The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Is this okay?" Kato asked, unable to help but worry about her friends. "Will it affect their chances of joining the club?"

"Yes, to some degree," Sekine nodded without thinking twice about it. "But it is a good thing for them. They don't need to win the game, but as long as they can impress all the main players here who will watch the rest of the game, everything will work in their favor."

As for what would happen if they couldn't impress the main players, Sekine left the worst-case scenario unsaid, believing it would never happen.

"Also, you're worrying too much, just like your sister. You need to relax a bit, Kato-chan." Sekine chuckled when he saw the blush on her face. "Kenzo might be a professional player, but he is just one year older than Tondo and Miyahara. He was only promoted to the main team last season, so this will be his second season as a pro. For what it's worth, he is still a rookie in everyone's eyes."

Kato sighed after hearing the old man's explanation. Although she didn't know much about the game, she at least understood that there was a difference between a rookie and a veteran player. If Sekine said the new player was basically still a rookie, that meant the quality wouldn't change too much compared to Miyahara, who had just been replaced.

What Sekine failed to mention was the fact that Kenzo had been the Rookie of the Year last season and was also one of the best high school players in the Inter-High tournament three years ago, leading his team to second place in the national competition. His skill had already reached a professional level even while he was still in middle school, so after three years of training with a professional team, his skills should have improved even more.

Although his involvement in this test was unexpected, Sekine felt that watching how Kenzo played would help Yuki and Riku improve their game in the future.

After allowing Kenzo to warm up for a while, all the players were finally ready to restart the game. Unlike before, this time there were several spectators watching from the sideline. Even though Yuki could count them on his fingers, the pressure was far greater than when he played in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium a week ago. How could he not feel it, when all the people on the sideline were professional players from the Tokyo Thunder?

"Nervous?" Riku smirked teasingly.

Yuki simply snorted in response to his friend's silly question, but then a big grin suddenly broke out on his face. "No way! This is getting more exciting! I'm fired up now!"

"Atta boy!" Riku patted his back, wearing a similar grin.

The blonde boy knew that even though Yuki always sought stability, that didn't mean his friend had no ambition. They were both the same way, always hungry and striving for stronger opponents. Unexpectedly, they would have a chance to play in a high-level competitive game like this soon after their match against Konan High.

"Riku, pay attention to him. I will try to send a difficult ball toward that tall dude, so watch how he arranges the next play," Yuki whispered. Even though he was excited to play against a professional player, that didn't mean he would be foolish enough to target Kenzo directly. It would be better to take a cautious approach while observing Kenzo's abilities for one or two plays before deciding how to respond.

"Sure," Riku nodded.

A moment later, Kawaki finally blew the whistle, signaling for Yuki to serve the ball again. The glasses-wearing boy took a deep breath, playing with the ball for a moment before tossing it slightly into the air. Then, in an instant, he was already in the air, unleashing his arm like a whip before hitting the ball straight at Tondo's face.

BAM!

Tondo was startled for a moment. This was a completely different routine than what Yuki had performed before. It was just an ordinary jump serve straight to his spot, and he didn't have to move to receive the ball. However, when he was about to react, the ball suddenly curved sharply toward the outfield, and Tondo froze in place, staring helplessly as the ball bounced on the floor.

"OH! He drew first blood!"

"Damn, I can't believe he was bold enough to pull off something like this in front of Kenzo!" Continue reading on empire

"But that's a nasty sidespin, though."

"He's also smart, aiming the ball far away from Adachihara-kun. If not, I'm sure Adachihara-kun would have been able to pick it up easily."

All the spectators on the sideline discussed Yuki's serve excitedly while Kawaki's jaw dropped in amazement. Even though it was still 4–5 in favor of Tondo and Kenzo, and the game was far from over, he had decided that no matter what happened, he would do his best to recruit Yuki for his team. Yuki's serve alone was enough to secure a spot on any team in the professional league.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Good job, Yuki!" Riku high-fived the glasses-wearing boy, grinning excitedly at his friend. He couldn't help but feel happy hearing the recognition from the spectators, feeling as if it were his achievement too. After all, he had always been by Yuki's side while his friend developed his serving skills and had witnessed the transformation himself.

"Okay, it's just one point. Let's concentrate back on the game," Yuki said, trying to contain his excitement.

Meanwhile, Tondo sheepishly rubbed his neck, trying to apologize to Kenzo. However, the older boy—no, the older man—shrugged it off nonchalantly while giving new instructions to his current teammate. "Move forward a little and get ready to act as a setter. Let me handle the ball myself."

"Thank you, Senpai." Tondo sighed in relief. Honestly, he had begun to lose confidence after suffering from four consecutive ace serves and didn't want to face that again.

"Don't worry, just get ready," Kenzo smiled reassuringly.

When he saw Kenzo alone on the back line, Yuki turned serious, knowing he couldn't use the same trick again. However, facing just one player on the back, he had many spots to exploit, and no matter how professional the opponent was, it would be difficult to cover all areas alone.

Unfortunately, it seemed he had underestimated Kenzo.

When Yuki served another ball, just before it could cross the net, Kenzo had already moved forward to intercept it. It was another sidespin serve, yet before it could break too much, the ball was already in Kenzo's hands as he sent it straight to Tondo at the net.

"Oh! Kenzo receives the ball!"

"As expected, there's no way he would let it slide!"

"Oi! Send a quick!"

Kenzo recovered quickly and signaled for a quick pass. Tondo didn't dare disobey and immediately set a quick pass. Riku, on the other side of the net, also moved, ready to jump. However, it was clear that Kenzo didn't even acknowledge the wall they formed.

BAM!

As he launched himself into the air, Kenzo swung his arms quickly, executing a perfectly timed cross spike to the opposite wing. It was a fierce hit, with the ball smacking the floor near the line that separated the front and backcourt on the opponent's side. Yuki, who had just served the ball, couldn't recover his position quickly, and in the end, Kenzo managed to score, cutting off the momentum Yuki had built up in the last few plays.

Yuki & Riku 4 – 6 Kenzo & Tondo.