The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

Chapter 102 : Another Tough Rally!

Meanwhile, on Kyoei's side, all the players gathered around the middle blocker, trying to check his condition.

"You okay, Haruo?" Ito asked, worried. After all, he heard the loud sound of the collision, and he himself flinched unconsciously at that moment. He didn't dare to imagine what would have happened if it had been him who was in that position.

"Don't worry, Senpai!" Haruo grinned widely, flexing the muscles on his arms proudly. "My body has been tempered through hardship for this specific situation! There is no way I would get hurt for something so small like this!"

Ito didn't know whether it was a fake bravado to reassure him that everything was okay while Haruo was hiding his pain or it was indeed true, Haruo was alright and nothing bad happened. After another round of observing his expression, only to find out that Haruo was still as bright as ever, he finally let out a relieved sigh.

"Good. I am glad that you are okay." He patted his kouhai's shoulder. "Thank you for saving our asses."

Haruo was stunned by the sincere tone from the captain, then grinning once again. "Does that mean you will trust me more that I wouldn't lose motivation that easily?"

Ito – and Nitta who overheard the conversation – blushed immediately at his words, embarrassed that he was caught offhandedly by his kouhai. "Well, you cannot blame us here! You have never shown any extreme emotion in the game like excitement when we are on the lead or anxiety when we are in a bad position.

All we could see from you was either that stupid, bright grin or flirtatious words that always came from your mouth to make the girls blush! It is as if you don't take the game seriously!" Nitta chimed in with a defensive yet accusing tone.

Haruo was stunned at Nitta's sudden rant, then his expression turned serious. "Senpai, it seems you misunderstand me here. It is not like I don't take the game seriously, but I have already experienced the highest stage of the tournament last year. Compared to them, there are not many things that could make me excited or anxious that easily. But that doesn't mean I don't care.

Please, don't insult my professionalism here."

The two senpai couldn't help but feel guilty. They were probably the two who were the most concerned about Haruo's state, thinking he lacked the drive and motivation to win the game. However, when they remembered how their kouhai hustled for the ball before and how he took the initiative to propose a new way to attack, they knew motivation was never a problem for Haruo.

The boy had the same or even more hunger to win compared to them, yet he hid it well enough from everyone else.

"Well, let's not dwell on this issue anymore!" Haruo suddenly raised his voice, snapping his senpai from their thought. "We still have six more points to grab. Come on! We need to score in the next play, or our position would be unfavorable."

Ito was taken aback, but then nodded solemnly. Just like any other player on the court, he knew that the next point was so crucial for both teams. Whoever got it first would be one step closer to the next stage.

"You are right, Haruo." He said. "Let's not dwell on this issue anymore. For now, we have a game to win. Let's put our best and go home with a win!"

"YES, SIR!"

*Thud!*

"Goddamnit!" This time, it was Yuki who cursed.

"Oh! Nice dig, Aki!"

"Yamada!"

For a moment, the game entered another long and exhausting rally. Even though Kyoei was offensively better, Tsunemori defended their area stubbornly, not willing to give a free point to the opponent. The crowds held their breath unconsciously, their head kept turning from left to right to left over and over again to follow the ball.

A minute passed quickly with the rally far from over yet. However, by the look of the players' faces on the court, it was clear they all were exhausted and couldn't keep going for too long.

And then...

"YAMADA!"

Seeing Nitta go for the ball again, Yuki gritted his teeth, ready to jump. At this point, he had already forgotten the pain he felt in his hand. Adrenaline was the best painkiller at that moment. Unfortunately, even though in his mind, he felt everything was alright, that didn't mean his body thought the same.

*BANG!*

Yuki winced when he felt the blow of the spike. The pain that he hadn't felt since he returned in the first set came back again like someone just hit it with a hammer. However, that wasn't what he cared about the most right now. Instead, it was the ball that flew back to Kyoei's side.

"FREE BALL!"

"YAMADA! AGAIN!"

Seeing another attack from Nitta come in his direction, Yuki knew he wouldn't be able to save it. If anything, he should try to protect his body as the spike would hurt a lot. Unfortunately, when he wanted to move, his feet suddenly rebelled against his will.

"SHIT!"

That was when Yuki realized that exhaustion finally hit him hard. With the ball going in his direction and he couldn't move his body at all, the only thing the glasses boy could do was to protect his body from the ball, and...

*BANG!*