The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

Days passed by, and the challenge from Kaito and Yusuke was like a small episode – a teaser, you could say – for the next game against Kikugawa High. However, no one forgot about it. The idea of Kikugawa High as a bunch of arrogant guys who looked down on them was cemented inside all the Tsunemori students' minds because of the ruckus created by the two boys.

The voices of support from the students in the school also kept getting stronger, with some even kind and bold enough to cover them all when the volleyball players accidentally fell asleep inside the class. This was a historical event for Tsunemori High since all the students there were united under the volleyball team's banner, and all were excited about the next game.

"Come on, Asahi! Don't let those bastards humiliate you again!"

"Show some pride as the sophomore students, Jimmy! Don't let Yuki and Riku steal all the limelight in the next game!"

"Koji, be more serious! Don't slack off and listen to Riku's words, okay?!"

Still, even with all the good noises outside, that wasn't enough to break the Tsunemori team's concentration. They kept their training up, polishing their strategy while also trying to experiment with something new for an emergency.

That experiment was of course about Ogawa's new role as the team's third setter. Yuki and Riku started to integrate their senpai into their combination attack, and while the result was still far from acceptable to be used in the game, they all were satisfied with their progress.

Akira himself didn't stop those three. Even though he knew trying something new in the middle of the tournament was a risky move that could break the team's concentration, he didn't have the heart to stop his three players who were enthusiastic about their new weapon. Moreover, he also saw that those three adapted quickly, so even though they wouldn't be able to use it instantly in the next game if they won and advanced through the final four, this would be a nasty weapon to surprise Matsuyama Kita High and the other opponents on that stage.

When it was three days before the game began, all the Tsunemori players gathered in one of the classrooms for their usual intelligence meeting. There was also Arina Sugawara who was tasked to mobilize the supporters to come to the Tokyo Gymnasium. It seemed Akira saw the great importance of having support on the players' backs, so unlike in the Inter-high tournament last summer, he asked for the headmaster's help, and by how Arina Sugawara's current expression was, it seemed that there was good news waiting for them.

"Okay, first thing first, Sugawara-san, is there any news from the headmaster?" Akira asked.

"We secured 250 tickets for the next game, and the headmaster allows me to allocate who will get them all." Arina Sugawara sent a big thumb.

"Oh, 250 tickets?! That is five times more than when we were playing against Tsukiji High!"

"Damn, that is awesome!"

"All hail, the headmaster!"

Cheers exploded inside the tiny classroom as everyone heard the news from Arina Sugawara. Even though 250 tickets were not a lot compared to their usual attendance in the home court—about 600 people on average—they all knew the next game would be held in a neutral place, so to have that many people supporting them would be a huge boost for their morale.

"What about our opponent, though? How many tickets did they get?" Yuki asked a crucial question, which also silenced the chaos around him.

Arina Sugawara stared at the players silently for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. "Well, unfortunately, they managed to secure 750 tickets, which is three times more than what we got." At the incredulous gazes she received, she just shrugged helplessly. "We cannot help it. They are the bigger and more famous team compared to us, so they have this privilege for the next game."

"Goddamnit!" Ogawa cursed, his shoulder slumped a little. He knew that no matter how much he complained, this was not something he or any other players on the team could change. It related to the team's history and reputation, and as a former mediocre team, they had no leverage in this case.

"Okay, let's not dwell over it for too long." Akira cleared his throat. "Sugawara-san, please continue."

After that, Arina Sugawara began to explain the arrangement for the next game. Since there were about eighteen classes in this school, each class would have at least fourteen to fifteen tickets, but the school would also accommodate those who didn't get it and decided to buy the ticket on their own. They all would gather at the school two hours before the game started so that they wouldn't get separated, and just like usual, Arina Sugawara's father would provide them with the transportation needed for about 250 people to go there.

Bless her and her rich family.

After that, they started talking about their next opponent, Kikugawa High. All of the players there straightened their backs since they knew this was the real business today. Megumi opened her laptop and accessed several videos she had compiled on their opponent's previous games.

"Well, you all know the two players you need to keep your eyes on, Yuuma Kaito and Kai Yusuke. They both are freshmen who came from the same middle school, so you can expect that they have the same level of tacit understanding as Yuki and Riku."

They all twitched their eyebrows a little when they saw the duos who just invaded the gymnasium a few days ago, especially when the obnoxious boy was grinning widely in front of the camera. Still, Asahi let out a deep sigh as he contemplated. "Another team with freshman as their core, huh? Man, the new generation sure is talented as hell."

They all went quiet as they heard that. Most of them also realized that a lot of teams had a freshman as their core just like them, Tsukiji High with Michael Wang, Kyoei Gakuen with Haruo, or even Konan High with Sawada. To be able to get through the first team and play a big role in their first year, that showed how talented they were.

"Well, fortunately, just like you saw during Riku and Yuki's shenanigan match against them," For that, Yuki and Riku pouted. "They are not the perfect combination for the team." Most of them nodded in agreement. "Kaito is an aggressive player who has trouble defending his area, and Yusuke is the one who always wipes his ass, but he is too meek and passive to initiate something on his own. So, it is pretty easy for us to handle them both."

All the Tsunemori players sighed in relief when they heard that. However, they could see the 'but' incoming.

"BUT!" Akira raised his voice, with all of them muttered, 'There it is.' Inwardly. "It would be good if the only threat we would face is those two, but unfortunately, things are not so simple. They have such a unique playing style that I am sure you will be shocked when you see it."