It had been ten minutes since the game began, and the freshmen team was in danger. They were currently five points behind, only able to score once from Isabella before. However, there was no panic at all in their team, and even Yuki who would lose the most if they were defeated was still pretty chill on the court.
The only reason they were able to do that though, was because of the conversation they had last night.
-A little flashback-
"Listen, Kobayashi-kun.' Mattheo said in English. 'While of course, we are willing to be your teammates, honestly, when Akira-sensei asked us to come to your school before, we didn't expect to be dragged into this schoolyard fight. And since we are here to relax and enjoy our holiday, we are not prepared for a game like this, and it would take time for our old body to get used to a competitive state as you hope from us."
"What my dear husband is trying to say is…" Maria interrupted. "We might be five to ten points behind at the beginning of the game, so I hope you will not panic when we are in that situation."
Yuki who heard that nodded, before saying, "I understand. I have already expected having to chase the score from behind too, considering it would take time for us to adapt to each other's playing style. We are at a disadvantage here, with them having been teammates for so long. Nevertheless, I am grateful that you are kind enough to spare your time to help me get out of this schoolyard fight. So, thank you."
Seeing Yuki bowing deeply at them, the foreign couple just stared at each other awkwardly. Even though they were Akira's former students, they were still not used to the formal bowing like this, thinking that the gesture was a bit exaggerated.
Still, they understood why Yuki did this and waved their hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry, Kobayashi-kun! We will play the game seriously! And I know this will be fun too! But for now, let's forget about everything and eat first!"
-End of the flashback-
Yeah, the night before the game, the couple invited him to one of the fancy restaurants in Roppongi, the place where the liveliest nightlife in Tokyo buzzed loudly until the sun rose again. Even though at first, Yuki was hesitant to go there, he was glad he came and got to know about this wonderful family. Even though they had to speak slow English so that Yuki could understand what they were saying, they were still patient enough to deal with him. Hell, they even bought him a box full of luxurious delicacies that would have never crossed Yuki's mind even in his imagination while saying that it was for the children in the orphanage.
That put the Silvestri family straight into Yuki's good book.
Still, since they were a volleyball family, of course, the conversation would fly around that topic, and honestly, Yuki enjoyed it. Unlike Riku, Mattheo and Maria had a lot of insights, and Yuki's favorite topic was about their professional life. He heard a lot about how they managed to stay fit under the tight schedule for a full year, their diet and habits, and even how they handled fans and rumors from the outside world.
Yuki preferred talking about this rather than about the game itself.
Of course, they also inquired about the game too, like what caused this commotion and what was Akira's reaction. The couples guffawed when they heard the story of how Megumi silenced everyone and even put some fear on their sensei too, and after that, they were eager to meet her. Still, they promised to do their best and took the game seriously, which was the reason why Yuki wasn't worried even if they were left behind.
Still…
"It seems they did their homework well, Kobayashi-kun." Mattheo commented. "They were able to read your and Riku's attack like an open book."
"Yeah." Yuki couldn't help but nod wryly. His eyes landed on the only female figure on the opposite team, could guess she was responsible for this. "It seems I underestimate Megumi-san's intelligence-gathering ability here."
"Oh, the manager girl?" Maria's interest perked up. "Kobayashi-kun, After hearing your story about how she frightens everyone, and even Sensei too, I really want to talk to her!"
"Maybe later, Maria," Riku answered with the same wry like what Yuki had on his face. "Now, we have to think of a way to get out of this situation first. Any idea?"
Out of all the players there, besides the twin girls who were being the easy prey for the opponent, Riku was probably the most frustrated one. The senior team was able to read all the offenses started by him, no matter whether it was a quick, a dump, a dink, or even the synchronization attack he initiated.
Riku knew this meant the opposite team had already noticed some sort of behavior that he had before doing something. However, even after thinking and recalling all the plays frame by frame, he still hadn't figured out what kind of flaw he revealed in his game.
Honestly, he started to feel frustrated right now.
"Well, if our offense is stuck, what about trying something new?" Mattheo suddenly offered.
