The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Hello, hello! My name is Kanako Touda, and I will be your guide today! Nice to meet you!" A bright woman, who was a bit too cheerful for Yuki's taste, greeted them before they entered the factory.

Out of politeness, all the students bowed their heads deeply in response to the greeting. "Nice to meet you, Touda-san!"

"Well, before we go further, let me introduce you to our factory!" the woman said. "This factory was founded by the Maiko Group, which I am sure you've heard of, as they have contributed a lot to the neighborhood. Even though we started from scratch, we managed to build our reputation quickly within just one year and were nominated as one of the top five pharmacy groups in Tokyo. It has not been easy to reach this point, but we are not done yet! We are a group of ambitious people, and we have a big target this year: to be the best pharmacy group in Tokyo!" Experience tales with empire

Everyone was in awe as they listened to her explanation, not expecting her to start so grandly. The woman did an excellent job at this point, as her words dispelled all doubts and bad rumors about the Maiko Group. Yuki noticed Arina Sugawara clenching her fists while trying her best to maintain a straight expression.

'Well, let's address that later. For now, listen carefully to what this woman is saying,' he muttered.

As Yuki focused more on the explanation, he learned new information he hadn't known before, such as the fact that this was the Maiko Group's first investment outside the electronics industry and that it had attracted numerous freshly graduated pharmacy students from all over Japan to build this factory.

It was a pretty interesting story, yet when they walked inside the building and noticed the cutting-edge technology being used, all the information the woman had shared was quickly forgotten. All eyes turned to the room separated by glass, staring in awe at how the people inside were working.

Touda, ever the attentive guide, took the opportunity to engage them. "Ah, I see you've stumbled upon our laboratory! You see, this is one of the most crucial stages for producing the medicines you will probably see soon in all the stores near your home. There," she pointed to a group of workers who were busy with something, "they are measuring precise quantities of the active pharmaceutical ingredients—a meticulous process known as weighing and milling. One small error could ruin all the hard work of the other workers, so they need to be extra careful in this job."

Everyone gulped unconsciously at her statement.

"As for the people over there," she pointed to another group, "they are in the middle of the blending phase, where those finely milled powders are combined to create a uniform mix—an essential step to ensure that each dosage delivers the exact same therapeutic effect."

Honestly, this was such a fascinating subject that Yuki had never learned about in his life. However, as he listened more to the guide, he began to develop a headache as the terminology became more technical, and from the confused expressions of the other students, he realized he wasn't the only one struggling to keep up.

Fortunately, the woman noticed their confusion and returned to terminology they were familiar with. "I'll tell you what: most of the processes used here rely heavily on the scientific principles many of you learned in your chemistry club. So who knows? Maybe you will have a chance to stand in their shoes in the future," she teased with a mischievous smile.

It didn't take long for everyone to react; all jaws dropped immediately when her words finally sank in. "WHAT?!" they cried in unison, looking at the woman in disbelief.

"Oh, yes! I'm not lying!" Touda nodded, satisfied with their reaction. "For instance, remember when you learned about the pH scale in your club? Understanding the pH of our formulations is essential when making medicines, as it significantly affects how the medication is absorbed by the body. And those balancing reactions that I'm sure gave you all headaches in class? Well, they are critical to ensuring that the ingredients we use work harmoniously together."

A couple of students—including Yuki—nodded in understanding, beginning to connect the dots between their high school studies and the real-world applications before them. While the explanation was a bit vague, at least it helped them visualize the content Miyazawa-sensei had discussed in the club instead of just nodding blindly at whatever she said.

"Another study group, Touda-san?" Suddenly, a gentle voice greeted them from behind. Everyone turned around to find a man, probably younger than their guide, wearing a clean white laboratory coat and smiling politely at them.

"Oh, yes, Narita-sensei!" Touda seemed to be caught off guard and a bit jumpy in front of the man. "These are the students from Tsunemori High School, wanting to see how the knowledge they learned is applied in the real industry," she explained hurriedly.

"Oh, is that so?" The man pondered for a moment before his face lit up. "Well, in that case, I won't bother you anymore! Have fun!"

"Ah, yes, Sensei! Thank you!"

After the man walked away, all eyes turned back to the woman in front of them, looking at her curiously. She seemed to doze off for a moment before finally letting out a deep sigh. "He is Shingo Narita, the head of the laboratory responsible for all the medicines produced here," she explained.

"Eh?! So young?!" Everyone gasped incredulously.

"Oh, yes, he is just 25 years old this year, three years younger than me," she sighed. "But don't underestimate him! He is a super genius who graduated from a doctoral program at one of the best universities in the States when he was only 20. I heard the Maiko Group itself recruited him personally with a blank check. I've heard his yearly salary is about 50 million yen, and it will increase when our new project is successful."

"50 million yen?!"

Even Yuki's eyes bulged wide when he heard that figure, feeling it was unreal. For as long as he could remember, those who earned that amount of money annually were either successful businessmen or top figures in the entertainment industry. This was the first time he knew of a job that could yield the same, and it blew his mind.

"Man, he's awesome! If only I could do that too!"

"Idiot! Didn't you forget he's a genius who graduated from a doctoral program in his 20s? He's someone far beyond our reach!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Well, I can dream about it, right?!"

As everyone chatted excitedly about the new information—and gossip, honestly—they had just received, Yuki's eyes turned back to the man, and he suddenly noticed something strange about him.

'Why does everyone keep their distance whenever he's nearby? Is it because of his status as the director? Or is there another reason?'

However, he quickly shook his head, realizing he was overthinking it. After all, even if he noticed a problem within the factory, who was he to speak up about it? He was just a high school student who was in the middle of the study tour, after all. No more and no less.

Little did he know, however, that this was the beginning of a major incident that would shake Tsunemori High to its core.