The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Damn, Kobayashi! You fooled us all here!" Tanaka grinned, high-fiving the glasses-wearing boy excitedly. "Nice dump!"

Yuki nodded simply, not too enthusiastic about the play. It wasn't due to modesty at all; rather, when he flicked the ball, he realized that Aizawa had noticed his intention and reacted accordingly. If he had been just a second too late, the boy would have easily blocked his dump attempt.

'As expected, someone who attracts the professionals' attention will not be easy to get through.'

Meanwhile, Aizawa wore a smirk on his face. It had been a while since he felt this excited. He couldn't help it; after all, he had an agreement with the Miami Storm—the professional team that contracted him—not to join the high school team to protect himself until he graduated and could only practice with the local team affiliated with the Miami Storm. So, it wasn't easy for him to be competitive like this, and he was thoroughly enjoying the experience.

"You don't have to be so excited about our loss of points, you know?" Akihiro scowled. "Next will be their turn to serve, and I don't know how we should handle this," he admitted begrudgingly.

Aizawa arched one eyebrow slightly, not expecting a prideful boy like Akihiro to admit his helplessness. What he didn't realize was that although Akihiro was full of pride, he was far from stupid. He had seen firsthand how even the best defender from Konan High struggled against Yuki's serve, and Akihiro wasn't confident that he—being far from the best defender—would be able to stop Yuki at all.

Unlike Akihiro, however, Aizawa didn't show any worry on his face. Instead, he grinned, excitement coursing through him. "Well, I've been waiting for my chance to see it directly, so I'm curious to see how the serve goes. Leave it to me."

After a while, the game resumed, and all the spectators on the sidelines watched—no, observed—Yuki carefully. Beating Riku's team with just services was one thing—which was still impressive, mind you. But if Yuki could demonstrate the same level of threat against this opponent, everyone would acknowledge that his ability behind the service line was genuine.

Yuki himself didn't care about their reactions. For now, the only thing on his mind was the other side of the net, particularly one glaring spot where he would aim the ball next. When he finally served the ball, though, Aizawa couldn't help but feel disappointed.

'Is that it?' Aizawa thought. 'Man, for all the talk about how fearsome his serve was, this is disappointing—Eh?'

Thud!

Right before the ball met his hand, it wobbled slightly in the air, and ultimately, it merely bruised Aizawa's hand without him being able to control it.

1 – 2

"Oh! He also has a floater?!"

"It's amazing! Even Aizawa couldn't receive the ball properly!"

"Damn, he hadn't done that in the last game! Did he underestimate us?" Ono, who was on the sideline, growled in frustration.

"No, he didn't underestimate us," Riku said, surprising his partner. "The reason he didn't throw a floater at all is that I know very well how to receive it, and he would never throw a poison when he knows his opponent has the antidote."

"… Nice analogy," Ono grumbled, unsure how to respond.

The next three sequences were torturous for both Aizawa and Akihiro. They were toyed with by Yuki, from a sidespin serve, a very ordinary serve that somehow made them both react late, to a serve far too close to the edge of the court that they let go, only to find out it was still in bounds. It was infuriating to watch the ball fall without them being able to save it.

"Okay, I've had enough!" Aizawa finally snapped. "Oi, Sparky! Stand behind me and don't move! Watch it carefully, and if you see the ball slip through my hands, react accordingly! Got it?!"

"Why are you trying to order me around like that, Bastard?!" Akihiro, with a similar temper, scowled.

"You want to win or not?!" Aizawa glared.

For a moment, tension brewed on the other side of the net, and Yuki could only stare at them dumbfounded, unsure what to do. He didn't expect his tricks would push them both to the edge until they finally lost their sanity like this. Fortunately, before anything escalated, Hasebe stepped up and shouted, "ENOUGH!"

Not just the four players on the court, but everyone froze immediately when Hasebe's voice rang through the air. They all turned their eyes to him, only to quickly look away when they saw the rage boiling in his eyes.

"One thing I hate the most about you young people is your lack of respect for the game," he said calmly. "This is your first strike. One more, and I will disqualify you both from the camp, and yes, that includes you, Akihiro-kun. Even though you are from the host school, I don't think they would complain when they hear about your behavior. Oh, and don't think Sato-sensei could help you, because I'm sure he would agree with my decision. Do you understand?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Both Aizawa and Akihiro nodded their heads frantically, not wanting to test Hasebe's patience. For a moment, silence reigned as everyone's eyes were fixed on him, and tension rose in the building. After calming down a little, Hasebe sighed, finally announcing, "Break for one minute! After that, we will continue the game!"

Both Yuki and Tanaka exchanged glances before finally shrugging. While not much action had occurred after Yuki took over the ball, it was nice to take a break every once in a while. However, this would also cut off his momentum, which was bad for his team.

"Don't worry, I'll be able to maintain the same intensity when the game resumes," Yuki patted Tanaka's shoulder reassuringly, sensing his new friend's concern.

Tanaka sighed in relief at that. "Not that I doubt you can do it, but it's rare for me to see a pinch server as good as you. Hell, even my captain would never be able to do that," he said, staring at Yuki admiringly.

After sipping a bottle of water, Hasebe finally called the four players back to the court. Yuki grabbed the ball immediately, as it was still his turn to serve. However, he couldn't help but shiver when he felt predatory gazes directed at him. When he noticed the source and realized it came from his opponents, he couldn't help but sigh.

'I swear, things always get more troublesome for me.'