The evening sky glowed with a golden hue, and behind the window of a cramped bedroom, a young man stared blankly at his laptop screen filled with multiple anime tabs. His name was Arata Kusuo, an eighteen-year-old dropout who had been working part-time jobs just to get by.
His body was thin—too thin, as if all his energy had been drained just to survive day after day. In his messy room, plastered with anime posters, instant noodle cups scattered on the floor, and piles of light novels left open on his desk, Arata shut his laptop with a heavy sigh.
"If only I could enter the world of anime… life would be so much more exciting than this," he muttered, half-joking, half-hopeless.
He wasn't popular, didn't have many friends, and his life felt painfully monotonous. Anime was his only escape, the only thing that brought a smile to his face. From Naruto to Haikyuu!!, he devoured everything. Online, he was even known as an anime addict who always engaged in endless theories and debates about plot twists.
But fate has its own strange way of answering such wishes.
---
That night, after finishing a late shift at a warehouse, Arata dragged his weary body home. As he crossed the street, his mind wandered back to the final episode of the anime he had just watched.
And then it happened.
A massive, old billboard by the roadside suddenly snapped off its rusty hinges, collapsing straight toward where Arata stood. People screamed, but his body froze, too sluggish to react.
CRASH!
The deafening sound of metal filled his ears. But the excruciating pain he expected never came. Instead, everything went black… and then silent.
Within that darkness, a calm mechanical voice echoed.
[System initializing… Scanning candidate's soul… Synchronization complete.]
Arata tried to open his eyes, but all he saw was endless white light.
"So… I'm dead?" he thought. Strangely, he chuckled. "Well, at least it wasn't a truck. That would've been way too cliché."
The voice returned.
[A second chance will be granted. Destination world: Haikyuu!! Sports dimension. Initial status processing.]
"Wait—Haikyuu?!" Arata's eyes widened, though he had no idea if he even had a body here. "Don't tell me… I'm going to that volleyball world?"
[Correct. You will inhabit a body equal to that of a high school freshman. Original memories of the vessel will be synchronized briefly. Welcome to your new beginning.]
---
Arata jolted awake, gasping for breath. Fresh air surged into his lungs. He looked around—wooden ceiling, modest walls, a study desk neatly arranged with schoolbooks.
His hands… thinner, yet healthier than the frail ones he had in his old life.
Memories then rushed in like flashes of lightning. His new name: Arata Minami, a transfer student who had just enrolled at Karasuno High. His parents worked out of town, leaving him to live alone in a small rented house near the school.
"This is insane… I really got into Haikyuu!" Arata muttered, gripping his head.
He glanced at his reflection in the window. The boy staring back at him had short, messy black hair and curious eyes. Not exactly striking, but not bad either. His body was still thin, but he was taller than his old self—tall enough to matter in volleyball.
"Well… at least I'm not just some random background character," he sighed with a faint grin.
---
His first day at Karasuno felt surreal. The hallways bustled with students chatting and laughing, some sneaking curious glances at the "new kid." Arata forced himself to stay calm, though his heart was racing.
"So this is Karasuno… the same school I've only ever seen in anime. It feels so different being here in person."
In class, he stood before everyone for his introduction.
"My name is Arata Minami. I'm a transfer student from Tokyo. Please take care of me."
Some classmates smiled warmly, others remained indifferent. It felt exactly like the slice-of-life anime scenes he used to binge-watch. But to Arata, every little thing was astonishingly real—the squeak of sneakers on the floor, the smell of chalk dust, the chatter of friends joking around.
After classes ended, he passed by the gym. The sharp thwack! of a volleyball slamming against the wooden floor froze him in his tracks.
Peeking inside, Arata's eyes widened.
Hinata Shoyo leapt high into the air, while Kageyama Tobio sent up a perfectly timed toss. The sound of Hinata's spike smashing against the court floor echoed like thunder.
"So this is… the Karasuno team," Arata whispered, awe filling his voice.
---
And then, the voice returned once more.
[System activated. Host's initial status confirmed.]
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes, visible only to him.
---
[Status – Arata Minami]
Level: 1
Position: Undecided
Stats:
Strength: D
Speed: C
Stamina: D
Reflex: C
Technique: D
Skills:
Basic Receive (D)
Jumping Power (E)
---
Arata's throat went dry. "I… I have stats?!"
[Note: Stats and skills can be improved through intense training, matches, or special achievements. Ranks range from E to SSS.]
His eyes gleamed with excitement. "So if I train hard… I can actually catch up to the monsters in this anime world?"
For the first time in his life, he felt a clear goal.
His first day at Karasuno had only just begun, but Arata already knew one thing—this new world was going to be far more thrilling than anything he had ever imagined.