#2.43: seiin high school boys volleyball club

[loveai2]

KnB ver.

Prefectures:

Miyagi: Karasuno, Seijoh, Date Tech, Shiratorizawa (and others)

Tokyo: Nekoma, Fukurōdani, Itachiyama, Nohebi

Saitama: Shinzen

Kanagawa: Ubugawa

Nagano: Kamomedai

(Fukui: Seiin from 2.43)

(Aichi: Suna's hometown)

Hyogo: Inarizaki

Ōita: Mujinazaka

https://www.wattpad.com/story/241948776?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create_story_details&wp_uname=LoveAi2&wp_originator=f34yHcmyfHEI%2FKUlGRcnuRfIdai5AmBzEY2iS6m3BdyYSCncfTZK5akFRv07bbVxWSUwErHmkZmDwl4bfM2oPFtnJzBvBkoGF%2FOCFIfogiSGIEXVnmYh6BLqAZJ1xas1

[seiin-translations]

2.43 S2 Chapter 1.7 - The Laughing King and Crybaby Jack (Part 7)

7. SUPERHERO

I’m gonna be taking a little break after this, hopefully be back soon

Translation Notes

1. “Hidebu” is a meme from Fist of the North Star where the villains say “Hidebu” (It hurts) when they get blown up, since according to the author, because the villains are in the process of exploding, the vocal sounds get shifted

Previous || Index || Next

Pick up the ball, transfer it, and send it back. The other team also picked up the ball, transferred it, and sent it back. This was the most basic of basics in volleyball. Since the rule was to return the ball to the opponent’s court within three hits, this was called first touch, second touch, and third touch, in that order.

However, in the practice match between Fukuho Tech and Seiin, the two teams suddenly began a fierce exchange of blows right from the start of the first set. Right after the ball was served and play began, it ended with a spike shot, so it couldn’t be called a “rally.” For a moment, Ochi forgot the definition of the volleyball term “rally.”

The game began with Seiin’s serve, 0-0. The receiving team, Fukuho, had the first chance to attack, and Takasugi’s quick attack that served as a greeting made the score 1-0.

Seiin, with a quick attack by Aoki, quickly returned the greeting with a point to make it 1-1.

At this rate, in the early game, the teams were fighting for side outs (acquiring the right to serve) one point at a time, like a metronome counting beats with a pendulum motion. The first year members of the Fukuho team, who were attached to the scoring staff, were confused because they couldn’t keep up with the dizzying pace of the game. The next point would be scored while the other team’s score was being turned over, so that when the referee pointed at them with a “point, point!” they would rush to turn over the other team’s score. Since Hata was supervising the Fukuho side, the chief referee was a Fukuho alumnus who had volunteered to help coach the team.

“I’m hoping to break out three rotations from here…”

Hata, sitting in a folding chair next to Ochi, muttered as he fixed his gaze on the court.

12-12. There were twenty-five points in a set, so this was the midgame of the set. It felt as if the time from the starting whistle to this point had passed in a flash. The rallies were short, so the actual time elapsed was also unusually short.

When the receiving team scored a point and the right to serve was transferred, that was called a side out. In six-player volleyball, the six players from the scoring team rotated clockwise around the court at each side out. When a player came to the back right, he became the server, and from there he rotated to the back center, back left, front left, front center, and front right, in that order. Only the three players in the front row could block or spike near the net. While players were in the back row, they couldn’t participate in blocking and could only spike from the back zone behind the attack line (the line three meters from the net).

Both teams were just now back at their starting points after two rotations at twelve points. Fukuho’s rotation was to score points with Mimura moving up to the front left and Fukuho’s main left attack. From clockwise, Takasugi was at front center, Yanome at front right, and Tokura, Asamatsu, and Kakegawa in the back, in that order, but Asamatsu’s place was now occupied by Saruwatari, the libero. The libero was a special position in the the back row, and they could replace any of the players who have retreated to the back row to strengthen the receives. When Saruwatari moved up to the front row after the rotation, Asamatsu took his place to make the height of the front row even.

The position of wing spiker was the mainstay of the offensive, primarily attacking from the side of the front row. Even when they were in the back row, they participated in the offensive with back attacks. The wing spiker also had the important job of serve receiving along with the libero. In a typical formation, three players were placed on the court. Since right-handed players were often better at hitting from the left side, the left spiker was basically the ace in high school volleyball.

Two middle blockers were placed on the court, and as the name suggested, they played the key role of blocking, and when attacking, they were involved in the attack of the wing spiker, who quickly attacked from the center and hit from the side.

And the final person, the setter—the command center that controlled the offensive.

Setter Kakegawa used Takasugi, who was jumping in the center, as a decoy and set the ball to Mimura in the left. Seiin’s front row was composed of the 184cm Kuroba, 191cm Aoki, and 181cm Haijima.

Mimura’s powerful spike was blocked by the three and it was knocked straight down.

A shudder ran through Fukuho’s side. Seiin broke through before them—!?

Ochi and Hata simultaneously let out an “Ah!” and rose from their seats. The ball bounced under the net and tangled with Mimura’s legs, causing him to fall on his buttocks. It made them feel a chill.

Still sitting down, Mimura suddenly looked up at the referee stand.

The referee made a gesture that indicated that the ball fell on Seiin’s side and nodded to Mimura. The point was Fukuho’s.

“A ‘waterfall’…?”

Ochi let out a sigh of relief. He lost sight of it for a moment, but the ball hadn’t bounced back, instead falling through the gap between Seiin’s blockers and the net. Fukuho was relieved, while Seiin’s back row, who had been looking pleased, now looked despondent.

It was now 13-12, with twenty-five consecutive side outs.

“This match is bad on my heart…To think that a practice match would shorten my lifespan.”

Hata groaned, looking as if he had aged about five years. But then he sank his raised bottom back down on his chair.

“That’s fine! Don’t get impatient and close it!”

He made a megaphone with his hand and shouted at the court. The “champion” would only get his opponents warmed up if he showed impatience at such an early stage against a lower-ranked opponent.

“How many points has Subaru made?”

“Twelve hits and ten points.”

Ochi looked down at his scorebook and replied. Fukuho’s thirteen points so far consisted of ten points for Mimura, one point for Takasugi, and two points from Seiin’s mistake.

In this set, Mimura handled far more than 50% of the spikes by Fukuho. Tokura, who was diagonal to him in the rotation and was in the back left, wasn’t very energetic today, and he was quieter than usual.

There was no doubt that what Ochi said before the game had been bugging him. On the court, Mimura went out of his way to say something to Tokura and they exchanged a low-five.

What’s with a manager who’s dragging his players down, really… It only resulted in more stuff for Mimura to have to patch up.

In contrast to Fukuho, which was an open volleyball team with a great ace named Mimura, Seiin could be called a combination volleyball team. In open volleyball, the team assumed that they would be held up by blocks and relied on the spiking ability of their aces to use many open sets (high third-tempo sets). In contrast, in combination volleyball, the team used multiple spikers to combine their attacks and get around the blocks.

And in combination volleyball, the power of the setter who was the flagbearer was indispensable.

Haijima’s set work was remarkable. He freely scattered his sets, which combined accuracy and speed at an astonishingly high level, to unleash combination attacks in all directions and at all corners. The team used time delays and quick attacks in annoying ways to prevent Fukuho’s blocks from homing in. The spiker used a quick attack as a decoy to draw the block, and another spiker jumped with a slight time difference to hammer in the spike. This was called a time delay attack. The team used time delay attacks continuously, and as soon as they saw that Fukuho’s blocks were getting dragged down by the time delay, they quickly had the middle do a quick attack. There was also a broad attack that forced the right spiker, Kanno, to hit from the edge of the right side, and Fukuho’s block had yet to catch up with it.

“I think we’re too concentrated around Subaru. Seiin uses both their middle and right equally.”

It reminded him of what Haijima said the other day. You don’t have to be so reluctant. He got the impression that they really weren’t being reluctant. They changed hands from one to the next so quickly as if saying, You still have it? This was rude to Kakegawa, but he had never seen a match where he felt such a difference in setters.

“Well…that might be so, but Subaru himself is still wanting to hit the ball.”

Hata jerked his chin at Mimura, who was facing Kakegawa and pointing at his own chest.

“Seiin’s first year is a terrifying setter. Even though he played for a strong Tokyo team, I thought it was just middle school level in the end, but…if Kakegawa is influenced by that monster and starts doing things he can’t do, our rhythm would get messed up. It’s okay for them to gather around Subaru for now.”

“Yes, but isn’t that too much burden on Subaru…”

“He’ll definitely be able to manage. He’s the ace of Fukuho.”

Hata, who had been lifting his hips up and down with each point, now sat back, folded his arms, and stared at the court. He felt as if he understood that Mimura was a hero to Hata as well. Mimura would laugh at the expectations from an adult who was more than twice his age…like a little kid who never doubted the victory of a TV hero.

The back-and-forth match resumed with a tension that made it hard to believe this was just a practice match. Break…Ochi stared at the court with feelings of prayer. The team that broke first and disrupted the balance would probably take the set.

In volleyball, the serve-receiving side had a higher chance of scoring next. This wasn’t surprising, since the side that received the serve had the first chance to score a spike. Compared to women’s volleyball, who tended to pick up spikes and continued the rally, men were especially likely to score on the first spike.

In other words, the key to staying ahead of your opponent and pulling more points away was to be able to "break” (score consecutively) when you were on the serving side.

Seiin’s two front row spikers were currently Aoki and Kuroba, but Oda and Kanno in the back row also had their back attacks. Which one of them would be used by Haijima?

Haijima, who was tall, jump-set the receive that rose high up above the net. The ball was drawn to his fingertips as though it had strings attached to it—

And then his left hand turned over, and the next moment the ball bounced up on Fukuho’s court.

From the jump-set position, he turned his wrist above the net and launched a sharp, cutting setter attack. It caught everyone by surprise, and no one on the court was able to react. And it was as strong as a spiker’s spike—come to think of it, he’s ambidextrous!

“Kaaaah…we’re done for. He could do that…”

Hata scratched his head as though to say, I give up.

A setter attack because the setter himself attacked with the second shot without giving the third shot to the spiker. Since the setter usually hit with his left hand, the setter attack of a left-handed or ambidextrous setter was as much a weapon as a spike. Ochi didn’t forget that Haijima was stated to be ambidextrous in his profile. However, since he had only been focused on his skillful set work, he didn’t expect that to be used here.

“Don’t be so reluctant.” Goosebumps rose on his right arm, which was resting on the scorebook. He rubbed his right arm with his left hand.

It was a rotation where it was decided that Haijima would move back to serve. As seen in the video, he had a terrifying left-handed jump serve that just grazed the net.

Saruwatari hit the power serve that almost resulted in a service ace, and the ball bounced up with a rubbery crack. However, it didn’t return to Kakegawa. “Alright!” Yanome ran under the ball with his hands raised in the air.

“Bring it to the left!”

Mimura, waiting in the left side, loudly called for the ball to be set to him.

The ball was set high across the court to Mimura. There was no decoy or anything, so there was a three-person block firmly in front of Mimura.

Subaru, please—!

Ochi also put his feelings into the ball, which carried the feelings of everyone on the court.

Mimura leapt, sinking the three joints of his lower body deeply and releasing all the energy stored in his legs at once. His 189cm height transformed into a flexible yet strong bow in midair. He swung his arm out with powerful force, as if he were drawing a nocked arrow to its very limit and releasing it. His spike exploded from an astonishingly high point, far above the 193cm Aoki’s block.

