Chapter 46: THE FESTIVAL ENDS (Part 1)

The afternoon was starting to creep in when all the competition participants and spectators had gathered in the gymnasium. The air inside the room felt warm and full of energy. The large lights on the ceiling shone brightly, illuminating every corner of the volleyball court that had been neatly prepared. The volleyball net was firmly installed in the middle of the court, and the white lines on the wooden floor were clearly visible. Around the court, the spectator stands started filling up with students, teachers, and parents who came to watch this final match. The sounds of laughter and conversation filled the room, creating a festive and spirited atmosphere.

WUUSSS... The wind from the large fan in the corner of the room blew gently, bringing fresh air amid the crowd. CHEERS! Shouts from the spectators started to be heard as the players began entering the court.

On the side of the court, the IX-9 volleyball team was gathering near the bench. They formed a small circle, with Kai in the middle giving final advice before the match began. Their faces were serious, but there was burning spirit in each of their eyes.

Kai let out a long sigh, his eyes looking at each of his students one by one—Ella, Liliana, Irene, and Rina. "Remember, you’ve trained hard. You’re ready. Don’t let pressure take over. Play your own game."

Ella nodded, her voice firm. "We’re ready, Sir."

Liliana just smiled slightly, her calm eyes showing confidence. Irene was already hopping lightly in place, unable to contain her energy. Rina pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, already ready with her strategy notes.

"Who are we facing first, Sir?" Irene asked enthusiastically.

"Class 3.1," Kai answered. "They’re quite tough, but you’ve trained harder. Trust in your own abilities."

BRUK! Mira, coming from behind, patted Irene’s shoulder enthusiastically. "Go, Irene! Show them what you’ve got!"

Aria, sitting on the bench, bit her nails anxiously, but her eyes remained supportive.

PRITT! The referee blew a long whistle, and the match began. The volleyball soared high in the air, and both teams immediately moved quickly. The sound of shoes on the wooden floor echoed throughout the room.

Whoosh! The ball shot across the net at high speed. Irene, in the libero position, immediately responded quickly, her body leaping and her hands deflecting the ball perfectly. BUK! The ball bounced back toward the opponents.

"Good, Irene!" Ella called from behind.

Ella immediately took position as setter, her trained hands directing the ball toward Rina, who was ready to hit. Whoosh! Rina jumped powerfully, her hand hitting the ball hard over the net. BUK! The ball landed right on the opponents’ side of the court, scoring the first point for IX-9.

CHEERS! The spectators cheered. Mira shouted from the stands. "COOL, RINA!"

Rina smiled slightly, her glasses shifting a little, but she immediately fixed them.

The match continued fiercely. Class 3.1 turned out not to be easily defeated. They played aggressively, several times managing to score and tie the score. The score went 15-15, 20-20, and every point was fought for hard.

DUG! The ball fell on IX-9’s side after a hard attack from the opponents. Ella muttered softly. "We need to focus more!"

Liliana, calm as always, just nodded. "I’ll set the attacks from the right side."

Kai, standing at the edge of the court, just observed calmly. His sharp eyes saw every movement of his players. "Calm down," he said softly. "They’re starting to tire."

Sure enough, in the second set, the IX-9 team started showing their advantage. Ella delivered accurate sets that were difficult for the opponents to anticipate. Liliana, calm and composed, managed to read the opponents’ game and gave quick instructions to her teammates. Irene, full of energy, kept moving at the back, saving difficult balls. Rina, sharp and intelligent, started finding gaps in the opponents’ defense.

Whoosh! BUK! Whoosh! BUK! The sound of the ball flying and landing became a rhythm of victory.

PRITT! The referee blew a long whistle. "The match is over! Winner: IX-9!"

CHEERS! The spectators cheered, especially from the IX-9 stands. Mira was hopping in place, her fists clenched in front of her chest. "WE WON!"

Rin smiled widely from the stands. "They’re amazing."

The IX-9 players returned to the edge of the court. Sweat dampened their foreheads, but smiles never left their faces. Kai was already waiting with drink bottles in his hands.

"Good job," Kai said, handing a drink bottle to Ella. "You played very well."

Ella accepted the bottle, taking a big gulp. "It’s all because of the training, Sir."

Liliana, sitting beside Ella, smiled slightly. "We just followed your instructions, Sir."

Mira, running over from the stands, immediately hugged Irene. "IRENE! YOU’RE AMAZING!"

Irene laughed, still catching her breath. "I just did my best!"

Katrin and the others also approached, giving praise and encouragement. "The way you played earlier was amazing," Katrin said. "We were all amazed."

Kai nodded, his eyes looking at his students with pride. "You’ve understood what I taught. And you executed it perfectly right away."

