The Birth of A Volleyball Legend-Chapter 443: Kikugawa High’s Awakening!
Kaito cursed.
It wasn't often for such a cheerful boy to do that. However, right now, he couldn't help but curse.
He should've expected something like this to happen. Hell, he even invited it before. The last provocation he threw was exactly for this moment. However, when it happened, when Yuki pushed the ball gently even without the blocker interfering with his attack, when he saw how slowly the ball fell straight in front of his face, he felt like he was being slapped in the face. This was like the universe's way of telling him that no matter how he prepared for something, he still wouldn't be able to do anything when that thing happened.
Things got worse when he heard the mocking insults and boos exploding from the crowd, and he didn't have to turn around to see that it was directed at him.
"Hahaha! Look, he doesn't even know what happened!"
"Just as I said, go home! Better cry to your Mama before you get embarrassed more!"
"This is what you get from being an asshole, Bastard!"
Some of the Kikugawa players stared at him concernedly. However, he just took a deep breath, trying to clear his head before smiling wanly at them and said, "Don't worry, I am okay. Also, sorry for yelling that thing before. I didn't mean it."
"No, no, you have the right to yell at me like that," Yusuke said, rebuking his friend's words immediately. "I know my recovery time is so slow that it prevents you from joining the counterattack. That must be annoying for you, right?"
The other Kikugawa players just stared at each other in discomfort, not wanting to join the self-blaming party. After all, even though Kaito and Yusuke's mistake was valid, they had done everything they could to help the team since the beginning, and they both were freshmen, for God's sake! Those two shouldn't feel this pressured as if the fate of the team was in their hand! They – the other Kikugawa players – stared at each other once again before walking back to their original position silently. Inwardly, they all were thinking, they should've been better so at least, they could share the burden on Kaito's shoulder the next time.
On the bench, Arisawa Junya smiled in a satisfied manner when he saw this. This was what he wanted to see, the determination that came from inside rather than him trying to force it on his players. Even though the trigger was not a good thing – the guilty feeling after seeing their kouhai broke down – it still led the players to be united for the rest of the game, a result far better than he had ever accomplished by shouting and scolding them. Now, he just wanted to see what his players would do next, both as a coach and a spectator's perspective.
Of course, while the sudden mentality shift happened on Kikugawa's side, there was no way their opponent – Tsunemori High – noticed something like this. No, they were too immersed in the glory after taking down Kaito twice in a row, feeling like they were on top of the world. The cheers and praises they were basked under the spotlight didn't help feed their ego right now.
"Good job, Riku! Everyone! Keep this up!"
"Six points lead! There is no way in hell we would blow it away!"
"Come on, you can do this! Make a history for our school!"
As he was on the service line, Riku grinned, letting all the cheers for him be his power, Unlike Yuki who tried his best to maintain a steady mentality, the blonde boy was always in for excitement, using the cheers or any positive reactions from the supporters as his power. He let his adrenaline take over himself before finally releasing the most powerful serve he could muster, going straight for Kaito's direction.
BAM!
"Urgh!" Yusuke groaned as he got blown away by the powerful serve.
It wasn't easy to cover up for Kaito's position all the time. More often than not, he would get blown away like this since his stance was always off due to him having to rush from his original position after the serve was thrown. That was also the reason why his recovery time was always slow. "Sorry, that's a bad receive!"
"Ao!"
"Don't worry, I get this!"
As the ball was far too close to the net, Ao and Asahi jumped together, both with hands extending high, trying to reach the ball first. In the end, Asahi lost the duel since he was the shorter one, yet Yuki managed to recover the ball perfectly, which gave the team a good chance to counterattack.
"Oh! What a save!"
"Nice dig, Yuki!"
"Riku, follow it up!"
Riku didn't waste any second of his time to pick up the ball, sending it straight to the opposite wing. "Koji! Don't screw this up!"
Koji scowled, knowing full well that the jab was for him who hadn't scored yet since the second set began. He leaped forward, gritting his teeth while trying to accumulate the power inside of his body. Meanwhile, Suzuki also did the same, covering his route for a line shot. Koji glanced for a moment at the opposite wing just to find out that there, Yusuke and Tachibana, two of Kikugawa's best defenders were waiting for him.
Knowing full well that he couldn't get through them, Koji gritted his teeth once again and decided to take a gamble shot that surprised everyone on the court.
BAM!
Koji tried his best to send a line shot using the tight space that Suzuki exposed close to the sideline. Usually, even though there was that kind of space in the game, no one would dare try to exploit it as the probability of the play being successful was so small. True enough, before the linesman could even judge whether the ball landed inside or outside of the court, the referee had already made a decision, giving the point to Kikugawa High.
"Tsunemori High #3, antenna violation! Point for Kikugawa High!"
"YOSSHAAA!"
An antenna violation was the scenario when the ball accidentally hit the antenna on the net, which resulted in a point for the opponent team. Koji who did that couldn't help but feel guilty as he wasted another chance for his team. "Sorry, everyone. I will pay it back later." Said the outside hitter. Only Yuki who had a clear vision of what happened in the play stared at him with a complicated gaze,
"Don't worry, Senpai! We still have the lead! Come on, be more cheerful!" Riku slapped his senpai's back playfully, triggering laughter from the other players as well.
After that, the play continued again, and this time, it was Suzuki's turn to serve. To everyone's surprise, though, Kikugawa's captain really followed his coach's order, sending an ordinary underhand serve that was so easy for any of them to receive.
"What the hell?!"
"Is he serious or not?!"
"Does he think that this is a joke? They are still down by four points!"
Of course, no one in Kikugawa High cared enough about the outside opinion. Since this was the coach's instruction, no matter how embarrassed they were, they would still do this, trusting that their coach knew better.
However, of course, this gave Tsunemori High a very good chance to counterattack. After Kaede received the ball, Riku picked it up easily, sending it toward Asahi who had no blocker around him.
"Oh! Nice, Riku!"
However, right before he was about to spike the ball, Asahi saw Ao – Kikugawa's middle blocker – move in his direction quickly. He calculated instantly that with the blocker's speed, it would be easy for him to block his shot. So, instead of going for a cross-spike he intended previously, he changed his mind, shifting his stance for a line shot just like what Koji did earlier.
He just didn't expect that he miscalculated Ao's speed. Right as he launched the ball, a pair of hands suddenly blocked the route in front of him, and a second later, those hands slammed the ball back to Tsunemori's side violently.
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BAM!
Everyone had their jaws dropped when they saw this. As for the preparator of the play, Ao himself had his heart racing fast, couldn't believe he just pulled one of the craziest blocks he had ever done in his life. However, a second later, he realized that everyone was waiting for his reaction, so the boy punched his chest violently, roaring, "COME ON! WE ARE NOT JUST KAITO!"
