The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Oh, Jimmy is back!"

"Come on, Jimmy! Help Yuki stabilize the game!"

"Jimmy, we are counting on you!"

"Don't be such a useless stick, okay?!"

The crowd suddenly got restless when they saw Ogawa preparing to come from the bench. After all, they all recognized the miserable state of Tsunemori's team, and fresh blood would definitely be a huge help for them. Not only that, Ogawa's playing style was so uniquely compatible with Yuki and Riku, making him somehow more valuable in this situation.

However, not everyone was happy about this decision. Well, only one was unhappy, and that was Koji who had to be replaced by the boy. Even though he knew he deserved it for his terrible performance, the boy still thought that the team needed his muscle now. Without him on the court, the team didn't have a heavy hitter to attack, which would also make it easy for Kikugawa High's defense to anticipate them.

Akira who saw this just shook his head in disappointment. He had already given Koji so many chances, yet the boy couldn't capitalize it even for once. The boy had no one but himself to be blamed in this situation.

'Maybe, I need to talk to him personally later.' He thought.

As for the other players on the court, they all were excited to see Ogawa back here, especially Yuki and Riku. For the former, Ogawa's presence meant that he had more support on the back, something that Koji couldn't provide before. As for the latter, Ogawa's presence also helped share his burden on the team's offense as now, he didn't have to rely on Yuki to support him all the time. So, yeah, Ogawa's presence was celebrated by the other Tsunemori players as if he was the second coming of the messiah himself.

"Come on, Jimmy! We are counting on you!" Asahi high-fived the boy before going back to his position.

A moment later, the game was ready to be continued again. Just like before, Tachibana was still there to do the service job. He tried his best to aim the ball to a tricky spot to force Yuki to move, yet Ogawa managed to announce his presence strongly by covering for his kouhai and receiving the serve perfectly.

BAM!

"Oh! Nice save, Jimmy!"

"Riku, left!"

Without Koji on the court, the burden as the team's spear automatically fell on Asahi's shoulder. However, Kikugawa High also noticed this and shadowed the captain instantly. Seeing this, Riku didn't hesitate to turn around and sent the ball toward Hirano on the front. "Rano, get this!" He shouted.

BAM!

"Shit!"

"One touch!"

Even though the timing was perfect, Ao – Kikugawa High's middle blocker – also timed his jump perfectly, managing to deflect the spike from his fellow middle blocker. Even though the ball flew a bit too far, it was still within Yusuke's reach as the boy moved to pick it up and send it to Ayane's position in the middle.

Seeing the ball flying to the setter, Kaito also started moving. "Senpai, left!" He shouted loudly while also speeding up his run before leaping forward to execute the attack. Of course, Tsunemori's players didn't stay idle. Asahi reacted instantly, following his movement as the captain was ready to fight in the air. However, Kaito was cunning enough to twist his body slightly, changing his stance from a cross spike into a line spike.

BAM!

"Fuck!" Once again, Yuki cursed as he was forced to receive a strong ball with his body, his forearms were bright red from the impact. However, the adrenaline forced his brain to ignore it as he shouted, "Get the second ball!"

Fortunately, Ogawa was the closest one to get the ball, making it possible for the team to launch a quick counterattack. However, what no one expected the boy to do was to jump immediately after seeing such an easy ball, and before anyone could realize his intention and react accordingly, he spiked the ball directly, sending it straight to Kaito's original spot where no one was there anymore.

BAM!

Right after seeing the ball bounce on the floor successfully, the boy turned around to Riku and asked, "So, is that how you do it?"

"OOOOH!" Cheers exploded instantly on the court after everyone heard his cocky words. Well, the excitement was one-sided, of course, as only Tsunemori players were happy with this result. "Good job, Jimmy!"

"Holy shit, Jimmy-senpai! Since when did you learn that?!" Riku asked, still in awe.

"That is a fucking brilliant move, Senpai!" Yuki also sent a thumbs-up, appreciating the play.

Meanwhile, on Kikugawa's side, everyone gathered immediately to discuss the last play. "Senpai, don't let your guard down around him. I don't even know why he is a bench player at this point, but his threat is no less than that blondie." Kaito said seriously.

"Yeah, don't worry. We got this." Tachibana nodded solemnly, knowing full well that the threat from Ogawa couldn't be ignored just because he came off the bench.

The atmosphere on their side was a bit tense, especially considering the current score. Even though the gap was still three points, considering Tsunemori High had already reached 21, it only took four points for their opponent to win the entire game. Even though this wasn't the worst situation yet, for all the Kikugawa players they were so close to reaching the death door right now.

"Come on, this is not over yet!" Suzuki clapped his hands loudly, encouraging his teammates. "We are only down by three points! There is still a chance to overtake this game! Just stay focused and don't give up a point so easily!"

A moment later, all the players finally were back to their positions again. This time, it was Asahi's turn to serve. The captain was too tired by now and didn't want to risk this chance by doing something stupid, so he just sent a normal serve straight toward Kaito's position, trying to hold the boy back from joining the attack.

Thud!

"Oh, nice cover, Yusuke!"

"Step aside, quick!" Kaito shouted after seeing his friend covering for him. Yusuke also knew the assignment here. He didn't hesitate to jump aside, giving his friend room to run. "Ayane-senpai, here!" The boy shouted once again, but this time, it was to ask for the ball.

This was the basic operation that Kikugawa High players had already been doing since the game began. Even all the Tsunemori High players knew this and stepped back instantly, waiting for the ball to come. However, this time, one player with the green forest jersey didn't follow the pattern at all, suddenly rushing blindly toward Kaito with both hands extended in the sky. As a result…

BAM!