The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"So, you mean to tell me that there is no sports team anymore at your school?"

the voice on the phone asked incredulously.

"Yes, Mattheo-san, that is indeed the case."

Yuki felt himself blush, embarrassed by the tone he heard on the other end of the line.

"Now, I don't have a team anymore, and I cannot help Akira-sensei with his problem as I promised. I am so sorry about it."

It was the first time Yuki had spoken to Mattheo since the team lost to Konan High, and he was honestly nervous to deliver the news. However, Mattheo was his benefactor and deserved to know the truth, so after mustering his courage, Yuki decided to call him and share the full story.

The Italian man fell silent for a moment after Yuki finished recounting what had happened, leaving Yuki feeling increasingly uneasy. While he usually didn't care about others' opinions, Mattheo and the Silvestri family were different. They were his benefactors and held a special place in his heart, so he didn't want to disappoint them.

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After a few moments of silence, Yuki spoke hesitantly.

"Mattheo-san… Are you angry with me?"

"Angry?!"

the man on the other end of the line seemed surprised by Yuki's question.

"No, why would you think that?!"

"Well, you haven't said anything for a moment, so I thought…"

Yuki trailed off, leaving his sentence unfinished. However, Mattheo understood his concern and immediately reassured him.

"Don't worry, Yuki. I'm not angry. I'm just reflecting on your school's ridiculous decision and perhaps worrying about Akira-sensei. But I'm definitely not mad at you."

Yuki let out a sigh of relief.

"Anyway, what do you think you want to do after this?"

Mattheo again inquired, trying to change the topic.

"I… don't know…"

Yuki sighed deeply, realizing he was uncertain about what to do next.

"Well, you can ask for Maria's opinion since she is always the smartest one in the family."

Yuki snorted at that.

"But from my perspective, you have two options right now."

"Oh? Please, tell me,"

Yuki replied, intrigued.

"First, you can deal with your school's shenanigans and play volleyball just for fun, or you could take a more serious route and consider joining an outside club, like what Sekine-sensei recommended to you in the past."

Mattheo said.

"Or second, you might want to consider changing schools to one that is more serious about developing talented volleyball players like you."

"Eh?!"

Yuki was taken aback by the suggestion. He had never considered changing schools as a solution to his problem.

"Why are you so surprised?"

Mattheo asked with an amused tone.

"It's quite common for players to be unhappy with their current clubs and to demand a transfer. While I understand that in your case, you are still a normal high school boy, if you play as well as you claim during the tournament, all the schools with good volleyball teams would surely have their eyes on you. Once rumors spread that you are unhappy, they'll be like sharks sensing blood in the water."

Yuki nodded repeatedly, though his focus was not on the conversation anymore. He carefully considered the suggestion and realized that moving to another school was indeed a viable option. He just had never thought of it because… well, moving to another school felt like a decision only a professional would make, and he had never considered himself one.

After chatting for a while, Mattheo finally ended the conversation, but not before giving Yuki one last piece of advice.

"Don't overthink what you have to do. Instead, follow your heart, and ask yourself: what do you really want to do? I'm sure you will know the answer in the blink of an eye."

After the call was disconnected, Yuki sat silently on his bed, staring blankly at the wall. Time passed quickly, and a knock at his door suddenly snapped him from his thoughts.

"Come in!" he shouted.

Someone opened the door, and a moment later, Aiko, the matron of the orphanage entered with her usual kind smile. "I see you're bothered by something. Would you mind sharing it with me?"

Yuki sighed before retelling his story once more. Aiko sat beside him, listened quietly, not interrupting him at all. After a while, Yuki felt his throat dry from repeating the same story for the second time, this time after talking to Mattheo. Once he finished, he finally asked, "So, what's your opinion, Baasan?"

The matron didn't answer immediately and decided to ask a question first. "Mattheo-san is right, Yuki-kun. Everything boils down to your choice. Are you serious about volleyball? Or do you still want to stay at Tsunemori High?"

"That's the question I'm grappling with too, Obaasan!" Yuki groaned in frustration. "I don't know what I want! I mean, I like volleyball, but I've never really considered it as a serious career! And leaving Tsunemori…" He paused for a moment, not quite knowing how to express his feelings.

"You don't want to leave Riku-kun and Kato-chan, do you?" Aiko said knowingly. Yuki turned his head away, avoiding her gaze. Just from this reaction, she realized she had hit the nail on the head. She sighed before finally saying, "Well, since Mattheo-san offered you advice, I think it would be inappropriate for me not to give you some as well. Would you like to hear it?"

Yuki nodded, not realizing how desperate he must have looked at that moment.

"Well, Mattheo-san assumes that you can only pursue volleyball seriously if you transfer to another school, but you don't know that for certain. You can confirm this by asking Akira-sensei if it is possible for the club to continue, and maybe you could also ask Sekine-sensei whether it would be possible to take him up on his previous offer. If you still find yourself at a dead end and believe transferring is your only option, talk to Kato-chan and Riku-kun about it, and ask for their opinions. However, regardless of what they say, the final decision must be yours since it's your life to lead, not anyone else's. Do you understand?"

Yuki's face brightened instantly as he listened to her advice. "Damn, you're a genius, Obaasan!"