The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Purpose?" Arina Sugawara was stunned for a second. "Of course, it is to—"

"Hold on a second, Sugawara-san!" Yuki raised his hand. "Before you answer the question, I want you to think about it carefully. Don't rush it. Just remember your purpose from the beginning and what just happened."

Although Yuki had already given a hint, Arina Sugawara was still confused. What was there to think about? The only thing that mattered was to bring down the Maiko Group, right?

Seeing her expression, Yuki couldn't help but sigh, feeling a bit disappointed. It seemed he had overestimated the girl's intelligence.

"Well, here's what I want you to think about," he finally said, having had enough. "Your purpose at first when you approached us was to unite the students against the purge, right? But that has already happened. While there are still some students who think the purge is wrong, their voices are just a minor echo, not worthy of mention. And while the disbandment of all the old clubs sucks, by now, everyone has accepted it and started to enjoy the new clubs. So, what do you want to achieve now?" he asked.

That was when Arina Sugawara felt as if her head were about to explode.

Honestly, before today, she had completely forgotten everything Yuki just said. In her mind, the only thing she could think about was how to bring down the Maiko Group. However, when had she come to that conclusion? Was her first reason to save the school? Why would she want to take on the impossible? And who was she to drag everyone around her into her conspiracy?

After pondering for a while, Arina Sugawara could only sigh, but there was a clarity in her eyes now. "Thank you, Kobayashi-kun," she said gently, smiling. "It seems I need to rethink my purpose before I make a plan for the future. I'm sorry for the disturbance, but I will leave now. Thank you!" She rose from her seat, bowed to everyone, and walked out of the room, leaving the people inside dumbfounded.

"What the hell was that?" Riku whispered, confused.

"That was her wake-up call before dragging everyone around her through the mud," Yuki replied. "Oh, also, Riku, I know you find this fun, and honestly, I share that sentiment. But please, no provoking her into doing anything stupid." Continue your journey with empire

Yes, although everyone seemed to have forgotten, Yuki still remembered that it was usually his blonde friend who poured oil on the fire. Just like before, when everyone was at a loss after Mitsuki's reminder, it was Riku who sparked ideas in Arina Sugawara's mind.

Riku just grinned innocently, but Yuki wasn't fooled. "Well, I'll try to hold back a little in the future," he finally relented.

Yuki snorted and then turned his head toward his two other guests. After talking for another fifteen minutes, the mother and daughter pair left first, not before the older woman expressed heartfelt gratitude once again. After chuckling at his misery, Riku also followed, leaving Yuki alone in the room.

Silence descended upon the room, a silence that began to make Yuki uncomfortable. It had been a few months since he had lived in the orphanage, and whether he liked it or not, he was getting used to living with almost no personal boundaries. While most people found this a bad thing, being surrounded by others helped keep his mind from dwelling on all the unfortunate incidents in his life—something he really needed right now.

Suddenly, his mind began to recall everything: the faces of his parents, the chaotic situation during the earthquake disaster, the miserable cries, the scars, the wounds—everything. Then he compared it to what had happened yesterday, and Yuki didn't really know how to feel.

"Maybe I should visit my hometown and see what happened there in the future," he murmured.

-0-

The next two days passed quickly, with many visitors coming to inquire about his condition. Not that Yuki minded, of course, but a lot of the people who came were not individuals he had ever seen before. After hearing their explanations, he realized that many parents of the students who were present during the incident came to thank him after hearing about his heroic actions in getting everyone out before things went bad.

Yuki sweat-dropped when he heard the chubby old woman excitedly recounting the story. Even though he didn't know who her son or daughter was, he was sure the story she had heard was filled with exaggeration.

"Enjoying the attention, popular boy?" Riku smirked from ear to ear after another round of visitors left.

Yuki turned and glared sharply at his blonde friend. Unfortunately, Riku had done this so often that it seemed to lose its effect. He just shrugged it off, unimpressed by Yuki's intimidation.

"So, other than stealing my apples, what are you doing here?" Yuki asked, his expression sour.

Aside from Aiko and the other children, Riku was basically a constant presence at the hospital. But unlike the others, he suspected that his blonde friend was just there to freeload since all Riku did was eat the fruit that the visitors brought.

"That's a hurtful accusation, Yuki," Riku exclaimed, clutching his heart dramatically.

Yuki rolled his eyes, not fooled by the act. Under Yuki's glare, Riku eventually sighed, saying, "Well, I'm just bored! With you not around, no Kato-chan, no volleyball training—all I do is sleep and fool around! It's so boring!"

"Maybe you should try listening in class and improve your grades?" Yuki suggested.

"Well, as I said, school is boring without both of you!" Riku replied again, ignoring Yuki's question. "So, I decided to come here and bother you until you're good enough to leave the hospital. How does that sound? Am I being a good friend?" He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

"…Yeah, a very good friend, indeed," Yuki said sarcastically.

They bickered for a while, somehow forgetting they were in a hospital. However, a knock on the door finally reminded them of their surroundings. After fixing their clothes for a moment, Yuki shouted from inside, "Come in!"

At first, Yuki thought it would just be another ordinary visitor expressing their gratitude, but when he saw the familiar face with his trademark mustache, alongside a man he had just seen before the incident, his mind went blank.

"Akira-sensei and Shingo Narita, a genius from the pharmacy factory, are here together? What on earth is happening?"