The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

Konan High was the undisputed volleyball king in Japan. It wasn't just a talk, but there was also a lot of data to back that up. For example, in their own prefecture, Tokyo, only Matsukita High was able to steal a set from them, and the last time it happened was two years ago. Yeah, you hear it right. Two years ago!

During the previous two years, they had never lost a single set against any team from Tokyo, which showed how dominant they were on the court.

As for the other team, let alone a set, managing to reach the 10 points in one set would basically be treated as a miracle or a big upset by the others. They – Konan High – usually managed to crush everything in front of them in a dominant style, never allowing their opponent to score two-digit points in a set.

This legend also made any weaker team tremble in fear when they were going to face them, making it easier for Konan to kill them.

That was why, seeing Tsunemori break through the 10-point threshold was a big deal for all the people in the building.

"Oh! Damn, this is the first time in this tournament a team managed to score more than 10 points against Konan, right?"

"Yeah!"

"They are a bunch of crazy bastards!"

"Those two are insane! That number 7 and number 19, I want to know what are their names!"

Of course, the main focus was on Yuki and Riku. They alone completely changed the game, turning the tide that was about to hit their team and forcing it to turn in their favor. Their combination attack alone was enough to trouble Konan High, which was a testament that it was a national threat at this point.

They managed to bring a weak team like Tsunemori onto everyone's radar just by this performance alone.

As for the two protagonists themselves, despite the excitement showing on their grinning faces, there was a hint of nervousness they tried their best to hide under their heavy breath. It was an understandable feeling. While they were always confident this new attack would work, to be honest, they hadn't practiced this combo too much in the past.

They just did it playfully as a variation when the opponent was too tough to crack just like when they faced Haruo from Kyoei Gakuen, but never thought of using it as their main attack. They were worried they would mess up and let the momentum they earned so hard go back to their opponent.

Not that they would say it out loud, of course.

"Come on, Rano! Give us another good serve!"

"Yeah! Come on!"

The scoreboard showed that it was 18 – 10. While Tsunemori was still down by 8 points, they scored four consecutive points in a row, which was enough to motivate the entire team. However, they didn't notice the subtle change on their opponent's side, as there was no hint of a playful atmosphere again around them.

After the referee blew the whistle, Hirano served the ball just like usual. After that, he rushed forward immediately to join Asahi on the frontline. He knew his serve didn't pose any threat to Konan High, so he was ready to slow down the quick counterattack the opponent would do after this.

Unfortunately, while there was nothing wrong with his thought, Konan suddenly made a change in their strategy.

Shimada received the ball perfectly, and Sawada picked up the second ball just a second later. There was no communication there, but everything moved smoothly for Konan. Before all the Tsunemori players could notice it, Lucas was in the air already, the ball was in front of him.

"Shit! Riku!"

It was Yuki who reacted first. He knew his blonde friend was the closest to that side and had a decent speed to cover up the area. Unfortunately, the blonde boy wasn't quick enough, as even though he managed to jump before the last hit was thrown, Lucas was still able to spike through his block as if it were nothing.

*BAM!*

"Damn!"

Kaede tried to save the ball. Unfortunately, the angle was too tricky, and as a result, the ball just bruised his arms slightly before it bounced far outside of the court.

"Yosh! Nice pass, Nobu!"Lucas grinned, giving the setter a thumb-up.

"N-Nice spike too, Lucas-senpai!"Sawada shared the same grin while his face flushed red.

There was no excessive celebration on their side as if it was a normal operation for them. However, that was what made them scarier If such a quick that no Tsunemori players could react quick enough was normal for them, all the Tsunemori players didn't want to know what would happen if Konan put more effort into it.

"Okay, everyone! Don't worry!" Riku clapped, snapping his teammates from their daydreaming. "Don't worry about it too much! That is just one point! And after this, it is our turn to attack, right?"

The expression on everyone's faces brightened when they heard that. "Yeah, you are right, Riku! Don't hold back and kill them in the next turn, okay?"

"Yuki, you too! Don't slack off!"

Yuki couldn't help but shake his head exasperatedly. This was the quality he admired the most from Riku. His blonde friend could always notice the subtle change of mood in the team and gave the best reaction according to the situation there. Truly, his blonde friend was the spiritual leader of the team.

"Come on, Shimada! Give us a good serve!"

This time, it was Shimada, the defensive specialist of the team who served the ball. Fortunately, it was just a normal serve with no twist in it. Honestly, after watching Lucas and Matsumoto come with their powerful services while Arizawa also managed to pressure them with his floater serve, they would go berserk if they found Konan still had another service specialist on their sleeves.

It would be totally unfair for their opponent.

*Thud!*

"Nice receive, Koji!"

"Yuki!"

"Riku!"

The names of the two freshmen were called in unison, not just to distract their opponent, but also because the other players didn't know which one between those two would act as a setter. The same could also be said for the Konan players who observed those two's movements intently. If this was the usual, either Yuki or Riku would be intimidated by the pressure. However, it was different this time.

They both knew they were not fighting alone and had each other's back, so they didn't even think about everything and just let everything fly naturally.

After exchanging a quick glance with each other, Riku acted as if he would set up the ball. However, in the last second, he stepped behind, and it was Yuki who tossed the ball to the right side where Asahi was there. It was such a perfect combination that was almost impossible to read…. Except that someone managed to do that.

As Asahi jumped in the air, suddenly, a pair of hands popped in front of him, blocking his sight on the other side of the court. Unfortunately, Asahi didn't have a good technique to avoid a block, so he couldn't do anything about it right now. As a result…

*BAM!*