The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Holy shit, Kobayashi! You cooked them alive!" Shou shook his head in astonishment.

"Yeah, that's awesome!" Tondo added, ruffling Yuki's neat hair playfully. "Damn, I've seen it so many times, yet I am still in awe of your skill! You must be one of the best pinch servers in the league right now!"

"Hey, no need to exaggerate like that! The boy will have a head bigger than it is now!" One of Yuki's teammates, whom he couldn't see, laughed out loud.

Yuki himself wore a wide smile as he was surrounded by his teammates. Even though he was used to this kind of situation, it was always good to receive the appreciation he deserved for his skill. Amidst the celebration, his eyes suddenly caught his blonde friend outside of the crowd, looking at him with unusual quietness.

'Ah, so he is still bothered that I can adapt to the game easier than he can,' Yuki murmured in realization.

It wasn't difficult for Yuki to imagine Riku's feelings right now. No matter how annoying it was, Riku's confidence was what most drove him to move forward. It was also his biggest weapon as a trickster setter. After all, no matter how many times he was shot down, he could still bluff with his confidence when his skill couldn't help him in the game. So, seeing Yuki adapt seamlessly while he struggled, it was understandable that Riku's confidence would take a hit.

After pondering for a while, Yuki finally decided to do what any normal person would do when they saw their best friend struggling: provoke him.

'We are even now, Riku,' Yuki smirked while making a '1 – 1' gesture to the blonde boy.

Riku widened his eyes in surprise when he saw the provocative gesture from his friend. It wasn't often for Yuki to make such a bold gesture. However, it was enough to bring Riku out of his slump. Something changed in his mindset. He suddenly started thinking about how he should bring his style into the game more instead of worrying about how to adapt, just like Yuki did.

'I am so stupid!' He slapped his cheek hard to wake himself up from his folly. 'Thank you, Yuki. But don't think the competition is over! Let's see about it later!' He grinned as his competitive spirit ignited.

The game continued, and unlike before, Haruo warned his teammates about Yuki's wicked ability to take advantage of the crowd. Now, there were only two players on the back side of Giant Bear, ready to receive Yuki's serve.

'So that's their best defenders, huh?' Yuki mused inwardly. 'Well, I still have more tricks up my sleeve. Let's see if they can stop this.'

With that in mind, right after the referee blew the whistle, Yuki tossed the ball and leaped forward, hitting the ball in a chopping manner. For anyone who could see it, the posture looked strange. However, anyone knowledgeable about volleyball would understand that this was Yuki's attempt to add some spin to the ball.

'It's on me! I got thi—'

Thud!

Sasaki, Giant Bear's outside hitter, widened his eyes in shock as he saw the ball curve sharply to the left side. He tried his best to react, even diving deep to pick up the ball before it could hit the floor. Unfortunately, his attempt was far from enough, as the ball was just a few inches away from his hand before it bounced off the floor, resulting in Yuki's fourth ace in a row.

"YOSSHAAAA!" For the first time, Yuki roared wildly, venting the emotions buried within him. Not long after that, all of Thunder's players jumped onto him, mercilessly slapping his head to celebrate the point.

"Damn, Brat! Again?!"

"That spin serve is still nasty!"

"Hey, Yuki! Don't steal the limelight by yourself, will you?! Let us play too!"

Yuki grinned widely as he basked in the praise. His confidence was at its peak, and seeing the dejected looks on the opponents' faces, he knew he had to take advantage of this moment before it was ruined.

BAM!

This time, Yuki tried to hit the ball as hard as possible while also adding some spin, aiming close to the backline of the court. Goro, who was the closest to the ball, hesitated, unsure whether he should receive it or let it go. Even though it was just a split second, that moment of hesitation was enough for the ball to slip through his grasp and fall straight on the line. As the linesman raised his hand to signal that the ball was still in play, cheers erupted from all around the building.

"Oh! He ties the game all by himself!"

"Damn, five in a row?! The Thunder has some real talent right here!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Right after that, Giant Bear's coach finally had enough and shouted from his spot. "Giant Bear, timeout!"

-0-

"Damn, he's a monster!"

"What's his name? How old is he?"

"He's Yuki Kobayashi, and he's only 15 years old!"

"Really?! That young? Is he still a high schooler?"

"Yeah, he and the setter are players for Tsunemori High! They made a splash in the last inter-high tournament, you know?"

"Damn, I missed that! From now on, I'm supporting their team!"

"Hell yeah!"

With the praises for Yuki growing, all the children felt prouder with each passing second. After all, the one receiving praise was their big brother, and this was the first time they had seen someone related to them get celebrity treatment like this.

"Hey, Yuki-nii is amazing! Everyone is praising him!" Mai exclaimed excitedly.

"Huh, as expected of our big brother. It would be a shame if he couldn't do something like this," Taro nodded, acting as if everything was in line with his expectations. However, he couldn't hide the swell of pride he felt for Yuki, who had managed to exceed everyone's expectations.

Meanwhile, Megumi and Arina Sugawara nudged each other playfully as they noticed Kato staring wide-eyed at Yuki in awe. "So, what do you think about him, Kato-chan?" Megumi asked teasingly. Find adventures on empire

"W-What do you mean, nee-chan?" Kato tried her best to hide the blush creeping across her face.

"Oh, don't play innocent, Kato-chan. We saw your expression earlier. He's so handsome under the cheers, right?" Arina Sugawara joined in the fun. "Just imagine; he's winning something, and the first person he looks for is you. Don't you think that's romantic?"

Kato's imagination ran wild as her face grew hotter. Honestly, while she knew that Yuki was attractive, she had never thought about him in a romantic way. However, when she considered the scenario that Arina Sugawara described, she couldn't deny that she liked it, which made everything even more complicated.

Facing the two older girls, who were ready to tease her further, Kato groaned inwardly, thinking, "I swear, they are going to be the death of me."

This chapter upload first at NovelBin.Com