"Ah, there he is…" the sound of man's obnoxious voice greeted him as he arrived.
Akaza frowned whe he saw a bunch of unfamiliar men who's presence filled the space with the stench of alcohol and cigarettes standing outside of their house.
"What's going on?" Akaza muttered, still confused by the situation.
"Here you can take his crutches as a way to pay you back. I promise I'll pay you back by the end of the month. I just have saw this new coin on Twixtter and I invested a few hundred bucks in it, in a few days time you'll be calling me a crypto king… hehe" his step-father said.
Just then, one of the men inspected the pair of crutches Akaza used to walk and then scoffed in disbelief.
"You think I am a fool? You want us to take this rickety old thing? Pay up old man. We don't have all fucking day!" the man urged.
"I really don't have any money gentlemen… like I said, I will be a crypto giant soon and then you will have your money with all the advancements. In the meantime, you can take my stepson to do whatever dirty beeding you please."
The group of men stared at Akaza with their eyes narrowed to a slit.
"You want us to take a century old crutches and now you dare think we will take a broken person that can't even walk on his own… what value does he have if he can't even run from the police!! We already gave you plenty of chances. This is the last time we will ask."
Akaza's frown deepened as he finally recognized who these men were. They were a group of thugs known as The Anvils who worked for a mob boss in the area, and they had a reputation for being ruthless loan sharks.
"I'm tired of this shit!!" one of the men said, bringing out something from his back pocket.
His step-father shrieked in horror while Akaza's eyes widened in shock.
"If you cannot pay up now that you are alive, then you will with your body once you are dead!!"
"Wait!!!" Akaza exclaimed, trying to stop the actions of thug.
That was when he realised what the man was holding in his hands, and he was now pointing it straight at him.
"You are of no value you weak boy, you are of no use if can't even walk, so you might as well just die…"
"Hold on!!" akaza screamed trying to escape but to no avail.
Bang!!!
Then it hit him, it really hit him, fair and square in between his eyebrows. A headshot that was unavoidable from his position.
»»»«««
TWO MONTHS EARLIER>>>
As in every aspect of life, the division of high school volleyball in the country was dominated by a group of students named the Rainbow Phantoms.
These individuals originated from different high schools and their names were enough to make any player tremble in their shoes.
Each player, representing the six colours of the rainbow were a virtuoso in their own right and were only united by a shared passion for the game known as volleyball. However, due to their diverse teams and schools it was extremely rare to see them play in the same court.
They were known across the country by volleyball scouts and national coaches and inter school matches were the perfect ground to set eyes on this young talents— witness first hand what this youngers can actually do, see if they are worth the hype.
The match now had two members of the Rainbow Phantoms Six playing against each other before the very eyes of everyone in the country who cared to watch!
"Daigo Azuma receives the serve, eyes locked on the ball. The defensive wall positions themselves, but Ichigo Nishimura sets up a perfect block. Daigo jumps, sending a spike flying over the net!"
"...and he lands it!!!!" the commentator exclaimed, causing the right side of the bleachers occupied to break out in a frenzy of cheers.
Claps, cheers, whistles and placards danced in support of the point Daigo Azuma a member of the infamous Rainbow Phantoms Six landed for his team.
However, their cheers were cut short when Ichigo Nishimura another member of the Rainbow Phantoms Six dove and excuted an impeccable dig, immediately setting up a counterattack that resulted in a quick kill.
"It's a tie again!!!" the second commentator shouted in shock. Just as the Ichigo's team went behind one point, the lad immediately pulled off a beauty to tie the game.
"This game feels like its never going to end!!"
Under the gymnasium lights, the squeak of volleyball shoes echoed against the polished court. Each movement resonated with precision, every jump, dive and hit bouncing almost in sync with the cheers of the audience.
In the court stood two formidable teams: Gotei Dragons and Inca Beetles. They were formidable not because of the teams strength, but because they had two of the countries top prodigies and both teams were entirely built around both players.
"For those just joining us, welcome to the clash of titans here at the Inter high Preliminaries! I am the lead commentator Naoya Inoue and sitting right next to me, a former volleyball womens world champion… Momoi Otoha!!!"
