#and let something really hit you in unexpected places because you have no preconceived notions about the subjects

[luminarai]

I love love love following artists who are in fandoms that I’m not only not in but that I also know nothing about!! I don’t know the characters or the ships or the discourse or anything really I’m just here for the pretty lines and colours babey!! And I don’t want to know either I want to be totally ignorant and just vibe because the art is amazing and I love it!!!! Thank you artists everywhere mwah

[seiin-translations]

2.43 S1 Chapter 3.2 - The Dog’s View and the Giraffe’s View

2. TROUBLESOME ROOKIE

Translation Notes

1. Koutairen is short for the All Japan High School Athletic Federation (Zenkoku Koutou Gakkou Taiiku Renmei)

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It was last July when Oda saw that setter. It was the semi-finals of the middle school prefectural tournament. He didn’t go on the first day when the first and second rounds were taking place, but his friend from his middle school volleyball team told him that there was an interesting team, which piqued his interest so he went on the second day.

The school was Monshiro Middle School, an inexperienced school that hadn’t even appeared in the tournament until that previous year. Honestly speaking, at first he even felt anger towards that informant, wondering what was so interesting about that team. Of the four remaining schools, their attack and defense were inferior, and it was a wonder that they had made it this far. Incidentally, Kuroba Yuni wasn’t at the semi-finals. If he had been, they would have left a lasting impression.

He was watching in a cold mood, but when the setter hit a jump serve, he suddenly leaned forward. Even the one element of left-handedness was a valuable quality for a volleyball player. But even if you took that away, his form was excellent. He didn’t seem muscular, but the way his body axis was used from the rotation of his shoulders to his swing was beautiful, and he was able to use his trunk to swing his arm, so the ball given intense power. Is he really in middle school!?

It wasn’t just the serve. There were many cases where the receive was not returned to a good position and the setter had to move to set the ball, but even when he broke his stance and ran beneath the ball at the very last second, in the next moment, he set the ball precisely to where the attacker was. His ball handling, step work, how he used his pivot leg—all of the skills for setting stood out. Generally speaking, he could only be described as the embodiment of sense.

Apparently, he hurt a finger on his left hand, his dominant hand, in the middle of the first set, but astonishingly after that, he started to use just his right hand to do jump sets. He didn’t seem desperate and his accuracy was no less accurate than a two-handed set.

“He’s…ambidextrous!?”

Unthinkingly slapping his knee and standing up, he then sat back down, feeling shamed from the surrounding gazes.

But no matter how super middle school level he was, he was still a middle schooler in terms of strength. He could perceive that fatigue was accumulating within him. It was a team where the other members weren’t as blessed, and as a result, Monshiro left the court with a huge straight loss.

Haijima Kimichika. That was a name he had never heard of within the prefecture.

Aoki had later pulled out the information that he was the regular setter as a second-year in a tournament in Tokyo the year before, and he had even been selected as an outstanding player. When he heard that, he was astonished and couldn’t quite understand it.

To think that a guy like that would come to a no-name public school like us—he had been casually looking at the class lists for the new students when he came across that name, and it was such an abrupt shock that he did a double-take. However, he didn’t think it was a common enough name where there would be someone else who shared it. While inconveniencing the new students, as he thrust his face at the bulletin board and stared at it hard enough for a hole to open up, he couldn’t stop himself from laughing out loud. He had always wished he had a good setter on his team. In his last year, what he had been waiting for had come flying in——.

He’s not playing volleyball now…?

***

“The only thing I can think of is that there was an injury…”

“The first-years said it wasn’t an injury. And apparently the dislocation of his finger wasn’t serious either.”

“Was there any other reason?”

“There are plenty of reasons for quitting.”

Dissatisfied with Aoki’s philosophical way of speaking, Oda sullenly closed his mouth. The shoulders of Aoki, walking next to him, rose lightly.

The next day after practice, Oda and Aoki used the fifteen minute break between second and third periods to visit Haijima’s class. When the two stood at the door of Class 1-F, which was at the end of the row of first-year classes, the girl near the door jumped and let out a small cry. She probably saw Aoki.

“Is Haijima here?”

The first-year girl said “Y-yes!”, turned around, and ran up to a seat by the window.