Ella smiled, her eyes sparkling. "That’s because you taught us patiently, Sir."

PRITT! The referee blew the whistle again, and the second match began. The IX-9 team returned to the court with spirits still burning. There were no signs of fatigue on their faces.

CHEERS! The spectators started whispering among themselves. "Look at them, still fresh like they just started," said one spectator. "How much stamina do they have?"

"Amazing," added another. "They don’t look tired at all."

On the court, Ella and her team continued to play consistently. Whoosh! The ball flew from side to side. BUK! The ball landed on the opponents’ side. Whoosh! BUK! Every attack was on target. Class 1.2, still young, couldn’t handle the pressure from the IX-9 team.

PRITT! The referee blew the whistle. "The match is over! Winner: IX-9!"

CHEERS! The spectators cheered again. This time louder.

Kai greeted his players at the edge of the court with high-fives to each player. PLAK! Their hands met with spirit.

"Good job, Ella!" PLAK!

"Good job, Liliana!" PLAK!

"Good job, Irene!" PLAK!

"Good job, Rina!" PLAK!

Kai smiled widely. "You played amazingly. One more match, and you’ll win this sports festival."

Ella nodded, her eyes full of determination. "We won’t let you down, Sir."

Liliana, usually calm, now also looked excited. "We will win."

PRITT! The referee blew the whistle for the final match. This time, their opponents were Class 2.2, led directly by their class president—a girl with short hair and a sharp gaze. Behind her stood the Class 2.2 players with serious expressions.

In the stands, Katrin, Maya, Sera, Rina, Irene, Liliana, and Fay—those from Class 2.2 who had become IX-9’s support team—started feeling uneasy. They saw their own class president with an unreadable expression.

"We need to stay focused," Ella said to her team. "Don’t pay attention to them."

The match began. At the start, the IX-9 team was still dominating. Whoosh! BUK! Their balls flew quickly and accurately. The score went 10-5 in IX-9’s favor. But then, the Class 2.2 class president walked toward the edge of the court, right in front of Katrin, Maya, Sera, Rina, Irene, Liliana, and Fay, who were sitting on the bench.

"You think you’re great?" the Class 2.2 class president said in a soft but sharp voice. "You left your own class to help a cast-off class? How shameful."

Katrin bit her lip. Maya looked down. Sera clenched her fists. Rina tried to stay calm. Irene stopped hopping. Liliana was silent.

"You’re incompetent," the class president continued. "You’re not worthy of playing volleyball. What are you even doing here?"

HIKSS... Aria, hearing that, started biting her nails anxiously.

Those words were like poison poisoning the minds of the IX-9 players. Rina, who had been focused, started losing concentration. Irene started doubting. Liliana, usually calm, started looking restless. Ella tried to stay calm, but she also heard everything.

The score started turning. Class 2.2 managed to catch up, even taking the lead at 20-18. The IX-9 team looked chaotic. Their sets started becoming inaccurate, their attacks started weakening.

PRITT! The referee blew the whistle. "Time out! The second set will begin shortly!"

The IX-9 team returned to the edge of the court with tired faces. They sat on the bench, looking mentally exhausted.

Kai approached them. His eyes looked at all his players calmly. "Listen," he said softly, his voice firm but gentle. "Whatever they say, you’ve already become part of Class IX. You’ve already become part of this family. Class IX and I will always be on your side."

Katrin lifted her head. Her eyes started to glisten. "But, Sir..."

"No buts," Kai cut in, his eyes looking at Katrin gently. "You’re not alone. We’re here."

Mira, hearing that from the stands, shouted, "WE’RE WITH YOU!"

Katrin looked at her friends—Maya who started smiling, Sera who nodded, Rina who had already opened her notebook again, Irene who started hopping slightly, Liliana who smiled slightly, and Fay who laughed softly.

GLUK! Katrin swallowed, then nodded. "We can do this."

Ella stood up, her eyes looking at all her players. "We won’t give up. We’ll show them who we really are."

BAM! They all stood up together. PLAK! Their hands met in the center of the circle.

"ONE, TWO, THREE! IX-9!"

PRITT! The referee blew the whistle. The second set began.

The IX-9 team returned to the court with new spirit. Whoosh! The ball flew from Ella to Liliana. Liliana set the ball calmly, her trained hands directing it to Rina. Whoosh! Rina jumped powerfully, hitting the ball with all her strength. BUK! The ball landed on the opponents’ side of the court, scoring the first point in the second set.

CHEERS! The spectators cheered.

Team 2.2 tried to counterattack aggressively, but Irene’s solid defense managed to hold off all their attacks. Whoosh! The ball flew, but Irene always managed to save it with quick and precise movements.

"YOU CAN DO IT!" Mira shouted from the stands.

