The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

It was the day after the game between Tsunemori High and Tsukiji High, and even with the fatigue he and the rest of the team suffered, Akira was cruel enough to not let them skip the class. As a result, here Yuki was, trying his best to keep his eyes open while putting his elbow on the desk so that he wouldn't fall into dreamland. The boy twitched his lips unconsciously whenever he heard the loud snore that came occasionally from the back row, knowing full well that it came from Riku's place.

'How in the hell did Sensei ignore him? Did that bastard bribe or blackmail the teacher or what?'

Fortunately, the day passed pretty quickly, and before Yuki knew it, the bell that signaled the end of the school finally rang. As the teacher reminded all the students to keep healthy since the weather started to get cold, Yuki stretched his stiff body, yawning big without caring about his image at all.

"You sound like an old man, Yuki." Kato who sat in front of him turned around and giggled cutely at him. Yuki just rolled his eyes, retorting back, "Well, this old man is the newest celebrity in the school, you know? Haven't you heard the rumor mills about this old man bringing back the victory to the school?" He grinned cheekily.

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What he got in return, though, was a deadpanned gaze that screamed 'Are you serious?' from the girl. "I know that hanging out with Riku for too long will affect you badly! Now, you start acting like him!"

"Hey, what is wrong with acting like me?!" Riku, who had just woken up from his sleep, shouted from the back, his tone still sleepy.

"Oh, there are so many wrong things with acting like you! Do you need me to make a list of it?!" Kato retorted back which elicited surprised gazes from the other students. After all, Kato was always a quiet, unpopular student who sat in the front row, so for them to hear her bantering with the most popular student in the class was a big surprise. Kato herself just ignored that, huffing before glaring fiercely at Yuki. "Don't you dare copy how he acts, okay? I cannot bear having you act like a man-whore!" She shouted the last part deliberately, wanting Riku to hear that.

Yuki himself just chuckled, shaking his head as he didn't want to get dragged into this conflict. Honestly, he was so proud of Kato who started to get out of her shell slowly. While the girl was still quiet, it was a confident and elegant quiet, not the shy one like she was in the past when every word she spoke was so fragile as if she had to cross a land full of mines.

"Anyway, what are you going to do after this?" He asked.@@novelbin@@

"Me? Probably going to the science club. Arina-senpai and I have something to ask the chemistry sensei." Answered the girl.

"Oh? Is there something I can help?" Yuki raised one of his eyebrows slightly. While he was excused from the science club already after the reinstatement of the volleyball team, he still hung out with Kato and Arina Sugawara who were the members of the club, so he still got an update on their activity.

"Thank you for the offer, I really appreciate it. But I don't think you can help me with this." She smiled prettily at him, and if anyone said that Yuki blushed madly from the smile, he would deny the accusation firmly. "Anyway, I have to go first. Don't stay outside for too long, the weather is pretty cold outside! Also, say hello to the kids for me!"

"Sure!"

Yuki stared blankly as his eyes followed Kato, who was running through the corridor outside of the class. After the girl disappeared from his sight, he shook his head, regaining his consciousness, only to find out Riku and some other students who still stayed there smiled at him knowingly.

"What?" Yuki asked, his tone defensive.

"Oh, nothing." One girl with freckles on her face – Ari, if Yuki remembered correctly – smiled slyly. "Just not expecting our ice prince and princess to get so chummy like that! Oh, my ship has finally sailed!" She squealed in a high pitch, which was followed by the other girls next to her.

"Ice prince? Ship?" Honestly, if not for the strange vocabulary, Yuki would blush furiously at the insinuation. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, don't worry about it, Yuki!" Riku answered before the girl – or any student there said anything. He rose from his seat, stretching his body in a similar manner as what Yuki did earlier before grabbing his bag. "Come on, Yuki! Let's go outside before you get corrupted by those bastards."

"Boo! What a spoil spot!"

"Yeah! Let us have some fun, will you?!"

Hearing the mocking boos from his classmates, Riku just made a lot of rude hand gestures before signaling Yuki to follow him. Still confused, the glasses boy followed his friend before asking, "What is that about?"

"Nothing," Riku answered quickly. Too quickly to make it less suspicious. "Just an internet thing that I am sure Kato would have my head roll if I let you know." The blonde boy shivered in fear at his own imagination. Yuki himself just hummed before shrugging it off. If his two friends didn't want to let him know, so be it.

"So, where are we going now?" Yuki asked once again, changing the topic of the conversation.

Riku stopped walking for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. "I don't know. Usually, a sabbath day like this is a perfect time to hang out, but the game yesterday took a toll on me, and the weather outside is too cold for me to be comfortable playing outside."

Yuki nodded, could see his friend's point. He himself also felt the same Usually, a day off like this was perfect for him to do some chores, help Aiko, or even play with his siblings back in the orphanage. However, after a long and exhausting game yesterday, he didn't want to go back into his routine so quickly like that.

"Let's just check the gym and see if anyone is hanging out in that place." Riku finally decided.

Yuki just nodded before following his friend from behind as he tried his best to hold back a shiver. While it was still in the middle of November, the weather itself had already dropped around ten degrees. Now, if he was not training with the team, he had to wear so many thick clothes and a scarf to warm himself, which he found pretty annoying.

As they arrived at the gymnasium, though, those two were surprised that all of their senpai from the team were already there, some were chatting and laughing at each other. Hell, they could even see Megumi and Akira also there, and when the manager saw them coming, she smiled mischievously at the coach, something that couldn't be seen often on her face.

"See, Sensei? I tell you that they are going to be here too. No, pay up!"