The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

Then, three days before the game against Konan High, Akira suddenly announced that the team training would be held differently. To everyone\'s confusion, he asked the players to meet outside of the school after it was over and not forgetting to buy some snacks for the trip. It was clear they were going outside today, but they didn\'t know what Akira\'s intention was.

However, their confusion disappeared instantly, when they saw the sight of a large bus outside of the school building. It was the right size to let all the volleyball players come inside without getting too crowded. And before their surprise was over, Akira opened the door with a big smile on his face.

"Alright, everyone! Save your questions for later. For now, get on the bus. Make yourself comfortable because we have a long journey ahead of us!"

The others didn\'t need to be told twice as they started fighting for the best seat on the bus. Megumi sat on the front row next to Akira who acted as the driver, followed by Okamura, Hirano, Kaede, Riku, Yuki, Asahi, Koji, and Ogawa in order. They started chatting and bickering, something that wasn\'t heard in the last couple of days.

Both Akira and Megumi smiled when they saw the tense atmosphere melt on the bus.

"Akira-sensei, Megumi-senpai, how long have you been planning for this trip?" Yuki couldn\'t help but ask. He knew by now what was the meaning of the glances between those two a few days ago.

"I don\'t know, two weeks ago, maybe?" Akira answered nonchalantly while his eyes were still on the road. "It should be after the game against Kyoei Gakuen, right?"

"Yeah." Megumi nodded, confirming his answer. "At first, we want to do it after the game against Teiryo High. Unfortunately, the schedule is too tight with the school\'s agenda, so we have to postpone it for a while. But we thought this is the best time to let you relax for a while, what with the tension from the students and the idea of having to play against the best team in the country."

The atmosphere turned 180 degrees when Megumi mentioned the game a few days later, thinking that their preparation this time was far from decent. Akira noticed that and said immediately, "For now, let\'s forget the game. Let\'s loosen up the tension on the team and keep yourself relaxed. Just for today, don\'t think about the tournament or your next game, okay?!"

"YES, SIR!"

It seemed Akira and Megumi were serious about making them relax. The first destination they came to was a theatre, where they watched the latest released movie there. It was a Western movie from a massive franchise that was famous for its superhero story. Needless to say, a bunch of boys like them enjoyed the action scene a lot they didn\'t even blink in the theatre.

After spending two hours there, Akira brought them to a family restaurant far in the north of Tokyo. The place looked luxurious and gave them an expensive aura that made the players gulp nervously. However, the moment the bus was stopped, Riku didn\'t wait for the others and entered the building as if he were familiar with it.

"Good evening, Riku-sama!" The waiter there bowed politely. "Do you want to have the usual? Or do you want to try our special for tonight?"

"No need, Yumi-san." Riku rejected the offer with the same politeness. "I will be with my friends and Akira-jiisan in the family box, so don\'t treat me too politely."

The others were stunned when they saw Riku\'s demeanor. Although everyone knew he came from a wealthy family, they had never seen Riku act as a young master like this. Yuki himself wasn\'t so surprised. Since he came to Riku\'s house, he knew his friend could be so elegant like this when necessary. However, his goofiness prevented the others from seeing it from him.

"Come here, I have already reserved a family box for us!" Akira waved his hands, inviting them to follow him.

All the players nodded unconsciously, following him like a waddle of ducklings following their mother. But once they were close to the box, they forgot their thought before as the sound of the meat sizzling could be heard, and coupled with the aroma of something being grilled, their mouth got watery instantly.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come in!" Akira shouted.

Hey didn\'t need to be told twice as all of them rushed immediately and entered the room. There, they saw a set of barbeque tools and ingredients were ready, just waiting for them to enjoy. They turned their head to the coach instantly, looking at him in disbelief. "Sensei, are you sure it is okay for us to eat all of this?" Kaede asked.

"Don\'t worry about it." Akira waved his hand nonchalantly. "This is the Agostini family\'s restaurant, so I get a good discount whenever I eat here. Just start grilling!"

Everyone had their facial muscles twitched when they heard that. No wonder the waiter was so polite to Riku, since it was his family\'s restaurant. Well, at least they didn\'t need to feel bad since everything was paid from Akira\'s wallet. They started to put meats and veggies on the grill, waiting impatiently for the food to get cooked perfectly.

Akira nodded, satisfied with the atmosphere in front of them. Then, he coughed, gaining everyone\'s attention.

"I know this kind of heart-to-heart conversation is often done with wine or something like that. Unfortunately, we are minors and athletes here, so we will do it with the tea instead. First, let\'s talk about your stupidity in accepting Sugawara-san\'s ridiculous request. Is there anyone who wants to tell me why what you did is stupid?"

Everyone bowed their head ashamedly when they were reminded about it. However, since Akira asked it, someone finally mustered the courage to talk about it.

"Yes, Kaede?" Akira pointed at the defensive specialist who raised his hand.

"There are so many reasons why it is stupid. First, we made the decision rashly without thinking or consulting you. Then, we ignored Yuki\'s warning about the consequences, thinking that we had experienced the same last month and underestimated the public\'s reaction.

Then, we are not professional enough to live with the consequence, as it is clear that our performance declined since the rumor spread about us."

Akira nodded, satisfied. Kaede summarized the problem perfectly, not leaving anything for the others to argue.

"In fact, I am proud of you for fighting for your rights. However, your mistake is too quick to trust Sugawara-san. Not saying that she is a liar, of course. But who knows if her information was wrong? And no matter if it was right, there is no need to sacrifice yourself, especially to the person you are not close with each other in the first place."

Yeah, they all realized now. It was ridiculous to sacrifice everything just to impress Arina Sugawara, the girl they just had contact with.

"I know I have already said about it before, but I think you are too distracted to listen to my words, so I will repeat it again." Akira continued. "You shouldn\'t be angry whenever someone says you are favored by the headmaster, because it is the reality. Think about it!

How many times did the headmaster stand up for us whenever we made a huge commotion, and how many times has he protected us whenever the teachers wanted to do something to you guys? Is that a clear indication of favoritism?"

Yeah, what he said was true. However, it was still uncomfortable to hear someone mock them for being the headmaster\'s pets or something like that.

"If you are angry when someone is mocking you or the team for that, there is one thing we can do to fight it," Akira said, gaining everyone\'s interest. "In fact, it is so simple that I am sure you have known about it for too long. And that is to show them why you deserve to get that special treatment! Show everyone why the volleyball team is special! It is easy, right?!

After all, only the strong got special treatment. If you won something, no matter what kind of favoritism you received from the school, no one would be qualified to comment on it. You should understand about that, eight?"

Everyone had their ace lightened up at Akira\'s speech. For a moment, they forgot about the foods they grilled as they were too mesmerized by their coach, inspired by his speech. Not wanting to lose his momentum, Akira continued his speech quickly.

"So, here is what I want you all to do for the next couple of days. I want you all to put your focus back to the volleyball. It is not enough to give you 100 percent anymore. I need your 110 percent! 120 percents! It is not enough to give me your best, give me more than your best! Chapter Explore:

Let\'s show the others why we deserve to get special treatment. Let\'s show them all our team\'s strengths! Are you with me?!"

"YEAH!"