《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 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 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 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 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 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¡­''

 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. Stay ahead with m v l em pyr


    "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?"


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    "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. Experience magic at m v le mpyr


    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!"


    Read first at m-v le-mpyr


    "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!"


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 70: A Class of How to Receive the Ball by Kobayashi Yuki

    *BAM!*


    "Shit! Again?!"@@novelbin@@


    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 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.@@novelbin@@


    "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 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.@@novelbin@@


    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 81: Offense Unlocked!

    "So, that is what you mean by faith, huh?" Sekine nodded in approval. "Ont bad, Brat."@@novelbin@@


    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.@@novelbin@@


    "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 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!"@@novelbin@@


    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!"@@novelbin@@


    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?!"@@novelbin@@


    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 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.@@novelbin@@


    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 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.@@novelbin@@


    ''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.@@novelbin@@


    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 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!"@@novelbin@@


    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.


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    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.@@novelbin@@


    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.@@novelbin@@


    ''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!*


    Enjoy more content from m-v l''e|-NovelBin


    "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-@@novelbin@@


    "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 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.@@novelbin@@


    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 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!" @@novelbin@@


    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!"@@novelbin@@


    "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 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."@@novelbin@@


    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 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?''@@novelbin@@


    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."@@novelbin@@


    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 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.@@novelbin@@


    "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."@@novelbin@@


    "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¡­"


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    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 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.@@novelbin@@


    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 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!"@@novelbin@@


    "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.@@novelbin@@


    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 120: Team Meeting (I)

    *BAM!*


    "Oh! Nice serve, Riku!"


    Continue reading on mvl


    "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.@@novelbin@@


    "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 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.@@novelbin@@


    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.


    Your next journey awaits at §Þ??


    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 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!"@@novelbin@@


    "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.@@novelbin@@


    "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 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.@@novelbin@@


    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!"@@novelbin@@


    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 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!"@@novelbin@@


    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 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.@@novelbin@@


    *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.@@novelbin@@


    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 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.@@novelbin@@


    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?''@@novelbin@@


    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.@@novelbin@@


    "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 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.@@novelbin@@


    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."@@novelbin@@


    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 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.@@novelbin@@


    ''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.@@novelbin@@


    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!"@@novelbin@@


    "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.@@novelbin@@


    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.@@novelbin@@


    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!"@@novelbin@@


    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!*@@novelbin@@


    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 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.@@novelbin@@


    "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 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.@@novelbin@@


    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.@@novelbin@@


    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.@@novelbin@@


    "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.@@novelbin@@


    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 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.@@novelbin@@


    "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 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!"@@novelbin@@


    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¡­"@@novelbin@@


    "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 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.@@novelbin@@


    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.@@novelbin@@


    ''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 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.@@novelbin@@


    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.@@novelbin@@


    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 177 Dilemma

    "So, you mean to tell me that there is no sports team anymore at your school?"


    the voice on the phone asked incredulously.


    "Yes, Mattheo-san, that is indeed the case."


    Yuki felt himself blush, embarrassed by the tone he heard on the other end of the line.


    "Now, I don''t have a team anymore, and I cannot help Akira-sensei with his problem as I promised. I am so sorry about it."


    It was the first time Yuki had spoken to Mattheo since the team lost to Konan High, and he was honestly nervous to deliver the news. However, Mattheo was his benefactor and deserved to know the truth, so after mustering his courage, Yuki decided to call him and share the full story.


    The Italian man fell silent for a moment after Yuki finished recounting what had happened, leaving Yuki feeling increasingly uneasy. While he usually didn''t care about others'' opinions, Mattheo and the Silvestri family were different. They were his benefactors and held a special ce in his heart, so he didn''t want to disappoint them.


    Discover more stories at empire


    After a few moments of silence, Yuki spoke hesitantly.


    "Mattheo-san¡­ Are you angry with me?"


    "Angry?!"


    the man on the other end of the line seemed surprised by Yuki''s question.


    "No, why would you think that?!"


    "Well, you haven''t said anything for a moment, so I thought¡­"


    Yuki trailed off, leaving his sentence unfinished. However, Mattheo understood his concern and immediately reassured him.


    "Don''t worry, Yuki. I''m not angry. I''m just reflecting on your school''s ridiculous decision and perhaps worrying about Akira-sensei. But I''m definitely not mad at you."


    Yuki let out a sigh of relief.


    "Anyway, what do you think you want to do after this?"


    Mattheo again inquired, trying to change the topic.


    "I¡­ don''t know¡­"


    Yuki sighed deeply, realizing he was uncertain about what to do next.@@novelbin@@


    "Well, you can ask for Maria''s opinion since she is always the smartest one in the family."


    Yuki snorted at that.


    "But from my perspective, you have two options right now."


    "Oh? Please, tell me,"


    Yuki replied, intrigued.


    "First, you can deal with your school''s shenanigans and y volleyball just for fun, or you could take a more serious route and consider joining an outside club, like what Sekine-sensei rmended to you in the past."


    Mattheo said.


    "Or second, you might want to consider changing schools to one that is more serious about developing talented volleyball yers like you."


    "Eh?!"


    Yuki was taken aback by the suggestion. He had never considered changing schools as a solution to his problem.


    "Why are you so surprised?"


    Mattheo asked with an amused tone.


    "It''s quitemon for yers to be unhappy with their current clubs and to demand a transfer. While I understand that in your case, you are still a normal high school boy, if you y as well as you im during the tournament, all the schools with good volleyball teams would surely have their eyes on you. Once rumors spread that you are unhappy, they''ll be like sharks sensing blood in the water."


    Yuki nodded repeatedly, though his focus was not on the conversation anymore. He carefully considered the suggestion and realized that moving to another school was indeed a viable option. He just had never thought of it because¡­ well, moving to another school felt like a decision only a professional would make, and he had never considered himself one.


    After chatting for a while, Mattheo finally ended the conversation, but not before giving Yuki onest piece of advice.


    "Don''t overthink what you have to do. Instead, follow your heart, and ask yourself: what do you really want to do? I''m sure you will know the answer in the blink of an eye."


    After the call was disconnected, Yuki sat silently on his bed, staring nkly at the wall. Time passed quickly, and a knock at his door suddenly snapped him from his thoughts.


    "Come in!" he shouted.


    Someone opened the door, and a momentter, Aiko, the matron of the orphanage entered with her usual kind smile. "I see you''re bothered by something. Would you mind sharing it with me?"


    Yuki sighed before retelling his story once more. Aiko sat beside him, listened quietly, not interrupting him at all. After a while, Yuki felt his throat dry from repeating the same story for the second time, this time after talking to Mattheo. Once he finished, he finally asked, "So, what''s your opinion, Baasan?"


    The matron didn''t answer immediately and decided to ask a question first. "Mattheo-san is right, Yuki-kun. Everything boils down to your choice. Are you serious about volleyball? Or do you still want to stay at Tsunemori High?"


    "That''s the question I''m grappling with too, Obaasan!" Yuki groaned in frustration. "I don''t know what I want! I mean, I like volleyball, but I''ve never really considered it as a serious career! And leaving Tsunemori¡­" He paused for a moment, not quite knowing how to express his feelings.


    "You don''t want to leave Riku-kun and Kato-chan, do you?" Aiko said knowingly. Yuki turned his head away, avoiding her gaze. Just from this reaction, she realized she had hit the nail on the head. She sighed before finally saying, "Well, since Mattheo-san offered you advice, I think it would be inappropriate for me not to give you some as well. Would you like to hear it?"


    Yuki nodded, not realizing how desperate he must have looked at that moment.


    "Well, Mattheo-san assumes that you can only pursue volleyball seriously if you transfer to another school, but you don''t know that for certain. You can confirm this by asking Akira-sensei if it is possible for the club to continue, and maybe you could also ask Sekine-sensei whether it would be possible to take him up on his previous offer. If you still find yourself at a dead end and believe transferring is your only option, talk to Kato-chan and Riku-kun about it, and ask for their opinions. However, regardless of what they say, the final decision must be yours since it''s your life to lead, not anyone else''s. Do you understand?"


    Yuki''s face brightened instantly as he listened to her advice. "Damn, you''re a genius, Obaasan!"

 Chapter 178 Conversation

    "You want me to apany you to meet that old geezer?" Riku blinked, repeating Yuki''s request with a confused expression.


    "Yeah, please!" Yuki pped his hands together with a pleading gaze. Riku was confused but nodded his head. "I don''t mind, but can you tell me why?" he asked.


    After that, Yuki spent about fifteen minutes retelling the conversation he had with Mattheo and the advice from Aiko. Riku¡ªand Kato, who sat in front of them¡ªlistened carefully, and in the end, they both nodded thoughtfully at him.


    "That¡­ is a good idea, and I am ashamed to say I never thought about it before," Riku admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "But why would you jump directly to that old geezer and not ask Akira-jiisan first?"


    "Well, if you can find your uncle''s whereabouts, I don''t mind that. But whenever I go to the teacher''s office, he''s never there, and the other teachers don''t know anything about him either."


    Riku frowned, suddenly remembering something. "You''re right, it has been a long time since I saw Jiisan. I wonder what he is doing right now?"


    As their ssmates''ughter and chatter faded into a soft, indistinct murmur, the two boys exchanged nces, their thoughts wandering to the unknown whereabouts of their volleyball coach. They didn''t know when the only female member of their group left, but they were taken aback when they saw her return to the ss, offering them two popsicles¡ªone for each of them.


    "The weather is getting hotter, so it''s not good to overthink things. Here, cool down your heads, or I might see the smoke rising from them," she exined humorously.


    Yuki and Riku both snorted in unison, gratefully epting the popsicles. The weather had indeed been rising for thest couple of days, and even though it was still the first week of July, the temperature had already reached 30 degrees. Yuki cringed at the thought that it would be the same or even hotter in the next two months, not looking forward to it at all.


    For a moment, silence descended among them, punctuated only by the sound of slurping their popsicles and the chirping of crickets outside. It was afortable silence, with none of them willing to break it. In that moment, it was as if they were free from any worries, lost in their own thoughts with only the popsicles mattering.


    "So, have you decided which club you want to join?" Kato finally spoke, breaking the silence.


    "I don''t know," Yuki frowned, staring at the nk registration form on his table. This was also part of his dilemma; all students were required to fill out the form and join at least one club before the week was over. The problem was that there was nothing on the list he was interested in. "I''m not good at hands-on activities, so robotic craft clubs are out. Art is not my passion, so I would never join a design club. As for photography or programming¡­ I don''t have the necessary tools for those, and I know how expensive they can be, so once again, I wouldn''t do that. So far, I''ve crossed five clubs off the list, and I have to choose one out of the three remaining. But I still don''t know what to pick. What about you guys?" he asked his two friends.


    "I''m joining the craft club," Riku said matter-of-factly. His two friends were taken aback, not expecting his choice at all. He shrugged at their surprised expressions. "What?! Unlike Yuki, I enjoy hands-on activities, you know? I used to tinker with anything made of wood, fixing my study table until I even created a small bookshelf that I use in my room. I don''t think the club would be difficult for me."


    This was a side of Riku that his two friends had never seen before. While they knew he was always skilled with his hands, they didn''t expect him to have a hidden talent like this. If not for this situation, they were sure he would never have told them about it.


    "Anyway!" Riku raised his voice, feeling ufortable under the scrutiny of his two friends. "What about you, Kato-san? Are you still going to join the science club? It''s turning into a chemistry club, right? It''s unfortunate since it''s not an astronomy club, which you''re most passionate about."


    "Yes, it''s a pity," Kato shrugged. "But chemistry is not that bad, you know? If the advisor is good at exining everything, the subject can be fun to learn."


    "Yeah, I''m sure it would be fun to learn," Riku snorted, not believing her words.


    As those two bickered with each other, they didn''t notice their friend was in a pensive mood and unusually quiet. Yuki felt embarrassed that he was the only one who hadn''t thought thoroughly about which clubs he wanted to join.@@novelbin@@


    ''It seems it''s time for me to think more about my school life too. I can''t think about volleyball all day, after all.''


    Even though he expressed it like that, by the end of the day, Yuki still dragged his two friends to Tsukumi University to meet Sekine. He didn''t know when, but somehow, his priorities had shifted more toward volleyball instead of his studies. It might have been because he felt indebted to Mattheo''s family or because he''d bonded well with Riku through this sport, but whatever the reason, Yuki didn''t mind, as he enjoyed the game too.


    Since they didn''t have Sekine''s phone number, the three of them went straight to the gymnasium to inquire about the old man''s presence. Fortunately, he was there, so they didn''te in vain.


    "So, you want to ask whether my offer still stands or not?" Sekine asked, his expression nk.


    Yuki nodded, feeling a bit nervous at his cold tone. "Yes, Sensei. I still want to continue ying volleyball, and the situation at school makes it impossible for me to do that."


    Sekine nodded, already aware of the purge at the school. Then he turned his attention to his former disciple. "What about you?"


    "Me?" Riku grinned widely. "This sounds fun, so of course, I have to join!"


    The old man then turned his attention to Kato, who shrugged nonchntly as if it were not her problem. After pondering for a moment, he finally sighed, rising from his spot. "Okay, if you want to try, follow me."

 Chapter 180 2v2 Test

    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY A TEST?! / WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE WILL BE THEIR OPPONENTS?!" the four of them cried simultaneously, thenically red at each other. For a moment, the tension caused by the incident just seconds ago was forgotten. Even Kato, the victim of it, couldn''t help but let out a small giggle.


    Sekine himself snorted, unimpressed by their reaction. "Well, as you both can see..." He directed his gaze at Yuki and Riku. "Those two want to join the team, and I have already cleared it with Ryutaro. He wants to see their capabilities first before we go any further with this."


    "You never mentioned anything about a test, old geezer," Riku muttered, clearly unhappy with the situation. Some of them were sweating from the disrespectful nicknameing from his mouth. However, the old man didn''t mind; he just waved it off as if Riku''s attitude wasn''t an issue.


    "Well, what can I say?" Sekine shrugged nonchntly. "Usually, the team only epts new yers in November, after the league has ended. However, since I''m the one asking here, everyone is still giving me face. It''s impossible for the team to ept you based solely on my word. You need to show them that you deserve this special treatment," he exined.@@novelbin@@


    Yuki and Riku nodded; they could see the logic behind this approach. However, it was too sudden, and they were not prepared for it. "I don''t have my sneakers right now," Yuki confessed, with Riku nodding in agreement. Discover more stories at empire


    "Don''t worry about it. We still have plenty of new sneakers from our sponsor that no one is using. Nobody will make a fuss if we borrow a couple for a single session," Sekine reassured them with a wave of his hand.


    Once again, Yuki and Riku stared at each other, silentlymunicating about what to do. With the sneaker problem resolved by the old man, they didn''t have a solid reason to refuse the test. Honestly, they didn''t mind taking the test; they were simply caught off guard and couldn''t process everything quickly since it was all happening so fast.


    It seemed that the two older boys, appointed as their opponents, also noticed their dazed state. One of them suddenly sighed. "Sekine-sensei, is it really necessary for us to test them? I mean, you know what we are capable of, and I think it might be a bit overkill to send us against them. What if they be too discouraged after realizing the gap between us and don''t want to y volleyball again in the future?"


    While Yuki didn''t show any reaction, Riku''s temper red once again, a thick vein popping on his temple. The boy didn''t intend to stop the provocation there. When he saw Riku''s flushed red face, he smirked, knowing he was already getting under the blonde boy''s skin and just needed one more push to make him snap.


    "It''s okay. We just don''t want to bully you. After all, you two are just high school students while we''re in our second year at university. It wouldn''t look good for us to bully little boys like you."


    "Okay, that''s enough!" Riku growled. At first, he was just fuming because the two older boys in front of him were flirting with Kato, but now he was furious. "I don''t care about whether we can join the team or not, but I swear I will kick your ass before we leave the building!"


    "Aw, is the little boy angry? Come on, we''re just concerned about you!" the other boy mocked.


    Yuki swore he could see smokeing from his friend''s head. Knowing the blonde boy''s short temper, he sighed deeply, feeling pity for him, and decided to join the banter. "You know, you always emphasize how small we are, but we''re the same age as Kato-san here. Does that mean you admit you''re trying to hit on a little girl?" he muttered, yet still loud enough for everyone to hear.


    The two older boys, who hadn''t even introduced themselves yet, spluttered, coughing violently at the implication behind Yuki''s words. Their faces immediately lost color, and cold sweat rolled down their foreheads. Seeing this, Riku chuckled, pleased to see those two rendered speechless.


    "Okay, no more jokes, please!" The man behind Sekine who seemed to be the coach of the team finally interrupted. He turned to Yuki and Riku and said, "The sneakers are in the storage room. Just go through that door and ask the officer there where the room is, okay?"


    "Yes, Sir!" The two of them nodded before rushing off,pletely forgetting about Kato, who suddenly felt ufortable.


    "Don''t worry, Kato-chan," Sekine said suddenly before anyone else could. "Just wait with me here, and no one will dare to hit on you like these two stupid boys. Right?" He nced sideways at the two older boys, whose tension was palpable, knowing it was a threat from their coach.


    "Yes, Sir!"


    Sekine sighed when he saw the two run away, leaving him, Kato, and the man behind him. Kato smiled at the old man, grateful that even though he had only heard about her from her sister, he was still willing to save her from the ufortable situation.


    There was an awkward silence for a moment before Kato suddenly thought of something and asked, "Is it okay to let Yuki and Riku do this? They''re facing university students, right?"


    Unexpectedly, it was the man behind Sekine who answered. "Well, the lowest level we have right now is the U-19 team, so if they want to join, they need to impress us first by holding their own against U-19 members. Don''t worry, though. Even if Tondo and Miyahara are university students, since Sekine-sensei vouches for them, I know they have the capability to be here. Just trust them."


    "Yeah, Kato-chan! Those two boys are more than capable; just trust them!" Sekine added.


    Kato sighed in relief when she heard that. Even though she didn''t know much about Sekine, from what she heard from her sister, she knew the old man was always wise and had a good eye for recognizing talent. If he trusted her two friends this much, it would be silly not to do the same.


    "Well, well, well¡­" After waiting for a while, Akira smirked as he saw the two boys return, newly equipped. Even though they still wore their school uniforms, they had rolled up their sleeves, and with the new sneakers, their aura radiated readiness. "Go warm up for fifteen minutes, and after that, get ready for the game, okay?"


    The two boys nodded simultaneously, shouting, "Yes, Sir!"

 Chapter 184 Against A Pro! (I)

    "Is this okay?" Kato asked, unable to help but worry about her friends. "Will it affect their chances of joining the club?"


    "Yes, to some degree," Sekine nodded without thinking twice about it. "But it is a good thing for them. They don''t need to win the game, but as long as they can impress all the main yers here who will watch the rest of the game, everything will work in their favor."


    As for what would happen if they couldn''t impress the main yers, Sekine left the worst-case scenario unsaid, believing it would never happen.


    "Also, you''re worrying too much, just like your sister. You need to rx a bit, Kato-chan." Sekine chuckled when he saw the blush on her face. "Kenzo might be a professional yer, but he is just one year older than Tondo and Miyahara. He was only promoted to the main teamst season, so this will be his second season as a pro. For what it''s worth, he is still a rookie in everyone''s eyes."


    Kato sighed after hearing the old man''s exnation. Although she didn''t know much about the game, she at least understood that there was a difference between a rookie and a veteran yer. If Sekine said the new yer was basically still a rookie, that meant the quality wouldn''t change too muchpared to Miyahara, who had just been reced.@@novelbin@@


    What Sekine failed to mention was the fact that Kenzo had been the Rookie of the Yearst season and was also one of the best high school yers in the Inter-High tournament three years ago, leading his team to second ce in the nationalpetition. His skill had already reached a professional level even while he was still in middle school, so after three years of training with a professional team, his skills should have improved even more.


    Although his involvement in this test was unexpected, Sekine felt that watching how Kenzo yed would help Yuki and Riku improve their game in the future.


    After allowing Kenzo to warm up for a while, all the yers were finally ready to restart the game. Unlike before, this time there were several spectators watching from the sideline. Even though Yuki could count them on his fingers, the pressure was far greater than when he yed in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium a week ago. How could he not feel it, when all the people on the sideline were professional yers from the Tokyo Thunder?


    "Nervous?" Riku smirked teasingly.


    Yuki simply snorted in response to his friend''s silly question, but then a big grin suddenly broke out on his face. "No way! This is getting more exciting! I''m fired up now!"


    "Atta boy!" Riku patted his back, wearing a simr grin.


    The blonde boy knew that even though Yuki always sought stability, that didn''t mean his friend had no ambition. They were both the same way, always hungry and striving for stronger opponents. Unexpectedly, they would have a chance to y in a high-levelpetitive game like this soon after their match against Konan High.


    "Riku, pay attention to him. I will try to send a difficult ball toward that tall dude, so watch how he arranges the next y," Yuki whispered. Even though he was excited to y against a professional yer, that didn''t mean he would be foolish enough to target Kenzo directly. It would be better to take a cautious approach while observing Kenzo''s abilities for one or two ys before deciding how to respond.


    "Sure," Riku nodded.


    A momentter, Kawaki finally blew the whistle, signaling for Yuki to serve the ball again. The sses-wearing boy took a deep breath, ying with the ball for a moment before tossing it slightly into the air. Then, in an instant, he was already in the air, unleashing his arm like a whip before hitting the ball straight at Tondo''s face.


    BAM!


    Tondo was startled for a moment. This was apletely different routine than what Yuki had performed before. It was just an ordinary jump serve straight to his spot, and he didn''t have to move to receive the ball. However, when he was about to react, the ball suddenly curved sharply toward the outfield, and Tondo froze in ce, staring helplessly as the ball bounced on the floor.


    "OH! He drew first blood!"


    "Damn, I can''t believe he was bold enough to pull off something like this in front of Kenzo!" Continue reading on empire


    "But that''s a nasty sidespin, though."


    "He''s also smart, aiming the ball far away from Adachihara-kun. If not, I''m sure Adachihara-kun would have been able to pick it up easily."


    All the spectators on the sideline discussed Yuki''s serve excitedly while Kawaki''s jaw dropped in amazement. Even though it was still 4¨C5 in favor of Tondo and Kenzo, and the game was far from over, he had decided that no matter what happened, he would do his best to recruit Yuki for his team. Yuki''s serve alone was enough to secure a spot on any team in the professional league.


    "Good job, Yuki!" Riku high-fived the sses-wearing boy, grinning excitedly at his friend. He couldn''t help but feel happy hearing the recognition from the spectators, feeling as if it were his achievement too. After all, he had always been by Yuki''s side while his friend developed his serving skills and had witnessed the transformation himself.


    "Okay, it''s just one point. Let''s concentrate back on the game," Yuki said, trying to contain his excitement.


    Meanwhile, Tondo sheepishly rubbed his neck, trying to apologize to Kenzo. However, the older boy¡ªno, the older man¡ªshrugged it off nonchntly while giving new instructions to his current teammate. "Move forward a little and get ready to act as a setter. Let me handle the ball myself."


    "Thank you, Senpai." Tondo sighed in relief. Honestly, he had begun to lose confidence after suffering from four consecutive ace serves and didn''t want to face that again.


    "Don''t worry, just get ready," Kenzo smiled reassuringly.


    When he saw Kenzo alone on the back line, Yuki turned serious, knowing he couldn''t use the same trick again. However, facing just one yer on the back, he had many spots to exploit, and no matter how professional the opponent was, it would be difficult to cover all areas alone.


    Unfortunately, it seemed he had underestimated Kenzo.


    When Yuki served another ball, just before it could cross the, Kenzo had already moved forward to intercept it. It was another sidespin serve, yet before it could break too much, the ball was already in Kenzo''s hands as he sent it straight to Tondo at the.


    "Oh! Kenzo receives the ball!"


    "As expected, there''s no way he would let it slide!"


    "Oi! Send a quick!"


    Kenzo recovered quickly and signaled for a quick pass. Tondo didn''t dare disobey and immediately set a quick pass. Riku, on the other side of the, also moved, ready to jump. However, it was clear that Kenzo didn''t even acknowledge the wall they formed.


    BAM!


    As heunched himself into the air, Kenzo swung his arms quickly, executing a perfectly timed cross spike to the opposite wing. It was a fierce hit, with the ball smacking the floor near the line that separated the front and backcourt on the opponent''s side. Yuki, who had just served the ball, couldn''t recover his position quickly, and in the end, Kenzo managed to score, cutting off the momentum Yuki had built up in thest few ys.


    Yuki & Riku 4 ¨C 6 Kenzo & Tondo.

 Chapter 186 Kenzo is Serious!

    Forming a two-man wall in a 2v2 game was a risky ¨C borderline idiotic ¨C move. Not only was it difficult for the man in the back row to recover from his position and move in sync with his teammate to form a solid wall, but if it failed, there would be no one guarding their area, allowing the opponent to score easily. This was all theoretical knowledge that anyone new to the game of volleyball should have known from the beginning.


    However, it was precisely because this was a stupid move that Riku dared to pull it off. He knew from the cross spike that Kenzo had executed a moment ago that the professional yer was incredible on the front line, making it difficult for them to stop his attack. The only thing they could do at that moment was to surprise him, and they would fail to do so if they didn''t take drastic measures like this.


    Fortunately, Riku''s gamble worked perfectly, as Kenzo himself didn''t expect him to join Yuki on the front line. With the two of them forming a tight wall, it was easy for them to block the iing spike.


    BAM!


    No one could tell whether it was Yuki or Riku who blocked the spike. All anyone knew was that the ball fell behind Kenzo, resulting in a point for Yuki and Riku. Everyone''s jaws dropped when they saw this, with some rubbing their eyes in disbelief at what had just happened. Riku himself panted slightly; he could even hear his own heartbeat. Excitement surged within him as his n seeded, and when he turned around, he noticed that Yuki had a simrly ecstatic expression.


    "Good job, Yuki!" he grinned widely, high-fiving his friend.


    "Yeah, good job!" Yuki praised the blonde boy. "Your reaction speed never ceases to amaze me."


    "Ha! Don''t praise me like that! I know yours is better than mine!"


    While they celebrated, the reality finally dawned upon the people on the sidelines, who could only shake their heads in disbelief.


    "Unbelievable! Even though Kenzo is holding back his strength, to think a high school yer would be able to block his shot is unheard of!"


    "Their potential is crazy! If it is nurtured for another year or two, they could grow into monsters like Kenzo or even better!"


    "Damn! We''re lucky they decided to join us!"


    As everyone buzzed with excitement over the addition of two new yers to their team, Sekine wore a slight smirk. Initially, everyone regarded the point that Yuki and Riku had scored as luck since their opponents were holding back, but now their impression of the two elevated into that of talented yers. Even Kawaki''s eyes shone brightly as he observed how well they yed, his mind racing with all the possible scenarios he could employ in the future. He was salivating at the thought of having them on his team.


    ''Well, it''s clear we have sessfully reached our objective today. Let''s step it up a little and impress everyone,'' the old man thought. Then, he turned his gaze to Kenzo, who was still dazed after having hisst spike blocked by two amateurs, and shouted at him, "Oi, Kenzo! Go all out! Don''t hold back anymore, understand?!"


    All heads snapped toward the old man when they heard what he said. Even Yuki and Riku looked at Sekine as if he had grown a second head. "Are you sure about this, Jiisan?" Kenzo asked hesitantly.


    "Don''t worry about it. The conditions have changed. If they can score even one point against you, they can be considered to have passed the test. So, what do you think?"


    Oh, yeah, it was official. The old man had gone insane. At least, that was what the people around thought.


    However, Kawaki merely hummed lightly, then nodded his head in approval. "Good idea. Let''s do this, Adachihara-kun. Don''t hold back, and show them why you are a professional yer, okay?"@@novelbin@@


    Even though Kenzo was still confused by this sudden development, he epted the order calmly. "Sure, Sensei."


    Kenzo nodded, satisfied with the man''s reaction. He understood why Sekine had proposed this sudden change. Since Yuki and Riku had already made a strong impression, there was no need to continue the test. The old man wanted to seize this opportunity to demonstrate the difference between them and professional yers. If not to motivate the two high school boys, it would also keep them humble.


    Yuki and Riku were excited by the unexpected development. Initially, they had thought it would be impossible to force Kenzo to go all out. However, now that Sekine had issued the order, they would be able to see how they fared against someone capable of making a living from this sport.


    "Come on, this is what we''ve been waiting for!" Riku grinned widely.


    -0-


    The game continued with the serve still in Riku''s hands. When Kawaki blew the whistle, he tossed the ball again, sending it straight to the back near the baseline. Kenzo, responsible for that area, reacted quickly, receiving the ball with ease.


    BAM!


    "Oh! As expected from Adachihara-senpai!" Tondo eximed in admiration.


    "Concentrate, Tondo! Give me a high pass!" Kenzo shouted.


    "Yes, Senpai!"


    Yuki tensed for a moment, waiting for the right timing to jump as well. This time, Riku didn''t join him on the front line since the element of surprise had already been used. As Kenzo soared into the air, he too leaped from the ground, extending his arms high. However, in a split second, he suddenly saw a smirk crack on Kenzo''s face, and Yuki knew it only meant trouble for him.


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    ''SHIT!''


    BAM!


    To Yuki''s surprise, Kenzo added topspin expertly before spiking the ball, transforming its trajectory into an unpredictable arc that rendered his block ineffective. Despite making contact, Yuki could only watch in dismay as the ball ricocheted off his fingertips and veered far beyond the sideline, while his friend could only stare helplessly, unable to save it.


    As hended on the ground and watched the ball sail far outside the court, Yuki''s expression turned solemn, his mind reying every detail of his actions moments ago. It had been a standard textbook block, and he had read the game perfectly. In a normalpetition against other high school yers, he was sure the ball would havended in his hands.


    However, he hadn''t expected Kenzo to showcase such a technique to counter his block. Even though he knew what a spin serve was and had even mastered one, Yuki had never seen anyone add spin while spiking the ball, and somehow, it sparked a sh of inspiration within him.


    ''I wonder if I could steal that and make it my move?''

 Chapter 187 End & Evaluation

    Unfortunately for Yuki, he didn''t have time to think about it. For the next few minutes, Kenzo transformed into a beast, bullying both him and Riku like a predator toying with its soon-to-die prey.


    It frustrated them both how easily Kenzo could pierce their defenses, and to make it even more infuriating, it was apparent to them that he didn''t even rely on Tondo''s help at all. The passes set by the younger boy were always simple, crude, and sometimes even inurate. This only showed that Tondo wasn''t suited to be a setter. Enjoy new chapters from empire


    However, Kenzo was always able to execute passes perfectly. It didn''t matter how good Yuki''s game-reading ability was; Kenzo always managed to pull off something he had never seen before at thest second.


    Yuki could still remember how in awe he was when he saw his opponent stop for a moment right before jumping, fooling himpletely. Later, he learned that this was called a dy attack, when the spiker paused for a moment before taking off from the ground to throw off the opponent''s timing.


    It wasn''t just that. The dink, the fake, the body movement, the eye movement¡ªeverything he saw from Kenzo was simply a piece of art. When Kenzo was serious, it was hard for Yuki to read his game. Every movement could be used as a fake, giving the opponent a headache. He reminded Yuki of Amagi from Matsuyama Kita High, but Kenzo was probably ten times better.


    Overall, this was a mind-blowing experience for Yuki.


    Riku was also frustrated by this situation. He had already expected a ring difference between a high school yer and a professional yer. However, when the reality was in front of him, it was hard to ept. Still, he had to admit that Kenzo was a monster. There was even a moment when Riku joined Yuki to form a two-man block, only for Kenzo to oust them both in the air. Not only was Kenzo''s technique impressive, but his physical ability was also top-notch.


    After struggling for a few more minutes and unable to find a way out of this situation, Kawaki finally blew his whistle. "Okay, let''s finish the game! Everyone, gather here!" said the coach.


    Yuki and Riku were stunned, and then the urge toin rose in the next moment. Even though the situation was bleak for them, they were not willing to give up just yet, knowing that anything could still happen. They just needed to score one point, and they would win the entire test today.


    It seemed Kawaki understood their thoughts, as he simply shook his head silently while pointing at the scoreboard. Confused, the two followed his finger, and when everything sank in, they widened their eyes in shock.


    ''They have already reached 11 points?! Since when?!''


    Even though the objective had changed in the middle of the game, they both still remembered that the initial condition for winning was to reach 11 points first. This only meant one thing: they had lost the game.


    "No need to be depressed; you did a good job," Kawaki said reassuringly when he saw hints of depression on Yuki and Riku''s faces. "Adachihara-kun is probably one of the best yers on our team, so scoring three points against him is a feat that no high school yers have been able to achieve in the past. You are the first ones to do that, so you should be proud of yourselves."


    Even though he said it nicely, Yuki and Riku still felt down. They didn''t say anything else and decided to sit quietly, cing Kato between them. The other yers smiled amusedly, knowing that they should be feeling frustrated right now.


    "Well, let''s do an evaluation first," Kawaki said, ignoring both of them. Everyone straightened their backs immediately, and even the yers who had just been watching from the sidelines gathered to join in.


    "First, for Miyahara-kun and Tondo-kun." The two U-19 yers tensed immediately when they heard their names called. After pondering for a moment, Kawaki sighed before saying, "Honestly, except for the first few ys at the beginning of the game where you overpowered your opponents, you didn''t y very well. You got caught in their rhythm and couldn''t break free, and you couldn''t even adapt when facing a service specialist. If this had been a normal game, you would have cost the team about four or even five points just from that. Overall, you are not ready to move up to the main team."


    Tondo and Miyahara could only smile wryly, having no words to refute that.@@novelbin@@


    "As for Adachihara-kun¡­" Kawaki turned his gaze to the man who had just yed. "Well, aside from the carelessness in the first few ys, everything was as I expected. You did a good job." He praised him briefly. Honestly, Kawaki had many thoughts about Kenzo. However, since Kenzo was a main team yer and he was just a U-19 coach, it wasn''t his ce to criticize him.


    "Andstly, Kobayashi-kun and Agostini-kun, right?"


    Kawaki finally focused his attention on the two main protagonists of the day. All eyes turned to them, filled with interest. They tensed for a moment, their hands unconsciously grabbing Kato''s. This could have been an amusing scene worth teasing if only the atmosphere weren''t so heavy.


    After contemting for a while, Kawaki finally said, "Well, as I said before, you did a good job. Even though it''s clear that your bodies haven''t developed to their peak and youck experience, youpensate for it with your cleverness. You also have the guts to pull off ys that always catch your opponents off guard, and your versatility as yers is top-notch. And yes, I''m talking about you both, not individually." Kawaki added thest part when he saw Riku wanting to speak.


    "As for your individual performances, Agostini-kun, we need to curb your tendency to show off. You are a setter, so you need to blend well with your teammates rather than overpower them. But other than that, I have noints."


    Riku nodded silently, acknowledging the critique.


    "As for Yuki¡­" Kawaki pondered for a moment, struggling to find the right words to describe the boy. "Well, if you want to climb as quickly as possible, I can rmend you as a service specialist to the main team''s head coach. What do you think?"


    Not only Yuki, but everyone was stunned by the sudden offer, initially thinking it was just a joke. But when they saw the dead-serious expression on Kawaki''s face, their eyes widened in shock, and they shouted in unison,


    "EEEEH?!"

 Chapter 188 Aftermath

    "So, any regrets about your decision?" Kato asked.


    The sky was dark at this point, and they had already returned to Tsukumi University. After saying goodbye and expressing their heartfelt gratitude to Sekine, Yuki, Riku, and Kato were on their journey home.


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    An awkward silence enveloped them as everyone fell into their own thoughts. However, it was clear that Yuki was the one burdened with many concerns, especially considering the offer from Kawaki and his ''seemingly rash'' decision that followed.


    Kato and Riku stared at Yuki with eyes full of concern, worried that he might regret his decision. They suspected so because the bespectacled boy had dozed off several times during the journey back from the Tokyo Thunder to Tsukumi University. Even the taxi driver noticed Yuki''s mood and asked whether he was okay.


    After a moment of silence following Kato''s question, Yuki finally sighed and addressed his feelings. "Regret? There shouldn''t be any," he muttered.


    "Then what''s on your mind right now?" she asked once again.


    "Just¡­ a bit overwhelmed, I guess. I never thought I would be regarded so highly by Kawaki-sensei." He sighed. His expression then turned bright¡ªalbeit somewhat forced¡ªas if he wanted to reassure his friends. "Don''t worry, though. I don''t regret my decision, no matter how stupid it sounds."


    Both Riku and Kato sighed in relief upon hearing that. Although they knew he was probably pretending to be okay, it was still better than him giving them the silent treatment like before.


    "So, are you really serious about your decision? No regrets at all?" Riku asked with a teasing smile, trying to lighten the atmosphere.


    "Don''t be so insensitive!" Kato pped Riku''s shoulder, though there was a hint of a smile on her face.


    Yuki snorted lightly at their antics. "Of course, there are no regrets. Even if it seems I made the decision too quickly, you already heard my reason. Staying with the U-19 team will be more beneficial for me."


    Yes, Kawaki was serious about rmending Yuki as a pinch server for the main team, and to everyone''s surprise, Yuki rejected the offer without any hesitation. They could all still remember everyone''s reaction when Yuki shook his head firmly to decline the offer.


    ¡ªshback¡ª


    "Are you sure you want to reject this offer?" Kawaki asked, his face dead serious. "Unlike the U-19 team, the main echelon is professional. Joining them would involve a professional contract, which means you would also get paid to y and enjoy all the benefits thate with being part of the team. It shouldn''t be that bad, right? Don''t you want to think or discuss it with your family first?"


    Riku and Kato cringed in unison at the mention of Yuki''s family, knowing that the tragedy still lingered in their friend''s heart. Yuki himself just smiled; the mention of his family had slipped from his mind.


    "Yeah, I''m sure of it. No matter how much I think about it, nothing will change my decision," he said firmly. By then, everyone around him looked at him as if he were foolish for rejecting a professional contract offered right in front of him.


    "May I know your reason?" Kawaki asked, not wanting to judge his soon-to-be yer.


    "Because the most important thing for me right now is to get more ying time," Yuki answered. "I know that since you didn''t force me but just rmended me, it''s not an urgent matter and the team isn''t short on service specialists. You just value me so much that you decided to give me a chance. However, I wouldn''t get many opportunities to y, since a pinch server typically has the least amount of minutes and can only be used in specific situations."


    ''A fine reasoning. It is not often you find a young man with a clear head who isn''t deluded by the praise of others and knows his worth,'' Kawaki thought, impressed.


    "What about the contract? It is not often for someone your age to receive such an offer, and I''m sure it would also secure your future."


    Honestly, this was also the matter Yuki was most hesitant about. Although he had already received ''pocket money'' from the Silvestri family and the amount wasn''t small, it paled inparison to the figure Kawaki had mentioned earlier. This was just a contract for a rookie; he couldn''t imagine how much a regr or superstar contract would be.


    However, Yuki didn''t want to be blinded by money. He knew a career as a professional athlete was always short, and without solid ability as a yer, while he couldnd one or two contracts as a service specialist, his future would look bleak. What he needed to do right now was to y as many games as possible and gain experience to better secure his footing in the future.


    Moreover, he didn''t face any financial shortfalls, especially with help from the Silvestri family and the matron of the orphanage, who made a decent sry while taking care of the children.


    So yes, while the money was good, his situation was not urgent enough topel him to ept the offer, and he shook his head firmly. "As I said, being part of the U-19 team is enough for me, as I also need to improve myself. If, in the future, the team really needs me to step up and fill those shoes, I will ept. Until then, you can wait a year or two and offer me the same thing again."


    ¡ªEnd of shback¡ª


    So, in the end, the decision stood, and both Yuki and Riku would be ced on the U-19 team. After all, Kawaki had no reason to reject them, considering how well they fared against older and more professional pyers.


    Still, Yuki wasn''t satisfied with the oue. The fact that they lost so badly¡ªwithout him even noticing until Kawaki ended the game¡ªadded insult to injury, as if mocking him despite his belief that he still had a chance. It was the first time he felt so helpless at the quality gap between him and the opponents. Even Konan''s yers had never made him feel this way, as he still believed his abilities were up to standard, and if only he had better teammates, the oue would be different.


    He clenched his fists unconsciously, and to his friends'' surprise, he suddenly muttered, "Riku, we still have so much to learn, but I don''t want to forget today''s defeat. Once we''re promoted to the main team, let''s challenge him again!"


    Riku was taken aback but then grinned widely. Under the dim light of the moon, he nodded firmly, hispetitive spirit soaring. "Sure! When the timees, let''s make him eat dust!"@@novelbin@@

 Chapter 191 Study Tour (II)

    "Hello, hello! My name is Kanako Touda, and I will be your guide today! Nice to meet you!" A bright woman, who was a bit too cheerful for Yuki''s taste, greeted them before they entered the factory.


    Out of politeness, all the students bowed their heads deeply in response to the greeting. "Nice to meet you, Touda-san!"


    "Well, before we go further, let me introduce you to our factory!" the woman said. "This factory was founded by the Maiko Group, which I am sure you''ve heard of, as they have contributed a lot to the neighborhood. Even though we started from scratch, we managed to build our reputation quickly within just one year and were nominated as one of the top five pharmacy groups in Tokyo. It has not been easy to reach this point, but we are not done yet! We are a group of ambitious people, and we have a big target this year: to be the best pharmacy group in Tokyo!" Experience tales with empire


    Everyone was in awe as they listened to her exnation, not expecting her to start so grandly. The woman did an excellent job at this point, as her words dispelled all doubts and bad rumors about the Maiko Group. Yuki noticed Arina Sugawara clenching her fists while trying her best to maintain a straight expression.


    ''Well, let''s address thatter. For now, listen carefully to what this woman is saying,'' he muttered.


    As Yuki focused more on the exnation, he learned new information he hadn''t known before, such as the fact that this was the Maiko Group''s first investment outside the electronics industry and that it had attracted numerous freshly graduated pharmacy students from all over Japan to build this factory.


    It was a pretty interesting story, yet when they walked inside the building and noticed the cutting-edge technology being used, all the information the woman had shared was quickly forgotten. All eyes turned to the room separated by ss, staring in awe at how the people inside were working.


    Touda, ever the attentive guide, took the opportunity to engage them. "Ah, I see you''ve stumbled upon ourboratory! You see, this is one of the most crucial stages for producing the medicines you will probably see soon in all the stores near your home. There," she pointed to a group of workers who were busy with something, "they are measuring precise quantities of the active pharmaceutical ingredients¡ªa meticulous process known as weighing and milling. One small error could ruin all the hard work of the other workers, so they need to be extra careful in this job."


    Everyone gulped unconsciously at her statement.


    "As for the people over there," she pointed to another group, "they are in the middle of the blending phase, where those finely milled powders arebined to create a uniform mix¡ªan essential step to ensure that each dosage delivers the exact same therapeutic effect."


    Honestly, this was such a fascinating subject that Yuki had never learned about in his life. However, as he listened more to the guide, he began to develop a headache as the terminology became more technical, and from the confused expressions of the other students, he realized he wasn''t the only one struggling to keep up.@@novelbin@@


    Fortunately, the woman noticed their confusion and returned to terminology they were familiar with. "I''ll tell you what: most of the processes used here rely heavily on the scientific principles many of you learned in your chemistry club. So who knows? Maybe you will have a chance to stand in their shoes in the future," she teased with a mischievous smile.


    It didn''t take long for everyone to react; all jaws dropped immediately when her words finally sank in. "WHAT?!" they cried in unison, looking at the woman in disbelief.


    "Oh, yes! I''m not lying!" Touda nodded, satisfied with their reaction. "For instance, remember when you learned about the pH scale in your club? Understanding the pH of our formtions is essential when making medicines, as it significantly affects how the medication is absorbed by the body. And those bncing reactions that I''m sure gave you all headaches in ss? Well, they are critical to ensuring that the ingredients we use work harmoniously together."


    A couple of students¡ªincluding Yuki¡ªnodded in understanding, beginning to connect the dots between their high school studies and the real-world applications before them. While the exnation was a bit vague, at least it helped them visualize the content Miyazawa-sensei had discussed in the club instead of just nodding blindly at whatever she said.


    "Another study group, Touda-san?" Suddenly, a gentle voice greeted them from behind. Everyone turned around to find a man, probably younger than their guide, wearing a clean whiteboratory coat and smiling politely at them.


    "Oh, yes, Narita-sensei!" Touda seemed to be caught off guard and a bit jumpy in front of the man. "These are the students from Tsunemori High School, wanting to see how the knowledge they learned is applied in the real industry," she exined hurriedly.


    "Oh, is that so?" The man pondered for a moment before his face lit up. "Well, in that case, I won''t bother you anymore! Have fun!"


    "Ah, yes, Sensei! Thank you!"


    After the man walked away, all eyes turned back to the woman in front of them, looking at her curiously. She seemed to doze off for a moment before finally letting out a deep sigh. "He is Shingo Narita, the head of theboratory responsible for all the medicines produced here," she exined.


    "Eh?! So young?!" Everyone gasped incredulously.


    "Oh, yes, he is just 25 years old this year, three years younger than me," she sighed. "But don''t underestimate him! He is a super genius who graduated from a doctoral program at one of the best universities in the States when he was only 20. I heard the Maiko Group itself recruited him personally with a nk check. I''ve heard his yearly sry is about 50 million yen, and it will increase when our new project is sessful."


    "50 million yen?!"


    Even Yuki''s eyes bulged wide when he heard that figure, feeling it was unreal. For as long as he could remember, those who earned that amount of money annually were either sessful businessmen or top figures in the entertainment industry. This was the first time he knew of a job that could yield the same, and it blew his mind.


    "Man, he''s awesome! If only I could do that too!"


    "Idiot! Didn''t you forget he''s a genius who graduated from a doctoral program in his 20s? He''s someone far beyond our reach!"


    "Well, I can dream about it, right?!"


    As everyone chatted excitedly about the new information¡ªand gossip, honestly¡ªthey had just received, Yuki''s eyes turned back to the man, and he suddenly noticed something strange about him.


    ''Why does everyone keep their distance whenever he''s nearby? Is it because of his status as the director? Or is there another reason?''


    However, he quickly shook his head, realizing he was overthinking it. After all, even if he noticed a problem within the factory, who was he to speak up about it? He was just a high school student who was in the middle of the study tour, after all. No more and no less.


    Little did he know, however, that this was the beginning of a major incident that would shake Tsunemori High to its core.

 Chapter 192 The Incident in the Pharmacy Factory (I)

    The day passed quickly, and without Yuki noticing, it was already time for lunch. Fortunately, everything was provided by the school, so he didn''t need to worry about it. The menu included a portion of rice, chicken teriyaki, stir-fried tofu, sliced apples, and a bottle of water. While it might sound too simple, everyone enjoyed it since they were starving after spending their morning there.


    Yuki had to admit, though, that although it was exhausting, the activities were quite interesting. Here, he learned so much about the pharmacy industry, such as the generic medicines produced there, the production costs, and the market analysis. He even had the opportunity to observe how all the cutting-edge technologies worked, from the initial stages to the final product.


    But the most interesting part of the tour was the fact that the factory gave them a chance to conduct their own experiment. The concept was to use somethingmon that they encountered daily to create something, and although it was a simple project that cost almost nothing, everyone was satisfied. In the end, Yuki learned how to make a pain relief gel from aloe vera.


    "Unfortunately, aloe vera isn''t thatmon here, so this isn''t something I can make very often," he muttered.


    Lost in his thoughts, Yuki was suddenly brought back to reality when the two girls who had been with him all day walked in his direction and took a seat next to him silently, without even asking for permission first. He took a nce at them for a moment, then allowed himself to return to daydreaming, ignoring their presence. By now, he was used to it; unless he was included in their interaction, he would just act as a good listener for both of them. Find more to read at empire


    "So, Senpai, what did you and the other third-year students do?" Kato asked, curiosity evident in her voice.


    "Us? We are trying to extract caffeine from dried tea leaves and observing its properties," Arina Sugawara responded while picking up her food with chopsticks.


    "Wow, that sounds interesting," Megumi said genuinely. "For us, we were making a simple pain relief gel from aloe vera, and most of the time was spent waiting rather than doing anything productive."


    "Well, who are we toin about the free time we have?" Yuki chimed inzily.


    Kato rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Of course, you would say that. But not everyone is aszy as you, you know?"


    Arina Sugawara giggled slightly before adding, "While our activity sounds interesting, I would rather be with you two than with my peers. It was so awkward in our group," she sighed. Her two kouhai exchanged sympathetic nces, with the younger girl offering aforting pat on her back.


    Yeah, to ensure that everyone participated equally in the hands-on activities, Miyazawa-sensei decided to create three groups based on their current year. Fortunately, Yuki had Kato by his side, so he didn''t feel awkward around the others. Arina Sugawara, however, didn''t have that luxury and had to endure the ''fake'' interactions with her usual poker face for the past two hours.


    "So, any idea what we are going to do next?" Yuki asked while chewing his food.


    Kato and Arina Sugawara frowned in unison ¡ª a gesture that creeped him out ¡ª and simultaneously pped his shoulder. "Don''t talk with your mouth full! It''s so rude!" the older girl chided.


    Yuki rolled his eyes sarcastically, swallowed the food in his mouth, and asked again, "So, do you have any idea what we are going to do next?"


    "If I''m not mistaken, it should be an open ss with Narita-sensei as the lecturer. As for the content, I''m not really sure," Arina Sugawara replied.


    At the mention of the young genius who had greeted them earlier, Yuki couldn''t help but frown. While everyone else looked at the professor with admiration, he sensed that there was something off about him. Unfortunately, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn''t piece it together, which left him frustrated.@@novelbin@@


    "Are you okay, Yuki?" Kato''s gentle question snapped him from his thoughts. When he regained his awareness, he saw the concerned gazes of the two girls in front of him. "You''ve been zoning out for a moment. Are you feeling alright? Maybe we could ask Miyazawa-sensei to let you rest."


    Yuki shook his head in amusement, reminiscent of the girl''s older sister. It seemed that overthinking and worrying about a friend was a family trait.


    "Don''t worry, I was just thinking about something silly," said the boy with sses. "By the way, don''t you smell something strange in this room?" he asked.


    This wasn''t an attempt to change the subject; he genuinely sensed something amiss. While the odor was faint, he noticed a smell reminiscent of alcohol and antiseptic, which reminded him of a hospital. He would be lying if he said he enjoyed it. While some people found such smells soothing, the memory of him lying in a hospital bed after an earthquake disaster was enough to trigger his PTSD.


    "It''s the smell of medicine, right?" Kato said, sniffing in the direction he indicated. "I don''t think it''s strange. After all, we''re in a pharmacy factory right now."


    "Kato-chan is right. Maybe it''s just the scent of the newest medicine that just came out of production," Arina Sugawara nodded in agreement.


    Yuki could only furrow his brow at that. While he didn''t know the protocols here, shouldn''t the production room be isted from the outside world? Even earlier, they hadn''t been able to observe the medicine production up close, so that should be the case. But if that''s so, how could the smell leak so far outside the production room?


    As time passed, his survival instincts screamed louder, urging him to leave the building immediately. His body tensed, and his eyes scanned the area toprehend what was happening. Yuki knew that trusting his instincts wasn''t scientific, but ignoring thempletely would also be a foolish decision. After all, thest time he felt something like this was during the earthquake disaster in his hometown, so he knew his instincts could be trusted.


    It didn''t take long for his instincts to be proven right. Although, in all honesty, Yuki hoped he was wrong, but when he heard the sound of the emergency rm ring from therge speaker on the wall, he realized that hell had just broken loose.

 Chapter 193 The Incident in the Pharmacy Factory (II)

    "What happened here?"


    "I don''t know. Should we ask Miyazawa-sensei?"


    "But she is not here, though."


    As the loud, shrill rm echoed through the building, Yuki could hear everyone whispering to each other in confusion. However, he didn''t care about that. No, there was only one thing on his mind right now.


    "We should leave the building quickly," he said, his expression tense. The two girls in front of him were startled, looking at him with concern. However, before they could say anything, he shouted immediately, "NOW!"


    It seemed the two girls were not the only ones who listened to his shout. Right after the words left his mouth, all eyes turned to Yuki, and while most of them were filled with confusion, there was a hint of fright visible in their eyes.


    "Kobayashi-kun, can you exin what happened?" one of them suddenly asked. "Miyazawa-sensei is not here, and if we leave without telling her first, we will be in trouble." While it sounded like a reminder not to act rashly, Yuki could see that the boy also felt worried about the situation.


    "I don''t know for sure, but it is clear that this is the sound of the emergency rm. We should leave the building as soon as possible," Yuki said, trying to keep it brief. As for the part about being in trouble with his teacher, he couldn''t care less. For now, the most important thing was to get out of the building and find an open space to evacuate while trying to figure out what was happening.


    When they all heard Yuki mention the emergency rm, their bodies tensed for a second before they immediately rose from their spots. Even though they had never been in this situation before, Japan was one of the countries with the most natural disasters, so they all received the same training on what to do when the emergency rm rang. Still, that didn''t lessen their concern about the situation.


    "Attention, please! This is an emergency situation, not just a simtion! Please leave the building quickly and go to the evacuation zone! The emergency door is on the left wing of the building, so please don''t wait for the lift and move! I will repeat, this is an emergency situation, not just a simtion! Please follow the procedure and leave the building quickly!"


    If there had been any doubt about Yuki''s statement before, the announcement they heard dispelled all of that instantly.


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    "Come on, Kato-san, Sugawara-senpai, we need to move!" Yuki urged, taking his friends'' arms and guiding them toward the nearest exit.


    He was followed by the other students, who somehow dubbed him their emergency leader in this situation since he had been the first one to notice what was happening. In a normal situation, he would haveughed at them, thinking how ironic it was, considering how almost all of them had been involved in the gossip incident that put his name in the mud. However, that thought was far from his mind. The most important thing to do right now was to get outside and save themselves first.


    As they finally left the building, they were greeted by the chaotic scene that enveloped the factory grounds. Workers poured out, their expressions varying from fear to panic. When Yuki saw one of them starting to distribute something from a box to the others, he decided to ask, "Ojiisan, can we have some too?"


    The old man he asked was startled for a second, then replied, "Who are you? And why are you here?"


    "We are students from Tsunemori High who are here for a study tour. Come on, Ojiisan, can you share some with us?" Yuki urged again, keeping it short.


    Fortunately, the old man didn''t ask any more questions and grabbed some of the items from the box to give to him. "Here, make sure all of your friends use this, okay?"


    "Sure. Thank you, Ojiisan!" Without even waiting for an answer, Yuki grabbed what the old man gave him and ran back to the spot where all the Tsunemori students had gathered. Under everyone''s questioning gaze, he raised his voice immediately, "Guys, this is a mask to cover your face! Use it properly and don''t breathe the air here directly!"


    It didn''t take long for all the masks in his hand to disappear after he announced it. What he had asked the old man for were masks, essential for protecting themselves from breathing in harmful substances in the air. Although Yuki still didn''t know what had happened, after connecting the dots between the fact that it was a pharmacy factory and the odor he had smelled before, he made an educated guess that whatever happened would be bad for their respiratory systems.


    As time passed, more people could be seen leaving the building, each one appearing more panicked than thest. The sight of people having difficulty breathing only convinced Yuki that his guess was right. Unfortunately, he still didn''t know what had caused all of this.


    "Hey, don''t push!"


    "Has anyone called the ambnce already?!"


    "I have! They said they would be here in fifteen minutes!"


    "Damn! That''s too long! Can you ask them toe quicker?!"


    Amidst the chaos, Yuki couldn''t help but ask someone who had juste out of the building. "Ojiisan, what is happening here?"


    The old man he asked was surprised to see a high school boy there, yet he didn''t question it and answered immediately, "Bad stuff, boy. I don''t know what it is, but a highly vtile solvent leaked during the extraction process of certain medications. It evaporates quickly and creates a toxic vapor cloud that could send you to the ER if you''re not careful. So, don''t take off your mask, okay?"


    "Yes, Sir!" Yuki nodded like a good boy.


    Inwardly, though, he was shocked to hear the cause of all this. This was the first time he had heard of something like this happening, and he cursed his luck for somehow getting involved in this mess.


    When he returned to the spot where all the Tsunemori students were gathered, Arina Sugawara bombarded him with questions, unable to hide her anxiety.


    "So, what is happening here, Kobayashi-kun? Did you hear anything from the people over there? Also, have you seen Miyazawa-sensei? We couldn''t contact her at all since this mess started, and I am afraid something bad is happening to her." A tear threatened to fall from the corner of her eye.


    Unfortunately, Yuki himself didn''t have anyforting news to reassure her¡ªor the other students around her. He simply shook his head and said, "I haven''t seen Miyazawa-sensei at all, but she should be around here. As for what happened here, it is¡ª"@@novelbin@@


    BAM!


    "Run! Get as far away from the building as possible!"


    "Damn! Save yourselves! This won''t be the only explosion today!"


    "Come on! Run!"


    Before he could finish his exnation, the sound of an explosion and the panicked screams of people filled the air. Acting on instinct, he shouted to the group of Tsunemori students around him, "Come on! We need to move! Be quick, but don''t get separated from the group! Be careful!"


    By now, no one cared about their sensei anymore, as the only thing on their minds was to save their lives. This was the first time they had been in the middle of a life-threatening crisis, and they couldn''t help but feel anxious and afraid of the situation.


    As for Yuki, while he was trying his best to look calm andposed, it was clear from his expression that the anxiety building inside him had already reached its peak. He tried to distract himself by shouting at the others to move in an orderly fashion and follow the crowd. But when he noticed one person¡ªno, one girl he was familiar with¡ªmissing from the group, he couldn''t help but curse out loud.


    "Shit! She is still there!"

 Chapter 195 Aftermath

    Beep¡­ Beep¡­ Beep¡­


    Yuki didn''t know what had happened to him. One moment, he remembered being in the middle of a study tour, and now he found himself in the middle of nowhere, apanied by an annoying beeping sound.


    ''Where am I? Why is it so dark here? Oh, how stupid of me. I forgot to open my eyes.''


    He opened his eyes slowly, trying to figure out at least where he was. However, he regretted that decision a secondter when his eyes were blinded by the bright light above him.


    "Urgh¡­" he groaned weakly at the sudden exposure. However, it was enough to gain the attention of the people around him, as he heard someone¡ªlikely some kids he was familiar with¡ªsqueal in excitement.


    "YUKI-NII!"


    "You finally woke up from your sleep!"


    "We were so worried about you!"


    "Please, don''t do this again!"


    Hearing the kids cry for him filled him with guilt. Yuki rubbed their backs gently, wincing as he finally noticed how painful it was to move his body. He turned his head slightly and, when he saw the tears in the corners of Aiko''s eyes, he felt as if someone had punched him in the gut.


    "I am¡­ Sorry¡­" he said weakly.


    "Oh, don''t be," Aiko replied, wiping the tears from her face. "You did a good job protecting Kato-chan. If it hadn''t been for you, I don''t know what would have happened to that lucky girl."


    "Kato-san?" Hearing his friend''s name made all of the nerves in his body jolt as if struck by lightning. He widened his eyes in shock, and all the memories of what had happened during the study tour flooded back into his mind. "What happened to her?! Is she okay? There shouldn''t be anything wrong, right?! I mean, I don''t know what happened, but I''m sure we hadn''t reached the second evacuation spot yet! Damn! If only ¨C !"


    "Breathe, Yuki-kun! Breathe!" Aiko interrupted his rant, rubbing his back soothingly. "It''s okay. Kato-chan is safe. Besides a sprained leg, there''s nothing wrong with her. She even left the hospital before you did." She exined gently.


    Yuki nodded quickly, trying to regte his breathing. He had just realized he was hyperventting, and cold sweat was rolling down profusely, soaking the back of his clothes. After a ss of water, he finally regained hisposure and asked, "So, what happened? Is she really okay?"@@novelbin@@


    Aiko sighed and smiled sadly at him. "Even though your situation isn''t much better, you still care about your friend. You really are a good boy, Yuki-kun. Your parents must be proud of you right now."


    Yuki blushed, his face warming at the unexpected praise. He didn''t know what prompted her to say that, but it was the first time she had mentioned anything about his parents, and he was happy it came while she praised him.


    "As for what happened, yes, Kato-chan is okay. She was here for almost all ofst night before the nurse asked her to go home," Aiko exined.


    Yuki furrowed his brows immediately, realizing something he should have noted the moment he woke up. "Wait, how long have I been passed out here?" he asked.


    "It''s been about a day!" one of the kids, Hina, answered.


    "Yeah! Your teacher suddenly called Baachan and asked her to go to the hospital yesterday!" another chimed in.


    "You gave us a heart attack, Niisan!"


    Looking at the mature expressions on the children, which should not have been present at their age, his heart broke, and his head bowed in embarrassment. Fortunately, Aiko understood how he felt and patted his shoulder reassuringly.


    After a moment of silence, Yuki finally asked, "So, what happened to me? Did I get injured in the incident yesterday? Also, Baachan, do you have any idea what happened yesterday?" Once his mind was clear, the first thing that popped into his head was, of course, the cause of the hellish incident.


    "Well, fortunately, aside from all the bruises from cushioning your fall, there''s nothing wrong with you. The doctor said the only reason you passed out for so long was because of the adrenaline. So¡­ yeah, don''t worry. You can still y volleyball like before." She said thest part yfully. Yuki quickly turned his head away, trying his best to look innocent.


    "As for the cause of the incident yesterday¡­ well, it''splicated." She sighed deeply.


    Yuki frowned, knowing it wouldn''t be simple at all. He should have expected that, considering that a leaked poisonous solvent alone was enough to create a national disaster, let alone the subsequent explosions. The only question he had right now was about the cause of all of it.


    "I don''t know how to exin it, but you will certainly understand how messy this situation is when you read this." She handed a piece of newspaper to him. Yuki was confused, skimming the front article quickly. When he reached the bottom of the page and processed what he just read, his mouth gaped wide in disbelief.


    "Is this real?"


    There, he read the controversial article printed by the Tokyo Shimbun about what had happened yesterday¡ªor more urately, theck of information provided in the article.


    Pharmacy Factory Incident Raises Safety Concerns Amidst Mimunication


    An incident at a local pharmacy factory on Tuesday resulted in the idental leakage of a vtile solvent, sending shockwaves through the nearbymunity. The solvent evaporated rapidly, creating a hazardous atmosphere that significantly impacted those present, leading to symptoms ranging from dizziness and nausea to severe disorientation that required several individuals to seek emergency medical attention. This unfortunate event escted further when the evaporated solvent contacted nearby electrical equipment, triggering two small explosions within a short time frame, though thankfully, no fire ensued.


    Among the victims were two high school students visiting the facility as part of a study tour. The students had inadvertently separated from their group when the incident urred. Emergency responders promptly transported one of the students to a nearby hospital, where he remained under observation due to unconsciousness. The other student, though shaken by the experience, has since been released after receiving treatment for mild symptoms. The school district has expressed concern over the incident and is currently reviewing safety protocols in light of this event.


