The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

Genzo Harada.

That was his name.

He was Konan's main setter last year and managed to lead the team to bring the national trophy back to the school. What people didn't know about him though, was the fact that he was the retired senpai's first choice to inherit the captain position.

At that time, Genzo was everything a team wanted as a captain. Even though he had a cold demeanor, he was smart, composed, cared about the team, selfless, and all of his teammates respected him a lot. Compared to Matsumoto who at that time still had a cockiness after winning the national tournament, it was clear by miles that Genzo was going to be the new captain of the team.

However, something terrible happened.

A week before the final of the winter tournament, Genzo who just came back from the training session suffered from a hit-and-run accident. The culprit was a rich young man who just learned how to drive a car for about a few weeks and couldn't control himself and accidentally speeded up and hit Genzo.

Fortunately, even though the victim tried to run away, there were a lot of security cameras on the road, and it was easy to catch him.

However, for Genzo, it was the beginning of his nightmare. As a result of the accident, one of his arm bones broke and there was a slight injury on his pelvis that made him think he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Long story short, all of the terrible imaginations inside his head didn't happen and he was able to recover perfectly in three months.

However, he was never the same again after the incident.

He couldn't concentrate on something for too long before starting to get a headache and he got exhausted far quicker than even before he got an accident. After he was treated one more time, the doctor said that he was still in the recovery period and that this was a normal thing.

The doctor also prohibited the boy from doing any excessive activity for more than 15 minutes, preventing him from joining the full training session.

With all of that happened to him, coupled with the sudden appearance of a talented freshman like Sawada, Genzo finally approached the coach and decided to retire from the team. He knew he couldn't help the team anymore with his condition, and forcing himself too much would harm the team more.

However, the coach rejected his retirement, having a new role that was perfect for his current situation.

'Genzo, Sawada-kun is still a rookie. No matter how talented he is, he cannot command his senpai to do anything. Matsumoto is also a hot-headed person who sometimes is overwhelmed by the situation. As for Lucas… Well, you know how he is. So, I want you to be on the bench and keep them in line. You don't need to play, but your presence on the bench would mean so much for the team.

Can you do that for us?'

So, yeah, after a long conversation with the coach, Genzo finally accepted his new role as the one who kept everyone in line.

Genzo himself had no problem with his new role. After a while, he started to forget about what it felt like to be on the court. But it changed today, when the coach suddenly asked him to come and stabilize the game.

To be honest, he was nervous right now. He didn't expect the coach would still trust him to change the game.

Aside from the fact that it had been a long time since he played in a competitive game, the doctor also prohibited him from playing more than fifteen minutes, making Genzo feel that the decision to put him on the court was a mistake However, since the coach asked him to do it, he would go without hesitation for the team.

"You alright, Genzo?" Matsumoto asked, concerned.

"Don't worry, Matsumoto. This is nothing." Genzo tried to sound nonchalant. However, Matsumoto could see his friend trying his best to hide his shaking hand.

"Just do as usual, don't worry about anything. Let us do the rest." Matsumoto finally said.

Genzo snorted. "Huh, you finally start to sound like a proper captain, Matsumoto."

"Well, I have to, since you cannot do it anymore." Matsumoto rolled his eyes.

Genzo smiled a little, glad that the captain approached him. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. After the referee saw he was ready, the game was about to be continued again.

"Come on, Kai! Give us a good serve!"

Kaede stared at Genzo for a moment, thinking whether he should test the new guy or not. After a while, he shook his head, didn't want to risk the momentum the team earned after fighting so hard.

Find more chapters on empire

Just like before though, Shimada picked up the ball easily, and Lucas also started his run-up immediately even before his teammate received the serve. It seemed nothing changed on Konan's side as they still insisted on doing their quick attack routine. However, when Yuki and Riku moved already to block the Brazilian boy, Genzo made a surprising move here.

Instead of sending the ball to Lucas, he flicked it so the ball would only fly on the spot. After that, he moved aside slightly, giving room for the player behind him to rush forward. The one who came from behind was Arizawa, the one who usually acted as the secondary blocker and was rarely involved in the attack initiated by Sawada.

"A good pass, Senpai!"

"Don't think you can get it so easily!"

Koji jumped in front of him with both arms extended in the air. Arizawa glanced for a second, trying to find a hole to expose. However, before he could do that, he could hear his senpai shout, "Arizawa, give it back again!"

Hearing that, Arizawa didn't hesitate to spike the ball straight to Koji's fingers. It wasn't a powerful spike, yet the aim was good enough to make the ball fly back to Konan's side. And without waiting for too long, Genzo who was prepared for the ball sent it directly to the right side, and this time, it was Matsumoto who got the ball.

"Ha! Nice pass, Genzo!"

*BAM!*

Without anyone quick enough to form a wall, he spiked the ball easily to the spot far on the opposite wing. The cross spike was nasty enough for Kaede to receive it, resulting in a point for Konan High.

However, that point wasn't the biggest problem here. It was a completely different style that Konan played compared to when Sawada was on the court. Genzo's plan was so bold, from using Lucas on the left as bait and making Koji in the middle jump for Arizawa's attack to the point when he sent the ball to the right where Matsumoto was there without anyone guarding him.

However, everything moved so smoothly that Tsunemori players didn't have the chance to stop it at all.

When they all turned their head to Konan's new setter, they shivered a little at the cold gaze they received from the boy.

'Man, even though he looks cold and composed, his plan is bold and creative enough to penetrate our front line. If he could do that constantly, this would be troublesome for us.'