"What were you talking about with Nekoma's captain earlier, Yuma?" After seeing off the Nekoma team, Oikawa curiously approached Yuma Kikuz
"What were you talking about with Nekoma's captain earlier, Yuma?"
After seeing off the Nekoma team, Oikawa curiously approached Yuma Kikuzawa to ask.
"Oh, it's like this. Yuuki wanted to befriend Nekoma's setter, but he was too shy to approach him and kept stealing glances. When Nekoma's captain came over to ask what was going on, I explained the situation. Don't worry, senpai, I've got everything under control."
Yuma Kikuzawa patted his chest proudly and gave a thumbs-up.
Oikawa looked surprised. "Eh? Really? Little Yuuki actually wants to make friends on his own initiative?"
After more than a month of interaction, Yuuki's socially awkward personality had become well-known to everyone.
He never initiated conversations with volleyball club members. Even when others spoke to him, Yuuki would only reply with short phrases like "Yeah," "Right," or "No," making him quite an enigma.
In Japan, where interpersonal relationships are highly valued, without Yuma's mediation, someone with Yuuki's personality would likely face bullying or isolation from classmates.
No one expected this socially challenged Yuuki to now take the initiative in making friends.
Oikawa felt equally gratified. As captain, he had tried numerous methods to help Yuuki—this incredibly skilled player—integrate into the team, but with little success.
"It seems Yuuki really likes Nekoma's setter," Oikawa remarked with emotion.
Well... though it was more about liking his hairstyle...
Regardless, Yuuki being willing to interact with others was already tremendous progress.
Yuma patted his socially anxious younger brother's shoulder, giving him an encouraging look.
...
Monday afternoon, under bright sunshine.
Near Miyagi University, Yuma Kikuzawa lazily nibbled on a popsicle while urging Yuuki in the nearby grocery store: "Hurry up already. Just grab whatever vegetables look fine."
Yuuki stood before the vegetable stall, carefully examining each item's quality before finally selecting a fresh carrot and placing it in the basket. Only then did he reply unhurriedly: "Last time you bought rotten cabbage, Mom was furious."
"Uh... it just had a few bug holes! That proves it wasn't sprayed with pesticides. Anyway, let's not dwell on ancient history."
Yuma laughed awkwardly, quickly changing the subject.
It was Monday—the day off for Aoba Johsai's volleyball club. The coach had given the team a day's rest after six days of hard training. Of course, "rest" wasn't in the Kikuzawa brothers' vocabulary. Right after school, their parents had dragged them to Miyagi University to train with the college volleyball team.
After an afternoon of practice, when the university team finished training, the Kikuzawa brothers finally caught their breath.
Mrs. Kikuzawa was a physical education teacher at Miyagi University, while Mr. Kikuzawa served as the volleyball team's coaching instructor. Both still had work to wrap up, so Yuma and Yuuki had to head home first, also taking on the task of buying ingredients for dinner.
After so much volleyball, everything outside the court felt strangely unfamiliar... Watching the bustling street scene, Yuma suddenly felt a surreal sense of detachment, as if emerging from another world.
Have I become volleyball-stupid... Sweating internally, Yuma decided to find some entertainment to lift his mood.
"Yuuki, take your time picking. I'll look around ahead."
Unlike Yuuki, whose world revolved solely around volleyball, Yuma occasionally made time for manga and video games—though such leisure moments were pitifully rare.
Strolling down the street, his eyes scanned the surroundings until they locked onto a bookstore amidst the various shops.
Several brightly colored manga covers caught Yuma's attention. He stopped abruptly, smacking his palm with a fist.
"Come to think of it, it's been ages since I bought Jump. I wonder how far the series I follow have progressed."
Heading to the Weekly Shonen Jump section, Yuma casually picked up a volume and began flipping through it.
As Yuma immersed himself in the manga, a black-haired man with curly locks seemed drawn by his movements, quietly glancing over.
After browsing through the entire magazine—paying special attention to the Kuroko's Basketball section—Yuma suddenly remembered something.
Based on his memories from his previous life, the Haikyuu!! manga should have started serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump around 2012. But since he now lived in the Haikyuu!! world itself, the manga naturally wouldn't exist here.
"Which means..." Yuma stroked his chin, feeling genuinely distressed. "There won't be any volleyball manga in Jump now."
Soccer was a global sport, basketball enjoyed massive popularity, tennis appealed to all ages, and baseball represented Japan's national pastime—only volleyball lagged far behind in popularity!
"Not even manga artists are drawing volleyball stories..."
As a volleyball player, I feel utterly excluded... Yuma tilted his head back at a 45-degree angle, gazing at the ceiling as if seeing a bleak future.
"Um... excuse me, were you just talking about..."
The curly-haired man who had been quietly observing suddenly seemed to flip some internal switch. He approached Yuma with sparkling eyes.
Only then did Yuma notice the person beside him. Taking a closer look, his entire demeanor underwent an instant 180-degree transformation—all gloom vanishing as excitement took over, nearly making him jump on the spot.
That familiar face, that familiar black curly hair, that familiar height—standing before him was none other than the "Little Giant" himself, Tenma Udai!
As the inspirational figure who motivated Shouyou Hinata to enter the volleyball world in the original story, Yuma recognized all his distinctive features immediately. Combined with the image he'd seen on TV four years ago, Yuma confirmed the man's identity in an instant.
The moment he recognized Tenma Udai, the player's stats materialized before his eyes:
[Tenma Udai, Age 21, Height 170cm, Reach 340cm, Power 77, Speed 95, Stamina 90, Intelligence 82, Spiking 96, Setting 81, Serving 80, Blocking 81, Receiving 85]
A 340cm reach?! Spiking at 96?! Aside from power, all his stats are above 80—as expected of the "Little Giant"! This is the caliber of Karasuno's former ace!
"Tenma Udai-senpai! I'm your biggest fan! Please give me your autograph!"
Yuma bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle, startling Tenma with the sudden movement.
Tenma hadn't expected to be recognized. He'd returned to Miyagi Prefecture to visit relatives and had stopped by the bookstore's manga section when overhearing this silver-haired boy mention "volleyball" and "manga," prompting him to approach.
"Eh? You know me?" Tenma pointed at himself blankly.
"Of course!"
Yuma gazed at his living idol with starry eyes.
"I saw your amazing performance at Nationals on TV when I was in sixth grade! Never imagined I'd meet you here! This is so lucky!"
Tenma felt like he might melt under the silver-haired boy's intensely passionate gaze.
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