    In light of the incident, our team spoke with the head of the pharmacy group, who attempted to contextualize the events, emphasizing the factory''smitment to safety and regtorypliance. "While we take such matters seriously, it is important to note that the incident was quickly managed and that our safety protocols werergely effective in preventing any long-term harm," the headmented. Despite the troubling circumstances, the spokesperson sought to reassure the public that the situation is under control, urging that it be viewed through a lens of caution rather than rm.


    As investigations into the incident continue, the pharmacy factory encourages patrons and local residents to remain calm and assures them that steps are underway to prevent any recurrence. The management has reiterated theirmitment to transparency while ensuring that safety measures are strengthened moving forward. With the injury of a young student involved, themunity watches closely, hoping for a swift recovery and a solution that safeguards all individuals who engage with the facility in the future.


    As Yuki kept reading the article from the top to the very bottom of the newspaper, there was only one reaction in his head at that moment.


    "Holy shit!"

 Chapter 196 Visitor (I)

    "Oh, you, my brave boy! What would we do if you weren''t here? I cannot thank you enough for all the risks you took to save our darling daughter!"


    Yuki smiled awkwardly as the older, beautiful woman who resembled his friend and his senpai hugged him tightly, expressing her gratitude for saving her daughter. When he heard the muffled giggles from behind the woman''s back, he turned his head around, ring at his friends, who were giving him gloating looks.


    "It''s okay, Ma''am," he said while gently rubbing her back. "I''m d that even after getting caught in the middle of a disaster like that, Kato-san could stillugh at us like this." He shot a sharp re at the girl, who was caught off guard by the mention of her name.


    "Oh, yes, Kato-chan owes you a heartfelt thank you." The woman seemed to remember something and turned her gaze to her daughter. "So, what do you want to say to him, Kato-chan?" she said sweetly. Too sweetly, in fact, making it more intimidating than a genuine question.


    "A-Ah?!" Kato stuttered, speechless. A shade of red appeared on her cheeks, and had Yuki not noticed the hidden threat beneath the older woman''s words, he might have been flustered and misunderstood his friend''s reaction. In the end, Kato sighed deeply before a helpless expression crossed her face as she said, "Thank you, Yuki-kun."


    Although it sounded as though Kato was being forced to say it by the older woman, Yuki knew it was genuine gratitude from his friend. He wouldn''t have doubted it, especially since he knew her well.


    From the corner of the room, the blonde boy who had disappeared from everyone''s view moments earlier couldn''t hold it back any longer. A stiff chuckle erupted from him, announcing his presence once more to the residents of the room. When all eyes turned to him, the boy shrugged innocently. "What?"


    "Coward," Yuki muttered under his breath.


    "Hey, I call that a strategic retreat! Why would I join a battle I cannot win? Maybe you should learn a thing or two from me, Yuki!" the boy retorted.


    "What, learn from you and be the seconding of a dumb blonde?" Yuki sniffed, unwilling to lose the banter.


    "Hey, why do you always bring up that stupid blonde joke? It''s not funny, you know?!"


    "Oh, but it is hrious for me!"


    "Why, you?!"


    "Okay, enough, you two!" Kato finally had enough of their childishness. "This is a hospital, not some random ce for jokes! Mind your manners!" she scolded.


    "Yes, Ma''am!" the two said in unison, straightening their backs.


    Seeing their interaction, the older woman''s lips quivered as she tried her best to hold back a giggle. However, Kato noticed and could only sigh. "What do you want, Mom?"


    "Oh, nothing, dear." The older woman, whom Kato had just called "Mom"¡ªnot that Yuki doubted it, given how closely they resembled one another¡ªshook her head, yet the smile on her face told otherwise. "I heard a lot about your two friends from Megu-chan, but I never imagined you''d be this close to them. How did the shy Kato-chan, who always hid behind Daddy''s leg, manage to befriend not just one but two boys at the same time? If your daddy saw this, he would be shocked."


    "Mooom!" Kato moaned weakly. Then she quickly turned her head, ring at the two boys before they could make any smart remarks. "I haven''t called my dad ''Daddy'' since I was ten, so don''t you dare bring this up in the future, got it?!"


    They both nodded quickly, not wanting to incur her wrath.


    Kato''s mom smiled fondly at their exchange. After a moment, she rose from her seat and introduced herself¡ªsomething Yuki had forgotten to ask. "I am sorry for being rude anding here without telling you first. My name is Mitsuki Ayaka, and as you can guess, I am Kato-chan''s mother. I have already heard Kato-chan''s story about what happened yesterday, and I am here to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and my husband''s, for your bravery and selflessness in protecting her until the end. Thank you." She bowed politely, making the situation suddenly awkward.


    "Ah¡­ It''s nothing, Ma''am¡­" Yuki rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.


    "Please, don''t sell yourself short." Mitsuki gently patted his hand. "You have done so much for my daughter, and thinking of what might have happened if you hadn''t been there¡­" Her eyes glistened as she imagined that scenario. "I can''t bear to think about it. We owe you so much, Yuki-kun, and if there''s anything we can do to help, please let me know."


    Yuki felt a lump in his throat, unable to respond to her heartfelt gratitude. In the end, he could only nod silently, allowing the conversation to die down naturally.


    "Anyway!" Fortunately, Riku was quite the chatterbox, and his words were enough to shatter the awkwardness in the air. "Do you know how long you''ll be here? I''ve already told Kawaki-sensei about this, and I''m sure he and the old geezer will visit you soon. But I just want to know when you''ll be able toe back to training."


    Yuki snorted, giving his friend a disapproving look. He knew Riku¡ªjust like him and any other boy¡ªwas bad at talking about feelings, so the best way to deal with it was to steer the conversation back to something practical. Still, Yuki didn''t mind. If he were honest, he preferred talking about anything other than the heart-to-heart discussion they had just had.@@novelbin@@


    "I don''t know. I mean, I haven''t even seen my doctor yet. It''s only been an hour since I woke up, and the only person I''ve seen from the hospital was a nurse. Other than that, it was Baasan and the children who were with me before you came."


    "Hmm¡­ Should you press that button to call the doctor?" Riku asked, pointing at the button near the bed, designed for emergencies to summon help.


    "No need. Let''s wait for Baasan and the children toe back. After that, Baasan will handle everything." Yuki shook his head, rejecting his friend''s idea.


    "Well, if you say so." Riku shrugged. "Where are they, anyway?"


    "Gone out to buy lunch. They''ve been gone for almost 45 minutes, so they should be back soon." Yuki answered briefly.


    They continued talking about random topics that popped up in their minds, yet not once did they touch on the topic of the incident from yesterday. At first, Yuki was confused by his friends''ck of curiosity. However, the guest who entered next instantly dispelled all doubt.


    "I see you''re doing well, Kobayashi-kun. Mind telling us what happened yesterday?"

 Chapter 200 Visitor (V)

    "First of all, let me congratte you on your sess in joining the Tokyo Thunder team," Akira said.


    "Aah¡­ Thanks, I guess?" Yuki, who was still taken aback by the sudden presence of his coach¡ªwho should be a former coach by now¡ªcould only rub the back of his neck awkwardly. It seemed his difort was noticed by the older man, who chuckled out loud. "Do you think that just because the club is disbanded I will forget about all of you? Even though I didn''t interact with you much, I still kept following your progress. It was easy for me to do so since I was the one who introduced you to Sekine-sensei."


    Yuki blushed, not expecting him to be so readable.


    Akira sighed sadly as he gazed at his former prot¨¦g¨¦. It would be a lie to say he didn''t regret Yuki''s decision to join the Tokyo Thunder team. After all, he was the one who discovered the bespectacled boy''s talent, and he wanted to be the one who brought him to the world stage. Unfortunately, his team was disbanded, and Yuki needed a club to help him gain more experience. The onlyfort he took was that Yuki joined Sekine''s team, which made it easy for him to monitor the boy.


    "Jiisan, I am also here, you know?" Riku suddenly clicked his tongue in annoyance, announcing his presence to his uncle.


    "Huh? Did you say something, Riku?" Akira blinked in confusion, making the blonde boy growl in annoyance. Fortunately, it only took him a second to realize what his nephew wanted him to acknowledge. "Oh, yeah! I forgot that you joined the same team too! Congrattions, my boy! I am sure you can shine even more under Kawaki''s guidance." He praised him genuinely.


    Riku''s face beamed at that; all of his annoyances vanished instantly.


    Yuki rolled his eyes and shook his head in amusement, knowing what his friend was thinking. Then he turned his attention back to his two guests and asked, "So, what brings you both here? No offense, Akira-sensei, but I haven''t seen you for a while, so I don''t think this is a social visit. Moreover, you brought Narita-sensei with you, which raises the question of how you two know each other like this. So, please, do tell me your purpose for being here."


    Explore hidden tales at empire


    "Straight to the point, huh? I like this boy," Shingo Narita chuckled. "Well, your story has already spread from mouth to mouth, and we heard about your heroic deeds from the other victims of the incident. However, I found something interesting in their ounts that I want to cross-check with you. So, if you don''t mind, can you tell us what happened at that time?" He finally stated the purpose of their visit.


    Yuki couldn''t help but sigh, feeling somewhat tired of retelling the story over and over again. Still, when he saw the tense anticipation in the two older men in front of him, he knew it was important, so he decided to indulge their request this time.


    If his count was right, this should be Yuki''s seventh time retelling the story. He even started to remember it word for word, treating it like he was reciting a holy text. However, the audience in front of him this time was the most intense. They both held their breath in anticipation, not interrupting him even once. After a while, Shingo Narita finally sighed; the tiredness in his dark eye bags was bing more evident.


    "So, your guess was correct?" Akira asked.@@novelbin@@


    "Yeah, based on how the boy¡ªKobayashi-kun¡ªdescribed its smell, its effects, and the explosion afterwards, I am sure it was TCE," he nodded. Noticing the confusion on the two boys'' faces, he borated, "The popr name is Trichloroethylene, with the chemical form C2HCl3. It is quite useful in the extraction and purification processes in drug formtion. However, the government has already banned its use in creating medicines, as long-term exposure can adversely affect the human body, including causing liver and kidney damage."


    "Wait, it''s banned?" Riku interrupted, his eyes widening.


    "For medication purposes, yes." Shingo Narita nodded. "It is still widely used in other industries as a solvent for adhesives, paints, and coatings. However, even for that, its usage is strictly regted by the government, so apany or factory has to implement strict safety measures that are monitored by professionals to ensure there are no leaks that could create chaos in society."


    "And the fact that it is inside the pharmacy factory and leaked basically tells us that thepany broke all the rules and regtions regarding this TCE, right?" Yuki concluded.


    "Exactly," Shingo Narita confirmed.


    Silence descended on the room for a moment as everyone was lost in their thoughts, their expressions grim from the revtion. "So, what do you want to do with that information?" Riku finally asked, curious.


    "Why, of course, I will report this matter," he replied with a wan smile. Yuki was surprised to hear that, and Shingo Narita immediately understood why Yuki would react that way. "While I am still employed by thepany, it goes against my morals if I do nothing about it. I know if I talk to the Maiko Group, which owns the pharmacy, they would just sweep it under the rug. So, the best way to deal with this is to keep it quiet for a while until I find enough evidence and deal with it all at once. After that, I am sure everything will be alright."


    Yuki had to admire his bravery and moralpass. Telling the truth that could impact his workce would be difficult, yet Shingo Narita had decided to do it without hesitation. Even though Yuki felt the man''s belief that everything would be alright after he reported this was a bit na?ve, he didn''t want to dampen the man''s enthusiasm for now.


    He then turned his attention to his old coach and asked, "So, Akira-sensei, what is your role in this messy situation? Also, what is your purpose here?" Based on the interaction between Akira and Shingo Narita, Yuki knew this wasn''t their first coboration. Still, Akira was a PE teacher, a position with little to no contact with a pharmacy director like Shingo Narita. The fact that they had decided to work together meant they shared amon goal, and what his old coach said next confirmed Yuki''s guess.


    "I want to cleanse our school of the Maiko Group''s influence," he stated firmly.

 Chapter 201 Visitor (VI)

    "Wait, what?!" It wasn''t Yuki who reacted first, but his blonde friend. Riku rose from his seat, his eyes widened as he looked at his uncle as if he didn''t know him at all. "What do you mean by cleansing our school of their influence, Jiisan? Why is this the first time I''ve ever heard about it? Also, have you already told Mom about it? If you keep her out of the loop, she will be livid, you know?!" He barraged his uncle with questions in one breath.


    Akira cringed, imagining his sister, Riku''s mother, sending her wrath upon him because he hadn''t told her anything about this. Still, he didn''t want to show any weakness, so he just coughed and shrugged it off as if it were nothing.


    "Don''t worry; I will tell your mother about itter," said the mustached man.


    Yuki stared at his uncle skeptically before finally saying, "Well, if you say so."


    "Anyway, back to the point!" Akira coughed again. "It''s not just me who wants to cleanse the school of the Maiko Group''s influence; some of the teachers do too. For example, Iida-sensei, who teaches Japanese, Suzuki-sensei, who teaches math, and even Miyazawa-sensei, who is the advisor of the chemistry club. Do you want to know why?" he asked.


    Yuki pondered for a moment before a lightbulb clicked in his mind. "Because you all are the advisors of the old clubs that were disbanded due to the purge," he whispered.


    "Exactly!" Akira nodded. "It''s not that we disagree with the reason for the purge; the policy of the old clubs was problematic. As a result, just like the headmaster said, we couldn''t produce anything and just wasted the school''s money for fun. So, after thinking it over, we decided to try again to establish formal clubs with clear goals, whether for the short term or even the long term. Unfortunately, we were still rejected by the school board."


    "Why?" Riku asked, confused. In his mind, what Akira and the other teachers did was remarkable and convincing enough to reopen the old clubs. There had to be something wrong with the higher-ups if they still rejected the proposal.


    "Well, it''s because of the Maiko Group''s involvement," Akira said helplessly. "They are the biggest sponsor of our school at the moment, and they have significant influence over how the school runs its policies. It would be fine if they didn''t want to get too involved, but they are determined to see no sports clubs or hobby clubs at the school, thinking they are just a waste of time. Unfortunately, some of the higher-ups at our school are also old-school teachers, so they agreed with the Maiko Group''s demands in a heartbeat."


    "So, you just want to uproot the group''s influence from the school, right? Then howe you are involved in this conspiracy?" Yuki asked.


    "Because, after digging aroundst week, I discovered a terrible fact: they exploited numerous loopholes to gain cheapbor in the form of internships for the students who graduated from the schools they sponsor. I knew that if I didn''t do anything, it would be you who would suffer next, so I couldn''t just stand by and wait until you were in trouble to take action," he scowled.


    When Yuki heard his sensei say that, he suddenly remembered a particr girl who investigated this issue much earlier than Akira. ''Maybe I should introduce him to Sugawara-senpai,'' he thought.


    "So, that led you to him?" Riku asked, pointing at Shingo Narita.


    It was a bit rude, if Yuki had to say so, and by the frown on Akira''s face, it seemed his old coach also agreed. Still, since Riku and Yuki didn''t really know Shingo Narita, Akira let it slide and just nodded. "Yes. Coincidentally, Narita-kun also feels there is something wrong with hispany, and we decided to team up and investigate this matter together. After snooping around for a week or more, here we are, listening to your story about the incident three days ago," he concluded.


    Yuki had a sweat drop on his forehead, knowing it shouldn''t be as simple as that. In his mind, they were both adults with their own responsibilities, and there was no way they would open up to each other so quickly without any resistance. He could imagine them both ying cat and mouse, hiding information from each other as secret weapons to be revealed to the public when things didn''t go as they wanted. Experience more tales on empire


    However, as things spiraled in his mind, Yuki quickly shook it off, smiling incredulously. "Yeah, it''s not a movie, so there''s no way what happened between those two could be so dramatic," he chuckled inwardly.


    Little did Yuki know, though, that he was closer to the truth than he realized.


    "So, what are you nning to do next?" he couldn''t help but ask.


    Akira and Shingo Narita exchanged nces before shrugging. "Well, I will report it to the authorities and hope thepany will implement some changes and not cross the line like this again," the younger man said.


    "As for me, I will use this incident and the evidence I found before to pressure the school to sever its rtionship with the Maiko Group. Hopefully, it will go smoothly, and we won''t have to do this detective work anymore," Akira added, as it seemed he hadn''t enjoyed his time investigating this matter over the past few days.


    "Before you do that, may I offer a suggestion?" Yuki suddenly asked, capturing the adults'' attention. "You might want to discuss this with Sugawara-senpai, as she and the other members of the old student council have also been investigating the Maiko Group over the past few weeks. I''m sure you''d find their findings interesting."


    Shingo Narita turned to Akira, not knowing who this Sugawara-senpai was. Akira merely hummed, contemting while twirling his mustache. Everyone could hear him muttering, "Sugawara-san is a smart girl, and I know the other members as well. Although I don''t know if they found anything crucial, it''s still worth mentioning. I think we should try to visit her too, Narita-kun."@@novelbin@@


    "Well, if you say so," the younger man shrugged.


    After exchanging small talk for a while, the two adults finally left, but not before hoping for Yuki to recover quickly. Once everything was settled, Yuki and Riku stared at each other, still struggling to process all the exnations they had heard in thest thirty minutes.


    In the end, Yuki took a deep sigh and smiled faintly at his friend. "Why does life seem to be soplicated like this? Man, I miss when what we worried about most was another set of interval runs, rather than a conspiracy like this."


    "Me too, Yuki. Me too," Riku sighed.

 Chapter 205 Back to the Court!

    A dayter, Yuki found himself back at the Tokyo Thunder''s home court, ready to join the training session again. He didn''t arrivete, but he was definitely not the first one to get there. Before he entered the building, the sounds of people chatting and the ball bouncing echoed throughout the facility. After dozing off for a moment, a person he recognized¡ªthe guy who had been responsible for testing him before he joined the club¡ªsuddenly approached him.


    "So, you''re finally good enough to join the training session, huh?" the boy asked.


    "Oh, yeah. Sorry to disappoint you, Tondo-senpai," Yuki replied cheekily.


    After staring at each other for a moment, they shared a simr grin before the older boy pped Yuki''s back hard. "You scare us all, Brat! When Riku said that you were the victim of the pharmacy explosion and had to be hospitalized, we wanted to visit you, but we were toote, and you had already been discharged."


    "Well, shouldn''t you be d that you didn''t have to bring anything for the sick person?" Yuki yfully shoved the older boy.


    "Don''t underestimate me, Brat! Unlike you, I''ve already signed a professional contract and can afford to buy something on my own!"


    "Then, why are you still on this team and not on the main one?"


    "Why not you?!"


    Yeah, the boy in front of him was Tondo, the one Yuki had yed against during the test. After everything was over and they hadmunicated with each other, Yuki discovered that Tondo didn''t harbor ill feelings toward Kato; he just liked to flirt with beautiful girls, and that was all. Other than that, Tondo was a nice guy who was cheerful by nature and easy to talk to. If Yuki had topare him with the others, he would say he was just like Riku.@@novelbin@@


    That was probably why, after they resolved their misunderstanding, it didn''t take long for Yuki and Tondo to be close. Though their usualmunication involved mocking and teasing, they had fun together, and everyone could see it too.


    "Oi, Yuki! Go put on your sneakers quickly! We''re about to warm up in a minute!" Riku suddenly called out, reminding him.


    "I got it!" Yuki quickly took his sneakers out of the bag and put them on. As he tied theces, he took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. This was his first training session after leaving the hospital, and honestly, he felt a bit anxious. An irrational thought that he would be left behind crept into his mind, slightly bothering him.


    ''No, I cannot do this.'' Yuki shook his head. ''I may be a bit behind after not training for almost a week, but I cannot be weak. I have to catch up with the others as soon as possible and not be a burden to the team.''


    After a while, Kawaki finally blew his whistle, asking all the yers to gather around him. When his eyesnded on Yuki, he smiled at the boy and said, "First, let''s wee back Kobayashi-kun after surviving the disaster and being able to join us once again on this team."


    All attention turned to the bespectacled boy as everyone apuded loudly. Yuki could only rub the back of his neck, slightly abashed, not expecting the coach to call him out like this.


    After the apuse died down, Kawaki continued his exnation. "Now, let me tell you our schedule for the next month." All of his yers immediately straightened their backs, knowing it was time to get serious. "Since summer is here, the main team will have about a month off. Unfortunately for you guys, that means this will also be our busiest schedule of the year, so I hope you brace yourselves for it." Everyone gulped when they heard that.


    It was no secret that the U-19 team''s schedule always depended on the main team''s. When the main team had a tight schedule, the U-19 team would have plenty of holidays, and vice versa. The main team''s holidays always fell in the summer or winter when the national tournament for high school students was held. The reason behind this scheduling was simple¡ªit was to ensure everyone received the exposure they deserved.


    However, the U-19petition had almost no reputation, especially given that it was overshadowed by the professional league and high school Inter-Highpetitions. The U-19 tournaments should mainly target university students. Unfortunately, thepetitions alwayscked viewers, making them an unprofitable venture. That was why few teams invested their money in their U-19 teams, making it harder to establish a healthypetition.


    It was a cycle of problems with no end.


    Fortunately, two years ago, the Sandai Group¡ªa conglomerate that monopolized the real estate business in many cities in Japan¡ªsuddenly decided to invest in this sport, including the U-19petition. Even though it was not a lot, at least the funding provided was enough for the officials to improve thepetition, and while it remained less prestigious than the high school Inter-High, the number of viewers had increased each year, giving it enough reputation for the yers to feel proud when they won thepetition.


    "So, for the next month, we will have six games, and after that, until the end of October, we will have at least three more games for the regrpetition. My target is for us to reach afortable position, at least in eighth ce and advance through the yoff section next November. To do that, we need to win at least five games, considering our current position is rather low."


    Some of the yers winced unconsciously at their coach''s words.


    Thepetition format was simple: 18 teams yed against each other during the regr season, and after each team yed about 17 games, the top eight teams would advance to the yoff stage topete for the championship.


    Yuki had already checked the Tokyo Thunder''s situation¡ªor at least that of its U-19 team¡ªand knew they were in eleventh ce. A bit low on the table, yet still not too far from the yoff cutoff. So when he heard what Kawaki said, he clenched his fists tightly, knowing it was an attainable goal.


    "I know we are still a new team, having been established only two years ago," Kawaki''s expression turned solemn. "However, that doesn''t mean we cannot try to reach the highest stage! If the main team could make a ssh in the realpetition, why do you think we can''t do that? Come on, keep your spirits up! Let''s win the next game and aim for the yoff spot!"


    "Yes, Sir!" Continue reading at empire

 Chapter 207 Back to the Club Again!

    After a while, Yuki finally realized that the story of him navigating all the students out of the pharmacy factory during the incident and his heroic action to search for Kato''s presence had spread around, with almost everyone in the school knowing about it.


    Honestly, this was bound to happen. There were about 24 members of the chemistry club who joined the study tour, and one of them was Arina Sugawara, who had a good reputation among the students. With just her words, all the residents of the school would hear about his heroic deeds before the day was over. Adding to the fact that there were two other girls from his ss who also joined the tour, his ssmates'' enthusiasm was not surprising.


    "So, how do you feel after being treated as a hero?" Kato asked teasingly.


    Yuki, who had just escaped from the crowd, groaned immediately, his hair messy. "I know I shouldy low and try to stay under everyone''s radar. This is too troublesome," he whined.


    Kato fell silent for a second before she said quietly, "Well, I, for one, am d that you didn''t do that. If you had decided to stay silent and not taken the initiative to lead us, I''m sure the victim wouldn''t just be you."


    Yuki was stunned; then his expression turned solemn. However, he shook his head immediately and said, "No need to think of the ''what if'' scenarios; it would never end. Let''s just think about happy things, like what thetest gossip in the school is currently." He asked, changing the subject.


    Fortunately, his attempt to lift the mood was sessful, as he could see Kato''s eyes lighten up a bit at that. "Well, the biggest one is the reactivation of five old clubs, including yours," she said. "Now, all the leaders of the old clubs are trying to appeal to the headmaster so that their clubs can be reactivated."


    "And the result?" Yuki asked.


    "Unfortunately, nothing," Kato shook her head. "While the headmaster is willing to give them a chance, he wants a serious proposal to show theirmitment to running the club, and unfortunately, no one is ready to do that."


    Yuki nodded in understanding, knowing that the headmaster wasn''t a foolish person. While the purge was full of controversy, the final result was something that all the higher-ups wanted¡ªcutting off all the unnecessary clubs that could only waste the school''s money. So, there was no way they would make the same mistake and allow those clubs to appear again in the school.


    They chatted for a while until the first ss began. Unfortunately, the midterm exam would be held a weekter, so the atmosphere in the ss was a bit heavy. Everyone tried their best to listen to what the teacher said; some even tried their luck by asking for hints about the subjects that would appear on the exam.@@novelbin@@


    While Yuki sat close to the front row and couldn''t get the best view of the others, he could imagine Riku with smokeing out of his head. His blonde friend wasn''t the most studious person, and thest few days must have been torturous for him.


    ''Luckily, I have already prepared for the exam. Even if I don''te in first, at least I can still make it into the top five in the ss,'' he muttered.


    "¡­ Here are the characteristics of logarithms. If you can remember them all, the midterm exam will be easy for you, as you only need to apply them to the problems given in the test," the math teacher exined.


    Right after the words escaped his mouth, the school bell finally rang, eliciting collective sighs from all the students. The teacher checked the clock on the wall, and when he realized it showed around 15:00, he concluded the lesson. "Okay, since this will be ourst meeting, I wish you all good luck on the exam. If we meet again before the summer break is over, that means you are unlucky, as I will be the one teaching the supplementary ss. So, don''t fail your test, okay?"


    "Yes, Sensei!"


    Yuki sighed, stretching his stiff body after sitting for about seven hours non-stop. Fortunately, before anyone could approach him¡ªsomething Yuki was already tired of due to their fake concern¡ªRiku came immediately and said, "Do you want to go now?"


    "Oh, sure! Wait a second!" Yuki quickly stuffed all of his books into his bag. Then, he turned to Kato and asked, "We''re heading to the gymnasium. Do you want to join?"


    Yes, this would be the first meeting for the Tsunemori volleyball team after they were reactivated. Akira didn''t want to dy it any longer, as based on his words, the team had already fallen behindpared to the others since they hadn''t trained at all during their disbandment.


    "No, I''m going to Miyazawa-sensei," Kato shook her head. "Say hi to Megumi-nee for me, okay?"


    "Sure!"


    During the journey to the gymnasium, Yuki found that many people greeted him politely. Although he didn''t know any of them, it seemed most of them were members of the chemistry club. While it was exhausting to maintain a fake smile all the time, Yuki was d that at least his reputation had bounced back after suffering during the purge.


    "Yo, Yuki! Riku! Long time no see!" A familiar voice suddenly greeted them. When the two freshmen turned around, they grinned at the sight of their ever-cheerful senpai waving at them.


    "Jimmy-senpai! Long time no see!" Yuki high-fived the older boy enthusiastically.


    "Jimmy? It has been a long time since someone called me that," Jimmy¡ªOgawa, if anyone forgot about him¡ªsnorted. "So, a little bird told me that you just did something heroic, eh? How do you feel, new celebrity?" He grinned teasingly.


    "Not you too, Senpai!" Yuki groaned, eliciting a chuckle from Riku. "Don''t you know how exhausting it is to deal with the crowd? I''m not Riku, you know?!"


    "Hey, why are you pointing your finger at me?!"


    "Because you always enjoy the attention!"


    "Ah, Yuki and Riku bickering with each other. It seems something will never change, huh?" someone suddenly chuckled from behind. When they turned around, they were taken aback by the sight of their tall, handsome senpai in front of them.


    "Asa-senpai, how did you get taller in a month?!" Riku cried.


    "Well, it must be because of my superior gics," Asahi answered smugly.


    "What do you mean, superior gics, asshole?!" Ogawa growled.


    "It is what it is! No need to be jealous, midget!" Asahi shot back.


    "Why, you?!"


    As the argument escted, Yuki just shook his head in amusement. However, he felt a trace of fondness when he saw them, inwardly thinking, ''Tsunemori volleyball team, I''m back!''

 Chapter 208 First Meeting

    Akira crossed his arms in front of his chest, trying his best to maintain his poker face. Somehow, even though it had been about a month since the team gathered, this poker face still managed to intimidate all the yers in front of him. Inwardly, however, the coach was satisfied when he saw everyone''s condition. It seemed that his efforts to instill discipline in them were sessful, as their physical condition had not deteriorated too much even after their ''holiday.''


    Still, he would save the praise for himself; he didn''t want to make their heads grow bigger.


    "Okay, since everyone is here, let''s start the meeting," Akira said. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Megumi flipped open her notebook, ready to take notes for this meeting. Everyone also straightened their backs, and their eyes were instantly on the coach. "First of all, it is good to see you all back here, and I am happy you are still choosing to be members of our team, even though I already gave you the choice to leave if you wanted to."


    "What do you mean by that, Sensei?!" Koji cried, affronted. "We already said in the past that we would go with you until the end! There''s no way we will back down like that!"


    The other sophomore yers nodded in agreement, much to Yuki and Riku''s confusion. It seemed there were some incidents in the past that they were not aware of, which cemented the sophomore yers'' loyalty toward the coach.


    "Good." Akira nodded appreciatively. "Then, I will also inform you of our next schedule, so pay attention, okay?" All of them nodded quickly, waiting for Akira to continue. "First, we will have a loose schedule until at least October, when the preliminary stage of the winter tournament starts. Usually, this would be the best time for any team to strengthen their squad, either by adding new yers or holding a training camp to improve the overall strength of the team. Unfortunately, we cannot do both right now." Thest words poured cold water on the yers who were excited about the prospect of a training camp.


    "Why?!" some of them cried indignantly.@@novelbin@@


    Akira raised one of his eyebrows slightly before answering, "Well, regarding new yers, we are in the middle of the term right now, so anyone who is interested in joining our club should have already asked. It would be hard to find someone decent enough to join us in the current situation." Everyone nodded in understanding. "As for the training camp, well, the reason is simpler: we don''t have the money to do that." He shrugged.


    All the yers in front of him facepalmed at that.


    "What? You think it is a clich¨¦ excuse? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but training camps always require money. Hell, even when we held one at Tsukumi University before, we still had to pay a decent amount of money to get permission, not just from our connection with Sekine-sensei. So wake up and face reality."


    Everyone cringed at the harsh words from the teacher, Yuki included. Still, when he thought about it thoroughly, he knew why they were experiencing a financial crisis right now.


    "Even though the club is reactivated, the higher-ups will definitely be hesitant to give us money," he murmured. "Moreover, all of their funds should have been allocated to the new clubs, so it would be hard to spare some for us. It''s likely the same for the other reactivated old clubs, as this was not something they expected to happen."


    "Anyway!" Akira pped his hands loudly, regaining everyone''s attention. "Even though we cannot have a training camp outside, that doesn''t mean our training has to be boring and monotonous. I have considered inviting some strong schools nearby for a sparring game, and maybe we could also visit other schools as guests. So don''t worry; we won''t just stay here all the time."


    Sighs of relief echoed throughout the gymnasium as they heard that. However, those feelings evaporated immediately when they saw the creepy smile on the coach''s face as he said, "Until then, brace yourselves, as I will increase my training intensity threefold during the summer break."


    -0-


    After talking for a while, Akira finally closed the first meeting. There was no training at all that day since no one was ready for it. However, the promise from Akira still loomed over them, and everyone shuddered in fear at the thought.


    "Man, I''m starting to regret this! I should have stayed away from Akira-sensei!" Koji moaned.


    "Don''t be a coward, Koji! You''re the team''s ace; act like it for once!" Kaede pped his friend''s back.


    Koji just rolled his eyes sarcastically. "I only have the ace status because I''m the senior. But we all know who the real ace on the team is."


    All of the sophomore yers turned solemn, their eyes immediately on their kouhai. They all knew that the future of the team rested in Yuki and Riku''s hands, and the only reason the two freshmen hadn''t taken over the team yet was that they still respected their senpai. However, it was clear on several asions that the freshmen were starting to grow impatient with their senpai and were doing whatever they wanted. Not that the senior members of the team couldin, since their performance againstrger schools had always been abysmal.


    Still¡­


    "Even though we don''t have any face in front of them, we cannot sink lower than this." Koji clenched his fist. "I don''t know about the rest of you, but I refuse to be a burden to them."


    "Yeah." Kaede nodded.


    Their expressions were mirrored by the others as determination burned in their eyes. Inwardly, they vowed to themselves that they wouldn''t be useless and let their kouhai handle everything like they had in the past.


    "Before the winter tournament begins, we need to get twice, no, three times better than we are now. Are you all with me?"


    "Yes!"

 Chapter 210 Midterm Exam!

    Yuki wasn''t the smartest student in the school. In fact, even among his friends, he was still the second best behind Kato, a fact he had no shame in admitting. While it was clear that he was smart enough to be among the top three in the ss, he never put much effort into his studies, and he was fine with that; after all, it wasn''t his passion.


    Nevertheless, Yuki was still proud of his intellect. Although he had never applied himself too much to studying, everything came easily to him. He excelled in mathematics, was slightly above average in physics, and thanks to his participation in the chemistry club, that subject felt like a walk in the park for him.


    So, yes, he was proud of his achievements as a student.


    However, he started to doubt his intelligence, and it was all because of the blonde boy in front of him.


    "Come on, Yuki! I don''t even know who Thomson, Dalton, or Bohr are, so why should I learn about whatever nonsense they talked about a hundred years ago? They''re dead, for God''s sake!" Riku whined childishly.


    Yuki sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly. The muffled giggle from Kato didn''t help at all; if anything, it just infuriated him more.


    "What?" Kato asked innocently.


    "Nothing." Yuki sighed again. Then he turned around and red at Riku. "I don''t care who Thomson, Dalton, and Bohr are, and honestly, I don''t give a damn. But I swear to God, Riku, if you keep whining and don''t start reciting all of this, I will leave you alone in your misery. And when you fail your exam, I will gloat over your misfortune every morning while I''m at training camp. Is that what you want?"


    Fortunately, the threat worked, and Riku immediately returned to studying. The thought of having to endure supplementary sses while Yuki chatted with him every morning about how fun training camp was provided enough motivation for Riku.


    Days passed quickly, and Yuki and Kato discovered that without Riku''s childish whining, he was actually quite intelligent. While he might not be as quick as them when learning something new, the blonde boy managed to catch up on all the material he had missed while dozing off in ss. It wasn''t perfect, but who seeks perfection when time is limited like this?


    Still, there was one significant problem that continually tested their patience: Riku''s short attention span.


    This was something they discovered on the first day they studied together. He couldn''t focus on one thing for too long, and if his eyes caught any movement from random objects, it would be enough to distract him. Yuki sometimes thought he should lock his friend in a nk room without any furniture so he could focus on studying, but aside from being cruel, he was sure Riku would still get distracted by something incredibly silly.


    In the end, they both decided to give up trying to fix this problem and let Riku do whatever he wanted when he got distracted.


    "How are you guys doing?" Aiko''s voice suddenly snapped him from his thoughts. When he turned around, he saw the matron smiling while bringing a tray full of snacks. "Here''s something to fill your stomach. I hope it''s enough for you three," she said.


    "We are doing well, Obaasan," Riku said, shamelessly picking snacks from the tray. "I''m sure we will pass the exam easily."


    Yuki rolled his eyes sarcastically at his friend. Here he was, worrying about Riku, while the blonde boy seemedpletely unconcerned. Sometimes, he wondered where his friend got his confidence from.


    "Good! That''s the spirit you should have!" Aiko praised. "We''ll leave you three to study. I''ll do my best to keep the children busy with something else. But if you''re bothered by the noise, just let me know, okay?"


    "Yes, Obaasan," the three of them nodded simultaneously.


    After Aiko left the room, Riku suddenly let out a deep sigh before saying, "Aiko-obaasan sure is awesome."


    "Yeah," Yuki and Kato nodded in agreement.


    Not only was Aiko kind, but she also had the patience of a saint. After all, it wasn''t easy to care for ten orphaned children who had experienced a disaster. Even with some of them having physical disabilities, she managed everything withoutint. It seemed that whoever God was above had taken pity on their unfortunate fate and sent an angel to look after them all.


    "Okay, let''s get back to the book!" Riku eximed, his mouth still full of food.


    Yuki rolled his eyes at him¡ªhe didn''t know how many times he had done so just that day¡ªand started exining some problems to his friend once again.


    Days passed, and without anyone realizing it, exam day finally arrived. Yuki faced the exam paper without any problems, thanks to Kato''s guidance during their study sessions. Still, he was more concerned about Riku''s performance, knowing how hard his blonde friend had worked the previous week.


    Unfortunately, Yuki was sitting in the front row, so he couldn''t see how well Riku was faring during the exam.


    ''Come on, this shouldn''t be too hard. We''ve already learned this twicest week. If you fail this exam, I swear I will smack you on the back of your head.''


    After the bell rang and the teacher collected all the papers, the first thing Yuki did was ask his friend, "So, how did it go? Do you feel confident about your answers?" he asked quickly. Kato, who was sitting in front of him, also turned around, looking at Riku curiously.


    "Don''t worry, it was a piece of cake!" Riku gave him a thumbs-up.


    Honestly, Yuki wasn''t reassured at all. After studying with Riku for a week non-stop, he realized that no matter whether Riku understood what he taught the boy or not, he would always have a degree of confidence that suggested both Riku and Kato that he was fine. Yuki learned that he shouldn''t believe Riku''s "It''s okay" response at all.


    Unfortunately, that was all he got from Riku in the next few days, driving him batty. Although he would never admit it, Yuki also worried that Riku might have to attend supplementary sses since he didn''t want to go to training camp alone.@@novelbin@@


    Fortunately, all his worries vanished the week after the exam when the results were posted on the announcement board, and he saw a big red mark next to Riku''s name.


    Riku Agostini ¨C 1-B ¨C Pass

 Chapter 211 Training Camp

    It was the first day of summer break, which also coincided with the first day of the training camp held by Konan High. Since the location was close to Riku''s house, they promised to meet each other directly at Konan High. However, Riku was surprised to see Yuki''s dark aura when his friend arrived.


    "What are you sulking about? Still salty about the results of our Japanese exam?" Riku asked teasingly.


    Yuki simply threw Riku a stinky re while making a rude gesture that made Riku chuckle. Yes, after the midterm exams, there was only one thing that still made Yuki feel depressed: the result of his Japanese exam.


    Yuki admitted that Japanese was not his strong point. He didn''t have a problem reading novels, but he always struggled when asked to analyze stories thoroughly and guess the author''s intentions in various parts. That''s why, when he received a score of 79 out of 100, though it was his worst grade, he was still fairly satisfied with the result.


    However, his satisfaction vanished instantly when he saw Riku''s grade in the same exam. While Yuki received a 79, the blonde boy scored 88,ing in second best in the ss, only behind Kato, who received a 92. This naturally annoyed Yuki since he had taught Riku everything.


    "You underestimate the power of an otaku, Yuki. I''ve been analyzing a lot of anime and debating with strangers on the inte about the plotlines of our favorite stories. I might not be the smartest person, but I''m confident in that subject," Riku patted Yuki''s shoulder, smiling brightly with a hint of gloating.


    Yuki scowled, brushing Riku''s hand off his shoulder. It seemed karma had worked too well against him. Before the exam, when they were still studying together, he had threatened Riku that if the blonde boy failed, he would gloat over Riku''s misfortune every day of training camp. As a result, here he was, with one of his grades lower than Riku''s.


    "Forget it." Yuki shook his head, letting out a deep sigh. "So, where should we go?" he asked, staring at the tall building in front of him.


    Honestly, the sight before him was not what he had expected. He had anticipated the best high school in the country¡ªfamed for its top-notch volleyball team¡ªbut the building looked in and ordinary. The walls were a simple, faded beige, and the windows were nothing special at all. It was nothing like the shy, vibrant ce he had imagined. Yet, instead of feeling disappointed, he felt a strange sense of curiosity. How could a school that seemed so unremarkable produce such amazing athletes?


    "Hey, you two are here too?!" A familiar voice suddenly greeted them from behind, snapping Yuki out of his thoughts.


    When he turned around, he was surprised to see Haruo from Kyoei Gakuen approaching them. Yuki felt a sudden animosity spark within him, but when he heard what Riku said next, he facepalmed, finally remembering the cause.


    "Uglier blonde," Riku said shortly.


    "Shorter blonde," Haruo shot back.@@novelbin@@


    A thick vein suddenly popped on Riku''s forehead as he became irritated. Yuki groaned, realizing he''d forgotten that those two had beenpeting for the title of "stupidest blonde" since their first meeting.


    "Okay, I don''t care which blonde is uglier or stupider, but can we move on and go to wherever we should?" Yuki interrupted their staring contest irritably.


    "Ah, you''re right. I apologize for my rudeness, Kobayashi-san, shorty," Haruo said. However, he didn''t want to miss the opportunity to throw onest jab at Riku before moving on to another topic. "If I''m not mistaken, someone is supposed to pick us up. Ah, there he is!" He pointed to one of Konan''s yers whom Yuki and Riku recognized.


    "Sawada-kun?!" Riku''s eyes widened in surprise.


    "Long time no see, Agostini-san, Kobayashi-san. Nice to meet you, Haruo-san," Sawada, Konan''s rookie setter, greeted them politely. "You''re just in time. Everyone is already in the gymnasium, waiting for your arrival. Come on!"


    When the trio heard that everyone was already there, they grew curious about who else would be joining the training camp. However, when they arrived, they found about 14 boys already present. The moment they stepped inside, all eyes turned to them, creating an awkward silence for a brief moment.


    Fortunately, blessed with outgoing personalities, the two blondes broke the silence with the same exact greeting: "Yo!" Immediately after, they both were surprised and red at each other once again. Yuki, who stood beside them, could only sigh tiredly at their childish behavior.


    ''God, one stupid blonde is enough; now there are two? What a joke!''


    Still, that was enough to ease the awkward situation. After that, all 14 boys finally moved from their spots, swarming the three with questions.


    "So, you''re Kobayashi from Tsunemori, huh? Not bad. I watched your match against Konan High, and I was impressed with your serves," one of them praised.


    "Thank you," Yuki nodded politely.


    "Hey, don''t ignore me! I''m his partner, Riku Agostini!" Riku cried.


    "Well, you''re just another loudmouth blonde like Haruo, so it''s better to ignore you," Konan''s middle blocker, Takeshita Akihiro,mented casually.


    "What do you mean loudmouth?!" Both blondes turned their heads simultaneously, giving Akihiro a sharp re.


    They all chuckled in unison, clearly amused by the dynamic between the two. Given how they acted around each other, it was surprising how simr their thoughts were. Perhaps it was that simrity that made them sobative towards one another.


    While they chatted, Yuki took the opportunity to observe the other participants of the camp. Aside from Sawada, Akihiro, and Haruo, he didn''t recognize any familiar faces. However, that was probably because his experience in the volleyball world was still limited. Internally, though, he resolved to gather more information about their futurepetitors after the camp concluded.


    "ATTENTION, PLEASE!" A loud, authoritative voice suddenly boomed, demanding attention from everyone inside the building. When Yuki turned around, he saw a man around Akira''s age standing tall, his physique quite muscr for his age. The sharp gaze of the man didn''t waver as he spoke again, "I am Daiki Sato, and for the next week, I''ll be responsible for running this camp. Before we start, let me say this: wee to Konan High!"

 Chapter 214 First Game

    Riku was excited.


    Well, it was no different from his usual state, but right now, his excitement was at its peak. How could he not be excited when he had the chance to y against a group of the most talented yers in Tokyo? He didn''t have any illusions that he could beat them all and assert dominance over them, but at least he could make a strong impression on everyone here.@@novelbin@@


    "Are you ready, Agostini-kun?" The boy who was his partner grinned, sharing in the same excitement.


    Riku couldn''t help but let out a small chuckle when he heard that. The boy''s name was Hideyoshi Ono, and just like his namesake, his demeanor was quite aristocratic. In fact, his hobbies included participating in tea-drinking ceremonies and reading poetry¡ªthings that any teenager his age would typically find uninteresting.


    At first, Riku was afraid that their personalities might sh, making it difficult to work together. However, his worries proved unfounded; the moment they started talking about volleyball, something clicked between them, as if they were old friends.


    "One of our opponents is Ishida-kun from Tsukiji High. My team yed against his in the top 16 of the inter-high, and we lost the game. Fortunately, he is a libero who has never shown any initiative to participate as an emergency setter, so this will be my chance to take revenge," Ono grinned menacingly.


    Riku broke into a sweat at the boy''s sudden deration. Still, after hearing this new information, he was d to be paired with Ono. Although middle blocker was a specialized position, Ono imed to have some experience ying as an opposite hitter, so he would at least be reliable during the game. Riku shuddered at the thought of being paired with a libero; that would be a disaster for him.


    "So, what about the other one?" he asked.


    "I don''t know; I''ve never seen him before," Ono shrugged. "But he''s shorter than you, so we will have the height advantage here. It would be embarrassing for us to lose the game. So, don''t mess this up, okay?"


    Riku grinned widely. "Is that something I should have said?"


    -0-


    A momentter, the first game was finally about to begin. The other 15 yers hurried to the sidelines, their eyes scrutinizing the four protagonists on the court like hawks eyeing their prey. Honestly, it was quite unsettling to be observed so closely by so many eyes. But right now, Riku was too excited to be bothered by that.


    "Okay, since everyone is ready, let''s start the game!"


    As Hasebe blew the whistle, the boy whose name neither Riku nor Ono knew quickly tossed the ball, catching them off guard. When they finally realized the ball was in the air, the boy hit it hard, transferring all the power generated through his small body into the ball.


    BAM!


    The quick serve intended to disrupt the opponent''s timing was nothing new to Riku. He had seen it happen many times with Yuki, and honestly, the boy with sses was far more lethal because he couldbine this trick with others up his sleeve. However, Yuki always relied on tricks, and the serve Riku currently faced was purely brute force without any special technique.


    Unfortunately, it worked. Ono, who was closest to the ball, tried to receive it but was caught off guard, making him half a stepte as the ball grazed his forearms.


    1 ¨C 0


    "Oh! Nice serve, Subaru!"


    "Damn, it''s as nasty as usual!"


    "Come on! Keep it up!"


    As the other yers cheered from the sidelines, Ono approached Riku apologetically. However, Riku brushed it off.


    "Ono, can you cover the front row and take on the role of an emergency setter?" he suddenly asked.


    The boy was taken aback by the sudden request. A question blurted out of his mouth, "Why?"


    For that, Riku just grinned widely. "Why, of course, it''s because I want to handle the back row alone."


    After that, the game continued, and the boy¡ªapparently named Subaru¡ªserved the ball again. Now, with Riku taking the back row alone, it was easier for him to receive the ball without any distractions.


    BAM!


    ''Ha! It seems I''ve learned a lot from you, Yuki!''


    "Oh, damn! That''s a good receive!"


    "He''s a setter, right? How could he receive that so easily?!"


    "Ono! Give it high!" Riku shouted, not caring about public opinion. Fortunately, even though Ono wasn''t a good setter, he could still toss the ball high and slow, making it easier for Riku to attack. However, because of that, the opponents had a chance to set a block since it took time for Riku to wait for the ball toe down.


    But¡­


    ''A libero trying to set a block? Are you kidding me?!''


    Without mercy, Riku jumped off the ground, recoiling his arms to generate more power before swinging hard and hitting the ball with all his strength.


    BAM!


    1 ¨C 1


    "Shit! Are you sure he''s just a setter?!"


    "Well, if you watched Tsunemori''s games, you''d know he''s far from ordinary."


    "No shit, Sherlock."


    "Nice spike, Agostini!" Ono grinned, giving him a high-five. "My toss isn''t that bad, right?"


    "Ha! Even with years of training, I doubt you''ll ever be a decent setter," Riku snorted yfully. "But it''s still good enough. If you set the ball for me, make sure it''s as close to the as possible. That''s where I attack best."


    "Sure!"


    Next, it was Riku''s turn to serve. Ono wasn''t a good server by nature, so he let the blonde boy take the first serve. Riku didn''t hesitate to aim the ball far near the baseline, trying to spread the opponents thin. Unfortunately, the opponent, Ishida, a libero, found it easy to receive the ball.


    BAM!


    "Nice, Ishida! Run!" Subaru shouted. Without hesitation, Ishida rushed forward, leaping off the ground to attack. Riku had to admit that while Ishida was probably the shortest yer among them, he showed no fear at all.


    Ono also moved, ready to stop the attack. As Ishida jumped, he also leaped forward, extending both hands high in the air.


    BAM!


    "One touch!" Ono shouted when he felt the ball touch his hand.


    "Okay, I got this!" Riku ran, covering the ball before it could hit the ground. "Ono, send it high again!" he asked.


    "I got it!"


    After recovering from his position as a blocker, Ono quickly picked up the ball, tossing it high close to the, just how Riku wanted it. From the corner of his eye, Riku could see Ishida and Subaru switch positions, with Ishida moving to the back row while letting Subaru act as a blocker.


    ''Well, let''s see if you can stop this!''


    As he jumped, Subaru did the same, both trying to extend their hands to reach the ball first. It couldn''t be helped; Ono''s toss was too close to the, practically within Subaru''s reach to swat the ball away. Yet, Riku didn''t want to give up the ball just yet.


    As they were about to duel for control of the ball in the air, Riku made a move that shocked everyone in the building. Instead of pushing for the ball, he suddenly withdrew his hand and let Subaru handle it. In the end, the opponent was caught off guard, and the ball slipped through Subaru''s hand, falling into his own area, resulting in another point for Riku''s team.


    1 ¨C 2

 Chapter 215 Yuki VS Riku!

    "Holy shit! He ducked?!"


    "You can do that?!"


    "Damn, he''s awesome! It seems Riku Agostini will be a big challenge for us!"


    While all the spectators praised the blonde boy, Yuki shook his head in amusement, watching his friend with pride swelling in his chest. He always knew what Riku was capable of, and honestly, no matter how many times he saw his friend in action, he always found himself in awe.


    This was also what motivated Yuki to train hard in service drills. He always thought it was magical how Riku, as a setter, could make everyone else move like pieces on a chessboard, and somehow, Yuki wanted to achieve the same in his unique way. That''s why he trained so diligently to reach this point.


    Not that he would tell Riku, of course; he didn''t want to inte his friend''s ego.


    "Your friend is quite impressive, Kobayashi," Tanaka, his partner, mumbled enviously. "Even Hasebe-san nodded in approval of his actions¡ªthis is the first reaction I''ve seen from him today. Agostini must have left a good impression here."


    "Yeah, probably," Yuki chuckled. "Still, after this, it''ll be our chance to impress everyone, so just wait patiently, Tanaka."


    The rest of the game didn''t go well for the Subaru-Ishida pair. It wasn''t that they were bad yers. Ishida''s ability to defend the entire back row even impressed Yuki, and it wasn''t often he admitted that someone was better than him in defense. Still, Ishida was too one-dimensional; aside from his defensive skills, he had almost no outstanding abilities to counter Riku and Ono.


    "Poor Subaru, getting dragged down like this."


    "Well, he can''t help it; having a libero partner is a disaster in this scenario."


    "Psst! Don''t say it out loud!"


    Yuki winced at the toxicments directed at Ishida. He noticed the frustration evident on the libero''s face as he struggled to keep up with the game. Fortunately, Subaru was kind enough to encourage him until the end¡ªsomething Yuki observed received a nod of approval from Hasebe.


    In the end, thebination of Riku and Ono was too much for their opponents, and they won the game without any hassle.


    "The first match is over! Rest for five minutes, and then we will continue the game!" Hasebe announced.


    "Nice! We finally got our first win!" Riku grinned, high-fiving Ono. "Now we''re on top of the table!" All the yers in the vicinity looked at the blonde boy with envy and hostility. That was why they all wanted to get the first turn; they wanted to put more pressure on theirpetitors.


    While Riku and Ono took a rest, Tanaka asked Yuki a question, "Any idea how we could beat him?"


    Yuki pondered for a moment, unsure how to answer. It wasn''t that he didn''t know Riku''s weaknesses, but sharing them with Tanaka, who might be their future opponent, would be foolish. Still, the weakness was pretty obvious, and he was sure Akira would address it sooner orter, so he decided to answer truthfully.


    "He has one ring weakness in his style." Tanaka raised his eyebrows slightly, not expecting a candid answer. Ignoring his reaction, Yuki continued, "For all his talent, Riku always loves to show off. So, whenever the game tends to get a bit boring, always expect something unexpected from him."


    "Got it." Tanaka nodded.


    After a while, Hasebe finally blew the whistle, his voice ringing loudly in the gym. "Break is over! Team 2, return to the court! Team 3, get ready to y!" he shouted.


    "Finally!" Riku grinned. "So, who will be our next victim?!" All the yers around him looked at him with hostility, unappreciative of his provocation.


    "Why, Riku, are you sure we will be your next victims?" Yuki asked yfully, mirroring Riku''s grin. This time, not only Riku, but almost everyone there widened their eyes in shock.


    "Holy shit! It''s Kobayashi''s team!"


    "This will be the duel between two Tsunemori yers!"


    "Damn, this is so exciting!"


    After gaping like a goldfish for a moment, Riku finally shook his head, all the excitement that had dissipated a while ago rushing back. "Damn, it''s been a while since we yed against each other like this, right?"


    "Yeah," Yuki nodded. "I think it should be the first time I joined the team."


    They felt a bit mncholy as memories hit them hard. Still, the excitement was too much for them to contain, and they grinned at each other. "Don''t expect me to hold back, okay?" Riku said.


    "Sure, you too." Yuki nodded. Then, the grin on his face spread wider as he added, "Let''s show them what Tsunemori yers are capable of, okay?"@@novelbin@@


    Riku mirrored his expression, answering, "That''s my intention too!"


    -0-


    After some yful banter between Yuki and Riku¡ªwith Ono and Tanaka chatting in the background¡ªthe second game was about to start. Riku cursed his luck as he saw Yuki grab the ball, his body tensing in anticipation of his friend''s serve.


    "Ono, wait up front and be ready to move. I''m not sure I''ll receive the ball perfectly," Riku said matter-of-factly.


    Ono raised an eyebrow slightly before nodding his head. "Don''t worry; I''m confident in my reaction speed."


    Not just those two, but almost everyone watched Yuki''s every tiny movement intently, not wanting to miss a thing. By now, Yuki''s reputation as one of the best servers in Japan had already spread, and the fact that he could steal almost ten points alone from Konan High from behind the service line was well-known in the volleyballmunity, making everyone wary of him.


    Yuki took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. This wasn''t his first time ying under scrutiny, so he adjusted his mentality without issue. The moment Hasebe blew the whistle, he tossed the ball immediately, using the same trick Subaru had used in thest game. Unfortunately, when he saw both Riku and Ono didn''t lose their focus, he knew they were prepared for his trick.


    "Tch." Yuki clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Well, it doesn''t matter. Let''s test that boy first."


    Thud!


    Without mercy, Yuki sent a powerful ball too close to the sideline, causing Ono to hesitate about whether to receive it or let it go. However, Riku, who had be ustomed to Yuki''s abnormal uracy, shouted immediately, "Don''t let it go! Pick it up!"


    Hearing that, Ono reacted quickly, his hesitation vanishing. He leaned his body sideways, extending his arms as far as he could to reach the ball. Unfortunately, his effort proved futile as the ball suddenly curved slightly, changing direction straight at Ono''s body.


    Not expecting the sudden change of course, Ono was taken aback and didn''t have time to react properly. As a result¡­


    Thud!


    The ball hit his chest gently before falling to the ground, giving the first point to Yuki''s team.


    0 ¨C 1

 Chapter 218 Heated Battle

    Riku was sulking. No amount of cold water he drank was enough to lift his mood, and even though all the yers were rtively new to each other, they could all guess the reason why. It had to be because of the humiliating defeat he suffered earlier. After all, not only did he lose to his friend, but Riku''s team also couldn''t score a single point in that game. Losing 11 points in a row was honestly a rare achievement, but to lose it all just from the opponent''s serves was too much for him. His ego was bruised, and it would take a long time for him to recover.


    "Oi, spiky, move! Can you read his intentions quicker?!"


    "Shut up, you bastard! Just follow my lead!"


    BAM!


    "YOSSHAAAAA!"


    Riku nced for a moment, watching everyone who was excited about the block made by Aizawa. It was an impressive block, especially considering how quickly the two yers recovered after the first one. Seeing how Akihiro celebrated, he couldn''t help but shudder, remembering the immense pressureing from the blocker during theirst match against each other.


    "What do you think, Agostini-kun?" Ono''s question snapped him from his thoughts. "Can your friend survive against those two monsters?"


    Riku knew this question was just Ono''s attempt to strike up a conversation since he felt guilty for not being able to provide any help earlier. However, Riku still pondered the question thoroughly. He knew firsthand how terrifying Akihiro was as a middle blocker, and while Aizawa was someone he had only heard about today, based on the enthusiasm of the other yers, he guessed that Aizawa was equally intimidating, if not more so, than Akihiro.


    Still, there was one key word Riku caught in Ono''s question that made him believe in his friend. "Yes, he will be able to do that," Riku replied with conviction. "After all, his best skill is not his serve, but his ability to survive. He will adapt quickly and find a hole to exploit in the next y, trust me."


    -0-


    Unaware of Riku''s ttering words, Yuki was talking to Tanaka, discussing their next move. "Don''t just spike into an empty space, Tanaka-san. Believe me, they will always react quickly enough to stop you. Always assume you don''t have an open space and rely on tricks to fool them," he advised his partner.


    "Sure. The intensity in the front row is crazy. I swear I''m going to puke if I have to do that all the time," Tanaka said, nodding and wiping the sweat off his face. "Anyway, sorry if I end up being a liability in the front row. My offensive skills aren''t that good."


    "Don''t worry about it. Just make sure you spike the ball to the opposite area from where they''reing. Although it may not really be a big help, at least it will make them run more," Yuki waved his hand dismissively.@@novelbin@@


    The game resumed with Akihiro still serving the ball. Just like before, Yuki picked up the ball easily, and without wasting too much time, he rushed to the opposite wing to force his opponent to move.


    "Ha! You want to y cat and mouse again?! Let''s see if you can do that!" Akihiro grinned, following his movement.


    Tanaka bit his lip nervously. Although it was clear that he had to pass the ball to Yuki, the pressure from his opponents was immense, causing him to freeze for a moment. However, just as the ball was in front of him, Yuki shouted, "TANAKA! WAKE UP!"


    It seemed Yuki noticed Tanaka''s struggle to handle the pressure and decided to snap him back to reality. Fortunately, Tanaka regained hisposure after Yuki''s words registered in his ears, and he finally passed the ball.


    "Nice pass, Tanaka!"


    "Ha! Don''t think you can beat me!"


    "Don''t forget about me, Sparky!"


    Honestly, when Yuki saw his two opponents jump together to block his spike, he knew it was his opportunity to strike. After all, with no one guarding the back side, once he managed to get through the wall, it was game over. However, the question remained: how could he get through that wall?


    ''Well, the pass is too short; I cannot aim it properly. Let''s use a rebound first.''


    BAM!


    With that thought in mind, Yuki spiked the ball straight into Akihiro''s hands. The blocker attempted to redirect it straight to the floor, but he wasn''t quick enough. As a result, the ball flew back to Tanaka, giving the pair a second chance to attack.


    "Oh! Nice rebound, Kobayashi!"


    "Tanaka, run to the left!" Yuki shouted. Even though the ball hadn''t yete in his direction, he knew Tanaka needed to run to attack after this. So, rather than doing it aimlessly, it would be better for him to guide his friend.


    "I got it!"


    As soon as he picked up the ball, Tanaka sprinted toward the direction Yuki pointed. Unfortunately, he wasn''t quick enough, as Akihiro and Aizawa had already rushed to his side.


    "Ha! Don''t think you can get away from us that easily!"


    "Sparky, you''re too fast! Hold on for a second and jump!"


    Tanaka gritted his teeth when he saw two formidable blockers jump right in front of him. No matter how talented he was, at best, Tanaka was always a support yer, never the main attacker. Having the opponents'' eyes on him was pretty intimidating.


    Still, he knew he had to move. After theirst game, he hadn''t done anything and saved his energy. If he couldn''t score right now, it would taint his pride forever. So, he jumped, facing the wall in front of him bravely, without considering the consequences.


    However, to everyone''s surprise, as the three leaped into the air, the ball they were waiting for didn''te. Instead of passing the ball, Yuki took advantage of the situation, knowing that his opponents would react quickly enough to erect a second wall and used Tanaka as bait to draw their attention. As for himself, the moment the ball came in his direction, he flicked it gently, letting it fall into the opponent''s area.


    1 ¨C 1


    On the sideline, Riku merely snorted as everyone stared at the court in disbelief. "See? I told you he would survive. He''s the trickiest bastard you''ll ever know."

 Chapter 223 Conversation Between The Staffs

    "So, how did it go?" Sato asked, sitting rxed on the sofa, enjoying the coffee in front of him. It was night, and he was there with Hasebe to discuss the yers'' performance that day.


    "Honestly? It was as exhausting as I expected it to be," Hasebe answered grumpily. "While I appreciate their determination, times like this remind me that they are just a bunch of hot-headed teenagers who might recklessly hurt themselves without supervision."@@novelbin@@


    "Oh, I''m sure it''s not that bad," Sato chuckled.


    For that, Hasebe rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Yes, Sensei, it is that bad."


    -A Little shback-


    "So, where do you think we''ll sleep?" One of the yers asked.


    "W-Well, we have a dormitory here, so I think we will be staying there," replied a shy boy whom Hasebe identified as Nobuhiro Sawada, one of the two yers from the host school.


    "Oh, dormitory? Is that any good, Sawada-kun?" The blonde boy from Tsunemori perked up. From their interaction, it seemed those two knew each other outside the court.


    "W-Well, I don''t know. It isn''t mandatory to live in the dormitory, but I can''t think of a ce where 18 yers could sleep other than our dorm," Sawada exined.


    The conversation was aimlessly wandering, and Hasebe, overhearing, intended to leave them alone. However, one of the boys'' next remarks stopped him in his tracks.


    "Hey, let''s y one more game before we go!" one of them suggested. Find your next read at empire


    "That''s a good idea! Should we ask Kobayashi-kun?" the others responded.


    "Yeah! I want revenge!"


    "But Hasebe-sensei said we should go back and rest, right?"


    "Well, he doesn''t need to know about it."


    Hasebe, hiding behind the gymnasium door, was fuming as he overheard their conversation. One thing he hated most was when his yers broke the rules and ignored his instructions, and this was exactly what they were nning to do. Honestly, he didn''t understand why they still wanted to y after three hours of tournament y. They might still be in an adrenaline rush or, as one of them mentioned, they just wanted revenge for the humiliation Yuki inflicted on them earlier.


