The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

We'll never back down, we'll fight until the end,

In every serve, our spirits blend.

With heart and courage, we'll rise above,

For Tsukiji High, we'll sing it out loud!

TSUKIJI HIGH! TSUKIJI HIGH! TSUKIJI HIGH SCHOOL!

"Damn, this is crazy!" Koji had his mouth gaped wide at the sight of more than 400 people chanting together to show their support for his opponent. "They even have their own song, now and we are supposed to play in front of them?! The other Tsunemori players also had a similar reaction, and no one blamed them for that.

It was finally the game day, and since Akira wanted them to get used to the atmosphere as quickly as possible, he led the team to come to Tsukiji High's gymnasium pretty early, 45 minutes before the game started. However, the crowd had already gathered using their team's yellow jersey, forming a massive yellow wall on the stand while also singing loudly to support their team. This alone could definitely scare the shit off most of the teams in Tokyo, let alone Tsunemori High.

"Man, I suddenly have a stomachache." Kaede who was probably the worst player to handle the crowd had his face pale. "I feel dizzy too. I think I need to lie down a little."

However, in the middle of the sea yellow wall in front of them, stood a small group wearing green jerseys, singing bravely for the team they supported.

"TSUNEMORI HIGH!"

"TSUNEMORI HIGH!"

"TSUNEMORI HIGH!"

Although the chant was far less creative than the opponent, the fact that they were even here in the first place and dared to fight against the crowd head-on touched all the Tsunemori players' hearts.

"Hey, everyone! Good to see you here and healthy!" A girl suddenly came out of that small group and greeted them cheerfully. "So, what do you think about this?"

"That is awesome, Sugawara-senpai!" Koji sent a thumb-up to the former student council's president. "I know you have already told us a few days ago, but I cannot believe this is real if I am not seeing it by myself!" The others also nodded in agreement, still remembering the discussion a few days ago.

– Flashback –

"You are going to do what?!" All the Tsunemori players widened their eyes in shock at Arina Sugawara's revelation.

"Oh, I am going to lead at least fifty students of us to go to Tsukiji High and give our support for the team!" Arina Sugawara replied casually as if she was talking about the weather outside. "So, what do you think?"

Everyone was too speechless to even answer the question. "… There are a lot of questions I have right now, but I will ask the crucial one first. Is it allowed?" Yuki finally asked.

"Of course, it is!" The girl replied instantly. "Megu-chan has already told me that they sold the ticket to the public, so I discussed it with the headmaster about the plan to support you and he is willing to send at most 50 students to go there. We cannot let you go to the war alone like that, right?"

Honestly, besides all the craziness here, they all were touched by the headmaster and Arina Sugawara's concern. Still, this begged another question. "Who will go with you, Arina-senpai? How are you going to go there? Also, you will be outnumbered, and your voice will be drowned by theirs. Are you sure everyone is up to the task?" Yuki barraged her with questions again.

However, before Arina Sugawara could answer this, Koji suddenly chimed in. "Wait, since when did you call Sugawara-senpai by her first name?!"

Yuki cursed inwardly at himself for his little slip. He forgot that Koji was the biggest simp in the school, usually fanboying over either Megumi or Arina Sugawara. He was about to defend himself, but Arina Sugawara – curse her and her traitorous mind – was one step faster. "Well, we get closer to each other during the summer! Why, I even visit his home several times!" She said it cheerfully.

A pin-drop silence befell the room as murderous intent suddenly flared, directed at Yuki. The glasses boy could feel sweat roll on his back profusely as he received the fierce glare from his senpai. "Okay, it is not as bad as you think it is. Can you let me explain it first?" He tried to dissuade the situation while also hiding his panic. Unfortunately, his senpai were lost causes as they were blinded by rage.

"How could you, Yuki?!" Koji choked Yuki's neck playfully like he was some sort of wrestler. "How dare you betray our brotherhood like that?!"

"What brotherhood?! Ow, ow, stop it, Senpai! It hurts!" Yuki whined, trying to get away from his senpai as quickly as possible.

"Of course, it is the brotherhood of us men of cultures!" Kaede chimed in with a proud face as if there was something to be proud of here. "We gather together in this brotherhood to admire the fine creation of God like Megumi-senpai and Sugawara-senpai! For you to defile her purity by being on a first-name basis with her, that is unforgivable!"

