lank_0z

2011. That was when earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, changing thousands of lives. 

And Kobayashi Yuki is just one of them.

A month ago, he was just a normal boy, graduating from a small middle school in Fukushima and was excited to go to the high school. However, the disaster changed his life. He lost both parents, not because they died, but because they were still missing until now. 

He lost his home. He lost his friends. He lost his school. He lost everything.

Having no choice, he moved to Tokyo, to a small, new orphanage to accommodate victims of the disaster who didn't have any home or wanted to change their lives in the biggest city in Japan. In his mind, all he wanted to do was enter a normal high school, do a part-time job, make some money to help the orphanage, and maybe if he were lucky enough he could be admitted into a good university with a scholarship.

However, one challenge from the volleyball team and one half-Italian blonde boy turned everything upside down. Now, he was trapped inside the crazy team, being dragged into the mess.

Inter-High.

National Tournament.

Volleyball.

Those three words kept spinning around his life as he entered a crazy high school life. Can he strive in the place where he was unfamiliar with? Would he be a good volleyball player? And what does the future hold for him?

The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

The team should leave for Fukushima on Friday. However, Yuki decided to go a day early, on Thursday, to deal with his emotional state. Even though he knew he would be in turmoil, he didn't want to show it to the team he still barely knew. In the end, since Aiko was worried about him, she asked for Kato and Riku to accompany him, and fortunately enough those two were willing to do so.

Instead of taking a train, the three decided to use the bus to go there. Even though the journey was a bit longer and inconvenient, it was still far cheaper since the train from Tokyo to Fukushima was still pretty limited after the disaster.

The journey itself took about four and a half hours. Usually, this kind of trip would be fun and filled with laughter. However, the atmosphere among those three was awkward since Yuki spent most of his time staring at the window while Riku and Kato didn't know what to say.

The Old Man's Story