"Thank you very much Naoya, it seems both teams are putting everything they have into the game. I have never seen them play this intensely in the league before," Momoi, the second commentator said.
"Well why wouldn't they, this is potentially the last game of the year for one of the two teams. Whoever wins this game will go on to represent the country in the Inter high National Volleyball League!"
The camera scrapped across the sea of colours as fans waved their respective team banner and placards high in the air. The cheerleaders performed mesmerizing routines in the bleacher as well, only adding to the tension on the court.
On the bench of the Gotei Dragons, a frail looking man wearing the representative red uniform of the team furrowed his eyebrows as he watched the game unfold.
"Three minutes left…" he muttered to himself softly, calculating their passes, sets and attacks, taking note of the mistakes they had made in his mind.
"Too slow," he whispered as the team's setter misfired, causing the ball to land in the hands of the Inca Beetles captain Daigo Azuma.
The boy watched as the prodigy coordinated his teammates with precision, executing a quick combination play that landed the ball perfectly on the Gotei Dragons side of the court.
"Daigo lands it!! he creates a one point lead and now with less than two minutes on the clock, we cannot predict who will take home the trophy," Momoi Otoha exclaimed.
The young man gazed at Daigo with sparkling eyes, admiring his undefeatable skills. It was no wonder he was part of the Rainbow Phantoms Six. However, he couldn't admire the opponent for too long since he realized his team was now losing by a point.
"Time Out!!!" a voice rang into the air.
"The coach of the Gotei Dragons has called for a time out!! maybe we get to see if new strategies will be implemented to surpass the Beatles."
The team walked to the bench where the coach stood with his arms folded across his chest. Meanwhile the young man moved with his crutches to the side, with a huge smile on his face in an attempt to boost their morale.
"Oi… Housekeeper, quite smiling and do your damn job."
Akaza's eyes dulled and his smile dropped as he quickly filled up the cups with water to give them to the exhausted team members, and also handed out towels and sugar water soaked citrus slices. Being the housekeeper of the Gotei Dragons this was his duty, although he dreamed of playing on the court one day, he couldn't materialize that dream with his current physical state.
As Akaza got to Ichigo, his hands trembled, causing some sugar water to spill onto the expensive volleyball shoes of the prodigy.
Akaza's eyes widened in horror as Ichigo threw him an annoyed glare. Although the prodigy didn't say anything, Akaza still felt the immense detestation in his gaze.
"The hell, you can't even pass the most lightest thing in the world, you are really useless?" the coach muttered as he cast his eyes on the ground.
"My apologies Dragons," Akaza muttered.
"Thats enough guys," Ichigo said, snapping everyone back to reality.
The coach gave a minute long speech and sent the boys back into the court, a short while later, the game resumed with both teams looking more fired up than ever.
The clock resumed, and the scoreboard displayed a nail biting one point lead in favor of the Beetles.
"Thirty seconds left on the clock!" The commentator boomed.
"Ichigo Nishimura, the rising star of the Dragons, is making his move from the back row!" Momoi exclaimed, her voice rising in tandem with the crowd's intensity. "But wait!! there's Daigo Azuma, the towering force of the Beetles."
In a flash, the court transformed into a battleground between the two members of the Rainbow Phantoms Six.
Ichigo Nishimura, determined to take the crown, attempted a powerful spike that could alter the course of the game. The ball soared through the air and Akaza held his breath along with the crowd. Time seemed to slow down as the ball left ichigo's palm.
Whack!!
"He's going to make it," Akaza said, already predicting the trajectory of the spike. Excited screams could already be heard from the left side of the sea of fans while those on the right exclaimed in disappointment.
However, the crowd fell into a hush as Daigo crouch low, way below the net and excuted a perfect save, sending the ball back onto the Dragon's side.
For a second, a thick silence fell into the arena, only when it was broken by the commentator that the sounds of everywhere picked up again.
"Unbelievable diving save by Daigo Azuma!! the Beetles defense is truly impeccable." he exclaimed.
Then, the buzzer sounded, signifying both triumph and defeat for the teams.
"Congratulations to The Beatles for winning the championship and making it into the national league!!"
"Daigo Azuma is the one to thank for their victory!! what a prodigy in the volleyball realm and we were blessed to witness him tonight!"