The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"YOSH – !"

"– SHAAAAAAAAA!"

As the referee announced the final result, Yuki roared, followed by Riku who was closest to him, and then all his teammates who rushed and jumped to his body. Yuki just spread his arms widely, and within a second, all of his teammates were already in his embrace. He had a massive grin on his face, knowing that everything was finally over with their win.

"Good job, Yuki!"

"Holy shit! You kill them all!"

"Awesome!"

"Come on, Tsunemori!"

"Tsunemori!"

The crowds also cheered loudly, some even entered the court and joined the celebration with the players. The situation was chaotic, yet it was full of happiness. The only contradicting atmosphere inside the building was on Kyoei's side, where all the players there had their heads bowed and a few of them were found crying.

'So, we lose, huh?' Ito blinked his eyes, staring at the ceiling blankly. His mind went blank, couldn't process the chaotic situation around him. He was sure when everything was settled, he would feel sad or even cry just like his other teammates. However, the exhaustion he felt this time was too strong to overwhelm any mental state he should have.

'We lose, huh…' He muttered the same over and over again.

"Senpai." A sudden tug on his back suddenly woke him up from his dazed state. When Ito turned around, he could see Haruo patting his shoulder, and while there was an unfamiliar sad expression on his usually bright face, the middle blocker still went over all the other players there, trying to cheer them up. "Come on, it is over. Let's go to the bench first."

Ito nodded silently, then followed Haruo to the bench. Normally, he wouldn't be like this, growing numb to the point of his kouhai having to take care of him. He would try to reassure his teammates first before going to a quiet place to vent out all of his frustrations.

However, this time was different. Ito couldn't help but feel sentimental when he thought this was his last inter-high. Of course, there was still a winter tournament in the next few months. However, the hype was different. Memories suddenly flashed through his head one by one. when he started joining the team… His first win… His first defeat… The sweat… The laugh… The tears…

He raised his head quickly, didn't want tears to fall from his eyes.

Saito sighed helplessly when he saw his captain's state from the bench. Even though he was dissatisfied with Ito's subpar performance today either as a player or as a hitter, he decided to wait until the negative emotion went away before talking about it. For now, he let the players feel sad, knowing the atmosphere was still heavy at that moment.

"Come on, Senpai. Don't sit there, you will get stepped on by the crowds. Let's go to the bench first."

When Saito heard that, he turned his head around, just to find out Haruo was trying his best to reassure his teammates. Seeing the scene, a small smile formed on his face, as he thought about the unexpected gain the team had even in a dark time like this.

.net

Yeah, Haruo's leadership ability was beyond Saito's expectations. Maybe because he thought Haruo was still a freshman that he had never considered the middle blocker as a leader. However, after losing this game and seeing how two freshmen lead a no-name team like Tsunemori to beat them, an idea suddenly popped inside his head.

'Maybe, I can use him as my cornerstone to rebuild this team.'

However, it had to wait, as all the players gathered in front of him already. Saito pondered for a moment about what he was going to say before he finally sighed and decided to be frank. "Well, we lose here. Suck, right? But that is a game. Someday we win, and someday we lose.

Today, while the opponent plays well, that doesn't mean they are better. Everything can happen on the court, and today, luck is not on our side. We still have one more chance in the winter, so let's use this setback to come back stronger than ever!"

Saito raised his tone a bit to lift the mood. However, he saw clearly that his voice didn't reach the players. He sighed one more time before giving up, letting the players feel emotional first. After waiting for a while and noticing the sobs were getting quieter, he spoke once again, "Okay, let's not prolong our stay here and go back to the school.

The sooner we could get out of this building the better."

Everyone nodded quietly, following the coach to the Tsunemori's bench. Even though they were reluctant to go there, they had to show the sportsmanship here or the school would get in trouble. Some shook Tsunemori players' hands before retreating quickly, while a few chatted first and congratulated the opponent for the win.

Haruo who was probably the best player from Kyoei's side today also exchanged conversations with Tsunemori players for a while, bickering with Koji who he blocked so many times during the game before getting hoarded by a bunch of crazy girls who asked for a photo with him.

After a few minutes of struggling with the crowds, Haruo finally managed to get out of it, just to find that Yuki and Riku were waiting for him already.

"Good game." Riku offered a handshake. "You give me so many problems today."

"Really?" Haruo accepted the hand, arching his eyebrows slightly. "I wasn't just giving you so much problem if I recall. Should we say that I own you today, second-tier blondie?" He had a mischievous smile on his face, eliciting a stiffened chuckle from Yuki.

Riku had his facial muscle twitched in annoyance, then put some strength on the handshake as he said, "Well, since it is my team who win the game, should we say that we own your ass today, annoying blondie?"

"Bah! If he is not here, it would be us who win the game!" Haruo also strengthened his grip. "It is not like you play a big part in this game, dumb blondie!"

"Who do you call dumb, bastard?!"

"It is you!"

Yuki just stared amusedly at both blonde-haired boys bickering at each other like it was a comedy show, didn't expect that their personalities would be so similar, childish and full of themselves. He didn't know how they both came up with the nickname, but with how quickly it left their mouth, he was sure they both had already thought about it during the game.

"Anyway!" After bickering for a while, Haruo suddenly turned his attention to Yuki, startling the glasses boy. "Good game today. You completely own us in the game. I have never thought that I would see another freshman who is as handsome as me."

"Urgh… Thank you, I guess?" Yuki's tone was unsure, didn't really know whether what Haruo said was praise or not. He could see Riku's lips twitch a little, feeling annoyed by the other blonde's narcissism.

"It is not often for me to throw a praise like this, so accept it with grace." Haruo continued while ignoring Riku completely. "Oh, and just a little bit of warning from me. When you play against Konan in the future, you will probably see a more troublesome dude even compared to you. So, be ready, okay? Bye!"

Yuki and Riku blinked for a few seconds, and when Haruo's words finally sunk inside their head, the Kyoei's blocker was already gone, joining the other Kyoei players.

"What a bastard." Riku scowled.

Yuki went silent for a moment before asking, "Do you know what he means by a troublesome dude in Konan?"

"I don't know." Riku shrugged nonchalantly. "But seeing his personality, I wouldn't think about it too much. Maybe, he is trying to mess with your mind to take revenge for this game."

Yuki nodded slowly, yet Haruo's warning still ringing on his head. He had a hunch that unlike what Riku said, the warning was serious, and it would play a crucial role in the game against Konan in the future. However, it had to wait, as for now, he had to join the others and form a line in the middle of the court.

"SE! NO!"

"THANK YOU FOR THE GAME!"