could still remember the conversation he had with them yesterday after the talk about the team''s future; when he announced their training agenda in the golden week.


    -A little shback-


    "Starting from tomorrow, we will have a training camp for one week," Akira spoke.


    "Oh!" Excitement rose immediately. "Training camp? Where?" Ogawa asked.


    "Are you an idiot?" Okamura rolled his eyes. "If you say training camp, it should be the sea, right?"


    "So, in Okinawa?" Ogawa asked once again.


    "Hey, I have never been to Okinawa before!" Kaede suddenly said.


    "Me neither!"


    "Ah! I need to buy trunks!"


    "It has been a long time since I go to the sea! What should I bring there?"


    By now, everyone was so excited at the prospect of the training camp, ignoring Akira whose face darkened as he was being ignored. Still, he didn''t interrupt the conversation, letting their imagination run wild just to let reality p them hard tomorrow.


    ''Let''s see if you can still have the same enthusiasm when you see the ce¡­''


    -End of the shback-


    Akira didn''t even tell them all their designation, just letting the excitement rise to the peak as everyone talked about the beach enthusiastically. It wasn''t until they got off the bus that all of them realized the ce was far from the beach. They arrived at Tsukumi University, Akira''s alma mater in East Tokyo.


    That was why even by now, they still red at their coach who probablyughed his ass off when he heard their excitement about the beach.


    "Anyway, where is Megumi-senpai?" Ogawa suddenly asked.


    "She couldn''te." It was Yuki who answered the question. "It seems that Megumi-senpai''s parents had some business to do outside of Tokyo and she was asked to stay at home with her grandma."


    "Hoo¡­" All of them nodded in understanding.


    Well¡­ All of them¡­ Except for the self-proimed number-one fans of the girl.


    "Howe you know that information?" Koji scowled. "Megumi-senpai doesn''t even tell me anything."


    Yuki just rolled his eyes in exasperation before answering, "She replied to my text with that when I asked her whether she would join the training camp or not. Maybe, you should ask too if you really care about her, mister ''biggest fans''?" He said thest part sarcastically.


    "Why, you?!"


    "Don''t get irritated that easily, Koji!" Ogawa rolled his eyes in a simr manner as what Yuki did before, infuriating the new ace of the team more.


    "It is because of you that we are expecting Okinawa, Ogawa!" Koji snarked. "You are responsible for this disappointment!"


    "I thought it was Okinawa because Okamura said about the sea!" Ogawa defended himself while throwing away the me on his friend.


    "What? So, I am at fault now, huh?" The libero scowled.


    For a moment, things seemed to get heated among them. Kimura nced at Akira sideways, asking silently whether this would be okay. Tsunemori''s coach himself just shrugged it off, knowing they needed to do this to blow the disappointment away. A little voice inside his heart told him otherwise, though.


    ''Is it really okay? I thought training camp was designed as something to deepen the bond of the club members, but how could it be the opposite? Their rtionships might be even worse.''


    After a while, they all finally calmed down, went to the gymnasium inside the campus and started their training. To their surprise though, the first thing on the menu was a game against Tsukumi University''s C team.


    "Togano! Here! To the left!"


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice save, Kobayashi!"


    "Agostini! Save it! Don''t let the ball fly over the!"


    "I got this!"


    *BAM!*


    "SHIT!"


    "A game right aftering over?" Kimura asked. He stood next to Akira as they both observed how the game went. "To have our C team as your opponent, which even though filled by the freshmen who just came out of high school, they still are excellent guys assembled from all around the country, the difference in power is too great. Your team won''t get anything from such a game."


    Akira nodded as if he had already expected that. "I know. But it needs to be at least an opponent at that level."


    "Oh?" Kimura stared at him questioningly.


    "RIKU! LEFT!"


    *BAM!*


    "Shit! Agostini, don''t make it so obvious!"


    "I don''t need you to say that, Kobayashi!" Riku growled as his set was predicted once again by the opponent. This was probably the thing a setter hated the most, being read like an open book and couldn''t put up a decent fight against the opponent.


    "Don''t get distracted, Kobayashi! Watch the ball!"


    "I got this!"


    "So, the condition is to get into the best four in order to not abolish the volleyball team?!" Kimura stared in disbelief when he heard what Akira said. Somehow, their concentration wasn''t on the court anymore. "That would be hard, you know? In Toyo, before getting into the best four, you have to face either Konan or Matsukita."


    "I know." Then, a small smile suddenly formed beneath Akira''s thick mustache. "That is why it is worth doing."


    ''Worth?'' Kimura was getting more confused. ''Does he think this game would be enough for them to prepare themselves against the two teams that even our A team struggled to defeat?''


    Kimura stared at his friend for a moment, trying to get a hint of emotion to show on his face. Seeing Akira''s calm face, he couldn''t help but ask, "Akira, why are you doing this?"


    "Huh?" Akira tilted his head confusedly. "What do you mean?"


    "You were a first-rate outside hitter at the university in the past, and if your knee didn''t break, you should have been Japan''s representative with Adachihara-senpai. Surely, there were many famous teams that asked you to coach them, right? Why did you agree to manage such a team?"


    Akira scowled at his words. "Hey, hey! Calling them ''such a team'' is a bit awful, don''t you think? Even though we are from the same generation, what you said is a bit too much!" Seeing his friend was unfazed though, Akira sighed before saying, "I want the honor."


    Kimura widened his eyes for a moment before parroting his words. "The honor? To be the leader who raises a youth team to a champion?"


    "No." Akira shook his head firmly. Then, without exining anything to his friend, he turned around and said, "The game is about to end. Let''s separate our way first before we discuss how should we do the joint training."


    Kimura was stunned for a second before he scowled, realizing what happened. "Akira Oi! Don''t ignore me like that, Bastard!"


    -0-


    "25 ¨C 9 and 25 ¨C 7? It has been a long time since I saw this team lost with such arge gap." Akira smiled teasingly at his yers.


    He received the dirty gazes from everyone, yet nothing was said as all the yers there copsed to the floor with faces full of sweat. It was clear by their erratic breathing that they were far beyond exhausted.


    "Well¡­ This is still within my exhaustion." Akira said still with a smile, gaining his yers'' attention. "Our aim during this week would be massive physical strengthening. Endurance that cannot lose to any team would keep our chance open whenever the game is prolonged to the third set. From this point on, every day, you will have to do a lot of running.


    Look!" He pointed his fingers at the other side of the court.


    All the eyes turned in that direction, just to find the yers they just faced in the earlier game didn''t even sweat that much.


    "They still look like they have energy to spare, right?" He asked.


    "Damn¡­" The yers growled in annoyance when they saw the sight.


    "Those¡­" Akira continued. "Are the faces of you guys after this camp. Can you do it?"


    Facing the challenge from the coach, determination suddenly burned inside them. They all stared at each other for a moment before nodding their head collectively.


    "Hell, yeah!"


    "Let''s do it!"


    "Let''s show everyone the new Tsunemori after this hell is over!"

 Chapter 60: Training Camp (I)

    KY: Hey!


    KY: How are you doing?


    KY: I heard the science club is forced to close down. You okay?


    Ayaka Kato: I am good.


    Ayaka Kato: Yeah, it sucks. But my president managed to negotiate with the school.


    Ayaka Kato: Instead of being disbanded directly, we have half a year to achieve something in Tokyo.


    Ayaka Kato: Something that would make the school''s higher-ups think we are worth investment.


    Ayaka Kato: I heard the volleyball team is the same, right?


    KY: Yeah. If we cannot be the top 4 teams in the prefecture, we are done.


    Ayaka Kato: Wow, that is tough.


    Ayaka Kato: I heard Tokyo has the top two teams in the country, right?


    KY: Yeah.


    Ayaka Kato: Well, good luck with that!


    KY: You too.


    -0-


    "COME ON! RUN FASTER!"


    Even though the summer hadn''te to the country yet, today''s weather was surprisingly good for any outdoor activity. However, that only meant the torture the Tsunemori team received would be more intense. Under the scorching sun, they kept running and running, increasing and decreasing the tempo constantly following Akira''s instructions.


    They were not sure for how long did they start running today, but it felt like an eternity.


    After a while, Akira finally nodded, blowing his whistle once again to ask everyone to take a rest.


    "Good job!" The coach was satisfied. "All of you finished full thirty minutes of interval running just three weeks after I introduced it to you. This is beyond my expectation."


    Even though the yers were exhausted, their faces lightened up when they heard the praise. "Does that mean we can stop doing this again forever?" Kaede asked, his tone was full of hope.


    Akira just snorted before saying, "Unfortunately, no. In fact, I will add one more set the moment you feel morefortable, so don''t get your hopes up." All of them groaned when they heard the information.


    "Man, about how many km did we run today?" Kaede asked, wiping the sweat on his face.


    "I don''t know," Asahi answered, still lying on the floor with his chest moved up and down rapidly. "About 10 km, I guess."


    "We also run so much in the game, but why do I feel more tired from this training?" Okamura groaned, he was in a simr pose as Asahi.


    Even though they all finished the full training until the end, the exhaustion kept them at bay, restraining them from being overly enthusiastic. The fact that Akira said he would add more sets the moment they adapted kept them humble, knowing the torture wouldn''t end as soon as they thought it would. Still, not a singleint has been raised yet.


    Everyone followed the arrangement obediently even with one or two grumbles in the air.


    "You can take a break for fifteen minutes. After that, we will start our training again." Akira announced.


    All the eyes lightened up, asking immediately, "Is it another game against the university team?" Since they lost against the C team of Tsukumi University, the only thing on their mind was to take revenge. For them, that C team was the parameter they looked up right now, the team they wanted to use as a stepping stone to jump higher.


    The moment they beat that C team, that was when they knew they had already improved in everything.


    Akira smiled, knowing his yers'' thoughts and desires. Still, he shook his head."No, it wasn''t a game. You will see itter." He smiled mysteriously before leaving his yers curious about what would they do next.


    -0-


    "Alright, Folks!" Akira pped his hands to get his yers'' attention.


    Currently, they moved from the football field outside back to the gym, something that everyone was grateful for. The moment they entered the building though, they were greeted by the sight of Akira standing on the small circle on one side of the court. Somehow, they had a bad feeling this wouldn''t be good.


    "So, what we are going to do right now is called the Lone Defender drill. Each of you will have your turn to be the libero today, and for the others who are not on their turn, they will be on the opposite side of the court as the attackers. Each of you will have fifteen minutes, and you have to defend your side of the court during that time.


    Don''t let the ball drop to the floor, or I will count it as a miss and we will calcte the total in the end for your punishment. But if you can send the ball in my direction here," Akira mentioned the circle, "Your count will be reduced by one point. Any question? Yes, Koji?"


    "Why sending it to your direction would reduce the punishment?" He asked.


    "Good question." Akira nodded in a satisfied manner. Then, he turned his head to the others. "Anyone know the answer? Yes, Kobayashi-kun?" He pointed at Yuki who raised his hand immediately.


    "Because that spot is where Agostini would be on the game as a setter, right?"


    "Correct. Good observation skill." Akira praised him.


    At first, no one was bothered by that. Hell, even Riku didn''t notice the arrangement, thinking it was just another one of his uncle''s strange training methods. However, the more they thought about it, the more it made sense. That small circle was the spot where Riku would operate, so to be able to send the ball there would mean the setter could initiate an attack quickly.


    "So, do you all understand?"


    "Yes, Coach!"


    "Good! Then, let''s start the training!"


    -0-


    Since the training is designed for a libero, it was not a brainer that Okamura offered himself to do it first. He did a good job, showing off why he was the best defender on the team.


    While he missed the ball a few times, he made it up by sending it back to Akira''s circle spot, and while he also read the setup wrong a few times, the libero kept the ball in the air most of the time, and that was what made Akira satisfied the most.


    Asahi also did a very good job. It was slightly worse than Okamura, naturally. But he wasn''t the best defender in the first ce. His reaction wasn''t fast, but he made it up with his receiving ability which he had a knock on it, aiming almost all the ball he saved to Akira''s circle spot.


    In the end, even though he dropped the ball more than the libero, due to his urate aim, Asahi managed to keep the count lower than his friend.


    Kaede was also the same. As the defensive-oriented yer, he did his job well, saving the ball left and right. Unlike the first two yers who read the y first before they moved, the opposite hitter used his instinctpletely, starting to move even before he knew who would be the one to hit the ball.


    It left everyone in awe as all of them couldn''t understand how could someone''s instinct be so urate.


    The next three yers didn''t do as well as their friends, though. Koji, Ogawa, and Hirano struggled to keep the ball up in the air. The first two were attacking-minded yers, so it was difficult to read the game. As for Hirano, he was theplete opposite of them.


    He used his experience as the middle blocker to read everything well, but his ability as a receiver was abysmal, making his count the highest one currently.


    The biggest surprise came from Riku. While everyone knew he had a solid basic, they all thought since the blonde boy was a setter, he wouldn''t be that good. Who would expect that Riku was so good his count was close to the first three yers?


    And when it was Yuki''s turn¡­


    *BAM!*


    "Come again!"


    *BAM!*


    "Next one!"


    *BAM!*


    "Come on!"


    Everyone was in awe as they witnessed how Yuki moved wlessly, kept flying all around the court to save the ball. It took almost ten minutes for them all to finally force the sses boy to let the ball to drop the floor. He really showed his talent to all the yers there, making them curse inwardly at how unfair God was when giving a person such a talent like that.


    Still, even though there was jealousy, the most dominant feelings they had toward Yuki were admiration and excitement as they were d he was their teammate.


    Akira himself shook his head in wonder at the sight of Yuki saving the ball. Just like what he expected the first time he saw Yuki, Akira knew the sses boy would be the most talented yer he had ever coached up to now. Still, he was satisfied with the overall result, not just him alone.


    ''As expected, they are more suitable as a defensive team. All of them could work wlessly to defend against any kind of attack, and with more polishing, those three would be able to improve too to my standard. But this is not enough¡­ We need to have more weapons if we want to win against Konan¡­''


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 61: Training Camp (II)

    The next day started basically the same. They woke up pretty early, doing some warming-up before starting running even when the sky was still dark outside. It was just a low-intensity running to prepare their body for such a long day. After that, they enjoyed breakfast together in the campus''s canteen while rxing a little, talking andughing about everything.


    Then, they would be given free time for about half an hour to do anything they liked, either exploring the campus or just lying on the bedzily. And when the time was over, that was when the torture started again.


    Just like his promise, Akira didn''t hold back. He added more sets for the interval running, letting all the yers feel that they were still not good enough. If yesterday, they all could finish the training in full thirty minutes, this time, only Hirano was able to do that. Everyoney on the ground quickly just in twenty minutes after the training started, showing how exhausted they were.


    "God, this is impossible." Kaede panted heavily on the ground.


    "Yeah¡­" Ogawa nodded, his condition was a bit worse than his friend''s. "I¡­ I don''t think¡­ Anyone would train this hard¡­ For the tournament¡­"


    "Hirano is insane, though," Kojimented. While he was tired and decided to walk out from this session, he still looked at his friend in admiration. "He could keep up with all the nonsense training Akira-senseiing up with."


    "He is just another freak, like the two people we know." Asahi snorted, his eyes nced at Yuki and Riku.


    Yeah, after the training yesterday, they all finally realized that it wasn''t just Yuki who had an amazing talent in the team. Riku was the same, could absorb almost everything the coach gave instantly. And to make it worse, they both improved at a pace that the other people couldn''t follow, outshining everyone without even trying to do that.


    "No need to be jealous. We have our own talent and role, so it would be better if we just put our focus on that." Koji said casually. "Anyway, does the summere earlier this year? Why is it so hot in thest two days?" He groaned while narrowing his eyes at the sun in the sky.


    Yeah, just like Koji said, the weather today was still the same as yesterday, very good for outdoor activity. It was as if the God of Weather itself watched them getting tortured and decided to keep the weather as it was yesterday just because it was funny to see them running frantically as if they were chased by a wild dog.


    "Here. A drink for you." Suddenly, a soft voice knocked gently through his ears like an angel. Coupled with the pleasant cold feeling from a drink getting pressed onto his cheek, Koji blinked a few times, his mind couldn''t respond to what just happened.


    "Thank you, Megumi-senpai." That was the only word that coulde out of his mouth.


    "You''re wee."


    It took everyone a few seconds before they realized who just greeted them, and their head snapped immediately to the girl. "MEGUMI-SENPAI?! Why are you here?!"


    Yeah, it was Megumi who just came here and gave them a drink to relieve their thirst. She wore a in, white shirtbined with dark sports pants and white shoes, setting her hair in a high ponytail style that enhanced her beauty more, making everyone''s jaws drop and their faces blush hard.


    Megumi tilted her head confusedly when she heard the question. "Shouldn''t I be here?" She asked.


    "No, no, no, Senpai! I don''t mean it that way!" Koji shook his head frantically. "I mean, I heard from Kobayashi that you have to apany your grandma, right?" He asked while sending a re toward the sses boy. It was because of his kouhai that he didn''t expect his idol toe and embarrass himself in front of her.


    "Oh, yeah, he is right." Megumi nodded, putting Koji on the wrong foot. "But I only need to apany my grandma for two days. You know that I have a little sister too, right?"


    Koji blushed at her reminder, ring fiercely at his teammates who stiffened theirughter at his reaction.


    It was clear that Megumi''s presence lightened up the mood of the team. With her among them, the conversation seemed to run better as everyone tried their best to impress the girl with their hard work. It wasn''t until Akira blew his whistle again that they rose from the ground reluctantly to restart the training again.


    "After this, we will have a guest who will help with our training." Akira suddenly announced.


    "Eh? A guest?" Everyone stared at each other confusedly, just to receive a shrug from their friends.


    "Yeah, he was one of my mentors in the past when I was a yer here, and he is willing to help our training today." Akira''s smile was full of nostalgia. "Ah, speaking of which, here hees!"


    They all turned their head around to the direction where the coach stared, just to find an old man with a short body and some sort of wry expression on his face walking with a cane in his hand, scrutinizing them all for a moment with the sharp gaze that would put everyone ufortable.


    "Old geezer? Is that you?"Riku suddenly spoke in Italian, surprising everyone.


    The old man had a thick vein popped on his forehead as he swung the cane immediately to the blonde boy. "How many times have I told you to not call me that, you disrespectful Brat!"


    "Ouch! Stop it, old geezer! That hurts!"


    "It is supposed to be hurt, you stupid boy! Come on! Apologize!"


    "Never!"


    Everyone had a nk face as they stared at the old man who juste and started bickering with Riku in Italian while waving his cane threateningly at the blonde boy. Only Yuki among the yers had a clue of what they were talking about since he started learning Italian too, yet he couldn''t follow up the conversation that running so fast.


    Akira sighed tiredly at them before turning his attention back to the yers, decided to ignore those two.


    "Well, as you can see, there is one person who knows about the old man already." He said wryly. "But I will still introduce him to you. His name is Sekine, currently the advisor of the volleyball team here. As you can see, he also has experience with Italian volleyball. In fact, he was the one who pushed me to go there after finishing my study here."


    "Eh?! Really?" All the eyes suddenly looked at the old man in a different light.


    "Yes. At that time, you were still a brat like them too, Shinji." The old man chimed in after hitting Riku one more time with his cane. His eyes wandered around the yers once again before sighing. "So, they are your boys, huh? I have already watched the record you sent to me, and I have to say they are not bad."


    Their eyes beamed when they heard his words. After all, who didn''t like getting praised?


    "Still, there is room for improvement, though." The old man said. Then, a small smile suddenly formed on his face as he stared at the yers in front of him. "Since Shinji asks me to do this, I will do everything seriously. By the moment your camp is over, I will make sure you lot are up to my standard. Are you ready to work hard?"


    Thest words seemed to be a threat in their ears, making all of them gulp in fright. Still, they knew this was necessary, especially when they remembered they had to face Konan High if they wanted to keep the club running. With determination zing through their eyes, there was only one reaction that would be proper at this time, and that was the simultaneous shout that reflected their spirit.


    "YES, SIR!"

 Chapter 62: Training Camp (III)

    As the sun started to go down below the horizon and darkness seemed to envelop the sky, Yuki yawned, stretching his stiff body after such a long day. While today''s training was not as physical, the amount of technical knowledge Sekine thought today was insane, making the exhaustion more to his brain than to his body.


    There were so many things in the game that Yuki thought it was natural but he could make it better by changing his approach, like how to use his hips to generate more power when spiking the ball or something like that. This knowledge was new to him, that the exnation kept spinning around his head.


    It frustrated him more when the sses boy noticed he knew what he should do, but his body couldn''t keep up with the knowledge he just received. It would take time for his muscles to remember what to do naturally in a game.


    Still, Yuki was satisfied with the camp. He gained a lot in one day just by following Sekine''s instructions obediently. And it wasn''t just him, but everyone also felt the same. The old man fixed so many technical problems that everyone possessed but was unaware of, helping them get better quickly.


    As he was about to walk away from the court after cleaning the gym though, Akira suddenly called his name.


    "Kobayashi, stay here for a while." The coach said.


    Yuki blinked a few times before pointing his finger at himself. "Me?" He asked for the confirmation.


    "Yeah, you." Akira nodded. "Don''t worry, you are not in trouble. Riku will also be here too."


    For a moment, Yuki sighed in relief when he heard his words. Still, he was curious about what the coach wanted to talk about. The fact that he would be with his blonde friend made it harder for him to guess. Unfortunately, Akira went out of the gym first before he could ask anything about it.


    After a while, Riku finally came. Just like him, the blonde boy was still wearing his training attire, hadn''t taken a shower yet after the training.


    "Yo!" Yuki greeted, raising his hand.


    "You are here too?" Riku raised his eyebrows slightly before taking one ball from its rack and ying with it. "Any guess on what Jiisan wants to talk about?"


    "Not really." Yuki shook his head. "What about you?"


    "Same here." Riku also shrugged. Then, he scowled before adding, "It should be that old geezer who called us here. I know it, I can smell it from afar."


    Yuki snored. "Aren''t you a bit paranoid about him? Even though a bit cranky, Sekine-sensei is a good coach, you know?"


    "Oh, I don''t deny it. After all, he was the one who taught me how to do the jump serve. But man, the old man is so annoying!" Rikuined casually about Sekine while bouncing the ball on the floor. This bit of information was something Yuki didn''t expect.


    While he knew how familiar Riku and Sekine were with each other that he could guess they should have known each other in the past, the thought that their rtionship was teacher and student had never crossed his mind.


    However, much to Yuki''s annoyance, once again, he couldn''t ask the question in his mind as someone suddenly came inside the gym too.


    "Oh, so you both are already here? Good." It was Sekine, the old man who trained the team for this day who just came in.


    Yuki could hear the whisper of ''I know it!'' from his friends, yet he tried his best to ignore it before asking, "So, why are we here, Sekine-sensei?"


    "Well, I don''t have business with that brat." Sekine chuckled as he pointed his finger at Riku who huffed slightly. "But I guess it would be morefortable for you if he is here too. No, my business here is with you."


    "Me?" Yuki was startled.


    "Yes, you." Sekine nodded in confirmation. "Shinji had already shown me the record of yourst game, and color me surprised when I saw you have that kind of trick in your sleeves." He praised.


    Yuki blushed. "It is not that impressive." He said, rubbing his neck awkwardly.


    "It is that impressive." Sekine praised once again. "While it is good to be modest, you have to be more confident. If what you did is impressive and you deserved to get the praise, ept it proudly." The old man advised.


    Yuki blushed once again, yet he only nodded his head without saying anything to answer that. Riku who was ignored in the conversation scowled before asking, "Is it about the serve that you put a spell on it so the opponent couldn''t move in time?"


    "For thest time, Agostini, I don''t put any spell on it. It is just an ordinary service." Yuki rolled his eyes tiredly as he lost count of how many times the blonde boy asked the question.


    "Well, you don''t have any evidence to say that! You are not even telling us how you did it!" Riku huffed.


    "I did!" Yuki defended himself. "It is not my fault that all of you couldn''t understand what I said and call it bullshit!"


    "So, you call us stupid?"


    "No, just you!"


    "Why, you?!"


    Sekine smiled as he saw Yuki and Riku pushing and shoving each other about. "Well, it is good that you still have the energy to squabble like this. That means we can start our personal training!"


    "Eh?!" Yuki was stunned, not expecting that at all. "What do you mean personal training?"


    "It is just as I said." Sekine nodded, confirming his words. "Every day after training, you will stay longer than the others for at least one hour, doing some personal training with me. There, I will teach you a lot, from the most basic things like how to hold the ball to the most advanced ones like the mechanics behind your movement. What do you think?"


    Yuki had his jaws dropped, still too stunned to respond. It was Riku who spoke first, shaking his body excitedly. "That is good, Kobayashi! Trust me, even though this old geezer is annoying, he knows his stuff! You won''t regret this!"


    "I don''t know¡­" Yuki was still hesitant. He was a person who needed time to think before deciding about something, couldn''t decide in a rush. "I mean, why me? And would it be considered as favoritism?" He asked.


    "Bah! If anyone said it is favoritism, they canin to me directly." Sekine waved his hand nonchntly. "And why you? Because Shinji thinks you have so much potential inside your body, and honestly, I am curious about it. This is the first time I heard my boy talking so highly about his yer, and I want to see it by myself. And it is not a life-changing decision.


    You just need to stay longer than anyone else every day, nothing more and nothing less. So, what do you think?"


    Honestly, Yuki didn''t really care about favoritism. He knew that while it would draw jealousy from the others, they all would put that aside because right now, any improvement on the team would be weed. He was also convinced by Sekine''s words that this was indeed not a life-changing decision.


    After pondering about that while under the old man''s smug smile and his friend''s excited gaze, the sses boy could only sigh and smile wryly.


    "I don''t have a choice but to do this, right?"

 Chapter 63: An Unexpected Offer!

    The news of Yuki having a personal training session with Sekine after finishing the regr one spread quickly among the yers. To Yuki''s surprise though, no one made a fuss about it. Their reaction was either pity for him having to do more training, excitement that he could improve more for the team, or curious asking what Sekine thought in private.


    The only one who reacted negatively was Hirano ¨C to his surprise once again who stared at him with aplicated expression before turning around and pretending this had never happened.


    The training Yuki did with Sekine was also an unexpected one. They spent most of the time analyzing the video that the old man brought rather than training directly on the court, only using thest fifteen minutes to put what he just learned into action.


    "More training would be no use for you. What you need the most right now other than physical improvement is knowledge and experience, and the best thing to imnt that into your head is to watch a professional game and analyze it like we did right now."


    That was what Sekine said.


    While at first, Yuki couldn''t understand his words, after watching so many games that the old man brought, he realized why he did this. It was an eye-opening experience, to witness so many amazing ys born even though what he just watched was just a record. The way those professional yers approached the game was something beyond his understanding.


    One moment one team got momentum, and without anyone noticing, it swift to the opposite side, just to turn back at them again in a blink. Thepetitiveness there was insane.


    But since the main focus of his training with Sekine was the serve, Yuki had to put aside his desire to watch all the games and focus on his task. It was still amazing though, leaving him in awe after watching so many amazing tricks shown on the screen.


    "What do you think?" Sekine asked.


    "I don''t know a serve could be this tricky," Yuki admitted openly. "I thought the trick I pulled against Shimoyawata was clever, but now, I doubt it is clever enough to fool another team."


    "Don''t sell yourself short." The old man patted his shoulder reassuringly. "What you did is still amazing, especially considering you found it by yourself. Even those professionals would find it troublesome when they didn''t notice what you did. We call that ''a serve to the traffic''."


    "A serve to the traffic, huh?" Yuki hummed. "I like that."


    "Still, just like I said before, there is still room for improvement." The old man continued.


    "There are so many tricks you can adopt here for your arsenal, like serving right after the whistle blows or waiting a little bit after the whistle blows to mess up the opponent''s timing, aiming very close to the or the endline, aiming at the weakest receiver, the setter, or the area between two yers to cause chaos and misunderstanding, things like that.


    Many people out there think that the service ace means a powerful serve, but that is not true. As long as you can score consistently with your serve, it can be called service ace."


    As he was immersed in the training camp, Yuki didn''t notice the time flew. Days change pretty quickly, and in a blink, Saturday finally came. This would be thest day of the camp before tomorrow, they would have to face the same university team that beat them before everything started.


    Everyone was so excited to get revenge, especially when they all remembered how smug the university yers were after the first game.


    However, it had to wait until tomorrow, as currently, they did theirst 4 vs 4 sparing in the camp.


    *BAM!*


    "OH! Nice receive, Koji-senpai!"


    "Riku! Left!"


    "Ogawa-senpai, keep your eyes on the left!"


    "I got it!"


    *BAM!*


    "NICE BLOCK, OGAWA!"


    "Follow it up!"


    As the y kept going, Akira nodded in a satisfied manner at the progress shown by his yers. "Their reaction speed is getting faster and their technique is also getting better. Koji''s game reading is also improving. As expected, bringing them here is a good decision."


    Sekine beside him just nodded his head silently, not giving anyment about the game. After an awkward silence befell among them for a while, he finally spoke his mind. "So, what do you n to do with Yuki?"


    "Yuki?" Akira had a sweat drop on his face with the closeness shown by the old man toward the sses boy, even calling him his first name. Still, he didn''t understand the question. "What am I going to do with Kobayashi-kun? I don''t understand."


    "Don''t y stupid, Shinji, it is not like you." Sekine snorted. "Yuki''s talent is amazing that honestly, it scares me a bit. He received everything I thought like a sponge, and even though he didn''t notice it, his hunger for the game is getting bigger as time goes by. If nothing could be done, it wouldn''t be long before you have nothing to teach him, and it would be detrimental to his development."


    Akira fell silent as he pondered on his mentor''s words. This was the thing he was afraid of the most. He felt it too, how quickly Yuki''s improvement was. Sometimes, a tiny part of his brain told him to hold the boy a little so he wouldn''t go too far, but it wouldn''t be beneficial for the team and for the boy himself.


    He was in a dilemma for a long time, and Sekine''s words just made him hesitate more to decide what to do with Yuki.


    After a while, he let out a deep sigh of frustration before asking, "So, what is your rmendation?"


    "There is only one thing he needs to do, and you know it too, Shinji," Sekine said solemnly. "Yuki¡­ Has to join a professional team as soon as possible."


    -0-


    "You have called me four times already during this camp alone if I am not wrong," Yuki said casually. "Are you sure I am not in trouble here?" He asked cheekily.


    It was after the sparing game they had that Yuki was called by Sekine and Akira for a talk while the others went for the rest first.


    "With that kind of cheek, I am sure you will get into trouble sooner orter." Akira snorted. "But no, you are not in trouble yet. Sekine-sensei has something to tell you, though."


    "Jiisan?" Yuki tilted his head curiously. Akira had a sweat drop on his face once again when he heard the closeness between those two, with Yuki even calling the old man ''Jiisan''.


    "Yuki, I am sure you have already noticed your amazing talent in this game." Sekine started talking, ignoring Akira''s weird expression. "What you don''t know, though is how amazing it was. In my opinion, if we are only talking about talent, you can be one of the best in Japan. It would be a waste if you keep staying on this team.


    I know a good professional team that has a junior team around here that owes me a favor, so you don''t need to worry about anything else. Your job is just to go to school for the next three years while training hard to improve yourself, and the moment you graduate, you will be able to enter the professional world directly. What do you think?"


    Yuki was startled by the sudden offer from the old man. Even though in thest couple of days, he heard a lot about what a professional yer''s life looked like and the prospect of being one had been mentioned by the old man several times, he always thought it would be for the far future, not like this.


    And unlike when he chose to do extra personal training a few days ago, this was a life-changing decision, and he had to think about it carefully.


    Seeing the hesitation on his face, Sekine decided to give him thest blow by mentioning another one of the benefits of joining the professional team that would make any boys who loved the game drolled.


    "With your talent and the right environment, Yuki, it wouldn''t be a dream for you to be the yer who represents Japan National Team in the future. Think about it."

 Chapter 64: Life-Changing Decision! (I)

    ''Japan National Team, huh?''


    It was already dark, not just outside, but also inside the gymnasium. Like how they usually ended the day, the lights in the gymnasium were switched off after 9 PM, and the yers were already inside their sleeping bags, curling around as they tried to sleep quickly. Even though it was a fulfilling week, the training camp still took a toll on them.


    The fatigue umted from their training forced their body to take a rest the moment they could do it, and that was probably why they fell asleep quickly without even chatting anymore the moment they were allowed to.


    However, amidst the quiet night, there was only one person who seemed to be a bit restless there, and that was Yuki. He kept recalling the conversation with Sekine and Akira about the thought of joining the professional team and the prospect of being the representative of the national team in the future.


    "Go join the team, Kobayashi," Akira said after Sekine left the conversation. "Even if he looks like that, Sekine-sensei is one of the pioneers of professional volleyball athletes in Japan. He learned the fundamental rules for volleyball coaching in Italy for almost 20 years, and since he returned to Japan, so many famous yers appeared under his wing, only second to Honda-sensei from Matsukita.


    If he said you should join the team, that means he recognizes your talent. So, join the team and aim higher, Kobayashi."


    Yuki groaned once again when he remembered those words. It wasn''t like he didn''t want to, but everything happened so quickly that his head couldn''t keep up with what was happening.


    Just two months ago he lost all of his family and had to flee to Tokyo to start a new life, then now he was called one of the most talented yers and the future national yer by a big-shot in the volleyballmunity in this country.


    What a roller-coaster experience.


    ''Should I call Obaasan to ask about her opinion?'' He mused.


    Even if people sometimes forget about it due to the maturity he always showed, Yuki was still a teenager. Just a few months ago, he was still in middle school, so for anyone to ask him to make a life-changing decision right now, it was a bit too much for the sses boy to do it alone.


    He needed an adult to talk to right now, either just as a listener or it would be better if one could give him advice on what he should do now.


    For a moment, Yuki wanted to talk to Aiko. However, he rejected that idea, knowing the matron would be so excited and encourage him to do that without hesitation, thinking it would bring him to a sessful way quickly.


    Then, he remembered how Kato had given good advice before the game against Shimoyawata and wanted to talk to her, yet he rejected the idea once again considering Kato was also a teenager like him too.


    When he was about to give up and decided to sleep first, though, Yuki suddenly remembered something. Without hesitation, he jumped off his sleeping bag, startling Riku next to him.


    "Urgh¡­ What is wrong with you, Kobayashi?" The blonde boy groaned, his eyes still closed tight.


    "Sorry, I need to make a call first."


    Without waiting for his friend''s response, Yuki went outside of the gym quickly to find a quiet ce. After walking for a while he arrived at the quiet canteen that looked a bit shabby with only a smallmp that was a bit dimmed already in the middle of it as the source of light. On a normal day, this ce would be crowded, or not so quiet like this no matter what time of day it was.


    However, since this was a golden week, there were so many students here that went back home, leaving the canteen peacefully at night.


    Yuki unlocked his phone quickly, looking out at the time zone first before sighing in relief. After that, his hand flew with agility, moving quickly to find a single name he saved on his contact. The moment he saw it, he pressed the call button without hesitation.


    *Beep¡­* *Beep¡­*


    With the beeping sound that could be heard from his phone, Yuki waited patiently, sitting there while keeping his eyes on the name on his phone. After a while, someone finally picked up his call.


    "Ciao, Yuki-kun!" A soft voice greeted him.


    "Buonasera, Maria-san."Yuki smiled a little. "Come stai?"


    "Sto bene, grazie!" Yuki could hear the surprise and delighted reaction from the tone he heard. "I see you start picking up Italian too. Good job!"


    Yuki snorted. "It is just for a simple daily conversation and I am still not doing that well, Maria-san. Don''t praise me too much." They switched the conversation to an English one.


    "Oh, don''t sell yourself short! It is incredible already that you are taking the initiative to learn by yourself. It wouldn''t be too long before you talk fluently with me and the others." The person on the other side said casually. "Anyway, as much as I and the girls love receiving your call, it is not a social call, right? You have already done that earlier this week, after all.


    Did you tell us at that time that you will have a training camp? What happened? Something went wrong? Should I call Akira-sensei? Or should I ¨C "


    "Maria-san!" Yuki cut her words before she could go overboard, sighing exasperatedly while a small, fond smile curled on his mouth unconsciously. "I am okay! Calm down!"


    Yeah, the one he just called was Maria, the matriarch of the Silvestri that sponsored his education. Yuki called her since he knew she was a former yer too, and he wanted to hear her opinion about this. What he didn''t expect though, was to get bombarded by a million questions like that the moment she had a chance to do that.


    He remembered Aiko was the same, and his deceased mother also did the same for him when he was in middle school. It seemed that was a mother''s instinct to fuss over her children.


    "Sorry about that one, Yuki-kun." Her tone was sheepish. "So, what''s up?"


    Yuki took a deep breath before starting to exin. "So, it is like this¡­"


    After that, he spent about thirty minutes retelling the story of how Sekine gave him personal training, their conversation about the professional world, and even to the point of thest conversation together with Akira too about how he should go to a professional team and not waste his time in his school.


    Maria on the other side of the call didn''t say anything when he told the full story, just kept humming to show she was still listening until he finished talking.


    "So¡­" Yuki coughed, his voice hoarse after telling the story. "What do you think, Maria-san?"


    There was silence for a moment before the woman asked carefully, "Before I give my opinion, can I ask what is holding you back from epting the offer?"


    "I don''t know. Everything, I guess." Yuki sighed tiredly. "Everything happened so fast that I couldn''t even proceed with what was going on. I don''t even know whether I am enjoying the sport or not, yet the others keep pushing me to do it. It is so frustrating, I guess."


    Maria snorted at his answer. "You are so like Mattheo that it scares me a bit."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah. He also had an astronomical leap during his early career, went from doing a construction job to keep his orphanage alive to having more than a thousand euros per month wage. He was like a blind chicken at that time, didn''t know what was right and what was wrong."


    "So, what did he do?" Yuki asked, immersed in the story.


    "He talked to a lot of people, of course."Maria snorted. "But his condition back then is not like you right now. He was a legal adult his 18, eager to have a high-paying job that the moment he was encouraged by his matron to do that, he epted Akira-sensei''s offer instantly."


    Yuki nodded ¨C even if Maria couldn''t see it, agreeing with her words. The condition was different. Even though he entered a professional team, it would still be a junior team and he wouldn''t get paid for it, nothing different than ying in Tsunemori right now.


    The only advantage was he would be in a professional team with professional treatment from the training facility to everything he did on a daily basis. Still, he didn''t know whether he was ready to make amitment for a professional life or not.


    "So, what do you think I should do?"He asked, his tone was lost.


    "Well, usually, I will advise you to follow your heart or to do what you want or what you like. But it seems this time you don''t even know what you want to do, right? In this case, you can do this¡­"

 Chapter 65: Life-Changing Decision! (II)

    Thest day of the training camp finally arrived. The yers were so excited, not just because they would be out of the torture soon, but also because they would have a chance to get the revenge they wanted against the university team that beat them on the first day.


    This time, they all wanted to see how much improvement they had during the camp and whether it was possible or not to go as far as the best 4 teams in Tokyo in this tournament.


    However, there were two people who seemed not as excited as the others.


    One of them was Akira who had a dark circle around his eyes. He spent thest night sleepless, kept thinking of the scenario of losing Yuki to the professional team. Even though he kept encouraging Yuki to do it, that didn''t mean the coach was willing to do so. Right now, the team was short of yers, and the sses boy was the best defensive yer on the team.


    His presence alone worth almost all the yers on the courtbined.


    And the other one was, of course, Yuki. Even though he had already consulted everything to Maria and received so much feedback from the woman, he still felt no matter what decision he made, it wouldn''t be perfect.


    Personally, he didn''t want to ept the offer.However, by rejecting the offer, it would look like he was ungrateful to the old man, and some of his teammates might think he was arrogant for doing that. The dilemma he faced right now was something that gave him a headache all night long.


    Thirty minutes before the game, Sekine arrived first before the university team came. All the yers greeted him politely, yet the old man''s eyes wandered around for a while until theynded on the sses boy. After staring at each other for a while, he finally dropped the bomb.


    "So, what is your decision? Do you ept my offer to join a professional team?"


    ''A professional team?!''


    All the eyes widened in shock as they heard the news. It wasn''t just the content that they didn''t expect, but also the timing. The fact that Sekine asked for confirmation meant the old man and Yuki had already talked about this, and they didn''t like that they were kept in the dark by their kouhai. However, before they could say anything, it was Riku who reacted first.


    "What do you mean joining a professional team, old geezer?! Kobayashi is our teammate, and you cannot snatch him like that!" The blonde boy eximed.


    "Shut up, Riku!" The old man raised his voice, making everyone wince unconsciously. "You know how amazing your friend''s talent is, right? It would be a waste if he spent it on this team. If he joined a professional team, he would be able to shine more there, making it easier for him."


    All the yers there bowed their heads unwillingly, knowing that the old man was right. Still, they were so frustrated by the fact that they didn''t know anything about it until the end and couldn''t do anything to keep one of their best yers on the team.


    "So, what do you think, Yuki?" The old man asked again.


    Yuki sighed, his head remembering what Maria told him yesterday.


    "Whatever the decision you make, make sure it ising from your heart, not from the other people''s opinion. At the end of the day, their opinion doesn''t matter, as you are the one who does the action. And don''t be afraid of offending someone with your decision. Just exin clearly why you decided that, and if they don''t ept it, that was their problem, and not you.


    Just remember, you will never be able to satisfy everyone with your decision."


    Holding her words as his principle, Yuki took a deep breath once again before smiling, shaking his head firmly. "I am sorry, Jiisan. I cannot ept your offer."


    "EH?!"


    Not just the yers, but even Sekine and Akira were stunned at his decision. In their mind, this wasn''t something Yuki could refuse. For any yer who wanted to be a professional yer, being offered to join a professional team ¨C even though it was still a junior one was like a dream came true.


    Only a stupid person would refuse the offer, and the fact that Yuki just did that put him immediately into that category.


    "You might think I am stupid, right?" Yuki smiled, could see what everyone thought. "But if you think about it, I am still apletely rookie in this sport. I have just trained for less than two months, so to join a professional team, I think I am not ready for that leap yet right now."


    Sekine furrowed his brows, not liking his reasoning. "No one is born ready, Yuki. Sometimes, you need to be brave enough to jump through the cliff even though you don''t know whether you can arrive at the other side or not."


    "I know, Jiisan. But in this case, I think it is a bit early for me to join a professional world." Yuki smiled at the old man. "Besides, I still owe the team something big, you know?"


    "Eh? You owe us something?" Everyone looked at each other confusedly. "Are you sure, Kobayashi?"


    "Yeah." Yuki nodded at his teammates. "Everything happened inside the team¡­ The walkout of the third-year members is my fault. If I jumped the boat right now without helping the team recover¡­ I don''t know, it seems irresponsible, right?" He shrugged.


    All the yers, especially the sophomore one were touched by his concern. Honestly, they were not that mad about Yuki didn''t tell them about the offer, or whether Yuki would join a professional team or not. They all knew his condition in the orphanage, and if it would help him, they would let him go so easily.


    They were just desperate to keep the team running, and if Yuki was out, they would have no chance to be one of the top four teams in this tournament.


    "What a fool¡­" Sekine shook his head. Yuki smiled when he saw the old man''s reaction. He knew Sekine wasn''t mad or disappointed, but just too surprised about his decision. Before he could say anything though, the old man suddenly muttered, "One day per week."


    "Eh?" Yuki was confused.


    "One day per week¡­ I will go to Tsunemori to coach you and see your progress." His words shocked all of them. "But just one day in a week, okay?! Even if you beg me with tears on your face, I won''t make it two days!"


    "Jiisan!" Yuki''s smile went ear-to-ear. "Thank you very much!" He bowed his head deeply, showing his gratitude to the old man.


    "Man¡­ It is good to have a private trainer¡­" Riku muttered, staring at Yuki enviously. "I also want to have one too." The others nodded in agreement. Still, they all knew that if Sekine went to the school, they would also get the benefit of it. There was no way the old man would only train one person and leave the others alone watching from the sideline.


    After the drama was over, Akira pped his hands, his face was full of smiles. While Yuki''s decision was unexpected, he was happy that he didn''t lose his best yer. But now, they had some business to do here.


    "Well, since everything is over, let''s prepare ourselves for the next game. Don''t forget, if you lose, I will double up the count of your punishment. So, show me how much you improve this week and win the game, understand?!"


    "YES, COACH!"

 Chapter 66: Akiras Story

    *BAM!*


    "Nice save, Kaede!"


    "Riku! To the left! Go high to the left!"


    "Don''t get blocked again, Senpai! Here!"


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSHAAA!"


    Kimura, the head coach of Tsukumi University''s C team stared in awe as he saw how much improvement all the Tsunemori yers had over the week. Gone was once chaotic offense, and now, everything seemed to be organized carefully.


    They had a signal now on how they wanted to attack, and even though their coordination still needed to be polished, at least he could see the intention behind every attack they did today.


    Tsunemori''s defense also improved. In fact, the biggest improvement they had after the camp was mainly in this department. If before, they were always counting on Yuki, Kaede, or Okamura, the lone defender practice they had always done two hours per day ensured that everyone could be a libero now.


    They suddenly became the most stubborn team on earth, didn''t want to let the opponent get even a single point that easily.


    But what surprised Kimura the most was how well suddenly Tsunemori worked as a team. By the glimpse he had seen for a while until now, even though there was not so much improvement jump on individual''s ability, as a whole team, they worked well, too well if he had to say, like a well-oiled machine.


    They knew each other''s strengths and weaknesses and knew when they should cover the others, when they should take advantage of their teammate''s position, when to let the others take over the ball, and something like that.


    Unlike the first gamest week, they acted like a bunch of veteran yers who had already been together for a while, not a high school team anymore.


    ''Is it really¡­ The same team as the one from a week ago?'' He muttered in disbelief.


    "How about it?" Akira asked smugly. "You are surprised, right?"


    Kimura could only nod his head stupidly as he stared at Tsunemori yers whose performance was getting better as time went by. He turned his head and looked at Akira in awe for managing to improve the yers this much just in a week. The one he stared at himself had his eyes on the court, looking at his yers with eyes full of pride.


    Curious, Kimura decided to ask, "Akira, a week ago, you said that you want honor, right? What kind of honor were you talking about?"


    Akira didn''t expect Kimura to ask the question at this time. Still, a soft smile formed on his face as if he was reminiscing the past while his eyes were still locked into the game.


    "HIRANO-SENPAI! LEFT! COVER UP THE WALL! KOJI-SENPAI! STOP THE STRAIGHT!"


    Those two yers clicked their tongues in annoyance when they heard their kouhai take themand and instruct them about where to move. While they admitted Yuki''s brain worked faster in recognizing the game pattern, that didn''t mean they liked being told what to do, especially by their kouhai.


    Still, they did as the sses boy asked, jumped at the same time to form a two-man wall to stop the attack.


    *BAM!*


    "OH! Goddamnit, Koji! That is a clean block!"


    "Nice cover from you too, Hirano!"


    "You said the honor you want is not for making a team strong from nothing, right?" Kimura asked, his eyes were also on the court, staring at the Tsunemori yers who celebrated with each other. "Then, is there a higher honor aside from that as a leader?"


    Akira kept silent for a while before saying, "Do you know what kind of school I coached the first time?"


    Kimura raised his eyebrows a little. "I don''t think I can remember that, honestly."


    "I don''t me you." The coach chuckled richly. "If anything, I would be surprised if you remember it, but the first school I ever coached was a small school in Kyushu, filled with a lot of delinquents as its members. Smoking, brawling, bullying, any crimes you can think of that teenagers could do, they had already done that by the time I signed to coach the team.


    At that time, the school had already lost their patience giving me an ultimatum to get into the best 8 in the prefecture tournament."


    "Just like right now?" Kimura arched his eyebrows slightly.


    "Not really." Akiraughed merrily. "They were by far the worst team I have ever coached. Not only they have never touched the ball even once, but they also didn''t have the drive to y too. If anything, they just used the volleyball team as theirir to do their crime. It was so difficult back then." He smiled, reminiscing the past.


    "Then, why did you choose a job like that? I know there were several professional teams that offered you a better condition."


    "Oh, don''t get me wrong, the condition is good there. Even though it was a public school, the payment was pretty high." Akira smiled. Then, his expression turned somber. "But if I have to say why, I was rmended directly without my consent by Honda-sensei."


    "Honda-sensei?" Kimura was taken aback. "Honda Saburo, the legend himself?!"


    "Yup. I yed under his wing before I went here." Akira nodded. "But back to the story, it was after my second surgery and the doctor said I should stop ying volleyball, when all of my passion for the sport seemed to die inside me. And Honda-sensei noticed that too, I guess.That''s probably why he rmended my name for that job."


    Kimura sighed, couldn''t understand Honda''s train of thought. If he saw his students lose their passion, he would talk to them, not send them away to get a more troublesome job like that.


    "It was bad at that time." Akira smiled. "There wasn''t even one guy who yed volleyball seriously. There were even some asions when I had to drag them to train, and sometimes, I even resorted to violence, something I am not very proud of until today. And what I taught is not honorable either. I just taught them how to win the game no matter what the consequence was.


    From provoking the opponent, touching the sneakily when the opponent was about to spike or block the ball, and so on. Still, they couldn''t put into practice even a quarter of what I taught."


    "So, they were abolished?" Kimura asked.


    "No, not abolished. Demoted should be the correct word." Akira corrected. "They can still y volleyball if they want, but the school won''t help them in any official matter if they want to y in a tournament, and they won''t get any help, especially regarding funds from the school."


    "That''s harsh," Kimuramented.


    "Yeah, but that is the agreement." Akira nodded. "However, after sticking around for another year as the informal coach, when the third-year members graduated, three representatives of the team came and told me this¡­"


    "It was fun ying volleyball with you, Sensei." One of them said.


    Akira was taken aback, then furrowed his brows deeply. "D-Don''t lie¡­" He said, somehow guilt crawled into his heart. In his mind, he recalled the training he put them on and thought, ''Volleyball is fun? I didn''t teach you any of that, yet you stille saying that to me? What kind of joke is this?''


    The three students in front of him exchanged nces for a while before one of them sighed, saying, "Yeah, it is a lie."


    "It wasn''t fun at all, Sensei." Another one added, his smile was full of pain. "But¡­ You didn''t abandon us, Sensei, so we all thought hard¡­ What should we tell you to make you the happiest¡­"


    At that time, tears rolled down his face as the guilty feeling suddenly ate Akira alive. He sobbed hard like a child, bowing his head deeply toward those three. "I AM SORRY!" That was when Akira finally realized his stupidity. "Sorry¡­ I am so sorry¡­!"


    "Don''t cry, Sensei¡­" One of them also had tears on their face.


    "We were holding ourselves so much to not cry, but instead, we wanted you to feel honored¡­"


    "Our juniors¡­ Please, teach them more fun volleyball!"


    "At that time, I realized, that rather than creating a strong team, the first thing I should do was about creating a ce where anyone could learn how to have fun by ying volleyball. And after watching how the next generation trained, I understood, that just from hard practice there will be moments when kids feel the joy of volleyball."


    Kimura stared in awe at his story.


    "The following year, the volleyball team returned to being an official team." Akira continued. "And the yearter, they got into the best 8 just like the target the school set for them. But my happiness didn''te from getting good results or praise from the headmaster. It is from the joy that I saw on my yer''s face."


    He paused for a second to see the game for a while.


    "It is the same for Tsunemori." Akira continued, his expression turned somber. "Someday, when they graduate¡­ Volleyball is fun¡­ Even if it only came out of one mouth¡­ I think, there is no greater honor I can achieve as a teacher more than that."

 Chapter 67: Revenge! The End of the Camp!

    "Come on! Don''t be so slow, Riku!"


    "Shut up! Don''t get blocked again, Senpai!"


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSHA! FINALLY!"


    All the Tsunemori yers roared as they celebrated another point they got from another long rally. They defended well, keeping the ball in the air for about two minutes before Koji finally pierced the opponent''s defense by aiming his spike to get a block out from the opponent''s blockers.


    Yuki wiped the sweat on his face with the corner of his shirt, ncing sideways at the scoreboard. They had already won the first set with 25 ¨C 22, and now, they were currently on the lead with 23 ¨C 11. If only they could score five more points, they would be able to win the game and take the revenge they desperately wanted during the entire week.


    Unlike the first time they faced against each otherst week, they dominated the entire game right now. However, that didn''t mean it was easy for them to win the game.


    There were several asions where the opponent''s hitters were able to pierce their defense easily, showing that no matter how well they prepared themselves to deal with the opponent''s offense, sometimes, they could still get overwhelmed by the opponent''s raw power.


    However, that was the only way the university team managed to keep up with the pace of the game.Other than trying to overwhelm Tsunemori with brute force, they couldn''t find a way to deal with them. Hell, the stubbornness put by Tsunemori when defending the ball somehow frustrated them to no end, as it always took a long time for them to get one point.


    And now, they all groaned simultaneously when they saw Yuki walk to get the ball for the next serve.


    "Come on, Kobayashi!"


    "Give us another good serve!"


    All the Tsunmeori yers encouraged him, starting to get excited. Just in the first set alone, Yuki managed to get seven points from his serve. Even though he didn''t have a powerful one in his arsenal, his creativity from behind the baseline was unmatchable, making it impossible for the university team to stop the ball easily.


    "Oi, Kobayashi!" Riku suddenly called. "There is no need to hold back at this point. Just show everything you have here and steal the light!"


    Yuki grinned, knowing exactly what Riku meant by that. While he managed to score seven points out of his serve, that didn''t mean he went all out. In fact, it was more of a testament to how bad the opponent''s defense was. He only did a regr serve ¨C albeit ying a lot with the timing and the spot he was targeting, and never went for his floater.


    And he also had another one he just learned from Sekine this week that he also wanted to try.


    The moment the referee blew his whistle, much to everyone''s surprise, Yuki suddenly tossed the ball in the air slightly while doing his run-up. There was a little bit of panic on the other side of the court as they saw him do that.


    "Goddamnit! He has a jump serve, now?!"


    "Don''t be intimidated! Stay focused!"


    *BAM!*


    Yuki hit the ball straight to its seam with a weird chopping-like movement, aiming to give a spin on his serve. The speed of the ball itself wasn''t that impressive. At first, the opponent thought it would be easy to take care of the ball. However, the moment it crossed the, the ball suddenly moved sideways, not giving the opponent''s receiver to react as it went wider, closer to the sideline.


    "WHAT?!"


    "COVER IT UP!"


    "SHIT!"


    *Thud!*


    "YOSSHAAAA!"


    Yuki roared when he saw the ballnd in the direction he wanted without anyone could touch it. Then, he was followed by the other yers who gave a high-five, excited too about the new serve.


    "Goddamnit, Kobayashi! What the hell is that?!"


    "Is that your new serve?!"


    "You did one hell of a good job, Kobayashi! Keep it up!"


    "One more! Give us one more!"


    Basking under such praise, Yuki''s cheek flushed as blood rushed into his face with the excitement that rose to the peak. That sidespin serve wasn''t like his floater.


    Even though the essence was the same, and that was to use the change of movement in the air to mess up with the receiver, he didn''t have to use so much power in a floater. His floater service was just a regr service that wobbled in the air, making it hard for the opponent to predict where the ball would go.


    As for the sidespin service, it was harder than floater in his opinion since he also had to consider which part of the ball he should hit so it would go in the direction he wanted. Even under Sekine''s guidance, it took him almost five days to get it right, and it wasn''t that perfect either.


    What he didn''t know though, was that the others would split their hair if they heard his thought. It was already good to be able to pull up such a hard serve in less than a week, so how could he be not satisfied with the result?


    Still, he didn''t think about it for now. All he had in mind was how to get another point to seal the deal. Looking at how exhausted the opponent was, Yuki smirked, decided to do the same. He tossed the ball slightly in the air, then hit it when it was at its highest while adding some spins to it.


    *BAM!*


    "Ryou! It is yours! Save the ball!"


    "Goddamnit!"


    The libero called Ryou clicked his tongue in annoyance when he saw the ball wasing at him. He waited for a while until the effect of the spin appeared before reacting ordingly. However, that didn''t mean he could receive it perfectly. The spin made the ball change its speed too while moving, making it harder for him to save the ball like he wanted to do.


    *Thud!*


    "SHIT! COVER!"


    The ball went short to the front side, and the outside hitter of the university team tried to save it by reaching the ball awkwardly. However, he wasn''t a good receiver in the first ce, so the ball only hit the and couldn''t get through the other side. Seeing that, all the university yers tried to cover it up, and one of them managed to do so by kicking it overhead acrobatically.


    "OH! Nice, Junya!"


    "Keep your eyes on the opponent, you idiot!"


    "SHIT!"


    As the ball went crossed the weakly, Riku suddenly appeared, taking advantage of the chaotic position on the other side to m the ball directly. It wasn''t hard for him to score as he just dropped the ball to the floor with all of his power, didn''t even have to aim it to aplicated spot.


    *BAM!*


    One of the opponents tried to save it, just for the ball to bruise his forearms and leave a red mark on it before the ball flew outside of the court. For a moment, the court went silent before Riku raised his fist in his trademark celebration while the others jumped straight into his body, roaring wild in celebration.


    "YOSSHAAAAA!"


    "WE WIN THE GAME! A SUCCESSFUL REVENGE!"


    "COME ON! WHO IS KONAN HIGH?! COME HERE?!"


    -0-


    As his yers celebrated wildly for the win, Akira''s smile was ear to ear as he teased his friend. "Is your team really this weak?"


    "Hey, don''t say it like that!" Kimura protested. "Victory or defeat is a matter of luck too, you know?!"


    "Oh?" Akira arched his eyebrows slightly. "Then, shall we have another match?"


    The corner of Kimura''s mouth twitched in annoyance, especially when he saw the terrible state of his yers. They all dropped to the floor immediately as if they had no more energy to do anything again for a day. After a while, the only thing that came across his mind was, "Are you trying to kill my yers?"


    "COME ON! LET''S DO ONE MORE SET!"


    "Sensei, let''s do this again! I am in a good condition today. At least, I can still y for another thirty minutes!"


    "Yeah!"


    Akira nodded in a satisfied manner when he saw his yers'' condition. Ifst week, it was them who dropped from exhaustion after the game, now, they still looked fresh after ying for about one hour, showing a significant improvement in the endurance department. This was what he hoped for, and he was happy the team achieved it.


    And with that, he felt the team was more than ready to face the next round of the tournament a weekter¡­

 Chapter 68: Rumor Again?!

    "Hey! I heard the rumor about the volleyball team!"


    "Not again! What kind of rumor was it this time?"


    "I heard if they couldn''t get through the top 4 in the prefecture tournament, the team would be abolished."


    "Really? That is horrible!"


    "Still, they are lucky. Don''t you know the football and basketball team didn''t even have the chance to prove their worth? Their team was disbanded by the school even before the term began."


    "That is horrible! Why, though?"


    "I heard it is because the school wants to save money."


    "Are we really that poor that we must disband clubs to save the money right now?"


    "I don''t know."


    By the time the golden week was over and everyone returned to their daily routine as a student, the rumor of the volleyball team''s condition to survive had already spread among the others. However, unlike thest time the rumor spread about the team, this time, the reaction was different. Everyone felt sympathetic for them, thinking the condition was unfair and something like that.


    Unexpectedly, they got unwavering support from the residents of the school, especially from those members of the team that was disbanded first by the school. And like usual, the moment the volleyball yers arrived at the school, they were pushed into the limelight immediately by the others.


    "Man, they are crazy," Yukimented, fixing his rumpled hair after escaping from the crowds. "Why would I be surrounded too if, in the end, they just going to flock around Agostini?" He shook his head wryly while looking at his blonde friend gloatingly.


    "Maybe because this time, you are not in a bad light anymore?" Katomented casually without even raising her head to look at him "I mean, thest time your team made such a bigmotion, you are still under a nasty rumor, right? At that time, they probably were afraid to approach you, didn''t want to get the backsh of it.


    But now, you are one of the justice warriors that would fight against tyranny, so of course, everyone would be on your side too."


    "Hmm¡­ That makes sense¡­" Yuki nodded his head, putting his school bag on the floor before taking a seat, ncing at what the girl was doing. "Anyway, a justice warrior that would fight against tyranny? Really?" He arched his eyebrows slightly.


    "What?" Kato asked back. "It is quite fitting, right?"


    "Yeah. Just didn''t expect it would be that epic. You sure have your way with words, Kato-san." He muttered.


    After a while, Riku finally was able to get away from the crowds. His usual tidy and handsome appearance was gone, reced by the mess he was right now. His face was pale as he panted heavily, taking his time to enjoy the free air after getting pushed around by his fangirls. Yuki and Kato just stared at him amusedly before the blonde boy noticed their stare and pointed his fingerically at them.


    "You two are horrible friends!" He shrieked.


    "Why, thank you!" Yuki smiled innocently while Kato snorted udylike. "So, are you enjoying your time with them, Mr. Lothario?" He asked teasingly.


    "Stop calling me that horrible nickname!" Riku pouted childishly. "Just wait, in no time, it will be you who will be in my position, and it will be my pleasure to watch you suffer from that." He took a seat next to Yuki, smiling charmingly at the girl who sat there to make that girl blush and scampered away immediately.


    Yuki snorted at the short interaction between Riku and the girl before saying, "There is no way I will be in your position. And you bring the problem by yourself. If only you can be less flirty toward the girls, you will have a more peaceful life."


    "No way!" Riku gasped dramatically. "Are you saying that it is all my fault?!"


    "Yes! You have this annoying pretentious personality that always brings trouble!"


    "You take that back!"


    "Anyway!" Kato raised her voice the moment she saw the boys were about to shove each other. "Have you already heard the bad rumor about you?" She asked, trying to divert the topic.


    "What bad rumor?" Yuki asked.


    "Well, even though it is not as intense and not a lot of people support it, someone basically said that your team deserved to be abolished and the only reason the school hasn''t done that yet is because of favoritism and nepotism, especially from you, Agostini."


    "Me?!" Riku was startled, pointing his finger at himself confusedly. "What did I do?!" He shrieked.


    "It is not what did you do, but what the rumor believes you have done," Kato exined patiently. "Someone basically spread a bad rumor about your rtionship with Akira-sensei as the only reason the team is still surviving until now."


    Riku scowled immediately when he heard that. "That is a bullshit!"


    "I know." Kato patted his shoulder reassuringly. "But people would believe it no matter what you said, so I tell you now so that if someone mentioned it to you, you have already prepared to breach the topic."


    "Thank you, Kato-san." Riku nodded at the girl gratefully.


    Yuki himself fell silent, pondering about the information he just received from the girl. Honestly, he was surprised to see this topic finally getting mentioned, expecting someone to do that way back then rather than now considering how obvious the rtionship between Akira and Riku was.


    Hell, even he himself was reluctant to join the team at first after seeing Riku only needed Akira''s words to enter the team without even taking any test or challenge from the team.


    Still, for someone to bring it up right now¡­ There must be someone who wanted to stir up trouble for the team¡­


    "It should be those cowards!" Riku scowled. "We haven''t heard anything about them for a while. This should be their retaliation against us!"


    Even without Riku exining who those cowards were, Yuki and Kato could guess who were the culprits. It should be the third-year yers who walked away from the team after theirst conflict, and honestly, Yuki couldn''t me Riku for ming them. This was their exact modus operandi, didn''t dare to confront directly yet hid behind the crowds while spreading nasty rumors about the team.


    Still¡­


    "You cannot just point your finger without any evidence, you know?" Katomented casually, flipping her book without even looking at the boys. "Not only it would be baseless, but you would also get a lot of trouble for using the other students like that."


    "Well, they didn''t get into trouble after spreading rumors about Kobayashi, right?" The blonde boy was still unwilling to let go of his suspicion.


    "Well, yeah." Kato nodded, admitting his point. "But you are just a freshman here. Your words against them, who do you think anyone will believe more?"


    "This¡­"


    Even without saying it out loud, Riku knew what was the answer to his question. The third-year students were already in the school for more than two years and everyone knew their character well. Compared to him who was still new here, if he used them of something, it would be a suicidal decision for him. Still, he was reluctant to let this matter go so easily.


    "And, is the rumor and who spread it really that matter?" Kato added another question.


    "Eh?" Not only Riku, but Yuki also turned their head to the girl. "What do you mean, Kato-san?"


    "Well¡­ I mean¡­" Kato pondered for a moment, trying to think of how to say it. "Just like the rumor before, it doesn''t matter who spread it, right? The most important thing is how to prove the rumor wrong. And you both should know what to do, right?"


    Riku''s eyes lightened up when he heard about that. Yuki also nodded his head, understanding what Kato wanted to say. Yeah, it didn''t matter who spread the rumor. The fact was the rumor was there, and they couldn''t change it all. So, there was only one thing they could do right now¡­


    "Be the top 4 teams like what the school expects us to be and prove the rumor wrong!"

 Chapter 69: Second Round, Done!

    Days passed quickly, and without anyone noticing, two weeks passed since their training camp was over. The weather also started to change, from the warm temperature full of Sakura flowers blooming all around the road, things started to get hotter, followed by the rains that started toe and go quickly, indicating that summer was about toe.


    Nothing changed in Tsunemori yers'' daily routine, though. They still worked their asses off days and nights, preparing for the game against Tokamiyama High. Even though the opponent wasn''t famous for its volleyball team, they didn''t dare to lower their guard, especially when the stake of losing was too big for them to carry on.


    And finally, when it was in the middle of May, the second round of the tournament finally began. All the Tsunemori yers went to the Tokomiyama High in South Tokyo, using the subway for about ten minutes followed by walking for another five minutes before they arrived at the location where the game would be held.


    Compared to Shimoyawata whose building looked elite, the school in front of them looked old, even older than their own school. The creaking of the rusty gates and the screeching of the wind through the broken panes made them all jump on the spot, giving them a heart attack for a second. This gave them the vibe of a haunted building, and they didn''t like this at all.


    "Why do we have to y here?! I thought we would be able to y in our school in the second round!" Kaede moaned lowly.


    "Well, the drawing result of the tournament told us otherwise," Koji answered that rhetorical question, yet he also had the same fright when he saw the old building in front of him. "Should we go in?"


    "Yes." Akira nodded. However, after pondering for a second, he added, "Wait here for a second, I will ask for anyone here to show us where would the game be."


    "Quick, Jiisan! This school crept me out!" Riku eximed, hiding behind Yuki''s body.


    After waiting for a while, Akira finally was back, followed by a man slightly smaller than him with white hair that made his appearance look older too, giving the vibe of an old man in the middle of his fifty. He was the head coach of Tokomiyama High that would be their opponent today.


    It didn''t take a long time before they were brought to the school''s gymnasium. There, they were surprised to see it wasn''t as bad as they thought it would be. The painting was pretty new, and while the floor looked a bit old, at least it was clean andfortable enough for them to y.


    It seemed the haunted abandoned vibe the school gave was just due to its exterior building, yet in the end, it was still a decent, functional school.


    The most surprising thing though, was the appearance of the audience in the sideline. There were not many, only five people there. However, it was still better than nothing like when they yed against Shimoyawata in the first round. This time, those five audiences were ready to watch the game with a recorder in their hand.


    "Megumi-senpai, who are they?" Yuki whispered, asked the manager.


    "Oh, them? Don''t worry, you can ignore them." Megumi waved her hand nonchntly. However, it only made Yuki curious. Being subjected to his gaze, the girl sighed, exining, "Those are the people sent by the team that would y against whoever won this game in the next round. Let''s just say they are here to scout us."


    Yuki arched one of his eyebrows slightly. "Really?"


    "Yup." Megumi nodded in confirmation. "To use Akira-sensei''s description, the first few rounds of the tournament are always like entering the war zone blindly. We don''t know whether our opponent will be good or not, since not all the no-name teams would be weak. In every year, there would always be one team or two that emerged from nowhere as the underdog team.


    That is why the intelligence battle would be the most deciding factor most of the time."


    Yuki nodded in understanding, clearly seeing her point. Still, he suddenly grew concerned. "Then, should I save all of my serves forter?"


    "Yes." Megumi nodded. Then, her expression turned serious as she whispered, "This is Akira-sensei''s order, so listen carefully. Just use the trick you y against Shimoyawata, but don''t reveal anything else if we are not in a bad condition. Your service arsenal would be a huge X factor in theter stage."


    Once again, Yuki nodded his head, epting the order silently.


    Fifteen minutester, the game finally started. However, it was clear that Tokomiyama High was not on the same level as Tsunemori. They had solid basic skills, yes, but their line ofmunication was chaotic. There were so many asions where an easy ball came and should have been received perfectly, just for them to muck it up due to the sh of positioning and something like that.


    It was clear that Tokomiyama hadn''t yed together for too long.


    Knowing that they had an easy game, Tsunemori''s yers started to get excited. Slowly but surely, they took over control of the game, not giving the opponent any chance to fight. They won the first set with a convincing score of 25 ¨C 6, and it was no different in the second set.


    "Hirano-senpai! Stay there! Ogawa-senpai! Close the wall!"


    "Got it!"


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSHAAA!"


    "WE GOT THIS! A GAME POINT!"


    "Come on! One more time!"


    With only one point more to score, Koji took a deep breath, trying to contain his excitement for a while until he got the job done. When the referee blew his whistle, the outside hitter tossed the ball slightly in the air before hitting it hard to cross the powerfully.


    *BAM!*


    It wasn''t as powerful as Riku''s jump service, but it was enough to make it difficult for the opponent. The serve itself was able to be received by the opponent, just for the ball toe back to Tsunemori''s side once again.


    "Chance ball!"


    "Riku! Right!"


    "I got this!"


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSSHAAAAA!"


    As Ogawa spiked the ball straight to the sideline without anyone who could save the ball, the referee blew his whistle before announcing the end of the game. Tsunemori won in a very convincing way against Tokomiyama High and advanced through the third round of the tournament.


    -0-


    Meanwhile, on the sideline¡­


    "So, that is Tsunemori, huh?" One of the boys who held a recorder mused. "They don''t look that strong. Howe Ezaki and Shimoyawata lost against them?"

 Chapter 70: A Class of How to Receive the Ball by Kobayashi Yuki

    *BAM!*


    "Shit! Again?!"


    Dive deeper into the story on m-vle-mpyr


    "Ha! You suck, Koji! Do five more diving drills!"


    "Shut up, Kaede!"


    It was the day after the second round against Tokomiyama, and even though the excitement was still there, they regained their focus quickly, starting to train again to prepare for the next round. Just like usual, there was no one else other than the team members in the gym, making it somehow lonely for them to train. Akira and Megumi were also not there yet, so their training was a bit messy today.


    "Oi, Kobayashi-kun," Koji called. "Do you have any tips for me to get better at receiving the ball?"


    Yeah, out of everyone on the team, Koji was probably the weakest defender here. Hell, even Hirano who was in the middle blocker was better at receiving than him. Not by miles, of course, but the game-reading ability the blocker had was enough to keep him one spot above Koji in terms of defense.


    Yuki pondered briefly while fixing his sses, his mind recalling how his senpai received the ball. "Hmm¡­ Maybe, stop trying to aim where you want to send the ball and just nt your feet to the ground firmly?" He advised.


    "Eh?" Koji tilted his head confusedly. The others who heard the conversation also chimed in. "If I didn''t aim the ball, would it be more troublesome for the others?"


    "No, it wouldn''t be." Yuki shook his head. "If the ball is in your direction, your only task is to keep the ball in the air. As for how we receive it, you don''t need to worry. Our rotation would always ensure you are surrounded by me, Kaede-senpai, or Okamura-senpai. If we cannot protect you from receiving the ball, we will at least be able to cover the second ball for you.


    After all, you are our best attacker, so you shouldn''t be worried about doing that job."


    "Eh¡­" Koji rubbed his neck awkwardly, didn''t expect to get praised by Yuki like that.


    "Anyway, if you still want to improve your receiving skill, maybe, you need to fix your footwork and positioning first. Here, let me give you an example." Yuki threw the ball to Kaede, ignoring Koji''s dazed state. "Kaede-senpai, can you spike the ball to me?"


    "Oh? Sure!"


    "Make sure you aim it to my upper body!"


    "Okay!"


    Now, it wasn''t just Koji, but all the other yers also had their eyes on Kaede and Yuki. While they were decent in receiving and might have some improvements during the camp, it wouldn''t be a bad idea to listen to the two best defenders of the team. When everyone was ready, Yuki nodded, and Kaede threw the ball to spike it directly at his body.


    *BAM!*


    Yuki received the ball perfectly, sending it toward the ce where the setter would be in a normal game.


    "Now, Koji-senpai, it is your turn."


    Koji was taken aback by the sudden call, yet he didn''t back down from the challenge.


    "Kaede-senpai, make sure you aim at the same spot!" Yuki called.


    "Sure!"


    The second-year opposite hitter did the same, but now, Koji couldn''t receive the ball perfectly as it bruised his forearms.


    "So, does anyone see the difference between my receive and Koji-senpai''s?" Yuki asked.


    All the yers who gathered around him twitched their mouths in annoyance, didn''t understand his point at all. Yuki sighed, knowing it would be difficult to make a point just by one example. He was ready to repeat the process once again, before Hirano ¨C surprisingly ¨C said, "Is it your stance when receiving the ball?"


    "Exactly!" Yuki eximed in delight. "It is all in my stance! Don''t you see it?!" Seeing the others shook their head, Yuki sighed tiredly. "Let''s do this again. Koji-senpai, get ready!"


    All the yers looked at each other before the one Yuki mentioned stepped up again. This time, it was Yuki himself who did the spike, and after getting a hint from the sses boy, now all the eyes were on Koji''s stance.


    *BAM!*


    Once again, Koji couldn''t receive the ball perfectly. He still didn''t get why ¨C or to be more exact, what was wrong with his stance. When he turned around though, he saw several of them nodded and had their face lightened up as if they just got an inspiration.


    "I get it! So, that is how he did!"


    "That is genius!"


    "You need to be able to react quickly, though."


    Koji ¨C with the others who had no clue on what they were talking about scowled, asking, "Anyone kind enough to exin here?"


    "It is in your feet, Senpai." Yuki decided to take pity on him. "When the ball didn''te straight to your forearms, you adjust your position by moving both your feet, making your body unbnced and the ball would go in the direction you don''t want to. And when I do it¡­" Yuki signaled Kaede who had the ball to spike it at him.


    The moment the ball was unleashed, he just turned his body around slightly to adjust his body before doing a perfect receive, letting the ball fly once again toward the setter''s spot.


    "See? I don''t need to move away from my position. I just turn my body slightly, yet my feet are still nted on the floor. And even if I have to do that, I only move one of them, using another foot as a pivot to keep my body bnced. That way, my receive would be less awkward and it would also be easier to aim the ball too."


    Koji had his jaws dropped when he heard ¨C and saw Yuki''s example. It looked so easy that he couldn''t believe he had never thought about it. However, just like the others said before, it required perfect timing to react like that and probably a long repetition before he could do that as easily as Yuki did.


    "Okay, let me try it!" Koji smiled and rolled his sleeve upward.


    "Hey, what do you mean by that?! You have done it several times before, so it is our turn now!"


    "Yeah! Let me do it first!"


    "No, it should be me! I was the one Yuki asked for the help first!"


    "Shut up!"


    Yuki could only shake his head when he saw his senpai''s antic. Honestly, it was still awkward for him to exin how he did it considering he himself was still a rookie.


    Yet unlike the former members from the third year who were full of pride, the current yers who were full of sophomore students here were willing to learn from their kouhai, especially when they knew he was better in that department. At least, it gave him a good impression of his senpai.


    Unfortunately, before they could try again the new technique they just learned, Akira and Megumi suddenly appeared in the gym, their eyes were dead serious. Their appearance gave them the feeling that something big wasing, and that was not in a good way. Without being ordered to, they gathered immediately around those two, waiting for the information that would go next.


    "Okay, everyone! Listen!"

 Chapter 71: The Next Opponent!

    Akira stared at his yers for a while, nodding his head in a satisfied manner when he saw their attitude. He had arrived fifteen minutes ago, yet decided to not interrupt their training for a while. He was satisfied that all of them had already moved on from the game yesterday and focused on the next round. At least, he wouldn''t have to worry about them underestimating the enemy.


    Not that they could do that, of course, considering who their next opponent was.


    After all the yers were around him, he coughed, started talking, "Well, I have good news and bad news here. Which one do you want to hear first?"


    Yuki and several yers cringing a little bit, didn''t like the fact that they also had bad news here. If their guess was correct, the bad news should be rted to their opponent in the next round.


    "How about hearing the bad one first?" Kaede suggested. "You, know, reverse psychology? So that we can have something to cheer us up if the news is too bad for our health."


    Everyone was surprised to hear his suggestion, not expecting something so smart toe out of his mouth. Kaede had his mouth twitched in annoyance at their reaction, scowled.


    "What the hell is that reaction?"


    "Are you okay, Kaede?" Okamura suddenly came and pressed his hand on his friend''s forehead. "The temperature is normal. He is not sick."


    "What if he is an impostor?" Koji also joined the fun, starting to ask with a serious face. "Tell us a fact that only the real Kaede would know."


    By now, Kaede had a thick vein popped on his forehead as he pped Okamura''s hand while growling, "You want a fact that only real Kaede would know? I can give you one. I can kick all of your asses here in five seconds. You want to test it?"


    "Oh, yeah, he is the real one." Okamura retreated his hand quickly, didn''t want to test his friend''s patience. "Just testing, you know? It is not often you say something smart like that."


    Akira snorted while the others stiffened theirughter, didn''t want to receive the boy''s ire. "Okay, since this is the first time we heard something smart from Kaede, maybe we should follow his suggestion."


    "Not you too, Sensei!" Kaede criedically amidst theughter broken around him.


    Akira coughed, trying to get everyone''s attention. "Well¡­ The bad news is that we will have a tough opponent in the next round. Megumi-san, the video please." He asked the manager who opened herptop and operated the gadget quickly before ying a video there.


    "That is the game between Kitazawa High against Kyoei Gakuen that just ended an hour ago. Megumi-san and I went there to observe the game and record it as our intelligence weapon, and color me surprised when I didn''t expect that kind of level to be shown in the second round."


    All the yers straightened their backs immediately when they heard about that, dreadful feeling built up inside them as they started to imagine how terrible their next opponent would be.


    "The winner of the game and our next opponent would be Kyoei Gakuen. And while they are not a school with a strong history in volleyballpetition, if you follow the news on the high schoolpetition in all sports, you should''ve heard about them."


    "Really?" All of them raised their eyebrows simultaneously, inwardly trying to recall any memory rted to Kyoei Gakuen. "I have never heard about them. What about you?"


    "Nope, never in my life."


    Seeing all of them didn''t have any idea about their next opponent, Akira decided to give a brief introduction before they watched the video. "Kyoei Gakuen is a rising school in thest couple of years, bought by a wealthy family who have the ambition to conquer the country in all sportspetitions.


    Just in thest two years, they won the national tournament in football and dominated the country in basketball, and this year, they set their eyes on volleyball."


    Everyone was stunned, never expecting such an outrageous thing could happen in reality.


    "Just like how they dominated football and basketballpetition, this year, they use the exact same strategy, offering so much money to recruit the best yers avable from the other schools." Akira continued.


    "Is that legal?" Yuki couldn''t help but ask.


    "Oh, unfortunately, it is very legal," Akira said with a grim expression. "While this method was frowned upon by themunity, they couldn''t deny the offer could help so many yers who came from a poor family to pay for their education. That is why the official doesn''t ban this method."


    Everyone felt depressed, knowing that while they despised the method, they wouldn''t be able to refuse if Kyoei Gakuen came to offer schrships for them.


    "As for their yers, Megumi-san, please y the video." Akira gave a nod to the manager. "First, they have the middle blocker, the number 8, Haruo." He pointed his finger at the tallest yers on the video. "He is a freshman like Kobayashi and Riku, but his experience in this game is far better than those two, or even any of you here.


    He was dubbed by the volleyball magazine as one of the best prospects in the country right now, probably only a few people in his generation could match his talent. As for his ying style¡­ Just imagine he has Hirano''s aggressive blocking style with Yuki''s game-reading ability."


    Everyone shuddered at that thought, didn''t want to imagine something that scary as their next opponent. In a second, the impression of a good guy that came from Haruo''s cheerful demeanor in the video disappeared instantly, knowing it was a trap for them.


    "Then, they have their captain, a solid guy as an outside hitter on the left. Here, he is the number 2." Akira continued, pointing his finger at a yer with a cold face, just like Hirano on their team. "His name is Ito, and while he doesn''t have so much power inside him, but damn, his creativity is so nasty.


    Hirano, while I doubt you suffer from him, don''t get frustrated when he managed to fool you a few times."


    Hirano was taken aback for a second before nodding his head solemnly. This was probably the first time he heard the coach reminding him about the opponent, and honestly, this made him curious. Now, he couldn''t wait for the game to see what kind of ability this Ito had.


    "As for thest yer¡­" Seeing the sudden solemn expression on Akira''s face, everyone was tensed immediately. "He is their ace and probably the most dangerous yer on their team, another outside hitter from the second year. His name is Nitta." He pointed his fingers to a spiky-haired boy with the jersey number 14.


    "In thest game against Kitazawa, he himself managed to contribute about 24 points out of the 50 they scored. His technique is perfect, and he has such a raw power that can beparable to Ezaki from Shimoyawata or Gondo from Matsukita. And the most noticeable thing about him is his mental fortitude.


    Some people would call him an egoist, but he has this drive to always get the final ball to attack the opponent, and it works in thest game. I don''t know why such an amazing yer went undetectedst year, but based on my observation today, he is the most dangerous yer that we have to face in the next game."


    The atmosphere was heavy as the yers all watched the video in front of them, of how this Nitta managed to pierce any kind of defense set up by the opponent for him. Inwardly, they started to imagine what would happen in the next game and how would they stop such a yer, and they had to admit this wasn''t an easy task to do.


    "What about the other yers?" Riku asked.


    "Well, fortunately, while the others are good, they are not so noticeable as the first three. They are just there to defend the ball, and their setter is also someone who is intimidated by Nitta so easily. See?" He nudged his head at the video where Nitta scolded the setter for not giving the final pass to him.


    "Well, at least there is somefort here¡­" Yuki said wryly, eliciting dry chuckles from the others.


    "Oh, I don''t buy that." Riku shook his head immediately, gaining the other''s attention. "Do you think it is suspicious for a team that could buy even the best yers in the country to have half the yers of the team as cannon fodder? Even though they stayed passively during thest game, I still think they hide something here."


    All of their faces darkened, knowing that Riku was right. There was no way a team that aimed to dominate the tournament would have three useless yers starting on the court. There must be some sort of conspiracy here.


    "Good." Kaede moaned. "Just good. After Shimoyawata, now we have this super-rich team as our next opponent, and there is also still Konan High waiting for us if we want to save the club. Goddamnit, it is like the universe doom us to fail!"


    Akira furrowed his brows, not from Kaede''s words, but for how it affected the other''s mentality. The atmosphere around was too heavy, and honestly, he couldn''t me them for being so depressed like this. Their luck had been shit this tournament, and it wasn''t something that they could control at all.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t have any words to cheer them up. Even the good news he bought was probably not good enough to lift up the mood. After pondering for a while, he shook his head, decided to let his yers drown in depression for now while he thought about strategy for the next game.


    At least, it was still two weeks before the third round began, and they would have time to recover their mentality and be ready for the game.


    ''Now, let''s see if I can crack this troublesome team or not¡­''

 Chapter 72: Kyoei Gakuens Intelligence Meeting!

    Meanwhile, far from Tsunemori, in a school near the center of Tokyo, Kyoei Gakuen also started their preparation for the third round against Tsunemori. They gathered inside a room which, unlike Tsunemori who only used a singleptop to y the video, had arge screen to show everyone without them having to swarm around it.


    "So, tell me once again, why do we do this?" A boy with short-spiky hair huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Have we already seen them live? Why do we need to analyze them too? They are not good enough, for God''s sake! This is just wasting our time!" Heined childishly.


    "Shut up, Nitta!" Another boy who had a bigger figure scolded the first boy coldly. "You know, underestimating our enemy would be your downfall, right?"


    "Yeah, yeah, I know." The boy called Nitta waved his hand casually. "You have said that so many times in the past, yet we have never lost against such a no-name opponent like them. Would it be better to use the time for more training?" He muttered inwardly.


    The bigger boy just rolled his eyes in exasperation, yet didn''t reprimand Nitta for the second time.


    Yeah, in case you were wondering, those two were the pirs of Kyoei Gakuen, the ace of the team Nitta Zaki, and the captain Atsuki Ito. As a tradition of a big team, they gathered together a few days before the game to analyze the next opponent.


    Even though Nittained a lot about wasting time, he still attended the meeting, knowing that if the ace didn''t present, it would make the other yers think they didn''t take the opponent seriously, which was a big taboo in the elimination stage tournament no matter how easy their opponent was.


    As for Ito, he had noints at all, always being a responsible captain and didn''t mess around even when facing an easy opponent. Even though just like Nitta said, they had never lost against a weaker opponent, he still took every game seriously, showing a professional attitude while giving the opposite side the respect they deserved.


    Still, even he had to admit that a meeting like this in the early round was not necessary, especially when he was one of the students sent by the team to observe Tsunemori''s game in the second round. While the opponent had a decent team, it was still far enough topete against them.


    "Anyway, where is Haruo-kun?" Nitta suddenly asked. "I haven''t seen him for a while."


    The corner of Ito''s lips twitched in annoyance as he suddenly felt tired remembering his kouhai''s antic. "His homeroom teacher said he is taking an absence for another photoshoot."


    "Again? Man, he is so lucky!" Nitta whined. "If only I have a legitimate reason to skip the meeting too¡­" He winced when receiving Ito''s re.


    Haruo was their middle blocker, and while not the best yer on the team, he was definitely the most popr one here. The tall and bulky figure he had, coupled with the handsome face and rare blonde hair with a cheerful personality was probably the best recipe to be a popr guy no matter where they were.


    And adding to his monstrous blocking ability, it was not a brainer if a lot of volleyball-rted products wanted him to endorse their product.


    After waiting for a while, their coach finally arrived at the room. He was Kuniyama Saito, a young man still in his early thirties and had a youthful demeanor that attracted so many girls in the school to have a crush on him. The moment he entered the room, everyone straightened their back, knowing it was time for business.


    Saito nced around for a while before casuallymenting, "So, like usual, it is only Haruo-kun who cannot join the meeting, right?" Everyone snorted, knowing that there was no heat in his words and the coach was just joking to ease the atmosphere.


    "Sensei, can I not join the meeting too?" Nitta suddenly raised his hand, trying to test his luck.


    Saito snorted, waving his hands. "In your dream, Nitta-kun." The others stiffened theirughter when they heard his response. "But since Nitta-kun didn''t want to be in the meeting, let''s start it as soon as possible so he can continue whatever he was doing before."


    Nitta rubbed his head awkwardly as he was being subjected to Saito''s sarcastic remark. Still, since the coach wanted to start the meeting, he went silent and didn''t make another smart-assment again.


    "So, our opponent in the next round is Tsunemori High." Saito began exining. "It is an old, ordinary public school in East Tokyo. They don''t have a strong tradition in volleyball, with the best result they have ever achieved being the fourth ce in the Tokyo tournament four years ago.


    Besides that, they are just an ordinary team that usually would be eliminated in either the third or fourth round of the tournament. Last year, they even lost in the second round, forcing them topete from the bottom again this year. So¡­ At the first nce, they are just an ordinary team, and the third round is going to be a piece of cake for us."


    All the yers there straightened their backs and leaned their bodies forward, knowing that when their coach used the words ''At first nce'', everything wasn''t as simple as they thought it would be. And true to their thought, Saito continued, "BUT!" He raised his voice, making the yers closest to him jump on their seats.