The three-person block was now removed. Haijima did a dig (spike receive), but the ball bounced up and blew him away. The ball hit the gallery railing on the second floor and the air shook with the loud metallic sound.

That guy snatched away a point with that incredible feat…!

Mimura sank to both knees and landed just short of the center line. He raised his upper body slowly, as if he was slowly expelling the residue of his spirit from his body. There was a momentary pause, as if the taut strings were still trembling.

But when he turned around to look at his teammates,

“Yeah!”

He raised his fist with a broad grin on his face. Fukuho’s court—the bench, staff, and even the referee all shouted “Subaru!!” like they couldn’t help it.

Fukuho didn’t have an outstanding setter like Haijima. However, no matter how many people blocked them, no matter how difficult the situation was, they had an ace who could score points no matter what, which was what they wanted right now.

14-13. Fukuho’s formation rotated next, and Mimura moved towards the back row. They wanted to get a block point and break away while Mimura was in the front.

Quick attack, time delay, broad attack from the right, back attack—which would come next? Holding back even his blinks, Ochi chased the ball. Setting aside women’s matches, where rallies were long, men’s matches never needed such sustained concentration. While following the rapidly changing game, he had to keep his mind in full operation to read the next move.

The moment the ball touched the fingertips of both of Haijima’s hands, it was set with such skillful handling that it was impossible to follow with the eyes, and it passed to the left side. Kuroba jumped into the air with a bold leap reminiscent of Mimura in his freshman year.

But Mimura and Asamatsu were right on top of them. The seamless two-person block shut out the spike dead on, and the ball flew up in a triangular trajectory over Seiin’s court.

“Alright, we caught it!”

Not even half-rising from their seats, both Ochi and Hata finally rocked their chairs and stood up.

15-13. The long-awaited block points and consecutive points for Fukuho. They were finally pulling ahead…!

Mimura showed his fist to Haijima over the net, a provocative gesture that said, “I’m bringing you down.” Haijima widened his eyes, and then he narrowed them and glared at him. He didn’t seem shaken. His fighting spirit seemed to have increased.

Asamatsu took Mimura by his waist and carried him up to his shoulders. Together with the Subaru chant, everyone on the court flew towards him, forming a knot that crushed the laughing Mimura.

Ochi, too, was tempted to jump off the bench, but he picked up the clipboard he had dropped when he stood up and sat back down. They hadn’t won yet. He calmly recorded the score in his scorebook. The block point, the scorer’s number was “1”…they were all getting blurred in his vision. He hurriedly wiped his eyes so that Hata next to him wouldn’t notice.

However, he heard sniffling next to him.

“Sensei…this is a practice match…”

When he calmly quipped to try to cover up his own teary eyes, Hata gave him a good chop and said, “Just pretend you didn’t see it. You get easily moved to tears when you’re past forty.”

They barely pulled ahead in the midgame by one point. However, it was a point of great significance. Haijima and Kuroba, the freshman ace duo who were creating the momentum for Seiin, were brought down.

Mimura was not about to let go of the edge of the flow that had finally been seized. The teams scrambled for another point to make it 16-14, and it looked like the back-and-forth match was about to resume, but then came Mimura’s turn to serve.

After spinning the ball between his hands, he stood with his right hand gripping the ball next to his body. It was his habit to touch his right shoulder with his left hand and pull up his sleeve slightly. He had the calm to look around with a small smile on his face. His natural smile drew the atmosphere of the gym. Mimura controlled the atmosphere in order to make the entire venue his ally.

It was hard to believe that Mimura’s biorhythm had been declining since their elimination from Inter-High. He hadn’t seen Mimura this focused in a long time.

The ball was set high from a casual standing position, and a high power serve was unleashed that seemed to steal away Haijima’s specialty.

The ball was driven deep into Seiin’s court. Kuroba dropped down and tried to get it, but the ball hit him in the shoulder, flipped him over, and blew off to the second-floor gallery. This time, it dove over the railing and bounced around between the wall and the railing.

With that shot, a service ace!

“Subaru!!”

The gym erupted in war cry-like Subaru chant.

Once again, Fukuho scored consecutively, 17-14.

Slowly, Fukuho began to extend a lead over Seiin.

---

The score was 24-20. Saruwatari and Yanome dashed after the ball, which hit the block and bounced to the back of Fukuho’s court. Saruwatari changed the direction of the ball by hitting it with his hand, and Yanome caught up with him and sent the ball backward to his own team with a sort of backhanded throw. Asamatsu pushed the ball into Seiin’s court, but it was picked up by Seiin and a rally ensued. After the opening, in which spikes were made one by one without any rallies, rallies began to occur in the middle game.

At this point in the game, when Seiin would lose the set if one more point was scored, Haijima had Okuma do a quick attack. The ball flew into his hands, and Okuma himself exclaimed in surprised, “Whoa!?” as he hit the ball.

Ochi was also taken aback by the bold set work. However, the score was still 24-21. We can take this set. As he was thinking that and about to write down Seiin’s score in the scorebook…

Thud, thud, thud. The ground shook before his eyes. The ball hadn’t dropped to the ground yet. Mimura had thrown himself to the floor and plunged the back of his hand just barely into the gap between the floor and the ball.

“Saruwatari!”

“Yes, Captain!” When Mimura called out, Saruwatari was running over to follow up. He was leaning over Mimura as he received the ball, and it rose over Fukuho’s court.

Mimura yelled while being pinned under Saruwatari.

“Finish it, Kohei!”

Tokura was running underneath the ball, but had given up on spiking it back and was in position to return the chance ball to Seiin’s side. However, Mimura’s voice made him jump on the spot. It was a difficult spike from standing jump, but he put all his strength into it and hit the ball. The ball passed through Seiin’s block and landed in their court.

Even if they gave Seiin a point here, it wouldn’t have been a very painful loss. If they got a definitive side out next time, this set would have been over. And yet…how many times are you going to make me cry…

25-20. Fukuho took the lead in the first set.

Ochi couldn’t get up from the bench right away.

“Hey, manager. Don’t just sit there, we’re changing sides.”

Mimura crossed in front of the bench and put his hand on Ochi’s head. The reserve members in the warmup area were beginning to move around, carrying their belongings. They were exchanging benches with Seiin.

The court was filled with the heat of a final match that lasted until the full set. However, it was surprising to see that both teams hadn’t lost their concentration after the unusually intense first set, much less be exhausted. Both teams were moving their bodies and waiting eagerly for the next set to start.

On Fukuho’s side of the court, a circle was formed around Hata, and Mimura was sitting on the bench alone with a towel over his head. Ochi, running up to his team late, looked at him strangely.

“My part is over for today.”

He said from under the towel. He bent down and slid his knee supporters down to his ankles with a “heave-ho” feeling.

“I’ll leave the rest to Kohei. I’ve already talked to the coach.”

“Ah, oh…”

It was not uncommon for Mimura to not be fully used in practice matches, but today, he had assumed from the very beginning that he was going to play the full game. He was somewhat disappointed, which showed in his responses. “You look kinda dissatisfied. Your sour look increased by thirty percent,” Mimura laughed and took a sip from his drink bottle.

The words “Subaru only” were written on it in magic marker, and scribbles such as “Too sweet,” “Poisonous to humans,” and “Hidebu” (1) were added to it from various angles. Ochi could recognize who wrote each of them. Takasugi, Asamatsu, Saruwatari, Jinno…all the third year teammates. It was small, but Ochi’s was there as well.

He sat down next to Mimura with a scowl, thinking that he might as well increase his sour look by ten percent more.

“…Explain. Why are you suddenly motivated?”

Before the match, his biorhythm was low no matter how you looked at it, but when the match started, he suddenly kicked into high gear. If Mimura hadn’t led the way, they would have lost the set.

He wondered if it was what he said about how Seiin should go to Spring High if they lost just a practice match, which he seriously believed…then that just meant somewhere in his mind, he had high hopes that they wouldn’t lose even without Mimura.

“You were the one who said it. You said it’s unfair that Seiin has nothing to lose…it’s the opposite. How can those who have nothing to protect be stronger than me?”

The laughter in Mimura’s voice disappeared. His gaze that had drifted to Seiin’s bench became frighteningly sharp for a moment.

Seiin was in a circle with the captain, Oda, in the center. The old advisor was still sitting. Seiin only had one 175cm player in reserve, so they couldn’t pull back their ace like Fukuho. Fukuho, on the other hand, had the strength of the entire team, even if they had to leave Mimura out.

“I’m the captain of Fukuho, which can’t afford to lose its winning record, I’m the ace who is here to make that happen, I’m the prefecture’s MVP, and there are many people in the prefecture who are expecting great things from me. I have to take everyone who entrusted me with their dreams to the Nationals center court. The seniors who couldn’t make it there, everyone on the team, their families…as well as you, and the coach.”

He moved his eyes to Hata’s back, and his eyes softened slightly. In the first set, Hata had been standing firm as Mimura took charge, but now he was giving the players detailed instructions with full vigor.

The year Hata became the advisor to the Fukuho volleyball team, he approached Mimura, who was on his elementary school volleyball team, and waited for him to become a high school student, so the two’s relationship had been much longer than with the rest of the team. Although Mimura had an outstanding volleyball sense and an ace-like personality, he was an unknown quantity in terms of physique at that time. Even so, Hata saw in Mimura a future as an ace who could carry the prefecture.

“I’m talking about everyone, including the little kids who are playing volleyball in middle school or elementary school, looked at me and talked about how cool I am. I have so many things I have to protect and can’t let down that it’s ridiculous.”

Mimura laid out what Ochi had always thought but wondered if Mimura himself was aware of. Despite his naïve and simple character, he sometimes looked at himself objectively, to the point of feeling cold and indifferent.

When he counted them up out loud, he realized that a ridiculous number of expectations were placed on his shoulders. Not only children, but adults as well, all on the shoulders of a high school student at the tender age of seventeen.

“You’ve never fooled yourself, have you? Not even once…”

“It’s not a question of being foolish or not being foolish. You know, it’s because only I am me that I can make all those crazy expectations and responsibilities into my strength without being crushed by them. Oda’s a lucky guy. Last year he couldn’t even make it to the rookie tournament, but in his last year he’s blessed with a team like that. Number 8’s probably more talented than me. If he had played volleyball in Fukui from the beginning, he might be the one called the treasure of the prefecture.”

“That’s…”

Ochi faltered, almost giving an involuntary response. He was bitter about the burden placed on Mimura, but he also believed that the treasure of the prefecture should be none other than Mimura…a selfish contradiction.

When he couldn’t say anything, Mimura let out a small laugh, his shoulders rising up in amusement.

“And yet I’m the one who’s been the prefecture’s MVP for all these years. I’m the only one who has a huge source of energy they could never get even if they wanted it now. So, there’s no one stronger than me in the prefecture, right? That’s why I can’t lose to anyone.”

Ochi looked back dumbfoundedly at Mimura, who was smiling as he declared fearlessly.

What is this…

A slight sense of frustration and a hint of bitterness mingled together in his chest.

He doesn’t look like he’s about to be crushed by the burden at all. What the heck, I was so worried…

Even after three years of being with him, he still thought he was a mysterious guy. With his self-centered attitude guided by a strange positivity, he jumped over Ochi’s ideas with ease many times. The world that had become stagnant before his eyes was drastically rewritten, and a stairway full of light leading to the throne appeared.

And he thought…what a strong guy.

