Darkness. That was the first thing I noticed. No pain, no sound, no feeling—just an endless void stretching in every direction.
'Huh? Am I… dead?'
Memories rushed back like a tidal wave. I had been a volleyball addict, playing, watching, and analyzing every match I could get my hands on. My dream was to play professionally, to stand on the same court as legends. But life had other plans.
I remember running late one night, earbuds blasting a Haikyuu!! OST as I replayed an old Karasuno match in my head. Then—bright lights, screeching tires, and the sickening crunch of impact.
'Well… that sucks.'
I should've felt something—regret, fear, anger—but oddly, all I felt was peace. If this was the end, I could only hope that volleyball still existed in the afterlife.
But just as I accepted my fate, a strange warmth surrounded me. My body—no, my entire being—felt as if it were being pulled, reshaped, reborn.
Then, light.
Blinding, overwhelming, searing light flooded my vision. My limbs felt small, my body weak. The scent of tatami mats and distant food filled my nose. Confused, I tried to sit up, only to be met with a high-pitched, childish voice.
"Eh?! What the—?!"
I stopped mid-sentence. My hands—tiny. My legs—short. My voice—definitely not my usual deep one. What the hell was happening?!
Scrambling to my feet, I searched frantically for a mirror. The room was small, barely furnished. A futon on the floor, a modest desk with a few notebooks, and a slightly ajar closet door. I rushed over and swung it open, heart pounding.
What greeted me was a shock of spiky orange hair, round brown eyes, and a face full of pure, unfiltered energy.
"...No way."
I opened my mouth and spoke again. The voice matched. The reflection matched.
I was Hinata Shoyo.
A thousand thoughts raced through my head. Reincarnation? A second chance? Was this a dream? But no dream felt this real—the cool air against my skin, the distant chatter of a television, the faint soreness in my legs. This was real.
I sat down hard on the futon, breath coming in short gasps. The sheer absurdity of my situation was overwhelming, but one thought cut through the panic.
'I've been reborn as Hinata… with all my past memories.'
That meant—
I wasn't just a middle schooler. I was Hinata before Karasuno, before the freak quick, before everything. That meant I still had time.
Time to train. Time to grow. Time to become the best version of myself.
In my past life, I had obsessed over volleyball but never reached my full potential. I was always one step too slow, one jump too short. But now? **Now, I had the chance to start over—**not as a clueless kid with raw talent, but as someone who knew how the volleyball world worked.
Hinata was a monster in his own right. His raw athleticism and insane jumping ability made him a rare talent, but I could push him—**push myself—**even further.
I could train smarter. I could develop techniques early. I could change everything.
A slow grin spread across my face as excitement replaced my initial shock. If this was real, if I was truly living in Haikyuu!!'s world, then there was only one thing left to do.
Dominate the court.
The first thing I needed to do was test my body.
Hinata was naturally athletic, but he was still a middle schooler. His stamina and speed were impressive for his age, but if I wanted to compete at a higher level, I needed to refine my skills immediately. I dropped to the floor and started with push-ups.
One. Two. Three.
By the fifteenth push-up, my arms were shaking. My past life's training memories conflicted with the physical reality of my current body. I wasn't weak, but I wasn't strong either.
Next, squats. Explosive power was my biggest weapon, and I needed to build a foundation now. I managed about fifty before my legs started to burn. That was good—pain meant progress.
After a short rest, I went outside.
My neighborhood was quiet, surrounded by small homes and a few distant hills. The crisp morning air filled my lungs as I started jogging. At first, my movements were clumsy. My body was unfamiliar, lighter than I remembered. But after a few minutes, my stride became smoother.
I needed to focus on endurance. Hinata's biggest issue at the beginning was stamina. If I could fix that now, I'd have a massive advantage later.
By the time I returned home, sweat dripped down my face, and my legs felt like jelly. But I was grinning.
'This is just the beginning.'
Over the next few weeks, I trained relentlessly. My mornings started with conditioning: running, bodyweight exercises, and stretching. Evenings were for technique—footwork drills, jump training, and ball control.
The biggest challenge was my height.
No matter how much skill I had, my body was still small. If I wanted to compete with taller opponents, I had to maximize my jumping ability and agility. I spent hours practicing my approach, refining my form, and experimenting with different jump techniques.
Each day, I pushed myself harder, driven by the knowledge of what was coming.
Then came the next hurdle: a ball.
Finding a volleyball proved trickier than expected. My family wasn't wealthy, and buying one outright wasn't an option. So I improvised.
At school, I started borrowing balls from the gym, staying late to practice against the wall. Repetition was key. The more I touched the ball, the more natural my movements became.
One evening, as I was practicing my serves, a voice called out behind me.
"Oi, Shoyo! You've been staying late a lot."
I turned to see a familiar face—a childhood friend, someone I vaguely remembered from the anime.
I grinned, bouncing the ball in my hands. "Just trying to get better."
He laughed. "You already love volleyball that much?"
I met his gaze, eyes burning with determination. "More than anything."
Time passed quickly. My progress was steady, my jumps higher, my control sharper. But I wasn't satisfied.
I needed more.
More competition, more experience. I needed a challenge.
And I knew exactly where to find one.
If I wanted to be the best, I had to go where the best played. Which meant finding the strongest middle school teams and testing myself against them.
My new journey had only just begun.