    "I think we cannot underestimate them, especially considering they beat Shimoyawata in the first round. No matter how much weaker Shimoyawata ispared tost year, they are not an easy opponent to be dealt by an ordinary opponent, and I know you all can remember that too. So, don''t think the next game would be so easy, okay?"


    All of them nodded solemnly, their mind recalling the memory of the tournamentst year. Yeah, before all themotions Ezaki made that caused the team to be banned for a full year, Shimoyawata had already advanced through the top 8 teams of the Tokyo tournament by beating a lot of strong opponents, and one of them was Kyoei Gakuen.


    For them to lose in the first round this year, the team that beat them shouldn''t be easy to deal with.


    "As for their yers, there are only two noticeable yers that you should take note of," Saito said. "First, the middle blocker, Hirano." He pointed his fingers at the image of a yer with the jersey number 12. "He is an annoying one, always able to read the setter and pester the hitters simultaneously.


    We will find it hard to deceive him with the setter, but if we can iste him and force him to face Ito-kun, I think we will see something interesting here."


    The captain of the team nodded, epting the assignment to face Tsunemori''s middle blocker.


    "As for the other one, here, the sses boy." Saito pointed at the image of Yuki on the screen. "He is the leader of their defense. Everyone, even the libero listens to hismand, and based on what we see in the video of their second round, his judgment is more often correct than not.


    We cannot judge his defensive level as their opponent in the second round didn''t put up a decent fight, but we can assume that he is good in game-reading and receiving."


    Even though it seemed a lot, the information was too vague. For once they regretted that they didn''t have the record of the game between Tsunemori against Shimoyawata.


    "Still, what I am worried about the most is not them, but their head coach." Saito continued, zooming in on Tsunemori''s bench to show their coach. "His name is Shinji Akira, a former national team member when he was on the university team before he had to retire early due to a knee injury.


    He coached a local team in Kyushu more than ten years ago and managed to bring them to the top 4 in the prefecture tournament before he flew to Italy to learn more about volleyball. He is also the direct disciple of Honda-sensei from Matsukita and Sekine-sensei from Tsukumi University, and I don''t need to tell you how much those two weighted in Japan''s volleyball, right?"


    All the yers nodded solemnly, finally realizing that the game wouldn''t be as easy as they thought before. To have a coach with that kind of rich resume, they needed to be wary of what kind of stunt Tsunemori would pull in the next game. Still, they didn''t seem to be worried about it, since they had the confidence to win the game.


    "No matter how good their coach is, if he doesn''t have the yers to support his idea, it would be useless, right?" Nittamented. "This would be an interesting game, but I don''t think they have a chance to beat us."


    "Yeah!" The other yers shared his sentiment.


    Saito let out a deep sigh, knowing that Nitta was right somehow about his judgment of Tsunemori. Still, he couldn''t help but feel uneasy, thinking that there was something he forgot to tell the team that might be crucial for the game. But after thinking about it for a while and couldn''t figure out what that was, he shook his head, decided to not think too hard about it.


    ''If it is important, I am sure I will remember it soon.''

 Chapter 73 : A Day in the Orphanage

    Yuki blinked his eyes a few times, trying to understand the situation in front of him right now. He exchanged a nce with Riku who looked as confused as him, didn''t have any idea of what just happened. They both gaped as they watched the kids fighting and scrapping with each other in the middle of the living room.


    After a while, finally, Kato came to them with her breath heavy, yet his face was full of smiles. She wiped the sweat on her face before asking, "Have you done your training?"


    Yuki had the corner of his lips twitched in annoyance as he stared at the girl in front of him who didn''t even try to address what happened. Hell, her presence alone here was a big question, since Yuki was sure he didn''t invite Kato toe.


    "So, what happened here?" He finally asked.


    "Well, it started with Hiko-kun using Hina-chan of stealing something, which to her credit she admitted to, but it was in retaliation for something he stolest week. That set them off and Hiko was losing, so he roped Taro into it, and it backfired because he decided to take them both on and now, it is a free-for-all."


    "Well, at least they are using pillows here," Rikumented, catching one of the small pillows that flew into his head. "And why are you here? No offense, but Kobayashi has never told me you are a regr visitor here."


    "Of course, he has never told you, I bet he himself didn''t know about it." Kato rolled her eyes. "Aiko-obaasan asked me to watch the children whenever she has to work at Grandma''s ce, and considering I don''t even have anything to do at home, I epted her request. Poor the children, having to rely on strangers because their big brother is neglecting them for volleyball." She sniffed.


    Yuki just rolled his eyes, knowing the girl was teasing him. "So, Obaasan is still in Sachi-baasan''s ce?" He asked instead.


    "Yup!" Kato nodded. "Anyway, I banned them all from expanding the mess into the kitchen, so, do you want to go there?"


    Yuki and Riku nodded at the same time, didn''t want to get involved in the pillow fight. They eased their way around the melee and walked into the kitchen, just to be greeted by the savory smell that tickled their nostril.


    "Damn, what are you cooking, Kato-san? It smells amazing." Riku licked his lips hungrily.


    "Just a normal curry with normal ingredients, nothing more and nothing else," Kato answered. "And no, Kobayashi-kun, you are not allowed to add anything to it, no matter how healthy you think it is for the kids." She added sharply, catching Yuki who grabbed lettuce from the fridge.


    "Why?" Yuki furrowed his brows. "It is healthy and good for the children!"


    Kato rolled her eyes in exasperation while muttering, ''That is why the children didn''t want to go near your food at all.''


    Riku chuckled merrily at Yuki''s antic, decided to ignore the outrageous thing the sses boy wanted to add to the food. He stepped forward, wanting to see by himself the curry Kato made. However, he forgot to close the door, and one wild pillow suddenly flew into his head.


    *Thud!*


    "Oh, no!" One of the children gasped, horrified.


    Everyone stopped their doing and stared at the blonde boy too, wanting to see his reaction. Riku looked at the twins with eyes wide open in shock and affront before they narrowed with sheer indignation.


    "It is him!" Hina shrieked immediately, throwing the me on her twin brother.


    "Don''t point at me!" Hiko said, smacking her hand. "You threw it!"


    "You ducked!"


    *Thwack!*


    Everyone stared in horror as an errantly chucked pillow hit Hina clean in the face, knocking the girl over. A silence fell over the area as the children gasped with shock and horror at her being hit and all action stopped immediately.


    "What?" Riku chuckled. "If you don''t want to get the end of it, don''t start the war!"


    Then, the children had this gleam of mischievousness in their eyes as they nodded at each other, and each one suddenly grabbed the pillow on the ground.


    "Ready?"


    "Wait a second!" Riku widened his eyes when he saw everyone staring at him. "No, don''t do it! Don''t do it here!"


    "Attack!"


    The children threw the pillows and shouted happily, and soon, they chased the yelling andughing Riku out of the orphanage with pillows in their hands. Yuki and Kato followed after them sedately, shaking their head and smiling fondly at the sight of another pillow duel forming between Riku and the children.


    "I forgot that he is also a child, sometimes," Yuki muttered lowly.


    "Yeah." Kato nodded in agreement. "But at least, it is never boring around him, right?"


    -0-


    "So, let me get this straight," Aiko smiled amusedly. "There is a pillow fight broke here, and somehow, you were dragged into this mess and managed to turn the game to everyone against you, and the moment it was over and everyone finished their dinner, they were too exhausted and go back to their room immediately, is that right?"


    Riku''s face flushed in embarrassment while Yuki snorted at him, muttering, "Children, all of them."


    "Are you saying I am a child?" Riku red at him.


    "Yes, you are a child!" Yuki snarked back. "And you have proven it earlier!"


    "Children, all of them." Kato rolled her eyes, just to receive the re from two boys.


    Aiko giggled merrily as she saw their antic, smiling fondly at the three of them. "I am d you can be friends with Yuki-kun." She said softly, gaining their attention. "Honestly, from the first time he stepped into this orphanage, Yuki-kun was and still is the most responsible child here. He is so mature that I am afraid he wouldn''t have friends in the new environment.


    I am d I was proven to be wrong."


    For a moment, silence befell that small kitchen, only the sound of the clock tickling could be heard echoing all over the room. They stared at each other awkwardly, didn''t know how to handle such an emotional conversation like this.


    "Eh¡­" Riku rubbed his neck awkwardly. "You don''t need to say that, Obaasan. I should be apologizing for dragging him into the club, making it harder for him to help you take care of the others."


    "So, you know what you did is wrong, huh?" Yuki muttered, eliciting a re from his friend.


    "Why, you?!"


    "Anyway!" Kato coughed, trying to break the fight before it could start. "Why are you here, Agostini-kun?" She asked the blonde boy.


    "Oh, yeah!" Riku suddenly remembered something. "My parents want to invite you to the Hanami festival!"


    "Hanami festival?" They all stared at each other.


    Hanami festival was the time when people took their time to go for an outdoor activity in the warm temperature after a long winter while enjoying the Sakura flower that started to bloom. It was the festival that happened in every spring season in Japan, and this year was not an exception.


    "Isn''t it a bitte, though?" Kato asked hesitantly. "I mean, we are in the middle of May, already. People had already started to prepare for summer, so is there a ce that still holds a festival right now?"


    "Don''t worry! We can do that in my home! You will be amazed by the view of it!" Riku eximed excitedly. Yuki had a sweat drop on his face, somehow forgetting that the blonde boy came from a wealthy family.


    "Just go." Aiko smiled, encouraging them both. "You haven''t had the chance to do that this year, right? This will be the best opportunity to rx."


    "Why are you saying like you wouldn''t go with us, Obaasan?" Riku tilted his head confusedly. "You and the other children are also getting the invitation!"


    "Really?!" Aiko was taken aback.


    "Yes! You shoulde too!" Riku gave a pleading look. "Come on, this would be fun! The children would be able to enjoy it too!"


    Being subjected to those puppy-dog eyes from the boy and not having a good reason to refuse the invitation, those three finally relented, smiling helplessly before nodding their head. "Okay, you got us here," Yuki said. Then, he frowned before asking, "Wait, you haven''t told us when, right?"


    "Yosh!" Riku clenched his fists excitedly. "Don''t worry about the date. It is on Sunday, two days after our game against Kyoei Gakuen, so it will not disturb our preparation. Akira-jiisan will also be there too, so you don''t need to worry." He bounced excitedly on his seat. "Man, I cannot wait for that day toe!"


    Yuki and Kato smiled fondly as they saw Riku''s excitement. This bubbly personality was probably why his friend had so many friends in the school. Still, it would be a lie if they weren''t interested in the invitation, especially in the prospect of meeting Riku''s parents. In their mind, a question suddenly popped there.


    ''What kind of people can raise such a bundle of joy like Riku?''

 Chapter 74 : Game Day!

    After a week passed quickly and quietly, the big day finally arrived. The day that the game between Kyoei Gakuen and Tsunemori High would be held was finally there, and Yuki couldn''t help but feel excited. He woke up early in the morning, and just like the usual game day, all the children also woke up earlier to cheer him up.


    "You have to win the game, Yuki-nii!" Hina eximed, gobbling a big chunk of sausage inside her mouth.


    "Idiot! Don''t pressure him like that!" Hiko smacked his twin sister hard. "And don''t talk while chewing your food! That is disgusting!"


    Yuki could only shake his head in exasperation as he saw the twins'' antic. By now, he was getting used to the twins'' squabble every morning, sometimes because Hina was too slow in the bathroom, or maybe because Hiko took Hina''s things without saying anything.


    He was just d that those two could still be as cheerful as normal children could be, especially considering the permanent injury craved into their bodies.


    "Niichan, I want a princess braid!" Mai Who sat on hisp suddenly spoke. "Can you do it like Kato-nee did?" She asked.


    Yuki couldn''t help but sigh, silently cursing Kato for indulging Mai''s request to do whatever princess braid was. He wiped the rice stuck on the corner of the girl''s mouth while silently staring at Aiko, giving the matron a pleading look to help him escape from this situation. Aiko herself just giggled, but decided to take pity on him as she grabbed the little girl to sit on herp.


    "Mai-chan, your Niichan is going to have a big game today, so don''t bother him, okay?" She rubbed Mai''s hair gently. "Later, Yuki-nii will be back home bringing some snacks for you, and I will ask Kato-nee toe here and y with you again, what about that?"


    The gloom on the little girl''s face suddenly disappeared as her expression lightened up. "Really?" She asked.


    "Yup." Aiku smiled gently.


    "Promise?" Mai blinked with her cute, doe eyes, making Yuki want to pinch it straight away. Still, Yuki knew this was the most important stage for him to appease his little sister, so he kneeled so he could see Mai eye-to-eye while giving her his pinkie. "Promise." He nodded.


    "Good." Mai nodded too, her smile showed that she was satisfied with the agreement. "Good luck, Yuki-nii."


    Yuki shook his head fondly while rubbing her hair, resisting the urge to pinch her cheek. It took him a while to finish his breakfast, especially under the children''s questions about the game. After a while though, he had finally done his routine, ready to go.


    "Wish me luck, okay?" Yuki grinned at them.


    "Sure! Good luck, Yuki-nii!"


    "Bring us the win!"


    "Yeah! Don''t you dare to lose!"


    Yuki took a deep breath, adjusting his shoes several times before started running. Even though summer was about toe, the air was stillfortable for outdoor activity, especially in the morning. He let his face hit by the wind breeze, inwardly smiling when remembering the children''s enthusiasm for him earlier.


    ''With that kind of motivation, how could I lose today?''


    -0-


    ording to the bracket, today''s game will be held in Tsunemori High. Yuki was d that they didn''t have to go to another school again for a game. No matter how good the opponent''s court was, it wouldn''t be able to beat the feeling of familiarity of ying in his own school.


    However, it seemed familiarity wasn''t the only advantage of ying at home.


    The moment Yuki arrived at the gymnasium, he had his jaws dropped when he saw the building was filled with more than a hundred enthusiastic students there, all of them showing their support for the team.


    He could estimate that the number was far more than when he yed against the senior team a few weeks ago, and by the look of the students who still hanging around outside of the building, he could guess that the number would rise again when the game began.


    "What is this?" He asked, his eyes still wandering around in awe. "How could there be so many spectators today?"


    "Well, it seems this was the good news that Akira-sensei forgot to tell us a week ago," Okamura answered wryly. "He had already negotiated a term with the school, and the headmaster agreed to free the day for the students so that we can have the support live. Now, we can say we have a proper home advantage here."


    Yuki nodded numbly, still couldn''tprehend how such a thing could happen. It seemed the rumor that the headmaster was a former volleyball yer on the team was true as the leader of the school went all out to support the team.


    He turned his head around, just to see the other yers having some conversations with the students outside of the court. Riku was also there, surrounded by the fangirls that kept bothering the boy. Still, Yuki couldn''t see the two most important figures on the team, so he asked to Okamura next to him, "Where are Megumi-senpai and Akira-sensei?"


    "Akira-sensei is outside, waiting for the opponent in the gate." The libero answered. "As for Megumi-senpai, I don''t know. She just said she would bring us our second good news here. Ah, speaking of her¡­" He stopped talking, having his jaws dropped at the sight in front of him.


    Curious, Yuki turned around quickly, just to find the manager waving at him cheerfully while apanying the old man he was familiar with.


    "Sekine-jiisan? Why are you here?" Yuki eximed.


    All the yers there turned around too when they heard his words, just to be surprised to see the old man who coached them during the camp to be here too. "Old geezer? Why are you here?" Riku repeated Yuki''s question more rudely.


    "Of course, I am here to watch your game, Brat!" Sekine made a hand gesture that made the yers stiffen theirughter. "I was getting dragged into this mess by your bastard coach!"


    "Really?" Everyone was taken aback.


    "Yes! Just ask your manager here." He grumbled.


    Megumi''s face flushed when all eyes suddenly turned to her. Still, she bowed quickly and apologized, "I apologize for Akira-sensei''s rudeness, Sekine-sensei. He has never told us about this beforehand."


    Sekine''s expression softened as he patted Megumi''s head, treating the girl as if she were his granddaughter. "Don''t worry, Megumi-chan. You are not the one who wronged me here. It should be that boy who kneels in front of me right now."


    Their conversation only made the yers more curious. Even the students nearby who didn''t know Sekine''s identity also leaned forward, trying to see if they could get something to be gossiped for.


    Under the curious gaze from all the yers here, Sekine finally sighed, revealing, "There are three spots avable for the non-yers to sit on the bench and get involved directly in the game. Your coach gets the first, and Megumi-chan is the second.


    As for the third, he put my name into it and let Megumi-chan speak to me about it, knowing I couldn''t refuse her request." He gnashed his teeth annoyedly.


    All the yers were stunned for a second before they realized the implications of it. "So, does that mean you will also be on the bench to give us instruction?" Riku asked once again in disbelief.


    "Yes, so you better get used to this old man!" Sekine snarked.


    "SEKINE-SENSEI!!!"


    Excitement rose to the peak immediately as they all realized how valuable Sekine''s presence on the team was for them. With his vast knowledge and years of experience either as a yer or as a coach, Sekine would be able to figure out what to do whenever they fell into trouble. Not that they didn''t trust Akira, of course, but the old man''s presence weighed more here.


    Yuki himself also felt the same excitement. In his mind, Sekine''s presence here increased the probability of them winning the game at least by more than 20 percent. That didn''t mean they would win, of course. But at least, now they had another brain to help them win the game today.


    ''We have already done all the preparations well, even dragging Jiisan to be here for us too. Now, what is left for us is to win the game, and this would be the most troublesome task today. Let''s hope everything will go well today¡­''

 Chapter 75: The Arrival of Kyoei Gakuen!

    "So, this is Tsunemori, huh?" Nitta walked out of the bus, covering his face from the sun that started to get high. "Not bad¡­" He nodded in approval.


    Yeah, unlike Tsunemori who always used the subway for an away game, Kyoei Gakuen was wealthy enough to afford a bus for the team''s transportation. Even though they didn''t mean it, Kyoei Gakuen really came unting the fact that their school was rich and willing to take care of the team.


    "Isn''t it a bit too quiet, though?" One of them asked. "This should be the time for the first ss to begin, right?"


    "Yeah, you are right. There is something suspicious here." Saito, the coach of the team furrowed his brows. Then, he sighed tiredly when he heard the snore from the back of the bus. "Someone, please wake Haruo up. We have arrived already and it would be embarrassing if someone from Tsunemori saw him like this."


    "Let me do this." Ito rose from his seat. As the captain, he felt it was his job to save the face of the team, so he would never let anyone embarrass the school with their behavior. "Oi, Haruo! Wake up!" He pped Haruo''s face hard, making everyone wince unconsciously at the sound of it.


    "Urgh! Oh!" Haruo, the blocker of the team groaned, feeling a pain on his cheek. "What happened? Have we arrived already?" He grumbled, still half-asleep.


    "Yeah." Ito nodded. "Wash your face first before you get out of the bus."


    Meanwhile, outside of the bus, Saito was looking around at the school, trying to figure out where he should go. It wasn''t long before Akira came, greeting him politely.


    "Saito-sensei from Kyoei Gakuen?" Akira asked, offering a handshake.


    "Yes." Saito nodded, epting the offer. "Please, take care of our team"


    "Us too."


    After exchanging pleasantry and guiding the bus to the parking lot behind the school, Akira brought them all to the gymnasium directly. For a moment, all the Kyoei Gakuen were confused at how quiet the school was. However, they were stunned at the crowds that were already in the gymnasium the moment they entered the building.


    "COME ON, TSUNEMORI!"


    "You can do it!"


    "Bring back the win to our school!"


    "NEVER GIVE UP!"


    "What the hell, man¡­" Nita held his breath in awe. "How in the world an ordinary team could gather so much enthusiastic crowds just to watch a mere third-round tournament?"


    "That just shows either volleyball is a big thing here or it is rare for them to reach a third round, but I am more inclined toward the first reason," Itomented. He was also in awe, never thought they would be greeted by such massive crowds in the opponent''s home. Unfortunately, the crowds were not here to support them, so they were doomed to be a viin today.


    "But this only makes things more interesting, right?!" Nitta grinned excitedly. "Think, when was thest time you yed under massive crowds like this?! Except for ying against top teams like Konan and Matsukita, I doubt we would ever experience something like this again!"


    Several of them twitched their mouth in annoyance. Only a psychotic person like Nitta would be more excited to y under hundreds of pairs of eyes who supported the enemy. For any normal human being like them, such an atmosphere could break their mentality even before the game began.


    Still, they couldn''t deny the truth behind Nitta''s words. It wasn''t often for them to y in this kind of atmosphere. Some yers even never yed in a game witnessed by audiences other than the other team''s scouts.


    It was understandable, since Kyoei Gakuen was a team that aimed to be the number one in the country, so if not against top teams too, the school would never see any need to hype their students to support the team.


    "Anyway, why aren''t you as nervous as the others, Haruo?" Someone asked. The others also looked at Haruo curiously, especially after seeing how calm he was.


    "Me? nervous?" The tall boy snorted. "Senpai, did you forget who I am?"


    That was when all the Kyoei yers realized that justst year, Haruo was the major piece of the team that won the national tournament for middle school and was dubbed as the best blocker of his generation by several sports magazines in Japan. ying under big crowds like today of course was not a big deal for him.


    "Besides, instead of feeling nervous, I would rather think about anything else." The tall boy added. "For example, him." He pointed his finger at Riku.


    "Oh?" The others turned their eyes to the blonde boy. "Do you know anything about him? Is he someone dangerous?" Ito asked, concerned.


    His reaction was normal, since their data about Tsunemori was only their game in the second round when the game wasn''t evenpetitive for Tsunemori to show all their strength. What Kyoei was most afraid of right now was something unexpected to happen because of theck of data they suffered right now.


    "Yes, he is dangerous." Haruo nodded solemnly, making everyone hold their breath unconsciously. "There is no way a popr dude whose handsomeness is only a level below me to not be a strong yer here."


    All of the yers who heard that had sweat dropped on their faces, some even had to resist the urge to beat their kouhai to death for giving them a heart attack. Inwardly, they berated themselves for forgetting that Haruo was probably the most narcissistic person they had ever met in their lives.


    "What''s wrong?" Saito asked confusedly. He had just arrived back from exchanging pleasantry with Akira on the other side of the. "Why are you all looking at Haruo-kun like that?" He asked once again, noticing the strange expression on his yers'' faces.


    "Nothing, Sensei." They shook their head simultaneously.


    After asking for thest time to make sure everyone was okay, he asked the yers to do their warmup first as the game would start in fifteen minutes. The tension inside the gymnasium rose as time went by, as the crowds kept increasing to support Tsunemori. Their excitement died down a bit, some even started to get intimidated by the supporters.


    Finally, after a quick coin toss to determine who would serve the ball first which Ito won, the referee blew the whistle to start the game.


    "Come on, Nitta! Start it strongly!"


    "Yeah! Give us the first point!"


    "Impossible!"


    "You suck! Your serve would hit the!"


    "Come on! You cannot do it!"


    "BOOOOO!"


    Amidst the cheers from his teammates and the boos from the crowds, Nitta as the first yer to serve the ball bounced the ball calmly to the floor, trying to calm his nerve. A secondter, his eyes were on the other side of the court, all the noises disappeared from his ears.


    He tossed the ball in the air, followed by a quick two-step run-up before leaping from the floor, recoiling back his arms to unleash it like a quick whip. And a secondter, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of his hand hitting the ball, silencing the crowds in the building.


    *BAM!*

 Chapter 76: A Quick Lead!

    Yuki was taken aback when he saw the ball suddenly zoomed into his direction. He didn''t know whether Nitta did it deliberately or not, but Yuki didn''t expect Kyoei to target him from the first attack. Still, he didn''t lose his focus, keeping his eyes on the ball while ncing at Riku''s position in the front.


    What he didn''t expect though, was for the ball to suddenly drop drastically before it could cross the.


    *SPLASH!*


    Instead of crossing to the other side of the court sessfully, the ball hit the, making Kyoei''s yers on the front-line wince unconsciously when they realized a powerful spike flew past their faces a second ago. The silence befell the court was finally broken by the cheers exploding from the crowds.


    "YOSSHAA!!"


    "Come on! We got the first point!"


    "Come on, everyone! Don''t give them any chance to score!"


    "Beat them all!"


    Amidst the cheers that celebrated Nitta''s failure, the corner of Ito''s mouth twitched in annoyance when he saw the ball bounced in their area, which gave Tsunemori the first point of the game.


    "What the hell, Nitta?!" Hended a chop straight to Nitta''s head. "Don''t y around like this!"


    "Arkh!" The one who received the chop winced, rubbing the spot where he had just been hit. "It is just the first y, and I am still warming up! Why are you so worried, Senpai?!"


    "That''s because it is the first y that we have to grab the initiative from the start!" Ito scolded. When he received the stare from the referee though, he held back his frustration toward his kouhai before sighing and said, "The longer the time you need to get into the game, the longer we are going to win the game. Just get that into your thick skull."


    Meanwhile, on the other side of the, even though they just got one point freely, there was no crazy celebration from Tsunemori yers. They looked at each other solemnly, especially when they remembered how the ball still moving and had a strong momentum to push forward even though it hit the already.


    "The amount of power he has is insane," Rikumented. "It will be bad if his aggressiveness is the same as the record we watched."


    "Yeah." Yuki nodded solemnly. Then, he turned his attention to the other yers who gathered around him. "If any of you have a chance to attack, try to always target him. Let''s see if he can go back and forth for the entire game."


    "Sure."


    After that, the referee blew his whistle, signaling for Tsunemori to do the next serve. Riku stepped up and grabbed the ball from the referee, followed by the crazy cheers that exploded once again from outside of the court.


    "RIKU-SAMA! KYAA!"


    "Please, look at here, Riku-sama!"


    "Riku-sama!"


    All the Kyoei yers were startled at the sudden cheers, then turned their eyes at Haruo speechlessly. This was the exact same reaction their middle blocker would receive from the girls at their school, and they didn''t expect to see someone receiving the end of it. And based on the normal reaction from Tsunemori yers, they all knew the opposite side also got used to the crazy fangirls already.


    Still, they were not lowering their guard at all, especially when Riku took his time and space outside of the sideline for his serve. By now, they all had already watched the record of Riku''s jump serve and they came prepared for this.


    *BAM!*


    All the Kyoei yers were ready for Riku''s serve. When they saw it went straight in Nitta''s direction, just like their normal operation, their ace took a step aside and let his teammates receive the serve.


    "Oh! Nice receive, Aki!"


    Riku was surprised for a second, didn''t expect the opponent to receive his serve so easily. It seemed what he thought was right, there was definitely no cannon fodder in a team like Kyoei.


    "Yamada! Left!"


    Seeing Nitta start his run-up and ask for the ball, all the Tsunemori yers tensed for a second. Yuki stared at the setter''s eyes for a second before noticing there was no hint of deception there, so he knew the ball would fly into their ace. He turned his attention there, just to find out Nitta was eyeing him hungrily.


    ''He is going to target me again?!''


    *BAM!*


    Nitta unleashed a powerful spike, aiming it straight at Yuki. Unfortunately, he forgot the presence of the blocker in front of him who reacted in time to touch the ball and reduced its speed in the air.


    "OH! Nice block, Hirano-senpai! Chance ball!"


    "I got this!"


    Yuki reacted quickly when he saw the ball fly close to the sideline. He was surprised though, to see that there was no reaction on Kyoei''s side as if they had already expected something like this to happen. What he didn''t know was that he and Hirano had already been noted as Tsunemori''s key yers by Saito.


    Still¡­


    ''Let''s test their defense first.''


    Yuki passed the ball to Riku on the right side The blonde boy didn''t even have to move as the ball came perfectly in his direction. Now, his job was to figure out how to deal with the blockers in front of him. The pressure he felt under Harup''s eyes was so intense that he froze for a second. However, Riku was the type of yer who got more excited the better his opponent was.


    He tried to fool Haruo by ncing sideways at Koji on the left side. However, Kyoei''s middle blocker didn''t bulge, keeping his eyes on him. Riku was surprised, then thought, ''Then, can you react quick enough for this?''


    Riku passed the ball to Koji on the left wing, the pass contained some speed for the hitter to do a quick. Seeing the ball aimed directly at him, Koji grinned, leaped forward before spiking the ball hard toward the opposite side.


    *BAM!*


    There was no resistance from Kyoei''s yers as the ball pierced their defense, falling into the backside of their side. Koji stared in disbelief when he watched it, not expecting things would go so easily. But when the crowds cheered on him, he clenched his fist immediately, knowing another point added to the team because of him.


    "YOSSHAAA!"


    -0-


    Saito on the sideline just sighed in exasperation when he saw thete reaction from his yers. This was the bad habit that gued the team for a while. It would usually take them a long time before they got into the game. That was why they were always chasing from behind in the beginning, and when they yed against a strong team, they would always lose the first set.


    Still, he didn''t want something like this to always happen. He nced at the bench yers next to him and thought of a way to get his yers'' engines to turn on quickly. Without hesitation, he said to all of them, "Start warming up. Be ready to y at any time."


    The bench yers were taken aback by the sudden instruction, but they nodded their heads quickly. "YES, SIR!"


    With the threat of getting reced when the game hadn''t even run for more than five minutes, Saito wanted to see which one of his yers would still dare to ck off because it was still the beginning of the game.


    ''Let''s just hope they get my message and start to get serious.''

 Chapter 77: Getting Targeted!

    ''What is this?'' Akira furrowed his brows deeply. ''Are they nning for something?''


    Even though his team took a quick two-point lead, he still felt uneasy. This was just like the situation against Shimoyawata when they took a quick lead, just for them to put Ezaki on the court to mess with them. What he was most afraid of right now was for Kyoei to have someone like Ezaki who could change the entire game by himself.


    However, when he looked at all the bench yers started warming up, he suddenly let out a relieved sigh, knowing the situation was far from his fear.


    ''So, that is what happened¡­''


    The other Tsunemori yers who also saw that also realized something, feeling d¨¦j¨¤ vu by the sight of Kyoei''s bench. They tried to remember when was thest time they felt the same, and when they all turned their attention to Kyoei yers whose expressions turned serious, they finally got it.


    ''So, this is like when we yed against Matsukita, huh?''


    Yeah, they remembered their game against the second-best team in Japan a month ago, when they took a quick lead before Matsukita''s coach made his move, and the game all of sudden, their opponent became better as time went by. If today''s game was the same, they had to brace themselves for Kyoei to get serious and hit the elerator.


    "Come on, Riku! Give us a good serve!"


    "Riku-sama! Beat them all!"


    "Riku-sama!"


    Amidst the cheers from his fangirls, Riku did his serve once again, and just like this time, the opponent received the ball perfectly, sending it straight to the setter. Then, one of Kyoei''s yers from the back line suddenly shed forward and jumped without hesitation, and as if it was a normal operation for them, the ball suddenly appeared in front of him.


    ''Holy shi ¨C !''


    *BAM!*


    Yuki dived acrobatically to save the ball aimed into the backline. Unfortunately, since he was also surprised by the quick attack, his receive wasn''t perfect, and the ball flew once again into Kyoei''s side.


    "Sorry! My bad!"


    "Don''t worry! Keep your eyes on the ball!"


    "The second wave ising!"


    Yuki was d that his teammates recovered quickly from the shock. At least his save before was enough to wake them up from their daydreaming and also gave them enough time to refocus their mind on the game.


    On Kyoei''s side, all of the yers there were surprised, not expecting Yuki would be able to save the ball. Nitta who saw that suddenly got excited, walking back a few steps before starting his run-up quickly.


    "YAMADA! LEFT!"


    "Hirano-senpai! Ogawa-senpai! Cover the straight!" Yuki shouted to the two yers in front of Nitta.


    Yuki had a hunch about Kyoei''s strategy and decided to use this opportunity to confirm his guess. And true to his thought, Nitta suddenly twisted his body in his direction before jumping to spike the ball.


    ''I am getting targeted, huh?''


    If the serve from Nitta and the quick attack from Ito before wasn''t the indication, this time, Nitta''s attempt to aim at him even before the blockers erected the wall was like saying straight into Yuki''s face that they were targeting him. Still, Yuki was calm, bracing himself from receiving a powerful spike. And when the ball finally came¡­


    *BAM!*


    Even though Yuki was thrown away several meters from the ball''s impact, he was able to send it to Riku''s direction on the right side.


    "Oh! Damn! Nice receive, Kobayashi!"


    "Riku! Left side!"


    "Right side!"


    Seeing a chance to attack finally came, four yers ran at the same time. Even Hirano also did the same, recovering from the failed block before and ready to do a middle attack. Kyoei''s yers were tensed for a second when they saw the sporadic attack the opponent was about to do, starting to lock in each yer one by one.


    Riku himself grinned unconsciously. Having so many options to attack like this was always a pleasure. But the thing he was most satisfied with was the fact that the opponent was so ready to receive the spike, that they didn''t notice his movement. Without taking a nce at the other side of the court, he tapped the ball slightly to cross the, surprising all the Kyoei yers.


    "SHIT! DUMP!"


    "COVER!"


    "I GOT THIS!"


    *Thud!*


    Before it could even go down the floor though, an imposing pair of hands suddenly appeared in front of Riku, forming a huge wall to stop his dump. Riku was stunned to see someone managed to read his intention like that, and when he turned to see who was it, he saw the taller blonde boy on Kyoei''s side wiggling his finger yfully at him.


    "No, no, no. We cannot do that. We only need one handsome blonde today, and it would be me."


    -0-


    "What the hell is that?" Megumi widened her eyes in shock when she saw the block from Haruo. Unlike the yers who couldn''t focus on everything on the court, she was on the sideline and had a better point of view to see the entire thing. "He jumped even before Riku-kun touched the ball!"


    "That is a national-caliber blocker for you," Akira said solemnly. "He didn''t need to wait for the ball to be passed. Every information revealed from Riku''s bodynguage before setting the ball was enough for him to take the decision."


    "That is insane¡­" Megumi stared at Haruo speechlessly.


    While Akira was also surprised by the y though, he was more worried about his yers on the court, especially the one who got targeted by the enemy. Even though Yuki hadn''t shown it, Akira knew this situation was bad for the sses boy. He just hoped that Kyoei would give up on their targeting strategy soon before Yuki could break on the spot.


    -0-


    *BAM!*


    "OH! HE SAVES THE BALL AGAIN!"


    "Man, he is crazy!"


    "What is his name again?!"


    "He is Kobayashi from the ss 1-B!"


    The next few minutes turned into a bullying session for Yuki. The ball kepting in his direction, and the most frustrating part was that it always came from the same yer, and that was Nitta. It seemed Kyoei''s ace had a sadistic side and wanted to see him break. Still, he defended his area stubbornly, not giving away the opponent any point so easily.


    What Yuki was most frustrated about, however, was theck of points added to Tsunemori''s side. Even though he defended his area to death, the team wasn''t able to take advantage of it with almost all the attacksing from them being anticipated by Kyoei''s defense.


    The three yers from the opponent''s side they all thought of as cannon fodders since they didn''t contribute so much in offense turned into defensive beasts, always saving the spike from Tsunemori yers all the time. This also exposed Tsunemori''s biggest problem, which was theck of heavy hitter on their team.


    For a moment, the game went stagnant with both teams couldn''t pierce their opponent''s defense at all.


    The direction of the game finally changed when once again, Nitta received another high pass from the setter. Even with Ogawa and Hirano jumping at the same time to form a wall in front of him, Kyoei''s ace managed to ignore it all, spiking the ball without hesitation straight to Yuki''s face.


    *BAM!*


    Unfortunately, unlike before, this time, Yuki couldn''t receive the ball perfectly. The moment the ball hit his forearms, he suddenly felt a tingling pain there, as if thousands of ants suddenly bit him there. The pain distracted him from redirecting the ball, and as a result, it bounced far behind, went straight into the crowds.


    However, Yuki couldn''t care less about where the ballnded. What was in his mind right now was the burning sensation on his forearms that suddenly came. Coupled with the sight of his forearms that turned into a bright red, one word suddenly came into his head, describing perfectly his situation right now.


    ''Shit.''

 Chapter 78: Yuki Out!

    "It is not that bad." Sekine checked Yuki''s forearms. "No broken or cracked bones inside, just bruises from receiving powerful spikes consecutively, something any volleyball yer should be familiar with." All the yers surrounding them sighed in relief when they heard the news.


    They all had been worried about Yuki''s condition since the moment the sses boy had a painful expression after receiving Nitta''s spike. Akira who saw that also reacted immediately, asking for a timeout to check his condition. It wasn''t just a concern for their teammate, but also for the best yer on the team. Without Yuki on the court, they would crumble soon against the opponent.


    "If it is normal, how could it hurt so much?" Yuki hissed when Megumi pressed an ice pack to his forearms. "A bit gentler please, Megumi-senpai!"


    "Oh, Sorry!"


    Even though he was in pain, Yuki couldn''t help but have a sweat drop on his face, especially when he noticed the hostile gaze from his senpai. It seemed they would always react like this whenever someone received Megumi''s tender care. Well, it wasn''t his fault that he got hurt the most out of all of them.


    "It is because you are still a newbie in this game," Sekine answered his question. "You have only been ying for what? Two months?"


    "One month." Yuki corrected.


    "Yes! Only one month! That is not enough time for your body to build a pain tolerance. The fact that you have never felt this way until now is something incredible, but sooner orter, you will also be on this spot. Just ask your teammates. Feeling the pain of forearm bruises is a rite of passage for a new yer at this point."


    The other yers nodded in unison at Sekine''s words, especially Okamura and Kaede who were the defensive specialist on the team. They were not unfamiliar with that kind of pain, but still looked at Yuki sympathetically. Just like the old saying, the first time would always be the worst one.


    "So, can he still y the game?" Akira asked what he was concerned about the most. However, it wasn''t Sekine or Yuki who answered that question, but Megumi.


    "No, way!" The girl red at Akira while shielding Yuki from the coach. "Don''t you see how much in pain he is?! He should be sent to the school clinic immediately!"


    Yuki couldn''t help but feel touched by Megumi''s action to defend him. He realized why the other yers were so crazy about the older girl. It wasn''t just because of her pretty face and elegant demeanor, but also because Megumi was probably the one who cared the most about their well-being on the team, especially when Akira tried to push his luck like this time.


    Akira sighed helplessly, knowing Megumi was right. Still, Yuki was the key yer for this game, so to sub him off for the rest of the game would be a stupid decision for the team. He turned his attention to Sekine, asking the old man silently how to deal with the girl''s demand.


    "Don''t worry, Megumi-chan, Yuki-kun is okay." Sekine took over the conversation. "It is just because he hasn''t gotten used to the pain. Give him time to adapt and he would be back on the court and kicking everyone''s asses. Trust me."


    Megumi bit her lips at his words, and after a tense silence for a moment, she finally relented and nodded reluctantly, making everyone sigh in relief too.


    "But not right now!" Megumi suddenly said, still not giving up on fighting for Yuki''s well-being. "Can you see how bad his bruise is? His forearms need to rest a bit! Let me bring him to the school clinic first andpress it with another ice pack so it could get better. It wouldn''t take more than 10 minutes, so it should be okay, right?" She asked while staring at Sekine and Akira challengingly.


    Akira stared at Sekine for a moment to ask for advice, but the old man just shrugged, feeling that it was a reasonable demand. The coach finally couldn''t deny the request and nodded, giving her his approval.


    "Make sure you bring him back immediately when his condition is better."


    "Yes, Sir!"


    -0-


    "Oi, he is gone!"


    "Will the team be okay?"


    "Idiot! One yer cannot influence the oue of the entire game! No matter how good he is, the team is not that vulnerable!"


    "But you cannot deny that he is our best yer today, right?"


    "This¡­"


    Amidst the pessimistic chatters from the crowds that could be heard from their side, all the Kyoei yers on their bench also saw Yuki was being dragged outside of the building by Megumi. It would be a lie if they said they weren''t surprised, but Yuki''s departure was good news for them.


    "Finally, he is gone." One of them sighed. "A little bit quicker than I thought, but I am d it happened soon."


    "Yeah. His defense is good, and his stubbornness is annoying." Nitta nodded in agreement


    "Good?" Saito snorted. "He is more than good. His game-reading ability and reaction alone are enough to put him into Konan''s starting roster as a defensive specialist. You did a good job by forcing him out this early."


    Yeah, unknown to Tsunemori, it wasn''t Nitta who had a sadistic side, but the coach. Tsunemori didn''t know about it since they only watched Kyoei''s game in the second round against a weak team, but whenever Kyoei yed against a decent or a rising team, he would always use this kind of strategy; destroy the opponent''s best yer to kill their morale.


    If it was against a defensive team, he would send Nitta to destroy their best defender, while if it was against an offensive team, Haruo would do the job to kill their ace. While it was a dirty strategy, since no one banned it, he took the leisure to use it all the time.


    And the strategy itself worked pretty well for such a long time, only failed when they yed against Matsukita two years ago and Shimoyawata a year ago, when Matsukita''s ace at that time was in an abnormal state that even their best blockers couldn''t stop it and Ezaki was stubborn enough to keep attacking them without getting tired.


    However, two failures were not good enough for Saito to give up on this strategy. That was why he kept using it until now.


    "Well, since the opponent loses their best yer, it is our time to take over the game." The coach spoke. Then, his expression turned dark and intimidating as he added threateningly, "Before the game is over and you bring back the win to the school, I don''t want to see any of you cking off, understand?!"


    All of his yers gulped in fright as there was only one word that was appropriate to answer his threat.


    "Yes, Sensei!"

 Chapter 79: Rikus Nightmare!

    This was the first time for Tsunemori to y without Yuki''s presence as their guardian, and honestly, it was a pretty unnerving feeling. Somehow, they felt naked, exposed to any threat avable from the opponent.


    Still, they hardened their spirit, knowing that Yuki was out for only about ten minutes, and before he could go back to the court, they all needed to defend the game with all their might to keep their winning chance open.


    "Koji, go forward." Okamura as the libero took themand on the back line. "Let me and Kaede receive the service."


    "Okay." Koji nodded.


    Since Yuki wasn''t there, the defense was handed immediately to Kaede, as Okamura could only be on the court asionally as he was the libero. Still, Okamura''s presence right after Yuki was out at least gave the others reassurance that the defense''s quality wouldn''t drop too much.


    Kaede himself took a deep breath, starting to feel the pressure without Yuki''s presence. He tried his best to rx while keeping his eyes on Ito who was about to serve next. And the moment the referee blew his whistle and Kyoei''s captain did a jump serve, he reacted immediately, trying to reach the ball.


    ''I got thi¨C !''


    *BAM!*


    Unexpectedly, the ball curved slightly as if it avoided his hand before it fell to the ground. Kaede himself froze on the spot, couldn''t see the ball''s movement at all.


    "YOSSHAAA!"


    "Nice serve, Captain!"


    "Damn! That is a good one! Keep it up!"


    "Sorry about that one." Kaede apologized to his teammates. "I don''t expect the spin would be so strong." Yeah, he was a decent defender in the first ce, so of course he would figure out what just happened. He was just caught off guard this time, and he was sure that he would be able to handle the next serve well.


    "Are you sure?" Okamura asked, concerned.


    "Don''t worry, I am okay," Kaede said. "The same trick wouldn''t be able to trick me twice."


    And right to his words, Kaede managed to receive the next serve perfectly. While a spin serve was always troublesome, fortunately, it seemed Ito didn''t have a knack for it or he just learned about the serve and hadn''t gotten used to it yet. Still, whatever the reason was, Kaede was d he could receive the second serve perfectly.


    "Nice receive, Kaede!"


    "Riku! Left!"


    Riku gritted his teeth when he saw the ball wasing, couldn''t help but feel uneasy about being stared at by Haruo from the other side of the. The blocker''s gaze was like a physical force, pressing in on him from all sides, making every fiber of his being tense up in anticipation of the attack.


    Riku racked his brain quickly, then pretended to fake the pass to Koji on the left wing while trying to subtly angle his body and gaze towards the left side, hoping to misdirect Haruo''s attention. His heart skipped a beat for a moment as he saw Haruo move in Koji''s direction, thinking he had sessfully executed the fake. He gave a slight nod to himself, ready to set the ball to Ogawa on his back.


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    Unfortunately, all the movements from Haruo before were just an illusion. Instead of going to the right side, Haruo moved like lightning to the opposite side, knowing that Riku was about to pass to the opposite hitter. And when the ball was released and Ogawa was about to spike it, Haruo''s massive hand suddenly came, blocking the ball with ease.


    *BAM!*


    "OH! A clean block!"


    "What the hell?! How can a tall person like him move so fast?!"


    "This is absurd!"


    Riku himself could only stare jaw-cked at the ball bounced on the floor, and suddenly, depression crept inside his heart. This wasn''t the first time he faced and lost against a powerful blocker, but this was definitely the first time he felt he had no chance to win at all. He couldn''t help but turn his head to Haruo, just for Kyoei''s blocker to wiggle his finger once again at him.


    "You heard me, right? We only need one handsome blonde man today, and it would be me."


    -0-


    The next few minutes suddenly became the worst nightmare for Riku. Not only because of Haruo''s presence that always haunts him, but also the fact that his team had a hard time scoring a point also started to frustrate the blonde boy.


    Since Yuki was out ¨C no, since the beginning of the game, the mostmon end for their offensive y was always either getting blocked by Haruo or the spike was saved by the other Kyoei yers. They only got points either from Hirano''s block or the mistake from the opponent''s side, never from a pure y.


    For a setter whose role was to set up an attack, the situation that the team couldn''t score from the normal offensive y was definitely a nightmare.


    "You okay, Riku?" Koji asked.


    "No, not really," Riku admitted frankly. "Our offense is stagnant and we cannot break their defense no matter how hard we try. It is so frustrating for me."


    Even though he said it casually without any heat in his words, Koji couldn''t help but feel ashamed of himself. In his opinion, it wasn''t Riku''s fault that their attack was stuck. It was because the hitters couldn''tnd a good hit toward the other side that they were stuck, and the main yer to be med should be him, the one who asked the ball most of all the times during the offense.


    Even though this was the new role that Akira instructed him to do, Koji couldn''t help but feel guilty too, that he couldn''t carry the team''s offense just like what the coach hoped him to do. In his mind, he recalled the conversation he had with the coach in the past.


    ''Koji, I know you feel that you are not ready, but I need you to fill the shoes Noriyuki left." The coach said. "I don''t need you to score a crazy amount of points for us. You know Noriyuki was never like that too. What I need you to do is to keep attacking even though you face a big wall you can never tear apart. I need you to never give up no matter how hard it is to score.


    I need you to be the guy who will always attack the opponent even if your teammates have already given up on the game. Can you do it?"


    At first, it sounded like an easy role for him. Just keep attacking no matter what happens. But now, when the offense kept failing and the morale of the team dropped whenever they were in offense, at this time Koji finally realized the pressure on his shoulder. He stared at the downcast expression on his teammates after another failure in offense, and he clenched his fist tightly.


    ''No, I cannot give up yet. I need to keep attacking no matter what. Not just for the team or for the coach who trusts me for this role, but also to prove to myself that I can do this. I need to score!''

 Chapter 80: Kojis Stubborn Effort!

    "The team''s offense sucks, Shinji-kun," Sekinemented casually from the bench.


    Akira who still stared at the court sighed without even ncing at his old mentor. "I cannot help it, Sekine-sensei." He said helplessly. "Our best offensive yers alle from the third-year students, so when they walked out of the team, our offense was weakened instantly.


    I haven''t had time to cultivate the sophomore yers'' offense to be up to my standard, so this kind of situation is already within my expectation."


    "Oh?" Sekine arched his eyebrows, intrigued by Akira''sst words. "Do you have any n to deal with this situation?"


    "A specific n? Not really. But if you talked about faith, I have it for my yers." Akira said, his eyes were on Koji.


    -0-


    "I GOT THIS!"


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice receive, Okamura!"


    "Riku! Follow it up!"


    Riku stepped forward to pick up the ball flying on the front line. He still felt ufortable under Haruo''s eyes, and when he saw the hesitation from the other yers to attack, the blonde boy couldn''t help but sigh. This was what facing a team with a tough blocker and good defenders behind would do to any offensive yer.


    That was when he suddenly remembered what Koji said to him before the y began.


    "What? Keep passing to you? Are you okay, Senpai?" Riku blinked his eyes several times in disbelief.


    "I am sure of it." Koji nodded firmly. "You notice it too that our offense is stuck and one by one feels it is impossible for us to score under the blocker''s nose. So, just use my presence to figure out how to tear apart their defense. Use me as your bait."


    Even though Riku didn''t know where Koji suddenly got that confidence and determination, he couldn''t fulfill his senpai''s request that easily. After all, no one would take any bait that wasn''t good enough to be eaten. For Koji to want to be a good bait, he had to produce something first, and that was what Riku hesitated for.


    ''Can he score against this bastard?'' He murmured while ncing at Haruo who smirked from the other side of the. After pondering for a millisecond, Riku gritted his teeth as he decided, ''Screw it! If nothing changed, our condition would be worse in every y! Let''s do this! Koji-senpai, I trust you!''


    He tossed the ball high into the air. This was the kind of ball that all the heavy hitters in the volleyball world would like, a slow, high ball that allowed them to be creative with their spike. This was also the kind of set that any blockers would like too, as it would give them a chance to fight a one-on-one battle against the opponent''s best spikers.


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    And that was what happened, as when Koji jumped, Haruo waited for a second to get his timing right before he followed Tsunemori''s ace in the air with two hands extending in the air, ready to block the spike.


    "KILL IT, KOJI-SENPAI!"


    *BAM!*


    "SHIT!" Koji cursed as Haruo''s hands suddenly moved immediately to the direction where he wanted to aim the ball. ''This is ridiculous! How could he read the game so well that he could even predict where I would spike the ball?!''


    Still, that didn''t mean he gave up on the spot. The moment he realized his spike was about to be blocked, Tsunemori''s area so they could start another attack again. And when the second chance came, he shouted once again, asking for the ball.


    "RIKU! ONE MORE TIME!"


    Riku didn''t hesitate even for a second to give another high pass in his direction. And when Koji jumped for a second time, for a moment, his eyes met Haruo''s, and everything suddenly slowed down in his perspective as he suddenly realized something.


    ''Why the hell do I need to beat him? My task is to score the ball!''


    That was when his eyes finallynded on the other Kyoei yers who guarded the sideline.


    ''Rather than forcing a cross and getting blocked, should I try this? Screw it! Let''s try it!''


    With the nothing to lose mentality, Koji adjusted his body in mid-air, using the momentum to pivot 90 degrees and redirect his trajectory toward the antenna. By now, he ignored Haruo''s presencepletely, with his eyespletely on Kyoei''s yer number 3 who guarded the sideline. Haruo''s eyes widened in surprise when he realized what Koji wanted to do.


    He tried his best to move his hand to block the ball, and¡­


    *BAM!*


    Koji brought the ball down with a thunderous spike as it went to Kyoei''s area without anyone could stop it. The second-year hitter turned his head immediately, looking for the referee with a hopeful gaze, waiting for his final decision. Unfortunately, the referee shook his head before his shout echoed all over the building.


    "OUT!"


    "Aaargh! It is so damn close!" Koji groaned regretfully. He knew that he hit the ball from outside of the antenna. Still, he hoped he could fool the referee since the situation was a bit blurry before. Still, even though the y was a failure, Koji suddenly got excited as he had an inspiration. "Damn!


    I am getting close to this, and I can feel it! Good pass, by the way, Riku!" He sent a thumb-up toward his blonde kouhai who stared at him with jaw-cked.


    This was the first time Tsunemori was so close to scoring from an open offensive y like this. Riku didn''t know what kind of determination Koji had before the y, but whatever it was, it worked perfectly to spark the spirit of the team. Of course, realizing that, Riku didn''t have any more hesitation to pass the ball to Koji.


    "OH! NICE PASS, RIKU!"


    Koji grinned as he saw the ball go in front of him. He nced sideways to the other side of the first to see Haruo''s movement before he jumped, he kept chanting one thing inside his brain.


    ''Don''t spike it blindly, Koji. You don''t need to beat him. Your job is to score the ball. Look at his movement first, and then, send it in the opposite direction!''


    *BAM!*


    Unlike thest y, Koji went back to his normal cross-spike, startling Haruo who thought he would try another straight after the ''almost score'' y before. However, Kyoei''s defensive team wasn''t formed by Haruo alone. The yer with jersey number 3 suddenly jumped, diving to save the ball.


    "OH! Nice save, Aki!"


    "Shit! Sorry, it goes too far!"


    "Chance ball!"


    Fortunately, Kyoei''s yer couldn''t save the ball perfectly as if flew back to Tsunemori''s area. Once again, Koji took a quick three steps back before starting his run-up again, shouting, "RIKU, HERE!"


    Haruo on the other side narrowed his eyes when he saw Koji was about to jump again. Thest y was the second time Koji managed to avoid his block, and if the third time happened, it would change the direction of the gamepletely. The yful aura around him suddenly disappeared as he became serious, didn''t want Koji to get the momentum.


    However, the moment they both jumped, they had their eyes widened in shock as instead of going in their direction, Riku sent the ball to the exact opposite, to Asahi who was flying on the right wing.


    "FU ¨C !"


    *BAM!*

 Chapter 81: Offense Unlocked!

    "So, that is what you mean by faith, huh?" Sekine nodded in approval. "Ont bad, Brat."


    A small, genuine smile suddenly formed on Akira''s face, not because he heard his old mentor''s praise, but at the sight of his yers celebrating on the court for the sessful y before. Gone was the tense atmosphere around his yers, as they started to have a smile on their faces.


    That sight had never appeared again since Yuki was out of the game, so he was d that the team could smile once again during the game, showing they started to regain their confidence again, and that was because of one yer''s stubborn effort to break the opponent''s brick wall.


    "Koji has never been a team''s ace in his volleyball career." Akira finally spoke. "He is always the second-best attacker, and while he is capable of being the ace, he has never been in those shoes. He always reaped the benefit of having an ace beside him. Now, thest y would finally open his eyes to the ace''s other role besides scoring the ball."


    The other role that Akira mentioned of course referred to the role as the team''s biggest bait. Not only did he have to score, but he had to keep attacking no matter what happened so that the opponent would think that he was the toughest yer on the team and wanted to break him as soon as possible to break the other yers'' morale.


    If he could give that image to the opponent, he would be able to attract at most two or three opponent yers toward his direction, giving his teammates more space to attack.


    "Still, it is not enough, though." Sekine furrowed his brows. "This is just a temporary solution. You need more than that to stay alive and have a chance to win this game."


    "Oh, I know." A bright smile suddenly curled in his mouth. "Fortunately, I still have another trick on my sleeves, and it involves my best yer who is still out of the game."


    -0-


    "Nice job, Senpai." Riku high-fived Koji after the y.


    "No need to butter me up." Koji snorted. "I didn''t do anything special."


    "Oh, but you did." Riku''s smile was bright. "Even though you didn''t score, your stubborn effort managed to attract the opponent''s attention. If not for you, Asahi-senpai won''t be able to score that easily."


    Koji suddenly froze as if he had just been struck by lightning. Even though he said before that Riku should use him as bait, he had never thought about it too deeply, just wanted to carry the offense when his teammates were down. That was what his senpai did in the past whenever the team''s offense wasn''t in a good state, and that was what he was trying to do before.


    Never even in his dream that Koji thought by doing that, he could also be a good bait for the team.


    ''But at least, this would make the game easier for us, right?''


    And true to his thought, everything suddenly got easier for Tsunemori. It seemed as if something was unlocked, and now, they could attack more easily rather than before. Riku also started to get rxed. While he was still uneasy under Haruo''s stare, since his setup finally managed to produce some points for the team, the pressure on his shoulder disappeared and he yed far better than before.


    *BAM!*


    "Nice receive, Kaede!"


    Kaede also filled up the role of Tsunemori''sst guardian perfectly, making them all forget about Yuki''s presence for a moment. The second-year defensive specialist was able to cover up any holes his teammates made during the y and kept the ball alive on their side.


    "Riku! High to the left!" Koji shouted, asking for the ball.


    Riku nced sideways at Haruo for a moment to see the blocker''s movement. When he saw that Kyoei''s blocker didn''t get attracted by Koji''s movement and kept staring at him intently, the blonde boy knew it was a chance for the new ace to take action.


    "Nice pass!"


    *BAM!*


    "HELL YEAH!" Koji roared as his spikended on the back side of Kyoei''s court.


    "Nice pass, Riku!"


    "Good job!"


    The crowds that went silent for a moment also started to get heated once again as the team scored two points in a row. Even though they were still behind, at least this showed that they could catch up with the score.


    Meanwhile, on the other side of the court, Haruo sighed tiredly, wiping the sweat that rolled down his face. Then, he turned around, ring at his two seniors who weren''t doing anything to help him on the front side.


    "Can you be more serious, Senpai?" He whined. "You know I cannot do it alone, right?"


    Ito and Nitta who were called by their kouhai couldn''t help but throw away their face immediately, trying their best to look innocent while avoiding Haruo''s annoyed gaze. This was another problem that had been guing their team for a long time. Or¡­ Rather than saying it gued the team, it would be more correct to say this problem had been guing Ito and Nitta as the pirs of the team.


    Whenever they saw Haruo take over the game and start to bully the opponent''s hitters, they fell intoziness and didn''t want to help him form a wall. In their defense, they reserved their energy for the offense, knowing that Haruo alone sometimes was enough to deter their opponent.


    However, this time was different.


    "Don''t worry, my cute little kouhai." Nitta patted Haruo''s shoulders yfully. "If you cannot hold yourself against the opponent''s attack, your awesome senpai will help you do it."


    Haruo pouted slightly at his words, unhappy that Nitta thought he couldn''t handle it alone. Ito himself just rolled his eyes, having gotten used to their banter by now.


    "Okay, be more serious, you two!" He smacked them both on their back. "And Nitta, is it time for us to be more active?"


    "You are right, Captain." A feral grin suddenly formed on Nitta''s face. "We cannot let our kouhai get bullied like this."


    -0-


    *BAM!*


    "Nice receive, Aki!"


    As another serve came from Asahi, Kyoei''s defense managed to pick that up easily. All the Tsunemori yers on the front side were tensed for a moment, observing Kyoei yers'' movement on the other side of the. Even though the flow of the game was currently in their grasp, they didn''t dare to ck off on this game.


    They all knew that one careless moment was enough for their opponent to snatch the momentum again from their hand.


    "YAMADA! HERE!"


    All the Tsunemori yers were taken aback by the sudden movementing from one particr yer who had gone silent for a while. Yeah, it was Nitta who hadn''t been involved in the game for a while that suddenly asked for a ball. Tsunemori knew pretty well how dangerous this yer was, especially after their best yer was sent out by him alone.


    Three yers ¨C Hirano, Koji, and Asahi jumped together at the same time when they saw Kyoei''s ace take off from the ground. Unfortunately, even with three blockers formed in front of the, it wasn''t enough to block Nitta''s explosiveness.


    *BAM!*


    "SHIT!"


    Asahi managed to touch the ball, yet he couldn''t withstand the impact of it. As a result, the ball bounced far to the stand where the crowds kept voicing their support for Tsunemori. For a moment, there was silence in the building, as everyone stared in awe at Nitta. The sound of his spike this time was far louder than anything they could''ve imagined from a normal spike.


    They didn''t want to imagine how hurt it was for them to receive the end of it while silently giving Asahi a hat off for his bravery in standing still after getting hit by the block.


    As for Nitta, his grin widened more to the point it sent shivers down people''s spine. Then, he suddenlyughed out loud, startling everyone in the building.


    "Oi, oi, oi! Where are all your voices before?! Come on! Get louder!"

 Chapter 82: Nitta & Ito in Action!

    "Ogawa, fall back a little and always cover Kaede. Don''t let him receive the end of their spike twice in a row." Akira instructed quickly. "Asahi, Hirano, work together to close down any path of their attack. You don''t need to block them directly, just deflect it so the others can pick the ball up easily."


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    "Yes, Sir!"


    Akira couldn''t help but stare at his yers worriedly. The moment he saw Nitta ying actively again, he knew he had to take the timeout to cut off their momentum. Fortunately, the tournament rule allowed each team to get two timeouts per set, so even though he had already asked one before when Yuki got hurt, he still had another one which he used right now.


    Still, that alone wasn''t enough to ease his worry. By the look of Asahi kept rubbing the spot he got hit by Nitta''s spike, Akira could figure out how painful it was to receive the end of it.


    Even yers like Gondo from Matsukita and Ezaki from Shimoyawata couldn''t trigger such a reaction, which made Akira wonder once again about how a terrifying hitter like Nitta could go undetected for such a long time.


    He didn''t show any concerned expression, though. Akira knew that as the coach of the team, his role was to stay calm at any time and not be swayed by how the game went. Once he lost his calm, his team would follow through, and only disaster would wait for them in the end.


    After pondering for a moment, Akira added one more thing. "Riku, when we have an opportunity to attack, make sure to use it well. You don''t need to always score, but don''t let them think we will wait passively like before and gain the initiative. Also, use the wing more to spread their blockers. Your task is to force them running to follow your lead."


    "Yes, Sir." The blonde boy nodded.


    Akira sighed once again as he stared at his yers. Inwardly, he cursed at how quickly the momentum went away from their grasp, especially after their offense was unlocked. Still, the team wasn''t without hope. By now, he still waited for the presence of his yer who still went out of the building toe back and help him change the direction of the game one more time.


    ''Let''s hope that the team can hold their ground until hees backter.''


    -0-


    Thirty seconds passed quickly, and the referee blew his whistle and asked the yers from both teams toe back to the court again. However, the moment the yers from Kyoei stepped inside the court, the building erupted into a thunderous chorus of boos, echoing off the rafters and drowning out the sound of the game.


    All of those boos and curses were directed to one particr yer as a retaliation for the provocation before.


    "Die, you bastard!"


    "Don''t think you can walk away that easily!"


    "Oi, Koji! Kill him!"


    "We''ll wait for your presence outside of the school after the game! Don''t you dare to run away!"


    "Wow, they really hate you, Senpai," Haruomented casually.


    "Yeah." Some yers nodded in agreement. "Aren''t you afraid of their threat, Nitta?"


    "Afraid? Are you kidding me?" The one under scrutinization of the entire building scoffed. "This is just music in my ears! The more they spew that nonsense, the more excited I be! And for threat, they wouldn''t dare to do that. Not if they want to be the second Shimoyawata."


    Everyone nodded in agreement, seeing the truth behind his words. After the scandal involving Shimoyawatast year, Shimoyawata''s reputation plummeted instantly, and not even the weakest school in Tokyo dared to show their friendship toward them. This was the worst situation any school could ever dream of, being isted from the outside world.


    There would definitely be no school that dared to follow their step.


    "And it is not like I will face them alone," Nitta added. "Right, Captain-san?" He smirked while ncing sideways at the captain who was already on the court.


    "Right, this is also time for me to take action." Ito nodded. "Let''s do this like usual, Nitta!"


    The smirk on Nitta''s face spread widely as he nodded excitedly. "Sure!"


    -0-


    After themotion died down a little, the referee finally restarted the game. One of Kyoei''s yers went for the serve, and he managed to send it to the other side of the safely. It was a weak serve though, and Ogawa on the front line was able to receive the ball easily.


    Riku nced a little to see the movement from the other side, and when he noticed Haruo was still sticking to him, the blonde boy passed the ball toward Koji on the left side.


    "Senpai!"


    "Oh! Nice pass, Riku!"


    Even though at this point, sending the ball toward Koji was predictable, Riku still didn''t hesitate to choose that path. Not only because Koji just gained momentum earlier, but also because the second-year hitter was also the most versatile yer on the team right now.


    Even with a blocker in front of him, as long as it wasn''t Haruo, Koji would be able to think of a way to gain advantage of his opponent.


    And right now, with Haruo one step behind to close down the area in front of him, there was a huge chance for Koji to score a point for Tsunemori.


    Or¡­ That was what they thought.


    However, the moment Koji swung his arms, he suddenly saw someone sh with a quick speed, taking off the ground on the other side with both arms in the air to block his spike. Koji panicked a little since it was unexpected and he couldn''t adjust his spike at all.


    *BAM!*


    The ball he spiked flew as it hit the wall in front of him. Fortunately, it was still within the court, so the score didn''t change for Kyoei. However, the crowds were unhappy that Koji''s spike was blocked, especially when they saw the culprit''s smug smile.


    "Damn, Koji! Be more serious!"


    "Kill him! Attack him! Do what you want, but don''t let him smile like that!"


    Yeah, it was Nitta who just appeared on the front side to block his spike. However, Koji couldn''t care less, especially when he saw Kyoei''s ace was ready to attack once again. He nced a little to his side, asking silently for Hirano''s help to stop Nitta. The middle blocker nodded silently, starting to move toward his direction to form a two-man block.


    However, when they and Kyoei''s ace jumped in unison, they knew something went wrong when they saw the smug smirk on Nitta''s face.


    ''Oh, shi ¨C !''


    *BAM!*


    Instead of going to Nitta, Kyoei''s setter sent the ball a little bit higher to the middle, where Ito suddenly rushed from behind to execute the back attack. Since Hirano and Koji were focused on Nitta, it was easy for Kyoei''s captain to kill the ball, adding one more point for his team.


    Tsunemori High 12 ¨C 19 Kyoei Gakuen

 Chapter 83: Defend Till Yuki Returns!

    "Oi, oi, oi, are we going to lose today?"


    "Don''t say it like that!"


    "Well, the game''s direction is not in our favor right now."


    "Have you ever heard the said that baseball starts from two outs?"


    "What does it mean?"


    "I don''t know, but I think it is rted to anything that could happen before the game really ends." Discover more content at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    "Well, I don''t care if we win or lose, I just hate to see that bastard smile smugly like that at us."


    "You are right! We can lose, but that bastard must pay!"


    The pessimistic chatters could be heard in the crowds, mixed with the threat of Kyoei''s ace that still flew around from those who were fuming from the provocation before. Still, their voice to support the team started to die down a little, not as intimidating as before. It was clear that everyone thought that this game was unsavable for Tsunemori even though it was still in the first round.


    All the Tsunemori yers couldn''t help but feel depressed about that. This was the first time they yed under such a massive crowd supporting them, yet more than half couldn''t even stay until the end of the game. They couldn''t me those who had left already though. If they were in the crowd too, they would''ve been left a long time ago after seeing their shit performance today.


    Still, that thought couldn''t prevent them from feeling down right now.


    "Why are you all looking so down, senpai?! This is just going back to the beginning again!" Riku tried to encourage his teammates. "Don''t you forget how quiet ourst two games were? This is not the first time we don''t have anyone to support us, so why are you so bothered? Come on, we can still keep going!"


    All the yers looked at their kouhai speechlessly, silently wondering how could someone still be so bright in this situation. Even though what Riku said was true, the blonde boy forgot about something here. Having no supporter since the beginning was still far better than having some and then being left alone in the middle of the journey.


    "Even if what you said is true, what should we do now? We don''t stand any chance against them." Kaede said in a depressed tone.


    Riku had a sweat drop on his face, inwardly taking a note to talk to his uncle about Kaede after the game. He had noticed by now that every time the team was in a bad situation, it was always Kaede who voiced his depression first, and everyone would follow him no matter of time. This was a bad habit that should be far from anypetitive team.


    "Well, I have a lot of ideas of what we should do after this. For one, we still have Kobayashi, right?" He grinned. The atmosphere around him also lightened up a bit as everyone suddenly remembered about Yuki. "Even though I don''t know if he alone could influence the game, at least our chance would be better with him on the court, right?"


    Even though they were still depressed by the situation they currently faced, some yers acknowledged his words, knowing that the blonde boy was right. With Yuki around, while that might not change anything, at least they would put up a better fight. The question was, could they hold the game a little longer until Yuki was back?


    "Oh, and before you fall into another pit of depression again, let me say one more thing." Riku suddenly added. "Facing against a superior offensive team like Kyoei¡­ This wasn''t the first time for us, right? Remember the game against Shimoyawata? Don''t you think before that it was impossible too for us to win the game?


    But we used one strategy to neutralize their offense perfectly, and we can use that too this time!"


    All the yers looked around, confused about what strategy the blonde boy was talking about.


    "Don''t you get it?" Riku started to get excited. "Facing such a superior team in offense, there is one thing we can do, and that is to use the stubborn defense we trained our asses off for a long time to drag the game to hell!"


    -0-


    Akira nodded in approval when he heard Riku''s pep talk, d that it could affect the others in a good way. If only he still had a timeout, he would stop the game and do the same in a heartbeat. And the essence of Riku''s talk was also the thing he wanted to emphasize the most.


    ''Defend with all your might! Come on, hold them back until Kobayashi is back!''


    A momentter, the game restarted with Kyoei''s setter serving the ball. It was another ordinary ball, one which Asahi was able to pick it up easily. Riku moved quickly to the front side while ncing around. Inwardly, his mind recalled his uncle''s words during the timeout.


    ''Make sure you use every chance we get effectively! Make them think we can still bite them when they are careless. This would at least be able to hold their offense back for a while.''


    With that in his mind, Riku decided to do something unconventional. Instead of sending the ball to the wing, he signaled Hirano to run, and they did a quick setup attack in the middle to fool the entire Kyoei yers on the other side of the.


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSHAAA!"


    "Nice spike, Hirano-senpai!" Riku grinned excitedly. This was the first time ever he set up a quick in the middle to the blocker and he was satisfied with the result. Despite theck ofmunication, they could still execute the y perfectly to add one more point to Tsunemori.


    The next one in line was Koji. Since Noriyuki''s departure from the team, he had been trying his best to fill up his senpai''s shoes as the ace of the team, and one of the efforts he made was learning how to do a jump serve. Even though he wasn''t as proficient as Riku, the second-year hitter was still able to send a powerful one to the opponent''s side.


    *BAM!*


    "SHIT! SORRY!"


    Even though Kyoei''s yer managed to save the ball, it wasn''t a perfect receive. Instead of going high, the ball went straight with a high speed, hitting the before it fell down to the floor. Ito rushed immediately, trying his best to keep the ball in the air. His attempt was proven to be fruitful as he managed to reach the ball first, letting it fly to the air.


    "NITTA!"


    "I got this!"


    Nitta jumped immediately to reach the ball. However, he had no intention to spike it. The ball was too close to the after all, so his position wasn''t ideal to hit the ball. Instead, he pushed it slightly, aiming the ball to Hirano''s hand so it could bounce back to their area and the team could reset the y to do a brand-new attack.


    "Oh! Nice rebound, Nitta!"


    "One more time!"


    All the Tsunemori yers tensed for a second, ready to receive the attack. Hirano also kept his eyes closely on Nitta''s movement wanting to slow down the attack. Even though he had a poor performance as a blocker today, Hirano still tried his best to use his presence to reduce the violent impact of Kyoei''s offense on his teammates.


    But this time, the ball didn''te to Nitta.


    No, instead of going to the left side as usual, Kyoei''s setter tossed the ball to the middle, giving it to Ito for another back-attack. Kyoei''s captain rushed from the back line, eager to execute the ball as Nitta attracted two blockers to the left side.


    However, the moment he unleashed his spike, Ito''s eyes widened in surprise as a pair of arms suddenly rose from nowhere, blocking his path to spike the ball.


    *BAM!*

 Chapter 84: Defend! A Tough Battle!

    Out of all the basic volleyball skills he learned in the past, blocking was probably what Rikucked the most. It wasn''t like he was bad at it, but he always found an excuse to not put all of his effort into doing that.


    From an excuse that he couldn''t set properly if he joined the blocker, couldn''t synchronize with the blocker''s movement, to even a ridiculous one like no one thought being a blocker was cool, he had already thrown all of that as an excuse to get excluded from getting dragged into the front side.


    However, once again, that didn''t mean he was bad at it.


    Just like this time, when Nitta spiked the ball for the first time to get the rebound, Riku noticed Kyoei''s setter turned his hips slightly to the back line. Even though it could be a fake, he remembered that the opponent never did something outrageous to fool them during the game, so he knew the possibility of the ball going to the back line was high.


    That was why instead of following Hirano to guard against Nitta, the blonde boy stayed still in the middle, his eyes ncing around to see the opponent''s backline.


    And true to his predicament, Riku caught Ito''s movement from the back line, and he took off the ground immediately while extending his arms high to form a wall for Kyoei''s captain. He was surprised though, that the spike went directly to his hands, and it was easy for him to take it down the floor.


    *BAM!*


    "HELL YEAH!" Riku roared immediately when he saw the ball bounce back to the opponent''s floor.


    In the next few minutes, Riku suddenly turned into a beast, joining Hirano on the front line to stop the wave of attack from Kyoei. He surprised everyone else with his game-reading ability that was on par with the middle blocker, second only to Yuki on the team. With him and Hirano there, their wall was strengthened immediately, and Kyoei started to have a hard time breaking it.


    "Let me do it, Captain." Nitta suddenly spoke with a grin on his face. "If they thought they could stop me with that weak ass wall, they are in a rude awakening."


    Ito didn''t have anyints, just nodding his head silently. He knew this wasn''t the time he prioritized his ego, especially after his attack met the opponent''s wall three times in a row. Even though he felt confident against Hirano, the captain never expected Riku to step up and show a strong ability in blocking, so, keep attacking the wall would be stupid here.


    The best option for the current situation would be to use Nitta''s brute force to intimidate the opponent''s blocker.


    "Do you want a bait or distraction?" He asked.


    "No, if I use that, the effect wouldn''t be as good as I thought it would be." Nitta rejected Ito''s idea. Then, he turned to the setter and said, "Just give me the usual high toss parallel to the front line. Don''t get too close to the and look at my movement carefully to match the timing, understand?"


    "Yes!"


    After discussing a little bit more about what they should do after this, all the Kyoei yers went back to their positions and got ready for the next y. With Koji still on the line, they all took a step back, knowing a strong serve to the back woulde.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice receive, Kusuda!"


    "Yamada! Follow it up!"


    Riku and Hirano on the front line stared at the setter intently, trying to figure out where the ball would go. By now, Riku had already figured out the tic their setter had, which was that he would always turn his upper body slightly to the yer he wanted to pass the ball before executing it.


    It seemed their setter wasn''t that good, couldn''t even hide his body movement that showed a w the opponent could take advantage of.


    The moment he saw the setter turned slightly to the right, Riku shouted immediately, "Hirano-senpai, right! Asahi-senpai, with us! Follow my lead! One! Two! JUMP!"


    *BAM!*


    Riku winced unconsciously as he received the heavy blow from Nitta, inwardly giving a hat off toward Yuki who was able to defend against such a powerful spike several times before the sses boy had to go out of the game.


    If this was the level of power his opponent had, no matter how high his pain tolerance was, Riku would rather walk away from the front line the moment he had a chance rather than try to stop the spike.


    Still, the y wasn''t over. He managed to deflect the spike and reduced the impact of it, yet the ball still flew a bit far outside of the court.


    "Koji-senpai! Cover!"


    "I got this!"


    Koji rushed while his eyes were still looking at the air, tracking where the ball would fall. The crowds who were close to the court dispersed immediately, giving room for him to save the ball. And even with struggle, he finally managed to reach the ball first before it could touch the floor.


    "FOLLOW!"


    Koji managed to hit the ball back to the court with an underhand pass. After that, he turned around immediately, ready to participate in the next attack. Unfortunately, his save before wasn''t good enough that Ogawa had to get the second ball, and while his friend could toss the ball, the quality was far below what Riku usually gave to the team.


    "Sorry!"


    "Don''t worry! I got this!"


    Kaede stepped forward before he jumped, trying to spike the ball from the back. However, he was too far from the, so his spike was a bit weak when it crossed the. Fortunately, it was still able to get through the blocker and gave his teammates enough time to recover, so he counted it as a win.


    "Nice job, Kaede!"


    "Go back! Ready for another attack!"


    In no matter of time, the ball flew one more time in Nitta''s direction. The three blockers on the front side also followed his movement, ready to set a wall. Honestly, they were a bit reluctant to be in this position again. It seemed Nitta''s heavy spike was able to leave a shadow in their heart, making them feel a bit afraid of facing it again.


    Still, they already decided to defend with all their might until Yuki returned, so they didn''t want to let the opponent score the ball so easily.


    "Senpai, again! Follow my lead! One! Two! Jump!"


    *BAM!*


    "NICE! FREE BALL!"


    This time, the spike hit straight to Hirano''s arms. It was fortunate for Tsunemori since Hirano was a tough middle blocker in the beginning/ Receiving the heavy blow from Nitta wouldn''t affect his mentality at all.


    "Riku!"


    "I got this!"


    The ball flew back to the front where Riku stood. With quick thinking, he tossed it to the right side where Asahi was there. Unfortunately, once again, Kyoei''s blockers proved their might with Haruo suddenly rushing toward the wing and deflected the ball.


    *BAM!*


    "Shit! Sorry!"


    The rally kept going on for a while, making everyone hold their breath unconsciously. Even though Tsunemori was pushed back into a passive state, they still defended the ball stubbornly without panicking, having already had a simr experience when they yed against Shimoyawata. It was Kyoei though, who started to get frustrated after their opponent suddenly resisted anything that came from them.


    "Damn! This is awesome!"


    "Don''t give up, Kaede! Get up!"


    "Riku-sama! You are so cool!"


    The crowds cheered instantly as things got more heated. They all screamed not only to show their support for the team, but also trying to disturb the opponent''s concentration by making loud noises. Unfortunately, it was proven to be futile as when all the blockers were attracted to Nitta, Kyoei''s center suddenly passed the ball in the opposite direction where Ito was flying already.


    "GODDAMNIT!"


    *BAM!*


    After a tough battle, the ball finally touched the floor, adding one more point for Kyoei. The atmosphere on Tsunemori''s side turned gloomy as everyone felt depressed instantly. If with all of their effort to keep the ball in the air, they still couldn''t stop Kyoei''s offense, what could they do in the next y?


    However, the dark atmosphere was suddenly washed away by the familiar sound from outside of the court, throwing a question with a cheeky tone.


    "You all are not going to give up before I can y again, right?"

 Chapter 85: Yuki is Back!

    "KOBAYASHI! YOU ARE BACK!"


    Gone was the depression that lingered around them a few seconds ago, not a trace could be seen on them as if they had never felt that way before. Now, all that could be seen there was enthusiasm as they pped the sses boy''s head excitedly.


    "Finally!"


    "How long did you n to bezy? The first set is almost over, you know?!"


    "Goddamnit, Kobayashi! You are finally here! We have been waiting for you!" Experience new stories on m v|l e''-NovelBin


    Yuki himself could only rub his neck apologetically while trying his best to hide his difort after getting pped so many times by the others. Inwardly, he cursed them all for taking advantage of this moment tond a hit on him. Some even did it pretty hard as if wanting to vent out all the grievances between them. Yuki vowed inwardly that he would even the score after the game was over.


    *Cough!*


    All the yers there turned their heads when they heard the cough, then turned it away immediately as the referee looked at them sternly. Some tried to look innocent while the others at least had the decency to apologize to the referee.


    "I know you are excited to see your teammates, but it is still in the middle of the game, and your team has already used all the timeouts you have. So, don''t dy the game!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    As the six yers went back to the court, Yuki walked to the bench immediately to greet the coach. There he could also see Megumi who helped him a lot was already there too, waving her hands cheerfully at him.


    "So, how is your condition?" Akira asked, trying to hide his excitement. Out of all the people in the building, he was probably the one who was excited the most since that meant he could implement his strategy better after this. Still, he had to ask whether the sses boy could perform his best or not. "Is there still any difort in your forearms?"


    "Well¡­" Yuki pondered for a moment, twisting his wrist yfully while looking at his arms. "Apart from the slight ache that Megumi-senpai said it was normal, I think I have no problem with my forearms. Also, I have a sudden boost for my luck, so you don''t need to worry about me."


    Akira and Sekine stared at each other for a second, confused by hisst words. They shrugged in unison as they both didn''t know what Yuki meant by that and decided to let it go. Only Megumi who knew what he meant smiled knowingly at him, inwardly recalled the memory of what just happened outside of the building.


    "What do you mean by there is no ice pack or bandages?!" Megumi shrieked hysterically. "Aren''t those two the most basic things any clinic should have?!"


    "I am sorry, Ayaka-san!" The one who was in the clinic, a young man in his early twenties who seemed to be new to that duty shrunk in fear under Megumi''s re. "I have already told about this to the headmaster and asked for some budget to restock all of the medical tools and equipment here, but he said I have to wait for the next month! Sorry!"


    Yuki couldn''t help but have a sweat drop on his face when he saw how timid this guy was. If Megumi pushed him a little bit more, Yuki was sure this guy would reveal his home address and phone number in a heartbeat.


    "I think the ice pack before is enough, Megumi-senpai." He said wryly. "Other than the slight ache here, I don''t feel any difort anymore. Maybe, we can go back to the gymnasium?" He asked, trying to save the poor guy.


    "Shut up, Yuki-kun!" Unexpectedly, Megumi snarked at him, silencing the boy instantly. "This is not about you anymore, but also the student''s safety at the school. How could the school clinic not have even the basic equipment to treat bruises?! It should be a crime at this point!"


    The corner of Yuki''s mouth twitched as he didn''t know whether tough or feel annoyed at the girl. He knew Megumi meant well and it was probably because of her nervousness kicking in that she couldn''t control her emotion well, but he didn''t expect the first thing his senpai would do when facing this kind of situation would be ranting to no end.


    "Neechan, if you keep doing that, the poor guy will probably faint on the spot." A familiar voice suddenly came from the door. When they all turned around, they were surprised to see who was there.


    "Kato-chan? What are you doing here?!" Megumi asked in surprise. Yeah, it was her little sister who suddenly appeared there.


    "Well, I saw from the crowd what happened and wanted to check it by myself. Here, by the way," She gave Yuki a small box full of ice. "I bought this from the convenience store nearby."


    "You bought it for me?!" Yuki asked, touched.


    "Well, duh, of course, it is for you." Kato rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Also, here, this is for you." She threw him something, which made Yuki confused for a second.


    "A wristband?" His confusion grew more. Then, his eyes got teary when he saw a big, sloppy sentence written there.


    ''GOOD LUCK, YUKI-NII!''


    "That was from the children," Kato exined. "Aiko-obaasan called me thirty minutes ago, saying that the children forgot to give you this. She asked me to give it to you if I could do it, so there you go¡­"


    Yuki yed a little with the wristband on his hand while a small, genuine smile formed unconsciously on his face.


    ''Yeah, with this kind of support, there is no way I would lose, right?''


    -0-


    A momentter, Kyoei scored one more time. Asahi couldn''t block Nitta''s spike perfectly, and the ball went outside of the court without anyone trying to save it. The first set was about to end with Kyoei only needing 2 more points to seal the deal. However, the motivation on Tsunemori''s side was at its peak as they saw Yukie in for Ogawa.


    "You finallye, Bastard!" Riku grinned.


    "Yeah. Good job for holding them back to this point." Yuki smiled a little. "Anyway, Kaede-senpai, I will join the attack after this, so you have to be the one who defends our back, okay?"


    "Me?!"The defensive specialist was taken aback for a moment. However, the grin on his face told everyone his mood. "Sure! Leave it to me!"


    "Good." Yuki couldn''t help but smile. "As for our offense¡­" He turned around to Riku. "Agostini, remember the first time we got paired in a 2v2 game?"


    Riku was startled, but his expression brightened up when his memory caught up with what Yuki talked about.


    "So, we are going to do that?!" He grinned excitedly.


    "Yes." Yuki nodded. His head then turned at Kyoei''s side as a simr grin suddenly formed on his face. "Let''s show them that we are not done yet."

 Chapter 86: Yuki in Action!

    "So, he is back, huh?" Ito stared at Yuki on the other side of the with a solemn expression. "Things wouldn''t be so easy with him here."


    The other yers nodded in agreement, remembering how tough Yuki''s defense was at the beginning of the game. For them, Nitta''s offensive power was unmatchable. So, to see someone was able to receive the end of it several times in a row, it definitely left an impression in their head.


    "Bah! Why are you so worried like that?!" Nitta suddenly spoke. "He is only one yer, a defensive specialist nheless! No matter how good he is, he wouldn''t be able to affect the oue of the entire game! The worst thing he could do is to make their defense better, but don''t you forget that I destroyed him before?! If I could do it once, what makes you think I cannot do it for the second time?!"


    Everyone had their eyes lightened up at his words. Yeah, Nitta was right. No matter how good Yuki was, he was only a defensive specialist, couldn''t affect the entire game by himself. And even though they were ufortable with the strategy, they couldn''t deny how effective it was to destroy the opponent''s best yer as soon as possible to ease their path to winning the game.


    Unfortunately, there was a w in their information. The intelligence they had about Yuki only came from Tsinemori''s second-round game and the glimpse of his ability the sses boy showed at the beginning of the game before he had to be sent out to treat his injury, and in those two asions, he had never participated in the team''s offense.


    That was why they always thought Yuki was just a defensive specialist yer.


    However, this time would be different. Yuki had already been given the green light by the coach to be more aggressive on the front line. When all the Tsunemori yers heard the information ryed by the sses boy himself, they couldn''t help but get excited, especially when they remembered how deadly it was thebo of Yuki and Riku when they attacked together.


    They all knew that this game was far from over yet.


    -0-


    "Die, you bastard!"


    "Don''t you dare to score!"


    "Kill him!"


    "Fuck you, Bastard!"


    The game was about to be continued again, and the moment the referee gave the ball to Nitta who was about to serve, the boos started to get louder again. The insult that started from Nitta''s provocation earlier kept getting so intense that the referee had to talk to Akira first to calm the crowds down, afraid an unwanted ident might happen in the game.


    After talking for a while and asking the other teachers to help control the situation, the tension finally eased a bit, and Kyoei''s ace was able to serve the ball peacefully.


    *BAM!*


    Just like what everyone expected, Nitta aimed his first serve straight in Yuki''s direction. Kyoei made it clear from the start that whenever Yuki was on the court, he would never be able to have peace there as they would always pester him to no end. However, to Nitta and his teammates'' surprise, Yuki suddenly stepped back, letting Kaede receive the ball instead of doing it by himself.


    "Shit! Sorry!"


    "Chance ball!"


    His serve dropped instantly the moment it crossed the, giving Kaede a hard time to receive it. As a result, the second-year defensive specialist could only save the ball, yet couldn''t aim it perfectly to Riku''s spot as the ball flew back to Koei''s side.


    "Yamada! Give it to me!" Nita shouted, asking for the ball. Inwardly, a thousand questions shed inside his mind, trying to figure out what happened. ''Why did he let the others receive the ball? Is his condition still not good? Then, did hee back just to raise the morale of the team?


    If that is so, this would be easy.''


    With that thought in mind, Nitta took off from the ground, recoiling his arms back and getting ready to hit the ball while ncing around to search Yuki''s whereabouts. What he didn''t expect though, was for him to not find the sses boy''s presence at all. And when he swung his arms¡­


    *BAM!!*


    An imposing wall formed by Yuki, Riku, and Hirano suddenly appeared, blocking the path in front of Nitta in every way possible. The Kyoei''s ace was stunned, knowing he couldn''t escape it as the ball hit straight to Yuki''s forearms. Everyone on Kyoei''s side also had their jaws dropped, not expecting something like this to happen.


    And when they finally realized what happened, Yuki was already waving his hands to the crowds, shouting with full enthusiasm.


    "COME ON! WHERE IS YOUR VOICE, TSUNEMORI! GET LOUDER!"


    -0-


    "As expected, he is really troublesome." Saito furrowed his brows deeply. "But I am not expecting he woulde back that quickly. It seems what we did to him before was too light."


    Fortunately for Saito, even though he was in the middle of adrenaline, he still remembered where he was and knew how to lower his voice. If only anyone from the crowds could hear what he just said, he wouldn''t be able to get out of the building safely. Still, he wasn''t worried at all.


    He rose from his seat, signaling his yers to calm down and asking for Nitta to hold back his aggressiveness on Yuki and ensure the next two points first to grab the first set.


