The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Listen, Jimmy. I have already counted since the beginning of the game, and most of the counterattack plays that Kikugawa High had done always revolved around Kaito's quick attack. I think all of our players also notice that, yet they just decide to wait in the back row, not only to preserve their energy, but also because they know that they cannot match Kaito's explosive jump. What I need you to do is to break the pattern here and surprise him with your block. It would only work for once, so watch your timing carefully. But when you are able to pull that out successfully, the momentum will be completely on our side, and this game will be ours soon."

Ogawa could still remember vividly word by word how Akira explained this to him. Even though he wasn't the smart type of player, the boy could still follow the order perfectly. When he saw Asahi's serve was saved, he started to sneak behind Hirano, using his taller friend as a cover while he was eyeing Kaito from the dark.

So, when the attack finally came, he managed to sneak in time, completely blindsiding everyone before stopping the attack from Kaito with the strongest wall he could muster.

BAM!

"OH! LET'S FUCKING GO!" The boy roared wildly, punching the air violently right after he landed on the ground. "THREE MORE POINTS! COME ON!"

Right after that, the awkward silence in the air broke instantly as everyone followed the roar, cheering wildly for the boy.

"Damn, Jimmy! You rock!"

"This is how you do it! Goddamnit, Jimmy! This is how you fucking do it!"

"Come on, three more points!"

While all the Tsunemori players were drunk by the cheers, a completely different atmosphere could be seen on Kikugawa's side. The atmosphere there was so gloomy that it could suffocate anyone in the same area, and that was all because of the depressed aura radiated by Kaito.

"Fuck it!" The boy cursed at himself. "I should've seen him coming from afar! Fuck! I should've even noticed something strange when I didn't see anyone coming at him! Why in the hell would I want to do a cross spike when the space in front of me is so wide open?! I am so fucking stupid! Idiot!"

Seeing the boy berating himself like this, it would be a lie if the others said they weren't concerned about him. However, they also knew that as a person who wore his heart on his sleeves, Kaito needed to vent out this negative emotion, so even though it was unbearable to watch – and see – they still endured it until the boy finally got tired of himself.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

"So, are you done?" Suzuki asked flatly after the rant was over. Kaito himself was still breathing heavily. However, the rage that was on him a few seconds ago disappeared instantly. The captain nodded in a satisfied manner before he started speaking, "Okay, I know that you are not satisfied with how the last play went. However, you don't need to blame yourself too much. Even I and the other players didn't notice him sneaking around like that. We didn't know how he went undetected before, so he really caught us off guard here. So, don't beat yourself too much. Let's move on quickly and chase the score immediately. We need to snatch the momentum away from their side or it would be a disaster for us."

Even though Kaito was still bitter from the last play, he still nodded silently, knowing full well that his captain was right. However, he turned his head around, glaring fiercely toward Ogawa who was still celebrating with his teammates, promising a painful revenge in the future.

Right after the commotion was over, the game was about to be continued again. However, unlike before, now, the momentum was completely on Tsunemori's side. Even though the gap only widened by one point, it was still crucial in a clutch moment like this, especially considering how Ogawa gained it.

Indeed, what Akira instructed the boy before was right. By stopping the opponent's ace head-on, Ogawa also helped the team snatch the momentum that was still swaying undecidedly to be on Tsunemori's side, and now, the pressure was completely on Kikugawa High. At this point, most of the people in this building rose from the spot, trying to get a better look at how Tsunemori High would seal the deal.

"Come on, Asahi! Don't waste this chance away!"

"Just be steady and don't mess this up!"

"Come on, Tsunemori High! History is in front of you!"

Basked under the cheers behind him, Asahi took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. Even though the adrenaline was still pretty high on the team's side, he wasn't blind enough to think that he could follow this momentum strongly with his shaky jump serve. So, instead of doing something stupid, he chose to be steady and sent another ordinary serve toward Kaito's side.

Thud!

"Yes! Nice cover, Yusuke!"

"Ayane-senpai, come to me again!" Kaito shouted while waving his hand excitedly, eager to take revenge. The setter just glanced sideways for a second before sending the ball toward his side. Anyway, as the most powerful player on their team, it was a bit reasonable to not pass the ball when the boy was so excited like this.

As he saw the ball coming in his direction, Kaito grinned. Before taking off from the ground, he also took his time to observe the opponent first, not wanting to repeat the same mistake earlier.

'Okay, the number 11 is sneaking from behind. He cannot fool me. I need to force a line shot to avoid him.'

However, he didn't notice that the sideline was guarded by Yuki. So, when Kaito finally spiked the ball, it met another pair of strong hands on Tsunemori's side, preventing him from taking revenge for the last play.

BAM!

"Fuck it! What a pest!" Kaito cursed, starting to get frustrated over Yuki's presence which seemed to be everywhere.

Fortunately, Yuki's receive was far from perfect, and even without any Kikugawa players intervening, a second later, the ball came back to their side gently, allowing them to have a second chance to attack.

"Okay, this is it!" Kaito rushed once again, charging blindly toward the front line for the second time in a row. "Senpai, give it to me again!" Just like before, he managed to attract the two Tsunemori blockers in front of him. Of course, as a decent setter, Ayane saw their movement too. So, without hesitation, he did the unthinkable, sending the ball far to the opposite wing where their captain, Suzuki, was flying in the air.

BAM!