The whistle sounded. It was time to go on the court for the second set. The two teams’ starting members lined up courtside and jumped up and down. Hata didn’t sit down, and it seemed that he intended to call out to them from courtside.

“Kohei! Remind them of our depth!”

Mimura purposely yelled from the bench so that Seiin could hear him. Tokura turned around with a slightly surprised look on his face.

“Go ahead and give it your all!”

Mimura put one hand next to his mouth to form a megaphone and blasted his voice out cheerfully.

They seemed to have held firm with Mimura alone during the first set, but before long, Mimura’s spirit pulled up the concentration of everyone on the team, and by the end, everyone was literally rolling around to keep the ball up. And then the last point, entrusted to Tokura.

“Finish it!” ——It was the one point where Mimura passed the baton to Tokura, knowing that he was going to be down for the next set.

“…Yes!”

With flushed cheeks, Tokura responded with a “Yeah!” and was the first to run out onto the court. Mimura watched him with a smirk. “That kid gets depressed incredibly easily, but it’s also easy to figure out how to raise his spirits.” Ochi shot a glance at him with his eyes half-closed. “…You really are a…”

You really are…

Just how good of an ace and captain can you be?

After sending out his teammates onto the court, Mimura’s energy suddenly dropped. “Ah, it’s hot,” he took huge gulps from his Subaru-only bottle. Of course it’s hot. He was shocked when he sat down next to him. The air was so hot that steam was rising from his shoulders just by being near him.

In the first set, Mimura scored sixteen points, including a block point. In fact, more than sixty percent of the twenty-five points were scored by Mimura’s right arm. The joints of his overworked knees reminded him of the couplers on a steam engine, creaking painfully as the train puffed out smoke. When he took off his supporters, he could still see the scars from his middle school surgery on both knees.

Mimura turned his bottle upside down, trying to lap up the remaining liquid with his tongue. It suddenly reminded him of a battered robot gathering up energy from the outside and pushing it into its hollow body.

Feeling like he had seen the “true identity” of Mimura Subaru, a superhero made up in someone else’s dream, his heart jolted.

---

Seiin, who had finishing preparing to return home, lined up at the door, and at Oda’s signal, they bowed and said, “Thank you very much.” The Fukuho members were already cleaning up then gym, and only Mimura, Oda, and a few others who were close at hand returned their bows and saw them off.

“I guess we’ll call it a tie today.”

Mimura said and held out his right hand to Oda.

“I think you guys gave us the tie. We still have a lot of work to do.”

Oda’s reply was polite but not humble. He said “we still have a lot of work to do” as if it was a matter of course after a tied match with Fukuho as their opponent.

From the first set, in which they concentrated on Mimura alone, Fukuho changed their tactics, and in the second set, they started off with a combination attack from a well-balanced spiker. Seiin, who had been adapting to Mimura’s strong hits, couldn’t immediately respond to this. Fukuho was able to turn things around and escape from the back-and-forth match of the first set.

In the end, six sets were played, and after three sets each, time ran out. Seiin’s No.8 setter, Haijima, seemed unhappy about having to stop after an even number of sets and insisted on playing another set, but the two captains, Mimura and Oda, agreed to stop. Haijima was clearly dissatisfied. This was the immaturity of a first-year player.

Though Haijima insisted on another set, he was now at the end of the line with his stamina completely spent. Kuroba, who was standing next to him, was surprised to see him unsteadily lurching forward and pulled his elbow to make him stand up straight. He didn’t look like he had the energy to do another set. Oda probably saw that it was time to quit.

After today, Ochi found two weak spots to target in Seiin. The first was Oda’s height—they needed to pay special attention to his back attack, but it was no threat to Fukuho’s towering front row. He also sensed that Haijima also found it difficult to use Oda.

The second was that the setter touched the ball too much. Even in the middle of a rally, he tried to get the second touch by himself at any cost. That was probably why he was out of energy. Even if the serve receive wasn’t accurate, the setter could run anywhere, so Seiin’s serve receive was weak.

Maybe if he reviewed today’s video against the scorebook, he could see more.

Seiin was indeed as strong as their reputation had indicated. He had never seen a team in the prefecture that required that much passion in a practice match. He had to admit, that team was a real threat to Fukuho’s era of domination.

That was why, if Fukuho beat this team, they would surely win Nationals this year. This day reinforced that belief.

This year, Fukuho would surely take the center court at Spring High.

If Mimura needed an energy source, he shouldn’t dawdle and hesitate, but entrust his dream to him. He should be greedy—no, that wasn’t right either. He wouldn’t ask him to take him along. He was going to help his friends win, and if there was an opening, even if it was as small as the eye of a needle, he was going to pry it open.

“Alright then. Let’s be opponents in the finals next time.”

With a smile, Oda gripped Mimura’s hand, which was held out to him.

“Oh, really? You’re assuming you’re going to make it all the way to the finals?”

Mimura replied sarcastically, and Oda blushed with an “Huh?”, as though he truly didn’t realize the arrogance of his words. He must have believed in the strength of his team that much.

But once again, he made a tight smile and said, “Of course.”

He declared.

“Then just you wait for what’s coming for you.”

Mimura responded with a natural smile. Of course, Fukuho didn’t expect to lose midway through.

The captains of both teams shook hands firmly. Looking from the outside, it seemed amicable.

After Seiin left and the team members who saw them off dispersed to join in the cleanup, Mimura said, “Ouch. He was gripping my hand so hard that I thought he was going to break it,” and shook his right hand. From Ochi’s point of view, Mimura’s grip was also very strong, so he supposed it was mutual.

He shoved his hand into his jersey pocket and leaned his shoulder against the doorway.

“Number 8!” He shouted outside as though he just recalled something.

As the Seiin group was leaving under the evening sun, one of their backs twitched. When he changed from his uniform to a T-shirt and took down his “8” number, he looked like a first-year member of the team who hadn’t trained much yet.

“See you later!”

Mimura shouted provocatively at Hajima, who looked back at him doubtfully as if he was unsure if he was talking to him. He looked genuinely happy, and Ochi thought this was his face when he was watching the video in the AV room.

The sharpness returned to Haijima’s face, which had lost some of its vigor, and he narrowed his eyes. He bowed his head slightly and chased after his teammates, who were a short distance away. He joined Kuroba, who was waiting for him at the rear, and they began walking together.

He wondered what Mimura would say about those two freshmen, but he didn’t see them off for long.

“Subaru?”

“Subaru--. Can we have a minute?”

“Subaru-senpai!”

Brightly responding to his teammates’ calls with a “Okay!”, he turned back to the gym with his “Mimura Subaru” face on once again.

Previous || Index || Next

[aceofbooks-creative-anthologies]

The Treasures' Vault

These are characters that I have thoughts about, but not necessarily in a romantic selfshipping context. I’m also more than willing to talk about the Lovers in the same context as these characters. I’m also willing to talk about other characters not listed! These just happen to be my faves 🩶

Constantly in development—for some of these media, I picked out characters off of my memory alone, so they’re definitely incomplete. Some of them I’m also actively engaged with/plan on revisiting, so they are also incomplete.

Sorted by source.

🩶2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club

Kimichika Haijima, Shinichiro Oda, Naoyasu Uchimura, Kouhei Tokura, Yuni Kuroba, Mitsuomi Ochi

🩶7 Seeds

Shigeru, Yamori Chimaki, Kaname Mozunoto, Hana Sugurono, Mansaku Tsunomata, Yukima Haru, Aramaki Takahiro, Samejima Fubuki, Haza Akio, Shishigaki Ran, Ango, Ryou, Ayu, Gengorou, Ban, Nijiko, Ibaraki Mark, Kagami Norikazu, Arashi Aota, Semimaru Asai

🩶Arcane

Ekko, Jinx, Vander, Viktor

🩶Ascendance of a Bookworm

Gunther, Yohan, Josef, Karstedt, Lutz, Main, Otto, Ferdinand, Damuel, Delia, Fran, Gil, Mark

🩶Assassination Classroom

Tadaomi Karasuma, Yuuma Isogai, Kaede Kayano (Akira Yukimura), Gakushuu Asano, Karuma Akabane, The Reaper, Korosensei (Specifically Human), Touka Yada, Tomohito Sugino, Yuuji Norita, Rikuto Ikeda, Ryouma Terasaka, Rio Nakamura, Hiroto Maehara, Nagisa Shiota, Sousuke Sugaya, Kirara Hazama, Sakura Kiyashiki, Ryuunosuke Chiba, Itona Horibe

🩶Attack on Titan

Sasha Braus, Connie Springer

🩶Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra

Sokka, Toph Beifong, Zuko, King Bumi, Iroh, Asami Sato, Bumi, General Iroh, Huan Beifong, Kya, Wei and Wing Beifong

🩶Black Butler

Sebastian Michealis, Finnian

🩶Black Clover

Finral Roulacase, Zora Ideale, Julius Novachrono, Magna Swing, Luck Volita, Raia

🩶Blood Blockade Battlefront

K.K., William Macbeth, Chein Sumeragi

🩶Bluelock

Ryousuke Kira, Reo Mikage, Okuhito Iemon, Ikki Niko, Shouei Barou, Seishirou Nagi, Sae Itoshi

🩶Buddy Daddies

Kazuki Kurusu

🩶Bungou and Alchemist: Gears of Judgement

Chuuya Nakahara, Shiga Naoya, Sakunosuke Oda, Ango Sakaguchi

🩶Bungou Stray Dogs

Yukichi Fukuzawa, Nikolai Gogol, Mizuki Tsujimura, Mark Twain, Kenji Miyazawa, Mushitarou Oguri, Sigma, Edgar Allen Poe, Ranpo Edogawa, Katai Tayama, Rokuzou Taguchi, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, Jun'ichirou Tanizaki, Ryuunosuke Akutagawa, Ango Sakaguchi, Doppo Kunikida, Ryuurou Hirotsu, Tetchou Suehiro, Akiko Yosano, Gin Akutagawa, Saigiku Jouno

🩶Burn the Witch

Billy Banx Jr., Balgo Ywain Parks, Bruno Bangnyfe

🩶Case Study of Vanitas

Vanitas

🩶Cells at Work!/Cells at Work!: Code Black

AE3803, Basophil, Dendritic Cell, Memory B Cell, Regulatory T Cell, U-1146, Platelet (Leader), Helper T Cell, B Cell, Killer T Cell (Leader), Mast Cell, Natural Killer Cell, Naive T Cell, AA2153, AC1677, Platelet (Code Black Leader), BD7599, AD6614

🩶Castlevania

Hector, Lenore, Saint Germain

🩶Chainsaw Man

Himeno

🩶Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

David Martinez, Gloria Martinez, Lucyna Kushinada

🩶Dances With the Dragons

Jesper Livy Raki, Gayus Levina Soleil, Gigana Jardi Doruk Meleios Ashley-Bufh

🩶Dead Mount Death Play

Rizdilusia Redrazalf (Corpse God), Sir Shagrua Edith Lugrid (Calamity Crusher), Rozan Shinoyama, Sayo Shinoyama, Misaki Sakimiya, Framrodia Byandiraz, Shaoyuu Rei, Momoya Agakura, The Grocer, Polka Shinoyama, Miyabi Hosorogi, Lemmings, Civil A. Sabaramond, Kuon Higuro