    ''Don''t get provoked by them! No need to take a risk, just win the first set!''


    -0-


    After the cheers from the crowds finally died down a little, the game continued once again. Unfortunately, Kaede wasn''t able to follow the momentum as his serve fell short to their own area, couldn''t even cross the.


    "Sorry!" He apologized quickly, feeling guilty for making a mistake at such a crucial time.


    "Don''t worry, Senpai." Riku patted his shoulder. "It is just one mistake. Let''s move on and get ready for the next y!"


    Kaede nodded gratefully at his kouhai, relieved when he saw no one med him. However, there was a pang of guilt lingering in his heart as he knew his mistake pushed the opponent one step forward to snatch the first set. Now, they only needed one more point to ensure the win on this set and they were already half a step forward to win the game.


    ''I need to concentrate better!'' He pped his face hard.


    A momentter, the game was resumed again with Ito serving the ball. Just like before, the captain sent a nasty spin serve that curved immediately the moment it crossed the. However, this time, Kaede was prepared. As if wanting to pay back the mistake he had made before, he dived to his right side, protecting the area near the sideline carefully with his hand.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice save, Kaede-senpai!"


    "Kobayashi!"


    "I got this!"


    All the yers on Kyoei''s side were stunned the moment they saw Yuki rush forward to join the attack. Although they had already seen the sses boy entering the front line to help the blocker, they still didn''t expect him to be more aggressive, still thinking he was just a defensive specialist yer.


    Out of all of them, there were two yers who didn''t think too much about it and followed Yuki''s movement, and that was Nitta and Haruo.


    ''Well, let''s see if you can follow me!''


    Instead of jumping ahead, the moment Yuki crossed the front line, he suddenly turned around, speeding up to the left side immediately. Nitta was taken aback for a moment and got attracted to his direction. However, Haruo''s shout woke him up from his dazed state.


    "SENPAI! HE IS JUST A BAIT!"


    "SHI ¨C !"


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSHAAAA!" Asahi roared excitedly on the right side, followed by Riku and Yuki who gave him a high five.


    "Good job, Senpai!"


    "Nice run for you too, Kobayashi!"


    "Come on! We can do this!"


    A momentter, it was Asahi''s turn to serve the ball. Even though he just scored a point for the team, he couldn''t help but feel nervous, especially whenever he remembered that one mistake was enough for them to lose this set. However, the reassuring gaze from Yuki and Riku managed to ease him a bit as he did his serve a momentter.


    *Thud!*


    "Nice receive, Aki!"


    "YAMADA! HERE!"


    Hearing Nitta suddenly shout, the three yers on the front line knew that there would be no deception in the next y. It would be a pure confrontational battle between Nitta and the three best blockers of Tsunemori, and they all were ready for this.


    "Agostini! Hirano-senpai! Get ready!" Since Yuki came into the court, he took themand from Riku as even the blonde boy acknowledged that he was the better game-reader. "Follow my lead! Don''t mess up the timing! One!


    Two! Jump!"


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice block, Hirano-senpai!"


    "Get ready for the second attack!"


    Nitta clicked his tongue as he saw Yuki keep talking to his teammates. It seemed that even though the intelligence about the boy that his coach had was full of ws, there was one thing the coach found right, and that was the fact Yuki was themander of the team.


    He noticed that from the moment he entered the court again, Tsunemori yers'' movement became better, able to keep up with all the attacks Kyoei formed.


    ''That means I need to destroy him again!''


    "YAMADA!"


    After hitting the ball deliberately to Hirano''s hand to get a rebound, Nitta asked for the ball once again. Seeing the zing determination in Nitta''s eyes, the setter gulped nervously, didn''t dare to not follow his order. He tossed the ball high in Nitta''s direction once again, giving the ace another chance to attack.


    "Hirano-senpai! Agostini! Again! Jump!"


    *BAM!*


    This time, even though Nitta''s spike was heavier than before, Hirano was able to m the ball back to Kyoei''s area, adding another point for Tsunemori. The cold-blooded blocker himself just clenched his fist tightly, and while he didn''t roar like any other yer, his face couldn''t hide the excitement that rose onto his head right now.


    It wasn''t until he saw Yuki and Riku grin that he couldn''t help but grin too, offering them a high-five that was replied excitedly by his two kouhai.


    "AWESOME BLOCK, HIRANO-SENPAI!"

 Chapter 87: New Nicknames for Everyone

    Yuki''s return to the court seemed to be able to ignite Tsunemori''s spirit once again. His presence also became the irreceable pir of the team.


    On the front line, his superb game-reading ability managed to guide Hirano and Riku to set a wall to suppress the opponent''s attack, and behind, he was able to help Kaede guard the back line, kept saving the spike that slipped from the blockers in front of them. He really showed his versatility here, frustrating the shit of his opponent.


    The score gap itself also getting narrowed down by a lot. Currently, even though Kyoei still only needed one point to seal the first set, Tsunemori managed to catch up to the point they were only three points behind. While 21 ¨C 24 seemed to be a safe score for Kyoei to win the set, considering the score before Yuki returned was 16 ¨C 23, they couldn''t help but feel anxious.


    However, Kyoei finally got used to Yuki''s presence, and while they found his versatility to be annoying, they started to push back by targeting the other yers.


    "Kaede-senpai! Cover the left!"


    *BAM!*


    "Shit! Sorry!"


    It was another attack from Kyoei, and Kaede apologized immediately the moment he knew he reacted a bitte. Even though he was able to save the ball, it flew back to the opponent''s side to give them another chance to attack.


    "Don''t worry! Recover quickly, Kaede-senpai!"


    "Got i-"


    *BAM!*


    Kaede couldn''t even finish his words as Nitta suddenly rushed forward, taking advantage of an overhead pass to spike it directly at Tsunemori''s area. No one expected something like this to happen, so they could only stare at the ball bouncing far outside of the court.


    That was thest y of the first set, as Kyoei finally managed to secure the four-point lead to grab the win from Tsunemori.


    -0-


    All of the Tsunemori yers sat on the bench, they all had some sort of gloomy expression on their faces. It wasn''t like they gave up or lost hope or something like that. No, in fact, it was the opposite of that. They managed to take advantage of the excitement from Yuki''s return to narrow the gap. However, after all of their efforts, to lose like this was definitely ufortable. Your next chapter is on m v|l-e''-NovelBin


    They couldn''t help but feel frustrated, kept thinking of so many ''what-ifs'' scenarios inside their head.


    "It is pity, right? To lose like this?" Akira said. "But at least this shows that even though they are a better teampared to us, we still have a chance to win this game. If we could show the same performance as how we did before the first set was over, I believe the second set would be in our grasp. So,e on! Be more confident!


    This is not over yet!" He tried to encourage his yers.


    Unfortunately, his words weren''t that effective in lifting up the mood around him. This was the kind of situation that the yers themselves needed to ovee. Words might encourage them a little, but in the end, they had to ept that the first set was a lost cause and move on to the next part of the game.


    "Let me talk a little, Shinji." Sekine suddenly spoke, gaining everyone''s attention. Even though Akira was taken aback and didn''t know his mentor''s intention, he still let the old man add his pep talk, hoping that it would be able to improve their mood.


    "First of all, the main reason why you lost the first set was due to Yuki-kun''s absence, right?" He asked. All of the yers there except for Yuki nodded in agreement, thinking the same. "What if I told you that it doesn''t matter whether Yuki was there or not, but you will still lose the first set?" He grinned, asking a provoking question.


    Everyone was surprised by his words, couldn''t even know why Sekine said that.


    "What do you mean, old man?" Riku couldn''t help but ask.


    "Well, just as I said, even with Yuki-kun there, you won''t be able to win the first set, and that is because he didn''t do his job well enough." He smiled mysteriously.


    However, his words were enough for the others to doubt his credibility, since they all felt that Yuki was the best performer in the first set, probably only second to Riku. As for Yuki, he began to contemte, recalling his performance before to figure out when did he not do a good job like what Sekine implied him to be.


    "You don''t believe it, right?" The old man chuckled. "Well, let me bring you back to thest point from your opponent. What is the cause of that overhead pass that their ace managed to take advantage of?" He asked.


    "Is it because of myte reaction?" Kaede asked, doubtful. "If only I could react to Kobayashi''smand quicker, I would be able to save the ball better."


    "And don''t you think it is strange?" A smile on Sekine''s face kept getting wider. Then, he turned his attention to all the yers there and asked a question, "Don''t you think that whenever Yuki-kun takes themand, you will always react a bitte?"


    Everyone was stunned, realizing that the old man was right. While it wasn''t as exaggerating as Sekine implying to be, they were indeed always a secondte whenever Yuki ordered them to do something.


    "Get straight to the point, old geezer!" Riku scowled, starting to get annoyed.


    "Well, if you say so¡­" Sekine huffed. "Yuki-kun! It is because you are too polite!"


    An awkward silence dropped on the bench as everyone couldn''t believe what they just heard. No, they couldn''tprehend what Sekine meant by Yuki being too polite and its corrtion with theirte reaction.


    "Don''t you remember how youmanded your teammate in thest y that caused an overhead pass? ''Kaede-senpai, cover the left''? Really?! In a fast-tempo game where even one second matters, you should''ve abandoned all the honorifics you use even though he is your senpai, idiot!"


    Yuki was dumbfounded instantly, not expecting to get scolded by the old man like this. However, he couldn''t deny the truth behind Sekine''s words. He just didn''t expect his respect toward the others would cost the team the first set of the game.


    Seeing that Yuki finally got his point, Sekine nodded in satisfaction. Still, he felt that his disciple needed one more push, so he turned his attention to all of the yers and said, "Stand up, everyone!"


    All the eight yers were confused, yet still followed his order.


    "Riku." He pointed his finger at the blonde boy.


    "Kai." Then to Kaede.


    "Rano." To Hirano.


    "Koji." To Koji.


    "Oka." To Okamura.


    "Asa." To Asahi.


    "Jimmy." To Ogawa.


    "And Yuki." He pointed his finger to Yuki. "From now on, I want you all to address each other with the nickname I choose for you."


    Once again, it left everyone dumbfounded as to how Sekine could take over the team and do something outrageous like this. Yuki himself couldn''t help but feel awkward, since calling them all with nicknames and not using honorifics would be so strange.


    "Why am I Jimmy?" Ogawa suddenly asked. While the others were the abbreviation of their name, he was the only one who got apletely random one here.


    "Hmm?" Sekine tilted his head at him. "Oh, because you are the most ordinary one out of everyone here."


    Everyone snorted immediately, some tried to stiffen theirughter as they saw Ogawa slumpedically at the reason. In Japanese, Jimi ¨C µØζ / ¤¸¤ß ¨C meant simple, in, or some sort of ordinary. Even though it was a cool Western name, any person who knew Japanese would feel embarrassed to receive that nickname.


    "Okay, let''s try it." Sekine continued.


    "Eh?" Yuki was taken aback, especially when the old man stared at him.


    "Yeah, you are themander of the team, so you need to get used to it soon." Sekine nodded. "Let''s simte a scenario. Kyoei was about to attack to the left, and only Jimmy was close enough to reach the ball. So, how would youmand him?"


    "Uurrgh¡­" Yuki couldn''t help but groan, ncing at Ogawa awkwardly. Then, under everyone''s amused gaze, he finally sighed and said, "Jimmy, cover the left?"


    "No! That is still too weak! No one will be able to hear that!" The old man interrupted. "Louder!"


    "Jimmy, cover the left!"


    "STILL TOO LOW! LOUDER!"


    "JIMMY, COVER THE LEFT!"


    "GOOD! AGAIN!"


    "JIMMY, COVER THE LEFT!"


    Laughter finally broke on the bench as everyone saw Ogawa''s depressed state. Even Megumi took pity on him and patted his shoulder reassuringly, yet still with her best attempt to hold back her giggle, making Ogawa fall deeper into depression. Akira himself shook his head in amusement. While he didn''t expect Sekine''s pep talk, he sure was grateful to the old man for raising the morale of the team.


    "That is what I want to say." Sekine nodded in satisfaction as he stepped back to his ce again. "Shinji, I leave the rest to you."


    Akira nodded gratefully at the old man before smiling yfully at them. "So, can anyone check whether Jimmy is okay or not?" His question sent all the yers into a fit of uncontroble chuckles, leaving even Hirano who was the most stoic person on the team to snort with a hint of a smile curled on his face.


    "Well, since Sekine-sensei has already said a lot about your problem, let''s start discussing what we should do on the second set. Listen carefully, everyone!"


    "Yes, Sir!"

 Chapter 88: Second Set Begin! Four Aces In A Row!

    "Well, look at them, being so carefree like that¡­" Nitta stared at Tsunemori''s side with disgust. "It is as if they are not one set behind here."


    "And by how we act, it seems like it is us who is behind, right?" Haruo added casually.


    Yeah, if someone just came to the building and saw the atmosphere on both teams, they would''ve definitely misunderstood the situation of the entire game. They would think that Tsunemori who looked so carefree was the one on the lead while the gloomy Kyoei just lost the first set.


    It couldn''t be helped though. Even though Kyoei managed to snatch the first set, Saito was dissatisfied with how the game went, especially after Yuki''s return on the opponent''s side. They suddenly turned into a passive state, waiting for Yuki to show his ability instead of focusing on their own game.


    This wasn''t a behavior he wanted for the team, and if only their opponent was stronger, they would be punished immediately.


    "Let''s not dwell on this and stay focused on the next set." Ito finally spoke. "We only need to win this set and it would be over, so don''t mess it up."


    "Yeah, yeah. I know it." Nitta waved his hand nonchntly.


    A momentter, the second set finally began, and Yuki was already on the line to do the serve. He took a deep breath, adjusting his sses first before bouncing the ball to the floor, trying to calm his nerves. Inwardly, he recalled the instruction Akira gave during the intermission, thinking about what to do.


    ''Yuki, since you are going to be the first to serve, I want you to go all out. Show them all the tricks you have learned from Sekine-sensei and grab the initiative of the game as soon as possible, do you understand?''


    ''Grab the initiative, huh?'' Yuki muttered. ''Well, let''s start with this.''


    The moment the referee blew his whistle, Yuki tossed the ball slightly into the air. Even before he did that though, he had already had an idea of what kind of serve he wanted to throw. If the coach wanted him to grab the initiative quickly, there was only one serve that was suitable for that, and it was the serve he had honed for a long time.


    "Oh! A weak one!"


    "Don''t worry! I got thi-"


    *Thud!*


    The one Kyoei yer who was about to receive the ball stunned when he saw it slip through his hands, wobbling slightly to his right side, and bounce at his upper arms before it went outside of the court.


    "HELL YEAH!" Yuki clenched his fist, celebrating the first point of the set. All the Kyoei yers stared at him solemnly, didn''t expect him to pull a floater service the first time he had a chance on the line. Readtest chapters at m_v-l''e|-NovelBin


    "That is a good one." One of them said solemnly.


    "Yeah. The ball didn''t rotate too much and started to wobble just after it crossed the." The one who failed to receive the serve before added. "I don''t know whether he could pull the same level of floater consistently or thest one was just a fluke, but keep your eyes on the ball. If you could, step back a little and use the overhead pass to receive the ball."


    Everyone nodded in agreement at his words. One of themon strategies to deal with floater was to reach the ball actively by using an overhead pass rather than waiting for the ball to fall with the underhand pass. With the overhead pass, at least they would pick up the ball when it wasn''t wobbling too much in the air, making it easier for them to save the ball.


    However, it was still a hard thing to do, and it was impossible to expect all of them to be able to do that in one go.


    Unfortunately, Yuki didn''t intend to give them any chance to adapt. When they all were ready for another floater, he changed his strategy by using another trick he learned from Sekine.


    ''Listen, Yuki-kun. The rule states that you can do the serve only if the referee has blown his whistle already. But if you reserve the logic, as long as the whistle wasn''t blown, everyone wouldn''t expect for the serve toe at them. So, you can catch your opponent off guard by serving the ball right when the referee blows his whistle, and then¡­''


    *Thud!*


    Even though this time, it was an ordinary serve, just like Sekine''s words, in his memory, Yuki caught everyone off guard by doing it at the same time as the whistle blew, and no one was ready to pick up the ball.


    Everyone on Kyoei''s side just stared at the ball stupidly, their mind went nk when they saw the referee pointing his hand toward Tsunemori''s side, signaling one more point added for them.


    "Good job, Yuki!"


    "Damn, that is a nasty serve!"


    "Keep doing that!"


    The third serve came after that, with Yuki changing his strategy again. He went to the strategy he learned back before they yed against Shimoyawata, which was to aim the ball at the route the setter had to take to go on the front, making all the Kyoei yers react toote for the ball.


    *Thud!*


    "Sorry! It is a bit short!"


    "Don''t mind! Nitta! Cover!"


    "I got this!"


    Unfortunately, Kyoei''s libero managed to pick up the serve. However, it was enough to create a chaotic situation on the other side of the, and all the Tsunemori yers were happy when they saw Nitta was forced to take the second ball.


    "Rano! Asa! Together with me!" Since Yuki was on the backline doing the service, Riku took over themand on the front line, didn''t even feel any awkwardness for calling his senpai with their new nicknames. "One! Two! Go!"


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSHAAAAA!" Riku roared when he felt the ball hit his hand and saw it bounce back to the opponent''s side without anyone able to save it. "Good job, Senpai!" He grinned, giving a high-five to the other two blockers.


    Now, the situation on Kyoei''s side was in shamble. They stared at each other confusedly, didn''t know what happened. One moment they just won the first set, and now, they were dominatedpletely by Yuki''s serve. They were like a bunch of drunkards who didn''t know what they just got hit by.


    And to put the final nail in the coffin, Yuki went back to his first-ever serve strategy today, when all of them forgot about it, he threw a nasty floater toward Nitta, which Kyoei''s ace was unable to pick it up perfectly, as the ball bruised his forearms slightly before it went outside of the court.


    "YEAAAAAAH!"


    As Tsunemori yers celebrated crazily, Saito finally had enough. Kyoei''s coach finally rose from his seat, signaling something for the referee before the sound of the whistle echoed throughout the building.


    "KYOEI GAKUEN TIME OUT!"

 Chapter 89: Call Me Jimmy!

    "Man, he is so crazy!"


    "As expected, he is the best yer on the team! No wonder we suck on the first set!"


    "Yeah! Even though he is just a freshman, he conquers us with his ability!"


    "No wonder Akira-sensei picks him over the third-year yers!" Your next read is at m v|l-e''-NovelBin


    "Idiot, all of them!"


    "What is his name again, by the way?"


    "It is Yuki Kobayashi from the ss 1-B!"


    "Yeah! Come on, Yuki!"


    Even with all the crowds supporting the opponent team, all the Kyoei yers couldn''t care less. They just sat on the bench with their head down, not daring to meet Saito''s bore gaze that promised pain for them all. Hell, even Nitta who was the most carefree yer out of all of them also felt nervous, knowing the rage inside the coach was already on the edge, ready to explode at any time.


    "I have one question for you all." Saito finally spoke, his expression still t. "We are a team that is aiming for Konan and Matsukita. For them, we have trained our asses off, even asking a professional team nearby to help us prepare ourselves for this tournament. You all have seen a lot of amazing yers with incredible serves too.


    So, my question is, can his serve bepared with them?" He pointed his finger at Yuki.


    All the yers there looked at each other awkwardly. They all knew that Yuki''s serve ¨C aside from his floater wasn''t that amazing. They have also seen a lot of powerful serves in the past. Hell, even their ace could probably do a serve way more powerful and incredible than what Yuki did.


    However, they would rather face a yer with a powerful serve rather than someone like Yuki who had a lot of tricks on his sleeves.


    Unfortunately, Saito didn''t care about that.


    "Anyone want to answer my question?" Seeing the hesitant gaze from his yers, Saito couldn''t help but sigh before he roared, "ANSWER MY QUESTION, GODDAMNIT!"


    His roar attracted everyone''s attention to the building. The students who were behind them flinched unconsciously, stepping back from their spot immediately. Some even turned around quickly, didn''t want to get near Kyoei''s bench. Saito sighed one more time, trying to calm down his ire.


    "Okay, I know a part of it is my fault for the missing intelligence about that sses boy, so I will take the me for it too. But for now, let''s move on and not quarreling over something that couldn''t be changed. Now, we need to talk about what should we do next."


    All of the Kyoei yers straightened their backs, knowing that this pep talk would be crucial.


    -0-


    ''Oh? They will do that?'' Yuki arched his eyebrows slightly.


    It was after the timeout, and the enthusiasm on Tsunemori''s side was reaching its peak. It wasn''t just because of Yuki''s four consecutive aces, but also for the fact that the support from the crowd started to get louder once again. It seemed his appearance was able to spark the school''s spirit to support the team till the end.


    Still, he had no time to care for that. Currently, he bounced the ball on the floor while staring at Kyoei''s yers on the other side of the, or to be more exact, their formation. All of their yers were pushed forward except for two, and those were their libero and captain who stared at them with scary eyes.


    It seemed Kyoei gave the task to stop his serve to those two and hid all the yers that could be targeted on the front.


    ''Hmm¡­ This would be interesting.''


    Of course, Yuki still had another trick he could pull out of his sleeves. However, he decided to go with his most ordinary one, wanting to save the rest for when they were in a critical time. He still added a twist on his serve though, sending it straight in the middle of the two yers to confuse them.


    "SHINYA!"


    "I GOT THIS, CAPTAIN!"


    This time though, Kyoei came prepared. With only two yers on the back, it was harder for them to get fooled by such a cheap trick. The libero managed to pick up the ball, sending it to the middle where the setter was running in that direction, ready to follow it up. The other yers on the wing side also started their movement, ready to receive the pass.


    "YAMADA! RIGHT!"


    Nitta on the right also started his run-up, ready to attack. However, Riku who had already seen through the setter''s habit was able to predict where the ball would go next.


    "Asa! Right! Cover for the straight!"


    *BAM!*


    "Chance ball!"


    The two-man wall he formed with Asahi was able to deflect the opponent''s attack perfectly, slowing it down for the others to pick it up on the back. Kaede rushed forward, tracking the ball in the air before extending his arms far, letting the ball fall gently onto his forearms.


    "Oh! Nice receive, Kai!"


    "Sorry! It is a bit short!"


    "Don''t worry!" Riku who just jumped with Asahi to stop the opponent''s attack was already back on his spot, recovering quickly from thest y. Now, he was ready to attack once again. "Koji!"


    Receiving thefortable high pass in front of him, the ace of the team who hadn''t taken any action yet in this set grinned, knowing it was his time. He eyed the opponent''s position first, trying to think of where was the best spot to spike the ball. Seeing Haruo rush toward his direction though, he hesitated for a second.


    *BAM!*


    In the end, with only one Haruo covering the area in front of him, it was easy for Koji to avoid the block. However, his spike went straight to the libero who rushed to the spot one step behind the front line to guard the uncovered area.


    "Oh! Nice dig, Shinya!"


    "Yamada! Right!"


    This time, there was no deception. The setter was definitely going to pass the ball to Nitta. Hirano and Riku were also ready to stop Kyoei''s ace from attacking them. However, when all three jumped, Yuki suddenly saw Nitta ncing at a particr spot, and even if there was a chance it was a fake to fool him, his hunch told him that the ball would go there.


    "OGAWA-SENPAI!"


    *BAM!*


    Nitta spiked the ball through the tight area between Hirano and the antenna, sending an incredible straight parallel to the sideline. However, Ogawa who was there managed to react quickly, saving the ball with a more spectacr y, jumping acrobatically to reach the ball before it could bounce to the floor.


    "Oh! Nice receive, Ogawa-senpai!"


    "Yuki!"


    Since Riku was on the front line, Yuki took over the role of the emergency setter quickly. This movement shocked all the Kyoei yers since they didn''t expect him to be more versatile than before. This brief moment of shock was the only thing Yuki needed to take advantage of as he tossed the ball immediately to Asahi who was behind him, killing the ball perfectly to the left back of Kyoei''s side.


    "YEAH!"


    "Nice pass, Yuki!"


    "Nice save too, Ogawa-senpai!"


    Ogawa who heard Yuki''s praise clicked his tongue, and to everyone''s surprise, he shook his finger at the sses boy. "No, don''t call me Ogawa again. Call me Jimmy!"


    Yuki was dumbfounded for a second, thenughed merrily at him.


    "Sure! Good job, Jimmy!"

 Chapter 90: Rikus Revenge!

    The next few minutes were like a personal show for Yuki. He pulled so many tricks for his services that it started to make Kyoei yers doubt themselves. Yuki really understood the essence of an ace service that Sekine taught him and managed to implement it in a real game.


    ''So many yers misunderstand that ace means powerful. No, in fact, it is way simpler than that. It doesn''t matter whether your serve is powerful or not, but as long as your opponent cannot handle it and you can score so many points from it, you can call your serve an ''ace''. So, don''t worry about the power. Use your head more.''


    That was what Sekine said to Yuki in the training camp, and that was what Yuki did during the game. It was as if he turned into a devious magician, kept pulling magical rabbits out of nowhere to confuse the audience. And Kyoei''s yers who were the poor audience in that metaphor still couldn''tprehend how he did that, making it easier for Yuki to keep scoring from the service line.


    It wasn''t until his ninth serve in a row that finally, Kyoei yers could sigh in relief. Their nightmare was finally over when Yuki''s serve fell short to the, couldn''t cross the other side of the court.


    "Sorry, everyone! I mess up!" Yuki apologized quickly.


    "Don''t worry, Yuki! You did a good job!"


    "Yeah! Nine consecutive points from the service line is insane! Don''t worry about it!"


    By now, everyone was used to calling each other by the new nicknames Sekine had given during the intermission before. Of course, it was easier for the sophomore yers to do that since they were older, but Yuki still felt awkward about not calling his senpai using any honorifics.


    "Don''t daze around like that, Yuki!" Riku''s voice suddenly snapped him from his thoughts. "Keep your eyes on the ball! The next y is about to begin!"


    Yuki shook his head immediately, trying to regain his focus back. Even though the current score was 9 ¨C 0 for them, they couldn''t let their guard down, knowing that losing one more set in this game would mean game over for the team. He stared intently at Nitta on the other side who was preparing to serve the ball, knowing that what came next would be a powerful one.


    ''Come on¡­ You keep targeting me before, right? Do it again¡­ Do it again¡­ Yosh!''


    As Yuki expected, a rocket serve hurtling towards his direction with incredible speed and uracy. The ball was moving so fast that only a few yers could track its movement.


    However, the two yers in Tsunemori''s back line were those who could do that, and they came prepared for this serve as Yuki took a step aside quickly, and the yer next to him reacted in synch as he stretched out his arms to reach the ball.


    *BAM!*


    "Nice save, Kai!"


    "Yuki!"


    "I got it!"


    As the ball flew high without moving too far from its spot, Yuki didn''t have to move too far to pick it up. He nced around to see his teammates and the opponent''s position, and when he saw one blonde boy also ncing at him, even if the exchange happened for only a millisecond, the connection established between those two was enough for Yuki to know exactly what his friend wanted.


    ''Okay, if that is what you want, don''t disappoint us!''


    He tossed the ball quickly to the front line, and there, in the spot where the setter usually did his job, the blonde boy who was always initiating the attack could be seen flying, now wanting to execute the attack himself. Discover more content at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    At this point, Kyoei''s yers who were shocked by Yuki''s versatility were already numb, knowing that against Tsunemori, anything could happen. They didn''t even bat their eyes when they saw Riku was about to spike, just jumped immediately at the same time as the blonde boy took off the floor.


    *BAM!*


    "SHIT! SORRY, YUKI!" Riku shouted.


    "CHANCE BALL!"


    To Yuki''s surprise, the surprise reversed quick attack with him being the setter and Riku as the attacker was stopped by the opponent. However, there was no surprise in Riku''s expression. The only thing Yuki could see from his friend was annoyance, not just for the failed attack, but it seemed also for something that happened when he was out of the game.


    Still, he had no time to think about it right now.


    "Jimmy, move back a little and cover the wing! Give more space to Kai!" Yuki instructed swiftly. "Rano! Asa! Keep your eyes on him! Don''t rush to jump, he couldn''t do a quick!" He added for the front line.


    By now, Yuki had already noticed that Nitta wasn''t too keen on a quick attack. While the Kyoei''s ace managed to pull it up once or twice, the power generated was always lower than his normal spike, and Yuki could see that he was ufortable doing a speed attack. That was why he was confident that the ball that came next wasn''t a quick.


    *BAM!*


    "Chance ball!"


    "Nice block, Rano!"


    "Yuki!"


    Receiving the deflection block by Hirano, Yuki passed it to Riku on the front line immediately. This time, it was his turn to join the attack, and with a quick nce at the blonde boy, he cut through the middle from his initial position on the left back immediately, attracting three blockers toe into his direction.


    "Riku!" He shouted.


    Kyoei''s blockers led by Haruo kept their eyes intently on him, while the rest of them stared at the other Tsunemori yers, didn''t want to get fooled once again by their trick.


    Unfortunately, by doing that, they had already jumped voluntarily toward Riku''s trap, and when all the eyes weren''t on him, the blonde boy suddenly extended one of his hands higher to reach the ball before tapping it gently toward the other side.


    *Thud!*


    Time seemed to freeze in a second, as the only sound that could be heard there was the ball bouncing on the floor. All the Kyoei yers were jaw-cked, staring at the ball in disbelief. And out of them all, the one who had the most exaggerated reaction was Haruo, probably one of the best blockers in his generation who just got fooled by a cheap dump trick from the setter.


    This really showed all the yers there that even the best yer could still be fooled once they lost their concentration.


    The taller blonde boy kept staring at the ball with aplicated expression for a while before his head turned to the other side of the where the smaller blonde boy grinned smugly at him.


    "HA! Finally, I got you, Bastard!"

 Chapter 91: Domination! Win the Second Set!

    "Do you have any grudges against their blocker?" Yuki asked, amused.


    "You don''t know half of it, Yuki!" Riku whined childishly, eliciting chuckles from the others. "He kept spouting a lot of nonsense about him being the more handsome blonde or something like that even when we all know it is me who is the better blonde! Urgh¡­ He is so infuriating!"


    "Ah, so, he is basically another version of you. I got it." Yukimented casually as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "No wonder he could get under your skin so quickly."


    This time, the stiffenedughter around finally broke as the other yers couldn''t hold it back anymore. Riku himself pouted at Yuki''s response, his lips moved forward a few inches to show his dissatisfaction.


    "Why are you so mad, Riku?"


    "Yuki is right! He is just another version of you!"


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    "Shut up, Jimmy!"


    Akira could only shake his head in amusement as he saw the carefree atmosphere on the team. He knew it wasn''t that the team underestimated their opponent, but more because their motivation was at its peak since they performed well in the second set.


    Even Kyoei''s head coach who was infamous for his dislike of taking a timeout was forced to take his second one even before one of the teams managed to reach 15 points, which showed that the team''s performance far exceeded the opponent''s expectations.


    Although it wasn''t good to be so carefree in the middle of the game, Akira still preferred this kind of atmosphere rather than the gloomy one in the first set. However, just like when the team performed badly and he had to be the calmest of them all, when the team was in a hot form like this, it was his role to keep the team level-headed.


    "Okay, everyone! Let''s focus back to the game!" He finally raised his voice to interrupt the chatters around. "You did a good job at the beginning of the second set, leaving Kyoei far behind with the score 13 ¨C 4. If any scouts camete to this game and didn''t know how it went, I bet they would think it was us who had the four points. So, for that, I give my highest appreciation to you all."


    All the yers grinned excitedly at each other. This was what they liked the most about Akira''s coaching style. While the man had a high requirement and was strict and harsh during the training session, he had never been stingy to give praise when he saw the team doing well, just like today.


    "However!" Akira raised his voice once again, this time his expression was serious. Everyone straightened their back immediately, knowing it was time for the coach to pour the cold water to keep them sober. "Our job is not over yet. If you can remember correctly, we are still one set behind. So, I don''t want you to get overconfident too quickly and lower your guard. I want you all to stay aggressive!


    Keep pushing them to the edge! Never allow them to snatch our momentum! If possible, I want to keep their score in this set below ten points. Do you have the confidence to do that?!"


    If Akira said his request before the game began, they would have thought the coach was drunk and didn''t know volleyball at all. However, when he did that after the perfect beginning of the second half, all the yers had a grins on their face, their smile was full of confidence. Facing that challenge from the coach, there was only one appropriate response they could give.


    "YES, SIR!"


    -0-


    "Woah, those people are back!" Kaede blinked at the sight of the crowds outside of the court that seemed to get noisy once again.


    "Don''t think too much about them, Kai," Okamura replied casually, adjusting his jersey a bit. "They are just a bunch of glory hunters. If we win, they will support us, but if we lose, they will be the first ones to go. Their presence meant nothing here."


    Even though it was harsh, Okamura wasn''t wrong here. If people left when they were at their lowest, why would they care about them when they were at their best? Still, Yuki didn''tpletely agree with his words. He knew that even when they were at the worst time in the first set, there were still a lot of students who supported them. He couldn''t judge them all based on those who left first.


    Yuki shook his head, turning it to the crowds one more time. When his eyes saw the girl who helped him bring the ice pack before, a small, genuine smile formed on his face. He touched the wristband unconsciously as a warm feeling suddenly surged in his heart.


    ''Well, Oka might be right. As long as I know those who care would always support me, the other''s presence didn''t really matter here.''


    -0-


    After a minute of timeout, the game finally continued again. However, the timeout Kyoei took wasn''t enough to cut off Tsunemori''s momentum. Yuki and the others kept pushing forward, not giving Kyoei any chance to breathe.


    If anyone who was a volleyball enthusiast saw this game, they would be surprised at Kyoei''s abysmal performance. They were one of the teams that a lot of analysts predicted to have a breakout this year, especially after adding Haruo, one of the best blockers in the national tournament for middle schoolst year. For them to get dominated by a no-name team like Tsunemori, it was uneptable.


    However, those who followed the entire tournament from the beginning wouldn''t be that surprised. Even though Tsunemori''s reputation was still too low, their win against Shimoyawata managed to grab a lot of attention. Even if Shimoyawata hadn''t yed for a full year before the tournament, people still thought they were the third-best team in Tokyo.


    To snatch the game in just two sets, people wouldn''t dare to treat them as a no-name team.


    Still, there was something strange on the court right now. Even though the team was in the lead, Yuki couldn''t help but feel something was off. Kyoei didn''t put up their best effort right now, yet there was no sign of giving up on them. It was as if they decided to let Tsunemori win this set while aiming for something. However, that ''something'' was the thing Yuki couldn''t figure out right now.


    ''They are observing us for the final set. But who is the target?''


    As the game went by, Yuki kept his eyes intently on the opponent, wanting to figure out what they wanted to do. He observed their reaction, their attacking pattern, their spiking route, and even the smallest thing like their interaction with each other, just to find that everything seemed to be normal. But that normal thing was scariest for him than anything else.


    It was as if he was a prey being stared at from the dark by a predator who was ready to pounce him but decided to toy with him at first, and it made him ufortable.


    "You okay, Yuki?" Asahi suddenly asked. Yuki shook his head, regaining his focus just to find the concerned gaze from his senpai. "You have been dozing off for a while. Is there anything wrong?"


    "Nothing, Senpai." Yuki smiled, trying to reassure his senpai. "Just thinking of something."


    "Rted to the game?"


    "Not really."


    "Well, don''t let that distract you. We still have one more point to get to win this set!" Asahi pped his back. "Oh, and don''t forget to call me Asa! Don''t be too awkward, okay?"


    Yuki shook his head amusedly at his senpai. Inwardly, he thought, ''Maybe I am overthinking here.'' And decided to forget about that matter for now.


    The team was one point away from winning this set, and everyone was excited. Riku who was the one to serve was too eager to seal the deal, hitting the ball short to the. Fortunately, it rolled down to the other side of the court, not giving a point to Kyoei.


    "Haruo!"


    "I got this!"


    Since the ball fell short to the front side, Haruo had to pick it up to keep the game alive. Unfortunately, he was a middle blocker by nature, and saving a wild ball like this wasn''t his strong point. Although he managed to keep the ball in the air, it was a bit too close to the, and Hirano on the other side of the court didn''t hesitate to jump and m the ball back to the floor.


    *Thud!*


    "YOSSHAAAA!"


    "NICE FOLLOW UP, RANO!"


    "WE WIN THIS SET! WE WIN THIS GODDAMN SET!"


    "HELL YEAH!"


    As the ball rolled down gently on the floor, all the Tsunemori yers celebrated thest point of the set crazily. From Yuki''s early departure and the desperate situation to keep the game alive in the first set to dominate the same opponent like this, some of them wanted to cry on the spot. The crowds also cheered as they hugged each other as if they just won the game.


    Unbeknown to them, the head coach of the opponent team gave a nod to his yers, not a hint of anxiety after losing horribly this set could be seen on his face.


    ''Good job. After this, it is our time to counterattack.''

 Chapter 92: Intermission

    Just like any sport outside, half of the volleyball game was an intelligence battle.


    It wasn''t just about a better team beating the worse one, but deeper behind that, both teams who yed against each other would always try their best to figure out how to deal with their opponent, from searching the weak link, figuring out opponent''s attacking pattern, to the point of noticing even the smallest detail of the opponent''s bodynguage, those were all the things any team usually tried to find as quickly as possible.


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    It was just like a miniature version of war. While a team that had better yers had a better chance to win the game, that didn''t mean they would win it easily. They could still be outsmarted by the opponent who grasped the intelligence about them and figured out how to deal with it. And that was exactly what happened in the game between Tsunemori High and Kyoei Gakuen right now.


    While Kyoei as a better team managed to beat Tsunemori in the first set, they were outsmarted in every aspect in the second set, couldn''t even put up a decent fight against a ''weaker'' team on the paper. And it was all due to the misinformation about one particr yer from the opponent side, Yuki Kobayashi.


    They all thought that Yuki was just a defensive specialist yer and wouldn''t be able to change the direction of the game. Some even said that the worst thing the sses could do for them was to make Tsunemori''s defense more stubborn than before, yet they were still confident they could beat their opponent.


    Oh, how wrong they were.


    In twenty minutes he yed for the second set, Yuki proved to be more than that. He had a unique style of ace services, could be an emergency setter, knew how to attack, was good at blocking, and was a beast at game reading. He turned into a versatile yer which made them all wonder about how could such a yer join a weak team like Tsunemori.


    As a result, they were humiliated in the worst way possible, couldn''t even score more than ten points in the second set. When they all saw the score 25 ¨C 7 on the scoreboard, all the Kyoei yers wanted to dig a hole and jump onto it straight away, too ashamed of the result. They didn''t expect that misinformation about one yer would cost them so much today.


    Still, Saito, the head coach of the team wasn''t that worried. He had decided for a long time that the second set was a loss cause. Instead of making a futile effort to overturn the score or something impossible like that, he decided to fix the problem his team had right now, and that was intelligence.


    ''Listen, I don''t think we can win this set. So, we will use this as a way to collect intelligence. Here is what you are going to do¡­''


    During thest timeout he took for the team, Saito instructed his yers to target specific spots and specific scenarios while he who was on the bench observed Tsunemori yers'' movement carefully. Even though his yers felt ufortable for giving up like this, they still followed his words, believing that it was just like what Saito said, a calcted loss to bounce back for the final set.


    And their effort to follow his arrangement was paid to the fullest as Saito had a huge grin on his face, finally had enough data to make a move.


    "Okay, listen, everyone," Saito spoke. "I know that you feel the humiliation you have to bear this time is too much just for a mere intelligence gathering. But I promise you, we will return the favor ten-fold." He said solemnly.


    It was in the intermission before the final set began, and all the Kyoei yers stared at their coach in disbelief. They didn''t know how the coach could be that confident after only observing the opponent for one set.


    "Okay, listen carefully to what I said." Akira ignored the doubtful gaze of the others. "First, as expected, their number 19 is well protected by the other yers. Whenever we are going to target him, there is always one yer, usually the number 5 who is ready to cover his job.


    It convinces me that one, the number 19''s position on the team is important and they are afraid of losing him again, and two, he is the weakest link on the team."


    His words left his yers dumbfounded, not knowing whether the coach was joking or not. When they saw Akira''s serious expression though, they knew he meant business here.


    "But, Sensei¡­" One of the yers asked hesitantly. "Howe he is the weakest link? He should be the strongest link, right?" The others also nodded in agreement.


    "I know that you will think about that." Akira nodded, acknowledging his words. "But think about it carefully. Although he is an amazing defensive yer, they decide to protect him behind. Why do you think they would do that? Isn''t that contra-productive?"


    Even though they were still doubtful, all the Kyoei yers started to get Saito''s point. Still, they couldn''t really answer thest question their coach threw, though, so they stared at him intently, waiting for the coach to answer the question by himself.


    "That only means one thing. They hid him because he couldn''t withstand receiving so many spikes in a row! He doesn''t have a pain tolerance! That means he is aplete rookie! We can exploit this for the final set!" Saito got excited all of a sudden.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t notice that his words stabbed his yers straight to their hearts. In their mind, there was a question popped up, is it the new insult the coach decided to throw at them? By saying that they are beaten by a rookie yer? Anyway, who would believe such an amazing yer like Yuki was a rookie?


    Saito was confused when he saw his yers didn''t share the same enthusiasm. Still, he didn''t think about it too much, ming the humiliating loss in the second set as the excuse for why they were so down.


    "Anyway!" He coughed. "It is proven that their number 19 is a rookie, yet a talented one. He is themander of the team, and they are afraid of losing him once again. We all have already seen how they yed without him, like a bunch of headless chickens. So, let''s try to send him out first before we kill them all. Listen to me and do as I said¡­"

 Chapter 93: Final Set Begins!

    After a few minutes passed, the game finally continued again. Just like at the beginning of the first set, Nitta went to the line directly for the serve. He took a deep breath, his eyes locked on Yuki on the other side of the court.


    Nitta felt a bit silly though for targeting the opponent''s strongest yer in the final set. Right now, when all points matter, the most logical choice to pick should be to y it safe and target the weakest link. However, out of respect, he still followed Saito''s arrangement, thinking that the coach knew it better than him.


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    ''Let''s see if it is true that you, the best defensive yer on your team, are really the weakest link too as Saito-sensei said.''


    The moment the referee blew the whistle, with a fierce cry, he unleashed the serve, his arm snapping forward like a whip. The sound of the ball piercing the wind was so violent, making all the people inside the building wince unconsciously. It was definitely the most powerful serve Nitta pulled in this game.


    However, Tsunemori was prepared. They all knew Kyoei wouldn''t give up targeting Yuki just like that. The moment he saw the balle to his kouhai, Kaede stepped forward, taking over the position while waiting patiently for the ball to fall into his hand.


    *BAM!*


    "Nice save, Kai!"


    "Yuki, cover!"


    "I got it!"


    Seeing Yuki was about to y as the emergency setter, all the Kyoei yers turned their eyes immediately toward Riku and Asahi. The intelligence from the coach suddenly popped into their mind as if telling them what to do.


    ''When their number 19 wants to surprise us, he would do it in the most extreme way. That is why he would either pass the ball to their setter or their opposite hitter who are the yers with the least probability to hit the final attack. Keep your eyes on them.''


    True to the coach''s instruction, the ball flew to the middle when Riku was already in the air, ready to spike. The blonde boy was surprised to see a wall erected quickly in front of him. However, the blonde boy was a mischievous yer by nature. Just like Yuki, he also had a lot of tricks on his sleeves.


    So, when he saw two Kyoei yers in front of him, the setter changed his stance immediately from about to unleash his arms quickly like a whip into a gentle one, tapping the ball slightly to pass through the blockers'' tips.


    *Thud!*


    "YES!" Riku clenched his fist in celebration, followed by cheersing from the audience.


    "Good job, Riku!"


    "Keep it up!"


    "Come on! We can win this game!"


    By now, there was no empty spot in the building anymore. All the students in the school got the news that this was the final set and wanted to join the fun. As a result, the situation was a bit messy there, with a lot of jostling and pushing around the crowds.


    Even the basketball court next to the volleyball court was opened to let more peoplee, yet there were still some who couldn''t enter the building. The atmosphere was crazy here as if they were watching the World Cup final.


    "It''s okay, it''s okay!" Saito pped his hands, trying to encourage his yers. "It is a good attempt! Let''s try it again!" Unfortunately, his voice was drowned by the noise from the crowds. The pressure from outside of the court mixed with all the negative feelings they had was like a poison that started to kill them slowly.


    And it was shown in the next y. Even though Riku was still consistent with his powerful serve, in thest two sets, it wasn''t trouble for the Kyoei yers to receive it. However, this time, due to the loss of concentration, the ball slipped through one of their yers before it bounced to the floor, adding another point for Tsunemori.


    "YOSSHAAA!"


    "Good job, Riku!"


    "Riku-sama! Look at here!"


    "KYAAA!"


    The crowds went crazy once again, especially when they saw a brilliant smile formed on Riku''s face. Some of the girls who brought their phones zoomed in their cameras immediately, wanting to capture that moment and saved it for their personal collection. Even though Yuki was the best performer in this game, the main focus of the girls was still on the blonde boy.


    "Oi, Riku! Don''t get distracted!" Yuki reprimanded him. "You can flirt with your girls all you want after we win the game. For now, focus!"


    Riku pouted slightly when he received the scold. However, he knew that his friend was right. This wasn''t the time to be careless. One simple distraction was enough to snatch the momentum away from them, so they didn''t dare to underestimate their opponent.


    Riku took a deep breath before once again, he threw the ball in the air. Since thest serve was proven to be sessful, he decided to aim at the same ce. However, this time, there was no mistake made by Kyoei''s yer. The one he targeted managed to save the ball easily, sending it straight to the setter.


    "Nice receive, Aki!"


    "YAMADA!" Nitta raised his voice, asking for the ball from the setter. A secondter, the ball flew in his direction, ready to get hit to the other side of the court. Suddenly, the memory of Saito''s pep talk to him before the final set began emerged in his head.


    ''Listen, Nitta. I know it might sound stupid, but whenever you have a chance to attack, I want you to keep targeting their number 19. One, because even though he is protected, if the balles in his direction, that number 19 wouldn''t be able to join the attack. And two¡­''


    *BAM!*


    "SHIT! Sorry, everyone!"


    "Don''t worry! Recover quickly!"


    "YAMADA! AGAIN!"


    Even though Kaede managed to save the ball, it flew back to Kyoei''s side once again, giving them a second chance to attack. All the Tsunemori yers had no time to dwell on that, especially when they saw Nitta had recovered already and started his run-up to attack again. They all put their focus on the ace, forgetting that the other yers existed too.


    "SHIT! It is a fake!" Yuki cursed out loud as he realized Nitta''s intention. "Jimmy! Cover-"


    *BAM!*


    As Yuki predicted, instead of going to Nitta, this time, the ball flew to the middle, where Ito suddenly appeared for a quick attack. Except for Yuki, no one was ready for him, and it was easier for Kyoei''s captain to aim the ball far from the sses boy''s reach.


    When he saw the dumbfounded expression on Tsunemori''s yers, Nitta grinned, remembering the second reason why he should keep attacking Yuki even though it looked stupid.


    ''I want you to give a strong impression that you are going to keep targeting him. That way, they will unconsciously put their focus on stopping your attack and protecting that number 19. This would give your teammates more space to attack them in the other direction.''


    ''So, I will be a bait?''


    ''Yeah.''


    Nitta''s grin spread from ear to ear as he felt satisfaction rush inside him.


    ''Well, being a bait seems to be fun too. I wonder if it is as useful as the coach said, though¡­''

 Chapter 94: Itos Resolution!

    Unbeknown to all the Tsunemori yers, it wasn''t Nitta who was the most excited yer on the opposite side right now. No, it was Ito, the captain of the team who just executed the attack perfectly who clenched his fist secretly, celebrating his y in silence. He tried his best to look nonchnt, trying to divert the attention to Nitta who was grinning cockily at their opponent.


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    ''Good. Keep irritating them, Nitta, and let me do the rest.'' He mused.


    Yeah, unlike Nitta who had a loud personality, Ito was quiet by nature. But that didn''t mean he wasn''t less dangerous. As the second-best hitter on the team, he always managed to take advantage of Nitta''s distraction to score and also shared the burden the ace had to bear for the team.


    Even though their personality shed, they worked perfectly like a well-oiled machine,plimenting each other like a light and its shadow.


    Ito took a deep breath, grabbing the ball on the floor while waiting for the referee to blow the whistle. He stood on the service line, spinning the ball yfully while trying to clear his mind. The sound of the crowds seemed to disappear from his ear for a moment, all the thing he had in his mind was one particr spot on the other side of the court.


    ''I need to send it¡­. There!''


    *BAM!*


    As he unleashed his serve, the ball traveled with a high speed, crossing the in a blink. Kaede who saw the serve went straight to Yuki''s direction stepped forward to take it over. However, Yuki shouted immediately.


    "KAI! DON''T MOVE! IT''S MINE!"


    Kaede was taken aback for a second. Unfortunately, he had already moved, and all of a sudden, due to its rapid rotation, the ball suddenly curved sharply into the spot he stood in the first ce. Yuki clicked his tongue, diving his body to try to save the ball. He extended his arms far, trying to reach the ball before it could fall to the floor.


    Unfortunately, the spin kept getting faster, and the ball''s curve movement was getting sharper in a second as if wanting to run away from his grasp. As a result¡­


    *Thud!*


    "YEAAAH!" Ito roared wildly, celebrating the first-ever sessful serve he made in this game.


    "Sorry about that one, Yuki." Kaede apologized quickly.


    "Don''t worry about it." Yuki waved his hand nonchntly. "But he has a nasty spin serve, so don''t move too fast and wait until the ball breaks before you react, okay?"


    "Sure."


    The hardest part of dealing with a spin serve was to figure out where the ball would break. It required patience to wait until it started to change direction, and if yers reacted too fast, they would get caught off guard by the ball''s movement. Just like Kaede before, he moved even before the ball crossed the. In the end, he was deceived, as the ball went to his previous spot and fell there.


    But it was easier for anyone to receive the end of it when they knew that a spin serve wasing. What they had to do was wait, and with good eyes, they would be able to pick the ball up thoroughly.


    *BAM!*


    "Nice save, Kai!"


    "Follow it up, Riku! Follow it up!"


    As the ball was saved by Kaede, Ito rushed forward to the front line to join the blockers. He had already known that his serve wouldn''t be able to produce a lot of points since Kaede and Yuki were both defensive masters in the backline. But he had already decided to be more active in this set, so he didn''t hesitate to step forward next to Haruo to block the opponent''s next attack.


    ''Listen, Ito.''The pep talk Saito gave before rang through his ears. ''Have you forgotten what they said? If we lose this game, you will have no chance to prove them wrong, you know.''


    Unlike Nitta who had a long instruction on what to do, Saito only threw a question toward the captain. However, it was enough to shake him up as Ito''s face paled gradually.


    Yeah, unbeknown to the others, Ito had some sort of knot inside his heart that hadn''t been untied for a long time. When he was in middle school, he was one of the members of a strong team in Oita whose all the yers went to strong teams when they graduated. He was the only one who went to Kyoei that a few years ago was just a no-name team, and everyone knew the motivation behind his decision.


    ''What a greedy person.''


    ''What do you expect from a money-grubber?''


    ''Yeah. It seems we are wrong about him. He doesn''t love volleyball as much as we do and only cares about money.''


    ''Don''t worry, we will never meet him again. There is no way his team would be able to advance through the national!''


    ''That''s right!''


    ''That''s what that bastard gets for choosing money over passion!''


    He could still remember all the insults thrown at him on that day as if he just heard about it yesterday. He wouldn''t care too much about the insult if it came from anyone else since he himself admitted that he chose Kyoei for the money they offered. He had his own reason, of course, and he didn''t need to justify it to the strangers outside of his life.


    However, it suddenly mattered when the insult came from his former teammates. Those who fought side by side with him, shed blood and tears to climb to the highest spot in the country¡­ He didn''t expect they would join strangers to insult him too, even questioning his passion for his volleyball.


    For him, that was the biggest betrayal someone could''ve ever done to him, and it still haunted him until now, which showed how much their action affected his mentality.


    That was why getting through the national tournament became an obsession for him. Not only because of his ambition to dethrone Konan and Matsukita from their position as the top two teams in the country, but also to prove to his former teammates that even if he joined the team for money, that didn''t lessen his passion for the game.


    ''No, I cannot lose this game.'' He greeted his teeth. ''Saito-sensei is right. If we lose right now, I cannot do anything to their words. We need to win this!''


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice save, Aki!"


    "YAMADA!" To everyone''s surprise, the shout this time didn''te from Nitta like usual. No, in fact, it was Ito who was on the right wing who raised his hand, asking for the ball. "QUICK!"


    He only said one word, but the setter knew what he wanted. In a second, the ball flew to the right side with a high speed, Ito''s favorite way to attack. He rushed forward with a high speed before taking off from the floor, ready to spike the ball. Koji and Hirano who were on the other side of the court jumped in unison, prepared to block his attack.


    However, when he was in the air, Ito showed off his flexibility by adjusting his body slightly, changing from going for a straight to a cross spike.


    "SHI ¨C !"


    *BAM!*


    Even though Hirano managed to react in thest second and moved his hands to try to block the cross shot, he wasn''t quick enough. The spike went sharply to the opposite side of the wing, and Asahi who was guarding that spot was frozen on the spot, couldn''t even react at all.


    "YOSSSHAAAAAA!" Ito roared immediately, venting out all the frustration that was built inside him. Inwardly, he thought, ''Sorry about this, Tsunemori. Nothing personal here, but if I lose this game, I will never be able to forgive myself. So, you have to lose today!''

 Chapter 95: Collision!

    "Damn! Their captain is on fire!"


    "Don''t worry about it! The score is still tied! We can still do this!"


    "Come on, Riku!"


    "Come on, Yuki! Beat them all!"


    "TSUNEMORI!"


    The cheers were getting louder by now as all the students inside the building wanted to put more pressure on the Kyoei yers. In their mind, even though the opponent managed to score twice in a row, since the score was still a tie, everything was okay. However, anyone who has experience ying a sport knows that sometimes, the momentum of the game is more important than the score itself.


    They had already seen the example of that, when a while ago, Tsunemori was behind at the end of the first set. However, they grasped the control of the game, so even though they lost the set, they were able to reverse the result in the next set. Unfortunately, the current situation was the opposite as before. Now, it was Kyoei who got the momentum, snatching it from Kyoei.


    ''We need to snatch it again before they can stabilize the game.'' That was the collective thought of all the Tsunemori yers.


    Unfortunately, to snatch the momentum back wasn''t as easy as what everyone said. In fact, they had a headache right now, especially when they looked at Ito on the other side of the. Don''t think that one additional yer couldn''t change the game, but if it wasbined with the right moment, the effect would be destructive.


    They knew it pretty well since that was how Yuki affected the game with his presence.


    "Damn, only one of them is enough to give us a headache, but now it is two, huh?" Kaede grumbled lowly. Everyone nodded in agreement, somehow feeling depressed.


    Their reaction was reasonable, since they were indeed having a massive headache thinking about how to deal with Nitta, even exhausting all the blockers to stop him. But now, with one more yer added to the opponent''s offense, they couldn''t do the same strategy, as it would leave the other space open for another yer to attack.


    In their mind, if Ito who was so passive for the entire game could be more active all of sudden, what prevented the other yers from doing the same?


    Amidst the depression that hit the team though, there was one yer whose expression was the exact opposite. Not only did he not feel down like his teammates, but there was a zing determination red in his eyes, looking at Kyoei''s captain intently.


    "Come on! Get ready for the next y!" Koji pped his hands, snapping their teammates from their daydreaming. "Don''t make the referee wait, it will give them a bad impression about us."


    All of the Tsunemori yers startled for a second, then moved quickly to get ready as soon as possible. They knew how important it was to give a good impression to the referee. Even if it wouldn''t affect the referee''s judgment to favor them, at least they wouldn''t favor the other team.


    A momentter, all the yers from both teams were ready. The referee looked around for a while before blowing his whistle. Right after that, Ito from Kyoei''s side threw the ball in the air, leaping forward before unleashing another serve with a quite nasty spin.


    "I GOT THIS!"


    *BAM!*


    Yuki bent his knee a little, moving his body to the left side to reach the ball. He was able to pick it up, sending it straight to Riku''s direction. The moment the ball touched Yuki''s hand, Koji, Asahi, and Ogawa moved in unison, ready to counterattack.


    "RIKU! LEFT!"


    "GIVE IT TO ME!"


    Riku paused for a second, not to weigh his options, but to see the opponent''s reaction. However, seeing Haruo unfazed at the other''s movement and kept staring at him, he clicked his tongue, knowing that any normal attack would only meet a wall.


    ''Tch. What an annoying opponent.''


    With only a few options to have, Riku finally passed the ball to the yer who had the most experience facing Haruo, and that was Koji.


    "Nice pass, Riku!"


    Just like the setter though, Koji had already seen Haruo''s movement even before the ball went in his direction. He racked his brain quickly in a millisecond, trying to figure out how to deal with this troublesome blocker. Facing Haruo and another blocker on the left side, Koji decided to send a straight spike, trying his luck to see whether the back line of Kyoei would make a mistake or not.


    *BAM!*


    "OH! Nice receive, Aki!"


    Unfortunately, the other Kyoei yers were ready to receive the ball. Just in a split second, their chance was gone, and now, it was Kyoei''s turn to attack.


    "Blockers, get ready!"


    "Asa! Rano! Keep your eyes on their ace!"


    Even though thest two attacks from Kyoei came from their captain, all the Tsunemori yers still didn''t dare to lower their guard against Nitta. They all knew that the ace was their biggest threat in this game, so sticking two blockers onto him was a logical decision.


    However, Kyoei''s setter made the most logical y this time. Instead of passing it to Nitta, he sent the ball to the yer who was still in hot form, and that was the captain himself.


    "Nice pass, Yamada!"


    "Shit! Blocker! Get ready!"


    Seeing the opponent''s blockers in shamble trying to stop his attack, a small grin formed on Ito''s face. However, the moment he recoiled his arms back, two pairs of hands suddenly appeared in front of him, startling Kyoei''s captain for a second. Fortunately for Ito, it wasn''t just him who was surprised.


    Read new chapters at m_v-l''e|-NovelBin


    It seemed the two blockers with green jerseys who jumped at the same time to stop the attack were also surprised, didn''t expect that their teammate would be able to react to it.


    *Brugh!*


    "Ouch!"


    All of the yers on the court winced at the same time when the sound of the collision echoed in the building. Some of the students even closed their eyes unconsciously, knowing whatever happened must have hurt the yers involved. Taking advantage of the chaotic situation in front of him, it wasn''t difficult for Ito to dunk the ball over the, resulting in another point for Kyoei.


    However, not a single yer put their focus on him. They all turned their head to the two Tsunemori yers who just had a collision in the air, worrying about whether they suffered from any injury or not.


    "Damn! Rano, you okay?!"


    "Yuki! Say something here! Tell us what do you feel?!"


    "Sensei, ask for a timeout!"


    Yeah, it was Yuki and Hirano, the two yers with the best game-reading ability and the quickest reaction who just had an ident.


    The moment they both realized Ito was going to attack from the middle again, they knew it would be easier to stop the attack directly rather than waiting on the backline, so Yuki rushed forward immediately and Hirano turned around from keeping his eyes on Nitta to jumping to stop Ito''s attack in a split of second.


    The only mistake they made was theck ofmunication between each other, resulting in a sh that just happened in the court.


    All the Tsunemori yers gathered around them in panic, especially when they didn''t react to the call from the others. They were still in a dumbfounded state, still recalling what just happened. Then, when their brain finally processed the situation around them, a small grin suddenly formed on both their faces, confusing their teammates more.


    "Good reaction, Rano-senpai."


    "You too." A rare genuine small could be seen on Hirano''s face. "But can you leave him to me after this?"


    "Sure!"

 Chapter 96: Connection Between Yuki & Hirano! (I)

    Normally, if losing three points in a row from the same yer, getting the momentum snatched away from the team, and having their two best yers collide with each other that could cause a potential injury to happen at the same time, it would be interpreted as a bad omen, as if saying that even the universe didn''t want them to win.


    This would usually make any team feel depressed, plummeting the mood in a second.


    However, right now, the two yers who just collided with each other, Yuki and Hirano, had identical grins that confused all of the Tsunemori yers, making them forget to feel depressed for all the reasons stated above.


    "Are you sure you''re both okay?" Megumi asked, trying to scan their body with her eyes. When she didn''t receive any answer to her question, she huffed. "If you keep grinning stupidly like that and not answering my question, I will assume that something goes wrong with your head and call an ambnce, you know?" She showed her fist threateningly.


    Yuki could only stare at the girl with a deadpanned expression while Hirano didn''t even take the threat seriously. The other yers choked on the spot and some stiffened theirughter, didn''t expect their usually calm and collected manager to threaten an injured yer like this.


    "If a person still smiles after shing with the other, you should''ve assumed that he is okay, Megumi-senpai, not that there is something wrong with his head," Yuki said wryly.


    "Well, you cannot me me for worrying about you, especially when you had this stupid smile and ignored my question." Megumi crossed her arms in front of her chest. "So, is there any problem with your head?"


    "No, Senpai." Yuki shook his head, indicating he was okay. Hirano also followed his gesture, giving a thumb-up to reassure the manager. "See? Everything is under control here."


    After another round of checking and not seeing any problem with them, Megumi sighed in relief before turning her head to Akira. The coach nodded, also showing a relieved expression as he was d that none of his yers got injured.


    "Well, although our reason for asking a timeout is not ideal, at least the timing is perfect for cutting off their momentum." He said, trying to light up the atmosphere. Not that he had to, since strangely enough, the atmosphere was quite mild here, not as bad as he thought it would be after losing three points in a row.


    It might be because they heard the news that Yuki and Hirano were okay that they didn''t feel too depressed here. "Anyway, why are you both still smiling after the collision?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    After hearing the question, all the eyes turned to both Hirano and Yuki, also curious about that.


    "Well¡­ I don''t really know how to exin it¡­" Yuki rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Maybe, it is because I am d to see Rano-senpai also rushed to stop the attack too¡­ But I don''t know¡­" His tone was unsure.


    That was probably the closest exnation he could give to what just happened. He was indeed relieved to see Hirano was able to match his reaction in thest y. However, there was more that Yuki couldn''t exin clearly. It was as if something suddenly clicked, strengthening the connection between him and Hirano.


    However, he himself wasn''t so sure about that too, since it was the first time he had ever felt something like this.


    Akira stared at his yers for a while. However, when he saw Yuki''s confusion and Hirano''s usual cold face, he finally sighed, letting it slide for a while.


    "Well, since nothing bad happened, we might as well take advantage of this timeout to discuss what we are going to do. Yes, Hirano-kun?" Akira was surprised to see the cold-hearted blocker raise his hand. However, Hirano didn''t care about the coach''s reaction and said what was inside his mind quite frankly.


    "Can I have a request here?"


    -0-


    After ensuring that the yers were okay, the referee asked for all of them to go back to the court once again to resume the game. Since thest y ended up with Ito''s sessful attack, the privilege to serve was still on Kyoei''s captain.


    Unfortunately for Kyoei, Ito''s serve wasn''t the most impressive one by nature. Sure, it had a nasty spin, but itcked velocity and power, which made it easier for the Tsunemori yers to pick it up. Even Ogawa who was the most ordinary one out of all the six of them was able to save it easily, sending it straight to Riku on the front line.


    "Nice receive, Jimmy!"


    "Asa!"


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSHAA!"


    "Nice kill, Asa!"


    "Good job!"


    Riku took advantage of Kyoei''s carelessness after doing a serve to initiate a quick attack. And Asahi who received the ball was able to execute it perfectly, not giving Nitta in front of him a chance to jump and block the ball.


    A collective sigh could be heard all around the building as the crowds released it simultaneously. They couldn''t help but feel nervous before when the opponent received the second wind, afraid that it would cost Tsunemori too muchter. Fortunately, the yers were calm enough to recover and stop the wound before it was too severe and affected the whole game.


    "Come on Koji! You haven''t done anything yet today!"


    "You have to score, you Bastard!"


    "Don''t let them think you are an easy prey!"


    "Come on! Kill them all!"


    When they all heard the support from the crowds to Koji, they had a little bit of sweat drop on their face. It seemed Koji''s friends were so violent and prideful and took this game too seriously. However, it seemed their support worked, as Koji''s next serve was enough to give the opponent a difficult time.


    *BANG!*


    "Damn! Sorry about it!"


    "Yamada! Took cover!"


    "Overhead ball! Hirano, jump!"


    Seeing the ball fly so close to the, both Hirano and Kyoei''s setter jumped at the same time, trying to get the ball first and knock it down the opponent''s area. This time, Hirano showed his ability to win the aerial battle by jumping higher, reaching the ball first and tapping it slightly to deflect the ball to Kyoei''s area.


    Unfortunately, Haruo managed to react fast, rushing forward to save it before the ball could touch the floor.


    "Oh! Damn, Haruo! Nice dig!"


    "YAMADA!"


    As the ball flew still close to the, The setter who was still there didn''t hesitate to toss it immediately, giving his teammates enough time to attack without Hirano''s interference. However, Tsunemori''s middle blocker was still calm. He recovered from his position immediately, moving to the right side where the ball flew and jumped.


    Even though he was one step behind, Hirano couldn''t help but smirk, especially when he noticed someone rushed forward and helped him form a two-man block. Stay connected through m-v l|e''-NovelBin


    ''As expected, you will be there. Your talent to read the game is monster, Yuki.''


    *BAM!*

 Chapter 97: Connection Between Yuki & Hirano! (II)

    Yuki was never a mind reader. He didn''t even know what he was thinking sometimes, let alone what was inside the other people''s heads. However, just for this time, he activated every single cell inside his brain to concentrate himself into one yer, trying to see whether he could read the other''s mind or not. And that yer was of course Hirano, the middle blocker of the team.


    It seemed wrong though, to say he wanted to read Hirano''s mind. No, what Yuki wanted to do currently was to see every tiny detail of Hirano''s body movement, trying to predict where the blocker would go and what wanted to do. He wanted to see whether the connection he felt before when the collision happened was real or just his imagination.


    ''Come on, Senpai¡­ Let me prove this¡­ Come on¡­''


    Yuki stared at the blocker intently from behind, even forgetting that they were still in the middle of the game. He was so eager to see whether what happened before was pure ident or there was something more behind it. And after what seemed to be forever, the chance finally came.


    After the chaotic overhead ball situation which Hirano managed to deal with that calmly, the ball flew with a high speed toward the wing. Hirano also moved there, however, he deliberately slowed down his speed, as if wanting to do something. All of this movement was caught by Yuki''s eyes, making the sses boy more confused.


    ''This is not your regr speed, Rano-senpai. What are you going to do? Wait! Oh! I got it!''


    When his eyes met Hirano''s for a millisecond, realization suddenly hit him hard like lightning. Hirano deliberately slowed down his speed to give the opponent''s hitter the illusion that he couldn''t get it. The millisecond silentmunication between those two was enough for Yuki to figure out Hirano''s intention here and rush forward to fill in the gap.


    Yeah, what Hirano wanted was to give the opponent''s hitter the illusion that no one was going to block him on time. And when the hitter lowered his guard, he would appear out of nowhere like a ghost, inserting himself next to his senpai and blocking the ball at the same time.


    *BAM!*


    "ONE CHANCE!" Yuki shouted when he felt the ball hit his hand.


    "I got this!"


    Koji picked up the ball easily, sending it to Riku. Not wanting to give the opponent any chance to recover, the blonde boy jumped immediately, spiking the ball by himself. His action caught the opponent off guard, and the ball fell far to the backside of Kyoei''s court.


    "YOSSHAAAA!"


    As Riku and the others celebrated, Yuki turned his head excitedly to Hirano. It seemed the middle blocker also knew what he did in thest y and gave him a small, genuine smile.


    "Good job, Yuki. Keep it up." Hirano praised him genuinely.


    Everyone stopped their doing in a second, turning their head immediately at the middle blocker with their jaws droppedically. They had never thought that the cold-hearted blocker who was always stingy with his words would praise someone so genuine as now.


    Yuki himself was excited. His excitement even made him forget about the slight pain from blocking Nitta''s spike directly as he kept recalling the process of thest y second by second.


    ''As expected, Rano-senpai knows I could see his intention. He is using himself as bait to lure the opponent by letting them think that he will arrivete and let me finish the job. What I need to do right now is to be able to read his intention quicker and think what is the most appropriate action to take ording to the situation on the court. Yosh! I am on fire right now!''


    Even though it seemedplicated, for Yuki, what he just thought wasn''t as hard as he imagined it would be, and it was all thanks to Hirano''s thoughtfulness.


    Yeah, even before today, Hirano had already noticed His uncanny connection with Yuki. Whenever he moved and was about to set up a wall, he would always be able to see his kouhai covering the area behind him, particrly the spot where he couldn''t cover if the opponent''s hitter went to spike there.


    That was why it happened often during the game, a situation when Hirano set a wall that got passed easily by the opponent just for the ball to meet Yuki in the back.


    He had never said that to Yuki though, afraid that his kouhai would think he was weird. However, Hirano kept guiding the sses boy slowly to see his intention and act ording to it, and he was satisfied with the result.


    Now that Yuki realized the strong connection between the two, the defense that relied upon them would be strengthened to a new height.


    *BAM!*


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    "Nice one touch, Yuki!"


    "Jimmy!"


    "Sorry! A bit short!"


    "Don''t worry about it!"


    *BAM!*


    "YEAAAAH!"


    Once again, Tsunemori managed to score another point from a quick counterattack initiated by Yuki''s soft block. All the Kyoei yers could only stare at each other helplessly. They didn''t know what happened on the other team.


    One moment the situation looked bad with the collision between their two best yers, now those two were so in sync to cover each other''s back and prevented them from scoring any point again.


    Another unknown witchcraft from Tsunemori High.


    "Any idea on how to deal with this situation, Captain?" Nitta asked. Although his tone was nonchnt, Ito could see the nervousness behind it. It seemed even the ace started to worry about the game too.


    "I don''t know." Ito also shook his head with an identical helpless expression. "The strategy to target the number 19 seems to look more idiotic right now, especially if the number 19 keepsing forward and joins the blocker. With those two on the front, even though our attack is not easy to get killed directly, they could soften the blow and make it easier for their teammates to pick it up."


    "Captain, I ask if you have any solution or not, not to praise them like that." Nitta clicked his tongue in annoyance.


    "Well, I am analyzing their game here. At least it would give us an image of why we cannot score easily again. And it is not like you are providing any solution too here." Ito retorted back snarkily, the muscle on his face also twitched a bit, showing the irritation that started to rise.


    For a moment, they stared at each other intently while the tension around them rose astronomically, making their other teammates nervous. However, one particr person who had zero ability to read the situation suddenly interrupted, which ironically saved the team from ming and pointing their finger at each other.


    "Ano¡­ Senpai, can you hear my idea first?"

 Chapter 98: Haruos Idea

    Currently, Koji couldn''t help but feel excited. He tried his best to hide his trembling hand, didn''t want to show any weakness or mess up in such a crucial situation. He couldn''t help it though. Just like any other sophomore who experienced the disasterst year, he didn''t have a high hope for this team.


    The thought that they were a weak team had already been nted inside his mind, and no matter what the coach and the optimistic freshmen like Yuki and Riku said, it wouldn''t change his mind that they were a weak team.


    That was why when the weak team managed to beat a far stronger team and match the intensity of another strong team, he finally started to feel optimistic. He began to imagine how it would feel to win this game, what would happen next and how amazing they would be treated by their peers. All of those images flew around his head one by one, and it somehow made him excited all of a sudden.


    Unfortunately, what came together with the imagination was the pressure.


    Koji couldn''t help but shiver when he imagined the worst-case scenario that could happen. He failed to do the serve perfectly, giving away the momentum to the opponent. Then, they would have no chance to snatch it back, and until the end of the game, they couldn''t chase the score.


    In the end, they lost the game, and not only they were eliminated from the tournament, but the team was also disbanded for good.


    And he became the biggest sinner that caused all of that.


    Koji''s hands were shaking quite violently, afraid of his own thoughts.


    ''No, no, no. Nothing bad would happen. Everything is going to be alright. Come on, don''t overthink. Everything would be alright.''


    Now that the team managed to survive until the final set and even one point could be crucial for how the game went, the imagination of the worst-case scenario kept shing inside his mind, giving Koji a nightmare. The 9-meter distance between him and the seemed too far away suddenly, and the 2,5 meters height was like a tall building towering under his eyes.


    He couldn''t help but gulp nervously while kept chanting prayers inside his head as if his life depended on it.


    ''Please, don''t let me mess this up¡­ God¡­ Kami-sama... Jesus¡­ Buddha¡­ Wherever you are, please help me this time¡­ Don''t let me mess this up¡­ Please¡­''


    The moment the referee blew the whistle, he didn''t throw the ball in the air. Instead, he raised the hand that had the ball in it and hit it shakingly, sending a normal serve to the other side of the court.


    All of his teammates were taken aback, turning their heads immediately to him. Even though Koji just learned how to do a jump serve recently and it wasn''t as good as Riku''s Koji was always confident in doing so, and in this game, even though he didn''t contribute any points from the direct serve, at least it was enough to trouble the opponent.


    When they saw his pale face, they realized that something was wrong with Koji. Unfortunately, the game was still on, so it was impossible toe and ask what happened.


    *Thud!*


    "Nice receive, Aki!"


    Seeing Kyoei''s yer pick up the ball easily, all the Tsunemori yers stepped back unconsciously, getting ready to receive the attack. Yuki who was in a hot form before was excited, looking at Hirano immediately to observe his senpai''s movement. However, to everyone''s surprise, the ball flew with high speed to the center, catching everyone off guard.


    "A quick!"


    "Rano, jump!"


    *BAM!*


    Even though Hirano rushed to block the attack, he was a second toote. The quick was executed perfectly by Kyoei''s yer as it went through the left back behind Kaede''s spot, with the defensive specialist couldn''t stop the ball at all. However, what surprised them the most wasn''t the quick attack, but the one who executed it, the tall blonde boy who smirked infuriatingly at them.


    ''What the hell?! He can do a quick this good?!''


    Yeah, the one who just spiked the ball was Haruo. His position as the middle blocker on the front makes it easier for him to be the executor of a quick attack. All he needed to do was jump, and with his above-average height, it would be difficult for Hirano or any other Tsunemori blockers to stop it.


    But what surprised them the most was the uracy of Haruo''s spike in thest y. Even if Hirano was one step behind, if any spiker saw the opponent''s blocker rush in his direction, he would panic and make a mess. However, not only Haruo was able to stay calm, but he even dared to aim at the bottom left, close to the sideline. That was the ce where Hirano and Yuki wouldn''t be able to cover.


    It required calmness and precise technique to aim at the exact spot, something that not many middle blockers would have.


    This reminded them once again of the status of one of the best blockers of the generation that Haruo carried right now.


    ''Damn! They still have something on their sleeves, huh? This would be more difficult than we thought it would be.''


    -0-


    "Good job, Haruo-chan!" Nitta praised the middle blocker genuinely. Then, he pouted, confusing his teammates. "If only you were willing to reveal this earlier, we wouldn''t get humiliated so badly like in the second set, you know?"


    Haruo sweated profusely, especially when all the five pairs of eyes turned at him scrutinizingly. "Don''t you forget that after that number 19 destroyed us with his ace serve, we are basically a bunch of useless sticks on the court? No matter how much I want to do this, I think it wouldn''t change the game too much." He said wryly.


    "You are right." Ito nodded, inwardly ming himself for not being able to help the team recover in the second set. "Still, you really surprise us here. We have never seen you join the attack before, so I had a little doubt about it when you told us your idea."


    Everyone nodded in agreement, recalling the memory of what happened before.


    -A little shback-


    ''How about we copy their strategy?'' Haruo said. ''Their blockers can stop us easier because we always rely on Nitta-senpai or Ito-senpai to attack. But what if we add more attackers just like they did before? With more variables on the front line, I am sure something good will happen for us.''


    All of them stared at each other, could see that it was an idea worth trying.


    ''Still, who will join the attack?'' Besides the setter, Ito, and Nitta, all of the yers there had their own specialization and weren''t that good at attacking.


    ''Well, why don''t you let me?'' Haruo grinned, offering himself to be the main character for this experimental strategy.


    ''You?'' One of them asked, doubtful. ''I have never seen you doing a spike before. Can you do it?''


    ''Hey, I can spike, you know?'' Haruo defended himself. ''I have never had a chance to do that before since Nitta-senpai and Ito-senpai would always be there, but this might be a good chance for me to show it off!''


    All the yers there looked at each other for another second before turning their heads to Ito, asking the captain to take the decision. After weighing his options and ncing at Saito on the bench, he finally decided to follow his instinct.


    ''Okay, since Haruo-kun is confident about it, he can join the attack. Yamada, make sure you will give a good pass, okay?''


    ''Yes, Sir!''


    -End of the shback-


    At first, they did it in a desperate attempt since Saito didn''t have any intention to take another timeout. They had to adapt quickly to the situation on the court, and they felt what Haruo proposed was worth a shot. Never did it cross their mind that the strategy would work perfectly, activating their offense once again.


    *BAM!*


    "ONE TOUCH!"


    "Oh! Good block, Nitta!"


    "Yamada-senpai!"


    *BAM!*


    "HELL YEAH!" Haruo clenched his fist excitedly as his next spike was able to contribute to another point for the team. Even though it failed to pierce Tsunemori''s defense, he aimed the ball well enough to make it bounce to one of the opponent''s blockers and gave them a point out of it.


    Tsunemori High21 25 9


    Kyoei Gakuen25 79

 Chapter 99: As The Game Goes By

    Akira furrowed his brows, disliking how the game spiraled out of control. He remembered how excited he was a moment ago when Yuki and Hirano could move in sync on the front line, just to be pped on his face when Haruo suddenly joined Kyoei''s offense to deal with this sudden change.


    Now, the game entered some kind of weird state where Haruo, the opponent''s middle blocker became their strongest hitter while Yuki, his strongest defensive yer, tried his best to block Haruo''s attack.


    He nced sideways at the only yer on the bench, racking his brain on how to use him properly.


    ''If Yuki joined the front line with Hirano, Asa''s presence would only hinder them both, as he couldn''t match their reaction speed. And while as a left-handed hitter, he could be apletely different threat to the opponent, Asa himself is never a good offensive yer. Maybe, putting back Ogawa on the court will do the job.''


    After thinking about it for a while, Akira nodded, convinced that it was the best decision. He turned around and called thest yer on the bench. "Jimmy, get ready. You are in."


    "Me?!" Ogawa was taken aback for a second.


    "Yes, you." Akira nodded once again. After Ogawa stood up, he whispered something at the yer. ''Listen, what I need you to do is to be another hitter who is ready to spike. It doesn''t matter whether you will receive the pass from Riku or not, but you need to keep jumping to divert the opponent''s attention. As for defense, just tell Yuki and Rano they could go crazy.


    And remind them to alwaysmunicate with the other yers, okay?''


    "Yes, Coach!"


    After another long and exhausting sequence of rallies happened and ended with another point for Kyoei due to Kaede''s misjudgment, Ogawa finally joined back at the court. He reced Asahi who hadn''t contributed so much up to now.


    "Yuki, Rano,e here for a second." He waved his hand to the two blockers. "I don''t know what Akira-sensei wants you both to do, but he only said go crazy." He ryed the message. The moment Yuki and Hirano heard that, they both grinned at each other, knowing that they got the green light from the head coach.


    "So, Akira-sensei also noticed our progress, huh?" Yuki couldn''t help but smirk.


    "Well, he is the coach," Hiranomented, hiding his excitement better than Yuki. "Anyway, don''t just look at me before deciding what to do. Don''t forget to keep your eyes on the opponent. No matter how sync we are with each other, it would be useless if we both got fooled by the opponent." He reminded his kouhai.


    "Sure." Yuki nodded at him.


    After that, the tempo of the game was slowed down, turned into monotonous. Both teams chose to retreat at the same time, not only because they wanted to take a safer approach, but also because exhaustion started to kick in. It had been more than one hour since the game began, and their movement started to get sloppy.


    However, the points kept increasing rapidly for both teams. In Kyoei, Haruo''s new approach to the game still managed to gain a slight edge for the team, as Hirano still couldn''t adapt to the opponent''s style yet. As for Tsunemori, the addition of Ogawa as another hitter was enough to allow Riku to be creative, fooling and avoiding Kyoei''s blockers to get a point.


    *BAM!*


    "Nice receive, Kai!"


    It was another serve from Kyoei''s yer, and as the defensive specialist on the team, Kaede reacted quickly to pick up the ball on the left. Riku moved quickly when he saw the ball was in the air, tracking it slowly before getting ready to pass it again. He nced around to see the situation on the court before deciding to pass the ball to the middle.


    ''You want to copy us? Let me show you how the original should be!''


    *BAM!*


    Hirano who was there jumped and spiked the ball in a split second, not giving Haruo time to react. Riku just smirked while silently giving his fellow blondie a provoking gaze, sending a smug smile that Haruo was very familiar with.


    "Damn!" Haruo couldn''t help but shake his head wryly. "He got me this time." However, there was no hint of frustration on his face. He was a national-caliber yer who had already won the biggest prize in the tournament when he was in middle school. Such a childish provocation wouldn''t affect him that easily.


    Ito and Nitta stared at each other, a hint of concern could be seen in their eyes. This was the problem Haruo had that the team was aware of. Since the blocker just won the national tournament a few months ago, he didn''t have the same drive and ambition to win as the other Kyoei yers.


    It was normal for a yer who just won a national tournament to have a bit of hungover and lost motivation for a moment. However, Haruo was their best yer currently, and Kyoei couldn''t afford him not going all out at this time.


    "Should we do something?" Nitta asked with a whisper.


    "I don''t know," Ito answered, his expression was uncertain. "Saito-sensei is still calm enough, so it seems we are overreacting. But we need to be more careful and cannot put more burden on him." He nced at hispatriot knowingly.


    Nitta nodded, indicating that he understood what the captain implied behind his words. "I got it. I will be more active. You too, okay?"


    Since Haruo was an unknown variable that they didn''t know the condition for sure, it would be better to grasp the momentum by themselves and not rely on the blocker. Moreover, they two were the most senior yers on the team and had their own pride, so it was impossible to let a freshman handle everything.


    "The game has already been prolonged for too long," Ito said, ncing at the scoreboard. "It is time for us to snatch it away."


    -0-


    "COME ON, RIKU! GIVE US A GOOD SERVE!"


    "KILL THEM ALL!"


    "COME ON!"


    The game was about to reach the conclusion state, and the crowds were getting louder. Even the most fanatical supporter of Tsunemori who frowned upon Riku who always got cheers from the girls didn''t hesitate to show their support to the blonde boy again. They hoped that the setter would be able to do something impactful on this chance.


    Riku himself was calm. The more the game went into the crucial state, the calmer he was. Even though he didn''t have a lot of experience inpetitive tournaments, this kind of moment was something he had been dreaming of for a long time. There was no way he would mess this up and give away this opportunity so easily.


    ''17 ¨C 18, huh?'' He nced at the scoreboard. ''Whoever got 20 points first would gain the momentum. Yuki has already shown his value and contributing on so many points for the team. This time, it is my turn to do that.''


    Riku turned his head to the opponent yers who took a step back and got ready to receive his serve. Then, an idea suddenly popped inside his head, and a smirk suddenly curled on his face.


    ''I have never thought I would consider doing something like this. You are really a bad influence, Yuki.''


    The moment the referee blew the whistle, he tossed the ball slightly in the air. All the Kyoei yers tensed for a second, taking another step back unconsciously. However, what they didn''t know was that Riku had already prepared a trick to pull in this situation. Seeing how far in the back the opponent''s yers were, he couldn''t help but smirk.


    ''Perfect!''

 Chapter 100: Rikus Service Trick!

    All the Kyoei yers tensed for a second, staring at Riku who took off the ground to do his usual jump serve. Even though Riku''s serve wasn''t so much trouble for them, they were in a crucial moment right now, and even a tiny single mistake could cost them the game.


    They didn''t dare to lower their guard, especially when they all knew Riku''s service packed some power that would be hard to receive if they didn''t concentrate to their fullest.


    They took a step back unconsciously, remembering that the blonde boy would always send the ball far to the back with a powerful serve. However, when he noticed The small smirk on Riku''s face, Aki, the defensive specialist of the team knew what came next was the exact opposite of what they had expected before.


    "SHIT! IT IS A FAKE! GO FORWARD!"


    It wasn''t just him who noticed Riku''s expression. Nitta had already rushed forward even before the defensive specialist could shout to remind the others. But an unexpected thing happened after that. Instead of a gentle service to the front line, Riku sent a powerful one that they had expected earlier, catching everyone off guard.


    "SHI ¨C !"


    *BAM!*


    Aki who was rushing to the front line flinched when he saw the ball zooming into his face with high speed. He raised both his hands unconsciously, protecting his face from the ball. Inwardly, Aki thanked whatever deity protecting him, since he felt a heavy impact hit his hand. If only it hit his head¡­ He shuddered at that thought.


    As the ball hit his hand though, it bounced wildly outside of the court. Nitta who was the closest to save it turned around quickly and rushed toward the ball. Unfortunately, he was one step behind, couldn''t save it from falling to the floor.


    *Thud!*


    "YEAAAAAH!" Riku raised his fist, roaring to celebrate the y.


    "Good job, Riku!"


    "Keep it up!"


    "One more time!"


    The crowds also went crazy when they saw Riku scored from the serve. By now, some students even held something like buckets and drumsticks or something like that to make a loud noise and show their support to the team.


    "Since when did you learn how to do that trick?" Yuki whispered to Riku.


    "Of course, since I saw you did that," Riku whispered back. "Don''t you see their dumbstruck expression when they know they are fooled? Man, that was so priceless! I think I am addicted to it. Yuki, you really are a bad influence on me."


    Yuki was speechless at Riku''s shameless attempt to me him. Still, he didn''t deny his friend''s words. He himself was familiar with this trick. By deliberately showing a smug expression, the opponent would think that he wanted to do a trick and do something unconventional. However, when they reacted, thinking of how to deal with the trick, he would do his usual operation, catching them off guard.


    This kind of mind game where he tried to fool the opponent by deliberately showing his cards just to use them as bait was Sekine''s favorite, which Yuki ¨C and Riku to some extent ¨C learned very well from the old man.


    "So, did you learn anything else from Jiisan that you haven''t shown off yet?" Yuki couldn''t help but ask.


    "Of course, I have!" Riku said smugly. "Just wait! Whates next would be more incredible than thest one!"


    Yuki couldn''t help but feel intrigued by Riku''s bold words. While he knew his learning speed in this sport was far exceeded those of normal people, he knew he had one disadvantage, which was that his body wasn''t trained to be an athlete for too long. For Riku who had been training for such a long time, of course, he could take advantage of his physique to do more tricks, so Yuki was curious now.


    And the blonde boy didn''t disappoint him.


    The next serve he delivered was by far the most powerful one he did today. Its power was just slightly below Nitta''s normal serve, but the tricky spot he aimed was enough to give Kyoei a difficult time. Aki who was closest to the ball bent his knee and leaned his body to the left, attempting to save the ball.


    However, it seemed he was taken aback by the sheer power of the serve and couldn''t aim his receive perfectly, letting the ball bounce on his hand and fly far outside of the court.


    Explore more at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    *BAM!*


    "HELL YEAH!" Riku clenched his fist, his face red full of excitement.


    Yuki could only shake his head at his blonde boy. For all the talk Riku gave to him about the serve going to be more incredible than before, it sure looked like his normal one. However, maybe that was what Riku meant by the trick.