"SHOW THEM!" Rin shouted.

The match continued with high intensity. The IX-9 team kept pressing, not giving the opponents any room. Every set, every attack, every defense—everything was done perfectly. The score moved to 15-12, 20-16, 24-20.

Whoosh! Ella delivered the final set to Rina. Whoosh! Rina jumped, hitting the ball hard. BUK! The ball landed on the opponents’ side of the court. PRITT! The referee blew a long whistle.

"The match is over! Winner: IX-9!"

CHEERS! The spectators cheered very loudly. Mira cried happily. "WE WON! WE WON!"

The IX-9 team hugged each other in the middle of the court. Katrin, Maya, Sera, Rina, Irene, Liliana, and Fay—they were all crying tears of joy. They had done it. They had truly done it.

Kai stood at the edge of the court, his eyes glistening. But he held back those tears with all his strength.

When the IX-9 team was about to leave the court, the Class 2.2 class president, who was still sitting on the bench, called out to them.

"Wait."

Katrin and the others turned. The Class 2.2 class president looked down, her voice soft. "Why... why did you want to help Class IX? Why didn’t you play with us?"

HAAAH... The atmosphere became silent. Katrin and the others exchanged glances. They didn’t expect to hear a question like that.

Maya, who was usually shy, spoke this time in a soft voice. "Because... because we thought the whole of Class 2.2 hated us."

The Class 2.2 class president lifted her head. Her eyes were glistening. "It’s not... it’s not like that. We don’t hate you. We... really wanted to play with you."

Katrin blinked. "Then why..."

The Class 2.2 class president looked down again, her voice trembling. "Because someone forbade us. Someone came to our houses one by one and made agreements so we wouldn’t interact with you."

HAAAH! Everyone was shocked. Katrin, Maya, Sera, Rina, Irene, Liliana, and Fay exchanged glances with confused and shocked expressions.

"That person... who?" Sera asked in a tense voice.

"We don’t know," the Class 2.2 class president answered, her voice breaking. "But if we broke the agreement, all Class 2.2 students would be expelled. So we had no choice but to stay away from you. We didn’t have a choice."

HIKSS... HIKSS... The class president started crying. "Forgive us... forgive us for everything we’ve done. We didn’t mean to hurt you."

Katrin looked at her class president. Slowly, she extended her hand. Her warm hand opened in front of the crying class president.

"It’s okay," Katrin said softly, her voice gentle. "We understand."

The Class 2.2 class president lifted her head, her eyes still glistening. She looked at Katrin’s hand, then at Katrin’s smiling face.

GLUK! She swallowed. Slowly, her hand reached out and took Katrin’s hand. A firm grip. She stood up, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

HIKSS... HIKSS... "Forgive us..." she whispered.

CHEERS! The spectators who saw that scene started cheering. The sound of applause and shouts of support filled the room.

Seeing that scene, the Class IX students all entered the field. They waved to the spectators, smiling widely. Mira cried tears of joy. Rin smiled widely. Ella raised her fist in the air.

"We did it," Ella said softly.

"We did it," Liliana repeated with a small smile.

In the stands, Kai was still standing. His eyes looked at all his students, and for the first time in a very long time, he felt genuine happiness.

After the match ended, all the students were gathered on the same field as the sports festival opening. The sun was starting to set on the western horizon, creating a beautiful orange sky. The lights around the field started turning on, illuminating the gathered crowd.

Reina stood on the stage, a microphone in her hand. Her firm voice echoed across the field. "Good afternoon, everyone. The Phoenix Academy Sports Festival has concluded. Now, it’s time for the winner announcement."

CHEERS! The spectators cheered.

"Third place," Reina continued, "with 45 points, is Class 1.1!"

CHEERS! Class 1.1 shouted happily.

"Second place, with 52 points, is Class 2.2!"

CHEERS! Class 2.2 cheered.

Reina smiled, her eyes searching the crowd in front of her. "And first place, with a total of 68 points, is..."

She paused for a moment, enjoying the tension in the air.

"...CLASS IX-9!"

CHEERS! Shouts filled the entire field. Mira cried tears of joy, Rin laughed widely, Ella raised her fist in the air, and all the IX-9 students hugged each other.

They walked toward the stage to receive their trophy and medals. Each of them received a gold medal that sparkled under the afternoon sunlight. On their chests, the medals hung with pride.

Reina handed the large trophy to Ella as class president. Ella received it with slightly trembling hands. Her eyes glistened.

"We did it," she whispered softly.

"We did it," Rin replied from beside her.

In the teachers’ row, Kai clapped with pride. His eyes looked at his students standing on the stage, and for the first time, he let the tears fall down his cheeks. PLUK! The tears fell, but he didn’t care. He was so proud of them.