    Still, that didn''t justify their intent to disregard his words. There was a reason why Hasebe instructed them to rest immediately. After ying in high-intensity games for more than two hours, their minds might say they weren''t tired, but their bodies were on edge, and one wrong move couldnd them in the hospital.


    It was bad enough that one yer had to visit the hospital on the first day, and Hasebe wanted to avoid making it worse. So, the only course of action he could take was to intervene before they could do something foolish behind his back.


    "Go to your dorm, and if I see any of you returning to y, I won''t hesitate to ground you for the rest of the week. Do you understand?"


    -End of the shback-


    "Oh, you really are not wasting any time intimidating those poor boys," Sato chuckled, amused by Hasebe''s story.


    "Oh, sure, you''ll find that funny," Hasebe grumbled. "Let''s see how you feel when you''re in the midst of it."


    "Well, it''s definitely something I look forward to. Being around teenagers keeps me feeling young," Sato waved his hand nonchntly. "Anyway, back to the topic¡ªhas anyone caught your interest?" he asked curiously.


    "Plenty, if you ask me." Hasebe straightened his posture and ced a stack of files in front of Sato. "First, regarding Aizawa-kun, his identity is quite sensitive, but unfortunately, he is not as good as the media hypes him to be."


    "Oh, really?" Sato arched his eyebrows, picking up the file in front of them. It contained Hasebe''s initial report after the 2v2petition, and while it might not beplete, the information within and Hasebe''s story would be enough for Sato to understand the situation.


    "Well, for starters, hecks experience. His instinct and reaction speed are as good as the report says, but he gets easily fooled by smarter yers. He also tends to get involved in every y. I swear, in a normal 6v6 game, he would insist on receiving serves if he could," Hasebe grumbled, clearly dissatisfied with Aizawa''s performance that day.


    "He also got into a fight?"


    "Oh, not a fight per se. He got into a heated argument with Akihiro-kun, who was his first partner, as they both struggled to handle Kobayashi-kun''s serves. This is something to work on this week."


    Sato grumbled a little about that. It was always troublesome to work with someone under a big-name reputation like Aizawa. Fortunately, other than being hot-headed, the boy didn''t possess any problematic traits that could jeopardize the entire camp, like arrogance toward the other yers or anything of the sort. That would be a headache for Sato and the entire staff if it were the case.


    "So, what about the others?" Sato asked again.


    "Well, there''s Yuki Kobayashi from Tsunemori High. He''s the winner of today''s tournament. As for how to describe him¡­" Hasebe pondered. "He''s a menace."


    "A menace?" Sato chuckled, intrigued.


    "Yeah, the kind of menace that the old man Sekine would like," Hasebe rified. "His ying style revolves around trickery, and his serving arsenal is something only a few professional yers I know possess. But the most important factor is his mentality. His creativity is extraordinary, and I''m sure that old geezer would drool observing Kobayashi-kun y."


    "Oh, he doesn''t have to," Sato said, amused. "After all, this boy is Sekine''s prot¨¦g¨¦."


    "Really?!" Hasebe widened his eyes in surprise. "That exins the menacing style of y he disyed. Poor the others. They won''t know what hit them," he mumbled, not questioning how Sato knew that information.


    "What about his partner?"


    "Well, Yuuji Tanaka has solid fundamentals and is always urate in his decision-making. Hecks the confidence to make independent choices, but once he has a strong leader directing him, he bes a force to be reckoned with. That''s why the pairing of him and Kobayashi-kun has thrived this far."


    "Interesting," Sato mused, flipping through the file about Tanaka. "I''m sure I''ll have fun with both of them. What about this Miyauchi-kun and Ichiro-kun? They are the only ones who managed to beat those two twice, right?" he asked.


    "Well¡­" Hasebe took a deep breath, "this is a bitplicated."

 Chapter 224 Physical Training

    "Come on, Kobayashi-kun! Hold on and rise!"


    "Urgh¡­." Yuki groaned when he heard that order, trying his best to rise from his squat position with weight that was half of his body weight on his back. After a while, he finally managed to get into a proper standing position, and Hirokazu Ishihara, the man responsible for supervising everyone''s physical training, finally nodded.


    "Good! You can put the weight down on the floor. Rest for two minutes, and we will continue with the next training session," he said.


    Yuki groaned immediately, knowing that the torture was still far from over. Some yers watching from afar could only stare at him in pity, yet no one dared to approach him for fear of attracting Ishihara''s attention.


    It was still pretty early in the morning when all the yers had gathered around the gym behind the school owned by Konan High. Yesterday, when Yuki saw the school for the first time, he thought it was a bit too ordinary, but upon seeing its backyard, he realized his na?ve assumptions were gone. What he found there was a pretty big gym with even a swimming pool, and there were still several closed rooms whose contents he didn''t know. After looking at this, Yuki was finally convinced that this was one of the best sports high schools in Japan.


    Unfortunately, Yuki didn''t have the luxury to explore all of that, as Ishihara, the physical trainer among the staff, suddenly arrived. Within fifteen minutes, his body ached, and he felt as if all his strength had evaporated in an instant. It didn''t help that his breakfast was still thirty minutes away, so he had to survive this torturous training before he could enjoy it.


    While Yuki was trying his best to keep his breath steady, his eyes wandered around, noting that everyone was also in the middle of their physical training. He could see Riku groaning while the blonde boy held a nk position as Ishihara corrected his posture; Tanaka was doing a deadlift; some yers were exercising with barbells. Overall, while it was exhausting, everyone still followed the training regimen withoutint.


    "Come on, Kobayashi-kun, get up!" After checking on another yer, Ishihara returned to him. "While your volleyball skills might be at the top of the list, you are still behind in terms of physical fitness. So, if you want to catch up, we still have several exercises toplete this morning. Come on!"


    Yuki groaned once again as he tried his best to rise from his position. It seemed that groaning would be amon response for everyone this morning.


    "Oh, don''t be so dramatic! You are still young, and it is still easy," Ishihara snorted. "Wait until I introduce you to leg day, and then you can start cursing at me."


    Yuki shuddered at the implied threat from the older man. Whatever leg day was, if it allowed him to curse at the coach, he didn''t want to know anything about it.


    The next thirty minutes dragged on, with Yuki having to follow every instruction from Ishihara. The exercises he did varied, from bodyweight exercises such as push-ups and squats without weight to using equipment that always took a toll on him. There was one thing inmon, though: all the exercises Yuki did focused on increasing his strength, something the boy stillcked.


    "Okay, five more seconds, Kobayashi-kun! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! It''s over! You can rest now, and I will check on the others first. In five minutes, you can go back to your dorm and wait for breakfast, okay?"


    Ishihara''s voice didn''t quite reach him, as Yuki was still panting heavily on the floor after having to maintain a nk posture for sixty seconds. That was probably the longest sixty seconds he had ever waited for.


    "So, finally finished your training, Kobayashi-kun?" one of the boys asked amusedly.


    Yuki didn''t know who it was and had no intention of opening his eyes to find out. He merely nodded silently while enjoying the coolness of the floor.


    "Well,e on! We need to take a shower before breakfast. Don''t worry, I asked Sato-sensei, and he said that physical training will only be held in the morning. The rest of the day should be easier for us."


    Somehow, those reassuring words only made Yuki panic more. In his mind, he thought that this kind of torturous training would only be held about once a week. But when he heard that it would happen every day?


    Man, Yuki didn''t know how he would survive at all.


    -0-@@novelbin@@


    "Come on, Yuki! It''s not that bad!" Riku teased him.


    Yuki just groaned, pping his friend''s hand away from his shoulder irritably. "Of course, you''ll say that! I can''t believe you enjoy something like this! Why would you need all those muscles, by the way? You''re a setter, for God''s sake! Act like it for once!"


    It was after everyone had taken a shower and gathered for breakfast when Yuki realized that Riku had arrivedte. After asking around about his friend''s whereabouts, Yuki was horrified when he found out that Riku had secretly approached Ishihara to demand more physical training. What made it worse was that the older man agreed to let Rikue in half an hour earlier than anyone else.


    Explore more at empire


    "So, what is going on here?" the boy who was Riku''s partner in the tournament yesterday¡ªOno, if Yuki remembered correctly¡ªasked.


    "Oh, nothing. Just Yuki being a wuss about working out in the gym," Riku rolled his eyes exasperatedly.


    "Ah, is this your first time working out there?" Ono asked Yuki sympathetically.


    "First time? No. But I can definitely still count the times I''ve worked out in the gym on one hand," Yuki grumbled.


    Indeed, this wasn''t his first time in the gym, considering Kawaki and the coaching staff of Tokyo Thunder U-19 had already introduced him to that hellish ce. However, it hadn''t been a month since that time, and Yuki had yet to get used to the training intensity there. That was why he was so grumpy about working out in the gym.


    "Well, let''s forget about physical training. I overheard Sato-sensei''s conversation with the other staff, and I think you will like our next training," Ono said.


    "Oh?"

 Chapter 225 Serve Training

    "Okay, first things first, please, all the liberos stand up and follow Sasaki. Your training menu will be different today," Sato announced as everyone gathered back at the court after breakfast.


    Despite the confusion, four yers walked out of the line and followed the white-haired man to the basketball court next to where they had gathered, which had probably been transformed by the staff to serve as their second court.


    After everything settled down, Sato turned around to the thirteen yers in front of him and asked, "Quick question: What is the first thing you do in a volleyball game?"


    "¡­ Lining up?" one of them said hesitantly.


    "He means the serve, idiot!"


    "I know that!"


    Sato just snorted, amused by the yers'' antics. "Well, you both aren''t wrong. But Aizawa is correct. I do mean the serve." Aizawa looked at the others with a smug expression when Sato confirmed he was right. "Okay, listen, guys. I''ve seen your performance from the sidelines yesterday, and I''ve also read Hasebe-kun''s evaluation from yesterday''s mini-tournament. I hate to say this, but most of you stink behind the service line."


    Some of the yers bristled at that, while others looked at Sato in disbelief. The old man just raised his eyebrows slightly, unimpressed by their res. "What? Do you think what you showed us yesterday is good enough? Out of 18 yers I saw, only Kobayashi-kun, Aizawa-kun, and Ichiro-kun managed to impress me. As for the rest of you, with your current abilities, your presence on the service line only gives your opponents a chance to attack. It would be better if you stayed away from that spot and let any pinch server on your team handle it."


    All of them¡ªeven the three yers mentioned above¡ªwinced unconsciously at his harsh critique.


    "Well, it''s good for you that you''re here to learn. So, first, grab a ball and form a line now!"


    Upon hearing that order, everyone scrambled immediately, searching for a ball to grab before returning to their positions. Theypleted the task in ten seconds, which made Sato satisfied, as it meant they understood that this was their chance to improve themselves.


    "Well, you probably know your weaknesses better than anyone else here. Most of youck control and technique, while many of you also don''t know how to perform a jump serve. So, I''m going to help you gain control and be more creative with it. Let me see your serves first."


    After that, Sato started checking their serves, correcting their approaches, swings, tosses, hits¡ªeverything. He was trying to eliminate any unnecessary movements they had been doing while serving. Those who had learned their serves by themselves needed to correct a lot more than those who had received a little help while learning theirs. Fortunately, everyone here was a fast learner, so the process was more enjoyable.


    After all the corrections were done, Sato took them to a wall with various red circles on it. "As you can see, there are red circles on the wall, and that is your target next. This will teach you how to aim your serve and train your uracy as well. So, let''s start the training!" Sato pped his hands.


    Everyone nodded and began trying to aim their serves at the red circles on the wall. After a couple of minutes of practice, Sato left them in Hasebe''s hands as he went to check on the liberos'' progress. By the time the rm that signaled their lunch rang, Yuki was sure that all he could see now was the red circles on the wall and the ball.


    "Okay, everyone! Go grab your lunch! See you at two, okay?"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    -0-


    "Man, this is so boring!" Riku whined as he picked up food from his lunch box. "I know it''s necessary, but that doesn''t mean I have to like it! I want more action!"


    Yuki just snorted at that. "Lower your voice, will you? If Sato-sensei overhears that, you''ll be finished." That was when Riku realized that they were still in the middle of a crowd. He quickly covered his mouth, looking at Yuki sheepishly.


    "A-Ano¡­ Kobayashi-san¡­?" A meek voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. When Yuki turned around, he saw someone he never expected to initiate a conversation approach him.


    "Is there anything wrong, Sawada-kun?" Yuki asked curiously. Yes, the boy in front of him was Nobuhiro Sawada, Konan High''s talented setter.


    "A-Ano¡­" Sawada nced around nervously while trying to avoid Yuki''s questioning gaze. However, after a few seconds, the shy boy finally gathered the confidence to say what he wanted, suddenly bowing his head and asking, "Can you teach me how to serve?"@@novelbin@@


    "Eh?"


    Not just Yuki and Riku, but everyone who listened to the conversation was dumbfounded. They hadn''t expected Sawada to be bold enough to ask his futurepetitor to train him, and right in the middle of lunch break.


    "Hey, that''s a good idea!" Tanaka suddenly chimed in. "I saw how you served, Kobayashi-kun, and it would be a lie to say I''m not impressed. It would be a great help if you could advise me on how to do it."


    "Count me in!"


    "Me too!"


    Suddenly, everyone grew excited over the prospect that the best server in the camp would help them with their serve training. Overwhelmed by this unexpected enthusiasm, Yuki realized that he couldn''t easily reject their request. After pondering for a moment, he finally said, "Let''s discuss it with Sato-sensei first, okay? If he allows us to do some extra training, I will be happy to help."


    -0-


    Still, even though Yuki had promised to help them all, they didn''t get a chance to ask for permission as Sato began the next training session. When they returned to the court, they were surprised to see many circles in different colors on one side and a big red ''X'' in the middle of the other side.


    "Okay, your next break is in two hours, so for the first hour, you are going to serve at those circles," Sato instructed, pointing at the side with the circles. "Just like before, you will form a line, and when it''s your turn to serve, I will pick a color, and you must aim your serve at the chosen colored circle. If your servends on the specific circle I ask you to aim for, I will count it as a service ace. If you miss, I will count it as an out. Every out will be punished with five serves against the wall, and at the end of the day, Hasebe-kun will tell you how many outs you have and how many wall serves you must do as a penalty. Got it?"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    "As for the other hour, you will go to the other side of the court and serve wherever you want, except for the area marked with the big red ''X.'' Do you know why that particr area is marked? Yes, Kobayashi-kun?" Sato pointed at Yuki, who had raised his hand.


    "Because that''s where the libero will be during the game," Yuki answered, fully aware that this training method resembled the way he had trained serves with Riku in the past.


    "Good observation, Kobayashi-kun," Sato nodded, satisfied. "The first drill has one rule: Don''t miss the target. Meanwhile, the second drill has two rules: Don''t miss and don''t aim at the libero. Once again, every mistake equals five wall serves. Are you ready?"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    "Well, let''s start this session!"

 Chapter 226 Serve Training (II)

    In life, there were twomon reasons why someone usually enjoyed something. One was that they could see their improvement from being bad to better progressively, and the other was that they excelled in that thing, feeling the admiration of others toward them. At least, that was what Yuki remembered people saying on television a few years ago.


    At first, Yuki thought it was just an empty statement uttered by celebrities to gain more engagement. However, at this moment, he was forced to believe that theory as he basked in the praises from others, and he had to admit that he enjoyed the attention.


    "Damn, Kobayashi! Are you a machine or what?" one of the yers said, shaking his head in admiration.


    "Hey, Yuki, this is clearly because of my training n! Don''t let your head get too big, okay?" Riku chimed in teasingly, a hint of pride in his eyes as he watched his friend be one of the best, even among the most talented yers in the prefecture.


    "A-Ano! Kobayashi-san, can you watch my serve and tell me how I can improve?" Sawada raised his hand, trying to make his presence noticeable.


    All of this sudden attention was, of course, due to Yuki''s excellent performance in thest two exercises. In the first drill, no matter which circle Sato asked him to throw the ball into, he always managed to hit the target perfectly. Out of 14 attempts, he sessfullynded all of them. The closestpetitor was a boy named Takeda Hari from Kodokan High¡ªthe same school Tanaka attended¡ªand he could onlynd ten balls perfectly before Sato challenged him to throw to the more difficult spots.@@novelbin@@


    This alone was enough to put Yuki at the top of the list for this training session.


    In the second drill, Yuki had even more freedom, aiming for spots that were not in the middle back. He didn''t hold back and targeted tricky locations that would definitely put an opponent in trouble if it had been a real game. From the look Sato gave him, Yuki knew the old coach was satisfied with his performance.


    It wasn''t until the rm rang that everyone stopped what they were doing, turning around to notice that it was already 4 in the evening.


    "Okay, you have thirty minutes for a break, and Minase-chan has already prepared some healthy snacks and drinks for you all, so go find him. Don''t bete for the next training session, okay?" Sato instructed.


    "Yes, Sensei!" everyone replied in unison.


    -0-


    "So, is it enough to satisfy your boredom?" Yuki asked sarcastically while peeling a banana.


    "Well, not really. But I can''tin," Riku replied. "I''ve always thought that my serve uracy was decent enough, but today is a reality check for me. Excluding you, there are about six other yers who are better than I am, and I definitely acknowledge that."


    Out of 14 serves that Riku threw, he onlynded six perfectly where Sato had asked, putting him in seventh ce. Not a bad rank, but considering that Riku had always been proud of his serve, the fact that his uracy was below 50 percent was disappointing for him. From his expression alone, Yuki could tell that his friend would push himself harder in the next session to hide his embarrassment.


    "Can I sit with you guys?" a familiar voice suddenly greeted them. When they turned around, they were surprised to see who had just asked to join them.


    "Haruo-san? Sure,e here," Yuki said, moving slightly to give the new boy enough room to sitfortably. "Is there anything wrong?" he asked.


    The boy in front of them was Haruo, Kyoei Gakuen''s middle blocker. Yuki felt ashamed that he had somehow forgotten about Haruo''s presence, but it was understandable, considering Haruo hadn''t performed well in the mini-tournament yesterday since he was unlucky enough to be paired with another middle blocker.


    "Oh, no, there''s nothing wrong. I''m just here to greet you," Haruo said with an innocent smile.


    Yuki rolled his eyes in disbelief while Riku scoffed incredulously. While they didn''t know Haruo well enough, after ying a full three sets against him, they both knew that behind his innocent facade, Haruo was a thoughtful guy who wouldn''t act without purpose. There was no way the boy woulde over without a reason.


    "Well, I misjudged you before, thinking that you both were just ordinary yers. So, I''m here to rectify that and try to get to know you better," Haruo finally admitted. "After all, you both caught my interest, and I want to know my future rivals better!" he eximed.


    Riku snorted at Haruo''s arrogance as if being noticed by him was a privilege, then said, "While we are in the same prefecture, there are around 150 teamspeting here, so I don''t know where you get the confidence that we will meet again in the future."


    However, Haruo smiled cryptically as he replied, "Oh, how wrong you are, Agostini-kun. I''m sure we will meet quite often in the future."


    -0-


    "Okay, everyone! It''s good to see you again!" Sato''s voice boomed as all of the yers gathered in front of him. "We have two and a half hours before dinner time, and we will continue our serve training. The next exercise is the service ace challenge. You will each have ten minutes to get a service ace against another team. There are fourteen of you, so let''s divide into two teams. Seven boys, go to the other side of the court while the others stay here."


    While there was confusion among the yers, no one questioned it, and some moved quickly into position. Yuki was among those who moved to the other side of the while Riku stayed back to see what would happen.


    After everything was settled down, Sato continued his exnation. "Many people think that to get a service ace, you need to hit the ball with power, but that''s not true. As long as you know where to aim, you can get a service ace. For example, Kobayashi-kun,e here!"


    "Me?!" Yuki eximed, taken aback when he heard his name called.


    "Yes, you! Come here!" Sato affirmed. With no choice, Yuki stepped forward to join the coach. "Listen, Kobayashi-kun, I know I''m asking a lot here, but can you show them your serve to the crowd trick?"

 Chapter 227 Serve Training (III)

    If being called to the front was something Yuki hadn''t expected, the request to reveal one of his most powerful tricks was enough to make him frown. He knew that Sato''s purpose in making this request was to demonstrate to everyone that a service ace wasn''t necessarily a powerful one, but the yers in front of him were his future rivals. It would put him at a disadvantage if they knew the secret behind his trick before facing each other.


    "Kobayashi-kun, I know I''m asking a lot, but I don''t think you need to worry about your secret being revealed," Sato said. It seemed that Yuki''s concern was apparent as he froze on the spot for a few seconds.


    "¡­ What do you mean?" Yuki finally asked.


    "I know you learned that trick from Sekine, and you don''t have to worry about me knowing him since we share mutual connections," Sato exined. "My point is, I know Sekine has been working on a project promoting trick serves like yours to all the head coaches in Tokyo. Thest time I heard from him, it seems he''s close to achieving that. So, if I''m not mistaken, your trick will be revealed before summer is over, so I don''t think it would make a difference if you showed them now."


    Yuki was dumbfounded by this revtion. He had no idea that Sato and Sekine were connected¡ªsomething he should have considered, given that they were both significant figures from the same generation in Japan''s volleyball world.


    Regarding Sekine''s project, Yuki was aware of it too, as the old man always dreamed of enabling any Japanese yer to make a name for themselves based on their serving arsenals. To achieve that, Sekine worked hard to convince all the volleyball coaches he met to prioritize serving training rather than just training their yers to execute powerful serves. For a serve trainer like Sekine, this was a big deal.


    Yuki was happy to hear that Sekine was one step away from achieving his dream. However, he was also in a dilemma because he didn''t know whether he should agree to Sato''s request. Even if the secret would soon be revealed, that didn''t mean he wanted to expose it himself.


    Seeing the hesitation on Yuki''s face, Sato sensed the boy needed onest push, so he continued speaking. "Here''s my final attempt to persuade you: it doesn''t matter whether they know your trick or not, because you know what?"


    "¡­ What?" Yuki asked with a nk expression.


    "Because you have a creative mind and enough serving arsenal for your opponents. As long as you don''t let them predict your moves, you will be fine."


    After pondering for a moment, Yuki finally sighed in resignation. "Okay, I''ll do it."


    "Atta boy!" Sato grinned, patting his back. Then he turned toward the yers, who looked on with curiosity, and said, "Since Kobayashi-kun is volunteering to demonstrate the serve, except for Ichiro-kun and Miyauchi-kun, please go behind the line."


    Everyone immediately followed the order, eager to see what Sato had in store. Yuki took a deep breath, grabbing the ball while concentrating on the two yers on the other side of the. Aside from the liberos, Ichiro and Miyauchi were probably the strongest defenders in the group, as they had been able to handle his serve a few times. It would be quite a challenge to try to break through their defense with just one trick.


    "Okay, everyone! Watch closely! Ichiro! Miyauchi! Do your best to receive the ball! Kobayashi, begin your serve!"


    At Sato''smand, Yuki took a deep breath, tossing the ball slightly into the air. Since this was Sato''s request, Yuki didn''t use any fancy techniques, relying instead on his uracy. He nced at the other side of the for a moment before deciding where to send the ball.


    Thud!


    Miyauchi, who was in the middle back position, moved, but something seemed to slow him down, preventing him from getting to the ball. In the end, the ball fell easily behind him, which would have earned a point for Yuki in a real game.


    "Does anyone know why that happened?" Sato asked. When he saw the confusion on their faces, he turned back to Yuki and said, "Do it one more time!"


    Yuki nodded and picked the ball up off the ground. Ichiro and Miyauchi tensed up, preparing to receive his serve. However, the same thing happened as before¡ªMiyauchi was unable to react quickly enough to pick up the ball.


    "If you studied his serve closely, you''d find that Kobayashi-kun did this trick many times during the game. So, does anyone have an idea of how he aplished that?" Sato asked again. When no one spoke, he sighed and murmured, "Man, analysis ss is going to be a pain for them."


    Sato shook his head quickly and turned to Yuki. "Care to exin?"@@novelbin@@


    "It was because of Ichiro-kun''s positioning," Yuki replied bluntly. Everyone was taken aback by his answer, while Ichiro himself was startled, not knowing what his mistake had been. Yuki continued, "I was aiming the ball towards Miyauchi-kun but still a bit wider, closer to Ichiro-kun''s position. This way, Miyauchi-kun would be able to notice through his peripheral vision that Ichiro-kun was moving forward to prepare for the next y, and his brain would unconsciously signal to him that Ichiro-kun would receive the ball. I didn''t need to fool them for too long, but once they were caught in this trick, you can see that one second is enough to make a difference."


    All of them gasped in awe while some stared at Yuki with admiration. Before they could speak, however, Sato interrupted them. "As you can see, there are many tricks that can be used, such as aiming very close to the, aiming near the end line, or targeting their strongest attacker to cripple their next offense. There is so much you can achieve with better control. If you can add your signature techniques¡ªlike a spin serve, jump serve, or even a floater¡ªI''m sure you can imagine the kind of impact you''ll have on the game, right?"


    Everyone grew excited as they envisioned themselves as powerful yers on the service line. Sato just shook his head in amusement, letting the yers get caught up in their dreams. After a while, he finally cleared his throat and exined the next training exercise.


    "Okay, each of you has ten minutes to get a service ace against the other team. I don''t care how you do it, just get that ace. I want to see your creativity here. Are you ready?"


    "YES, SIR!"


    "Good! Now, let''s start the training!"

 Chapter 230 Game Against Konan High!

    "Hey, everyone! Long time no see!" A charismatic voice that Yuki hadn''t heard in a long time greeted them cheerfullying from the person who invited him and Riku to join this camp. "I hope you all find our school is up to your standards!"


    Yuki blinked once at that. Then, he blinked again, trying to process what had just happened. After repeating the action several times, he finally found his voice and asked, "How could you be here?"


    He blushed when everyone turned to look at him. While they didn''t say anything, Yuki knew that some wereughing while others regarded him with concern. "I-I mean, shouldn''t you be in¡­ I don''t know, Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium? This week is when the national tournament is being held, right?" he tried to defend himself.


    Honestly, it was such ame excuse that Yuki himself didn''t believe it. He didn''t even know when the national tournament was held; he only knew that it should be over before summer break. Using that as an excuse was just a poor attempt to save face in front of the other 17 talented yers.


    However, he didn''t expect that somehow, the excuse worked.


    "Oh, Kobayashi-kun from Tsunemori High, right?" Matsumoto, the source of the voice that had greeted them, asked politely¡ªwell, as politely as he could be. Yuki nodded slightly, his face still a bit red from embarrassment. "Well, d that I haven''t forgotten you! I still remember how impressed I was with your serving arsenal. Man, that was the first time I saw someone manage to tear through our defense in a long time. If¡ª"


    "Matsumoto-senpai!" the person next to him coughed. "Please, get to the point and answer his question!"


    "Oh, yeah, sorry about that." The older boy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Anyway, it seems your time here has made you forget about the outside world. While you are all in the middle of the camp, we traveled to Nagano for the national tournament. As you can see, we kicked everyone''s butts and brought the trophy back here." He grinned while stepping aside to reveal the trophy that was hidden behind him.


    All eyes bulged in surprise, staring at the shining trophy with envy. The object in front of them was the goal of any high school volleyball yer in Japan, so seeing it in person was enough to pump up their spirits.


    "Wait!" Yuki suddenly widened his eyes in realization. Everyone turned to him, wondering what he had just figured out. "If Sawada-kun and Akihiro-kun are here, does that mean you yed in the national tournament without them?!"


    Everyone dropped their jaws when they realized the implication. While Sawada and Akihiro were just freshmen, all the yers there acknowledged their talent. Akihiro was not an unknown name in the middle school tournament. It was surprising that Konan didn''t bring them along to the tournament¡­


    "Well, unfortunately, we couldn''t bring them along with us." Matsumoto chuckled awkwardly as the other Konan yers snickered behind him. "The thing is¡­ Akihiro failed his midterm exam, so he wasn''t allowed to go with us and had to attend supplementary sses. As for Sawada-kun, since we yed against your team in the prefecture tournament, he insisted on being downgraded to a bench yer, wanting to learn more from his senpai, or so he said. When he heard about this camp, he didn''t hesitate to join, saying he would learn a lotpared to ying on the national stage."


    Sawada had a red tint on his cheeks as all eyes turned to him. Yuki couldn''t help but twitch the corner of his mouth in annoyance. While it was a reasonable excuse, Yuki had a feeling that Matsumoto was rubbing it in their faces, showing they didn''t need their two freshmen to win the national tournament, which was both impressive and infuriating at the same time.@@novelbin@@


    "That brings us to what we are going to do today!" Sato pped his hands, announcing his presence once again. "I know some of you have already noticed the pattern of our training. First, we are going to serve, then receive, then set up an attack, spike, andstly, we will train our blocks too. We have been training all of our basic skills, so what''s left is to y the game itself!"


    While everyone was still speechless over the sudden presence of Konan High''s team, the others were smart enough to put everything together. "Wait, you mean to tell me that we are going to y against them?!" one of them asked, shocked.


    Sato just raised his eyebrows and, with a challenging tone, said, "What? Do you think it''s fitting to have the most talented yers in the prefecture y against the best team in Japan?"


    ''The problem is that the best team in the prefecture is also the best team in Japan!'' Some of them groaned inwardly.


    Still, just like what Sato said, they were all talented yers, and none of them would tap into their full potential without facing a strong opponent. The thought of ying against the best team in the country was enough to send their excitement skyrocketing. Some of them could hardly hide their grins since this would be their first timepeting against such an amazing team. Seeing no fear in their reactions, Sato nodded in satisfaction.


    "Good! There''s no need for cowards to be here!" he eximed. "Today, we will y five sets, and I will rotate the yers for each set, so you don''t have to worry about not having a chance to y! Now, first team: Aizawa! Takeda! Subaru! Kobayashi! Ono! Hiromitsu!"


    As the names of the first team were announced, reactions ranged from intrigued to disappointed.


    "Man, having Kobayashi and Aizawa on the same team is unfair!"


    "Damn, I have to wait?!"


    "Damn, I want to y with Aizawa!"


    "You just want totch onto his tight, right?"


    "Shut up!"


    Yuki turned around, searching for his soon-to-be teammates. The other five seemed to be doing the same, and when their eyes met, they nodded in acknowledgment. He couldn''t help but mutter, "Indeed, this is going to be interesting."

 Chapter 232 Game Against Konan High! (III)

    "See what I told you before?"


    Lucas grinned widely as he saw Hikaru still frozen in ce after he failed to receive Yuki''s serve twice in a row.


    "You weren''t on the team when we yed against him, so of course, you don''t understand our pain. Let''s switch positions, and let me deal with that."


    Hikaru scowled upon hearing his Brazilian senpai''s words. However, he couldn''t refute them since he was indeed responsible for the consecutive points lost. If this were an official game, it would have been enough for the coach to bench him and make him watch from the sidelines.


    Moreover, unlike Shimada, who ¨C from Hikaru''s perspective ¨C was just a sidekick and could be reced by anyone on the bench at any time, Lucas was different. The Brazilian boy was the ace of the team, and with another monstrous talent like Matsumoto here, being able to hold that position told Hikaru a lot about Lucas''s capabilities.


    Questioning Lucas would be the quickest and most foolish way to get himself kicked out of the team.


    "Okay, enough ying around!" Harada, the setter, finally interrupted. "Come on, we need to continue the game. Hikaru, try to keep your temper in check, and don''t provoke Shimada all the time. I know you two are not getting along well, but we are in front of Sato-sensei and his staff right now, so don''t embarrass our school, okay?"


    Even though the tone was t and it was said with an expressionless face, Hikaru still shivered at the hidden threat from Harada. He knew that, even though the captain was Matsumoto, Harada held the position of the one who disciplined the others. Although he didn''t know what would happen if he didn''t follow Harada''s orders, he didn''t want to push his luck too much.


    After a quickmunication with all the yers, Harada finally nodded at Sato, signaling that they were ready. Yuki, who saw this, raised one of his eyebrows, finding the situation on the opposite side of the court intriguing.


    ''That barbarian blocker is calmer now, and Lucas Silva is shifting his position slightly into the blocker''s spot. They want to switch positions and let Lucas Silva handle it. Well, I can use this to my advantage.''


    While his serve arsenal was Yuki''s biggest weapon, he would argue that his observation skills were the second most valuable, recing his defensive ability, which he had relied upon for the first two or three months of ying the game. Even though the observation he just made was pretty basic, it was still enough for him to make the best of it.


    The moment Sato blew the whistle, Yuki tossed the ball into the air, ready to serve. As he jumped, his eyes caught Hikaru moving to the middle immediately while Lucas stepped forward from the bottom left to cover the blocker''s position. Seeing that, Yuki couldn''t help but smirk, knowing that everything was going ording to his prediction.@@novelbin@@


    ''Well, let''s see if you can stop this!''


    Thud!


    Hikaru, who was running to the middle, was caught off guard when he saw the ball stilling in his direction. Yuki had aimed his serve into the area between the left and middle, cutting off Hikaru''s escape route.


    ''SHI ¨C !''


    Seeing the balle his way while he was in the middle of running, Hikaru cursed his luck. Lucas also didn''t expect Yuki to send the ball there. However, no matter how quick his reaction was, the tanned-skinned boy couldn''t do anything, since if he moved to pick up the ball, he would crash into his kouhai, and that wasn''t a risk he was willing to take for a friendly game like this.


    As a result, while Hikaru was able to make contact with the ball, it didn''t go up in the air; instead, it bounced into the before falling to the floor. Just like Lucas, the other Konan yers also didn''t want to dive for an attempt to save it, allowing Yuki to score three straight aces in a row.


    "Oh, you got them again!"


    "Three times in a row?! Are you kidding me?!"


    "Damn, Kobayashi! How can someone be this good?!"


    "Oi, don''t mess with my hair!"


    While all the yers on the opposite side celebrated the point by ruffling Yuki''s hair, some of the Konan yers approached Hikaru, not to reassure him or ask if he was okay, but to tease him.


    "Well, it seems you are disliked here, Hikaru. Who would have thought that a rookie from a no-name school like that four-eyes would target you?" Shimada asked yfully.


    Upon hearing that, a thick vein popped on Hikaru''s forehead. He was about to snap before Harada ¨C thank God for his timely reaction ¨C interrupted, "Okay, enough, Shimada-kun. I can understand if this ising from Hikaru, but from you, his senpai? Please, be a bit more mature."


    Shimada could only rub the back of his neck sheepishly, yet no apology was offered. Of course, Harada didn''t expect one, knowing the nature of their rtionship. It would be strange if either Shimada or Hikaru suddenly apologized to each other.


    "And thest serve was also mainly Lucas''s fault, though."


    Harada suddenly switched to English, making sure that the Brazilian boy could understand.


    "Me?"


    Lucas pointed at himself, surprised.


    "Yes, you."


    Harada nodded in confirmation.


    "You somehow forgot the basic skills needed to face a trickster like that four-eyes. Don''t move until you can see for sure what kind of ball he throws. What did you do in thest y?"


    "I switched positions with Hikaru-kun before I knew what kind of ball he threw,"


    Lucas mumbled guiltily.


    "Good, you realize your mistake. Don''t do it again, okay?"


    If anyone who didn''t know the dynamic within Konan''s team saw this interaction, they would be surprised to see probably the best yer in the national tournament getting berated by his teammate like this.


    "Okay, we need to put more focus on the game! It is embarrassing enough for a freshman to toy with us like this, but to do it in front of Sato-sensei and his staff? I think we all agree that we cannot let that happen again, right?" Harada asked challengingly.


    All the Konan yers exchanged nces filled with new determination. It seemed Harada''s words were enough to reignite their spirit after it had waned since they won the national tournament.


    As for Hikaru, the main victim of Yuki''s serve, he turned his head, ring fiercely at the bespectacled boy on the other side of the court. "Just you wait, bastard! I will pay you back for this humiliation tenfold!"

 Chapter 236 Game Against Konan High (VII)

    In the end, it took the Konan team almost an hour¡ªaround fifty minutes, to be more exact¡ªto take down Team A and win the first game. Although Team A managed to create some problems, as the game progressed, the quality difference between the two teams proved to be the decisive factor. It also didn''t help that Konan, a veteran team that had just won the national tournament, was ying against a team that had formed only thirty minutes before this game, which put the odds significantly in favor of the host team.


    Still, even after losing the game, no one in the building thought poorly of orughed at Team A. After all, what they achieved in just one hour of ying against Konan High today was far better than what most schools in Tokyo could manage. Going toe-to-toe against the best team in the country was a feat that only a few teams had managed to achieve, and the fact that they did so was enough for them to receive praise from others.


    "Good job, Yuki! Now, sit down and watch how my team will go further than yours," Riku grinned at his friend.


    Yuki, who had just drunk a bottle of water to quench his thirst, snorted in amusement. "Well, let''s see how it goes. Don''t just talk the talk without walking the walk, okay?"


    After letting Konan''s yers rest for fifteen minutes, Sato rose from his seat once again and announced, "Good job, Team A! Now, Team B! Tanaka! Agostini! Ichiro! Koda! Ishida! And Ryo! Get ready!"


    When the names of the next team were announced, the reactions varied; there were groans from the yers whose names were not called yet and excitement from those who would soon be on the court. Now that Yuki had done his job and wouldn''t have to y again for a while, he finally had time to analyze theposition of the new team that would be ying next.


    ''Tanaka is not an aggressive yer, but he is a solid defender in the back. It will be difficult for him and Ishida to bnce the defense, given that Riku, Ichiro, Koda, and Ryo are all aggressive yers. Once they take the initiative to attack, it will be interesting to see if they can prate Konan''s wall or not.''


    True to his prediction, the beginning of the second game was quite one-sided in favor of Konan. It took Team B a while to adjust their defense, allowing Ishida to takemand and coordinate everyone''s positions before they finally started to put up a fight.@@novelbin@@


    BAM!


    "Oh! Nice save, Ishida!"


    Konan''s new yer, wearing jersey number 16 and who had just reced Arizawa for this game, scowled when he realized he had been baited into sending a spike straight to the libero. Still, he didn''t have time toment that, as the other three attackers on Team B''s side began their run-up, ready to attack simultaneously.


    "Keep your eyes on the spikers! Don''t let them escape easily!" Hikaru tried to takemand.


    Unfortunately, it was clear that among all the Konan yers¡ªwhether on the court or still on the bench¡ªhe was probably the one with the least experience in the game. He was bold enough to takemand on the front line, yet he also failed to realize that the attack started from the second ball.


    When Riku noticed that Hikaru wasn''t paying attention to his movements, he smirked slightly before extending one of his arms higher, touching the ball first before flicking it to the area behind Hikaru.


    Thud!


    "Oh! A dump!"


    "Nice kill, Agostini!"


    "We finally scored! Come on!"


    Watching the y unfold, Yuki couldn''t help but smirk. Even though they weren''t on the same team, it seemed Yuki and Riku shared the same thought. Among all the Konan yers present, Hikaru was the only one who wasn''t on the team when they yed against each other. So, just as Yuki did in thest game, Riku''s best strategy was to target the blocker before he could adapt to the blonde boy''s ying style.


    "He is an interesting fellow, isn''t he?" Aizawa, who was next to Yuki, suddenly struck up a conversation. "Even though I''ve only yed with Akihiro-kun for a few minutes, I can see his characteristics. While Akihiro-kun is hot-headed, he is still smart enough to recognize his surroundings, even when his emotions are running high, making it difficult to fool him with fancy ys. Compared to him, this is¡­"


    Aizawa trailed off as Riku managed to trick Hikaru once again, forcing him to go to the left while the blonde boy sent a quick ball to the middle. Watching this, the yers who overheard the conversation chuckled awkwardly, clearly understanding what Aizawa meant by that.


    "H-He is not that bad!" Sawada interrupted, feeling the need to defend his senpai. Everyone turned to look at Sawada, awaiting his exnation. "Hikaru-senpai is still pretty new to this game, having only been ying for six months! Even the coach said he is a genius! If it weren''t for Akihiro-san, he would be the main middle blocker for the team."


    ''Ah, so that''s the case,'' Yuki realized. ''Six months ago must have been when the winter tournament was about to begin, so he was probably ted to rece the middle blocker at that time. But Akihiro''s arrival changed everything, and now he has to be content as a bench yer. Now that he has a chance, he wants to showcase why he deserves the position more than Akihiro, which is why he is ying so aggressively. He wants to make a point here.''


    Well, understanding was one thing, and sympathizing was another. This case was quite simr to that of Sawada and Harada. While Yuki didn''t know the dynamics between the two, just by observing how Harada treated the younger boy, it was clear that there was no animosity between them. Harada knew that a talented setter hade to challenge his position, and instead of being bitter, he chose to be the bigger person and take the boy under his wing¡ªsomethingpletely oppositepared to thepetition for the middle blocker position.


    ''It seems that even on a championship team, there will always be internal problems like this,'' Yuki sighed.


    BAM!


    The sound of the ball hitting someone''s hand made Yuki wince unconsciously, momentarily distracting him from his thoughts. He turned to the court to see Riku running across to pick up the wild ball.


    "Sorry, Agostini! My bad!"


    "Don''t worry, I got it!"


    Konan''s two blockers on the front line tensed, anticipating where Riku would send the ball. Unfortunately, they still couldn''t grasp the essence of Riku''s ying style, as they were too focused on watching the other yers to pay attention to the one controlling the ball. Seeing that the opponent''s attention wasn''t on him, Riku didn''t hesitate and jumped, spiking the ball himself to catch everyone off guard.


    BAM!

 Chapter 237 Game Against Konan High (VIII)

    "Hey, hey! Don''t make it so easy, okay?!" Riku grinned cockily as he celebrated the point he just scored. It was a bold deration, one that made even his teammates wince in fright. After all, their opponent was Konan High, the best team in the country.


    "Come on, Agostini-kun, calm down," Tanaka urged, trying to stabilize his emotions.


    "Yeah, Agostini, don''t provoke them unnecessarily like that," Ishida added.


    However, Riku dismissed their concerns with a wave of his hand. "Don''t worry, I know what I''m doing here."


    All of his teammates exchanged worried nces, unsure of what to say. As for the opponents, even though most of the yers on the court weren''t the main ones since they were resting, even the bench yers of Konan High had their pride. For it to be trampled like that was bound to offend them.


    ''Scary¡­'' Riku muttered under his breath as he felt the ring daggers from the other side of the court. However, if anyone noticed the smirk on his face, they would realize that this was part of Riku''s strategy.


    Yes, from an outside perspective, provoking an opponent who was far better than his team might seem like a foolish decision. However, Riku needed this because the essence of his ying style was to attract all of the opponent''s attention toward him.


    If the game were a show, Riku would be the magician, and his task would be to draw everyone''s attention to him so that his teammates could shine. After this, everyone would be wary of his dump attack, and he would be able to make them dance to his tune. It was like ying Jan-Ken-Pon, where he dered that he would throw a rock. By constantly making the opponent think and hesitate, he could control the game to his advantage.


    So, yes, deception was his middle name and the essence of his style.


    "Come on, Ichiro! Give us a good serve!" he cheered from his position.


    Ichiro, the boy with sses who somehow reminded Riku of his friend¡ªalbeit slightly less confident¡ªnodded and took a deep breath. Once Sato blew the whistle, the boy served the ball quickly, aiming far to the back near the sideline. Unfortunately, while the route itself was tricky enough, the servecked power and finesse, allowing one of the Konan yers to pick it up easily.


    "Nice, Toshi!"


    "Give it to me, Shigeo!"


    Riku kept his eyes on the setter on the other side of the court. Shigeo¡ªif he heard correctly¡ªwas probably the team''s third setter after Sawada and Harada. Still, Riku didn''t dare to underestimate him, as entering Konan''s bench unit itself was an achievement that not many could aplish.


    Or at least that was what he thought before he saw Shigeo nce obviously in his direction.


    ''Is he serious?'' Riku was dumbfounded.


    It was unbelievable how Konan''s setter could be so tant like this. However, when the dump he expected finally came, Riku cast aside that useless thought and leaned forward to pick up the ball.


    "Nice save, Riku!"


    "Damn! Someone, cover the setter role!"


    For a moment, there was panic on Team B''s side since they hadn''tmunicated about who would be the emergency setter. Riku found himself half-apologizing to Shigeo for his earlier rude thoughts. If this was indeed Shigeo''s real target, Riku would have to give the setter credit for his cunningness. But if Konan''s third setter thought Riku would be out of the equation after receiving the first ball, he was in for a rude awakening.


    "Give it back to me! High!" Riku suddenly barked, leaping into the air.


    His teammates were taken aback by his sudden boldness, but since most of them were aggressive attackers by nature, they quickly adapted to the situation.


    "Here!"


    "Oh! Nice pass, Koda!" Riku beamed as he saw the ball flying in front of him. Just as he had anticipated, there wasn''t a single second of dy before two people jumped in front of him, forming a two-man wall to block his sight.


    ''Well, a good wall. Unfortunately, it''s not enough!''


    As he swung his arms, the two blockers in front of him tensed for a moment, bracing themselves for the impact. However, the powerful spike they were expecting didn''te. Instead, Riku merely tapped the ball lightly over the wall in a rainbow arc.@@novelbin@@


    Thud!


    Even with two yers diving forward to pick it up, the ball ultimately fell to the floor first, just a second before anyone could touch it, prompting everyone on the sideline to jump up in excitement over another brilliant y from the blonde boy.


    "OOOOOOOHHHHH!"


    "Holy shit! You didn''t tell me you could do that!" one of the boys eximed excitedly.


    "Hey, don''t mess with my hair!" Riku scowled, attempting to escape the hands that ruffled his hair. "And don''t you dare underestimate me like that!"


    "Yeah, yeah, we get it."


    "But damn, Agostini! You''re a crazy son of a bitch, you know?"


    "What do you mean by that?!"


    Unfortunately, whatever happiness lingered in the air suddenly evaporated as they noticed movementing from Konan''s bench. Three yers rose from their seats: Lucas Silva, Matsumoto, and Shimada. All of Team B''s yers gulped nervously when they saw those three getting ready to y. As for Riku himself, he didn''t notice that his hands were trembling, as he was too busy trying to maintain hisposure.


    ''Finally, the real game is about to begin!''


    -0-


    "The blonde boy is good,"


    Lucasmented, his excitement palpable.


    "He is far better than when west yed against each other. I want to see it for myself."


    Everyone who heard that shuddered in horror, desperately trying to distance themselves from their Brazilian teammate. Normally, Lucas was aid-back and easy-going guy, usually spending his time smiling and joking with his friends. However, once someone caught his interest, there was nothing they could do to stop him from pursuing what he wanted. Right now, they prayed to whatever deity was listening that poor Riku would survive the game intact.


    "Well, Matsumoto, how about you y too?" Harada suddenly spoke up.


    "Eh? Me?" Matsumoto pointed at himself in surprise. "Why?!"


    "Well, the team needs someone to boost morale, and you are the team captain. So, go out there and kick some ass!" Harada patted his shoulder. Then, leaning in so no one else could hear, he whispered, "Also, keep an eye on Lucas, so he doesn''t traumatize the poor boy too much, okay?"


    "I know, I know¡­" Matsumoto grumbled, rubbing the spot where Harada had just hit him. "Man, this is going to be troublesome¡­"

 Chapter 238 Game Against Konan High (IX)

    Even though he had never spoken it out loud, Lucas always felt that this year was pretty boring. Not only had all of his senpai graduated, putting him in a responsible position, but the same could also be said for the rivals who always managed to push him to the edge. Izumo from Matsugawa Kita High, Daisuke from Morioka High in Iwate, Kaito from Kaifukan High in Osaka, and Hiroshi from Esashi High in Hokkaido were a few names that managed to push Konan High to the brinkst year, making the win even sweeter for the yers¡ªincluding Lucas. Unfortunately, they all graduatedst year, and while their sessors were pretty good, it definitely wasn''t the same.


    That was why Lucas would always cherish all the opportunities he had whenever he met an interesting yer before the team would beat them.


    "Man, his ying style really resembles Amagi a lot,"


    Lucas murmured inwardly.@@novelbin@@


    "They make everything their weapon to fool their opponents. Not the worst opponent to face, but they are definitely up there."


    Coming from Lucas, of course, it was a bigpliment. However, Riku didn''t feel the happiness or at least the honor of being noticed by Lucas, especially when the Brazilian boy was eyeing him hungrily.


    "Bro, you need to be more careful around him, or he will kill you," Ichiro patted his back sympathetically. The simr expressions on the other yers somehow made Riku think that he was a sacrificialmb ready to be offered to appease an angry higher being.


    "Well, don''t think about it too much! Let''s continue the game first and see what he does. Don''t worry; everything will be okay!" he finally said, trying to reassure his teammates. Even though no one was convinced by his words, they still did what Riku told them as Sato signaled for all the yers to get ready.


    "Come on, Ichiro! Give us a good serve again!"


    The boy called Ichiro nodded, taking a deep breath while waiting for the whistle to be blown. While he didn''t have the strength to score immediately from a jump serve, his uracy was the second best in camp, with only Yuki above him. He had learned a lot during this camp, realizing that scoring a point wasn''t the only way to contribute to the game with a serve.


    ''Okay, let''s do this!''


    The moment Sato blew the whistle, Ichiro tossed the serve immediately straight to the spot between the middle back and the left back. It wasn''t enough to create confusion among Konan''s yers, yet the serve forced the yer in the middle back to move forward, closing the space for Lucas in the left back to take his run-up, which also rendered the Brazilian boy useless for the next attack.


    ''Nice!'' All of Team B''s yers clenched their fists when they realized this. They knew that Konan High wasn''t just Lucas, but right now, he was the most dangerous yer on the team, and getting him out of the equation counted as half a win for them.


    ''They are happy just by preventing Lucas from attacking? They underestimate me,'' Matsumoto snorted. Then, without even doing a run-up, he shouted, "Shigeo! Here!"


    The sophomore setter was taken aback when he heard the captain shout at him. However, he didn''t question it and just tossed the ball to Matsumoto on the front right. Koda and Ryo, who were the closest to Matsumoto, tensed for a moment, awaiting the right timing before they jumped.


    BAM!


    Ouch¡­ Everyone winced unconsciously at how loud the sound of the ball hitting Koda''s hand was. And by the painful cringe palpable on the boy''s face, everyone could guess how much it hurt.


    "Ishida! Pick up the ball!" Riku shouted, not having time to worry about his teammate. After all, Koda did a good job of dampening the impact of the spike and giving the team a chance to counterattack. It would be an insult to Koda if no one could follow it up.


    "I got this!" The libero rushed to the left side to pick up the ball.


    Before the ball flew in his direction like usual, however, Riku suddenly froze as all the hairs on his body stood on end, screaming danger at the murderous intenting from the other side of the. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he panicked, thinking, ''How could such intense pressuree from an outside hitter?! This is worse than when facing their middle blocker!''


    Even without turning around, Riku knew that this feeling of bloodlust came from Lucas. Even though he had experience ying against very good middle blockers like Akihiro or Haruo, none of them were able to intimidate him simply by using their presence on the court. Hell, even when he yed against Lucas for the first time, the Brazilian boy had never shown that he could do this.


    ''Damn, is he really just an outside hitter?!'' Riku cursed inwardly. In hindsight, though, he should''ve expected something like this from the best yer in the country right now.


    Under such intense pressure, Riku tried everything he could, from ncing at one spot to leaning his body subtly to gauge Lucas''s reaction. However, the Brazilian hitter didn''t budge and just stared him down, waiting patiently until the ball fell into his hands. In the end, Riku gave up trying to do anything fancy and sent the ball to Ryo, which Lucas neutralized easily.


    BAM!


    "Oh! As expected from Lucas-san! He can change the game immediately aftering off the bench!"


    "Damn, his block is scary!"


    Riku clicked his tongue in annoyance when he heard the praisesing from the other yers on the sideline. ''Tch. They will always praise whoever does well, no matter which team the yers are from. A bunch of two-faced bastards.''


    "Sorry, Agostini-kun, I couldn''t get through Lucas-san''s defense," Ryo came and apologized to him, thinking that Riku''s unhappy reaction was due to the failure in thest y.


    "Don''t worry, Ryo. Thest y was more of my mistake than yours. Let''s just concentrate on the next y," he reassured the boy.


    His other teammates who overheard the conversation sighed in relief, d that Riku didn''t snap and me them. Not that they were afraid of him, of course, but the blonde boy was the natural leader of the team. Once they had a conflict with him, the team would crumble, and what awaited them would be a humiliating defeat.


    Unfortunately, their nightmare wasn''t over. When they turned around and saw who was the next yer to serve, they gulped unconsciously at Lucas''s predatory grin. Inwardly, they all thought the same, ''Oh, shit! We are so screwed!''

 Chapter 239 Game Against Konan High (X)

    "Ishida, Tanaka, get ready! Move aside and give each other room to move! Koda, move a little to the back and wait until you''re sure either Tanaka or Ishida receives the ball before moving! Remember, don''t hesitate! If you see you can receive the ball, move immediately!" Riku instructed his teammates as the next y began.


    Aizawa, who heard that, whistled lowly, impressed. "Now he''s taking more initiative in defense too. Good job, Blondie."


    "Why is he so tense, though?" Ono asked, frowning. "This is not his first time facing a yer with a good serve. Hell, he didn''t react like this when we yed against each other, and while I know Lucas-san''s jump serve is deadly, I still think you are more dangerous than him on the service line, Kobayashi-kun."


    That was a bold deration that would make anyone who had suffered from Lucas''s serve want to smack his head. Yuki himself just snorted before saying, "You tter me too much, Ono. I still have a lot to learn." He ignored the incredulous gazes from the other yers around him. "As for why he is so tense right now¡­ I think he is in a dilemma."


    "A dilemma?" Some of them parroted his words questioningly.@@novelbin@@


    "Yes, a dilemma." Yuki nodded, confirming what he had just said. "On one hand, he knows that they cannot lose a single point from Lucas-san''s serve, or the team''s morale would hit rock bottom. But to do so, he must involve himself in defense, which would be hard since they don''t have any emergency setter besides him on the team. He hesitates on whether he should join the defense or not."


    Aizawa furrowed his brows, not liking Yuki''s exnation. "Does that mean he doesn''t believe his teammates would be able to save the serve?"


    Yuki widened his eyes slightly, realizing the implication of his words. "No, no, it is nothing like that!" He denied the usation immediately. "Tanaka-kun and Ishida-kun are among the top five defenders during the training, so it would be stupid for Riku to not believe them. However, no disrespect to them both, but they have never experienced Lucas-san''s serve directly, so no matter how good they are, it would take time for them to adjust. It is different for Riku, who has the experience of ying against him. He knows what to expect from Lucas-san, and his defense is also not that bad. With him joining the defense, the chance of Lucas-san scoring directly from the serve would plummet while their chance of survival would increase astronomically."


    All the yers around blinked in surprise, not expecting Yuki to analyze the situation in one breath. Aizawa himself finally relented, huffing silently. While he was not happy with the statement that Riku''s presence on defense would help Team B survive¡ªof which Yuki still didn''t know the reason¡ªat least he acknowledged the truth behind Yuki''s words.


    "So, what do you think will happen next?" Takeda, the middle blocker of Team A, asked.


    Yuki hummed slightly, pondering for a second before answering, "Well, since Riku is taking the initiative to instruct his teammates, that means he is willing to bet on Tanaka-kun and Ishida-kun. So, everything will depend on them."


    Those who had experience receiving Lucas''s powerful serve winced unconsciously, looking at the two defenders of Team B with pity. However, they had no intention to convey Yuki''s analysis to the yers on the court, wanting to see with their own eyes how their peers suffered from the same serve as they did in thest game.


    When the game finally continued, everyone winced at the sound of Lucas hitting the ball.


    BAM!


    It became scarier when the sound of the ball piercing the wind as it traveled to the other side of the court echoed through the building. Tanaka, who faced the ball, paled slightly before bracing himself for the impact. However, no matter how prepared he was, he was still caught off guard and knocked several feet back by the serve.


    "Tanaka!" Some of them shouted, worried.


    "Hey, think about himter! The ball is still alive!" Riku shouted at his teammates while moving to retrieve the ball.


    From an outside perspective, it might look like what Riku did was pretty heartless. However, Riku had been ying with Yuki for a long time, and he had seen his teammates get sted like this so many times in the past, only to bounce back as if nothing had happened. So, he just believed that Tanaka would be the same.


    Fortunately, it seemed the other yers also agreed with what he said, as two of them stopped approaching Tanaka and turned around to start their run-up. The ball saved by Tanaka wasn''t in a good position. It bounced far outside the court, forcing Riku to run to pick it up. Now, with his unfavorable position, he had no choice but to send the ball back to the court first, and he had to be careful with his long toss so that it wouldn''t go further than he wanted it to.


    "Oh! Nice pass, Agostini!" Ryo, who received the pass, jumped.


    Unfortunately, right after he took off from the ground, Matsumoto did the same. Although there was only one blocker in front of him, Matsumoto''s presence alone was enough to intimidate Ryo, who came from a not-so-notable school and didn''t have a lot of experience ying against good yers. As a result, the boy tried his best to avoid the block, only for the ball to fall into Konan''s libero.


    BAM!


    "Oh! Nice save!"


    "Shigeo! Give it to me!"


    Lucas shouted, raising his hand on the left side.


    All of Team B''s yers tensed immediately, their eyes on the Brazilian boy. Riku, who had just run for his life to pick up the ball, also returned as quickly as he could, joining the front line immediately in an attempt to block Konan''s ace. When the ball flew toward Lucas, three yers¡ªRiku, Koda, and Ichiro¡ªwere ready to jump.


    "Okay, follow my lead!" Koda took over themand. "Jump together with me! One! Two! Three! Now!"


    BAM!


    Once again, Lucas''s powerful serve managed to st Team B''s yers away. Now, the victim was Koda, who was in the center of the wall.


    "Koda! Are you okay?!" Now, even Riku was concerned.


    "Don''t worry about me! The ball is still alive!" Koda shouted, trying his best to hide his pain. He didn''t need to say it twice, as Tanaka had already run to save the ball. Unfortunately, he was still suffering from Lucas''s serve fromst time, so his receive this time was still far from perfect.


    "Ryo!"


    "I got this!" With a shaky pass from Tanaka, Ryo sent the ball back to Shigeo, trying to force the setter to pick it up.


    However, an unexpected thing happened.


    As the ball came to Shigeo, none of his teammates tried to protect him. Instead, Lucas suddenly came forward, ready to act as an emergency setter. And when the ball finally came to him, he sent it directly to Matsumoto in the middle, who mmed the ball with all his strength, easily piercing Team B''s crumbling defense.


    BAM!

 Chapter 242 Day Off (I)

    Ping!


    Ping!


    Ping!


    Yuki groaned weakly as he rolled over in bed, his hand scrabbling around to find the source of the annoying sound that had been ringing for a while. After finally managing to reach his phone, he muted the notification that had interrupted his sleep. He stretched for a moment, shaking his head as he tried to regain his consciousness. Somehow, the room felt a bit strange yet very familiar to him.


    "Ah, I forgot that I am back at the orphanage already," Yuki muttered as the realization sank in.


    It was the day after camp had ended, and somehow, Yuki had thought he was still sleeping in Konan''s dormitory. Not that he missed that dorm, of course, especially considering how he had to share a room with three other yers. While he didn''t mind that, he still liked having his own privacy here, and having three roommates definitely made that impossible.


    "Urgh¡­ I really miss having a room of my own. Who thought it was a good idea to cram four teenagers into the same room for a week? Hell, even in a small orphanage like this, we have a room for each child," he grumbled, annoyed.


    He shook his head, trying to banish the thought. It was still pretty early, and the sses-wearing boy didn''t want to start the day with negativity. After picking up the sses from his desk, he opened his phone again and groaned when he checked the time.


    "5:30? Really? Who is messaging me this early?" That was when he saw that someone had invited him to a new chat group. "Campers? Really?" He raised his eyebrows slightly at the group''s silly name.


    Haruo: camp_picture.rar


    Haruo: These are the pictures taken by everyone during the camp. If you want to use them to brag on your social media, feel free.


    Yuki raised his eyebrows slightly at that, realizing that this was the group for the yers from the camp yesterday. He checked the group''s members and found that almost everyone was already there. "So, that''s why he asked for everyone''s contact information yesterday," he murmured to himself, realizing.


    Ping!


    A new message suddenly arrived, and when Yuki checked his phone, he saw the others had already replied.


    Aizawa: Isn''t it a bit early to chat?


    Agostini: Hypocrite. You''ve already changed your profile picture to one of the pics in the file.


    Koda: Oh! Busted!


    Haruo is typing¡­


    Yuki didn''t pay too much attention to the chat; he just noticed Aizawa''s profile picture that Riku mentioned before. He immediately recognized the picture from the game between Team A and Konan High, as he was also captured in the background. Whoever took the photo was professional, considering how they caught Aizawa''s fierce expression just as he was about to spike the ball.


    Intrigued, Yuki extracted the file to see the photos documented in the folder sent by Haruo. Fortunately, while his phone was a cheap model, it still had the feature to extract files, allowing him to view them without any issues. As he browsed through the collection, it wasn''t hard for the sses-wearing boy to admit that the photographer was indeed skilled. Every picture captured the yers'' emotions, telling a story to the audience without them even having to be there. Hell, there was even one pictures of him roaring after he scored a point from his serve. The picture was so epic that he saved it for his phone''s wallpaper.


    As he scrolled through the collection, someone knocked on the door. Yuki frowned for a moment, confused about who would visit him this early. Having no idea, he shrugged before calling out a bit louder, "Come in!"


    Right after the words left Yuki''s mouth, with a quiet countdown of "Three, two, one!" whoever was in front of the door flung it wide open, bursting into his room like a whirlwind of giggles and energy.


    "Yuki-nii! I miss you!" one of the children eximed, her eyes shining brightly as she hugged him tightly.


    "Yes, Yuki-nii! We miss you!" the other child chimed in while clinging to him. "Why did it take so long for you to arrive yesterday? We waited for so long, you know?" She pouted slightly.


    Yuki could only awkwardly rub their backs, as it was impossible for him to exin that the reason he came backte yesterday was that the camp suddenly decided to hold a barbecue party before they left. He hadn''t realized the children would wait for him untilte at night.


    "Okay, that''s my fault! I''m sorry about that," he admitted. "Anyway, what are you doing up so early? Shouldn''t you still be asleep in your rooms?" he asked the two girls in front of him.


    "We can''t sleep!" one of the girls answered quickly. The others nodded in confirmation, supporting her argument. "I''ve been awake since four!" she added, proudly disying her four tiny fingers as if it were something to be proud of.


    "Oh?" Yuki arched an eyebrow slightly. "Did you wake up your sister, Mai-chan?" he asked, trying to sound stern.


    Stay connected with empire


    "What?! No!" the little girl, Mai, immediately denied the usation, looking affronted. "Hina-nee even woke up earlier than me!"


    "Yeah, Yuki-nii! I woke up at three!" the older girl confirmed.