    By pulling the trick before, he made the opponent wary of his serve and didn''t know what he was going to do next, so his normal service would be enough to beat the distracted Kyoei and score another point for the team.


    Or¡­ So that was what he thought.


    However, Yuki was taken aback when he looked at the aghast expression on the other side. And when he observed it carefully, he finally got it.


    ''Riku deliberately aims the ball at Aki, the best defender of the team to give a psychological shock to Kyoei. In such a crucial situation like this, if their best defender couldn''t handle his serve, the entire team would be shaken.''


    "So, how is it?" Riku asked with a knowing grin.


    Yuki shook his head in amazement before he answered, "Do it one more time to make sure they cannot recover quickly and take theirst timeout."


    "Sure!"


    The next serve came as Yuki expected, straight to Aki''s direction. He could see the hesitation in Aki''s eyes. It seemed Riku''sst two serves were enough to disturb his mind.


    *BAM!*


    Like thest one, Aki couldn''t receive the ball perfectly. Instead of going forward, the ball bounced from his hands to behind, went far in the crowd''s direction. Yuki and Riku were ready to celebrate the point, thinking that there was no way someone could save that. Even all the Kyoei yers seemed dejected, knowing it was impossible to save the ball.


    Well¡­ All, but one yer.


    Suddenly, a yellowish blur ran by at a high speed, shocking all the people in the building. The students in the crowd who saw the blur came in their direction and dispersed quickly in panic, afraid of the collision. The culprit of this chaotic situation himself didn''t care about them.


    He kept his eyes on the ball constantly, tracking its movement carefully before jumping with one hand extended in the air.


    "BE CAREFUL!"


    "OH MY GOD! GET AWAY FROM THERE!"


    *BRUGH!*

 Chapter 101 : Haruos Heroic Save!

    All the Kyoei yers were dazed. One moment they saw the ball was out of Akir''s grasp and they were about to feel depressed, but just a secondter, they saw someone from their side rush toward the crowd in an attempt to save the ball. The sequence happened so fast that it took a few seconds for all of that to be registered through their mind.


    It was Ito who finally reacted first. When he saw his teammate, the culprit of the chaotic situation in the crowd shed with the students there.


    "HARUO!" He roared.


    Yeah, it was Haruo, the middle blocker of the team who chased and tried to save the ball, even with the cost of his body. Ito''s heart skipped for a moment when he heard the loud sound of the collision echoing all around the building. However, before he could even ask the boy if he was alright, he could hear the shouting from there.


    "IT''S STILL ALIVE! PICK IT UP!"


    Ito blinked for a moment, then turned his head to the air just to find out that indeed, the ball was still alive. He nced sideways at his kouhai who was still struggling to get up after the heroic save a few seconds ago and stared at the ball hesitantly, falling into a dilemma about whether he should check Haruo first or continue the game.


    But after looking at the determination zing in his kouhai''s eyes, Ito gritted his teeth, convincing himself that this was the right decision.


    ''Haruo is okay, and his sacrifice cannot be wasted that easily. We need to continue the game.''


    With that thought in mind, Ito shouted, "NITTA!"


    "I GOT THIS!"


    Even though Ito''s emergency setup was not that good, he had been training together with Nitta for more than two years. In that period of time, they often acted as each other''s setter, so it could be said that Nitta was familiar with Ito''s awkward setup.


    However, before he could jump, Nitta clicked his tongue at the sight of Hirano and Yuki eyeing him intently.


    ''Tch. What a pest.''


    Yeah, the chaotic situation only happened on Kyoei''s side. On Tsunemori''s, while they all were surprised to see Haruo''s heroic save, they didn''t lose their calm, waiting patiently for the ball toe in their direction. And when it flew toward Nitta''s, Hirano and Yuki jumped at the same time, not giving the ace any room to spike.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice block, Hirano!"


    "But they got a second chance! Damn it!"


    "Don''t worry! Do it again! Block them!"


    "Yeah!"


    The crowds became more excited when they saw Hirano blocked Nitta''s spike attempt. The noise kept getting louder and it even started to distract Tsunemori''s yers too. But just as the crowds said before, the ball was still within Kyoei''s grasp.


    When he saw the area in front of him was shut down, Nitta aimed the ball at Hirano''s hand to let it bounce back at their own area so that they had a second chance to attack while giving Haruo enough time to recover.


    And it seemed to be the right decision, as before all the Tsunemori yers were ready for another attack, Yamada, the setter of the team suddenly set up a quick attack, and like a d¨¦j¨¤ vu, a yellowish blur suddenly rushed toward the ball. But this time, instead of trying to make it stay in the air, he mmed the ball with all his might, knocking it down to the opponent''s floor.


    *BAM!*


    This time, it was Tsunemori''s turn to be dazed. They all had their jaws dropped, still couldn''t process what just happened. Haruo, the main protagonist of the amazing sequence had a big grin on his face, knowing that what he did earlier basically saved the entire team from losing control of the game.


    "You don''t think you can do anything you want in front of us that easily, right?"


    -0-


    "Damn! He is so arrogant!"


    "He is handsome, though."


    "Yes, and he also has a blonde hair!"


    "He might be more handsome than Riku-sama!"


    "Mind your words!"


    "Yeah! Riku-sama''s handsomeness is absolute!"


    Honestly, if Haruo''s amazing y happened in a different scenario, all the Tsunemori yers would fall into depression instantly. However, when they heard how all the girls around started debating who was more handsome between Haruo and Riku, their facial muscles twitched, speechless at the reaction from the crowds.


    "Your fangirls sure are something else, Riku," Yuki mumbled. "One moment they cheer for you, and when they see another handsome blonde, they turn their eyes immediately. Their loyalty toward you is amazing." He shook his head sarcastically.


    Riku blushed unconsciously, couldn''t help but feel embarrassed, thinking their action also represented himself. "Well, you have to admit that even though he is still below me, that middle blocker''s handsomeness is good, okay? It is no wonder the girls would feel something when they saw him. They have a good taste, after all." He said defensively.


    All the other yers who heard his words twitched their mouths at the same time, speechless at how shameless Riku was when talking about handsomeness.


    "So, you admit he is as handsome as you?" Yuki grinned, encircling his arm around Riku''s shoulder.


    "Bite your tongue!" The blonde boy retorted. "You heard me saying that he is below me! Don''t twist my words!"


    "Really?" Yuki asked yfully. "Then, don''t you also hear them debating that he is more handsome than you? Are you not feeling offended?" He wiggled his eyebrows slightly, signaling the others to join the fun.


    "Yuki is right, Riku!" It was Kaede who jumped onto the boat first. "Are you going to let this offense slide?"


    "If it were me, I would never be able to sleep peacefully at night!" Ogawa nodded.


    "Yeah! You need to take revenge!"


    "Oh, shut up!" Riku finally snapped. "Don''t think I don''t know what you are doing here!"


    "Oh?" Yuki arched his eyebrows innocently. "Please, do tell."


    "You are trying to make fun of me to lighten up the mood, right?" He scowled. "It is not funny!"


    "Oh, but it is, for us." Kaede snickered.


    "Yeah. Hysterical, even." Koji nodded.


    "Well, I am d you have fun." Riku pouted childishly. "I hope you all never get that kind of treatment from any girls in the school." He stomped all his way toward the less crowded spot there.


    Yuki sighed in relief when he saw Riku was back to his normal state. When he saw ire rose on his friend''s face, he knew that the blonde boy''s mentality was shaken from thest y. Well, not that he could me Riku, since not only his momentum was stopped, but the culprit behind it was the yer who frustrated him all the time during the game.


    Yuki was afraid for a second that Riku would lose his calm and started to pick up a fight against Haruo just to settle the score. Not an actual fight, of course, but using the game to deliberately target the opponent''s blocker for nothing. It would be a disaster if the blonde boy did that, knowing that Haruo ¨C for all the surprise he gave ¨C was still dubbed as the best blocker of his generation.


    He¡­ No, not just him. Tsunemori needed Riku to be calm and collected, especially when the game was in a crucial time like right now.


    ''19 ¨C 19, huh? It is a pity Riku''s serve cannot produce one more point. But whoever gets the next point will be one step further toward the next stage. We need to grab it as quickly as possible.''

 Chapter 102 : Another Tough Rally!

    Meanwhile, on Kyoei''s side, all the yers gathered around the middle blocker, trying to check his condition.


    "You okay, Haruo?" Ito asked, worried. After all, he heard the loud sound of the collision, and he himself flinched unconsciously at that moment. He didn''t dare to imagine what would have happened if it had been him who was in that position.


    "Don''t worry, Senpai!" Haruo grinned widely, flexing the muscles on his arms proudly. "My body has been tempered through hardship for this specific situation! There is no way I would get hurt for something so small like this!"


    Ito didn''t know whether it was a fake bravado to reassure him that everything was okay while Haruo was hiding his pain or it was indeed true, Haruo was alright and nothing bad happened. After another round of observing his expression, only to find out that Haruo was still as bright as ever, he finally let out a relieved sigh.


    "Good. I am d that you are okay." He patted his kouhai''s shoulder. "Thank you for saving our asses."


    Haruo was stunned by the sincere tone from the captain, then grinning once again. "Does that mean you will trust me more that I wouldn''t lose motivation that easily?"


    Ito ¨C and Nitta who overheard the conversation ¨C blushed immediately at his words, embarrassed that he was caught offhandedly by his kouhai. "Well, you cannot me us here! You have never shown any extreme emotion in the game like excitement when we are on the lead or anxiety when we are in a bad position.


    All we could see from you was either that stupid, bright grin or flirtatious words that always came from your mouth to make the girls blush! It is as if you don''t take the game seriously!" Nitta chimed in with a defensive yet using tone.


    Haruo was stunned at Nitta''s sudden rant, then his expression turned serious. "Senpai, it seems you misunderstand me here. It is not like I don''t take the game seriously, but I have already experienced the highest stage of the tournamentst year. Compared to them, there are not many things that could make me excited or anxious that easily. But that doesn''t mean I don''t care.


    Please, don''t insult my professionalism here."


    The two senpai couldn''t help but feel guilty. They were probably the two who were the most concerned about Haruo''s state, thinking hecked the drive and motivation to win the game. However, when they remembered how their kouhai hustled for the ball before and how he took the initiative to propose a new way to attack, they knew motivation was never a problem for Haruo.


    The boy had the same or even more hunger to winpared to them, yet he hid it well enough from everyone else.


    "Well, let''s not dwell on this issue anymore!" Haruo suddenly raised his voice, snapping his senpai from their thought. "We still have six more points to grab. Come on! We need to score in the next y, or our position would be unfavorable."


    Ito was taken aback, but then nodded solemnly. Just like any other yer on the court, he knew that the next point was so crucial for both teams. Whoever got it first would be one step closer to the next stage.


    "You are right, Haruo." He said. "Let''s not dwell on this issue anymore. For now, we have a game to win. Let''s put our best and go home with a win!"


    "YES, SIR!"


    -0-


    Five minutes had passed since thest y when Haruo scored earlier. The tension was rising on the court, with everyone waiting patiently for the referee to start the game. The referee himself stopped it for a moment, letting the crowd who just had a collision with Haruo recover and calming them down first, making sure that the situation was still under his control.


    After the situation was better, the game was resumed once again. This time, it was Kyoei''s turn to serve. The ball flew smoothly toward the other side of the court, yet Koji was able to pick it up easily.


    "Nice, Koji!"


    Riku rushed toward the ball immediately, preparing to set up another attack. He nced sideways through the other side of the, trying to figure out where Haruo was. Even though he didn''t want to admit it, Riku knew that Haruo was an amazing blocker. An ordinary setup wouldn''t work against him as Haruo''s reaction sometimes was even quicker than the speed of his pass.


    Seeing his friend was in a dilemma, Yuki also rushed forward, ready to join the attack. Together with Ogawa, they both started their run-up on the right side.


    "RIKU!"


    Having so many choices to attack, Riku suddenly forgot his thoughts before, then decided to do something foolish. He didn''t even confirm the opponent''s position and decided to go for a dump, wanting to retaliate against Haruo''sst attack. However, Haruo could see the impatient in his eyes and waited patiently until the ball came before he jumped too.


    *Thud!*


    "SHIT!" Riku cursed when he saw Haruo return his dump easily. Fortunately, Kaede followed his movement carefully and managed to save the ball before it could fall to the floor. "Thanks, Kai! Sorry about that one!"


    "Concentrate, Riku!"


    "Left!"


    Didn''t want to repeat his mistake twice, Riku chose a safer option this time, sending it far to Yuki who was on the nk. However, Kyoei was prepared for this attack too, as Nitta suddenly jumped, blocking Yuki''s route for cross-spike.


    ''Tch!'' Yuki clicked his tongue in annoyance. ''It is too close to the antenna, I cannot spike it straight. I need to do the other thing.''


    As he swung his arms quickly, the moment it was about to hit the ball, he reduced the momentum, and instead of a spike, he tapped the ball with the pad of his fingers gently, making it roll over Nitta''s hands.


    "FUCK!" Nitta cursed out loud.


    However, it seemed Aki didn''t was also on fire too. After seeing how Kaede managed to see the ball that got blocked by Haruo before, he didn''t want to lose against his fellow defensive specialist. He kept his eyes constantly on Yuki, and when he saw Yuki''s arms slowed down, he rushed forward and sprawled.


    *Thud!*


    "Goddamnit!" This time, it was Yuki who cursed.


    "Oh! Nice dig, Aki!"


    "Yamada!"


    For a moment, the game entered another long and exhausting rally. Even though Kyoei was offensively better, Tsunemori defended their area stubbornly, not willing to give a free point to the opponent. The crowds held their breath unconsciously, their head kept turning from left to right to left over and over again to follow the ball.


    A minute passed quickly with the rally far from over yet. However, by the look of the yers'' faces on the court, it was clear they all were exhausted and couldn''t keep going for too long.


    And then¡­


    "YAMADA!"


    Seeing Nitta go for the ball again, Yuki gritted his teeth, ready to jump. At this point, he had already forgotten the pain he felt in his hand. Adrenaline was the best painkiller at that moment. Unfortunately, even though in his mind, he felt everything was alright, that didn''t mean his body thought the same.


    *BANG!*


    Yuki winced when he felt the blow of the spike. The pain that he hadn''t felt since he returned in the first set came back again like someone just hit it with a hammer. However, that wasn''t what he cared about the most right now. Instead, it was the ball that flew back to Kyoei''s side.


    "FREE BALL!"


    "YAMADA! AGAIN!"


    Seeing another attack from Nittae in his direction, Yuki knew he wouldn''t be able to save it. If anything, he should try to protect his body as the spike would hurt a lot. Unfortunately, when he wanted to move, his feet suddenly rebelled against his will.


    "SHIT!"


    That was when Yuki realized that exhaustion finally hit him hard. With the ball going in his direction and he couldn''t move his body at all, the only thing the sses boy could do was to protect his body from the ball, and¡­


    *BANG!*

 Chapter 103: Yukis Request!

    "YUKI!"


    "ARE YOU OKAY?!"


    "AKIRA-SENSEI, TIMEOUT!"


    Chaos fell on Tsunemori''s side as all the yers there saw Yuki was blown away from the impact of the spike. They all had some sort of panic expressions on their face, worrying that he got hurt again and had to be subbed off for the rest of the game.


    Yuki himself was dumbfounded by their reaction. While yes, the spike before the hurt and it threw him away one or two meters behind, but it wasn''t as exaggerating as the others made it to be. He only felt the same burning sensation as he had in the first set toe again, but this time, he had already gotten used to it.


    As for the fall from impact¡­ He didn''t even notice about it until he realized he was still on the floor.


    "Don''t worry, everyone. I am o-" Yuki was about to reassure his teammates when he realized his legs felt like jelly. This was the first time he saw his legs shaking heavily and he was afraid they couldn''t support his body.


    Seeing that, Akira didn''t hesitate to use thest remaining timeout he had to look at Yuki''s condition closely. He asked several yers there to help bring Yuki to the bench so that he could check the boy thoroughly.


    After what felt like an eternity, Akira finally let out a very deep relieved sigh before giving a thumbs-up to his yers. "It is good. He is just exhausted, nothing you need to worry about."


    The moment those words escaped from his mouth, relief washed away the worry on their face as all the yers followed Akira''s action to let out a deep sigh. Yuki who was the victim of the ident couldn''t help but snort amusedly. Yet there was still a concern shown on his face.


    "Sensei, I have been following all the training regimes you gave to us. So, howe I am still the first one to be exhausted here? I didn''t even y at the fullest in the first set before! It is almost like my stamina is not improved at all." He huffed, frustrated.


    All the yers there also turned their heads to their coach questioningly. They knew that whenever it was time for physical training, Yuki was the most excited one since it was probably his only shoring. But seeing that there was no result even after all of that¡­


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Akira asked helplessly. "Physical training is not something you can see the impact immediately, you know? Yuki has only been doing that for a month at most, so there is no way you can see a ring improvement. This is sport, not magic. Please, be realistic."


    This¡­


    Even though they knew the coach was right, they suddenly felt offended. The tone that Akira used to say thest word was full of ridicule, making their facial muscle twitch a little.


    "Anyway!" Riku suddenly spoke, interrupting before any quarrels could happen. "Here is the question that I think anyone wants to hear the answer. Can Yuki still y with his condition?"


    Everyone was taken aback by his words, then turned their head to the coach once again for confirmation. Hell, even Yuki who was the main subject of the conversation also leaned his body forward, looking at the coach impatiently. However, it wasn''t Akira who answered the question, but Megumi who hadn''t said anything yet since the beginning.


    "Even if he can still y, do you have the heart to force him to y when he is already this exhausted?" Her voice was tiny, yet could be heard by anyone else. "Do you think he has done enough for the team and deserves some rest?"


    The atmosphere turned somber, as everyone fell into a dilemma. While they couldn''t deny the truth behind Megumi''s words, they also knew the importance of Yuki''s presence for the team. Once he was subbed off, the team would crumble immediately, and they could say goodbye to the team.


    Akira sighed once again. But this time, it contained tiredness that was rare to be heard from the coach. After pondering for a second, he finally decided to tell the truth. "From my perspective, Yuki is alright, just a little bit fatigue that could be relished with a little rest. However!" He raised his hand to stop the girl''s protest. "Megumi is also right.


    Yuki deserves some rest for carrying our asses up to this point. So, I will throw it back to Yuki. What do you think? Do you want to get a rest first or can you hold on for five more points?"


    Yuki was stunned, not expecting the coach would throw it back to him. He squirmed ufortably under everyone''s hopeful gaze, feeling a little bit awkward right now. He pondered for a while, weighing his options.


    ''My legs feel like a jelly right now. Even if I am on the court, I doubt I could contribute anything to the team. But to leave the team first after everything¡­''


    After thinking for a while, he finally decided. "Give me five minutes!" He turned to the other yers seriously. "Hold them back for at least five minutes. After that, I will be back like nothing happened. Can you do that?"


    All the yers there were taken aback by the sudden request. However, when they saw the zing determination on Yuki''s exhausted face, they knew the boy was serious. And if the victim was determined toe back, who were they to prevent him from doing so?


    "Five minutes, huh?" Kaede muttered lowly. "It wouldn''t be so easy."


    "Yeah." Koji nodded solemnly. "With their blocker joining the attack and their ace suddenly getting fired up again, surviving for five minutes is like a mission impossible."


    "However¡­" Riku''s words trailed. "We have already done the same before, right? Remember the first set?"


    "Yeah." Okamura nodded. "We also did the same against Shimoyawata. It is just like going back to the beginning."


    "Going back to the beginning?" Someone muttered, parroting the libero''s words. "I like that sentence. Yeah, it is just like going back to the beginning."


    Yuki''s request was like a spark. It seemed to be so little at the beginning. However, by the time everyone thought about it, it ignited the determination inside them, changing the despair situation into a new motivation.


    "Five minutes?! Don''t underestimate your senpai, Yuki! Even if you ask for one hour, we will do this!"


    "Hell yeah! Kyoei Gakuen? Who are they?!"


    "Come on! Let''s show them who is the boss here!"


    "Yeah! Let''s drag them to the hell!"

 Chapter 104: Another Survival Battle! (I)

    "You are cheating, Sensei," Megumi mumbled lowly, yet still loud enough to be heard by Akira next to her.


    ''Cheating?!'' The coach was taken aback by the sudden usation. However, after thinking about it carefully, he couldn''t help but smile wryly, knowing why the girl said that. ''She is not wrong. I shouldn''t throw the decision back to Yuki.''


    No matter how mature Yuki was, at the end of the day, he was still a teenager. In a heated moment like this, his emotion would definitely override anymon sense inside his head, making it impossible for him to decide what was best for himself. After all, there was no way Yuki would befortable leaving the team alone, especially when he himself was still able to hold on for a little longer.


    ''Still, it should be me who takes a decision, and I should consider whether forcing him to y would hurt Yuki''s body or not.'' Akira thought inwardly. ''But we need his presence right now, and while it might be egoist and heartless, I cannot let him go. Sorry, Yuki. I will make it up for you after this game.''


    -0-


    "Hey, Kobayashi is not on the court!"


    "Yes! He sat on the bench!"


    "Well, it is understandable. You heard how loud the spike was before, right? If it was me, I would be sent to the hospital immediately after getting hit by that."


    "But that Kyoei''s yer is too much! It is not the first time he is targeting Kobayashi!"


    "Hey, you are right! He has done the same in the first set!"


    "Yes! He should have a malicious thought toward Kobayashi!"


    "Damn! He is so vicious!"


    "Die, you bastard!"


    The curses and threats that seemed to die down since the second set suddenly rose once again, echoed all over the building. They started targeting Nitta who was the culprit behind all of this, cursing and insulting him in every way possible. Some even thought that the game didn''t matter anymore, as long as Nitta couldn''t walk away from the building in all pieces, they would be satisfied.


    The intimidation tactic that the crowds unconsciously threw was able to shake off Kyoei''s mentality.


    "Nitta-senpai, they really hate you." One of themmented, wilted under the crowd''s re.


    "It doesn''t matter." Nitta waved his hand casually. "When we win the gameter, we will still be the viin here, so why not fasten the process a bit?"


    Ito could only smile wryly at the nonchnt behavior shown by his friends.


    "And in this case, even if I have the ability to go back in time, I would still do the same, be the viin of the day," Nitta said, then turned his eyes to Yuki at the bench. "After all, it is all thanks to my spike that we finally managed to send out their best yer. With this, everything would be easier."


    Yeah, this was probably the best part of being the viin this early. By now, everyone had already realized the importance of Yuki''s presence for their opponent. The sses boy wasn''t just a defensive specialist, but also the spiritual leader of the team.


    Putting aside his versatility, whenever Yuki was on the court, all the Tsunemori yers would be able to perform better, as if something heavy was lifted from their shoulders.


    That was why removing Yuki from the image was a good thing for them.


    "Without him there, it would be easier for us to win the game," Nitta said. Everyone nodded in agreement, thinking the same. Only one yer thought otherwise, staring at their opponent on the other side of the court.


    ''If anything, it would be harder for us to win.''


    -0-


    After talking to the teacher who was responsible for the crowds and taking control of the situation there, the referee finally blew the whistle to resume the game. Once again, a normal serve came to Tsunemori''s side, which was picked up easily by Ogawa who was the closest to the ball.


    "Nice receive, Jimmy!"


    "Riku!"


    Riku clicked his tongue in annoyance when he saw his option was limited. Yuki''s recement, Okamura, was the libero and couldn''t join the attack. Together with Kaede and Hirano whose preference wasn''t in offense, they were basically out of his consideration. Continue your adventure with m|v-l''e -NovelBin


    But that meant only Ogawa and Koji were left to attack, and while those two didn''t have a bad day, their performance today was not satisfying either.


    This really put his trust in the senpai to a test.


    ''Well, if the situation is like this, maybe I could put myself into the picture too.''


    With that thought in mind, instead of tossing the ball, Riku changed his stance to spike, catching everyone ¨C even his teammates ¨C off guard.


    *BAM!*


    Even though he was not running up to gain momentum, his spike was still powerful enough to make some people in the crowds flinched unknowingly. However, there was one yer on the other side who wasn''t fooled by the spike dumb and reacted quickly, and that was Haruo on the front line.


    "FREE BALL!"


    "Oh! Nice block, Haruo!"


    "Tch!" Riku clicked his tongue once again in annoyance when he saw Haruo still eyeing him like a pest. "Hirano-senpai! Come on!" He joined the front line immediately, didn''t want to dwell on it for too long.


    Yamada, Kyoei''s setter got the second ball quickly, and without hesitation, he passed the ball to Nitta. Riku and Hirano jumped immediately, trying to block Nitta''s path to spike. However, it seemed like Kyoei''s ace was in hot form. Seeing the wall in front of him, he exerted all the power inside his body for the spike, trying to tear it down with brute force.


    *BAM!*


    "SHIT!" Riku cursed, feeling a burning sensation on his hands. He gritted his teeth unknowingly, trying to ignore the pain while shouting, "COVER IT UP!"


    "I GOT THIS!"


    Koji rushed in an attempt to save the ball, bringing the next surprise to the audience. While it wasn''t his first time receiving the ball, all the people in the building had never seen him hustling for the ball so hard like this.


    Before this y, the hitter would always stand and do light jogging when a wild ball came in his direction before shrugging helplessly while saying it was out of his reach.


    However, Koji didn''t care about their surprised expression. Right now, his mind was filled with the ball that flew above him, and the moment it fell, he sprawled, hitting it to the back so the ball would go back to the court.


    "OH! NICE DIG, KOJI!"


    "CONCENTRATE! IT IS NOT OVER!"


    Unfortunately, thest shout camete. Seeing the balle back in his direction, Nitta didn''t hesitate for a second beforeunching his second attack, not giving enough time for the Tsunemori yers to recover. He didn''t even step back and restart his run-up, just jumped immediately and spiked the ball hard to catch his opponent off guard.


    ''I got this!''


    *BAM!*

 Chapter 105: Another Survival Battle! (II)

    -A little shback-


    ''Kai,e here.'' Akira called his defensive specialist.


    ''Eh? Me?'' Kaede pointed his fingers at himself confusedly. ''What''s wrong, Sensei?'' He approached the coach with a concerned gaze. It was during the timeout after he checked Yuki''s condition, when Akira suddenly wanted to talk to him. Even though the others were curious, since Sekine took over the pep talk, they couldn''t know what Akira and Kaede talked about.


    ''Listen, I have one more task that only you can do it. I wonder if you are willing to listen?'' Akira not beating around the bush and asked immediately.


    Kaede was taken aback at the sudden request. But seeing there was no hint of a joke or prank in the coach''s eyes, he knew it was something serious.


    ''What kind of task?'' He finally asked.


    Akira patted his shoulder before lowering his body a little so he could go eye-to-eye with his yer. ''I want you to rece Yuki as the leader of the backline. Can you do that?''


    ''The leader of the backline? Me?!'' Kaede was stunned. ''Why me?!'' He shrieked, starting to panic.


    ''Just like I said, it is because only you who can do it.'' Akira looked into his eyes. Seeing the doubt and hesitation in Kaede''s eyes, Akira decided to add the fuel. ''In this team, only you and Yuki are capable of doing that, since you both are the two best defenders of the team and everyone respects it. But it would be a waste of Yuki''s versatility if he was chained by responsibility on the back.


    So, I want to use this moment when Yuki is not on the court to test whether you can be the leader of our defense or not. What do you think?''


    Akira was d when he saw Kaede got his point and didn''t reject the idea. Seeing the boy was still hesitated, he gave the final push. "Of course, you can refuse the request, and I will only ask you to be an emergency leader until Yuki returns. But if you epted it, Yuki would be freed from one of his responsibilities, reducing his workload and making him less exhausted.


    This would bring our team to a new level. What do you think?''


    -End of the shback-


    ''You are unfair, Akira-sensei. Using emotional ckmail to rope me to this new responsibility.'' Kaede chuckled when he remembered thest conversation with his sensei. ''But it doesn''t mean I don''t like it. Come on! Come!''


    When he saw the ball wasing back to Kyoei''s side, he shouted immediately, "CONCENTRATE! IT IS NOT OVER!", trying to warn his teammates. However, when he saw that no one was able to recover quickly, he growled in annoyance.


    ''Still toote! I cannot hesitate when taking themand!''


    However, even though he was still cursing himself, that didn''t mean Kaede forgot about the y. Seeing his teammates couldn''t recover in time, he switched his priority frommanding to doing it by himself, staring intently at Nitta. And when the ball finally came¡­


    *BANG!*


    "SAVED! KAEDE SAVES THE BALL!"


    "AWESOME, KAI!"


    "COVER IT!" Kaede shouted once again, stopping his teammates from stupidly celebrating the y when it wasn''t over yet. "THE BALL IS GOING DOWN! RIKU!"


    "I got this!"


    When the ball was an inch from the floor, Riku extended his foot far, letting the ball hit it instead of the floor. Seeing that, Hirano who was on the frontline rushed to cover the next ball, sending it far to the backline of Kyoei''s side.


    "COME ON! RECOVER!" Kaede shouted non-stop, didn''t dare to rx.


    All the Tsunemori yers recovered instantly, ready for the next attack. They didn''t care how many times they had to receive that kind of spike, but as long as it could stale the time for Yuki to return, everything would be worth it.


    Nitta whose spike was able to be saved repeatedly started to get frustrated. When he saw the ball fly back to their own side again, he took a few steps back and started his run-up again.


    ''What a stubborn bastard.'' He couldn''t help but scowl. ''If you want to make this an endurance battle, let''s do it! Let''s see who is the first one to copse!''


    *BAM!*


    "YOU MOTHERFUC¨C!" Nitta cursed frustratingly when once again, his spike met another wall from Tsunemori''s side.


    "OH! NICE BLOCK, HIRANO!"


    "FREE BALL!"


    Riku nced sideways toward Kyoei''s side and found that most of them had some kind of exhausted expression on their face. Unlike Kyoei yers who expected to have a not-so-hard game, all the Tsunemori yers were ready to fight until death even before the game. So, when they were able to drag the opponent into an endurance battle like this, it should be an advantage for them.


    Unfortunately, it seemed exhaustion also started to hit Tsunemori too. When Riku was about to toss the ball, he didn''t know what happened, but it suddenly slipped from his hand, falling straight to the floor.


    *Thud!*


    "Eh?!"


    All the people inside the building had their jaws dropped in disbelief as their eyes fell into the ball that rolled down mockingly on the floor. When everything sunk into their head, it was Kyoei yers who reacted first, roaring in celebration.


    "OOOOH!"


    "FINALLY!"


    "GODDAMNIT! This is the longest rally I have ever yed in my life!"


    "Come on! Four more points!"


    Meanwhile, all the Tsunemori yers gathered around Riku immediately, looking at the blonde boy with a concerned gaze.


    "You okay, Riku?" Kaede asked, worried.


    Riku stared at his palm for a moment before shaking his head immediately, giving his teammates his brightest smile of the day. "Don''t worry, Senpai. I am okay." He reassured the others. "My hands are sweating a lot, so the ball slips through it. I am sorry!"


    Seeing his unconcerned expression, everyone sighed in relief. "Man, you scare the shit of us here." Okamura patted his chest in relief. "I am not worried about the mistake, since the game is not over yet. But if something bad happened to you too, I don''t want to think of what should we do for the rest of the game."


    "Yeah." The others nodded in agreement.


    Right now, the responsibility as the moral pir of the team lies in Riku. He was the one who carried the team offensively, so of course everyone would look up to him. The barrier of the senpai-kouhai rtionship between them had crumbled already, as all the yers there acknowledged each other as teammates, fighting side by side with the same status.


    "21 ¨C 19, huh?" Riku took a nce at the scoreboard, then stared at Yuki who couldn''t even sit on the bench calmly by now. "It seems Akira-sensei wants to wait for one or two more ys and let Yuki''s stamina recover before putting him back on the court. But before he returns, we need to score first.


    If they widened the gap one more time, it would be hard for us to chase it even with Yuki on the court."


    All of them listened carefully, knowing at this time, they needed someone to be a leader to guide them, and Riku was able to take that role.


    "So, what should we do next?" Kaede asked. Riku pondered for a moment before his eyes fell on Kaede, making the defensive specialist look ufortable. "What?!"


    Then, Riku grinned, as inspiration suddenly popped inside his head. "Well, I have an idea here¡­"

 Chapter 106: Surprise Attack!

    Kaede took a deep breath, trying to look as calm as possible. Even though his presence was only noticeable when Tsunemori was under attack, he couldn''t help but feel that right at this moment, all the eyes suddenly turned to him. He put his hand behind unconsciously, trying to hide his sweating hands due to the nervousness he felt right now.


    Inwardly, he cursed Riku over and over again for pulling this shit out of nothing.


    ''What do you mean by me joining the offense?!'' Kaede shrieked, his voice rose a little.


    ''Pst! Lower your tone!'' Riku hissed immediately. But just as I said, I need you to join the offense after this. You don''t have to do it all the time, but at least you need to score one point before Yuki returns to the court.''


    Unlike Kaede who started to fall into a panic state, everyone who heard his exnation looked at the blonde boy skeptically. ''No offense, Riku. But why Kai? He hasn''t been involved in any offense since the beginning of the game. Would it be too risky?'' Koji voiced the question everyone had in their head.


    ''That is why Kai has to do it!'' Riku said once again to convince the other. ''Our option for offense is limited right now. Until the next two rotations, Oka-senpai would be on the court and couldn''t contribute anything to our offense. If I could only depend on Koji and Jimmy, it would be hard, since the opponent had already adapted to their style.


    That is why we need a surprise element, and that is why I ask you and Rano-senpai to join.''


    ''Fuck him and his absurd idea!'' Kaede cursed when he recalled the conversation before. After thinking for a while, he cursed once again to another person. ''Fuck Akira-sensei and his absurd idea too!''


    Yeah, Kaede was still overwhelmed. Before this game, he was at best the defensive specialist of the team, just recing Yoshi after the third-year student made a bigmotion. However, before the game ended, a pair of uncles and nephews suddenly roped him into their absurd idea, and before he knew it, he had be themander of the backline and also the secret weapon to surprise the opponent.


    Everything went so fast that he couldn''t evenprehend it.


    ''Don''t worry, Senpai. You don''t need to join the offense all the time.'' Riku''s words popped into his mind once again. ''If you do that, the surprise attack would not work. No, we need to wait for the right timing to make it sessful. Just wait for my signal. Before that, let''s defend the next ball and not let them score again, okay?''


    ''Asking me to join the offense without letting me out of my responsibility? What a jerk.'' Kaede snorted. He took a deep breath once again, trying to clear his mind. ''Let''s not oveplicate things and focus on what is in front of me first. Okay, take a deep breath¡­ Let it out¡­''


    While Kaede was trying to rx his mind, the referee finally blew the whistle, resuming the game. The serve was still the same, not strong enough to score directly against Tsunemori. Koji covered Riku''s spot and picked the ball up, giving the setter the chance to get the second ball.


    "RIKU!"


    "Okay!"


    Riku turned his head around to see the situation on the court. When his eyes met Kaede''s, he shook his head gently. ''No, it is not this time. Let''s wait until their position is scattered before we start the surprise attack, okay?'' Seeing his gesture, Kaede took a step back, knowing that his participation wasn''t needed this time.


    When the ball was finally about to fall to his hand, Riku finally took action. He tossed it high, sending it to the left side. Koji who was there didn''t hesitate to jump, leaping high into the air before smashing it as hard as he could.


    *BAM!*


    "ONE TOUCH!"


    "Oh! Nice block, Haruo!"


    Unfortunately, Koji''s spike was still easy to get anticipated by Haruo. However, it was still within Riku''s expectations.


    ''Listen, Senpai. You have two tasks out there.'' Riku talked to Koji earlier. ''First, you need to make sure you don''t give them an easy ball, and second, make sure you leave a strong impression on the opponent. Can you do that?''


    Even though Koji wasn''t sessful in giving the opponent a difficult time, at least he gave the impression that his performance was still stable, not deteriorating due to exhaustion.


    Seeing the ball was received easily and another attack wasing, all the Tsunemori yers stepped back, getting ready. Looking at them, Nitta growled in annoyance before asking for the ball again.


    "YAMADA! HERE!"


    The setter gulped nervously when he received the re from Nitta. Even though normally, Nitta was easy to get along with, when frustrated, he would always scare the shit out of his teammates. Not many yers could stand still when Nitta was in this state, so rather than having to deal with him, it would be better to pass the ball to Nitta to avoid trouble.


    Unfortunately for Kyoei, Nitta was in a rampage state right now. All he had in mind was how to break the stubborn defense Tsunemori set, and since he wasn''t a smart yer on the first hand, instead of thinking about tricks, the hitter believed in power more than anything else.


    He tried to gather the power inside him, not caring about the wall formed in front of him as he smashed the ball, trying to tear down everything in front of him.


    Or so that was what he expected.


    "RANO! MOVE!"


    "Get ready! One! Two! Jump!"


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! A kill block! Nice, Hirano!"


    "No! It is not over!"


    "Damn! A pancake?! Are you kidding me?!"


    Just in a few seconds, two consecutive amazing ys happened on the court. First, it was Hirano who finally blocked Nitta''s spike straight to the floor and Aki who out of nowhere suddenly appeared on the front line, saving the ball a second before it could touch the floor and keeping it alive.


    "Holy shit! This is insane!"


    "It is not over yet!"


    "Everyone! Recover!"


    The ball flew wildly to the frontline, touching the before bouncing back softly to Kyoei''s side. Haruo who was there reacted quickly to save the ball. Unfortunately, while he could save it, he couldn''t send a good pass toward his teammates. In the end, Yamada had to send the ball over the, giving up the chance to attack the opponent.


    "Chance ball!"


    In the middle of the chaos, Riku took a nce to the other side of the, and when he was sure they couldn''t recover quickly enough, he suddenly shouted, "KAI, NOW!"


    Everyone was taken aback by his sudden shout. However, there was only one yer who understood immediately what was going on, and that was Kaede, the one who would steal the limelight from everyone else.


    Even though he wasn''t the fastest yer among the others, Kaede''s tiny body allowed him to move under everyone''s radar, and before anyone could realize it, he was already in the air, knocking the ball instantly.


    *BAM!*


    Silence descended on the building as everyone was too stunned to react. Everything went so quickly that they couldn''tprehend what just happened. Amidst the deafening silence around them, it was Kaede, with his chest rose up-and-down heavily, who reacted first.


    "YOSSHAAAAA!"


    Then, he was followed by all the Tsunemori yers who ran straight to him full of excitement.


    "Nice kill, Kai!"


    "Goddamnit, that is awesome!"


    "Come on!"


    There were a lot of reasons why they were so excited. First, they managed to cut off the two points lost they suffered before. Then, the surprise attack they set carefully was sessful, and Kaede who had never joined the offense suddenly gained the confidence to spike the ball. All of those were good enough reasons to be excited.


    But their excitement didn''t stop just like that. As if God was smiling at them, when their head turned to the bench, they all had a simr grin as the one they had been waiting for was finally ready. Yeah, there, they could see the sses boy standing behind the sideline, ready to y. Looking at their friend, they all thought the same.


    ''Finally!''

 Chapter 107: Yukis Second Return!

    Yuki closed his eyes tightly, patting his knees gently. This would be the second time he returned to the court today, yet he didn''t know why it was as if something was different this time. He shook his legs carefully, trying to calm down his nerves. Even though it didn''t feel like jelly anymore, he still felt a bit weak, as if he could fall at any random time.


    Akira who saw his state furrowed his brows, then approached him. "Is there anything wrong?" The coach asked.


    "No, nothing." Yuki shook his head quickly.


    Akira pondered for a moment, then after seeing his shaking legs, he realized, "Are you nervous?"


    ''Nervous?'' Yuki blinked a few times, processing the question. ''Yeah, maybe Akira-sensei is right. I am indeed nervous right now.'' He nodded unknowingly.


    Akira hummed lightly, trying to understand his mood. After spending a moment in silence, he finally gave up and asked, "Care to exin why?"


    "I don''t know¡­" Yuki let his words trailed, his eyes staring at his teammates fighting to save the ball on the court. "Maybe¡­ I am afraid of everyone''s expectation for me?"


    Akira was surprised by the answer, yet after thinking about it for a while, he understood. "You see the others fighting so hard while pinning their hope in your return, so you are afraid you will disappoint them?" He asked. Seeing the subtle nod from the sses boy, he patted the boy''s shoulder and said, "Well, the good news is, it is normal for you to feel that."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah. Even the best yer also feels nervous when he sees his teammates fighting for him. He will feel burdened, thinking that he has to do something to repay their trust. However, do you know what is the difference between the best yer and the ordinary one?" Without waiting for Yuki to answer, he continued, "The answer is in the mindset, Yuki.


    The best yer would use the burden he carries as his strength, his new motivation to y better, while the ordinary one would crumble under the pressure."


    Yuki went silent for a moment, pondering about Akira''s words. "Then¡­" He finally spoke. "Which one do you think I am, Sensei?"


    "While it might sound biased, I believe you are not going to be the ordinary one. So, you have to prove to everyone else that I am not wrong here, you know?" Akira joked.


    After a while, Yuki finally had a smile on his face, making Akira sigh in relief. This was the thing he learned when he was studying as a coach. At the end of the day, you could treat your yers like children. When under pressure, you can help them calm their mind by boosting their confidence, and the best way to do that is to praise them, just like what Akira did here.


    "So, are you ready to pay their trust and carry the burden as the best yer?" Akira asked.


    "Sure." This time, there was no hesitation in Yuki''s eyes. It was all determination there.


    "Good. Now, go and bring me the win!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    -0-


    After all the Tsunemori yers finished their celebrating, the referee finally announced the substitution for them. To their surprise, Yuki came in to rece Koji, probably the most consistent attacker today. However, when they saw the rotation, their eyes lightened up as they realized something.


    ''He is going as a pinch server! Akira-sensei wants to use this momentum to kill Kyoei''s morale!''


    Yeah, it should be Koji''s turn to serve this time. However, with Yuki recing him, Tsunemori would have their best server on the service line, and in such a crucial time like this, Yuki''s presence was like a nightmareing to reality for Kyoei.


    "So, you are going to steal the limelight that we fought so hard before huh?" Riku said, yet no heat could be found in his tone. He had a massive grin on his face when he gave the ball to his friend. "Well, if you are going to steal the limelight, make sure you do it perfectly, okay?"


    "Don''t worry, I will." Yuki nodded firmly.


    He took a deep breath, concentrating his mind on the ball. He could see the tense situation on the other side and chuckled inwardly. It seemed the opponent was really nervous about the serve.


    Yuki shook his head slightly, ncing at the referee. When he noticed the whistle was about to be blown, he tossed the ball immediately, catching the opponent off guard.


    ''Well, if Akira-sensei wants to use my serve to kill them, I have to go all out from the beginning, and I would start it with¡­. This!''


    *BAM!*


    The ball went straight to the other side of the court, passing the with a normal pace as it moved just like any ordinary service. However, no one on Kyoei''s side moved, as if someone put a petrifying spell on them. Their head didn''t even turn into the ball as they finally realized what happened when the sound of the ball hitting the floor finally registered through their ears.


    *Thud!*


    "YOSSSHAAAAAAA!!!!!" Yuki punched the air excitedly, followed by Riku who ran onto him.


    "Damn, Yuki! You use that from the start?! Are you kidding me?!"


    "That is a nasty trick!"


    "Awesome!"


    "Come on, Kobayashi!"


    Yuki''s face flushed red in excitement as he was surrounded by his teammates and basked under the cheers. What he just did before was basicallybining two tricks, serving the ball straight when the referee blew the whistle and aimed it to the traffic.


    He knew that Nitta was in an aggressive mode and would want to step back to prepare for his run-up as soon as possible, while the opponent''s setter was also trying to go forward at the same time.


    He aimed the serve straight to the intersection route between those two, creating an awkward situation where they both had to decide who would receive the ball, and as a result, due to theck ofmunication between Kyoei''s ace and the setter, the serve went in, adding one point for Tsunemori while tying the score.


    "Yamada! Go forward! Let Aki and Ito handle the backline!" Saito from Kyoei''s bench rose, giving a quick instruction. It seemed he also started to worry here. "Nitta, don''t move too quickly! Wait at least until you know who will receive the ball before moving!


    Be patient!"


    ''Oh? So, he notices my trick, huh? As expected of the coach, his eyes are different.'' Yuki muttered. Then, a grin suddenly formed on his face as he thought, ''Well, good for him to know the trick. But what if I throw it away and use another one here?''


    Unlike before, this time, even when the referee blew the whistle already, Yuki hadn''t moved yet. He took his time leisurely, putting pressure on the opponent who was trying their best to figure out what to do.A secondter, he tossed the ball gently and tapped it in such a way that the ball wouldn''t rotate too much, creating a floating effect that made the ball wobble in the air.


    "OH! Herees Kobayashi''s signature serve! A floater!"


    "It goes to their ace! Come on!"


    "Wait! Someone covers their ace! What a coward!"


    Everyone cursed when they saw Aki suddenly appear, taking over Nitta''s spot to take care of the floater serve. The defensive specialist used the overhead pass to receive the ball, sending it to the setter on the front. Nitta who was behind Aki took three steps to the back quickly before asking for the ball again.


    "YAMADA!"


    Even though his attack was proven to be ineffective, the setter was too afraid to ignore the shout and gave the ball to Nitta. Unfortunately, it turned out to be Kyoei''s downfall.


    Seeing the ball flying in front of him, Nitta was blinded by his own thought. All the thing inside his mind right now was to score as soon as possible, or the team would be in trouble. However, while his mind wandered far, he didn''t realize that a wall suddenly formed just like before, covering his sight while closing any route for him to spike.


    When he was about to aim for a block out, the wall suddenly moved in such a way that when the ball hit it, instead of going out of the court, the ball bounced back to his own area.


    *BAM!*


    Nitta was stunned for a moment, couldn''t believe his attack failed for the second time in a row. The moment hended on the floor, he turned his head to the blocker who just killed his spike, and there he found it, the sses boy who just returned to the court after receiving his spike before.


    With one ace and one clean block, Yuki made a strong statement in his secondeback, sending a threat to the opponent that he was there to snatch the win.


    Tsunemori High21 25 22


    Kyoei Gakuen25 721

 Chapter 108: Last Timeout!

    The atmosphere in Kyoei''s side was heavy, with some of them having ugly expressions on their face. Just a few minutes ago, they thought they were one step closer to the win, especially with them reaching twenty points first and Yuki being out of the picture. However, they didn''t expect Tsunemori to still fight stubbornly, dragging them back and even overtaking the score.


    Unfortunately for them, the bad news didn''t end just there. They still had to face Yuki''s serve, something that would haunt them as a nightmare in the night.


    "Okay, everyone! Don''t panic!" Ito pped loudly, trying to lift the mood. "This is not over yet! If they can snatch our lead, we can do that too! Come on! Aki, get ready!


    Nitta, wake up! Come on, everyone!"


    However, his voice didn''t quite reach his teammates. Besides the fact that thest two ys hit them hard, even though his tone was encouraging, Ito himself started to feel the pressure. There was a hint of hesitation there as if he wasn''t so sure about what he just said. Saito who saw that frowned, then decided to take a timeout immediately.


    This was a well-timed decision, not only because Saito could encourage his depressed yers, but also because this timeout also cut off Yuki''s momentum on the service line.


    "Listen, everyone, I know this situation looks bad. However, this is still manageable. Don''t we all aim for Konan and Matsukita? The situation would be worse there, and they are definitely better than Tsunemori. So, let''s use this chance to simte the future!" He tried to say something positive in this situation. Unfortunately, it was clear that it didn''t work.


    Everyone was so down that no one even looked at him, their head bowing deeply.


    Saito couldn''t help but sigh helplessly, racking his brain quickly as he raced with time right now. If he couldn''t find a solution to this situation before the timeout was over, they might as well say goodbye to the tournament.


    He sighed once again, somehow in a heated moment like this, his mind suddenly brought him back to the past when he was coaching this team for the first time.


    Even though he managed the team just three years ago, he was proud of himself for being able to achieve a lot of things during that time. In the first year, he brought the team to the top 8 before losing against Matsukita, then had a setback in his second year as they lost to Shimoyawata in the top 16.


    Not so good for a team aiming for the top, yet still decent for a no-name team who had never achieved something in the national tournament before.


    Of course, half of his achievement could be said due to the generous money the school gave to him. However, Saito was still proud of himself for digging all the talents on the team by himself, with Haruo this year as the exception.


    And as if God wanted to make fun of his prideful attitude of only wanting to recruit rough talents, all the yers he had were never good mentally, always crumbled whenever the team needed them to step up.


    That was why this year, he wanted to recruit one top rookie to help the team mentally, and the optiony in Haruo.


    Unfortunately, Haruo was still a freshman, and no matter how good his mind was, he alone couldn''t do so much. Compared to the other yers who had been together for a while, the middle blocker still couldn''t influence anyone with his actions.


    ''Then, are we going to lose today?'' Saito thought of the worst scenario. Then, when he saw the resignation expression on his yers'' faces, he was stunned, then suddenly, his face hardened. ''No, I cannot give up yet! If the coach of the team resigns to fate without fighting, the team will crumble soon. I have to keep fighting, even if there is no chance to win the game! For the future of the team!''


    With that thought in mind, a new determination zed in his eyes, startling the yers around him. "Okay, everyone, we need to change our mentality here. I need you to forget everything and treat this game as if it is still 0 ¨C 0.Now, listen carefully to what I say¡­"


    -0-


    "Hey, look! The bastard is not there!"


    "Damn, you are right! He is on the bench!"


    "Really?! Where?!"


    "Holly shit, you are right!"


    "Have they finally given up the game?"


    Even though it was hard to listen to the whispers from the crowds, all the Tsunemori yers knew what they were talking about. They were also taken aback when they saw Nitta wasn''t on the court, getting reced by one yer who hadn''t yed even for a minute.


    When they turned their head to the bench, they all saw Kyoei''s ace had his head bowed and covered with a towel, not allowing people to see his expression.


    "Are they really going to give up the game?" Kaede whispered to the others.


    "I don''t know." Riku also looked uncertain. "The game is still close, so there is definitely no way they would give it up this soon. However, taking off their ace is also a strange decision, especially at this moment."


    "You are right, Riku. It is too soon for them to give up the game." Akira answered the other''s confusion. "In fact, this is probably theirst desperate attempt to save the game."


    "Eh?! Really?!" All of them turned their head in surprise.


    Continue your adventure at m|v-l''e -NovelBin


    "Yeah." Akira nodded once again, confirming his words. "While that boy is amazing in offense, he has two big problems here. One, he is not stable enough mentally, disturbing the other''s rhythm and even intimidating his own setter to always give the ball to him, and two, he is a liability in defense.


    If you noticed it, you will remember that he has never received any of our attacks perfectly in this game."


    They were surprised at the sudden information and then realized everything was true.


    "By recing him, their coach wants to stabilize the situation." Akira continued. "This new yer should be a defensive yer who is solid enough in the back. Their coach wants to make sure they can cut off Yuki''s momentum first before reintroducing their ace back to the court."


    Everyone stared at each other, some of them had uncertain expressions on their face. "So, what should we do, Sensei?" Riku finally asked.


    "Well, it is easy. We don''t let them stabilize the game." A small smile suddenly formed on Akira''s face. "Yuki, you remember the new weapon in your arsenal?"


    Yuki was startled when he heard his name was mentioned out of nowhere. Then, when he heard the coach''s question, he couldn''t hide his shock before asking, "Do you want me to use that?"


    "Yeah." Akira nodded. "I know you have been training your ass secretly to make it perfect. While I don''t know how is your progress, I believe in you. So, what do you think? Is it ready to appear in a crucial moment like this time?"


    All of them turned their head to Yuki, with only some having an idea what they were talking about. After hesitating for a second, a grin suddenly spread from ear to ear on the sses boy''s face, showing confidence and a hint of mischievousness it.


    "Well, you cannot me me if I mess this up, okay?"

 Chapter 109: Kill the Game!

    Yuki was never a person who liked to take a risk. Whenever his head was overwhelmed by the creativity and unique ideas that flowed into it, he would always wait for the situation to be stable and safe enough to do experiments. So, yeah, basically, he was a dull and conservative person.


    However, this time was different. Yuki couldn''t even hide the grin that cracked on his face as he waited for the referee to blow the whistle. Even though it would be the first time he would do what he was going to do, all he could feel right at that moment was excitement. Inwardly, he thought of the pep talk before, especially one part that stuck inside his mind.


    ''I believe in you.''


    Even though it wasn''t the first time he heard that words from the coach, it still rang nicely in his ears. And while the other people like Aiko ¨C the matron of the orphanage ¨C or his deceased parents also trusted him in so many things, they had never said it out loud, so to hear the words directly was enough to make him happy.


    ''Well, I better not betray that trust¡­''


    The moment the referee blew the whistle, he tossed the ball immediately. However, unlike before, the toss this time contained a spin on it, surprising all the Kyoei yers. They never thought that Yuki would still have something under his sleeve and would be brave enough to do it in a crucial time like this. However, Yuki didn''t care about their reaction.


    What was inside his mind right now was the ball in front of him, as he kept repeating the instruction he remembered like a chant.


    ''Hit it with the side of your hand, angling your wrist and forearm to generate spin, and never let your pinky hit the ball¡­ Come on¡­ Here!''


    *BAM!*


    The ball traveled through the air with a high speed, piercing the air as it crossed the and went straight into Kyoei''s area. For a moment, the yer who was closest to the ball, Aki, didn''t know how to react. When he saw the ball was close to the sideline, he wanted to wait and see whether it would fall outside of the court or not.


    Aki sighed in relief when he predicted the ball wouldnd next to the sideline, thinking that Yuki made a mistake. However, when he was about to let it fall, the ball suddenly curved sharply with an incredible spin, going back to the court again.


    ''Eh?''


    *Thud!*


    Aki froze on the spot, not expecting the ball to move so sharply like that. It was as if an invisible hand suddenly guided how the ball should move and decided to make a fool of him, resulting in the ball falling straight in front of his face.


    Yuki of course didn''t know hisplicated and dramatic thought. However, when the sses boy saw the ballnded on Kyoei''s area sessfully, he clenched his fist and hit his chest excitedly.


    "COME ON!"


    His roar was followed by cheers exploded from the crowds as everyone also celebrated the point.


    "Yeah!"


    "Nice serve, Kobayashi!"


    "Two more points! Come on!"


    "You can do it! Kill them all!"


    Meanwhile, all the Kyoei yers gathered around Aki, looking at the defensive specialist with a concerned gaze.


    "You okay, Senpai?" Haruo asked.


    Aki himself didn''t look like he was in the right state to even nod or shake his head. His face was pale as if the consequence of his failure to save the ball a few seconds ago suddenly fell onto his shoulder.


    ''Aki¡­''


    ''Aki¡­''


    ''Aki¡­''


    "AKI!" Ito''s shout straight to his ear finally woke him up from his thoughts. When Aki raised his head, he could see everyone was looking at him with concern. "You have been dozing off for a moment. Are you sure nothing is wrong with you?" Ito asked once again.


    Aki shook his head slightly, then chuckled bitterly. "If we lose because of thest serve, I will resign from the team immediately." He stated, shocking everyone.


    However, some of them could understand his thoughts. The guilty feeling after failing the team and cost them the game¡­ Let alone Aki, even the best yer in the world wouldn''t be able to escape from depression.


    "Don''t worry, Aki." Ito patted his shoulder, looking at his eyes intently. "You saved our asses so many times in the past that we owe you a lot. There is no way anyone would me you after this. Just concentrate on the game and let''s finish it quickly. Everything is not over yet."


    Aki could only nod silently, yet he couldn''t let the guilty feeling go away from his heart. If Yuki knew or could hear the conversation there, he would smile widely, knowing his strategy worked really well.


    Yeah, Yuki copied Kyoei''s strategy when they targeted him before, and now, he did the same by always aiming the ball at their best defensive yer. When such a yer couldn''t handle the serve and fell into depression, the others would follow unknowingly, resulting in the team falling into the pitfall together.


    Seeing the bad situation on Kyoei''s side, Yuki aimed the ball once again at Aki, sending another one of his new services to the defensive specialist. He knew that Aki was dead already, and this time, he wanted to make sure that Aki would stay under six feet and couldn''t recover anymore.


    *Thud!*


    "YEAAAAAH!" Yuki roared when he saw Aki failed to receive the ball. "ONE MORE!"


    His words were echoed by all the people in the building who shouted the same.


    "ONE MORE!"


    "ONE MORE!"


    "COME ON, KOBAYASHI! ONE MORE!"


    With Tsunemori only needing one more point to win the game, almost all the yers on Kyoei''s side had already given up. However, Yuki didn''t want to give them any chance. He wanted to kill the game directly with this serve. So, when he saw Aki was under tight protection from his teammates, he changed his target directly, going to the other wing.


    ''Well, let''s see if you could stop this!''


    *BAM!*


    Ito was taken aback when he saw the serveing in his direction. Honestly, he was familiar with this kind of ball, as he himself had the same thing in his arsenal. However, familiarity was one thing, and whether he could receive it or not was another.


    Even though his mind was telling him to wait until the ball broke, his body reacted unconsciously, leaning forward as if he wanted to pick it up directly. As a result, the ball broke, curving sharply toward the other side, bruising his forearms slightly before it bounced far behind.


    *Thud!*


    Suddenly, silence descended on the building as all the eyes were on the ball. No one said anything as if time froze there. Even though all the supporters in the building believed the team could win, when what they hoped was realized, for a moment, they didn''t know how to react.


    Finally, it was the referee who broke the silence, as he announced the final result loudly.


    "GAME SET! TSUNEMORI HIGH 2 ¨C 1 KYOEI GAKUEN!"

 Chapter 110: After the Game (I)

    "YOSH ¨C !"


    "¨C SHAAAAAAAAA!"


    As the referee announced the final result, Yuki roared, followed by Riku who was closest to him, and then all his teammates who rushed and jumped to his body. Yuki just spread his arms widely, and within a second, all of his teammates were already in his embrace. He had a massive grin on his face, knowing that everything was finally over with their win.


    "Good job, Yuki!"


    "Holy shit! You kill them all!"


    "Awesome!"


    "Come on, Tsunemori!"


    "Tsunemori!"


    The crowds also cheered loudly, some even entered the court and joined the celebration with the yers. The situation was chaotic, yet it was full of happiness. The only contradicting atmosphere inside the building was on Kyoei''s side, where all the yers there had their heads bowed and a few of them were found crying.


    ''So, we lose, huh?'' Ito blinked his eyes, staring at the ceiling nkly. His mind went nk, couldn''t process the chaotic situation around him. He was sure when everything was settled, he would feel sad or even cry just like his other teammates. However, the exhaustion he felt this time was too strong to overwhelm any mental state he should have.


    ''We lose, huh¡­'' He muttered the same over and over again.


    "Senpai." A sudden tug on his back suddenly woke him up from his dazed state. When Ito turned around, he could see Haruo patting his shoulder, and while there was an unfamiliar sad expression on his usually bright face, the middle blocker still went over all the other yers there, trying to cheer them up. "Come on, it is over. Let''s go to the bench first."


    Ito nodded silently, then followed Haruo to the bench. Normally, he wouldn''t be like this, growing numb to the point of his kouhai having to take care of him. He would try to reassure his teammates first before going to a quiet ce to vent out all of his frustrations.


    However, this time was different. Ito couldn''t help but feel sentimental when he thought this was hisst inter-high. Of course, there was still a winter tournament in the next few months. However, the hype was different. Memories suddenly shed through his head one by one. when he started joining the team¡­ His first win¡­ His first defeat¡­ The sweat¡­ Theugh¡­ The tears¡­


    He raised his head quickly, didn''t want tears to fall from his eyes.


    Saito sighed helplessly when he saw his captain''s state from the bench. Even though he was dissatisfied with Ito''s subpar performance today either as a yer or as a hitter, he decided to wait until the negative emotion went away before talking about it. For now, he let the yers feel sad, knowing the atmosphere was still heavy at that moment.


    "Come on, Senpai. Don''t sit there, you will get stepped on by the crowds. Let''s go to the bench first."


    When Saito heard that, he turned his head around, just to find out Haruo was trying his best to reassure his teammates. Seeing the scene, a small smile formed on his face, as he thought about the unexpected gain the team had even in a dark time like this.


    Yeah, Haruo''s leadership ability was beyond Saito''s expectations. Maybe because he thought Haruo was still a freshman that he had never considered the middle blocker as a leader. However, after losing this game and seeing how two freshmen lead a no-name team like Tsunemori to beat them, an idea suddenly popped inside his head.


    ''Maybe, I can use him as my cornerstone to rebuild this team.''


    However, it had to wait, as all the yers gathered in front of him already. Saito pondered for a moment about what he was going to say before he finally sighed and decided to be frank. "Well, we lose here. Suck, right? But that is a game. Someday we win, and someday we lose.


    Today, while the opponent ys well, that doesn''t mean they are better. Everything can happen on the court, and today, luck is not on our side. We still have one more chance in the winter, so let''s use this setback toe back stronger than ever!"


    Saito raised his tone a bit to lift the mood. However, he saw clearly that his voice didn''t reach the yers. He sighed one more time before giving up, letting the yers feel emotional first. After waiting for a while and noticing the sobs were getting quieter, he spoke once again, "Okay, let''s not prolong our stay here and go back to the school.


    The sooner we could get out of this building the better."


    Everyone nodded quietly, following the coach to the Tsunemori''s bench. Even though they were reluctant to go there, they had to show the sportsmanship here or the school would get in trouble. Some shook Tsunemori yers'' hands before retreating quickly, while a few chatted first and congratted the opponent for the win.


    Haruo who was probably the best yer from Kyoei''s side today also exchanged conversations with Tsunemori yers for a while, bickering with Koji who he blocked so many times during the game before getting hoarded by a bunch of crazy girls who asked for a photo with him.


    After a few minutes of struggling with the crowds, Haruo finally managed to get out of it, just to find that Yuki and Riku were waiting for him already.


    "Good game." Riku offered a handshake. "You give me so many problems today."


    "Really?" Haruo epted the hand, arching his eyebrows slightly. "I wasn''t just giving you so much problem if I recall. Should we say that I own you today, second-tier blondie?" He had a mischievous smile on his face, eliciting a stiffened chuckle from Yuki.


    Riku had his facial muscle twitched in annoyance, then put some strength on the handshake as he said, "Well, since it is my team who win the game, should we say that we own your ass today, annoying blondie?"


    "Bah! If he is not here, it would be us who win the game!" Haruo also strengthened his grip. "It is not like you y a big part in this game, dumb blondie!"


    "Who do you call dumb, bastard?!"


    "It is you!"


    Yuki just stared amusedly at both blonde-haired boys bickering at each other like it was aedy show, didn''t expect that their personalities would be so simr, childish and full of themselves. He didn''t know how they both came up with the nickname, but with how quickly it left their mouth, he was sure they both had already thought about it during the game.


    "Anyway!" After bickering for a while, Haruo suddenly turned his attention to Yuki, startling the sses boy. "Good game today. Youpletely own us in the game. I have never thought that I would see another freshman who is as handsome as me."


    "Urgh¡­ Thank you, I guess?" Yuki''s tone was unsure, didn''t really know whether what Haruo said was praise or not. He could see Riku''s lips twitch a little, feeling annoyed by the other blonde''s narcissism.


    "It is not often for me to throw a praise like this, so ept it with grace." Haruo continued while ignoring Rikupletely. "Oh, and just a little bit of warning from me. When you y against Konan in the future, you will probably see a more troublesome dude evenpared to you. So, be ready, okay? Bye!"


    Yuki and Riku blinked for a few seconds, and when Haruo''s words finally sunk inside their head, the Kyoei''s blocker was already gone, joining the other Kyoei yers.


    "What a bastard." Riku scowled.


    Yuki went silent for a moment before asking, "Do you know what he means by a troublesome dude in Konan?"


    "I don''t know." Riku shrugged nonchntly. "But seeing his personality, I wouldn''t think about it too much. Maybe, he is trying to mess with your mind to take revenge for this game."


    Yuki nodded slowly, yet Haruo''s warning still ringing on his head. He had a hunch that unlike what Riku said, the warning was serious, and it would y a crucial role in the game against Konan in the future. However, it had to wait, as for now, he had to join the others and form a line in the middle of the court.


    "SE! NO!"


    "THANK YOU FOR THE GAME!"

 Chapter 111: After the Game (II)

    "Hey, look at that! Kobayashi is so cool!"


    "I know, right?! He is so quiet normally, that when he is on the court, he is like another person!"


    "He is so handsome too! A little bit below Riku-sama, maybe!"


    "We are so lucky we have two handsome boys in our ss!"


    Yuki twitched his mouth slightly when he heard the whispers from the girl around him, starting to feel annoyed. He knew that if he yed well while being watched by all the students in the school, there was no way he wouldn''t get fangirls like Riku had. However, what happened here was a bit exaggerated.


    All of his movements were observed carefully, and those crazy fangirls could make anything he did be way more dramatic. For example, when he picked up his pen that fell on the floor¡­


    "Look at him! He bows so gracefully!"


    "Kyaa! He is so cool!"


    "I want to be a pen that he picks it up!"


    "Me too!"


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    Yeah, those fangirls were crazy, and it started to scare the shit out of him.


    However, that wasn''t the worst thing he was concerned about. No, while Yuki was trying his best to shrink his presence and get out of those fangirls'' crazy eyes, he cursed Akira over and over again inside his mind for the pain the coach ¨C and the headmaster to some extent inflicted on the team.


    And even though he didn''t know how was his senpai''s condition, Yuki was sure they all felt the same right now.


    -shback-


    ''GO BACK TO THE CLASS?! ARE YOU KIDDING, SENSEI?!''


    It was after the game was over and the chaotic situation was settled, after waiting until the bus that carried Kyoei''s team was gone, that Akira suddenly made an announcement.


    ''No, I am not joking and it is not a prank either.'' Akira answered calmly, ignoring the disbelief gaze he received from his yers. ''As you can see, it is still a school hour, and all the students who support us here would also go back to the ss.


    Even though the headmaster is kind enough to dismiss the morning ss so that the students can support us, it would be unfair if everyone went back while you are allowed to skip the ss for the rest of the day. So¡­. Good luck.''


    -End of the shback-


    So¡­ Yeah, here he was, after about two hours of an exhausting game, already in the ss again to listen to the boring lesson the teacher gave.


    ''You are a terrible man, Sensei.'' Yuki groaned inwardly while trying his best to hide his yawn. ''Man, this is a nightmare. I wonder how is Riku''s condition?''


    He turned his head slightly, trying his best to look behind. However, the sight there made him fall into jealousy, as he saw Riku sleeping so peacefully while his spot was hidden perfectly by the other students in front of him.


    ''Damn, so this is why he chose the seat behind, huh?''


    Yuki shook his head, trying to concentrate once again on the ss. Time seemed to move so slowly, testing his patience as every second was like torture for him. His head kept going back and forth from the board to the clock, and he kept cursing over and over again to force himself to stay awake.


    Fortunately, the time he had been waiting for finally came, and the sound of the school bell ringing from outside of the building was like an oasis in the middle of the desert.


    "Urgh¡­" Yuki groaned, stretching his stiff body. "Finally, it is over¡­"


    Kato who was sitting in front of him giggled when she heard his groan, then turned around and said, "You are like an old man, Kobayashi-kun."


    Akira red when he heard the giggle, then scowled. "You don''t know how torturous it was to join the ss with a body that is threatening to crumble at any random time. And unlike Riku, I cannot even sleep in the ss! My position is too close to the teacher''s desk for me to go unnoticed!"


    Kato arched one of her eyebrows slightly, noticing the change in how Yuki addressed the blonde boy. "Since when are you and Riku close enough to be on a first-name basis?" She asked.


    "Since thest game, Sekine-jiisan''s instruction," Yuki answered. Kato just nodded slightly, didn''t even ask who Sekine-jiisan Yuki was talking about. "What? Are you jealous and want to be on a first-name basis with us too?" A yful smile suddenly formed on Yuki''s face.


    Kato just rolled her eyes, which was enough to answer Yuki''s question. "Speaking of Riku¡­" Suddenly, there was a hint of mischievousness behind her smile, giving Yuki a bad feeling. "I heard that you also have your own fangirls. Are you going to be our second local lothario?"


    Her giggle broke intoughter as she saw the utter disgust shown on Yuki''s face.


    "Look¡­ Look at your expression! That is hrious!" Kato gasped, holding her stomach that got hurt from theughter.


    "Haha, very funny, Kato-san." This time, it was Yuki''s turn to roll his eyes. Then, he leaned his body forward, lowering his voice so that the others couldn''t hear him. "They are creepy, Kato-san. They keep watching everything I do and could always make ament based on it, which is crazy. I don''t know how Riku could stand with them, but I am starting to get afraid of them."


    Seeing the frightened expression on Yuki''s face, Kato stiffened her giggle. However, she still patted his shoulder before saying, "Don''t worry, they won''t dare to take initiative here. As long as you are not making any contact with them, they will keep their distance from you."


    "How are you so sure?" Yuki asked skeptically.


    "Don''t worry about it. Just trust me." Kato said it once again, yet this time with a hint of mysteriousness in her tone.


    Yuki stared at his friend for a second, trying to see any clues hidden on her face. However, seeing Kato put a poker face at him, the sses boy sighed, knowing he had to trust the girl for this one.


    Before he could say anything though, someone suddenly called him from outside of the ss.


    "Oi, Yuki! Come here! Bring Riku with you too!"


    When Yuki turned around, he was surprised to see Kaede and Hirano standing in front of the door. Even though there was a hint of tiredness on their face, they still waved their hand cheerfully at him. Well¡­ it was just Kaede who did that, as Hirano just grunted and pretended his best to ignore the stare.


    Didn''t want to make his two senpai waiting, Yuki rose from his seat and went there. "What happened?" He asked.


    "Akira-sensei asked us to pick you up, so here we are. Come on, bring Riku with you!"

 Chapter 112: Celebration (I)

    "So, where are we going?" Riku asked, yawning big while he was stretching his body. He was still in a bad mood after the others woke him up forcefully from his sleep.


    "We are going to our club room," Kaede answered cheerfully.


    "Our club room?" This time, it wasn''t just Riku, but Yuki also stopped walking, looking at their senpai in disbelief. "We have our own room?!" They both had their face flushed red when almost all the students around there turned their heads at them. It seemed their voice was enough to attract everyone''s attention.


    "Since when did we have a room?" Riku hissed, his voice was much lower than before.


    "Since today, obviously," Kaede said. "You will know about it too if only you checked the group." He added. Yuki and Riku could only scratch their neck sheepishly, forgetting the existence of the group chat.


    Kaede didn''t bother with them and continued, "After the game, Akira-sensei asked the headmaster to borrow a room, and since the room that usually was used by the science club was empty after that club was dissolved, it was decided that the room would be ours temporarily. At least until our tournament is over."


    Yuki and Riku nodded together like a good boy as they listened to their senpai''s exnation.


    "So, how do you know about that, Senpai?" Riku couldn''t help but ask. Yuki was also curious about that. By the look of Hirano''s expression, it was clear that only Kaede was privy to thest information. So, how?


    "Oh, I got that from the canteendy," Kaede said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You don''t know how much confidential information the canteendy knows, since everyone tends to ignore her presence. Just like earlier, she has the privilege to listen to the meeting although just for a moment as no one stopped talking when she went there to bring the food.


    And when I went to the canteen earlier, she told me about that."


    Yuki was speechless when he heard Kaede''s words. He didn''t expect the harmless olddy in the canteen to be so dangerous like that. He suddenly remembered an anime about a ninja, that said the best spy would alwayse from amon profession. It seemed there was some truth in that story.


    "Hey, what are you talking about?" Ogawa suddenly chimed in. His appearance was messy and he also had a simr exhausted expression on his face.


    "Oh, Jimmy-senpai!" Riku greeted. "We are talking about Kai-senpai''s story, which he just heard from the canteendy."


    Ogawa froze for a second, then stared at Kaede in disbelief. "You are still going to that crazy old bat?"


    "Hey, that''s rude!" Kaede retorted. Yet there was a slight blush on his cheek. "Chiyo-obaasan is not crazy, you know?"


    "Of course, you will say that." Ogawa rolled his eyes.


    Hearing the conversation between their senpai, Yuki and Riku couldn''t help but feel curious. "Is there anything we don''t know here?" The blonde boy asked.


    "Oh, yeah. I forget you both are freshmen." Ogawa patted his forehead. "Well, to put it short, when she is not cooking, the old woman in the canteen would always go crazy. She would either talk to herself or just sit on her chair while rubbing her cat for so long that it scares the shit out of everyone here.


    I heard the rumor that in the past, someone wanted to ask her why she did that, just to get scolded by that crazy old bat mercilessly until she cried."


    "She is not bad, you know?" Kaede defended the canteendy.


    "Of course, you will defend her." Ogawa rolled his eyes and then exined to the two freshmen. "Somehow, Kai is the only one who can get along with her, and we have given up thinking of the reason behind it a long time ago."


    Hearing the story, Yuki tried his best to remember the canteendy they were talking about. Unfortunately, he was one of the rare breeds that always liked to bring a bento instead of buying food in the canteen, so he had no impression of those who worked there. He was about to ask, when suddenly, a fragrant smell hit his nostril, arousing his hunger.


    "What is this smell?" Riku was the first to react. Yuki could see Ogawa, Hirano, and Kaede exchanging nces for a second, then to his surprise, the three senpai rushed immediately to one of the rooms nearby. "Wait, Senpai! What are you doing?!" He shouted, trying to chase them.


    Riku also followed him from behind his nose wiggling to figure out the source of the smell. When he realized it came from the room the three senpai just entered, he rushed just like those three, leaving Yuki speechless.


    However, Yuki''s expression changed when he heard the sizzling sounding from inside the room, and when he entered the room, he was greeted by the sight of all the yers there sitting in a circle with four small tables put together in the middle.


    It seemed the source of the smell before was there, as he could see Megumi boiling some kind of broth while arranging vegetables, noodles, meats, mushrooms, and many more ingredients inside the pot.


    "What is going on here?" Yuki asked, his eyes went wide in surprise.


    "This is a celebration party!" Koji chirped. "Akira-sensei said that today is a tough game, so he arranged a sukiyaki party for us! Ouch!" He winced when Megumi whooped his hand to prevent him from taking a slice of meat from the pot.


    "Wait until it is cooked!" The girl red at Koji. "You are going to have a stomachache if you keep nicking the uncooked one!"


    "Yes, Megumi-senpai!"


    Seeing the lovestruck expression on Koji''s face, Okamura who sat next to him snorted. "That is why you don''t have any fangirls like any of us, Koji. You are whipped here."


    "Hey, I am not whipped!" Koji cried, followed byughter from everyone.


    Yuki could only shake his head as he took a seat next to Hirano, offering his senpai a single nod before his eyes roamed all over the room. Based on the poster hanging on the wall and the experiment tools inside the shelf, it was clear the room was used to be used for the science club.


    However, Akira ¨C and whoever they were who came here first ¨C did a good job of transforming the room into afortable one, as the room was filled by warmth atmosphere now with everyone chatting andughing with each other.


    "Where is Akira-sensei, by the way?" He suddenly remembered theck of authority''s presence here.


    "He is still in the teacher''s office, but will be here soon," Megumi answered without even looking at him. "Ah, speaking of which¡­"


    Continue reading on mvl


    The moment the girl finished talking, someone opened the door, and when everyone turned their head around, they saw Akira standing there with a smile on his face. "Oh, so everyone is here already." He said.


    "Akira-sensei!" Everyone tried to stand up and greet him, yet the coach just waved his hand, telling silently that they didn''t need to move.


    "So, how is it, Megumi?" Akira asked. "Is everything ready?"


    "Give me five more minutes, Sensei," Megumi answered, her eyes still focusing on the pot in front of her.


    "Good, then let me talk first before we start the party." Akira nodded. Hearing that, everyone straightened their back, looking at the coach carefully. "First of all, you all did a good job, winning the game and advancing to the next round. So, congrattions."


    Everyone pped their hand politely, yet there was still excitement on their face.


    "That doesn''t mean you are perfect though, as there are several points that need to be evaluated. However, it could wait for the other day." Akira smiled when he heard some of them groan. "As for our next game, unfortunately, we will have to go away, and this time, it is against Teiryo High."


    "Teiryo High?" Just like usual, Yuki and Riku were the two clueless people when everyone had at least some idea about the next opponent. "Are they strong?"


    "If you talk about five to seven years ago, yeah, maybe," Asahi said. "But their strength plummeted drastically in thest few years, that their best achievement in thest five years was when they entered the top 16 two years ago."


    "So, a fallen giant, huh?" Riku mused. "Then, that should be easy. Ouch! What the hell, Senpai!" He red at Asahi who pped him on the back.


    "Don''t underestimate your opponent!" Asahi chided. "Don''t you hear what I said before? Their best achievement in thest five years is the top 16, and we will face them in the top 16. That means they are going to have the motivation to defeat us, which is to enter the top 8 for the first time in so many years."


    "Moreover, we are going to y in their home ground," Koji added solemnly. "It wouldn''t be so easy there."


    Akira nodded, satisfied that the win today didn''t get through his yers'' heads. However, it wasn''t good to worry about the opponent all the time, so he added, "This is also another topic for the future. For now, let''s rx and enjoy the food here! Come on! I buy so many things for you all! Don''t be shy!"


    Seeing the coach wasn''t worried, all the yers rxed unconsciously, then took a te for themselves while looking at Megumi eagerly. When the girl finally gave a nod, they grinned, shouting in unison.


    "ITTADAKIMASU!"

 Chapter 113: Celebration (II)

    "Man, I am so full." Riku rubbed his stomachzily as he walked outside of the school. "Akira-jiisan should do this more often. It is a good bonding activity for the team."


    Yuki who walked next to him rolled his eyes before saying, "Do you mean what you say or is it just to throw a reason so that Akira-sensei would buy us food more often?"


    "Well, you got me here," Riku admitted shamelessly. "But you cannot deny that it is a good bonding activity, right?"


    Yuki''s expression softened when he heard that. Yeah, he had to admit that he enjoyed this activity. In a warm atmosphere, everyone got along with each other really well, chatting andughing while some even fought for the food. The situation somehow reminded him of dinner time in an orphanage.


    Still¡­


    "You eat too much, Riku." The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "In total, you finished four portions by yourself, oneing from Megumi-senpai who couldn''t finish her portion. Even Hirano-senpai who is the biggest one out of everyone only ate two portions. Are you not afraid of getting a stomachache?"


    "Well, I am a grown boy, so I need to eat a lot." Then, the blonde boy patted his stomach proudly. "And don''t worry about stomachache. I have a bottomless pit here, so nothing bad will happen."


    Yuki was speechless, inwardly apuding Riku''s ability to throw any random excuse to justify his exaggerated action. And thestment about his stomach¡­


    ''A bottomless pit? Really?'' Yuki muttered. ''Not something someone should be proud of, usually.''


    They walked in silence for a while, only the sound of the people walking in the background apanying them. At the far end, the red sun hung above the tall building, covering everything with ayer of orange-red scaly light. Even though they were in the crowded part of Tokyo, they could still enjoy the beauty of natural scenery like this since the area around them was free from pollutants.


    That was why it was stillfortable to walk even though the temperature seemed to rise a few degrees in thest couple of days.


    Then, Yuki suddenly realized something. "Anyway, what are you doing following me? Do you need to go home?" He asked his friend.


    "I am going to see everyone, of course," Riku answered as a matter of fact. "Aiko-obaasan invites me to go there. See?" He showed the message on his phone to Yuki. The sses boy could only stare speechlessly, didn''t know since when did Riku exchange messages with Aiko.


    "Why is she inviting you?" He frowned.


    "I don''t know." Riku shrugged. "But since someone invites me, I cannot be rude and reject it, right?"


    Yuki nodded, but still wondering about Aiko''s intention to invite Riku toe over. After five minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the orphanage. However, it was so quiet there, with the light inside still off. Yuki furrowed his brows, knowing this situation was strange.


    ''Are they going out?'' Yuki muttered. ''No, it shouldn''t be. They would say it first before they go outside.'' He rejected the idea quickly.


    However, when he was about to open the door, someone suddenly called his name from behind.


    "Yuki-nii! You are back!"


    When he turned around, Yuki was surprised to see the children running in his direction, with Aiko watching them fondly from behind. They hugged him tightly and started babbling excitedly, asking about how the game went.


    "Did you win the game?"


    "Idiot! Kato-nee has already told us that he won the game! Have you forgotten about it already?!"


    "Hey, no need to smack my head!"


    "Well, I need to stop your idiocy!"


    "That''s so rude!"


    "Your face is rude!"


    Yuki was overwhelmed by the sudden greeting and couldn''t help but let out a small chuckle when he heard their bickering. After such a long day, it was nice to know that someone was waiting for his arrival.


    "Hey, hey, don''t you want to ask me too?" Riku suddenly chimed in with a yful smile.


    "No!" The children shouted in unison, giggling when Riku criedically. "Kato-nee said Riku-nii is so full of himself and we will never hear the end of it if we asked you a question." One of them exined innocently.


    Yuki snorted, couldn''t deny the child''s words. Riku himself turned his head to Kato, looking hurtful at the sudden stab in the back. Kato also turned her head around, trying to avoid his gaze.


    "So, where have you been?" Yuki asked, picking up Mai who was the smallest child there, and opened the door to let everyonee inside.


    "We are from Obaasan''s workce!" The little girl eximed. "It is so awesome! There are so many books there and I read a lot about animals! And Sachi-baasan is nice too!"


    "Oh?" Yuki raised his eyebrows slightly at the matron.


    "Sorry for not telling you." Aiko suddenly apologized, feeling guilty. "It was an impulsive decision. The children suddenly felt bored and wanted to take a walk. So, I asked Sachi-san if they coulde, and she allowed."


    Yuki nodded while his expression softened. He didn''t know why Aiko felt guilty, but he appreciated the gesture here. "So, why do you invite him too?" He asked, pointing his finger at Riku who was joking around with the children.


    "Hey, that''s rude!" Riku sniffed.


    Yuki just rolled his eyes and turned back at Aiko. The matron giggled before answering, "Well, I heard from Kato-chan that you won the game, so we want to celebrate it together! We also bought many cakes here, so let''s enjoy it together!"


    Yuki''s mouth twitched when he saw Riku perked up at the mention of cakes. It seemed what the blonde boy said before was true, that he had a bottomless pit.


    "What cake did you buy?" He tried to peek inside the bag Aiko carried.


    Aiko smiled as she opened the bag. "I let the children pick it up for today, and they want to have a brownie cake. So, here we are."


    The grant sweet aroma suddenly hit everyone''s noses, triggering their hunger once again. Their mouths were watery when they saw the shining cake in front of them, and the moment Aiko cut the cake and gave a nod, all the children rushed forward and fought for the food.


    "Hey, don''t push around!"


    "This is mine!"


    "I got it!"


    "The chocte is melting! Be careful!"


    "Ew! Don''t lick my arms, Hina!"


    "But the chocte looks delicious there!"


    Yuki smiled fondly when he saw the children enjoying the cake. When he saw his blonde friend gobbling up his portion though, he was speechless. It seemed his friend noticed his gaze and raised his eyebrows slightly.


    "What?" He asked with a mouth full of food.


    "It is rude to talk while eating." Yuki smacked his back. "Don''t give the children a bad example."


    Riku chewed and swallowed the food in his mouth before saying, "Well, you won''t have any share if you are not quick enough, so less talking and more eating!" Yuki''s mouth twitched when Riku took another piece of cake from its bag. Curious, he also took one, and the first time he bit it, his expression lightened up immediately.


    "This is good!" He eximed. The other children nodded in agreement while still focusing on themselves. "The chocte here is a bit too much though, so don''t eat too much, and don''t forget to brush your teeth after this!"


    "HAI!"


    Yuki just shook his head fondly, yet didn''t say anything again as he sat next to Aiko. He smiled gratefully at the matron for this gesture, which the woman replied with the same fond smile he had for the children.


    He dozed off for a moment, exhaustion he felt after a very long day finally kicked in once again. Even thoughpared to the sukiyaki party he had with the team before, this was way simpler, he felt happy, surrounded by theughter of the children around him.

 Chapter 114: Rikus Invitation (I)

    "Wake up, Yuki-nii!"


    "Wake up!"


    "Wake up!"


    Yuki groaned when he felt something heavy hitting his stomach. He opened his eyes slightly, narrowing them a little, just to see from the window that the sky was still dark outside. Realizing that, he rolled his body toward the other side of the bed, knowing full well it would make whoever sat on his stomach fall.


    "Yuki-nii!" He could hear the child was fuming. "Wakey, wakey!"


    "Five more minutes¡­" Yuki groaned.


    "No, you cannot sleep again! Come on, wake up!"


    Still sleepy, Yuki finally tried his best to regain his consciousness. He blinked his eyes a few times when he saw a chubby face so close to his nose, and after another few seconds, his brain finally recognized the child in front of him.


    "Isn''t it a bit too early to wake up, Mai-chan?" He asked, his voice was still hoarse. "This is Sunday, you know?"


    Instead of answering his rhetorical question, the little girl huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest cutely. "Yuki-nii, don''t tell me you forgot what day is it?"


    "Uh¡­ What day is it?" Yuki repeated her question, his brain still running slowly.


    "Mou, Yuki-nii! This is Sunday! We are going to go to Riku-nii''s house!" That was when Yuki finally woke up and remembered Riku''s invitation.


    Yeah, it was Sunday already, and three days had passed since the game against Kyoei Gakuen. Even though he would never admit it loudly, Yuki indeed forgot about the invitation as his mind was so full in thest couple of days. The game he had three days ago seemed to take a toll on him as he still felt the soreness in his body.


    "Okay, okay, I will wake up. Please, keep your voice lower, Mai-chan." He coughed, then asked, "Also, can you help me bring a ss of water, please? Thank you." He drank all the water in the ss in one sip, then checked the time on his phone.


    "It is still 5:30?" Yuki groaned. "Mai-chan, even Riku would still be on his bed right now."


    The girl just scratched her neck sheepishly as she was caught offhandedly. Yuki could only sigh, knowing the girl''s feelings. It was something he noticed a few days ago, that since he lived here, he had never seen any other children bring their friends over like he always did.


    It might be because they were embarrassed by their status as an orphan or because they weren''t close enough with their friends, but it happened. That was why everyone was so excited whenever his friends came over, and as this would be the first time they got invited to his friend''s house, they also felt some sort of nervousness.


    "Come on, let me wash my face first. I will join you in the kitchen."


    Yuki patted the girl''s head before walking to the bathroom. After finishing his morning routine, he went to the kitchen, just to find Aiko and some of the children were already there.


    "Good morning, everyone."


    "Morning, Yuki-nii." The children there greeted him back.


    "Morning, Yuki-kun." Aiko gave him a small smile. "Want a cup of coffee?"


    "Yes, please." Yuki nodded, sighing as he threw his body to the closest seat here. "So, is it a bit too early for anyone here to wake up? Taro-kun, I have never seen you wake up this early in the holiday?" He said casually.


    The boy whom he mentioned blushed before saying, "Well, today is the day of Riku-nii''s invitation. It would be rude if we arrivedte."


    Yuki chuckled, knowing it was a lie. The time Riku invited them toe over was 11 a.m., and it was still 6 in the morning. However, Yuki took pity and didn''t expose it, knowing this would make Taro more panic. It seemed the boy was nervous too for today''s event.


    The morning went so slow for the residents of the orphanage. After Aiko finished cooking, they all went to call those who were still in their bed and went to have breakfast together. One hour before the time, Kato arrived too, as they would go together to Riku''s ce.


