The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

The game against Fukushima Phoenix was also Yuki and Riku's last game with the Thunder U-19 before they had to go back to school. Even though there was still one game left for the team in the regular season which was very crucial to determine whether they entered the playoff or not, unfortunately, it happened during the first day after the summer break, and the school didn't give them the permission to take an absence and join the team. As a result, those two had to wait anxiously in the middle of the class to know the final outcome of the league.

"Come on, Riku! Can you be a bit faster?" Yuki asked impatiently. He who was usually calmer and the more mature of those two was not very good with technology, so instead of using his phone to find out the Thunder's final result, he decided to let Riku do that. However, it was clear that he was pushing the wrong button here.

"Can you just shut up for a moment?" Riku snarked, glaring at the glasses boy. "I just turn on my phone, be patient, will you?!"

Kato who overheard the conversation couldn't help but giggle at the irony of the situation there. It was as if the role was reversed, with Yuki being the hyperactive boy who couldn't even sit still for ten seconds and Riku being the mature one who was calm in the face of everything.

Riku who heard the giggle turned the glare immediately at the girl. "What are you laughing at, Kato?!" He snarked.

The girl just raised one of her eyebrows slightly, unimpressed. "I tell you, Riku, it is Oneechan for you. Repeat after me, Oneechan."

Riku just stared at her in disgust, not even wanting to respond to that. Yuki could only shake his head in amusement at their interaction. Although he didn't know what happened, since they went back from their Fukushima trip, those two were suddenly getting closer to each other, acting like they were old siblings.

"Okay, let's focus back on what is in front of us now. Riku, your phone has turned on already. Check the game's result quickly." He said it once again impatiently.

"Okay, okay, wait a minute!" Riku moved his fingers flawlessly, operating the phone with the speed that Yuki would never dream he could do. Getting interested in what the boys were doing, Kato also decided to join the fun and peeked at what Riku was doing. After a while, Riku's face brightened as he said out loud, "We won! We won our last game against Kawasaki Red Spirits!"

"Yes!" Yuki clenched his fist in excitement.

Although Kawasaki Red Spirit sat in thirteenth place on the table, and their quality was far below theirs, this win was important for the Thunder. Not only did it boost their confidence after being humiliated by the Phoenix, but this win also kept their chance to go through the playoffs open. Now, if only Fukuoka Steel lost, they would grab the eighth position and snatch the last ticket for the playoffs.

"Speaking of the Steel, have their game been over already?" Yuki couldn't help but ask.

"Well, the final score isn't updated yet, but the website also has a live score update for us. Wait a moment." Yuki kept staring at his friend as the blonde boy operating his phone once again. This time though, he could see Riku's mood went down so quickly as he stared at the phone. "They are still in the middle of the fourth set against Hyogo Delfino, but the score is 22 – 11 for the Steels already. If nothing goes wrong, they will be able to win the game."

Hearing that, all the energy inside Yuki's body seemed to get sucked into the void. Right now, the Thunder's statistic was 8 wins and 9 losses, and not counting the current Steel's game, they were 7 wins and 9 losses. If the Steel won their last game, their statistic would be the same as the Thunder, yet they would sit in a higher position considering they won their game against the Thunder last April.

Now that Riku said this, Yuki knew for sure that the dream for the playoff died already, and he could feel his soul leaving his body.
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Kato had a sweat drop at the sudden drastic shift in their mood. "Well, don't think too much about it! This should be your first year playing for them, right? You haven't even done this for a full year! Maybe, next year will be different!" She tried to encourage them both.

"I guess you are right…" Riku said, yet the depression was still on his face. "I cannot help it, though. We are just this close to entering the playoff…" He put his thumb and forefinger together, yet leaving a small gap between them. "It is a pity that we cannot capitalize on our chance."

"Yeah." Yuki nodded in agreement.

They spent the next minute in silence with Kato trying to ignore a lump of negativity which was the two boys behind her seat. The class was almost empty by then as almost everyone had left already. After a moment passed with her hearing the constant sighs from the two boys, Kato finally had enough.

"Okay, I know you both are depressed, but don't you think you need to focus more on the positive side?" She asked.

The two boys perked up from their seats and asked, "What do you mean, Kato-san?"

After pondering for a moment, Kato answered, "Well, let's put it this way. You both are fourteen or fifteen this year, four years below the maximum age for the U-19 team. Normally, a teenager like you both would have a hard time playing even from the bench, probably being underestimated as too young and inexperienced. But not only do you become the team's first choice, but you also fight to advance more. Even though in the end, you fail to meet your expectations, it should be considered as a good experience, right? Feeling sad about your failure is okay, but you still have a long career ahead. Don't beat yourself over one failure. And – What?!" She blushed when realizing the two pairs of eyes staring at her in awe.

"I know you are smart, but I don't know you are also wise, Kato-san," Yuki said with mouth gaped wide. Kato's turned her face around quickly, trying her best to hide her reddened face. Then, Riku suddenly kneeled in front of her dramatically. "You are a Shifu! Please, teach us your way, Shifu!"

She rolled her eyes, yet couldn't hide the amusement shining on her eyes. "You guys are such a troll, you know that, right?"

"Of course, we know." Riku snorted.

"Hey, I am not a troll! Why would you rope me too?!" Yuki complained.

Once again, the conversation turned into a playful banter between the two boys, ignoring the stares from the other students who hadn't left yet. They seemed to be too busy doing that as they didn't realize a new person was sitting next to Kato. When they turned around though, it was Yuki who noticed it first.

"Megumi-senpai? What are you doing here?!"