The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

While Yuki was forced to rest earlier, on the court, all of his teammates were struggling to regain the foothold without the glasses boy's presence there. They were still in a daze, taking their time to recover.

Their reaction was understandable. Yuki was their best player in the first set. Not only did the glasses boy lead the team to the win with his ten consecutive ace services at the end of the first set, but he was also the team's best defender with his timely reaction that saved the team so many times. Not just that, whenever he joined the attack, he would also be an important member who all the opponents would put their eyes on.

So, even though they just won the first set, losing Yuki was definitely a price that was too heavy for them to pay.

However, there was one particular player on the Tsunemori team who was under pressure the most, and it was Koji, the team's ace. He hadn't even regained his confidence after his abysmal performance in the first set, and now, he had to fill in Yuki's role for the team. The task was too heavy for someone whose level of confidence was just at an all-time low.

'Listen, Koji.' His coach's words resounded in his head. 'I know you are desperate to prove yourself that you are this team's ace, and I can understand your frustration. However, you have to remember that this is a single-game elimination tournament. Once we are defeated, everything is over. So, I need you to swallow your pride just for this set and try your best to cooperate with everyone else. Everyone is still struggling to accept Riku's absence here, and I know you can see it too. So, I need you to be there for the team and help your teammates get out of their slump. Can you do that?'

Even though in the end, Koji nodded his head firmly, it was always easier said than done. Right now, Koji was struggling to fill in the shoes left by Yuki. In defense, he was terrible. Understandable, since it wasn't his best strength. However, in offense, his timing was always off, and he couldn't find the right chemistry with Riku like they usually had in the past.

It wasn't until Koji's third spike that got blocked by the opponent before Riku finally snapped.

"Okay, Senpai! Playtime is over!" He said, glaring at Koji. The ace himself just turned his head away guiltily, not daring to look at Riku's eyes head-on. The other players tensed for a bit, ready to separate them both if things got escalated. However, Riku didn't care about it. "I know what you are trying to do, Senpai, so I will tell you straight to your face. No matter how hard you try, you will never be able to replace Yuki, never in a million years."

Koji's head fell as the depressed aura radiated from his body. Asahi who heard it from an aside couldn't help but frown. Although he somewhat agreed with Riku, the harsh words were not necessary at all.

"Riku…" He tried to speak something. However, the blonde boy just raised one hand, stopping him from talking.

"I don't mean to tell you that Yuki is a better player than you since your role is different than him. What I mean by you cannot replace him is that you cannot act like Yuki! You are Koji-senpai, our team's ace! Act like it! Don't try to be Yuki, because we don't need you to be him!"

That rant stunned most of the Tsunemori players there. However, after pondering about it for a moment, they could see that Riku had a point here. At the beginning of the second set, Koji was trying too hard to imitate Yuki's playing style, from commanding the team's defense to the point that he was trying to do a quick attack which was Yuki and Riku's signature combination attack. By doing so, he forgot about his own identity, which made the team's entire performance dragged down into the mud.

"Now, listen here." Riku still wasn't over with his rant. "Your playing style is different compared to Yuki, so throw away the idea that you could be him. Don't try to do anything stupid like a quick attack or trying to take over the ball for me, you cannot do that. Just stay on your spot, wait for me to pass the ball, and aim for a block-out like usual. Okay?"

Koji could only nod, not daring to express his opinion as he was too afraid of Riku's criticism again. However, he was glad that Riku decided to go all out on him like that. Even though it was harsh, at least his words managed to wake Koji up from his unrealistic dream.

'Yeah, Riku is right. I am not Yuki, and I will never be able to copy him no matter how hard I try. I just need to be myself, and everything will be alright.'

With that thought in mind, Koji approached the next play with optimism. He stayed on his spot even when the ball was close to going in his direction, letting Kaede handle it knowing full well that his friend would be able to do it perfectly. He also kept himself on the wing, attracting the opponent's attention with his presence while waiting for Riku to send him the ball.

When that moment came, though, he leaped forward, hanging for a long time in the air before slamming the ball as hard as he could toward the wall.

BAM!

Even though Oyama's line of blockers managed to touch it, they failed to redirect the ball into the safer zone. The impact of the contact was enough to blow the ball far away to the stand, and when he saw it, Koji had his face flushed red for a moment before jumping in joy and excitement for the first point he scored for the team today.

"YOSSHAA! I DID IT! I FINALLY FUCKING DID IT!"

-0-

Amidst the cheers that exploded from the crowd, Amagi tried his best to hide his smirk as he stared at Riku intriguingly. Although the attack was executed perfectly by Tsunemori's ace, he knew that the preparator of this play was Riku, and seeing his fellow setter performing well, he couldn't help but feel excited.

"Good. At least, you have proven yourself to be a worthy opponent. I cannot wait to face you and Yuki in the semifinal, Riku Agostini."