The Birth of A Volleyball Legend-Chapter 452: A New Player on the Court - Sena!

A moment later, all the players from both teams finally went back to the court. However, to Tsunemori players' surprise, they saw Kikugawa High's captain was replaced by a freshman who looked nervous and seemed to be out of place.

"Damn! Are they crazy or what?" Koji whistled lowly at the new player on the other side of the court. "To put a freshman in such a situation is definitely going to be a suicidal move!" He exclaimed.

"You forgot that their coach is Akira-sensei's disciple and how Akira-sensei sometimes pulled his crazy stunt out of nowhere." Asahi chuckled darkly, which seemed to answer their question about whether Arisawa Junya was crazy or not instantly. Yeah, with Akira being their head coach, all the Tsunemori players also had their fair share of experience playing outside of the box, so they shouldn't be surprised if their coach's disciple would have the same habit of making a crazy adjustment like this.

"Also, the decision to bench their captain is also a good one." Riku also added. When the blonde boy spoke, everyone turned around, knowing that the boy was probably the second-most observant player on their team besides Yuki. "His position is always a bit awkward when Yuki takes a serve, not being able to join the attack yet not helping the defenders on the back row too much. He is always restrained by his own position, so replacing him with a good defensive player would also help the team cut off Yuki's momentum."

Yuki who was next to his friend also nodded in agreement.

"Still, look at how nervous he is." Kaede couldn't help but comment, grinning widely as he saw the new boy seemed lost in the middle of the court. "Let's make them regret putting a freshman on the court in this situation. Let's turn him into our punching bag. What do you think?"

Everyone also shared the same grin before nodding simultaneously. "Sure, why not?!"

-0-

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As he walked into the court for the first time, Sena took a deep breath, trying to calm down his nerves. He stared up at the sky, looking at the bright ceiling there and wondered whether this was real or not. After all, unlike Yusuke, Kaito, or any other freshman genius outside there, he was just an ordinary player who knew what he was capable of and what he was not, and playing in such a high-stakes game like this in a clutch moment was definitely not one that he was confident with himself of.

"Don't worry, Sena! I know you are still shocked, but Sensei and Suzuki-senpai trust you. Just be yourself and help us defend our area, okay?" Ayane – the sophomore setter – patted his kouhai's shoulder reassuringly.

"Yes, Sena-kun! Just treat it as one of our regular sparing matches!" Kaito also added.

Still, that was far easier to be said than done. Right when Sena stepped over the line and settled himself on the right back position, he saw the murderous intent coming from the other side of the net, and he couldn't help but gulp nervously.

'They are going to kill me.' That was the thought that crossed his mind right now.

All the Kikugawa players also noticed Tsunemori's intention and somehow shifted their position to lean more into Sena's spot, getting ready to help the boy when the ball came. They knew that the ball would go to Sena. Hell, if the position was reversed, they would also try their best to aim it at the new player, hoping to strike when the nerve was still there. However, this time, they were fooled by Yuki.

The glasses boy noticed the sudden shift in their formation and aimed straight to the left, the position where Ayane standing. Usually, he would be protected by Tachibana since he had to take the second ball to set up an attack. However, this time, since everyone's attention was on Sena, no one expected the ball to go there.

"SHIT!"

Thud!

Even though the ball that came was slow and ordinary, the accuracy was still there, going straight to the spot where Ayane hesitated whether he had to receive the ball or not. In the end, right in the last second, he reacted, finally deciding to save it. Unfortunately, he was a bit too late, and in the end, he couldn't send the ball back to the court as it just bruised his forearms gently before falling to his back.

"OH! Nice technique, Yuki!"

"Good job!"

Yuki's face flushed as he was excited to see that his plan succeeded. He knew that most of the people here would be tempted to target the new boy. Hell, he himself also felt the same and had to hold back his urge to send the ball there straight away. However, that was exactly why he had to send it in the opposite direction.

This was also a clear warning for him so that the opponent didn't attempt to do the same trick again next time, and all the Kikugawa players read this message clearly.

"Sorry, Sena! We also have to protect the other area, so you have to be ready for everything next time, okay?" Tachibana – the vice-captain – patted the boy's shoulder reassuringly. "Just stay calm and don't listen to the crowd. It is far easier than you imagined it to be." He added the last part quickly. Sena could only smile weakly, not believing the last part at all. Unfortunately, he had no choice here, and as the game was about to be continued again, he took a deep breath, slapping his cheeks a little bit harshly to force him into concentration mode.

'Come on… I cannot mess this up. If the ball is coming to me, I have to deal with it perfectly. Come on…'

Unfortunately, that thought was like a jinx for him. The next time the ball came in his direction, the boy panicked, and while it was just a normal floater that any defensive specialist should've had no problem dealing with, he struggled to do so, only able to make the ball fly a few inches above the floor.

Thud!

"Shit! Ao, cover it up!"

"I got this!"

The ball moved quickly, pinballing from Ao who kicked it to Ayane who got the final touch before it flew back to Tsunemori's area. However, their formation was scrambled by this chaos, and seeing this vulnerability, Riku stepped forward and took advantage of it immediately.

"Koji!"

"Yosh! I got this!"

Even though Koji didn't play well today, he was straight in front of Sena who was still kneeling on the ground. This should be an easy chance for him, and the boy realized that too. However, right before he could deliver the ball, Sena suddenly recovered to his original position, and when the attack was launched, the boy was in a perfect spot to deal with it.

BAM!