The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Oh, you, my brave boy! What would we do if you weren't here? I cannot thank you enough for all the risks you took to save our darling daughter!"

Yuki smiled awkwardly as the older, beautiful woman who resembled his friend and his senpai hugged him tightly, expressing her gratitude for saving her daughter. When he heard the muffled giggles from behind the woman's back, he turned his head around, glaring at his friends, who were giving him gloating looks.

"It's okay, Ma'am," he said while gently rubbing her back. "I'm glad that even after getting caught in the middle of a disaster like that, Kato-san could still laugh at us like this." He shot a sharp glare at the girl, who was caught off guard by the mention of her name.

"Oh, yes, Kato-chan owes you a heartfelt thank you." The woman seemed to remember something and turned her gaze to her daughter. "So, what do you want to say to him, Kato-chan?" she said sweetly. Too sweetly, in fact, making it more intimidating than a genuine question.

"A-Ah?!" Kato stuttered, speechless. A shade of red appeared on her cheeks, and had Yuki not noticed the hidden threat beneath the older woman's words, he might have been flustered and misunderstood his friend's reaction. In the end, Kato sighed deeply before a helpless expression crossed her face as she said, "Thank you, Yuki-kun."

Although it sounded as though Kato was being forced to say it by the older woman, Yuki knew it was genuine gratitude from his friend. He wouldn't have doubted it, especially since he knew her well.

From the corner of the room, the blonde boy who had disappeared from everyone's view moments earlier couldn't hold it back any longer. A stiff chuckle erupted from him, announcing his presence once more to the residents of the room. When all eyes turned to him, the boy shrugged innocently. "What?"

"Coward," Yuki muttered under his breath.

"Hey, I call that a strategic retreat! Why would I join a battle I cannot win? Maybe you should learn a thing or two from me, Yuki!" the boy retorted.

"What, learn from you and become the second coming of a dumb blonde?" Yuki sniffed, unwilling to lose the banter.

"Hey, why do you always bring up that stupid blonde joke? It's not funny, you know?!"

"Oh, but it is hilarious for me!"

"Why, you?!"

"Okay, enough, you two!" Kato finally had enough of their childishness. "This is a hospital, not some random place for jokes! Mind your manners!" she scolded.

"Yes, Ma'am!" the two said in unison, straightening their backs.

Seeing their interaction, the older woman's lips quivered as she tried her best to hold back a giggle. However, Kato noticed and could only sigh. "What do you want, Mom?"

"Oh, nothing, dear." The older woman, whom Kato had just called "Mom"—not that Yuki doubted it, given how closely they resembled one another—shook her head, yet the smile on her face told otherwise. "I heard a lot about your two friends from Megu-chan, but I never imagined you'd be this close to them. How did the shy Kato-chan, who always hid behind Daddy's leg, manage to befriend not just one but two boys at the same time? If your daddy saw this, he would be shocked."

"Mooom!" Kato moaned weakly. Then she quickly turned her head, glaring at the two boys before they could make any smart remarks. "I haven't called my dad 'Daddy' since I was ten, so don't you dare bring this up in the future, got it?!"

They both nodded quickly, not wanting to incur her wrath.

Kato's mom smiled fondly at their exchange. After a moment, she rose from her seat and introduced herself—something Yuki had forgotten to ask. "I am sorry for being rude and coming here without telling you first. My name is Mitsuki Ayaka, and as you can guess, I am Kato-chan's mother. I have already heard Kato-chan's story about what happened yesterday, and I am here to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and my husband's, for your bravery and selflessness in protecting her until the end. Thank you." She bowed politely, making the situation suddenly awkward.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Ah… It's nothing, Ma'am…" Yuki rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Please, don't sell yourself short." Mitsuki gently patted his hand. "You have done so much for my daughter, and thinking of what might have happened if you hadn't been there…" Her eyes glistened as she imagined that scenario. "I can't bear to think about it. We owe you so much, Yuki-kun, and if there's anything we can do to help, please let me know."

Yuki felt a lump in his throat, unable to respond to her heartfelt gratitude. In the end, he could only nod silently, allowing the conversation to die down naturally.

"Anyway!" Fortunately, Riku was quite the chatterbox, and his words were enough to shatter the awkwardness in the air. "Do you know how long you'll be here? I've already told Kawaki-sensei about this, and I'm sure he and the old geezer will visit you soon. But I just want to know when you'll be able to come back to training."

Yuki snorted, giving his friend a disapproving look. He knew Riku—just like him and any other boy—was bad at talking about feelings, so the best way to deal with it was to steer the conversation back to something practical. Still, Yuki didn't mind. If he were honest, he preferred talking about anything other than the heart-to-heart discussion they had just had.

"I don't know. I mean, I haven't even seen my doctor yet. It's only been an hour since I woke up, and the only person I've seen from the hospital was a nurse. Other than that, it was Baasan and the children who were with me before you came."

"Hmm… Should you press that button to call the doctor?" Riku asked, pointing at the button near the bed, designed for emergencies to summon help.

"No need. Let's wait for Baasan and the children to come back. After that, Baasan will handle everything." Yuki shook his head, rejecting his friend's idea.

"Well, if you say so." Riku shrugged. "Where are they, anyway?"

"Gone out to buy lunch. They've been gone for almost 45 minutes, so they should be back soon." Yuki answered briefly.

They continued talking about random topics that popped up in their minds, yet not once did they touch on the topic of the incident from yesterday. At first, Yuki was confused by his friends' lack of curiosity. However, the guest who entered next instantly dispelled all doubt.

"I see you're doing well, Kobayashi-kun. Mind telling us what happened yesterday?"