    Yuki''s heart skipped a bit when he saw the girl''s appearance. She wore a semi-casual, bright color floral dress that was modest and not revealing, yet still highlighting her beauty pretty well. While Yuki knew Kato was pretty, when he saw it by himself how gorgeous his friend was outside of the school uniform she usually wore, his face flushed red while he turned his head away to avoid her gaze.


    Kato who noticed his gaze also blushed, feeling embarrassed. However, maybe because they were familiar with each other already that even when she was embarrassed, she still dared toe forward and tease the boy. "So, cat got your tongue?" She smiled yfully.


    Even though Yuki scowled, the appearance of the red-tinted shade on his cheek was enough to contradict it, making Kato giggle a little. When he saw how good the girl was with her attire, he suddenly felt underdressed even with his best trousers and shirt.


    "So, how should we go to Riku''s house?" Yuki coughed, trying to change the topic. "Also, something that we should''ve considered a long time ago, do any of us know his address?"


    Yuki and Kato stared at each other for a second, somehow feeling a bit stupid at that moment. Indeed, one of them should''ve asked about the address when they were invited, as not knowing the ce where they were invited was stupid. However, itpletely slipped through their mind, making them feel like idiots.


    "Call him! There are still 30 minutes before the invitation time, maybe we could catch the time if we are quick enough!" Kato asked urgently.


    "Okay!" Yuki nodded, flipping his phone quickly. The children who saw the panic on their faces started to feel concerned, couldn''t help but ask.


    "What''s wrong, Yuki-nii?"


    "Is there anything we should know before we go?"


    Yuki was about to exin when suddenly, he could hear the low yet powerful rumble of a car engineing from outside of the building. When he took a nce from the windows, his jaws droppedically when there were three massive, luxurious cars parked there, as if going to pick them up.


    Then, from the car on the front, a man with a formal suit suddenly came out, taking off his sunsses to show his sharp gaze. The children gulped unconsciously, thinking that the man was going to create trouble here. However, surprisingly, the man was polite, giving a bright smile to the children there before turning his head to Yuki and Kato who were still shocked by his appearance.


    "Are you both Yuki-san and Kato-san, Riku-sama''s friends?"

 Chapter 115: Rikus Invitation (II)

    Yuki blinked his eyes a few times, his mind still couldn''tprehend what just happened here. He stared at the children who were excited to go with the car while his mind still wandering far, lost in the memories.


    He somehow remembered Riku''s story about his family, that his father was just an ordinary diplomat who was ced in Japan and identally fell in love with his mother who was an ordinary businessman. He chuckled wryly, feeling stupid for believing that story.


    ''Ordinary my ass. No ordinary family should be able to charter three luxurious cars just to pick up the children from an ordinary orphanage and have a private driver who called him a young master, right?''


    Yeah, by now, it was clear that those cars in front of the building came from Riku to pick them up. The old man exined his identity as the Agostini family''s butler and he was here to pick them up. They all were surprised when they heard that, thinking it was a bit too exaggerated. Before this, they thought they would have to walk and maybe use the local train if necessary to go to Riku''s ce.


    However, all the arrangements they made could be thrown into the trash can now.


    ''Damn, I know he is wealthy, but this is ridiculous.'' Yuki shook his head as he entered the car. ''This is something that only rich people in the movie could enjoy. There is no way his parents are as ordinary as he is talking about. What kind of secret does he have?''


    While Yuki was still cursing his friend inwardly, the others gathered quickly to arrange how they should go. Since the car could only fit five passengers including the driver, they had to think quickly about how to separate themselves. After a few moments, it was decided that there should be at least one adult in each car, with Aiko, Yuki, and Kato acting as one.


    In the end, he was going to one of the cars with the twins Hina and Hiko and Aina, the oldest girl in the orphanage.


    "Wow, this is so beautiful!"


    The three of them had their eyes shining brightly as they marveled at the interior design of the car. The driver''s seat was wrapped in soft, supple leather, and the rear seats were trimmed in rich, velvety fabric, providing ample space for five passengers to stretch out and rx.


    The cabin was illuminated by ambient lighting and ented with subtle wood trim, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere that made long road trips feel like a pampering experience.


    Yuki himself was in awe too, never thought even in his dream that he could sit in this kind of car.


    ''Damn, what kind of people are his parents?''


    By now, Yuki couldn''t wait to meet Riku''s parents. Even with this kind of wealth, he had never seen Riku unt it over the other people, and with how easy-going his personality was, the blonde boy never had the aura of a son of a super wealthy family. So, yeah, he was curious about what kind of people his friend''s parents were to be able to raise such a fine young man like Riku.


    "We have arrived already, Yuki-san." The driver''s voice snapped Yuki from his thought. He didn''t realize he had been dozing off for the entire journey. Fortunately, the children he was responsible for were busy admiring the car and not making trouble.


    When he got off the car and saw the house though, Yuki felt he was pped straight on his face. He thought he had an idea of how wealthy Riku was, but after seeing the building in front of him, he knew he was in a rude awakening.


    The building in front of him wasn''t an ordinary rich people''s house. It was the perfectbination of modern architecture and the elegant touch of traditional Japanese style, giving off the majestic vibe as it was an aristocrat''s house. Well, instead of a house, the building should be called a mansion because of how massive it was.


    "Wow¡­" The children next to Yuki also stared at the majestic building in front of them in awe. "Does Riku-nii really live here?" Hiko asked, starting to feel nervous. While usually, he was close to Riku as the blonde boy would always apany him drawing or doing something artsy, that was when he didn''t have the ''rich people'' aura.


    Now when they were in front of Riku''s house, they couldn''t help but feel intimidated.


    "Don''t worry, even though Riku lives here, he is still the same goofy boy who helps you color your draw. Nothing will change." Yuki patted his back ¨C well, his wheelchair, technically ¨C reassuringly. Hiko nodded nkly, then gave him a weak smile that said he was okay.


    A few minutester, the other cars finally arrived, and the other children also had a simr reaction. They stared at the massive building in front of them in awe, not knowing how to react.


    However, Aiko and Kato''s reactions were not as Yuki expected.


    While he could see the sign of nervousness on the matron''s face, she still maintained herposure, looking elegant as if she was used toing to this scene. That was when Yuki realized he didn''t even know Aiko''s background story and her past at all.


    ''Maybe, after this, I could ask about her youth.'' Yuki thought.


    As for Kato, the girl blinked for a moment, then before he could even ask a question, she suddenly muttered lowly, "It is way more ordinary than I thought."


    Yuki twitched his mouth speechlessly at her reaction. With how easy it was for him to exchange conversations with her, Yuki often forgot that Kato was just like Riku, a child from a wealthy family. Of course, she would be used to this scene, already.


    "So, what are we waiting for?" Aiko suddenly asked.


    Yeah, the three cars stopped in front of the gate of the building and left them alone there without even saying anything. Now, they didn''t even know what they should do. At first, Yuki flipped the phone quickly from his pocket and wanted to reach Riku.


    However, before he could even do that, the blonde boy appeared from the front door with an appearance that was so contrast to his usual goofy one. The vibrant colors of the kimono he wore seemed to shimmer in the sunlight, and the way Riku''s eyes sparkled with confidence was unlike anything Yuki had ever seen before.


    His jaw dropped as he took in the sight of his friend, who looked like he had just stepped out of a traditional Japanese painting, and he couldn''t help but wonder what had happened to the goofy, carefree blonde boy he knew so well before.


    It seemed everyone also thought the same, as all the children looked at him as if Riku was a stranger they had never met before. It was finally Hiko who broke the silence around, asking what was inside everyone''s head.


    "Riku-nii, is that really you?"

 Chapter 116: Rikus Invitation (III)

    Riku''s mouth twitched a little at Hiko''s sudden hesitant question before he fastened his walk and pped the boy straight on the back of his head. "Of course, I am Riku! Are you telling me you forgot about my appearance after not meeting with each other just in a few days?"


    Everyone sighed in relief when they heard his tone. They were d that even with all the fancy clothes he wore, Riku was still himself, loud and obnoxious.


    "Well, you cannot me me for doubting you! You look so different here!" Hiko retorted, defending himself. The other children also nodded in agreement.


    "Well, yeah, I cannot me you here." Riku hummed slightly. "Anyway, this is my father''s idea. Even though I want the event today to be more casual, he insists that I use formal attire, and he always loves a traditional one. That is why everyone inside would also wear the simr attires. However, don''t worry, and don''t be intimidated. No one will bite you there."


    Yuki could only chuckle wryly when he heard Riku''s nonchnt warning. Of course, it was easy for Riku to say that since he knew all the people inside like the back of his hand. However, for him and the others, they felt awkward and nervous right now.


    Having to enter a strange, unfamiliar building knowing that the people inside would wear something formal while they seemed to be so casual was pretty intimidating.


    "Riku-chan, have your friends arrived already?" Suddenly, a soft, angelic voice came from behind, calling the blonde boy. All the children couldn''t help but peek, wanting to know the source of that nice voice that just knocked softly into his ears.


    "Yes, Mom! They are here!" Riku shouted back. Then, he turned at him and the children and said, "My parents would be here. Let me introduce them to you. Don''t worry, even though my father looks intimidating, he just doesn''t like tomunicate for too long. However, he is still a nice person."


    His words only made the children more nervous. Suddenly, they were busy with themselves, some tried to fix their already neat hair while the others looked at their clothes to see if some dirt was still stuck in there. They all thought the same, didn''t want to give a bad first impression toward Riku''s parents.


    When the parents finally appeared though, Yuki was stunned by their appearance.


    The mother ¨C or so that was what Yuki thought ¨C looked so young, that if Riku didn''t give a hint that it was his mother, Yuki would mistake her for the blondie''s older sister.


    Even though, unlike Riku, she had dark hair, but the shape of her face, the eyebrows, the jawline, and the way her eyes were twinkling when she talked with the others were so simr to her son that it made Yuki believe they were twins. Also, she had the liveliness and the hint of mischievousness in her eyes that Yuki was so familiar with and made him nce at Riku for a second.


    ''Wow, he inherits so much from his mother.'' Yuki thought.


    As for the father, Yuki knew instantly that he was a foreigner. He had a high face and prominent nose, something that wasn''tmon in Japan. Moreover, his blonde hair also told a lot about his identity. However, it seemed the mother sucked all the liveliness inside him, as his expression was cold as if he was about to scold someone.


    All in all, Riku was the perfect mixture of both his parents.


    "Mom, Dad, these are my friends. This is Yuki, and that is Kato. They both are my ssmates. As for the other, that is Aiko-obaasan, the matron of the orphanage, and the children are Hiko-kun, Hina-kun, Taro-kun¡­."Riku introduced them one by one, with all of the children nodding nervously at the couples when they heard their name was called.


    "And everyone, they are my parents. She is my mom, Misaki Agostini, and he is my father, Andrea Agostini."


    "Nice to meet you!" All of them bowed at each other in unison.


    After finishing the formality, it seemed the mother couldn''t hold it anymore. He rushed forward to Mei who was the smallest and suddenly hugged her ¨C and the children closest to her ¨C and gushed immediately.


    "Oh, you all are so cute!" She squealed, frightening the children around. "I have already heard so much about you all from Riku-chan, but this is the first time we have met, right? I cannot believe my dear Riku-chan would make a lot of friends so quickly!" She pinched the children''s cheeks full of excitement.


    Yuki couldn''t help but have a sweat drop on his face, then thought, ''Yeah, she is Riku''s mother, right? There is no doubt about it.''


    Experience tales at mvl


    After watching his wife greeting the children warmly, the man of the house suddenly coughed, gaining everyone''s attention. "Misaki, it is rude to keep them outside. Let''s go to the backyard."


    "Oh, yeah! Sorry, Dear." Riku''s mom smiled apologetically at her husband. Then, she turned back to the children and asked, "So, who is excited to see the cherry blossom here?"


    It seemed the hook she threw was sessful in gaining the children''s attention. They all perked up immediately with their expression lightened up at the mention of cherry blossom.


    "Me, Misaki-neechan!"


    "Hey, don''t be rude!"


    "Yeah! She is so mature that you have to call her Obaasan!"


    "But she is so beautiful, though! She should be a neechan, right?"


    Hearing the children squabbling over how to praise her only made Misaki happier. However, she still brought everyone to the backyard, which left them speechless once again. The lush green backyard looked alive with the gentle rustle of leaves and the sweet scent of blooming cherry blossoms.


    In the center of the garden, a majestic tree stood tall, its branches heavy with delicate pink petals that swayed softly in the breeze. A small stonentern, adorned with delicate carvings of cherry blossoms, sat at the base of the tree, casting a warm and inviting glow over the serenendscape.


    This was the scenery Yuki thought would onlye from a fairy tale.


    While they were admiring the scenery in front of them, Misaki herself was foundmunicating with the maid outside of the yard. A few minutester, a full course of meals suddenly arrived, with a lot of delicacies from Italy and Japan in it. The smell was so good that even if they had done their breakfast before going there, their stomach made a rumbling sound again in front of everyone.


    "I know you will be hungry, so I have already prepared the food for everyone here." Misaki giggled a little at the embarrassed look of the children. "Well,e on! Sit down and enjoy the food! No need to be shy, okay?"

 Chapter 117: Rikus Invitation (IV)

    As they enjoyed the meals in front of them, Yuki couldn''t help but feel strange. Even though the scenery was gorgeous, even though the food was delicious, and even though the atmosphere was so peaceful, he still found something strange here. It was too quiet for his liking.


    He had lived together with the children for about two months, and he knew based on his experience that good food would always make them crazy. However, this time, no matter how appealing the food in front of them, there was no sound here. Everyone was so focused on their own, trying to maintain their well-mannered.


    Hell, even Mai who was the smallest and usually ate the food messily was now concentrating her best to not make a mess, furrowing her brows while she tried to copy Aiko''s movement to cut the steak from her te.


    This situation was way too formal, and Yuki couldn''t help but take a nce at the host family who was the reason why everyone was so stiff right now.


    Yeah, the three people who were their current hosts were so well-mannered in front of the food, making them ufortable. Hell, even Riku who they had seen fighting and gobbling up for the food in the past looked so elegant right now. This situation made it hard for everyone to eatfortably.


    Fortunately, Misaki, the woman of the house noticed the awkwardness the children showed as sheughed all of a sudden. "Why are you all so formal like this? That expression should''ve never been on the face of children like you! Be more rxed and enjoy the food! Here, this is a good roast chicken that our chef cooks specially for you today.


    It is delicious, so you should try it." She picked up something from the te close to her and put it on Hina''s te.


    Everyone was stunned for a second. However, they didn''t need to get the second permission before hell broke there.


    "Hey, don''t push around!"


    "Can you get me the sd, please?"


    "No, that''s mine!"


    "Children, please, don''t be rude!"


    "Don''t make a mess, Hina!"


    "Taro-nii, that is mymb! Don''t eat it!"


    Yuki had a sweat drop on his face, looking at the contrast situation a few minutes agopared to now. It seemed as if the awkwardness before never happened here. Fortunately, the Agostini couple didn''t mind their antic. In fact, Misaki seemed to enjoy this, as she smiled widely while started answering the children''s questions.


    Yuki nced at Riku who still enjoying his food while ignoring the chaotic situation created by the children and couldn''t help but ask, "Is it okay for them to be noisy like this?" He asked, whispered.


    "Don''t worry about it," Riku answered nonchntly. "Even though it looks so formal from the outside perspective, it is because we are used to it. My father''s influence, if you should know."


    "Your father?" Yuki took a nce at the man unconsciously, just to throw away his face as soon as possible. He wasn''t a boy who was intimidated easily, but the cold gaze from the older blonde was enough to send a shiver through his spine.


    "Don''t get fooled by his cold appearance." Riku rolled his eyes as he saw Yuki''s reaction. "In fact, he is an avid otaku."


    "An avid otaku?" Yuki parroted his words, dumbfounded.


    "Yeah, and he is crazy about it," Rikumented casually while picking up the food from his te as if what he just said was the most obvious thing in the world. "He even has something he calls a ''holly shrine'', a ce where he put his figurines and toys there. He used to drive mom crazy with all of that.


    In fact, the reason why he wanted to be a diplomat was because he wanted to marry a Japanese woman, and somehow, his dream came true as Mom fell in love with him. That is also why he is always crazy about following the tradition, wanting to be a proper Japanese, he said."


    Yuki was speechless, didn''t know how to react. The revtion about the coldest man he had ever seen to be an otaku was crazy enough, but he wondered if it was okay for Riku to talk about his father''s dark secret so casually like this. Explore more at mvl


    "So, what about Akira-sensei? He is your uncle, right?" He asked, trying to change the topic.


    "He is my mom''s older brother." Riku nodded, confirming his question. "Her family has a massive business in fashion, and since Akira-jiisan had never shown any intention to inherit the business, their parents, who are my grandparents, sent my mom to learn about fashion at a famous school in Mn. That is why we have a strong tie with Italy."


    Yep. That confirmed the big question in his head. It was clear that the family wasn''t an ordinary one. He was d that they weren''t some sort of mafia or yakuza like his wild imagination thought them to be.


    Seeing the two boys whispering at each other intently while ignoring the other people at the table, Misaki suddenly joined the conversation. "So, you are Yuki-kun, right? Riku-chan told me a lot about you."


    "Really?" Yuki was taken aback. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously when he saw his blonde boy avoid his gaze. "Nothing bad, I hope."


    "Oh, on the contrary, it is always something good." Misaki smiled yfully at her son. "It is always ''Kobayashi-kun is amazing on this'' or ''Kobayashi-kun is amazing on that'', never anything bad about you."


    "Mom, that is not cool!" Riku groaned while he had a blush on his face. "You promise not to tell him about it, right?!"


    "Sorry, Dear. I couldn''t help it." She giggled. Yuki was touched that his friend talked a lot about him with his mother. However, he just thanked the woman politely, didn''t want to embarrass Riku in front of his parents.


    "Oh, speaking of volleyball, I suddenly remember something." Misaki suddenly perked up. "A few days ago, my old friend suddenly called me, asking if she and her son could go over to our ce. She said that her son is a shy boy, but is always good at volleyball. She wanted to encourage her son to socialize more with the boys at his age, and if I remember it correctly, he should be at your age.


    That is why I also invite them here today, and they will be here in a moment."


    Riku furrowed his brows immediately, showing that he didn''t know about this sudden turn of events. However, it was her husband who reacted first. "You hadn''t told me about this, Misaki."


    "Really?" Misaki seemed surprised. "It seems it slipped through my mind. I am sorry, Dear. But the invitation had already been sent and those two are on the way to be here. Can we amodate two more people here?" She asked cutely at her husband, not a hint of embarrassment could be seen in her eyes as she did all of this in front of the children.


    Yuki felt awkward, trying to avoid staring at the lovey-dovey couple. However, he was surprised to see that the sh of personalities seemed to not affect their rtionship. Even though one was way colder than any human being he had ever met and the other was so lively just like her son, they both had a healthy rtionship that would make any couple jealous when they saw that.


    After spending a few minutes chatting with the children, Misaki''s phone suddenly rang, and when the woman checked it, she rose from her seat immediately. "They are here, wait a moment."


    The children ¨C and Yuki to some extent ¨C took a nce to the outside just to find another luxurious car that was different from the ones used to pick them up beforeing. He saw a woman who probably could bepared to Riku''s mother in terms of gorgeousness came out of the car and greeted Misaki excitedly.


    Following her, a boy with a calm and peaceful demeanor also stepped forward to greet the host.


    Yuki and Riku exchanged a nce for a moment as they realized the boy''s identity instantly.


    ''So, this is the volleyball yer that Misaki-san / mom talked about before, huh?''

 Chapter 118: Rikus Invitation (V)

    "His name is Nobuhiro Sawada, and just like Misaki-chan''s son, he is a freshman in high school too. He is a bit shy, so please, take care of him, okay?"


    "Please, take care of me."


    Yuki and Riku couldn''t help but have a sweat drop on their face as they saw the boy in front of them bowed politely. From the first impression, no one would believe the boy was a volleyball yer. He had a thin body that looked so weak people would be afraid of hurting him just by touching the boy.


    Added to the shy and quiet air radiated from him, they both had a hunch he had a hard time getting along with the other boys.


    "Come here, Sawada-san! Sit with us!" Being the chatterbox he was, Riku invited the boy quickly, and soon started to dominate the conversation. "I heard from my mom that you are a volleyball yer too, so which position do you y? And from which school do youe from? Oh, I am Riku, by the way, Riku Agostini. You can just call me by the first name.


    He is Yuki Kobayashi." The blonde boy pointed his finger at his friend.


    Yuki was speechless by the overly-friendliness Riku showed toward the boy he had just met. Maybe it was a family trait, considering how his mother acted over the children she had just met too.


    As for the children, while some of them were ying around in the yard, a few were still there, listening to the conversation while looking at the new boy carefully. It was clear they were also interested in him, who also was a volleyball yer just like their two brothers.


    After being reassured that it was okay for the children to do that, Kato and Aiko were roped into the conversation with the two older women in the room.


    ''Wait, someone is missing here!'' Yuki suddenly realized something. "Oi, Riku, where is your father?" He whispered to the blonde boy. Experience tales at mvl


    "Oh? He is gone already? He must go back to his room. He is not the most socialized person, as you can see." Riku said nonchntly.


    Yuki somehow felt pity toward his father, since it must be hard for an introvert like him to live with the pair of lively mother-and-son. However, since the rtionship in the family was healthy and everyone was happy, he was sure the father also enjoyed it secretly.


    "So, which position do you y for the team?" Riku asked once again with the same curiosity. Yuki put aside his thoughts as he also waited for the boy to answer the question.


    "Ah¡­ I am a setter, and I am just an ordinary one." The boy, Sawada, rubbed his neck shyly.


    "Setter?!" Riku perked up a little, and Yuki could see hispetitive spirit rise instantly. "Hey, that is the same position as me!"


    "Is that so¡­" Sawada chuckled a little, yet somehow looked ufortable.


    However, it seemed Riku didn''t notice that as he kept bombarding the poor boy with question after question. "So, which school do youe from? Is it any good? Hey, is it in Tokyo? Will it be possible for us to y against each other? And ¨C Ouch!


    What the hell, Yuki!" He red at his friend who just sent a chop straight to his head.


    "You overwhelm him, idiot. Give the poor boy a space, will you?" Yuki rolled his eyes. "He looks like he is about to faint. If you keep going to throw questions, I am sure he won''t be able to survive for too long."


    Riku was stunned, then when he noticed the not-so-good state of Sawada, he apologized quickly. "Sorry, Sawada-san! I am a bit overreacting here!"


    "Ah¡­ It is nothing¡­" Sawada was still in a daze, not knowing how to react. "Agostini-san is really an enthusiastic person when he is talking about volleyball, right?"


    "No, not just about volleyball. He is always a chatterbox about everything." Yuki exposed his friend mercilessly.


    "Hey, that''s rude!" Riku sniffed.


    "Well, tell me it is not true, I dare you!"


    "It is still rude, though."


    Sawada smiled as he saw the two boys start bickering with each other before bringing the topic back to the volleyball. "So, you both y regrly even though you are still a freshman? That is awesome." He let out a deep sigh.


    "Yep!" Riku nodded proudly. "What about you?"


    Sawada hesitated for a moment, and instead of answering the question straight to the point, he asked once again, "Are your senpai okay with you both grabbing the regr spot?"


    "Oh, no, they are not okay with us. The third-year seniors, I mean. They are a bunch of pricks. d that the matter is over now." Riku said.


    "Do you have trouble with your senpai? Especially after you grab the regr ce?" Yuki inquired.


    He remembered how it felt when the team started spreading bad rumors about him, and even though he was nonchnt about it, he could still see how it affected his reputation in the school. He didn''t want to imagine that such a shy person like Sawada would have to go through the same scrutinization process as him in the past.


    "Oh, no, the senpai are good. They wee me pretty well." Sawada shook his head gently. "It is just¡­." He sighed once again, then continued, "I don''t know¡­"


    "Wait a second!" Riku interrupted, suddenly realizing something. "Does that mean you grab the regr position from your senpai?!" Seeing the nod from Sawada, he pped his hands excitedly. "That is awesome!"


    Yuki groaned, once again getting reminded that his friend couldn''t read the atmosphere at all. Just as they were going to talk about the problem with the senpai, he was getting excited over the information that he should''ve known from the confirmation without needing to confirm it.


    Now, the situation was pretty awkward, with Yuki and Sawada didn''t know how to go back to the conversation before without ignoring Riku''s enthusiasm.


    Fortunately, Riku wasn''t that dumb.


    He noticed immediately that there was no happiness and excitement on Sawada''s face, and he finally remembered the troublesome episode when the senpai were trying to damage Yuki''s reputation. "Do your senpai not wee you and try to alienate you whenever the coach is not around?" He asked sharply.


    Sawada was shocked by the sudden usation. "No, God, nothing that far!" He rejected the idea immediately.


    "d to hear that," Riku said, and he clearly meant it. "So, what is the problem here?" He asked once again. When he saw Sawada avoid his gaze, coupled with the shy and quiet demeanor shown by the boy, he could guess what happened immediately. "Are you feeling guilty because you grabbed the position from a third-year senpai who is about to retire this year?"


    Even though Sawada didn''t answer the question verbally, his expression was enough to tell Yuki that it was true. He apuded his friend inwardly for his sharp thinking, forgetting about his insensitiveness before.


    "Well, how could you go all out if you keep thinking about that?" Riku frowned.


    "You are right." Sawada sighed. Yuki forgot how many times he sighed in this conversation, but at least it told him that this problem bothered the boy.


    "If your senpai is not retiring as soon as you are recing him, that means he still has hope that he will be able to grab your position, you know?" Yukimented. "He will work his ass off to regain the trust of your coach. And when he knows you are not going all out because you feel guilty, instead of happy, he would be fuming at you."


    ''Kobayashi-san is right.'' Sawada slumped dejectedly when he heard that.


    "So, the solution is easy, right?" Yuki said nonchntly while picking up food to his mouth "Just go all out! If your coach is good, he should consider whether your ability is worth shaking the team''s spirit or not. If you are just an ordinary yer, there is no way your coach will let you touch the court.


    And you said before that your senpai didn''t mind it, so why are you worrying over something that is not a problem in the first ce?"


    Sawada''s eyes lightened up as if he was enlightened by Riku''s words. He nodded excitedly, thinking that this was never a problem in the team, just his overthinking mind going through his head.


    "You are right, Agostini-san, Kobayashi-san. This is not a problem in the first ce, and if I really care about my senpai''s feelings, I should go all out at every chance to show that I deserve the spot. Thank you for your advice!"


    "Ahaha, it is nothing." Riku rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Anyway, you haven''t told us what school do you y for, right?"


    "Oh, yeah!" Sawada pped his forehead lightly. "Sorry, it is rude for me to forget about it. I am ying for a school called Konan High."


    The moment Sawada finished his words, Yuki and Riku froze on the spot and then turned their head quickly to the boy. Konan High¡­ That wasn''t the name of the school they expecteding from Sawada''s mouth. Riku suddenly got excited when he realized he met the setter of the number one team in the country. However, Yuki was still calm, asking a question.


    "In Konan, there should be team 1, team 2, and something like that, right?"


    "Oh, we call it team A and team B." Sawada nodded.


    "So, in which team have you just grabbed your senpai''s spot?" Yuki asked once again, trying to make his tone casual.


    "M-Me? I should be¡­ The team A." He smiled shyly.


    However, Sawada didn''t expect what he said would make Yuki and Riku react strongly. Yuki had a solemn gaze on his face as if he was assessing the new boy he just met, while Riku had his eyes shining with determination as he threw the challenge to the boy.


    "When we meet against each other in the future¡­. Fight us with all your best, okay?"

 Chapter 119: Rikus Invitation (VI)

    After two hours of being guests in Riku''s house, they all finally went back home. Even though Riku''s parents didn''t mind they were there for a little longer, Aiko didn''t want to take advantage of their hospitality. She, Kato, Yuki, and the children bid farewell, with Misaki insisting that took the same cars that picked them up before to go back to the orphanage.


    They didn''t go back empty-handed, though. From cute child clothes for summer, books, school bags for each child, toys, and even daily necessities like toiletries were given to them by the host family. At first, Aiko wanted to refuse, ufortable with Misaki''s generosity. However, when the magic words ''for the orphanage'' were spelled, she folded, epting it with an embarrassed look.


    As for the children themselves, they didn''t care about faces. The moment Misaki took out the gift for them, they squealed excitedly, starting to fight with each other like usual. They didn''t even care about the journey back or the luxurious car they took anymore, as their focus was on the new things they just received from the Agostini family.


    Well, their reaction was understandable, since this was probably the first time since they lived in the orphanage that they got something new here.


    "These children¡­" Aiko huffed helplessly. "I should''ve thought them about having a face! They cannot ept people''s gifts that easily!"


    "You cannot me them, Aiko-san." Kato giggled. "Misaki-san has the same ''I am friendly and approachable'' aura just like her son. It is no wonder the children would feel easy around her."


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    Aiko huffed once again, throwing her body to the chair in the kitchen. They just arrived back at the orphanage, and the children went back to their room immediately to admire their new things. They didn''t even say hello or thank you to the drivers of the cars, embarrassing the matronpletely.


    Yuki who saw her expression shook his head amusedly before noticing something they carried that wasn''t there in the first ce. "So, what is it in the bag that Misaki-san gave to both of you?" He asked yfully.


    Aiko and Kato blushed, hiding the small bag they carried immediately from Yuki''s sight. They forgot that they also received some gifts from Misaki, and as a result, they got caught off-handed by the boy.


    "Just some dresses and make-up to be used for summer," Aiko answered before poking her tongue at him. "You are a boy, no need to be curious about our things." Kato also nodded in agreement.


    Yuki rolled his eyes, knowing those two were just teasing him. "Anyway, Obaasan, you look so natural today, no nervousness at all. It is as if you are used toing to such a luxurious building like that. Is there anything that you hide secretly from us? Trust me, I wouldn''t tell anyone about it." He finally asked what he was curious about the most.


    It seemed Kato also felt the same, as she leaned her body toward the woman. She also noticed it too, of how calm and collected Kato was even when talking to a wealthy businesswoman like Misaki or a high-status person like her husband. There was also the time when she handled the conversation so elegantly, making Kato believe Aiko was trained to deal with people from high-ss society in the past.


    However, that didn''t make sense. If indeed, Aiko was trained to do that, it meant her background shouldn''t be simple. Then, howe such a person ended up managing a small orphanage alone while working her fingers to the bone to keep the building alive?


    Being subjected to two curious gazes, the set of Aiko''s lips shifted to something faintly wry. "Well, how should I say it? It is¡­ An unexpected aftereffect of something that happened in the past." After a short pause, she added, "But you don''t need to know about it!


    Everything is over now, and I am your matron and obaasan here, that is the only thing you should know, okay?" She flicked her fingers at Yuki''s nose.


    Yuki and Kato stared at each other for a second with eyes full of curiosity. However, they respected Aiko too much to press her to tell the story. Since the woman didn''t want to share it and said everything was alright, then they didn''t need to think about it too much.


    "Anyway, what about the boy before? Nobuhiro Sawada, right? Is he really a volleyball yer like you?" The matron asked, changing the topic of the conversation.


    "Oh, yeah!" Yuki nodded. Then, a wry smile formed on his face. "In fact, he should be better than both Riku and I."


    "Oh? Why?" Kato asked, curious.


    "Well, for one, he is from Konan High, the undisputed number-one team in the country." Both Kato and Aiko were surprised by the information. "Also, he is a regr yer, which tells me a lot about his ability. If he could be a regr in the best team in the country when he is still a freshman, there is no way he is worse than us."


    "I didn''t expect it." Kato sighed, leaning her body back against the chair. "With how Sawada-san ¨C his mother, mind you ¨C tell us about him, I thought he would be a meek and unconfident boy. However, to be able to enter the first team in the best team in the country, there is no way he is that easy to be bullied."


    "Oh? Why do you think so?" Yuki asked, his desire to gossip suddenly rose. He wanted to know how the girl could reach the same conclusion as him even though their method to gain the information was different.


    "Well, it is just¡­" Kato nced at Aiko hesitantly. Seeing that the matron didn''t care, she continued, "She likes to talk bad about her son so much that it makes us ufortable."


    "Eh?" Yuki was surprised. If it was an embarrassing thing, he could understand, since some parents thought their children were just that cute. However, to talk bad about her own son?


    "Yeah, you heard it right." Kato nodded solemnly. "She would always talk about how bad he is in the ss, how untalented he is in piano, how shy and quiet he is, and something like that. She even said that the only reason she allowed her son to join the volleyball team was to stimte his ability to socialize. After he is in his second year next year, she would ask him to stop the club.


    That is why, with a dominant and controlling mother like her, the boy would be meek and easy to be bullied."


    Yuki sighed, feeling emotional. Although he didn''t know how Sawada felt under his mother''s oppression, he knew it should be tough. He was d that his parents were nothing like that and gave him enough freedom to do what he liked. However, not all parents were willing to trust their children like that.


    They gossiped for a while, talking about a wide range of topics, from Riku''s family, Misaki''s business, and so many random things. He knew from the conversation that Andrea, the man of the house, was the one who was responsible for all the Italian people in Japan.


    He also knew that Misaki had a massive business that produced clothes and distributed them all over Japan, with some reports even saying that it was the biggest in the country. All in all, it confirmed his guess that the Agostini family was not normal.


    It wasn''t until the sky started to go dark that Kato finally asked to go home. Yuki also rose from his spot, went back to his room. When he was finally alone, he checked the gift he received from the Agostini family and couldn''t help but smile when he saw the message in it.


    ''Even though you still have the shoes Mattheo-san gave to you, a yer should have more than one for a backup! Here is thetest model of the brand I always use. Hope you like it! Your friend, Riku.''


    Inside the box, he saw a pair of volleyball shoes still shining, looking like a brand new one. It was a different brand from what Mattheo gave to him, yet when he tried it, he felt the samefort as he had with his old shoes. It seemed the quality of the product was simr.


    He shook his head, putting both pairs of shoes next to each other. Then, he threw his tired body to his bed, recalling everything that happened today, and finally reached a conclusion.


    ''I will never be able to understand rich people''s thoughts at all.''

 Chapter 120: Team Meeting (I)

    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice serve, Riku!"


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    "Do you think it bes more powerful?"


    "You think so too? I thought it was my illusion!"


    "It seems Riku is in a good condition today!"


    It was a few days after the social meeting in Riku''s house, and the training for the volleyball club had gone back to normal already. However, currently, everyone stopped their doing as they all watched Riku practicing his serve. Somehow, the blonde boy was on fire in thest couple of days, as everyone could see from his service that became sharper and more powerful.


    No one knew why, but everyone was happy with the development.


    The only one who had a guess of what happened was Yuki, as he stared at his fellow freshman in wonder.


    ''Does he feel excited after meeting Sawada and knowing that he is the setter of Konan?'' He mused. However, when he remembered his friend well, he shook his head. ''What am I thinking about? Of course, this would be the case. There is no way he could hide his excitement after meeting a future strong opponent like him.''


    The trainingsted for another half an hour before Akira and Megumi suddenly appeared in the gymnasium.


    "Okay, everyone! Gather in our room! We have something important to discuss here!"


    All of them were taken aback by the sudden announcement, yet when they saw the serious gaze in the coach''s eyes, they knew this must be about the tournament. They wondered if the coach just gained the intelligence about their next opponent and worried about some of them or something like that. However, they still moved immediately from the gymnasium to their ''new'' room.


    "Oi, Koji! Have you done your training?"


    "Don''t ck off, Kaede!"


    "Come on, volleyball team! You are our pride here!"


    On the way to the room, they were greeted by many students warmly. Some were evenpletely strangers, yet they still took their time to encourage the team. This had been amon thing since they won dramatically against Kyoei Gakuen. However, this didn''t prevent them from being embarrassed by the sudden positive attention they received. They all blushed and greeted the other students back politely.


    "Wow, it is difficult to be a celebrity, huh?" Kaede sighed tiredly.


    "Yeah, who would have thought that giving a fake smile all the time to the strangers who support you would be exhausting, right?" Asahi rolled his eyes sarcastically.


    "Hey, my smile is not fake!" Kaede said, offended.


    "And they are not strangers! They are our friends!" Okamura added, also offended.


    "Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on, you two." Asahi rolled his eyes once again. "You don''t even know half the people who greeted you."


    "HEY!"


    All the yers there bickered with each other about their new poprity. Meanwhile, Akira and Megumi who heard the conversation from the room smiled a little before their expression turned somber once again.


    "Are you sure showing them the record now is wise, Sensei?" Megumi couldn''t help but ask, worried.


    "Well, I think, this is the best time for us to show them this," Akira answered. "At least, if they were shocked by what they saw, they have enough time to recover their spirit."


    Megumi bit her lips, yet didn''t say anything again. She knew this was important and the sooner everyone knew about it the better. But they still had a game to be yed, and she was afraid the team set their sight too far and couldn''t see what was in front of them.


    "Don''t worry, Megumi-san." It seemed Akira noticed her state, as he tried to reassure her. "Even though this will shake them off, they will be back with better motivation than ever. Trust me, and trust them."


    Megumi could only nod at his words. Maybe because she was the oldest student and all the yers on the team were either sophomores or freshmen that she would always worry over everything. However, Akira was right. She needed to start trusting the yers more, as they were able to reach this point in the tournament by themselves.


    "Excuse me!"


    One by one, all the yers started toe, filling the empty space in the room. Akira had already arranged everything so that everyone could sit like they were in a normal ss, while at the front, he set up hisptop and a projector so that everyone could see the record clearly from behind.


    "Okay, everyone! Be quiet and listen!" Everyone went silent the moment Akira raised his voice. "This is the video of Teiryo''s warming-up game before the tournament began. I know that this is not an official game and they might y differently in this tournament, but I want to show you this game."


    All the yers straightened their backs immediately, knowing that the coach would show them an unimportant game. They waited for a while until everything was ready, and when the projector showed the record of the game, they couldn''t help but feel surprised at Teiryo''s opponent.


    ck stripe white jerseys.


    Walking with the air full of confidence.


    Yuki and Riku also saw someone familiar there.


    And most importantly, the name of the school is written on the front.


    Konan High.


    "Oi, oi, is this serious?" Kaede asked, still dumbfounded.


    "As you can see here, this is the game between Teiryo and Konan High." Akira started to exin, ignoring the shock his yers had right now. "The final score is 25 ¨C 3 and 25 ¨C 5 for Konan High."


    ''Damn¡­'' All the yers cursed inwardly at the ridiculous score Akira said. ''They didn''t even allow Teiryo to get more than ten points in two sets? Is the difference between the top 8 team in Tokyo and the best team in the country really that big?''


    "Not to say that we should follow Konan''s example here, but there are some points that we could use as a reference for the next game, so listen carefully here."


    Everyone nodded, trying to regain theirposure. Although Akira said this was the intelligence gathering for the next game against Teiryo, all of them were focusing more on Konan rather than their next opponent. They knew that Konan was thest wall they needed to climb, the final boss they needed to beat if they wanted to keep the team alive.


    However, the more they watched the record, the more terrible they felt, as all the people inside the room saw Konan''s utter dominance against the opponent, while Yuki and Riku kept staring at the setter that they just got to know a few days ago.


    ''Sawada and that number 22¡­ What a scarybination. Who the hell is that?''

 Chapter 121: Team Meeting (II)

    Looking at his yers whose faces got paler gradually as the further they watched the game, Akira nodded in satisfaction. That meant everyone took this seriously, and while they would be shaken off by this, they would still have two more weeks before the top 8 games.


    Yeah, the purpose of showing this record wasn''t to gather intelligence of Teiryo High that would be their next opponent. Akira just used that as an excuse to show how terrible Konan High was since they would be the final boss Tsunemori had to beatter. Konan High wouldn''t be like any other ordinary opponent that was enough for them to prepare just in one week.


    Hell, even two weeks wouldn''t be enough for them to get ready at the fullest. However, it was better than nothing.


    As for the game against Teiryo¡­ Akira had already seen their game, and honestly, there was nothing special in it. They just got lucky they always drew weak opponents in thest couple of rounds. However, Akira was confident his yers could beat them in two straight sets.


    "Okay, let''s focus on Konan first and think of what can we copy for them," Akira spoke, gaining everyone''s attention. "First, they have their wing-spiker, Lucas Silva Morais." He pointed his finger at the boy¡­ No, the man with tan skin smiling at his teammates in the video.


    "He is a native Brazilian,ing here for an international student exchange program. I don''t know since when did our country have a strong rtionship with Brazil to the point that we epted their high school student toe here, but the fact is, he is here, and if there is one thing I learned about Brazilian people, it is the fact that they are always excellent in sports."


    By the tone they hearding from their coach, all the yers there could guess that Akira had some sort of prejudiced feeling for the Brazilian people. However, they didn''t want to point it out, as they were too afraid to do that. Still, when they heard the respect Akira showed albeit begrudgingly toward the Brazilian people, they knew the rtionship was not so simple.


    It was like¡­ Hate ying against them, yet still respect them as athletes.


    "Anyway!" Akira coughed, forcing the others to focus again. "He is Konan''s wing spiker, a third-year student who has been here for more than two years. And if you look at his game carefully, you will see his physical ability is abnormal.


    He has the same jumping ability as Ezaki from Shimoyawata, a quick speed that is hard to follow, a powerful spike like Nitta from Kyoei, and a predator instinct in front of the. A perfect package to be the team''s ace."


    Even though they all could see it, everyone still gulped in fright when they heard Akira mention Lucas Silva''s strong points one by one. Even though he wasn''t that tall, just slightly smaller than Asahi who was the second tallest of the team, his upper body was always higher than the whenever Lucas Silva jumped. That alone was enough to destroy any opponent''s blockers.


    However, what was scary was his speed and instinct. At some point, he would show azy gesture as if he was tired, then in the next second, he would already be in the opposite wing, flying without anyone noticing and hitting the weakest part of the opponent''s defense.


    "He has one ring weakness, though," Akira added.


    "Eh?!" All the eyes turned to the coach instantly. "Weakness?!" They all were surprised that the coach was able to find the weakness of the ace of the best team in Japan.


    "Yes, this is something I found out after some digging," Akira said, looking proud at himself. "Even if he has been living here for two years, Lucas Silva is still not proficient in the Japanese league. He often uses English and maybe some Portuguese that slipped from his tongue, yet his Japanese is awful, often causing mimunication during the game."


    The atmosphere lightened up for a moment as they all thought it was a weakness that they could expose. However, before they could start discussing how to do that, Megumi poured the cold water to kill their excitement.


    "Don''t get your hope up for too much." The girl said. "People have already noticed his weakness before, yet he is still able to perform well and bring the national trophy to Konan in thest two years. It shows that while the mimunication is annoying, it is not something that would affect them all.


    And this Lucas Silva also has strong teammates behind his back, so it would be difficult to take advantage of it."


    Everyone slumped dejectedly when they heard Megumi''s words. Yeah, thenguage barrier wasn''t something that could be hidden for too long. Any team that watched their game carefully would notice themunication struggle in the team. If the other teams who learned first couldn''t take advantage of that, who were they to think they could do better?


    The atmosphere turned gloomy as Akira paused the video, letting everything sink onto their head first before continuing the review.


    "As for the next notable yer they have¡­ Here, the number 14, the setter of the team!" Akira pointed his fingers at Sawada. Yuki and Riku straightened their back immediately, looking forward to the coach''s analysis. "His name is Nobuhiro Sawada, a freshman just like Yuki and Riku. But don''t underestimate him, thinking that because of his tiny body, he is easy to be bullied for.


    The fact that he could enter the regr team after just two months of joining the best team in the country shows that he has an amazing talent, at least no less or maybe even better than Yuki."


    The atmosphere kept getting gloomier the more Akira talked about Konan. All the yers there knew how terrifying Yuki''s talent was, so for the coach to say Sawada probably has a better talent than Yuki¡­ They didn''t want to imagine what kind of monster he was.


    "He is an amazing setter," Akira said. "It doesn''t matter what happened on the court, but he will always be able to give you a perfect set every single time. He can set from anywhere in the court, and it doesn''t matter if the first touch is awful, too low, or too high, but he will be able to turn it into a perfect set.


    Also, his ability to recognize his teammates'' strengths and weaknesses and work with them is amazing. With him on the court, you will always see all the Konan yers performing far better than their usual quality. He elevates the team to a new height."


    Thest part was probably the scariest sentence Akira had ever said to the team. If it was Riku or their other teammates, they all would be happy to have such a yer on their team. However, to hear that assessment from the coach to the yer that was going to be their opponent in the future, everyone couldn''t help but feel a shiver down their spine.


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    Riku himself looked excited. He was always the yer who could perform better the stronger the opponent was, so no onemented on him.


    "As for the other yers, of course, you cannot underestimate them." Akira continued. "Although I didn''t say anything specific about them, that doesn''t mean they are not good or something like that. They are the core of the best team in the country, so of course, there is no way they would be terrible. For example, this one." He pointed at another yer.


    "His name is Kenta Maeda, and he is their second-best scorer after Lucas Silva. He is a strong type of spiker that the team would use whenever they want to break the opponent''s wall head-on. As for his power, let''s just say he is in a simr tier as Gondo and Nitta, and you all know how terrifying those two are. Then, we have their libero¡­"


    Akira spoke for more than ten minutes, giving the detailed profile of all the Konan yers. The more they listened to the meeting, the more they felt terrible. They didn''t know how could they win a game against such an amazing team. In their mind, they had already given up the game, with the worst scenario suddenly popped up there.


    ''Is it really over for our team?''

 Chapter 122: Training with the University Team Again!

    A few dayster, Yuki found himself with his teammates back at Tsukumi University. This was the ce where they held a training camp for one week after they won the game against Shimoyawata in the first round.


    Even though their morale was still low after realizing how big the gap between them as a normal team and Konan High as the best team in the country was, they decided to move on, going back to the training session with the mental of ''if we don''t try, nothing will happen.''. Even if it wasn''t good to stay pessimistic, at least this was an improvementpared to a few days ago.


    Yuki sighed as he saw the big sign of ''Tsukumi University'' written on the gate. Even though it had only been a month since he was there, he couldn''t help but feel nostalgic. That was the first time he had to stay in a ce other than the orphanage for more than a night, after all. However, he was grateful that he joined thetest camp to the fullest, remembering how hard he worked at that time.


    ''Compared to a month ago, I should''ve made a big improvement, right?''


    Unfortunately, he didn''t have too much time to think about that. The moment, the team entered the university''s gymnasium, their C team ¨C the team who they faced during the camp ¨C was already there, waiting for the joint training session.


    Here, under Akira''s lead and with the help of the university team, all the yers there were doing a simtion to help Tsunemori for the game against Teiryo and Konan High.


    "STOP!"


    "Rano, I don''t need you tomunicate with the others for too long, but whenever you are going to move, I want you to give a quick signal so the others are ready to back you up, understand?"


    "STOP!"


    "Kai, don''t move after giving instructions. Move and give instructions at the same time. In a fast-speed game when one second matters, you cannot be dyed by your own action, understand?"


    "STOP!"


    Akira''s voice to stop the game and give thorough instructions to Tsunemori''s yers could be heard echoing the building once every few minutes. Even all the university yers were staring at him with astonished expressions. They didn''t expect that Akira could see even a tiny mistake the yers made consistently. Explore stories at §Þ??


    "He is amazing." One of the university yers said, wiping the sweat on his face. "He can give the most urate instruction step by step even to the level of mistake that only after watching the camera we would know about it. That means if he was the one on the court, he would be able to do what he said, right?"


    "I guess¡­" The others nodded.


    "I heard he yed for us in the past and became the candidate to y in the national team."


    "Really? National team?"


    "No wonder he could be this amazing."


    As the training''s intensity got higher, everyone started to have difficulty following the instructions. After half an hour, Akira finally gave them time for a quick break as he saw Sekine and Kimura, the coach of the university''s C teame over.


    "So, how is it? Any gain here?" Sekine asked.


    "Thank you for listening and granting us our request, Sekine-sensei." Akira bowed politely. "While it might not be obvious, I think everyone starts to notice all the tiny mistakes and bad habits they usually overlook and fix them slowly. But we will need to have a good opponent for the sparing match in the next couple of days. I wonder if I can ask this C team to help us?"


    "Oi, Akira, even though you are our alumni, that doesn''t mean you can ask anything you want, you know?" Kimura had a sweat drop on his face. "I also have my own program that needs to be done. If you keep borrowing my yers, it would be difficult to fix our schedule."


    Akira ignored his friend and stared at Sekine. He knew for this C team, although on paper, it was Kimura who led the team, it was still Sekine who held the highest responsibility. If the old man gave a nod, no matter how much Kimura whined, he would get what he wanted in the end.


    "Don''t worry about it, Shinji." Sekine finally said. "With my authority, no one will be brave enough toin here."


    Kimura was speechless at Sekine''s words. While yeah, no one would be brave enough toin, but was this an abuse of authority? He also cursed the old man inwardly, thinking that if something happened that needed to be fixed, it was always he who handled it. The old man would just stand aside and encourage him to do better while smiling and enjoying his tea.


    What an irresponsible old man.


    "Oi, Shinji." Sekine suddenly called. Akira turned his head, looking at the old man in wonder. "Lend me the record you showed to your yers. I want to see it by myself."


    Akira was taken aback, then his eyes lightened up. At first, he was afraid that something might be slipped out of his mind when he analyzed Konan''s game. But now with Sekine also doing his own analysis, he wasn''t afraid there would be something missed here. There was no way the old man would let something slide, even the tiniest detail that everyone always overlooked.


    "I understand Sensei. I will send it to youter." Akira nodded. Then, his expression perked up as if he just realized something. "Sensei, I have never seen you with any electronic devices. Do you have anything to use to y it?" He asked.


    "Don''t underestimate this old man, Shinji." Sekine snorted. "Although I am old, I can still follow the young man''s newest trends. Don''t worry, I have my own device to see it."


    Then, Sekine walked away, with Akira watching his back until the old man disappeared from his sight. Well¡­ Or so Akira thought¡­ Before he saw Sekine suddenly stop in front of the gymnasium''s door as if the old man just remembered something.


    "Oi, Shinji! I said before that I have my device to see the records, right?" Sekine shouted. "It is not a phone or aptop, you know?! It is a yStation 3!" Heughed his ass off, then finally left the gymnasium. Akira had a sweat drop on his face, chuckling at the old man''s antic. However, he was d that Sekine was willing to help the team.


    ''Now, our preparation isplete, but everything still depends on the yers. Come on, everyone. Don''t disappoint yourself¡­''

 Chapter 123: Fourth Round of the Tournament - Teiryo High!

    "Away day, here we go again¡­"


    Everyone sighed in unison as they all walked together to Teiryo High. After ying with such electric crowds in their own home, having to go as a visitor team suddenly felt ufortable. Fortunately, the school was in Adachi wards, not far from the Edogawa wards where their school was. They didn''t need to take a subway as they could reach it with only a fifteen-minute walk.


    It was the beginning of June when the temperature gradually rose and made them ufortable. Gone was the warm atmosphere of spring, as the summer was already waiting for them. For most people, summer was identic with holiday, either festival, beach, or something simr.


    However, for high school students who fought in the national tournament, this was probably the most important time in their lives.


    And it was no different for the Tsunemori yers there.


    Even though they didn''t have too much pressure before, this time was different. They finally felt the weight of being in the top 16, as they were two rounds away from the top fours, which was the requirement from the school to keep the team alive. And just like the old people said, the hardest part of the 100-mile journey was always in thest ten miles.


    "Do you all feel nervous?" Akira suddenly asked.


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    Everyone turned their eyes at him, trying their best to send their fiercest re at the coach. Akira knew how they felt and what were they worrying about, so there was no need to say it out loud. The coach himself was taken aback, then let out a small chuckle.


    "Well, good. You know what I always say. The more you are nervous, the more you care about the game. Just run more during the warm-up session to blow off the steam."


    Everyone could only grumble lowly, not knowing how toin to the coach. They kept walking for another minute, passing a few temples while trying to buy a ''good luck'' charm for the game. Unlike any other ce in Tokyo, Adachi was quiet and less crowded. Even if it wasn''t the trendiest ce, at least the rural atmosphere there wasfortable enough to live.


    "Is that the school?" Yuki asked, narrowing his eyes.


    "Yeah." Akira nodded. "Just like us, Teiryo is an old school. The building could be dated far back to the Showa era. Its building is the silent witness of so many historical events in Japan." He said in the tone of a tour guide while admiring the building in front of them.


    However, his admiration of the building wasn''t shared by the others.


    "This is the kind of ce where the ghost would attack the protagonist first in a movie, right?" Okamura threw a joke. Some stiffened theirughter while the other couldn''t hold back and chuckle.


    "You are not wrong, Oka." Kaede''s eyes as he let his imagination run wildly. "Also, the second floor is usually the ce where the gate between this world and the youkai world is ced."


    "Hey, you are right! I seem to have watched that kind of anime a few days ago!"


    "It is not an anime, you idiot! You read it with me in my Shonen Jump magazine, remember?"


    "Oh, yeah!"


    Akira could only shake his head helplessly as instead of listening to his quick history lesson, everyone seemed to be busy chatting andughing. However, he didn''t interrupt or join the fun, thinking that the team needed a rxed atmosphere like this to deal with the tension.


    "Well, wait for here. I will go inside and ask where should we go. Megumi, you will be the one responsible for everything when I am not around, so keep your eyes on them, okay?"


    "Hai!"


    Akira walked inside quickly, leaving all the yers in front of the gate. While they could just barge in and ask where was the gymnasium building, it was still rude to do that, as if they entered someone''s house without asking permission. Fortunately, it didn''t take too long for Akira to ask, as he went back in a minute with a man slightly younger than him behind.


    "This is Morita Iwao, Teiryo''s head coach." Akira introduced quickly.


    "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" Everyone bowed politely at the man.


    "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" Iwao, their opponent''s coach mirrored their gesture and bowed too. "Well, since you are already here, let''s go to the gymnasium. The referee hasn''t arrived yet."


    Everyone followed the older man and went inside while their eyes wandering around curiously as if they were in a scenic ce. As they got close to the gymnasium, their nervousness suddenly kicked in once again. The sound of the crowds supporting the home team could be heard even from the outside, and they couldn''t help but remember theirst game against Kyoei Gakuen.


    Unfortunately, this time, they were the ones who became the viin for the crowds there.


    "Good." Akira nodded, satisfied with the atmosphere around there. "I am afraid that this will be like our first two games. Although a quiet game is okay, you all need to experience ying in a hostile situation, as when we y against Konan, almost all the crowds would support our opponent. This would be the best practice to get used to the pressure from outside of the crowds."


    Everyone stared at each other with wry smiles on their face. Only their coach would find something like this to be nice. However, they couldn''t deny the truth behind his words. They knew that starting from the top 8, all the games would be held in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. That was the biggest and the most prestigious ce for all the high school students who yed indoor sports.


    There was no way in such a neutral ce, the crowds wouldn''t support a powerhouse team like Konan.


    "Okay, everyone! Listen to me!" Akira pped, starting his pep talk. All the yers gathered around him as they all had the same seriousness in their eyes. "I know everyone is nervous about the game against Konan, but if we lose today, we can say goodbye to everything. So, I want you to forget everything you learned about Konan and focus on Teiryo. Can you do that?"


    "Yes, Sir!" Even though it was difficult to do, they still nodded their head firmly.


    "Good! Just as I said before, Teiryo is not that strong opponent, so today''s game shouldn''t be as difficult as when we yed against Kyoei or Shimoyawata. But I don''t want you to get carried away and underestimate your opponent. Don''t be too nervous, but don''t be toox. Keep your head down and stay calm and collected. Let''s do it slowly and bring the win back to our school, do you understand?!"


    "YES, SIR!"


    "Very well! Now, go and show them what you can do!"

 Chapter 124: Easy Game (I)

    "Okay, I want a clean game here. No need to shout at each other if something goes out of your control. If you think my decision is questionable, you can ask me, but you have to respect the final decision. Lastly, respect your opponent and do your best! Do you understand?!"


    "YES, SIR!"


    After the quick pep talk from the referee to the yers from both teams, the twelve yers who were going to y were already on the court, ready to start the game. Just like usual, Tsunemori put his best yers from the start, with Yuki and Kaede as the opposite hitters, Koji and Ogawa as the outside hitters, Riku as the setter, and Hirano as the blocker on the front line.


    Okamura waited on the sideline for the rotation to y, while Asahi was ready whenever the coach needed him to perform.


    Even though the situation wasn''t as electric as when they yed against Kyoei, but the crowds there were still noisy. And added to the fact that everyone supported Teiryo, all the Tsunemori yers couldn''t help but feel nervous.


    "Senpai, if it is me or Riku, it is understandable, since this is our first tournament. But you are a sophomore here, so why are you so nervous? Don''t you have the experience already?" Yuki asked Koji casually.


    The one he asked for had his lips twitched in annoyance as he reminded his kouhai. "Oi, Yuki, are you trying to mock us by saying that our teamst year sucked to the point we don''t have any experience ying in front of opponent''s crowds like this?"


    Yuki suddenly remembered thatst year, the team could only reach the second round. Let alone ying under a big crowd, they would be happy to get scouted as a worthy opponent by their opponent. That showed how bad the team was before this year.


    "Sorry, Senpai. I forgot." Yuki apologized quickly.


    Koji grumbled a little before waving it off. "Don''t worry about it. But to answer your question, you can say almost all of us here are just like you, aplete rookie. The one who has the most experience ying at a high-levelpetition is Hirano, and that is because he yed in a good team when he was in middle school."


    The tidbit information about Hirano caught Yuki off guard. However, this made his curiosity grow. He knew that Hirano was an amazing blocker, and this wasn''t the first time he questioned how could his awesome senpai go to a no-name team like Tsunemori.


    "If he is so good, is there a reason why he didn''t go to the better team?" He finally asked.


    Koji turned his head at Hirano for a second, then stared back at Yuki with aplicated expression. After pondering for a while, he finally sighed and said, "He has his own reason. Even if I knew about it, I wouldn''t tell you the answer. It is his right to tell you the story."


    If the answer was simply ''I don''t know'' or ''You can just ask him'', Yuki wouldn''t think about it too much. However, by saying it was Hirano''s right to tell the story, that gave Yuki a hint that something big must have happened in the past, that affected the big school''s judgment to recruit his senpai. Of course, Yuki was curious. But he knew that this wasn''t the best time to ask this question.


    ''Well, another mystery from my assassin senpai.''


    After another session of warming up, the referee finally signaled everyone to start the game. Koji stepped forward to be the representative for the coin toss. Unfortunately, he lost, and the right to serve the ball first was in Teiryo''s hand.


    "It''s okay, Koji!"


    "Come on, everyone, concentrate!"


    "Don''t let the opponent get the first point!"


    All of them had their eyes on Teiryo''s number 2. Based on Akira''s intelligence, he was just an ordinary yer who was a solid, yet not so-excellent yer in the back. He has no strong or unique serve that could pose a threat to the opponent in his arsenal, so all the Tsunemori yers lowered their guard subconsciously.


    *Thud!*


    The ball was thrown, which also be the sign that the game started. From his starting position, Riku rushed forward immediately, trying to get to the spot he wasfortable the most as soon as possible. Even though the ball was still in the air, he had no doubt that his teammates would be able to save it easily.


    "Nice receive, Jimmy!"


    "Riku!"


    "I got this!"


    *BAM!*


    The opponent didn''t know what hit them. One moment they still moving to get into their best position, and in the next second, the ball already crossed the, bouncing on their side with a loud bang. It only took less than five seconds for Tsunemori to receive the ball, set it up, and kill it to get the first point.


    "Oh! Damn, Koji! That is a nice kill!"


    "Good pass, Riku!"


    "Come on! It is still early! Focus!"


    Find your next read at §Þ??


    All the Tsunemori yers celebrated on their own side, ignoring their opponent who was still in dazed. Megumi who was on the bench suddenly let out a deep sigh, and the tension that she felt in the team started to ebb away. At first, she was afraid that they wouldn''t be able to focus on their opponent or even underestimate them after watching their game against Konan.


    However, it seemed she was overthinking about it.


    Akira himself put a stoic face on his face. However, hidden from all the eyes in the building, he had his fist clenched, trying his best to hide his relief. He knew the team felt down and entered an unconfident state after they witnessed Konan''s terrifying ability as the best team in Japan.


    Even though no one spoke loudly about it, the thought of ''Can we do it?'', ''They are too strong'', ''It is impossible'', or something simr started to slip into their mind. Akira knew very well about it, as he was also a yer from an ordinary team in the past. That was why he decided to do the gathering intelligence meeting before ying against Teiryo.


    He wanted to use Teiryo as a stepping stone for his team to regain their confidence.


    ''Fortunately, Teiryo is weaker than us. Let''s use this opportunity to win with a convincing score and lift the team''s morale.''

 Chapter 125: Easy Game (II)

    *BANG!*


    "Oh! Nice serve, Riku!"


    "Come on! You are on fire today!"


    "Do it again!"


    It was still the first set, yet the crowds started to disperse slowly. At first, half of the gymnasium was full of people. But right now, Yuki could even count those who were still here with his fingers. However, he couldn''t me them. Just like the crowds in their school that started to decrease when they were losing, Teiryo was the same.


    The moment they saw Riku gain five consecutive points with his serve, they all knew this would turn into a disaster.


    As for the game itself, it was already within Tsunemori''s control. They all regained their confidence back as the lead kept getting wider, inwardly thinking that no wonder Konan could beat this team without allowing them to get more than 10 points. Teiryo was too weak after all.


    The hope inside them started to be reignited again as they kept scoring in this game.


    ''Yeah, it is not Konan who is too strong, but Teiryo who is too weak. Even we can gain such afortable lead in less than fifteen minutes.''


    Akira''s strategy to y the record of Konan''s game before this match was sessful. Now, although they still had some fear deep inside their heart, at least all the yers there recognized that Konan wasn''t so strong that they couldn''t grasp it. If they could beat Teiryo in the same manner as Konan, their confidence would be doubled up for the next game in the top 8 stage.


    As time went by, the lead was getting wider, and finally, it was Tsunemori who reached 24 points first. As for Teiryo, they could only score 6 points, and it always came from a tough battle, draining their stamina to the lowest bar even before the first set was over.


    "Good job, Riku!" Jimmy gave a high-five to his kouhai who was on fire today. "Your passing is on point today. Keep it up!"


    "Sure, Senpai!" The blonde boy grinned.


    A momentter, the game restarted with Koji serving the ball. In thest couple of days, he had been working on his jump serve, and this was the first time he had a chance to try it. Even though Koji was a bit nervous, thefortable lead the team gained made him feel less pressure on the service line. At least, even if he made a mistake, it was impossible for the opponent to chase the score.


    "Come on, Koji! Give us a good serve!"


    Hearing the encouragement from his teammates, Koji took a deep breath, thenunched the ball in the air just to hit it with all his strength a momentter. The sound of the ball piercing the air was so intimidating that all the Teiryo yers on the back line winced unconsciously. However, there was one yer who reacted quickly enough, saving the ball before it could touch the floor.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice save!"


    "Come on! It is not over! Move!"


    Even though they were one step away from losing the first set, all of the Teiryo yers still moved in unison, wanting to add the number of the attacker on the front. Their spirit to not give up even on the brink of defeat was admirable.


    However, their effort was proven to be futile, as when the yer was about to spike the ball, a solid wall formed by three yers that always became a nightmare for them in this game suddenly appeared once again, closing down all the routes to attack.


    *BAM!*


    "OH! Another clean block!"


    "Damn, nice kill, Riku!"


    "Good job! We win the first set! We win the first set!"


    After everyone finished praising Riku, Yuki came to his friend and whispered, "Do you think you need to calm down a little bit?" Yuki was worried that Riku used all the fuel inside him for this game and it would be hard to get into the same state when they yed against Konan.


    "Don''t worry, Yuki. I won''t overdo it." Riku said with confidence. "I just want to make sure we can win the game with ease and not let them get more than 10 points today."


    Yuki was stunned at the bold statement, then remembered something. "Do you want to achieve the same feat as Konan did in the record?" He asked quickly.


    "Yeah," Riku admitted without hesitation. "If we can do that, our confidence would be at its peak, and everyone would think that Konan is not untouchable. Although a game cannot be won just by high morals, at least it would help most of the time."


    Yuki nodded in agreement after he heard Riku''s reason. However, he knew the blonde boy was hiding something, and as he had a hunch about it, he decided to ask, "Are you sure it is not rted to yourpetitiveness with one particr boy we just met a few days ago?"


    Riku''s face flushed red as he was caught off-handedly. "Well, I couldn''t help it, you know? Even though Sawada is super shy, he still managed to achieve amazing feats in the best team in the country. If as a yer who is in the same position, I don''t feel my spirit burning, then I am not a real yer."


    Well, honestly, Yuki couldn''t understand what Riku was talking about. Maybe, it was the pride as a setter that kicked in here, making the blonde boy feel overly excited. Still, he couldn''t deny the fact that Sawada was an amazing yer here. But Konan wasn''t just Sawada. Konan was stronger than that.


    When Yuki recalled the record of Lucas Silva''s amazing spike, the libero''s tough defense, the blocker''s quick reaction, and the wless coordination between each yer¡­ Even he was nervous about the game against Konan.


    ''Wait, I heard that Konan also ys their game today. I wonder how it goes¡­''


    -0-


    Meanwhile, at the same time in a school far from Teiryo¡­


    "Nice receive!"


    "Nobu! Give me a good set!"


    "Got it!"


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice spike, Lucas!"


    It was Konan''s game in the top 16, and just like usual, they crushed their opponent dominantly. The final score (25 ¨C 5, 25 ¨C 4) shown on the scoreboard was enough to exin their opponent''s despair. All the Konan yers walked away from the court, ignoring their opponent as if they were used to this sight.


    "Anyway, Sawada-kun, you seem to be on fire in thest couple of days. Is there something special that happened?" One of the yers asked the setter curiously. Everyone turned their eyes on Sawada, also saw the unusual excitement on the boy.


    "It is nothing, Senpai." Sawada rubbed his neck embarrassedly. "I just cannot wait to y against Matsukita!"


    "Matsukita?" Everyone looked at each other confusedly, didn''t know Sawada''s train of thought.


    As for Sawada himself, he didn''t care about his teammates'' reaction. Inwardly, he recalled the fateful meeting in Riku''s house a few days ago.


    ''Let alone in Tokyo, even in the entire country, most of the school would be afraid whenever they saw using with our jersey. However, at that time¡­''


    "When we meet against each other in the future¡­. Fight us with all your best, okay?"


    Remembering the shining eyes on Riku''s face, he couldn''t help but shudder. ''Even though I forgot to ask from which school theye from, only Yatsuno yers were brave enough to dere such a bold statement against a Konan yer like me.


    And Agostini-san''s advice at that time was also on point, something that maybe only someone who was coached by a wise man like Honda-sensei could say it like that. The only reason why we haven''t heard about them until now is probably because Matsukita wants to keep them as their secret weapon. That should be it, right, Agostini-san? Kobayashi-san?''

 Chapter 126: Easy Game (III)

    The second set of the game between Tsunemori and Teiryo went pretty quickly. Although Teiryo tried their best to keep up with Tsunemori, it was clear that they were the worst team today. No matter from which direction they wanted to attack; whether it was a normal spike, a synchronized attack, or even a block, everything was useless in front of their opponent.


    And to make it worse, Tsunemori didn''t make a lot of mistakes today, making it harder to snatch the momentum of the away team.


    "Man, this is awesome!" Koji grinned widely, his spirit was at its peak. "This is the first time we could win the game so easily like this, right?"


    "Did you forget about our second round?" Ogawa snorted.


    "Well, that is different! Our opponent at that time was just a weak team and I even forgot their school name! But this time, it is Teiryo, you know? Teiryo High!"


    Everyone could understand his excitement. Even though Teiryo was pretty weak, it should be among the best teams in Tokyo. On paper, they shouldn''t have a problem winning against a no-name team like Tsunemori.


    However, this year''s Tsunemori was bound to make a ssh in the national tournament. The fact that they had already won against a top team like Shimoyawata or Kyoei Gakuen was like a Cindere story among volleyball lovers in Japan. Unfortunately, this sport wasn''t as popr as baseball or football, so there were still not a lot of people who knew about their existence.


    ''Well, it doesn''t matter. As long as we could beat Konan High, we would be the most legendary underdog team in history.''


    Or so that was what they thought.


    Riku''s desire to win in the same fashion as Konan, dominating Teiryo without giving them more than 10 points worked pretty well. All the yers regained their confidence, feeling somehow excited and couldn''t wait for the fateful confrontation against the best team in Japan. Unfortunately, this strategy worked too well, as everyone started to get overconfident.


    "Hey, if we can hold Teiryo to less than 4 points this set, we should be at the same level as Konan, right?" Ogawa asked.


    "Idiot!" Hirano suddenly scolded his friend, surprising everyone else who heard that. "Even though we can achieve the same feat as them, that doesn''t mean we are on a simr level. It told us that our opponent here is too weak, that even a weak team like us can beat them like Konan!"


    This was a reasonable answer. However, everyone was still unhappy with Hirano''s sudden outburst. "Oi, Rano, even though Konan is good, is it a bit too much to say we are a weak team?" Koji asked, expressing his dissatisfaction.


    "Yeah! And it is not like Konan is invincible, right? Every team should have a weakness or two that we can expose and take advantage of!"


    "You are right!"


    Hirano sighed helplessly as everyone was chatting excitedly about how the team should beat Konan in the next round. While it was right that every team should have a weakness, they seemed to forget that Konan wasn''t just an ordinary strong team. They were the undisputed winner of the national tournament for more than five years in a row.


    If at that period, no team was able to win by taking advantage of their weakness, who gave them the confidence to be so arrogant like this?


    "Don''t worry, Senpai." Riku patted his shoulder reassuringly. "They would get over this state pretty quickly, or Akira-sensei would take action to deal with them. For now, just let them do what they want. It is better than feeling depressed for too long."


    Yuki twitched his lips unconsciously when he heard Riku''s words. While what the blonde boy said was right, he couldn''t help but think this was just an excuse since it was he who started the wave of excitement and overconfident state in the team.


    Still, Yuki couldn''t help but notice that every time the team discussed Konan High, whether it was the optimistic side or the pessimistic side, Hirano would always be tense. At first, he thought it must be because of nervousness or something like that. But when he heard that his senpai was the only one who had experience in high-levelpetition, he knew it wasn''t the case.


    There must be something in Konan High that bothered his cold-blooded senpai here.


    Another mystery for Yuki to solve in the future.


    "Okay, everyone! We are still not winning yet! Let''s focus!" Riku suddenly stepped up as the unofficial leader to calm down the team''s excitement. "It is still 20 ¨C 2, which means we still have to get 5 more points to win the game. I don''t want to prolong this game anymore, so let''s make a bet. Whoever causes the team to lose a point, he has to do a full set of interval running with Akira-sensei.


    How about it?" He grinned widely as the bet was thrown.


    Everyone was stunned for a second, then theirpetitiveness ignited in the next second.


    "Hey, that is an interesting bet!" Kaede grinned. As the defensive specialist of the team, it would be easy for him to win this challenge. "Okay, let''s do this!"


    "How about the one who wins a point for us?" Koji suddenly asked. "Should they receive some sort of reward?"


    All of the yers around them snorted. "Bah! You are so shameless, Koji! You know that Riku would give you a lot of passes and you have a better chance to win thatpetition, so you offer this shadypetition to beat us here!"


    "Yeah!"


    "Hey, no need to get personal! This is just an advice, you know?"


    "Bah! Shameless bastard!"


    Even though it was in the middle of the game, the atmosphere on Tsunemori''s side was lively. The fact that they had an 18-point lead against Teiryo and only allowed the opponent to score two points up to now was enough to keep their spirit at its peak. However, Riku was right. They all didn''t want to prolong this game for too long.


    It would be better to win this as soon as possible and go home and rest.


    "Okay, everyone! Let''s focus!"


    "Yeah!"


    Tsunemori kept adding more points as time went by, not willing to cool their engine. With Teiryo yers were ready to give up, it was easier for them to do what they wanted. Hell, even Kaede also joined the attack, wanting to do what he did when ying against Kyoei Gakuen.


    However, not everything went as they expected to be.


    "Riku, left!"


    *BAM!*


    "OUT!"


    "Argh!" Koji groaned with both hands on his head, regretting that his spike had gone too far. "It is so close!"


    "That means Koji is going to do one set of interval running, right?" Kaede asked teasingly.


    "Oh, goddamnit, Kai! Don''t remind me of that!"


    Even though they suffered from another mistake, the atmosphere was still warm. It wasn''t until Yuki blocked another spike from the opponent which resulted in a game point for Tsunemori that everyone went serious once again.


    "Okay, everyone! One more point!"


    "Let''s seal the win!"


    "Come on, Tsunemori!"


    The yer who got the honor to do thest serve was Kaede. Unfortunately, he didn''t have a powerful serve or a wicked aim like Riku or Yuki to score directly from the service line. However, his teammates didn''t mind it, as they were confident to get the point here.


    *Thud!*


    "Rano! Riku! Left!" Yuki instructed from behind. The two yers moved and jumped in sync, scaring the shit of the opponent''s yer. As a result, even though the opponent was trying his best to aim the ball, he was too intimidated by the wall in front of him and unconsciously spiked the ball straight to the wall.


    *BAM!*


    It wasn''t clear who touched the ball thest. However, Riku and Hirano grinned at each other, didn''t care who had the honor of taking the final bite. All they knew was the ball went in, and the game was over with their block.


    "YOSSHA!"


    "Good block, Rano-senpai!"


    "Nice job, everyone!"


    "With this, we are going to the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium!"


    "Konan High, wait for us there!"

 Chapter 127: Tokyo Shimbuns Short Article

    The next day¡­


    "Hey, I heard the volleyball team win the game again!"


    "Seriously?!"


    "Yeah! They have already reached the top 8 team in the Tokyo tournament!"


    "Holy shit, that is awesome!"


    "This is probably the furthest stage any of our sports teams have ever reached in history, right?!"


    "Probably. Honestly, I don''t know that much about our school."


    "Hey, is that Kobayashi-kun?"


    "Yeah! Hey, Kobayashi-kun, good job for the game!"


    Yuki had a stiff smile while he greeted back the student that he didn''t even know who suddenly approached and congratted him. This had been happening a few times in this morning, as the news about their win against Teiryo had already spread like wildfire. At first, Yuki thought it must be Koji''s doing as his senpai always liked to brag to his friends.


    However, the enthusiasm shouldn''t be this intense if it was just a rumor spread from one mouth to another.


    After another few minutes of greeting back the other students who congratted him, Yuki finally entered his ssroom. He sighed in relief as he saw the attention was drawn to thest row where Riku usually sat. He could see his friend talking to the ssmates animatedly about how awesome the team was yesterday.


    ''Fortunately, he likes to talk and brag too, so I wouldn''t have to deal with them.'' Yuki muttered.


    Yeah, unlike Riku who always liked to socialize and had the aura that attracted the crowd''s attention, Yuki wasn''t a fan of that kind of situation. Of course, he could talk to the others pretty well and wasn''t far from being a loner, but just like any normal human being, he could feel tired from the crowds too and needed some time to recharge his energy. As for Riku¡­


    ''He isn''t a normal human being. There is no way a normal person could be under the spotlight for too long and never feel tired.'' He thought inwardly.


    As he snuck onto his own seat, Yuki saw Kato was already there. Just like usual, the girl was a morning bird, alwaysing to the ss first when the day was still early.


    "Morning, Kato-san." Yuki greeted, still with the same smile.


    "Morning, Yuki-kun." Kato greeted back. She turned her head onto him, then a stiffened giggle suddenly came out of her mouth. "You know you don''t need to give me that default smile, right?"


    "Oh, yeah." Yuki nodded, then tried to rx his facial muscles. "Man, my jaws hurt from smiling all the time to reach this ss. What the hell is happening here?" Heined lowly. Of course, he didn''t expect to get a good answer. Yuki just wanted to vent out a little at the sudden fame rising this morning.


    Unexpectedly though, it seemed the girl who sat on the front row had the answer to his question.


    "Here, read this." Kato suddenly took a piece of newspaper from her bag. "You will get your answer in the sports session."


    Yuki was confused for a second as he received the newspaper from the girl. It was from Tokyo Shimbun, probably the biggest local newspaperpany in Tokyo. Usually, if not reporting the big teams representing Tokyo in the nationalpetition in any sports, it would tell thetest news about the prefecture tournament here. However, it was pretty rare for this newspaper to cover a volleyball game.


    Usually, it was either a baseball or a football game.


    But this time, it was different.


    -0-


    Tsunemori High Stuns Tournament: Underdogs Topple Giants to Reach Elite Eight


    In a stunning turn of events at this year''s High School Prefectural Volleyball Tournament, the underdog team, Tsunemori High School has captured the attention of sports fans everywhere by defeating three top-seeded teams in an audacious disy of determination and skill.


    They started their impressive journey by besting Shimoyawata High School in the first round, a team that had risen astronomically in thest couple of years. Tsunemori High followed up with a clutch performance against Kyoei Gakuen, an opponent known for aggressively recruiting potential yers.


    And finally, they imed a convincing win over Teiryo High School, a traditional powerhouse team that, despite its storied history, had struggled in recent years. With their remarkable series of upsets, the once-overlooked team has secured their spot in the top eight, inspiring fans and proving that talent and tenacity can overshadow even the most formidable opponents.


    Their next challenge loomsrge, as Tsunemori High prepares to face the best team in the country, the highly acimed Konan Hig School. Konan High, known for their near-invincible record and unparalleled teamwork, barreled through the tournament with an unmatchedbination of strategic y and offensive firepower.


    After breezing through the preliminary rounds, Konan High demonstrated their dominance in the quarterfinals with a stunning victory over another powerhouse school Seinan High. Their experience and skill set them apart, making them fiercepetitors who are well aware of the stakes at hand.


    As the underdogs brace themselves for what many are dubbing a David vs. Goliath matchup, the reality of their situation is stark. Tsunemori''s impressive journey to the top eight may very well meet its end against Konan. Despite the magic they invoked in previous matches, Konan''s strategic acumen and depth of experience may prove too formidable for the Tsunemori team.


    Many believe that while miracles can happen, the consistency and precision of Konan High in clutch moments might be too much for the spunky underdog to ovee this time. As the clock ticks down to game day, all eyes will be on the court, witnessing whether sheer determination can withstand the might of champion caliber.


    -0-


    Yuki had his mouth gaped wide as he read the article for a few minutes. "Is this real?" He finally asked, his eyes were still locking on the newspaper.


    "As real as Riku-kun being more infuriating today." Kato tried to crack a joke to ease the tension. However, it couldn''t reach Yuki, as the sses boy still read the article over and over again.


    Although, in the end, the newspaper stated that they were not optimistic that Tsunemori could make another miracle, Tokyo Shimbun still highlighted their journey from the start to reach this point and put them in the spotlight. And while it might only be written as a short article in a small column in the sports section, Tokyo Shimbun was the most famous newspaper in Tokyo.


    There was no way any sports lovers around wouldn''t read this report.


    ''No wonder everyone looks so enthusiastic whenever they see us. This might be the first time Tsunemori is covered in the newspaper like this.'' Yuki muttered. ''I wonder how everyone reacted about this.''

 Chapter 128 : Bad News From the Other Clubs

    Meanwhile, in the other ss¡­


    "Hey, look at that! Is that Koji-kun?"


    "Yeah! I heard he did amazing before!"


    "His name is even in Tokyo Shimbun this morning!"


    "Really?!"


    "Yeah!"


    "Hey, that is Kaede-kun!"


    "Do you think he is a little bit cute?"


    All the members of the volleyball team had a big grin on their faces today, their facial muscles hurt from smiling all day. Whenever someone praised them or even took a nce at them, they would feel their ears hot, starving from acknowledgment. It was a bit exaggerated, but for them, this was the moment of their life.


    Take the example of Koji and Kaede. Those two were infamous for being ckers, always sleeping on thest row of the ss and never listening to the lesson from the teacher. They were used to being ignored and even being looked down on in disdain by the others.


    However, when everything changed and everyone saw them in a different light, no matter how hard they tried, it was impossible to hide the ecstatic expressions on their face.


    "Wipe the grin in your face, Koji." Asahi suddenly appeared, sitting in front of Koji''s seat. His eyes couldn''t hide his disgust as he looked at his friend who suddenly became pompous. "That is creepy."


    Koji snapped his head at his friend, then his eyes narrowed slightly as he retorted, "Of course, you cannot understand me, Asahi! You who are tall, a little bit handsome, and so normal in everything, are the prince of the school! You are always surrounded by girls here, so you won''t understand the feeling of us, a peasant!"


    Asahi had his mouth twitched a little when he heard his friend''s rant. Indeed, he was a little bit popr among the girls. However, it was exaggerated for Koji to say he was the prince of the school. There was a far more handsome and popr guy here. Hell, even in this ss, he was just the second most popr guy, as there was one person whose every movement could seduce girls to death.


    And speaking of a popr guy¡­


    "What happened to Uehara?" Asahi asked, looking at the handsome boy who was sulking in the front row.


    "Him?" Koji also turned his eyes to the front side. Then, he lowered his tone to a bare whisper and exined, "You know he is Kendo team''s ace, right? I heard the team performed badly this year, and he was thest one to survive in the tournament."


    "Was?" Asahi asked, catching the past tense his friend used to exin the situation.


    "Yeah, was. He lost pretty badly against the number one kendoka in the country. Now with him eliminated from the tournament before he could reach the top four, the kendo club is officially disbanded by the school." Koji exined.


    "Wait, the purge is not over?" Asahi asked, surprised.


    "It is still far from over, Asahi," Koji said solemnly. "While there are several clubs that are disbanded cruelly, the school still gives some a chance to prove their worth, and we are one of those clubs.


    For the others, there are still the swimming club who still have two boys and one girl in the top eight, the athletic club with one guy, the choir club, and maybe two or three more that I don''t know about. However, the situation is pessimistic for all of us to reach the top four.


    Not just us, almost all the clubs who still survive until now have to fight against the best in Tokyo to reach the top four, and it is like a mission impossible. It seems the universe is working hard to make the students here miserable."


    Asahi slumped in his seat dejectedly when he heard about the news.


    Even though the rumor said that this purge was to save more money from the school, no one believed that bullshit at this point. If so, then, there would be one or two normal clubs that didn''t spend too much money that the school would let them exist. However, all the clubs in the school received the same trial, enter the top four of the prefecture tournament or they could say goodbye forever.


    And considering Tsunemori''s history in anypetition ¨C which was none, honestly, it looked more like the higher-ups wanted to remove the existence of any clubs in the school. As for the reason? Only God and they knew about it.


    "Man, this sucks!" Asahi groaned.


    "Our condition is still better, you know?" Koji chuckled dryly. "At least, we still have a tournament to prove our worth. Think about a hobby club like the anime club or the outdoor club. They didn''t know anything, then out of a sudden, they were killed cruelly as the first victim of this purge. Poor them."


    "That doesn''t help to make me feel better, though." Asahi frowned.


    "Well, it is a sarcastic remark, and the purpose is not to make you feel better. Deal with it." Koji retorted back.


    For a moment, a heavy silence fell around them as their mood plummeted instantly after the conversation was over. Even though the attention drawn from the short article in Tokyo Shimbun was still there and there were students who still tried to steal a nce at them, they didn''t have the mood to be cheerful again.


    And it wasn''t just for those two.


    Even the other sophomore students also felt the same after hearing the news about the Kendo team. It was as if they were brought to fly so high in the sky with the article, just to be released and hit the ground with the news. Well, at least it kept them sober, brought them back to earth.


    They all remembered that no matter how nice the article about them was, they would still be reduced to the ashes if they could win the next game.


    *Bzzzt¡­. Bzzzt¡­*


    Suddenly, the sound of a phone vibrating could be heard, breaking the silence among those two. Koji and Asahi reacted quickly by checking their phone in their schoolbag. After a moment, it seemed the sound wasing from Koji, and he took it from his bag and hid it below his table quickly.


    Even though students were allowed to use the phone outside of the ss, if the teacher caught him ying it, he could still get into trouble. So, it was better to be careful and prevent any unnecessary trouble in the future.


    Koji opened his phone quickly to check what happened. It seemed there was a mail inside. However, the sender was unanimous. Normally, he would delete it quickly, thinking it was spam or a scam from an irresponsible person. However, he was stunned when his eyes caught the content and the name of the sender that was attached to thest part of the mail.


    Good morning, Koji-kun.


    I found your contact information from Yori-kun. I am sorry for my rudeness, but I have something important to talk to you and your team. Can we have a meeting after the school is over?


    Thank you.


    Arina Sugawara.

 Chapter 129: Arina Sugawara, The Student Council President

    It was the end of the day, and Yuki was still confused about what happened. He thought that just like usual, a day after the game would always be a day off and he could go back early. However, before he could leave the ss, he was roped in by Riku who said that there was something important that needed to be discussed in the club''s room.


    When they both arrived there though, there was an awkward silence, with all of his senpai either blushing madly, talking stutteredly, or in Hirano''s case, grunting while ignoring themotion in front of him. Meanwhile, in front of them, there was a pretty girl ¨C probably as pretty as Megumi ¨C apanied by a presence he hadn''t seen for such a long time.


    "Yo, Riku-kun. Kobayashi-kun." Yori greeted the two freshmen cheerfully.


    "Yori-senpai?!" Those two widened their eyes in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"


    Yeah, the boy who apanied the pretty girl was Yori, the former setter of the team who decided to retire early due to internal conflict in the past. Unlike the other third-year yers, Yori was probably the only one who didn''t have a grudge against Yuki and Riku. Even though they hadn''t met for a long time, they still had a cordial rtionship and could be polite with each other.


    "Well, I was asked to apany her to meet you guys, and I cannot refuse it," Yori exined helplessly. "So, here we are." Yuki and Riku''s attention turned to the girl who sat gracefully as if she came from a noble family and their curiosity grew.


    "So, who is she?" Yuki decided to ask bluntly. Although the girl was pretty, his best friend in the ss was a beauty too, and his matron also had a mature air that made her look more gorgeous. There was no way he would be blinded by the girl who he didn''t even know anything about.


    However, Yuki didn''t expect he would receive collective deadpanned stares from all of his senpai.


    "I am sorry for his ignorance, Sugawara-senpai. He is just a freshman." Ogawa suddenly bowed apologizingly to the girl.


    "Yeah, he doesn''t know better about you, Sugawara-senpai! Don''t worry, we will educate him thoroughly!" Okamura followed the gesture, then red at Yuki who was still confused and whispered madly, "Come on! Apologize quickly!"


    Yuki just stared nkly, didn''t know why his senpai treated the girl as if she was some sort of royalty. Well, with how she acted, he wouldn''t know about it for sure. He wouldn''t bow and apologize out of nowhere though, especially when his only mistake was to ask her name.


    Unexpectedly, the girl suddenly let out a small giggle, then smiled prettily at him. The people around who saw this had nosebleeds while clutching their chests dramatically as if they were hit by an invincible arrow. Yuki who saw that just rolled his eyes in exasperation.


    "Is this some sort of a seduction technique?" He asked sarcastically. The others gasped, somehow feeling offended by his remark.


    "Well, unfortunately, no. But it seems what Yori-kun said about you is true, Kobayashi-kun. You are an interesting person." The girl said.


    "Oh?" Yuki arched one of his eyebrows at his senpai. "Because I am not falling into your seduction and I am not turning into a brainless lovestruck like the others?" He asked. Once again with a sarcastic tone. Yuki didn''t know why, but he was irritated by how the girl spoke to the others. It was as if she looked down at the others and thought she had a higher statuspared to anyone else.


    "Unfortunately, the answer is still no." The girl said still with the same smile that made the others go crazy. "But it seems we start on the wrong foot here. How about starting over again? My name is Arina Sugawara, and I am the student council president from the ss 3-C. Nice to meet you, Kobayashi.kun."


