The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

Well…. It seemed that they didn't have to wait for so long to realize the truth behind the old man's words.

Right after the game was continued again, they all saw Shimo High's side was still shrouded by a gloomy atmosphere. It was clear that Miura, their head coach, failed to raise the team's morale during the timeout before. This was far different compared to the relaxed and nonchalant atmosphere on Shirayuki High's side.

"Hey, maybe we will have an easy game today, right?" Yuya, one of the team's attackers, couldn't help but ask in a whisper when he saw his opponent's state.

"Psst… Lower your voice! It is not good to disrespect your opponent like that!" Takumi hissed immediately, warning his kouhai with a glare. However, the small smile on his face couldn't hide his thoughts as he was in agreement with Yuya. "As long as we are careful enough, I don't think that we will have a problem today. Still, don't let this lower your guard, okay? If Sensei knows about it, I don't need to say the consequence, right?" He said the last part threateningly.

All of the Shirayuki players shuddered instantly, shaking their heads in unison. They all knew how strict their sensei was when it came to punishment, and they didn't want to test the old man's bottom line.

Right after everyone was back on the court, the referee was finally ready to restart the game again. This time, the one who served the ball would be Kuniyoshi, the quiet, senior opposite hitter, who had been with the team for about two and a half years. Together with Takumi and Shun Matsuena, the defensive specialist, those three were the pillars of the team.

Of course, having so much experience like this, even though he had no powerful serve that could be thrown to score against the opponent directly, Kuniyoshi had already developed a way to fight from the service line. In fact, he had just perfected this method this year after watching how Yuki served in the past. By sending an accurate ball toward a troublesome area, he could scatter the opponent's formation and also make it harder for the opponent to launch a counterattack. In fact, speaking about Yuki, Kuniyoshi also learned a trick that he was going to use right now.

"This!" Yuki widened his eyes, getting up from his seat unconsciously. "He could do that trick?!"

"What's wrong, Yuki?" Riku, who was next to him, asked.

"You will see…"

Right after that, the answer unveiled instantly, as when Senki was about to receive such an easy ball, something seemed to stop him, and when he finally managed to force himself to move, the ball fell in front of him already.

Thud!

"Oh! What a serve!"

"Hell, yeah! Good job, Kuniyoshi-senpai!"

"Man, that is awesome! Come on!"

All the people inside the building cheered instantly, applauding Kuniyoshi for his fine service. Most of them still thought that Senki just failed to react and didn't think that it was because of Kuniyoshi's service. However, all the Tsunemori players who were very familiar with the trick couldn't help but turn around, eyes changing rapidly from Yuki to Kuniyoshi in disbelief.

"That… Is that the trick?" Riku couldn't help but ask, hesitated.

"Yeah, that is the service into the traffic trick." Yuki heaved a sigh, frowning deeply as he leaned against his seat. "I didn't expect that someone would be able to replicate it so perfectly like this."

He said something like that not from arrogance, but from the reality that he saw on the court. Although he knew that all the schools in Tokyo knew this trick courtesy to Sekine-sensei, he had never thought that someone would be able to do the exact same thing just like how he usually did in a game.

After all, this trick revolved around an insanely accurate serve and the ability to read the game and launch the ball at the perfect timing, and it was not something that could be learned in one day. The training was so boring and full of analysis that a lot of players gave up training this trick and decided to go for a powerful jump serve that didn't require a lot of thinking. That was why Yuki was surprised to see someone was able to meet that harsh requirement and replicate his serve.

'Kuniyoshi, huh?' Yuki's eyes were on the boy. 'It seems this game is far more interesting than I initially thought.'

While everyone was still focusing on Shirayuki High, the situation at Shimo High worsened immediately. They didn't know what happened and didn't connect the dots to Yuki immediately. After all, this was a new trick that was developed by Yuki, so except if they played against Tsunemori High, they would never think that this was the trick instantly.

True enough, after this, Kuniyoshi was able to score two more points from the serve, widening the gap to 11 points. That was when all the Shimo players realized the trick behind it and were able to receive the ball. However, the harm had already been done, and no matter how much they tried, they were unable to get out of their slump.

Oh, sure, they were still able to score once or twice occasionally. However, the control of the game was really on Shirayuki High's side, and with Tsubasa's leadership and their various quick attack methods, they were able to get closer to the win without giving their opponent any chance to fight back. When all the Tsunemori players witnessed this, they couldn't help but turn their heads to the old man in front of them, looking at him in awe.

"Ojiisan, are you a miko or what?" Riku couldn't help but ask. Miko was a priestess who the rumor said that they could see the future, some sort of a prophet.

"Miko? What the hell? Do I look like a girl to you?!" The old man scolded the blonde boy playfully. "This is called intelligence, Boy! Intelligence! Maybe, you need to have some if the first thing you can think about me is that." The old man retorted funnily.

The game continued again, yet it turned into a one-sided battle. No matter how hard Shimo High tried, they couldn't get out of the shackles around their neck. Of course, it wasn't just because of their shortcoming, but also because Shirayuki High players really knew how to take advantage of every chance given to them by the opponent. In the end….

BAM!

"Oh! Nice receive, Matsuena-senpai!"

"Come on! Go! Go! Go!"

After seeing their senpai receive the ball perfectly, Yuya and Kubota rushed forward without hesitation, charging onto the left side, trying to overwhelm Senki's side. Seeing that, Genta, the team's middle blocker, also reacted, trying to give support to his teammate. However, Tsubasa's setup was still quicker, passing it to Yuya, who was far on the wing. The boy didn't hesitate even for a second as he swung his arm as hard as he could, sending the decisive blow that would kill the set.

BAM!