On a bright and beautiful Sunday, a tall, handsome teenager stood quietly by the iron gate of a two-story detached house bearing the nameplate Kuroha. The midday sun blazed above him as he leaned against the fence, idly fiddling with his phone.
Despite his refined features, his muscular build and towering height—well over 190 centimeters—gave him an intimidating presence. A bandage wrapped around his forehead added to his delinquent-like appearance, as if he'd just come out of a fight.
Suddenly, the front door of the neighboring house creaked open. A girl stepped outside. She looked to be in her late teens, around 160-something centimeters tall, with flowing shoulder-length black hair and a small beauty mark below her lips. A pair of pink-rimmed glasses rested neatly on her nose, adding to her intellectual charm, though her outfit—plain sportswear—did little to highlight her well-proportioned figure.
The boy glanced her way briefly before returning his gaze to his phone. They didn't know each other—staring would've been rude.
But the girl, startled by the presence of such a tall stranger at her doorstep, narrowed her eyes and walked over. Her gaze locked on his face with suspicion and familiarity.
Feeling her stare, the boy eventually looked up, slightly awkward.
"Uh… is something wrong? I swear, I'm not a suspicious guy—"
Before he could finish, her eyes lit up in realization. She clapped her hands together.
"Wait a minute… Are you Hayato?!"
His eyes widened at the mention of his name. A memory flickered in his mind as he looked at her more closely.
"Kiyoko-nee…?"
A warm smile spread across her face.
"So it really is you! It's been ages! Didn't you move to Tokyo with Uncle Kouichi after elementary school?"
The "Uncle Kouichi" she referred to was his father, Kuroha Kouichi. After losing his wife during childbirth, he'd raised Hayato alone with great effort.
Before moving away, Hayato and Kiyoko—who lived next door and was one year his senior—had been childhood friends.
"Yeah. My dad got transferred overseas again, and since I'm not really interested in going with him, I decided to come back here. I had a minor accident recently, so he agreed to let me stay and transfer to Karasuno High."
Hayato smiled sheepishly, touching the bandage on his forehead.
"Oh, what a coincidence—I go to Karasuno too!"
"Really? Then I'll be in your care, Senpai."
"Stop that." She lightly smacked his arm, amused.
"Oh right, I'm the manager of the volleyball club now. With your height, have you ever considered joining?"
Kiyoko playfully measured his height by standing on her toes. The gap between them was comical.
Hayato blinked. "Volleyball?"
He laughed, and then nodded. "Alright, Kiyoko-nee. Since you asked, I'll drop by once my transfer's processed."
Just then, a moving truck pulled up in front of the Kuroha residence. The driver rolled down the window and called out.
"Are you Mr. Hayato Kuroha? I'm Takeshita from Seiryo Transport. Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"That's me. No worries. Let's get started."
With help from the movers—and unexpectedly, from Kiyoko—they carried the modest number of boxes to the house's entrance. A thick layer of dust coated the wooden floor; clearly, no one had lived here in a long time.
Hayato sighed. This was going to take all day to clean.
"It's going to be quite the job," Kiyoko said. "Did you get the utilities set up?"
"Yeah, I arranged that in advance. Thanks for helping out, Kiyoko-nee. I feel bad making you do all this."
"What's there to feel bad about? Go get some water—I'll help."
"But weren't you headed out for something? Just helping with the boxes is more than enough."
She waved off his concern. "I was just going to buy a reference book. That can wait. If we don't clean this place now, you'll have nowhere to sleep tonight."
"…Thanks, Kiyoko-nee."
She ran back to her house and returned with cleaning supplies. Together, they began pulling off the dust covers, checking the electricity and water, and getting to work.
"I didn't think you still lived here, honestly," Hayato said as he scrubbed the floor. "I thought your family moved ages ago."
"Nope. The nameplate's still the same. You probably didn't even look."
"Ehehe… Guess it was too hot to think straight."
"You've always been scatterbrained," she teased from the kitchen, tying on an apron.
Though chatting slowed them down, it made the work feel lighter. By evening, they'd cleaned the living room, bathroom, and Hayato's bedroom. Exhausted but satisfied, they sat down to rest.
At Kiyoko's invitation, Hayato had dinner with her family next door. Her parents were surprised and delighted to see the boy who used to follow Kiyoko around had grown into a dependable young man.
Later, back in his own room, Hayato lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"Karasuno High School…"
A realization had finally sunk in. This wasn't just any ordinary school—it was that Karasuno. This was the world of Volleyball.
The real Hayato Kuroha had died in the same car crash that took Su Yun—former captain of a provincial volleyball team—out of his own world. And now, Su Yun lived on in Hayato's body.
Half a month had passed since then. He thought he'd just live quietly. But fate had other plans.
"Shimizu Kiyoko... I can't believe she's my childhood friend now. I wonder what Tanaka and Nishinoya will say when they meet me."
He grinned, raising a clenched fist toward the ceiling.
"I'm not going to sit back anymore. Karasuno… we'll take the Nationals by storm this time. The championship isn't just a dream—it's our goal."
His eyes burned with determination. This time, they wouldn't fall in the quarterfinals. This time, even if Hinata caught a cold, he'd be there.This time… everything would be different.