The Birth of A Volleyball Legend-Chapter 486: Celebrating with Family

"YUKI-NII! CONGRATULATIONS!" Right when Yuki arrived back at the orphanage, he was greeted by all the residents of the building, plus Kato, whom Aiko didn't forget to invite, with the table full of food as if this were Christmas day already.

"Woah! What is going on here?!" Yuki widened his eyes, acting surprised. Yeah, it was an acting. After all, Aiko had already told him beforehand not to go anywhere after watching the game since the kids were preparing a surprise for him. Of course, the matron also told him to act surprised, so that the children wouldn't be disappointed. "Hey, did you all prepare for all of the food here?" He couldn't help but ask, drooling at the sight in front of him.

On the table, there were bowls of steaming rice, colorful sushi with fish and vegetables, and plates of crispy tempura. They also had a big dish of tender teriyaki chicken and a bowl of miso soup with seaweed and tofu. On the side, there were small dishes of pickled vegetables and fresh fruit. The table looked beautiful with all the tasty food, ready to be enjoyed by everyone here.

"Yeah! I am the one who boiled the miso!" Aina, the middle school girl who was the third-oldest child here besides Yuki and Taro, exclaimed proudly. "Also, Hiko is the one who chopped all the ingredients and read the tutorial he found on the internet for us!" She didn't forget to bring the wheelchair-bound boy to the limelight.

"We are not allowed to help in the kitchen…" Mai and Hina, the youngest children in the group, pouted indignantly.

"Well, yeah, it is still too dangerous for you both to join there." Levin couldn't help but say, his tone was serious. "But I am sure that Aiko-obaasan gave you another important job, right?"

"Oh, yeah! We help set up the table!" The two girls had their eyes shining at the role they played during the preparation. "We also stopped Hiko-nii from being lazy!" Mai said the last part with a giggle.

"Oi!" Hiko frowned, offended.

Laughter broke out as the children started throwing jokes and banter, pointing at each other while also trying to show off their contribution to this celebration. Yuki couldn't help but shake his head in exasperation. Even he, the main protagonist who should be celebrating here, was forgotten, as the children were busy playing around with each other.

"So, how is this celebration, History Maker?" Kato suddenly smiled mischievously at him, and even though Yuki couldn't see it, he was sure that his cheek turned pink just from her pretty smile. "Ah! You are blushing!" It seemed the girl noticed that and didn't let this slip, giggling a little at Yuki's awkward reaction.

"W-Well, you cannot blame me here! Anyone would react the same if the little goddess smiled at them!" Yuki retorted back, using the nickname he heard from his senpai as a shield to defend his dignity. This time, it was Kato's turn to blush.

"W-Where did you hear that embarrassing nickname?!" A stutter slipped through her mouth.

Yuki grinned widely as if he had just found out her deepest secret before teasing the girl. "So, you mean to tell me that you are aware of your nickname? Oh, as expected of our little goddess." Honestly, Yuki had to give a hat-off to himself for keeping his face straight, not even batting his eyes at the embarrassed girl who looked prettier than before.

Seeing this, Aiko couldn't help but let out a deep sigh, feeling melancholy. "Ah… A young love… What a great thing to have… Please, don't mind the old-timer like me, okay?"

Of course, this alone was enough to make the two teenagers blush furiously. After all, they were not used to showing affection in front of people. "Baasan, please, stop saying something so embarrassing like that with a straight face!" The boy moaned weakly, which was followed by a nod of agreement from the girl.

"Oh, please, don't be so shy. It is normal to fall in love as a teenager, right? You have to enjoy the moment too." The matron smiled knowingly, which only made the two teens blush more furiously. Honestly, they both were glad that Riku didn't join them here, or the blonde boy would be able to make things worse. Fortunately, Aiko decided to have mercy on them and changed the topic back to the tournament. "So, your school is in the semifinal, right? When will the game be?"

"Hmm… Wait a second, let me check it out first." Yuki opened his phone and started scrolling through it before finally finding out what he was searching for. "Ah, here it is! We are going to face Matsuyama Kita High on 20th December, and a day after that, Konan High will be playing Shimo High for another place in the final." He read the information there out loud.

"Oh? Has the opponent been determined already? I thought that we still have two more quarter-final games to be played tomorrow, right?" Aiko couldn't help but ask.

"Well, yeah… But even though I don't know who they are going to play against, there is no way that Matsuyama Kita High or Konan High would lose in this phase. They are not the two best teams in the country for nothing." Yuki answered confidently.

"TWO BEST TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY?!" The children who overheard the conversation widened their eyes in shock.

"Yup! The two best teams in the country." Kato smiled, answering the unasked question lingering in the room. "Those two teams have been dominating the country for the last couple of years, always coming out as the first and second place in every tournament they play. That is why the competition in Tokyo is far higher than in any other prefecture, because here, we have those two to beat." If anything, this information only intensified the shock. All of the children there didn't expect that their brother's next opponent would be this difficult.

"So, you will spend your time working harder for the game, huh?" Aiko asked. When she received the nod from the boy she had already thought of as son/brother, the woman sighed helplessly before asking, "While I don't mind you working hard like this, don't you feel like you are forgetting something?"

"Eh? Really?" Yuki was taken aback, frowning as he tried to remember anything here. If anything, this only made Aiko sigh deeper.

"Kato-chan, Yuki! You are forgetting about her! Honestly, I don't know what Kato-chan sees from you here, but I will not let her suffer from your neglect!" Yuki had a blank expression, while Kato tried her best to cover her embarrassed face. "Okay, screw it! On Christmas Eve, you will ask her for a date, and then invite her to join us for dinner here! Don't worry, I will also invite her family! What do you think about that?"

There was a long pause here as Aiko smiled in a satisfied manner at the plan she formed impulsively. Then, in the next second, the silence was finally broken when the two teenagers reacted at the same time.

"EEEEH?!"