The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

With all the players 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 accusation 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 players from both teams were coming back to the court. All the Thunder players 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 relaxing 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 just come 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 accepted Tondo's apology, that didn't mean they forgave the boy – or the Thunder team – 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!"

"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 – the opposite hitter – 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 applause from the crowd who went crazy for the play.

"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 glasses 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!
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The ball traveled fast, piercing the air like a bullet at a super speed. Kojima winced when he saw it was coming 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 net 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 played for us anymore!"

"Damn, this is also the proof that Fireball last 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 was completely 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 insults coming from the stand was too unbearable, but the Phoenix players 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.