The Birth of A Volleyball Legend
Chapter 498 - 498: An Unexpected Emergency Player!

Yeah, the boy who had just entered the bus and joined the team was Yori, a third-year student and the team's former setter before joining his compatriots to retire prematurely from the team after the conflict with their kouhai. At that time, Yori was full of hesitation. A major part of him wanted to stay on the team, still hoping that he could enjoy the game together with the others. However, in the end, he chose to follow his friends, showing his solidarity as almost all the senior players felt like they were kicked out by their kouhai.

"Oh, well…" Yori rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I am here because Megumi-chan, Arina-chan, and Akira-sensei asked me to join the team as an emergency member. I hope you don't mind about it…" Even though he said it to everyone, his eyes glanced sideways toward Yuki and Riku, knowing full well that those two were the main culprits who drove away his friends from the team in the past.

However, the reaction that he received was far from what he expected.

Yori could see the two boys were somehow excited at his presence, even though there was also a hint of confusion on their faces. In the end, it was Yuki who asked the important question here, "Not that I am not happy with your presence, Senpai, but are you even allowed to join the team like this?" Everyone also turned their head toward Akira and Megumi curiously.

"Technically, he is still allowed to join." Megumi smiled innocently. "After all, I didn't remove the name of the senior players from the team during the registration phase, so even if all the retired senior players wanted to come here and join the fun, they could…"

"Hey, does that mean…." Almost all the sophomore players had their eyes shining in the hope of being able to play with their senpai again. Unfortunately, Akira was quick to throw the cold water into their head here.

"Don't overthink about it. Even though they are technically allowed to go back to the team, I will not allow anyone who could break the harmony inside the team to barge in hastily like that. Only Yori-kun meets the criteria, and since we need more players as a backup, I decided to invite him to join back to the team."

This information managed to dampen the team's enthusiasm. However, they cheered up once again at the thought of being able to fight together with Yori again.

"Welcome to the board, Yori-senpai!"

"Damn, I have never expected to be able to play with you again!"

"Hey, don't push around! Let Yori-senpai sit first!"

The excitement was at its peak here, since Yori himself had a good reputation among his kouhai. The boy was famous for always being helpful and respectful toward everyone, never looking down at his kouhai just because he was one or two years older here. He was also polite and had this friendly air around him, making it easy for anyone to approach the boy.

"Okay, pay attention, everyone!" Akira suddenly raised his voice, making all the eyes turn to him immediately. "I know that you all are excited about Yori-kun's presence here, and I know you all still remember the quality he brings to the team. However, I don't intend to let him play for too long, so don't rely on him too much, okay?"

"This…" Everyone was speechless, not knowing how to respond to their coach's words.

"Don't worry, everyone. I don't have any intention to play for too long, so this is in line with my idea." Yori was kind enough to explain before this could create a misunderstanding between the team and the coach. "After all, I haven't been training and playing in a competitive game for a while, so I might be a little rusty here. It would be better for me to observe the game first and come when you need me the most. That way, I don't have to worry about disturbing the harmony among you guys."

"Senpai…" Somehow, this explanation touched all of their hearts here.

"Okay, let's save the conversation for later. Now, we have to go to the Tokyo Gymnasium first, or we will be late! Get ready, everyone!"

"Yes, Sensei!"

As the bus's engine was turned on, all the Tsunemori players could see from the window that almost all the students outside waving their hands on them, wishing them good luck for the game. This scene somehow touched them more than when they saw the supporters who came directly into the arena. After all, those students in front of them were still willing to support them even though they wouldn't be able to come directly, showing their loyalty toward the team. Now, all they had to do was to repay that loyalty with one ticket to the national stage. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be easy here, since they had to fight against the second-best team in the country to do so.

The atmosphere on the bus was somehow pretty relaxing here, especially with Yori's presence among them. Their senpai kept proving to be a true glue guy, showing his friendliness toward everyone without looking at their identity. Hell, he even threw a joke or two toward Akira, which the coach also answered with his best 'dad joke' that could make everyone groan instantly. Still, this showed Yori's importance in the team.

Yori himself couldn't help but feel solemn after feeling the atmosphere on the team by himself. In fact, he wasn't the only one who was invited by Akira. Noriyuki and Yoshi, the two important players last year, also received the same invitation, yet they refused it directly. It seemed that those two had already heard the news about Koji's departure, and that made them feel more disgusted toward the club. Coupled with how the two kouhai disrespected them in the past, there was no way that those two would be willing to come back to the team.

However, looking at the laidback atmosphere here and how everyone could joke around and laugh together with everyone, Yori knew that his two friends were wrong. The team didn't go astray, and if anything, it was Koji who was immature, leaving the team because things didn't go as he hoped they would. Oh, yeah, even Yori could see Koji's problem from afar, as he noticed how the boy acted during Tsunemori's last game against Kikugawa High. Even though Akira hadn't said anything, Yori was sure that there was no way the coach would let Koji's immature behavior slide just like that.

In the end, though, he was just glad that he managed to join the team once again. Even though he wouldn't stay for too long, Yori still wanted to make a huge splash one more time, and with Tsunemori High's current team, he felt like his hope was still within reach.

'Now, let's just hope that Matsuyama Kita High is still at the same level as they were before the last Inter-high, or it would be a problem for us…'