The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

The weekend came pretty quickly, and the day for the game between Tokyo Thunder U-19 and their rival, Tokyo Giant Bear U-19, finally arrived. It was held at Shinagawa Gymnasium, the home base of Tokyo Thunder. Still, most of the people who came for the game were Giant Bear fans, showcasing the dominance of that club in this capital city.

The number of people who attended was not considerable. In fact, it couldn't even fill a quarter of the stands, given that the full capacity of the gymnasium was about 500 people. Only fanatical supporters who cared about the team's youth development and the players' families attended a U-19 game like this. Still, their support was enough to lift the players' spirits.

"Come on, Kato-nee! Megumi-nee! Arina-nee! Hurry up, or we will miss the best spot!" Hina, one of the residents of the orphanage, pouted at how slowly her companions walked.

"Be patient, will you?" Kato sighed helplessly. "The game is still in thirty minutes, and Yuki-kun has already told me that this wouldn't attract many spectators. We will still have a good spot to watch. Besides, don't you want to buy some snacks first? The game is going to last a while, you know?"

"I already have some!" The younger girl grinned, showing off the inflated potato chip bag from her backpack. Then, her eyes widened as it seemed she just realized something. "Wait, I haven't brought any drinks yet!"

Kato stared at her with an unimpressed expression while Hina rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. After a moment, the older girl sighed and said, "Go to Taro-kun and ask him to buy you something. He took most of the money Aiko-baasan gave for today."

"Thank you, Kato-nee!" After a quick hug, the girl scampered off to find the other child, leaving the three older girls standing alone in front of the gymnasium.

"I didn't expect Kato-chan to become such a responsible older sister," Megumi, Kato's older sister, teased with a smile.

"Oh, you don't know half of it, Megumi-chan!" Arina Sugawara exclaimed, joining the fun. "You've never seen how the children all look up to her whenever she teaches them something. She's like a mother hen!"

"Sugawara-senpai!" Kato hissed, her face reddening in embarrassment.

Since Arina Sugawara's first visit—when she was roped into a pillow fight by the other children—she had become a regular visitor to the orphanage. Even though it had only been a few days, the girl was proud to say that she understood the dynamics inside the orphanage. Aiko was everyone's mother, Yuki was the responsible big brother everyone looked up to, Riku was the funny big brother who always created chaos, and Kato was the knowledgeable big sister who could answer any question thrown at her.

On one hand, Arina Sugawara couldn't help but feel envious of how carefree those three could be around the children—that was a luxury she had never experienced before. However, as time went by, she also started to learn how to relax, and somehow, the environment grew on her. That was why, when she heard some of the children wanted to watch their big brothers' game, she volunteered to chaperone them.

After buying some snacks and playing outside the gymnasium for a while, Kato checked her watch and called the children. "Taro, please call your little siblings over. The game will start in five minutes!"

Taro, the second-oldest resident of the orphanage after Yuki, nodded readily. "Wait a moment, neesan! I'll be done in three minutes!"

Fortunately, only four children came to watch the game: Taro, Hina, Mai, and Jiro, making it easier for the three older girls to keep an eye on them. As for the other children, some found it inconvenient—like Hiko, Hina's twin brother, who had to be in his wheelchair the whole time—others weren't interested in the game, or they couldn't handle the crowd. For those who couldn't be there, Aiko decided to stay with them while Taro promised to record the game for them.

Once all the children gathered in front of Kato, she led them—and the two older girls whom she had completely ignored since they liked to tease her—into the gymnasium. Since this was just a U-19 game, no tickets were required for entry, and they walked into the spectator section prepared for the Thunder's fans immediately.

"Wow, this building is so huge!" Jiro, a 9-year-old boy, widened his eyes in surprise, mesmerized by the sight before him. It was clear that even before he became an orphan, he had never been to a sports game. "Is this really where Yuki-nii and Riku-nii will play? Where are they? How come I can't see them yet? Kato-nee, you said the game would start in five minutes, right?"

Barraged by questions with adorable eyes shining at her, Kato laughed merrily before pointing to someone on the court. "There! Can you see the one with number 19 on his back? It should be easy since he's the only one wearing glasses."

All the children immediately narrowed their eyes at the direction Kato pointed. Even though the distance between the stands and the court wasn't too far, it was a bit difficult for someone watching a game for the first time to recognize the players on the court right away.

However, just as Kato said, Yuki was too noticeable even from afar. It didn't take long before Hina squealed happily, "That's Yuki-nii!"

"I see Riku-nii over there!" Jiro pointed in the other direction.

Mai could only clap her hands excitedly while trying her best to see in the direction indicated by her siblings. Taro was the calmest kid there; besides being the oldest among the four, this wasn't his first time seeing a sports game live. Still, that didn't mean he wasn't excited about today's match, as he also stood up to search for his two big brothers.

"Do you remember what your brother said to you yesterday? He won't start the game, and he doesn't know when he will have a chance to play, so don't get your hopes too high, okay?" Kato said, worried that the children would be disappointed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Don't worry, Kato-nee! We know that!" Jiro replied. "Also, Riku-nii will play from the start, so we can support him first!"

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"Yeah!"

Seeing the children's enthusiasm, Kato could only sigh as her eyes wandered to the court. 'Please don't disappoint them, you two. I'm counting on you.'