    They engaged in a brief staring contest, with Yuki trying to ascertain whether they were lying. After a while, he finally sighed, deciding to trust the girls. "Well, since you say so, I''ll believe you for now. Just don''t let me catch you staying upte, okay?" he warned them both.


    "Yes, Yuki-nii!"@@novelbin@@


    "Now, how about you go back to your room first? I haven''t taken a shower since yesterday, so I''d like to do that before meeting everyone." Heughed at the sight of the two girls wrinkling their noses at him in disgust.


    "Ew, you stink, niichan!"


    "Yeah! Go away!"


    Without a second thought, they spun around and sprinted back to their room, their giggles trailing behind them. Yuki could only shake his head fondly before getting up from his bed.


    It was still early in the morning, with the sun half above the horizon. However, the air was already quite warm, as summer wasn''t over yet.


    After taking a quick shower and tidying his bed, Yuki checked his phone one more time before heading down to the kitchen to greet everyone. He ignored the new group chat filled with 38 new messages, knowing that Riku would fill him in if there was anything important. He raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw a particr message from an unexpected person pop up at the top of the list.


    "Hey, Kobayashi-kun! This is Arina Sugawara. I got your contact from Kato-chan. Do you mind if Ie over with herter?"

 Chapter 243 Day Off (II)

    "Come in,e in! Please, make yourselves at home!" Aiko greeted Yuki''s two guests warmly. "You must be Arina Sugawara, right? Yuki-kun has told me so much about you in the past!" she said with a delighted expression, ignoring Yuki''sining shout from the back.


    "Oh? All good things, I hope?" Arina Sugawara replied politely.


    Aiko just giggled merrily before replying, "At first, he alwaysined about you, saying you were rude and liked to unt your poprity. But as time went by, his opinion changed, and I like to think he is enjoying yourpany now."


    "Obaasan!" Yuki, who was in the kitchen, whined when he heard that. "You''re not supposed to tell her about our conversation!"


    "I''m sorry, dear, but your rant at that time was just too cute!" she giggled again. "Anyway, where are my manners? Come in, please! You too, Kato-chan!"


    "Thank you, Obaasan/Aiko-san!" the two girls bowed politely before following her into the building.


    It was already 10, and the sun was high in the sky. Just as she promised in the chat, Arina came together with Kato to Yuki''s ce. Arina wore a lovely one-piece dress that entuated her beauty and grace. It fit perfectly, showing just enough to look nice without being too revealing in public. Meanwhile, Kato entered wearingfy jeans and a in white shirt, which contrasted sharply with her senpai. Still, if any boys from school watched them walk side by side, they would undoubtedly be blinded by their beauty.


    Unfortunately, Yuki wasn''t like most boys, as he hung out with both of them pretty often. While he admitted he was charmed by the girls, he shrugged it off as if it were nothing.


    "So, where is he?" Kato asked. "It''s not like Yuki-kun to be rude and not greet his guests."


    "Oh, that?" Aiko giggled in response. "You''ll see in three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ here we go!"


    WHACK!


    Kato was stunned when she entered the kitchen, greeted with a pillow straight to the face. There was an awkward silence as she processed what had just happened. All the children fell silent, and Yuki tried his best to hide his presence. After a while, she finally broke the silence with a question, "So, care to exin what is going on here?"


    The tone in her voice was enough to send chills down everyone''s spine. Without hesitation, Taro¡ªthe second-oldest child next to Yuki¡ªimmediately answered, "It was Yuki-nii''s idea!"


    "Hey! How could you throw the me on me?!" Yuki cried when he realized he had been roped into this mess by the children. However, he wilted immediately under the re that promised pain from his friend. "Care to exin, Taro-kun?" she asked with a scarily innocent tone.


    Taro gulped for a second, sweat rolling down his forehead as he thought quickly and said, "Yuki-nii said that if we didn''t attack you, he would take revenge on uster at night until we gave up, so we didn''t have a choice!"


    Yuki red at Taro, scowling at the obvious lie. However, no one denied the boy''s words, which made it clear that Kato would see him as the culprit here. The only thing he could do was offer an apology.


    "¡­ Sorry?" he said meekly.


    WHACK!


    Unexpectedly, his apology met the same pillow that had just hit Kato. He blinked, still confused about what had just happened. As for his friend, she grinned widely while picking up a pillow from the floor before asking the children, "Anyone want to join me in burying your older brother with pillows?"


    Yuki''s face paled immediately when he heard that. However, before he could say or do anything, everyone had already shouted together, "HELL YEAH!" And just like that, mayhem erupted.


    "Is it okay to let them be like this?" Arina Sugawara asked hesitantly.


    "Oh, don''t worry about them. This is their way of unwinding after stressful days. They''ll get over it soon and fix the mess they created afterward. They are good children," Aiko said fondly as chaos unfolded before her.


    WHACK!


    A wild pillow suddenly hit Arina Sugawara straight in the face. She was stunned, unsure of how to react. It was clear by her expression that she had never seen or experienced a pillow fight like this before. On one hand, she wanted to join the fun, yet she felt the need to maintain her image.


    Fortunately, the children came to her rescue as one of them grabbed her hand and pulled her into the fray. "Come on, neechan! Let''s join forces and defeat Yuki-nii!"


    "Yeah!"


    Hearing their childish deration, Arina Sugawara''s face softened, and she was finallypelled¡ªwillingly, of course¡ªto join the pillow war with the residents of the orphanage.


    -0-@@novelbin@@


    "Man, what a mess," Yuki grumbled as he picked up the pillows from the floor. "I knew I shouldn''t have agreed to their war invitation." Aiko and the children giggled amusedly as they helped him clean up the mess they''d created.


    After fifteen minutes of ying around, when they all heard a stomach growling, they finally stopped the war. Unfortunately, the mess they had created was pretty bad, so it took a while to restore the kitchen to its former state.


    After some time, everything was finally back to normal, and all the children sat in the kitchen, impatiently waiting for Aiko, who was preparing some snacks. Meanwhile, Yuki, Kato, and Arina Sugawara separated themselves and went to Yuki''s room to talk. Discover stories with empire


    "I didn''t know ying around like this could be so fun! We should do it more often!" Arina Sugawara said, her eyes shining brightly.


    "Yeah, and Yuki should be the target again!" Kato smiled teasingly.


    Yuki just grumbled at them before getting down to business. "So, what do you want, Senpai?"


    "Can I just say I want to visit my kouhai?" Arina Sugawara smiled yfully. At that, Yuki rolled his eyes sarcastically before replying, "I know you well enough to believe that you wouldn''te here just for a social visit. So, let''s skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. What do you want, Senpai?" he asked again.


    They engaged in a brief staring contest, with Kato watching in amusement. Finally, Arina Sugawara sighed. "Believe it or not, I''m here to return the favor."


    "Favor?" Yuki raised an eyebrow, confused.


    "Yes, don''t tell me you''ve forgotten?" When all she received was a nk expression, the girl huffed annoyedly at the boy. "It''s about the time I asked you to spread rumors about you and how you guided and saved us during the Maiko Pharmacy incident! Come on, do you really not remember that?!"


    "Ah, that¡­" Yuki rubbed his head sheepishly. Of course, if he admitted that he had forgotten, he would never hear the end of it. So, his best option was to act as if he understood and move on to the next topic. "Don''t worry about it; I''m not doing all of that just for a favor," he waved his hand nonchntly.


    However, Arina Sugawara had other ideas in mind, shaking her head immediately. "No, we can''t do that here. I''ve already spoken to my father about this, and I''m sure you''ll like what I''m going to offer."


    "Oh?" Yuki leaned forward, showing interest. "Please, do tell. What is it that you''re going to offer?"


    Arina Sugawara paused for a moment before a small, mischievous smile formed on her face as she asked vaguely, "What if I told you that my father can help fix this orphanage''s problems?"

 Chapter 246 Analysis for the Next Game (I)

    It only took fifteen minutes of walking for both Yuki and Riku to arrive at Tokyo Thunder''s home court, and fortunately, they were notte. When they arrived, only a few yers were already there, and some of them hadn''t even changed into their training shirts yet. When everyone finally noticed their presence, all of them stood up and greeted the two boys excitedly.


    "Wee back, Brat One and Brat Two!" one of them said, dapping them up.


    "Hey, don''t call me a brat!" Riku said, affronted.


    "Yeah, and why would I be number two?" Yuki also shared his thoughts.


    "Because we see Agostini more often than you, Brat!" the other yer answered, yfully messing with Yuki''s hair. "After all, he was still here even when you had to be out for two weeks after that disaster at the pharmacy factory, and this is your first time back since then, you know?"


    Yuki cringed for a moment at the harsh truth spoken by the older boy in front of him. Indeed, it had been about a month since the incident at the Maiko Pharmacy Factory, and he hadn''t joined the training with Tokyo Thunder since then. Fortunately, he hadmunicated with Kawaki-sensei, and the coach understood his situation, so he wouldn''t be kicked out of the team due to his absence from practice.


    "Anyway, who are we going to y next week?" Yuki asked, trying to change the topic.


    Suddenly, the atmosphere turned solemn, and Yuki and Riku stared at each other in confusion. "The team we have to y in the next game is Tokyo Great Bears U-19, our rival team," one of the yers answered.


    "Wait, you mean to tell me that Tokyo has two professional teams?" Riku blurted out a question before he blushed at the ''are you an idiot'' stares from the other yers. "What?! You know that I grew up in Italy, right?" he defended himself.


    All the older yers nodded, epting the exnation. Yuki sighed in relief as he somehow dodged a bullet. Just like Riku, he didn''t know about that fact, and if he had been the one to ask the question, he wouldn''t have had any valid excuse to defend himself.


    "Well, yeah, Tokyo has two representatives in the V. League: us, Tokyo Thunder, and Tokyo Giant Bear," one of them exined. "Unlike us, who are a rtively new team, Giant Bear is one of the oldest teams in Tokyo. While their achievements have dropped in thest few years, their fan base is still one of the craziest in Japan."


    "So, they are a strong team?" Yuki inquired.


    "Strong? Hell, no! They are rude and annoying, though," some of the older guys snorted. "Just because their team is older than ours, they think we are nothing because we don''t have a ''rich history'' like them." The boy added air quotes for the ''rich history'' part with a sarcastic tone. "Their fans are the same. They always attack ours because they think that anyone who supports a new team is a fraud and a glory hunter just because our team owner is wealthy. Honestly, the audacity."


    Yuki and Riku had sweat drops on their faces at the unexpected rant. "So, to put it simply, they are our annoying neighbors who think they are better just because they are older?" Riku concluded.


    "Well, that is basically correct."


    They chatted for a while until almost all the yers of Tokyo Thunder U-19 had arrived. That was the cue for Yuki and Riku to change into their training shirts. Five minutester, they came out of the dressing room to find that most of the yers were lined up, with Kawaki in front.


    "Sorry, Sensei, are wete?" Riku apologized.


    "Don''t worry, I know you both have been here for a while. Go back to the line and wait until everyone is here too," Kawaki waved off the apology. Read exclusive adventures at empire


    Riku nodded and joined the line, followed by Yuki behind him. They waited for a while as new yers continued toe from the dressing room and join the line. When a yer Yuki was familiar with, Tondo¡ªwho was the one responsible for testing him to join the team¡ªappeared, the coach finally greeted them all, "Good afternoon, boys!"


    "Good afternoon, Sensei!" all the yers replied in unison.


    "Well, first of all, it''s good to see some familiar faces back here, especially Agostini-kun and Kobayashi-kun. They are back after a week at Sato-sensei''s training camp, so I''m sure they learned a lot during that time."


    Those words were enough to spike the tension among the yers as all eyes suddenly turned to the two youngest boys in the room. It seemed the training camp they attendedst week had a reputation, and everyone¡ªeven yers who had never shown interest in them¡ªlooked at the two boys withpetitive eyes.


    "Okay, save the hostility forter. Now, we still have training toplete, okay?" Akira pped his hands, easing the tension. Yuki and Riku released a deep breath they hadn''t realized they were holding as the hostile atmosphere dissipated. "Instead of targeting our two youngest boys here, let''s direct thatpetitive spirit toward the team we have to y next weekend, our annoying older sibling, the Giant Bear."


    "Older sibling" was an apt description considering they were from the same prefecture. Still, no one cared about the coach''s analogy. Right now, all that upied their minds was how to beat their rivals in the next game. Everyone was pumped up and couldn''t wait for the weekend toe.


    "Unfortunately, due to Satoshi-kun''s injury, we will have to face them without our main setter. While this isn''t ideal, I need Agostini to step up his game," Kawaki continued.


    "Wait, me?!" Riku eximed in surprise.


    "Yes, Agostini, you," Kawaki nodded in confirmation. Not only was Riku surprised, but everyone else was as well. "I know this is a shocking decision. Ideally, I wouldn''t put a rookie in the spotlight directly at his first game and let him adjust to the new atmosphere slowly. Unfortunately, we don''t have that luxury since Satoshi-kun is out, and you know full well that Yamamoto-kun was called up to the senior team two weeks ago, so we are short on setters right now."@@novelbin@@


    Everyone nodded in understanding at the coach''s exnation. Riku was the happiest of them all. After all, there was a huge chance he would make his debut next game. Yuki could only look at his friend in envy, unsure of when his opportunity would arise.


    Kawaki''s next words effectively answered his silent question. "Depending on how the game goes and how Riku adapts during the next training session, I will also probably give Kobayashi a chance to y. Before youin!" He raised his hands immediately before anyone could say anything. "You all know how dangerous his serving arsenal is and how reliable he is in the back row. Moreover, based on the notes sent by Sato-sensei, he improved a lot during the camp, so it would be silly of me not to consider him. Of course, I''ll assess whether he is ready or not first, but I''m telling you right now, he will probably have a chance to y in the next game. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, Coach!"


    Yuki clenched his fists in excitement as he heard the news. Although he knew that, unlike Riku, he would have toe off the bench, the bespectacled boy was still satisfied with the decision. He didn''t want to be left behind by Riku, so he had to work harder in the next training session to show he was ready for the game.


    ''Damn, I am on fire right now! Come on!''

 Chapter 248 Game Day

    The weekend came pretty quickly, and the day for the game between Tokyo Thunder U-19 and their rival, Tokyo Giant Bear U-19, finally arrived. It was held at Shinagawa Gymnasium, the home base of Tokyo Thunder. Still, most of the people who came for the game were Giant Bear fans, showcasing the dominance of that club in this capital city.


    The number of people who attended was not considerable. In fact, it couldn''t even fill a quarter of the stands, given that the full capacity of the gymnasium was about 500 people. Only fanatical supporters who cared about the team''s youth development and the yers'' families attended a U-19 game like this. Still, their support was enough to lift the yers'' spirits.


    "Come on, Kato-nee! Megumi-nee! Arina-nee! Hurry up, or we will miss the best spot!" Hina, one of the residents of the orphanage, pouted at how slowly herpanions walked.


    "Be patient, will you?" Kato sighed helplessly. "The game is still in thirty minutes, and Yuki-kun has already told me that this wouldn''t attract many spectators. We will still have a good spot to watch. Besides, don''t you want to buy some snacks first? The game is going tost a while, you know?"


    "I already have some!" The younger girl grinned, showing off the inted potato chip bag from her backpack. Then, her eyes widened as it seemed she just realized something. "Wait, I haven''t brought any drinks yet!"


    Kato stared at her with an unimpressed expression while Hina rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. After a moment, the older girl sighed and said, "Go to Taro-kun and ask him to buy you something. He took most of the money Aiko-baasan gave for today."


    "Thank you, Kato-nee!" After a quick hug, the girl scampered off to find the other child, leaving the three older girls standing alone in front of the gymnasium.


    "I didn''t expect Kato-chan to be such a responsible older sister," Megumi, Kato''s older sister, teased with a smile.


    "Oh, you don''t know half of it, Megumi-chan!" Arina Sugawara eximed, joining the fun. "You''ve never seen how the children all look up to her whenever she teaches them something. She''s like a mother hen!"


    "Sugawara-senpai!" Kato hissed, her face reddening in embarrassment.


    Since Arina Sugawara''s first visit¡ªwhen she was roped into a pillow fight by the other children¡ªshe had be a regr visitor to the orphanage. Even though it had only been a few days, the girl was proud to say that she understood the dynamics inside the orphanage. Aiko was everyone''s mother, Yuki was the responsible big brother everyone looked up to, Riku was the funny big brother who always created chaos, and Kato was the knowledgeable big sister who could answer any question thrown at her.@@novelbin@@


    On one hand, Arina Sugawara couldn''t help but feel envious of how carefree those three could be around the children¡ªthat was a luxury she had never experienced before. However, as time went by, she also started to learn how to rx, and somehow, the environment grew on her. That was why, when she heard some of the children wanted to watch their big brothers'' game, she volunteered to chaperone them.


    After buying some snacks and ying outside the gymnasium for a while, Kato checked her watch and called the children. "Taro, please call your little siblings over. The game will start in five minutes!"


    Taro, the second-oldest resident of the orphanage after Yuki, nodded readily. "Wait a moment, neesan! I''ll be done in three minutes!"


    Fortunately, only four children came to watch the game: Taro, Hina, Mai, and Jiro, making it easier for the three older girls to keep an eye on them. As for the other children, some found it inconvenient¡ªlike Hiko, Hina''s twin brother, who had to be in his wheelchair the whole time¡ªothers weren''t interested in the game, or they couldn''t handle the crowd. For those who couldn''t be there, Aiko decided to stay with them while Taro promised to record the game for them.


    Once all the children gathered in front of Kato, she led them¡ªand the two older girls whom she hadpletely ignored since they liked to tease her¡ªinto the gymnasium. Since this was just a U-19 game, no tickets were required for entry, and they walked into the spectator section prepared for the Thunder''s fans immediately.


    "Wow, this building is so huge!" Jiro, a 9-year-old boy, widened his eyes in surprise, mesmerized by the sight before him. It was clear that even before he became an orphan, he had never been to a sports game. "Is this really where Yuki-nii and Riku-nii will y? Where are they? Howe I can''t see them yet? Kato-nee, you said the game would start in five minutes, right?"


    Barraged by questions with adorable eyes shining at her, Katoughed merrily before pointing to someone on the court. "There! Can you see the one with number 19 on his back? It should be easy since he''s the only one wearing sses."


    All the children immediately narrowed their eyes at the direction Kato pointed. Even though the distance between the stands and the court wasn''t too far, it was a bit difficult for someone watching a game for the first time to recognize the yers on the court right away.


    However, just as Kato said, Yuki was too noticeable even from afar. It didn''t take long before Hina squealed happily, "That''s Yuki-nii!"


    "I see Riku-nii over there!" Jiro pointed in the other direction.


    Mai could only p her hands excitedly while trying her best to see in the direction indicated by her siblings. Taro was the calmest kid there; besides being the oldest among the four, this wasn''t his first time seeing a sports game live. Still, that didn''t mean he wasn''t excited about today''s match, as he also stood up to search for his two big brothers.


    "Do you remember what your brother said to you yesterday? He won''t start the game, and he doesn''t know when he will have a chance to y, so don''t get your hopes too high, okay?" Kato said, worried that the children would be disappointed.


    "Don''t worry, Kato-nee! We know that!" Jiro replied. "Also, Riku-nii will y from the start, so we can support him first!"


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    "Yeah!"


    Seeing the children''s enthusiasm, Kato could only sigh as her eyes wandered to the court. ''Please don''t disappoint them, you two. I''m counting on you.''

 Chapter 249 Game Starts! Tokyo Thunder VS Tokyo Giant Bear!

    Unaware of the support in the stands, Riku took a deep breath while wandering around aimlessly like a headless chicken, trying to loosen the tension in his body. Even though he always acted tough and unbothered in these situations, inwardly, he always experienced intense nerves before pivotal moments like this. He was just a normal teenager; naturally, the thoughts of various ''what-ifs'' scenarios yed in his mind. He chose to stay calm, knowing that panic wouldn''t look cool in front of the fans.


    When his eyes caught sight of Yuki sitting on the bench, a small, smug smirk suddenly formed on his face. While they were best friends, Riku and Yuki were also rivals, alwayspeting to outdo each other. Right now, he was in the lead since he would debut in the game before his bespectacled friend.


    Unfortunately, that happiness vanished instantly when Riku saw a taller blonde boy approach him from the other side of the court. "So it''s just you and not your buddy, huh?" It was Haruo, the opponent''s middle blocker. "Why isn''t Kobayashi-kun here? Does that mean your team has a better yer than him?"


    Riku scowled at the sarcastic remark thrown by the taller blonde, choosing to ignore him. However, that only infuriated Haruo further as he continued, "Oh, have you already embraced your Thunder side? Treating us poor Giant Bear yers with hostility? Interesting¡­"


    Riku decided to keep his ears shut tight and ignored Haruo''s babbling, knowing that this was the taller blonde''s usual method to get under his opponent''s skin. He couldn''t understand how Yuki could be friends with Haruo.


    "You okay, Agostini?" Shou''s voice snapped Riku from his thoughts. "You''ve been standing there for a few seconds without doing anything. Are you nervous? It''s okay to feel that way. I was also a bundle of nerves during my debut, you know?" The team''s captain said, trying to reassure the blonde boy.


    Knowing that the captain misunderstood the situation, Riku shook his head immediately and answered, "Nothing like that, Senpai. I''m just a bit frustrated about that bastard over there." He pointed at Haruo.


    "Ah¡­ Him¡­" Shou nodded in understanding. Even though he didn''t know the rtionship between Haruo, Riku, and Yuki, he was sure there was some tension between the two blonde boys. Ironically, Yuki always acted like a clueless third wheel in these situations. "Well, it''s good to have you motivated like this, but don''t let it blind you, okay? Keep your head calm andposed, and I''m sure you''ll do great." He patted the younger boy''s back firmly.


    "Yes, Captain!"@@novelbin@@


    -0-


    A few minutester, everyone was ready to start the game. For Tokyo Thunder, alongside Riku as the setter, they had Shou and Miyahara as opposite hitters, Kojima and Uehara as outside hitters, and Tondo as the middle blocker. It wasn''t their best squad considering some of their main yers were injured and others had been promoted to the main team, but this was the best they could field in the current situation.


    After a quick coin toss between the captains of both teams, it was decided that Thunder would serve the ball first. As the most powerful yer on the team, Uehara took on the responsibility of starting the serve, something they had discussed long before.


    The bun-haired boy took a deep breath, bouncing the ball up and down while waiting for the referee to blow the whistle. When it finally came, he tossed the ball slightly before leaping into the air, hanging there for an impressive few seconds before unleashing a powerful serve straight to the Giant Bear yer on the bottom right.


    BAM!


    "Oh! A powerful serve right from the start!"


    "That''s Uehara for you!"


    The Giant Bear yer was unable to receive the ball properly as it flew back to the Thunder''s side. Miyahara easily picked up the ball, sending it straight to Riku. This would be the first matchup between the two blonde boys from opposing teams.


    ''Come on, you bastard¡­ Don''t be stubborn; move¡­'' Riku muttered.


    This was the part he hated most when ying against Haruo. The taller blonde boy wasn''t easily provoked and would always wait patiently for Riku to make a move before he followed up. The y usually evolved into a battle of patience, with Haruo oftening out on top.


    ''Damn it, bastard!'' Riku clicked his tongue in annoyance as he had no choice but to pass the ball. In the end, he decided that his first attack would go to Shou, who was the most stable yer on the team.


    "Nice pass, Agostini!"


    Shou leaped forward as the ball reached him. Haruo also reacted quickly. Together with another Giant Bear yer on the right, they jumped simultaneously, closing the area for Shou to spike the ball.


    Riku sighed, thinking the ball would likely get blocked. He was already slumping his shoulders when he saw the blockers'' swift reactions and wasn''t even willing to watch the process. However, he forgot that he wasn''t with his Tsunemori teammates right now, and Otsuka Shou wasn''t like any spiker he had partnered with in the past.


    Even facing two formidable blockers, Shou didn''t panic at all. He remembered the scouting report they had on Haruo and knew that the tall blonde boy in front of him was cocky andcked experience facing hitters who could adjust mid-air. So, he focused on the left side, and once he was sure Haruo caught his movement, he changed his approach, swinging his arm and hitting the ball to the right.


    BAM!


    Incredibly, Haruo still managed to react, moving his arm quickly, his hands able to touch the ball. However, due to his unfavorable position, he couldn''t position his block properly, resulting in the ball bouncing off his hand and wildly out of bounds.


    "OH! First point!"


    "That''s our captain!"


    "Good job, Shou! Keep it up, and you''ll make the main team soon!"


    As the cheers exploded from the audience, Shou turned around to find that Riku was staring at him, mouth agape. "Y-You? Him? What? How?" Riku stammered, his mind confused about what had just happened. The boy was a mess, and Shou couldn''t help butugh.


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    "He might be amazing for a high schooler, but don''t underestimate your senpai, brat!"

 Chapter 254 The Nightmare is Finally Over!

    Unlike the cheerful atmosphere around them, the air around Giant Bear''s bench was quite dark, with almost everyone wearing a downcast expression. It wasn''t just their failure to stop Yuki that weighed heavily on them; they also endured merciless scolding from their own supporters. This was probably one of the downsides of ying for a big team. The supporters never minced their words when they critiqued yers who performed poorly, regardless of whether they were veterans or rookies.


    It wasn''t the first time they had wished for a kinder fanbase.


    "Okay, don''t think too much about them," Kisuke Sadaharu, Giant Bear''s coach, tried to lift the mood. Although he was infamous for his harsh teaching methods, he knew he couldn''t scold the yers all the time. Sometimes, he needed to take a softer approach, and this was one of those asions. "You know how they act. Once you y well, they''ll forget everything and praise you like a god."


    That was an understatement. For those who had followed the team for a long time, they could all remember how crazy the fans had been when Giant Bear won the league a few years ago. Some even went so far as to associate with the yakuza by getting championship tattoos on their bodies. While volleyball wasn''t as popr as football, the supporters were certainly crazier than anyone could imagine.


    "Okay, for now, try your best to ignore their scolding. It will fade quickly once you manage to break out of this slump." Even though the yers were unwilling, they nodded, knowing this was the best solution. "Next, let''s deal with that boy''s serve. Can someone exin why none of you could stop it, even though the ball always looks so easy to pick up?" He raised one of his eyebrows challengingly. Find your next read on empire


    All the Giant Bear yers stared at each other before turning to Haruo. It wasn''t as if they were sacrificing the boy; rather, the middle blocker was the one who knew Yuki best on the team. Receiving those stares, Haruo sighed, knowing he had no choice but to begin exining Yuki''s abilities. Now that they were in a timeout, he could provide more detail than the vague warnings he had thrown during the game.


    As Haruo gave a more detailed exnation, everyone could only shake their heads in wonder. For the main yers who already had some idea, they still questioned whether Yuki was truly a rookie. But Sadaharu became somber as he realized how deeply in trouble his team was.


    "So, Yuki Kobayashi basically has a floater, a spin serve, perfect uracy, and a wicked mind that likes to take advantage of the openings given by his opponents. Is that right?" he asked for confirmation. When he saw Haruo nod, he sighed deeply, pondered for a moment, and then decided, "Okay, listen carefully! This is what we are going to do."


    -0-


    After a while, the game was set to resume, and all the yers were back on the court. Yuki raised one eyebrow slightly at the formation set by Giant Bear. All but two yers¡ªthe captain and the first target of his serve¡ªwere positioned at the back, ready to face him. The intriguing aspect was the wide gap between those two, creating arge hole in the middle back as if inviting him to serve into that particr spot.


    ''They don''t want to deal with a serve in the traffic and near the corners. Smart. The fact that they are willing to create such a huge gap in the middle to protect the corners shows that they are confident in those two to react quickly if I throw the ball there,'' Yuki thought, realizing the situation. ''Now, what should I do?''


    Knowing was one thing, but figuring out how to deal with the situation was another. With the formation spread out like this, his uracy and traffic trick would be useless. The opponents already knew about his floater and spin serve, so once they recognized it, they would easily pick up the ball. Ironically, the best way to counter it was with a powerful jump serve¡ªthe most basic ace serve that yers learn first¡ªwhich Yuki, coincidentally, had not yet mastered.


    ''Well, no need to cry over what I haven''t learned yet. I have contributed five points in a row, so let''s use this chance to experiment.''


    When the referee blew the whistle, Yuki tossed the ball slightly, leaping forward while recoiling his arms back to generate more power. Riku, who saw this, was surprised, not knowing when Yuki had started learning about the jump serve. Little did he know, this was Yuki''s first-ever attempt at it.


    ''Okay, it should be easy. Let the ball fall from its highest point, then unleash your arm as quickly as possible and hit the ball¡­ Now!''


    BAM!


    In the end, Yuki executed his first-ever jump serve straight to the middle back, hoping it would hit the floor before either Goro or Tomoaki, the two yers positioned at the back could react. Unfortunately, it was just wishful thinking, as the ballcked the strength and speed Yuki had envisioned.


    ''Shit! I messed up the timing!'' Yuki cursed, realizing the issue.


    Seeing the easy ball approaching him, Goro leaned to the left, bending his knee to reach the ball effortlessly. He picked it up and sent it straight to Izuki, their setter.


    "Oh! Nice receive, Captain!" one teammate eximed.


    "Damn! Finally, they stopped the boy''s serve!" another added.


    "Zuki! Give it to me!" Ojiro Senta shouted, eager to end Yuki''s term serving as quickly as possible. The sentiment seemed shared by the setter, as just a secondter, the ball was flying toward the ace. Tondo also jumped to block the attack. However, with only one blocker in front of him, Giant Bear''s ace easily avoided the block.@@novelbin@@


    BAM!


    "Shit!" Yuki cursed loudly when he couldn''t receive the ball perfectly. Aiming the ball at him was a clever move, considering that normally, a pinch server would struggle in other aspects of the game. The spike itself wasn''tplicated¡ªjust a normal powerful one. However, the power behind it wasparable to Kenzo, the main yer from Tokyo Thunder, who had tested him in the past. No matter how strong he became after starting his gym regimen, Yuki still found himself getting thrown around by the opponent''s spiker, and he hated it. "Someone, cover it!" he shouted to his teammates.


    "I got it!" Shou on the left jumped, attempting to spike the wild ball directly to surprise the opponent.


    Unfortunately, as he leaped for the ball, one of Giant Bear''s yers on the other side of the also took off from the ground. Shou didn''t know who was in front of him, but the two were locked in a head-on matchup for a few seconds before Thunder''s captain swung his arms powerfully.


    BAM!

 Chapter 255 Game Continued!

    Yuki huffed, crossing his arms as he slouched in the corner of the bench. He knew it was childish to sulk over something like this, especially amid the bench yers who didn''t even know whether they would have a chance to y in this game or not. Still, he couldn''t help but feel frustrated.


    ''One point¡­ Just losing one point, and boom! I am reced! How ridiculous!''


    He knew full well that his failure to receive Ojiro Senta''s spike perfectly was the cause of this, which forced Shou to make an emergency spike that was blocked by Haruo. Still, it wasn''t fair to punish him alone for that! He still had a lot to offer the team, for God''s sake!


    "Stop pouting, Kobayashi. You look like a child," Zeno, the team''s assistant coach, chuckled.


    "Well,pared to everyone else, I am a child," Yuki huffed childishly.


    "¡­Fair point," Zeno admitted, much to everyone''s exasperation. "You know that Kawaki-sensei isn''t punishing you, right?"


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    "What else would you call my situation right now?" Yuki snapped.


    Zeno blinked for a moment before he let out another chuckle. "Wow, with how mature you are, I sometimes forget you are still 15, the perfect age for being an angsty teenager." Some yers chuckled at the description while Yuki red at the assistant coach fiercely. "As for how to describe your situation other than punishment, it''s just Kawaki-sensei''s attempt to stick to his original game n."


    "What?" Yuki blinked in confusion.


    "Yeah, he is trying to stick to his game n," Zeno repeated, as if afraid Yuki hadn''t heard correctly. "Don''t tell me you''ve forgotten your current role is a pinch server?"


    Yuki bit his lip, trying to refrain from arguing that he had already proven himself in the practice session and deserved the position over Miyahara. Unfortunately, Zeno had experience dealing with teenagers like him and could easily read what was in Yuki''s mind at that moment.


    "You might think Kawaki-sensei is being unfair, but he has a valid reason for not putting you on the court for too long. In fact, if we had another setter on the bench, I''m sure he would also bench Agostini."


    At this, not only Yuki but everyone looked surprised. After all, it was a bold im from the assistant coach. Yuki had already demonstrated his capability by scoring five aces in a row, and while Riku hadn''t been performing well today, he was still a talented setter who showed a lot of promise during training.


    "Don''t believe me? Just look at your and Agostini''s attitudes when things go south," Zeno exined. "For you, Kobayashi, you sulk as if you''re the most mistreated person in the world, and for Agostini, he disappears from the court once the game doesn''t go as he expected." Yuki couldn''t help but wince at the blunt criticism.


    "The issue is, you both still don''t know how to deal with setbacks. When theye your way, you tend to drag your teammates down into your misery, biting us all in the ass," Zeno continued without ncing at Yuki''s expression. "That doesn''t mean you''re bad. You are already far betterpared to yers your age, and it would be foolish for us to ignore that. We just need to fix your weaknesses, and I''m sure it won''t be long before you can contribute more regrly on the court."@@novelbin@@


    Honestly, this was the first time Yuki had heard Zeno talk so long, and he felt somewhat ttered that the attention was directed at him. Not that he appreciated the criticism, of course, but he could acknowledge the sentiment. He also knew that what Zeno said was true; all he could do was nod silently while promising himself that he would work on improving his weaknesses so that he could be trusted more than just as a pinch server.


    ''Just wait, Riku. I won''t be far behind for too long, so you better move your ass and not let the coach bench you!''


    -0-


    The game continued, with all the Giant Bear yers sighing in relief when they saw Yuki was off the court. While they didn''t know Yuki''s true abilities, his presence alone had given them all PTSD.


    "Come on, Senta! The boy is gone; give us a good serve!" Goro shouted, trying to encourage the ace.


    "Yes, Senta-senpai! Let''s widen our lead!" the others cheered.


    Somehow, even though they didn''t mean it, their shouts were basically an insult to all of Thunder''s yers on the court. Hearing that, Shou suddenly smiled, yet the aura around him turned dark and intimidating. Honestly, if it hadn''t been during the game, all of his teammates would have run away from his impending wrath immediately.


    "So, they think that outside of Kobayashi, we''re just a bunch of useless trash, huh?" He spoke slowly, the intimidating aura growing stronger. "Well, you know what to do, right?"


    "Yes, Senpai!" all the Thunder''s yers shouted in unison.


    A momentter, the referee blew the whistle, and Ojiro Senta served the ball immediately. Riku winced unconsciously at the sound of the ball piercing through the air, knowing how strong it was. Miyahara, the opposite hitter who had juste back to rece Yuki, reacted. Unfortunately, his small frame wasn''t enough to absorb the ball''s impact perfectly, and he was thrown several feet backward.


    BAM!


    "Shit! Sorry!" Miyahara shouted.


    The ball flew back to Giant Bear''s side, giving them an opportunity tounch an attack. Ojiro Senta, who had just served the ball, began his run-up from the back immediately, followed by two other yers. In the end, Izuki decided to send the ball to Ojiro Senta as usual, which, fortunately, Tondo was able to react correctly to, at least slowing down the ball.


    BAM!


    "One touch!" Tondo shouted.


    "Nice block, Tondo!" Kojima, the outside hitter, easily picked up the ball. "Agostini!"


    When the ball flew to the setter, all of Giant Bear''s yers tensed. They focused on Thunder''s yers one by one, trying their best to stop the attack. However, in doing so, they overlooked Riku''s presence, and although he hadn''t performed well in this game, the blonde boy was still a dangerous setter who shouldn''t be forgotten.


    So, seeing that the opponents left him open, he flicked the ball gently, letting it fall through the two Giant Bear blockers on the front side before it hit the floor.


    Thud!

 Chapter 258 Second Set!

    Somehow, the second set turned out to be far better than anyone on the Thunder''s side had expected. For one, the Giant Bear yers could not recover from their defeat in the first set, while the Thunder yers managed to execute the coach''s n well enough that it became impossible for their opponents to snatch away the momentum.


    This was definitely a new experience for both Yuki and Riku. Coming from a rtively weak team, they had never experienced how fun it was topletely dominate a game like this. In Tsunemori, they were always forced to defend as if their lives were on the line. While they might not have hated it, that ying style definitely took a toll on them. Moreover, having strong teammates helped a lot, as everyone could hold their own and never let a small setback bother them.


    Honestly, they didn''t understand why, with this caliber of yers, Tokyo Thunder had fallen to tenth ce in the standings. Although neither Yuki nor Riku knew how capable the other nine teams above them were, they could at least make some guesses based on Giant Bear''s performance today, especially since their rivalsfortably sat in fourth ce.


    BAM!


    "Oh! Nice receive, Kobayashi!"


    "Fall back! Look at the signal!"


    Currently, Yuki was on the court, trying his best to recover his position after receiving the opponent''s spike. He found himself back on the court, not because it was his turn to rece Miyahara as a pinch server, but because they led the set by more than ten points. The current score was 22-9, and since the team had reached 20 points, Kawaki decided to give him a chance to y while allowing Miyahara to rest and prepare for the third set.


    Yuki rose from his position immediately, ncing at Riku to see the signal indicating what kind of attack they would execute. This was something both he and Riku had started to learn after joining Tokyo Thunder. In Tsunemori, they would only attack sporadically, but a professional team had its own system and strategies that ensured everything went smoothly and remained organized. After all, a setter was just one person, and he couldn''t do everything alone. If the other yers helped him by moving in the direction he wanted without needing tomunicate verbally, it would greatly assist in setting up an attack that would ensure a point for the team.


    ''He put up four fingers; that means a quick attack to Uehara-san with Kojima-san distracting the opponent. I need to move back and get ready when the balles back to our side.''


    BAM!


    "Shit! Sorry!" Goro, Giant Bear''s captain, cursed out loud when he couldn''t save the ball effectively.


    "Free ball!" Yuki shouted, getting ready to pick up the ball.


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    This was an aspect that the team had researched extensively in the past. Whenever they used Uehara for a quick attack, there would usually be two oues: first, there was about a 67 percent chance of scoring directly; second, there was about a 30 percent chance that someone would manage to touch the ball but fail to save it perfectly as it flew back to Thunder''s side. Thest scenario happened less than 5 percent of the time, which included instances where the opponent''s blocker managed to react or a yer saved the ball perfectly, a rare urrence that made Uehara and the team confident in this attack.


    "Riku!"


    "I got this!"


    After sending the ball to his friend, Yuki kept his eyes focused, waiting for Riku''s signal. When he saw the blonde boy give a thumbs-up, he moved forward immediately, ready to cover the front.


    ''This is going to be Shou-san''s attempt to break through the opponent''s blockers head-on. Riku wants to demoralize the opposing team, so I need to y my part by covering the front if Haruo manages to block the spike.''


    However, his worry was unnecessary, as the captain had no problem evading the opponent''s blocker.


    BAM!@@novelbin@@


    "YOSSHAAAA!" Shou roared excitedly, turning to Yuki, the closest teammate to him, before pping the bespectacled boy''s back with enthusiasm. "Good job, Kobayashi!"


    "Eh, I didn''t do anything special, Senpai." Yuki rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.


    "No, you yed your role perfectly in this y, ensuring that we had a strong backup behind us. I''m sure if you keep performing like this, Miyahara''s position will be threatened." The captain grinned. Yuki was surprised by the unexpected genuine feedback from Shou, but before he could respond, Shou turned his attention to the other yers. "You too, Agostini! Damn, that was an awesome pass! Keep sending it to my spot, brat, and I''ll make sure to treat you to something goodter!"


    "Hey, what do you mean by that, Otsuka!" Ueharained directly. "You can''t bribe him like that! Agostini, you can ignore him and give the ball to me! I won''t be like this sloppy guy!"


    "Look who''s talking! You''re the one who failed to score!" Shou retorted.


    "Why, you?!"


    Even though they bickered with each other, there was no malice in their words. It was more of a yful teasing, as the atmosphere around Thunder was quite positive. While it might be because they were in the winning position¡ªsince winning solves 99 internal problems¡ªnobodyined. After all, it wasn''t often that they managed to beat their city rivals like this.


    "Okay, the game isn''t over yet! Let''s not get overconfident and finish our job first before we celebrate, okay?!" Shou called out.


    "Yes, Sir!" came the collective response.


    With only two points left for them to win the second set, all the Thunder yers grew impatient to finish it off. As a result, they became sloppy and lost four points in a row. Normally, Kawaki would have called a timeout to scold them for this kind of performance. However, since their lead was significant, the coach decided to trust his yers, and fortunately, none of them disappointed him.


    "Tondo, move to the left! Help me deal with this!" Shou shouted as he prepared to jump against Ojiro Senta.


    "I''ming!"


    With two tall blockers in front of him, Ojiro Senta tried to manipte the timing of his spike to confuse them. Unfortunately, Tondo did not fall for it, waiting until thest moment before taking action. As a result, the spike was easily blocked, scoring another point for Tokyo Thunder.


    "YEAAAAH!" Tondo roared, celebrating the block. "One more point!"


    "One more point!" All the Thunder yers echoed excitedly.


    "Come on, Uehara! Give us a good serve!"


    Uehara, the team''s ace who coincidentally had the chance to close out the second set, did not disappoint. While he didn''t possess as many tricks up his sleeve as Yuki, his jump serve was still powerful enough to pierce through Giant Bear''s defense, mming to the ground with no one able to touch it.


    "YOSSHAAAAAA!"

 Chapter 260 Haruo Steps Up His Game! (I)

    Still, even with all the injustice he faced, Haruo was not someone who could remain idle and whine all day without taking any action. Before he entered the court for the third set, he pped his cheek hard, waking himself up from the depressed mood that had infected him by his teammates.


    "Okay, even though the coach doesn''t like me and has already deemed the game a lost cause, the most important thing is my attitude. Even if less than half of the supporters still remain, they are willing to spend their time watching our game. I cannot disappoint them more than this."


    This was the kind of professional attitude that would help any yer enjoy a long career. Although his fate was always tied to the management and the coach, if he had the backing of the supporters, half of his problems could be solved easily. After all, at the end of the day, money woulde from the audience; so the more he was loved by the audience, the more secure his career would be.


    Of course, Haruo didn''t dwell on that too much. He always viewed the game from the audience''s perspective. If he were a spectator, what kind of game would he want to watch? That kind of question drove him forward as a yer.


    "Okay, let''s make the supporters'' money worth it!"


    With that thought in mind, Haruo walked to the right back, where his first rotation of this set would be. This ensured that he would stay on the court for at least four more rotations before being reced by the libero.@@novelbin@@


    After waiting for a while, the referee finally blew the whistle, starting the game. The first one to serve the ball was Thunder''s ace¡ªwhose name Haruo caught as Uehara¡ªand he saw that Yuki was back on the bench again.


    "Well, it seems that his fate is worse than mine. At least I can still stand on the court and y here, not just mope silently on the bench," Haruo thought, feeling pity for his peer.


    He shook his head quickly, throwing that thought away. Pitying Yuki wouldn''t do anything for him, except perhaps make him feel a bit more superior, but that dangerous thought would only make his performance sloppy in the future.


    "Okay, I need to concentrate. His serve is powerful¡ªfar stronger than even what Senta-senpai has in his arsenal. It would be bad if the balles in my direction, but I should be able to stop it."


    Fortunately, the serve didn''te in his direction but to one of the bench yers in the middle. It seemed Uehara wanted to test the new yer''s capability first by aiming straight at the best defender on the Giant Bear''s side at that moment. Luckily, even though it wasn''t perfect, the yer managed to receive the ball and keep it in the air.


    "Sorry! Bad receive!" that yer shouted, apologizing immediately.


    "Don''t worry, Shige! We got this!" the other yers replied, running to the left side to pick up the wild ball.


    Haruo followed the ball''s movement patiently, knowing that his role wasn''t needed in this type of situation. He also kept his eyes on the other side of the court, preparing for any attack from the opponent.


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    The y itself went ordinarily, with the Giant Bear''s yers failing tounch a decent attack. In the end, they just sent the ball far to the back of Thunder''s side, hoping to create some chaos¡ªwishful thinking that was improbable in reality.


    "Kojima!"


    "I got this!"


    Kojima, Thunder''s outside hitter, picked up the ball easily, sending it straight to Riku as usual. Haruo turned his body around, paying attention to where the ball would go. Although Riku''s game n was predictable today, Haruo still had a hard time stopping the attacking straight from in front of him.


    Of course, Haruo knew this was because the hitters he faced today were far more intelligent than his usual opponents. However, that was just an excuse to avoid his responsibility, and the mere thought of it made his skin crawl.


    So, when he realized that the ball was going to Uehara¡ªthe yer he had struggled to stop since the beginning of the game¡ªHaruo didn''t hesitate to jump in an attempt to block the shot.


    BAM!


    "Sorry! Please, cover the ball!" Haruo shouted after he managed to reduce the impact of the spike. Unfortunately, he couldn''t aim it perfectly, resulting in his teammates having to run to the outside of the court to retrieve the ball.


    "Don''t worry, I got this!"


    Haruo clicked his tongue in annoyance¡ªnot for his teammates, but for his own uselessness in this situation. This was the fourth time he faced Uehara head-on today, and surprisingly, he hadn''t stopped Uehara''s attack even once. Honestly, this was the first time he had ever found himself in such a position, and it sucked.


    "Shit, even though his strength is slightly worse than Nitta-senpai''s, hepensates for it with his intelligence. It is so damn hard to predict where he will spike the ball."


    But that didn''t mean Haruo would give up. His eyes kept wandering around the court, observing every tiny detail of what was happening and processing it within his mind as quickly as possible. He could see Thunder''s blocker and opposite hitter jumping in unison, trying to block Goro''s spike. He could also predict, by his captain''s bodynguage, that even if the ball were blocked, his captain would ensure it would fly into a tricky situation for the opponent to recover.


    BAM!


    "OH! Nice spike, Goro-senpai!"


    "Shit! Someone, run! Get the ball!"


    Even though Tokyo Thunder had a two-set lead at that point, they still ran with all their strength as if it were an even match. This was understandable; after all, a new set usually meant a new beginning. So even though they were ahead, the Thunder team didn''t want to take a chance and risk giving away the momentum to the opponent.


    "I got this!"


    "Agostini, get ready!"


    Haruo blinked for a moment as the attack was about toe. It was still a second ball, and with three of Thunder''s hitters running simultaneously, it was no wonder that no one on his side was paying attention to Riku.


    However, Haruo did.


    He kept tracking the blonde boy''s movements, knowing what he was capable of. And when he was sure a spike dump wasing, he didn''t even know when he jumped¡ªit was a purely reactionary movement. The next thing he knew, he was already in the air with both hands extended high, and a secondter, he could feel the impact of the spike hitting his forearms.


    BAM!

 Chapter 266 The End of the Game

    "YOSSH ~ !"


    "~ SHAAAAA!"


    Right after the referee blew the whistle, the first one ¨C well, two ¨C who celebrated the win were Yuki and Riku. They looked at each other for a moment, then did a high-five with a big grin on their face. All the yers there were confused, not knowing why those two acted like this was something big. Even though they knew the Thunder just won against their rival, but it was just one of the seventeen regr games of this season, not something so decisive as a yoff or God forbid a final game.


    However, not a lot of people realized ¨C or remembered ¨C that this game was far more important for those two than just a regr game. This was their debut; their first ever game wearing the Thunder''s jersey. Although it was just a U-19 game, the two teenagers didn''t think about it too much and celebrated their first win like crazy.


    "We did good, right?" Riku grinned with the feeling that only those two could understand.


    "You tell me," Yuki replied with the same expression. "Damn, your control of the game is crazy. I am sure that no one will be able to forget about you."


    "As if you have the right to say that to me." Riku scoffed, shoving his friend''s shoulder yfully. "You being on the service line is enough to leave a strong impression, and when you baited their ace toe to you, it was like thest nail in the coffin. I would be surprised if any of their yers don''t have a nightmare about you."


    The other yers just looked at those two with weird faces. At first, they were worried that Yuki and Riku would fight here. But after listening to their bickering, they noticed that the two teenagers were trying to praise each other. Honestly, if they didn''t know better, they would think that Yuki and Riku were an old married couple.


    ''Hiss¡­.'' Yuki suddenly felt a shiver down his spine, turning around to figure out the cause. ''Is there anyone imagining something creepy about me?''


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    "What happened, Yuki?" Riku asked, noticing his sudden silence.@@novelbin@@


    "No, nothing." Yuki shook his head immediately. "Just feeling like someone just thinking of something rude about me."


    "Oh, I get that quite often." Riku nodded in understanding.


    Before their conversation could go further though, Shou wrapped his hands around their shoulder, dragging them into the others. "Come on, don''t just celebrate by yourself! Share with us!"


    "Yes, Kobayashi! Agostini! Don''t be too rude to your senior!" Tondo nodded while enjoying a bag of potato chips, which no one knew where they came from.


    "Don''t talk with your mouth full, Tondo! That is disgusting!"


    "Yeah! Act like a senior yer for once!"


    "I am a senior yer!"


    "Are you?"


    "Oh! Burn!" Laughter erupted more as all the yers there saw the affronted look on Tondo''s face.


    From the sideline, Kawaki just shook his head fondly, a smile spreading across his face as he watched his yers get along well with each other. He knew that this was all due to the win against their rival, and once they started to lose, the atmosphere would be reversed 180 degrees instantly. Still, that would be a problem for his future self. Now, he wanted to cherish this situation more as it wasn''t often to see two rookie yers being the center of the celebration.


    "Okay, everyone! You can continue your celebrationter! For now, let''s make a line first!" Kawaki shouted when he noticed the gaze he received from the referee.


    "Damn, I forget about that!"


    The yers didn''t need to be told twice as they scampered over the middle of the court to form a line. Even though this was just a formality, no one dared to treat this as anything but serious. There was some sort of sense of ritual in this that all the yers ¨C no matter if they won or lost ¨C wouldn''t want to be left out for this.


    As the yers from both teams gathered in the middle of the court, the ring difference between the cheerful and depressing atmosphere could be seen instantly. Yuki and Riku themselves didn''t bother about it, as right now, in front of them, stood Haruo from the Giant Bear''s team. For a second, there was an awkward silence among them before Riku finally let out an infuriating smirk and said, "We got you again, Bastard!"


    Haruo was stunned, but then let out a small, genuineughter at that. "Yeah, you both get me. But don''t think that this is over, okay? Once I have more influence on this team, I wille to kill you. When that timees, don''t cry and run away, right?"


    "Ha?! As if!"


    Yuki sighed in relief when he saw his two blonde friends bickering with each other like their usual selves. He would never admit it out loud, but when he saw Haruo asked to get subbed off, he was worried about the middle blocker''s mental state. However, when Yuki saw him now, there was no depression or frustration from losing the game, and by how Haruo challenged Riku tantly like this, Yuki knew that the boy was okay.


    After the yers from both teams chatted with each other for a moment, the referee finally blew the whistle, and without having to bemanded by anyone else, all of them bowed in unison, shouting, "THANK YOU FOR THE GAME!"


    -0-


    "Yuki-nii! You are back!" The moment Yuki arrived at the orphanage, he was greeted by the little girl whounched herself toward him like a missile. "You are so cool today! It is like, ''Bwaah!'' And your opponent is like, ''Gyaah!'' And then you win! And Riku-nii is also cool too! Where is he, by the way?" The little girl looked over his body to search for his friend.


    Yuki just let out a small chuckle as he saw the other children alsoe andunch themselves at him. "Wee home, Yuki-nii!"


    It was the night after the game, and Yuki had to drag his exhausted body toe back to the orphanage. Fortunately, he was friends with Riku, who just called home and asked for his driver ¨C that bastard had a personal driver and never used it apparently ¨C to pick them up. The adrenaline after winning the game wasn''t enough for them both to ignore their exhaustion, so Yuki just epted his friend''s offer without any second thought.


    Still, all the fatigue disappeared immediately when he entered the building and heard the squealed sound from his little sibling. Surrounded by the children, looking at Aiko and the three girls who chaperoned his little siblings today ¨C they waited for him too ¨C and noticing the warm food on the table, he felt his heart warmed, somehow feeling content.


    Still with both hands around the children, Yuki finally murmured, "I am home¡­"

 Chapter 268 Back to Tsunemori & Alumni

    It didn''t take a long time before Akira who was busy with the line of spikers in front of him noticed Yuki''s presence. Their eyes met for a second before the older man gave a nod of acknowledgment, which Yuki returned respectfully. Shortly after that though, the older man blew the whistle on his neck, stopping all the activities inside the building. "You get a visitor here, so, let''s take a break for ten minutes."


    At first, everyone was confused, not knowing what the coach meant. However, Ogawa''s excited scream attracted attention, and all eyes suddenly turned on him. "What do we have here? Our local celebrity!" The second-year outside hitter grinned mischievously.


    Yuki could feel his cheek warmed for a moment at the teasing tone of his senpai, still not used to getting praised like this. He coughed a little, fixing the non-existent cor on his shirt awkwardly before trying to y it cool. "So, you''ve read the newspaper, Senpai? I don''t know you are the smart cookie here."


    Not only Ogawa, but almost all the team''s yers ¨C not alumni ¨C were dumbfounded, shaking their heads to make sure that they just heard it correctly. For half a year they knew Yuki, they would always associate him with someone who was strict and kept everyone on the line ¨C and had a sharp tongue when he was annoyed. So, to hear that he returned the teasing from Ogawa without any heat in it, they all were so proud of the boy.


    "Oh, does the little puppy dare to talk back to his senpai?" Kaede grinned, encircling his arm around Yuki''s shoulder.


    "Puppy? I am far from that, you know?" Yuki scoffed, shoving his senpai yfully. "And if you talk about dogs, should Riku be one? I mean, he is the perfect embodiment of a golden retriever, right?"


    "Damn, that is a good one!"


    Theughter followed there was like music on Yuki''s ear. While he admitted he wasn''t as close with his senpai as they were with Riku, he still enjoyed theirpany. And after about a month of not meeting them and having to y with so many different yers ¨C from the training camp to the Tokyo Thunder ¨C he had to admit that he missed this atmosphere.


    *Cough!*@@novelbin@@


    The sudden cough from behind interrupted their conversation. When Yuki turned his head to find its source, he could see Hisashi standing awkwardly with a bunch of alumni next to and behind him. "So, Kobayashi-kun¡­ Long time no see."


    Yuki snorted at the awkwardness. "Yeah, long time no see too, Hisashi-senpai. Sorry for the troublest time." Of course, he talked about the sh between the senior and junior yers in the past. Even though Yuki never thought he was on the wrong side, he still felt the need to apologize since he basically tore apart Hisashi''s legacy in this school.


    "Eh, don''t fret about it. I should know something like that woulde." Hisashi shrugged it off nonchntly.


    "So, you are the one who kicked Noriyuki and Yoshi''s asses, huh?!" A boy with the same height as Yuki but with pretty long and spiky, anime-like hair suddenly jumped on Hisashi''s shoulder. "Good for you! I know those spineless bastards are pricks and someone needs to knock down their ego, but Hisashi-chan never believed in me. Now, I have the pleasure of giving him my best ''I told you so'' whenever we talk about it. Oh, the name is Kozuki, by the way. Hoshi Kozuki. Nice to meet you!"


    Yuki blinked, trying his best to proceed with the rambleing from the boy. In the end, though, the only response he managed to pull was an idiotic one. "Yuki Kobayashi, nice to meet you too."


    "Okay, Hoshi, no need to overwhelm the poor boy with your hoarding." Another boy came with an exasperated smile before offering Yuki a handshake. "I am Tanigawa, nice to meet you."


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    The next few minutes turned out to be an introduction session, as all the Alumni were eager to get to know Yuki. The sses boy himself was still overwhelmed by the enthusiasm shown here, and he also had a hard time remembering all the new 11 names inside his brain.


    "So, where have you been?" Tanigawa suddenly asked, snapping Yuki from his thoughts. "We have been here for a week and we have never seen you before. Oh, and the freshmen should be two, right? Where is the other one?"


    Yuki blinked, realizing that Tanigawa didn''t know his other upation. "Well, this is our day off, and Akira-sensei has already given us permission to not join the summer training camp here since we have to y for Tokyo Thunder U-19."


    Silence followed his exnation, and the atmosphere turned awkward out of a sudden. Yui swore he could hear his own heart beating for a second before the first boy ¨C Kozuki looked at him with eyes shining. "You mean to tell me that you are a professional already?!"


    Well, I won''t say that. I am still in the junior team." Yuki exined, trying to get away from the boy who started to make him ufortable.


    "Dude, that is still awesome!" The other boy eximed in awe.


    "Yeah! Is that what the boys are talking about when they mention local celebrities?" The other chimed in.


    "Oh, yeah, Senpai! You might not know about it, but our kouhai here is in the newspaper again. Just read the Tokyo Shimbun on thest page, and you will see the article!" Koji ¨C the ever traitor he was ¨C revealed the secret with a smug smile as if he were the one in the newspaper.


    "Holy shit, really?!" Some people widened their eyes in disbelief while the others nced at Yuki in astonishment. "Damn, you should be really good, then. Never in Tsunemori''s history has someone from our team managed to get under the newspaper''s radar."


    "Yeah! That is a feat that not a lot could achieve!"


    Yuki''s face reddened more as he was basked under the praise. Even though he was no stranger to attention, this was the first time he was being the center of it because of volleyball, and no matter how confident he usually was, this was a bit too much for his first time surrounded by fans. Taking pity on him, Kaede shook his head before changing the topic. "Anyway, speaking of a professional team, you should also be in one, right, Hisashi-san?"


    "Really?!" Yuki snapped his head toward the former captain in disbelief.


    "Oh, yeah," Hisashi smirked when he saw thepetitive spirit burn in Yuki''s eyes. "Just like you though, I am still climbing from the U-19 team. Unfortunately, our teams have already yed against each other this season, so we won''t meet again except if you somehow manage to sneak into the yoffs. But when that happens, don''t forget to look at me in Nagano Eagles, okay?"

 Chapter 269 Calm Before the Storm - Or... Kinda?

    "Nagano Eagles¡­ I got this!" Yuki could hear Riku''s excitement from the phone as if the blonde boy had just done something incredible. "So, you say that this is Hisashi-senpai''s team?" Yuki didn''t know what kind of expression Riku had right now, but by the disbelief tone he heard, he could make a pretty good guess here.


    It was the night after Yuki''s visit to the Tsunemori''s team, and the first thing he did after he came back to the orphanage was to grab his phone and call Riku. Hisashi on the U-19petition was a new, unexpected development, and while it wouldn''t change anything, at least he still felt that he needed to keep Riku in the loop.


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    "Well, Nagano Eagles is an upper-middle team in the league. They have been sitting in either third or fourth ce consistently in thest five years, and two years ago, a local investor was kind enough to help them staypetitive, since then, they managed to be the runner-up of the leaguest year before being defeated by Kyoto Castle." Riku read the information thoroughly, giving Yuki a clear image of the team.


    "What about their U-19 team?" Yuki asked.


    "Oh, they are, in fact, better." The wry chuckle from the blonde boy was enough to rm Yuki that he wouldn''t like what the next information was. "Before the new investor came two years ago, they had been a prettypetitive team, and they did that only by relying on their young yers. Their U-19 team managed to win thest four trophies beforest year, Kyoto Castle ¨C which was the best team in the league ¨C somehow managed to steal the title from them. But in the youthpetition, Nagano Eagles is probably the best in the country."


    Yuki had his mouth gaped wide, not believing what he just heard. ''If it is true that Nagano Eagles is the best team in terms of youth development, how could Hisashi-san enter the team?''


    No offense to Hisashi, but the boy graduated from Tsunemori, a no-name school in the volleyball world before Riku and Yuki managed to drag them up so that people started to hear their name more often. Yuki was sure that he had never heard the team manage to achieve the same feat they had done this year when Hisashi was the team''s leader.


    "Does it matter, though?" Riku''s question made Yuki realize that he just muttered his thoughts out loud. "In the end, Hisashi-senpai is just another yer we have to beat in the future, so just don''t overthink it, okay?!"


    Yuki was stunned, then a wry smile grew on his face. Riku was right. Even though there was some sort of emotional connection between them three, in the end, they were rivals first in thepetition, and if they wanted to go further, someone had to lose against each other.


    "You are right, in the end, he would just be another one we will beat in the future!"


    "Attaboy! That is the spirit!"


    -0-


    The next few weeks ran pretty quickly, with Yuki and Riku still juggling between Tokyo Thunder and Tsunemori Team consistently. It wasn''t an easy thing to do, considering their schedule was pretty tight. A game every week with Tokyo Thunder was enough to drain their stamina, and now, Tsunemori also started their warmup game to maintain the yers''petitive spirit.


    Fortunately, Akira was kind enough to discuss this matter with Kawaki. The two coaches for Yuki and Riku met and talked about how they would share Yuki and Riku for the team, and in the end, consensus was made. Besides the game day every Saturday, Yuki and Riku would join the Thunder on the physical training every Tuesday and Thursday, and Tsunemori would have those two for the tactical and technical training every Wednesday.


    It was though, of course, to have three full days every week devoted to volleyball training, and another one for apetitive game. If not for the Thunder''s health department, their tight schedule would be too much and the stress would eventually take its toll.


    On a good note, though, Yuki started to have more minutes to y with Tokyo Thunder U-19. Two weeks ago, when they won against Hyogo Delfino 3 ¨C 0, aside from being a pinch server from time to time, Yuki also had a chance to y full for the second set, which he took advantage of to create a strong impression to anyone who watched it. A weekter, when they yed against Osaka Gunners, the sixth team on the table, Yuki had a chance to y more considering Miyahara had a bad game at that time.


    Overall, Yuki gained so much valuable experience in thest three weeks, and his confidence to grab one spot on the main team was at its peak right now.


    Unfortunately, all the excitement evaporated instantly when he saw the next opponent. His face got paler gradually and he started to have a hard time breathing. His vision suddenly got darkened and he started to lose consciousness. Fortunately, he was at the orphanage at that time, and Aiko who realized what happened rushed immediately to calm down the hyperventting boy.


    "Take a deep breath, Yuki-kun¡­ Follow my lead, inhale¡­ Exhale¡­ Do it one more time, inhale¡­ Exhale¡­"


    Yuki did as Aiko said and his consciousness finally went back to his body. Then, he noticed how wet his shirt was and realized that it was a cold sweat he just produced at thest minute. "What¡­ Happened?" He asked weakly.


    "You have a panic attack," Aiko exined softly, rubbing his back slowly. "It has been a long time since you have one. If I remember correctly, it should be a week after you arrived at the orphanage for the first time, right? If you don''t mind me asking, why do you think it happened again now? What is the trigger?"