Honestly, there were a lot of things Yuki wanted to complain about. First, how could Kaede say something so cringy like that without even getting embarrassed by himself? Second, did Kaede really not notice the awful phrasing he used?

*Cough!*

The sudden cough from Akira snapped everyone from watching the comedic show in front of them. They winced unconsciously when they saw the coach's unhappy face. "As much as it amused us all, I think we need to discuss the next arrangement first. Do you all mind going back to your seats and listening to what Sugawara-san says before you all jump into something stupid like that again? Also, Kai, Koji, meet me after this is over. I want to know better about this brotherhood you are talking about."

Koji and Kaede flinched instantly while the others sent their prayers toward those two boys. Yuki himself didn't feel any pity on them. He coughed a little as he tried to loosen his neck that was just getting choked albeit playfully by Koji before smirking at his senpai while muttering, 'Serve you right, Bastards.'

"Okay, Sugawara-san, can you go back to the topic?" Akira asked.
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"Oh, sure!" Arina Sugawara nodded. "As Yuki-kun has asked before, my papa helps me rent a bus for us to go together, so you don't need to worry about our transportation."

Yuki had a sweat drop at that, somehow forgetting that Arina Sugawara's father held a high position in this city. It was also funny to imagine that the supporters came with a bus while the players had to go on a normal train, but Yuki didn't want to point it out and make everything harder for the girl.

"Also, I know we are going to be outnumbered, so we choose our loudest and the most hyperactive ones to go with us!" Arina Sugawara grinned mischievously, something that was so strange to find in her elegant face. "So, with that in mind, I have already decided that the students who will go with us are the members of the football club, kendo club, and basketball club! In total, there will be about 46 boys, and together with me and three more teachers, there will be fifty people who will come to support you. What do you think?"

That was a decent arrangement. Picking up the members of the other sports clubs was probably the best decision here, as they all knew how to be loud. Also, since they all came from the sports clubs, those boys could sympathize with the volleyball club's hard work better than any other students in the school, so they would be able to show better support for the team.

So, when they all turned around just to see Arina Sugawara's smile again, this time, they nodded at each other before bowing simultaneously. "We will be in your care, Sugawara-senpai!"

– End of the flashback –

"So, what do you think, Yuki-kun? Are you impressed with this?" Arina Sugawara smiled while also spreading her arms as if she was showing off the crowd behind her.

"Oh, yeah, that is great. I really appreciate this, Arina-senpai." Yuki smiled stiffly, trying to ignore the murderous intent coming from not only his teammates but also from the crowd. "Anyway, I have to go to Akira-sensei first. Do you mind if I leave you here?" He tried to make an excuse.

"Sure! Good luck with the game!"

Yuki released the breath he unconsciously held back a moment ago as he was finally out of everyone's reach. He went to the restroom quickly, washing his face while trying his best to put his concentration back on top of his head. It was nice to have a moment of peace like this before he had to go to the war that would force him to go all out for the next two or three hours after this. As he shook his head though, someone suddenly greeted him. "Kobayashi-san? What are you doing here?"

Yuki blinked for a moment before turning around, just to find Ishida, Tsukiji's libero looking at him in surprise. "Long time no see, Ishida-kun. As for what am I doing here, I am trying my best to deal with my nervousness here. Don't want to mess up and embarrass myself, you know?"

"Oh, I get that quite often." Ishida chuckled a little.

For a moment, there was an awkward silence between those two. It wasn't like they both were quiet boys or there was no topic to talk about. However, since in the next thirty minutes, they would ace each other as an enemy, they both felt it would be inappropriate to act buddy-buddy here.

"Anyway!" Ishida coughed, breaking the silence. "Good luck with the game, Kobayashi-san! You and Agostini-san will need that a lot today!"

"Oh?" Yuki raised one of his eyebrows slightly at the sudden war declaration. A small smirk suddenly formed on his face as he saw how confident Ishida was. "Interesting. I know you know how capable Riku and I were during the summer camp, so there is no way you will be stupid enough to underestimate us. But for you to be this confident, your team should be planning something, huh?"

The smirk on Ishida's face got bigger by that. "Good analysis, Kobayashi-san! Unfortunately, you will not find the answer here! Don't be surprised when you see it in the court, okay?!"