The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

After a few minutes passed, the game finally continued again. Just like at the beginning of the first set, Nitta went to the line directly for the serve. He took a deep breath, his eyes locked on Yuki on the other side of the court.

Nitta felt a bit silly though for targeting the opponent's strongest player in the final set. Right now, when all points matter, the most logical choice to pick should be to play it safe and target the weakest link. However, out of respect, he still followed Saito's arrangement, thinking that the coach knew it better than him.

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'Let's see if it is true that you, the best defensive player on your team, are really the weakest link too as Saito-sensei said.'

The moment the referee blew the whistle, with a fierce cry, he unleashed the serve, his arm snapping forward like a whip. The sound of the ball piercing the wind was so violent, making all the people inside the building wince unconsciously. It was definitely the most powerful serve Nitta pulled in this game.

However, Tsunemori was prepared. They all knew Kyoei wouldn't give up targeting Yuki just like that. The moment he saw the ball come to his kouhai, Kaede stepped forward, taking over the position while waiting patiently for the ball to fall into his hand.

*BAM!*

"Nice save, Kai!"

"Yuki, cover!"

"I got it!"

Seeing Yuki was about to play as the emergency setter, all the Kyoei players turned their eyes immediately toward Riku and Asahi. The intelligence from the coach suddenly popped into their mind as if telling them what to do.

'When their number 19 wants to surprise us, he would do it in the most extreme way. That is why he would either pass the ball to their setter or their opposite hitter who are the players with the least probability to hit the final attack. Keep your eyes on them.'

True to the coach's instruction, the ball flew to the middle when Riku was already in the air, ready to spike. The blonde boy was surprised to see a wall erected quickly in front of him. However, the blonde boy was a mischievous player by nature. Just like Yuki, he also had a lot of tricks on his sleeves.

So, when he saw two Kyoei players in front of him, the setter changed his stance immediately from about to unleash his arms quickly like a whip into a gentle one, tapping the ball slightly to pass through the blockers' tips.

*Thud!*

"YES!" Riku clenched his fist in celebration, followed by cheers coming from the audience.

"Good job, Riku!"

"Keep it up!"

"Come on! We can win this game!"

By now, there was no empty spot in the building anymore. All the students in the school got the news that this was the final set and wanted to join the fun. As a result, the situation was a bit messy there, with a lot of jostling and pushing around the crowds.

Even the basketball court next to the volleyball court was opened to let more people come, yet there were still some who couldn't enter the building. The atmosphere was crazy here as if they were watching the World Cup final.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Saito clapped his hands, trying to encourage his players. "It is a good attempt! Let's try it again!" Unfortunately, his voice was drowned by the noise from the crowds. The pressure from outside of the court mixed with all the negative feelings they had was like a poison that started to kill them slowly.

And it was shown in the next play. Even though Riku was still consistent with his powerful serve, in the last two sets, it wasn't trouble for the Kyoei players to receive it. However, this time, due to the loss of concentration, the ball slipped through one of their players before it bounced to the floor, adding another point for Tsunemori.

"YOSSHAAA!"

"Good job, Riku!"

"Riku-sama! Look at here!"

"KYAAA!"

The crowds went crazy once again, especially when they saw a brilliant smile formed on Riku's face. Some of the girls who brought their phones zoomed in their cameras immediately, wanting to capture that moment and saved it for their personal collection. Even though Yuki was the best performer in this game, the main focus of the girls was still on the blonde boy.

"Oi, Riku! Don't get distracted!" Yuki reprimanded him. "You can flirt with your girls all you want after we win the game. For now, focus!"

Riku pouted slightly when he received the scold. However, he knew that his friend was right. This wasn't the time to be careless. One simple distraction was enough to snatch the momentum away from them, so they didn't dare to underestimate their opponent.

Riku took a deep breath before once again, he threw the ball in the air. Since the last serve was proven to be successful, he decided to aim at the same place. However, this time, there was no mistake made by Kyoei's player. The one he targeted managed to save the ball easily, sending it straight to the setter.

"Nice receive, Aki!"

"YAMADA!" Nitta raised his voice, asking for the ball from the setter. A second later, the ball flew in his direction, ready to get hit to the other side of the court. Suddenly, the memory of Saito's pep talk to him before the final set began emerged in his head.

'Listen, Nitta. I know it might sound stupid, but whenever you have a chance to attack, I want you to keep targeting their number 19. One, because even though he is protected, if the ball comes in his direction, that number 19 wouldn't be able to join the attack. And two…'

*BAM!*

"SHIT! Sorry, everyone!"

"Don't worry! Recover quickly!"

"YAMADA! AGAIN!"

Even though Kaede managed to save the ball, it flew back to Kyoei's side once again, giving them a second chance to attack. All the Tsunemori players had no time to dwell on that, especially when they saw Nitta had recovered already and started his run-up to attack again. They all put their focus on the ace, forgetting that the other players existed too.

"SHIT! It is a fake!" Yuki cursed out loud as he realized Nitta's intention. "Jimmy! Cover-"

*BAM!*

As Yuki predicted, instead of going to Nitta, this time, the ball flew to the middle, where Ito suddenly appeared for a quick attack. Except for Yuki, no one was ready for him, and it was easier for Kyoei's captain to aim the ball far from the glasses boy's reach.

When he saw the dumbfounded expression on Tsunemori's players, Nitta grinned, remembering the second reason why he should keep attacking Yuki even though it looked stupid.

'I want you to give a strong impression that you are going to keep targeting him. That way, they will unconsciously put their focus on stopping your attack and protecting that number 19. This would give your teammates more space to attack them in the other direction.'

'So, I will be a bait?'

'Yeah.'

Nitta's grin spread from ear to ear as he felt satisfaction rush inside him.

'Well, being a bait seems to be fun too. I wonder if it is as useful as the coach said, though…'