🩶Death Note

Ryuuku, L Lawliet, Touta Matsuda

🩶Deadman Wonderland

Yoh Takami, Akira Shindou, Bundou Rokuro, Domon, Endou, Hibana Daida, Karako Koshio (Game Fowl), Kiwako Flugel Makina, Momoi, Nagi Kengamine (Owl), Ohara, Rei Takashima, Tohshirou Kan, Toto Sakigami (Mockingbird), Ueshima, Wakabayashi

🩶Defense of the Ancients: Dragon’s Blood

Bram, Auroth, Lina, Marci

🩶Demon Slayer

Tengen Uzui, Douma, Inosuke Hashibira, Hotaru Haganezuka, Muichiro Tokito, Mitsuri Kanroji, Gen'ya Shinazugawa, Zen'itsu Agatsuma

🩶Dr. Stone

Taiju Ooki, Kohaku, Chrome, Suika, Kaseki, Maguma, Ukyoh Saionji, Shishiou Tsukasa, Yoh Uei, Shamil Volkov, Byakuya Ishigami, Lillian Weinberg, Minami Hokutouzai, Francois, Hyouga Akatsuki, Mozu

🩶Dungeon Meshi

Laois Touden, Marcille Donatou, Chilchuck Tims

🩶Edens Zero

Weisz Steiner (Young)

🩶Fairy Tail

Cana Alberona, Yuuri Dreyar, Bickslow, Gildarts Clive

🩶Fate

Irisviel von Einzbern, Iskandar, Kiritsugu Emiya, Kariya Matou, Artoria Pendragon, Maiya Hisau, Natalia Kaminski, Flat Escardos, Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, Yvette L. Lehrman, Melvin Weins, Svin Glascheit, Gray, Shirou Emiya, Sakura Matou, EMIYA, Sasaki Kojirou, Romani Archaman, Quetzalcoatl, Ishtar, Leonardo da Vinci, Merlin, First Hassan, Ana/Medusa, Enkidu/Kingu, Ereshkigal, Leonardo Bistario Harwey, Gawain, Francis Drake, Hakuno Kishinami (Male), Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Rin Tohsaka (from EXTRA Last Encore), Rani-Eito

🩶Fire Force

Vulcan Joseph, Joker, Arthur Boyle, Ogun Montgomery, Maki Oze, Paan Ko Paat, Karim Flam

🩶Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Frieren, Stark, Himmel, Heiter, Kraft, Stoltz, Orden, Gorilla Warrior, Flamme

🩶Fruits Basket

Kyou Souma, Hatori Souma, Saki Hanajima

🩶Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Maes Hughes, Ling Yao/Greed, Olivier Mira Armstrong, Izumi Curtis, Envy, Riza Hawkeye

🩶Goblin Slayer

Goblin Slayer, Wizard Boy, Guild Girl, Female Knight, High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, Lizard Priest, High Elf Archer’s Cousin

🩶Haikyuu!!

Asahi Azumane, Yuu Nishinoya, Chikara Ennoshita, Tobio Kageyama, Tadashi Yamaguchi, Ittetsu Takeda, Ikkei Ukai, Kiyoko Shimizu, Mao Aihara, Saeko Tanaka, Issei Matsukawa, Takahiro Hanamaki, Shigeru Yahaba, Akira Kunimi, Kenji Futakuchi, Kanji Koganegawa, Kousuke Sakunami, Mai Nametsu, Akinori Konoha, Yukie Shirofuku, Hana Misaki, Takaaki Anabara, Yuudai Hyakuzawa, Morisuke Yaku, Taketora Yamamoto, Kenma Kozume, Sakae Echigo

🩶Hell’s Paradise

Gabimaru, Aza Choubei, Nurugai, Yuzuriha, Yui, Yamada Asaemon Tenza

🩶Hellsing/Hellsing Ultimate

Alucard, Sir Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, Walter C. Dornez, Pip Vernedead, Warrant Officer Schrodinger

🩶Jujutsu Kaisen

Mei Mei, Mahito, Takuma Ino, Maki Zen'in, Noritoushi Kamo, Yuuta Okkotsu, Koukichi Muta/Mechamaru, Shouko Ieiri, Kasumi Miwa, Chousou (Kamo),

🩶Log Horizon

Eins, Michitaka, Roderick, Takayama Misa, Elias Hackblade, Rezarick, Utena Saiguu Touri, Tatara, Prince Iselus El-Arde Cowen, Kanami, Rundelhaus Code, Shouryuu, Tetora, Calasin, KR, Roe2, Rieze, Naotsugu, Touya, Henrietta, Demiqas, Leonardo, Nazuna, Nyanta, Princess Raynesia El-Arte Cowen, Li Gan, Minori, Isuzu, Kinjo

🩶Magi

Sinbad, Sharrkan Amun-Ra, Ja'far

🩶Mashle: Magic And Muscles

Finn Ames, Tom Knowles, Brad Coleman, Regro Burnedead, Anna Crown

🩶Moriarty the Patriot

Mycroft Holmes, Irene Adler/James Bonde, Louis Moriarty, Miss Hudson

🩶My Hero Academia

Fumikage Tokoyami, Jin Bubaigawara, Dabi/Touya Todoroki

🩶Obey Me: Shall We Date?/Nightbringer

Lucifer, Leviathan, Asmodeus, Diavolo, Solomon, Luke

🩶Ouran High School Host Club

Ritsu Kasanoda, Tetsuya Sendo

🩶Overlord

Elias Brandt Dale Raeven, Gondo Firebeard, Ninya, Dyne Woodwonder, Hamsuke, Jircniv Ruun Farlord El-Nix, Gazef Stronoff, Enri Emmot, Aura Bera Fiohra, Hekkeran Termite, Maare Bero Fiohre, Nfirea Bareare, Keno Fasris Invern/Evileye/Landfall, Climb, Tsuareniinya Veyron, Sebas Tian, Nimble Arc Dale Anoch

🩶Romantic Killer

Anzu Hoshino, Arisa Kazuki, Hijiri Koganei, RiRi/Rio, Ryuya, Saki Takamine, Junta Hayami, Tsuchiya

🩶Seven Deadly Sins

Ban, Merlin, Gowther, Howser, Jericho, Monspeet

🩶Soul Eater/Soul Eater Not!

Justin Law, Kimial Diehl, Giriko, Jou Buttataki, Miira Naigusu, Shido Baretto, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, Jacqueline O. Lantern Dupre

🩶Spriggan

Jean Jacquemonde, Mirage/Oboro

🩶Spy X Family

Loid Forger, Bond Forger, Dominic, Anya Forger, Yuri Briar, Franky Franklin, Martha Mariott, Becky Blackbell, Daybreak, Damian Desmond, Sylvia Sherwood, Yor Forger, Henry Henderson, Matthew McMahon, Assassin Leader

🩶Sword Art Online/Gun Gale Online/Alicization

Tsuboi Ryoutarou/Klein, Shinozaki Rika/Lisbeth, Andrew Gilbert Mills/Agil, Asada Shino/Sinon, Bercouli Herlentz, Higa Takeru, Isukaan, Fanatio, Eldrie Woolsburg, Renri, Sheita

🩶The Dragon Prince

Amaya, Azymondias/Zym, Corvus, Gren, Lujanne, Soren, Terry

🩶Tokyo Ghoul

Ryouko Fueguchi, Rize Kamishiro, Renji Yomo, Noro, Nishiki Nishio, Kimi Nishino, Nashiro Yasuhisa/Shiro, Kurona Yasuhisa/Kuro, Naki, Matasaka Kamishiro, Kureo Mado, Ken Kaneki, Kazuichi Banjou, Kaya Irimi, Juuzou/Rei Suzuya, Hinami Fueguchi, Itori, Hideyoshi Nagachika/Hide, Yukinori Shinohara, Kuzen Yoshimura, Yoriko Kosaka, Uta, Touka Kirishima, Tatara, Shuu Tsukiyama, Seidou Takizawa, Takeomi Kuroiwa

🩶Tokyo Revengers

Hinata Tachibana, Ema Sano, Nahoya Kawata/Smiley, Makoto Suzuki, Ken Ryuuguji/Draken, Takuya Yamamoto, Naoto Tachibana

🩶Trigun/Trigun: Stampede

Roberto De Niro, Bradd

🩶Violet Evergarden

Claudia Hodgins, Benedict Blue, Iris Cannary

🩶Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Akira Tendou, Shou, Ken'ichirou Ryuuzaki, Shizuka Mikazuki, Beatrix Amerhauser

© divider from @/cafekitsune 🩶

[aceofbooks]

Favorite Animes

I don’t read manga

not comprehensive, italics indicates a comfort anime

Haikyuu!!

Death Note (don’t read into this being a comfort anime)

Buddy Daddies

Ascendance of a Bookworm

Bungo Stray Dogs

Dead Mount Death Play

Goblin Slayer

Log Horizon

Dr. Stone

Tokyo Revengers [not caught up]

My Hero Academia

Attack on Titan [not caught up]

Moriarty the Patriot

Dances with the Dragons

Burn the Witch

Bluelock

2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team

Blood Blockade Battlefront

Black Clover

Fairy Tail

The Case Study of Vanitas

Ouran High School Host Club

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Fruits Basket

Spy X Family

Fire Force

Soul Eater

Assassination Classroom

Magi

Hell’s Paradise

Violet Evergarden

Romantic Killer

7 Seeds

Dungeon Meshi

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Jujutsu Kaisen

Demon Slayer

The Apothecary Diaries

© divider from @/saradika-graphics 🩶

[dejwrld]

what’s an underrated sports anime i can watch or read the manga of?

remain, 2.43 seiin high school boys volleyball team, the salaryman’s club, initial d, and welcome to the ballroom

[a-o-t-season4]

Watch 2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu English Subbed

Watch 2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu Episodes with English Subtitles online. Watch 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team episodes English Subbed for free. Download the Anime (2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team) English Subbed in high quality at NM Anime.

Story Of 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team: Kimichika Haijima, a high school student, returns to his hometown of Fukui after causing trouble in the Tokyo Junior High School volleyball club. There, he is reunited with Yunii Kuroba, a childhood friend who possesses exceptional physical abilities but is vulnerable under pressure. Haijima and Kuroba form an ace combination due to their overwhelming passion and talent for volleyball. They enrol at Seiin High School and join the volleyball club. The 163 cm hot-blooded captain Shinichirou Oda, the talented and sharp-tongued vice-captain Misao Aoki and his third-year pair, and second-year students, including Akito Kanno, who is allergic to sunlight, await them. The new team emerges from its shell of weakness to become Fukui's rising star. This is one team's journey to victory, with a slew of intriguing opponents in their way.

Synopsis of 2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu English Subbed

Kimichika Haijima, a brilliant setter, returns to Fukui from Tokyo after being forced out of his school's volleyball team. He is reunited with Yuni Kuroba, a member of the Monshiro Middle School Boys' Volleyball Team who is unaware of his own abilities. Haijima notices Kuroba's talent and decides to form a new volleyball team with Kuroba as the team's ace. At the prefectural tournament, Kuroba cracks under pressure, causing the Monshiro team to disintegrate after losing. The loss also causes a schism between Haijima and Kuroba, prompting the former to leave the team. Now that they are students at Seiin High School, Haijima and Kuroba are back on the same volleyball team. Haijima, having learned from his previous mistakes, assists Kuroba in overcoming his performance anxiety in order to become the ace and lead the team to the prefectural championship. Seiin hopes to win the prefecturals and represent Fukui at the Spring Tournament with the help of team captain Shinichirou Oda and vice captain Misao Aoki. To do so, they must defeat Fukuho Technical High School, the reigning Fukui champions. Will Haijima's team overcome the odds, or will they follow in his footsteps and fail?

