The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Oh! That is Ezaki-kun, right?!"

"Yes! He was the team's rising star two years ago! Now, he is back!"

"Hey, isn't he the one who knocked his opponent out with a punch that resulted in the team getting punished one year without any official tournament?"

"Really?!"

"Eh, who cares?! Now, he is back and fighting together with the team! Come on, Ezaki! Don't disappoint us!"

Unlike the game between Tsunemori High and Kikugawa High where most of the spectators came from the school's students, this time, Shimo High and Shirayuki High didn't accommodate their students to come, so most of the audiences here were those who were volleyball fans. It was no wonder that they didn't know Ezaki had already been playing with the team again since last summer.

Meanwhile, looking at this scene, all of the Tsunemori players on the stand couldn't help but shake their heads in wonder. "Man, when we played against each other in the last Inter-high, he was the team's public enemy, right? Time sure flies so fast." Ogawa said in a melancholy manner.

"No need to act like an old man, Jimmy." Asahi who sat next to him snorted mockingly at his friend. "No matter how much you try to sound mature, you will never be able to impress Inoue-san."

"Ha?! Say it again?!" Ogawa scowled, unhappy with his friend's words.

Just like Arina Sugawara and Megumi from the third year, Inoue was probably the most beautiful sophomore student in the school. She had a lot of suitors waiting in line, trying to test their luck. However, rumor said that Inoue liked an older, mature guy, so somehow, this made a lot of students' hearts break. There were still a few who tried to act mature to impress her just like what Ogawa did here, but that would be a story for another time.

Meanwhile, as his senpai bickered with each other, Yuki just shook his head exasperatedly, deciding to shut his ears and put his focus back on the court. When his eyes caught the quiet confidence radiating from Ezaki, Yuki suddenly remembered his last encounter with Shimo High.

Yuki still had an impression of Ezaki. After all, even if the boy only played for half a game–even less, if he remembered correctly–somehow, the boy managed to leave a deep impression inside his heart. His speed and decision-making on the front line were amazing, and even with his abnormal strength, the boy still used his brain a lot to utilize his ability perfectly, always coming up as the winner in almost every duel possible. Honestly, before meeting Lucas, Yuki thought that Ezaki was the most complete player he had ever met.

'Come on, Ezaki-san!' Yuki muttered unconsciously. 'Now that you have the support from your team and are not fighting alone anymore, show Konan High why they should be wary of you!'

-0-

Meanwhile, on Shirayuki's side, all of their players gathered in the middle of the court, discussing the last play. "Sorry, everyone. I mess up our chance to take an early lead." Yuya, the outside hitter who had just failed to execute the last play, didn't hesitate to bow his head and apologize.

"Eh, don't fret over something so trivial like that, Yuya! We all made mistakes, after all." Takumi, the team's captain, waved his hand nonchalantly. "What we need to do right now is to cut off the opponent's momentum as soon as possible. Come on, tighten your headband! We still have a long match waiting for us today!"

All the Shirayuki players nodded at each other, somehow tightening the thin fabric they used as a headband with 'Fight until the end!' written in it. Those words were the team's motto and they carried it on their head to remind them about the spirit of the school.

"Come on! The game is still early, everything is still possible!"

"Yeah!"

After that, the referee finally blew the whistle, signaling for the players from both teams to get ready for the next play. Unexpectedly, Hideo, Shimo's team captain, stepped forward to execute the team's first service.

The boy took a deep breath, knowing that this service was important to build the momentum for the team. He waited patiently until the referee blew the whistle before throwing the ball just one meter above his head, taking a run-up before leaping forward, smashing the ball with all the strength he could gather inside his body.

BAM!

The sound of the ball piercing the wind could be heard echoing throughout the building, and all the people there sucked their breath immediately, couldn't help but wince when they imagined themselves receiving that kind of ball. However, one particular player with the blue jersey didn't even flinch, taking a step aside before leaning his body toward his left, letting his forearms cushion the ball. While the impact was enough to throw him one meter away from his spot, the impact made the ball fly slowly to the middle of Shirayuki's area, giving them a chance to counterattack.

"Oh! What a save!"

"Nice save, Shun-san!"

"That is our guardian, Shun Matsuena!"

While cheers exploded after this amazing receive, all the Shirayuki players didn't stay idle. They knew that this was their chance to tie the score, so all of them started moving together, trying to spread the opponent's blockers thin.

"Tsubasa, left!"

"Give it to me, Tsubasa-kun!"

"Don't forget the middle!"

Three players rushed at the same time, eager to receive the end of the pass. Tsubasa, Shirayuki's setter, waited patiently, trying to ignore the pressure coming from the other side of the net. When he saw Shimo's blocker on the left getting impatient and moving first, the setter suddenly let out a small smirk before muttering to himself, 'Got you!'

Then, before anyone realizing what he was going to do, Tsubasa extended one hand high in the air, and Ezaki who saw this widened his eyes, cursing out loud as he realized what the setter was going to do.

"Shit! A dump!"

Unfortunately, he was too late, as Tsubasa had already flicked the ball gently, passing through Shimo's line of blockers. It moved so slowly, and Ezaki reacted so quickly, yet even if the boy dived to the floor, the ball was destined to fall. As a result…

Thud!