    Yuki was stunned by the introduction. Student council''s president. That was the words he hadn''t heard for a long time. Suddenly, he was brought back to the memory of when he was in middle school. At that time, he was also a student council president, and while he didn''t know whether he was a good one or not, he made a lot of memories with his friends.


    But now, almost all of them were gone, died from the tragedy a few months ago.


    "Yuki, are you okay?" Riku''s question snapped him from his thoughts. When Yuki regained consciousness, he saw all of them, even Arina Sugawara stared at him with eyes full of concern. He shook his head quickly and gave them a pretty weak smile. "Don''t worry, I will be okay."


    Honestly, this was the first time since the school term began about two months ago that he remembered his past. Yuki couldn''t help but feel hurt, as if his heart was tightened all of a sudden and he had a hard time breathing normally. However, he didn''t want to show this weakness in front of his teammates.


    Although no one knew why Yuki''s face suddenly turned pale, Riku had a hunch that his friend might think about something heavy. His face turned solemn as he realized the only thing that could make his friend rpse like this was the earthquake that killed all of his family.


    ''It seems Sugawara-senpai''s words triggered a memory from the past. Let''s finish this conversation quickly and bring him back to the orphanage.''


    With that thought, Riku asked straight to the point, "So, what brings you here, Sugawara-senpai?"


    "Ohe, yeah!" Arina Sugawara straightened her body, went into business mode. "Before we delve into the topic, may I assume that you have heard the news about the Kendo team''s disbandment?"


    Everyone stared at each other, knowing it would be about the team''s fate in the future. Almost all of them nodded at the girl''s question while Riku tried to fill in for Yuki who was clueless about it.


    "Well, as you might know, you are one of the clubs that still have hope to survive what everyone calls ''the purge''. However, not saying it for bad luck, but even though you lose the game, you still have a big chance to keep going since the headmaster has a soft spot for your team. You know about that, right?"


    Even though they didn''t want to admit it, it was hard to deny that the volleyball team was favored the most by the headmaster.


    From only getting a p on the wrist after a huge conflict between the senior and the freshman yers in the past to the point of freeing the morning ss so all the students could support the team against Kyoei, it was clear that the headmaster had a soft spot for the team.


    "Is there still anyone whoins about that?" Riku asked, frowned. He remembered how the third-year yers who resigned from the team seemed to spread a bad rumor about it, yet they were getting suppressed immediately after the game against Kyoei. He didn''t expect someone would stir trouble again for them in this situation.


    "Well, not really." Arina Sugawara shook her head. "I just want to ask for permission to take advantage of this to spread a rumor among the students. May I do that?"

 Chapter 130: Conspiracy Behind the Purge

    It was official now. Yuki was confused, one hundred percent.


    How could he not, when things kept getting escted as the conversation went by. First, there was a pretty girl he didn''t know who she was sitting in the room and demanding an audience with the team. All of his senpais were simping on her, and five minutes since the conversation started, she went crazy, asking permission to pull the same trigger that caused a huge conflict on the team a month ago.


    So, yeah, if only the senpai weren''t so lovestruck for the girl, he would ask bluntly, ''Are you fucking kidding me?''


    "Arina-chan? Yori-kun? What are you doing here?" Suddenly, a voice came from the door. When Yuki turned around, he could see Megumi who was surprised at the two new presences here.


    "Megumi-chan!" Arina Sugawara smiled brightly at the team manager. "I have been waiting for you toe! Here, sit next to me!" She offered the seat to Megumi. Under Yuki''s questioning gaze, Megumi exined, "We have been together in the same ss for three years in a row, so you can say we are close to each other."


    It seemed that wasn''t new information as everybody except him knew about it already. However, it was nice to have someone who knew the girl and wouldn''t be blinded by her pretty face at all.


    "So, Sugawara-senpai, can you exin why do you want to spread rumors about us? You know how messed up our situation a month ago because of it, right?" Yuki decided to take over since he couldn''t rely on his senpai.


    Arina Sugawara nodded, showing she wasn''t offended. "I can understand your concern, but what I want to do is far from a petty reason like jealousy because you are favored by the headmaster or something like that. No, what I want to do is to enlighten the students about the school''s wrongdoing.


    Not a lot of students here know what happened behind the purge, and I bet you don''t know about it too, right?"


    "Okay, hold on for a second. Let''s stop this before we go too far." Yuki interrupted, seeming to have enough. He ignored the death stares sent by his senpai and continued, "Can you exin it chronologically? About what happened, why, and how spreading rumors about us would help your agenda?"


    Arina Sugawara''s face flushed red, clearly not used to being interrupted rudely like this. However, she regained herposure quickly with a single cough before exining, "I apologize for my ipetence in exining this matter. First of all, let''s make sure we are on the same paper here. You should''ve known about the purge that happened in this school, right?


    About how all the clubs were dissolved one by one without mercy?"


    Everyone nodded, knowing about that.


    "Then, do you know about the reason for it?" Arina Sugawara asked, and by the look of her eyes, it was directed to Yuki.


    Yuki pondered for a moment before replied carefully, "From what I heard, it is to save money since our school suffered from so many debts and wants to cut off the clubs they think as useless. But it seems it should be more than that, right?"


    "Smart." Arina Sugawara nodded in approval. "You are right. If it is just to save money, the school doesn''t have to disband all the clubs here. In fact, they shouldn''t disband any of it, since everything was because of the mismanagement of the school, and they had no right to punish the students for their failure.


    However, what you don''t know is, that the school has already prepared several clubs to be opened after everything was buried to the ground."


    "Really?!"


    "Yeah. As far as I know, there is aputer club, a design club, and the old science club will be reinstated once again in the next month. The list is not fixed and it seems the school still wants to add some for the students."


    Everyone stared at each other, thinking about it. Even though it sucked that all the clubs were disbanded, there was a recement, which probably wouldn''t be much different, right? If the science club could be activated again, what prevent the other clubs from having the same luck?


    "You might think it is okay, right? Since the science club can be activated again, your club might still have a chance, is that what you think?" Arina Sugawara guessed what was inside their mind correctly. Seeing the others blush in embarrassment, she sighed, then continued, "You are not wrong in thinking about that. Unfortunately, things are not so simple here.


    The school has already been in contact with the Maiko group, and from what I heard, they want to create new clubs here to support their group so that they could scout some talented students here and recruit them as cheap workers."


    "Maiko Group?" Riku asked confusedly. He and Yuki weren''t Tokyo natives, so they didn''t know a lot about it. However, everyone turned somber as they heard the information from Arina Sugawara.


    "Maiko Group is a conglomerate group that has been pretty active in thest couple of years." Koji who was the most well-informed person in the room exined, yet his expression was solemn. "In thest couple of years, they brought so many things, from the newspaper corporation, electronicpany, software business, and even establishing their own group to enter the entertainment industry."


    "I also heard about them," Okamura added with the same solemnity. "Rumor said that they are involved in so many shady businesses, from taking children to work illegally for them, making their people work until they pass out, and some inhuman activities that are always revolving around them wanting to save money illegally.


    Nothing is proven to be true, of course, and they kept saying that the rumor came from their jealous rival to smear their reputation. But when the group knocking on our door right now¡­"


    Everyone shuddered at the implication. It seemed Maiko Group was here to open up clubs that were relevant to what they needed so they could scout talents from here to work for them. However, they knew it would be hard to establish clubs out of nothing and attracted the students'' attention to join.


    So, why not fix it by cooperating with the teachers to close down all the old clubs and create new ones from scratch so that the students would be forced to join their clubs?


    It should be a win-win solution in their book.


    "Have you talked about this to the headmaster?" Yuki suddenly asked. "You are the student council president, right? Your voice should have some weight for the higher-ups."


    "In theory, it should be." Arina Sugawara smiled wryly. "Unfortunately, the student council is not just for students anymore. The headmaster put one teacher as the middleman between the students and the school, so whenever we have something to discuss, we cannot talk to the headmaster directly.


    And as far as I know, not a singleint I sent to the middleman arrived safely at the headmaster''s desk."


    "WHAT?!"


    Everyone was stunned by the news. Not only the old clubs were going to be reced by the new clubs cooperating with a shady conglomerate group, but the student''s voices had been repressed already. Although they knew the situation was bad, they had never expected it would be this bad.


    "So¡­" Riku finally spoke, breaking the silence. "Even though I know it is bad, I still don''t get how spreading rumors about us will help you."


    All the eyes turned to the student council president immediately. This was the most important matter. Arina Sugawara came here in the first ce to ask whether she could spread rumors about them. They still, didn''t get how it would help her in the long run.


    "Well, it is like this." Arina Sugawara showed a helpless expression. "To fight against the school''s unfairness, we student council alone are not enough. We need more support from the students. Unfortunately, not many people care about this, thinking it is too much trouble for them. Some even said it is okay, making it easier for them to get a job after they graduate from school.


    So¡­" She trailed her words for a moment, looking hesitant. Everyone was confused at the sudden change of mood. However, it was Yuki who realized what she wanted to do.


    "Okay, let me get this straight. Do you want to unite the students by spreading rumors about us being favored by the school so that the students would feel angry toward the higher-ups, then hope it would make all the students feel curious about the problem and want to expose the school''s deal with the Maiko group after that. Is that right?


    But don''t you think it will make us a sacrificialmb that would die from the rumor you create?"

 Chapter 131: Suffered from Rumor Again

    The next day¡­


    "Hey, look at that! It is the member of the volleyball club!"


    "What a scum!"


    "Yeah! It is unfair how they are so favored by the headmaster and not getting disbanded immediately."


    "Isn''t it a bit harsh? I mean, what if they are really good?"


    "Yeah. They even appeared in Tokyo Shimbun! They deserve some respect for it."


    "Bah! What makes you think they are not paying Tokyo Shimbun for that article?"


    The attitude of the school''s residents changed quickly toward the volleyball team. If yesterday, they were praised for their appearance in Tokyo Shimbun, now they were scolded and criticized by others who thought they were treated differently. It seemed Arina Sugawara worked fast to ensure she got what she wanted.


    "Why is your face so sour like that?" Yuki asked his friend amusedly.


    "Yuki, how could you say that?" Riku pouted. "Don''t you hear what they said? It is so infuriating! Just yesterday they praised us so highly, yet they are ready to abandon the ship when it is convenient. What a bunch of traitors!" He grumbled and cursed lowly.


    "Well, what can I say? It seems she works pretty well here." Yuki chuckled wryly. "And it is our fault that we agree to her request, right? We have no one to me here."


    "Oh, we have people to me! We can me those spineless bastards! How could they always fold under the seduction of pretty people, for God''s sake?!"


    Yeah, they could me their senpai for this misfortune. They both could still remember what happened yesterday, especially after Yuki exposed Arina Sugawara''s intention.


    -A shback-


    "Please, just for this time, help us the student council!" Arina Sugawara bowed deeply, surprising almost all of the people inside the room. For all they knew, the girl was always elegant and gracious, never showed any ws in front of the others. It was probably the first time they saw Arina Sugawara exposed such a weakness in front of them.


    However, Yuki himself didn''t buy it. He didn''t know Arina Sugawara at all, so there was no way he would be blinded by her prettiness like the others. Moreover, the girl asked too much. She wanted to sacrifice them to unite the voice of the students so they could resist to the school''s policy more effectively.


    However, as a side effect, their reputation would be killed instantly, and no matter what they achieved in the future, they wouldn''t be able to regain their dignity at all.


    Well, unfortunately, it seemed he was probably the only one who thought that far. Riku too, to some extent. However, the blonde boy was so quiet today, not like his usual self. As for the others, they agreed readily to the request without thinking too much, wanting to impress both Arina Sugawara and Megumi at the same time.


    "Don''t worry, Sugawara-san! We have already been under a nasty rumor once! What is another onepared to before?" Koji said smugly.


    "Yeah, Sugawara-san! Don''t worry, we will support you!" Okamura added.


    "Let alone a rumor, if you want us to go to the headmaster and talk about this, I am sure we will find a way!" Kaede also chimed in.


    "Yeah! Overall, don''t worry about us!"


    -End of the shback-


    So¡­ Yeah¡­ even though he didn''t agree, he was the only one who thought about it. As for the others, they didn''t think twice and jumped to the cliff without hesitation. As a result, now their reputation was ruined brutally without any chance to recover it.


    ''Man, I hate democracy.''


    After walking for a while under so much scrutiny, Yuki and Riku finally arrived at the gymnasium. The atmosphere there was so gloomy as everyone realized the consequence of them epting Arina Sugawara''s request recklessly yesterday.


    "So, any regret for yesterday?" He asked his senpai sarcastically. There was no way he didn''t hold a grudge after his senpai didn''t listen to his warning at all. The others could only bow their head, ashamed of their behavior yesterday.


    "You don''t need to gloat, you know? We know we are wrong." Kaede said depressingly.


    Yuki let out a deep sigh, knowing he couldn''t do anything about it. This was their fat now, and whether they liked it or not, they had to live with their decision.


    However, before he or the others could say anything, they forgot about one important person who they should consult before making a decision yesterday. And now, that person walked through the gymnasium with a dark aura surrounding him as if he wanted to kill anyone who was on his way.


    "So, what is it that I hear from the rumor? We are favored by the headmaster? Any idea who and how it is spread like this?" He asked in a casual tone. However, the fact that he didn''t raise his voice was enough o make the others know he was pissed right now.


    "Um¡­ Coach¡­" Kaede raised his hand shakingly. "W-We can exin this¡­"


    Yeah, it was Akira who just came to the gymnasium. He didn''t know about the team''s cooperation with the student council yesterday and was shocked to hear even the teacher whisper behind his back, talking bad about the team. After inquiring about the details from one unwilling student, he knew the root of it came from his students.


    Of course, he didn''t punish them all blindly. Akira always believed he was a fair coach, and he didn''t want to judge something without knowing the story behind it. So, he wanted to hear Kaede''s exnation.


    However, after five minutes the defensive specialist told the story, from the meeting with Arina Sugawara, the conspiracy behind the purge, and the student council''s request, his expression changed.


    "Are you idiots or what?" He finally couldn''t help but ask. Everyone was stunned since this was the first time they heard their coach mocked them like this. However, Akira didn''t have any intention to stop. "You have been working hard for what? One month? To rebuild your reputation after the disasterst month.


    And it was for what? Just to impress the girl who wouldn''t even look at you? You fucking brainless idiots!"


    Even though it was harsh, Yuki couldn''t help but nod in agreement. He also said the same yesterday, yet was ignored by the others.


    "And to make it worse, you ept it at the worst time possible! We are just one week away from the game against Konan, for God''s sake! The game that would decide our fate! Against the best team in the country! And you make the entire school hostile against you?! Are you fucking kidding me?!" Akira continued, his hair was ruffled at this point.


    Everyone bowed their head, didn''t dare to look at their coach. There was silence for a moment before Akira took a deep breath and said, "Although I know you did it to help the student council fight for the student''s rights, but I hope you can talk to me before agreeing to this ridiculous request. However, we cannot change it now. I will talk to Sugawara-santer about this.


    As for you all, as the punishment for your idiocy, the training today will be doubled up!"


    "EH?!"


    "What are youining about?" Akira red when he saw the others look at him with dumbfounded faces. "Do you want to make it three times harder?!"


    "No, Coach!"


    After that, the yers started to run, didn''t want to test Akira''s patience. Akira himself could only sigh, feeling a massive headache all of a sudden. Although he knew about the school''s deal with the Maiko Group, he didn''t want to be involved too much in that shady business. He didn''t expect though, that his yers would be approached to fight against the school.


    ''Man, this is getting far moreplicated than necessary.'' Akira cursed. ''The difficulty of this mission impossible is doubled up by now. I wonder how far can we push Konan in the game next week¡­''

 Chapter 132: A Bleak Future

    A few dayster, what Arina Sugawara wanted to achieve by spreading rumors about the volleyball team was finally achieved. Whenever anyone walked through the corridor, they would hear one or two students talk and gossip about the school''s policy, especially the purge.


    Arina Sugawara was able to arouse the students'' interest to speak about the issues around them, and as she expected, some started to resent the school.


    Unfortunately, the higher-ups of the school were something unreachable for them. No matter how much they scolded secretly, no one dared to voice their dissatisfaction directly to the teachers. They didn''t know what kind of punishment would they get and they also didn''t want to test the school''s bottom line.


    As a result, they turned their dissatisfaction into the other subject of the rumor, which was the volleyball team.


    Under the students'' scrutinization, days passed slowly for the volleyball team. No matter where they would go, someone would always whisper at them and look at them with hostility. Hell, even some teachers scolded them without any good reason. Apparently, they were fed off by the rumor too.


    This, of course, affected the yers'' mood. Even Riku who seemed not to care about it in the beginning started to get annoyed, couldn''t concentrate on the training. That was understandable, since he suddenly lost the fangirls he was so proud of. Even though it sounded silly, for Riku who was used to the attention, suddenly not receiving it would make him ufortable.


    Unfortunately, they couldn''t protest about it at all.


    Of course, some wanted to do that, wanting to rify that it was Arina Sugawara''s n to smear their name. Unfortunately,paring Arina Sugawara''s wless reputation with them who created so manymotions in the past, it was clear who the students would believe it. If anything, the more they resisted, the worse their reputation would be.


    Now, they all regretted agreeing to Arina Sugawara''s outrageous request.


    It seemed Akira also noticed his yers'' distraught, as he stopped the training earlier than usual.


    "It seems your mind is not in here at this moment," Akiramented casually without any heat in his tone. His yers couldn''t help but bow their heads, feeling guilty about it. "Unfortunately, I cannot help you guys about it. This is the consequence of your stupidity, and you need to learn that whenever there is an action, there will be a reaction from the other side.


    I hope this will be a lesson for you all to not act recklessly in the future. But for now, we can end the training today!"


    Everyone left with a depressed mood as they were dismissed by the coach. However, Yuki hummed slightly, feeling curious. He knew Akira cared so much about the team. No matter what kind of rumor they were suffering from, he would always make sure the team trained their best to prepare for their next game. However, this time was different.


    The coach was too nonchnt as if he didn''t care whether their condition for the next game was good enough or not.


    He also noticed the nce exchanged by Akira and Megumi secretly before the other yers were dismissed, and Yuki was sure they both nned something. Unfortunately, before he could ask about it, those two left the building as quickly as possible.


    Not long after that, the sky started turning its color into bright red, as only a small part of the sun was still above the horizon. Almost all the students were already back, and in the gymnasium building, only Yuki and Riku were left to clean up the mess after the team''s training. Usually, everyone would be willing to work together to do this.


    Unfortunately, in thest couple of days, the seniors were not in the mood to stay in the school longer, so they used their seniority to bully their kouhai.


    "Man, this sucks," Rikuined after he put back the mop he just used. "It is so unfair they could get away with everything just because they are our senpai! Even those bastards never treated us like this before they left the team, right?"


    Of course, Yuki knew who the bastards Riku just mentioned. It was the third-year yers who resigned a month ago. And indeed, when they were still on the team, they didn''t treat their kouhai badly. However, Yuki knew it was only because they still didn''t know each other really well.


    He was sure after they got along with each other for more than a month, his senpai would show their fang and start to order them to do some chores.


    "Oi, Yuki! Why are you so quiet? Don''t you feel this is unfair?!" It seemed Riku wanted to rope Yuki into hisining session.


    "Well, wee to Japan, where the seniority is so strong." Yuki chuckled wryly.


    Riku just grumbled, knowing about it already. They chatted for a while to distract them from their tiredness after cleaning up the mess, not noticing another presence waiting for them outside of the building nervously. Looking at the two boys who were so carefree, she didn''t want to interrupt them. However, after a while, she mustered her courage and finally raised her voice.


    "A-Ano!"


    Yuki and Riku turned their head instantly at the voice. They were stunned, didn''t expect to see Arina Sugawara, the source of the mess the club was in to be brave enough toe at them.


    "Wow, the princess finally graces us with her presence. What can we peasants do for you, Your Highness? Do you need anothermb to be sacrificed again?" Yuki''s tone was full of sarcasm, making the girl wince unconsciously. Normally, Yuki would never do that, especially to a girl. However, this was a special case.


    He needed to vent out his dissatisfaction, and the culprit behind everything was already in front of him.


    "Isn''t it a bit harsh, Yuki?" Riku frowned. Although he didn''t turn into a lovestruck like their stupid senpai, Riku was always polite to girls, so to hear the venomous tone from his friend, he couldn''t help but feel the need to reprimand him. "After all, it is our mistake too for trusting her too much."


    Riku didn''t know about it, but his words hurt Arina Sugawara more than Yuki''s sarcastic remarks.


    "I¡­" The girl hesitated, as if there was a lump on her throat. "I want to apologize!" She bowed quickly, shocking both Yuki and Riku. "I know it is uneptable, but I don''t expect the situation would be this bad. I thought before that I could control it, but everything spread like wildfire, and you are the victim of my operation. I am sorry for causing so much trouble for your team!"


    Yuki and Riku were stunned, not knowing how to react. They wanted to say it was okay and everything was forgotten, but they couldn''t do that. The damage was already done, and the team hadn''t recovered from it. After a while, it was Yuki who reacted first, showing a bitter smile.


    "It is useless, right?" He asked. "If apologizing could restore our reputation, then there wouldn''t be so many people who got ruined from unfounded gossip, is that right?"


    Yeah, no matter how Arina Sugawara regretted her decision, nothing could be changed. It was just like the members of the volleyball team who could only feel resentful whenever they heard someone talk shit about them, yet they couldn''t do anything about it.


    "Anway, what is the result of your scheme?" Riku decided to change the topic, didn''t want to think about the rumor too much. "Have you achieved what you want?"


    "Yeah." Arina Sugawara nodded softly. To Yuki and Riku''s surprise, there was a trace of tears on her face. "However, it is not worth mentioning when you are suffering because of my actions. I promise I will try my best to restore your honor!"


    She bowed deeply, then ran away immediately from the building, leaving Yuki and Riku who feltplicated about her. They still couldn''t help but feel resentful toward the girl, since everything was because of her. However, by the tears of regret on her face and the determination she showed in thest part, they knew she was serious about restoring their honor.


    This made them confused about what to think about her.


    "Do you think she will be able to do that?" After a while, Riku finally broke the silence with his question.


    "I don''t think so." Yuki blurted the brutal answer quickly. "Although her determination to fix the mess she created is admirable, the rumor has been spread so wildly. There is no way people would believe our exnation. Hell, even now, the third-year students still look at me in disdain, thinking I am a disrespectful brat. So¡­ Yeah¡­ You know there is no solution to kill a rumor."


    Riku nodded helplessly, knowing what his friend said was true. For a moment, a silence fell among them as the two boys stared at the sky that started turning dark. In their mind, they couldn''t help but think of the same thing.


    ''The future looks so bleak for us. I wonder what kind of miracle we need to fix this up.''

 Chapter 133: Clearing the Air

    Days passed by without anyone noticing. There was a slight change in the other''s attitude toward them and the members of the volleyball team were still confused about it. Only Yuki and Riku knew what happened, and they appreciated Arina Sugawara''s effort to fix the problem. Unfortunately, the general opinion was still the same.


    They were still the scumbags who were favored by the school when the other clubs were butchered by the new policy.


    Then, three days before the game against Konan High, Akira suddenly announced that the team training would be held differently. To everyone''s confusion, he asked the yers to meet outside of the school after it was over and not forgetting to buy some snacks for the trip. It was clear they were going outside today, but they didn''t know what Akira''s intention was.


    However, their confusion disappeared instantly, when they saw the sight of arge bus outside of the school building. It was the right size to let all the volleyball yerse inside without getting too crowded. And before their surprise was over, Akira opened the door with a big smile on his face.


    "Alright, everyone! Save your questions forter. For now, get on the bus. Make yourselffortable because we have a long journey ahead of us!"


    The others didn''t need to be told twice as they started fighting for the best seat on the bus. Megumi sat on the front row next to Akira who acted as the driver, followed by Okamura, Hirano, Kaede, Riku, Yuki, Asahi, Koji, and Ogawa in order. They started chatting and bickering, something that wasn''t heard in thest couple of days.


    Both Akira and Megumi smiled when they saw the tense atmosphere melt on the bus.


    "Akira-sensei, Megumi-senpai, how long have you been nning for this trip?" Yuki couldn''t help but ask. He knew by now what was the meaning of the nces between those two a few days ago.


    "I don''t know, two weeks ago, maybe?" Akira answered nonchntly while his eyes were still on the road. "It should be after the game against Kyoei Gakuen, right?"


    "Yeah." Megumi nodded, confirming his answer. "At first, we want to do it after the game against Teiryo High. Unfortunately, the schedule is too tight with the school''s agenda, so we have to postpone it for a while. But we thought this is the best time to let you rx for a while, what with the tension from the students and the idea of having to y against the best team in the country."


    The atmosphere turned 180 degrees when Megumi mentioned the game a few dayster, thinking that their preparation this time was far from decent. Akira noticed that and said immediately, "For now, let''s forget the game. Let''s loosen up the tension on the team and keep yourself rxed. Just for today, don''t think about the tournament or your next game, okay?!"


    "YES, SIR!"


    It seemed Akira and Megumi were serious about making them rx. The first destination they came to was a theatre, where they watched thetest released movie there. It was a Western movie from a massive franchise that was famous for its superhero story. Needless to say, a bunch of boys like them enjoyed the action scene a lot they didn''t even blink in the theatre.


    After spending two hours there, Akira brought them to a family restaurant far in the north of Tokyo. The ce looked luxurious and gave them an expensive aura that made the yers gulp nervously. However, the moment the bus was stopped, Riku didn''t wait for the others and entered the building as if he were familiar with it.


    "Good evening, Riku-sama!" The waiter there bowed politely. "Do you want to have the usual? Or do you want to try our special for tonight?"


    "No need, Yumi-san." Riku rejected the offer with the same politeness. "I will be with my friends and Akira-jiisan in the family box, so don''t treat me too politely."


    The others were stunned when they saw Riku''s demeanor. Although everyone knew he came from a wealthy family, they had never seen Riku act as a young master like this. Yuki himself wasn''t so surprised. Since he came to Riku''s house, he knew his friend could be so elegant like this when necessary. However, his goofiness prevented the others from seeing it from him.


    "Come here, I have already reserved a family box for us!" Akira waved his hands, inviting them to follow him.


    All the yers nodded unconsciously, following him like a waddle of ducklings following their mother. But once they were close to the box, they forgot their thought before as the sound of the meat sizzling could be heard, and coupled with the aroma of something being grilled, their mouth got watery instantly.


    "Well, what are you waiting for? Come in!" Akira shouted.


    Hey didn''t need to be told twice as all of them rushed immediately and entered the room. There, they saw a set of barbeque tools and ingredients were ready, just waiting for them to enjoy. They turned their head to the coach instantly, looking at him in disbelief. "Sensei, are you sure it is okay for us to eat all of this?" Kaede asked.


    "Don''t worry about it." Akira waved his hand nonchntly. "This is the Agostini family''s restaurant, so I get a good discount whenever I eat here. Just start grilling!"


    Everyone had their facial muscles twitched when they heard that. No wonder the waiter was so polite to Riku, since it was his family''s restaurant. Well, at least they didn''t need to feel bad since everything was paid from Akira''s wallet. They started to put meats and veggies on the grill, waiting impatiently for the food to get cooked perfectly.


    Akira nodded, satisfied with the atmosphere in front of them. Then, he coughed, gaining everyone''s attention.


    "I know this kind of heart-to-heart conversation is often done with wine or something like that. Unfortunately, we are minors and athletes here, so we will do it with the tea instead. First, let''s talk about your stupidity in epting Sugawara-san''s ridiculous request. Is there anyone who wants to tell me why what you did is stupid?"


    Everyone bowed their head ashamedly when they were reminded about it. However, since Akira asked it, someone finally mustered the courage to talk about it.


    "Yes, Kaede?" Akira pointed at the defensive specialist who raised his hand.


    "There are so many reasons why it is stupid. First, we made the decision rashly without thinking or consulting you. Then, we ignored Yuki''s warning about the consequences, thinking that we had experienced the samest month and underestimated the public''s reaction.


    Then, we are not professional enough to live with the consequence, as it is clear that our performance declined since the rumor spread about us."


    Akira nodded, satisfied. Kaede summarized the problem perfectly, not leaving anything for the others to argue.


    "In fact, I am proud of you for fighting for your rights. However, your mistake is too quick to trust Sugawara-san. Not saying that she is a liar, of course. But who knows if her information was wrong? And no matter if it was right, there is no need to sacrifice yourself, especially to the person you are not close with each other in the first ce."


    Yeah, they all realized now. It was ridiculous to sacrifice everything just to impress Arina Sugawara, the girl they just had contact with.


    "I know I have already said about it before, but I think you are too distracted to listen to my words, so I will repeat it again." Akira continued. "You shouldn''t be angry whenever someone says you are favored by the headmaster, because it is the reality. Think about it!


    How many times did the headmaster stand up for us whenever we made a hugemotion, and how many times has he protected us whenever the teachers wanted to do something to you guys? Is that a clear indication of favoritism?"


    Yeah, what he said was true. However, it was still ufortable to hear someone mock them for being the headmaster''s pets or something like that.


    "If you are angry when someone is mocking you or the team for that, there is one thing we can do to fight it," Akira said, gaining everyone''s interest. "In fact, it is so simple that I am sure you have known about it for too long. And that is to show them why you deserve to get that special treatment! Show everyone why the volleyball team is special! It is easy, right?!


    After all, only the strong got special treatment. If you won something, no matter what kind of favoritism you received from the school, no one would be qualified toment on it. You should understand about that, eight?"


    Everyone had their ace lightened up at Akira''s speech. For a moment, they forgot about the foods they grilled as they were too mesmerized by their coach, inspired by his speech. Not wanting to lose his momentum, Akira continued his speech quickly.


    "So, here is what I want you all to do for the next couple of days. I want you all to put your focus back to the volleyball. It is not enough to give you 100 percent anymore. I need your 110 percent! 120 percents! It is not enough to give me your best, give me more than your best! Chapter Explore:


    Let''s show the others why we deserve to get special treatment. Let''s show them all our team''s strengths! Are you with me?!"


    "YEAH!"

 Chapter 134: Before the Game

    Akira''s stimtion during thest lunch the team had yesterday was able to ignite the spark inside the team''s heart. Although they were still under scrutiny from the students, at least they were able to ignore it for now, knowing they had something more important in the next few days. They also regained their focus back, and the quality of the practice improved astronomicallypared to before.


    "Good job, Megumi-san." Akira nodded in a satisfied manner as he watched the practice from the sideline. "It is because of you that we can recover just in time before the game against Konan. For that, I am grateful to you."


    Megumi blushed at the sudden praise and shook her head quickly. "It is nothing, Sensei. I just want to contribute to the team too just like the others."


    Yeah, unbeknown to the others, the n to have a big lunch together was Megumi''s idea. After seeing the distraught state shown by the yers, she remembered how excited they were when the team had a sukiyaki party after the game against Kyoei Gakuen. She thought it was worth repeating, and fortunately, the n was sessful this time.


    "Even though the n is unsessful, Megumi-san, there would be no one who dares to say you are not contributing enough to the team," Akira said seriously. "Without you, the team would be in a scramble by now."


    Indeed, Akira was not exaggerating when he evaluated Megumi''s role in the team so highly. Without the girl, they wouldn''t be able to have a new jersey to use, wouldn''t be able topete in a tournament, and wouldn''t even be allowed to take an absence when they were going to y in a school hour. Overall, he could even say Megumi''s role was bigger than him.


    "Anyway, the atmosphere is quite good right now." Akira changed the topic. He stared at the yers on the court who werepeting with each other for who would get the most points from their service and couldn''t help but feel satisfied. "We need to take advantage of this momentum to make our best preparation for the next game."


    After that, the practice started to get more intense. Akira made sure that every aspect of the practice would be targeted for the game against Konan. For example, Hirano, Riku, and Asahi practiced a lot to increase their reaction, knowing Konan''s setter, Sawada, would be hard to read.


    Chapter Find:


    On the other hand, Kaede and Yuki were in hell, as Akira wanted to increase their pain tolerance by having them face the entire team spiking the ball at them.


    Without them noticing, it had been almost three hours since they started practice today. It was twice as long as the practice yesterday, yet they still didn''t show any sign of exhaustion. This made Akira happy, since it only meant the team was back into their prime condition by now.


    Unfortunately, the sky was already dark outside, and they had to leave the school as soon as possible. After cleaning up the mess, they all went back to their home. Even Riku who usually took his time to visit the orphanage didn''t have the energy to do that, too tired from the training. This was understandable, since the training session ended farter than usual.


    Yuki checked the time on his phone, and it showed 20:44 already.


    ''Man, no wonder the road is so quiet already. Everyone should''ve been asleep by now.''


    When Yuki arrived, he also met a simr quiet atmosphere. There was no one in the usually crowded kitchen, and the only sound that could be heard was a snore or two from the children''s room. However, Yuki couldn''t help but smile when he saw a te full of fried rice on the table. There, he could also read a small note ced close to the te.


    ''Yuki-kun, don''t forget to eat something before you go to sleep. If it is cold already, you can reheat it on your own. Enjoy the fried rice! Aiko.''


    In the middle of the soothing silence, Yuki started to enjoy the food. He didn''t even change from his sweaty shirt into a new, clean one first, as his stomach gurgled pretty loud, asking for him to feed it.


    As he enjoyed the food, Yuki''s mind started wandering around. It had been such a long time since he enjoyed food alone. Usually, there would be two or three children squabbling with each other or Aiko who was chatting with him. It was apletely different situationpared to before he lived here.


    Although at that time, Yuki still had his parents, they were usually busy and would onlye back homete. He was used to eating alone before, so Yuki had never thought he would feel lonely in the same situation.


    It seemed living with the others in the orphanage had already changed his mindset a little bit.


    *Bzzzt¡­* *Bzzzt¡­*


    The sound of his phone vibrating in his pocket snapped Yuki from his thought. He frowned a little bit at the continuous vibration, trying to think who would call him thiste. When he saw the name disyed on the screen, his face lightened up instantly.


    "Hi, Yuki-kun!"A cheerful sound suddenly greeted him. "Long time no talk! How are you? I heard from Akira-sensei that you will have a game in the next two days, right?"


    "I am doing good, Maria-san."Yuki had a genuine smile on his face. "What about you and the others?"


    "Oh, we are good! Here, Isabe and Gabrie are next to me, wanting to talk to you too."


    "Yuki-nii, how are you?!"


    "Be, don''t push me around!"


    "What do you mean pushing you?! It is you who push me first!"


    Yukiughed a little when he heard the squabble from the other side of the phone. Yeah, the one who called him right now was Maria Silvestri, thedy of the family who sponsored his education. Just like the promise he made to them, theymunicated with each other regrly just to exchange news.


    And while Yuki had never said it out loud, he secretly enjoyed their weekly call, thinking of them as his cool, distant family.


    "Hmm¡­ So, you are going to y against a Brazilian yer, huh?" Maria hummed after she heard Yuki''s story about his next game. Even though he couldn''t see Maria''s face, Yuki could imagine a yful smile formed as she asked before. "Well, you are in for a treat, Yuki-kun."

 Chapter 135: D-Day!

    "So, this is the infamous Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, huh?" Yuki said, staring at the building in front of him in awe. "This is far more impressive than I thought."


    It was the day when the game was yed, and early in the morning, all the Tsunemori yers had already arrived at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. It would be a lie if they said they weren''t nervous. Somehow, they felt intimidated just by looking at the massive building in front of them, knowing how historic it was for the country.


    "How old is this building?" Riku asked to no one.


    "I don''t know, about sixty years, I guess?" Koji said with an uncertain tone. "I know for sure that the building was used to host a lot of historical events like the world wrestling championship or the summer Olympics in the past."


    Everyone gulped unconsciously, feeling more intimidated by the building. The scorching sun above them couldn''t prevent the shiver that ran down their spine as this was the first time they yed in such a massive and historical arena. Somehow, their dumbfounded state attracted people''s attention, as those who wanted to enter the building and watch the game today stared at them strangely.


    Fortunately, Akira noticed his yers'' weird state and snapped them from their thoughts.


    "What are you all daydreaming about?!" He raised his voice. "It doesn''t matter whether we y in this building or in our own school, right? In the end, what matters the most is your mentality! As long as your focus is on the game, you will not get distracted by this trivial matter."


    All the yers could only smile at each other wryly, knowing that what he said didn''t change anything. They still felt their legs shaking below. However, Akira was satisfied with their reaction. At least, their mind was back at their body already.


    "Well, what are you waiting for?! Let''s go!"


    Fortunately, the entrance for the yers wasn''t the same as for the spectators. Akira brought them through the main tunnel of the building, showing all the people around that they were one of the protagonists today. It was good to see the crowds looking at them in awe while they ¨C the crowds ¨C were stuck in the queue.


    At first, they thought that they would be the first ones toe. However, when they entered the building, all the Tsunemori yers were surprised to see the opponent''s yers were already there. This was the first time they saw the ck-stripe-white jerseys that could make all the teams in Japan tremble in fear, and they couldn''t help but feel intimidated once again.


    "Agostini-san? Kobayashi-san?!" Suddenly, a voiceing from the opponent''s side attracted everyone''s attention. All the eyes turned into a thin, ordinary boy who stared at the two freshmen with his eyes wide open. "Why are you both here?!"


    Riku arched one of his eyebrows slightly. "What do you mean why are we here? Is there any reason why we couldn''t be here?"


    "No! I¡­ You¡­ I mean¡­ It should be¡­ I don''t know¡­" The boy slumped dejectedly as suddenly, his mind went nk when he saw two acquaintances here.


    The boy in front of them was Nobuhiro Sawada, the setter of Konan High who both Yuki and Riku met in Riku''s house. Although Sawada forgot to ask from which school they were, he was confident that both Yuki and Riku were the secret weapons that Matsukita High hid for the future matchup against Konan.


    It was quite a blow when his expectations didn''t meet the reality, as instead ofing from a strong school like Matsukita, they both were yers from a no-name school like Tsunemori High.


    "Are they your friends, Sawada-kun?"Suddenly, someone used the Englishnguage with a pretty thick ent, attracting everyone''s attention. There, all the Tsunamori yers saw a tanned-skinned boy with ponytail hair and a bright smile that showed off his white teeth greeting them.


    Just by this appearance, they all could guess already who he was.


    ''Lucas Silva Morais!''


    "We are not friends, Lucas-san. I met them a few weeks ago at a social gathering." Sawada answered in the samenguage. However, not a single person in Tsunemori cared about the setter anymore. By now, all of them turned solemn as they saw Lucas''s appearance, the biggest threat to them in the game.


    -A little shback-


    "What do you mean I am in for a treat, Maria-san?" Yuki couldn''t help but frown. Somehow, he remembered Akira''s begrudge expression when the coach talked about Brazilian yers and he couldn''t help but think it was rted to this. "Is there anything special about a Brazilian yer?"


    "Hmm¡­ How should I put this¡­" The voice on the other side of the phone pondered. "Any yers born in Brazil are usually natural-gifted yers. They are fast, can jump high, can spike hard, have insane reaction speed, and the best ¨C or worst part depending on whether the Brazilian yers are your teammates or your opponents ¨C is their instinct. It is as if they are born to do the sport.


    To put it simply, they are the biggest cheat code in this sport."


    Yuki was stunned in disbelief at what he just heard. "Is it a bit too much?" He asked hesitantly. He still had hopes Maria would agree with him and said that she was exaggerating. Unfortunately, his hope was shattered by the woman''s next exnation.


    "Unfortunately, Yuki-kun, if anything, I tend to downy it to make them less scary than the reality." Her voice showed a helpless tone. "You have to know, that in Brazil, volleyball is the second most popr sport other than football. Almost all the kids who lived near the beach spent most of their time either kicking the ball or spiking the ball.


    And unlike us who are used to a systematic game with 6 vs 6, they don''t care about the strict rules of the game. As long as there is a ball and a, even if it is just one-on-one, the game will begin. That is why they alwayse as a versatile yer. They are used to cover anything by themselves, from receiving, setting, and even spiking.


    The fact that they often yed in the sand is just the cherry on top."


    Hearing that evaluation, the image of Lucas Silva Morais suddenly became scarier inside Yuki''s mind. He started to feel helpless, didn''t know how to deal with such a perfect yer. However, what Maria said next brought him back to life.


    "However, they usually have one ring weakness that would only be fixedter in their career. Would you like to hear about that?"


    -End of the shback-


    "Lucas Silva Morais¡­" Yuki''s eyes turned somber as he remembered the conversation he had with Maria a few days ago. "Even though the weakness is a bit silly, that is probably the only thing we could expose from him. However, whether it has any effect or not depends on whether he is familiar with it or not.


    But in the end, we still have to think of a way to beat him, or it would be impossible for us to win this game."

 Chapter 136: Before the Game

    "COME ON, KONAN HIGH!"


    "Give us your best!"


    "Matsumoto, kill them all!"


    "Don''t give your opponent any chance to breathe!"


    Even though it was still thirty minutes before the game started, the noises from the stands were already high. They rose instantly when they all saw the yerse to the court. Unfortunately for Tsunemori, not even a single support was for them.


    "Man, I know I have said about it before, but this situation sucks." Kaede sighed dejectedly. "Even though I don''t have a big hope, but there is a tiny voice inside me who wants someone from our school to see us ying today."


    "You are dreaming too far, Kai." Okamura snorted. "It is hard for the school to mobilize so many students toe here and support us. Coupled with our low reputation right now, I don''t think the school would be willing to do that freely."


    "But there are not as many people as I thought it would be," Asahi said, his eyes wandering around the building.


    Yeah, the situation on the stand itself wasn''t too crowded. Even though from outside the atmosphere seemed to be so loud, all the noises came from the cheers echoed inside the building. As for the total number of people who watched on the stand, it shouldn''t be more than 200 people.


    Well, this was understandable. The game was held on Thursday when the students were still in the school. There was no way any headmaster would be willing to let their students go to the Tokyo Gymnasium just to support the team, especially when it was still in the top 8 stage. It would be different if this was the top four or the final itself, but it was still far from anyone''s sight.


    Even the crowds who were on the stand didn''te from the Konan High. They were all neutral fans who wanted to see the dominance of the best team in the country. Coupled with the fact that the building had the capacity of more than two thousand people, the 200 supporters on the stand seemed so little and scattered right now.


    However, it was still impressive for a high school team to gather about 200 loyal supporters to watch their game in the top 8 stage, and that thought was enough to intimidate Tsunemori High who also had to fight against their nervousness since this was the first time they yed in this historical building.


    "Yo! How are you guys today?" A familiar rough voice suddenly greeted them from behind. When all the Tsunemori yers turned around, they were surprised to see the old man smiling at them. "Are you ready for the game?"


    "Sekine-jiisan, you are here?!" Yuki asked, his eyes widened in surprise.


    Yeah, it was Sekine, the old man from Tsukumi University who came to the gymnasium. Even though he often came to apany the Tsunemori team, he had only been on the bench officially once, in the game against Kyoei Gakuen. Usually, he would be busy doing his own work. That was why everyone was surprised to see him here.


    "Oh, what can I say? Your coach is so cunning he uses Megumi-chan to rope me in. I cannot do anything." Sekine said helplessly. Akira turned his head away when all the eyes were on him, didn''t want to get med for this. "Anyway, are you ready for the game?" Sekine repeated his question once again.


    "This¡­"


    All the yers looked at each other hesitantly. Although the momentum in thest couple of days was great, of course, the game day itself would be different. All the wild thoughts suddenly haunted them, as this would probably be theirst game as a club, the purge, the rumor, and everything.


    It seemed someone ¨C probably Megumi ¨C had already told Sekine the story as the old man didn''t seem to be surprised by their hesitation.


    "Have you ever seen a high school tournament yed here on the television?" The old man suddenly changed the topic.


    All the yers there looked at each other confusedly, didn''t know why he asked such an irrelevant question. Still, out of respect, they nodded in unison at the old man. After all, it was prettymon for a television channel to broadcast a high school tournament live, so no matter whether they liked it or not, it was impossible to never see any of it before.


    "Well, when you are watching them ying, have you ever thought about something like ''Wow,e to think about it, aren''t they just one or two years older than me? I cannot believe it!'' Or something like that?"


    Everyone had a sweat drop on their face when they saw the high pitch from Sekine when the old man imitated their voice. However, they couldn''t deny it. This was something that crossed their mind once or twice. It was amazing to see someone close to their agepete in the highestpetition in the country.


    "Well, although this is only the top 8 stage, don''t you think you are in the same shoes as those who you admire and look in disbelief on the television in the past?" Sekine smiled. Everyone was stunned, never saw this game from that perspective. "I know you have a lot on your mind right now, Megumi has already filled me in.


    However, just for today, let go of all of the burden on your shoulders and y freely! Enjoy the game! Because, you don''t know when will you have another chance to y in this building again, right?!"


    Sekine''s speech worked like magic. One by one, their expression changed, from heavy and tense to their usual cheerful and excited state.


    "The old geezer is right!" It was Riku who first voiced his opinion. "We are already here, so why not just enjoy the game? Forget about all the bullshit problems in the school, but ying in this gymnasium is a lifetime chance for us a weak school! Come on, don''t think too much, and let it flow!"


    And just like the first domino pieces to fall, Riku''s speech aroused the other''s spirit to do so, knowing that what he said was true. This was probably their first andst chance to y here, so why not enjoy it?


    "Yeah, Riku is right! No need to think too much about anything else!"


    "Damn! I am on fire now!"


    "Let''s make the best team in the country remember our presence!"


    "Hell yeah!"

 Chapter 137: First Blood!

    -0-


    After fifteen minutes of warming up session, everyone was ready. All the Tsunemori yers stepped onto the court with their usual dark green jerseys, followed by the Konan yers with their ck-stripe white jerseys. They didn''t go into their position immediately, waiting for the result of the coin toss.


    In the end, Koji won the luck, and he chose to serve first without hesitation. As for Konan, they had the right to pick which side of the court they would y in the first. For them, it wasn''t something worth mentioning. However, for Tsunemori, being able to serve first was definitely a good thing.


    With Riku on the line, they were confident they could grab the momentum from the start and control the pace of the game to their liking.


    "Good job, Koji!"


    "Tell me, which temple did you pray to this morning?"


    "You bastard! Don''t underestimate my luck!"


    All the Konan yers were dumbfounded, didn''t expect their opponent would react this strongly just because they won the right to serve first.


    "Man, they sure are something, right?" One of them, a spiky-haired boy with a goofy demeanormented casually. "Usually, the team that would y against us would be depressed knowing their journey would end after the game, right? But they still feel confident even after knowing our reputation. It seems they have something they are confident enough it could surprise us."


    "That means it would be more enjoyable to destroy themter." The other, a boy with a tall and slender build grinned widely, showing his sadistic side.


    "Okay, stop messing around, you two!" Their captain, a boy with a lean, athletic build and curly hair scolded those two immediately. "It is not good to underestimate them! Come on, show some respect!"


    "Yes, captain~"


    The captain could only sigh helplessly as he received an unserious response from them both. Well, he couldn''t help it. Even though they all were surprised to hear the underdog story from their opponent, at the end of the day, it was clear Tsunemori wasn''t as strong as Shimoyawata or Kyoei. It should be luck that helped them to finally be able to reach this stage.


    So, there is no way they could be serious ying against such a weak team like Tsunemori.


    This was the arrogance of the best team in the country. They didn''t even see the intelligence of their opponent and just came blindly, yet they had the strength to be confident to do that. Not many teams could force them to rely on intelligence as they would just crush anyone in front of them with full power.


    All the Tsunemori yers saw the rxed and carefree atmosphere on the other side of the court and couldn''t help but frown. "We are getting underestimated." Riku clenched his fist.


    "Well, what can we do?" Yuki shrugged as if it didn''t bother him. "They have the capital to do so. We are just a bunch of small ants in front of them, right?" Then, to everyone''s surprise, his expression darkened in a second as he continued, "Let''s just show them how hurt a bunch of ants could bite them to death, okay?"


    All of his teammates suddenly had a simr smile on their faces as they nodded simultaneously. "Sure, let''s bite them to death!"


    -0-


    After waiting for the referees to get ready in their position, the game finally was about to begin. The main referee standing next to the signaled everyone to get ready, and when they all nodded at him, he blew his whistle.


    Riku who was the first one to serve took a deep breath. His eyes narrowed slightly, searching for the presence of the boy that rented freely inside his mind for thest week. The boy himself was hidden pretty tightly under the protection of two yers, which was understandable considering his important role as the initiator of their attack.


    However, Riku still wanted to try his luck and aimed his serve at the boy.


    "Okay, let me see how strong you are, Sawada!"


    *BAM!*


    All the Konan''s yers were taken aback by Riku''s bold move. However, they were still calm and did not panic. This was not the first time their opponent targeted their freshman setter. Just by the appearance alone, Sawada was the least intimidating here, so it was understandable for their opponent to do so.


    That was why there were two yers around him to protect the setter from receiving the first ball, just like the goofy boy did right now.


    *Thud!*


    "Nice receive, Shimada!"


    Riku gritted his teeth when he saw his serve was received so easily. This was the second team that was able to do that since Kyoei Gakuen did the same in the third round of the tournament. While Riku himself knew his jump serve wasn''t that good to break through a good defensive team, he started to get frustrated when the blonde boy saw it be a joke by now.


    Unfortunately, Riku didn''t have any time toment his misfortune. Since the ball didn''t fly too far from thest receiver, Sawada didn''t need to rush forward to get the ball. Yuki who was in the top right position stared at the boy intently while his peripheral vision worked hard to catch the other''s movement. He racked his brain as quickly as possible to figure out where the ball would go.


    However, before his brain could process it, someone suddenly shed from the back of Konan''s area with great speed. Yuki was stunned, didn''t know who he was. Out of instinct though, he jumped unconsciously, thinking a quick attack woulde.


    Yuki didn''t know that he was already in Konan''s trap, as instead ofing to the boy in front of him, the ball flew to the opposite wing, where the captain of the team was already in the air to greet the ball.


    "Nice set, Nobu!"


    Hirano and Koji who were still on the ground reacted. Unfortunately, they both were toote, as the Konan''s captain reached the ball first and mmed it down to the other side of the court with all his strength.


    *BAM!*


    "Yosh!" The captain clenched his fist to celebrate the point.


    "Nice kill, Matsumoto-senpai!"


    "Damn, don''t you have any mercy?!"


    "Come on, Matsumoto!"


    Amidst the celebration on the Konan''s side, Yuki stared at the two yers who yed a big role in the attack before. First, it was the boy who rushed to distract him, Lucas Silva Morais. His speed was extraordinary that Yuki was sure if he was a second behind, he wouldn''t be able to catch the Brazilian''s movement.


    And second, it was the setter, the thin, ordinary-looking boy who used Lucas''s quick speed as bait and toyed him perfectly.


    This was a perfect y, and the scariest part about this was the fact that there was nomunication on Konan''s side prior to the attack. It was as if that was just a normal operation and already in their breath.


    Yuki''s eyes turned solemn as if it was the case, the game would be far more difficult than he thought it would be.


    ''Nobuhiro Sawada¡­ Lucas Silva Morais¡­ Damn, this is going to be a long day¡­''

 Chapter 138: Konans Domination! (I)

    "It is okay, Yuki. It is just one point." Koji patted Yuki''s back tofort his kouhai.


    "Yeah, Koji is right." Kaede also nodded. "Don''t think about it too much."


    Even though all the Tsunemori yers were disappointed as they couldn''t grab the initiative from the beginning of the game, they were more worried about Yuki''s state, especially when they saw the sses boy dozed off in the middle of the court. At first, they didn''t know what happened to him.


    However, when they thought about it carefully, they realized this was the first time they saw someone fool Yuki so tantly like this. No matter how talented he was, there was no way this wouldn''t shake his mind.


    "Don''t worry, Senpai, I am okay." Yuki smiled. However, it was clear the smile didn''t reach his teammates. "Rather than worrying about me, we should think of the next y. Even though we have seen his video before, seeing it directly would be a different experience."


    The other Tsunemori yers who heard his words nodded, and the atmosphere turned solemn as all the eyes turned to Konan''s captain. The curly-haired boy walked to the service line while waiting for the referee to start the game again.


    His name was Ashina Matsumoto, a third-year student from Konan High. He had a reputation around the volleyball circle as one of the most talented yers that Japan had ever produced in thest couple of years. With his 186 cm of height which wasn''t final yet and his amazing speed, Matsumoto was built like a tank. His spike was sharp, powerful, and could crush any wall in front of him.


    And just like any other powerful spiker, Matsumoto also had an unstoppable jump serve in his arsenal.


    "Get ready for him," Yuki said.


    "Aye."


    A momentter, everyone was back in their position, and the referee was ready to start the game again. Yuki stared intently at the yers on the other side of the court, trying to recall the intelligence Akira showed a few weeks ago.


    ''Matsumoto''s role as the first to service is to destroy his opponent''s mentality, so he will use all of his strength to break the best defender on the opposite side of the court. If you are in the backline, be ready to receive, Yuki. But if not, Kai, you will take over the rest.''


    With him on the front line, of course, Yuki didn''t have to worry about the defense. If it was only a brute force, there was no way the opponent could get through Kaede''s defense. Or¡­ So that was what he thought.


    The moment the referee blew his whistle, Matsumoto tossed the ball in the air, and then he jumped pretty high before smashing the ball in the air. It moved like aser, and the sound of the ball piercing the air could be heard even from the stand. Before anyone could react, the ball went straight in Kaede''s direction, and the defensive specialist didn''t even have time to dodge it.


    *BAM!*


    "KAI!" It was Yuki who reacted first. Even though it wasn''t him who received the ball, just based on its speed itself, Yuki could guess how painful the impact would be. And when he saw Kaede was thrown away several meters to the back, he unconsciously remembered how Nitta bullied him in the game against Konan. "You okay?!"


    However, it seemed Kaede had his own thoughts about this situation. "Fucking hell, don''t think about me! The ball is still alive!" He shouted.


    That was when all the yers on Tsunemori''s side realized, that indeed, the ball was still flying in the air. Yuki saw the position of the ball and calcted quickly inside his mind, just to reach the conclusion that he would be able to save it if he was quick enough. Gritting his teeth, Yuki rushed without hesitation, crossing the sideline and went through the sponsor board.


    When the ball was within his reach, Yuki extended one of his hands and swung it hard so it would go back to the court.


    "Oh! Nice save, Yuki!"


    "Jimmy! Kill the ball!"


    "I got this!"


    Since this was going to be the third touch, Ogawa had no choice but to send it to the opponent''s side. However, he didn''t want to make it easy for them. After looking on the other side of the for a second, he determined where he should send the ball and jumped, wanting to spike the ball.


    Unfortunately, it was proven to be a mistake.


    When he was in the air, Ogawa suddenly felt a huge pressureing from the opponent''s blockers, as if a mountain suddenly put on his shoulder and crushed his body. He froze for a moment, couldn''t swing the ball at all. The intimidating feeling as if he were an ant in front of a giant was something he had never felt before.


    ''Damn! Is this something a normal human could possess?!''


    Ogawa gritted his teeth while trying his best to spike the ball. Unfortunately, he was affected by the pressure and could only send a weak ball, which was easy for the blocker to crush.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice kill!"


    "As expected of Akihiro, the beast from the north!"


    "Come on, Akihiro!"


    The cheers exploded from the crowd as they saw the clean block from Konan''s middle blocker. As for all the Tsunemori yers, they had their mouths gaped wide while staring at the opponent''s blocker who had a sadistic grin on his face.


    "Come on, Tsunemori! Don''t disappoint me! Show me how you beat that bastard Haruo in thest round!" He roared, challenging his opponent.


    Yuki himself was dumbfounded, then remembered Haruo, Kyoei Gakuen''s middle blocker, and hisst message after the game against Kyoei Gakuen was over shed through Yuki''s mind.


    ''You will face a more troublesome guy against Konan High. Don''t underestimate him.''


    "So, this is the troublesome guy you mean, huh?" Looking at the shocked state Ogawa showed, Yuki let out a deep sigh as it seemed Haruo downyed the blocker''s ability by only describing him as a ''troublesome'' guy. "Fucking hell, this is far worse than troublesome. No wonder their defense is so well-built. His aura on the frontline is crazy.


    Even I who wasn''t the one to spike could feel it too, let alone Jimmy-senpai. Man, he is going to be a nightmare."

 Chapter 139: Konans Domination! (II)

    "Oi, Take! Don''t go overboard!" Matsumoto reminded his kouhai. "Respect your opponent and don''t provoke them like this!"


    "I know, I know." The blocker waved his hand nonchntly. "I just want to know how capable the team that could beat that bastard''s team before. I swear I wouldn''t provoke them without any reason."


    Matsumoto could only sigh helplessly, knowing who the bastard his kouhai just mentioned.


    The boy''s name was Takeshita Akihiro, and if people only looked at his build, anyone would never guess that this 190 cm boy was still a freshman.


    He came from a small middle school in Hokkaido that created a miraclest year by going through the semifinal of the national tournament for the first time in their history before their journey stopped there and they had to be satisfied with the third ce. And the team who beat them was the champion led by Haruo as their middle blocker.


    Yeah, the bastard he mentioned before referred to Haruo, the middle blocker of Kyoei Gakuen. Last year, they were neck-to-neck for the title as the best middle blocker of the tournament before Akihiro''s team was beaten in the semifinal, and it was the first time he witnessed someone far more talented than he was as a middle blocker.


    After that, he had some sort of unhealthy obsession with Haruo, and Akihiro was quite surprised to hear Haruo''s team, Kyoei Gakuen, lost in the third round of the tournament. That was why he was curious about Tsunemori''s capability.


    After receiving such a nonchnt reaction from his kouhai, Matsumoto could only sigh and decided to ignore this.


    "Don''t worry too much, Ashina!" Suddenly, a voice using Englishnguage with a pretty thick ent suddenly came from his back as a hand wrapped around his shoulder. "This is just a normal banter, so I am sure Take-chan wouldn''t go overboard."


    Akihiro nodded his head quickly before adding, "Yeah, Captain! Don''t worry about me! I know what I can and cannot do!"


    "Well, if you say so¡­"


    After this, Matsumoto walked to the service line once again. Tsunemori made a quick change, with Riku on the back left being pushed far to the back by Yuki while Ogawa who was on the back right was moved to the forward. Now, the back was left to Yuki and Kaede, the two strongest defensive yers in Tsunemori''s team.


    This was a strategy made after realizing Matsumoto possessed the same power that could send out any of them just as what Nitta did in the game against Kyoei. However, this time, Yuki was confident he wouldn''t get knocked out by the opponent''s attack.


    ''Come on¡­ Hit the ball here¡­ Yosh! Here we go!''


    As Matsumoto served the ball, it zoomed straight into Yuki''s direction. Fortunately, it was just all strength with no technique, and while receiving it would be painful, Yuki didn''t have a problem controlling and aiming the ball so that it wasn''t trouble for Riku to get it.


    *BAM!*


    "Nice receive, Yuki!"


    "Come on, Riku! Go to the left!"


    Even though Koji knew the terrible pressure came from the opponent''s blocker, he still wanted to test it by himself. Hirano in the middle also moved. Even though he wasn''t the best in offense, at least he could distract the opponent by acting as bait.


    However, the pressure radiated from the other side of the suddenly waved onto their body, making their skin crawl in fright. They both could see Akihiro staring at them like a hawk, not reacting until he knew for sure where the ball would go.


    Riku gritted his teeth as he had no option to pass the ball. However, before he could think of where to send the ball, someone suddenly shed in front of him, and then something clicked inside his mind.


    ''Nice run, Yuki!''


    Yeah, it was Yuki who ran from behind. Usually, the yer who received the ball would be ignored as everyone tended to ignore him. This was the point that Yuki tried to take advantage of as his surprise attack. And Riku also realized this, as he gave a pretty good speed on the ball he sent to his friend.


    However, while this might work against any normal team, Konan was far from it. They were the best team in the country for a reason, and it was shown a secondter by two yers who suddenly appeared in front of Yuki.


    ''SHI - !''


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice block, Lucas!"


    "Rebound!" Yuki shouted. "One more time, Riku!"


    Fortunately, in thest second before Yuki spiked the ball, he changed his aim to the edge of Lucas''s fingers so that the ball would bounce back to Tsunemori''s area. If before, he could only feel the pressure directed at Ogawa from afar, this time, it was him who was subjected to the oppression, and Yuki could tell he wasn''t a fan of it.


    However, he had to keep going to distract the opponent and give his teammates a chance to attack.


    "I got this!"


    Seeing two blockers were still on Yuki''s side, Riku didn''t hesitate to run the ball to the opposite side. There, Koji was alone, and while Akihiro rushed to close the door, there was still a wide-open area left in front of Koji. It should be easy for Koji to kill the ball based on the current situation.


    Or¡­ So that was what Riku and Koji thought.


    Unfortunately, Koji didn''t notice someone had already observed his movement, and before Koji swung his arm to hit the ball, that someone reacted quickly, didn''t even have a hard time receiving the spike.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice save, Shimada!"


    "Shit!" Koji cursed when he saw his first spike of the day was saved.


    "Don''t mind, Koji!" Yuki shouted immediately. "Get ready to block!"


    Koji shook his head quickly, trying to recover from his failure. However, he suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine as his instinct screamed danger. On the opposite side of the, A tanned-skinned boy suddenlyunched himself towards the, his legs propelling him forward like a coiled spring ready to explode.


    In a blur of motion, he spiked the ball with fierce precision, sending it sailing past Koji who were caught off guard, couldn''t even react quick enough to form a wall.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Damn, Lucas! You show no mercy here!"


    "Good job!"


    As the Konan yers celebrated with each other, all eyes from the other side of the turned towards him, frozen in disbelief as they processed the swift, electrifying y that had just unfolded.


    Yeah, it was Lucas Silva who just executed the attack, not giving them any chance to react. He stood tall, a confident grin spreading across his face, radiating the sheer joy of the moment while the realization dawned on all the Tsunemori yers.


    Suddenly, they understood why he could be the best yer in the best team in Japan ¨C his unmatched speed, sharp instincts, and undeniable talent had just snatched the momentum to Konan''s grasp, leaving the Tsunemori yers in dazed.


    Konan High2


    Tsunemori High0

 Chapter 140: Tsunemoris First Point of the Game!

    Just as Yuki predicted before, the game became aplete nightmare for Tsunemori High, and it was all because of one presence, Lucas Silva Morais. At first, all the Tsunemori yers thought their coach overestimated the Brazilian boy. However, it was clear by now that it was them who still underestimated the opponent''s ace.


    Lucas''s ability to score was at a level they couldn''tprehend anymore. It didn''t matter who they threw to stop him, whether it was Hirano, Koji, Ogawa, or even Yuki, but Lucas would always find a way. If Hirano was able to follow his speed, he would dink the ball. If there were two blockers in front of him, he would go for a block out.


    If it was against another yer, he would just smash it with all of his power.


    His creativity really knew no bounds.


    However, it wasn''t just Lucas who gave Tsunemori a headache, but almost all the yers there. By now, not a single yer from their side managed to get through Akihiro''s wall. Matsumoto also sometimes contributed one point or two from the back attack while pressuring them from the service line.


    And Sawada¡­ Although he hadn''t shown anything special yet, his setup was always urate and easy for his teammates to hit.


    This was the time when Tsunemori yers realized why their opponent deserved to be the number one team in the country.


    "Should we take a timeout?" Megumi asked while her eyes were on the scoreboard. "8 ¨C 0 is not a score that is easy for us to chase, especially against a team that the level is way above us. If we cannot score as soon as possible, it will affect the overall mood of the yers."


    Her concern was valid. However, instead of Akira, it was Sekine who replied to her question. "Don''t worry about it, Megumi-chan. They would be alright."


    "Eh?" Megumi tilted her head in confusion. She didn''t know how Akira and Sekine could still be calm in this situation.


    "Although yes, the momentum is on the opponent''s side, we finally started to get used to their rhythm. Just look at Rano and Jimmy over there." Sekine pointed at the middle blocker and the outside hitter who whispered at each other on the left side. "Even though they still couldn''t stop that Brazilian boypletely, they were so close to shutting him down.


    When they managed to do that, our spirit would be improved immediately. But before that, taking a timeout would mean we have to start over from null again, and the 8 points we sacrificed at the beginning of the game would be a waste."


    "So, instead of us, it should be them who need to take a timeout?" Megumi summarized Sekine''s exnation.


    "Exactly." The old man nodded. "However, they are the best team in Japan, and we are just a no-name team. They have their arrogance here and would never call a timeout no matter what happened. So, sooner orter, we would be able to snatch the momentum away from them."


    Meanwhile, back at the court, Ogawa and Hirano who were bullied all the time by Lucas whispered to each other. "So, what do you think? Any habit you notice from his attack?" Ogawa asked.


    "Not really," Hirano answered. "But we need to cooperate with the yers on the back. If we cannot stop the attack, at least we can force him to spike it to our teammates."


    Ogawa nodded in agreement. "You are right. Should we tell Kai?"


    "No, he cannot do it." Then, without even waiting for Ogawa to say anything, Hirano waved his hand at Yuki. The sses boy was surprised and confused when his senpai called him, yet he still came in their direction. "Yuki, can you stay behind and cover our back?" He asked directly.


    Yuki was confused for a second, then realized why his senpai asked him to do that. Since Akira asked Kaede to take over the defense on the back, Yuki would usually go to the frontline to help Hirano form a wall. Their connection was strong enough so that they didn''t even need tomunicate with each other before moving in unison, and it was usually enough to stop the opponent.


    However, today was different. There were too many Konan yers who they needed to be on guard. That was why it was hard for Yuki and Hirano to coordinate with each other when all the Konan''s attackers moved in unison to scatter the wall. But it would be different if he was on the back. At least, Yuki''s perspective would be wider and it would be easier for him to save the ball.


    "Okay, I will do it." Yuki nodded firmly.


    A momentter, the referee blew the whistle again to start the game. It was still Matsumoto who served the ball, still the same since the beginning of the game. This time, Konan''s captain aimed the ball straight to Kaede, which even though the defensive specialist could stop it, he couldn''t receive the ball perfectly as it flew back to Konan''s area.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice serve, Matsumoto!"


    "Free ball!"


    Both Hirano and Ogawa stared intently at Lucas, thinking that the ball woulde in his direction. They weren''t wrong for thinking like that. Usually, a setter would follow the old rule; if a yer is on fire, keep feeding him. Don''t change something that worked perfectly.


    However, Yuki thought differently. Even though it was still in the early first set, Yuki had already known that Sawada didn''t like to use the same y over and over again. In fact, he recognized a pattern which he wanted to confirm. Sawada would send the ball twice to Lucas, then once to the other yers, and twice again to Lucas, and it would be repeated for the rest of the game.


    Since thest two attacks came from Lucas, Yuki guessed this time, it would be a different yer who received the ball.


    And it was a perfect guess, as Sawada sent the ball to the middle. Hirano and Ogawa were caught off guard, couldn''t react quickly enough. Seeing the balle in his direction, Akihiro grinned and swung his arms immediately, using his long arm span to hit the ball at its highest to prevent any opponent yers from blocking it.


    However, before he could even spike the ball, Yuki had already seen his intention and moved.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice save, Yuki!"


    "No, it is not over! Riku! Cover it up!"


    "I got this!"


    Seeing the ball fly close to the, Riku nced at the other side of the. There was a high probability that he had to duel with the opponent''s yer in front of him for this overhead ball, so he wanted to make sure he knew who he had to face before jumping. Then, a grin cracked on his face as the blonde boy saw Sawada also rushed over to get the ball first.


    He knew this was the moment he had been waiting for.


    ''Come on, Sawada! Let''s have a head-on duel here!''


    They both jumped at the same time, and coincidentally, their hand also reached the ball in unison. For a moment, time seemed to freeze as they both tried to push the ball over their opponent''s side. However, after a while, Riku finally gained his advantage, as Sawada''s tiny body couldn''t stand a chance against the blonde boy.


    ''Ha! I got this!''


    With a gentle push, Riku changed the direction of the ball straight to the floor. Two of Konan''s yers rushed to cover the ball. Unfortunately, they were toote, as it fell and bounced on the floor first before anyone could save it.


    *Thud!*


    There was a silence for a moment in the court as all eyes turned to the ball. All the Tsunemori yers looked in disbelief, thinking that they were dreaming. For more than five minutes they were bullied and couldn''t put up a fight, finally, this time, they sessfully gained their first point of the game.


    Konan High8


    Tsunemori High1

 Chapter 141: Yukis Deadly Serve!

    "Oh! Oh! Oh! Finally!"


    "Good job, Riku!"


    "Damn, you are awesome!"


    "No, no, no! This is all because of Yuki''s awesome cover in the back!" Riku grinned as he was surrounded by his teammates. "Good save, Yuki!" He didn''t forget to share the credit with his friends.


    For a moment, the atmosphere was lively on their side as everyone had a big grin on their face. It was as if they just won a set or two when in reality, it was just their first point of the game. All the Konan yers had sweat dropped on their faces, thinking Tsunemori''s celebration was a bit exaggerated.


    "Why are they so happy?" Akihiro mumbled lowly. "It is clear that they only won the point by bullying Sawada-kun. If it is against me, there is no way the blonde boy would be able to kill the ball."


    "Be more considerate to Sawada-kun, will you?" Matsumoto rolled his eyes. Then, he turned into his other kouhai who was still dazed. "Don''t worry, Sawada-kun. We know a contest of strength like that is not your best point. No one will me you for it, so don''t be too harsh on yourself."


    "Ah¡­ I don''t think about it anymore, Senpai." Sawada shook his head quickly. "No, I am just surprised they weren''t fooled by Lucas-senpai''s movement before."


    "Oh, yeah!"Being mentioned like that, Lucas also spoke his thoughts. "He suddenly moved to the back and ignored mepletely as if he knew you weren''t going to pass the ball to me. Have they been able to see the pattern in your attack, Sawada-kun?"


    "It shouldn''t be," Sawada replied quickly. Then, he pondered for a while before adding weakly, "Well, I guess."


    Honestly, Sawada had never thought that someone would be able to figure out his pattern. Or, to be more exact, he tried his best to make a change here and there so it wouldn''t create a fixed pattern that could be recognized by the opponent. And up to this point, it worked perfectly well.


    Since he was just a freshman, no one knew about him and his ying style, so he was basically unstoppable before they yed this game. Little did he know that Yuki was able to crack his pattern even before the first set was over.


    "Well, don''t think too much about it." The defensive specialist of the team, Shimada, patted Sawada''s back. "I think, it is just a coincidence. Look at how happy they are." He pointed at the Tsunemori yers on the other side.


    "Yeah¡­" Everyone nodded in agreement.


    The excitement shown by their opponent made them think thest y was just a coincidence. Little did they know that it wasn''t just because of the point that made the Tsunemori yers excited. No, beyond that, they shared the excitement because the next one in line would be Yuki.


    Yeah, even though he was in the second turn, everyone in Tsunemori recognized that Yuki''s serve was far more troublesome than Riku''s. If against the blonde boy, they only had to watch the ball carefully since there wouldn''t be many tricks on it, facing Yuki, they had to think of anything since he had so many tricks in his arsenal.


    Now, they couldn''t wait to see whether it would be effective or not against the best team in the country.


    ''Well, if I send a floater or a spin serve, even though it could catch them off guard, I bet they would be able to handle it easily.'' Yuki mused. ''Then, how about messing up their mind a little?''


    The moment the referee blew the whistle, Yuki had already tossed the ball in the air. He wanted to catch the opponent off guard by serving the ball as soon as possible and not giving them time to react. However, it seemed Konan''s yers weren''t swayed by this trick as they had this focused look in their eyes.


    ''Well, how about the second trick?''


    *Thud!*


    It was just a normal serve. However, Yuki aimed it straight at the crowd, to the route that Sawada had to take to get into his usual position. Yuki was confident with this trick since the more quickly the opponent could react, the more likely their peripheral vision would catch their teammate''s movement and create an awkward situation on the other side of the.


    And true to Yuki''s thought, even though Shimada didn''t see Sawada''s movement, his reaction kicked in, as his brain thought Sawada would get the ball. As a result, the ball slipped mockingly through his defense and bounced gently behind him.


    *Thud!*


    "YOSSHAAAAAA!" Yuki roared, punching the air when he saw his serve was able to do the trick. His teammates didn''t need to be told to as all of them rushed directly into his direction.


    "Damn! I''ve never thought it would be sessful!"


    "Good job, Yuki! You did a fucking good job!"


    Meanwhile, all the Konan yers gathered around Shimada in confusion. Shimada was the best defensive yer on the team and everyone never doubted his capability. So, to see him froze against such a weak serve was something they had never thought before.


    "You okay, Shimada?" Matsumoto asked.


    "Yeah." Shimada nodded. Yet, there was still confusion on his face. "I don''t know what happened, but something suddenly felt wrong when the ball crossed the."


    "Hmm¡­" All the Konan yers pondered at the same time, trying to think about it. However, when the referee blew the whistle and asked them to get ready, they gave up thinking about it and decided to observe the serve once again. "Be careful, Shimada. If you notice something, tell us directly." Lucas said.


    "Sure." Shimada nodded.


    Seeing the confusion on the opponent''s face, Yuki knew his serve was able to get through their head. However, if it was just one time, they would think it was just a coincidence. So, Yuki had to do the same to make them think he had the ability to score with the same technique. This would force them to be on guard all the time, which would make it easier for Tsunemori to scoreter.


    So, without hesitation, he served another ball straight to the Sawada''s route. This time, Shimada was able to react, yet was too slow as the ball just bruised his hand and bounced to the back of the court.


    *Thud!*


    "YEAAAAH!"


    And when he managed to score twice in a row and convinced the opponent that his bizarre serve was lethal, that was when Yuki started to switch to his best weapon, a floater serve.


    "SHI ¨C !"


    *Thud!*


    "OH! THREE TIMES IN A ROW! TSUNEMORI SCORES THREE TIMES IN A ROW FROM THE SERVICE LINE AGAINST KONAN HIGH!"

 Chapter 142: Trick Revealed?!

    "Holy shit! What happened with Konan''s yers? Why didn''t they react to those easy services at all?!"


    "Idiot! How could you know? The situation on the court isplicated, you know?!"


    "But to score three aces against Konan, he is amazing!"


    "You are right! If I remember correctly, this should be the first time in Konan''s history that they have suffered from three aces in a row."


    "Really?!"


    "I wonder who is the name of that number 19 from Tsunemori?"


    For a moment, all the attention was on Yuki. This was understandable. Just like what the crowds mentioned, before this game, Konan had never suffered from three consecutive aces in a row. Hell, only a few could score twice in a row, and those who did that usually became a great yer for the country. So, for Yuki to break the record, it was something that no one expected it.


    Konan High themselves also reacted quickly. Their coach stood up immediately and asked for a timeout from the referee. Even though it was strange for them to take a timeout this early, especially when they still were in the lead, the coach wanted to cut off the opponent''s momentum while also inquiring to his yers about what happened before.


    "Shimada, care to tell me why you froze and reactedte in the first two serves?" He asked.


    Not just Shimada, but all the Konan yers gulped nervously. Although they were probably the best yers in the country, they still had a healthy amount of fear and respect toward their coach.


    How could they not, when their coach, Kentaro Nakai, had a reputation in the volleyballmunity in Japan. Although he was still in his early 30s, he managed to establish his name as one of the best coaches in tournament history by leading Konan to win the inter-high tournament six years in a row. That was the domination that no one could ever dream of.


    "I-I don''t know, Nakai-sensei." Shimada stuttered a little. "It is like, when I saw the ball, my brain suddenly said I cannot get it. I don''t know why."


    Everyone also stared at Shimada in wonder. This was the first time they saw such a bizarre technique, and they couldn''t help but feel curious. Nakai himself also pondered for a moment, recalling the details on the court to figure out what happened. After a moment, he finally spoke.


    "Well, based on my observation, I have a pretty good guess of what happened to you." All of his yers leaned forward in curiosity. "If I am not wrong, that number 19 would always send his serve toward Nobu''s route to go to his usual spot. That is the point he takes advantage of."


    "Me?!" Sawada was surprised when his name was mentioned all of a sudden.


    "Yes, you." Nakai nodded. Then, he took a small whiteboard before exining, "Your normal spot is on the top right. However, due to the rule, you have to wait until the opponent does his serve before moving. And this is the route you have to take to get into your position." He drew a line to exin better.


    "So, that number 19 sent the ball there to make Shimada''s peripheral vision catch Nobu''s movement, and in that way, Shimada''s brain would think it would be Nobu who received the ball. As a result, Shimada would reactte, and the ball would slip through his defense."


    All of the yers were stunned for a moment. They all were the best yers in the country and had a pretty high volleyball IQ. It didn''t take a long time for them to understand their coach''s exnation. However, because they understood what happened they felt that this operation was far more impressive than it looked like.


    "His control should be really amazing for him to be able to do that," Lucas muttered.


    "Yeah." Matsumoto nodded solemnly. "This trick could only be done after months or even years of training and observing the yers'' habits on the court. The requirement for control is too high. If anything goes wrong, the serve would turn into a weak one which would be easy for us to counterattack. So, for him to be confident to pull something like this, he is amazing."


    All the Konan yers stared at Yuki in a new light. After all, it was one thing to understand the method, but doing it was apletely different thing. They could imagine if they were in Yuki''s position, they wouldn''t be able to persist from the boring and arduous practices and would give up immediately for something easier or shier like a jump serve or a spin serve.


    That was why they appreciated Yuki''s ability in the service line more.


    "Just with this trick, he could be the top five best servers in the country." Shimada said solemnly.


    As for Sawada, he feltplicated. Before this, all of his thoughts were filled with Riku''s challenge that he ignored Yuki''s existence at all. Who would''ve guessed that it would be Yuki who shone first, and the sses boy also took advantage of his movement to fool the entire team.


    However, after knowing the answer to the trick, it would be easier for them to solve this situation.


    "So, we should just empty the back and let Shimada-senpai do the rest, huh?" Akihiro asked.


    "Yeah, you are right." Nakai nodded.


    However, Yuki and Sekine had already known that Konan would be able to figure out this trick. When Yuki entered the court and saw the confident look in the opponent while Sawada also stared at him with aplicated gaze, he knew the same trick wouldn''t work again this time. Fortunately, he had so many tricks on his sleeves that was ready to be unleashed after this,


    ''Listen, Yuki-kun. The taboo thing for a service specialist for you is to get predictable. Once the opponent knows your trick and how to handle it, you will be in trouble. That is why I ask you to learn so many tricks. That way, if one didn''t work, you can still have more to pull. So, be creative, and don''t always stick to one trick!''


    That was what Sekine said when Yuki learned from the old man for the first time, and that was also the basic principle for Yuki''s service up until now. After managed to score twice with the ''aim to the crowd'' serve and once with his floater, he wanted to save it back forter. As for now¡­


    ''Well, they should know by this point how urate my serve is. So, why not let it engraved into their head?''


    Right after the referee blew the whistle, Yuki did another ''ordinary'' serve once again. However, unlike before it was a bit short, and everyone thought the ball would hit the. Well¡­ Everyone who didn''t know Yuki, of course.


    Riku who apanied Yuki when the sses boy wanted to practice his uracy for the first time knew his friend wouldn''t make a silly mistake like this. So, when he saw the ball was a bit short, he knew Yuki''s aim was for¡­


    *Thud!*


    "The ball hit the!"


    "No, it still crosses the! It falls to Konan''s front side!"


    Yeah, what Yuki aimed for was the front side of the court. When he saw Shimada was ready on the back while everyone also gathered to counterattack on the front side, of course, Yuki knew it was terrible to send it to Shimada. So, he sent it to the front side where the yers were ready to counterattack to catch them off guard.


    Fortunately, unlike tennis, volleyball didn''t have something like let, so it was legal to aim the ball to hit the.


    "Arizawa! Cover it!"


    "I got this!" A boy, a hitter who hadn''t done anything yet reacted quickly to save the ball.


    Akihiro also moved to cover the mess. He picked up the shaky ball from his teammates and gave it to Lucas. The Brazilian boy jumped, ready to execute thest ball. However, right before he could swing his arm, a pair of hands suddenly popped up in front of him, covering his sight.


    "What?!"

 Chapter 143: Rally!

    In a volleyball game, a service specialist always had two tasks. First, it was to score a point from the service line. There was no exnation needed about this. However, if the first task couldn''t be done, he had to ensure the second task was done, and that was to create chaos on the opponent''s side. By doing that, it would scatter their formation and make their attack predictable.


    ''Listen, Hirano.'' Akira said in the past. ''This is the cooperation that often happens between a service specialist like Yuki and a middle blocker like you. When Yuki was able to scatter the opponent''s formation, you have to lock down their best yer, because only the best yer would be able to bring their team out of the chaos.''


    Hirano remembered this instruction pretty vividly. That was why, whenever Yuki was on the service line, he was always ready for the opponent''s best yer. And that was why he was there, jumping to block Lucas''s spike when the opponent was in chaos.


    "What?!"


    Seeing Hirano was ready to block him, Lucas widened his eyes in surprise. However, he was still calm, adjusting his posture quickly. Instead of spiking the ball straight as he intended to be before, now he went for a cross spike to the right side to avoid Hirano''s block.


    Unfortunately, that was the spot guarded by Tsunemori''s best defender.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice save, Kai!"


    "Move! Move! Jimmy, Koji, don''t stand up in your spot stupidly like that!" Riku shouted.


    Ogawa and Koji were taken aback by the sudden instruction. However, they regained their consciousness immediately and moved forward. Yuki also moved, sneaking from behind and getting ready to receive the ball. With his teammates moving in three different areas, Riku had so many options to choose from, and as usual, the blonde boy went for the shiest one.


    "Don''t think the team is just Yuki alone!"


    Riku extended one of his hands in the air before tapping it gently on the other side of the court. However, Sawada read his movement like an open book and rushed forward to block his dump attempt.


    "What?!" Riku widened his eyes in surprise.


    "Oh! Nice cover, Sawada!"


    "Nice kill!"


    Sawada managed to send the ball back to Tsunemori''s area before it could cross the. Fortunately, Yuki was on the way to go forward and saw this. Instead of going forward to attack, he kneeled while leaning his body forward to save the ball.


    *Thud!*


    "Shit!"


    "Damn, nice save, Yuki!"


    "Riku! Cover!"


    Riku shook his head quickly and got ready for the second chance. He decided to put Sawada''s surprise movement aside and recover his position quickly. Unfortunately, by now, all the Konan yers had already recovered and went back to their original spot, closing down all the holes left by Yuki''s serve before.


    ''Damn, I am toote! I shouldn''t take a risk and go for a dump before.'' Riku gritted his teeth. Unfortunately, it was useless to regret his decision as he couldn''t turn back time. Now, he had to make sure the attack would be able to get through Konan''s defense.


    "RIKU! HERE!" Koji shouted.


    Although Riku was skeptical that his senpai could break through Akihiro''s wall, he had no choice right now. His other teammates weren''t ready for this, so he could only send it to Koji on the right side.


    "Oh! Nice pass!"


    "Don''t think you can get through my wall, you Bastard!"


    Akihiro rushed immediately to shut Koji down. He was apanied by Arizawa who also jumped, forming a two-man wall to block the attack. However, Koji suddenly remembered the trick he saw Riku do a lot and decided to try it this time.


    ''Take it, Bastard!''


    *Thud!*


    Instead of spiking the ball hard, Koji swiped the ball gently to surprise the blockers. Akihiro widened his eyes in surprise, and even though he had a crazy long arm span, the ball still flew passed him, only a few inches above his hand.


    ''SHI ¨C !''


    "I GOT THIS!"


    Suddenly, Shimada rushed out of nowhere to get the ball. Even though it was quite tricky, since Koji didn''t give too much power to the ball, it was easy for Shimada to pick it up.


    "Damn! It is saved again!"


    "How long has this sequence been running for?"


    "One minute!"


    "Goddamnit, even I got tired from watching this!"


    "Come on, Konan! Kill your opponent!"


    The rally went over for another minute without anyone able to get a point from their opponent. Spikes met the blockers, attacks rebounded to get a second chance to attack, a wild ball, almost all the possible scenarios happened on the court. Don''t underestimate a one-minute rally, since normally, it only takes 10 seconds with three touches to end a sequence in a volleyball game.


    So, for it to happen for this long, there was no way the yers wouldn''t feel exhausted.


    To everyone''s surprise, it was Konan who felt frustrated first. It was understandable since Tsunemori had gotten used to this kind of situation already. They spent a full week at Tsukumi University to practice their endurance and basic defensive skills through hell so they could do this all day long. But Konan wasn''t used to this situation.


    Usually, Matsumoto or Lucas would be able to pierce through the opponent''s defense or Akihiro would be able to kill the opponent''s attack first before their opponent could drag them into a long rally contest like this.


    However, when the ball was back at Konan''s side and all the Tsunemori yers were ready to defend their area again, something unexpected happened. While their eyes locked on all the yers who were possible to receive the attack like Lucas, Matsumoto, or even Akihiro, they forgot one crucial presence who was the brain of all the Konan''s operation.


    Sawada, bless his tiny body, took advantage of Tsunemori''s distracted state andunched the offense by himself. It was the exact same thing that Riku did before. However, the difference was, this time, no one from Tsunemori''s side was able to react to his dump.


    ''FUC ¨C !''


    *Thud!*


    Yeah, amidst the chaotic situation on the court, Sawada suddenly stepped forward and sent a dump that no one had ever expected. For a moment, no sound could be heard inside the building, as everyone stared at him in awe. As for Sawada himself, he didn''t smile or show any exaggerated reaction.


    He just stared at Riku on the other side of the who was dumbfounded at his y before, sending a signal silently at the blonde boy.


    ''This is how you do a dump, Bastard!''

 Chapter 144: Yuki VS Akihiro!

    The most important task for a setter was always one, and that was to facilitate his teammates to get better while also helping them score a point in the game. That was why Sawada had never thought of doing something shy like a dump, a no-look pass, or something like that.


    In his mind, the best setter was always one who strived in the dark and never showed his fang, yet still was able to enact fear toward the opponent.


    However, that didn''t mean he couldn''t attack by himself.


    Just like this time, when the game entered a tough rally with all the methods avable being blocked by the opponent, Sawada knew he couldn''t stay passive all the time. He knew something must be changed to break the deadlock. Coincidentally enough, hispetitive spirit was also ignited by Yuki''s service trick and Riku''s constant provocation.


    He was determined to make a ssh here to remind his opponent that while he was shy and quiet, that didn''t mean he was easy to get bullied.


    ''See? What you can do, I can do it too!''


    However, his move not only surprised the opponent, but also his teammates. For two months they yed together with each other, this was the first time they saw Sawada take the initiative to do a shy y like this. They couldn''t believe the usual stable and sometimes cowardly Sawada would be so bold this time.


    "Good job, Nobu!" Matsumoto pped his back. "That is one hell of a y!"


    "Yeah, Nobu-chan. You did a good job!"Lucas added. "But after this, don''t forget to pass the ball to me, okay?"


    One by one, all the Konan yers said a word or two to Sawada. The setter himself had his face beet red, which clearly showed he wasn''t used to being in the spotlight like this. However, looking at the smile on his face, everyone knew he was pleased by his decision in thest y.


    Meanwhile, on the other side of the¡­


    "Why are you all so depressed? You look like lost puppies right now." Riku sighed. "Come on, everyone! While it is a pity that Yuki''s streak was stopped, do you expect the best team in the country would let us do what we want? Don''t be ridiculous! We have already expected a difficult game, so why do you feel bothered by a small setback like this?


    Come on, show more spirit!"