Summary of the anime

Original Title: 2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu

English Title: 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team

Japanese title: 2.43 清陰高校男子バレー部

Theme: School, Team Sports

Demographic: -

Other Names: -

[metalandmagi]

Winter 2021 Anime Worth Watching!

Since 2020 basically sacrificed itself to give us the most stacked anime season of all time, I’m currently buried under the weight of almost 20 shows airing per week. So for anyone who’s looking for some anime to watch this winter, here’s some first impressions! I’m speed running my list this time by only talking about the new shows...because otherwise this would be my great American novel. 

If anyone’s interested, I have master lists for both 2020 anime and 2019 anime, because there’s no shortage of fun things to find. 

New Shows!

And before anyone asks, So I’m A Spider, So What? isn’t on here, because CG spiders freak me out.

Cells At Work Code Black: This...less comedic spin off of Cells At Work (made by a different studio) takes the wholesome concept of Osmosis Jones meets cute anime girls and turns it on its head. In this much more depressing version, we follow a rookie red blood cell who works in the body of an overly stressed, alcoholic smoker who puts every strain on the body imaginable. I love Red Blood Cell AA2153 and his co-workers, but man am I glad we get the regular Cells At Work airing this season too, because I need something fun and uplifting after seeing my sweet son go through hell every episode. 

*Heaven’s Design Team: Have you ever wondered how God came up with some of the weird ass animals that live on this planet? Like, what’s the deal with giraffes? And why can’t we have dragons and flying horses? Well this is a comedy about the engineers and designers in heaven creating the new animals that are going to inhabit the Earth. That’s it, that’s the show. It’s kind of in the same vein as Cells At Work, having comedy blend with a surprising amount of educational information. If you want something light and funny, this is the show for you (though I don’t think it needs to have full length episodes). I’m just hoping there’s an episode about how the hell the platypus was created. Also it’s the only new one available on Crunchyroll.

Horimiya: A romantic comedy about a girl named Hori who fits the image of a perfect queen bee and a quiet bespectacled boy named Miyamura who never makes an impression at school. When the two meet by chance outside of the classroom, we see that Hori is practically raising a younger brother by herself, and Miyamura is actually a sweet guy who happens to be covered in tattoos and piercings. This show is an exercise in breaking down the images people have of others in their minds, and it’s a concept that really hits home in a fun and meaningful way. Honestly, this has become one of my immediate favorites. The characters have great chemistry, and I can’t wait to see more of them!

Monster Incidents (Kemono Jihen): When big shot Tokyo detective Inugami is called to a rural town to investigate a series of strange animal deaths, he finds a mysterious boy with the nickname Dorotabo who has been shunned by the other children in town. As the detective gets closer to Dorotabo, he discovers that there may be more...inhuman secrets to the boy than he realizes...and Dorotabo discovers that Inugami has some secrets of his own. This is a hard show to sell without spoiling the first episode, but it had twists and turns that kept me engaged from start to finish. I’m really interested to see where the plot goes, because I thought this was going to be something totally different just from the PV and series summary. If it plays its cards right, this could be a great paranormal detective show!

Wonder Egg Priority: A psychological drama about a girl named Ai who starts having dreams about a mysterious egg that promises to give her what she wants most in the world...a true friend. Before long, she begins to see how the dream world and reality are tied together, and trippy antics ensue. It’s hard to say more without spoiling anything, but I had to go back and add this one in because I made the mistake of thinking it was an OVA when it’s actually a full series. And what a series it’s starting out to be. This anime has all the psychological discomfort of a Satoshi Kon product with the beauty and style of something from Kyoani (even though it’s made by Clover Works). It’s really one of those anime you just have to see to understand.

Sk8-∞ (Skate the infinity): An original skateboarding anime from Bones, featuring a typical sports anime protagonist who takes a new transfer student who has never skateboarded in his life under his wing. Together they compete in dangerous races and take the skating community by storm. The character designs rival Appare Ranman’s in outlandish creativity, and I can smell the main characters’ ship dynamic a mile away (considering they’re exactly the same as the protagonists from Robihachi). If you’re looking for some wild and crazy fun with top notch skateboarding animation, don’t skip this!

2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu (Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club): Yes, it’s another volleyball anime. And no, it’s not just a clone of Haikyu. This story follows Yuni Kuroba, a physically built but emotionally weak teenager who finds out his childhood friend Hajime is moving back to their hometown for high school. Yuni discovers Hajime has become an exceptional volleyball player and they join their school’s volleyball club hoping to turn the unknown team into a rising star. If anything, this anime is much more like Stars Align or Free, where the sport is a backdrop for letting the characters explore their personal problems. Or at least it seems that way after the first episode. I went into this show ready to throw it in the trash because how could anything compete against my beloved Haikyu, but I found myself really enjoying the dynamics of the main duo and I’m curious to see what the rest of the team is like.

And speaking of sports anime rip-offs…..I can’t believe I’m including this but…

Skate Leading Stars: The show where the animators clearly wanted to design another throw away idol anime but saw how popular Yuri On Ice was so they decided to make whatever the hell this show is instead. It revolves around a fictional team sport called skate leading, and we follow the world’s most insufferable main character, a former figure skater named Kensei who wants to return to the ice and join his school’s skate leading team after he finds out his childhood rival is going to compete in the sport. Look, this show is just trashy enough to get a certain type of audience hooked, and it mainly has to do with the best boy of the winter season, Hayato Sasugai, the aspiring team “coach” who pulled most of us into watching this show with his punk appearance, snide comments and smug personality. He’s basically the lovechild of Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima in a high school sports anime setting. The show treats itself with the perfect amount of sincerity to get away with being absolutely ridiculous most of the time without making you feel like you’re watching it from a dumpster...like Try Knights. You will know after one episode whether this show is for you. All I can say is, Hayato is worth the watch, and I haven’t seen any 3D animation used for the skating scenes (yet) so that’s a win for me. 

Honorable mention:

Jobless Reincarnation ( Mushoku Tensei): Yet another isekai where the main character is hit by a car (big surprise) and gets reincarnated into a fantasy world...but he happens to remember his previous life and narrates himself growing up as a jaded adult. I’m only including this because it looked amazing animation wise, and I love the opening where getting hit by a car and dying is actually traumatic. And I love the protagonist’s parents (who are retired adventurers who just want to bang all the time). But honestly...the main character is the fucking worst, and I don’t know if I want to keep watching it because of how creepy and weird he is. Like...he’s the hit on your fantasy mom as a baby kind of creepy and weird. But for anyone who wants a cool looking isekai that had an amazing PV, it’s worth checking out. 

Continuing Series!

Because the real gold of the season is in all the established anime getting their next seasons, I’m just going to list some of the things that are also amazing and definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already (because I’ve already talked about most of them at some point and don’t know what else to say).

Attack On Titan season 4

The Promised Neverland season 2

Beastars season 2

Log Horizon season 3

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 2

Re: Zero season 2 (second cour)

Dr. Stone season 2

Cells at Work season 2

Osomatsu-san season 3 (second cour)

Higurashi New (second cour)

Jujutsu Kaisen (second cour) 

Not to mention all the shows I don’t watch that everyone else loves...like World Trigger (which I have seen quite a bit of, but long shounen shows are too much for me now) Quintessential Quintuplets, and Non Non Biyori. 

So there’s just some of all the anime airing this season. Hopefully, someone can find something they like. Here’s to a great year...well, of anime at least...

[itachis]

YUNI & CHIKA ✰ 2.43 ep 1.

[rosieanime]

Ranking Every Sports Anime I've Ever Seen!

3...2...1.... GO!!

This post of mine is a long time coming because I have thought and thought and thought about making it forever. I am a HUGE fan of sports anime, for the bromance, passion, sports action, and the excitement in every single episode!!! I have seen a lot so here I will be ranking them and trying to convince you to see them, if you haven’t <3

1. Free!

I could never forget to put this gem as my #1 sports anime. Regardless if you're a fan of swimming, this show will make you want to get WET! ... pun intended. The fan-service is off the charts, I am still shocked at how bold they were sometimes, but beyond that, you will be genuinely, truly, and extremely excited about their races. You will be cheering them on and feeling that jolt of adrenaline right along with the racers. I can never watch Olympics swimming the same away again.

Every character has a unique personality and they stand out. "I only swim Free" Haru has my entire heart and his bonds with everyone just scream cute. I also wouldn't say this show is catered towards females only; it has something for everyone.

I'm not an athlete at all, but this show made me want to go swim a lap and feel accomplished. The team-building is realistic and their struggles are raw. From the beginning to the end, you will be anxious for their victories and understanding of their failures.

Truly a diamond in the sports anime world.

2. Tsurune

An entire show about ARCHERY. Can you believe it? I was mesmerized. It was GORGEOUS. At first I thought it would be so boring but wow was I wrong.... this show is unlike anything I have ever seen before and the only reason it doesn't take #1 was it was TOO. SHORT. It deserves several more seasons to really flesh it all out, and I can never get enough of watching their archery traditional rituals. This isn't normal archery, no no no. The music, the build-up, the way they lined up, the shots, the expressions, the vibe. This show was insanely good, and I am gearing for a re-watch.

Also, if you need anymore convincing....

WHAT. EVEN. They were so attractive. There were DEFINITE ships but there were also actual confrontations and drama that felt resolved and genuine. The friendship between some of the main characters killed me. The rivalry was also INTENSE.

The animation was seriously stunning. I wish I could watch this for the first time without knowing anything, but do me a huge favor and do that for me??? <3

3. Yuri! on Ice

AHHH!! This show is everything to me. To be fair, I came into this already a huge fan of figure skating so I was excited beyond belief to see animated programs, but even if you aren’t a fan (aka my best friend I watched this with) you will be OBSESSED. 

I’ve seen this show three times, no regrets, and each time feels like a treat. There is a beautiful, yet low-key, romantic vibe between the coach and skater which labels this as a BL in my eyes, but you could still watch without any of that and enjoy every moment. 

I think one of my favorite parts of this show was all the reactions to the skating. When Yuri, our main character, would perform, his coach always was shown to be reacting in some way, and it just built the hype further. There were also several other skaters you’d actually get to learn about and watch, so that adds deeper layers to the show. 

This show is a blast. It’s fun, hilarious, romantic, sweet, exciting, and intense. There is a perfect balance of serious and comedy, and every character is just an adorable cinnamon roll. What are you waiting for?!??! This is the perfect show before the Winter Olympics. 

4. Sk8 the Infinity

AHHH! This is a relatively new show, just released this year, but wow it had my heart racing... and not just for the bromance between our main boys. The entire premise was an illegal skateboarding track and everyone had an alternate persona at midnight when they competitively skated each other. I live and die for the relationships between the characters and there was not a single boring episode! 

I literally think this is the single most entertaining show I’ve ever seen about a sport as unique as skateboarding, and I binged it all in one night. This is a show you’d want to re-watch! There is a literal plot, with a villain, and you will be rooting for so many and also wanting to see down-falls. It streams on Funimation and you don’t want to miss it!!! (PS: The dub is great, seriously. Especially Joe’s voice!)

5. number24

I waited a long time for the dub to drop on Funimation and it was WELL WORTH the wait. I had an amazing time watching this anime dedicated to RUGBY! Note, I have never seen a real-life rugby game and actually didn’t know much about it at all. You’ll find yourself learning a lot. 