    Yuki bowed his head deeply, somehow feeling ashamed not only because Aiko remembered thest time he showed his weakest moment, but also because he did it again now.


    "Hey, don''t think about it like that." Aiko''s voice snapped him from his thoughts, and before Yuki could realize it, he was engulfed by a bear hug from the woman. "You have been amazing for us since you''ve been here, and I know the children will also think the same. One or two weakness moments slipped from you will never make us think less about you, so don''t worry about it, okay?"


    Yuki could only nod silently on her shoulder, not trusting his words toe out without any crack in them. After spending a few minutes infortable silence, still hugging the boy, Aiko asked once again, "So, do you want to talk about this?"


    Reluctantly, Yuki got out of Aiko''s hug with his eyes swollen from the tears he didn''t realizeing out of his eyes. He took his phone quickly before his fingers dancing on it while mumbling, "Well, we will have a game three dayster¡­" Aiko nodded, still not finding where was the problem. "And our opponent would be them¡­" He showed his phone to Aiko, and after she spent a second reading the team''s name, words seemed to stick to her throat.


    "Oh¡­" That was what she could say.


    Yuki snorted, muttering, "Yeah, oh, indeed¡­"@@novelbin@@


    The things they left unsaid, though, were that Tokyo Thunder''s next opponent would be Fukushima Phoenix, which meant that in the next three days, Yuki would have to return to his hometown for the first time since the earthquake a few months ago.

 Chapter 270 The Old Mans Story

    The team should leave for Fukushima on Friday. However, Yuki decided to go a day early, on Thursday, to deal with his emotional state. Even though he knew he would be in turmoil, he didn''t want to show it to the team he still barely knew. In the end, since Aiko was worried about him, she asked for Kato and Riku to apany him, and fortunately enough those two were willing to do so.


    Instead of taking a train, the three decided to use the bus to go there. Even though the journey was a bit longer and inconvenient, it was still far cheaper since the train from Tokyo to Fukushima was still pretty limited after the disaster.


    The journey itself took about four and a half hours. Usually, this kind of trip would be fun and filled withughter. However, the atmosphere among those three was awkward since Yuki spent most of his time staring at the window while Riku and Kato didn''t know what to say.


    Yuki knew he acted like a jerk right now. His friends were kind enough to be his moral support, yet hepletely ignored them for whatever inside his mind was. However, he couldn''t help it. The thought of striking up a conversation would always be blocked by the haunting dream of having to face his old home, and when he imagined the road he usually passed through to get to the school waspletely different, the spot that his old house was ced in the past now being reced with another building didn''t sit quite well in his mind.


    "Oh, new faces!" A raspy voice suddenly attracted their attention. When they turned around, they could see an old man with a huge backpack greeting them. "It is not often to see younglings like you here. I am sorry for your loss."


    Riku and Kato looked at each other confusedly while Yuki immediately understood what the old man said. Still, since he didn''t say anything about it, Riku decided to ask, "What do you mean by loss, Jiisan?"


    This time, it was the old man''s turn to look surprised. Then, as if he realized something, he asked a question, "Wait, you are not here for searching? Are you here for vacation or what?"


    "Well, not really." Riku answered awkwardly, ignoring the ''searching'' part he didn''t understand. "We both," He pointed his finger at himself and Kato, "Are here to apany our friend here, but currently, he is¡­" The blonde boy trailed his words, ncing subtly at Yuki. If he was in the mood, Yuki would just roll his eyes exasperatedly to his friend. However, right now, he didn''t even turn his head around, eyes still looking at the scenery outside of the window.


    "Ah, so that is the case¡­" The old man nodded in understanding as if Riku''s vague exined a lot. Except, for the old man, it was. "Young man, you should be grateful for having two wonderful friends here. The first time would always be hard, but having moral support would help, you know?"


    At that, Yuki finally reacted, turning his head around and nodding, acknowledging his words. Riku who was still confused finally shrugged it off and decided to change the topic. "So, Jiisan, what do you mean by sorry for our loss? Do you think we are here for a specific purpose?" He asked curiously.


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    Instead of going direct though, the old man decided to be vague with his answer. "Do you know that Fukushima is the thirdrgest prefecture in Japan?" Now, even Yuki was attracted by whatever woulde from the old man''s mouth. "People would only know the city of Fukushima when we talk about this prefecture, sometimes even not knowing the difference between the city and the prefecture itself as a whole. That''s why a lot of people are confused about how could the disaster have so many victims when it only hit one city?" The old man chuckled.


    Riku and Kato stared at each other for a moment before the former asked, "So, how is it rted to my question before?"


    "Be patient, young man." The old man chuckled more. "The thing is, the disaster not only hit the big cities but also the small ones there. In fact, since the help was focused more on the big cities, you can say that the people from small cities suffered the most from the disaster. Don''t you know that a local university here has already published data that say 78 percent of people missing from the disaster are those who lived in small cities?"


    Kato was stunned, starting to get what the old man was trying to say. Riku who was still clueless widened his eyes in shock. "Really?!" Asked the blonde boy.


    "Oh, it is real, young man. You can see it on the Inteter." The old man smiled sadly. "And unfortunately, even though the SAR team had already worked their ass off for a few months to recover the missing bodies, the area hit by the Tsunami and the nuclear leakage from the aftermath was too wide, and the speed was too slow. That is why most of the people who have rtives who are still missing decided to take this into their own hands and search for themselves. The fact that this bus''s route passed so many areas that couldn''t be reached by train or any conventional transportation is enough for me to guess that you should be one of us. It seems I am wrong here!" He boastedughter at the end of the exnation, hiding the pain on his face well.


    "Wait, one of us? Do you mean that you¡­" Riku widened his eyes as he just realized the point of the conversation.


    "Yes, young man. I am here to search for my wife." When the words slipped through his mouth, it was as if a door had been cracked open, followed by a wave of sadness briefly resonating from the old man while his face gained a faraway look. "I was on a trip to Osaka with my colleagues when I first heard the news about the disaster. I could still remember my legs felt like jelly, my head was dizzy, and even now, my consciousness still won''t believe that my wife is gone. So many ''what-ifs'' thoughts keep flying around my head. What if I was there when the day happened? What would I do to save my wife? Can I even save her? Honestly, that guilt is eating me alive, and I am sure if not for my wife still missing, I would die a long time ago."


    Listening to an old man''s suicidal thoughts was definitely not on top of the list for the most surprising thing that could happen on the trip. For a moment, Riku and Kato ¨C and even Yuki were confused, not knowing how to handle this situation.


    It took a few silent moments before the old man shook off the sadness, his smile returning to normal as he waved a hand in the air. "Ah, I am so sorry! It seems that I slipped through that state again! Don''t worry, I am not suicidal! I know that my wife is dead already and I have been receiving so many condolence messages from a lot of people, so you don''t have to worry about me!"


    Even though he said it like that, the awkward atmosphere was still there. In the end, Kato decided to ask the question lingering through her mind hesitantly. "Then, why are you still searching for her?"@@novelbin@@


    Just after the question was thrown, gone was all the goofy smile on the old man''s face, reced by the unwavering sadness there. "Well, not only because I need closure, but it is also because she doesn''t deserve to be rotten in whatever her body is right now. She deserves a proper burial, not be forgotten as another meaningless person that would only be noted as a part of statistic in the future."


    The answer ended the conversation as they spent the rest of the trip in silence, only the sound of the bus''s engine could be heard from their seat.

 Chapter 271 Memories

    The old man ¨C which no one seemed to remember to ask about his name to their shame ¨C got off the bus in a small city called Otama about forty minutes from the final destination. After wishing the old man good luck, the journey continued in silence as they were the only passengers on the bus.


    They spent the rest of the trip in silence, with Riku and Kato pondering over what the old man told them before. Even though they just met on the bus and got to know each other in only three hours, those two ended up admiring the old man when he left the bus. The sheer determination to find his wife even though everyone told him that it would be meaningless, hell, the ability to bounce back after the devastating loss of his better half alone was enough to leave them in awe. Those two couldn''t imagine what would happen if they were in the old man''s shoes.@@novelbin@@


    Meanwhile, Yuki was still in the same pose as before, eyes staring at the scenery outside of the window. However, he was in a deep contemtion right now. Even though he didn''t say a word, he still listened to the old man''s story thoroughly, and after the old man left, Yuki suddenly realized that the story was a p on his face to remind him that he wasn''t the only one who lost families on that day.


    His head suddenly dragged him back to the memory of his first time arriving at the orphanage, of how Hiko''s spirit was broken as he couldn''t use his legs anymore, or how Hina kept staring at everyone with eyes full of hostility as she protected her twin brother while disregarding a long, ugly scar on her face. The other children also had a simr story. Jiro had to suffer from nightmares, Aina who had to give up her dream of going to the best middle school in Fukushima, or even Mai who asked innocently ''Where is my mom?'' when she first came.


    Compared to them, Yuki was lucky since he managed to survive the disaster unscathed. No permanent scar or career-ending injury here, just the trauma of losing family. Well, losing a family is not a little thing that could be diminished with the word ''just'', but you get the point here.


    Remembering how the children''s smiles even after the tragedy and the old man''sughter before, Yuki sighed, finally getting over his ''attitude'' episode. "Sorry." He mumbled.


    Riku and Kato turned their head immediately. "Eh?"


    "I am sorry for acting like a jerk," Yuki repeated the words through his teeth. "I know it is not justifiable, but I still find a hard time grasping everything on my mind. So, I hope you can bear with me just for today, okay?"


    A small, fond smile grew on Kato''s face while Riku just showed his usual grin. "Eh, don''t fret over it! I know this is hard for you, so take your time, okay?"


    Yuki nodded gratefully at his friends before his eyes turned back to the window. The next thirty minutes were still spent in silence, but unlike before, the heavy atmosphere around them was gone already. The tension built on Yuki''s shoulder also disappeared as if someone just lifted it up from his body, and the sses boy sighed in relief as he started to rx once again.


    ''The old man is right. It is good to have friends like them.''


    -0-


    "So, where should we go?" Riku asked after they got off the bus. "Should we have lunch first or search for a ce to take a rest?"


    It was noon already when the three teenagers arrived at Fukushima Bus Station. Even though they didn''t do something exhausting, sitting on the bus for about five straight hours while also listening to a tear-jerking story from the old man was enough to make their stomachin of starvation.


    However, Yuki was distracted immediately after he saw the scenery outside of the bus station.


    His house wasn''t that far from this ce, and honestly, this was the route he took when he had to go to school a year ago. He could still remember vividly the market district next to the station, how crowded it was at noon, and the sound ofdles hitting the wok from the nearby restaurant. Theughter from teenagers after school was over, the sigh of tiredness from the middle-aged man taking a rest from their arduous work, the olddy in the vegetable stall greeted him with a genuine smile¡­


    ''Why is it that everything is so familiar, yet foreign for me?''


    Without him noticing, his legs suddenly brought him to the route he was familiar with. Riku and Kato stared at each other before they shrugged it off, deciding to support his friend first. As they got close to his old house and passed through the familiar building ¨C no matter if it was fixed already or still suffered from the damage after the disaster ¨C memories started to feel Yuki''s head.


    "Oi, Kobayashi! Why are you so early?!"


    "Senpai, can I have a photo with you?!"


    "Prez, the headmaster wants to talk."


    "Do you want to join us ying basketball after the school is over?"


    "Kobayashi-kun, don''t forget about the homework!"


    "Kobayashi-kun¡­"


    "Kobayashi¡­"


    "Yuki-kun¡­"


    "Yuki-chan¡­"


    As thest memory shed through his head, Yuki stood in front of the building he was very familiar with. It wasn''t fixedpletely yet, with the roof still missing and the broken fence still there. However, this was the ce where he lived for fourteen years, and seeing it so empty was so strange. His hands touched the well, looking at the faded colored crayon that he knew full well the culprit behind it.


    "Yuki-chan, what do I tell you about drawing on the wall?"


    At the yard that had no grasses anymore¡­


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    "Yuki, let''s y catching again!''


    At the old paint that started to peel¡­


    "Yuki-chan, don''t forget you promise to help your father repaint the wallter, okay?"


    Then, finally, to the door its knob was rusty. As Yuki grabbed it, the familiar feeling came back to his head as memories flooded through his brain. Of how she always smelled sweet pastry, of how he always sat rxedly while reading the newspaper, of how calm and peaceful their day was, and most importantly, of how they would always smile as he arrived from the school, greeting him warmly, "Wee home, Yuki!"


    As his hand trembled, tears flowed down his cheek, and with a small whisper, he finally said it, "I am home, Mom, Dad¡­"

 Chapter 272 Fukushima Phoenix

    When people talked about sports, Fukushima would definitely be far from the conversation among the best. Hell, it was worse. It would be okay if they were just like Miyagi or Nigata, two of their neighbor prefectures that, while not among the best, at least was still good enough topete at the national level. Unfortunately, Fukushima was among the three worst prefectures for a sports fan to live in, and the reason was simple. The teams they had sucked, with the capital ''S'' in it.


    In football, Fukushima United was struggling even to enter the top 5 of the J.3 League, the bottom tier league in Japan. In Basketball, Fukushima Sniper had to face bankruptcy considering they couldn''t find anyone who was rich enough and interested in investing their money in their club. As for volleyball, for almost 20 years the league had already been running, and never for once did Fukushima Fireball manage to achieve a higher position than 15 on the table. They would always be in the bottom three every year, and if only the league had a second-tier and third-tierpetition for the lower level teams, Fukushima Fireball would be there already since the establishment of the league.


    That was why while it was hurt, no one would miss the presence of the sports teams in Fukushima.


    Still, aside from the misfortune that put most of the professional teams in Fukushima out of the league ¨C either because their yers couldn''t survive or had a career-ending injury from the disaster ¨C there was one smallfort for them. On that fateful day, the U-19 team of Fukushima Fireball had to go for a trip to y against Tokyo Giant Bear, saving their lives from getting swept by the disaster in their hometown.


    They came back home battered and wounded, not knowing how they could go forward from the disaster. After all, they were just a junior team. As for the main team, out of 18 yers they had, 6 yers were missing, 2 had a career-ending injury, 4 were dered dead while the rest of them survived with heavy trauma ensuring to follow them for the rest of their lives.


    There was even a conversation at that time about disbanding the team. However, when they were already at rock bottom and half a step away from snapping, several local businessmen suddenly stepped up and helped with the team''s financial problem. All they wanted was for the team to be the spirit of the Fukushima people, to encourage them to get out of their slump, and to be a ray of sunshine that people would look up to when they were still in the darkness.


    And oh, God, they did that role so well.


    They ¨C the management who still chose to stay on the team ¨C decided to rebrand the team, changing the name to Fukushima Phoenix to represent their rebirth after the disastrous event at the beginning of the year. They also decided to not put the remaining U-19 team to the regrpetition, feeling that they were not ready to fill that spot yet. Instead, the team decided to let the U-19 team continue their journey in the U-19 league to gain experience before next year they would step up into the big league.


    And they didn''t disappoint.


    Fukushima Phoenix''s yers fought resiliently like they had just been injected with steroids. Even though their skill was still rough, the unshakable spirit and the desperation to run until the game was over was enough to make up for it. Honestly, if Yuki or any Tsunemori yers saw how Fukushima Phoenix yed, they would feel some sort ofradery because of how familiar their ying style was.


    And just like Tsunemori, this ying style also brought positive results for the Fukushima Phoenix.@@novelbin@@


    Out of 11 games they yed since the disaster stroke, they managed to win 7 of them while losing only 4. Adding to their statistic before the disaster, now they were in the seventh of the table with 8 wins and 7 losses, almost securing one spot for a yoff.


    People also started to notice them. At first, it was just the workers around who wanted to rx after the arduous task of rebuilding the Fukushima Gymnasium. Slowly after that, families who wanted to enjoy their weekend together, young people who wanted to recover from the traumatic experience, and old people who just wanted to feel nostalgic, one by one started to fill the arena with their presence.


    Now, even if they justpeted in the junior league, all the matches Fukushima Phoenix yed at home would always attract local residents toe, and more often than not, the arena would always be full of people even thirty minutes before the game, and today was no different.


    "Hey, hey, hey! I have been waiting for today!" Someone eximed excitedly.


    "Hell yeah, me too!" His friend replied. "Man, this week''s job is rough. It would be good if Phoenix could win the game." He said while enjoying the burger on his hand.


    "What the hell?! Where do you get that?!"


    "On the stall outside, of course! Don''t you know that they have new menus?"


    "Really?! Damn, I have to see it by myself!"


    The yers from both teams had just entered the building, yet the sounding from the people on the stand had already been buzzing there. All the Thunder''s yers were in awe as this was the first time they saw a gymnasium full of people watching a volleyball game. Hell, even when their main team yed, their arena was never full. At most, only 70 percent was filled, and it was just asionally when they yed a big game against rivals like the Giant Bear or Kyoto Castle as the league''s leader.


    "Shit, is this for real?" Tondo blinked in awe. "We were herest year too, and I swear the arena is almost empty. Damn, Fukushima rocks!" Yuki couldn''t help but smile a little, feeling proud when he heard his hometown was praised by his senpai.


    "Don''t be distracted. Remember, you are here to win the game, not sightseeing." Shou reminded. Explore more stories with empire


    "Yeah, yeah, I got you, captain." Tondo waved his hand nonchntly.


    Before they started their warmup though, Kawaki suddenly asked them to gather around. The yers looked around confusedly before shrugging, knowing they wouldn''t know what happened until the coach announced it. After all the 11 yers were already in front of him, the coach finally spoke, "The good news is Fukuoka Steel lost against Sapporo Snow Hawks, and now their statistic is 7 wins and 9 losses. We move up one spot since we have the least loss, so this is our opportunity to grab the eighth ce on the table. Win, and we will be one step closer to the yoff, and lose, we will have to rely on the other team to beat Fukuoka Steel again for us. So, what do you think?"


    This piece of information caught them off guard. After all, Sapporo Snow Hawks was the worst team in the league right now, only winning two games ¨C three if what the coach said was true ¨C out of their fifteen games. For Fukuoka Steel to lose against them, it must be stink.


    However, after everyone was calm enough to think about it, excitement rose, realizing that this was their chance to strike. Before this, Tokyo Thunder and Fukuoka both had the same record, 7 wins and 8 losses. However, since they ¨C the Thunder ¨C lost against Fukuoka Steel a few months ago, if their final record was the same, it would be Fukuoka Steel who sat in the higher ce based on the head-to-head. That was why the Thunder always hoped to see the rival slip.


    And now that it happened, this was like a help sent by heaven itself to give them a chance to slip through the yoff stage. So, facing such a scenario, Shou expressed the only appropriate response to Kawaki''s rhetorical question.


    "Do you even need to ask, Sensei? Of course, we will win this damn game!"

 Chapter 273 Before the Game Begins

    "Agostini, give me higher!"


    BAM!


    "Nice spike!"


    "Send it close to the!"


    BAM!


    "That''s out! Come on, Uehara-senpai! Wake up!"


    "Shut up, will you!"


    "It''s my turn! Agostini, don''t be cruel, okay?"


    "I got you, senpai!"


    BAM!


    "Hell yeah!"


    Fifteen minutes before the game, all the Thunder yers spent that time doing a light warmup. Currently, they were in the middle of spiking training, with them asking for the ball they usually weren''tfortable with and Riku gave them exactly what they asked for. The purpose was simple, to not give any information about their attacking style before the game started. Even if the opponent did their homework well, seeing it from a video would be differentpared to watching it directly.@@novelbin@@


    "Oh, that is scary¡­" A tall andnky boy with tousled dark hairmented withzy eyes. "Why do they suddenly look at us as if we just kill their dogs?"


    "Oh, maybe because they just got the news that the Steel lost?" A shaved-head boy with a vibrant smile on his face answered. "I mean, they are still in the race for thest yoff spot, right? With the Steel''s lose, they would have a chance to overtake the eighth spot if they won against us."


    Enjoy new stories from empire


    "Ah, so that is the case¡­" The first boy suddenly turned grim at the revtion. "Well, it is unfortunate for them to meet us today."


    "Don''t act so mighty like that, you bastard!" Suddenly, a boy with a buzzed haircut and athletic build pped the back of his head. "It is okay if you act like that in front of them, but in private, you know what to do, right?"


    "Yeah, yeah, act domineering in front of your opponent, but be paranoid behind their back. I got it." The boy rubbed the spot that the third boy just hit him annoyedly. "You don''t need to remind me about that again, Captain! I know that!"


    The three boys were the yers of Fukushima Phoenix. The first one was their middle blocker, Sannosuke Shigeo. He wasn''t the best blocker in the league or even had the quickest reaction, but he made it up with his top-notch game-reading ability. The second boy was Kodai Hachimura, the opposite hitter. He was probably the best support yer in the league right now. He was good at everything, but what made him terrifying was his coordination with his teammates, which was able to elevate their performance more during the game. As for thest one, his name was Mirai Takebayashi, the ace and the team''s captain.


    Together, they made up for more than half the strength of the team, dragging them from the bottom spot of the league to the sixth position they were currently in.


    "Okay, everyone, gather." A middle-aged man ¨C about forty years old ¨C raised his voice, attracting everyone''s attention. "I know that with Fukuoka''s loss today, our spot in the yoff is secured already while our opponent would have a chance to overtake the eighth position. However, I don''t want you all to ck off and underestimate your opponent, okay? While for us, this might be just a regr game with no meaning anymore, for the supporters on the stand, this might be something they could use to cheer you up. So, don''t just y for me, don''t just y for you, but also y for them too! Do you understand?!"


    "Yes, Sensei!"


    -0-


    Yuki winced unconsciously as the unison shout from the opponent bench thundered on the building. He just realized that the sound inside the building created an echo, making it seem louder than reality. Whoever designed the building clearly knew what they were doing since it made the cheers from the stand louder, making it more intimidating for the away team.


    "You okay, Yuki?" Riku asked, concerned.


    Yuki wanted to reassure his friend. But in the end, all he gave was a weak smile that even he himself wouldn''t believe it.


    He couldn''t help it, though. This game turned out to be far more important than what he initially thought. Not only this would be his first timeing back to Fukushima after the disastrous event, but this was also the first time he was in since the start as one of the main yers.


    Yeah, after Miyahara''s terrible performance against Osaka Gunners ¨C which Yuki managed to make up with his performance ¨C Kawaki decided to experiment with the roster by putting Yuki on the court from the beginning. Of course, he had already asked for Yuki''s concern first since the coach knew how importanting here was for Yuki. He didn''t want to add more burden to the sses boy ¨C and didn''t want to take unnecessary risk by putting a yer who couldn''t put his 100 percent focus on the game on the court. However, since Yuki reassured Kawaki that he would be okay, and added the fact that the sses boy never disappointed his expectations, Kawaki decided to trust the sses boy.


    So, here Yuki was, standing awkwardly on the back row of the court with a stiff posture, trying his best to not look nervous.


    "You look like a shit, Kobayashi." Kojima, the outside hitter next to him snorted. "This is not your first game, so don''t overthink the situation too much. Just go all out and think of the consequencester!"


    "Don''t pressure Kobayashi, Kojima!" Shou pped the back of his head before turning his attention to Yuki. "Hey, take a deep breath. I know you are nervous, but just like Kojima said, this is not your first rodeo. You will be able to get through this alive, so just stay calm and pace yourself. And if you are still nervous, just try to distract yourself by thinking of something or someone who makes you happy, okay?"


    Yuki blinked, staring at his captain for a moment. Out of all the advice thrown at him, thest one was probably the most useful for his current situation. His right hand reached the wristband on his left hand unconsciously, and he took a moment to read all the messages written on it.


    Good luck, Yuki-nii!


    You can do it, Nii-chan!


    Bring the win back home!


    Don''t be afraid of your opponent!


    This was the wristband Kato delivered for him when Tsunemori was ying against Kyoei Gakuen in the past. The message there was written by the residents of the orphanage, which exined the sloppiness in it. However, when he thought of their intention at that time, and when he turned around at the stand just to find the girl who always supported him in thest few months, all the nervousness built inside him crumbled instantly.


    As Yuki took a deep breath, he nodded with a firmer gaze at his captain. "Thank you, Shou-senpai. I am ready for the game."

 Chapter 275 Bad Opening (II)

    "Holy shit, a block! A clean block to kill the attack!"


    "That is our twin tower, Shigeo and Hachimura!"


    "Come on!"


    Cheers exploded from the stand, deafening everyone inside the building. However, not a single soul made a fuss about it. After all, this was Fukushima Phoenix''s homecourt, and for almost everyone on the stand, this was just a regr asion for them. They really turned the building frenzy with their excitement, making it hard for the opponent to focus entirely on the game.@@novelbin@@


    ''No wonder all the teams who yed an away game here call this ce the devil''s home. It really fits the bill.'' Kawaki muttered wryly.


    As for the yers on the court, Uehara was still staring at the ball, too stunned to react. His heart shrunk when he saw the provocative smile given by the two blockers in front of him as if they were challenging him to do it again. When Shou noticed that, he pped the ace''s back immediately and dragged the boy toward the others who were waiting to discuss what they should do next.


    "Okay, this is probably my fault here. I saw them leaning more toward Shou-senpai on the right wing, so I decided to send the ball in the opposite direction. I didn''t count the fact that they could react this quickly." Riku admitted his mistake openly.


    "No, you did the most logical thing there, so we cannot be mad at you." Shou waved his hand, dismissing Riku''s attempt to take the me immediately. "Remember what the coach said about them? Those two are new yers here, so we don''t have a lot of information about them. We don''t know if them leaning to the right before rushing to shut Uehara down to the right was a deliberate bait thrown so that we would go to the left or they are just that fast. So, we need to gather more information."


    Silence followed the captain''s statement as everyone thought about it. After a moment, Riku finally asked, "So, how should we do it? Should we lose more points just to do that?" A frown formed on his face, not liking what he said.


    "Oh, no, we won''t do something drastic like that." Shou waved his hand. "No, what we should do is like this¡­"


    -0-


    A momentter, the referee finally managed to calm down the excited crowd and was ready to continue the game again. It was still Nakamura who served the ball, and Yuki stared at the boy intently, trying to figure out where the next ball would go.


    Unsurprisingly, the ball didn''t go in his direction for the second time. Instead, it went to Kojima who was on the opposite wing. It seemed the first serve was just to test his capability, and when Nakamura realized Yuki''s defense was good, the boy tried to avoid him, hoping to create panic for the worst defender on the team.


    Thud!


    "OOOH! It went in!"


    "Damn, what a serve!"


    "Good job, Nakamura! Keep it up!"


    Unfortunately for Kojima, the ball slipped through his fingers when he was about to pick it up. This was the hardest challenge to conquer a floater serve. Since the ball didn''t make any rotation, it would move around shakily in the air for even a little disturbance there, making it hard to time correctly where it wouldnd.


    "Sorry, that is my bad." Kojima apologized immediately, trying to y it cool. However, he couldn''t hide how shaken he was from this blow. Seeing his state, Nakamura grinned widely as he found an easy prey to target.


    Thud!


    "YOSSHAAAA!" Nakamura roared when he saw his third serve was still sessful.


    "Three consecutive aces! Three!"


    "Damn, Nakamura, you awesome boy! You are killing today!"


    "Come on! Do it again!"


    As the Phoenix was in the middle of celebration, the Thunder yers were distraught after losing four points in a row at the beginning of the game. Shou nced at the bench, wondering whether the coach would ask for a timeout or not. However, seeing the stoned expression on Kawaki, he knew that the coach didn''t want to waste the timeout for something that they should be able to handle easily.


    ''Damn, what should we do? Miyahara is on the bench, and I am not used to a floater serve. The only one who can receive it is Kobayashi, but he alone is not enough. We need one more yer to step up here, but who?'' He bit his lips nervously, racking his brain to find a solution. He just didn''t expect the solution himself toe forward voluntarily.


    "What about me moving back to help Yuki, Cap?" Riku asked.


    "You?!" By now, all the eyes were on the setter. "Can you really do it, though?" Shou asked skeptically.


    Riku couldn''t me them, since he was always protected by the others. This was the privilege that only the ace and the setter had on the team. However, he knew he was needed here. "Don''t worry, I have been training with Yuki most of the time and can handle a floater. It would be a piece of cake for me." He grinned. Read new adventures at empire


    This was enough to convince all of them about Riku''s capability. After all, most of the yers there had the experience of training together with Yuki, and when the sses boy was on the service line, more often than not, it would end up disastrously. So, for Riku to be able to survive Yuki''s training told everyone his capability here.


    Now, they were tempted to ept this offer. However, there was still one problem remaining. "If you receive the attack, who will be our emergency setter?" Shou asked.


    Yuki facepalmed when he heard that. For a professional team like Tokyo Thunder to not have an emergency setter, this was the recipe for disaster. Fortunately, the problem wasn''t exposed yet, so they could fix it quickly before the opponent could see that.


    "Don''t worry, Cap!" Yuki suddenly felt Riku pat his shoulder. "Just as I said, we have been training together for a long time, so of course, he would pick up something from me! And if you are worried about his capability, don''t worry! Even Sato-sensei praised him highly, saying that he could be a setter if he wanted."


    Yuki cursed his friend inwardly for boasting his ability endlessly like this. However, the damage was done already. Now, all the eyes were on him, a mix of shock and disbelief. In the end, he just shrugged, not admitting or denying Riku''s words. He knew that it was unbelievable, so the best way to prove it was by showing what he could do on the court.


    "Well, if you are sure, let''s try to do this! Agostini, Kobayashi, we will count on you, so please, give us your best!"

 Chapter 276 First Partnership for the Thunder!

    The huddle might look like it took a long time, but in reality, only one minute passed since Nakamura scored thest point. The referee didn''t even have to reprimand them for dying the game as they went back to their original position already. However, there was a drastic change in their formation.


    "Oi, oi, he is their setter, right?"


    "Yes! Damn, it seems they are desperate here. They don''t even have a good defensive yer on the court!"


    "Hey, don''t underestimate them! Maybe, they would surprise us after this."@@novelbin@@


    Yeah, the new formation set after the huddle a moment ago was enough to make everyone talk about it. Riku who was on the middle front for the rotation now moved back and was responsible for the middle and right area on the back row, while Yuki who was on the top left also moved back to guard the middle and left area there.


    They both pushed all the yers who should be on the back now. Shou stood awkwardly behind Riku, while Kojima and Uehara were on the sideline of both wings to get ready to counterattack whenever their two rookies managed to turn the table. This left Tondo in the front position, guarding the front row if only Nakamura chose to serve short.


    This extreme formation was enough to make Kawaki frown. To put their trust in two rookies, it seemed his yers were ready for scolding. However, he decided to not make a move, wanting to see what his yers came up with.


    Of course, the most excited person to see this was Kato who sat on the stand. Even if she didn''t show it verbally, her eyes beamed in delight when she saw both her friends standing side by side to support each other. Her brain suddenly brought her back to the memory of the past, of how those two first met each other.


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


    ''Who knows that the boy who was reluctant to y volleyball at that time would be able to stand tall, next to the boy who dragged him into this mess. Fate sure always finds a way to make fun of us.'' She stiffened a giggle.


    The excitement was shared by Yuki and Riku on the court. Even though they''d been with Tokyo Thunder for a while, this was the first time they both had stood by each other''s side, as they do now. Even though they tried their best to show a poker face, of course, they wouldn''t be able to hide their enthusiasmpletely.


    "Oi, Yuki, don''t mess this up, okay?" Riku shouted.


    "As if," Yuki scoffed. "I should be the one who said that, you know?"


    "Ha! I like your spirit!" The blonde boy grinned exhratingly. "Well, let''s do it just like the usual, okay?"


    When the referee finally blew the whistle, those two had their eyes closely on Nakamura. It was a no-brainer for the boy to aim his serve to Riku. Not only because he didn''t know how capable Riku was on the back, but also because the blonde boy was the setter. It was the most basic lesson for a volleyball yer to aim the serve at the setter to put him out of the equation as soon as possible.


    However, Riku proved that he wasn''t just talking big. When the ball went straight in his direction, he didn''t even need to adjust his stance and pick up the ball easily.


    "Damn! The setter has a delicate hand!"


    "But it is not over! Now, they don''t have a setter! We can ¨C eh?"


    As one of the Phoenix''s yers was still doing his monologue, Riku recovered from his position immediately and charged forward blindly without hesitation. As he took off from the ground though, he grinned widely as he saw the ball was already in front of him.


    ''Ha! As expected of you, Yuki!''


    Taking advantage of the confusion on the court, those twounched a quick attack that no one could predict. This was their usual attacking pattern when the opponent feltcent for sessfully taking the setter out ofcency. And just like how it went in the past, this time was no different.


    BAM! Read new chapters at empire


    Riku swung his arm without hesitation. With no blocker in front of him, it was easy for the blonde boy to aim far to the corner spot, which was too tricky for the yer guarding there to receive.


    "HELL YEAH!" Riku clenched his fist tightly as he celebrated the point. His face flushed red in excitement as he turned around, looking at the same excited Yuki before they both bumped their chest into each other. "We did it, Bastard! We really did it!"


    "Yeah!" Yuki replied with a huge grin on his face.


    Just right after that, most of the Thunder yers jumped straight onto them, joining the celebration.


    "Damn, Agostini! What the hell was that?!" Shou shook his head in astonishment.


    "Yeah! You have never told us you can attack like that! Look! Even Kawaki-sensei''s jaw dropped!" Kojima pointed his finger at the coach on the bench, and everyone stiffened theirughter when they saw the old man was dazed.


    "Forget about that! Yuki, howe you never show any of us that you can do that?!" Uehara turned his attention to the sses boy. Yuki''s face flushed red as he was suddenly at the center of attention.


    "Eh, I said it before, right?! We have been practicing with each other for a long time, of course, something like that would be easy for someone who learned from me!" Riku chimed in with a smug smile.


    "Oi, don''t let your head get bigger, Agostini!"


    "Yeah! Don''t get conceited!"


    "Hey, don''t use a big word here! Someone''s head would smoke!"


    Theughter around the Thunder''s yers was a nice change after the depressing opening they had today. Even though they were still down by 3 points ¨C the current score was 4 ¨C 1 for the Phoenix ¨C the fact that they finally managed to cut off the loss before they bled too much that would be enough to kill them was worth celebrating for. It didn''t help the case when the next yer standing on the service line was Yuki. Seeing their kouhai walk confidently with the ball in his hand, everyone had the same thought.


    ''Come on! It is a game on now!''

 Chapter 277 Another Victim of Yukis Serve

    Nakamura scowled when he saw Yuki walk through the service line with the calmness that no rookie should possess. His body was tensed unconsciously as if sensing the iing danger. The boy furrowed his brows a little when he saw thex atmosphere around his teammates.


    "Oi, be more serious! Don''t get caught in their bait!" Scolded the boy.


    Some of them raised their eyebrows questioningly before Mirai, the team''s captain asked, "What do you mean by bait?"


    "Isn''t it obvious?" Nakamura huffed, showing his dissatisfaction when all he received was a nk gaze. "They want us to underestimate this boy''s serve by putting him on the second turn. We know by watching his video that he is an amazing pinch server, but by doing this, their coach wants to make us think that his threat is lesser than Uehara-san before. That way, we will unconsciously think that he would pose a lesser threat, and in the next second¡­ Boom! He scores."


    All the yers there had sweat drop on their faces, not only because of how Nakamura built the exnation with full tension just to blow it up tly but also because of how the boy''s overthinking nature took over once again.


    "Don''t worry, Naka." Mirai patted his shoulder. "Even though it looks like we lower our guard, we would never dare to do that. Remember our motto?"


    "Act tough and domineering in front of your opponent, but be paranoid behind them." Nakamura ¨C and most of the yers around ¨C recited the motto word by word as if they had done it a million times.


    "Well, you got it!" Mirai grinned. "That''s why you don''t need to worry about us underestimating our opponent. Anyone who would do so will be kicked out instantly by the coach without mercy." Everyone shuddered in fear when they remembered how furious their coach was whenever someone dared to forget about their motto.


    In the end, Nakamura was reassured by the captain and went back to his spot.


    Unfortunately, there were a lot of things that, no matter how much you overestimated them and how tight you kept your guard on, wouldn''t change anything, and Yuki''s serve probably reached that level already.


    When Yuki saw the tension grow on the opponent''s side yet most of them focused on the middle back, he couldn''t help but smirk. ''Sekine-sensei said he wants to promote my service to the traffic to more teams outside of the Thunder, right? Well, fortunately, it seems that the Phoenix hasn''t caught a win on it.''


    With that thought in mind, Yuki didn''t hesitate to serve the ball straight into the setter''s route to go to the front. Of course, he would target Nakamura too. While it was foolish to aim the serve to the opponent''s best defender, once a yer reached a level where he was confident enough to score from there, the yer wouldn''t be satisfied with just scoring, but also wanting to inflict psychological pressure on the opponent. After all, if even the best defender on the team couldn''t pick up the ball, what chance the other yers could do that?


    Thud!


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    Just like any other yer who faced Yuki''s trick for the first time, Nakamura froze on the spot, letting the easy serve pass through his eyes, and fell behind his spot. The boy himself just stood still, not knowing what just happened and how to proceed. The only thing that came out of his mouth was themon response any yer had after receiving the end of this trick.


    ''Eh?''


    "YOSSHAAAAA!" Before he knew what was wrong, the roar of celebration from Yuki on the other side of the court snapped Nakamura from his thought. "Good job, Kobayashi!"


    The excited celebration from the Thunder''s yers echoed through the building as a deafening silence fell there. The crowd who a few moments ago was still excited to show their support for the phoenix now looked at each other in confusion. No one knew what just happened and why wouldn''t their best yer react for an easy serve like that.


    "What is wrong with Nakamura-kun?"


    "I don''t know. Maybe, something is wrong with his body."


    "Don''t be an idiot! He did so well to open this game, there is no way there is a hidden injury here!"


    "I know! That must be some sort of witchcraft from that four-eyes!"


    "Oh, please! Which century are we in, 17th?"


    People on the stand kept debating what was wrong, while on the court, several yers approached Nakamura concernedly. "What is going on, Naka-senpai? Is there any trick that you are unaware of?" Kodai Hachimura, the opposite hitter asked.


    "I¡­ Don''t know." Nakamura finally replied, his tone was hesitant. He tried his best to recall every detail of the service to see what was wrong there, yet he couldn''t answer the question. "I know the serve is easy, and I know I should react to it, but I don''t know why my body couldn''t move at all. It seems as if my brain stops working for a second, and right after that, the sound of the ball hitting the floor rang in my ears."


    All the Fukushima Phoenix''s yers looked at each other confusedly and concernedly. This was the first time they saw Nakamura so lost like this, and it wouldn''t be a lie if that didn''t affect the team''s mentality. Just with one serve alone, Yuki sessfully destabilizes this opponent''s morale.


    "Let''s not try to think too much about this." Mirai pped his hand, snapping his teammates from their thoughts. "No matter how hard we rack our brain, everything happened so fast that our brain couldn''t catch up with it. What if this was just a coincidence?" Even though it was tempting, no one would believe this was a coincidence. "My point is, no need to overthink it. Just be careful if something simr happens and keep your eyes carefully, okay?" Said the captain.


    Even though no one was satisfied with this, they could only follow it for now considering the next y was about to begin. Still, Mirai didn''t forget to signal the coach on the bench to watch it carefully and be prepared to ask for a timeout in case something drastic like this happened.


    Unfortunately, Yuki didn''t intend to stop just like that.@@novelbin@@


    The sses boy knew that not everyone was convinced of his service, so he did exactly the same as before. Unlike thest time though, Nakamura managed to react, but it was toote as he had to dive to the ground just to save an ordinary serve. It would be good if he managed to do it, but the ball seemed to go faster than what it looked like, and as a result, it slipped through Nakamura''s defense once again.


    "Hell yeah! Two in a row!" Yuki raised his hand high, showing a ''V'' gesture for his second ace.


    And when everyone on the Phoenix''s side started to believe his witchcraft and be prepared to reveal its secret, Yuki with his wicked mind changed the trick instantly, going with his sidespin serve to the spot far opposite of where Nakamura stood.


    ''Shit! He got us!''


    BAM!

 Chapter 279 The Nightmare is Still Not Over Yet!

    Two minutester, the referee asked the yers from both teams toe back to the court and get ready to continue the game. When Yuki saw the formation Fukushima Phoenix set for his next serve, he couldn''t help but snort.


    ''They are trying their best to recreate the same situation when I served the ball for the first time before. It seems they have a theory and want to collect data to prove it. However, it would be stupid if I knew about that and still fall into the trap.''


    If Yuki was like any other brash teenager, he wouldn''t hesitate to answer the opponent''s tant challenge head-on. He would probably do so with the fake bravado of ''having to prove that his serve is the strongest'' or some shit like that. Fortunately, Yuki''s rational mind was more dominant here, and he knew personal winning would have no meaning if the team lost the game.


    ''Well, if they so want to see the trick, that makes me want to do the opposite.''


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    With that thought in mind, when the referee finally blew the whistle, he tossed the ball slightly in the air before leaping forward to hit it as strongly as possible.


    BAM!


    Even though Yuki wasn''t proficient in jump serve yet and still couldn''t exert his maximum power on it, with the addition of his wicked uracy, it was still enough to make a problem for the opponent. Since all the Fukushima yers gathered around the center, he aimed far to the corner close to the sideline, and the speed of the ball itself didn''t give the opponent any chance to think whether it was out or not.


    "Shit! Mirai!"


    "I got this!" The captain moved like a cheetah, jumping at the ball as if he was about to pounce it before swinging his forearms to redirect the ball into the air. "Shit! Sorry!" Even with his acrobatic save, Mirai still couldn''t aim the ball perfectly. Even though Yuki''s serve didn''t score a point again, he managed to take the ace out of the equation and also scatter the opponent''s formation, so just based on this fact, what he did was no less than before.


    "Don''t worry, I got this!" Koizumi, the opposite hitter who was also the team''s emergency setter reacted. His eyes kept tracking the ball and his teammates'' movement, and after careful consideration, he sent it toward Hachimura on the right. "I leave it to you, Kodai!"


    Tondo and Shou reacted at the same time, moving in unison to shut down the attempt for cross spike. Yuki himself was also ready to cover for the straight spike. All the Thunder''s yers were ready to receive the attack.


    When Yuki caught Hachimura''s eye movement though, he realized what the opponent was trying to do and reacted first. True to his prediction, facing two blockers in front of him, Hachimura didn''t use brute force, but handled it gently by tipping the ball to get above the blockers.


    Thud!


    "Shit! Someone, cover!" Tondo shouted.


    Kojima who was the closest to the ball was about to react. However, before he could even do that, he saw someone sh in front of him, and before he knew who was it, the ball was already flying back into the air.@@novelbin@@


    "Riku!" Yuki shouted, didn''t even flinch as he recovered from his position. He didn''t even need to adjust his stance to do his run-up as he just jumped, getting ready to attack. The opponent still hadn''t recovered from their failed attack ¨C hell, Tondo and Shou justnded on the ground ¨C and the next attack wasunched already.


    BAM!


    "OH, YEAH! Good pass, Riku!" Yuki grinned after seeing his spike was untouchable, turning his head to his friend. "Good thing you see me jumping immediately. If not, the surprise quick attack would have failed, you know?"


    "Bah! Who do you think you talk to?" Riku scoffed, shoving his friend''s shoulder yfully. "Please, don''t underestimate me!"


    "Ha! I would never dare to do that!"


    While those two were bickering with each other, the other yers on the court were in a state of confusion. They felt like they were just hit by d¨¦j¨¤ vu, but the role this time was reversed. What they didn''t expect though, was how versatile Yuki was on the court. From serving, defending, setting, and even attacking, he could handle it all. The only thing he hadn''t shown yet was blocking, yet no one doubted that he could do that.


    "What the hell¡­ This is so unfair¡­" Shigeo muttered wryly.


    Hell, he wasn''t the only one who reacted like that. Even Yuki''s teammates also stared at the blonde boy in awe. However, in doing that, they forgot about Riku''s impressive role in linking up the attack, and when everyone forgot about his presence, Riku wouldn''t hesitate to punish them all.


    -0-


    "Come on, Yuki! Do it again!" Riku shouted as Yuki walked through the service line.


    It was still Yuki''s turn to serve the ball, and some people on the stand pped their hands unconsciously, praying to whatever deity that Yuki would fail. It seemed that their wish was listened to, as when Yuki hit the ball, his hand slipped a little, and as a result, the ball that should have a spin in it that made it curve had no effect at all, turning it into an ordinary serve.


    Shigeo, the blocker who was guarding the left front blinked, not expecting that after five or six torturous serves in a row, something easy finally came. However, he shook his head quickly, regaining his consciousness back in a second. This was the rare opportunity handed by their opponent, and if they couldn''t capitalize on it, they deserved to be bullied by Yuki''s serve for five more turns for their stupidity.


    "Teru! Get ready!"


    "I got it!" The setter moved immediately to pick up the ball. His eyes nced around for a second, and when he made an eye-contact with Nakamura on the back, Tondo and Shou also reacted to that. "Nakamura-senpai!"


    Nakamura clicked his tongue when he saw two blockers were already in front of him. Still, he proved to be an excellent hitter, as when he was doing his run-up to time his jump, he suddenly paused for a second, messing with the blocker''s timing and catching them off guard before he leaped forward and hit the ball.


    "Shit! A dyed attack!" Tondo cursed, inwardly berating himself for his poor performance today as he was fooled once again by the opponent''s hitter.


    However, when he had already closed his eyes and got ready to hear the sound of the ball hitting the floor, someone ¨C well, two people if he was right ¨C suddenly ran past him and jumped, and before he could realize it, instead of hitting the floor, the ball hit by Nakamura met a wall first before it bounced back to Fukushima Phoenix''s side.


    BAM!

 Chapter 281 A Little Crack Inside the Team

    ''Wait, the ball is straight in my direction?!'' Yuki widened his eyes in shock as he saw the ball zoomed into his face with an incredible speed. ''All the Phoenix yers should''ve known by now that I am the defensive specialist of the team. If they still want to target me, that means they want to attack our psychology by targeting the best defender. Returning a favor, huh?''


    Yuki couldn''t me Mirai for doing that, since what he did before to Nakamura was exactly the same. However, right now, he didn''t have too much time to think about it. The first thing he realized when he saw the balling at him was how high it was.


    ''Should I avoid it?'' Yuki thought. It was a valid concern, considering there was a huge chance the ball would go out. However, if he miscalcted and the ball went in, the momentum would shift immediately to the Phoenix, and them feeling motivated with their crazy supporters behind would be hard to deal with in the future. ''No, I cannot take a chance here.''


    Without hesitation, Yuki nted both feet on the ground, bending his knee slightly before preparing his forearms to receive the end of the blow. Of course, all the monologue here happened in a millisecond, as the ball itself traveled at a high speed. In the end, Yuki had to wince when he felt a sharp pain on his forearms as he tried to cushion the ball with it.


    BAM!@@novelbin@@


    "SHIT! Sorry, my bad!" Yuki shouted when he felt the ball was out of control. "Kojima-senpai, pick it up!"


    Kojima who was on the top right didn''t have to move as the ball was going in his direction. However, he was not a setter and he didn''t have any basic training to set up an attack. In the end, he could only pass the ball to Uehara, knowing that the ace would be able to do something.


    "Oh! Good pass, Kojima!"


    Facing the two blockers who stopped his attack before, Uehara was determined to seed this time. He waited patiently before the ball was at the ideal height, his eyes keeping track of the opponent''s blockers. Seeing that the third Phoenix yer in the front was about to join the fun though, Uehara decided to jump immediately, not wanting to put himself under the pressure of three blockers. Just as he did, Shigeo and Hachimura also leaped forward, both hands extending in the air to form a wall.


    BAM!


    "Damn!" Uehara cursed as the perfect cross-spike he just pulled and got through the blockers was received perfectly by Nakamura. "He should be in the middle, right? How could he move so fast?!" He wondered.


    Indeed, Nakamura whose current position in this rotation was in the middle back moved to the right side immediately when he realized that Uehara was about to spike there. His effort proved to be right as the ball indeed came in his direction.


    "Oh! Good save, Naka!"


    "Teru, left!"


    Tondo was about to move to the left when he saw Mirai, the team''s ace rush from the back left to do a quick attack. However, he stopped immediately and then turned around as quickly as possible when he realized the ball was sent to the other wing.


    "Damn it, Tondo! Don''t get fooled so easily like that!" Shou cursed the fellow blocker as he moved to the right-wing too. They arrived toote though, as Koizumi there spiked the ball already without any blocker in front of him.


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    "YEAH!" Koizumi, a tall, thin boy whose appearance was like any ordinary office worker unexpectedly roared wildly when he saw the ball he hit was unstoppable.


    "Good job, Koizumi!"


    "Damn, you are really our silent assassin!"


    While the opponent celebrated the point, Shou who failed to form a wall quickly enough scolded Tondo mercilessly. "What the hell, Tondo! I know you always rely on your instinct, but you need to improve your game-reading and decision-making too! Think before you move! And don''t forget, we are relying on you to lead us in forming a wall! Once you make a mistake, you will also drag us down!"


    In theory, it was never good to scold your teammates in the middle of the game before taking a timeout first. Everyone could hear that, and the teammates themselves could see that as a form of humiliation, which would definitely affect the team''s cohesion. Having been the team''s captain for a year, Shou knew it pretty well. However, he couldn''t help it, and it seemed his other teammates also understood his reasoning.


    The current score was 6 ¨C 7, and although they were still in the lead, three out of six points the opponent received came from toying with Tondo. The blocker''s performance was terrible today, and he dragged the team down together. By the guilty look on his face, it was clear that Tondo also realized that. The blocker knew that it was only a matter of time before he was subbed off by Kawaki.


    "Okay, okay, no need to get riled up by something like this." Uehara tried to appease the captain. "It is just one point, and we can return itter. Tondo also regrets his action, right?" He nced at Tondo knowingly which was returned by the blocker with a rapid nod of agreement. "See? Now, calm yourself and get ready for the next y."


    Shou huffed heavily before turning back to his position, but not before giving Tondo onest re. The tension among the yers suddenly got heavier, with some of them standing there awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Yuki and Riku themselves nced at each other knowingly. This wasn''t the first time they faced a situation that threatened to tear the team apart, after all, and they knew very well how to mend this situation.


    ''Just like any old quotes said, winning is always the best medicine for a cracked team.''


    With that thought in mind, they were determined to score the next point. Yuki took a deep breath, staring at Mirai who grabbed the ball on the other side of the. He knew the root of the failure for thest yy in his failure to receive the serve perfectly, so he didn''t want to repeat the same mistake twice.


    ''Come on¡­ Bring it to me¡­ Come on¡­ Here!''


    BAM!


    As the ball went straight in his direction, Yuki now came prepared. He didn''t even move his body to receive the ball, letting it fall onto his forearms while trying his best to aim it at Riku. The tingling sharp pain that he felt from the serve was ignorable as he recovered from his position and was ready to attack again.


    "He is running! Get ready!" Shigeomanded, tracking Yuki''s movement carefully.


    For a moment, time seemed to freeze, as all the attention was on Yuki. Hell, even his teammates also stopped moving, waiting to see what he would do. Only one yer didn''t care about it. He kept scanning the entire court, not affected by Yuki''s sequence of movements. When he realized that all of the attention was on his friend though, he touched the ball gently to redirect it to the other side of the, stunning everyone there.


    Thud!

 Chapter 286 End of the First Set

    "OH YEAH!" Nakamura roared, celebrating when he saw Kojima failed to receive his attack. "Good pass, Teru! Good move, Captain, Jun-kun!"


    "Nice attack too, Naka!" Amano returned the praise with a high-five.


    The building was buzzing in excitement as Nakamura scored another point. Even though the Phoenix was still down by 2 points, it was clear that the momentum was on their hand right now. Adding to the fact that the Thunder still didn''t have a clue of Amano''s ying style and the unwavering amount of cheers from the crowd, tremendous pressure suddenly shifted to the Thunder''s yers.


    "Sorry, Senpai. I was too hasty to do a quick before." Yuki apologized quickly. Even though he still thought that there was nothing wrong with his choice, since it failed to score, he had to take the me for it.


    "Don''t worry, you and Riku have done the same quick attack several times today and it is always enough to give us a point. One point lost wouldn''t diminish your achievement before." Shou reassured him. However, it was clear that in the current situation, he was the one who needed to be reassured the most. "Anyway, any idea of how to score? Riku?" He asked, hopeful that the setter would have a brilliant idea.


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    "I don''t know, Captain¡­" Riku said helplessly. "Our option to attack right now is very limited. You haven''t joined the offense for a while, and aside from Uehara-senpai, Yuki is the only one. If Kojima-senpai joined, the bnce would be broken and we wouldn''t have anyone guarding the back if something happened, which is not something I want to do in a critical moment like this."


    Everyone sighed in unison as they went back to the start. They knew that Riku was right. In a situation where it only took 2 points for the opponent to overtake the score and 3 more points for anyone to win this first set, doing something bold would be too risky. They needed to use their most stable way to score, but unfortunately, their ace was still in the middle of a slump right now.


    "Can you use¡­ I don''t know, one of your trickeries? Dump attack or something like that?" Kojima asked, frustration visible on his face.


    "That is something that depends entirely on the court, Senpai," Riku answered with a dry tone. "Moreover, even if I n to do so, I would never tell you all beforehand. It would be easier to notice my intention based on my teammates'' reaction, you know?"


    They debated in circles for a moment, yet frustratingly, they couldn''t find the best answer to get out of this situation. Fortunately, Kawaki didn''t stay passively as he rose from his spot and announced, "Tokyo Thunder, timeout!"


    -0-


    In fact, Kawaki was also in the middle of a headache no lesser than what his yers suffered. After listening to the yers'' discussion, he also reached the same conclusion. The team''s offense met a dead end.


    "So¡­ What do you think, Sensei?" After spending half of the timeout in silence, Shou finally broke the silence. "Is there something we could do?"


    Kawaki rubbed his forehead tiredly, racking his brain to think of a solution. Even though this was a huddle with no answer, as the head of the team, he had to make a decision here. He nced at the bench yers for a moment before shaking his head, knowing that there was no one he could use there.


    After a while, he finally spoke, "For now, I will give you two main objectives." All the yers straightened their backs immediately. "First, help Uehara get out of his slump and score a point. Right now, he needs to regain his confidence, and that is the only way I could think of. So, Agostini or Kobayashi, if you both find Uehara had a chance to score an easy point, give it to him."


    "Yes, Coach!" Both rookies answered in unison. It seemed their status as the two setters of the team was established inside Kawaki''s heart already.


    Meanwhile, Uehara raised his head, staring at the coach in disbelief. His performance had been terrible today, so this was an illogical decision. In his opinion, the coach should''ve just put him on the bench a while ago.@@novelbin@@


    It seemed Kawaki noticed his state as the coach addressed it immediately. "I know you y terribly in the first half, Uehara, and that is uneptable. However, you are still the team''s ace, so you are far more useful on the court rather than sitting your ass on the bench. You are our strongest attacker, so you will definitely attract the opponent''s defenders. This would give your teammates a chance to score more easily. And once you regain your form, I know you are a force that needs to be reckoned with. Just trust yourself, okay?"


    In the end, even though Uehara was touched, he could only give a nod to the coach, still in a self-doubt state.


    "As for the second objective, I want you all to test Amano''s range of activity." Kawaki continued. "You see him roaming all over the court. One time he received the ball on the back end of the left side, and then he rushed to the front right to join the blockers. His defensive area is too wide. Try to figure out his limit. Always look at his position before attacking and end it up to the spot far within his reach."


    "Yes, Sir!"


    -0-


    A minuteter, the game continued again, and while the timeout wasn''t enough to lift the gloomy mood on the Thunder''s side, at least the new objective would force them to concentrate more on the game rather than on their depressing feeling. Also, this timeout was done in an attempt to cut off the opponent''s momentum. Kawaki was hopeful that Karma would y its role since at the beginning of the game, Yuki''s momentum was also cut off by a timeout.


    Unfortunately, that was just a wishful thought. The game was stillpletely within the Phoenix''s control, and Amano also started to show off his leadership. He led the defense to lock down the Thunder''s offense while also starting to take a role as one of the attackers with the same capability as Mirai, the team''s captain. The new addition of him to the team really changed the dynamic of the game.


    Now, the once two points behind team was the first one to reach 24, only needed one more point to win the first set.


    "Come on, Hachimura! Give us a good serve!"


    "End this set quickly!"


    If people didn''t know better, they would think Hachimura''s serve was deathly. After all, this was his seventh consecutive serve in a row. This just showed how outssed the Thunder in this game.


    Thud!


    Just like before, another weak serve wasing in Riku''s direction. Honestly, the blonde boy started to get sick of this. He started to see the weak serveing at him as a constant mockery from the opponent for not being able to stop their momentum. Still, like in the few previous ys, he stepped back a little, giving Yuki space to cover up for him.


    "Good job, Yuki! Now, run!" He muttered lowly that only Yuki could hear it.


    The sses boy didn''t need to be told twice. He rushed immediately to the front side and leaped forward, wanting to do the blitz attack they often used before. However, as if the God of Luck itself was against them, in thest second, the ball slipped from Riku''s finger, and while the blonde boy managed to recover, in the end, the final pass was far too close to the to his liking.


    "SHIT! Sorry, Yuki! Cover it for me!"


    Yuki gritted his teeth as he was already in the air, yet the ball was far out of his reach. He extended his arm forward, trying to tap it so that at least it could change direction to a better spot. However, before he could even do that, Amano was in the air already, and in this aerial battle, the handsome boy from the Phoenix had a more favorable position since he was closer to the ball.


    Thud!


    Amano didn''t even have to use force to end this y. Just a gentle tap to push the ball back to the Thunder''s side was enough since Tondo and Shou weren''t even ready to react. As a result, the ball fell gently to the floor, and at the same time as Amanonded, he was surrounded instantly by his teammates.


    "WE GOT THE FIRST SET! WE GOT THE FIRST SET! COME ON!"

 Chapter 288 Second Set!

    "Yuki, help me walk through the court! I have a headache here!" Riku whined childishly, walking in a staggered manner ¨C albeit a bit too dramatically. "I cannot remember what the coach just said!"


    Yuki could only sigh deeply at his theatrical friend. Still, he couldn''t me the blonde boy. The coach really went all out, making sure that they had the best weapon to face the second set. The problem was that the team was in the middle of a slump, and it wasn''t easy for them to remember all he said during the intermission. Hell, Yuki even saw Uehara''s eyebrows meet under his nose as the ace tried to remember the arrangement the coach had for him.


    "Don''t worry, you don''t need to remember it all," Yuki said, reassuring his friend. "During the y, when the specific scenario that the coach talked about happened, your body will remember it instantly, and you will know what to do."


    "Really?" Riku asked skeptically. The reaction was understandable since Yuki himself had a hard time believing this magical concept. However, this was something that he read on the Inte and some professional athletes in a lot of sports also voiced their experiences, so he who was still green in the sports world had no choice but to believe it.


    "Anyway, just concentrate on your game and watch for my signal. When that Jun Amano stares at you, just move away subtly and let me handle the rest, okay?"


    "Sure!"


    The game was about to be continued again, and the quiet supporter who was taking a break during the intermission became restless once again when they saw their favorite team walk onto the court. The shouts and cheers for the Phoenix echoed throughout the building, and it would be a lie if anyone on the Thunder''s side said it wasn''t intimidating.


    "Come on, Phoenix!"


    "Come on, Amano!"


    "Come on, Phoenix!"


    "Come on, Mirai!"


    The supporters were now united with one person leading them shouting Phoenix''s yers one by one. It was an impressive disy of support that left the away team in awe. ''No wonder they can climb from the rock bottom to the top six. If this is the kind of support they receive, even being the number one wouldn''t be hard to believe.'' Yuki thought.


    He tried his best to ignore the distraction from the stand as he watched Nakamura, the fake blonde boy on the service line. Memory suddenly brought him back to the beginning of the second set where they were bullied by Nakamura''s floater serve. He signaled all the yers to step aside, leaving both Yuki and Riku in the middle of the Thunder''s court.


    "So, ready to steal the ''thunder''?" Riku wiggled his eyebrows at the pun.


    "That is a terrible joke, Riku." Yuki groaned slightly. "Just get ready. It would be embarrassing if the ball slipped through your hand again."


    "Hey, that was just one time, you know?! No need to bring it back again!" Riku said, affronted. No doubt he was still affected by thest y of the first set when he failed to give Yuki the best pass which resulted in Amano sending the ball back to their own side and sealed the win for the Phoenix.


    "Well, if you don''t want me to remind you, be more serious!" Yuki retorted.


    Riku huffed, but in the end, did what Yuki was asking him for. The two rookies were now standing in the middle, ready to be the one who received the ball.


    Thud!


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    Riku widened his eyes when the floater came so close to the sideline where Kojima stood. For a moment, he was in a dilemma. He had three options here. One, rushing to take the ball, two, letting Kojima handle it, and three, letting the ball fall since it was so close to the sideline and had the chance it wouldnd outside of the court. Fortunately, he didn''t have to make the decision by himself as he heard his friend shout, "RIKU! GET IT!"


    His body moved without amand, rushing toward the ball. Kojima was startled, then stepped away to avoid collision. It was a wise decision as Riku was right on Kojima''s previous spot when he picked up the ball.


    "Nice! Good receive, Riku!" Yuki shouted.


    "Kobayashi! Send it high!" Shou raised his hand, asking for the ball.


    Even though Yuki was not a pure setter and his ability was worse than Riku''s, his game-reading ability wasn''t affected at all. His eyes scanned the entire court quickly, searching for Amano''s whereabouts while also locking down each yer''s position.


    ''Amano is locking into Uehara-senpai''s position. It seems he is determined to kill our ace. The blocker also has their eyes on Shou-senpai, and Riku cannot recover quickly enough, so he is out of the equation. That means¡­''


    Embracing the mischievous side from being Riku''s friend for a long time, Yuki didn''t even blink when he tapped the ball to his back, letting it fly past the Phoenix''s blockers. The blockers couldn''t even react as this came unexpectedly. After all, who would be bold enough to pull up this kind of stunt at the beginning of the game after their team just lost badly during thest set?


    However, Yuki did that, and in the end, the ball fell onto the floor without anyone could stop it.


    Thud!


    "YOSSHAAA!" Yuki clenched his fist, raising it high in the air. "Come on!"


    "Nice dump, Yuki!" Riku jumped immediately, grinning with an excited expression at his friend. "Damn, you really follow my step! Good job! Keep up with the trickery and you will be as good as me!"


    "Who wants to be as good as you?!" Yuki shoved his friend yfully.


    "Why, you ¨C !" Before Riku could continue the banter though, they were surrounded by their teammates.


    "Good job, Kobayashi!"@@novelbin@@


    "Nice! We got the first point!"


    "Maybe, something different would happen in this set!"


    "Good job! Keep it up!"