    "Yeah, Riku is right!" Yuki also tried to lift up the mood. He couldn''t help but sigh inwardly though, didn''t know how could all of his senpai be so unreliable that they needed their kouhai to take the leader''s responsibility here. "Also, thest y is a good one. We didn''t give up until the end and drag the y for as long as we can. We are just unlucky to lose concentration at thest moment.


    However, the fact that we can drag them into the game we are mostfortable with, an endurance battle is already a win in my book."


    The other''s expressions started to change one by one. After feeling depressed since Yuki''s point streak was stopped, they all felt their kouhai were right. Moreover, it was embarrassing for them to be reassured by two freshmen who cameter than themselves. Even though they had already acknowledged those two were better than them all, that didn''t mean they didn''t have any dignity left here.


    "Okay, no need to worry about us too much." Koji finally spoke. "It is just one point, not worthy for us to make a fuss. Let''s focus back to the game."


    "Yeah."


    A momentter, the game was about to start again with the ball in Lucas''s hand. By now, the crowds had gone crazy already. Even though the arena had so many empty spaces, that didn''t mean their voice wouldn''t be heard by the others. In fact, even the yers on the court could listen to their whisper as they talked excitedly about thest y.


    "Goddamnit, they are so amazing!"


    "I know, right? I didn''t expect a no-name team like Tsunemori would be able to push Konan High so hard like this!"


    "That number 19 is amazing! His coverage area is crazy!"


    "Yeah! It is like he is everywhere!"


    The thought that Tsunemori was a weak team had gone already. In fact, if there were a person who still thought about that, he would be stared down immediately by the others for hisck of volleyball knowledge. To be able to resist Konan''s wave of attacks for more than a minute, it was clear that Tsunemori wasn''t an ordinary team.


    But all the yers below didn''t care about their opinion. For now, all their attention was on Lucas who yed with the ball while waiting for the referee to blow the whistle. After getting the nod from the referee, Lucas finally tossed the ball, and in a second, the ball traveled in the air already at high speed, crossing the instantly.


    "I got this!"


    *BAM!*


    Fortunately, Yuki''s position was still on the backline. He only moved one step aside to get closer to the ball before cing both his hands next to his body, letting it be the cushion for the ball.


    "Nice save, Yuki!"


    "Come on! Move, move!"


    After receiving the ball, Yuki wasn''t idle on the spot. He rose immediately and moved forward, tracking Akihiro''s movement and got ready if the opponent managed to block his teammate''s attack. And true to Yuki''s thought, when Koji spiked the ball, Akihiro shut him down immediately.


    Fortunately, Yuki had already predicted this, as before the ball fell onto the floor, he picked it up and let it fly once again.


    "Oh! Nice save again, Yuki!"


    Akihiro clicked his tongue in annoyance. Since thest y, he noticed that Yuki kept targeting him, always tracking his movement and saving his block. Somehow, this made him feel ufortable, as this was the first time someone challenged him tantly. For a moment, their eyes met with each other, and they both had the same thought.


    ''Don''t think you can always hold me back!''


    ''Don''t think you can escape from me!''


    "Rano!"


    "I got this!"


    Riku who noticed the weird state between Akihiro and Yuki tossed the ball immediately for a quick attack. Although Hirano wasn''t that good in offense, he was still decent enough to be the secret weapon to pull once in a while. Riku''s move was perfect, since Akihiro himself was caught off guard by the sudden quick attack.


    Unfortunately, he forgot one presence who had a monstrous game-reading and reaction speed, who rushed forward immediately at the same time as when Riku released the ball and extended both his arms in the air.


    *BAM!*


    This time, since Yuki''s attention was on Akihiro, he couldn''t cover the other area. The ball bounced back to Tsunemori''s side, while all the yers there stared at it for a while before turning their heads around, just for the tanned-skinned boy to wiggle his finger with a bright smile at them.


    ''No, no, no. You cannot forget about me like that.''

 Chapter 145: Communication Problem (AGAIN?!)

    "Oh! A monster block by Lucas!"


    "As expected of the best yer in this tournament! His speed is unmatchable!"


    "Come on, Konan High!"


    Yuki''s expression turned solemn as he stared at Lucas who celebrated with his teammates. Somehow, he suddenly remembered what Maria said a few days ago about a Brazilian yer in this sport.


    ''They grew up ying volleyball everywhere. It doesn''t matter whether it was just four, five, or six yers avable, but they could always create a game out of nothing. That is why they alwayse as a good all-around yer with insane reactions. They used to y with only a few people, so they had to be good at everything to not let the ball fall on the ground.''


    Even though at first, Yuki thought it was a bit exaggerated, now he was sure Maria was serious. He saw it himself, how Lucas who was on the back left before suddenly appeared in the middle top in less than five seconds, showing his insanely good game-reading ability and reaction speed.


    If this wasn''t his game, Yuki would stand up and give him apuse for this amazing y. Unfortunately, he was the victim of the Brazilian boy''s amazing ability, so he couldn''t help but curse inwardly.


    ''Man, this is ridiculous. Is there anything we can do to stop him?''


    It wasn''t just Lucas that made him frustrated, but all the Konan yers on the other side of the court. If against Kyoei, he could just focus on one or two yers while the others didn''t have the strong ability to attack him, this time, all of the opponent''s yers were good at attacking, making it hard for him to keep his eyes on them all.


    Little did he know that all of his teammates also think the same.


    When Yuki was still entangled with his thoughts, Akira finally had enough. He stood up from his spot and asked for a timeout from the referee before signaling all the yers to gather around him.


    "Okay, the first change of the game, Asa, you are in. Jimmy, you take a rest first." Akira said, not beating around the bush.


    All the yers there were stunned for a second. However, after that, they nodded simultaneously, with Ogawa who was reced also epting the decision. This was a no-brainer. Since the beginning of the game, Ogawa didn''t do his job really well. As a spiker, his intensity wasn''t enough to make Akihiro sweat, and as a blocker, he couldn''t even slow down the opponent''s attack even for once.


    As for Asahi, while he wasn''t a strong attacker, he was still a better blocker. By making this recement, it was clear that Akira wanted to strengthen the front line and score from his blockers.


    "Also, Oka, while it is still two more rotations before youe in, I want you to observe and try to figure out their attacking pattern. You have a good head and a different point of viewpared to us, so maybe you will find something here." Akira said to the libero.


    "Yes, Sir!"


    "Now, I know all of you think the same, probably something like ''how could we stop them?'' or something like that. Is that right?" He asked. All the yers nodded in unison, as indeed, that was what was inside their minds right now. However, what Akira said next stunned them to the core. "Have you ever thought aboutmunicating with each other and sharing your ideas with your teammates?


    I mean,e on, guys! You were not the same team two months ago! You have already learned the importance ofmunication from your predecessor, so no need to follow their path!"


    All of the yers there looked at each other wryly. Yeah, they somehow fell into the same pit that killed their senpai a month ago without they themselves noticing about it. Even though it wasn''t as excessive as in the past, they were close to it, trying to think of how to solve all the problems by themselves. They forgot that this was a team game and they couldn''t do it alone.


    Seeing the realization on his yers'' faces, Akira nodded in satisfaction. "Okay, it is good that you realized the problem before it goes too far. As for the next turn, let''s do this."


    -0-


    A minuteter, the referee blew the whistle once again, signaling all the yers toe back to the court. Asahi still stood on the sideline while there was a in board with his jersey number in his hand. After getting the nod from the referee, he finally came inside, following his teammates who were already there.


    "Asa-senpai, don''t try to follow Luca''s movement. About him, just listen to mymandter. I will be responsible for him." Yuki told his senpai immediately.


    "Okay." Asahi gave a thumb-up. "Anyway, you don''t need to call me with an honorific, you know? If Sekine-sensei heard you do that, he would scold you."


    Yuki couldn''t help but sigh helplessly. Of course, he knew Sekine would scold him if he got caught. However, he couldn''t help it.


    "Okay, no need to bother him with that." Hirano patted Yuki''s shoulder. "He has never called us with honorific in the middle of the game. That is what is important, right?"


    "Yeah¡­"


    After exchanging words for a moment, they went back to their original position. Yuki turned his eyes onto Lucas immediately, staring at the Brazilian boy intently. Fortunately, aftermunicating with the others during the timeout, Akira made the most sensible arrangement by putting Kaede to follow Akihiro so that he could put all of his focus on Lucas.


    ''Come on¡­ Come here¡­ I dare you,e here¡­''


    It seemed Lucas also noticed Yuki''s challenging gaze as he suddenly smirked before tossing the ball in the air. Then, within a second, the ball had already traveled in the air with the speed that no normal person would be able to catch it.


    However, before Yuki could move, he could hear the referee blow the whistle again, and with his quick reaction, he dodged the ball and turned his eyes to the referee. It seemed all the yers also had the same question here, as everyone stared at the referee immediately.


    "His left foot touched the line first before he jumped, therefore, it is a fault. Tsunemori will be granted one point for this fault." The referee exined patiently.


    Everyone was stunned for a moment before Riku clenched his fist to celebrate the point. "Yosh! Come on!"


    The sentiment was shared by the other yers immediately as all of them were also excited. Even though it was a free point, they wouldn''t deny it if the opponent gave it to them. In fact, the more they got free points the better. Moreover, this also cut off Konan''s momentum, which made all the Tsunemori yers happy.


    "Aaargh! Sorry, everyone!"Lucas criedically. "I didn''t meet your expectations and made this stupid mistake!"


    Yuki couldn''t help but have a sweat drop on his face when he saw that. And although most of his teammates couldn''t understand what Lucas said, they all still had a guess about it and had the same reaction as Yuki. They had never thought Lucas would be so expressive like this.


    "Don''t worry, Lucas."Matsumoto patted the boy''s shoulder. "It is just a point. We could get it backter."


    "Yes, Lucas-senpai! Don''t worry about it!"The others also nodded in agreement.


    After calming down the boy, they all went back to their position quickly. It wouldn''t be good if the referee caught them wasting time and punished them for it.


    Meanwhile, on Tsunemori''s side, Koji stepped up to the service line with his hand trembling slightly. Although this wasn''t a do-or-die moment, he couldn''t help but feel nervous there. Even though he had never said I, everyone knew Koji was probably the one who always overthought the situation in front of him.


    Just like this time, before he served the ball, all the bad scenarios suddenly shed inside his mind.


    ''What if I cannot score the ball? What if this is going to be thest time our team serves the all in this game? What if¡­ What if¡­''


    With that thought in mind, he tossed the ball shakily before hitting it in the air. However, due to nervousness, he failed to hit the ball perfectly as it slipped through his hand.


    ''SHIT!''


    However, little did he know that this little mistake would be a masterpiece a few secondster.

 Chapter 146: Provocation from Matsukita

    "SHIT!"


    It wasn''t just Koji who cursed out loud, but also all the Konan yers on the front line. Based on Riku''s offense pattern which was to give all the difficult ball to Koji, they all thought Koji was the ace of the team and would definitely have a powerful jump serve. That was why they took a step back unconsciously to prepare for the attack.


    Who would think that the ball thrown by Koji, while it was weak and a bit shaky, still hit the and rolled over to their side just like what Yuki did before.


    "Shimada! Cover it!"


    The defensive specialist who was the closest yer to the reacted quickly. He rushed forward and dived to save the ball. His effort was proven to be sessful as he put the back of his palm on the floor, using it to prevent the ball from touching the floor.


    "Oh! Pancake!"


    "Damn! Cover!" Even though Shimada was able to save the ball, his position was too close to the, resulting in the ball bouncing there and going back in his direction. "Lucas!"


    Knowing his teammates couldn''t touch the ball twice in a row, Lucas also moved from his spot to cover the ball. Unfortunately, the ball''s position was too low for him to set it up, so all the Brazilian boy could do was to let it fly in the air.


    "Matsumoto!"


    "I got this!"


    The situation in Konan''s side was a bit chaotic with everyone trying their best to keep the ball in the air. After Lucas hit the ball with an underhand pass, Matsumoto ran forward, trying to execute thest touch with a spike. Unfortunately, the ball was too close to the, and Hirano on the other side of the had already jumped and was ready to push it over to Konan''s side once again.


    However, Matsumoto still tried his best. Even though he was one step behind, he still jumped too, then extended one of his hands to reach the ball and pushed it to disturb Hirano''s attempt. Unfortunately, his unfavorable position prevented him from exerting more force from inside his body, and as a result, Hirano won the overhead ball and pushed the ball gently to Konan''s side.


    And this time, Shimada was too far from the ball to save it once again for Konan High.


    "OH!"


    "Damn, nice kill, Rano!"


    "Come on!"


    "Nice serve too, Koji! Keep it up!"


    All the Tsunemori yers were excited over this point. They didn''t expect they would get two free points in a row against Konan, which probably never happened before. Even though there was still a six-point gap between the two teams, that wasn''t enough to dampen Tsunemori''s enthusiasm right now.


    "Oi, oi, what the hell is happening here?" Suddenly, a voice came from the stand that could only be heard by the people around there. "They only lead six points? Does Tsunemori High be so strong after ying against us? Or do those guys Matsumoto and Lucas fall asleep in the middle of the game?"


    All the people who heard that turned their heads around to see who dared to mock Konan High openly like that. In their mind, even though Konan''s performance today was far below the usual standard, they were still the best team in Japan. Not a lot of people dared to say something bad to Konan High like that.


    However, when they saw the source of the mocking tone before, they all were stunned to see more than ten people wearing the same yellow jacketse from the entrance. What made their surprise was the name of the school written boldly on the back of their jersey, ''Matsuyama Kita''.


    Yeah, the one who just mocked the best team in Japan was Matsukita High, the second-best team there and Konan High''s rival in this tournament.


    "Don''t underestimate Tsunemori, Amagi." Gondo, the captain of the team spoke. "You know they have two decent freshmen on their team. If they had a good strategy and better cooperation between each other, it is not impossible to put up a good fight even against Konan."


    "I know, I know." Amagi waved his hand casually, his eyes were on Yuki and Riku.


    He remembered the game they yed against each other two months ago, how those two could trouble Matsukita even though it was clear at that time they were still unfamiliar with the team. Now, even though there was no ring change between those two, Amagi could see even from afar the different aura radiated from Yuki and Riku, the aura of a leader for the team.


    ''So, the baby bird started to learn how to fly by himself, huh? Not bad¡­''


    Still, no matter how good the two Tsunemori freshmen were, he couldn''t stand seeing the rival team fall to the point they were struggling to beat the opponent Matsukita in the past.


    ''Well, there is one thing I can do to wake them up.''


    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, MATSUMOTO-SAN?! LUCAS?!" He suddenly shouted from the stand, startling all the people in the building. Even all the yers on the court turned around, curious about the person who dared to make such a hugemotion in the middle of the game. Gondo himself had a deadpanned expression, trying to pretend he didn''t know Amagi at all.


    However, Amagi wasn''t done with it at all. "TRY TO BE MORE SERIOUS, WILL YOU?! DON''T SHOW SUCH AN EMBARRASSING GAME TO US!"


    "Oi, oi, who is that?"


    "He is Amagi, Matsukita''s setter."


    "No wonder he dares to scream like that."


    On the Tsunemori''s side, Yuki couldn''t help but chuckle dryly. "So, we are getting underestimated, huh?"


    "Of course." Riku shrugged. "If they could win against us in the past, they would assume Konan could do the same or even better than them."


    As for the other side of the court, all the Konan yers suddenly turned serious, with Lucas grinning even more widelypared to before. This was tant provocation against them, and even though the one who did that was a Matsukita yer, they still had their pride to answer that challenge.


    "Well, Amagi-san sure is interesting."Lucas grinned. Even though his expression didn''t change at all, it was clear to anyone who knew him that Lucas was excited at this point. And when he was in this state, it was usually game over for the opponent. "So, should we get more serious just like what he said?"


    "Well, let''s do that." Matsumoto nodded, rxing his knuckle for a moment. "Since they dare to scream at us like that, we cannot show a weak and embarrassing game in front of them, right?"

 Chapter 147: Konan High Gets Serious!

    A momentter, the referee took action to calm down the situation inside the building. He asked the security officer there to talk to Amagi to prevent him from disturbing the game again, and after getting reprimanded by a lot of people with Gondo exined that Amagi was a yer of the team that would y after this game, the situation finally got calmed within a second.


    However, this was enough to cut off Tsunemori''s hard-earned momentum from thest two points. To make it worse, this time, Konan gained the second wind as they all suddenly turned serious after receiving the provocation from Amagi on the stand.


    "Damn, that bastard!" Asahi cursed. "He must be doing this deliberately to help Konan High."


    "Yeah, it should be the case." Kaede nodded in agreement.


    Even though they knew Amagi didn''t think that far and this was just a coincidence, as the party who suffered from his action, of course, all the Tsunemori would feel dissatisfied. Unfortunately, nothing could be done about this except reprimand the culprit for not doing that again, something that was useless for them.


    "Okay, no need to think about it too much." Riku tried to calm down his senpai. "Let''s just move on and get ready for the next y. If we are still affected by his shout, we will stand no chance against them who started to get serious."


    Everyone nodded solemnly, somehow feeling nervous when they saw all the Konan yers looking at them like prey. They had never felt such oppression even when they yed against Matsukita, which showed the difference between the two teams. Even though they didn''t know whether Konan would go all out or not, at least they knew the opponent wouldn''t y around this time.


    "Okay, Koji! Give us another good serve!"


    "Yeah!"


    Koji walked to the service line nervously. He could see from his spot, that almost all the area on the other side of the court was covered by Konan yers. While there might be one or two spots near the sideline that the opponent left unguarded, he didn''t have the confidence he could send the ball there.


    ''Okay, keep calm, Koji. No need to overthink this. Okay,e on!''


    *Thud!*


    Instead of doing a jump serve, Koji resorted to a normal one, knowing in his current state, the ball would only hit the if he forced his way with a jump serve. Arizawa, the opposite hitter on the right side managed to get the ball perfectly, sending it straight to Shimada.


    Then, before anyone on Tsunemori''s side realized what happened, the ball moved again to the other direction, and this time, it went back to the right side where Arizawa who just saved the ball had already taken off from the ground.


    *BAM!*


    Even though Hirano and Asahi managed to react to the attack, since they got caught off guard, they didn''t have time to coordinate with each other. As a result, even though they managed to form an emergency wall, it was too weak to hold against Arizawa''s attack, resulting in a point for Konan High.


    "Yes!"


    "Nice spike, Arizawa-senpai!"


    "That is a nasty quick, Nobu!"


    "Come on!"


    While all the Konan yers celebrated the point, Hirano and Asahi chatted quickly to talk about their mistake.


    "If you saw meing from the middle, do your best to close the area for a cross spike. Don''t worry about straight, Yuki will be able to cover it from the back." Hirano whispered.


    "Are you sure about it?" Asahi whispered back.


    Hirano nodded firmly. "This is the usual operation between me and Yuki, he would never miss it."


    After staring at the middle blocker for a moment and then turning into his kouhai who gave a single nod, Asahi finally gave in, decided to trust his teammates. "Okay, I will do as you say."


    After that, Arizawa grabbed the ball to do the serve. To all the Tsunemori yers'' surprise, the opposite hitter sent a floater to their area. Usually, a team would only have one specialist yer on their roster.


    But in Konan, besides Arizawa who just sent a floater, there were also Lucas and Matsumoto who had a crazy powerful jump serve in their arsenal, and three more guys who Tsunemori didn''t know their capability.


    As expected of the best team in Japan.


    Fortunately, they were quite familiar with a floater serve. Kaede who often practiced together with Yuki knew how to handle this serve as he moved forward quickly and received it with an overhead pass. He didn''t have any difficulty sending the ball to Riku on the front side.


    "Nice receive, Kai!"


    "Riku!"


    Seeing three yers moved in unison, Riku pondered for a moment about where he should send the ball. Koji was out of question since his state wasn''t quite right this time. As for Asahi, he just came from the bench, so the opponent would expect him to receive the ball. Yuki also tried to sneak from behind, yet he could see Akihiro locked his eyes on him.


    It seemed the opponent''s middle blocker wanted to take revenge for the y earlier.


    ''Damn! My option is limited here! I need to do something! Dump? No, it is not safe. Trust Koji?


    No, it would be blocked. Yuki? No. Damn, what to do? Hey, I know it!''


    Under everyone''s scrutinization, Riku copied the exact same y Sawada had just done before. He nced at Hirano in the middle, the least yer everyone expected to attack, and while they didn''tmunicate with each other a lot, Hirano knew instantly what the blonde boy wanted to do.


    Without hesitation ¨C and without even doing a proper run-up, Hirano suddenly jumped, and the ball suddenly appeared in front of his hand.


    *BAM!*


    "OH! Nice save, Shimada!"


    Hirano and Yuki had their eyes widened in surprise when they saw the defensive specialist jump acrobatically to save the ball. However, Sawada didn''t give them any time to think about it, as the setter rushed to pick up the ball and sent a quick pass urately to the left wing. Lucas who was there took off from the ground, and even with Asahi jumped in front of him, he just ignored itpletely.


    There were not a lot of yers who could stop Lucas in a one-on-one battle, and Asahi wasn''t one of them.


    *BAM!*


    "Shit!"


    Even though Kaede managed to react and grabbed the ball, his stance wasn''t stable enough to dampen the impact of the spike. As a result, the ball flew wildly outside of the court, and even though Yuki tried to pick it up, he was toote as it fell on the ground first.


    "YOSSHAA!"


    As they all saw Konan yers celebrate with each other, all the Tsunemori yers stared at each other wryly. In their mind, they all had simr thoughts inside their mind.


    ''How could we stop them when they got serious like this?!''

 Chapter 148: Combination Attack! (I)

    Standing on the sideline and could only watch the opponent do everything they wanted without him being able to do anything to stop it while all of the people in the building looked down on him and his teammates, honestly, this was the first time Yuki experienced something like this. Not something he desired to experience, of course. Unfortunately, it happened this time.


    Yuki didn''t know when was the first time he realized this, but he figured out all the Konan yers avoided sending the ball in his direction like he was a gue. Of course, he should be honored by this, knowing that the best team in Japan recognized his ability by avoiding him deliberately.


    Unfortunately, his teammates couldn''t show the same level of performance as him, and as a result, they couldn''t stop the wave of offenseing from the other side of the.


    Facing such a situation, Yuki felt depressed, not knowing what to do.


    "You okay, Yuki?" Riku suddenly asked, concerned.


    While the others also had simr depressed expressions on their face, the blonde boy cared more about his friend, considering he and Yuki were the pirs of the team. It didn''t matter if it was their senpai since their mood swing was always vtile in nature. They would feel okay in the next moment.


    However, Riku knew his friend, and he knew the sses boy could always keep hisposure and never showed any emotional spike. So, to see him so depressed like this, he knew Yuki must be really affected by the game.


    "Don''t worry, I am fine," Yuki said. However, it was clear to anyone who knew him that he was far from okay. "I just feel ufortable being isted from the game like this."


    "I got you." Riku nodded sympathetically. As a setter, watching the ball fly around and not being able to touch it and set it up for his teammates was probably a nightmare for him. Then, he suddenly got an idea. "Well, how about this?"


    He lowered the volume of his voice while telling Yuki his idea. Yuki''s face brightened gradually as he listened to it, clearly liking what he just heard.


    "Wow, you really have a good idea this time." Yuki praised genuinely. "If only you use your brain more in things other than volleyball."


    "Hey, no need to insult me, okay?!" Riku retorted. Then, he had an expectant look as he himself also liked his idea. "So, should we do this?"


    Seeing the nonchnt opponent as if they had won the game already, Yuki nodded his head firmly. "Yeah, let''s show them that we still have something to surprise them today."


    -0-


    The scoreboard showed 18 ¨C 6, still for Konan''s lead.The situation was far from Tsunemori''s favor, since not only they were down 12 points, but the opponent also just scored their sixth point in a row. They basically had no answer on how to stop Konan''s attack or make a counterattack to score for themselves. So, it was no wonder almost all the Tsunemori yers felt depressed right now.


    Yuki and Riku themselves didn''t say anything this time. Usually, they would try t lift the mood by taking a small positivity despite the unfavorable position they were currently in. However, if they kept repeating the same words over and over again like a broken record without anything changed, it would only demoralize their teammates more.


    No, what they needed the most right now was a real action to show everyone that they still had hope here, and the two freshmen knew what they should do.


    The one who served the ball was still Arizawa. Even though his floater was ineffective against Tsunemori, at least with him moved on the back row, the front line was filled by Lucas, Matsumoto, and Sawada, the three best attackers on the team. This was also the reason why it was hard for Tsunemori to break through Konan''s streak.


    When the referee blew the whistle, Arizawa threw his serve. The same as before, the ball was far opposite of Yuki''s direction. However, unlike thest few yers, the sses boy wasn''t idle on his spot. He moved forward to Riku''s usual spot, while the blonde boy suddenly took a quick step back before starting his run-up.


    It happened just in a couple of seconds, and in a blink, the ball flew already to the spot favorable for Riku to m it down.


    "WHAT?!"


    "HA! Nice pass, Yuki!"


    However, even though they were caught off guard by the sudden surprise the two freshmen pulled, all the Konan yers reacted quickly. They were really worthy of their reputation, especially Akihiro who rushed toward the blonde boy. His reaction speed was simr to Haruo from Kyoei Gakuen, yet the pressure radiated from him was unmatchable.


    ''As expected, he is a beast. Unfortunately for him¡­''


    *BAM!*


    Riku took off from the ground, then coiled his arm back to exert more power from his body. Then, without hesitation, he unleashed it like a quick whip, hitting the ball with all his strength to the opposite wing. With only Akihiro trying to block the spike, no matter how good he was, it was impossible for Konan''s middle blocker to cover all the area behind him.


    Even though he still jumped to pressure Riku, it was a futile attempt, as the blonde boy sent a powerful cross-spike to the area where he came from.


    Akihiro could only widen his eyes in shock as the ball shed right in front of his eyes before piercing Konan''s defense and falling onto the back right without anyone able to pick it up.


    "AAAARRRGGHH!!!" Riku roared immediately the moment he saw his spikend perfectly to the opponent''s side. Then, he turned around, just to see Yuki who was as excited as he was. "Good job, Yuki!" He high-fived the sses boy.


    After that, everyone suddenly woke up from their daydreaming before all the eyes turned to the two main protagonists who just shocked the hell out of them all.


    "Oh! Damn, I have never thought the setter would turn into a spiker like that!"


    "Yeah! And he is good at it!"


    "That is a sharp cross-spike to the sideline, something that is hard to do without hard training. He should be a decent hitter before turning into a setter."


    "I know, right?!"


    While all the people on the stand were talking about Riku, Amagi, Matsukita''s setter turned solemn as his eyesnded on Yuki. He knew that no matter how good Riku''s spike was, it would be impossible without a good pass from the sses boy.


    ''It is not just a good one though, but a perfect pass. It is designed so the blondie could hit it easily no matter where he would spike. Such a perfect technique¡­ I cannot believe he is just a freshman.'' If only he knew Yuki was only exposed to volleyball in less than three months, he would have a heart attack on the spot. ''Well, it seems they have the potential to trouble us in the future.


    Unfortunately, they are still too weak right now, just a small stone that would be forgotten after this game.''

 Chapter 149: Combination Attack! (II)

    Unknown to the Tsunemori yers, thest surprise y from Yuki and Riku managed to shock their opponent to the core. Never crossed their mind that they would be able to see a team with two simr quality setters and hitters that could switch at any time they wanted. In fact, it was pretty rare for a team to have a duo who could do what Yuki and Riku just did.


    Hell, even they couldn''t do that, considering they didn''t have a good hitter who could act as an emergency hitter while Sawada himself didn''t even meet their second team''s standard as a hitter.


    So, yeah, they didn''t expect to experience this rare situation against a no-name team like Tsunemori High.


    "Well, this is far more troublesome than I thought," Akihiro said nonchntly. However, his eyes were sharp and serious as he stared at Riku who just managed to get through his block with a nasty cross-spike. "So, what should we do?"


    Unfortunately for Konan, just like Tsunemori, they had already used their timeout privilege for this set, hence they couldn''t stop the game to formte a new n to deal with this. However, there was a reason they were the best team in Japan.


    Even though they didn''t have a time to huddle and talk about this new development, they conveyed their thought in a systematic manner and managed to create an emergency n based on those thoughts.


    "Take, just focus on the blondie. Arizawa and I will cover if they go to the four-eyes!"


    "Back row yers, get ready to cover our asses! We will not be able to cover everything, but at least, watch our signal!"


    "Lucas, your game-reading ability is the best in the team, so you need to step up your game! Don''t bezy and just wait to attack, okay?!"


    "Sure, sure, I got this!"


    Just within a few seconds, they regained their calm again and were ready for Yuki and Riku''s newest attack. Amagi nodded on the stand, satisfied with the arrangement. "That is why they are the best team in Japan. No matter what kind of problem they face, they would be able to calm down quickly while formting the best n possible to deal with it.


    They all are the best yers in Japan not just because of their ability, but also because of their brain."


    Gondo, Matsukita''s captain also nodded in agreement. However, he had a sly grin in the next second as he leaned his body forward in interest. "Still, this doesn''t solve the problem possessed by those two little devils, right?"


    Amagi winced unconsciously when he heard his captain''s words. Indeed, Konan''s adjustment still didn''t address the threat possessed by Yuki and Riku. With both having simr abilities as a hitter and a setter, they made Tsunemori''s offense choice infinity. They could just y around by confusing the opponent by switching the setter role all the time, and it would be enough to kill the opponent.


    And if it wasn''t enough, they could still use themselves as a distraction and pass the ball to their teammates, which was still decent enough in front of the.


    So, yeah, even though he was confident Konan would be able to get out of this situation, he didn''t envy them for facing such a troublesome team today.


    "Okay,e on! Rano! Give us a good serve!"


    "Yeah! Don''t worry about anything else! Just send the ball over the!"


    The one who served this time was Hirano. That meant he would be out in the next rotation and getting reced by Okamura. While it would be good to have another good defender in the back row, that would also reduce the pressure in the front line.


    Even though Hirano didn''t score a lot of points from his block, his contribution to putting pressure on the opponent''s spikers was far more valuable than any data could show. Without him on the court, the wall on the front line would be like a thin paper, easily broken.


    ''That means we need to take advantage of his time here before he got reced. Come on, let''s score as many points as possible before the next rotation!''


    After waiting for the referee''s permission, Hirano finally served the ball. He didn''t have a good serve, so his standard was as long as it crossed the, it was okay. Shimada picked the ball up easily, and Sawada moved forward to set up an attack from the second ball.


    Yuki had his eyes constantly on him while he also tried his best to observe the other yers'' movement, didn''t want to get fooled just like in the first y.


    When he saw Lucas move from the back row though, Yuki suddenly shouted, "ASA! GET READY! RANO! COVER!"


    Without hesitation, the two blockers rushed forward and jumped out of trust to their kouhai. Fortunately, it paid off, as Sawada intended to pass the ball to Lucas in the first ce and couldn''t adjust it quickly when he saw two yerse to Lucas.


    "Damn! He reads me!"


    "Come on, Rano! Don''t let him get through us!"


    *BAM!*


    "SHIT! SOMEONE, COVER!"


    With two blockers in front of him, even Lucas had a hard time piercing the wall. However, his spike was still powerful enough for Asahi to handle, and as a result, the ball bounced wildly from Asahi''s hand toward the outside of the court.


    "Shit!" Asahi winced when he felt a slight pain on his finger. It seemed he didn''t block the spike well enough as he still felt the impact even after that. Still, he gritted his teeth and moved quickly, getting ready for the next y. "Kai! Cover it up!"


    "I got this!"


    Fortunately, Kaede was in the perfect position to pick up the ball. He rushed immediately and sent the ball back to the court, to the ce where Yuki and Riku were. All the Konan yers tense for a second, concentrating their best to figure out which one would send the ball and which one would receive it.


    For a moment, they thought it would be Yuki who acted as a setter, considering Riku started his run-up already and got ready to attack the ball.


    However, no one ever thought that Riku would jump straight to the ball while Yuki suddenly took a step aside to let his friend execute it. All the Konan yers somehow forgot that even though it was just the second ball, Riku could execute it directly to catch them off guard.


    As a result¡­


    *BAM!*


    Even though Riku spiked the ball from behind the front line, it still packed power and went to a tricky spot near the sideline. Shimada reacted immediately, yet was stillte to save the ball as it fell straight in the line. At first, he turned his head immediately to the referee, trying to test his luck by arguing it was out.


    Unfortunately, the referee saw clearly that the ballnded on the line and shook his head firmly, denying Shimada''s argumentation.


    When it was dered that another point went to Tsunemori, Riku clenched his fist tightly with his face flushed in excitement.


    "Yeah! We got this, Yuki!"

 Chapter 150: Konans Counterattack! (I)

    Konan High was the undisputed volleyball king in Japan. It wasn''t just a talk, but there was also a lot of data to back that up. For example, in their own prefecture, Tokyo, only Matsukita High was able to steal a set from them, and thest time it happened was two years ago. Yeah, you hear it right. Two years ago!


    During the previous two years, they had never lost a single set against any team from Tokyo, which showed how dominant they were on the court.


    As for the other team, let alone a set, managing to reach the 10 points in one set would basically be treated as a miracle or a big upset by the others. They ¨C Konan High ¨C usually managed to crush everything in front of them in a dominant style, never allowing their opponent to score two-digit points in a set.


    This legend also made any weaker team tremble in fear when they were going to face them, making it easier for Konan to kill them.


    That was why, seeing Tsunemori break through the 10-point threshold was a big deal for all the people in the building.


    "Oh! Damn, this is the first time in this tournament a team managed to score more than 10 points against Konan, right?"


    "Yeah!"


    "They are a bunch of crazy bastards!"


    "Those two are insane! That number 7 and number 19, I want to know what are their names!"


    Of course, the main focus was on Yuki and Riku. They alonepletely changed the game, turning the tide that was about to hit their team and forcing it to turn in their favor. Theirbination attack alone was enough to trouble Konan High, which was a testament that it was a national threat at this point.


    They managed to bring a weak team like Tsunemori onto everyone''s radar just by this performance alone.


    As for the two protagonists themselves, despite the excitement showing on their grinning faces, there was a hint of nervousness they tried their best to hide under their heavy breath. It was an understandable feeling. While they were always confident this new attack would work, to be honest, they hadn''t practiced thisbo too much in the past.


    They just did it yfully as a variation when the opponent was too tough to crack just like when they faced Haruo from Kyoei Gakuen, but never thought of using it as their main attack. They were worried they would mess up and let the momentum they earned so hard go back to their opponent.


    Not that they would say it out loud, of course.


    "Come on, Rano! Give us another good serve!"


    "Yeah! Come on!"


    The scoreboard showed that it was 18 ¨C 10. While Tsunemori was still down by 8 points, they scored four consecutive points in a row, which was enough to motivate the entire team. However, they didn''t notice the subtle change on their opponent''s side, as there was no hint of a yful atmosphere again around them.


    After the referee blew the whistle, Hirano served the ball just like usual. After that, he rushed forward immediately to join Asahi on the frontline. He knew his serve didn''t pose any threat to Konan High, so he was ready to slow down the quick counterattack the opponent would do after this.


    Unfortunately, while there was nothing wrong with his thought, Konan suddenly made a change in their strategy.


    Shimada received the ball perfectly, and Sawada picked up the second ball just a secondter. There was nomunication there, but everything moved smoothly for Konan. Before all the Tsunemori yers could notice it, Lucas was in the air already, the ball was in front of him.


    "Shit! Riku!"


    It was Yuki who reacted first. He knew his blonde friend was the closest to that side and had a decent speed to cover up the area. Unfortunately, the blonde boy wasn''t quick enough, as even though he managed to jump before thest hit was thrown, Lucas was still able to spike through his block as if it were nothing.


    *BAM!*


    "Damn!"


    Kaede tried to save the ball. Unfortunately, the angle was too tricky, and as a result, the ball just bruised his arms slightly before it bounced far outside of the court.


    "Yosh! Nice pass, Nobu!"Lucas grinned, giving the setter a thumb-up.


    "N-Nice spike too, Lucas-senpai!"Sawada shared the same grin while his face flushed red.


    There was no excessive celebration on their side as if it was a normal operation for them. However, that was what made them scarier If such a quick that no Tsunemori yers could react quick enough was normal for them, all the Tsunemori yers didn''t want to know what would happen if Konan put more effort into it.


    "Okay, everyone! Don''t worry!" Riku pped, snapping his teammates from their daydreaming. "Don''t worry about it too much! That is just one point! And after this, it is our turn to attack, right?"


    The expression on everyone''s faces brightened when they heard that. "Yeah, you are right, Riku! Don''t hold back and kill them in the next turn, okay?"


    "Yuki, you too! Don''t ck off!"


    Yuki couldn''t help but shake his head exasperatedly. This was the quality he admired the most from Riku. His blonde friend could always notice the subtle change of mood in the team and gave the best reaction ording to the situation there. Truly, his blonde friend was the spiritual leader of the team.


    "Come on, Shimada! Give us a good serve!"


    This time, it was Shimada, the defensive specialist of the team who served the ball. Fortunately, it was just a normal serve with no twist in it. Honestly, after watching Lucas and Matsumotoe with their powerful services while Arizawa also managed to pressure them with his floater serve, they would go berserk if they found Konan still had another service specialist on their sleeves.


    It would be totally unfair for their opponent.


    *Thud!*


    "Nice receive, Koji!"


    "Yuki!"


    "Riku!"


    The names of the two freshmen were called in unison, not just to distract their opponent, but also because the other yers didn''t know which one between those two would act as a setter. The same could also be said for the Konan yers who observed those two''s movements intently. If this was the usual, either Yuki or Riku would be intimidated by the pressure. However, it was different this time.


    They both knew they were not fighting alone and had each other''s back, so they didn''t even think about everything and just let everything fly naturally.


    After exchanging a quick nce with each other, Riku acted as if he would set up the ball. However, in thest second, he stepped behind, and it was Yuki who tossed the ball to the right side where Asahi was there. It was such a perfectbination that was almost impossible to read¡­. Except that someone managed to do that.


    As Asahi jumped in the air, suddenly, a pair of hands popped in front of him, blocking his sight on the other side of the court. Unfortunately, Asahi didn''t have a good technique to avoid a block, so he couldn''t do anything about it right now. As a result¡­


    *BAM!*

 Chapter 151: Konans Counterattack! (II)

    Since thest y¡­ No, since the game just started, Akihiro had already noticed one thing from Riku. The Blonde boy always loved to show off. No matter which kind of y he would pull, he would somehow grin provocatively as if screaming ''Here is another trick from me!''.


    At first, Akihiro thought the blonde boy did that deliberately to provoke some sort of reaction from the opponent. However, after observing for a while, he knew by now that Riku''s trademark smirk before trying to catch them off guard was like a natural reaction. He doubted the blonde boy knew he showed such an infuriating smirk a lot during the game.


    Unfortunately for Tsunemori, Riku''s unconscious habit made it easier for Akihiro to read his game. He somehow realized that whenever it was Yuki who would be the setter, Riku would show his trademark smirk as if saying he wanted to pull their leg. He confirmed his theory for a few times while sacrificing two or three points for the Tsunemori before he was sure of it.


    And finally, when the doubt was unveiled, he was ready to take action.


    The moment Shimada served the ball, Akihiro kept his eyes intently on those two. Or to be more exact, he observed Riku''s expression carefully. True to his thought, after a quick exchanging nce between those two, Akihiro noticed a subtle smirk on Riku''s face. It was so subtle that he doubted if he wasn''t trying to see it, he would miss it.


    However, that was enough for him to make a decision as he turned his attention to Yuki, and within a second, he moved to the right side to block the attack.


    *BAM!*


    "OH! Block by Akihiro!"


    "Damn! As expected from one of the best blockers in the country! He is also a monster!"


    "Nice block, Take!"


    "Takeshita-kun, you did a good job!"


    As all the Konan yers celebrated with each other, they left their opponent with jaws dropped in shock and confusion. This was the first time in this game Konan was able to block Yuki and Riku''s newbination attack, and honestly, they had no idea how Akihiro did that.


    "What a monster," Koji muttered depressingly.


    "Hey, what are you saying about, Senpai?!" Riku scowled, unconvinced by thest y. "It should be a coincidence, you know? There is no way they can read ourbination attack, I tell you that!" Inwardly though, Riku wasn''t so sure about what he was saying.


    "Yeah, as expected. Even though their newbination attack is troublesome, there is no way Konan wouldn''t be able to solve it." Amagi on the stand nodded, satisfied. Yeah, even though Konan High was his rival, he still supported them in this game. His pride would never ept it if a team other than his managed to beat Konan in a fair game.


    The next few sequences really showed that Konan had already grasped the essence of Tsunemori''s essence. It wasn''t just Akihiro this time, but Lucas and Arizawa also managed to block a spike or two to contribute points for the team. The momentum Tsunemori snatched so hard before went back to Konan High easily once again.


    "Oi, Riku, we need more variations here," Yuki whispered. "You heard what Sekine-jiisan told me in the past, never get predictable. We need to be more creative in our offense."


    "Of course, I know that." Riku scowled. "The question is, how could we do that?"


    Both freshmen pondered for a moment without any answer crossed their mind. Right before they were about to give up though, someone suddenly patted their shoulder. When they both turned around, they could see Kaede and Hirano were in front of them.


    "Kai? Rano? What are you doing here?" Riku asked, confused.


    "Sorry, but we overheard your conversation before." Kaede rubbed his neck sheepishly. Then, he coughed before continuing, "So, you need more variations, huh? Why not include us?" He asked, pointing his finger at himself and Hirano.


    Riku blinked a few times, trying to process what his senpai just said. "You two? Really?"


    "Yeah! Even though we are not the best attackers, we could still pull one or two good spikes to surprise the opponent. We have already at this point, so why not try it?" Kaede shrugged nonchntly.


    Riku was skeptical about it. However, Yuki was the first one who agreed to Kaede''s suggestion. "Yeah, it is rare for you both to participate in offense, so it would be a good bluff to pull their leg. You both are perfect for a surprise attack!"


    After discussing it for a while, they finally reached a consensus about what kind of signal they should observe and where should they move. Unfortunately, it was still in the middle of the game, so they could only discuss it roughly. The referee had already signaled for them to get ready as Shimada was about to serve the ball.


    *Thud!*


    Just like before, Shimada''s serve was still quite ordinary, which was easy for Koji to receive. Yuki and Riku moved immediately, synchronizing their movement with each other to make it harder for the opponent to read. However, they both had a hunch that Akihiro was able to read theirbination attack so easily. Not that it was hard to guess, considering how he stared intently at them both.


    ''Well, let''s see how would he handle it.''


    Yuki made a quick signal for Kaede to attack from behind. However, it wasn''t him who set up the ball. No, his task was just to give the signal to make the opponent think it would be him who acted as a setter. However, the one who would execute the ball was Riku who already had the ball in his hand.


    Kaede and Hirano themselves also moved when they saw the signal. Even though there was no instruction for Hirano to move, the middle blocker still rushed forward to add confusion to the opponent. With Koji and Asahi also attacked from the wing, it was an all-out attack with full members of the team joining the fun.


    ''Shit! There is no way they would be able to stop us this time!'' Riku thought as he grinned widely. He didn''t wait for the ball to fall onto his hand, but jumped and picked it up quickly to give the opponent less time to think.


    His choice of passing? Of course, it was Asahi.


    Riku used Kaede and Asahi''s presence as a distraction to pass the ball to the handsome senpai of his on the right side. Unfortunately for him and Tsunemori, his thought was already read like an open book by the opponent, as this time, it was Lucas who appeared in front of Asahi.


    *BAM!*


    Riku had his jaws dropped when he saw another one of the team''s attacks was blocked so easily by the opponent. Then, he turned his head to Lucas who grinned at him widely as the Brazilian boy said, "No matter how many tricks you have, it would be useless against us, you know?"

 Chapter 152: The End of the First Set

    "Rano! Move along! Jump with me!"


    "One! Two! Now!"


    *BAM!*


    "SHIT!"


    "YOSSHAAA!"


    Yuki started to get tired when he saw another one of Konan''s attacks pierced the team''s wall again. No matter how quick he and his teammates were, how many yers joined in the front line to set a wall, or even how well he read the opponent''s intention, the team couldn''t stop Konan''s wave of offense at all.


    To make it worse, thebination attack of Yuki and Riku that managed to gain an advantage a while ago suddenly lost its effectiveness. It didn''t matter what kind ofbination they created impulsively, but Akihiro, the opponent''s blocker always managed to read them like an open book. They still didn''t know what w they revealed for Akihiro to read them perfectly like this.


    What happened on the court was like a reminder to anyone there, that no matter how many tricks they had on their sleeves, it wouldn''t matter in front of absolute strength.


    "Man, this is pathetic." Riku scowled. "We got our asses whooped like it was nothing."


    "Well, in our defense, our opponent is the best team in the whole country. Almost all the team ying against them would experience the same." Kaede chuckled, yet his eyes were nk.


    Yuki could see that his teammates were exhausted already. Not physically, of course, since they were ready to y for all days against Konan High. If that was the case, he would be happy, considering that meant they were still able to match Konan''s intensity.


    Unfortunately, the exhaustion Yuki saw right now was mentally, as he could see the morale started to evaporate from the air as the game went on. Not being able to score even for once and getting dominatedpletely like this sure would demoralize the entire team.


    "Well, it is still one point away before they win the first set." Yuki took a nce at the scoreboard. It showed the score 24 ¨C 11 for Konan''s lead, which wasn''t that bad for Tsunemori since they managed to steal ten points against the best team in Japan.


    However, remembering the stake of this game and the fact that the team would be disbanded by the school if they lost today, everyone couldn''t help but feel depressed. "Let''s end this as soon as possible and hear Akira-sensei''s opinion about this. Maybe, he has an idea on how to get out of this situation."


    Even though they didn''t believe Yuki''s words, the other yers still followed what he said, getting ready for the next y. They knew they couldn''t run away and had to face the game until the end. That didn''t mean they had to like it, though.


    "Come on, Shimada! One more point!"


    "Give us a good serve!"


    It was still Shimada who served the ball. Honestly, it was embarrassing how they couldn''t force all the Konan yers to serve the ball. Shimada was their fourth yer to serve, leaving Sawada and Akihiro who didn''t get a turn to do the same as them. That meant Tsunemori failed to force Konan to have a full rotation in this game.


    However,pared to Konan''s opponents in the past, they still did a decent job in this regard. Usually, Konan would only have two or three rotations in the game before crushing their opponent in the most dominating way. Not something that all the Tsunemori yers would be proud of, but it was still a rare achievement for a weak team like them.


    After a while, Shimada finally served the ball. The ball was pretty close to the sideline, but Koji had good eyes to see if it would fall still inside of the court. He saved it easily, sending the ball to Riku''s spot ¨C and Yuki''s too to some extent.


    "Oh! Nice save, Koji!"


    Yuki and Riku moved immediately, their eyes roamed to the other side of the court to see their opponent''s movement. They kept their eyes intently on Akihiro, just to find that the middle blocker was unfazed by their antic. The boy stood still and didn''t have any intention to move before they started to make a move first.


    Gritting their teeth, Yuki and Riku had no choice but to try to ignore him. This time, Yuki acted as bait, letting Riku set the ball as he rushed forward for a quick attack. Unfortunately, they were so focused on Akihiro that they somehow forgot it wasn''t just him who was able to read theirbination sessfully before.


    And before Yuki could realize it, he had already swung his arm, hitting the ball with all his might.


    *BAM!*


    "OH! BLOCK BY LUCAS!"


    "Damn, as expected from the best yers in the country! He is amazing!"


    Yuki had his mouth gaped wide when he saw Lucas standing in front of him with a big grin on his face as if the block was nothing. Even though he had seen the same thing over and over again in thest couple of minutes, it still left him in awe of how fast Lucas could run from the back to cover the area in front of the.


    The block also ended the first set, with Konan finally emerging as the winner, even after a rough situation in the middle of the game.


    "As expected, they are still the undisputed king here."


    "But Tsunemori put up a decent fight in the first set! I hope they won''t give up soon just like any other team when facing Konan in the past."


    "Does that also include Matsukita?"


    "Of course! Hahaha!"


    Hearing someone mocking the team so openly like that, Amagi''s ears felt hot all of a sudden, Gondo grabbed his shoulder tightly. "Sit down and don''t do anything stupid again, Amagi!" The captain hissed. Amagi could also see his teammates ring at him, signaling the setter to not do anything reckless like shouting from the stand as he did before.


    "Don''t you all hear what they said about us?" He hissed back.


    "Yeah, we hear it too. We are not that deaf, you know? And yeah, we also feel insulted by what they are saying." One of the yers said. "However, what is there to argue? Even though they are wrong and we have never given up in the middle of the game, we are still the losers at the end of the day. Arguing would only validate their argument here."


    Amagi grumbled grumpily as he sat back in his seat, regaining his calm back. He knew his teammate was right. That didn''t mean he had to like it, though. He red intently at the Konan''s bench to the point that if res could kill, he would be arrested for manughtering the entire Konan team right now.


    ''If Tsunemori could trouble you like this, you will have no chance to win against us. Just wait in the final, Konan High¡­ We will destroy you with all of our might!''

 Chapter 153: Intermission

    Meanwhile, the atmosphere on Tsunemori''s bench was gloomy. No one spoke anything there as they just bowed their head in a depressed manner. Even Megumi who usually took this time to talk and encourage the yers had no words to raise the morale of the team.


    It was so gloomy that the only thing Yuki could think to top this situation was when he was in the evacuation camp during the earthquake disaster a few months ago, which told him how bad the problem was.


    Akira stood still in silence while waiting for his yers to drink the water and cool down their heads. It creeped out everyone how he didn''t say anything, as all the yers there were expecting him to scold or criticize them after the first set was over.


    After a while, Akira finally took a deep sigh and spoke, "You did well in the first set."


    His words broke the yerspletely. Everyone had their jaws dropped, looking at their coach in disbelief. If they didn''t know Akira better, they would think he was being sarcastic right now.


    "You are doing good, I swear," Akira said once again to convince the others. "You managed to steal more than ten points against them, which was the first time in this tournament Konan High suffered from this. You blow everyone''s expectations and you all put yourself on everyone''s radar.


    No matter how this game would end, you will be remembered as one of the legends who were able to snatch double-digit points in a set."


    Even though they heard about it from the crowd before, all the yers thought it would mean nothing if they lost the game. However, if the coach praised them for doing so, they would ept it as a constion prize after getting demolished by the opponent in thest few minutes before the first set was over.


    "Honestly, if you are just a normal team, I would praise you to death. You, a bunch of freshmen and sophomore yers, managed to push Konan High, the best team in the country to the point that they y seriously, a feat only a strong team like Matsukita could do. The potential inside you that is still untapped could make any coach shiver in excitement.


    Given one more year, I am sure you will achieve further in the future, and maybe, by some miracles, you could beat them in a game or two."


    Well¡­ That was nice to hear. However, when they saw Akira''s expression turned solemn, they knew their coach still had more to say.


    "Unfortunately for you guys¡­" He took a deep sigh. "You know your time is not that much, right?" The atmosphere which lightened a bit from all the praises before went back into a heavy one from that small reminder. "You know very well that there is a very high chance this would be yourst game, right? What, with the purge happened in the school?"


    Yeah, this was the reason all the yers felt depressed the most. All the people here praised them to death, saying they had such a huge potential to be a great team. However, only the yers knew that no matter how huge their potential was, it would be nothing once they were dissolved by the school.


    "So, yeah, if you are a normal team, I will just say a good job and encourage you to give your best shot since it is quite rare to y against the best team in the country and try to learn from them. Unfortunately, we cannot do that this time." Akira coughed. "So, first thing first, we will make a recement. Asahi, sorry, but you are out. Jimmy, you are back to the court again."


    "Me?!" Ogawa was taken aback when he heard his name was called. He knew his performance wasn''t that good before Asahi reced him, so he wondered why Akira still wanted to use him in the second set.


    "Yes, you." Akira nodded, confirming his words. "Also, Yuki, Riku, I know what w you revealed in yourbination attack that allowed Konan''s yers to read you like an open book."


    "Really?!" Yuki and Riku widened their eyes, their back straightened as they stared at their coach intently. The others also had the same reaction, knowing it would be a big deal if the problem could be fixed this time.


    When Riku heard Akira''s exnation about his grin during thebination attack, he wanted to p himself so hard for his stupidity.


    "Oh, God! How could I be so stupid?!" He moaned.


    "The same damn question I ask in this game, you blonde idiot!" Sekine suddenly talked for the first time during the pep talk. The old man sent a soft karate chop to Riku''s head, not enough to knock him out, yet enough to make the blonde boy wake up from his idiocy. "What did I tell you the first time a setter needs to learn? It is to stay calm no matter what and have a good poker face!


    But what did you do? You did exactly the opposite of what I thought you! You revealed your intention with your stupid grin, always wanting to show off to the others! Now, do you see the consequence here?!"


    Even though the scolding was pretty harsh, Riku listened and processed everything carefully inside his head. This was probably the best way to reprimand him. If Sekine went softer than this, Riku would just shrug it off and forget about itter. However, after the scolding was over, the situation there was pretty awkward, with Akira didn''t know how to continue the pep talk after Sekine''s outburst.


    "Well¡­" Akira coughed, trying to break the awkwardness around them. "It is good that we can solve this matter quickly. That means we can still use thebination attack for the second set." Yuki and Riku nodded in acknowledgment. "However, I forbid you to involve Kai and Rano in your shenanigan, is that okay?"


    "Eh? Why?!" Riku asked, confused. Yuki also felt the same here. Even though Hirano and Kaede''s presence as an attacker wasn''t quite effective in the first set, it was before Riku''s problem was addressed properly. Now, with the problem resolved, having more attackers would be good for their offense.


    "You want to stabilize the game." Hirano suddenly spoke, gaining everyone''s attention. "By putting Jimmy on the court and with me and Kaede not involved in the offense, it would ensure we are ready for the opponent''s attack because whenever Yuki and Riku did their newbination attack, all the yers involved would alwayse backte to their position."


    Akira beamed, happy that he had a smart yer on his team. "Rano is right. Even though it is deadly, since everyone is not used to cooperating with the new attack, they would alwayse backte to defend their area. So, Rano and Kai are off-limits since they are important to maintain the order on the court."


    Everyone nodded, could see why the coach wanted to do that.


    "Lastly!" Akira raised his voice. All the yers straightened their backs, knowing this was probably the most important part of Akira''s speech. "Never let the opponent have more than ten points lead. This is the only task I give you for the second set."


    All the yers ¨C even Hirano who usually had a stoic expression ¨C were shocked by the sudden instruction.


    "Do you think it is possible?" Kaede asked skeptically. "I mean, during the first set, we cannot stop them from widening the gap, right?" Yeah, while they put up a decent fight after the opponent managed to grasp the w revealed by Riku, they suddenly became unstoppable. For all the Tsunemori yers, this task was like a mission impossible for the team.


    However, Akira nodded firmly at his question. "I am a teacher. There is no way I would give my students a homework they cannot solve." He said. Then, his expression turned somber before he added, "But in case you failed the task, we can probably say goodbye to the future of our team."

 Chapter 154: Second Set Begins! (I)

    "Okay, here we go again."


    Yuki took a deep breath before stepping into the court for the second set. He was followed by his teammates who somehow had a simr expression, weighted by the fact that this was probably thest set they yed together as a team. Even Riku who usually was the first one to encourage the others didn''t speak anything this time, couldn''t shake off the heavy atmosphere on the team.


    A moment like this made them all realize the importance of a great leader among them. Even though after the third-year yers retired, Koji stepped forward as the official captain of the team, he was so fragile and easily pressured by the opponent to the point he always became the first one to crumble in the middle of the game.


    The other sophomore students also couldn''t fill the shoes, didn''t have the leadership ability Tsunemori needed to be a great team.


    As for Yuki and Riku, while they showed potential and sometimes even did a far better job than the others on several asions, at the end of the day, they were still freshmen, new to the team. The older yers would only listen to their words when it was convenient, but to lead the entire team who most of them were older than those two, it would be too hard for both Yuki and Riku.


    In the end, this was the reality that Tsunemori had to ept. They had no capable leader in the team that could raise the morale in such a difficult situation like this.


    ''Well, if words couldn''t work anymore, only real action would be able to wake them up.'' Yuki thought inwardly. ''We need to gain a foothold and grab the initiative as soon as possible before the others fall deeper into their depression pit.''


    He shared a nce with Riku who gave him a nod. It seemed the blonde boy had a simr thought as him. Then, Riku walked to the service line, ready to start the second set. He took a deep breath, racking his brain to think of how to use his serve to create an opening for his team. He knew his usual jump serve didn''t work anymore, so he had to be creative here.


    After waiting for a while, the referee finally gave a nod, and Riku tossed the ball slightly. Even though he knew the w revealed to the opponent in the first set came from him, he still didn''t change it, grinning widely as if he was going to do the trick. He remembered what Yuki said about this before the timeout was over.


    ''Rather than showing our opponent that we have figured out our w, why don''t we trick them? Riku, remember what you were doing when we yed against Kyoei Gakuen?''


    Of course, Riku would remember that. This was the trick Riku learned so well from Sekine. By deliberately using his expression to show what kind of ball he wanted to throw, this basically will pull the opponent''s leg, making it impossible for them to guess what he wanted to do. It was like in a Janken game where one yer suddenly said deliberately that he would go for a paper.


    The opponent would never know whether he would lie or not, and as a result, the opponent would be entangled in what they should do.


    ''Bah! Why would I need to remember such aplicated exnation? What I need to do right now is to show my biggest grin and slow down a bit before hitting the ball as hard as possible. Easy!''


    True to his thought, when Riku showed a big grin on his face, all the yers on the other side of the were taken aback before moving forward unconsciously. In their mind, Riku was always a readable yer. So, when the blonde boy showed a big grin like this, they thought he would try to do something different to catch them off guard.


    However, they didn''t expect that Riku who seemed to slow down a bit in the air and looked like he wanted to aim the front line suddenly swung his arms as quickly as possible, hitting the ball with all of the power inside him.


    *BAM!*


    "Shit! On the back!"


    "I got this!"


    Even though a bit awkward, Shimada was able to receive the serve from Riku. He who already stepped forward to anticipate a short serve saved the ball with his chest, which made everyone wince unconsciously knowing how hurt it would be. However, as a result, the ball was still alive, flying outside of the court.


    "Follow it through! Lucas!"


    "I got it!"


    Since he was the closest to the ball, Lucas had to get the second ball to keep it alive. If Konan was a normal team, they would feel pity when they saw their ace was forced to get the second touch. However, Konan was far from ordinary. They still had Matsumoto, one of the best youngsters Japan has right now.


    "Oh! Nice pass, Lucas!"


    "Rano! Follow my lead! Don''t let him get a cross!"


    Yuki and Hirano moved in sync, trying to force Matsumoto to send a straight spike where Kaede had already waited for the ball there. However, as one of the best spikers in the tournament, Matsumoto had his own pride. Facing such a wall, he would never back down and do what his opponent wanted. Seeing the block, Matsumoto swung his arm quickly, unleashing a powerful spike straight into Hirano''s hands.


    *BAM!*


    "Shit!" Hirano gritted his teeth, feeling like something just stung his hand. If this was a normal situation, Yuki would be dumbfounded as this was the first time he heard his cold senpai curse this loud. However, he had no time to do that.


    Yuki turned his head quickly, trying to search for the ball''s whereabouts. When he found it was still within reach, he shouted immediately, "JIMMY! RUN! COVER IT UP!"


    "I GOT THIS!"


    Unfortunately, Ogawa wasn''t the best passer in the world. Even though he managed to save the ball, he couldn''t send it to an ideal spot, and Riku had to move a bit too far and sent an awkward underhand pass to save Ogawa''s pass that was a bit too short. As a result, the final pass to Koji wasn''t a good one, and with Akihiro waiting in front of him, Koji could only do one thing.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Rebound! Nice thinking, Koji!"


    "One more time! Come on!"


    This time, everyone had already gone back to their original position after getting scattered by the chaotic y before. Koji''s rebound attack gave them enough time to recover and ready for another attack. And just like in the first set, Yuki and Riku exchanged nces for a moment, and in the next second, the ball flew to the other side of the already.


    *BAM!*

 Chapter 155: Second Set Starts! (II)

    "Oh! Rebound! Nice thinking, Koji!"


    Akihiro scowled, feeling annoyed when he realized he didn''t block the ball perfectly. Well, he couldn''t help it, though. Even the best blocker in the world wouldn''t be able to stop the opponent''s spike all the time, let alone him. So, the boy decided to move on and got ready for the next attacking from Tsunemori High.


    ''Let''s see where the ball would go¡­ Ah, he is grinning! That means ¨C !''


    *BAM!*


    Akihiro hadn''t even finished the monologue inside his thought when the ball had already flown past his ear, knocking his eardrum gently before all the sound registered through his brain was the ball hitting the floor. For a moment, he froze on the spot, only one word came out of his mouth.


    "Eh?"


    "OH! Nice spike!"


    "Damn, that is so fast! They hadn''t done any quick this good in the first set!"


    "Don''t tell me they still have something on their sleeves?!"


    While all the Tsunemori yers celebrated and all the people in the stands talked excitedly about thest y, Akihiro was still confused about what just happened here. He knew when Riku grinned, the blonde boy would never do his usual routine. However, Akihiro always thought that the grin meant Yuki would act as a setter.


    He forgot that a surprise coulde in so many ways, and this was also one of them.


    ''Well yed, Tsunemori. Well yed.''


    "Oi, Take! What happened? Cat got your tongue?" Matsumoto asked.


    If anyone outside of the team heard this, they would think it was a captain concerned about a freshman. However, Akihiro knew even without looking at Matsumoto''s eyes that the captain mocked him for not being able to react in thest y. A thick vein popped on Akihiro''s forehead as he realized that.


    "Shut up, Senpai!" He barked. "Just wait and see, I will stop them both after this!"


    "Ha! Make sure you can do that or the coach will rece you, you hear me?!"


    "I got it!"


    Even though it looked like they were not close with each other, but this was basically how all the Konan yersmunicated in the team. Regarding volleyball, they never felt concerned about whether their teammates would be okay or not after facing a defeat, but would always say something to rile them up.


    Since they didn''t have any opponent that could push them to the edge, they cherished every opportunity given by a troublesome opponent that would always appear asionally to keep them motivated.


    The game continued not long after with another serve from Riku. This time, Shimada received the ball perfectly while ignoring Riku''s mind gamepletely. After that, as if wanting to take revenge from thest y, Sawada sent a quick toss to the front side where Lucas was already flying before the Brazilian boy hit the ball straight in between Yuki and Kaede''s spot.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice pass, Nobu!"Lucas praised genuinely.


    "Good spike to you too, Lucas-senpai!" Sawada epted the praise humbly.


    Then, the setter turned his head toward the other side of the and stared at both Yuki and Riku challengingly as if saying, ''What you can do, I can do it better.'' Before turning back to focus on his teammates. Yuki and Riku could only smile at each other wryly, not knowing how to answer that provocation.


    "Heh, and here I thought he was just a timid boy. It seems there is more that he hides in ourst meeting." Riku snorted.


    "Well, he is Konan''s setter, no matter how shy or timid he is, there is no way he doesn''t have any ego orpetitive spirit inside him," Yukimented. "Anyway, after this would be their turn to serve. You know what we should do, right?"


    "Don''t worry, I got this." Riku waved his hand nonchntly.


    Since Konan got the point, it was their turn to serve. Just like in the first set, the first one to do it was Matsumoto. He was the strongest one in Konan, but didn''t have the same creativity as Lucas, so the threat he possessed wasn''t too high. However, that didn''t mean Tsunemori yers would lower their guard.


    They still prepared their best to receive Matsumoto''s serve, knowing it was their chance to counterattack.


    ''Come on,e here! Come here! Yes!''


    Just like everyone thought, Matsumoto didn''t have the same creativity as Lucas. He was so confident with his power that he sent the ball straight to Kaede, the second-best defender of the team. Of course, Kaede would receive it perfectly,


    "Oh! Nice receive, Kai!"


    "Come on! Move!"


    As all the Tsunemori yers moved in sync, Akihiro observed Riku''s movement intently from behind the. He knew the blonde boy would always reveal the biggest w on the team, so Akihiro didn''t need to worry about the other''s movement. As long as he could figure out who would pass the ball, he knew he won the contest.


    ''Now, let''s see who will get the ball¡­ One¡­ Two¡­ No! He doesn''t smile! It is he himself who will do that!''


    Akihiro was so sure Riku would set the ball by himself, so he only watched the boy to figure out where he would send the ball. However, to his surprise, Yuki also jumped to get the ball, and while he was so focused on Riku, the sses boy had already taken over the y by sending a long pass to the left wing where only Arizawa guarded that area.


    "Shit! Arizawa!"


    *BAM!*


    Even though Arizawa managed to jump in an attempt to block the spike, Ogawa was clever enough to hit the ball deliberately to the opponent''s hand, aiming for a block out. As a result, the ball bounced from Arizawa straight down the floor without anyone could save it, resulting in another point for Tsunemori.


    "Hell yeah!"


    "Nice spike, Jimmy!"


    "Come on! Good pass, Yuki!"


    Akihiro shook his head as he watched all the Tsunemori yers celebrate the point. He was sure by now that Tsunemori had already known he knew the w of theirbination attack and took advantage of it. However, Akihiro didn''t have time to think about that, since he saw the sses boy who just set up the attack now held the ball in the service line.


    Remembering how troublesome it was to handle Yuki''s services, there was only one thing that crossed Akihiro''s mind.


    "Damn."

 Chapter 156: A Quick Lead from Yukis Serve! (I)

    Yuki took a deep breath, bouncing the ball back and forth to the floor. He tried his best to calm his nerves, knowing this was a crucial moment for the team. If he could achieve even half what he did in the first set, the momentum would be on Tsunemori''s hand, and it would raise the morale of the team instantly.


    However, it would be difficult to do so. He could feel the intensitying from the opponent''s side as six pairs of eyes were locking into him. Seeing this, Yuki''s memory somehow brought him back to the past when he first learned the game from Akira.


    ''If the first set is an intelligence battle, the second set could be described as an adaptability battle. After the first set is over, all the yers from both teams will clearly know their opponent''s abilities, habits, strengths, weaknesses, and so many more.


    By then, the team who can grasp the momentum would be the one who can adapt to the opponent''s style first and take advantage of it for their own favor.''


    Yuki realized this was what Akira meant by the adaptability battle. If in the first set, Konan High didn''t have any information about his serve that allowed him to score several points from the service line, this time, they knew what he was capable of and had already prepared themselves for it.


    If Yuki could adapt to this situation and show that no matter what kind of intelligence Konan had about him, they still wouldn''t be able to stop his serve, it would be a massive gain for the team.


    Unfortunately, it was easier said than to be done.


    ''They have already expected the serve in the crowd trick, and a floater wouldn''t work since they know I have that in my arsenal and they also have one who can do the same in their team. That reduces a lot of the tricks on my sleeves. However, I still have something that I can show here. Let''s see if it works against them or not.''


    The moment the referee gave a nod, Yuki tossed the ball a little into the air. Both Shimada and Lucas, the two best defensive yers on the team tensed when they saw Yuki move, their eyes following the sses boy intently. The other Konan yers moved forward, didn''t want to disturb those two''s concentration. However, Yuki wasn''t bothered by it.


    From the moment he tossed the ball, his eyes only stared at one spot, and he knew it was the perfect spot to aim at this moment.


    ''There!''


    *BAM!*


    At first, it looked like an ordinary jump serve straight to Shimada''s chest. The defensive specialist stepped back a little to adjust his stance, ready to receive the ball. However, he didn''t expect the ball would curve sharply after it passed through the, moving away from his direction to the corner of the court.


    *Thud!*


    The ball bounced to the floor, yet no one voiced their thought, turning their head immediately to the referee. The spot where the ball fell was so close to the sideline that they didn''t know whether itnded outside or inside of the court. However, when the linesman raised one of his hands, everyone knew what the final decision was.


    "YOSSHAA!"


    "Good job, Yuki!"


    "That is so close! Nice serve!"


    While all the Tsunemori yers celebrated with each other, the Konan yers tried to appeal to the referee, testing their luck to see whether they could sway the referee''s judgment or not. Unfortunately, aftermunicating with the linesman, the referee shook his head and exined clearly.


    "My colleague saw it clearly that the ball still touched the sideline. It is clear that the service falls inside of the court."


    All the Konan yers slumped dejectedly. Even though they knew it would be hard to change the referee''s decision, they still couldn''t help but feel disappointed when they knew the final result. However, they didn''t think about it for too long and put their focus back on the court.


    "Okay,e on, everyone! Don''t be fooled by his trick again!"


    "Yeah!"


    Just like before, all four yers were pushed on the front line, leaving Lucas and Shimada on the back to receive the ball. Even though they still didn''t know the trick behind Yuki''s crowd serve, they knew that the fewer yers on the back, the less likely Yuki would be able to pull his ingenious trick.


    ''Well, they should be worried about my sidespin serve right now. So, what should I throw for them?''


    After thinking for a moment, Yuki finally decided to send them a floater. However, he added some twists to it. He served the ball right after the referee blew the whistle, catching the opponent off guard. Lucas, who saw the ball suddenly zoom into his face, was taken aback and didn''t have time to react properly.


    *Thud!*


    "OOF ¨C !"


    "Bahaha! Are you kidding me?! It hit Lucas''s head!"


    Yeah, even though Lucas didn''t have enough time to adjust his stance, he was a boy who grew up in Brazil where football was the biggest sport in the country. Facing the ball that went straight into his face, he greeted it with a header, letting it fly in the air. Unfortunately, it wasn''t a perfect receive, and the ball went back to Tsunemori''s area immediately.


    "Oh! A second chance!"


    "Riku! Let me do ¨C "


    *BAM!*


    "Eh?"


    Kaede who stepped forward to cover Riku''s spot so the blonde boy didn''t have to get the first touch had his jaws dropped when he saw his kouhai spiked the ball directly. Indeed, Lucas''s header flew in a perfect height for Riku to spike it directly. However, not a single person in the building believed he would be bold enough to do so.


    However, that was why Riku did that. Doing a shy thing to show off was his specialization.


    "OH! DAMN, RIKU!"


    "What the hell is that?!"


    "How could you spike the overhead pass directly like that?!"


    "Hey, it works, okay?!"


    Yuki had a big grin on his face as he saw Riku''s quick reaction. When he saw Lucas manage to save his serve, Yuki was worried it would cut off the team''s momentum. Fortunately, Riku managed to take advantage of it and scored, still giving Yuki another chance to serve the ball.


    The sses boy was confident that as long as it was still his turn on the service line, he would be able to grasp the momentum even though the opponent was Konan High.


    And true to his thought, even though Lucas and Shimada were already prepared for another one of his serves, the next time he did that, the ball flew in the spot between them, falling far to the back of the court without anyone able to stop it.


    *Thud!*


    "YOSSHAAAAA!"

 Chapter 157: A Quick Lead from Yukis Serve! (II)

    "Holy shit! That four-eyes is on fire right now!"


    "He also did the same in the first set, right?"


    "Yeah, I remember it! He scores four times in a row!"


    "But he hasn''t sent another one of his bizarre serve he did in the first set yet, right?"


    "Oh, yeah! I remember he still has that one in his arsenal!"


    Hearing the whispers from the crowd, Amagi''s expression turned somber. He knew that Yuki showed a big promise during the game against Matsukita about a month ago. However, he didn''t expect to see the boy make astronomical progress during that time and be a monster just in a month or so.


    "He didn''t have this during our game, right?" Gondo whispered, his expression also somber.


    "Yeah." Amagi nodded unconsciously. "The only thing I could remember from him is his out-of-the-box mind and tough defensive capability. Even though those two alone make him stand out as a freshman, I never thought he would add one more weapon to be a lethal yer like this. No wonder he could steal several points from Konan''s hand."


    "What an amazing talent." Gondo shook his head in amazement. "In service alone, he could be in the top five in the country already. What a monster." The Matsukita duo would be more in shock if they knew Yuki had only learned the service tricks a few weeks ago under Sekine''s tutge.


    "Still¡­ There is no way they would let him do anything he wants like this." Amagi turned his eyes to the Konan yers who were discussing with each other. "They should''ve thought about something to solve this tricky situation before they bleed too much from it."


    Indeed, all the Konan yers gathered and made a small circle in the middle of their own side to discuss what they needed to do. Even though, in the end, only Lucas and Shimada would stand on the back line, that didn''t mean they couldn''t give those two their input.


    "There should be something. I know there should be a hidden trick, w, or pattern he follows to do his service. There is no way he would do it randomly and the trick would always work perfectly against us like this." Akihiro said, his hair rumpled after thinking about Yuki''s service.


    "We also know about it," Matsumoto said wryly. "The question is how?"


    This¡­ Indeed, this was the problem they hadn''t solved yet. They also thought that Yuki''s service tricks were too much. He could throw a floater and a sidespin serve and had several tricks on his sleeves that were ready to be pulled out whenever he wanted. This made it hard for them to anticipate what woulde next.


    After all, no matter how good their defense was, it would be difficult to guess the opponent''s intention blindly.


    "Ano¡­" Suddenly, Lucas raised his hand. "How about we do this?"


    -0-


    "Hey, what the hell is this?!"


    "How could he stand there alone? Do Konan yers know what they are doing right now?!"


    Konan High''s new formation sparked conversation and also confusion among the people in the building. Hell, even Yuki who was going to serve also startled at the sudden development. There, he could see all the Konan yers were pushed on the front line, leaving only Lucas who stood confidently, guarding all the 6 x 9 m on the back line.


    "Damn, he is crazy!" Yuki could hear Kaede mutter.


    However, the sses boy didn''t think so. He remembered what Maria said about Brazilian yers'' characteristics on the court. They were always quick with their feet and came as an all-around yer. So, what Konan did by letting Lucas handle his service alone was done with a thoughtful calction about the Brazilian boy''s ability.


    ''That means they are confident he could receive the ball.''


    Still, putting Lucas alone on the back also put the team at a disadvantage. With only one yer guarding the back, Yuki had so many spots that were ready to get exposed. After pondering for a moment, he decided to send a powerful sidespin serve to the corner of the court just like he did before, aiming at the tricky spot far from Lucas''s reach.


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice serve to the corner!"


    Lucas himself didn''t panic. He even let Yuki serve the ball first before moving, didn''t want to get fooled by another trick. When he saw the ball finally crossed the though, the Brazilian boy rushed like lightning, extending his arms far to reach the ball first.


    "I got it!"


    "Oh! Nice receive, Lucas!"


    "Nobu! Follow it through!"


    Sawada knew the team had to score right now, or they would have to face another one of Yuki''s services. Fortunately, this was never a difficult thing for Konan to do.


    Even though Lucas couldn''t recover quickly enough from his spot, Sawada still had several options to choose where to pass, and after pondering for a moment, he thought, why would he make things difficult for himself when he had one of the best hitters in the country on his team?


    "Matsumoto-senpai!"


    "I got this!"


    *BAM!*


    Even though Hirano also jumped to block the shoot, Matsumoto was able to avoid him with his technique. Unfortunately, the ball went straight to Kaede who managed to save the ball albeit shakily.


    "Shit! Too short!"


    "Don''t worry, I got this!"


    Koji who was closest to the ball sent a normal, easy-to-hit pass to Ogawa. However, Ogawa was already followed by Akihiro on the front line. The second-year hitter gritted his teeth, still couldn''t adapt to the intensity radiated from the opponent''s middle blocker.


    ''Maybe, I should do the same as Koji.''


    Ogawa nced for a moment at Akihiro''s hand, trying to aim either for a rebound or a block out. However, the moment he swung his arms, Konan''s middle blocker suddenly spread both arms widely, letting the ball fly between his arms before it went far outside of the court.


    *BAM!*


    Ogawa''s mouth twitched when he saw his spike attempt go far even to the supporter stand. After hended on the ground, his eyes met Akihiro''s who suddenly gave him a smile-eye while saying in a mocking tone, "Nice home run!"


    Konan High 25 2


    Tsunemori High 11 4

 Chapter 158: Akihiros Provocation! (I)

    "Let me go, Koji! I will beat his ass, don''t stop me!"


    "Calm down, Jimmy! You embarrass yourself more here!"


    Yuki and the other Tsunemori yers stiffened theirughter when they saw Koji try his best to hold Ogawa back from rushing to the other side of the to confront Akihiro. It wasn''t like Ogawa was angry, per se. He was just embarrassed at Akihiro''s mocking words, especially when he noticed it spread quickly to all the people in the building.


    Hearing someone say ''home run'' while snickering at him made the boy''s face flushed red in embarrassment.


    "Come on, if you want to beat his ass, do it with your skill, not your fist," Koji said helplessly.


    "It is easy for you to say that since you are not the one who was humiliated here." Ogawa scoffed. "Do it with the skill and not with the fist? Do you think I have it in me to defeat that bastard in a pure volleyball game?" It was a pure question with no sarcastic remark. However, Koji couldn''t help but blush, knowing the answer to the question already.


    "Well¡­ Maybe, you can ask for Yuki or Riku''s help?" Koji offered a suggestion, yet his tone was uncertain.


    Riku snorted, elicitingughter from the other yers. "Please, don''t involve me or Yuki in your shenanigan." The blonde boy said.


    "Yeah, Jimmy! Don''t drag them into your embarrassing plot!" The others followed.


    "Hey, it is Koji who wants to drag them here, why don''t you all me them?! How shameless!" Ogawa cursed.


    Seeing the warm interaction inside the team, Yuki shook his head helplessly, yet a small smirk still formed on the corner of his lips. This scenario was far better than them falling into another one of depression pit just like before. While it was a pity that his turn to serve was finally over, at least with this kind of spirit, they would be able to keep the momentum for a while.


    "Okay, let''s focus back to the game." Yuki pped, gaining his teammates'' attention. "Since we are still on the lead, we should hold the score as long as possible to keep the momentum in our side. To do that, you all know what you should do, right?"


    All the eyes turned solemn as they knew what Yuki wanted to say. "Yeah, we are going back to the basics now." Riku nodded. "Defend with all of our might and never let them score an easy point!"


    "Yeah!"


    -0-


    After everyone regained theirposure, the referee finally started the game back. This time, it was Lucas who served the ball. Yuki and Kaede prepared themselves in the back, ready to receive a powerful serve from the Brazilian boy. However, they didn''t expect that Lucas didn''t go for an ordinary jump serve here.


    He gave a spin on the ball to make it drop down toward the ground quickly once it cleared the.


    "HOLY SHI ¨C "


    *BAM!*


    "Sorry! Bad receive from me!" Yuki cursed when he saw the ball he received and went back to Konan''s side.


    "Don''t worry, just recover quickly!" Riku shouted, taking over themand. "Jimmy, keep your eyes on their captain! Don''t let him hit the first ball directly!"


    Even though Matsumoto saw Ogawae in his direction, he was unfazed by it. He was the captain of Konan High, there was no way he would run away from a weak yer like Ogawa. His pride would never allow him to do that. However, as Matsumoto was about to jump and hit the ball directly, he suddenly heard a shout from behind.


    "Captain, step aside!"


    Matsumoto widened his eyes when his brain registered who just shouted at him. Even without turning his head, he knew the source of the shout came from Sawada. However, for all he could remember, the boy was always calm and polite and would never raise his voice to his senpai.


    This was the first time he saw ¨C or heard the setter was so excited like this, and he couldn''t help but want to see what his kouhai wanted to do.


    ''Well, Nobu, if you want, hit it by yourself!''


    Instead of jumping as he was about to do before, Matsumoto stopped and then turned sharply in the other direction to confuse Ogawa. Then, from his back, a small figure suddenly appeared, flying in the air already and was about to hit the ball.


    "Damn! Don''t think you can fool me!"


    Ogawa took off from the ground immediately, both his hands extended far in the air. However, instead of spiking the ball, Sawada changed his stance wlessly in the air, turning it into an overhead pass far to the wing side.


    "Nice pass, Nobu!"


    "Damn! He is there! Koji, stop ¨C !"


    *BAM!*


    "OH! Nice kill, Captain!"


    Yeah, the one who received Sawada''s pass was Matsumoto. At first, the captain just wanted to go far from his original spot to distract the opponent''s blockers and give Sawada enough room to do what the boy wanted to do. However, Matsumoto didn''t expect to see the ball fly above him, and relying on his instinct, he executed the ball perfectly to add one more point for Konan High.


    "Damn, Nobu! You really need to get out of your shell more often! That is awesome!" Matsumoto praised genuinely.


    "Ah¡­ It is nothing, Senpai." Sawada rubbed his neck sheepishly.


    "No, it is not nothing, Nobu." Arizawa also chimed in. "Even though your usual stable style is not wrong, sometimes, you need to get out of yourfort zone to improve yourself."


    "I got it¡­"


    Even though Sawada nodded his head in the end, the others knew the boy did it politely, and their words didn''t quite reach his head. Still, they didn''t press their kouhai, knowing how difficult it was to change a person''s style all of a sudden. Still, they were happy that Sawada was brave enough to take the first step, and it would be smoother for them to guide their kouhai in the future.


    "Okay, since Nobu is on fire, I will follow it up!" Akihiro suddenly got himself fired up. Then, he turned his head immediately to the Tsunemori yers on the other side of the before throwing the most unexpected challenge of the day. "Hey, Tsunemori! Brace yourself! The next sequence will end with a clean block from me, so don''t be too surprisedter!"


    Hearing that bold deration, almost all the Konan yers pped their forehead, sometimes forgetting that their other kouhai was the exact opposite of Sawada, brash and idiot. As for the Tsunemori yers, they stared nkly at Konan''s middle blocker as the challenge that was just thrown at them hadn''t quite sunk into their heads yet.


    After a while, they all finally let out an appropriate response to the bold challenge from Akihiro.


    "Eh?"

 Chapter 159: Akihiros Provocation! (II)

    Yuki''s facial muscles twitched slightly when what Akihiro said registered through his brain. He didn''t even need to look at his teammates to know what their reaction would be.


    "Ha?! Are you kidding me, brat?!" Koji scowled, his expression turned ugly.


    "Even though I said before that I don''t have the skill to beat you in a pure volleyball game, that doesn''t mean you can look down on our team like that, Brat!" Ogawa also had the same ugly expression as his friend. "Show some respect to the opponent!"


    Akihiro opened his mouth, ready to spout some nonsense to answer Tsunemori yers'' words. However, before he could do that, Matsumoto stepped forward and pped his kouhai''s head pretty hard, making the others wince unconsciously.


    "Ouch! What the hell, Captain?!" Akihiro scowled indignantly. However, whateverint he had disappeared with the saliva he swallowed back when he saw not just the captain, but almost everyone, even the coach from the bench red at him.


    "Come here for a second," Matsumoto said shortly. Akihiro knew he screwed up big this time, so it would be better to swallow hisint and ept the scolding from the others. Before they left though, Matsumoto turned at the Tsunemori yers and bowed his head. "I apologize for his rudeness. I will make sure he knows better after this. Excuse me."


    All the Tsunemori yers were speechless, still processing what just happened in thest few minutes. From the tant provocation from the opponent''s middle blocker to the genuine apology from the opponent''s captain, this wasn''t the development they expected to happen in this game. However, they all knew why Matsumoto reacted strongly to Akihiro''s provocation.


    Even though the middle blocker didn''t say anything excessive, he still said that in front of the referee. While the referee might not punish him just for a small matter like this, this kind of incident could give the referee a bad impression that Akihiro was a troublemaker brat. It wouldn''t matter if the referee just let this matter go and moved on.


    However, it would be bad if the referee reported this incident to the volleyball association which had the right to punish them for the provocation.


    No matter how big Konan High was, there was no way they could escape the punishment warranted by the association.


    Fortunately, except for giving a stern gaze, the referee didn''t say anything, just signaling Konan High to calm down and not dy the game. However, the provocation had already been thrown, and all of the Tsunemori yers were fired up already.


    "Oi, Riku." Yuki suddenly spoke to his friend. "I don''t care what we are going to do, but let''s kill that cocky bastard in the next y." Even though Yuki didn''t show any reaction, in the end, he was still a teenager. There was no way he wouldn''t get riled up from such a tant provocation.


    "Sure." Riku who also felt unhappy with Akihiro''s provocation agreed to Yuki''s proposal immediately. "Let''s do it."


    After a while, the game was about to start again. It was still Lucas''s turn to serve as the Brazilian boy grabbed the ball and walked to the service line. Just like before, all the Tsunemori yers moved forward, leaving Kaede and Yuki behind to handle the ball.


    "Kai, even if it looks like the ball would go outside, don''t ignore it. He could do a topspin serve." Yuki informed his senpai.


    Kaede nodded silently, knowing what Yuki wanted to say. A topspin serve would make the ball drop sharply, making the ball fall shorter than the yers thought it would be. It was good to deceive the yers on the back line and let them think the ball would go out just to find the linesman said it was still inside the court.


    It was a troublesome technique that Kaede and Yuki needed to be careful when they handled it.


    After a while, the referee finally blew the whistle, letting Lucas do the serve. Yuki''s eyes stared intently at the Brazilian boy, didn''t want to miss any single detail even for a second. And when his eyes met Lucas''s, he knew the ball woulde in his direction.


    "Come on!"


    *BAM!*


    The ball zoomed into his body with great speed, then dropped instantly when it crossed the. Yuki reacted quickly, moving forward to anticipate the ball. It wasn''t difficult to receive it when he knew what woulde in his direction. However, he didn''t stop just like that. After receiving the ball, he recovered quickly and started rushing forward.


    "RIKU!"


    Even without looking, Riku knew where Yuki would go. This was the connection built after so many times formingbination attacks with each other. Riku knew that Yuki would definitely go for a quick attack to catch the opponent off guard.


    However, it seemed he wasn''t the only one who knew Yuki''s intention. Akihiro who provoked them a few minutes ago also moved, knowing that someone from Tsunemori would definitely want to p him in the face. It was just a matter of who would do that, and when he saw Yuki''s quick movement, the middle blocker knew what Tsunemori yers wanted to do.


    "It seems you are eager to turn my words into reality, huh? Brace yourself, four-eyes!"


    Yuki who was already in the air suddenly faced a huge pressure from the other side of the. This was the first time he faced Akihiro head-on as a spiker in this game, and he knew that even with all of his antic, Akihiro was still a national-level blocker. However, that didn''t mean Yuki would back down from the challenge.


    ''If this works against Haruo, it should be perfect against you!''


    After recoiling his arms back, he swung them as quickly as possible to generate more power from inside his body. However, when his hand was about to touch the ball, he reduced the speed, then changed it from a hard spike into a soft tap, trying to get through Akihiro from above.


    The middle blocker who was ready for anything from a cross, a straight, a rebound, and even a block out was taken aback at the choice Yuki took here. This was the only thing he didn''t think of how to handle, considering after facing his provocation, there was no way the opponent would be timid and go with a fake. But Yuki wasn''t a hot-headed yer like Koji or Ogawa.


    His best weapon was his brain, and when he could stay calm and think about his actions clearly, there was a high probability what he was going to do would be sessful.


    "SHIT!"


    Shimada who was on the back dived forward, trying to save the ball. However, he wasn''t quick enough as he could only see helplessly the ball fall in front of his eyes. For a moment, the silence seemed to fall down the court with all the yers staring at the ball nkly. It was finally broken by Yuki whose eyes were on Akihiro as he said coldly, "You want a clean block? Sorry, not from me."

 Chapter 160: Sawada Takes Action! (I)

    "Damn, he is awesome!" Akihiro grinned. Instead of getting infuriated or frustrated by Yuki''seback line, all he felt was excitement for a strong opponent in front of him. "I wish I would have a chance to say something cool like that in the future."


    "You wish, Brat." Matsumoto snorted. "It takes talent to be awesome like that."