I have to be honest... this show is more focused on the relationships than the actual sport, so that might seem like a con to some. To me, though, I was soaking it up. The bonds and character development are amazing. I loved the trope of an injured player coming back as a coach. It was heart-warming, motivating, and inspiring! 

I’m posting that gif because I know what I’m doing here ;) 

6. Run with the Wind

Some might say this should be ranked higher, and I agree that it is a wonderful show, but looking back, it didn't stick out to me as much as others did. However, what a gem! I sincerely believe everyone should see this show. Only gripe I had... where was the relationship and character development? I would have loved to see more. Ironic considering it is the only anime on this list that is more than 20 episodes for a single season. 

It’s hard to imagine a show dedicated to running could be fascinating, but it really was. The animation was pretty amazing and the beginning of the show was hilarious, with everyone resisting being part of this running team and practically experiencing fear tactics just to join. All in good fun, though. They came around, of course. The bromance and the pain and the struggles every day as they achieved their dreams were relatable. 

That being said, the ending was a knife to the heart. It was raw, painful, and glorious all at once. I encourage everyone to watch this. You’ll seriously want to grab your running shoes and feel the wind in your face. I’ll never look at running the same way again! 

7. Prince of Stride: Alternative

I’ve come to realize this is a most unheard of anime, and I’m so sad about that. It’s seriously phenomenal! Crazy that this sport doesn’t even actually exist, which is double sad. I was seriously impressed with this show, though! Stride is a sport that involves running + parkour through real city streets as a team, and relaying to one another. I have never been more invested in watching a sport; I was on the edge of my seat when they were racing, and I am so appreciative that this show actually dedicated full episodes to the races. 

You will be intensely watching all the races, no doubt. The show grips you from the very start. I am amazed more people haven’t seen this. 

There is definite fan-service. Cue the gif below. 

It’s honestly super canon that one of the characters is gay, and I love watching those relationships develop. There is also an emphasis on some sibling relationships, which were some of my favorite in the show. All about that rivalry, living in an older sibling’s shadow, becoming your own person -- all that good stuff. 

Turn the tide and watch this underrated gem!!! 

8. Gymnastics Samurai

Recent and decent. That’s how I’d describe this show. Aside from Bakuten, this was the gymnastics show of the year, and I had a great time seeing it. Disclaimer, there is virtually zero fan-service or bromance here, aside from a middle aged man bonding with a teenager, in a TOTALLY healthy and fatherly way. He has a literal daughter, so everything in the show was normal. It was about a previously slated champion of gymnastics wanting to make his debut return, and struggling with his health and fitness, but going through with it all the same. I can’t lie and say it was the most exciting show, but I binged in a day because I was genuinely invested. 

The father-daughter dynamic was adorable. I was also inspired by the tenacity and perseverance layered deep within this show. I think if you want to feel motivated to continue your dreams or start something new, this is the show to look towards. 

9. Bakuten!

With that, I come to the second gymnastics-style show. This one’s all about rhythmic gymnastics! There is that typical trope, of a kid who is barely any good but wanting to make it work, and then the start athlete who comes off as a tsundere. Sprinkle in some senpei characters, and you have yourself a team that will bond and struggle throughout the episodes, until their glorious finish. 

There were laugh-out-loud moments, and also tear-jerking episodes. I was already feeling emotional at the opening song, because it was the same band that sang the opening for Given. Instant hook! I would label this a fun show that you would enjoy, but it’s not a can’t-miss. 

10. 2.43 Seiin High Volleyball

Fun fact: This was my first subbed anime, ever. 

I was intrigued by this anime because it was about volleyball. I, for some reason, never got into Haikyuu (cue the shocked gasps), so I thought I’d give this a try. I’m happy to say I DID enjoy this one and finished it within a day. I really liked the mystery atmosphere of character backstories and I was invested in their journey. Not to mention... cutest bromance!! 

There was a little too much of the overt blushing, but at the time, I found it adorable. Looking back... could they have been more obvious? Even as friends, they had a lot to tension and arguments to overcome before becoming close, and it was all so REAL. 

11. Skate Leading Stars!

After Yuri on Ice, I saw this show had ice skating and did not even hesitate. Glad for that, because it was seriously entertaining!!!! I LOVED the idea of the rival’s brother helping the main character....  what a unique twist???? And I loved the tumblr jokes about them low-key being into each other. Imagine how the rival must have felt honestly. The vibes were THERE. That’s all I’m going to say on that. 

I still don’t quite understand what skate leading is... but let’s be real, this show was not made to showcase the sport. 

LOOK AT THEM! They were so hilarious together. Some of the most comedic moments I’ve experienced in anime. 

All in all, wonderful show <3 

12. Dive!!

You saw my number one show, right? How could anyone even TRY to emulate that... no way. This was an obvious attempt at Free, but with a younger cast and variation on the sport. But all the vibes were there: being shirtless around your friends 24/7, being obsessed with your rival to an unhealthy degree, ignoring your best friends for your rival, female coach/manager, fascination with the water.... you name it. I wish this show was better but it got good the last episode and then it was over. 

I think it’s funny that I can’t even find a gif for this because Free keeps showing up. 

13. Cheer Boys!

This was a show I really wanted to like more, but it got stale after the first half. I dragged myself to finish the second half more than a month later.... and I’m glad I did because the ending was exciting. I still wouldn’t put this near the top by any means. The animation could have been better and the bonds between characters could have been explored further. I still don’t know the point of half the individuals on their cheer team. Also, what happened with their futures? So many questions. Not enough answers. 

There was about... 0.5 fan-service. The relationship between the main friends was the only thing that had any depth to it. They had a strong bond, that much was clear, but sometimes they never talked things out and then it was forgotten. That FRUSTRATES me. 

However, I appreciate the effort at an anime centered around boys being cheerleaders. That’s not something you see everyday! 

14. Big Windup! 

Ah, so I did see a baseball anime after all. This is one of many out there (I’m looking at you Diamond of Ace... on my watchlist forever) but it was a good choice I think. I only saw the first season because I wasn’t interested enough to keep going. 

Listen... we need to talk about the main character. There are a few, so I don’t want to spoil. But there is this one character... you’ll know right away... who is so so so annoying. I can’t tell if it’s his voice, personality, face, or just overall existence. I tried hard to get past it. I read posts everywhere about people saying it gets better. It didn’t get better. I have no clue how I managed to finish the season but I got through... cringing the entire time. 

Trust me, you’ll know. 

That’s why I can’t say much about this show. I did really like the NOT ANNOYING characters, and I did focus on them mostly. The vibes were cute, with everyone helping out the weaker players, but yeah... that one character. He was not it. 

Here’s a cute gif because there are cute moments!!! If you like baseball, you’ll love this because they dedicated like 16 episodes to one game. Not exaggerating lol

-----------

There you have it! Those are all the sports anime I have seen so far, ranked! I hope you enjoyed this :) 

I want to hear your thoughts! <3 

[raeyhem]

we're winning but at what cost

[westxrlund]

冫like or reblog if you save

冫requested by: uzzmaa

[seiin-translations]

2.43 S2 Chapter 1.5 - The Laughing King and Crybaby Jack (Part 5)

5. SCOUTING

Previous || Index || Next

It was now Wednesday of the following week. After school, as the team members gathered in the gym after changing into their practice clothes without waiting for cleaning time to end, a first-year told Ochi that Tokura was feeling ill and wanted to take the day off.

“He got diarrhea? Did he eat something weird?”

“I-I guess so.”

They couldn’t afford for him to lose his strength at this critical time. As he was thinking about texting him later, Saruwatari passed by and said, “Kohei? I saw him eating a lot of bread when he was cleaning. I thought he was just eating before practice.”

“What did you say?”

Saruwatari flinched when Ochi unconsciously widened his eyes in anger.

“You want me to go look for him?”

“No…I’ll go. Can you tell Sensei for me? I’ll leave the rest of the preparations to you.”

“Oh, Ochi-senpai. What should we say to Subaru-senpai?”

Just as he was about to run out after putting on his outdoor shoes, the first-year called after him. He thought it would be easier to have Mimura go look for him than to go himself, but he couldn’t use their ace for such an errand.

“Don’t tell Mimura any more than you have to. Kohei is sick. I have to go out to run an errand.”

It wasn’t so much as having an idea, but something he intuitively knew.

Athletic club members in tracksuits and uniforms shuffled along the path between the back of the school and the sports ground. Beyond it, he could see the bike parking area under a sheet iron roof.

Tokura was pulling out his beloved bike from a cluttered group of bikes parked in what looked like an oversized garbage dump. “Geh,” he reacted in an obvious way when he spotted Ochi.

“You look good for a guy who’s got diarrhea.”

Ochi went around to the front of his bike and grabbed the basket.

“If you can’t manage your physical condition before the tournament, then I can’t entrust the position of Subaru’s diagonal to you. Sensei also said that it was about time we start using the first-years in the starting lineup.”

He leaned over the basket and let his voice lower an octave. Tokura’s brows furrowed in a pitiful expression.

“I-I thought I’d go see Seiin’s practice…”

He hung his head and confessed the truth.

“The tournament is next week. If you want to see Seiin in person, you can see them then.”

In the qualifiers, which would be held next weekend on September 27 and 28, the twenty-two competing schools would be divided into two groups of eleven schools and play in a tournament to sift down to the last two schools. These two schools would then compete in the representative play-offs in November to determine the representative school that would be sent to Tokyo.

Fukuho, who was the number one seed, would not participate in the tournament draw. The matchup would be up to Seiin’s luck in the lottery, but as luck would have it, Seiin drew the group where Fukuho was not. In other words, the two schools would not meet in the qualifiers. Only if the two schools reached the top of their respective groups without losing a single game, they would finally face off in November.

“Rather than caring about other teams that we don’t even know if we’re going to play, we have other things to do right now. If we get caught in the qualifiers, we’ll be too miserable to look at.”

“Y-yes, but…”

Tokura mumbled, his shoulders slumping. Ochi sighed.

“I’ll go with him.”

“What?” Tokura raised his eyes when Ochi said that without much hesitation.

“I don’t want you to worry about the court next to you at the qualifiers. If you go see them now and be satisfied, you can focus on what is in front of you, right?”

---

The train service wasn’t very frequent, so they had to wait a long time for the train bound for Nanafu, and it was a twenty-minute walk from Nanafu Station to Seiin High School. They came there as quickly as they could, but they probably arrived at the latter half of the volleyball team’s practice time.

Seiin High School was located on a mountain slope that was exposed to the western sun. Ochi and Tokura rode their bikes up the slope, passing Seiin students who were riding down the slope nimbly on their bikes. Although the sun’s rays were less intense than in midsummer, the heat from the ground rushed up to meet their faces when they leaned forward.

However, more than the sunlight and temperature, there was something that both of them felt painfully in their skins.

“Kuh…Seiin has a lot of girls…so chatty, they should put their studies first since they’re students.”

Tokura said hatefully as they passed by mixed-gender groups and groups made up of girls on their way to the school building. He was whispering, though.

“They have a much higher university acceptance rate than our school.”

Ochi, who was plunging in with his eyes half-closed, was also whispering.

Well, there were only two things to envy: the male-to-female ratio and the standard test scores (though that alone was a decisive factor), but in any case, they were both public schools. The school building was not as impressive as Fukuho’s, and the uniforms for both boys and girls were simple black blazers, not particularly stylish. Fukuho had gakurans, but they were currently wearing their summer uniforms, so the only difference at a glance was the presence or absence of a tie.

