The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

For a moment, a pin-drop silence fell inside the gymnasium as all eyes were on the two strangers. Hell, even those who were playing basketball on the court next to the volleyball one even stopped playing, turning their attention toward the attention-seeker. They were wondering what kind of stupid person would dare to provoke a team in its own home.

There, they could see two students standing in front of the gymnasium gate. One of them was a meek boy with plain, straight hair who was cowering behind his friend to hide from the hostility around while the other was a boy with undercut hair who smiled brightly – albeit a bit obnoxiously – as if he was some sort of messiah who would bring someone from the death door.

They didn't have to think twice to know who was the one provoking them earlier.

"Uh… Stranger-san, can I help you with something? Also, do you have permission to come here?" Megumi asked politely.

No one cared about the first question as they all were ready to beat the boy to death for provoking their school out of nowhere. However, they all were curious about the second question. After all, today was an ordinary day without anything special scheduled in the school, so there was no way a stranger could come and go so easily without any permission.

"Ah… This…" The two strangers stared at each other awkwardly. Megumi didn't even need a full answer as she knew about it instantly. She twitched her lips a little in annoyance before asking, "So, you are coming here illegally? For what, to spy on our team? If so, please leave before I call the security!2 She said, her tone was firm.

Her tough attitude immediately gained the support of the other Tsunemori students who watched this. "Yeah! Tell them that, Ayaka-senpai!"

"Don't let them make a mess in our home!"

"Protect our place, Ayaka-senpai!"

Although they all were unhappy with the strangers, all the Tsunemori students inside the gymnasium still had enough self-control to hold back from rushing and beating the two strangers. They knew that violence would only bring trouble to themselves and their family. However, that didn't mean they were going to let the provocation go away so easily. So, to hear how Megumi scolded those two was so satisfying for everyone's ears.

"W-Wait, wait, Miss! We are so sorry! We are just here to greet our next opponent, nothing else!" The plain boy stuttered in panic at Megumi's not-so-subtle threat.

"Yeah, Miss! We are just here to have a heated manly duel with your volleyball team!" The loud and obnoxious boy added, grinning once again while showing his bright, white teeth to everyone.

All the people inside the building stepped back unconsciously, and a creepy image gradually formed inside their heads.

'What the hell?! He is not just loud and obnoxious, but gay too?!'

The horror on their faces was visible as they didn't expect they would see someone with that preference here. After all, it was 2011, and this extreme ideology was still something that only people in America had. For Asian people like them, they all were still reserved and wouldn't flaunt their sexual preference as openly as the boy in front of them.

Of course, the boy didn't know that most of the people here just misunderstood him. However, the plain boy seemed to have better emotional intelligence as he noticed the awkward atmosphere around there and explained immediately, "No, this is not what you are thinking! He is a straight man who has a girlfriend already, don't go too far!"

Well, no matter how the boy wanted to defend his friend, the impression had already been formed, and if anything, this only cemented the idea that the boy was gay, with the other one being his partner in crime. Hell, even some girls who were there blushed furiously as they thought of the forbidden story that they read on the Internet about a popular boy who was sunny and cheerful with a plain-looking boy who was sub… Well, you have the idea.

"O-Okay, that is enough!" Megumi raised her voice, trying to hide her embarrassment. As a former otaku, of course, she was familiar with this kind of forbidden story, so she tried her best to cleanse her dirty mind right now. "I will call the security first to deal with you guys!"

The two strangers panicked since they failed to reassure Megumi that they didn't come here to disturb them. However, before Megumi could go and talk to the security, Riku stopped her immediately. "Wait, Senpai! Maybe, this is not a bad idea at all!"

All the heads snapped at the blonde boy instantly, looking at him as if he had just grown a second head. Riku himself also realized what – or who – he just fought for and blushed instantly, yet still added, "Well, they are here as our next opponent, right? Whatever motive they have, don't you think it is rude to chase them away like that? Also, since they propose to have a duel, it seems they want to gather intelligence about us, right? So, why don't we do the same and use this opportunity to get to know each other?"

When everyone started nodding their head as if thinking that what Riku said made sense, Megumi was too speechless to comment. In the end, she just sighed helplessly and said, "Fine! But if there is anything wrong, it will be you who will explain this to Akira-sensei!"

"Don't worry, Senpai! I am sure Jiisan will understand!" Riku gave a thumbs-up. Even though Akira could be strict, he still believed that his uncle would not make things difficult for him, especially when all he did was for the team. Then, he turned around to the two pitiful strangers before asking, "So, what do you think?"

"Good, Mister Agostini! As expected, you are indeed reliable!" The obnoxious boy praised, which gave Riku another goosebump.

"O-Okay, so, how do you want to do this? Also, what is your name?" Riku asked with a stiff smile.

"Oh, how rude of us to forget to introduce ourselves!" The same boy slapped his forehead comically. "We are so sorry for our rudeness, Mister Agostini! My name is Kaito and he is Yusuke, and we are from Kikugawa High, and we are here to challenge Mister Agostini and Mister Kobayashi in a 2v2 duel!"