    Even though it was just one point, almost all the Thunder yers were excited. After all, this was their first point since¡­ What? Six or seven ys ago? Thest time they scored was in the first set to change their score from 21 to 22. After that, they stuck on that number as the Phoenix overtook the score to win the first set. That was such a high blow to the team that even one mere point that Yuki just scored was far more valuable than its number.


    And now, after Yuki finally managed to open up their way, it was time for the team''s ace to follow it through.


    There, Uehara stood on the service line, under the scrutinization of about 700 or more people in this building, he was ready to redeem himself.

 Chapter 291 Tondo in Action!

    "Damn, since when did you turn into Hulk, Tondo?!"


    "It seems all the time you spend in the gym is not wasteful."


    "Hey, be more respectful here! Don''t just pinch my bicep like that, you perv! Don''t you know how hard it is to build this?!"


    The atmosphere on the Thunder''s side melted immediately by theughter from several yers as they teased Tondo mercilessly. Tondo himself also looked far more rxed than before. After all, this was his best moment after ying terribly in the first set.


    Honestly, this was the kind of situation Kawaki hoped Uehara would get. After a difficult game, it only took one brilliant y to ease the tension, and after that, everything would be easier for the yer. However, no oneined that it was Tondo who got this moment.


    "Good serve, Kobayashi!" Tondoughed merrily. "I know for sure since the first time I see you that the damn serve of yours would be a nightmare for everyone in the league! Ha! I know I was right!"


    "Hey, now, you are just bragging! I remember you cursed him and Agostini a lot after they embarrassed you in front of Kenzo-senpai, right?" Shou retorted, exposing Tondo''s lie immediately.


    "E-Eh¡­" The middle blocker looked sheepish as he got caught off-handedly. The other yersughed at him one more time, which turned his face red. "A-Anyway!" He coughed, trying his best to hide his embarrassment. "Good job, Kobayashi! Keep up your amazing performance in the service line!"


    "Sure!" Yuki nodded firmly.


    The atmosphere around was pretty good. However, Uehara could only stare from outside of the crowd with envy, feeling excluded by his teammates. ''I should be the one there. How could a rookie steal everyone''s thunder like this?!'' Find more to read at empire


    Still, he was sensible enough to not voice that thought. After all, just like in Riku''sst y he wanted toin, in this case, Yuki also deserved the flowers he received. Uehara knew what a menace Yuki was in the service line, and the sses boy helped the team a lot in thest couple of days. Even though Uehara had aplicated feeling toward the rookie, at least he could see Yuki''s brilliance here.


    "Okay, get ready to y! The referee will start the game again!" Shou pped his hands, and the yers finally dispersed and went back to their original position. The turn to serve was still in Yuki''s hands, so the confidence in their side was undoubtedly high. "Come on, Kobayashi! Give me one more!"


    "One more good serve!"


    "You can do it, Kobayashi!"


    "Your serve sucks!"


    "Your ace sucks!"


    "You cannot score!"@@novelbin@@


    "Come on, Phoenix!"


    The encouragement from Yuki''s teammates was drowned once again the moment all the supporters rose from their seats and pped and chanted so loudly, trying to destroy everyone''s eardrum. Yuki had to wince at how loud it was, turning his head to the referee to ask whether this should be stopped or not. Unfortunately, a distraction from the supporters was a part of the game too, so the referee just shook his head and signaled him to get ready to serve.


    ''Well, if we cannot get any leverage in this position, I better make one for us.'' Yuki thought.


    After facing Yuki''s urate serve to the corner a few times, the Phoenix took a different approach now. Even though they were still not giving up on revealing his ''serve to the traffic'' trick, they were more sensible right now, spreading out the defense to get ready for a serve to difficult spots. This was what Yuki was waiting for.


    This time, he took a longer time from the referee blowing the whistle to tossing the ball. He wanted to make the tension grow on the other side of the court, trying to make them anticipate a strong serve like before. And when he finally did it, what came next was an ordinary serve. To Nakamura''s spot.


    "Shit!" Nakamura ¨C the defensive specialist ¨C cursed, somehow remembering the depression he had after three or four times receiving this nightmare. "I need to move!"


    Or¡­ That was what he thought. However, his brain seemed to begging for a moment, stopping his legs from moving. It was just for a second, yet in a game when even a millisecond could change the direction of the game, Nakamura knew he wasted too much time freezing.


    Fortunately, Amano next to him was able to react. "Naka! Don''t move, I will pick it up!"


    Nakamura did so, and he let Amano sh in front of him. In the end, the ball was saved, but since Amano had to cover for the ball, the formation became pretty chaotic for the Phoenix. "Teru! The rest is up to you!" The handsome boy shouted.


    "Don''t worry, Amano-senpai! I got this!" The setter replied.


    Tondo, Shou, and Kojima on the front line straightened their back, sharpening their eyes to figure out where the ball would go. Then, as if guided by his instinct, Tondo left the wall unconsciously, leaving the two teammates in confusion.


    ''What the hell, Tondo?! What are you doing?!'' Shou cursed inwardly.


    However, his question was answered immediately when he realized that Mirai was jumping in front of him already, and he was toote to react. It was different from Tondo, though. The middle blocker left the wall to make a space before he started his run-up, wanting to step back so that he could jump higher. And when Mirai was about to spike, the wall he formed alone suddenly erected, and the Phoenix''s ace was too surprised to change the direction of his spike.


    BAM!


    "YEAH!" Tondo clenched his fist tightly as he realized the block was sessful. "Fukushima, what?! This is my territory now!" He shouted arrogantly.


    He didn''t know what force drove him to say those provocative words. After all, besides thest two ys, Tondo''s performance couldn''t even be said as decent, so to say the air was his territory was enough to trigger an unpleasant reaction. Just a second after that, all the supporters on the stand booed him instantly, abusing him with so many nasty words.


    "KUSO! What a bastard!"


    "Oi, Shigeo, I don''t care if you can win or not! Make sure you break his leg!"


    "Die, you bitch!"


    "How dare you to be so arrogant here!"


    "Get out, you motherf*cker!"


    "You are not wee in Fukushima, you Pig!"


    The situation was getting heated for a moment as the people standing on the front side of the stand pointed their fingers angrily at Tondo. Hell, the referee even had to stop the game first to calm down the supporters. Fortunately, no one started throwing things at the Thunder yers, or the situation would be far worse than this.


    Or¡­ Maybe, things were bad already, and no one noticed about it yet.

 Chapter 294 The Game Continues Again!

    With all the yers and the officials of the game going back to their original position, the excitement finally died down on the stand. All the people who rushed forward to join the fun also went back to their original seats. However, Kato was trapped in the front seat since she was dragged by the old man there to get interrogated.


    "So, is that boy your boyfriend or something?" He smiled goofily.


    "N-No! He is just a friend!" Kato denied the usation quickly. Too quickly, even. When she saw the grin on the old man''s face widen more, she put both arms on her face. The only thing she wanted right now was to get eaten alive by the ground.


    "Don''t worry, Girl. It is normal to have a crush at your age." The woman who dragged her forward before took pity on her. "I mean, he is handsome and a good athlete. Did you see how confident he was when he tore our defense apart from the service line before? Gosh, that is hot. And those cerulean eyes sure are dreamy, right? You can stare at them for all days, I am sure."


    Kato had to hold back the urge to nod as she also thought the same. She couldn''t help it, though. Yuki''s cerulean eyes were like a deep sea, mirroring her deepest feelings. She had to shake her head a lot whenever he was around her so that she wouldn''t get lost and trapped by his gaze.


    The old man and the woman who didn''t know each other beforehand could only smile when they saw Kato lost in her thoughts while smiling prettily out of nowhere.


    ''Yeah, there is no doubt here. She is in love with him.''


    -0-


    While Kato was grilled by the old man on the stand, the game was about to be continued once again as all the yers from both teams wereing back to the court. All the Thunder yers looked at Tondo and Yuki confusedly, knowing that something must have happened during the time they went away. It was clear as day here as Yuki tried his best to ignore Tondo while the middle blocker was grinning knowingly at him.


    Riku who could guess the reason behind Yuki''s sudden rxing mood came to his friend and asked, "So, did you find her?"


    "Yes. In fact, she should be sitting on the front row now." Yuki turned his head around to the stand where he and Tondo juste back from. Riku also did the same, and there they both could see Kato smiling shyly while the old man and the woman between her waved their hand cheerfully. "See?"


    "Well, it seems she is surrounded by good people there. Good for her." Riku chuckled. "Now that you know where she is though, don''t get distracted. Give your best and win more points for us, okay?" He punched his friend''s shoulder lightly.


    "Don''t worry, that is my intention."


    Unfortunately, things weren''t as easy as Yuki thought it would be. Even though the supporters on the stand epted Tondo''s apology, that didn''t mean they forgave the boy ¨C or the Thunder team ¨C immediately. They still felt that they needed to return the favor, and what was the best way to do so except for putting more pressure on their opponent?


    "Come on, Phoenix!"


    "Go back home, Thunder!"


    "Giant Bear is better!"


    "Your ace sucks!"


    The chants shouted by the supporters kept getting louder that Yuki was afraid the building wouldn''t be able to stay intact due to the sound wave here. As he walked through the service line, Yuki couldn''t help but gulp. Fourteen years he had been living around here, this was probably the craziest crowd he had ever seen, and to go against it didn''t sit quite well for him.


    ''Okay, I need to focus. We lost the first set, so we need to win it back or it would be impossible to win the entire game. I have to do my part here.''


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t put his concentrate on the game immediately. It wasn''t just because of the crowd, but the sudden break also disturbed the rhythm he just got before. Now that his momentum was cut off, he couldn''t bring the best serve in him immediately.


    BAM!


    "Oh! Nice receive, Hachimura!"@@novelbin@@


    "Teru! Give it to the left!"


    Yuki clicked his tongue in annoyance when he saw the spin serve he threw was received easily. While it wasn''t his best attempt, the ball still curved sharp enough to cause trouble for the opponent. However, Hachimura ¨C the opposite hitter ¨C caught the ball easily, which allowed the Phoenix to do a counterattack.


    "Senpai!"


    BAM!


    "YOSSHAAAA!" Mirai clenched his fist in the air, celebrating the spike he had just done before. His roar was followed by apuse from the crowd who went crazy for the y.


    "That''s it, Mirai! That''s our captain!"


    "Give me your best!"


    "Don''t hesitate!"


    "Kill all your opponents!"


    Basked under praises, Mirai who was still on fire walked through the service line with the ball in his hand. It was his turn to serve, and he was confident he could produce something from behind the line. Of course, no matter how confident he was, he didn''t have any intention to test Yuki. After all, the sses boy had already proven to be a formidable defender, so it would be stupid to send the ball to him directly like this.


    ''Well, that means my target would be¡­''


    BAM!


    Stay updated via empire


    The ball traveled fast, piercing the air like a bullet at a super speed. Kojima winced when he saw it wasing at him, preparing his best to pick up the ball. However, the serve was too low, and instead of going directly to the back right, it hit the first before bouncing slowly to the Thunder''s side.


    "SHIT! CAPTAIN, PICK IT UP!" Yuki shouted, also running forward to save the ball.


    Unfortunately, even with two defenders diving acrobatically to save the ball, they weren''t quick enough as it fell before they could even touch it. For a moment, the gymnasium went quiet before cheers exploded one more time.


    "Nice kill, Mirai!"


    "That''s our captain!"


    "He is a beast!"


    "His performance is getting better! He is not the same thin boy the first time he yed for us anymore!"


    "Damn, this is also the proof that Fireballst year wasn''t that terrible! We had Amano and Mirai too at that time!"


    "Hey, why are you talking about the Fireball? We are the Phoenix now, you know? The Phoenix!"


    "Heck yeah, you are right! Come on Phoenix!"


    "Come on, Phoenix!"


    The crowd went frenzy after Mirai scored twice in a row. After that, the momentum waspletely on the Phoenix''s side, and just like in the first set, once the Thunder fell onto this pit, it was so hard for them to get out of it. Not only because the shouts and insultsing from the stand was too unbearable, but the Phoenix yers also managed to take advantage of it well. From the moment the game was continued after the short break before, they hadn''t made any single mistake yet. They did a good job protecting their area while also being very clinical to take advantage of the Thunder''s mistake.


    It was a disaster, and the Thunder was helpless without having any answer for this situation.


    Unfortunately, everything was far from over, and the Thunder still had one more problem looming in front of them, waiting for the right moment to strike hard and send the entire team straight to hell.

 Chapter 295 Frustration

    BAM!


    "Shit! Sorry, cover it up!" Shou cursed as he saw the ball he received fly far from the target.


    It had been Mirai''s fourth serve in a row, and no one knew what happened or how could he do it, but everyone realized that Mirai''s strength increased gradually as time went by. The serve that in the first set was able to be neutralized easily now turned into a force to be reckoned with, troubling all the Thunder yers all the time. Just like how the other teams were always puzzled about Yuki''s trickery, now they also suffered from the same, trying to figure out what happened.


    "Doping! I tell you here, it should be a forbidden drug!" Tondo with his conspiracy mind insisted before the y was begun.


    "Idiot! If he consumed something illegal in the middle of the game, do you think the referee won''t notice it straight away?!" Kojima hissed.


    "Well, he could just bribe ¨C OUCH! What the hell, Shou?!" Tondo red when he felt the captain smacked his head. Though, he wilted instantly at the re he received from his captain. "Think twice before you say something, you idiot! Don''t put your foot on your mouth again and make trouble for Sensei, okay?"


    Yeah, so many ridiculous theories suddenly popped up inside everyone''s head. Of course, most of them were full of shit that didn''t even deserve to be discussed around. However, a theory Riku offered about Mirai saving his energy from the beginning just to unleash it when everyone started to get tired stood out the most. Not a single being on the Thunder side was willing to believe that the opponent''s captain would do something like that though, since it would mean the opponent''s captain was holding back since the beginning of the game.


    But for now, they had no time to think about that since the game was still running.


    "Tondo-senpai, pick it up!" Riku shouted.


    "Don''t worry, I got it!" Tondo rushed toward the ball. Immediately after he moved, the boos from the stand were getting louder as all the people there still remembered Tondo''s provocation before. Fortunately, after having to adapt to it for thest few ys, the blocker was finally calm enough to take action without getting distracted by the crowd.


    "Uehara-san!" Tondo hit the ball with his forearms, sending it slightly high to the left side where the ace was running.


    "Come on, Uehara! Kill it!" Shou shouted when he saw hesitation sh on Uehara''s face. He knew that the ace had a hard time today, so what his friend needed the most right now was encouragement from him and the other teammates.


    Uehara himself scowled when he saw the ball flying in front of him. The quality was far worse than he usually received from Riku. However, he couldn''t me the blocker for this. Tondo wasn''t the most suitable emergency setter in the team, and if the boy was forced to do that, of course, he would y it safe and send the ball to the ace.


    ''Tch! They move quicker than before. Let''s do this all over again.''


    BAM!


    The ball Uehara spiked went straight to Shigeo''s hand. However, that was his intention, and he was happy to see the ball bounce back to the Thunder''s area.


    "Oh! Nice rebound, Uehara!"


    "Free ball!"


    "Agostini! Here!" Uehara recovered quickly and asked for the ball once again.


    Honestly, Riku didn''t want to send the ball to Uehara right now. The ace had already proven so many times that he was unreliable today, so to stick with him would be a stupid decision. However, right now, Uehara''s position is the bestpared to the others. The ace was already in the air once again while the opponent''s blocker was one step behind. So, without a second thought, he sent a quick pass there, hoping that the ace finally managed to get out of his slump.


    BAM!


    "Shit! Him again?!" Uehara cursed.


    Yeah, Uehara sent the ball straight to the corner, but once again, Amano managed to stop his attack with an acrobatic receive. The y didn''t stop just like that. Nakamura, the defensive specialist once again showed that he was as versatile as Yuki by taking over the ball and setting up an attack for Mirai. The captain didn''t even blink as he delivered a cross spike into Uehara''s face, passing through Tondo''s block before the ball hit the Thunder ace''s shoulder.


    BAM!


    "YEAAAH!" Mirai roared, followed immediately by the cheers thundered from the stand.


    "That''s our captain!"


    "That''s our future!"


    "That''s our Phoenix!"


    The melodious supports chanted by the people on the stand kept echoing the building for a while, letting the Phoenix yers enjoy that feeling for a moment. But for the Thunder yers, this was torture. They all were so frustrated since they couldn''t find their rhythm again after the break. Hell, Uehara was on the verge ofshing out here as he kicked the ball out to vent his emotion. Fortunately, the referee was looking on the other side or he would be scolded immediately for his action.


    Seeing this, Kawaki knew he had to take action. He called a timeout immediately to cut off the opponent''s momentum and let his yers take a breath too. But that wasn''t his only purpose here. No, after thinking for a while, he finally took a shocking decision. "Jiro, be prepared. You will rece Uehara after this break." He said it calmly.


    The reaction Kawaki received though, was exactly as he expected. Some of them were surprised, but the victim just had his mouth gaped wide as he was dumbfounded by the decision. Uehara was never expecting that he would be reced by the coach. In hindsight though, he should''ve thought about that since his performance was trash today.


    However, Shou, who was friends with Uehara, didn''t want to give up on his friend just like that. "Sensei, can you tell us why you want to rece him?" the captain asked.


    "Well, what is there to exin?" Kawaki shrugged. "You see his performance on the court. His offense is locked down, he is useless in either block or defense, he doesn''t know how to contribute once his offense is killed, and the most important thing is his attitude. He always takes a long sigh with his head down whenever he fails to score. That was hardly the attitude I wanted as the ace."


    Ouch. Some of them winced unconsciously at the harsh critique. Even though everything was true, to say it out loud was another story. However, Kawaki wasn''t done with his story. Find your next read at empire


    "Remember, an ace is just a title for our best offensive yers. Beneath that, the ace is also a normal yer, and they aren''t exempted from their duty to defense! Just because you are an ace, that doesn''t mean you can bezy, okay?!"


    "Yes, Sir!"@@novelbin@@

 Chapter 297 : The End of the Game

    "Good job, folks!"


    "Nice win!"


    "Yeah, you did very well today!"


    "Wee back, Amano-kun!"


    A round of apuse filled the building as the decisive point from Amano killed the game. In the end, Fukushima Phoenix swept Tokyo Thunder 3 ¨C 0 without giving them any chance to fight back. To the Thunder yers'' frustration, their opponent didn''t even celebrate crazily like they usually did, just walking around close to the stand to receive the cheers.


    Well, the Phoenix didn''t have any good reason to go overboard with their celebration. After all, aside from the time when Yuki was on the service line, the Thunder didn''t even put up a good fight today, making it an easy win for them. Moreover, this game was pretty meaningless for the Phoenix. With one game left for the regr season, their position is stuck in the sixth, not being able to move up or go down anymore no matter the oue of thest game.


    So, yeah, while it frustrated the Thunder to death, the Phoenix would just treat this as a regr game against a weak opponent.


    "Come on, we need to move." A tap on his shoulder suddenly snapped Yuki from his thought. When he turned around, he could see Riku with the same downcast expression asking him to get up. "Everyone is still lying on the floor. We need to wake them up and exchange handshake with the opponent first."


    Yuki shook his head quickly, remembering that they were still on the court. He rose from the floor and turned around just to find out that his teammates were either lying on the floor with hands covering their faces or just sitting there with their heads bowed deep, feeling disappointed. While physically, this game went at a normal pace, mentally, the frustration they suffered from two straight sets ¨C especially after the break that Tondo caused ¨C took a toll on them. Right now, what they wanted to do the most was to go back to the hotel and take a long sleep.


    Well, Yuki knew full well that feeling. Hell, he was probably the one who wanted to cry the most. Not only because this was his debut and the team''s performance was very disappointing, but this was also the first time he went back to Fukushima, and he hoped that he could create a good memory to at least patch the wound inside his heart for his hometown. Unfortunately, not even a single thing went as he hoped for. The team was humiliated, and the rifts between each yer were getting bigger. Find your next read on empire


    Not wanting to get drowned by the negative feeling, Yuki shook his head before he rose from his spot and followed Riku''s move to help his other teammates. "Come on, Kojima-senpai. The sooner we make a line, the sooner we can go back to the hotel." He patted his senpai''s shoulder.


    Riku also did the same for Shou and Tondo, and one by one, everyone rose from the floor ¨C albeit unwillingly. Yuki and Riku didn''t realize that this was a different team and just did what they usually had done in Tsunemori when the team was defeated, making sure everyone followed the procedure to end the game as quickly as possible before they could drown in their own sadness sooner. For those two, they still thought this was just a normal operation. However, Kawaki who saw that from afar nodded in approval.


    ''Those two have a good leadership skill. It is a pity that they are still too young. Nevertheless, they are worth our investment. I need to talk to the management to tie them both to the club.''


    All the Thunder yers gathered in the middle of the court to make a line and end their misery soon. Seeing that, the Phoenix yers also did the same, creating another line in front of them so that each yer faced at least one of their opponents. Yuki himself stood in front of Nakamura, the versatile yer from the opponent''s side.


    "Good game, Kobayashi!" Nakamura grinned politely. "Your service game is insane! Did you really want to target me?"


    "Hey, I cannot help it! You are your team''s best defender, of course, I will target you!" Yuki defended himself.


    "Ha! That is exactly what Mirai said! You both will be a good friend in no time, you know?" Nakamura barked augh.


    "Still, your team is amazing, though." Yuki sighed. "With how you y today, I will never believe that six months ago, you were the bottom rock team in the league. The improvement is insane."


    "I know, right? But that is necessary! After all, everyone is still below 19 and was considered a rookie in the league. If we didn''t want to embarrass ourselves in the main league next year, we have to be even far better than this." Nakamura looked solemn when he talked about the Phoenix''s target next year. Yuki couldn''t help but shudder, imagining the arduous training section they had to do just to prepare themselves for the next season.


    "Anyway, I heard from the old man that you are from here too, right?" Nakamura changed the topic. Yuki nodded slightly, knowing full well which old man the boy in front of him just mentioned. "Awesome! If you are going back here again, don''t forget to visit Nakamura Yakiniku! That is my family''s restaurant, and it is just two blocks away from the bus station. Just tell them that Makoto sends you there, and they will give you a good amount of discount!"


    "Sure!"


    After talking for a while, the referee finally stopped their conversation and asked them to go back to their line. They didn''t need to be told twice as those two joined their teammates again immediately. Seeing that, the referee nodded, and all the yers bowed immediately.


    "THANK YOU FOR THE GAME!"


    With another round of apuseing from the stand, the game was finally over. As everyone was tidying their things on the bench, Yuki spent another second in silence standing alone on the court, staring at its ceiling while contemting about the game.


    "So, I lose, huh?" He mused. "Then, howe I somehow feel better?"


    The game itself suddenly shed through his mind once again. Of how he tried his best, of how he helped his teammates, of how strong the opponent was, of how crazy the supporters were, and how¡­ Lively the situation was during the game. They acted as if the disaster six months ago had never happened before, and this somehow made Yuki relieved.


    "At least, I know people like us can live a normal life again." He smiled.


    A heavy burden seemed to be lifted from his chest, and he couldn''t help but feel lighter all of a sudden. Even though his team lost, Yuki felt that he won something better today, and he wouldn''t trade this feeling for anything else. With that thought in mind, he turned around, chiming in with the other to fix the mess on the bench.


    ''Beforeing here, I didn''t know that there was something burden my shoulder. But I am d I came to Fukushima. Thank you, Fukushima. See you again in the future.''@@novelbin@@

 Chapter 298 : Home

    The actual schedule for the Thunder team after the game was to take a rest for one day before they would be back in Tokyo tomorrow with the team''s bus. However, since Yuki and Riku brought Kato with them, they asked permission from the coach to go back first, which fortunately was allowed immediately.


    Even with their body still and exhausted, Yuki and Riku still forced themselves to leave straight after the game. Fortunately, unlike when they first came, they could enjoy their journey back to Tokyo by train, which not only cut the journey time to about one hour and fifteen minutes but also allowed them to take a better nap.


    At first, Kato felt awkward to have to go back with Yuki after they got teased by the entire building. She even had a headache thinking of how to break the possible awkward situation between those two on the journey back home. However, she seemed to overthink the situation here, as the moment Yuki and Riku''s butts touched the train seat, they lost consciousness immediately, leaving her alone for their beauty sleep for the rest of the trip.


    "Oh my, oh my, what a charmer you are. To have two boyfriends at the same time." Thedy who sold food on the train giggled teasingly when she saw Kato was trapped between two sleeping boys.


    "A-Ah, n-no! I-It is nothing like that!" Kato''s face reddened as she tried to exin without raising her voice so that she wouldn''t wake them up. "T-They are just friends¡­"


    "Oh, I know, girl¡­ First, they are friends. Butter, they start to chase you at the same time, and everything will be full of drama! Oh, what a good, old love triangle! You will have to choose between those two in no time, you know?" She left with a giggle, leaving Kato in a dumbfounded state.


    ''W-WHAAAT?!'' Her brain crashed for a moment, having a hard time processing everything. ''W-What did she mean by l-love triangle?!''


    While she had thought for a long time about what if she had a ''more than friend'' rtionship with Yuki, never had it crossed Kato''s mind that she would also be involved with Riku. Not that the blonde boy wasn''t handsome or something like that, but the thought of her and Riku together didn''t sit quite well in her mind. However, when Riku''s tired head suddenly fell onto her shoulder, that thought finally appeared, and her face turned into a tomato.@@novelbin@@


    "Uh ¨C oh, I am sorry." Riku regained his consciousness immediately when he realized his head was falling. "Sorry, Kato-san, my bad. I am so tired and ¨C wait, why is your face so red? Are you sick?" He frowned, putting his arm on her forehead. This of course triggered a strong reaction from the girl as she yelped immediately, trying to retreat just to find her body blocked by Yuki who was also asleep next to her.


    "E-Eeeep!"


    Riku furrowed his brows more. "Okay, that reaction alone is enough to tell me that you are not sick, and I know it has something to do with me. Spill, Kato-san, now." His tone was anything but order.


    Of course, Kato was unwilling to reveal it. However, Riku knew how to push the right button, and within a minute, the girl relented. "Have you ever thought of us¡­ Being in a r-romantic rtionship?" Her voice was meek when she asked that.


    Riku tilted his head confusedly, wondering whether something just hit her head or what. After thinking for a while, he finally spoke. "Okay, I know for sure you just thought about it a moment ago, or you will feel awkward around me. We haven''t done anything special for thest three days we are here, and it is impossible for you to just think something like this out of nowhere when your situation with Yuki himself is pretty awkward. I give up. Can you tell me what prompts you to think about something ridiculous like that?"


    While Kato was embarrassed that her situation with Yuki could be seen by Riku, she was somewhat d that the boy thought the idea of them being together was ridiculous. Not that she hated the boy, of course, but everything would beplicated if the boy had a feeling for her.


    After hearing Kato''s exnation about the fooddy, Riku couldn''t help but snort. "That woman seems to read too many Shoujo manga if that is her first thought." Kato giggled a little at the sudden jab. "I mean, I am sure Yuki would find out that you are beautiful, and while to some degree, I agree with that, I look at you both as a brother and a sister, you know? There is no way I will have any romantic feelings for you."


    While Kato''s cheek reddened once again at the mention of Yuki having found her beautiful, she was kinda d for Riku''s exnation. While she also thought that a romantic rtionship with Riku was weird, she didn''t have any good reason for it. Now she knew that the main reason for that thought was because she also looked at the blonde boy as a brother.


    "Wait, if I am your sister, should you call me Onee-san?" She suddenly smirked yfully.


    "Hah! No way!" Riku rejected that idea immediately. "If we are a family, of course, I will be the big brother!"


    "Hey! If anything, with how immature you are, you should be the youngest one!"


    As if officiating their new rtionship, Riku and Kato bickered and squabbled like a good old-fashioned sibling, poking andughing at each other. After a while though, Yuki finally woke up and joined the conversation. Although there was an awkward moment between him and Kato, Riku''s presence as the third wheel managed to brighten the atmosphere around them.


    It took about three hours before they arrived at Tokyo train station, and half of the sun was already below the horizon, painting the sky with a bright red color. They were picked up by Misaki ¨C Kato''s mother ¨C who was kind enough to bring them back home.


    After another fifteen-minute journey to the orphanage, Yuki bowed deeply to the older woman. "Thank you for picking me up, Misaki-obaasan."


    "Don''t be too polite, Yuki-kun. You saved my daughter before, so this is the least I could do for you." The older woman smiled fondly. "Also, I am grateful that you can drag her out for a trip. If not, I am afraid that she will spend her holiday being buried under the books at my mother''s house." The woman giggled when she heard the groan from the carbon copy of herself. "Anyway, have a good rest, Yuki-kun!"


    "See youter, Yuki!" Riku also waved his hand from the car''s window. Continue reading at empire


    "Bye, Yuki-kun!" Kato also did the same albeit shyly.


    As he stared at the car that disappeared slowly from his eyesight, Yuki turned around, sighing in relief when he was finally in front of the familiar building. Bracing himself, he took a deep breath before stepping inside and shouted, "I am home!"


    And just after that, the squeals from the kids could be heard echoing throughout the building, warming Yuki''s heart instantly. Although the trip was far from perfect, he was d that he did that, and being surrounded by his little siblings once again, he thought to himself, "Yeah, I am home, indeed."

 Chapter 300 Back with the Original Team!

    "Aw, are you pouting, Riku-kun?" Megumi asked teasingly as she, Riku, and Yuki walked through the corridor to go to the gymnasium.


    "I am not!" Riku answered immediately. However, the bratty attitude he showed clearly told them otherwise. "I just don''t get it! This is the first day after we get back to school, right? Why would Akira-jiisan ask us to gather already? It is still two months away before the winter tournament begins, right?!"


    Yeah, with Akira''s order, Megumi picks the two boys up for a team meeting in the gymnasium. No matter how much they wanted to go home and bezy since they just wanted to end this day as quickly as possible, the older girl didn''t even bulge at their resistance and dragged their cors to the building next to the school.


    Honestly, Yuki and Riku were a bit confused by this sudden meeting. Today was the first day of school, and Akira didn''t say anything about meeting in their group chat. They even wondered whether Megumi was hallucinating or not, but the sweet smile on her face was enough to shut them up immediately. It was about 4 in the evening, and the school was almost empty. Most of the clubs hadn''t started their activity yet, so this situation was to be expected. However, when they were in proximity to the gymnasium, Yuki and Riku could see the lively atmosphere there.


    "Asa, left! Left!"


    "Rano, keep your eyes on Kai! Don''t let him spike so easily!"


    "I got this!"


    BAM!


    "YOSSHAAAA!"


    When the two teenagers entered the building, they were astonished to see the y. It wasn''t the team''s normal operation. However, without Riku and Yuki on the team, someone needed to step up to be a setter, and it seemed Asahi was the one who did that. But the most surprising part was Kaede, the team''s defensive specialist who rushed forward to attack. Even though his movement was sloppy and made him unable to generate more power, the initiative was there, and by how confident he was, it was clear that this wasn''t the first time their senpai did that.


    Both freshmen kept observing the training session, and the more they watched, the more they were surprised. Not just Kaede and Asahi, but almost everyone also made a huge change to their style. Now, Hirano was willing to attack from the wing instead of just waiting for the ball in the middle, Koji developed a nasty cross to get through the blocker, Ogawa filled Kaede''s position in the back row better, and hell, even Okamura, the team''s libero also learned how to do serve and to be a setter. Yuki didn''t even know whether the libero was allowed to pull something like that in the game or not.


    Still, there was one thing for sure now. When Yuki and Riku couldn''t join their training since they had to y for the Thunder, their senpai didn''t stay idle, also working their asses off to catch up with them. Even though their level was still below a professional team like the Thunder, at least their quality was far better than the Tsunemori who were beaten by Konan High in thest inter-high.


    It seemed the yers on the court hadn''t noticed their kouhai''s presence yet since they decided to continue the game. Yuki and Riku decided to keep quiet for now as they wanted to see more of their senpai''s skills after the summer break. They were shocked one more time when Koji pulled a stable powerful jump shot with confidence shining in his eyes.


    BAM!


    "Shit! I got this!" Ogawa gritted his teeth, leaning his body to the left side while also extending one of his arms far to reach the ball. His attempt was proven to be sessful, yet the ball flew back to the other side of the. "Sorry! That''s my bad!"


    ''The power and uracy are more refined than thest time I saw it.'' Yuki thought. ''It seems whatever Hisashi-san and the other alumni did, it worked perfectly to bring the best out of him. Nice.''


    The ball was flying back to team Koji''s side, and Okamura was quick enough to pick it up. However, Yuki frowned one more time. ''Wait, should Oka-senpai be their setter? If he got the first touch, who will set up the attack?''


    Well, it seemed his worry was unfounded, since Okamura set up the ball directly from the first touch. Koji who was on the back rushed forward, yet Hirano and Asahi were ready to stop it. Then, somethingpletely insane happened. Yuki seemed to have a shback of his time with the Thunder as he saw Koji suddenly slow down, and when the two blockers jumped to stop his attack, he hadn''t even jumped yet.


    ''A dyed attack.'' Yuki murmured in realization.


    With the two blockers failing to read his jump timing correctly, it was easy for Koji to end the y. He didn''t even need to aim where he should spike the ball, just a in, straight hit to the back of the court.


    BAM!


    "OH! Nice spike, Koji-senpai!" Riku jumped excitedly, announcing his presence. "Damn, that is a nasty dy! Since when did you start to learn that?!"


    Koji himself was stunned, surprised to see his kouhai here. Not just him, but almost everyone had the same reaction. They were so focused on their training session that they weren''t aware of two new faces who just came here. When they turned around though, they could see Yuki also had the dumfounded expression on his face while Megumi nodded at them in approval. That was when they finally woke up from their dazed state.


    "Oh! Riku! It''s been a while!"


    "Yuki too!"


    "Hey, are you an idiot or what?! We saw Yuki two weeks ago, remember?" Explore stories on empire


    "Damn, I forget about that!"@@novelbin@@


    "But hey, it''s been a long time since we saw each other! Howe you both be taller and stronger?"


    Indeed, even though they didn''t notice it, for the other Tsunemori yers who hadn''t seen them for about a month, Yuki and Riku''s physical improvement could be seen even with the naked eye. Yuki hit a growth spurt and became taller by a few centimeters, and while Riku didn''t have a significant height change, those two had more muscles on their bodypared to a month ago. Their hard work training in the gym seemed to be paid off now.


    "Hey, don''t touch my arms like that! You all are being weird here!" Riku struggled to get away from the crowd. After a while though, the excitement seemed to die down, or moved into Riku as it was the blonde boy''s turn to get excited. "Anyway, what the hell is that, Koji-senpai?! Since when did you learn how to do a dy attack?! Also, Oka-senpai, you can set up an attack now?! You guys are awesome!"


    Facing such genuine praise from their kouhai, all the Tsunemori yers there just grinned goofily at each other. "Ha! Don''t underestimate us, Riku!" Kaede encircled his arms around the blonde boy''s shoulder. "While you and Yuki are fighting for a professional team, we work our asses off until copse to improve ourselves! Just wait, you will bunch of useless, helpless guys anymore! Don''t be surprised to see any of us are better than you now!"

 Chapter 301 First Team Meeting

    A momentter, Akira finally arrived at the building, just to find out that not a single yer took notice of his appearance. They all were too busy gathering around the two freshmen, chatting andughing as if they were long-lost friends. Not that he couldn''t me them, though. Hell, a small, fond smile even formed on his face as he watched their interaction, feeling relief that no one made a fuss about their kouhai entering a professional team.


    He wiped out that smile quickly, though, as he walked through the court and coughed, stopping all the interaction there. "Well, good to see that everyone has already gathered here. For now, let''s sit down first and talk about our future."


    This announcement alone was enough to make all the yers move from the spot and sit in front of the coach. Even though the yful expression from chatting with each other was still there, Akira could see the focus was back on him, and he nodded in a satisfied manner for that.


    "Okay, first of all, congrattions to Yuki and Riku who managed to break through the Thunder U-19 main team and showed a good performance for thest couple of weeks. Now, they are on almost all the professional clubs'' radar and would be treated as a professional yer too." Apuses followed the exnation as everyone looked at the two rookies in awe. "Now, is there anything you both want to share from your experience there?"


    The corner of Riku''s lips twitched in annoyance and Yuki could see why. They both came here under the impression of going for an emergency meeting, yet the first thing Akira did was throw them under the bus.


    "Well, how should I say it¡­" Yuki pondered, taking over the conversation. "No offense to you guys, but even though we are just in the U-19petition, everyone was a level higher than in the Inter-high tournament. The yers there know how to fight for their own and do not always rely on their teammates, and even the specialist yers are still better overallpared to us."


    Riku also nodded in agreement.


    "What about Konan or Matsukita?" Ogawa suddenly asked. "Can youpare those two teams with the pros?"


    "This¡­" Yuki and Riku stared at each other, hesitating. However, it wasn''t them who answered that question, but Akira.


    "I don''t know about Matsukita, but Konan is definitely stronger than some of the teams there." He said it solemnly.


    "Eh?!" This time, even Yuki and Riku were surprised by the decisive answer. "Why would you say that, Sensei?" One of them asked.


    "Because before the U-19petition this year started, they had a pre-season tournament and invited Konan-High as one of the guest teams. Guess what is their result?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "In a knockout format with 20 teams participating, Konan won four of their five, only losing in the final against Kyoto Castle. Hell, they even won their game against Nagano Eagles U-19, which was the second-best team in thepetition. That should tell you how capable they are, right?"


    If anything, this only instilled more fright in the yers about Konan High.


    Even though it had been a long time since their game against Konan, all the Tsunemori yers still remembered the horror of being dominated by the best school in Japan. However, after spending the entire summer break to improve themselves, they had an illusion that maybe, this was enough to catch up with those teams on top. Unfortunately, the new information from Akira woke them up from their daydreaming, forcing them to realize that they were still far from the top.


    "Wait, if they are that good, howe not a single yer from their school joining the professional team?" Yuki suddenly asked.


    "Because their school also has their own arrogancy," Akira answered shortly. Yuki was too dumbfounded to react, so the coach continued, "You have to remember that the U-19petition is still pretty new here, and not a lot of people are optimistic about its state. For the top schools like Konan and Matsukita, they still believed that they could ensure their yers''petitiveness without letting them wander around in an unknownpetition like that, and they also had a lot of connections to ensure that the yers who wanted to be pros would be scouted, not just by teams from Japan, but also several more from abroad."


    This¡­


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    Even though it sounded arrogant, Konan and Matsukita had the right capital to do so. They weren''t the best team in the country for nothing. Just one word from them would be enough to gather so many professional scouts from all over the country. Their school was even dubbed by the public as a superstar factory considering how many national yers came from them. That was the strength of the best team in the country.


    Akira shook his head quickly, trying to banish that thought for now. Looking at the downcast expression on his yers'' faces, he pped his hand loudly to gain their attention.


    "Okay, that is a story for another time. For now, let''s focus on what we are going to do first." Even though the negative aura still lingered among the yers, they all put it aside to focus on the coach one more time. "Well, thanks to Riku and Yuki for sharing their experience. Now, let''s jump onto our main topic, the winter tournament."


    All of them straightened their back immediately at that.


    "As all you know, the winter tournament will start in the first week of November, which is still two months from now. However, we will start our preparation from tomorrow."


    This stunned half of the yers there. "From tomorrow?" Koji repeated the coach''s words hesitantly. "But is it a bit too¡­ Early?"@@novelbin@@


    "I know." Akira nodded in acknowledgment. "But here is the thing. I heard from someone that Konan High and Matsukita had already started practicing for the winter break a week ago. So, if the two championship teams have already been one step forward, how would you chase them if not by working twice as hard as them?"


    At first, most of them were startled, but their spirits burned immediately when Akira mentioned them chasing the two championship teams. Although they knew they were still far from those two teams, having been improving themselves during the summer training had given them the confidence to think about it. And now, with their two super rookies back on the team, they finally dared to dream more.


    "Good expression." Akira nodded in approval. "For now, go back home first and rest well, because after this, I will not show any mercy for you all. The training will be started fifteen minutes after the school is over, and whoevereste will have to clean the gymnasium after the training is over, is that eptable?!"


    "Yes, Coach!"


    And that was the beginning of a new story, of how Tsunemori High tried to repeat their miraculous performance for the Inter-high to the winter tournament. As for how it went, well, who knew? But as long as they worked harder than anyone else, they all believed that they would achieve something at the end of the journey.

 Chapter 305 Astronomy Camp with Kato (III)

    Yuki and Kato couldn''t even introduce themselves to Amagi''s mother as she had already dragged them both to one of the buildings in the observatory. By the title put on top of the door, Yuki knew this was a multimedia room, and when he entered it, he saw about twelve more teenagers wearing the same clothes as each other.


    "Oh, I forget about this." Amagi''s mother pped her forehead in realization before she dug something from the corner of the room and gave it to the three teens. "Here, the official shirt of the camp, change yours first. Hiro-kun, you know where to do that."


    Amagi had his mouth twitched in an expression that basically told ''Seriously?'' at his mom before giving up thinking about it too much. However, both Yuki and Kato were grateful for this. If not for the new shirt, they would have to go to the room with a shirt drenched in sweat, and not to mention how it would annoy the other kids, even they themselves wouldn''t be able to feelfortable with their attire.


    "Sorry about her, by the way." Amagi suddenly apologized as he brought them into one of the rooms there. "My mom, I mean. I know it is cringe and embarrassing to wear something like this ¨C"


    "Amagi-san, don''t worry about it." Kato cut his words impatiently. Yuki was surprised, having to blink his eyes rapidly to make sure the girl next to him was really his friend. After all, to interrupt someone rudely like this was not her at all. The girl just ignored the stare and continued, "I know it is annoying, but this is a high school camp. A shirt like this is a must for it, and I know. So, don''t fret over something you cannot control, and let''s change quickly so that we can go back before we are left behind."


    ''Ah, so that is the reason¡­'' Yuki muttered, smiling wryly. ''Still, who would expect that she would be this aggressive when ites to something she likes? I better take noteter.''


    They went into one of the rooms there and changed their shirt quickly. The new shirt had a nice, cream color with a small earth and half of the moon behind it on the chest. It was a nice touch to show that this was an astronomy camp. As they went back to the multimedia room though, the event had already started.


    As the light dimmed, Amagi''s mother, Chikako Amagi walked onto the stage. She had this bright smile as the shiny sses on her face reflected the lighting to the screen. Just like any other camp participant, she also wore the same camp shirt to show the spirit here. Even though there were only about 20 people there, the atmosphere felt more like a summer camp now.


    Yuki blinked his eyes in surprise when he saw the screen behind Chikako lit up with amazing images of gxies, swirling nebe, shining stars, and all the magnificent objects shifting one by one. It wasn''t just him, but almost all the participants ¨C baring Kato who should''ve seen something like this before, and Amagi who was also the participantst year ¨C stared at the screen in awe.


    Seeing that, Chikako let out a small smile before she began her speech. "Astronomy isn''t just about looking at stars," he said. "It''s about understanding who we are and where we fit into this vast universe." She shared fascinating stories about scientists from the past who changed the way people viewed the night sky. She talked about Galileo, who first pointed a telescope at the stars and discovered Jupiter''s moons, showing that there was more to the cosmos than anyone had realized.


    "Can you believe that people thought Earth was the center of the universe until he proved otherwise?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She also shared how astronomers like Copernicus and Kepler helped uncover the secrets of thes and their orbits, paving the way for future exploration. "These thinkers transformed our understanding and inspired generations to look up and wonder," She said, pointing to a picture of the universe filled withs and stars. Each discovery, she exined, opened doors to new inventions and ideas that would change the world.


    ''Damn, she is good.'' Yuki murmured, astonished.


    The woman on the stage not only managed to simplify the historical event that usually would make students yawn, but she also put it in an interesting package, catching the participants'' attention. Also, the way she delivered the speech was mesmerizing. How she engaged with the audience, how she threw a joke here and there, the clear artiction of her speech, everything screamed that this wasn''t her first rodeo.@@novelbin@@


    However, what caught Yuki off guard was the burning passion in her eyes and the genuine smile on her face when she exined things. He was so familiar with that. When his eyes nced sideways at his friend just to find out the same expression glint behind her sses, he couldn''t help but smile wryly.


    ''Yeah, that is the expression only someone who loves the subject from the bottom of his/her heart could have. Good for her.''


    His train of thought was interrupted when he saw a yful grin forming on Chikako''s face. "Now, I know what you might be thinking," She said, raising an eyebrow. "You might imagine that astronomy lovers fit a certain stereotype¡ªthe nerdy kid with thick sses, sitting alone with a telescope and only a few friends."


    A few of the participants chuckled awkwardly, ncing at each other, recognizing bits of themselves in that description. The woman noticed their reactions and quickly reassured them. "But let me tell you, being a ''nerd'' is actually pretty cool!" She eximed, his voice lively. "They are the dreamers, the thinkers, and the ones who push the boundaries of what we know. What you might see as being different, I see as being unique and special!


    "Embracing your passion, whether it''s for astronomy or anything else, is what makes you stand out. Some of the greatest minds in history, like Einstein and Newton, were called nerds too!" She spread her arms wide as if inviting everyone to ept that part of themselves. "So own it! Being curious and passionate about something you love can lead you to amazing adventures¡ªboth in the universe and in life. Never be afraid to explore and to share your interests with others!"


    As she finished her speech, Yuki was sure, based on the awe she received from the participants, that the older woman had gained some sort of fans today, and he knew she deserved it.

 Chapter 307 Astronomy Camp with Kato (V)

    It turned out that assembling a professional telescope was not something that was easy to do. Even after watching the demonstration from a close distance and reading the manual instruction given by the staff, Yuki couldn''t still grasp the concept of it. Fortunately, he was in the same group as an astronomy nerd and a boy with a professional astronomer as a mother who had been there since the camp was established.


    "Let''s begin with the base," Kato said. "That''s the part that will hold everything steady."


    Theyid out all the pieces on a big table. The base was the heaviest part and needed to be assembled first. Kato showed Yuki how to connect the different sections using screws and bolts, exining, "Always make sure the base is stable. If it wobbles, your telescope will shake when you try to look through it."


    Next, they took the long tube, which is called the optical tube. "It helps you see the stars," Amagi said, holding the tube while Yuki attached it to the base. "Make sure it''s pointing straight up," The older boy instructed. "If it tilts, you won''t be able to finds easily."


    After they secured the tube, they moved on to attaching the finder scope. This is a small telescope that helps them locate stars ands more easily. "It''s like using a shlight to find things in the dark," Kato exined. "You aim this smaller scope first, then look through the bigger one."


    As they built the telescope, Yuki was grateful for those two. It was clear since the beginning that Kato and Amagi had the experience building a telescope and he was the only one who was a novice here. At first, he was satisfied with being the muscle of the team. However, with each step, they made sure to include him so that he could understand what they were doing.


    "Now let''s talk about the eyepieces," said Amagi. "These are like sses for your telescope. Theye in different sizes. A smaller number means more magnification but less light, while arger number means a wider view but less zoom."


    Once they attached the eyepiece, Yuki''s excitement grew. "It''s finallying together!" he eximed.


    "Absolutely!" Amagi said, tightening a fewst screws. "Now, let''s connect it to the electricity so that we can control it remotely." Finally, they finished assembling the telescope and aimed it at the bright evening sky. Jamie could hardly hide his grin as he saw the telescope was ready to use. Even though he wasn''t onto this subject too much like his friend, at least he could appreciate the hard work after building something like that from scratch. "That was fun." He finally said.


    "Good job, you three!" Chikako''s voice suddenly snapped Yuki from his thoughts. "Well done, kids! Also, thank you for befriending Hiro-kun." She smiled genuinely.


    "Ah, don''t worry, Ma''am. Amagi-san is a huge help here." Yuki said quickly.


    "Oh, don''t be too nervous! Just call me Chikako!" The womanughed. "It is rare for Hiro-kun to enjoy his time here. Can you imagine thatst year, he and Gondo made a fuss by bringing a volleyball here, which forced me to ban that?" Sheughed.


    "Mom, can you stop embarrassing me for a second?" Amagi groaned in exasperation.


    Yuki had a sweat drop at their interaction, suddenly remembering how Kato and Riku''s mothers acted when they saw their children were around. ''It seems it is a maternal instinct to tease their kids.'' He muttered.


    Still¡­ "Did you really bring Gondo-san here?" Yuki raised one of his eyebrows. For as long as Yuki could remember, Matsukita''s captain was a tough guy with a muscr build and sharp features that would make everyone in the vicinity tremble in fright. He couldn''t imagine how such a guy would do something so delicate like assembling a telescope or something like that.


    "Oh, don''t underestimate him, Kobayashi." Amagi snorted. "Although he has the strength of a gori, his brain is as developed as us normal human being. You will be surprised at how smart he is ¨C Ouch! What the hell, Mom?!" He turned around and red at his mother when a yful smacknded on his back.


    "Don''t insult your senpai like that! He is kind enough to help me and your father watching you when we cannot be around, so be a little bit more grateful!" Chikako chided her son. "Also, I don''t know that you know about my son and Tondo like that. Are you also a volleyball yer like him?" She asked Yuki.@@novelbin@@


    "Yes, Ma''am. I ¨C I mean, yes, Chikako-san!" Yuki gulped when for a second, he felt the murderous intent of the older woman. "I am a volleyball yer from Tsunemori High, and my school faced Matsukita High before the tournament began." He said matter of fact.


    "Ah, no wonder he can enjoy this camp." Chikako smiled wryly at her son.


    They chatted for a while before they realized that the sky started to turn dark above. Even though not all of the parts of the sun had moved below the horizon yet, other astronomical objects could already be seen, just like the shining moon they had spotted above.


    "Let''s take a look!" Kato suddenly took over the telescope as she adjusted the focus knob. After a while, she waved her hand excitedly at her friend. "Yuki,e here! You have to see it!" When the sses boy leaned forward and finally looked through the eyepiece, he was amazed. He could see the craters and valleys on the moon''s surface clearly.


    "That is beautiful." He whispered in awe.


    "I know, right?" Kato''s soft voice registered through his ears. "That is why I love doing this."


    As he and Kato enjoyed the moment, the pair of mother-and-son smiled from their spot, looking at them fondly. After a while, Chikako finally had to interrupt them. She said, "I am sorry, you two, but I have to check the other groups first to see whether they managed to assemble it as perfectly as you did. Don''t worry, though. I will bring Hiro-kun with me. Enjoy your moment, and don''t do anything overboard, okay?!"


    For a moment, Yuki and Kato couldn''t proceed with her words at all. However, as their brain worked one more time, something clicked inside their head and they couldn''t help but turn away their face immediately, trying their best to hide their blush. They both nced at each other and for a moment, everything felt still. When their eyes met, they couldn''t help itughter burst out of them like a balloon popping.


    "It''s so awkward, isn''t it?" Kato giggled, wiping a tear ofughter from her eye.


    Yuki chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, but it''s kind of nice too," he said, feeling a warm glow inside.


    As theughter faded, Yuki suddenly thought of something and said, "Hey, thank you." Kato turned around, trying to see his face. "I just remembered that I haven''t said anything after you were kind enough to be my moral support for the Fukushima trip. I might not say anything, but don''t think that I am not grateful, okay? I really appreciate your presence in my life."


    Kato was startled at the sudden change of topic. However, when her brain finally proceeded everything, she felt her heart flutter a little. She sneaked a nce at him, just to find out that his gaze wandered far. With her heart beating fast, she suddenly felt brave and leaned her head toward his shoulder. They spent a moment in silence before Kato replied with a mutter, "Thank you for being here too. I am d that you are here in my life too."


    And that was definitely the highlight of their first day in the astronomy camp.

 Chapter 310 Astronomy Camp with Kato (VIII)

    "Come on, everyone! Wake up!" Even half asleep, Yuki could hear someone shout from the door. "Your breakfast is ready! Wash your face and change your clothes and meet us in the multimedia room!"


    Groans could be heard from all over the dorm as all the participants there would rather sleep than have breakfast, and that also included Yuki. This was understandable, considering they were up until the sun rose pretty high, enjoying the beautiful scenery from the top of the hill. Still, they had to face the consequences now, which included them having to start the day barely conscious.


    Fortunately, this was already within the camp''s prediction. They didn''t even start the breakfast until 11, which was alreadyte for the breakfast, yet perfect for a bunch of teenagers who stayed upte. After Yuki and the others took all their winter attires and changed back into their usual summer ones, they went to the multimedia room just to be greeted by the rich smell of katsudon.


    "Man, having to stay upte and the first thing I eat after waking up is this? That old geezer Honda would be livid to see this." Amagi muttered.


    "Oh? Is he that strict over what you eat?" Yuki raised his eyebrows a little. Having been under some of the most legendary coaches like Sekine, Daiki Sato, Kawaki, and even Akira, he knew Honda Saburo''s reputation. Matsukita''s old coach was a silent assassin, always putting up a smile while being the most terrifying ve driver for his team.


    "Well, how should I put it¡­" Amagi tapped his chin, pondering over his next words. "It is not like he cares too much about what we eat, as long as we are not overdoing it, he will let us have our fun. It is a bad living habit that he cannot stand with."


    "Bad living habit?" Kato chimed in with a question.


    "Yeah, like what you both have donest night." Amagi smiled teasingly, knowing full well the innuendo he put there. When the boy got the reaction he wanted ¨C which included blushing and stuttered words ¨C a grin formed on his face. "Well, just as I said, staying upte and doing a strenuous activity that makes you feel tired when you wake up is not a good thing, ne?" He wiggled his eyebrows yfully.


    For that, Yuki just groaned in exasperation. "You are the worst, Amagi-san." Said the sses boy.


    The breakfast passed peacefully, and since this was thest day of the camp, they didn''t have so many activities left. No more ss, no more lecture, all it left was fun, bonding activity with the others. Yuki could see Kato mustered her courage to ask something to Chikako, and with a nudge of encouragement from him, she left herfort zone to the older woman.@@novelbin@@


    For a moment, there was a silence between the two boys before Yuki broke it with a question. "So, I heard that Matsukita had already started their training with the goal of beating Konan for the winter tournament. What did your coach say about you being here?" By how Amagi stiffened his shoulder, Yuki knew the boy had it bad.


    "Oh, man, I am not looking forward to going back now." Amagi moaned weakly. "That old geezer will definitely kill me and hang my head in the gym as a reminder to not follow my lead!"


    Yuki had a sweat drop at his exaggerated reaction. "I am sure it is not that bad."


    "You don''t understand it!" Amagi whined. "I left without even talking to him first!" For that, silence dropped once again before Yuki let out a snort. "Oh, yeah, you deserve every second of torture you are going to face."


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    "Don''t say it like that!" Amagi snapped. However, Yuki knew there was no heat between him and the older boy, just a casual chat between two friends.


    "Anyway, have you ever received any offer from the professional club?" Yuki couldn''t help but ask.


    "Oh, do you mean just like you?" The older boy asked back. When he saw Yuki nod, he continued, "Of course, I have! Not just me, but all the Matsukita yers had some teams extending their hands on them. Hell, I am sure it is the same for Konan yers. We are not the two best teams in the country for nothing, you know?"


    "So, why is nobody from both teams taking it?" Yuki asked once again.


    Even though Akira had already exined thoroughly about the school''s protection, there should be one or two yers who were like him, forced by financial pressure to do this. Not that Yuki regretted his decision to join the Thunder, of course, but to have a job security when he was in high school sure helped him to be more decisive.


    "Ah, I don''t know about yours, but Matsukita and Konan have a policy to forbid their students from signing any professional contract. Not only it would be exhausting for the students, but once the schedule shed with the school''s event, everything would be too chaotic to handle."


    Ah, yeah, Yuki could see it. Having to juggle between training with Tokyo Thunder and Tsunemori alone had taken a toll on him, and he didn''t want to imagine something like that happening.


    "Still, that means you have two years to improve yourself! Don''t cry if I kick your ass even if we are pros already, okay?" Amagi smirked.


    Thepetitive spirit in Yuki''s heart spiked up when he saw that. "Well, why do you think I can kick your ass this year?!" He challenged the older boy.


    "You? With what team?!"


    They bickered for a while before ending it withughter. After that, the topic shifted from volleyball to school, to the meme culture that started to grow on the Inte, to politics, and hell, they even had a conversation about world conspiracy level like t earth and the other ridiculous theories, and Yuki couldn''t help but enjoy it.


    In the end, though, they exchanged contact and after taking some photos with the other participants, the camp was finally over. As the bus that brought him and Kato left the hill, he could see the mncholy gaze she had there. "So, what do you think about the camp?" He smiled, patting her head gently.


    Kato had this pretty smile on her face for a moment, leaning her head over his shoulder before saying, "Good. Thank you for being here with me."

 Chapter 311 Back to the Team (Again)

    It was a brand-new day, and Yuki felt that all of his energy was sucked into the void already. He slumpedzily on his desk, ying around with Kato''s hair secretly. Fortunately, the school was over already, so most of his ssmates wouldn''t see this.


    He had to admire Kato''s poker face skill, though. At first, because she always acted like a bundle of nerves, he thought their rtionship that seemed to get closer in one night would be out of the bag immediately. However, she didn''t even blush when interacting with him, somehow making Yuki feel awkward himself.


    However, when he started ying with her hair like this, Yuki could see Kato curled on her desk, and he knew she was trying her best to regain herposure.


    "Urgh¡­ Yuki, please, not in the school¡­" Kato whined childishly.


    "Why? Don''t you feel the thrill of someone finding out about this?" Yuki asked yfully.


    Somehow, the unintended innuendo caught not only Kato but also Yuki caught off guard. They both blushed furiously, trying their best to avoid each other''s gaze. Riku who sat in the back row grinned mischievously when he saw that as the blonde boy rushed forward and nudged Yuki yfully.


    "So, you finally make your move, huh? Not bad, Yuki." He wiggled his eyebrows yfully.


    Yuki and Kato blushed simultaneously, their face resembling tomatoes. Riku chuckled at their reaction, enjoying every second of teasing his two best friends. "Just make sure I will be your best man, okay?" He nudged his friend once again.


    "W-What the fuck, Riku?!" Yuki sputtered. "That is a bit too much!" It seemed Kato was also in agreement as she rose from her desk and started smacking Riku with the thick book she read. "Ouch! Have mercy, Kato! Be gentler!" The blonde boy whined, dodging around like a monkey.


    After letting the girl vent her embarrassment, Riku coughed a little before finally saying, "Anyway, should we go to the gym?"


    Yuki widened his eyes in surprise, forgetting that this was training time. "What the fuck, Riku?! Why in the hell did you not remind me about that?!"


    "Well, you look so lovey-dovey that I don''t want to bother it!"


    "Not this time, Bastard!" After tidying up everything messily, Yuki rose from his seat before dragging his blonde boy in a hurry. Well¡­ Not before he said goodbye to the girl, of course. "Sorry for this, Kato-san! I will make it upter! See you tomorrow!"


    -0-


    As they both rushed toward the gym, Riku kept pestering his friend persistently "Come on, give me more detail! How is the confession? To what degree have you made your move? Have you kissed him already?" Or more¡­"


    "Oh, cut it off, Bastard!" Yuki finally snapped. "We are fifteen, for God''s sake! Please, don''t give a suggestion that only happened in anime!"


    "Oh,e on!" This time, it was Riku who whined. "This is not the eighteenth century anymore, Yuki! Don''t be too conservative! Be more proactive, I am sure she loves it!"


    "What are you a love consultant?" Yuki retorted sarcastically.


    "Well, I am sure one for your case!" The blonde boy chirped happily.


    They chatted and bickered while also running in a hurry to the gym. Unfortunately, no matter how quickly they were, the two teenagers still came upte. When they entered the building, they were greeted by a stern re from their coach and the pity gazes from his teammates. Yuki and Riku couldn''t help but wince at the reaction they received.


    "You know what? I don''t care what is your excuse, eight sets of interval running now!"


    For that, the two teenagers groaned loudly.


    -0-


    "This¡­ Is your fucking¡­ Fault, Riku¡­!"


    "What¡­ The fuck¡­ What are you talking about?! It is you¡­ Who is messing around¡­ With Kato!"


    "Well¡­ If only you remind me¡­"


    It was their eighth set of doing interval running, and Yuki and Riku were a mess right now. They both panted heavily, couldn''t even utter their mind coherently. The back of their shirt which was drenched by sweat told everyone how exhausted they were. However, it was clear that Akira wasn''t going to show mercy for them.


    "Come on, you both! Show us why you are the pros! Increase your speed! It is not your time for jogging, right?!"


    Yuki and Riku groaned before they picked up their pace more. If they didn''t know before, they were sure by now that their coach was pissed. It seemed he wanted to humble them both by making them run for their lives to show that even though they were pros already, they were not above the team''sw.


    After a while¡­.


    *FWEEEE!*


    "Finally! It is done!" Riku groaned loudly while lying his body on the floor. "Man, this is the worst training menu, ever!"


    Yuki couldn''t help but nod in agreement. Even though he could say that they both were pros and had experienced many kinds of advanced training, the sses boy was sure that interval running was his least favorite one. Not only did the change of pace take a toll on his stamina, but the fact that it was the first menu that could bring him to the door of death was enough to give Yuki some sort of PTSD.


    "Well, now you know to notete to the training, right?" Akira smirked amusedly.


    "Yes, Sensei!" The two teenagers groaned at that.


    "Good. Take a rest for five minutes, and after that, you both can join the training."


    It seems groan was amon reaction for them both today. However, Yuki and Riku still followed the order, not daring to challenge Akira''s authority again. Even though he was Riku''s uncle and the one who introduced Yuki to Sekine, he was still fair to everyone and didn''t y favorites. In fact, he seemed to be harsher to the two freshmenpared to the other yers.@@novelbin@@


    Fortunately, the training session was pretty tame today. They were still adjusting to the team''s new state after not joining the training camp, so Akira was lenient toward them both in this session.


    "Come on, Riku! Don''t underestimate us like that!"


    "Give us a better set!"


    BAM!


    "Damn, Yuki! You are as stubborn as ever!"


    While the pace was definitely slower than when they were with the Thunder, Yuki, and Riku could enjoy this, especially since they could see the ring improvement from their teammates. Compared to two or three months ago, this was like a brand-new team, ready to take down all the opponents in front of them. As long as luck was on their side and they didn''t have to face Matsukita or Konan High early, they had a hunch that they could go far in the next tournament.


    Two hourster, Akira finally finished the session. After giving some feedback to each yer, he dismissed the yers, letting them go back home. Before Yuki left though, his phone suddenly buzzed, signaling a new message that just came.


    Yuuji Tanaka: Hey, Kobayashi-san! Are you ready for tonight?!

 Chapter 314 The Bracket is Here!

    Akira didn''t need to say it twice as all of his yers dropped whatever they were doing immediately, rushing toward him in a hurry. They all had curious gazes with most of them tensed unconsciously, staring at him with solemn eyes.


    He could sympathize with them. After spending three months training their asses off with so little to rest, the tournament they had been waiting for was finally in front of their eyes. There was no way they wouldn''t feel jitter about it. However, that didn''t mean that Akira would let them surround him with a body full of sweat like this.