Tokura was in his uniform, and Ochi was in a T-shirt and sweatpants. The Seiin students looked curiously at the mismatched pair from another school.

“Excuse me, do you know where the boys’ volleyball team practices?”

Instead of the big-boned but shy-out-in-public Tokura, Ochi was the one who grabbed the nearest Seiin students and asked them. Ochi too used to be quite shy, but his position, which required him to negotiate within the school and to interact with the volleyball teams from other schools, forced him to improve a great deal. This surprisingly might be his most universally useful development after becoming a manager.

“We have a boy’s volleyball team?”

“I think we probably do, don’t we?”

The two Seiin students looked at each other and had an incredibly uncertain exchange.

“They’ll probably be in the gym or outside court…Go around to the left of that entrance there, then go through the woods and you’ll see the clubroom building, go to the right and you’ll see the gym, go left and keep going up the slope next to the first and second sports grounds if you want to go to the outside court.”

They indicated the directions with their fingers.

“Well, it isn’t like this is a middle school gym class, so they must be on the outside court, right?”

Tokura whispered into his ear.

“Well, let’s go there and see. I’ll go check out the gym, and you go to the outside court.”

He split up with Tokura from there, deciding to text each other when one of them found the practice location.

---

In the gym, two clubs were practicing on either side of a partition net hung up in the middle. The girls’ volleyball team was in the front half of the gym, and the badminton team could be seen in the back half where the stage was located. Since they were practicing with the badminton team, the windows were all closed. It seemed to be the case for all schools that the gym became a sauna when that happened. The air seemed to be distorted by the steam rising from the bodies of the team members. He could feel sweat beading on his forehead just from standing on the doorway.

In the middle of all this, he asked a team member in a long-sleeved and long-pants tracksuit who was near the doorway where the boys’ volleyball team practiced.

“The boys’ team is outside today. Oh, but I think they’ll be coming back in a little. After the badminton team ends practice at six, they’ll let them use the other side.”

The member answered, looking at the clock on the wall. Behind the metal barrier, the clock hands indicated 5:40.

“Six? That’s early… You can’t use the gym every day?”

It wasn’t like he was doing reconnaissance or anything, but he couldn’t help but probe deeper. The Fukuho volleyball team had access to the gym every day after class ended from 3:30 until 7:30 (although some days of the week had longer classes), and in some cases, it was extended.

“Tournaments are coming up for both the boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams, so we’re allowed to use the gym until 7:30 after other clubs leave. Normally, we have to be out by six.”

“The Spring High preliminaries, huh. It’s on the twenty-seventh.”

Ochi immediately said, and the boy tilted his head with an expression that said, Who are you? Ochi was also wondering who this boy was just now. He was a boy who looked just over 180 with long limbs and a lanky body that were the clear marks of a volleyball player, but it was the girls’ volleyball team who was practicing in front of him.

“Um, are you the manager for the girls’ volleyball team?”

He continued with the rude questions, but this male member didn’t seem offended, and he answered with a smile that seemed gentle in character, but showed the strength at his core.

“No, I’m a member of the boys’ volleyball team. I can’t show you around right now, but if you want to go to the outside court, I can show you.”

——That was Kanno, a second-year.

It was only after Ochi thanked him and left the gym that he matched the face to the name (he’s a year below me, isn’t he? I didn’t have to use polite speech with him).

The fact that club activities ended at six here was insane to him. Was that the case for schools that weren’t particularly focused on club activities? Practicing until six, and not being able to use the gym…it might be rude to think this, but what were they doing, worrying about a school that was doing club activities as their leisure time? He couldn’t help but feel like they were being made fun of, and it made him gloomy.

A dirt slope stretched between the bike parking lot and the sports grounds. There were two sports grounds and an outdoor court above them.

What a hilly school…I had to climb a lot from the station just to get to the school, and now I have to go up another hill…

Fukuho was located on a piece of flat land in the city, so it was quite a surprise for Ochi to see such a difference in elevation within the school.

What’s Tokura doing anyways? He should have sent me a text when he finds them practicing on the outside court.

He was about to check his phone to see if he received any messages when a voice saying “Excuse me” came down from the top of the hill.

“Excuse me! Please stop!”

He looked up from his phone to see a ball cage approaching him before his eyes.

“Whoa!”

The ball cage rumbled down the slope, nearly crushing Ochi’s toes as he dodged it. A boy in sportswear running after it jumped at the edge of the cage and, dragged a few steps by the weight, slammed on the brakes. A cloud of sand flew up.

“Cough…w-what was that…?”

It was a steel mesh ball cage like those used in gym class, with sand-covered volleyballs piled up high. The boy gripping the cage had the same volleyball-team height as Kanno from earlier, but his features, which were a little more mature than that of a middle schooler, indicated that he was probably a first-year.

Seiin only had eight members. Of those, only two were first-years. Was this the setter Haijima, or the left ace Kuroba…?

Without giving him a chance to talk to him, the first-year hurriedly push the ball cage up the slope with a “thank you!” and ran as fast as he could.

“What an energetic guy…” He had only dodged it, so he didn’t think he would get thanked.

This was no time to stand idly by. From the top of the slope, he heard Tokura yelling. “That idiot, what is he…!” Ochi started to run after the first-year.

Tokura was arguing with a big guy and it seemed like they might grab each other at any moment. The first-year, holding the ball cage, was panicking and saying, “Okuma-senpai, you can’t!” Okuma was the second-year middle blocker who everyone exclaimed “Who’s that!?” when they saw him. Even in the video, it could be seen that he was unusually stout for a high school volleyball player.

“Kohei! What are you doing!”

He was out of breath before he knew it, but even so he still ran as fast as he could and shouted at him. That was when Tokura swung his fist at Okuma.

With a dull gah, Okuma plunged butt-first into the bushes by the side of the road.

“Wha…”

He couldn’t believe what had happened in front of his eyes.

“Senpai!” The first year rushed to help Okuma up after shoving the ball cage into the bushes. Ochi returned to himself and intervened by holding back Tokura, who was standing there with a reddened face.

“Kohei!!” Half-screaming, his voice cracked. “You!!”

“O-Ochi-senpai…t-this guy said Fukuho must not be such a big deal since we were sneaking around and scouting them…”

Tokura himself was dumbfounded, but he pointed at Okuma and exposed his anger once again.

Okuma, who had been pulled out of the bush, stood and said “Owww…” as he pressed his cheek. “Fukuho sure has no manners, sneaking into someone else’s territory. I didn’t say you weren’t a big deal. I just said that Fukuho must have fallen to the bottom of the heap if they’re sneaking in here to spy on us.” Matching the impression of his outward appearance, he spoke rudely and arrogantly. “Stop, what are you doing by stirring them up!” the first-year frantically pulled on Okuma’s back.

He wanted to grind his teeth at Tokura’s rashness. However, one didn’t have to be Tokura to feel offended by that way of speaking. It wasn’t something those who carried Fukuho’s pride on their backs could overlook.

While holding back Tokura, he turned to Okuma.

“You’re the one with no manners here.”

“Aah? Who the hell are you?”

“Ochi, third-year. I’m Fukuho’s manager.”

“Manager? For boys’ volleyball? Is it fun for a guy to be the manager of the boys’ volleyball team?”

He could clearly feel his own eyebrows twitch. “You’re going too far!” His hand that was holding back the enraged Tokura from behind was trembling. Right when he unconsciously clenched his fist on Tokura’s shirt…

“Okay, let’s just leave it at that.”

A calm voice cut in.

A new figure had appeared further up the hill. A tall and lanky shadow stood there as though a tree had suddenly sprouted in the middle of the road, backlit by the orange setting sun shining through the gaps between the bushes.

“…Aoki?”

Recognizing Seiin’s vice-captain, Ochi called his name.

He was a member of the Seiin volleyball team who he had known somewhat because they were in the same grade. He was the tallest on the Seiin team at 193cm. Since he was on top of a hill, he looked so excessively tall that he could poke the sky.

“Well look who it is. So it was you, Ochi.”

Aoki also recognized Ochi. He was tall, but unlike Okuma, he didn’t have an overbearing air about him. Ochi had the impression of him as a rational and gentle person.

Aoki was pointing his cell phone camera at them. He checked the screen and was fiddling with something.

“This rude guy from your school is laying his hands on our guy, so I was just able to get it on camera.”

“What…you recorded it!? Why would you…!?”

“It’ll make a great piece of evidence that a member of Fukuho came to another school and started a fight there.”

Just when he thought he had finally met a member of the team with whom he could talk calmly, the person who appeared wasn’t a mediator to settle the matter. Behind him, Tokura gasped and began to shake.

Rational and gentle impression? Who was!?

“Ah…that’s low! It was your member who stirred things up!”

“The number one school in the prefecture doesn’t need to be offended by a little bit of foul language from a weak school like us.” Okuma jumped on the opportunity Aoki gave him and got fired up. Ochi ground his teeth and glared at him.

“You guys don’t seem to know your manners. Where would this kind of talk…”

He lost the rest of his words when someone entered the edge of his vision.

He turned his head so quickly that he swore he could hear a creak, and saw a bike parked a little lower down the hill. Not only had he seen it before, it was an extremely familiar bike that he had ridden to and from school countless times over the past three years. In the front basket was an enamel bag with “Fukuho Tech” printed on it in hard typeface.

“Suba…ru…why…”

Mimura, who had taken one foot off the pedals to support the bike, was breathing hard. He must have left practice, as he was wearing a sweaty T-shirt. He paused in his shallow, repetitive breathing to take a deep breath in, then exhaled with his whole upper body and plopped down over the handlebars with his arms resting on his bag.

“Ow…I died on that slope back there.”

It was unthinkable that he could have ridden his bike all the way here from Fukuho before he went up the hill and so on. He couldn’t have possibly caught up if he had to wait for the next train, but it should have taken an hour if he rode as hard as he could.

“…What’s going on, with you here…”

Muttering that, Mimura’s fingers twitched on the bag. He raised his head slightly from his arms and looked farther upwards, past Ochi and Tokura who were rooted to the spot.

He could see the rest of the team, three or four members in all, coming down from the top of the hill. The short boy at the front of the group stopped in his tracks when he noticed Ochi, the other four people, and Mimura on his bike.

The first-year, who had simply been flustered and unable to interject, suddenly shouted, “You’ve got it all wrong! It isn’t me this time!”

---

It seemed that the Seiin team members were about to clean up the outdoor court and intermittently withdraw into the gym. They all moved together for the time being to a flat area at the bottom of the hill. The circumstances were explained to the two captains, with arguments from both schools.

Seiin’s captain, Oda, was a wing spiker of only 163cm. The height difference between Oda and Mimura, who played the same position but was taller at 189cm, was so great that it was almost comical when they faced each other. 

At that point, Ochi didn’t think that something fatal was happening to Fukuho. There was no question that Seiin’s rudeness was the spark that lit the fuse. What’s more, taking a video and threatening us…is that something a high schooler would come up with? Even if Seiin submitted the video to a suitable place such as their school or Koutairen, Seiin’s unscrupulous technique would be more problematic.

However, Mimura said…

“Sorry.”

He then bent his tall body and bowed his head to Oda, which was both surprising and hard to accept.

“Can’t you keep this between us? I can’t let anything scandalous happen to us. I deeply apologize for any careless actions done by our members. Can’t you do that for me, for the sake of my honor?”

“Subaru, stop…”

Ochi whispered and pulled on Mimura’s arm.

