The Birth of A Volleyball Legend-Chapter 454: As the Game Goes By... (I)

Even before the attack came, Yuki knew that the ball would go to Kaito again. After all, without his captain, Kikugawa's setter really had a limited option to attack. Of course, the boy could send it to Tachibana or Ao, but those two weren't really strong attackers in the first place, and in such a crucial situation where they needed to score to cut off their opponent's momentum, going to the strongest attacker was the easier way to do.

Yuki knew the theory full well like it was the back of his hand.

Unfortunately, all of that knowledge didn't matter when in reality, he was still scrambling on his own side, trying to recover after throwing himself into the ground all the time just to make two crazy saves to keep the ball in the air. In the end, it didn't matter since not only he, but his teammates also panicked, having a hard time recovering to their original position. So, in the end, when Kaito's blitz attack came, he couldn't do anything as the ball pierced through Koji's area on the left side, untouchable.

BAM!

A long silence fell as everyone stared at the ball bouncing far to the wall close to the stand on the south of the building. All the people there were still in awe after witnessing probably one of the craziest plays in the tournament, where two freshmen fought against each other to keep the ball alive in the air.

Yeah, even though it was Kaito who ended the play, everyone still recognized Sena's effort here. The boy just came off the bench and became all the Tsunemori players' targets, yet he still managed to gain a foothold even in that short period. Even though his saves were sloppy and uncoordinated, the boy still managed to do his job well, being the team's guardian at the back.

Meanwhile, for Yuki…. Ah, there were so many things that crossed people's minds when they remembered how hard Yuki worked. Not only did the boy sprint so far to get the ball close to the stand, but he also recovered quickly to save Kikugawa's second attack, and if not for some players being on his way, everyone was sure that the boy would be able to rush and get it again to prolong the rally.

Still, all the people here were satisfied at the display shown by those two freshmen, and after reality finally sunk inside their head, they rose from their seat and gave them both a round of applauses.

"Goddamnit, Yuki! You really are a beast!"

"Don't worry, it is just one point!"

"Is that really Sena-kun?! Who would've thought that a quiet boy like him could do something so crazy like that!"

"Hey, don't underestimate Sena-kun like that!"

Those cheers kept getting louder, yet Yuki himself couldn't enjoy that too much. No, right now, he was still lying on the ground, his chest moving up and down rapidly as he tried to steady his breath. The last play really took a toll on him and he was sure that if not for the adrenaline, he would have collapsed on the spot.

"Oi, Yuki, you okay there?" Riku couldn't help but ask, worried.

"Yes… Just give me… Give me a minute…" He still panted heavily, closing his eyes from the light shone straight from the ceiling to his face. The forest green jersey that he wore had transformed into a dark one due to the excessive amount of sweat he produced, and the others worried that the boy would collapse like in his last game. "Don't worry… I am okay…" It seemed like he recognized his teammates' mood and said that to reassure his teammates.

"Well, if you can say that, maybe you really are okay," Riku said lightly, trying to brighten the mood. "So, is there anything you need?"

"Water," Yuki said shortly. After pondering for a moment, though, he added, "Also, give me a hand. I cannot get up properly yet." Right after that, Hirano and Koji offered him hands, helping the boy to get up from the floor.

This action was followed by another round of applauses from Tsunemori's supporters who were still in awe from his crazy effort.

"Good job, Yuki! You really are our guardian angel back there!"

"Yuki-nii, Ganbatte! Don't give up yet!"

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"Kobayashi-kun, just for the early play alone, I will give you a free meal in my family's ramen restaurant!"

"Come on! You can do this!"

In the end, even though he still felt exhausted from the last play, Yuki couldn't help but grin, waving his hands excitedly to greet back the supporters. All the Kikugawa players who saw this snorted – well, it was just Kaito – somehow feeling offended by this scene.

"It is us who score a point, yet why wouldn't they cheer for us?" The boy voiced his dissatisfaction.

"Oh, we cannot help it. Our supporters are too cowardly to do that." Tachibana sighed helplessly. "Anyway, Sena-kun, you did a fucking good job back then! Keep it up! I see a huge potential inside you." The opposite hitter praised his kouhai highly.

The boy himself just flushed a little, feeling a bit awkward from the sudden praise. In the end, he just nodded shyly and said, "Don't worry, Senpai. I have just done my task."

However, it seemed that Kaito disagreed with that part. "Oh, don't be too humble! Not everyone could do their job perfectly like that! Sure, your ball is shaky, but I think it is still better than losing it so easily to the opponent! You have already shown your capability, so don't be pessimistic. Who knows, maybe, Junya-sensei will consider putting you on the court for the rest of the game."

Sena just smiled wanly, not thinking about Kaito's words too much. He knew that he was just a temporary worker here to stop Yuki from dominating the rest of the game from behind the service line. Now that he had finished his task, he had no business being on the court, and he knew that Arisawa Junya would've already prepared Suzuki to go back to the court.

Well, he was right, but only for half of the part.

Everyone knew that Suzuki would be back right after Yuki's turn to serve was done. However, they all were shocked to see who the captain replaced for the rest of the game.

"Wait a moment, Suzuki-senpai is replacing Yusuke?!"