    "Go back and change your shirt first! I will borrow one of the sses close to the gym so that we can see it together. You have five minutes, okay?!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    After seeing all of his yers scattered to get their shirts changed, Akira turned to Megumi and asked, "Can you help me borrow one of the sses nearby?"


    "Sure." The girl nodded before rushing outside.


    It didn''t even take five minutes before Megumi got to the ssroom Akira was asked for. The coach had to give a hat off for the girl''s efficiency. However, looking at the tense atmosphere in the room, he knew everyone was impatient and didn''t want to hear his small talk at all.


    "Okay, wait for a second." The coach connected hisptop to the screen.


    Immediately after that, the two devices were connected, and now everyone could see what Akira was doing on hisptop on the screen. The coach essed this email, clicking twice on the top message there. It came from the volleyball association itself, with just one file with a size of less than one megabyte. When Akira opened it, though, everyone leaned forward immediately, trying to find out the name of their team.


    It turned out that this wasn''t an easy task. There were about 150 teams across the prefecture joining the tournament with about 30 of them having to go through the first round of the tournament. It was usually reserved for cannon fodder teams who didn''t have a good resource to go past the third round and just became the punching bag for the other wealthy teams. However, there would always be some sort of exception in every tournament, just like when Tsunemori managed to end up as one of the top eight teams of the Inter-high tournamentst summer.


    After a while, with most of them narrowing their eyes to read the names of the schools one by one, Riku suddenly eximed, "There it is! Number 87!"


    Everyone turned their eyes immediately to where the blonde boy pointed out. As expected, they could see the name of their school there, getting a free pass while waiting for the winner of the first-round game between two schools they had never heard about before.


    Tsunemori High Shool VS Sumida High School / Tokomiyama High School


    Seeing this, everyone gasped in disbelief. "We have a free pass and don''t have to y in the first round?!" Ogawa eximed. "That is fucking unbelievable!"


    "Why are you so surprised?" Akira raised one of his eyebrows lightly. "You have done so well in thest Inter-high, being the giant killer team before the best team in the country had to put you down. That is not something that could be scoffed out so easily. Be proud that everyone finally noticed your presence."


    His words turned out to be a trigger that made most of the sophomore yers burst into tears. After their disastrous performancest year which made them have to go from scratchst summer, their effort was finally getting paid off now, and they were sure they couldn''t be happier than anyone else.


    "Okay, don''t be too happy about it! Let''s focus on the bracket!" The coach pped his hand, gaining everyone''s attention. "The two teams that are probably going to be our opponent are pretty weak teams. However, I don''t want you all to underestimate them. After all, just a few months ago, we were in the same category as them, and look at us now! So, I don''t want you all to get sloppy and make a mistake, okay?!"


    "Yes, Sensei!"


    Then, Akira turned to Megumi. "Sorry, Ayaka-san, but I have to ask you to scout their game first to give us an image of what to expect can you do that?"


    The girl pondered for a moment before nodding her head. "Sure! When would it be?"


    "Two weeks from now, on 25th October to be more exact. Can you do it?" Seeing the affirmative nod from the girl, he let out a relieved sigh before turning back to his yers. "Well, we can talk about our next opponent when it has been determined already. For now, let''s focus back on the bracket, okay?"


    Yuki turned his eyes back to the screen already, searching for the names of strong teams he wanted to avoid. Just as expected, Konan and Matsukita were on different sides of the bracket, which meant anyone who wanted to go through the final had to y one of them, and if they wanted to win it all and break Konan''s dominance, they had to y the two national giants here.


    After scanning the bracket, he found out that Tsunemori was on Matsukita''s side, but they were separated by more than 40 teams there, which meant that they would have to face the second-best team in the country in the semifinal. This alone was good news for the team. However, it seemed thatdy luck waspletely on their side, as Kyoei Gakuen and Shimoyawata were on the other side of the bracket, which made it impossible for Tsunemori to face them except if they somehow won against Konan High.


    Still, there were some strong teams on their bracket side, like Kodokan High or Tsukiji High. However,pared to the other teams they had faced in the past, all the Tsunemori yers felt more optimistic about ying against them.@@novelbin@@


    "Goddamnit! We hit a jackpot here!" Kaede murmured in disbelief. "How could we have a very favorable draw like this?!" The others also nodded in agreement.


    "Well, everyone will also think the same." Riku shrugged, somehow feeling disappointed that the strong teams were not on their side. Yuki had to roll his eyes, feeling the urge to smack his friend hard now. "Man, this is going to be boring!"


    "Hey, be grateful, you blonde bastard! I would rather watch those strong teams ying each other rather than have us ying against them!" Find exclusive stories on empire


    "I get it, but this would be so boring! Can we have one or two strong, underdog teams on our bracket side?"


    "Hey, don''t jinx it!"


    As they bickered for a while, little did they know that the universe was messing around with them, putting so many strong teams under the radar on their bracket side. However, that would be a story for another time. For now, everyone was happy, looking forward to their first game of the tournament.

 Chapter 317 Preparation (I)

    In the end, Sumida High''s coach decided to put Tachi on the bench, not wanting to reveal more about his ability toward Yuki and Kato. However, they didn''t have any problem winning the game, using their solid performance to put pressure on their opponent while also capitalizing on every chance they had during the game. They were so clinical that Yuki thought he was watching a top team here.


    "With how they are performing, how could they still stick as the first-round level team?" He couldn''t help but ask when he retold what he watched to Akira.


    "Oh, that is because of their misfortune." The coach snorted. "In theirst three tournaments, they drew Kodokan High, Matsukita High, and Tsukiji High as their second-round opponent straight in a row. You can imagine yourself about the result."


    Yuki winced unconsciously when he heard that. Those three teams were the top dogs in Tokyo, with one of them being the second-best team in the country. Even though Sumida High had a solid team, there was no way they could win against them all, and the teams who lost in the second round of the tournament three times in a row would have a huge chance to get demoted into the first-round team.


    "So, this is Shimoyawata situation once again, huh?" Ogawa cried bitterly.


    Well, no one could me him forining. After all, the opponent from the first round should be an easy pass. Yet after having Shimoyawata as their opponent in thest Inter-high, they now have Sumida High, which was far from a weak team, for their first match in the winter tournament. Getting a false first-round team as their opponent twice in a row was definitely bad luck.


    "Well, that is the risk of being mediocre, I guess." Akira sighed. "But the good news is, our first match would be yed here, and the headmaster has already given his approval for a full house game like before!"


    This piece of news alone was enough to brighten everyone''s day. The depression lingering a few seconds ago was gone immediately, reced by a never-ending excitement.


    "Damn, I know the headmaster is good, but I didn''t expect he is this good!"


    "Good? Man, he is the GOAT! I mean, which headmaster would cancel all the sses so that the students could support the volleyball team?!"


    "Yeah, our headmaster is rock!"@@novelbin@@


    All the grievances they had for the headmaster during the purge season were forgotten already, especially when the headmaster proved from time to time that he favored the volleyball team more. Now, the team had to prove that this favor was deserved, or they would be under the same rumor storm just like a few months ago.


    "Okay, to not embarrass yourself, let''s try to get to know our opponent first. Thanks to Ayaka-san and Yuki, we got a valuable video that recorded the game, so let''s watch it first."


    Everyone nodded and went to the ssroom next to the gym immediately. It took a while for Akira to set up the screen, but once he finished, the screen was finally on, showing the video that Yuki recorded yesterday.


    "Okay, as we are watching, Ayaka-san, I want you to give us a brief report like the usual. Yuki, if you have anything to add, just say so. Your feedback would be appreciated here."


    The two teens whose name was mentioned nodded at each other before the girl started speaking while also pointing her finger at the screen. "The first one you all should take notice of is their ace, Naomichi Tachi."


    "Tachi-san!" Riku gasped in surprise, gaining everyone''s attention. His face flushed red in embarrassment when he realized how he interrupted Megumi''s speech. "Sorry, Megumi-senpai. I didn''t mean it." He apologized quickly.


    "Don''t worry, Riku. That was the same exact reaction Yuki had yesterday." Megumi smiled kindly.


    Everyone ¨C bar Yuki ¨C was confused, not knowing what Megumi was talking about. Fortunately, Megumi took pity on them as she started exining. "To quote what Yuki said to me yesterday, Naomichi Tachi is one of the participants in the summer camp that he and Riku were joining before. That should tell you all that he was at least give you a perspective of how talented he is."


    And indeed, this gave them the idea of how good Tachi was. After all, the camp was supposed to be for talented freshmen all over Tokyo, selected by Daiki Sato himself. So, if Naomichi Tachi managed to get chosen, he should have something special to offer for his team.


    "So, what kind of yer is he?" Kaede asked.


    "Oh, I can answer that," Riku answered quickly. "He is a powerful spiker, so you can expect heavy attacks from him. But other than his raw power, you don''t have to worry about anything."


    Yuki and Megumi stared at each other with solemn gazes, knowing that Riku was about to make the same mistake as Yuki did yesterday. Akira noticed that and asked, "Is there anything wrong with his assessment?"


    "Just wait and you will see it." Was the only answering out of Yuki''s mouth.


    This caught everyone''s attention. Riku also leaned forward, wanting to know what caught his friend''s eyes. When the video reached the point of Tachi''s cross spike, everyone had their mouth gaped wide, not expecting this kind of development. Riku himself also had the same reaction as Yuki yesterday, feeling like he just got pped out of nowhere.


    "I thought he is a brute-force kind of yer?" Koji asked hesitantly.


    "Yes, and you can imagine how surprised I was when I saw that directly on the court." Yuki nodded. "In hindsight though, we should''ve expected tour opponents to get better after the summer is over, right?"


    "Exactly." Akira nodded with the same solemn reaction as his. "You all have to remember that it is not just you who trained hard during the summertime, so you cannot underestimate your opponent, okay?"


    Everyone nodded in agreement, turning their eyes back on the screen. The one who was affected the most by this p was of course Riku as he saw the drastic improvement from Tachi here. Now, Sumida''s ace wasn''t just a bodybuilder yer, but also someone who had the technique to avoid the blockers in front of him. The ring improvement from Tachi ¨C and Yuki at some point ¨C was enough to waver his spirit as a hint of doubt sparked inside the blonde boy''s heart.


    ''What am I thinking about? No, I cannot be distracted like this before the first game!'' He shook his head, trying to put his happy-go-lucky fa?ade back on his face. However, it seemed he wasn''t careful enough as someone noticed this. Fortunately, that someone was kind enough to not make a fuss about it.


    "Okay, let''s continue the meeting!"

 Chapter 319 Sumida Highs Arrival

    "So, this is Tsunemori High, huh?" One of the Sumida High yers with a yellow jersey stared at the building with aplicated gaze.


    "Yes, and just like in the past, this is going to be another one of our graveyards from this curse." The other yer, a tall and thin boy with sports sses on his face added wryly. As a result, some of his teammates came to smack his head like it was their normal routine.


    "Oi, don''t joke around like that, Homura!"


    "Yes, Senpai! It is still not clear that we are going to lose! Don''t be pessimistic!"


    It was a nice motivation from one of the freshmen who still believed that they could win this game. However, most of them didn''t believe it, knowing full well what Tsunemori was capable of. Hell, even their new ace, the bodybuilder guy, Naomichi Tachi also had this dreadful feeling that today was going to be a disaster, and it was all courtesy of the two freshmen monster on the other side of the team.


    Yuki Kobayashi and Riku Agostini.


    Those two guys¡­ Tachi didn''t know how they could be so good at what they were doing. Even during the camp, when he himself was struggling to keep up with the pace, those two did everything seamlessly, even challenging the staff to push them harder. It was an arrogant remark, but nobody said anything about it since they both really excelled at every session during the camp.


    And it wasn''t just during the training session. Their skill could also be tranted into the game, and Tachi who received the end of it several times knew very well what a troublesome opponent those two were.


    As he was lost in his thoughts, the other Sumida yers noticed his state. Their captain, a middle blocker with the jersey number 5 stepped up and patted his shoulder. "Are you still worrying about their monster duo?"


    Tachi just gave him a weak smile as he answered, "I am sorry, Hitoshi-senpai, I cannot help it."


    "Eh, don''t be. That only means you treat this seriously." The captain ¨C Hitoshi ¨C shrugged, reassuring him. "But you don''t need to think of this alone. Remember, we are a team here! Share your stress with us, and who knows? Maybe, we will find an unexpected solutionter."


    His smile was still pretty wanly, but Tachi appreciated his captain''s optimism.


    As they entered the gymnasium, though, they suddenly felt their stomachs fall. They weren''t greeted by the opponent''s coach like they were on their usual away day, but by the crowd of almost 300 students gathered to support Tsunemori. Some of the Sumida yers who had never yed under such a crowd were about to faint when they saw this.


    "Goddamnit! I know the curse is real!" The blocker ¨C Homura cursed lowly.


    Honestly, Tachi himself didn''t believe in the curse, thinking it was just a joke about their misfortune. However, after four times at the end of bad drawing, he started to believe that there was some sort of deity above who enjoyed watching their demise.


    "Oh, Tachi-san, you are here too!" A voice suddenly snapped him from his thought. When Tachi turned around, he saw the blonde setter from the opponent team greet him cheerfully. "I am so excited when I know that I am going to face another member of the camp! I cannot wait!"


    "Good for you. Unfortunately, I cannot share the sentiment here." Tachi said it wryly.


    "Well, good to know! Maybe, we can win this game easily, you know?"


    Tachi couldn''t help but twitch his lips a little in annoyance. For all the talent the blonde boy had, Tachi forgot that the boy''s best attribute was his trash-talk ability which somehow managed to poke right into the sore spot. He shook his head, deciding to change the topic. "Anyway, what is this with the crowd here? Don''t they have any ss or what?"@@novelbin@@


    "Oh, them? Our headmaster decided to cancel all the sses this morning so that they can cheer for us! Isn''t he the best headmaster in the world?" Riku grinned goofily.


    While from the outside, Tachi just offered a stiff smile, he was cursing out loud inwardly at this injustice. When they had to fight to get enough funds to enter thepetition, here he saw a school that was at the same level as his school and received full support from their headmaster. It would be a lie if he said he wasn''t jealous.


    After chatting for a while, someone from the Tsunemori side suddenly called the blonde boy, and when the boy asked to go back first, Tachi finally let out a sigh he didn''t know he held back before. Hitoshi ¨C the captain ¨C patted his shoulder, giving him a thumb-up for keeping his calm in front of the blonde boy.


    "So, how was it? Did you get any intelligence there?" Homura asked.


    "Oh, yeah. Apparently, their headmaster canceled all the morning sses so that the students here could support their team. So, yeah, here we are." Tachi said wryly.


    Amidst the deafening cheers toward the home team, silence suddenly dropped on Sumida''s side as everyone stared at their ace in disbelief. "You mean to tell me that all those people," Homura pointed his finger subtly to the students outside of the court. "Are here because their headmaster wants to give his best support to his team?" When Tachi nodded in confirmation, he moaned instantly. "Oh,e on! This is so unfair! We are a cursed team, right?!"


    "Well, I don''t care whether our team is cursed or not, but you better get your mind straight before entering the court!" An old man with his back bent forward barked at them. "As long as the referee is fair, nobody cares about their advantage here! The only thing that matters is who will win the game, so the longer you whine, the worse it will be for us!"


    Everyone straightened their back, nodding quickly to avoid the scolding. The old man in front of them was their coach, Michi Botan. Although he wasn''t as legendary as any other old head in the circle, he had his own achievement during his 20 years of coaching career. No one knew why he decided to coach such a small school in the twilight of his career, but everyone respected him enough to let him do what he wanted.


    Seeing the expression change on his yers'' faces, the old man nodded in satisfaction. Even though he knew all of them did this because of their fear of him, it was still better than entering the court with a depressing thought that cursed their misfortune.


    Now that everyone regained their focus, he said thest words before sending them to the battlefield. "Well, you know what to do here. Just don''t forget to support your teammates and never fight alone, okay?!"


    "Yes, Sir!"

 Chapter 324 Unstoppable! (IV)

    "SHIT!" Hirano cursed when he realized the ball went out of control after hitting his hand. He was about to shout for someone to cover it up, but the impact was too fast, making the ball fly high to the stand. The crowd was too stunned to react. In the end, it was Tachi who broke the silence there with his roar that was piercing the sky.


    "HELL YEAAAAAH!"


    And right after that, all of the yers with the yellow jersey jumped onto the muscr boy.


    "Damn, that is what we are waiting for, Tachi!"


    "Goddamnit, you gori! You scare me a bit here!"


    "Hey, don''t mock his strength like that! We are depending on it, you know?!"


    Cheers andughter filled Sumida High''s side as they finally broke their deadlock, scoring their first point of the game. Even though they were still down by six points ¨C the current score was 7 ¨C 1 for Tsunemori, they didn''t think about it for too much, knowing that this was their first step to get out of Tsunemori''s shadow.


    Meanwhile, on the home team''s side, Hirano just bowed his head with a downcast expression on his face. The other yers stared at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to say. After all, it wasn''t quite often for their quiet blocker to curse out loud like that, making everyone forget how passionate their silent assassin was for this game.


    After a while, Asahi finally had enough and decided to act like a proper captain for once. "Don''t worry, Rano! That is just one point, we can get them backter!" He patted Hirano''s back reassuringly.


    Hirano just stared at his own hand with aplicated expression before he finally sighed, saying, "Sorry." Then left to go back to his original position. Even though everyone had already known for a long time how stingy Hirano was with his words, they were still dumbfounded at his short answer even after the captain took his time to reassure him. However, Asahi who knew his friend well just shrugged, mouthing to the other ''Just leave him be.'' Silently.


    Continue reading at empire


    A momentter, the game was about to be continued, and Sumida High was full of excitement as if they were just resurrected from their death. However, scoring from thest y didn''t mean their problem was gone. They still didn''t know whether Iguchi''s quick instruction before was a one-time thing or if the setter really adapted to Yuki and Riku''s rhythm.


    "Iguchi, this will be the test for you. Don''t lose your eyes on them, okay?" Hitoshi asked.


    "Sure, captain."


    The game was finally about to begin again, and this time, it was Homura who took the serve. He did a pretty decent job here, sending a jump serve straight to Koji''s side. It wasn''t as powerful as Yuki''s attempt before, but with Koji''s defense, the ball still flew out of control after that, reaching what Homura wanted to achieve.


    "Sorry, everyone! Cover!"


    "Don''t worry, I got this!" Yuki reacted.


    All the Sumida High yers tensed, watching intently at Riku for the possibility of a quick attack. Yuki just rolled his eyes exasperatedly at them. ''As if I am going for the attack they have been waiting for. What a dumbass.''


    Instead of going for a quick attack he had done in thest few chances he got, Yuki waited for a while before sending the ball high to Koji. The ace grinned when he saw the ball flying in front of him, starting his run-up before leaping forward through the air.


    BAM!


    Just like hisst attempt, Koji still aimed for a block out too this time. Fortunately, this time, he didn''t make a mistake, forcing the ball to bounce wildly after the impact of the hit. As a result, even though Inoe ran forward to get the ball, he wasn''t quick enough to do so, which resulted in the ball falling on Sumida High''s side again.


    "YEAH!" Koji pointed his finger toward his kouhai. "Good job, Yuki! The pass is so easy to hit!" Praised the ace.


    "Nah, don''t fret over it." Yuki grinned, returning the high-five. "Anyway, I am curious now. What have you been learning during the summer camp, Senpai? You still have the dyed attack, and now this? The block-out spike you did is so nasty!"


    "Hey, I know, right?!" Koji was happy that someone appreciated the result of his training. "Even though Hisashi-senpai is a bit of a pain in the ass, I cannot deny that the training is worth it."


    They chatted for a while before the referee asked for them to go back. Now, it was Riku''s turn to serve, and the setter was ready to snatch the limelight from Koji. Even though he hadn''t learned any new technique for his serve, the blonde boy had spent the majority of his time honing his jump serve, trying to generate more power while also fixing his terrible uracy. Today, he was ready to get the fruit of hisbor.


    BAM!


    "HELL YEAH!" Riku roared, punching his own chest wildly when he saw his serve was untouchable.


    "Nice one, Riku!"


    "Come on! Give me one more serve!"


    "You can do it, Riku!"


    "Riku-sama, look at here please!"


    The cheers from the crowd were getting crazy with Riku''s fangirls also joining the fun. However, with how wide the blonde boy smiled, Yuki was sure his friend was enjoying every second of this moment thoroughly.


    The next few minutes turned into a nightmare for Sumida High''s yers. They were trying their best to fight against the wave of offenseing from the home team, yet anyone could see that it was a futile attempt. While yes, they managed to score here and there, but for one point they got, Tsunemori would always return it twice or three times worse than what they gave. Honestly, by then, everyone who knew a bit about volleyball could see that there was a huge quality difference between the two teams.


    BAM!


    "Oh, nice save, Kai!"


    "Move, move, move! Get ready to attack!"


    "Let''s seal the first set now!"@@novelbin@@


    It was almost the end of the first set with Tsunemori in the lead at 24 ¨C 7. They just needed one more point to seal the deal, and now, they were determined to do so. Three yers were moving at the same time, trying to spread Sumida High''s blockers thin. They didn''t care about the fierce gaze they received from their opponent, knowing full well that this was the result of them winning this game.


    Amidst the chaos in the court though, with almost everyone rushing to the front, they forgot about Riku''s presence, and the setter punished them all by stealing the limelight with a simple dump.


    Thud!


    And right after that, hell broke loose in Tsunemori Gymnasium Hall.

 Chapter 328 Win

    "Come on, Yuki!"


    "Let''s go, Yuki!"


    "The best, Yuki!"


    The cheers kept getting louder, shouting Yuki''s name over and over again. With how they were right now, Yuki could imagine the next day would be troublesome to deal with. But for now, Yuki didn''t mind it all, letting himself enjoy the praise he deserved as he let himself sit on the floor.


    However, Riku and his teammates had another n for him. Without even asking for his concern, they grabbed his hand, forcing him to stand before picking him up on Hirano''s shoulder who was the tallest and probably strongest boy here.


    "Wha ¨C Wait a second, what are you doi ¨C WOAH! Hirano-senpai, put me down!" Yuki screamed, trying to bnce himself on his senpai''s shoulder.


    "No, cannot do that, Yuki." The blocker just grunted lowly. "Sensei''s order." He said it shortly. Yuki turned around to Akira''s direction immediately, which he found pretty easy from his current point of view. When he saw the coach waving at him, Yuki stared with eyes in disbelief at this betrayal.


    "Oh,e on, Yuki! It is not that bad!" Riku patted his back hard. "I swear I will give a lot of things to be in your position right now!"


    "Well, you don''t need to do anything, so how about we switch here?" Yuki asked, hopeful.


    However, Riku''s answer was the same as Hirano''s before. "Nuh-uh! This is your day, Yuki! You are the one who ys the hardest out of everyone, carrying our asses with your serve! Not that we cannot do that without you, but your presence is making everything easier, so enjoy your moment here!"


    All the Tsunemori yers nodded, knowing that Riku was right. Although they still had the confidence to beat Sumida High even without Yuki''s broken serves, they couldn''t deny that his presence made everything easier. And now that he had stripped the opponent''s defense alone for most of the game, they were willing to give the boy the flower he deserved.


    "Yuki! Yuki! Yuki!"


    Yuki could only smile awkwardly while waving his hand toward the supporters. Maria, who saw that, took out a pocket camera out of nowhere and was busy catching the moment from every angle she could think of.


    "Man, if he really wants to be a pro, he needs to get used to this kind of situation." Mattheo snorted. He was ignoredpletely by the three female members of his family who were busy joining the crowd, chanting Yuki''s name from the bottom of their lungs.


    The celebration went on for a while before Yuki realized the jolly atmosphere hadn''t quite reached the other side of the court. There, he could see some of the Sumida High yers crying while the others covered their faces, either with their jerseys or hands, trying to hide their disappointment.


    "Come on, Naomichi! Get up! You don''t need to cry, you know? You still have two years left before you graduate!" Hitoshi ¨C the captain ¨C tried to cheer up his kouhai. However, that only made the boy depressed more as he bowed deeply, hiding the tears that were falling from the corner of his eyes.


    "I am sorry, Senpai¡­"


    "Oh,e on! Don''t be like that!" Hitoshiughed ¨C yet hisugh couldn''t quite reach himself. "You still have two more years to improve! Make sure you bring the old man to beat Konan or Matsukita in the future, okay?!" He said, his shoulder trembling.


    "I am sorry¡­."


    "Stop apologizing, Bastard!" Hitoshi shouted, now cannot hide the cry anymore. "I will repeat it again until it gets through your thick skull, so listen carefully! Train harder for the next two years, and if you cannot bring the old man to the glory he deserves, I wille back and kick your ass! Unlike us third-year yers, your journey just starts, don''t cry over us the old men!"


    Seeing their interaction, Yuki''s expression turned somber. The excitement here seemed to be subdued a little bit as everyone also had the same reaction. This really reminded them all of the harsh reality of this winter tournament. While for Tsunemori whose members were still either freshmen or sophomores and didn''t have to worry about retirement, for the other teams who still relied on their senior members, this would be theirst tournament. It only took one loss, and everything would be over for them.@@novelbin@@


    This was the harsh reality of the winter tournament. Stay updated through empire


    "Come on, let''s give them some respect here," Riku said, walking forward to their opponent. He was followed by the other seven yers with forest-green jerseys, offering them a handshake.


    "Good game, you all." Riku praised Tachi and the other Sumida High yers.


    Still having tears flowing down from his eyes, Tachi snorted ¨C which he regretted immediately since his mucus made it hard for him to breathe. "No need to sugarcoat it, we are a terrible opponent ¨C or an amazing opponent depending on how you see it. It should be good to have an easy game like this, right?"


    "Eh, I wouldn''t say that so bluntly, but you are not wrong." Riku scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "We had a bad pretty bad drawing result in thest inter-high, so this is definitely not an unwee surprise for us."


    "Oh, tell me about it." Tachi moaned weakly, knowing full well what it meant to have a bad drawing. "Well, congrattions to you. It is frustrating for me to not be able to help my senpai go further in theirst tournament, but you deserve to win."


    Meanwhile, on Yuki''s side, he also offered a handshake to Sumida High''s captain, which the captain epted willingly. "Good game. It is so frustrating that our journey stops here, but I am d we lost against you. Good luck in the tournament and try to win it all for us, okay?!"


    "Sure!"


    After the yers from both teams chatted with each other for a while, thepetitive atmosphere inside the building finally started to die down. The crowd also began to leave slowly as they all had to go back to the ss. With a quick bow and the unison shout of ''Arigatou gozaimasu!'' from all the yers there, the second-round game between Tsunemori High and Sumida High was finally over.


    Tsunemori High won their first game of the tournament, advancing through the third round with ease.

 Chapter 332 Another Easy Game (II)

    Yuki felt bored.


    Honestly, this was pretty new here, since it wasn''t pretty often for him to get distracted by the kind of negative feeling like this in the middle of the game. However, he felt this was justifiable.


    For all of the experiences he built over the volleyball court, Yuki would always find himself as the underdog team. His team would always find a stronger team to face, from Shimoyawata to Konan High, and it was always tough and challenging. However, thest two rounds of this winter tournament were far opposite of that.


    First, the team faced Sumida High which in theory should be at the same level as them yet ended up disappointing everyone''s expectations here. For them, Yuki still found that it wasn''t a bad game, considering how Tachi managed to cause trouble for them here and there. If it wasn''t for his teammates who couldn''t catch up with him, Yuki was sure Tachi would give them more trouble in the game.


    However, in terms of the challenge possessed by the opponent, the game today was far worse than before. It was clear that Setagaya High wasn''t prepared to y against them. No coordination, no signal attack, and nomunication, everything spelled amateur from the home team''s side. Hell, the coach himself looked so clueless about how his team was destroyed by Tsunemori.


    BAM!


    "One touch!" Hirano shouted.


    "I got this, I got this!" Yuki rushed, picking up the ball. "Riku!" He shouted, sending it straight to his friend.


    "Oh! Nice pass, Yuki!"


    BAM!@@novelbin@@


    "YOSSHAAAA!"


    It was another point for Tsunemori, which also brought them closer to the win. It was pretty clear by the opponents'' bodynguage that they themselves had already given up for this game, choosing to continue just for fun. Seeing that, no wonder that even Tsunemori yers also treated the game less seriously.


    Honestly, having an easy game like this wasn''t that bad. If it was in the past, Yuki would even argue that this was the best scenario. Just let the good teams ughter each other while they get through the next round quietly by winning an easy game like this, and before anyone realized, they would''ve already been in either the top 8 or semifinal.


    However, after his blood-boiling career against so many strong opponents, facing such an easy game like this, he couldn''t help but feel¡­ Empty. It was as if something was wrong here, something important disappeared out of nowhere. As the game went by though, he realized what was it that just lost here. It was the adrenaline and excitement of having to y against a strong opponent that seemed to disappear here.


    ''Man, I suddenly know why Riku is frustrated to have an easy draw like this.'' He couldn''t help but chuckle wryly. ''It seems I am also getting addicted to a good volleyball game.''


    Still, no matter how it felt, the game still must go on. He had to y his part with his best effort here, ying as a defensive specialist while also creating nightmares for the opponent from the service line and participating in offense here and there. Also, since the opponent was pretty easy, he had a chance to try something different, like a normal attack to Riku to see how the setter fared as an attacker or how would Koji deal when he faced two or three blockers in front of him, and honestly, Yuki was satisfied with the answer he got here.


    "Nice y, Riku!"


    "Good job for thest attack! Give us more!"


    "I knew this would be an easy match, but this is just... dull," Riku muttered. "It would be hard to stay sharp for the next game if we don''t have anypetitive game before." Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Yeah," Asahi couldn''t help but ept the assessment. "But we can''t just mess around. Let''s keep ying strong, even if they aren''t putting up a fight. Besides, if we getcent, we might mess up!"


    With renewed determination, they decided to focus on teamwork and perfecting their strategies even in this easy match. This game really reminded Yuki of the Thunder''s game against Fukushima Phoenix, in which they were like the Phoenix''s shoes regarding how easily it was to dominate their opponent. They yed like a well-oiled machine, precise and urate while also waiting for the opponent to mess up.


    In the end, though, they won the game with two straight sets; 25 ¨C 5 and 25 ¨C 4, which made it the biggest win in their team''s history. However, instead of jumping up and down in excitement or roaring wildly to vent out their emotion, they just stood there on the court when the referee blew the whistle.


    "Hey, we won, but¡­" Kaede started, his voice trailing off.


    "Yeah, I know what you mean," Ogawa replied. "This wasn''t exactly a tough game, was it?" Hell, even Ogawa who always hoped to have an easy game felt something wrong with this situation.


    An awkward silence befell them since they weren''t sure how to react. Sure, they were happy that they won this game. However¡­ "I don''t want to celebrate too much. It feels so wrong to do that." Kaede stated. He winced unconsciously when he saw the opponent''s downcast expression.


    "We cannot help it, though." Asahi sighed. "I cannot believe that I would say something so outrageous like this, but this is probably the drawback of having a good draw, eh?" He smiled wanly, which elicited small chuckles from the others.


    "Okay, everyone! Gather up!" Akira shouted. All the Tsunemori yers did exactly what he said, surrounding the coach while waiting for his instruction. "Good job for today''s game! You showed your best ability on the court while never for once showing that you underestimated them! I know that sometimes, it is harder to y a game like thispared to a game against strong opponents like Konan High or Kyoei Gakuen, but the fact that you show enough respect to your opponent, which is probably the hardest thing to do here! You should be proud of yourself!"


    Some of themughed awkwardly while the others didn''t even know how to react. Akira ignored them and continued, "Also, our next game will be in the top 32, which means not a single team there is weak. Now, we are finally entering the main stage of the tournament, so I hope you prepare yourself either physically or mentally, okay?!"


    "Yes, Sir!"

 Chapter 334 Tsukiji High VS Keihin High!

    "So, this is the mighty Tsukiji High, huh?! One of the Keihin yers eximed in wonder at the crazy atmosphere inside the gymnasium. "They sure deserve their reputation. After all, what kind of school can gather about 500 people in the same building on a weekday like this?"


    Even though he tried to sound nonchnt, if anyone noticed the sweat rolling on his arms, they would know the yer was nervous. It couldn''t be helped, though. For all of them, this was their first time ying under such a crowd, and being on the opposite side sure didn''t help at all. The thought of being booed by this many people was enough to make their stomach fall.


    "Well, at least there is one yer who is excited here." One of them nced wryly at a tall,bed-haired boy who was eyeing the opponent''s eyes hungrily.


    Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire


    The boy was Sero Bato, the team''s middle blocker and Keihin''s sophomore student. Despite being in his second year in high school, he was still pretty amateur in this sport, having only been ying this for about four months. However, not a single yer from Keihin treated him like a rookie. No, everyone saw him as their beacon of light, their only hope to shine in this tournament, and the boy answered this expectation with a dominant performance in the team''s first three rounds.


    Forget about the first and second rounds, since it was against two cannon-fodder teams who didn''t even have a coach. But in thest third round, Keihin managed to win against Chiyoda High who was a regr participant in the top 16 teams, and Bato was the one who contributed the most in their win. He alone elevated Keihin''s front defense and turned them from a no-name team into something to be feared by the opponent, much like what Yuki and Riku did for Tsunemori in thest inter-high.


    However, although they had won their first two games and reached their best achievement in their history, Bato was still not satisfied. The reason was that the opponents he faced before were pretty weak. That was why the prospect of meeting a yer like Reiki excited him the most.


    "Come on, Bato-kun, don''t stare at him hungrily like that. At least, hide your bloodlust better." Morita, the outside hitter, and Keihin''s captain pped Bato''s back hard, waking the boy up from his daydreaming.


    "Ah, sorry about that, Senpai. I cannot help it." Bato rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I mean, look at him! He is so cheerful and innocent! I wonder what kind of face he would show after I break him into pieces, huh?" He licked his lips sadistically.


    Morita had a sweat drop on his face, trying his best to hide his difort from his kouhai. Although Bato was an amazing yer, there was a reason why all the Keihin yers were afraid of him. He was too feral, too sadistic to their own liking. Unfortunately, as the team''s captain, Morita couldn''t run away from the responsibility of taking care of him, so the captain could only say, "Don''t go overboard, okay? We don''t want to get you into trouble."


    "Oh, don''t worry about that. I know that if I get into trouble, I will lose a chance to have fun. I will never hinder my fun time by doing something stupid like that." Bato said once again, his eyes still wandering creepily over Reiki.


    Being stared with a tant murderous intent like that though, was definitely enough to gain Reiki''s attention. He turned around and saw how Bato was eyeing him as if he were prey, and Tsukiji''s outside hitter couldn''t help but let out a small smirk.


    ''To think that someone is brave enough to provoke me in my home court like this¡­ Interesting¡­ Let''s see how capable you are¡­''


    -0-


    After both teams spent about fifteen minutes warming up, the game was finally about to begin. The captains from both teams, Reiki from Tsukiji High and Morita from Keihin Industrial High gathered around the referee to decide who would get the right to serve first. After a quick coin toss, Keihin won the privilege, and they both offered a handshake.


    "Have a good game." Reiki nodded politely.


    "Have a good game too." Morita returned the words back.


    Right as everyone was in their initial position, a small boy with the green jersey from Keihin High grabbed the ball and walked through the service line. Yuki couldn''t help but wince when he saw how nervous the boy was. With how hard the boy''s hand was shaking, Yuki was sure there was no way the boy wouldn''t mess up this serve.


    "Poor him," Rikumented. It seemed he also saw the same thing here. "He shouldn''t be the opener here. The crowd will eat him alive."


    "Hey, don''t diminish him so easily like that! Who knows, maybe he has something special in his arsenal." Koji defended that boy.


    Riku just shrugged, turning his attention back to the court. When Keihin''s server was about to serve though, the crowd suddenly went quiet, so quiet that Yuki had to check if there was still anyone there. All the people there were holding back the urge to speak out loud, waiting for something while their eyes were on the crowd. As the referee blew the whistle and the boy tossed the ball, someone on the front line of the crowd suddenly shouted, "HA!"


    And then, hell broke loose.


    "TSUKIJI HIGH!"


    DRUM! DRUM! DRUM! DRUM!@@novelbin@@


    "Ouch, that is so devious!" Koji winced unconsciously. "To beat the taiko simultaneously right before the yer is going to serve? It is so cruel! He definitely will mess this up!"


    True to Koji''s words, the boy who served the ball got distracted at thest moment, and instead of the powerful jump the boy was expecting, he missed the ball by miles, making a fool of himself in front of more than 500 people.


    "Ahaha! Can you see that?!"


    "He misses the serve! What an idiot!"


    "What an idiot! What an idiot!"


    DRUM! DRUM! DRUM! DRUM!


    Yuki could only stare at the poor boy in pity. To make a fool of himself and be called an idiot by so many people like this was surely going to break his mind. He could see the boy looked like he was about to cry on the spot.


    "Poor him. He doesn''t deserve this." Ogawa sniffed.


    "Yeah, the crowd here is the worst." Asahi red at his surroundings as if they just kicked his puppy. "They forget that the yers down there are still high school students. This kind of embarrassment could leave a scar for the rest of their lives."


    Honestly, Yuki agreed with what his captain said. Unfortunately, this was the home court advantage for Tsukiji High, and as long as the crowd didn''t throw any racial discrimination slurs or something like that, the referee would just let them act like the biggest assholes in the world.


    "Man, I just hope Keihin could stand up for their own before it is toote."


    -0-


    Reiki had never said it out loud, but honestly, he hated how the school''s supporters acted. They were just a bunch of assholes who ganged together and target innocent high school yers who were unfortunate to be Tsukiji''s opponent. They ¨C the supporters ¨C wouldn''t hesitate to stoop low enough to resort to a dirty trick like threat, intimidation, and even humiliation to keep the opponent on the ground for as long as possible. That was why the team was the public enemy in the volleyball circle.


    However, he didn''t have the heart to make a suggestion about changing it. For one, those loyal supporters had already been there for the club even before he joined the school, and two, he got the full advantage of this dirty tactic. More often than not, ying a game as a home team would mean a quick win for Tsukiji since not a lot could withstand the pressure from the crowds. Only a few elite teams could do that, and not a single team was able to steal a win from their home court.


    Of course, it didn''t count Matsukita and Konan High. Those three always had good enough results to put them as the top-seeded teams, which meant the probability of them meeting before the top eight was little, and the from the top eight to the final, all the games would be held in a neutral ground, which was the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, that made it impossible to gain the crowd advantage. After all, those two schools were bigger than Tsukiji in terms of volleyball, so there was no way Tsukiji could best them in the quantity of their supporters.


    But yeah, back to the topic, since the team gained full advantage of this dirty tactic, Riki decided to go with the flow and enjoyed its full benefit.


    He took a deep breath, shaking his head slightly to put his focus back on the court. Now, it was Tsukiji''s time to serve, and Reiki was ready to be the first one to do that. His eyes caught the one Keihin yer who eyed him hungrily, and he couldn''t help but smirk.


    ''Well, let''s see if your skill can match your confidence here. Don''t disappoint me, Boy!"


    Reiki kept his eyes on Bato intently, wanting to test the boy. As he hit the serve though, the sound of the ball piercing the wind was enough to make everyone wince. However, to everyone''s surprise, Bato didn''t even blink, taking a step back before bending his knee a little, letting his forearms cushion the ball.


    BAM!

 Chapter 335 The New Genius in the Town, Sero Bato!

    Despite how Bato always portrayed himself as a feral boy, he was far from it. He had never fallen so low to the point of giving up his mind to enhance the beast inside him and followed his animal instinct just for the sake of a momentary improvement in the middle of the game. No, if anything, he was proven to his opponents several times that he was closer to the genius like Yuki instead of those mindless beasts who only knew how to throw a brute spike.


    Since he started ying this game, Bato has been blessed with exceptional body-to-eye coordination and observation skills that exceed any ordinary yer''s expectations. The boy knows how to utilize this ability to the optimum. Bato didn''t just use his exceptional ability in the game; he also used it to help him train to be a better yer.


    People would always find him spending his time either on the court or in front of the television, trying to figure out every mechanic necessary to master the basics of this game. Some might say it was stupid, like, watching it would be less valuable and more of wasting timepared to trying directly on the court. Letting his body feel it directly, some said.


    However, Bato didn''t care about their opinion. He knew where his advantagey, and with his exceptional observational skill, he managed to cut even half the time to train the basics so he was ready to y the game. For a guy who had only yed volleyball for half a year, his dedication to the game sure was admirable.


    That was why, with the amount of pride and dedication he carried on his back, when he saw the serve Reiki threw went straight at him without any deception in it Bato felt insulted.


    ''Are you kidding me?!'' Bato had the urge to facepalm. "Does he really think he can just destroy me with this half-ass serve?!'' (Little did Bato know that this was the fastest Reiki could pull.)


    With a scowl on his face, he didn''t even flinch, stepping back a little before letting the ball fall onto his forearms. Hell, he didn''t even need to redirect it to the setter since the serve itself was so easy to handle. However, with how offended he was, Bato decided to take immediate action. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Taiyo! Send the usual!" He shouted while running forward.


    It took only two seconds for him to recover his position from receiving the ball to jumping forward for a quick attack, which was a testament to his speed. Taiyo ¨C Keihin''s center ¨C also didn''t disappoint, sending it right in front of Bato.


    BAM!


    The sound of the ball mming on the floor was loud enough to make everyone wince. This was probably one of the few differences between Yuki and Bato. While it took Yuki a long time to build the muscle to do something powerful like this, Bato had the advantage of having his dad work as a construction worker. Even though he was still a rookie in this sport, no one doubted he packed so much power inside his body.


    "HELL YEAH!" Bato roared, silencing the crowd. "Nice pass, Taiyo! A bit shaky, but the route is perfect! Don''t be so nervous ying in front of a bunch of assholes, they cannot do anything about us!"


    Some of Keihin''s yers flinched unconsciously while the others wanted to smack Bato straight on his head for that. Provoking the home team''s supporter was never a good idea in any sport, and they didn''t know what kind of devil possessed their friend here. Fortunately, Tsukiji''s supporters were buzzing so loudly that his words were drowned immediately.


    Meanwhile, on the stand, all the Tsunemori yers jumped from their seats just like any other people there, staring at Bato with bewildered expressions. "Holy shit! Who the fuck is that guy?!" Ogawa asked in disbelief.


    "While I will not use Jimmy''s crass words to say it, I have to agree. Thises out of nowhere. He doesn''t belong to a no-name team like Keihin." Asahi added.


    Megumi herself went back to her phone immediately, searching for any information she had about the boy. "I got it!" She eximed, gaining everyone''s attention. "His name is Sero Bato, and he is a sophomore student just like most of you. His experience¡­" Megumi widened her eyes in shock as she read the information slowly. "He has none. He is a rookie."


    "¡­.. Shit!" Asahi who was always level-headed finally cursed. "So, they have their other version of Yuki?!" The atmosphere turned glum when they imagined another team had their genius at the same level as Yuki. Even though they loved the boy, that didn''t mean they weren''t frightened by him. They all witnessed the horror of how Yuki destroyed so many team''s dreams, and the prospect of having to meet someone like him was not something they looked forward to.


    "Hey, hey, aren''t you all overthinking this?" Kaede said, trying to be optimistic. "I mean, it is just one y, right?! We cannot assess his full capability with just that alone! We need to see more about him, and who knows, maybe, things are not as bad as we thought they would be."


    Well, yeah,paring Bato to Yuki seemed to be a bit stretchy here. They hadn''t even seen Bato''s full capability. The only thing they were sure of was the fact that just like Yuki, Bato managed to shine brightly even if he only trained for a few months.


    Still, it was still the beginning of the game, so they had more time to figure this out.


    The next one to serve the ball was Morita, Keihin''s captain. The crowd went quiet immediately, waiting for the boy to toss the ball before messing up his timing with their devious trick. It was clear that Morita was nervous here. After taking a deep breath, he tossed the ball slightly forward, starting to run before leaping forward to get the ball. However, as he was about to m it, the sound of the drum rang once again like before.


    DRUM! DRUM! DRUM! DRUM!


    "Shit!" He cursed. Fortunately, Morita was clever enough to change his stance from a powerful serve into an ordinary one. Even though it didn''t pose any challenge for Tsukiji yers, at least this scenario was better than the serve hitting the like before. "Everyone, get ready! Keep your eyes on them all and don''t let anyone go!" He shouted.


    Three yers on the front tensed, bracing themselves for the attack. Bato himself was calm. He was way calmer than any other yers in the court right now. He kept his eyes on everyone on the court, analyzing thoroughly inside his head where the ball would go. Before Tsukiji''s setter even passed the ball, he moved immediately, having already guessed what Tsukiji wanted to do.


    "WHAT?! He moves already?!" Riku stared in disbelief from the stand.


    It was a gamble y from Bato, a hit-or-miss strategy. If his prediction was correct, the y would blow everyone''s mind and make them all crazy. But if he mistook it, he would only make a fool of himself.


    However, Bato didn''t make a losing bet.


    "SHIT!" Reiki cursed when he saw the opponent''s blocker in front of him.


    Reiki didn''t know where the w was revealed and didn''t expect that Bato would be able to pick it up and predict that the ball would go at him even before the setter passed it first. Still, he didn''t have any choice but to deal with this messy situation quickly. He had half of his mind to create a rebound for a second attack. However, by doing that, Bato would win this confrontation, and his pride would never allow it.


    So, he decided to wait until Bato jumped to fool the boy with a dyed attack.


    ''Ha! As expected, he is still a rookie!'' Reiki hid his smirk. ''Now, I need to wait for one more second so that he has already reached his peak and startsnding before I can jump too. Now!''@@novelbin@@


    Yuki winced unconsciously from the stand when he saw Reiki manage to get the upper hand in this confrontation. That was a nasty dyed attack, and with this, Bato would lose momentum in the air, and no matter how strong he was, facing Reiki who was full of power, it was impossible for the boy to deal with it.


    Or¡­ So that was what he and everyone thought.


    However, Bato didn''t go down. He stayed in the air long enough like time seemed to freeze around him, both his hands extending far to block the shoot. The ability to hang in the air for that long was basically unheard of, and Reiki started panicking. Knowing the pair of hands wouldn''t go away that easily, he tilted his body a little, trying to change from a straight spike into a cross-attack. However, Bato managed to read him like an open book, and before Reiki could even do that, the pair of hands moved like a guillotine, ready to kill his attack.


    BAM!

 Chapter 338 Keihins Comeback!

    Morita blinked once. Twice. Then the third time, yet still did not know what to do. He heard Bato''s shout, loud and clear. However, he felt as if his feet were nailed to the ground, forcing his body to freeze as he was unable to move. However, as he was stuck in whatever void that was sucking him right now, Morita could see someone sh forward with no hesitation, and before he knew about it, the sound of the ball met a pair of hands rang loudly throughout the building.


    BAM!


    "One touch!"


    "Oh! Nice one, Hori!"


    "I got this! Taiyo, get ready!"


    Morita hadn''t even recovered his consciousness after witnessing how Hori ¨C the smallest boy in the team ¨C jumped to block Tsukiji''s opposite hitter''s attack earlier when Taiyo rushed in front of him to continue the y. Everything shed right in front of his eyes with him being the spectator, and honestly, Morita was ufortable with this.


    ''What the hell am I doing here?! All of my kouhai are working their asses off to carry this team, and here I am freezing on the spot like a stupid statue!''


    He clenched his teeth, getting angry over himself for being useless. Morita knew he wasn''t the best leader here. Hell, he was chosen only because he was the longest to serve the team since he was in the first year. He still remembered why he joined the team, and that was just for fun. He knew that Keihin was far from the best, so he had never aimed for something high in the first hand.


    However, everything changed a few months ago, when a genius boy called Sero Bato came to the team for the first time. He was like a headless chicken, so clueless about everything. However, when Morita saw the potential Bato showed just in a month, all the unrealistic dreams about him and the team making a ssh in the national tournament suddenly appeared. Morita knew it was wrong, but he couldn''t help it. The dream only intensified when the team won theirst game and advanced through the top 32 for the first time in their history.


    However, this game was a wake-up call for him. The dominance shown by Tsukiji High was enough to bring him back to earth, and when he remembered what kind of mess he was under the loud boos from the crowd, Morita felt all his hopes were gone.


    But when he saw Bato''s determination to get back on the game, something snapped inside Morita''s mind.


    Seeing the ball fly back to Keihin''s side as another attack failed to score, he finally had enough and was ready to take action.


    "TAIYO! BRING IT TO THE LEFT!" The captain shouted, raising his hand.


    All the Keihin yers were surprised when they saw their captain was back in the game again. Only Bato grinned, knowing full well that his captain wasn''t just a small fish that would drown by a wave like this.


    Morita narrowed his eyes, observing the wall set in front of him. It was pretty weak with only the opposite hitter ready to stop his attack, what with Tsukiji''s middle blocker and ace being busy guarding Bato. This was definitely what Morita needed right now.


    ''This attack has to be a sess, or my morale would drop once again. Come on, please, let me do this!''


    BAM!


    Even with Reikiing as the second blocker to support Kiyoataka, he wasn''t fast enough to cover Morita''s spike. As a result, the cross-attack Keihin''s captain did manage to pierce through Tsukiji''s left side.


    Morita panted slightly as hended on the floor. His eyes were on the ball for a few seconds, looking at it with aplicated mood. However, when his eyes met Bato''s, a wide grin spread from ear to ear as he finally realized what he had just done.


    ''I did it, huh¡­? I did it¡­ I DID IT! I FUCKING DID IT! HELL YEAH!" He didn''t know when the thought became a mumble, but thest thing Morita knew was that he roared through the sky, venting out all of his frustrations right away.


    "Goddamn, Cap! I know you have it in you!" Bato jumped on him while also ruffling Morita''s messy hair with his hand.


    "Hey, don''t be rude! I am still the captain here!" Morita scowled, yet a hint of smirk could be seen on his face.


    "Good job, Captain! Your attack is unbelievable!"


    "Hell, yeah! Even if it is just one point, at least it is a start for us!"


    "Yeah! It is time for us to stab them from their back!"


    Bato smiled a little when he saw everyone surrounding the captain. He was d that his assumption was true. Once the captain had his engine turned on again, it would also trigger the same reaction from the others. Now with all of them going back to the game, even with how harsh the crowd booed, he had a reason to believe that everything would change.


    ''Now, the real game has finally started. Bring it on, Tsukiji!''


    -0-


    "Kiyotaka-senpai, go to the middle! Get ready to attack!"


    "I got this!"


    BAM!


    "SHIT! Sorry!"


    "One touch!"


    Once Morita was out of his slump, everything went differently for Keihin. They might not be the better teampared to Tsukiji, but their resilience managed to push their opponent onto the edge. Just like this time, Neito, Tsukiji''s setter wanted to set up a quick attack, just for Bato to read it easily while the other Keihin yers rushed toward the ball to save it from falling to the ground.


    Neito scowled once again, somehow getting annoyed by how Keihin always managed to save the ball. He started to lose his patience here, and when he saw his middle blocker friend was two secondste to cover Keihin''s next attack, he finally snapped.


    "JOZU, MOVE YOUR ASS AND JUMP OR I SWEAR TO GOD ¨C !"


    BAM@@novelbin@@


    He hadn''t even finished the sentence before the setter felt the ball fly close through his face, falling right on his back. Neito had a cold sweat on his back as he realized how close his face was to getting smacked by the ball that he somehow forgot about his anger toward the middle blocker.


    "You okay, Neito?" Reiki asked cautiously. Neito could see Jozu ¨C the middle blocker he was about to scold before ¨C hiding nervously behind the captain, frightened of him. Poor boy, he was just a freshman and had to deal with this crap. Neito would feel bad about him if only his mood right now was better. "Don''t think too much about this, Neito! You know that we are still in the lead, right?" Reiki said once again to calm down the setter.


    Neito had half of his mind scowled at Reiki''s optimistic view. As much as he loved his captain, Neito was realistic enough to see the situation they were currently in. Their lead was shortened to just five points, and while usually, it was enough for them to seal the deal, they also had to face the opponent with a surge of momentum on their side after scoring four points in a row.


    So, yeah, Neito didn''t share the same optimism his captain had.


    "Whatever." After a while, Neito finally clicked his tongue. "Just remember this, Reiki. If anything wrong happened, it would cost us yourst tournament. So, treat this more seriously." He pointed out to the captain.


    "Eh, just like I said, don''t worry! We got this in our hands!" Reiki patted his back reassuringly.


    Unfortunately, the reality was far from what Reiki and Neito were hoping for. Keihin''s wave of offense was unstoppable, and it took everything they had to just get through Bato''s wall and send a spike that could tear apart Keihin''s defense like Reiki did when the game just started before. The effect the crowd had on Keihin yers also started to wear off, with all the Keihin yers managing to ignore it most of the time.


    The game waspletely on Keihin''s side, and by how it went until now, no one could deny that the away team had a chance to tie or even win the first set of the game, something that scared the shit off all the people inside the building.


    "Come on, Reiki! Wake up!"


    "Bastard! Kiyotake, don''t let them do anything they want just like that!"


    "Yeah! Where is your fucking pride?!"


    The crowd seemed to have enough after seeing theirckluster performance, and not a single Tsukiji yer could tell why they didn''t deserve this treatment. The only thing they could do right now was to y the best they could while hoping they could end this set with a win as quickly as possible.


    BAM!


    "One touch!" Bato shouted after deflecting Reiki''s spike.


    Reiki himself scowled, finally showing his frustration. This game was pretty tough for him. At first, he managed to gain an advantage against Bato just with his own speed. But now, Keihin''s middle blocker showed his monstrous talent by adapting to his speed slowly, and now they both had a simr speed which gave Bato in advantage since he was the bigger boy here.


    "Taiyo, get it to the left!"


    Reiki scowled once again when he saw Keihin''s captain was ready to attack. Besides Bato, Morita was probably the best yer Keihin had. He was creative, knew how to deal with multiple opponents, and didn''t know when to give up. Honestly, Reiki wondered how those two could end up in a no-name team like Keihin High.


    However, that wasn''t the best time to think about that.


    "Jozu, follow my lead! We jump together from one, two, now!"


    BAM!


    Even though Reiki couldn''t see the ball, by how shaken Jozu was, he knew Morita managed to destroy their wall once again, and honestly, it was so frustrating.


    "Hell yeah!" Morita roared, spreading his arms wide to get a hug from his teammates.


    "Good job, Captain! Now, we are back to tie again"


    "Come on, we can do this! Let''s win the first set!"


    As excitement was at the peak though, suddenly, there was a movement from Tsukiji''s bench, and a secondter, their libero stepped into the court, ready to join the game.

 Chapter 340 The Power of the Crowd

    The game continued after that, and Ishida''s presencepletely changed the direction of the game. Not only did the libero solidify the defense, but his new role as the emergency also caught Keihin off guard. However, it wasn''t just his presence alone that gave Tsukiji High the advantage here. Neito ¨C the setter ¨C also did something incredible by joining the front line, overwhelming Bato and Keihin''s blocker line with him being another hitter in Tsukiji''s synchronized attack.


    However, what Tsunemori yers were concerned more was the connection formed between Ishida and Neito, and how familiar it was for them to see it.


    "Yuki, Riku, that should be yourbo attack, right?" Kaede asked hesitantly.


    "Yes, it definitely is. Ishida seems to take inspiration from our attack in the training camp, Riku." Yuki said solemnly.


    Riku wasn''t worried, though. He just waved away the concern nonchntly and said, "While that was a good imitation, they cannot be as dangerous as ours, so don''t worry about it."@@novelbin@@


    "Oh? How so?" Almost all the Tsunemori yers turned around, looking at the blonde boy curiously.


    "Well, Ishida is the libero here, so no matter how good he is to set up an attack, he would never be able to join the front line. His new role only adds the number of attackers and intimidates the opponent, but that is still easy to handle. Just keep your eyes carefully on Ishida and everything should be alright." Riku exined. "On the other hand, me and Yuki''sbo attack relies on us both switching as the setter and the hitter, so the opponent would never know who will set up the y and who will hit the ball. This unpredictable factor is the biggest reason why our attack is dangerous."


    Honestly, if it didn''te from Riku, Yuki would blush in embarrassment at the praise. However, since it was Riku who said it, this was like the blonde boy was boasting about theirbination attack.


    "Oh, I am not boasting here." Riku seemed to notice Yuki''s expression. "You will see itter when Keihin''s middle blocker was able to focus back on the game again, of how easy it was to handle their new attack."


    Even though Yuki and the other were not sure, they still decided to trust their blonde friend. They didn''t have to wait for too long though, to see the truth behind Riku''s statement. After losing two more points from the new attacking scheme by Tsukiji High, Bato seemed to wake up from whatever slumber he was in before.


    In the next y, when another one of Keihin''s attacks met the wall set by Tsukiji''s yers, Bato turned his attention immediately to Ishida, staring at him intently to figure out where the ball would go.


    ''It doesn''t matter how many yers rush forward to join the front line, but as long as I can read the setter, I could stop it easily.''


    With that thought in mind, Bato moved quickly, rushing to the outside left-wing where Kiyotake tried to use Neito in front of him as a distraction to get away from Keihin''s wall.


    "WHAT?!" Kiyotake widened his eyes in shock when he saw Bato was already in front of him. Ishida also had the same reaction, and in this y, he exposed himself to be a rookie setter as he didn''t know how to adapt to this situation. "SHIT!"


    BAM!


    "YEAH!" Bato punched the air, celebrating the point he just scored from the block. "Eat that, Bastard!"


    Meanwhile, almost all the Tsunemori yers had their jaws cked, turning around simultaneously just to have to hold back the urge to smack Riku''s head as the blonde boy had the smuggest smile they had ever seen. Of course, the ssic ''I told you so'' was left unsaid here.


    "Just you wait, the momentum will shift back to Keihin after this." The blonde boy stated confidently.


    Unfortunately, Riku was never so wrong about something volleyball-rted topic like what he just said before. When all the Tsukiji yers were lost in their thoughts after even their new attacking scheme didn''t work for too long, all the supporters suddenly rose from their seats. The group of Tsunemori yers were confused for a second, yet also followed the action to not attract more attention to them.


    That was when they witnessed something incredible.


    Unlike the powerful beat used to intimidate their opponent before, the drum was yed gently now, forming a soft, beautiful melody. Then, one by one, all the people in the building took out their phones, turning on their sh before waving them softly, following themand from someone who suddenly stood in the front row.


    Walk on through the wind


    Walk on through the rain


    For your dreams be tossed and blown


    The song was sung in English, and while Yuki understood what the lyrics meant, that didn''t mean he was familiar with it. Most of the Tsunemori yers also had a simr reaction, with Okamura and Riku in shock over what was currently happening here.


    Walk on, walk on


    With hope in your heart


    And you''ll never walk alone


    You''ll never walk alone


    "Okay, I don''t know about you guys, but listening to more than a hundred people singing a song together gives me a goosebump." Ogawa shuddered a little/ "Also, does anyone know what they are singing here?"


    "That''s ''You''ll never walk alone'' from Liverpool fans," Riku stated matter of fact.


    "¡­. Bless you."


    The blonde boy''s lips twitched in annoyance at the nk gaze and stupid reply he got from his teammates. Honestly, even though not a lot of Japanese people are proficient in English, should they at least make an effort to understand anything about it at all? How could only Yuki and Okamura understand what he was saying?


    "Okay, here is a quick lesson," Riku grumbled. "I don''t know who is the one who created or sang it for the first time, but the song''s title is ''You''ll never walk alone'' and it was also used as the anthem for Liverpool''s supporters. That is a football club from Ennd, by the way."


    "Ah¡­ Is that so?" The others nodded, starting to understand. "So, what is the big deal with this song?" Koji voiced the question everyone had in their mind. After all, not a single one of them was football fans here. Well, not one, except for Okamura.


    "The song is a big deal because there is something magical about it." The libero answered the question, attracting his friends'' attention. "My dad is a big Liverpool fan, and let me tell you how crazy he is about the song. Just from his story alone, I know that this song was sung by more than 10,000 Liverpool fans in the final of the Champions League in 2005 when they were behind by three goals in the first half. In the end, they managed to level the score and won everything in the penalty shootout, and most of the yers acknowledged the role of this song to raise their morale in the middle of the game."


    All of them had their jaws cked from the revtion. The highest number of people who watched their game was when they yed against Kyoei Gakuen in thest Inter-high, and even with only about 300 students supporting them, they felt that they could beat everyone in the world. They couldn''t imagine how it felt to be the one receiving support from more than 10,000 people.


    "So, the song represents a miracle?"


    "To be exact, it represents that whatever happens, the crowd will always be there and have their back, so the yers could go all out and make them all proud."


    That was honestly a point that they had never considered before. Having no other words to say anymore, they all decided to put their cous back on the court, waiting for how the miraculous song would impact the game.


    As the crowd kept singing, all the Tsukiji yers also started regaining their spirit again. Reiki became faster, Ishida was guarding their area everywhere, and Neito became more clinical in his decision-making. However, not just them, but Keihin yers were also affected by the sudden lively atmosphere. Even Bato also made some mistakes due to the nervousness of this current situation.


    BAM!


    "Shit! Sorry, Hori! A bad block!" The genius boy cursed when he realized the ball he blocked flew into a bad spot for his teammates to cover. It wasn''t often that he created a small mistake like this on the front line.


    "I got this, I got this!" Hori ¨C Keihin''s defensive specialist ¨C moved quickly while his eyes were tracking the ball. Even though it flew outside of the court, Hori still followed it through, and before the ball could touch the floor, he swung his arms quickly to save it. "TAIYO, GET THIS!"


    "Oh! Nice receive, Hori!"


    Taiyo was about to set up a new attack when he suddenly felt his body tense for a second. The crowd was getting louder for a moment which caught him off guard. However, he was still calm enough to pass it to the captain.


    BAM!


    "SHIT!" Morita cursed when Reiki blocked his shot.


    "One touch!"


    "I got this, Captain!"


    Just like what Hori did earlier for Keihin, Ishida rushed quickly to pick up the wild ball, sending it to Neito who was ready to attack. All the Keihin yers didn''t know how, but before they could even realize it, all the Tsukiji yers ¨C even Reiki who just got involved in thest block ¨C took a quick step back, starting to run up in unison to overwhelm their opponent.


    Bato could feel his shoulder tense. He could see where the ball would go. Unfortunately, a tiny part of his mind suddenly whispered a doubt about whether this was a distraction y or not, and that moment of hesitation was enough for Tsukiji''s captain to take advantage of it tounch an unexpected quick attack.


    "OH! Nice pass, Neito!"


    BAM!


    And before Bato could even realize it, the ball had already flown past his ear, leaving the loud bang sound of it mming the floor mercilessly, sealing the first set to Tsukiji High''s win.


