The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

'Their expressions have changed,' Yuki noted. 'Even though the hostility between the defensive specialist and the blocker is still there, they have managed to put it aside and focus back on the game. They are getting serious now.'

Honestly, that thought alone was enough to lift his excitement to a peak. While it was gratifying for Yuki to score three aces in a row, he knew this wasn't Konan High's true capability. They seemed to be in the middle of a hangover after winning the championship, which was understandable. But now that they had started to get serious, Yuki knew the real game had just begun.

'Okay, I cannot aim at the blocker again; they would have already considered it. The defensive specialist is also a no-go; he already knows most of my arsenal. Lucas Silva and Matsumoto are too dangerous; they are good defenders who can turn my serve into a quick attack in a second. The setter? No, he is too intimidating. That means I can only target one player right now.'

With that thought in mind, Yuki tossed the ball slightly, leaping forward before hitting it straight to the bottom right where his target was standing.

Thud!

Arizawa, the opposite hitter of Konan's team, was taken aback when he saw the ball coming in his direction. Unfortunately for Yuki, all of his information about Arizawa had come from the game between Tsunemori and Konan, and the opposite hitter had already improved in almost every aspect before the national tournament began.

So, when Arizawa saw the ball wobbling in the air, he didn't even think twice before picking it up with an overhead pass, sending it straight to Harada, who was already in the best position to set up an attack.

"Genzo! Your left!"

"Don't forget about me, Genzo!"

With two of the best players in the country moving in sync to attack them, Yuki's teammates tensed for a moment. Facing both Matsumoto and Lucas at the same time was something they had only imagined in their dreams or nightmares.

Unfortunately, they were so focused on the two hitters moving together on the wing that they somehow forgot about the one who set up the attack: Harada. Even without glancing at them, the setter knew he had slipped through everyone's minds, making it pretty easy for him to flick the ball and send it straight behind Takeda and Ono on the frontline.

Thud!

All the players from Team A were speechless when they saw the ball rolling on their side. Harada, who observed their dumbfounded expressions, let out a small smirk beneath his cold demeanor as he muttered, 'Not as easy as they thought it would be, huh?'n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

-0-

"Oh, damn! That is a nasty dump!" Riku on the sidelines shook his head in admiration. "He took advantage of everyone's wariness regarding the two hitters on the wing to throw them off guard and executed it at the perfect moment. He is good!" He praised Konan's third-year setter.

"Yes, Harada-senpai is an amazing setter," Sawada nodded in agreement.

"Oh, hey, he is the one you managed to beat to snatch the setter position for the main team, right?" Riku suddenly remembered.

"A-Ah, it's not that I beat him, you know? At that time, Harada-senpai was still recovering from his injury, and someone needed to step up for that position, so they chose me," Sawada explained, a hint of red color tinting his cheeks.

"Oh, don't sell yourself short! I'm sure you are amazing!" Riku tried to reassure him. "Still, can you tell me more about this Harada? He has caught my interest now…"

-0-

"Sorry, everyone, we forgot about him," Takeda said, bowing his head in embarrassment.

"Hey, why are you so gloomy? It's just one mistake, you know? Don't be too harsh on yourself!" Aizawa tried his best to cheer up his teammates. "And we should've expected this, you know? I mean, they're not the best team in the country for nothing! It would be weird if they couldn't capitalize on the weakness we unconsciously showed!"

Yuki nodded in agreement with Aizawa's words. "We still have a two-point lead here, so let's focus on protecting that first. We can dwell on this later, okay?"

Seeing the gloomy atmosphere begin to lift, Aizawa grinned widely. "Atta boy! That's the right attitude! Let's show the best team in the country how capable we are!"

Yuki shook his head in amusement, finding Aizawa somewhat similar to Riku. They were both charismatic natural leaders, and somehow, when they spoke, everyone listened. Yuki knew this was a trait that couldn't be trained and that only a few people were born with it.

"Okay, let's concentrate back on the game! Get ready because Lucas Silva's serve is going to be fierce!" Yuki instructed. As probably the only one who had experience playing against Konan, he continued to share information about them so that his teammates could adapt quickly and make the game smoother.

They all tensed in anticipation. Unfortunately, even though they were prepared, when Lucas's serve came in their direction, they couldn't even touch it as the ball traveled at a speed their eyes couldn't comprehend.

BAM!

Subaru, Team A's outside hitter and the closest player to where the ball landed, winced at the thundering sound of the ball hitting the floor. Like the others, his mouth dropped open in awe, and he flinched unconsciously when he realized they all had to receive it at some point.

"Oh! Lucas-senpai, your serve is still as awesome as before!"

"Ha! No need to flatter me, Hikaru!"

"He is right, Lucas. Your serve is still nasty."

While the Konan players celebrated with each other, both Yuki and Aizawa resumed their roles as team leaders to support their teammates.

"It's okay, Subaru-san! You didn't know his serve would be that powerful!" Yuki encouraged the boy.

"Yes, Subaru! It's not shameful that you couldn't receive that! Hell, even most of the players in the country wouldn't be able to!" Aizawa added.

For a moment, the heavy atmosphere began to lift as everyone accepted their words. However, when the second serve came in and no one could touch it again, Yuki finally reached his limit and called Aizawa over.

"Reassuring them won't help. We have to take action to show them that it's not unstoppable," said the bespectacled boy.

Aizawa nodded, clearly understanding the situation. "The question is, how?"

"Well, it's easy," Yuki suddenly grinned. "I know you're not that bad of a defender, and you know I rank among the top five for defensive capability. So, let's form a two-man defense and handle this matter by ourselves!"