The Birth of A Volleyball Legend-Chapter 363: Tsukiji’s Last Effort! (I)

As the game went by, the grin formed on Yuki’s face kept getting wider. For the first time since the second set started, the game finally went in Tsunemoiri’s favor, and he was ecstatic about it.

Honestly, this game was really just a stage for all the Tsunemori players to show off their improvement after their summer training camp. Their defense was as solid as the Great Wall, impenetrable, while their offense ran smoothly like a well-oiled machine. One more thing that made Yuki happier, though, was that everyone was willing to work together to hold back their opponent’s offense.

Yeah, since Akira changed their defense strategy into a ’no-blocker’ strategy, everyone managed to shine brightly on the back. For example, Ogawa’s presence and his timely support managed to stabilize the team’s defense, Koji who was willing to lower his pride as the team’s ace and did the dirty job of sweeping the wild ball outside of the court for the team, Asahi who although was not a very good defender managed to stay calm and avoid being targeted by the opponent, and hell, even Hirano joined the defense when it wasn’t Reiki who was attacking the ball.

Overall, their defense performance managed to exceed everyone’s expectations.

As for their offense, there was no doubt Riku ran everything like this was his playground. Fake passes, dumps, timing mismatches, misdirections, and all the tricks he had were revealed by the boy. He had so much fun that even the boos from Tsukiji’s supporters didn’t have any effect at all.

As for Yuki himself… Well, not to be a big head, but he was proud of himself as the commander of the team’s defense. His command was always on point, and he was also successful in being the team’s anchor. Seeing the frustration from Tsukiji’s players directed at him was a boost to the boy’s confidence, and even though the supporters kept throwing insults and boos toward him, this didn’t affect him as badly as when the game started earlier.

Still, that didn’t mean he would lower his guard. No, Ishida’s presence on the other side of the court, if anything, only made him wary more toward the other team. He knew that even if Ishida still lacked experience as an emergency setter, the libero could make a game-changing play just by being there to add more dynamic to Tsukiji’s offense.

So, he decided to let his teammates know his thoughts.

"Well, don’t get me wrong, Yuki, I know your concern is not baseless," Koji spoke after listening to Yuki’s words. "But we have already been in what is this? In the middle of the second set, right? With us being in the lead and only needing a few more points to seal the game, I think you are just being paranoid, man." Ogawa and Riku also nodded in agreement.

Yuki could only sigh as he himself couldn’t blame his teammates for calling him out like that. Even though he himself knew he was being paranoid, he would rather trust his instinct and finish the game safely rather than lower his guard just to get backstabbed by his opponent.

Fortunately, Asahi was always there to be a voice of reason for the team. "Even though it comes from paranoia, you cannot blame Yuki for thinking like that. Don’t forget, a beast will be more dangerous when it is cornered." He warned his teammates.

Being a joker of the team himself, Ogawa just rolled his eyes and mocked his captain. Since when did you learn to use an idiom like that?"

In the end, though, even if the other players were questioning Yuki’s words, they still respected it by picking up their concentration again to finish the game. This was the least they could do for Yuki who was the most hard-working player on the team today.

"Come on, Jimmy! Give us a good serve!" Read exclusive content at novelbuddy

"Yeah, Jimmy! Don’t disappoint us here!"

Basked under the cheers from his teammates and supporters, Ogawa walked through the service line confidently, ready to take the serve for the third time in a row. Even though he had never managed to create trouble with his serve, at least his position on the back row would be a great help for the team to face the opponent’s counterattack.

Thud!

"Nice receive, Ishida!"

"Neito-senpai, middle! Quick!"

Even though Neito couldn’t catch Michael Wang’s words, his peripheral vision caught the Chinese boy’s movement and sent the ball straight as the boy asked. Using his height, Michael Wang dunked the ball to Tsunemori’s front side with a sharp angle, hoping to score directly from the counterattack. Unfortunately, his attack met none other than Yuki, Tsunemori’s best defender.

BAM!

"Shit! Sorry, Riku! A bit short!"

"Don’t worry, don’t worry! I got this! Senpai!"

Even though Yuki’s receive was a bit short, Riku still managed to send the ball to Koji. Yuki himself didn’t stay idle. He knew that Michael Wang would be ready to kill Koji’s attack, and even though his senpai was very good at block-out technique, Yuki still rushed to cover this attack.

BAM!

His decision was proven to be right, as Michael Wang managed to read Koji’s intention. Fortunately, the Chinese boy couldn’t direct it to a more difficult position, so it was easy for Yuki to pick up the ball again.

"Oh! Great recovery, Yuki!"

"Again! Second ball is coming!"

Yuki jumped immediately, didn’t want to be on Riku’s way. He could see his friend was ready to launch another quick attack, and with Michael Wang just taking action on the left side here, it was a no-brainer for the setter to send the ball toward the opposite wing. There, Ogawa had been waiting since forever, licking his lips impatiently as he saw the ball was flying in his direction.

"HA! Nice pass, Riku! This is mine!"

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Even though Kiyotake jumped in front of him with Banjo on the back and was ready to support the blocker, Ogawa wasn’t worried at all. In a head-on battle like this, the blocker would never be able to cover all areas, so the advantage was on the attacker. He saw that Kiyotake was covering for his straight spike, so it was logical for him to aim for a cross – Eh?

Ogawa widened his eyes in pure shock as he saw someone from the other side of the net rush toward his direction with the speed no player of his size should be capable of. He was about to change his approach once again, but the additional blocker here broke his concentration. As a result, as he swung his arm to hit the ball, it met the blocker’s hand directly, bouncing back to Tsunemori’s court with a loud bang.

BAM!