A male student, hanging his behind shallowly off the seat of his chair and leaning far back on the back of his chair with his eyes closed—a haughty posture for a freshman on his fourth day of school—turned his head towards the girl in annoyance. The girl pointed over to them and said something, and he took off his silver-colored headphones and turned his head over to them with a suspicious look on his face.

“He seems hard to handle.”

Aoki, who didn’t go to the middle school prefecturals, voiced his thoughts.

Leaving his headphones on his desk, Haijima stood from his seat.

He’s so thin…it doesn’t feel like he’s still training, Oda observed, which was his usual habit. But, the overall balance of his body was good. Had he grown taller since he saw him at the prefecturals? He was a head taller than the average first-year boy in the classroom, but his head was small, and his thin-framed glasses fit easily. Normally you’d want him as an attacker, but with him as a setter, the entire team’s offensive ability will skyrocket… He was already thinking about teambuilding and laughed bitterly in his mind at his own hastiness.

“What is it?”

Haijima said, looking at Aoki’s face without hesitation. He had heard about it, but his intonation had no local accent. He didn’t want have any preconceived notions, but he couldn’t help but feel that he would be difficult to approach.

“Ah, the main is over here.”

Aoki said, indicating diagonally downward lightly, and for the first time, Haijima’s gaze was directed at Oda. As if to say, I didn’t notice you because the lower frame of my glasses created a blind spot. One would think that you would be a little thankful if your seniors took the trouble to visit you, but his attitude was quite flat. Not frank, but simply flat.

Puffing up his chest a little bit, Oda faced Haijima.

“I’m Oda, a third-year, and this is Aoki. We’re the captain and vice captain for boys’ volleyball. By the way, he’s a center, and I’m a outside hitter.”

“I can tell that when I look at him,” Haijima said, indicating Aoki with his eyes, returned his gaze to Oda and mouthed “outside hitter?” He couldn’t say that he had a good impression of him from a while ago, but…no, he wouldn’t assume who people were based on impressions.

“Are you inviting me to join?”

“Ah? Yeah, this would be settled a lot more quickly if you tell us. Why didn’t you hand in a provisional admission form? I heard you weren’t injured.”

“Inter-High group prelims, you lost 1-2 in the first round of the finals tournament. Autumn Tournament, you got through the first round with 2-0, but lost the second round 0-2. Spring Inter-High prelims, you lost 0-2 in the first round. No participation in the rookie tournament.”

He spoke like he was reading aloud the English translation he had just worked out beforehand. He was openmouthed for an instant, but then it hit him. They were the achievements of the Seiin High School boys’ volleyball team at regular games for the last year. He had all that in his head?

“I just saw what Koutairen published.” (1)

With an indifferent sigh, and no hesitation or guilt whatsoever, Haijima continued to say this.

“There’s no point for me to be on a team like that if I’m the only good player.”

He didn’t take in the meaning right away. It pierced beyond Oda’s scope of understanding. There were inevitably players who became arrogant because they had ability and strength, and he had seen several of them on and off the team. But, this sort of arrogance is different, the way it pierces through is too diagonally upwards, not straight up——

What’s with this guy?

With a nearly nonexistent bow of his head, Haijima tried to turn back. “Wait!” He reflexively took his arm. “We’re still not done talking yet, freshman.” His body moved before the anger welled up within him belatedly, and he used intimidation in his voice. Haijima only took his arm back in annoyance, not even flinching at all. The first-years in the classroom made a stir for an instant, then closed their mouths and froze.

“Shin. Leave him alone. Let’s go.”

He was about to raise his fist unthinkingly when Aoki stopped him.

“That guy really is hard to deal with.”

Oda gritted his teeth as Aoki’s long arms kept him away from the doorway. A feeling like sadness came over him after the anger, and he felt hot behind his eyes. Why do only those who are blessed talk like this…

Haijima narrowed his eyes quizzically.

“Why are you clinging to that position?”

He made that sharp parting remark, which he couldn’t believe he heard, and turned his back on them.

From next to Oda, who stiffened with no response, a leg suddenly stretched out. The sole of Aoki’s indoor shoes kicked Haijima’s bottom as he was about to sit down in his seat. …Huh? Oda, who was dumbfounded by Aoki’s unexpected action, watched as Haijima pitched forward spectacularly and crashed into the row of desks that lined the classroom.

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