The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

Chapter 68: Rumor Again?!

"Hey! I heard the rumor about the volleyball team!"

"Not again! What kind of rumor was it this time?"

"I heard if they couldn't get through the top 4 in the prefecture tournament, the team would be abolished."

"Really? That is horrible!"

"Still, they are lucky. Don't you know the football and basketball team didn't even have the chance to prove their worth? Their team was disbanded by the school even before the term began."

"That is horrible! Why, though?"

"I heard it is because the school wants to save money."

"Are we really that poor that we must disband clubs to save the money right now?"

"I don't know."

By the time the golden week was over and everyone returned to their daily routine as a student, the rumor of the volleyball team's condition to survive had already spread among the others. However, unlike the last time the rumor spread about the team, this time, the reaction was different. Everyone felt sympathetic for them, thinking the condition was unfair and something like that.

Unexpectedly, they got unwavering support from the residents of the school, especially from those members of the team that was disbanded first by the school. And like usual, the moment the volleyball players arrived at the school, they were pushed into the limelight immediately by the others.

"Man, they are crazy," Yuki commented, fixing his rumpled hair after escaping from the crowds. "Why would I be surrounded too if, in the end, they just going to flock around Agostini?" He shook his head wryly while looking at his blonde friend gloatingly.

"Maybe because this time, you are not in a bad light anymore?" Kato commented casually without even raising her head to look at him "I mean, the last time your team made such a big commotion, you are still under a nasty rumor, right? At that time, they probably were afraid to approach you, didn't want to get the backslash of it.

But now, you are one of the justice warriors that would fight against tyranny, so of course, everyone would be on your side too."

"Hmm... That makes sense..." Yuki nodded his head, putting his school bag on the floor before taking a seat, glancing at what the girl was doing. "Anyway, a justice warrior that would fight against tyranny? Really?" He arched his eyebrows slightly.

"What?" Kato asked back. "It is quite fitting, right?"

Yuki himself fell silent, pondering about the information he just received from the girl. Honestly, he was surprised to see this topic finally getting mentioned, expecting someone to do that way back then rather than now considering how obvious the relationship between Akira and Riku was.

Hell, even he himself was reluctant to join the team at first after seeing Riku only needed Akira's words to enter the team without even taking any test or challenge from the team.

Still, for someone to bring it up right now... There must be someone who wanted to stir up trouble for the team...

"It should be those cowards!" Riku scowled. "We haven't heard anything about them for a while. This should be their retaliation against us!"

Even without Riku explaining who those cowards were, Yuki and Kato could guess who were the culprits. It should be the third-year players who walked away from the team after their last conflict, and honestly, Yuki couldn't blame Riku for blaming them. This was their exact modus operandi, didn't dare to confront directly yet hid behind the crowds while spreading nasty rumors about the team.

Still...

"You cannot just point your finger without any evidence, you know?" Kato commented casually, flipping her book without even looking at the boys. "Not only it would be baseless, but you would also get a lot of trouble for accusing the other students like that."

"Well, they didn't get into trouble after spreading rumors about Kobayashi, right?" The blonde boy was still unwilling to let go of his suspicion.

"Well, yeah." Kato nodded, admitting his point. "But you are just a freshman here. Your words against them, who do you think anyone will believe more?"

"This..."

Even without saying it out loud, Riku knew what was the answer to his question. The third-year students were already in the school for more than two years and everyone knew their character well. Compared to him who was still new here, if he accused them of something, it would be a suicidal decision for him. Still, he was reluctant to let this matter go so easily.

"And, is the rumor and who spread it really that matter?" Kato added another question.

"Eh?" Not only Riku, but Yuki also turned their head to the girl. "What do you mean, Kato-san?"

"Well... I mean..." Kato pondered for a moment, trying to think of how to say it. "Just like the rumor before, it doesn't matter who spread it, right? The most important thing is how to prove the rumor wrong. And you both should know what to do, right?"

Riku's eyes lightened up when he heard about that. Yuki also nodded his head, understanding what Kato wanted to say. Yeah, it didn't matter who spread the rumor. The fact was the rumor was there, and they couldn't change it all. So, there was only one thing they could do right now...

"Be the top 4 teams like what the school expects us to be and prove the rumor wrong!"