"Eh?" Yuki and Riku's eyes turned to him, intrigued.
"Yup!" Mattheo nodded, then turned his eyes at his twin daughters. "What do you think, girls? Do you want to try the new attacking move you practiced and have some revenge?"
The twins' eyes lit up immediately as if they were given permission to do something forbidden. "Are you sure it is okay, Papa?" One of them asked.
"Well, we are in Japan right now, so no opponent of yours would be here to see what happened. Moreover, is this the best chance to see how effective the new movement was against the opponent?" Mattheo grinned, still ignoring Yuki and Riku's questioning gaze. "So… Just… Go crazy!"
The twins had the same identical grin as their father had as they nodded simultaneously. "Sure, Papa! Let's go crazy!"
-0-
"Now, the timeout for the freshmen team is over, and they are still five points behind the senior team!" Matsumoto Ichika announced from the commentary box. "Hisashi-senpai, what do you think will change after this? Can the freshmen survive and prolong the game?"
"Well, not only they would be able to do that, but I think there is a small chance of them overturning the score." Hisashi suddenly threw a hot take publicly, triggering boos from the crowds.
"Oh?" Keisuke Hori smiled, happy about the controversy. "Why do you think so, Hisashi-senpai? For all we know, you are on the side of the senior team, saying in the beginning that they would come out as the winner."
"Yeah, but you have to remember I said it would be a close game," Hisashi said calmly. "In case you didn't notice, the two adults on the freshmen team hadn't made their move yet. While Mattheo Silvestri couldn't do a lot to help the team's offense as libero, his wife is more than capable of doing that. So, why wouldn't she help them?"
"Why?" Matsumoto Ichika asked.
"Because they are still adapting to this new situation," Hisashi answered his own question. "You have to know that as a professional player, a lot is happening on the court. Not only they are retired players who would need to turn on their engines first, but their teammates are also different. They need to get used to it first before they can contribute more to the game."
"He is a smart one, isn't he?" Maria smiled when she heard Riku's translation.
"Well, he is the former captain of the team, so of course, he has a good insight." Riku shrugged. "Still, this would only make the senior team more cautious. Not a good thing for us."
"Don't worry, Rikkun!" One of the twins addressed his name playfully. "Just give us a quick on the wing and don't get distracted by our movement! Oh, and pass the ball the moment you notice our run-up, okay? Not a second before, and not a second after. Remember that!"
Riku could only chuckle wryly while Maria giggled silently next to him. He didn't know why the twins who were so shy even to Yuki and still blushed furiously whenever his friend chatted with them would turn into mischievous ones when they faced him like this.
"Well, listen to that, Rikkun! Don't forget what they said, okay?" Yuki also took his turn to tease him with his new nickname, making the blonde boy groan.
"Not you too, Kobayashi!"
After a while, the game finally resumed once again, the privilege to serve was still on the senior team. Koji served the ball straight to Gabriella, still sticking with the 'target the twins' strategy. However, Gabriella took a step aside quickly, letting Yuki receive the ball before doing her run-up.
On the other side, Isabella also started to do her run-up too. And as if communicating with each other telepathically, those two suddenly crossed in each other's direction. Gabriella on the right wing went to the left, while Isabella on the left ran to the right.
It was incredible to see how the twins crossed right in front of Riku without crashing into each other. And this movement seemed to catch the opponent off guard as when those two jumped, no blocker could be found trying to stop the attack. Seeing that, without hesitation, Riku tossed the ball to the right wing, sending it straight to Isabella who spiked it hard near the sideline.
*BAM!*
Even though the power generated from her spike wasn't that impressive, with the run-up she and her twin sister did before and combined with the tricky route she chose, the ball landed perfectly on the other side of the net, and the players of the senior team could only have their mouth hanging open.
Seeing her attack was successful, Isabella turned quickly to Gabriella, excitement could be seen on their face. Then, they gave each other a big thumbs up while grinning, saying, "Nice, Sister! The first debut of the Criss Cross attack, successful!"