After skipping the noisy dinner gathering, Ichinose Guren finished washing up and lay quietly on his large bed, eyes blankly staring into space.
This had become his usual routine after volleyball practice. Thanks to his exceptional photographic memory, he could clearly recall every detail when reviewing his training.
He began replaying the day's drills in his mind, every movement, every mistake. Why did I mess up there?How can I avoid it next time?
He mentally adjusted his posture, thinking of ways to refine it. Tomorrow, I'll try this variation. If it still doesn't work, I'll switch again, until I find the perfect spiking form for me.
Aoba Johsai has that wild dog, apparently his core muscles are so well-trained that he can freely adjust his body midair.
Then there's Tokyo's Nekoma team... I heard they'll have a half-blood player soon. His spikes are like a whip, if the whip effect theory's right, the ball speed must be insane. Accuracy, though... that's another matter.
And that guy from Inarizaki... their ace. His wrist flexibility is just ridiculous. I remember that manga panel where his fingers touched his forearm during warm-ups... does he even have bones?
Gathering his wandering thoughts, Guren focused, and a familiar data screen materialized before his eyes.
It was the same ridiculous 2K interface, leaving him momentarily speechless before switching to the stats panel.
[2K Sports]
[Player: Ichinose Guren]
[Template: D-Tier Player – Shannon Brown]
[Locked Template: Undrafted Player – Akobundu Ehiogu]
Height: 183 cm
Standing Reach: 245 cm
Vertical Jump (no run): 91 cm
Max Reach (running): 342 cm
Equipment:LeBron's Headband – Reduces injury and illness probability by 97%.
When he first transmigrated here, Guren thought he'd been reborn in 1990s Japan. But soon, he realized this world was... different.
For one, the Ichinose family had built its fortune in manga and odd, experimental game industries.
It wasn't until elementary school, when he first touched a volleyball, that he discovered... he had a cheat.
Beep-beep-beep! Beep-beep-beep!
The alarm snapped Guren out of his data review. He grabbed the phone on his nightstand, it was his preset sleep timer, reminding him it was time to rest.
"Good night, world."
===========
Mid-April. Yukigaoka Junior High.
"Eh?!!!"
"Seriously?!!!"
"Guren! Are you sure we can join?!"
Inside the volleyball club room, built on the top floor of the new activity building funded by the Ichinose family's donation, voices echoed with excitement.
"Yeah," Guren said calmly. "Our P.E. teacher already submitted our application form."
"Counting the volleyball members plus your two buddies from basketball and soccer to fill the numbers," he added.
"But you know," he continued, "if their own club tournaments aren't done by then, they won't be able to join us."
As soon as Guren confirmed the news, Hinata Shoyo's excitement exploded.
He jumped up and down around the room, both arms raised high, stretching toward the ceiling.
His legs moved like a gorilla's, circling the table in endless loops.
Beside him, Yudai Hyakuzawa watched blankly, eyes following Hinata's circular motion.
"Hinata's celebration dance sure is... unique, huh?"
After a few rounds, Yudai's head started spinning.
Guren quickly reached out to rub the back of his neck. "Yudai, what are you doing? He's an idiot, but are you one too? Why are you spinning your eyes with him?"
Hinata suddenly slowed his circles, pausing midstep. He began counting on his fingers, mumbling to himself, and his face slowly fell.
The excitement drained from him like air from a balloon. His bright orange hair, which had been standing proudly a moment ago, drooped bit by bit.
Then, his whole expression stiffened with realization.
Step by step, he approached Guren, eyes hollow like his soul had left his body.
His face twisted with a mix of worry, hope, and fear as he stammered,
"Uh... Guren... I... I know I'm bad at math, but..."
"You're one person, and I'm one, that's two. Add Yudai, that's three..."
"Plus my two friends make five, right?"
"But volleyball needs six players on the court, doesn't it?"
"I thought I miscounted, so I checked again."
"I'm one. Plus Guren, you're two. Add Yudai, that's three. Add Izumi, four... and... Koji... five..."
Hinata's voice trembled, almost breaking into a sob. His eyes glimmered faintly with tears.
"Hey, Guren!"
"We're strong, Yudai's tall, you're tall, and I can jump like you!"
"But... with five people, we can't play, right?! We can't register, right?!"
Guren stared speechlessly at the teary-eyed boy clutching his shoulders as if his entire world would collapse with a single wrong answer.
He scratched his head, turning toward Yudai. "Yudai, you didn't tell him?"
Yudai blinked, then gave an awkward, sheepish grin. "Ah, sorry. I forgot."
Hinata froze. Though he often acted like a fool, his instincts were sharp, like a wild animal sensing prey.
There was hope. He could feel it.
His eyes lit up with a sparkle, like a puppy waiting for a treat, glancing back and forth between Guren and Yudai.
Guren sighed, helpless at Hinata's doglike enthusiasm, and explained,
"Sorry, sorry. We've got four new recruits this year."
"I already wrote their names on the registration form. I told Yudai to pass it on to you."
"But, three of them are total beginners. Haven't even hit their growth spurt yet. Basically, elementary kids who can't play."
"Only one's our grade, a pretty interesting guy, actually. Like me and Yudai, he's a transfer student."
"So counting your two friends, we've got... three of us who can actually play, plus that interesting guy."
He paused, tone softening.
"But still," Guren said quietly, "none of us have any real match experience. How far do you think we can go, Hinata?"
He fell silent, raising an eyebrow with mild curiosity.
Hinata, who had looked utterly defeated moments ago, suddenly brightened.
The moment he heard they could compete, his whole demeanor transformed. His face flushed with energy, his nostrils flared, and vitality burst from him like steam.
He clenched his fist over his chest and shouted,
"Of course!"
"We'll keep winning, all the way!"
A strong wind blew through the half-open window, rustling the curtains.
Guren and Yudai exchanged glances and smiled at the sight of their fiery, ecstatic teammate.
==========
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