The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

Yuki felt his body tense, his eyes fixed on the older man in anticipation. Daiki Sato—this was his name. For anyone outside the volleyball circle, his name would never ring a bell. However, for those involved in the historic moments of the Japanese volleyball world, his name was a legend far beyond what anyone could imagine.

During his professional career, he was the first player to be recruited by a foreign team, opening the door for other Japanese players to follow in his footsteps. Not only that, but he was also the first Japanese player to win multiple championships across Europe, including the French League, Italian League, and even the German League, which had proven to be challenging for any Asian-born players even in the current era.

However, his contributions extended far beyond that.

Right after he retired, Sato decided to use all his savings to travel around the world, wanting to dive deeper into the volleyball scene. He went to Brazil and Argentina to see how they consistently produced talented players, traveled to France to learn coaching, acquired the necessary skills to become a professional coach in Germany and France, and even journeyed across Africa to promote the sport.

His adventure was documented clearly in an interesting film that some people said they had to watch first if they wanted to progress in their careers in professional volleyball.

However, for the Japanese people, his greatest achievement was beyond their comprehension. After more than 30 years of exploration, he returned to Japan and quickly established the first-ever professional volleyball league here. Yes, he was the one who transformed the sport, which once couldn't even generate a yen, into a luxurious occupation for its players.

So, the name Daiki Sato represented hope for Japanese-born volleyball players.

That was why it wasn't just Yuki who felt excited; almost everyone here felt the same way. The fact that the man was in his 70s yet still looked 20 years younger demonstrated his capabilities. It was quite an honor for a group of teenagers to receive his guidance firsthand.

"Okay, everyone! Be quiet, please!" The old man, Sato, raised his voice. His face remained calm, as if the awestruck stares he received were nothing new, which they likely were. "I know you are excited, but you can wait until later. For now, let me explain how the training camp will work." Everyone immediately straightened their backs.

"First, let me introduce you to the staff that will help me run this camp." Sato paused, allowing his words to sink in. "Without further ado, let's welcome Ida Hasebe, the head coach of the Japan National Team U-17, who will lead them to the U-17 World Cup next year." All the players gasped and then applauded enthusiastically for the man who merely nodded at the audience.

"Next, we have Hirokazu Ishihara, who will be our physical coach during the camp. I'm sure he's ready to become the most disliked person in this room." Sato chuckled while introducing a man in his mid-20s, who grinned ferally at them, scaring most players.

"After that, we have Minase Hata, the most beautiful member of our staff." Sato continued, eliciting some laughter from the group. Then, the only woman among the staff stepped forward and bowed politely. "She will be our main nutritionist for the next week, so I hope you will treat her kindly, or she will make your life miserable," the old man warned.

All the players gulped nervously upon hearing that. However, those feelings dissipated when the woman suddenly walked over to the old man and stomped on his foot forcefully.

"Ouch!" Not just Sato, but everyone—staff and players alike—winced simultaneously.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to make fun of me, Grandpa?" she huffed childishly.

An awkward silence descended upon the room as the players blinked at each other, unable to process what she had just said. A moment later, their eyes widened in disbelief at how the woman had addressed perhaps the most influential person in Japanese volleyball history.

"Grandpa?!"

"Well, as you can see, the fiery lady over there is my darling granddaughter," Sato explained, wincing unconsciously as he still felt the pain. "I still wonder how anyone could want to marry her," he mumbled the last part quietly, but not quietly enough for Yuki and the other players in the front row to miss it. Unfortunately, the woman was still within earshot, as she turned her gaze sharply at her grandfather, her eyes warning him to behave.

Cough!

Sato cleared his throat, trying to divert attention from his granddaughter. While he loved her dearly, he didn't want to lose his reputation because of her. "Now, back to the topic. Let me introduce the last member of my staff, Eiji Sasaki. He is my assistant coach and is probably the one who has worked with me the longest, so he will supervise most of your training at this camp."

The old man, with full white hair, ironically looked older than Sato as he stepped forward and smiled brightly, making a positive impression on all the players. Still, as the final staff member had been introduced, the players could no longer contain their excitement and immediately began whispering to one another.

While they had expected that the training camp hosted by Konan High would be amazing, they never thought that the best school in the country would provide them with such a top-notch team to guide them all.

However, before chaos could erupt among the players, Sato raised his hand once again, urging them to be quiet. When all the attention was back on him, he couldn't help but flash a wide grin as he announced one more thing.

"Well, as you can see, Hasebe-kun doesn't have any specific job here besides being the head coach of the U-17 national team. However, what you might not know is that he is here to scout for talent to bring to the U-17 World Cup next year. So make sure you leave a good impression, okay?"