    Yeah, no one was angry about Yuki''s provocation. They all knew it was justified, and more importantly, they guessed this made everything more interesting. It had been a long time since they yed against a team that wouldn''t just crumble in the second set after knowing the sheer difference between the two teams.


    However, there was one person who didn''t share the same excitement. No, his eyes were dead serious as he stared at Yuki with a mixture of awe andpetitiveness.


    ''Even though you both are not from Matsukita, you still show that you can hold your ground against us. You both are amazing, Riku-san, Yuki-san.''


    Yeah, it was Sawada who kept staring at both Tsunemori''s freshmen as if they owed him money or something like that. Sawada could still remember their first meeting in Riku''s house and their bold deration to ask him to go all out when they met each other. It took gut for someone to say that after knowing he was a Konan yer.


    When Sawada knew that both Yuki and Riku were from a no-name school like Tsunemori, he couldn''t help but feel disappointed, thinking that they were the usual bigmouth who didn''t know the sky at all. However, it seemed they had the capital to ask him to do the best here.


    ''Still, I won''t lose to you both!'' He clenched his fist, his eyes full of determination.


    A momentter, the game restarted again with the ball in Koji''s hand. Just like in the first set, the second-year hitter didn''t have the big heart to risk it all with a jump serve and resorted to his ordinary one. Matsumoto picked it up easily, sending the ball to Sawada.


    "Nobu, left!"Lucas shouted from the wing.


    Normally, it would be logical to pass the ball to the Brazilian boy, since even if he were under Hirano and Ogawa''s eyes, the ace wouldn''t have a problem dealing with them. However, this time, Sawada thought differently. He wanted to answer the challenge from Yuki''s y before, so he decided to do something that was so not him.


    Just when all the attention was on Lucas, Sawada executed a deceptive flick of his wrist, sending the ball sailing in a soft arc to the unguarded Matsumoto, who had quietly drifted into position on the opposite side of the court after receiving the serve before.


    With the opponents momentarily paralyzed by confusion, the captain leaped into action, delivering a powerful spike that left both the defenders and their fans in stunned silence.


    "Damn, Nobu! What the hell is that?!" Matsumoto broke the silence, his eyes widened in surprise. "You fooled everyone for good in thest y! If I don''t see your little eye contact, I bet I wouldn''t be able to react to your pass too!" Even though his voice rose, there was no heat in the captain''s tone. It was all awe and excitement there.


    "Yeah, Nobu! What the hell is that?!" The others followed.


    "You used me as a bait?!"Lucas also chimed in.


    Honestly, the reason why they were so surprised wasn''t that Sawada could pull something so bold like fooling the entire court like that, but more because he was willing to do that. For all the talents he had, Sawada was always strict to the rule. He would always follow Konan''s ybook sign and never crossed that line.


    So, when they all saw Sawada send a signal for Lucas to attack just for him to give the final pass to Matsumoto, it was a big surprise to his teammates.


    Sawada himself had his face reddened, embarrassment. Still, he nced at Yuki and Riku on the other side of the court with the eyes that he perceived as a provocation look, wanting to convey the message that they weren''t the only great freshmen in the court here. Matsumoto noticed this and nodded in approval. It seemed his kouhai was stimted by the two freshmen from Tsunemori High.


    Meanwhile, on the other side of the, Yuki could only smile wryly when he saw the opponent celebrate the point. "Damn, he even fooled his own teammates." He mumbled lowly.


    Riku who was closest to him overheard it and nodded in agreement. He also saw how all the Konan yers were surprised by Sawada''s choice as if it wasn''t something that the Konan''s setter had never used before.


    "Well, to fool your opponent, you have to fool your teammates first. It seems he understands this quote better than anyone else here." Riku said sagely.


    "I would be impressed if only he didn''t do it against us." Yuki chuckled bitterly. "Still, no need to cry over the spilled milk. Let''s focus on the next y, okay?"


    "Sure!"


    The possession moved back to Konan High again, with the privilege to serve in Arizawa''s hand. All the Tsunemori yers tensed for a second when they saw the seemingly ordinary boy walk to the service line.


    While his floater serve wasn''t as good as Yuki''s and they all could handle it, hisst turn in the service line resulted in the score gap between the two teams widened up to 12 points and it left a psychological shadow inside their heart.


    "Okay, don''t worry, everyone! Focus!" Kai shouted, taking over themand.


    "Yeah, focus! His serve is nothing!" Riku added, trying to encourage the others.


    Arizawa arched his eyebrows a little at the tant disrespect, but couldn''t say anything since he knew he couldn''t score directly from his floater. Still, he could make things difficult by aiming the ball straight at the setter. All the Tsunemori yers were taken aback when they saw the balle in Riku''s direction.


    It had been a long time since someone targeted their setter that they forgot they had to protect him from getting the first touch.


    However, Riku wasn''t that worried about it. Even without uttering a single word, he could see Yuki had already moved, ready to cover his role as a setter. This was also the advantage of having an all-around yer like Yuki. Tsunemori didn''t have to worry when their setter was incapable of getting the second touch.


    With that in mind, Riku received the ball with an overhead pass, sending it to his friend before rushing forward to attack. Akihiro watched him intently, knowing by now that the mostmon thing in theirbination attack was a quick between those two. However, it was different this time. Yuki knew Akihiro would follow Riku''s movement closely, so he chose the least obvious option here.


    "Rano!"


    Yeah, Hirano who hadn''t done a lot since the second set began finally had a chance to show off his skill. While he wasn''t that good in offense, at least facing Konan''s defense which only had one blocker one step behind to stop him, Hirano had the confidence he could kill the ball.


    Or¡­ So that was what he thought before Hirano widened his eyes when he saw a pair of handsing from the most unexpected yer to do so in the court.


    "WHAT?!"

 Chapter 161: Sawada Takes Action! (II)

    *BAM!*


    "ONE TOUCH!" Sawada shouted, gritting his teeth to hold back the pain from the spike.


    Yeah, the one who just blocked Hirano''s attempt to spike before was Sawada, Konan''s setter who had a thin body and was not suitable on the front line. He followed Yuki''s eyes closely, wanting to figure out where the sses boy wanted to send the ball. When he managed to read the opponent''s intention, he moved instinctively without telling his teammates about it, making him do the block alone.


    Unfortunately, he was too thin and didn''t have a high pain tolerance. As a result, even though Hirano''s spike wasn''t too strong, his wall was blown easily by it. Still, his effort was enough to slow down the ball, and all of his teammates were touched by the grit he showed here.


    "Damn, nice block, Nobu!"


    "Get ready for the next attack! Recover quickly, Nobu!"


    When he listened to the cheers from his teammates, Sawada gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain in his hand. The moment hended on the ground, he moved immediately, observing the situation in the court for a second before deciding quickly which was the best option to score next.


    "Shimada-senpai, here!" Sawada shouted, asking for the ball.


    Shimada was taken aback by the request, didn''t expect the setter to recover this quickly. However, since this was the first time he saw his kouhai being so aggressive like this, he still indulged in this request, sending the ball to the setter.


    All the Tsunemori tensed for a second, their eyes on the opponent''s movement. They tried their best to figure out who would get the pass, that somehow, they forgot Sawada could just execute the ball alone, and that was what the Konan''s setter did here.


    *Thud!*


    When everyone didn''t notice his presence, Sawada extended one of his hands slightly before tapping the ball with it and sending it directly to the Tsunemori''s side. Everything from his block to the dump happened so quickly that it took a while for everyone to proceed. However, Sawada had a small, satisfied grin on his face as he clenched his fist excitedly.


    ''I can do this too!''


    -0-


    "Damn, where is the real Nobu?! Tell us where is our sweet boy?!"


    "Don''t joke like that, Take! He would pass out if you went overboard."


    "But that is a nasty dump, Nobu. And I have to agree with Take, your ying style today is a bit different but still in a good way. You are not afraid to show your fang anymore."


    "Yeah, little Nobu has grown up already."


    Hearing the praise from his teammates, Nobu''s face went red like a boiled lobster. For all the talent he possessed, he was still a shy boy who wasn''t used by the praise from the others. This was probably the second time he was basked under genuine praises, with the first one being when he joined the team for the first time. Still, he didn''t hate that feeling.


    "Thank you, everyone." He said quietly, yet genuine enough to make the others smile.


    On Tsunemori''s side, Yuki approached his teammates apologetically. "Sorry about thest one. I shouldn''t pass the ball to Hirano-senpai." He somehow forgot Akira''s request about not involving Hirano and Kaede in the offense.


    "Don''t worry about it. I would also be tempted if I saw Rano in such a good position without anyone guarding him like that." Riku waved his apology nonchntly.


    "Anyway, do you feel that the crowd gets bigger as time goes by?" Koji suddenly asked.


    Everyone stared at each other confusedly for a second. However, when they turned their eyes to the stand, they could see that indeed, the amount of people there was at least twice the amount when the game just started. Hearing the whisper though, they knew those people didn''t expect them to put up a stubborn fight like this.


    "Damn, I thought Konan would have an easy game! Who would''ve thought they could survive for so long?!"


    "It is clear you didn''t see the game from the start! Thebination attack between the number 19 and 7 from Tsunemori is troublesome even for Konan''s yers."


    "Yeah! That number 19 is also a monster in the service line!"


    "The others are not that bad either."


    For a moment, a big grin cracked on everyone''s face after hearing the praises there. However, it vanished immediately and turned into a solemn one as they all knew all that acknowledgment would be a waste if they couldn''t win the game. Even though the chance was slim, they had to try their best today, or they wouldn''t be able to stand on the court anymore.


    "Okay, let''s not rush things up," Riku spoke, his eyes dead serious. "Let''s go back to the basics, ensuring we are not leaving any holes in our defense while trying our best to send one or two sneak attacks when they lower their guard. You all with me?"


    "Sure." The others nodded with the same seriousness as him.


    "Good. Even though they just scored twice in a row, it was still a tie. As long as we could drag the game into our familiar rhythm, everything would be easier in the future."


    A momentter, Arizawa served the ball once again. This time, even though he sent it to Riku, Kaede covered the setter quickly, preventing the blonde boy from getting the first touch.


    "Nice cover, Kai!"


    "Okay, let''s move!"


    From the left wing, Yuki took three steps to the back quickly, starting to do his run-up. It wasn''t just him, but also Kaede and Ogawa. They formed a three-pronged attack to confuse the opponent. And it worked perfectly since even all of his teammates didn''t know who would get the final pass, the opponents wouldn''t be able to read them easily.


    Everyone was tensed for a moment, waiting for where the ball would go. However, Sawada suddenly had his eyes widened and rushed forward immediately, startling all the yers close to him. When he saw Riku extend one of his hands slightly, Sawada knew the blonde boy wanted to retaliate from thest attack. However, it would be na?ve for Riku to think Sawada would allow him to copy his attack before.


    "DON''T THINK YOU CAN DO THAT, RIKU-SAN!"


    However, seeing Sawada move to stop his dump attack, Riku let out a mischievous smirk as he suddenly said, "I finally got you, Bastard!"

 Chapter 162 Rikus Plan

    Before this y¡­ No, even far before that, Riku noticed that he had been stared at constantly by Sawada from the other side of the. At first, he thought the boy was just targeting Yuki. But after a while, he realized he was also under Sawada''s radar. Continue your adventure at empire


    He also knew that even though they had little to no contact before this game, Sawada had already known about his overly highpetitive spirit. It was something that he could never conceal.


    So, adding those two facts, together, Rikuid a careful n to lure Sawada out to the front line and expose his weak defense.


    Riku deliberately raised his voice when he said he wanted to stabilize the game first so that Sawada could hear and guess his n. With his sharp instinct, there was no way Sawada wouldn''t guess it was just a fake call and he would do the same dump attack just like Sawada did before.


    However, that was the bait that Riku sent to lure him out.


    As a result, the first time Riku showed his intention to do a dump attack, Sawada rushed forward immediately just as he wanted. He couldn''t help but smirk, feeling like the main protagonist in a movie full of plot twists who said something like, ''I predict your prediction.'' with his protagonist aura.


    And when everything went perfectly as he nned, it would be easy for any of his teammates to execute thest attack.


    "Ha! I finally got you, Bastard!"


    *BAM!*


    Instead of a dump, Riku changed his stance once again into a normal pass and sent a quick toss toward Yuki who also rushed to the front line. Even though Yuki didn''t know his n to the fullest, the sses boy still trusted him when he asked the boy to move forward and get ready to attack. Of course, he didn''t say that out loud. He wasn''t that stupid.


    Yuki himself didn''t think about it for too long. Since Riku wanted him to move, he would do so, knowing that his friend had a n. As a result, when he realized the ball suddenly shed in front of his face, he swung his hand instinctively, and while his spike wasn''t that powerful, it still caught everyone off guard, piercing the area between Matsumoto and Arizawa on the left side.


    Seeing the ball bounce at Konan''s side, everyone fell into stunned silence. Even if Riku''s carefully crafted n had so many details, in reality, everything happened in just less than three seconds. The people in the stand didn''t know why Konan yers were frozen on the spot and didn''t react to the quick at all. However, they didn''t care about it.


    When everything finally sunk in, cheers exploded from every corner of the building.


    "See?! That is the nastybination between number 7 and number 19!"


    "Damn, even Konan yers couldn''t react to that?!"


    "To see it directly like this, they are awesome!"


    "Can you really see the quick?"


    "Hey!"


    "Hahaha!"


    Even though almost all the people here came to see Konan High, most of them were neutral fans. What they wanted to see the most besides the best team in the country was a Cindere story when a no-name team somehow managed to beat them. And while it was still far from that, at least Tsunemori managed to make everyone remember their name, all because of the two freshmen on the team.


    Amagi himself turned somber, far opposite of the mood around him. He was different than those people. Even though he was far from the court, he could still see so many tiny details from thest y and could probably guess Riku''s n.


    However, guessing was one thing, and stopping it was another. He recalled thest y inside his head and tried to imagine himself in Sawada''s position, trying to figure out what he could do in the setter''s position.


    After a while, a cold sweat rolled down his face as he came to a conclusion, even with Gondo joining him, it would take them to read the game in a high uracy for them to stop the blonde''s n.


    The fact that this idea came and was executed by a no-name team sent a shiver down his spine, knowing that one or two yearster, they would be deadlier to face on the court.


    ''Fortunately, we decided toe and see this game. This would be a precious intelligence for the future.'' He thought.


    Meanwhile, on Konan''s side, everyone gathered around Sawada, trying to cheer him up.


    "Don''t worry, Nobu! It is just one point! You can get it backter!" Matsumoto patted his back.


    "Yeah, Nobu! Everyone has this moment once in a while. Don''t worry about it." Shimada also nodded sagely.


    The treatment was far different from when Akihiro failed to stop Tsunemori''s attack before. However, it was understandable. Akihiro was a yer who had already had experience ying in the national tournament when he was in middle school. There was no need to coddle him over his failure. However, Sawada was the least experienced yer here.


    Everyone always treated him as a fragile person who could break from any external pressure. That was why they were always so supportive of their setter.


    "Don''t worry, Senpai, I am okay." Sawada tried his best to reassure his teammates.


    "Nobu, maybe you should learn something from their number 19." Lucas suddenly spoke, gaining everyone''s attention. Sawada was confused, asking silently for the Brazilian boy to borate. "Well, just look at him. No matter where his position is, hismand always makes sure everything goes wlessly. Maybe, that is what you need to try?


    Not rushing forward when you see the opponent''s intention, but shout and tell us where to go. Easy, right?"


    "Easy, he says." Arizawa snorted.


    Sawada couldn''t help but nod at Arizawa''s snarked response. Even though what Lucas said made sense, it wasn''t easy for him who was always shy to suddenly shout and order everyone to do what he wanted. This was not his style.


    Still, it was a decent suggestion. After pondering for a second, Sawada finally nodded at the Brazilian boy. "I will try to do that, Senpai."

 Chapter 163 Momentum Shifted

    After the game was stopped due to the sudden cheers exploded from the stand, the referee finally managed to calm down everyone in the building. It didn''t take a long time before he gave the nod to the yers, asking them to get ready to restart the game. The next one to serve the ball was Hirano, waiting for the referee to blow the whistle.


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    After a moment, he served the ball quickly, trying to aim at Sawada. However, Arizawa covered Sawada''s position quickly and picked up the ball for the setter.


    "Thanks, Arizawa-senpai!"


    "Nobu! Here!"


    Seeing Lucas asking for the ball, Sawada was tempted to do the same y he did before which fooled all the yers on the court. However, he suddenly felt a shiver down his spine, and when he nced for a moment, he could see both Yuki and Riku eyeing him hungrily.


    ''It seems I am not the only one who got fired up right now.''


    This time, his rational side won the battle, so instead of risking the y under both Yuki and Riku''s eyes, Sawada decided to take the safest side by sending the ball to Lucas. The Brazilian boy took off from the ground immediately, flying high to reach the ball.


    "Jimmy, jump with me!" Yuki shouted. A secondter, Ogawa ran straight in his direction ready to form a wall with him. "Come on! One! Two! Now!"


    *BAM!*


    "Shit!" Ogawa cursed out loud when his hands were thrown forcefully by the spike''s impact. Lucas aimed the ball perfectly to the spot where it would bounce out of the court and resulting in a point for Konan High.


    However, Kaede saw this intention from afar. His short feet moved at an abnormally high speed, pouncing the ball like a cheetah before it could fall to the ground.


    "Oh! Nice save, Kai!"


    "Cover!"


    "Rano, I got this!" Riku waved his hand at the blocker as he went to get the ball. He jumped immediately, wanting to spike the ball directly. However, the moment he hit the ball, a pair of hands suddenly popped up in front of him.


    *BAM!*


    "Ha! Don''t think you can forget about me, Bastard!" Akihiro grinned.


    "Shut up, Take! Move! It is still not over!" Shimada shouted from behind.


    Indeed, even though Akihiro managed to block the spike, he couldn''t kill it directly. As a result, the ball flew to his back, which was still good enough for his teammates to initiate a decent counterattack.


    "LUCAS-SENPAI! STRAIGHT!"Sawada shouted while sending a quick toss.


    Everyone was taken aback when they heard Sawada raise his voice. It wasn''t even five minutes ago that the others suggested he should be bolder to take themand, and now it seemed the setter took it to his heart. Of course, Lucas who was the first to give the advice grinned the widest, knowing this was the fruit of his words.


    ''Well, Nobu, since this was your first-evermand, I will make sure I score this one!''


    *BAM!*


    Just like what Sawada asked, Lucas sent a sharp straight spike close to the sideline. Kaede tried his best to save the ball. Unfortunately, even if he dived and extended one of his hands far to reach it, he wasn''t quick enough to save it, resulting in a point for Konan High.


    "Good job, Nobu!"Lucas turned around quickly after hended on the floor. "That is a good observation!" He praised his kouhai genuinely.


    "Yeah, who would have thought you could raise your voice like that? Good job, Nobu!" Akihiro added, sending a thumb-up at his fellow freshman.


    Sawada''s face flushed red in embarrassment. "No, Senpai. It is because you are willing to follow my lead that we can do this."He tried to be modest.


    "No need to downy your involvement, Nobu! Just ept the praise, you deserve it." Matsumoto also grinned at him.


    Somehow, this little interaction touched Sawada''s heart. While he had been on the team for almost two months, this was probably the first time he heard everyone showed their support for him. Even though he didn''t have anyints about the team''s situation before, he liked the current atmosphere more than ever.


    As the game went by, the atmosphere shifted dramatically, especially when the usually timid Sawada found his voice, orchestrating ys with newfound confidence. With each strategic set and powerful spike, Konan who was behind in the beginning of the second set due to Yuki''s serve began to gain momentum, scoring one point after another.


    As the scoreboard disyed an ever-widening gap, Tsunemori''s confidence began to falter, reced by a growing sense of panic. Mimunication led to uncharacteristic errors, with yers fumbling serves and missing critical ys, their once fluid movements now marred by hesitation.


    All the people in the building could sense the tension rising from the opponents, who exchanged worried nces, their determination wavering as they struggled to regain control of the game.


    "Man, what are they doing? They fumbled it hard!"


    "Hey, no need to be harsh, man. They face Konan, after all. To get double-digit points in the first set is already an aplishment for them."


    "Well, I cannot help it. They showed promise before, so how could they suddenly get panicky and y like a bunch of drunkards?!"


    Honestly, that was also what all the Tsunemori yers wanted to know. They couldn''t figure out how Konan High suddenly got better by miles, leaving them in the dust. Little did they know that it was all because of their coach who suddenly gave them a signal to end this game as quickly as possible.


    ''You have already shown a lot today, don''t give more intelligence to your opponent in the stand.''


    However, their opponent didn''t have the intention to go down so easily. Although their situation was bad, the two freshmen on the team still had their eyes full of determination. "Come on, everyone! We are getting closer! Don''t give up yet!" Riku shouted, trying to encourage his teammates.


    "Yeah!" Yuki also tried to do the same. "And we are still down by five points! Remember, Akira-sensei only permits us to give up when the lead is more than ten, so move your ass and get ready for the next y!"


    "Come on, Tsunemori!"


    "Yeah! You can do it! Don''t give up!"


    "Come on!"


    Seeing the team tried their best to encourage each other, the spectators were touched and willing to share their support for them. This somehow also managed to raise the team''s morale even for a bit. However, it was still better than nothing.


    When Riku saw his teammates'' expressions brighten one by one, he grinned widely. "Good! That is the reaction I want to see! Come on, we still have this unfinished business; we cannot give up yet!"

 Chapter 164 Desperation

    As the game went by, Tsunemori''s situation kept getting worse. Even though there was a moment when their morale spiked up, it was just a momentary boost from the crowd''s cheers. But when they allowed the opponent to score one or two more points, the mood went back to rock bottom.


    Yuki growled lowly, showing frustration for the first time today. He also saw Riku had a simr expression, knowing his blonde friend also felt the same.


    Honestly, if this situation was because they were outssed by the opponent, even though he would be frustrated, Yuki would be able to ept the result. After all, that would only mean they were still far below Konan''s level. Unfortunately, it wasn''t the case this time.


    Thest few points they suffered were all because of the basic mistakes Tsunemori yers made that shouldn''t happen in a high-stakes game like this.


    For example, in thest y, Kaede who usually showed a solid disy of defense suddenly failed to receive Akihiro''s ordinary service. Before it happened, Koji also made a mistake by spiking from outside of the antenna in an attempt to avoid Konan''s blockers. The mistakes made were so basic and stupid that it was so frustrating for Yuki to watch.


    He couldn''t help but think that if only the team was in their top form just like in the beginning of the second set, the score would be closer and the situation wouldn''t be this bad for Tsunemori.


    What happened on Tsunemori''s side wasn''t just because of physical exhaustion. It was also because of the mental pressureing from getting dominated by the best team in the country that made them sloppy and panicked easily. After all, except for Yuki and Riku who werepletely new to Japanese volleyball, everyone knew the weight of Konan''s name and what it meant to beat them.


    The other Tsunemori yers had already set their minds that it was impossible for them to win this game, and after a while, that thought was finally manifested in reality.


    "Oi, Yuki, any idea how to get out of this shitty situation?" Riku whispered.


    "Why are you asking me?" Yuki whispered back.


    "Because you are the one with a better brain here!" Riku answered.


    If this conversation happened in a better situation, Yuki would tease Riku to death for admitting that he was smarter than the blonde boy. However, he was not in the mood to do that right now. Together with Riku, he racked his brain hard to think of the best solution they could have done at this moment.


    However, after a while, they exchanged nces for a second and realized that there was no good solution to their current problem.


    "This is the same situation as when we yed against Matsukita, right?" Yuki smiled dryly. "We cannot count on our senpai and could only depend on ourselves. Man, having a bunch of unreliable senpai sucks."


    "Yeah." Riku groaned. "Well, let''s do the same as we did back then, cover as many areas as possible and try to provoke those scaredy cats that we can do this alone. If they still have any dignity left inside them, they would be offended by our action."


    Yuki could only nod, knowing that while it wasn''t the best solution, that was the best they coulde up with right now.


    "Oi, number 19! Number 7!" Suddenly, the referee''s voice snapped them from their small discussion. "Don''t dy the game for too long! Get ready!"


    "Ah, yes, Sir! Sorry!" Both Yuki and Riku nodded before running back to their position. They forgot that they were still in the middle of the game and couldn''t just do anything they wanted. Their teammates looked at them for a moment with a concerned gaze, yet both freshmen ignored thempletely.


    The game continued with the score 17 ¨C 8 for Konan''s lead. There was still one point left for Tsunemori to lose before they were allowed to give up by Akira. However, based on their expression, it seemed almost all the Tsunemori yers wanted to make it easy for the opponent to get it.


    The one who served the ball this time was Akihiro. While he was an amazing blocker, his ability on the service line was below the standard. However, he gained a morale boost after Kaede failed to receive hisst serve.


    *Thud!*


    Akihiro aimed the ball at Kaede once again, wanting to take advantage of Kaede''s shaken state to score another serve. However, to everyone ¨C even Kaede''s surprise, Yuki suddenly rushed forward and took over the ball withoutmunicating with each other.


    However, even though their position ovepped, Yuki managed to get the ball first, and then he moved again while leaving Kaede with his mouth gaping wide in confusion.


    "Riku!"


    "I got it! Move to the left!"


    Following Riku''smand, Yuki didn''t hesitate to rush to the left side. Koji who was there was taken aback, not knowing why Yuki suddenly went crazy like this. Before he could question his kouhai though, the sses boy had already taken off from the ground right in front of his face.


    "Ha! Don''t think you can do that!"


    Akihiro rushed from his spot on the service line just to try to block his attempt. He wasn''t alone there. Lucas also moved from his spot, forming a two-man block with Akihiro. Facing the duo that could make everyone tremble in fear, Yuki was calm, his eyes moved quickly to scan the entire court.


    He didn''t give any hint where the ball would go until thest second, wanting to confuse the two blockers in front of him. After a while, he finally decided,


    *BAM!*


    Spike straight to Lucas''s hand! It wasn''t aimed for a rebound, because no matter how many chances Yuki could get for Tsunemori, the others wouldn''t be able to take advantage of it. Instead, he aimed for a block out, wanting to kill the y directly. Unfortunately for him, Shimada reacted quickly to save the ball right before it could fall to the ground.


    "Oh! Nice save, Shimada!"


    "Matsumoto-senpai, move!"


    Knowing that the only yers on the other side who were still willing to fight were Yuki and Riku, Sawada moved the ball to the spot far from their position. With only Hirano and Ogawa guarding that spot half-heartedly, it was easy for the captain to get through the wall in front of him.


    *BAM!*


    "YOSSHAAAAA!" Matsumoto roared, celebrating the point.


    Meanwhile, all of the Tsunemori yers suddenly kneeled and fell to the floor as if all the strengths that kept them moving in this game suddenly evaporated in the air. Their face paled, sweat rolled down their face. No one spoke anything to each other, yet everyone knew one thing that popped inside everyone''s head.


    ''So, is everything over?''

 Chapter 165 One Last Mission!

    As Akira called a timeout after Matsumoto scored from the spike through Hirano and Ogawa, his heart sank at the sight of his yers slumped on the court, their faces clouded with despair.


    Each one had cast away the spark that had once ignited their teamwork and tenacity; instead, they wore expressions of defeat, shoulders heavy beneath the weight of a relentless ten-point deficit that had left them reeling.


    He could feel the tension in the air, thick and suffocating, as he nced from one dejected face to another. The echoes of the crowd faded into a distant murmur, leaving only the deafening silence of their self-doubt.


    Even though Akira said before that they could give up and rest when the opponent had more than ten points lead, when that finally happened, he couldn''t help but curse out loud. He desperately racked his brain for words to lift their spirits, to reignite their passion, but the reality of their struggle loomedrger than any motivational speech he could muster.


    In that moment, he felt helpless, a ship adrift in choppy waters, longing to steady the course but unsure of how to guide them back to the game they loved.


    "Why do you all look so depressed?" Sekine suddenly asked, breaking the silence. Everyone turned their head, just to turn it away when they saw the disappointed look from the old man. "You walked into this building already convinced that your opponent is invincible, that their reputation alone is enough to scare you off before the first serve.


    You let their des cloud your vision and overshadow your own skills. So, I don''t think you guys have the right to feel depressed here. Only those who fight to their fullest and still lose have the right to do so. You all deserve to lose today."


    Each word felt like a jolt of cold water, but the sting of truth lingered heavier in the air. With a sharp exhale, Sekine shook his head in disappointment, disillusioned by the sight of their defeated spirits. He turned and stormed off, the bench''s atmosphere shifting from despair to a tense stillness, leaving the team to grapple with his words.


    "Sekine-jiisan¡­" Megumi rose from her spot and followed the old man, didn''t want to get involved in this mess too.


    The moment Sekine''s footsteps faded into the distance, the bench erupted in a storm of usations, each yer turning on their teammates like a pack of wolves.


    "If you all didn''t make those stupid mistakes, we wouldn''t be in this mess!" barked Riku, ring daggers at all of his senpai, whose shoulders tensed at the criticism.


    "Us? Look who''s talking! You two tried to y as a hero and ignored us in thest y! Look at where it brought us right now!" retorted Koji, his voice rising with frustration.


    "Well, at least we tried! What can you say about you, huh?!" Riku argued back.


    The atmosphere thickened as more voices joined the fray, each yer desperate to shift the me as if that would somehow absolve them of their own failures. Some mmed their palms on the bench, while others clenched their fists, their eyes zing with rage rather than determination.


    The cacophony of shouts and grievances drowned out their collective sense of purpose, turning camaraderie into chaos. Tension crackled in the air like static electricity, and as usations flew, it felt as if the bond that once united them was fraying at the seams.


    "Okay, enough!" Akira finally raised his voice, tired of the ming game. "We are in a bad situation already, don''t make it worse!" He hissed, ncing at the referee. Noticing this, everyone also did the same, just to be wilted by the re sent by the referee. They suddenly realized that all the eyes were on them, scrutinizing every movement they made.


    "They are fighting with each other."


    "Yeah."


    "Well, it is bound to happen."


    "Yes, it is either this or the whole team gives up before the game is over. That wouldn''t be the first time a team does that against Konan."


    "It is pity, though. They put a decent fight in this game."


    All the yers couldn''t help but bow their heads deep, ashamed when they overheard the murmurs echoing in the building. Of course, they also entertained the thought of giving up. However, it was easier said than to be done.


    Even though there was no shame in giving up against Konan and they wouldn''t be the first team to do that, it still hurt their dignity when they thought about resigning officially to the referee.


    Not that there was so much dignity left inside them, of course.


    "Well, I know what is inside your mind right now. You are probably thinking that this will be yourst game with the team and it is impossible to reverse the situation, so what is the best way to leave the court without embarrassing yourself or something like that, is that right?" Akira asked.


    Everyone was taken aback, didn''t expect that their coach would be able to read their mind so easily like that. However, what he said next attracted their attention more.


    "Well, what if I tell you there is a way to leave with a bang?" He smirked at the intrigued expression that was far from their frustration a few moments ago.


    "Just look at them." He used his head to point at Konan''s bench. There they saw all the Konan yers chatting andughing with each other. "Even though you did well in the first set and managed to ssh some troubles for them, based on their reaction right now, it seems they still didn''t take us by heart.


    I bet that after the game is over, they would forget about us and move on to their next game Not that we can me them, of course, since we yed a shitty game in the second set. However, since we are on the same page here and thought that it is impossible to reverse the situation, why not make the best team in the country remember about us?"


    THAT was a good idea. Making sure the best team in the country remember their name before they were disbanded as a team would be an epic way to leave. However, there was a big question ring in front of them here. How?


    Seeing the depression and frustration vanish from the yers'' expressions, Akira nodded, satisfied with the change. He knew that this was going to be hisst day as their coach, and while he felt sad about it, he suppressed his emotions for now and wanted to guide the team onest time. He wanted to make sure that everyone here remembered how awesome his team was even for a short period.


    As for how to do that, he had already had an idea in his mind.


    "Well, I know you all think it would be hard to do so. However, we can make a strong impression just by doing what we are best at." The smirk was back on his face.


    At first, everyone was confused, not knowing what the coach meant. However, it was Yuki who got it first. "Sensei, you mean¡­?"


    "Oh, yes, Yuki." The smirk turned into a wide grin as he confirmed the sses boy''s guess. "Listen carefully since this is going to be ourst mission as a team! Remember the Tsukumi University training camp we held a few weeks ago? You know the rule! We are back to the basics, don''t let the ball fall to the ground and drag the game to hell! Can you do it?!"


    All the yers nced at each other with enlightened expression. Gone was the gloomy atmosphere in Tsunemori''s bench, reced with excitement. Even though they all knew this was going to be thest time they stepped into this court, they all were on the same page now, determined to finish thest mission their coach gave.


    With that thought in mind, there was only one appropriate answer to Akira''s question.


    "YES, SIR!"

 Chapter 166 Drag Them to Hell! (I)

    "Their eyes changed," Sawada, who had observed Tsunemori''s situation since the argument on the opponent''s bench started, said solemnly. They have some sort of murderous intent in their expression now, " he informed his teammates.


    "So, they haven''t given up yet?" Matsumoto snorted. "Admirable, but useless. It is toote for them to make a change." He said nonchntly.


    Sawada nodded, knowing his captain was right. However, he couldn''t help but keep staring at Tsunemori''s bench. Even though he didn''t know what happened there, but for the situation to change drastically from a heated argument to the unity that was shown by Tsunemori right now was a bit confusing for him to proceed.


    However, somehow, he had a premonition about something troublesome that would happen next.


    Meanwhile, on the Tsunemori''s bench, all the yers there bounced on their seats with excitement, couldn''t wait for the game to be continued again. Gone was the hesitation, the depression, the feeling of awe or afraid of their opponent, reced by the determination to leave a deep impression on all the people in the building.


    They didn''t think about the final result of the game anymore, knowing they were bound to lose everything after this. But that was what made Sawada worried the most.


    Just like the wise man said, the team who had nothing to lose would be the most troublesome to face.


    "Oi, Riku!" Koji suddenly called the setter. "Don''t think you can get away from the disrespect before, okay? We will settle everything after the game is over. But for now, just concentrate on giving a good pass to me, okay?!"


    Riku snorted, thinking how ironic the current situation was. He and Yuki had been thinking for a long time about how to raise the team''s morale, but the moment Akira dered the game was a lost cause, everyone got fired up all of a sudden. Hell, even Koji who probably was the most frightened one to face Konan High now seemed to be a different yer, confidence zing on his face.


    "Well, at least the situation is better than before," Yuki muttered next to him.


    "Yeah." Riku couldn''t help but nod in agreement. Explore more stories with empire


    However, he knew this state wouldn''tst long. If they were able to shorten the gap between the two teams, the feeling of having to win would be back again, and they would be crushed by their own mentality just like before.


    Still, after thinking about it for another second, the blonde boy shook his head, trying to dispel the worry about the future scenario that he himself didn''t know whether it would happen or not.


    After another minute passed, the referee finally asked all the yers to return to the court to resume the game. The one who served the ball was still the same: Akihiro. All the Tsunemori yers were determined to stop his consecutive sessful serves, knowing that Konan''s middle blocker would be more infuriating if they couldn''t cut off the loss.


    When the serve finally came, Kaede took over the ball easily, sending it straight in Riku''s direction. Yuki also rushed forward to create a distraction/ However, from the moment Koji called him before the game was resumed again, the blonde boy was determined to send his first pass to his senpai.


    ''Now, let''s see what you who are not afraid of the opponent anymore could do. Don''t disappoint me, Senpai!''


    "Ha! Don''t think you can fool me, Bastard!"


    As the pass came, Akihiro also moved quickly, showing his insanely fast reaction. He took off from the ground at the same time as Koji, both arms extended in the air. If it was before, Koji would tremble in fright, and the end result of his attack would be disappointing. However, it was different this time.


    With an unseen intensity, Kojiunched towards the, his eyes locked onto the ball as it sailed high above. Akihiro braced themselves, expecting the familiar rhythm of his routine spike, but what came next was nothing short of a revtion. Koji unleashed a powerful spike, a shot so ferocious and precise that he never thought Tsunemori''s hitter would have in him.


    Though he managed to leap into position and raise his arms in a block, the sheer force of Koji''s attack sent vibrations through their arms.


    *BAM!*


    The ball ricocheted off their hands with an explosive crack and soared outside the court, leaving everyone stunned and the crowd erupting into cheers.


    "Oh! What a spike!"


    "Damn, even Akihiro couldn''t stop it! And you tell me he has this since the beginning of the game?!"


    "No, this is the first time he shows a spike that powerful. It seems whatever happens during the timeout works for Tsunemori!"


    As for the yers on the court, the moment Koji saw the opponent was unable to save his spike, he roared wildly, venting out all of the frustrations inside him. His face flushed red, his breath was getting heavier. This was what he had been waiting for. A sessful spike attempt to boost his confidence.


    "Good job, Koji!"


    "Damn, I know you have it in you! That is a monstrous spike!"


    "Come on! Kai, follow it up! Don''t you dare to make a mistake after this, okay?!"


    "Leave it to me!"


    The one who served the ball next was Kaede. Meanwhile, Hirano was also reced by Okamura for the rotation. From the outside perspective, this rotation seemed to weaken Tsunemori''s strength. After all, even though with Okamura''s presence, their backcourt would be stronger, Hirano''s absence would allow all the opponent''s yers to spike the ball without getting any pressure.


    However, it was from the outside perspective. All the Tsunemori yers knew that when Okamura entered the court, this would allow Yuki to move freely on the front, and while it wouldn''t affect the defense on the front line that much since his ability as a blocker was at the same level as Hirano, but Yuki''s presence there would also increase their intensity when they attacked the opponent.


    "Come on, Kai! Give us a good one!"


    "Don''t miss!"


    Kaede took a deep breath, his eyes wandering far to the other side of the. While he didn''t have any lethal technique like Yuki or Riku, he was still decent enough in the service line, having a wicked aim from that spot. The moment the referee blew the whistle, heunched the ball to a tricky spot between Arizawa and Lucas, trying to create chaos on the opponent''s side.


    Unfortunately, it was clear this was not the first time Konan''s yers faced this trick. When Lucas saw Arizawa could get the ball, he took a step back immediately, letting his teammate handle the ball while starting his run-up for a quick. This was their usual operation when facing an opponent''s serve, as long as Lucas could avoid the ball, he would do that and prepare himself for a quick.


    In the past, this was always effective in cutting off their opponent''s momentum. However, it was different this time.


    While Lucas didn''t have to face Hirano, when he took off from the ground and waited for Sawada''s pass, two pairs of hands suddenly appeared, blocking his vision immediately. Lucas was taken aback by it. However, he was already in the air and couldn''t adjust his stance, so he could only smash the ball as hard as possible and try to break the wall forcefully.


    With that thought in mind, he swung his arms without hesitation, generating more strength from his body to kill the ball. As a result¡­


    *BAM!*

 Chapter 167 Drag Them to Hell! (II)

    Konan''s quick attack routine was always predictable. Even before the first set was over, all the Tsunemori yers had already recognized the pattern behind it. They would onlyunch a quick counterattack after their opponent sent a serve to cut off the momentum. If the one who received the serve was Lucas, the final pass would be sent to Matsumoto.


    Otherwise, the ball would be handed to the Brazilian boy.


    Even then, Konan still had no hesitation to do that over and over again. They were confident that no matter whether the opponent knew about their intention or not, it wouldn''t matter too much in the end. Lucas or Matsumoto would always be quicker and stronger for anyone to handle. This was the confidence gained by having probably two of the best yers in the country on their team.


    However, if the same trick was released over and over again, someone was bound to stop it sooner orter. And this time, the yers who were able to do that were the two monster rookies from Tsunemori, Yuki and Riku.


    When they saw Lucas start his run-up, they didn''t even blink, moving in sync to form a wall in front of the Brazilian boy. And while they might not be the strongest blockers on the team, thebination of those two was enough to slow down the momentum of Lucas''s spike and allow their teammates to pick up the ball.


    "OH! Nice one touch, Yuki! Riku!"


    "Follow it up! Don''t let the ball fall!" Riku shouted when he saw the ball was about to touch the floor.


    Kaede rushed to get the ball and send it back to the front line. Yuki who recovered first from the block took it over, acting as a setter. Since Koji managed to score a point in thest y, he sent the exact same pass as what Riku sent before, hoping that his senpai would be able to continue his momentum.


    "Nice pass, Yuki!"


    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Block by Akihiro!"


    "One touch!"


    Koji gritted his teeth when his spike was blocked by Akihiro. Unlike before, this time, Konan''s middle blocker managed to absorb the impact from the spike so that the ball''s speed was reduced a lot by the moment it was picked up by his teammates.


    "Good job, Take! Nobu, follow it up!"


    "I got it!"


    Without even looking, Sawada tossed the ball at his back, sending it straight to Matsumoto with high precision as if he had another pair of eyes on the back of his head. He knew that the best blocker on Tsunemori''s side was Yuki, so Sawada wanted to use this chance to avoid the sses boy while also spreading Tsunemori''s blockers thin.


    However, even if he only faced Ogawa in front of him, Matsumoto failed to score the ball as it went straight in Kaede''s direction. Even though Tsunemori''s defensive specialist couldn''t receive it perfectly, the ball was still flying in the air.


    "Nice save, Kai!"


    "Pick it up! Don''t let it fall!"


    Those were probably the mostmon sentences that could be heard in thest few minutes. No matter what kind of attack theyunched, from the left, the right, the back attack, a fake, a dump, no matter how Konan bombarded Tsunemori, their opponent would always be able to save it.


    "Damn! Nobu, give it to me!"Lucas who was frustrated by the unnecessary rally asked for the ball. This was the first time the Tsunemori yers saw him without his grin. While they were ecstatic when they knew they managed to frustrate Konan''s ace, they still did not lower their guard, knowing what came next would be different.


    "Come on, Riku! Follow my lead! One! Two! Now!" Together with Yuki, Riku jumped, trying to block the spike. However, the next spikeing from Lucas was different than before.


    The sheer power transferred to the ball was enough to make all the people there tremble in fear. And when the sound of his hand hitting the ball echoed loudly all over the building, everyone winced unconsciously, pitying Riku and Yuki who had to face the end of it.


    "OH! YOSSHAAA!" Lucas roared, for the first time in the game showing excitement.


    By now, the thought that Tsunemori was a weak, no-name team no longer existed in everyone''s mind. If they could force Lucas to go all out like this, they deserved to get praised. And it wasn''t often for them to see a team manage to hold Konan back for almost two minutes, so while they lost the point, Tsunemori somehow gained the respect of the crowd.


    "Hahaha! Tsunemori is crazy!"


    "I never expected them to be able to frustrate Konan like this!"


    "If only they could do that since the beginning of the game, the result would be different this time."


    "Well, not that different, of course. Konan would still win the game no matter what."


    "Yeah, but you have to give a hat off to Tsunemori, right?"


    Hearing the praises from the crowd, Amagi who was on the stand shifted his seat ufortably. If before, the praises were just lip services to encourage Tsunemori to not give up quickly, this time, it came from people''s hearts as the acknowledgment that Tsunemori was indeed a strong team.


    While he didn''t have a grudge against Tsunemori, Amagi still felt ufortable when he remembered this weak team Matsukita destroyed a few months ago suddenly was transformed into a team that could give Konan trouble. Your journey continues at empire


    Even though they were still a babypared to giants like Konan and Matsukita, Amagi shuddered at the thought of how far Tsunemori would improve given one or two more years to develop.


    Little did he know that the team was on the verge of disbandment and wouldn''t be able to unleash their fullest potential in the future.


    As the game went by, with each blow from their opponent, Tsunemori dove and leaped, pulling off miraculous saves that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Every time Konan yers thought they had the match in the bag, Tsunemori would rally back, transitioning from defense to offense with newfound vigor.


    As the rally stretched into what felt like an eternity, the frustration on the faces of Konan''s yers was visible, and no matter whether they were the best team in the country or not, facing such a situation, they were bound to get frustrated. And after a while¡­


    *BAM!*


    Matsumoto spiked the ball carelessly, wanting to end the y as soon as possible. However, even before he knew whether he scored the ball or not, the referee blew the whistle already, and when he turned around to inquire what happened, the blood drained from his face as he was too shocked by the referee''s decision.


    "Foul! Konan''s number 4 touches the! A point for Tsunemori High!"

 Chapter 168 Konans Substitution!

    For all the people inside the building, the image of Konan High inside their heads was always ''invincible'', ''almighty'', ''untouchable'', or something like that. No matter how many years passed and how many times yerse and go, they would alwayse out as a benchmark for a proper championship team.


    They were a bunch of monsters being ced into a team and somehow, it would always work perfectly without each one of them conflicting with the others.


    They had the best recipe for being a champion team here: they were full of talent, experienced, and could work together like a well-oiled machine.


    That was why when a team like Tsunemori managed to give them trouble, it shocked all the people who watched the game. Even though they admitted Tsunemori''s performance far exceeded their expectation, what Konan yers showed in this game was far below their standard. That was why it wasn''t so strange for anyone to hear the critique echoed all over the building.


    "Man, are they serious? This is not like Konan High at all!"


    "Yeah! Even though they win, it is still a terrible performance by them!"


    "If they are not waking up quickly, they will suffer far worse than the current situation!"


    The score itself was still 18 ¨C 13 for Konan''s lead. From the outside''s perspective, it wasn''t that bad. However, considering this was the first time ever Konan suffered five consecutive points in a row, and it was against a newborn team nheless, everything looked bad for them right now.


    Konan''s coach also noticed this situation. However, he didn''t call a timeout to stabilize his yers'' mentality. No, instead of doing that, he asked one of his yers on the bench to get ready to y.


    "Genzo, it is your turn. Show Nobu how he should do this." It was just a short instruction. However, anyone who heard that shivered unconsciously, knowing something terrible might happen after this.


    "Yes, Sir!" The boy nodded and rose from his seat with his face still expressionless.


    A momentter, the substitution that shocked the entire Tsunemori team happened on the other side of the. Sawada who didn''t y that bad, per se, was reced by a boy with an average height and unremarkable build. At first nce, the new boy didn''t look special at all, making them think that it was Konan''s attempt to provoke and look down at them.


    However, as the boy walked silently on the field, a calm, almost unsettling smile barely tugged at the corners of his lips, causing all the Tsunemori yers to feel an inexplicable chill as if they were staring down a predator disguised in sheep''s clothing.


    "Damn, he is dangerous," Koji muttered lowly.


    Yuki and Riku who overheard that couldn''t help but nod, their expression solemn. Even though Sawada who gave them a lot of trouble was reced, they didn''t feel relieved at all. Instead, they felt wary, knowing the new guy would be as dangerous or even morepared to Sawada''s threat before.


    However, it wasn''t just Tsunemori yers who felt nervous. All the Konan yers ¨C hell, even Matsumoto who was the captain of the team straightened their back immediately when they saw the new guye to the court. The guy didn''t say anything for a moment, making the tension rise astronomically on Konan''s side. After a while, he suddenly let out a deep sigh before started speaking.


    "Arizawa, your movement bes sloppier in thest six minutes. There are about four chances you could kill the opponent''s spike with a block directly, yet your hesitation makes the game prolonged unnecessarily."


    "Yes, Harada-senpai!" The second-year opposite hitter straightened his back and answered the critique in a military way.


    "Take, your impatience also affected the team. There are about two specific situations where if only you move in a system with Arizawa, you will be able to cut the opponent''s momentum." Discover hidden stories at empire


    "Yes, Senpai!"


    "Shimada, you are also the same."


    "Matsumoto¡­"


    "Lucas¡­"


    He scolded all the Konan yers one by one with a monotonous tone, yet the ones who received the end of it could only swallow their protest behind their nervousness and nodded their heads quickly to not attract the boy''s attention. All of this made the Tsunemori yers dumbfounded, wondering the identity of the new boy.


    To make all the Konan yers who had a strong personality listen was definitely not something any ordinary yer could do.


    However, it seemed they were the only ones who were clueless here, as the crowd suddenly got excited when they all saw the boy.


    "Is that Genzo Harada? I thought he was retired already!"


    "Yes, he is Genzo Harada. Also, are you blind? He has been there since the game started, you know?!"


    "Hey, it is not easy to detect his ordinary presence among his monstrous teammates, you know?!"


    "You are right. But hey, at least we can finally see his performance again!"


    Hearing the whisper from the crowd, all the Tsunemori yers furrowed their brows. It was clear by now that the boy was a veteran who had a reputation, and by people''s reaction, his ability shouldn''t be below Sawada. However, based on Akira''s intelligence, the yer who always filled the setter''s spot in this tournament was Sawada.


    So, howe such an amazing yer was willing to be on the bench all the time?


    "Oi, Yuki." Riku suddenly whispered to his friend. The sses boy leaned his body aside, putting his ears close to the blonde boy. "Do you think he is the senpai that Sawada snatched the position as a setter from when he talked about it in my house?"


    Yuki was startled, then his memory suddenly brought him back to the time when he and Riku met Sawada for the first time in Riku''s house. At that time, Sawada was full of hesitation since he didn''t feel quite right after snatching the main setter position from his senpai.


    In the end, Riku''s speech managed to untie the knot in Sawada''s heart, and Yuki somehow forgot about that problem until he was reminded by his friend.


    Unfortunately, this information didn''t change anything except for giving a small insight that PROBABLY, Sawada was slightly better than him that made their coach put the freshman instead of the veteran.


    However, after the scolding session was over and they all saw the excitement that was visible in Konan''s yers, they felt uneasy once again, thinking that the new guy here would bring them more problems than all the Konan yers possessed before.


    ''Man, to think that we finally grabbed the momentum of the game¡­ Hopefully, nothing drastic would change just because of his presence.''

 Chapter 169 Genzo Harada

    Genzo Harada.


    That was his name.


    He was Konan''s main setterst year and managed to lead the team to bring the national trophy back to the school. What people didn''t know about him though, was the fact that he was the retired senpai''s first choice to inherit the captain position.


    At that time, Genzo was everything a team wanted as a captain. Even though he had a cold demeanor, he was smart,posed, cared about the team, selfless, and all of his teammates respected him a lot. Compared to Matsumoto who at that time still had a cockiness after winning the national tournament, it was clear by miles that Genzo was going to be the new captain of the team.


    However, something terrible happened.


    A week before the final of the winter tournament, Genzo who just came back from the training session suffered from a hit-and-run ident. The culprit was a rich young man who just learned how to drive a car for about a few weeks and couldn''t control himself and identally speeded up and hit Genzo.


    Fortunately, even though the victim tried to run away, there were a lot of security cameras on the road, and it was easy to catch him.


    However, for Genzo, it was the beginning of his nightmare. As a result of the ident, one of his arm bones broke and there was a slight injury on his pelvis that made him think he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Long story short, all of the terrible imaginations inside his head didn''t happen and he was able to recover perfectly in three months.


    However, he was never the same again after the incident.


    He couldn''t concentrate on something for too long before starting to get a headache and he got exhausted far quicker than even before he got an ident. After he was treated one more time, the doctor said that he was still in the recovery period and that this was a normal thing.


    The doctor also prohibited the boy from doing any excessive activity for more than 15 minutes, preventing him from joining the full training session.


    With all of that happened to him, coupled with the sudden appearance of a talented freshman like Sawada, Genzo finally approached the coach and decided to retire from the team. He knew he couldn''t help the team anymore with his condition, and forcing himself too much would harm the team more.


    However, the coach rejected his retirement, having a new role that was perfect for his current situation.


    ''Genzo, Sawada-kun is still a rookie. No matter how talented he is, he cannotmand his senpai to do anything. Matsumoto is also a hot-headed person who sometimes is overwhelmed by the situation. As for Lucas¡­ Well, you know how he is. So, I want you to be on the bench and keep them in line. You don''t need to y, but your presence on the bench would mean so much for the team.


    Can you do that for us?''


    So, yeah, after a long conversation with the coach, Genzo finally epted his new role as the one who kept everyone in line.


    Genzo himself had no problem with his new role. After a while, he started to forget about what it felt like to be on the court. But it changed today, when the coach suddenly asked him toe and stabilize the game.


    To be honest, he was nervous right now. He didn''t expect the coach would still trust him to change the game.


    Aside from the fact that it had been a long time since he yed in apetitive game, the doctor also prohibited him from ying more than fifteen minutes, making Genzo feel that the decision to put him on the court was a mistake However, since the coach asked him to do it, he would go without hesitation for the team.


    "You alright, Genzo?" Matsumoto asked, concerned.


    "Don''t worry, Matsumoto. This is nothing." Genzo tried to sound nonchnt. However, Matsumoto could see his friend trying his best to hide his shaking hand.


    "Just do as usual, don''t worry about anything. Let us do the rest." Matsumoto finally said.


    Genzo snorted. "Huh, you finally start to sound like a proper captain, Matsumoto."


    "Well, I have to, since you cannot do it anymore." Matsumoto rolled his eyes.


    Genzo smiled a little, d that the captain approached him. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. After the referee saw he was ready, the game was about to be continued again.


    "Come on, Kai! Give us a good serve!"


    Kaede stared at Genzo for a moment, thinking whether he should test the new guy or not. After a while, he shook his head, didn''t want to risk the momentum the team earned after fighting so hard.


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    Just like before though, Shimada picked up the ball easily, and Lucas also started his run-up immediately even before his teammate received the serve. It seemed nothing changed on Konan''s side as they still insisted on doing their quick attack routine. However, when Yuki and Riku moved already to block the Brazilian boy, Genzo made a surprising move here.


    Instead of sending the ball to Lucas, he flicked it so the ball would only fly on the spot. After that, he moved aside slightly, giving room for the yer behind him to rush forward. The one who came from behind was Arizawa, the one who usually acted as the secondary blocker and was rarely involved in the attack initiated by Sawada.


    "A good pass, Senpai!"


    "Don''t think you can get it so easily!"


    Koji jumped in front of him with both arms extended in the air. Arizawa nced for a second, trying to find a hole to expose. However, before he could do that, he could hear his senpai shout, "Arizawa, give it back again!"


    Hearing that, Arizawa didn''t hesitate to spike the ball straight to Koji''s fingers. It wasn''t a powerful spike, yet the aim was good enough to make the ball fly back to Konan''s side. And without waiting for too long, Genzo who was prepared for the ball sent it directly to the right side, and this time, it was Matsumoto who got the ball.


    "Ha! Nice pass, Genzo!"


    *BAM!*


    Without anyone quick enough to form a wall, he spiked the ball easily to the spot far on the opposite wing. The cross spike was nasty enough for Kaede to receive it, resulting in a point for Konan High.


    However, that point wasn''t the biggest problem here. It was apletely different style that Konan yedpared to when Sawada was on the court. Genzo''s n was so bold, from using Lucas on the left as bait and making Koji in the middle jump for Arizawa''s attack to the point when he sent the ball to the right where Matsumoto was there without anyone guarding him.


    However, everything moved so smoothly that Tsunemori yers didn''t have the chance to stop it at all.


    When they all turned their head to Konan''s new setter, they shivered a little at the cold gaze they received from the boy.


    ''Man, even though he looks cold andposed, his n is bold and creative enough to prate our front line. If he could do that constantly, this would be troublesome for us.''


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 170 Game Over (I)

    Konan''s coach nodded in a satisfied manner when he saw the game was back on track again. This was the reason why he put Genzo on the court. It wasn''t to stabilize the game''s tempo since Sawada was definitely better in that particr aspect. No, what he wanted from Genzo was to stabilize the team''s mentality.


    He knew that even though the team seemed perfect from the outsider''s perspective, it still had some ws. They tended to fall into their bad habits as the game progressed. Matsumoto would be far more aggressive than necessary, Lucas would start to getzy, Akihiro became more reckless, and Shimada sometimes lost his concentration in the middle of the game.


    But once Genzo entered the court, those bad habits disappeared immediately, and once they behaved more properly, the better they would y.


    To put it in a metaphor, if Lucas, Matsumoto, and the other yers were the big guns that sent the opponents into despair, Genzo was the one who made sure the opponents would stay dead for a long time and would never be able toe back to life again.


    Sawada who was on the bench had his jaws dropped, staring at his senpai in awe. "This is amazing¡­" He muttered.


    Honestly, even though he inherited the position from Genzo, Sawada had never seen his senpai yed before. He only heard the story about how amazing Genzo was, yet he came to the team as Genzo''s recement after the third-year setter suffered from the ident.


    That was why although he felt bad and at first didn''t want to grab his senpai''s position, being treated as Genzo''s recement irritated Sawada sometimes.


    However, when he witnessed it with his own eyes, how Genzo orchestrated everything like a veteran conductor in the game and how much better all the yers were all of a sudden, Sawada finally convinced that his senpai was a really amazing setter.


    "You don''t have topare yourself with him, you know?" The coach suddenly spoke. He had already noticed his rookie setter''s dazed state a few minutes ago and knew why. "I know the others have been pushing you to act like Genzo, more controlling and willing to take initiative. However, you have apletely different ying style here.


    You treat the game far more delicate than Genzo would ever be, and you also care about how you could make the others better. I am not saying that Genzo doesn''t care, but sometimes, he expects the others to do what he wants because he can see the game clearer than anyone else. He is like a dictator, while you are like a leader."


    Even though this was the coach''s attempt to reassure Sawada, the rookie setter became more confused. "Isn''t being a dictator a bad thing? Why would you let Harada-senpai y then?" He asked.


    The coach barked augh when he heard that. "Yeah, you are right! Being a dictator is not a good thing." Then, he turned his eyes and stared at his yers fondly. "But it is necessary to have someone like him when all the yers we have are talented and full of arrogance."


    Sawada still didn''t understand what the coach meant by that. He decided to ignore it and put his attention back to the court. The score was 22 ¨C 13 for Konan, and since Genzo came to the court, Tsunemori hadn''t been able to score a point even once. They who just gained the momentum got suppressed once again by Konan who suddenly became different since the setter came.


    This showed how important Genzo''s role is for the team.


    "Man, we are fucked." Riku chuckled dryly.


    Even though Akira had deemed the game unsavable and only gave them onest mission to make an impression on their opponent, he couldn''t help but feel a glimpse of hope sparked when the team scored five points in a row. However, the hope evaporated quickly as the game went by, and what was inside his mind right now was how to end the game properly.


    "Let''s get over this shit quickly, Riku." Yuki patted his friend''s shoulder. It seemed he also had enough and wanted to end this game soon.


    However, even though all of the yers were exhausted already and wanted to get over the game as soon as possible, that didn''t mean they would make it easier for Konan. They had their own pride, and since the coach asked them to drag the opponent to hell, they wouldn''t die without finishing the mission.


    The game was restarted again with the serveing from Matsumoto. The captain threw another powerful serve straight to Tsunemori''s backline. Yuki and Ogawa reacted at the same time, trying to save the ball from falling to the floor. In thest second before they crashed into each other, Yuki stopped quickly, letting his senpai handle the ball.


    *BAM!*


    "Nice save, Jimmy!"


    "Come on, start moving!"


    Since it was Yuki who was the closest to the ball, Riku abandoned his role as a setter pretty quickly, joining the others to attack. Koji and Hirano also did the same, trying to divert the blockers'' attention. However, it was clear Akihiro wasn''t fooled by this, and just a second before Yuki passed the ball, he moved quickly, predicting where the ball would go.


    "WHAT?!" Koji widened his eyes when he saw Akihiro was already in front of him.


    Yuki clicked his tongue, knowing that the Konan''s blocker predicted his attack easily. Unfortunately, even though he was good as a setter, he wasn''t proficient enough to change the target of the pass in thest second. As a result, he could only shout an order to his teammates to cover this up.


    "KAI! MOVE FORWARD! IT IS A BLOCK!" Your journey continues at empire


    Kaede didn''t need to be told twice. He also saw Akihiro move and knew that the boy would be able to block the ball. That was why he followed Konan''s blocker immediately, knowing the ball would fall back to Tsunemori''s area.


    *BAM!*


    "YEAH! Nice save, Kai!"


    "Riku! Cover!"


    Riku moved from the right wing to the left to pick up the ball. By now, the situation on Tsunemori''s side was chaotic as no one stayed in their position anymore. This was their desperate attempt to confuse their opponent and avoid the blockers, and for a moment, it looked like this would work.


    However, the moment Riku was about to toss the ball, he could hear the monotonous tone from the other side of the ordered Akihiro to move.


    "Take, middle, quick! Two seconds!"


    Riku widened his eyes in shock when he realized his attack was also predicted by the opponent. Unfortunately, he couldn''t change it all, and as a result, when the ball was sent to Hirano, Akihiro who had recovered his position already jumped once again, blocking the spike for the second time in a row.


    *BAM!*

 Chapter 171 Game Over (II)

    "Damn, what is he, a robot?" Riku cursed when he saw Genzo''s t expression in the middle of Konan''s celebration.


    It was after Hirano''s spike blocked by Akihiro, and while Riku was fumed that his attack was predicted once again, he was more infuriated by the fact that the culprit behind it didn''t show any reaction at all as if it wasn''t worth mentioning at all.


    "Well, we know for sure he is not a robot," Yuki said bitterly.


    Yeah, even though Genzo acted so robotic, his ying style didn''t match his personality. Unlike Sawada who always seeks stability, he was more daring, always willing to go for an inconvenient path that no normal yer would ever think of.


    However, that wasn''t what made Tsunemori yers frustrated the most. No, it was how good his game-reading ability was and how everyone was willing to listen to his words. In terms of game-reading ability, Genzo was probably on par with Lucas and Yuki who were the best at it on the court right now.


    However, Lucas wasn''t a good leader, and other than asking for a ball from the setter, he never asked for anything in the middle of the game.


    But Genzo was different. He observed everything that happened on the court, proceeded with it in his head, and within a second, formted the most probable scenario that could happen before formting the best n for Konan''s advantage.


    That was the same process as what Yuki did when he tookmand of the team, yet all the Konan yers were used to it already, making everything far betterpared to when it was Tsunemori who did that.


    "Well,e on! No need to dwell on it for too long. Get up, the referee has already looked at you." Yuki patted his friend''s shoulder.


    Riku nodded, taking a deep breath while trying to calm his nerves. The next few minutes were probably going to be thest time he yed with this team, and while he would never stop ying volleyball, Riku somehow felt mncholy when he thought about it.


    All the memories from when he first joined the team, the hellish training, the conflict, the loss, the win, everything shed in his head, making him feel emotional.


    ''Man, even though I''ve only been here for two months, this is probably the ce I enjoy volleyball the most.'' He thought. ''But if this is going to be over, I better make sure I leave with no regret here!''


    With the determination that was still high even on the verge of defeat, Riku put all of his concentration back to the court. The game was continued again with Matsumoto''s serve. By now, everyone knew Konan''s captain liked to aim his serve to the spot close to the baseline to confuse the opponent about whether the ball would go out or not.


    However, this time was different. No one knew whether Matsumoto did it deliberately or it was just an incident, but his spike went too short, hitting the before bouncing at the Tsunemori''s front line.


    "SHIT! RANO, COVER!"


    Explore stories on empire


    Hirano who was closest to the ball was taken aback, yet still managed to react by leaning his body forward and picking up the ball. However, he could only save it and failed to aim the ball. As a result, it flew straight in front of the, and Lucas was already there to knock down the ball.


    "Shit! Don''t think you can do that! I am still here!"


    Riku gritted his teeth, jumping at the same time to get the ball first. Unfortunately, Lucas was taller and jumped a bit higher, allowing the Brazilian boy to touch the ball first in the air.


    "Shit!"


    Riku shut his eyes unconsciously, thinking it was unsavable. However, he didn''t notice Yuki who rushed and dived forward to save the second ball that threatened to fall in their area again.


    *Thud!*


    "Oh! Nice save, Yuki!"


    "Come on! Wake up, Riku!" Yuki roared when he saw Riku was in a daze. The blonde boy shook his head quickly, especially when he saw his friend on the floor. He knew it wasn''t the time for him to be at the pity party, so he gritted his teeth and picked up the ball once again.


    "Koji!"


    Since everything revolved around the middle, Riku tossed the ball to the wing to avoid the blocker. However, one person moved from everyone''s blind spot, and when Koji took off from the ground to kill the ball, that person also did the same, extending both arms to shut down the spike.


    *BAM!*


    "OH! A CLEAN BLOCK!"


    "One more point! Come on, Konan High! Kill the game!"


    As the cheers exploded from the crowd, Koji had his jaws dropped as he saw the ball roll on the floor. Then, his gaze went back and forth from the ball to the yer who killed it, still couldn''t believe that the thin, ordinary boy in front of him managed to block his spike.


    Yeah, the one who killed his spike a few seconds ago was Genzo. The setter knew all of his teammates were entangled with the y in the middle and somehow forgot about the other yers on the wing, so when he noticed Riku was about to send a pass there, he moved quickly to block the spike, and his attempt was proven to be fruitful.


    "Good job, Genzo!"


    "Damn, Harada-senpai! Don''t force yourself too much!"


    "Yeah, Harada-senpai. You can only y for fifteen minutes moderately, right? Don''t do anything stupid!"


    "Well, if you are worrying about me, how about you help the team get thest point as quickly as possible? By then, I can finally take a rest peacefully."


    All the Tsunemori yers turned solemn as they saw their opponents celebrate with each other. It wasn''t the solemn gaze caused by the wary of the opponent, but from the unwillingness at the thought that the next one was probably going to be theirst y as a team.


    Even though they knew about it and had been anticipating this moment since a long time ago, they still feltplicated when the moment arrived, didn''t know what to say.


    Nobody said anything about it, leaving the heavy atmosphere hanging on the Tsunemori''s side. After a while, the referee restarted the game once again, and Matsumoto served the ball with his usual technique.


    The ball went straight in Kaede''s direction, and while usually, it wouldn''t be difficult for the defensive specialist to pick up the ball, since his concentration wasn''t on the court anymore by now, Kaede couldn''t save it, and the ball just bruised his hand before it flew outside of the court.


    *BAM!*


    For a moment, silence descended on the court with no one able to react to it. However, after a while, the referee finally broke it, announcing the final result of the game. "GAME SET! KONAN HIGH 2 ¨C 0 TSUNEMORI HIGH!"


    After hearing that, all the Tsunemori yers slumped in desperation, knowing what it meant.


    ''It is finally over.''

 Chapter 172 Aftermath (I)

    "Look! Is that Agostini-san from 1-B?"


    "Yeah! But why is his expression so scary?"


    "Well, maybe you haven''t heard about it, but his volleyball team just lost a game yesterday and was officially disbanded by the school for good."


    "Really?! I heard they did a good job in their tournament. It is a pity."


    "What are you pitying about? Have you heard the rumor about how they were always favored by the headmaster? Now, they finally get the fair treatment like the other clubs, so I don''t see a bad thing about it."


    "There is something like that?!"


    "Man, where do you live in thest few weeks? Under the rock?"


    It was a day after the game between Tsunemori and Konan, and while Riku never expected a warm wee, he was still surprised by the whispers full of tauntsing from the other students. He knew the club''s current reputation wasn''t at the best, but to say something so mean like that to the peers who just gave their all to represent the school was a low blow.


    His fists clenched at his sides, and he could feel the heat rising to his cheeks; how could they mock a team that had given their all? They didn''t understand the sweat, dedication, and passion that had been poured into every practice, every game¡ªand to be honest, he didn''t expect them to understand. However, thest thing he wanted was for the entire school to revel in their moment of weakness.


    He entered the ssroom with a sour face, ignoring the fangirls who usually squealed when they saw him and sat directly in the seat next to Yuki''s. Seeing his friend''s sully face, the sses boy snorted amusedly, asking, "Did you wake up this morning on the wrong side of your bed?"


    "Huh?" Riku blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"


    Yuki just rolled his eyes at him. "It is an expression. Forget it, even if I tell you, you will not understand."


    "Are you telling me I am dumb?" A thick vein popped into Riku''s forehead.


    "Well, did you just admit that yesterday?"


    "When?!"


    Seeing the two boys bickering with each other, Kato who sat in front of them sighed in exasperation. "Isn''t it a bit too early for you to quarrel?" She asked. The two boys blushed immediately, somehow forgetting the girl''s presence. Kato huffed in annoyance before sighing, turning at Riku. "So, what trouble you this morning?" She asked once again.


    "Oh, yeah." Riku''s expression darkened once again. "Oi, Yuki, don''t you feel bothered by the whispers from the other students? Man, they are so infuriating! I swear, they are just a flock of sheep, only dare to do that when they are together and would cower in fright when we confront them alone."


    ''Ah, so that is why he has a bad mood today.'' Yuki and Kato nodded in realization.


    "Well, while it bothers me, I know something like this would happen from the start." Yuki shrugged nonchntly. "I mean, if you paid more attention to the public opinion before the game began, you would''ve known that our reputation was at rock bottom even by then. Their opinion is meaningless if you ask me.


    I would rather think about what Matsumoto-san said yesterday after the game was over." Said Yuki. His memory suddenly brought him back to when they chatted after shaking hands with each other.


    -A shback-


    "A camp?" Yuki blinked his eyes rapidly, staring at Konan''s captain confusedly.


    "Yeah." Matsumoto nodded while wiping the sweat on his face. "I see you are a rookie and have the potential to be a better yer. Our school always opens a training camp during the first week of August for a bunch of rookie yers like you.


    This summer, we have already confirmed that Haruo from Kyoei Gakuen who your team beat, Nobu and Take from our team, and several other potential yers from all over Tokyo to join. So, here I am, extending the invitation for you and your blonde friend."


    Yuki blinked his eyes once again. "Potential yers all over Tokyo? Aren''t you afraid that they will trouble you in the future?"


    Matsumoto smirked somehow a bit arrogantly. "Well, it would be good if they could trouble us like you did today. After all, it would be boring if they gave up in the middle of the game just like our opponents usually did in the past."


    Yuki was stunned by the arrogant statement that came out of Matsumoto''s mouth. However, after thinking about it for a second, Yuki could see why Matsumoto dared to say something like that. It was because he had the right to be arrogant. His team was the best in the country for about ten years, and it was hard for them to stay motivated all the time.


    While this might not be the best solution, improving the opponent''s ability of course would maintain the team''s motivation at the top.


    A bold move that only Konan High could do.


    "So, how is it?" Matsumoto asked once again.


    Yuki was in a dilemma. To be honest, this offer came unexpectedly. Yuki was still trying to deal with his feelings after losing the game, yet Matsumoto didn''t give him time to do that. But in hindsight, it was hard for him to reject the offer.


    A chance to go to a camp with all the talented yers who were the same age as him and trained together under the guidance of the best coach in the country would nevere twice, and it would be stupid for Yuki to refuse it. Explore hidden tales at empire


    However, he still had no idea what the team''s future would be. The school was still going to disband them, and if nothing drastic happened, there would be no point in joining the camp if there was no longer a Tsunemori Volleyball team.


    After thinking for a while, Yuki finally asked, "Can I think about it for a while?"


    Matsumoto was taken aback, somehow expecting him to agree immediately. However, Konan''s captain still respected his opinion and nodded. "Well, you can go to our school a week before the camp begins to register first. Just say that I am inviting you to the camp and everyone will know what to do. Oh, and make sure you invite your blonde friend too, okay?"


    "Sure! Thanks, Matsumoto-san!"


    -End of the shback-


    "Yuki¡­ Yuki¡­ Oi, Yuki!" Riku''s voice snapped Yuki from his thoughts. When his consciousness was back to his body again, he realized his two friends had been staring at him with a concerned gaze. "Are you alright? What are you thinking about?" Kato asked.


    "No, it is nothing." Yuki shook his head quickly. "Just thinking about the future, I guess."


    "I got you, man." Riku patted his shoulder sympathetically. "But don''t worry, though. Akira-jiisan will also try his best to fight for us. Even though we are not an official team anymore, we will not be too far from the volleyball, trust me."


    Seeing his confident look, Yuki wanted to trust his friend more. However, his gut told him otherwise. In the end, he could only smile weakly before muttering, "Well, I hope you are right¡­"

 Chapter 173 Aftermath (II)

    It seemed the higher-ups worked fast and efficiently today. Just two days after the team''s defeat against Konan High, the official statement about the team''s disbandment had already spread like wildfire. By then, everyone knew that the volleyball team was done already.


    However, to Yuki''s surprise, the whispers from the crowd weren''t as nasty as before. While the rumor mill hadn''t been stopped yet, at least there were one or two voices that showed their support for them, and after listening to the argument there, Yuki knew it all came from the other sports teams.


    "What do you know aboutpetitive sport? It is hard enough to reach the top 8 in the Tokyo Tournament, you know? Even our baseball club had never been able to reach that far!"


    "Well, our basketball club is a bit better, but we are also stopped by the best team in Tokyo in the top 8, so I know how the volleyball team feels right now."


    "Well, you both are lucky! Our football team is the worst! We are just a bunch of amateurs gathered together just to get ughtered in the first round!"


    Yuki didn''t know what prompted them to change their opinion, but it was definitely a weed surprise. Not that it would change anything, of course, since the club would nevere back again. Still, he appreciated the gesture. At least their support would make his school life easier in the future.


    As Yuki walked through the dimly lit school corridor, he couldn''t shake the feeling of heaviness that hung in the air like a thick fog. The usual chatter andughter that always came from the students was eerily absent, reced by hushed whispers and downcast eyes. It wasn''t until he turned his attention back to the notice board that he saw two other pieces of paper hanging there.


    It seemed it wasn''t just the volleyball team that was disbanded today. The swimming and athletic clubs also suffered from the same fate after falling short in their recent tournaments.


    "Well, if the higher-ups didn''t make a change, the atmosphere wouldn''t be good to hold a ss for the students.'' Yuki muttered.


    It was evening already, and as the final bell rang, its jarring tone echoing through the less-crowded corridors, Yuki felt an unfamiliar void settle within him. With the sun still hanging high in the sky, he stepped outside, the crisp air brushing against his hair. This was his first time leaving school at such an early hour, a bittersweet sensation swirling in his chest.


    He had grown so ustomed to the post-ss hustle,cing up his volleyball shoes and squeezing in practice for one or two more hours with the team. Even though it was a difficult time, he still enjoyed the process the most, always feeling fulfilled with the team. Unfortunately, it was all in the past, and now he had to get used to the new situation once again.


    As Yuki strolled down the corridor, he unexpectedly caught sight of a girl who he hadn''t seen for a while perched on a bench just off the walkway. With her chin resting in her hand and her usually bright eyes clouded with concern, the girl seemed worlds away, lost in contemtion.


    "Sugawara-senpai, what are you doing here?" Yuki asked, concerned.


    Yeah, the girl was Arina Sugawara, the school president of the student council. Thest time he saw her was when the girl promised she would do her best to restore the volleyball team''s reputation. After that, he had never thought about her again, not with the game against Konan in his mind.


    It seemed Arina Sugawara was also startled by Yuki''s presence there. "Kobayashi-kun? What are you doing here?" Somehow, she repeated his question.


    Yuki rolled his eyes, knowing Arina Sugawara didn''t pay attention at all. "That is the question I ask, you know? I had never thought I would find the student council''s president whom everyone idolizes so much sitting alone with that kind of expression. Is it about the disbandment of the three teams?"


    By the wince he saw from the girl, Yuki knew he was right even without any verbal answer. He sighed, then decided to sit next to her. As they settled into afortable silence, Yuki and Arina Sugawara side by side on the bench, their gazes drifted over the throng of students filing out of the school.


    The usual sounds of joy andughter that often surged from the school gates were conspicuously absent, reced by a heavy atmosphere of disappointment and hushed conversations. Some were shuffling their feet, heads bowed, while others exchanged worried nces. It seemed the news about the three clubs'' disbandment was quite heavy for them to proceed.


    "Do you know¡­" Arina Sugawara suddenly spoke slowly, breaking the silence. "If the students were more observant and see us together like this, the rumor mill would go crazy about us."


    Yuki just rolled his eyes at the answer. "Well, I have been under two nasty rumors, one more wouldn''t kill me." He grunted sarcastically. Find your next read at empire


    Arina Sugawara giggled, for the first time showing a positive expression on her face. "You are so strange, Kobayashi-kun." Said her. Yuki just arched his eyebrows, questioning silently. "You know, if any other boys, especially from the third year, were in your position right now, they would go crazy and try their best to impress me.


    But here you are, talking sarcastically at me as if I am just a normal girl with an ordinary look."


    "Because you are a normal girl," Yuki answered matter of fact.


    "That is why I found you so strange." She sighed, a soft, genuine smile formed on her face. "Anyway, the rumor should be eased a little bit, right?" She asked, suddenly changing the conversation topic.


    Yuki was startled, then finally realized something. "You are the one responsible for changing the sports team members'' opinion." He widened his eyes.


    Arina Sugawara nodded. "I didn''t change their opinion, mind you. They had already had some thought about it when I approached them. I just encourage them all to voice their support more since you deserve it. What do you think?"


    Yuki was stunned, then his expression softened in a second. He didn''t expect the girl to try so hard to fulfill her promise to restore the team''s reputation.


    "Anyway, what got you so under the weather? Is it really about the clubs'' disbandment?" He asked, changing the topic once again. She sighed, her eyes wandering far for a moment before dropping a bombshell that Yuki had never thought would hear as the answer to his casual question.


    "It is over, Kobayashi-kun. The student council is gone."

 Chapter 174 Student Councils Situation

    "Stop! Wait a minute!" Yuki raised his hand quickly, thinking the conversation moved a bit too fast. "What do you mean by the student council is over? Does the school disband you too? Was there something big happening in thest few days?" He barraged the girl with questions.


    Even though Yuki had never seen the student council''s work, he knew they were like a heart inside the body. The students would only know their work asionally when they tried to notice it, but when the student council disappeared, all the students would know about it immediately.


    So, to disband the student council like any other club was definitely a big move that the higher-ups had already thought about it carefully.


    Arina Sugawara sighed before suddenly asking, "You have already known about the Maiko group''s involvement in this muddy situation, right?"


    Yuki nodded, remembering thest time Arina Sugawara exined it to the team. Maiko Group was the conglomerate group rumored to fund the new clubs just to train cheapborers they could recruit once the students graduated.


    Some rumors even said that this wasn''t the first time they did this, as Maiko group had already paid several schools to do the same operation by paying the school to dissolve all the clubs there and build new ones that were suitable for their business.


    To sum it up, the Maiko group was definitely a leech that would do more harm than good for the students.


    "Well, we ¨C me and the other student council members, I mean, tried to collect some evidence about their shady business and provide it to the headmaster, hoping him to support our cause here. He nodded and asked us to give him time to think about it. As a result¡­"


    "As a result¡­" Yuki leaned his body forward, having had a guess on what happened already.


    Arina Sugawara sighed one more time before finishing the exnation. "The headmaster put us on probation for ''disrupting school harmony'' and said that he would form another organization simr to the student council but with people who care about the student''s sess more than us."


    Hearing that, Yuki couldn''t help but sigh, staring at the girl who suddenly seemed to get older by seconds with a sympathetic gaze. Inwardly, he had to give a hat-off to the headmaster.


    Not only did he remove the most troublesome variable that could unite the entire residents of the school to fight against him, but he made sure to rece them with his own people while still under the same banner as the student council organization.


    That was a shrewd political move by the headmaster that Yuki would give apuse if only the one who suffered from the end of it wasn''t his friend.


    "What about the support from the students? You should still have some, right? Especially after you sacrifice our volleyball team." Yuki asked, suddenly remembering that aspect.


    "Yeah, I had the support from most of the clubs'' leaders." Arina Sugawara said. Then, she sighed helplessly. "But some of them swayed to the other side after the headmaster approached them. Now, not even half of the students here supported our cause while rumor started to spread that Maiko Group is here to help the students prepare for their future."


    ''Another deadlock, then.'' Yuki sighed.


    He didn''t expect, though, that the volleyball team''s sacrifice would be rendered useless. It seemed the headmaster and the higher-ups worked quite efficiently to ensure that they stayed under six feet.


    Yuki racked his brain, trying to find another perspective here. Then, he suddenly remembered something. "What about the teacher who is appointed as the middleman between you and the headmaster? Can you talk to him too? Who is he, by the way?" He asked, remembering that the girl had said in the past that the school put a teacher inside the student council as an advisor.


    "Oh, him?" Arina Sugawara suddenly sneered udylike, startling Yuki for a moment. "He is Tachi-sensei, our geography teacher. While yes, he is appointed as the middleman, he is more inclined toward the school''s side. All he did during our meeting was either to shut down our idea or to praise the Maiko Group as a saint, a phnthropist group that would benefit the student most in the future."


    ''Another deadlock. Damn, I didn''t expect the headmaster would be so difficult to deal with.'' Yuki cursed inwardly.


    For as long as he could remember, the headmaster was always kind and understanding toward the students. But it seemed it was just a fa?ade here, or maybe it was because the only interaction he had with the headmaster was when he was with the volleyball team, and the headmaster tended to be a bit biased toward them.


    As the girl''s voice trailed off, an ufortable silence descended around them, thick with unspoken words and unaddressed emotions. Yuki shifted in his seat, his mind racing for the right response, but all he could muster was a feeble smile that felt more like a grimace. He just realized that other than asking a bunch of unimportant questions, he hadn''t said anything helpful to the girl.


    He cleared his throat, feeling the weight of Arina Sugawara''s frustration hanging heavy in the air. The awkwardness wrapped around them like a fog, and Arina Sugawara finally realized the awkward situation here as they both tried their best to think of something¡ªanything¡ªto break the tension.


    "So, what are you going to do next?" He finally asked


    "I don''t know." Arina Sugawara said with an uncertain tone. "Maybe, I would try to see whether the new clubs would work or not first before making any judgment. I would also consolidate with the other ''former'' student council members and try tomunicate with the newest one that the headmaster just appointed to see whether we can work together or not. But aside from that, I have no idea at all."


    Yuki nodded, thinking that it was a solid n. It was good to take a step back and see from the distance to gain more perspective, and who knows? Maybe, the enemy would make a mistake she could exploit in the near future.


    "Well, good luck with that. For what it''s worth, I hope for your sess, as I also miss my time with the boys on the volleyball team." Yuki grinned widely, trying to lift the mood. "Anyway, I will have to go first. If you need any help, you can ask me. While my reputation isn''t that good, I have a particr blonde friend who is very popr among our peers.


    So, don''t hesitate and keep me in touch, okay?"


    Without even waiting for Arina Sugawara''s answer, Yuki rose from his spot, leaving the girl stunned in a quiet evening. After a moment, she giggled a little, then it turned into fullughter that would make anyone who saw that surprised to see the elegant Arina Sugawara act like that. She just shook her head amusedly, wiping a single tear on the corner of her face.


    "Yuki Kobayashi, what an interesting boy. I am looking forward to our cooperation in the future."

 Chapter 175 Headmasters Speech

    "Man, this sucks!" Riku groaned, stretching his body as he yawned big. "Why would we need toe this early and go to the gymnasium? I thought the club was disbanded!" Heined to no one.


    Yuki just rolled his eyes, didn''t take his friend''sint to heart. He knew Riku also felt the same as him, missing their time on the court. He stopped walking for a moment, his gaze fixed on the that was still hanging there. A deep sense of longing suddenly filled his heart, reminding him of all the time he spent with the other members of the volleyball team here.


    He suddenly shook his head, realizing someone patted his shoulder. When he turned around, he could see his blonde friend staring at him sympathetically. "I know what you feel, but don''t worry. It will not be long before we y volleyball again!"


    Yuki was startled by the sudden bold deration, but when he saw Riku''s optimistic expression, he suddenly remembered that Akira still trying to work everything out to resurrect the team. A small, genuine smile finally curled on his face, nodding gratefully at his friend. "Thanks. I will hold your word for this."


    "Hah! Don''t worry, Jiisan will be able to do something!" Riku barked augh. "Rather than thinking about something we cannot solve by ourselves, we should just go and find Kato-san. I know she saves two spots next to her for us."


    Yuki nodded, his eyes wandering around to find Kato''s presence. Even though it was still 7:30 in the morning, the gymnasium usually wasn''t too crowded was filled with most of the freshman students already. Whispers and chatter flew around as everyone was confused about why the school suddenly gathered them there.


    Far near the wall, some people were busy preparing for something, which if Yuki was not wrong, should be a projector. It seemed the school wanted to show something to the freshman today.


    "Oi, Yuki! There!" Riku suddenly waved his hand at the sses boy, pointing his other hand to the spot where their friend had been waiting for them. Yuki came in that direction immediately, didn''t want to make his friends wait.


    After sitting on the floor, he whispered lowly at his two friends. "So, any idea about what are we going to do today?"


    "No need to whisper, there is no way anyone other than us would pay attention to you," Kato said tly. Indeed, even though the situation around them wasn''t too loud, everyone basically chatted and whispered with their friends to keep themselves busy, and there was no way someone would overhear their conversation.


    "As for what are we doing today, it seems to be the introduction of the new clubs formed by the school."


    "Really? This fast?!" Yuki arched his eyebrows slightly. Riku also paid attention to the conversation, staring at the girl with curiosity.


    It had been two days since thest batch of the purge was done, and the fact that the school introduced new clubs already showed that they had been nning for this for a long time and waiting for all the old clubs to be disbanded first before doing this operation.


    "What do you think the new clubs would be?" Riku couldn''t help but ask.


    Yuki and Kato pondered for a moment before it was the girl who finally answered the question. "Well, based on my understanding about the rumor spread around the school, it should be clubs rted to technology with practical content for Maiko Group to be able to pick up talents who were ready to work. But if you want more specific information, you should just wait until everything is over."


    Yuki nodded, appreciating the girl''s opinion. He had also done his research and knew that the Maiko group monopolized the market about things rted to technology like handphones,ptops,puters, television, and even video games. It was a no-brainer for them to fund club activity rted to that.


    After chatting for a while, the headmaster suddenly walked to the front while having a microphone in his hand, ready to talk. Seeing him there, all the whispers died down immediately, and all the attention was on the headmaster. The man himself smiled a little before he greeted them all.


    "Good morning, everyone!"


    "Good morning!" All the students greeted back.


    "Now, I know you are wondering why I gather you here, and some of you might have an idea about what I would say, so I will not beat around the bush and talk to the point here." He coughed once to make sure all the attention was on him. "As you might see and hear from the rumor, the school had just done something that you students said ''a purge''.


    You might think that the school is cruel, but believe me, I have a good reason to do that."


    He paused for a moment, allowing his words to resonate in the air. Then, the screen next to him suddenly showed a graphic, and everyone suddenly paid attention to that. "Here is the graphic of our clubs'' achievements in thest twenty years. As you can see, not a single club has ever reached the national stage during that time.


    Our best achievement is here, the volleyball club reached the top four in the Tokyo tournament four years ago, and here, the choir club managed to get the fifth spot in the Tokyo tournament seven years ago. But other than that, our clubs have never produced anything worthy at all."


    All the students were stunned frozen on the spot. They all knew their school wasn''t that good, but they never thought it would be this bad.


    "You know, our school supports the presence of the clubs, and we know it is important for your future development." The headmaster continued. "However, the clubs should be good enough to either achieve something or help ensure the members learn valuable skills that could be used when you all graduate from this ce, and unfortunately, we didn''t have even a single one before!


    The clubs are just something you all use as a reason to getzy and y around while using the school''s money for it, and I can say that I am disappointed with you guys."


    All the students had their heads bowed deep, not because they were ashamed or embarrassed, but because they were afraid to get scolded.


    "But that is in the past already!" The headmaster''s expression lightened all of a sudden, startling everyone in the building. "Now, I can proudly say that we are going to rebuild all the clubs here to help you develop skills that you cannot learn during school hours and would probably help you in the future.


    So, without further ado, I will announce the new clubs that will be operated officially starting from tomorrow! And here is the list of the new clubs of our school!"


    After that, the screen changed, showing a table with the names of the new clubs and their advisors next to each other. When they all saw the list though, gasps echoed all over the building, some had their eyes widened in surprise. Yuki himself just nodded silently, muttering inwardly, "Interesting¡­"


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