The Birth of A Volleyball Legend-Chapter 455: As the Game Goes By... (II)
In fact, not only all the Kikugawa players, but even their opponent, Tsunemori High, was also surprised to see Yusuke coming out to get replaced by the captain. After all, not only did the defensive specialist play well to protect Kaito from all the wind and rain outside, but he also provided support in the back, making sure that everything went smoothly for the team. There was no way their coach would be stupid enough to replace such a crucial player just because another freshman with less experience suddenly burst into the scene out of nowhere.
Suzuki who received the confused gazes from all the players on the court couldn't help but sigh. "Somehow, I feel honored by how welcoming you all are here." Said the captain sarcastically.
"Ah… No, that is not what we mean, Captain!" Ayane scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "We are just curious about…" The words coming out of his mouth trailed off as the setter didn't know how to explain it without offending anyone here.
"We are just wondering why would you replace Yusuke-kin instead of Sena-kun." Tachibana who was from the same generation and had been Suzuki's friend since they entered high school together didn't have the same reservation and just asked his question bluntly. "No offense to Sena-kun, but he is too inexperienced to play in this situation. We don't know how he would handle the pressure when the game enters the crucial stage later."
Sena himself just scratched the back of his head awkwardly, choosing to be quiet in this situation. Indeed, he was an inexperienced player here, and he himself was confused about the coach's decision. Just like the other Kikugawa players, he also turned around to the coach unconsciously, hoping for him to give an explanation here.
"Don't I know about it too…" Suzuki sighed helplessly at his teammates' reaction. "However, do you ever consider Yusuke's position in the next rotation?"
Everyone was stunned when they heard that, and then their faces blushed in embarrassment. Indeed, they hadn't considered Yusuke's next rotation yet. This was their turn to serve, and after their formation rotated, Yusuke would be on the front line. While the boy was not that bad of a blocker, he wasn't that good either, and the boy was a bit awkward as an attacker. Before this, Arisawa Junya had never considered subbing him off because there was no strong backup on the bench. However, this time, with Sena on the court, the coach didn't have to worry about the hole back there and finally could rotate the defensive specialist, not only to maintain the intensity on the front line but also to give the boy a break he deserved.
"Don't worry, while I am not Yusuke, I will not let you all stumble into a chaotic situation like before." He clenched his fist in determination.
Indeed, in the last play, Suzuki felt guilty and helpless since he had no way of helping his teammates besides cheering them all from the bench. He had never felt something like self-guilt or self-hate before today, yet just in the last play alone, those two strange feelings crawled on his back, ready to haunt him. The captain didn't want to have that feeling again in the future, so he was determined to stay on the court until the last ball dropped on the floor.
"Well, since the captain said so, then, who are we to refuse his determination?" Kaito grinned widely, excited for the rest of the game.
Right after that, the game finally was about to be continued again, and this time, Ao was replaced too by Akito as a pinch server. Even though the momentum was still hanging in the air, undecided about where to go, their success in the last sequence was enough to blow the wind back to Kikugawa High, and even though Akito was just another freshman who shouldn't be here, the boy did his service with full of confidence.
Thud!
"Riku, move! I got this!" Yuki yelled, moving forward to get the ball. Riku followed his order quickly, ducking a little so that he wouldn't affect Yuki's vision while also rushing to the middle to set up a counterattack. As the floater ball came, Yuki wasn't even troubled by that, catching the ball and tapping it back into the air, sending it to Riku with an overhead pass. "Go!" He shouted one last time.
This time, of course, Yuki didn't join the attack. His position on the right back clashed with Riku's position in front of him, closing down his route to run up for the attack. However, that didn't mean he couldn't contribute. Right after passing the ball, Yuki used his flexibility to turn around and rush toward the other side of the wing. Even though he hadn't done anything dangerous yet, the sudden quick movement of course was enough to attract the opponent's attention, and even though it was just for two short seconds, that was the only time that Riku needed to take action from his spot.
BAM!
"ORAAAA!" Hirano punched his chest repeatedly, celebrating another point coming from him. "Good pass!" He sent a thumbs-up to praise his kouhai for his decisiveness too.
Meanwhile, on Kikugawa's side, Sena apologized quickly to his teammates. "Sorry, everyone, I cannot reach it first." He said regretfully.
"No, you don't have to apologize about it." Kaito interrupted. "However, you are the quickest among us here to react, so before the ball could cross the net, it would be better for you to tell us that a quick attack is coming."
"Yeah, Kaito is right. Don't worry about yelling at your senpai. No one would think badly about you." Suzuki also added a piece of his mind.
Unlike after the crazy rally in the last sequence, this time, the delay didn't take a long time, and Riku was already on the service line to serve the ball. The blonde boy took a deep breath, trying to focus on the court. He hadn't scored any points from his serve yet today, and his hand was tingling a little bit because of that. He scanned through the entire Kikugawa court to figure out what kind of ball should he send and who would be his target, and after catching someone unprepared, he tried his best to hide his grin.
'Well, it seems that you are my target next. Don't blink, okay?'
Right after the referee blew the whistle, he didn't wait even for a single second before throwing the ball high in the air. The bright light on the ceiling wasn't enough to blind him from tracking the ball, and right when it was within his reach, the boy took off from the ground, recoiling his arms far to the back before unleashing it like a quick whip, releasing all the power he gathered until the last moment.
Visit frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓ for the b𝘦st novel reading experience.
'Eat this shit, Bastard!'
BAM!
This time, Akito was surprised to see the ball zooming in his direction so quickly. The pinch server wasn't quite ready for that kind of ball, and in the end, he could only try his best, which wasn't enough as the impact between him and the ball resulted in the ball flying outside of the court, giving another point for Tsunemori High.
"YOSSHAAA!"