    Tsukiji High 25 ¨C 21 Keihin Industrial High

 Chapter 341: Final Result! Tsukijis Next Opponent!

    "Okay, it is clear by now that our next opponent will be Tsukiji High." Riku crossed his arms. "I mean, no matter how outrageous Keihin''s middle blocker''s talent is, there is no way he could carry his team on his back alone, especially after his teammates got destroyed mentally by the crowd."


    Some of his friends winced unconsciously, trying to turn their gazes away from the disoriented state on Keihin''s bench. They didn''t know how, but the moment the song ''You''ll Never Walk Alone'' was sung, all the Tsukiji yers suddenly got their ability boosted three-fold than their normal ones, and Keihin yers suddenly got sloppy and started to make mistakes.


    Well, it was a lie to say they didn''t know how. Of course, they had an idea of what happened.


    The song itself was meant to boost their team''s mental, and it did a very good job on this asion. All the Tsukiji yers buffed up and yed at a level far above what they showed before. Unfortunately for Keihin, their yers didn''t have the experience ying under such a crowd, and they started panicking. Mistakes after mistakes were made, and the more they fell, the harder it was to bounce back to the top.


    Still, this new knowledge didn''t do anything to appease their worry. If anything, this made them all feel intimidated even far before they yed against each other.


    "So, we are finally going to face what our opponent always faced before, huh?" Kaede chuckled dryly.


    "Well, we still don''t know who will have the home-court advantage." Asahi pointed out. "If we got that, we could ask the crowd to do the same to intimidate Tsukiji High too."


    "I am sorry to burst your bubble, Cap, but that is not going to happen, trust me," Kaede said bitterly. "After all, you know our luck the best. We are blessed already by avoiding a lot of strong opponents until theter stage, so there is no way luck will be on our side too this time."


    Even if most of them didn''t want to believe something superstitious like that, they all knew Kaede was right. They had already been blessed with a good drawing, there was no way whatever deity above would let them monopolize all the good luck in the world.


    "Well, it seems we need to prepare for a game under the pressure from the crowd, and maybe also a practice of how to handle synchronization and a quick attack from a literal lightning sh. Anything else to add?" Megumi asked while scribbling over her notebook. Yuki had a sweat drop on his face as he didn''t know the older girl was capable of throwing a sarcastic remark like that.


    "Oh, add one more thing." Riku suddenly chimed in. "We need to think of a way to break their momentum. We might not be able to hold the momentum for too long, but we cannot let them have it for more than two ys. You see how they y when they all are confident. I bet all the money in my pocket that their confidence state is able to match Konan High in their prime."


    Well¡­ This part was going to be more troublesome than the issues they had already discussed. While it was true they saw how fearsome Tsukiji High was when they had the momentum, snatching it wouldn''t be an easy task. They were not one of the best teams in Toyo for nothing. Even if they didn''t have a lot of good attackers, all of them had a solid defense that would be able to enter Tsunemori''s main roster instantly if they decided to change schools.


    "Oh, don''t be too depressed, will you." Megumi rolled her eyes in an exasperated manner. "We are lucky we noticed all of this five days before the game. This way, we can be much more prepared to handle this situation. Akira-sensei will also think of a way to help, and who knows? Maybe, I can also rope Sekine-sensei into this mix as well." She shrugged at thest part.


    All of the Tsunemori yers had their eyes shining at the girl while most of them were ck-jawed. While they all knew Megumi wasn''t just a glorified maid like any other manager in any sports team, to think that the girl was familiar enough with one of the best coaches in Japan to the point that she could ask him to help her team training¡­ It seemed they needed to re-assess their evaluation of Megumi here.


    "Well, whatever. The game is about to start, let''s see if we can pick more things for Akira-sensei to analyze."


    "Sure!"


    The second set started five minutester, and while Keihin wanted to take an early initiative by making a quick attack, it was unfortunate that Taiyo¡ªthe setter¡ªwas still affected by the crowd. When he was about to pass the ball to Bato, the boy flinched instantly at the sudden shout, which disturbed his concentration, and the ball slipped through his hand.


    "SHIT! Hori, get this!" Taiyo shouted.


    "Don''t worry, this is mine!"


    It was ironic how Taiyo, the setter had to get the first ball while Hori, the defensive specialist had to fill the setter role to initiate the attack. Well, no one thought about it too much, as all eyes were on Tsukiji''s line of blockers who moved in unison to block Morita''s attack.


    BAM!


    "Oh! Nice rebound, Captain!"


    "Give it to me again!" Morita raised his hand, asking for a better pass. This time, Taiyo managed to recover quickly to set up a proper pass. However, instead of giving it to Morita who got two of Tsukiji''s blockers'' attention, he sent it to the middle where Bato was ready to attack.


    BAM!


    "SHIT!" Bato cursed once again when Reiki suddenly popped up in front of him. "What a pest!"


    "Ha! Thank you for thepliment!" Reiki grinned. He recovered from his position quickly before starting his run-up, ready to participate in the counterattack. "Neito, give me a quick!" He shouted.


    After getting stopped by Reiki, of course, Bato didn''t want to let Tsukiji''s captain get away that easily. With his emotions still running high, he didn''t even consider Tsukiji''s other yers as his attention was full on Reiki. Neito took advantage of that by sending it far to the opposite wing where Kiyotake had already flown in the air.


    "Oh! Nice pass, Neito!" With only one yer from Keihin attempting to block his shot, it was easy for Kiyotake to avoid it. He just tilted his body a little, aiming for a cross-spike where no one stood there. Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire


    BAM!


    "HELL YEAH!" Kiyotake roared, celebrating the point. "Good pass, Neito! But you can be a bit faster than that, right? I still have a lot of stamina, you know?" He grinned goofily.


    "Ha! You might have the stamina, Senpai, but you don''t have the speed!" Neito retorted back.


    "Hey, that is not true!"


    "What? You mean you don''t have the stamina too?!"


    As the game went in the direction they wanted, Tsukiji yers could rx a bit, bantering with each other nonchntly. The same couldn''t be said for their opponent, though. Only Bato still had the fire in his eyes, and it was mixed with frustration. As for the others, while Morita was still willing to fight, it was clear that the thought of winning this game had already gone from his mind. He was just here to do his role as the captain to stand up until the end.


    For the others¡­ Before this, they had never thought of going too far through this stage, so the fact that they had the chance to y against one of the best teams in Tokyo was an achievement for them. Now, they just wanted to make sure they enjoyed every moment here as they didn''t know if they could achieve the same in the future.


    ''Goddamnit!'' Even though from the outside, Bato looked like he wasn''t bothered by the score, internally, he cursed all the things that happened in this game. If nothing changed at all, this was going to be the first defeat in his career, and Bato felt dreadful when he thought about that. If before, he had never thought about this, the game today was an eye-opener of how suck his teammates were. It wasn''t just because of their skill, but more of their small-team mentality. They were too quick to give up on everything and Bato was so frustrated that he was the only one who was still willing to fight. ''Shit, I still have the next year to y. If I really want to do this, I need to reform the team from scratch. Screw it, I will talk to the headmasterter.''


    Unfortunately, that was his future problem. For now, no matter how frustrated he was, Bato had to finish this game, and even if he could just ck off like his teammates, the boy didn''t want to do that. He kept running and running, jumping all over the front line to block the opponent''s attack while also moving around to attack. But it wasn''t enough. He couldn''t do it alone. His teammates really dragged him down, and finally, when Taiyo made a mistake thatnded the ball straight in front of the, the referee blew the whistle which ended the game for Tsukiji High.


    "YEAH!"


    "Good win, Reiki!"


    "Come on, Kiyotake! Nice performance!"


    "Tsukiji High! We love you!"@@novelbin@@


    As the cheers kept getting louder from the stand, all the Tsunemori yers rose from their spots, leaving the building silently. They all had this solemn expression on their face, knowing they were in for a tough game next.

 Chapter 343 Analysing the Opponent!

    "Okay, I have already given you enough time to collect your calm, so even though I know it is hard, I want you all to focus on what we are doing today, okay?!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    The next day after the announcement was released, the Tsunemori Volleyball Club gathered once again in one of the ssrooms near the gymnasium building. It was less than forty-eight hours before the game started, and while the preparation time was far from ideal for practicing any new adjustments for the next game, they still needed to listen to what Akira said about their next opponent first before charging into the game blindly.


    After making sure that whatever he was doing on hisptop was shared to the screen, Akira double-clicked one of the videos there which showed the game between Tsukiji High and Keihin High a few days ago. "I know you all have watched this game already, but watching it from the screen sometimes will give you a different perspective of how the game went by," Akira exined.


    At first, everyone didn''t know what the coach meant by that. However, fifteen minutes after they watched the record, Yuki finally realized something. ''Everything is slower and less heated than what truly happened in reality.'' He murmured, not realizing he said that out loud.


    "Exactly, Yuki!" Akira said, startling Yuki. The boy''s face flushed when he realized all the eyes were on him. It wasn''t like he was a shy boy. He had already been out of that shell, especially with this team. Still, this reaction was understandable considering how startled he was by the sudden call out from the coach. "Well, as your friend said, the video didn''t give you the information about Keihin yers'' stress for ying under such a crowd, the adrenaline rush from the supporters'' screams, and something like that. That is why everything seems to be slower than the reality. However, it allows us to observe every little detail of what happened on the court better, and that is what we are going to do right now."


    All of the Tsunemori yers straightened their backs immediately, ready for a quick analysis ss.


    "Okay, first thing first, we have their captain, Tama Reiki. I am sure you have already seen what he is capable of, right?" The simultaneous nods from the yers were the only answer Akira got. "Well, as you can see, he is fast. Really fast. Probably the fastest yer you have ever seen. I don''t think any of us can match his speed at all."


    The blunt admission made everyone cringe internally.


    "BUT!" The old man continued, "Despite his amazing speed, he is pretty much predictable. Look here, he will always point in one direction first before he spikes toward the opposite. Here, he is doing it again. He is the farthest thing you can say about a subtle yer, and this is going to be our advantage. Yes, Asahi?" He pointed his finger at the team''s captain.


    "Uh¡­ No offense, Sensei, but this habit looks so¡­ Obvious. He is a third-year yer, right? There is no way he or any other teams have never noticed this, yet he is still a dangerous attacker recognized by so many people. How could we exploit this weakness when any other teams before us couldn''t do it?"


    Yuki nodded in agreement, knowing full well that knowing the weakness wasn''t the same as learning how to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, though, Akira just waved his hand nonchntly as if what Asahi said didn''t concern him.


    "Well, if you think about one specific teammate of yours with an incredible game-reading ability, I am sure you will reach the same conclusion as me, that this is not a difficult problem to deal with, Asahi-kun."


    Yuki nodded once again, knowing that his coach was right. With a good game-reading ability, anyone could do what Bato from Keihin had done in thest game, reacting first before the setter passed the ball. Now, the question was, who was the guy with the best game-reading ability here?


    "Wait¡­" Yuki widened his eyes in realization when he noticed all the attention was on him. "You are talking about me?!" He pointed at himself in disbelief.


    Everyone facepalmed at his obliviousness. "Of course, we are talking about you, Yuki! Who do you think has the best game-reading ability among us?" Asahi rolled his eyes a little.


    "I don''t know, Maybe, Riku or Rano-senpai, right?!" Yuki tried to defend himself.


    "Well, sorry to burst your bubble, Yuki, and while I am ttered that you think I am better than you, I cannot leave the duty of setting up an attack just to stop him, you know?" Riku chimed in, trying to hide the smugness on his face. "Also, no offense to Rano-senpai, but you are always two or three seconds faster than him. So, it is a no-brainer to put you on their demon speed attacker."


    "Hn," Hirano grunted in agreement.


    "Also, you don''t have to keep your eyes on him all the time," Akira added. "When they do their synchronization attack either with their original setter or their libero, they would never give the ball to him. EVER. They would never expose their ace to a situation that puts his advantage away like that, so you can just let him go in that situation."


    "Okay, okay!" Yuki finally had enough. He didn''t know why, but the conversation seemed to turn into them convincing him why he should take the responsibility of watching Reiki. "I don''t have much choice here, right?"


    "No!" All of the yers answered simultaneously.


    Yuki huffed, crossing his arms while also pouting unhappily at the other''s reaction. Akira just rolled his eyes secretly at his childishness before continuing, "The next one we have to keep our eyes on is their setter, Hirokazu Neito. He is not a shy setter like Riku, but his basic ability as a setter is enough to enhance his teammates'' ability to attack. Coupled with his non-existent ego, he is the kind of setter that any spiker would like. But that doesn''t mean he doesn''t know how to throw a trick or two. Hirano, I don''t need to tell you this, but be careful."


    "Yes, Sir." The stoic blocker nodded firmly.


    "Then, let''s talk about their libero, Asahi." Both Yuki and Riku straightened their back since they were somehow familiar with the opponent''s libero. "He is a defensive beast who bes one of the best youngsters in Tokyo. His game-reading ability and resilience remind me a lot about Yuki, but since he doesn''t have to move forward, he could put all of his focus on the back, which makes him shine more as a defender in thest Inter-High. But I don''t think that is what you are worrying about, right?"


    "Yeah, it would be his new role as an emergency setter." Asahi nodded.


    "Oh, well, I know Riku has already told you, but I don''t think you need to worry about it too much. They might add one more yer with Neito joins the front line, but since they couldn''t use Reiki''s ability to the fullest, the result will be the same. Also, it is clear that he is a rookie setter. I mean, don''t you see he has never passed the ball to the ce where he couldn''t see it?" After watching the record once again with them focusing on Ishida''s set ball, they all widened their eyes in realization.


    "Holy shit, Sensei is right! He cannot even pass the ball to his back!" Kaede gasped.


    "So, that trick is used only to bluff and scare their opponent, huh?"


    "They are very brave, to reveal their iplete trick before facing against any strong opponent yet!"


    "That, or they are just a bunch of morons!"


    "Hey, no need to be rude here!"


    Akira let the others chat for a while before the sound of his cough interrupted their shenanigan. "Well, I am d that you are happy to hear another weakness from our opponent, but let''s talk about the other yers as well, okay?" They all looked at their coach sheepishly before going back to their seat.


    The next thirty minutes passed quickly with the entire team discussing a lot of things. They analyzed all the Tsukiji yers one by one, from their strength, weakness, and even their habits in the game. Overall, it was a productive meeting. However, when the analysis about thest yer was over, they started getting restless over the elephant in the room that hadn''t been addressed yet.


    "Uh¡­ Sir?" Asahi asked hesitantly.


    "Um? Yes, Asahi-kun? Is there something you want to add here?" Akira furrowed his brows.


    "Well, you haven''t said anything about the crowd, Sir, which we will probably struggle to face in the next game." The captain reminded him kindly.


    "Oh, yeah! How could I forget about that!" Akira pped his foreheadically.


    Honestly, this should be the first thing addressed in this meeting. After all, based on the yers only, all the Tsunemori members were confident they could beat Tsukiji High. However, ying under about 500 of the opponent''s supporters would definitely affect them in a bad way, especially considering this would be their first full-house away day. Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire


    "I have already talked with the headmaster about this, and while it might not help too much, I am sure you will appreciate the gesture," Akira exined. All the yers looked at each other, confused about what he was talking about. However, before anyone could ask, Akira''s phone was buzzing, and when he checked the new message he received, the old man''s face lightened instantly. "Well, I know you all are confused here, but I am not the best person to exin it."


    "So, who will exin it to us?" Asahi clicked his tongue a little, starting to get annoyed.


    After that, though, the ssroom''s door suddenly opened violently, and when all of them turned around, they all widened their eyes at the sight of a girl they were familiar with. "That would be me, Asahi-kun. Long time no see." She smiled prettily.@@novelbin@@


    For a moment, there was a silence over the room before someone ¨C no one recognized who ¨C broke it with a shout, "Sugawara-senpai? What are you doing here?!"

 Chapter 345 Game Starts! Tsukiji Highs Gambling Strategy!

    "Yuki, where have you been?!" Riku greeted him when the sses boy came back from his business. "Everyone is looking for you, you know?!"


    Yuki just raised one of his eyebrows slightly at that. "What do you mean everyone is looking for me? I told you before leaving that I was going to the restroom, right?" He asked. Koji and Kaede were startled, then looked at each other sheepishly as they forgot about that.


    "Anyway!" Asahi coughed, trying to get everyone''s focus back on the game. "Let''s start doing our warmup first, Akira-sensei has been waiting for us."


    "Sure!"


    Yuki pulled off the jacket he wore, shivering a little at the cold air that just pierced through his bone. Even though the building was filled with about 500 people, that didn''t change the fact that it was November, and the temperature outside started to drop drastically to the point it was about to reach one digit. Having to warm up with the short-sleeve jersey was a nightmare not just for him but also for everyone.


    "Come on, you all! Don''t be such a baby!"


    "Yeah, this is just a winter! You know what they say, right?! We are all the children of the wind!"


    "Oh, shut up!" Koji groaned, ring sharply at the team''s own supporters who started mocking him and his teammates. "You don''t have the right to say that! You are here with aplete set of hiking clothes, for God''s sake! Where do you want to go, Fuji-san?!"


    Yuki sighed in exasperation at the sight of Koji and his other senpai started bickering with the crowd. A small part of his mind thought that this was a mistake, but when he saw how everyone forgot about the pressureing from Tsukiji''s supporters, Yuki knew the crowd brought by Arina Sugawara was here to help the team.


    "Come on, don''t stand here like a stupid. Let''s start warming up." Riku patted Yuki''s back. The sses boy nodded before following his friend to the court, starting to pass around the ball while he also kept moving his body to warm it up. Still, he couldn''t put his concentration to the fullest, especially when he remembered what Ishida said before.


    ''Don''t be surprised when I see it in the court? Do they have something dangerous they haven''t shown yet before? If so, is that a new strategy or a new yer?''@@novelbin@@


    The thought kept spinning over his head without any answer came out of his mind. After a while, Yuki finally gave up thinking about it, knowing that there was no way he could prepare for the surprise if the opponent managed to hide it until now.


    ''Let''s deal with that when the surprise reallyes. For now, I need to focus on the game first and not let the crowd distract me. Come on, I can do this!''


    -0-


    Thirty minutes passed quickly, and without anyone noticing it, everyone was ready to start the game. Some of the yers were still chatting around in a rxed manner while the others were doing their ritual thing in an attempt to lock into the game as quickly as possible. Overall, though, twelve yers from both teams were on the court already, and they couldn''t wait to start the war.


    Yuki himself was currently standing on the top left of Tsunemori''s side, waiting for the result of the coin toss between two captains. If Asahi won, he would go back to the service line to open the game.


    However, that wasn''t what he was thinking right now. No, what invaded Yuki''s mind was Tsukiji''s current roster. ''They put their middle blocker on the bench and use Ishida from the start of the game? It seems they want to deal with my service as quickly as possible.''


    Yeah, while it was allowed, using the libero from the start of the game wasn''t thatmon. By doing so, Tsukiji High was basically telling Tsunemori that they knew how dangerous Yuki''s serve was. Still, while this adjustment was umon, it wasn''t that impressive for Ishida to put it as their secret weapon. So, Yuki was still wondering what gave Ishida the confidence to challenge him earlier.


    ''Well, it doesn''t matter. If it is really that dangerous, I am sure I will see it soon.''


    A momentter, Asahi went back to Tsunemori''s side and asked for his teammates to gather around. "I lose the coin toss." Informed the captain.


    "Damn, it''s a pity that we cannot take initiative from the beginning." Koji groaned.


    However, based on the solemn gaze on Asahi''s face, the other yers knew there was something else that the captain hadn''t said yet. "Okay, spill it, Asa. Why are you so gloomy just from losing that stupid coin toss?" Hirano growled. Honestly, if not for the tense atmosphere around, everyone would have been surprised by this since it was probably the longest sentence they hearding from Hirano for a long time. Unfortunately, they had no luxury for that right now.


    "They choose to serveter." Asahi sighed, finally dropping the bomb.


    A pin-drop silence befell among the Tsunemori yers as they were trying to make sure they heard it correctly. "Are you sure about that? I mean, why the hell would they give us the initiative here?" Koji asked in disbelief.


    "Except¡­ They want to shoot our psychological state since the beginning." Riku widened his eyes in realization. "By taking care of Yuki''s serve straight away, they want to show us that our best weapon is nothing in front of them, and that would definitely kill some of us here. They are confident they could take whatever Yuki is about to throw here."


    All the eyes suddenly turned to Yuki, looking at the sses boy worryingly. In return, Yuki just pushed his sses upward, letting them hide his cerulean eyes as he replied, "Well, let''s see if they are really ready for me or if it is just a bluff."


    -0-


    A minuteter, the game was finally about to start with Yuki on the service line. All the Tsukiji yers tensed, worrying about whether the gamble would pay off or not.


    Yes, this was a gambling strategy they chose after analyzing Yuki''s service style for hours. They knew by now that Yuki would always start his routine with a weak yet urate into a tricky spot one and used it to build momentum before the sses boy would reveal more of his powerful serve in his arsenal. Tsukiji High didn''t want to allow Still, knowing that fact didn''t mean they could underestimate Yuki.


    ''Never lower your guard when he is in the service line. He is always full of tricks, and underestimating him will be our downfall.''


    Even though it was Ishida, a freshman libero who said that, all the Tsukiji yers still took it seriously. After all, they knew about Yuki''s rising reputation and how he dragged a no-name team like Tsunemori into the limelight. Still, they put their focus too much on Yuki, somehow forgetting about the other Tsunemori yers, which of course, Yuki would notice.


    ''''Oh, look at that. They put their focus too much on receiving my service. It seems they underestimate my senpai, which would be their mistake.''


    As the referee blew the whistle, Yuki threw the ball immediately, catching the crowd off guard. While the opponent had already known about his serve straight after the blow trick, the crowd was still unfamiliar with him, making themte to do any distraction like what they usually did.


    Thud!


    "Oh! Nice receive, Kiyotake!"


    "Shit! Cover it up!"


    The serve itself came close to the sideline, which managed to trouble Kiyotake as the opposite hitter thought for a second that the ball was about to go out. Of course, Yuki would never aim it straight at Ishida. He knew how capable the libero was, so to take a risk and target him when the game just started would be a stupid decision.


    "I got this!" Neito shouted, eyes on the ball. "Reiki, move!" He tossed a quick pass to the front line where the captain had already been in the air. Hirano himself managed to jump in time as he knew full well that the blitz attack wasing. This was the result of the intelligence brought in thest game.


    Honestly, for Reiki, one blocker was easy to deal with. Even though he didn''t pack a lot of power, he made it up with his creativity. A one-on-one battle like this was never a problem for him. However, when he just tilted his body and was about to spike the ball, someone from Tsunemori''s side suddenly charged into the front side like lightning, leaping forward to help Hirano form a two-man wall to stop the attack.


    ''SHIT!''


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t change his stance anymore in the air, and in the end, Reiki had to try spiking the ball forcefully, which was easy for the blockers to stop.


    BAM!


    For a moment, all the eyes turned into Tsunemori''s blockers, watching the two boysnding on the floor with their jaws cked. What surprised them the most was the fact that Yuki was already there even after doing the serve on the back side, which showed that his speed was not inferior to Tsukiji''s captain.


    Amidst the silence, it was Yuki who finally broke it with an infuriating smirk on his face. "So, you want to shut me up as quickly as possible, huh? Let me see whether you can do it or not. Come on, Tsukiji High!"

 Chapter 347 The Home Team Fights Back!

    "The game seems to turn out to be more chaotic than we are expecting, huh?" A middle-aged guy who was blending with the crowd leaned his body back against the seat as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "But I have to give a hat-off to your boy, Hasebe-san. He knows how to handle the crowd and his serve is as good as you have talked about. He would be a good addition to the team."


    The man called Hasebe nodded in agreement as he said, "Kobayashi-kun has already proved that he is a capable yer. The only thing left untested is his adaptability when ying at a higher level, something Tsunemori High or even Tokyo Thunder U-19 couldn''t provide for him. It is a pity since he would never consider moving to a better team."


    Those two men were Ida Hasebe and his assistant, the main guys who were responsible for the national team U-17. They both came here to observe mainly three yers; Yuki and Riku from Tsunemori and Ishida from Tsukiji High. This was just to check the boys'' progress since Hasebe himself had already known those three''s qualities from the training camp held in Konan Highst summer.


    "Still, isn''t this a bit too much?" Asked the assistant. "I mean, this is just the fourth round and we have a full-house game like this, and that is not to mention how crazy the supporters from both teams are. I don''t know that volleyball is that popr."


    "Oh, trust me, it is not because of the sport''s poprity." Hasebe snorted. "I don''t know about Tsunemori, but this is just how Tsukiji High is. It doesn''t matter what kind of sports tournament is ying. It can be football, basketball, hell even archery. Their headmaster will go all out in order to support his students when they have a tournament like this."


    "So, a fanatic, huh?" The assistant hummed. "Well, with that kind of support, do you think they can ovee this situation before it is toote?" He asked, pointing his finger at the ring ''4 ¨C 0'' written on the scoreboard.


    For that, Hasebe just smirked and replied, "Oh, don''t worry. They are ying in front of their crowd, and they are the type of team who will get better the louder the supports are." As he said thest part, his voice was drowned immediately by the cheers as most of the people around them rose. "You will see it soon, I am sure."


    -0-


    "TSUKIJI HIGH! TSUKIJI HIGH! TSUKIJI HIGH SCHOOL!"


    The sound of the supporters chanting apanied by the drum to make it seem louder echoed all over the building. The referee red at Reiki for this, to which Tsukiji''s captain just replied with an innocent shrug. Everyone knew that while the noise was disturbing, it wasn''t a good enough reason to warrant the game to be dyed again. So, after the staring contest between Tsukiji''s captain and the referee, thetter finally sighed in defeat.


    ''Go on, continue the game.'' The referee signaled Yuki to get ready on his spot.


    Yuki just gave the man a small nod before taking a deep breath, trying to put his concentration back on the game. While the short break was enough to break his momentum, the sses boy tried his best to gain it back soon. He waited for the referee to blow the whistle before tossing the ball immediately for a quick serve.


    DRUM! DRUM! DRUM! DRUM!


    ''Tch!'' Yuki scowled as he somehow forgot about the distraction from the crowd. Fortunately, he managed to adjust his body while in the air to change from almost doing a floater into an ordinary serve, not wanting the ball to stick into the.


    Thud!


    "Oh! An easy serve! I got it!" Neito shouted as he was the closest to the ball.


    This action alone was enough to catch Yuki''s attention as the memory of the intelligence meeting with the team suddenly shed in his head. ''Remember, if it is the libero who sets up an attack, you don''t need to keep your eyes on their captain, but join the front line and help Hirano and Asahi to build a wide wall. Do you understand?''


    Now that Neito was forced to receive the first ball, Yuki was sure the only one who could set up an attack on Tsukiji''s side was Ishida. As the libero stepped forward while also taking a nce at the separating line repeatedly, Yuki joined the front side immediately as Akira instructed a few days ago.


    "Senpai, get ready! Keep your eyes on the far side ¨C No! A back attack! Jump!"


    BAM!


    ''Ouch, that must be hurt.'' Yuki winced. Even though Yuki couldn''t see it, he could feel Asahi flinched a little at the impact of the spike. While it was far from the most powerful one Tsunemori''s captain had ever faced, it seemed the boy messed up the timing, and as a result, the ball itself hit straight to his finger.


    Unfortunately, Asahi''s sacrifice meant nothing as the ball slipped through the narrow gap between him and the, and while he tried to move his leg to kick the ball and let it fly, it was clear he wasn''t used to doing that, which resulted in the ball to bounce far away from Asahi''s spot.


    "OH! Nice spike, Banjo!"


    "Banjo! Banjo! You got it, Banjo!"


    While the opposite hitter ¨C Banjo ¨C was basked under the crowd''s praise, Asahi apologized to his teammates immediately. "Rano, Yuki, sorry, I mess up the timing. It is on me." Admitted the captain.


    "Eh, don''t fret over it, Captain. The game is still early, no need to dwell over something that will be forgotten soon." Yuki waved his concern nonchntly.


    "Hn." Even though it was only a grunt, by the shine of his eyes, Asahi knew Hirano also agreed with Yuki''s statement.


    After a while, the situation finally got under the ref''s control, and after that, it was Reiki''s turn to serve. The golden boy grinned widely as he walked through the service line with such confidence, even waving his hands cheerfully ¨C either that or mockingly ¨C to Tsunemori''s supporters.


    ''Oh, yeah, even if he is an amazing yer, his arrogance knows no bond.'' Yuki smiled wryly. While he knew ¨C or guessed ¨C that Reiki would never do something like that, the confident air surrounding him was enough to get all the Tsunemori yers under the skin. Now, everyone was determined to knock Reiki down even if it was thest thing they could and would do in the world.@@novelbin@@


    "Reiki! Give us a good serve!"


    "Come on, Captain! Show us why you are here!"


    Yuki took a deep breath while he watched Reiki, which was about to take action. Reiki moved almost in slow motion in Yuki''s perspective, which made it easier to predict. Fortunately, Yuki came prepared for this. With quick eye contact between him and Kaede, he told his senpai to move one step back, getting ready for a powerful serve.


    BAM!


    Unfortunately, while Reiki had the speed, he was still a bit worse in power development. Yuki didn''t need to do something fancy here, just put his forearms in the air while waiting for the ball to fall on it.


    "Oh, yeah! Nice receive, Yuki!"


    "Riku, give me the ball!"


    Koji and Asahi moved in unison, trying to spread Tsukiji''s line of blockers thin. With them attracting the opponent''s attention, Hirano also tried to sneak forward for a middle attack. The tri-pronged attack was a deadly weapon the Tsunemori team had, especially with Yuki as the initiator. Anything could happen here, which made the Tsukiji yers on the other side of the court tense in anticipation.


    BAM!


    Unexpectedly, Riku decided toe up with an unconventional attack, which was a middle quick to Hirano. Unfortunately, Ishida had already read that which made it easy for the libero to react. He didn''t even move his body, just leaning it to his left side while extending his left arm to reach the ball.


    "Oh! Nice save, Ishida!"


    "I get this! Move!" Neito waved his hand,manding his other teammates to get ready for a counterattack.


    As if wanting to imitate Tsunemori''s attack, Kiyotake, Banjo, and Reiki moved simultaneously in the exact same manner as how Asahi, Koji, and Hirano did a moment ago. Hirano himself moved back immediately, recovering from thetest attack. He joined Asahi to track Banjo and Kiyotake''s movement, ignoring Reiko who they knew the ball would nevere to in a synchronization attack like this.


    "Rano, get ready! One! Jump!"


    BAM!


    It was a perfect blockade from those two, covering the route for Banjo to do a cross spike. They managed to force the opponent''s opposite hitter to go for a straight spike. With Kaede waiting there, in theory, it was a perfect defense to stop any attack from the opponent. However, what they didn''t count was the mental state of their teammate.


    Yeah, the antagonistic noises from the crowd managed to get on Kaede''s nerves and made his movement sloppy. As a result, facing an attack that should''ve been easy for him to handle, the team''s defensive specialist messed up his timing and jumped too quickly to get the ball, which made it hit the area below his shoulder awkwardly before bouncing far outside of the court, giving the second point for Tsukiji High in this game.


    Tsunemori High 4 ¨C 2 Tsukiji High

 Chapter 349 Everything Goes in Tsunemoris Favor!

    "Damn, how could we lose so badly against those runts?!"


    "I know, right?! How could we let those fucking trash be arrogant in our home?!"


    "Oi, Reiki! What the hell are you doing there?! Waku up!"


    "Have a spine, boys! You are here to represent Tsukiji High, not some fucking third-rate school!"


    "Yeah!"


    Tsukiji''s supporters seemed restless as they witnessed how their team couldn''t do much as they were dominated by their opponent. The cheers and support they showed before slowly became criticism, and without anyone knowing who started it, things changed into mocks and insults. Things seemed to spiral down quickly for Tsukiji High as now they were the ones who received the pressure from the crowd.


    "Damn, that is harsh," Asahimented. "If I don''t know anything about it, I will never guess they are the same group as the one who sang ''You''ll Never Walk Alone'' together to raise their team''s morale in thest game."


    "The circumstance is different, though." Riku chimed in. "In thest game, they still yed well before they got overwhelmed by their opponent. But now, they haven''t even shown anything worth seeing yet as we whoop their asses since the beginning, and no matter how loyal their supporters were, they still had the right to be dissatisfied when they saw a disappointing performance like this."


    Everyone turned their head to the blonde boy, surprised by the insightful opinion. "What?! I grew up in Italy a country that is so crazy passionate about football. Even though it is not a volleyball, the supporter''s behavior is always the same everywhere, full of crazy lunatics like them." Riku shrugged.


    Well, that exined a lot. With how Riku perfectly mixed up with everyone in the school, sometimes it was easy to forget that he didn''t grow up in the same country as them. Hell, he didn''t even have a foreign ent or any habit of saying foreign words at all in his daily life!@@novelbin@@


    "Oi, Tsunemori!" The referee suddenly called them out, snapping everyone from their discussion. "Go back to your position and start the game again quickly! Don''t waste everyone''s time here!"


    "Yes, Sensei!" All the Tsunemori yers walked back to their positions sheepishly, clearly forgetting that they were in the middle of the game.


    With the pressure on Tsukiji High, at least Tsunemori''s yers could take a breath here, especially Kaede. While he would never say he enjoyed being the object of insults, being the spectator was definitely a different thing. He somehow enjoyed how Tsukiji yers squirmed under their own supporters'' scolds, forgetting that it was him who suffered the same a few moments ago.


    Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire


    Riku himself was d that the attention wasn''t on him anymore. While the noises didn''t bother him too much, getting called out suddenly was enough to break his concentration. With this situation, at least he could put his full concentration on the serve.


    FWEEE!


    As the referee blew the whistle, Riku tossed the ball slightly before taking a huge leap through the air. Even in the air, he could still have his eyes wandering around to find a hole in Tsukiji''s defense. However, as he swung his arm, the sound of the drum was heard again at thest second.


    DRUM! DRUM! DRUM! DRUM!


    BAM!


    "Tch!" Riku clicked his tongue in annoyance. While the serve was still powerful enough to break any subpar yer''s defense, the drum broke his concentration, and as a result, he identally sent the ball straight to Ishida''s hand.


    "Oh! Nice receive, Ishida!"


    "As expected from our guardian deity, our genius rookie, ISHIDA!"


    A time like this reminded Riku ¨C and Yuki ¨C that Ishida was here as a libero first before he was the second setter of Tsukiji High. His defensive ability was close to the best even in the summer camp they joinedst summer.


    "Neito, quick!"


    Reiki rushed from the right back, asking for a pass. He was eyed by Asahi, Hirano, and Yuki who were ready to knock down any attacking in their direction. Those three also tried their best to hide Kaede subtly to protect the defensive specialist while also diver the attention from him.


    However, Hirano suddenly widened his eyes and jumped straight away, ignoring the two teammates next to him. Asahi and Yuki were surprised by the sudden act, but when they saw Kiyotake snuck from their blind spot through the area between Neito and Reiki, they cursed simultaneously.


    "FUCK!"


    BAM!


    "OH, YEAH!" Kiyotake clenched his fist tightly as he saw the ball fall behind Tsunemori''s blockers. Even though Asahi and Yuki also reacted, they two were one or two secondste to cover the area in front of them, and with only Hirano trying to stop him, it was easy for Kiyotake to avoid the wall. "Ha! Eat that, you po-faced bastard!"


    Some of the Tsunemori yers winced at the insult thrown at Hirano. It wasn''t because of the insult, per se, but what was implied behind it. Usually, the game Tsunemori yed would be a quiet one with both teams trying to let their skill talk. All the provocations were delivered indirectly with roars from the sessful y and something simr to that, but they had never faced a direct provocation in the middle of the game like this.


    Well¡­ Maybe one when they yed against Kyoei Gakuen. But other than that, this direct mind game by Tsukiji High was definitely unfamiliar territory for Tsunemori.


    "Sorry, that was my fault," Hirano admitted quietly. "I should''ve said anything rather than acting alone like that."


    "Eh, don''t fret over it, Rano!" Asahi patted the blocker''s back reassuringly. "You did a good job before! It is our fault that we cannot see him sneaking around before it is toote." The others also nodded in agreement. They all knew Hirano had trouble inmunication, so no one med him for this point.


    After talking with each other for a moment, all the yers went back immediately to their positions and didn''t want to get scolded by the referee again. The privilege to serve was back to Tsukiji once again with Kiyotake walking to the service line. However, unlike in the past when he or any Tsukiji yers could just rx and serve the ball, this time, there was a lingering fear that he would face what his opponents usually faced, and looking at the small group of Tsunemori''s supporters who were waiting eagerly to toss the ball, Kiyotake knew what was going to happen next.


    ''Well, no need to take a risk here. Better be steady when everything is still unstable.''


    With that thought in mind, Kiyotake sent a regr, weak serve that elicited disappointed groans from Tsunemori''s supporters. They all were hoping that Kiyotake would be stubborn enough to challenge them, but it seemed Tsukiji''s opposite hitter had more brains than they believed.


    "I got this! Move!"


    Thud!


    As the weak ball wasing, Kaede moved immediately to get the ball. Even though it was Yuki who was the closest, the sses boy still let his senpai handle it, letting the defensive specialist regain his confidence.


    Yuki didn''t just stand there and do nothing, though. He nced sideways and met Riku''s eyes for a split second before they both moved in unison. Tsukiji''s blockers who saw the interaction flinched unconsciously, especially after Yuki and Riku approached each other. Now, with those two doing this, all the Tsukiji yers were forced to y a game of ''Guess who will set the ball'' with the answer that could only be known after everything was over, and it wasn''t exaggerating at all.


    Just like this time, after they both got close to each other, Yuki suddenly stopped and took a sharp turn to the left wing, letting Riku handle the ball. However, instead of passing it to Yuki or any other Tsunemori yers, the blonde boy took his chance to jump directly and execute the ball as quickly as possible.


    BAM!


    "Oh, yeah!"


    "Nice spike dump, Riku!"


    "Damn, that is a nasty one!"


    "Good run, Yuki!" Amidst the praises from his teammates, Riku didn''t forget to give Yuki the flowers the boy deserved. "Show them that you are not just a monster service!"


    "I am sure by now everyone knows that I am not just a one-pony trick." Yuki rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Anyway, good job for the spike! Not a single one knows about what you are going to do until thest second. Maybe, you can hone this subtlety for the future?"


    "Bah! Subtlety is overrated and for a mediocre one!" Riku scoffed. "Instead of doing something useless like that, you should just learn about bluffing and intimidating. Far more useful in my opinion." Yeah, Yuki could see where his friend came from. Riku''s ying style was basically built revolving around his big mouth too, so of course, he would find the mind game to be appealing.


    "Anyway, let''s go back to our position! I don''t want the ref to scold me one more time!"


    After that, it was Kaede''s turn to serve. However, bless Akira and his thoughtfulness, because the coach decided to put Ogawa as the pinch hitter in a situation like this. While the game was still far from over and anything could happen, putting a more stable yer was definitely a good thing if they wanted to prolong their momentum.


    "Okay, Jimmy! Stay calm and don''t forget to take a deep breath!"


    "Don''t worry about messing this up, everyone makes a mistake!"


    "Yeah, Dude! Just show your best here!"


    With that kind of encouragement, of course, Ogawa''s spirit was at its peak, and it was reflected by his sunny appearance. Hell, he even dared to wave his hand to Tsukiji''s yers, making everyone freeze for a second before some of them thought how many pieces were left for them to bring the boy back home.


    However, as Ogawa was in the service zone, everything seemed to die instantly. He had his full concentration on this confrontation, and no matter what kind of insult was thrown outside, there was no way he would let this affect him.


    ''If I can do good here, who knows? Maybe, I will get back my spot in the main roster.''


    With that thought in mind, Ogawa didn''t hesitate to toss the ball in the air after the referee blew the whistle. Some yers ¨C Yuki and Riku who didn''t join their summer camp ¨C had their eyes widened in shock when they saw Ogawa do a jump serve. They still didn''t know how it would go, however, just by Ogawa''s stance when he was in the air alone, both freshmen could only think of one thing.


    ''Damn, that is so badass!''


    BAM!

 Chapter 350 A New Threat, Michael Wang!

    Ogawa would never be a shy yer. No matter how much he hoped he could be like Riku, after two years of ying with this team, it was a fact that he had acknowledged with peace. If anything, he was more of a yer who could bring calm to his teammates. He was one who came to stabilize everything, and he embraced the role perfectly, just like him embracing his new nickname, Jimmy, the ordinary one.


    However, that didn''t mean Ogawa would give up just like that. No, if anything, he worked harder to train for something shy so that he could also put pressure on the opponent''s side, not just reassure his teammates. One of the practices he had was a jump serve, trained personally by Hisashi and the other alumni during the summer training camp.


    Of course, his level was still not good enough. Out of 10 attempts, four still couldn''t cross the, and while he got the power, Ogawa still had a hard time aiming it to any spots he wanted. Still, that didn''t mean he couldn''t use it, though. Especially, in a time like this, a stable, powerful serve was like a good blessing for either team.


    ''This might not be able to score a direct point, but at least I hope it can break their defense formation.''


    BAM!


    Ogawa felt smug when he saw Yuki and Riku stared at him in awe. He knew based on what the alumni said that his service form was one of the most perfect forms they had ever seen, and to have the two talented boys on the team admiring it was a boost to his confidence. However, the end product of his service was apletely different story.


    Thud!


    ''Ouch!'' Ogawa winced when he saw the ball stuck in the. Fortunately, it rolled slowly over the before falling through Tsukiji''s area. ''Nice!'' And since it fell to the front side, Reiki had to be the one to pick it up as he was the closest to the ball.


    "Damn! Kiyotake, follow it up!"


    "I got this!"


    The situation was a bit chaotic since two of Tsukiji''s front-line yers fought so hard to keep the ball floating. Kiyotake managed to save the ball, but his action only made it fly backward. The wild ball caught everyone off guard, but Ishida managed to react quickly as he turned around and dove, one arm extended far to reach the ball before he flicked it with all of his strength to return the ball to Tsunemori''s side.


    "Oh! Nice recovery, Ishida!"


    "No, it is not over yet! Keep your eyes on the ball!" Ishida shouted, trying to get up and recover from his position as soon as possible.


    Yeah, even though he managed to save the ball, Ishida couldn''t let his guard down yet. After all, the ball he returned was weak and easy, giving Tsunemori a chance to attack them once again.


    Of course, Riku would never let this chance slide. When he saw the libero was still down on the floor, the blonde boy made a quick decision to capitalize on this chance by handling the first touch by himself to set up a quick attack. Yuki who had been ying together with him knew his intention even before the ball came as the sses boy followed his movement by rushing forward while waiting for the ball toe.


    BAM!


    In the end, Yuki mmed the ball straight to the spot where Ishida just gotten up from thest y, knocking down the libero which resulted in the ball flying far outside of the court.


    "YOSSHAAA!" Yuki roared, followed by the cheersing from Tsunemori''s supporters. His eyes then caught Kiyotake and Reiki who failed to react to his quick attack and he couldn''t help but shout, "This is the payback for Rano-senpai earlier, Bastard!"


    Everyone ¨C even Tsunemori yers ¨C was stunned at that to react properly. After all, Yuki was probably the calmest dude on the team, so it was a sight to see him provoking the opponent directly like that. It seemed he was caught by the heat of this game and somehow slipped from that.


    However, this ignited the tension one more time. Tsukiji yers didn''t expect Yuki to be so bold like this, and it made them ufortable. .If they didn''t retaliate, their own supporters would go for their throat for their cowardness. Of coure, Tsunemori wouldn''t stay silent like that. They tried their best to protect Yuki from getting targeted by the opponent to the point that they asked Akira to rece him and calm his emotion first.


    However, while Okamura had a simr capability in defense as Yuki, Akira didn''t want to waste the rotation here, especially when one rotationter, Hirano had to y from the backside. The other yer on the bench was also not reliable enough since Kaede was still getting eaten by his nerves right now. In the end, Akira crossed his arms and made an ''X'' signal that told all of his yers that there was no substitution here.


    As a result, the game sumbed to chaos in the next moment.


    -0-


    "NEITO, GIVE IT TO ME! LET ME KILL THAT BASTARD NOW!"


    "Jimmy, cover the left! Don''t let him go straight!"


    BAM!


    "Oh, nice block, Jimmy!"


    "No, don''t take our eyes away from the ball! It ising again!"


    BAM!


    "Oh! Nice receive, Yuki!"


    "Riku, right side! Right side!"


    BAM!


    "YOSSHAAAA!"


    Toru Oniki felt his hair would turn greyer as he watched how the game went. He was the head coach of Tsukiji High, and to say he was unhappy with this development was an understatement. Not only his yers were dragged into Tsunemori''s rhythm and did not realize it, but they even lost control of their emotions, charging blindly like a bunch of mad dogs.


    This was probably the worst-case scenario for his team right now.


    ''Should I call a timeout to kill Tsunemori''s momentum? No, that would only slow them down, but the momentum would still be them. Also, the supporters wouldn''t be too happy if I did that.'' Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire


    In a time like this, he really showed his vulnerability as a rookie coach by not wanting to call a timeout. After all, he forgot a short pause would be able to let him calm his yers down and make them realize their sloppiness on the court.


    Still, that didn''t mean he was an amateur who didn''t know what to do. He kept racking his brain for a moment before the corner of his eyes caught someone on the bench stiffening a big yawn, a sign of someone who had just woken up from his sleep. Oniki frowned for a moment at the boy before his eyes widened in realization.


    ''How could I be so stupid like this?! I still have him here!'' He pped his forehead stupidly. However, after that, his excitement rose astronomically as he shouted, "Wang, get up! It is your turn to y! Go there and change the game for us!"


    The boy called Wang who just yawned in his seat suddenly had a massive grin on his face, a feral grin formed there. "So, you are finally going to let me y, huh? Good choice, Sensei."


    -0-


    "Substitution for Tsukiji High! Number 12 was reced by number 34!" The referee suddenly announced.


    All the Tsunemori yers furrowed their brows at the sudden announcement. Tsukiji''s number 12 was an outside hitter who spent almost the entire game doing nothing and just running around blindly, not someone they should be worried about. However, the new yer with the number 34 was apletely different breed here.


    "Holy shit, he is so tall!" Ogawa widened his eyes in shock. "How could there be a yer as tall as him without anyone knowing about him?" The question was echoed by the other Tsunemori yers.


    The boy they mentioned was probably the tallest person in the building. Even from afar, Yuki tried to measure the boy''s height andpared it with him, and to his surprise, he was just as tall as the boy''s shoulder.@@novelbin@@


    "He should be over 200 cm, right?" Yuki whispered to Riku, uncertain.


    "Yes, and he has muscles too." The blonde boy nodded with the same solemnity. Yuki flinched when he saw the board shoulder and jacked forearms the new boy had, which could be tranted as another heavy hitter for Tsukiji High. He wondered how a yer with such a perfect athletic body like this went under everyone''s radar. ''Is this what Ishida meant when he talked about their secret weapon?'' He mused.


    Yeah, even with his huge presence, not a single being in the building knew anything about the new boy. Everyone ¨C even Tsukiji''s supporters were confused at the boy''s identity. Hell based on Akira''s confusion, all the Tsunemori yers knew this was the boy''s first appearance in the volleyball circle in Japan. It seemed Tsukiji High did a good job keeping things under the wrap until they really needed it.


    As the boy noticed the silent awe he saw from his opponents, he suddenly smiled ferally and introduced himself in English. "My name is Michael Wang, and I am an American-Chinese student transferred from Das. Let''s have a good game, okay?"

 Chapter 352 The Start of a Counterattack! (I)

    After recovering from the shock Michael Wang gave, Akira didn''t waste his time to take a timeout here, knowing full well that it was what his yers needed the most right now. He could see most of them were in a daze as they were still in disbelief, and honestly, he couldn''t me them. Michael Wang''s appearance really destroyed all the game ns they set for today, and now, he had to think of a way to get out of this situation.


    "So, you are telling me that you cannot reach his highest jump at all?" Akira asked his middle blocker once again to make sure he heard it right.


    "Positive, Sir." Hirano nodded solemnly.


    "That¡­. Spells problem for us." Akira grumbled. "What about the strength of his spike? Is it eptable to handle?"


    "Well, I was the closest to receive his spike, and while it was far less powerfulpared to Lucas-san or Matsumoto-san''s attack from Konan High, the angle created from his towering height is tricky." This time, it was Riku who answered that. "Also, since he could just ignore the existence of our blockers, he has the advantage of aiming the ball to any ce he wants, which makes it difficult for us to handle."


    For a moment, silence befell them before Ogawa broke it. "Well, thank you for making us realize how screwed we are right now, Riku." He said it wryly.


    Akira released a deep sigh as he stared at Michael Wang who was chatting andughing with his teammates on Tsukiji''s bench. It didn''t help that the boy''s presence managed to make the crowd alive again. Now, they had to face the pressure on and off the court.


    "Okay, right now, what I need you the most is to score first and bring Okamura into the court." Akira finally decided. "Honestly, I would feel better if Kaede could join too, but I will not risk him exposing himself in this situation, especially when he hasn''t adapted to the hostile atmosphere yet." Kaede bowed his head deep, ashamed as he got called out.


    "Um¡­ I don''t mean to disrespect, Sensei, but what good bringing more defensive yers?" Asahi asked, confused. He voiced the questions almost all of his teammates had.


    "Oh, well, that is easy. Listen carefully because I will not repeat it, but this will be our game n with Michael Wang around."


    After that, Akira spent the next minute exining the new strategy he crafted to face Michael Wang. When it sunk into everyone''s head, all of the Tsunemori yers had their jaws dropped, looking at their coach in a mix of disbelief and astonishment.


    "That¡­. Is crazily creative, and I am the embodiment of a creative yer. I approve, Unc!" Riku gave the coach a thumb-up.


    "Don''t call me Unc here, you Brat! Call me Sensei!" Akira pped Riku''s head with the notebook in his head. Then, he turned his attention to the yers who still couldn''t shake away the dumbfounded look on their faces. "So, what do you think?"


    They all stared at each other for a second before Yuki finally broke it. "Just like what Riku said, this is one hell of a n. This would be a big gamble, but if we seeded, we don''t have to worry about his attack anymore. Still, that has to wait until Oka-senpai is on the court, right? For then, we have to score first, and I doubt you forgot to address how to handle his presence on the front line, right, Sensei?"


    "Of course, I didn''t forget." Akira snorted. "But avoiding him in our offense turn is easier. We have the initiative, so just try your best to confuse him. Run more, all of you! Synchronize with your teammates! Also, Yuki, Riku, use more tricks to fool him! Just move together! If we cannot beat him in quality, we will have to outnumber him! That should give us a chance to fight back."


    While it was a crude strategy, Yuki had to admit that it should be effective. Still, he was worried about how his teammates handled it. After all, for an excellent middle blocker like Haruo from Kyoei Gakuen or Akihiro from Konan High, they didn''t have to block the attack directly to affect the opponent''s offense. Their mere presence alone was enough to intimidate their opponents, and Michael Wang also had the same aura that could do that.


    ''Well, hopefully, he is not as good as those two beasts, or we will be in deep trouble next¡­''


    -0-


    "COME ON, EVERYONE! SAY HIS NAME AGAIN!"


    "MICHAEL¡­."


    "WANG!"


    SAY IT AGAIN!"


    "MICHAEL..."@@novelbin@@


    "WANG!"


    It was clear that Michael Wang managed to grab everyone''s heart by his performance. Now, his name was shouted from every corner of the building as if he was the next Jesus himself, and by the look of his face, the boy enjoyed every second of it. The interesting part, though, was a hint of jealousy that could be traced in Reiki''s face before it disappeared instantly from the captain''s expression.


    "Oh, someone is not happy that his golden boy title got snatched by the new boy." Ogawa cooed mockingly. Fortunately, they were far from Tsukiji yers'' range of hearing that no one from the opponent team heard hisment or it would bring them all trouble.


    For a second, all the Tsunemori yers were confused at what he was saying, and it was Asahi who recognized it first. "Oh, I see what you mean. Poor captain, he is not the public''s most beloved yer again." Hemented.


    "How do you both know about that?" Yuki asked in astonishment. Even with his sharp observation, he couldn''t see the subtle expression change in Reiki''s face, and he wondered how his two senpai could do it.


    "Oh, that is easy, my cute kouhai." Ogawa suddenly used an overly sweet tone that sent chills through Yuki''s senpai. "We know it because that is basically our expression whenever you or Riku are mentioned by the crowds."


    "¡­. EH?! Really?!" Not just Yuki, but Riku were also dumbfounded by Ogawa''s confession.


    "Of course, it is real." Ogawa snorted. "What do you think will happen when we, the senior members of the team, are cast aside by the more talented kouhai? Even though we can ept it, that doesn''t mean we are less jealous of you."


    Yuki and Riku stared at each other, not knowing how to react.


    "Oh, don''t be a spoilspot!" Asahi pped Ogawa straight to the back of his head. Then, he turned into the two kouhai in front of him and said, "While it sucks to see the younger yers got the spotlight and it would be a lie if I said we are not jealous, we are not bitter old man. We know you are better than us, and we also work hard every day to make sure we can have the chance to show off like you guys, so don''t worry about our feelings, okay?"


    In the end, both Yuki and Riku could only nod, but saved this topic in the back of their head for the future.


    The next one to serve the ball was still Banjo, and just like before, the ball came pretty weakly, which Asahi received with no problem. After that, all four Tsunemori yers rushed forward to attack while Yuki and Riku made a move to confuse the opponent. They went for an all-out attack without leaving anyone in the back, and this surprised Tsukiji yers for a second.


    "WANG, MID, QUICK!" Reiki shouted a simple instruction. It was clear there was anguage barrier between those two, but Reiki was still able to ry the message correctly when he saw Riku slip through the crowd and rush forward, letting Yuki handle the ball. Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire


    However, Michael Wang didn''t even move, waiting until Yuki passed the ball before taking an action. It seemed that the boy was confident with his reaction speed to wait for thest second to move.


    What Michael Wang didn''t expect though, was for Yuki to take action by himself. Instead of passing the ball, he suddenly extended one of his arms high and flicked the ball gently, letting it change direction. Michael Wang was stunned as he saw the ball move slowly in front of his eyes, and when he regained consciousness, it had already fallen on the floor.


    Thud!


    "Oh! Nice dump, Yuki!"


    "That''s my move! Good job, Yuki!"


    "Damn, you even fool me there!"


    As all the Tsunemori yers celebrated with each other, Michael Wang suddenlyughed out loud, gaining everyone''s attention. "Interesting! I cannot even see the fake at all! I didn''t expect I would see someone so bold like him! It seems I can expect more from Japanese volleyball!"


    Yuki who understood his monologue just rolled his eyes in exasperation at Michael Wang''s arrogance. With how the boy said it, everyone who didn''t know better would think Michael Wang was some sort of a big shot even in the States.


    "Just ignore him, Yuki. Let''s smack his mouth when we are above himter." Riku whispered lowly. Yuki forgot that he wasn''t the only one who could understand what Michael Wang said. "For now, we have our new n waiting to be implemented! Come on, You and Oka-senpai would be vital in this!"


    Yuki snapped his head when Riku told him that, looking at the bench just to find out Okamura was ready to y. With the rotation in y, this would mean Hirano would go to the back, and this was usually time for the libero to shine. As he saw Okamura warming up behind the sideline, Yuki couldn''t help but grin.


    ''Oh, this will be glorious.''

 Chapter 354 The First Set is Over! Intermission!

    While Michael Wang''s presence on the court changed the dynamic of the game, it was still Tsunemori who had the edge here. Even though they couldn''t stop Michael Wangpletely ¨C especially in the defensive end ¨C they managed to take advantage of the boy''s inexperience to score one or two to keep them in the lead. Meanwhile, Tsukiji High yers seemed to forget how to y as they grewcent with the new boy''s presence, relying too much on him like a bunch of amateurs.


    As a result, even though it disappointed the crowds, there was no wonder that it was Tsunemori who reached 24 points first.


    Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire


    "OH! Nice kill, Asahi!"


    "One more! Give us one more and the set will be ours!"


    "Go, go, Tsunemori! We can do this!"


    "Man, their supporters sure have the gut, huh?" Ida Hasebe''s assistant mused. "They are outnumbered in the opponent''s home and yet they are the loudest group today. The school sure knows who to send to this kind of battlefield." Said the man wryly.


    "Yeah¡­" Ida Hasebe, the head coach of Japan National Team U-17, nodded in agreement. "They managed to level the field just by being here, and I doubt half of their team''s performance could be replicated without their presence here." His gaze wandered to the small group in green jerseysughing with Tsunemori''s yers on the court.


    "Still, Tsukiji''s performance sure is disappointing." The assistant huffed. "They are supposed to be a powerhouse team, right? But they y like a bunch of amateurs, relying too much on their rookie." He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Not saying that he is bad, of course. His height alone could be a nightmare for any less experienced team to face. However, it is clear that Tsunemori''s coach is far from it. Who is he, by the way?"


    "Oh, him? He is Akira Senki, my old senpai in the volleyball coach camp." Hasebe smiled wryly. The assistant snapped his head in disbelief at the information. "Your senpai?" He asked, wondering if his ears fooled him.


    "Yeah, my senpai, and a damn good one too." Hasebe nodded, confirming his words. "We lost contact with each other for several years and I wondered whether he was still alive or not. Color me surprised whenst summer, I saw the report about two yers ying under his guidance."


    The assistant could only shake his head in disbelief at the sudden revtion. "If he is as good as you said, no wonder Tsunemori could rise from a no-name team into one of the rising star teams in Tokyo. They have the hidden boss as their leader." Hasebe couldn''t help but snort at Akira''s nickname. "So, does that mean the game is them now?" He asked.


    "For this set, yeah, it is them." Hasebe nodded firmly. "But as for the rest of the game, I am sure that the Chinese boy would bring us surprise once againter."


    "Huh?"


    Before the assistant could ask anything though, their attention turned as the crowd got louder at the y Tsunemori yers just did.


    "Come on, Reiki! Come on! You can do this!"


    BAM!


    "YEA ¨C "


    "No! It is saved! Tsunemori''s number 19 saved the ball!"


    Hasebe and his assistant rose from their seat immediately, following the other people around them as their eyes were back on the court. They had just seen Reiki''s spike slip through Tsunemori''s blockers and was about to fall straight in front of the, yet Yuki managed to react quickly and put the back of his palm on the floor, letting it cushioning the ball.


    "Shit! A pancake against us?! Really?!"


    "How in the hell we are so unlucky today?! Our opponent suddenly turns into Matsukita High out of sudden, for God''s sake!"


    The reaction was understandable. After all, a pancake was not something anyone saw often in a high school volleyball. To see it yed by your opponent when they were one point away from winning the set was like a confirmation that the universe was against you.


    Still, the game continued, and since Yuki was down after saving the ball heroically, Riku passed it straight to Koji in the right wing and shouted, "HE IS THERE! GIVE IT BACK, KOJI!"


    The team''s ace didn''t even need to be told twice as he saw Michael Wang move straight in his direction. The horror of a giant about 30 cm taller than him rushing like he was about to crush Koji was a nightmare that would haunt the second-year hitter even in his nightmare. However, since he got the instruction from Riku, he knew what to do here.


    BAM!


    "Yes! Nice rebound, Koji!"


    "Good God, another chance! All of you, recover to your position! Quick!"


    Even though Koji failed to score, he managed to twist his attack so it hit the awkward spot of Michael Wang''s long arms, which gave the Chinese boy two options; either moved his hands slightly to let the ball rebounded back to Tsunemori''s direction or be stubborn enough and let Koji seeded in his block-out attempt and even though Michael Wang couldn''t think of such aplicated thing in a second like that, his instinct kicked in to give the best result for the team.


    Unfortunately for Tsukiji High, they didn''t even have a chance to recover to their position. It was as if time froze there as they saw the sses boy who saved their attack acrobatically a few seconds ago was in the air already this time, and before Michael Wang or anyone else in the front line reacted, the ball flew right in front of him, and the boy didn''t even have to use his full power to knock the ball down.


    BAM!


    "Oh! Hell yeah!"


    "We got the first set! Come on, Tsunemori!"


    "We can win this game! Let''s steal this game, Koji! Asahi!"


    "Yuki, you are a fucking beast! Kill them all!"


    Basking by the cheers from their small crowd of supporters, all the Tsunemori yers came back to the bench with a huge grin stered on each face, celebrating the set they just stole straight from Tsukiji High.


    Tsukiji High 16 ¨C 25 Tsunemori High


    -0-


    "Guys, I know I am new here, and you are still not used to not seeing the old man on the bench, but is it a good enough reason to show such a terrible performance?" Toru Oniki, the team''s head coach sighed in disappointment. He could see some of his yers bowed their heads and not daring to meet his eyes right now. "I swear, you guys yed like a bunch of amateurs! Since when have we, Tsukiji High, fallen so low that we have to rely on our rookie?!" He roared.@@novelbin@@


    Even though Oniki couldn''t see his yers'' expressions, he knew based on the tensed shoulder he saw that his words affected them all. Hell, Michael Wang who couldn''t understand a shit about what he said also flinched at his roar.


    "Neito, you are our setter! It is your job to read the opponent''s defense and set up the best attack to face them! Why in the seven hells would you fall into being a predictable one by tossing all the chances to Wang?! Have you already lost your spine?!" The setter winced at the harsh words.


    "Kiyotake, I know you like stability, but Wang''s presence makes you feelcent! You don''t even try hard to help him block their attack!" The vice-captain looked ashamed as the coach called him out.


    "Banjo, where the hell are you in the first set?! You always runte, your timing is off, and you cannot even defend properly! You cannot even be a good distraction here, just a cone in the corner of the court!" Ouch, that stung right in Banjo''s heart.


    "Also, Ishida, I know that you are still a freshmanpared to the other yers here, but usually, you have more gut than today. What''s wrong? Why can you take over Neito''s job when you see him stuck in hiscent?" For that, Ishida had no words to rebuke his coach''s statement.


    "Lastly, Reiki." The captain flinched when his name was called. "You don''t need me to exin in which part you mess up, right?" Reiki nodded shortly, not daring to raise his face. Unfortunately, the coach wasn''t done with him. "Honestly, with how you y today, I don''t know how you deserve to be the captain."


    The atmosphere in Tsukiji''s bench turned gloomy instantly as the Oniki said thest part. Everyone knew how dedicated Reiki was as a captain, so to hear the coach questioning him was like a spat on Reiki''s face. Honestly, they didn''t know if there was anything that could help them out of their depression.


    Fortunately for them, they had a bunch of loyal supporters who even though they could be harsh, they knew when the team needed the most and to be there for them.


    Just when no one on Tsukiji bench spoke, all of their supporters suddenly rose, turning on the sh on their phones while started singing,


    Walk on, walk on


    With hope in your heart


    And you''ll never walk alone


    You''ll never walk alone