The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

Back to the game, Yuki who didn't notice that his benefactor family just arrived put his focus on the game, staring at the other side of the net with the ball in his hand. It was his turn to serve again, and he knew this was his chance to kill the opponent's mind in one go.

He noticed frustration grow on the faces of Sumida High players as they saw him on the service line again. The way they sighed and stared at the ground told him a lot; he could see that their spirits were fading with each point scored against them. Honestly, if Yuki wasn't the player here, he would feel pity for them.

'Unfortunately, this is also a war for us. Sorry, Sumida High, but I cannot give you the opportunity you deserve.'

With that thought in mind, right after the whistle could be heard, Yuki tossed the ball in the air, running up for three steps before taking a big jump in the air. He glanced at the opponent's position for a second, trying to figure out the best approach for this situation. When he saw the players still using the same formation to force him to serve to the front row, he did the exact opposite by sending a powerful jump serve straight to the corner of the court.

BAM!

"YOSSHAAA!" Yuki roared when he saw the ball was unstoppable.

Even with so many powerful serves in his arsenal, a powerful jump serve started growing on him. The feeling of hearing the ball piercing the air before it fell on the floor without anyone touching it was pretty satisfying. He started to understand why those pinch servers he faced before would always insist on honing their jump serve instead of learning something completely new.

"Let's go, Yuki!"

"Kill them all, Yuki!"

"One more, Yuki!"

While it was nice to hear his name was chanted by more than a hundred people here, Yuki tried his best to not let it get through his head. He knew full well that this was just the second round of the tournament and the journey to the top was still far away, so getting flustered by this wouldn't be a good thing. However, when he turned his head and saw four foreign faces on the front row while those four also noticed his gaze and waved their hands excitedly, the spirit that seemed to be stabilized a moment ago now started to burn once again.

'So, they are finally here, huh? Good! That means I can show them how much better I am compared to the past.'

With that thought in mind, Yuki decided to go for a slow serve to the front, giving Sumida High exactly what they wanted. Those who noticed this – including Riku – were surprised, knowing full well Yuki didn't like giving the opponent what they wanted. However, when Riku saw four foreigners who stuck out like a sore thumb, the blonde boy realized what happened immediately and snorted.

'So, he wants to show off, huh? Okay, I know what to do.'

Just as Yuki expected, the ball was received easily by Sumida High players. Instead of sticking to their strategy of giving the ball to Tsunemori and defending, they decided to try their luck to attack again. Kengo – the outside hitter – sent the ball straight to Iguchi – the setter – before starting his run-up.

"Come on, Iguchi! Give it to me!"

"Iguchi, right!"

Two players started to run, ready to receive the ball. Hirano and Asahi who were on the front line kept their eyes close to the setter, not wanting to miss a detail that could give their opponent a chance to recover. However, before they knew where the ball would go, Riku suddenly shouted at them, "SENPAI! Keep your eyes on the number 7! Don't let him go for a cross!"

They didn't even think twice as their body moved instinctively. Both Hirano and Asahi knew that Yuki and Riku had an exceptional observation skill, so listening to their command was sometimes easier than having to think by themselves.

True to Riku's command, in the next second, the ball flew to the player with the jersey number 7 – Homura. The opposite hitter scowled when he saw two blockers react quickly, trying to think fast of how to get through this.

'Well, if they really want to stop my cross, let's see how they would deal with this!'

BAM!

Homura sent a powerful straight serve to the back of Tsunemori's side. However, much to his annoyance, Yuki who was serving on the left a few seconds ago had already been there, covering that area and saving his spike.

"Tch! Sorry, everyone! My bad!" Homura clicked his tongue in annoyance.

However, before anyone could answer that, the ball moved in its direction once again, being tossed by Riku immediately. Yuki who one second ago was still on the back was in the air already now, instigating a quick back attack from his position.

All the Sumida High players had their eyes widened in shock with some confused about why Yuki suddenly turned aggressive. The glasses boy didn't give a shit about them, though. Not giving anyone enough time to react, he swung his arm like a leash, hitting the ball with his full power to send it straight to the middle back of Sumida High's area.

BAM!

When Yuki saw the ball was unstoppable, he felt his chest rising up and down, an exhilarating smile suddenly forming on his face. Then, without even thinking twice, he turned around to his benefactor family and pointed his finger at them, shouting something in Italian that only they and Riku knew about.

"Silvestris, this is for you!"

-0-

"Mama, look at that! Yuki-nii said that it is for us!" The twins squealed happily. Gone were the grumpy teenagers who suffered from jetlag before, replaced by the two girls who were busy fangirling over their unofficial big brother. "Yuki-nii is so cool!" Your next chapter is on empire

Maria could only shake her head in amusement, letting her daughters cheer over their not-so-secret crush. She glanced at Yuki who was laughing and being surrounded by his friends and the memory of their first meeting suddenly popped into the tip of her brain.

"I am grateful that you are kind enough to spare your time to help me get out of this schoolyard fight. So, thank you."

At that time, Yuki was just a normal high school student who was a bit too thin compared to his friend. However, the sincerity shone in his eyes was enough to move her, and now, looking at the boy's transformation into a more confident boy who excelled in what he was doing, Maria was glad she was able to help the boy to this point.

"You really grow into a fine young man, Yuki-kun. I am so happy for you."