The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

It took a while to really end the game, but after leading the players from both teams to shake hands with each other, the referee finally disbanded everyone, asking all the players there to leave the court as it was about to be used again for the next game. Akira himself disappeared instantly after everything was over, and as his nephew, Riku informed his teammates that the coach had an important meeting with the opponent's head coach. It seemed that the dispute between the master and the disciple was still not over yet even after this game.

"Yuki-nii! / Nii-chan!"

"Urgh!" Yuki was taken aback when he was bulldozed by two tiny, adorable bullets out of nowhere right after he and the team left the court. "Mai-chan? Hina-chan? What are you doing here?! Where is Aiko-obaasan? What about Kato-san?" He asked the two little girls who were hugging him tightly right now.

"Well, the others are still on the back. They are too slow!" Hina complained, pouting at her brother.

"Yeah, slowpokes!" Mai also nodded in agreement.

This adorable interaction was enough to trigger a long 'Aaaaw' reaction from those who watched it. Usually, a big brother would always be embarrassed for something like this. However, Yuki himself was a thick-skinned boy and cherished all of his siblings, so he didn't mind being surrounded by the two little girls like this.

After kneeling a little to level his eyes with the two little girls, Yuki didn't even hesitate to lift them up and carry them both in both his hands, making all of his teammates have their jaws drop when they saw that. After all, they witnessed with their eyes how Yuki was the most exhausted player on the court earlier. Honestly, if not for his constant answer between the heavy breaths, they all would be worried that he passed out on the spot already. However, here he was, carrying the two little girls as if they were nothing.

"Is he a monster or what?!" Ogawa asked, turning his head around as if he were searching for an answer.

"Don't think too much about him." Riku smiled fondly as he watched the interaction. "For Yuki, his siblings will always be his strength. He will always be healthy enough in front of them all."

All of the Tsunemori players who heard that just watched the interaction enviously, especially after thinking about their spoiled little siblings at home. However, after thinking about the fate of Yuki's original family, they could only shake their head, feeling that this was something that their friend deserved.

After greeting Kato, Aiko, and the other children from the orphanage, they all didn't go back to their home. No, instead, they went back to the building, finding good seats while getting ready for the next game that was about to begin.

"So, who is going to play next?" Ogawa asked.

"Hmm… Wait a second." Okamura scrolled through his phone to search for the information. "Ah, here it is! Shimoyawata High against Shirayuki High!"

"Oh, they are going to play?" Asahi asked, interested. After all, Shimoyawata High was the first school they faced after all of the senior members retired from the team, so their impression of that team was still pretty strong. "It seems they are also climbing fast toward the top spot. In the last Inter-high, they were still being beaten by us in the first round, right? Who would've thought that they would also be here with us to fight for one spot in the top four…" He sighed, feeling melancholy.

All the other players also nodded solemnly, knowing full well Asahi's feelings right now. Shimoyawata High was the first strong opponent that this team faced, so to some extent, they still cared about how this team performed in this tournament.

"The winner of this game is going to face Konan High, right?" Riku suddenly asked. "Well, it is a pity for them, because no matter who wins this game, their journey will be over next."

"Just like us, right?" Yuki replied sarcastically. "After all, who would be optimistic that we could beat Matsuyama Kita High?"

This… Even though those two just spoke nonchalantly, somehow, this topic was a bit depressing. After all, even after a long and exhausting game against Kikugawa High a moment ago, they didn't want to talk about their next opponent right now, especially considering the fact that they would face the second-best team in Japan after this.

"Still, don't put your eyes away from this game. After all, Tokyo has three spots in the National Tournament, so if we lost against Matsuyama Kita High, there is a huge chance that our opponent in the do-or-die game will be the winner of this game." Asahi reprimanded his kouhai.

Meanwhile, down on the court, all the Shimoyawata High players with white jerseys and pink shorts had already been on the court, warming up for the next game. Even though for most of them, this should be their first time playing in Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, they all were still pretty relaxed, not having any burden about the game.

"Come on, Senpai! Don't be too strict! This is just warming up!" Ueno, A boy probably with the same height as Riku, with wild and untamed hair complained to his senpai.

"Oh, Shut up!" Hideo, Shimoyawata High's captain scolded his kouhai strictly for this childishness. "Just follow the arrangement and don't be disobedient! Just look at Ezaki more, okay?"

"Eh?" A lean and athletic boy named Ezaki was startled when his name was mentioned out of nowhere. "What is going on, Captain?"

"No, nothing. Just tell your friend to follow your example more." Hideo glanced sideways toward Ueno, daring the boy to complain more.

Ezaki himself could only scratch the back of his head awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Since his redemption arc when all of his teammates forgave him after he caused the team's sanction for the entire year before, the boy turned into a role model for everyone, always being the first one who come into the training section and also the last one to leave. However, his new personality sometimes still made his teammates feel awkward since everyone still remembered how volatile his temper was.

"Eh, don't think too much, Ezaki!" Ueno encircled his arm around the boy's shoulder in a friendly manner. "Don't worry about Captain. You, me, and Senki. Let's show everyone here the power of Shimoyawata's new trio!"