The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

As time went by, the atmosphere in Tsunemori High was getting more intense. All the elements of the school were also preparing for the game day, either for the supporters to prepare something special to support the team, the canteen lady who helped prepare food for the team, and even the teachers who let the players sleep in their class, everyone was moving together to help the team ready for the next game.

This was understandable since they were on the verge of making history. If they won the next game, they would be in the semifinal of the tournament for the first time ever, not just for the volleyball team, but also for any other sports team in the school. Moreover, the headmaster also helped hype up this game, so the conversation topic in the school in the last couple of days always revolved around the volleyball team.

As the team itself, the closer they were to the game day, the more Akira emphasized for his players to stay relaxed. He didn't want his players to get affected by the pressure from the outside and overdid their training. Just like right now, it was one day away from the game, and instead of training or doing some sort of last preparation, Akira arranged for Megumi to set up the classroom they usually used to discuss the opponent's information to be a small movie studio with most of the players there debating over what they should watch.

"Horror! It has to be a horror!" Okamura exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah! Give me Cabin in the Wood!" Ogawa threw a movie title spontaneously. A pin-drop silence fell as everyone – well, most of the people in the room stared at him with mouths gaped wide in pure, unadulterated shock.

"What the hell, Jimmy?! You cannot watch something like that in the school?!" Asahi retorted.

"Something like what?" Megumi who had the image of an angel asked innocently. She didn't expect that her question would trigger a chaotic reaction from the players around her.

"N-No, it is nothing, Megumi-senpai!" Asahi stuttered messily.

"Y-Yeah, it is just a trash movie! Jimmy really has a weird taste, right?!" Koji added quickly.

"Haha!"

"Anyway, let's discuss what movies should we watch!"

The atmosphere turned awkward as they all tried their best to change the topic of the conversation. While The Cabin in the Wood was indeed a horror movie, the content in the movie was a bit controversial with a lot of porn scenes over it. The idea of watching a movie like that in the school was outrageous enough, but the thought of them watching it together with Megumi, the school's goddess, made them shudder instantly. They didn't want to imagine how awkward it would be if that happened.

In the end, everyone decided to watch something that everyone could enjoy, One Piece. The anime was probably the second-best thing coming to Japan's entertainment industry after Dragon Ball, and most people no matter whether they were male or female should've had the experience of watching this anime. That was why they went for this anime so that Megumi could also enjoy this.

"I know that look." Yui suddenly said to Riku. "That is the look you have when you are remembering something funny. Spill!" All the other people in proximity turned around at Riku too, looking at the blonde boy curiously.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Just remember the first time I watched this anime, with the Italian dubbing." Riku waved his hand nonchalantly. However, he managed to catch everyone's interest as this was the first time since forever that they remembered that Riku hadn't grown up in Japan like them all.

"So, how is it?"

"Oh, the dubbing is terrible!" Riku laughed. "Luffy really sounds like a middle-aged man with his voice, and Nami is way too sultry compared to the original. There is no hint of mischief in her voice at all, which should be the heart of her character. However, the funniest thing is Ussop's dubbing. Just imagine an old, fat man with his mouth full of food trying to talk to you, and that is how they dub him."

Everyone laughed out loud when they heard it, could imagine how funny it was.

"Speaking of dubbing, while it is not as outrageous as what Yuki said, the English one also is not that good," Kaede said. "My brother is a One Piece fan and he brought a few DVDs with English dubbing for collection. I watched it a few times, and it is so strange!"

"Well, that is a dubbing for you." Megumi as the otaku in the group couldn't help but comment. "Unlike here, in Japan, where there are a lot of voice actor schools, not a lot of people or cooperation took that job seriously. Only a few do, and that is why those voice actors would be used by the animation company over and over again."

"Wow, Megumi-senpai, you sure know a lot about that." Koji praised her, looking at the girl with admiration. Some of the players there just rolled their eyes in exasperation, knowing that Koji was the biggest simp for Megumi.

As for Megumi herself, she blushed furiously when she realized she just exposed herself. She shook her head quickly, denying the praise, "No, no, no! That is something I just read on the Internet before, nothing special!" Yuki and Riku who knew Megumi's nature as an avid otaku snorted, yet decided not to expose their senpai in public.

They spent the next two hours watching the recent episodes of One Piece, debating over the plot and enjoying the show together in the room. Akira who passed the room and peeked inside it couldn't help but smile when he saw the relaxed atmosphere inside the room.

He knew that since the tournament began, his team was always in a high-tension mode. Even though he always reminded them all to relax and watch their rest time, all of his players were teenagers with unlimited energy, so it was no wonder his reminder was ignored quite often. He was glad that this method not only allowed the team to bond with each other but also helped them put their mind at ease.

'Hopefully, they are going to be ready for a long day tomorrow.' He mused. 'Just wait, Arisawa-kun. You will be surprised to see my troops stomping over yours tomorrow. Just wait…"