Fukuho was the king of the prefecture. He wasn’t saying that out of arrogance, but objectively speaking, they had contributed more to high school volleyball in the prefecture than any other school, and even the credibility of the people involved were different. It was Seiin who insulted them at the beginning of the encounter without the least bit respect.

There was no way the captain of Fukuho was going to bow down to a bunch of guys who just happened to stand out this year and didn’t know manners. It felt pathetic. It was like an unconditional surrender.

“The people involved in this are me and Kohei. If anyone’s going to apologize, it should be us.”

“Be quiet. It doesn’t matter if you bow your heads or not. It’s something I have to do.”

Without wavering in his posture, Mimura spoke crisply and clearly. His heavy and powerful voice, which was usually light, pierced through his body and reverberated down his spine.

“Please, Oda. It would be a shame for us if we were suspended for such a trivial matter. If Fukuho’s history is cut short like this with us, we won’t be able to face our senpais.”

He didn’t even put his head on the ground, but for Ochi it was as good as getting down on his knees. He was horrified as he finally realized the gravity of what they had done. They were in a situation where they had no choice but to depend on the mercy of Seiin’s captain.

The only one standing on the precipice was Fukuho. Even if Seiin’s modus operandi was called into question, they could just say it was a one-time thing.

The magnitude of what they would lose was as different as heaven and earth.

“Um…I’m really sorry for everything!” Tokura jumped out from next to him and collapsed onto his knees in front of Oda. “I’m the only one to blame! If this will be solved by me quitting the team, then…”

“H-Hold on a minute. I didn’t mean to talk so big. Please stand up. This is making me look bad.”

Oda stepped back disconcertedly from Tokura, who looked like he was about to start rubbing his forehead against his shoes. He took Tokura’s arm and stood him up as he turned towards Mimura.

“Mimura, I don’t care about it either. It’ll only be a loss for us if it becomes a problem. We said some stupid stuff too, so we’re sorry. ——Okuma!”

With a stern voice, Oda called out to Okuma.

“It’s not worth it if I’m the only one who’s punched.”

Okuma complained.

“Both of you are bad! First Kuroba, now you, I’m sick of this!”

A threatening angry voice exploded from his small frame. Okuma flinched from Oda’s scolding, who was twice as big as he looked if you crossed him.

“I’m so sorry, Fukuho-san—.”

Okuma apologized sulkily.

“Aoki,” Oda then turned to the vice-captain of the same year as him, and Aoki shrugged his shoulders casually. “Enough with the bad jokes. Delete it right now.”

Joke? Is he talking about that threat? Even if that’s the case…it’s in too bad taste.

Aoki sighed and turned his phone screen towards them. At the end of several thumbnails in a row was a video showing Tokura and Okuma. The fact that evidence really had been obtained sent a chill down his back. Aoki deleted the video so that those present could see it clearly.

In the end, no one except Oda seemed apologetic. Ochi’s indignation didn’t abate, but when he thought of Mimura’s position, he stifled any further protests.

Mimura finally raised his head. The fact that his gaze had once again settled in a spot higher than Oda proved that Fukuho was out of the dilemma.

Oda, too, had subsided in his anger towards his own team members, and a smile appeared on his masculine face.

“I heard you came all the way out here to watch us practice. It’s an honor to be marked by Fukuho.”

It was as if they had returned to their original goal after going through all that unnecessary trouble. Still, although he and Okuma were saying the same things, it didn’t sound sarcastic coming from Oda’s mouth.

“It’ll only be for an hour from now, but you can watch if you want.”

“No, we don’t need to watch you practice.”

Oda closed his mouth in surprise at Mimura’s flat response. Ochi and Tokura looked at Mimura, both wanting to say something. It was natural to feel that they might as well watch since they came all this way.

It was hard to believe that Mimura had prostrated himself with such a serious face just a few minutes ago, but now he was back to his usual Mimura self.

“I’m gonna throw some cold water on everything today, grab these guys by the scruff of their necks and go back. In exchange, how about a practice match?”

He said. In a sense, he was in a good mood when he made the offer right after this situation.

That determination was who Mimura was. Finally able to see the true Mimura, Ochi felt quite relieved.

The lack of information about Seiin made them seem needlessly creepy. On the other hand, Fukuho, who had always won regular matches, might as well as be stark naked. Fukuho’s videos were lying around the prefecture like rocks along the side of the road.

He thought that there was no reason for Oda, who seemed to be a chivalrous and manly man as well as respected by his teammates, not to make a quick decision. However, surprisingly, Oda avoided making a snap judgement and turned around, asking, “What do you guys think? They’re the one who asked us, and I want to practice with a higher-skilled team, but…” He was asking the opinion of a certain member of the team who hadn’t spoken a word until then.

That was——Haijima.

For some reason, he knew it was him right away, even though he could only recognize it from a distance in the video.

Unlike Mimura, he didn’t have a sharp and distinct face. He had a slender face with narrow eyes, a face that didn’t stand out at all. He was tall and skinny as fitting a volleyball player and wore thin-framed glasses, which he didn’t have in the video. At first glance, he didn’t seem like a sports person, and if he hadn’t been here in a practice uniform, one might not have thought he was part of a sports team.

And yet, his appearance suddenly drew his attention. It was as though there was only a thin air of tension where he was, and although it was completely different from Mimura, there was something that changed the air around him into an atmosphere of his own color.

Aah, so this guy is also “special”——

“There’s another genius right now in Fukui.”

One of the Best Six of Tokyo middle schools, as Hata put it, turned his narrow eyes on Mimura as though he was appraising Fukui’s absolute ace. The first words he uttered were in standard Japanese without a local accent.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? You don’t have to be so reluctant. It looks like they’re awfully interested in us.”

Previous || Index || Next

[aceofbooks-creative-anthologies]

The Lovers' Library

Here you will find my selfships nicely sorted by amount of lore, then fandom, and then character name. Will the rest of this blog be as nicely sorted? Probably not. But this is the one spot where I will put the effort in.

This list is subject to change depending on how my maladaptive daydreaming goes and what shows I end up watching. It basically has a mind of its own, so *shrug emoji* 🩶

Note: Like 95% (99% currently) of these are gonna be anime men. These are largely romantic selfships, though plenty of these characters are platonic selfships as well, depending on the context/universe.

Note: If they have been crossed out, that means that they’re an ex-partner, canon to our selfship lore. If there is an asterisk *, that means that our canon selfship lore exists in the same universe as a different selfship and are canon to the second selfship. If there is an ampersand &, that is a poly-selfship. The plus sign + is used for one very specific, very complicated selfship—it does not need to be elaborated on here.

In The Stacks:

🩶Black Clover

Sukehiro Yami*

Fuegoleon Vermillion*

Sukehiro Yami & Fuegoleon Vermillion*

🩶Bungou Stray Dogs

Michizou Tachihara

🩶Fairy Tail

Laxus Dreyar*

Loke/Leo*

Laxus Dreyar & Loke/Leo*

Max Alors*

Hibiki Lates*

🩶Fire Force

Benimaru Shinmon

🩶Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Jean Havoc

Major Miles

🩶Haikyuu!!

Daichi Sawamura

Koushi Sugawara

Daichi Sawamura & Koushi Sugawara*

Ryuunosuke Tanaka*

Keishin Ukai

🩶Maximum Ride

Iggy (It’s been a while and I don’t remember our lore *head in hands*)

🩶My Hero Academia

Shouta Aizawa*

Oboro Shirakumo*

Keigo Takami*

Shouta Aizawa & Keigo Takami*

🩶Obey Me: Shall We Date?/Nightbringer

Belphegor

Mammon

Mammon & Belphegor

🩶Ouran High School Host Club

Kyouya Ootori

🩶Tokyo Revengers

Keisuke Baji

Takashi Mitsuya

Keisuke Baji & Takashi Mitsuya

Manjirou/Mikey Sano*

Rindou Haitani + Manjirou/Mikey Sano + Keisuke Baji & Takashi Mitsuya + OC* (this lore is so fucking complicated)

Entering Circulation:

🩶Attack on Titan

Levi Ackerman

Jean Kirstein

Jean Kirstein & Connie Springer

🩶Bluelock

Hyouma Chigiri

🩶Buddy Daddies

Kyutaro Kugi

🩶Bungou Stray Dogs

Chuuya Nakahara

Sakunosuke Oda

🩶Chainsaw Man

Aki Hayakawa

🩶Dead Mount Death Play

Takumi Kuruya

🩶Dr. Stone

Senkuu Ishigami

Ryuusui Nanami

🩶Fairy Tail

Mest Gryder/Doranbolt

🩶Fate

Waver Velvet

🩶Fire Force

Takahisa Hinawa

🩶Haikyuu!!

Kei Tsukishima (I refuse to put him in the stacks)

Shinsuke Kita

🩶Jujutsu Kaisen

Gojou Satoru

Kento Nanami

Toge Inumaki

🩶Log Horizon

Krusty (I refuse to put him in the stacks)

Shiroe

William Massachusetts

🩶Mashle: Magic and Muscles

Rayne Ames

🩶Moriarty the Patriot

Sebastian Moran

Zack Patterson

Sherlock Holmes

🩶My Hero Academia

Katsuki Bakugou

Katsuki Bakugou & Eijirou Kirishima

Hitoshi Shinsou

🩶Obey Me: Shall We Date?/Nightbringer

Satan

Barbatos

Simeon

🩶Soul Eater

Dr. Franken Stein

Akane☆Hoshi

🩶Tokyo Ghoul

Koutarou Amon

🩶Tokyo Revengers

Kazushi Yamagishi

Chifuyu Matsuno

Atsushi/Akkun Sendou

🩶Trigun: Stampede

Nicholas D. Wolfwood

Available for Interlibrary Loan:

🩶2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club

Subaru Mimura

Misao Aoki

Akito Kanno

🩶Ascendance of a Bookworm

Sylvester

Benno

🩶Assassination Classroom

Red Eye

🩶Black Butler

Baldroy

🩶Blood Blockade Battlefront

Stephen A. Starphase

Zap Renfroe

🩶Bluelock

Rensuke Kunigami

Meguru Bachira

Seishirou Nagi

🩶Buddy Daddies

Rei Suwa

🩶Bungou Stray Dogs

Osamu Dazai

🩶Case Study of Vanitas

Olivier

🩶Chainsaw Man

Kishibe

🩶Dead Mount Death Play

Tsubaki Iwanome

Kouzaburou Arase

Tsubaki Iwanome & Kouzaburou Arase

🩶Deadman Wonderland

Senji Kiyomasa

🩶Dr. Stone

Kinrou

Matsukaze

Gen Asagiri

🩶Fairy Tail

Gajeel Redfox

🩶Fate

Robin Hood

Cú Chulainn

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne

Gilgamesh

🩶Fire Force

Akitaru Oobi

🩶Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Sein

Sein & Gorilla Warrior

🩶Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Roy Mustang

🩶Goblin Slayer

Spearman

Heavy Warrior

The King

🩶Haikyuu!!

Akiteru Tsukishima

Yuusuke Takinoue

Issei Matsukawa & Takahiro Hanamaki

Hajime Iwaizumi

Yasushi Kamasaki

Koutarou Bokuto

Keiji Akaashi

Rintarou Suna

Osamu Miya

Yuuji Terushima

Tetsurou Kuroo

🩶Hell’s Paradise

Yamada Asaemon Shion

🩶Jujutsu Kaisen

Gojou Satoru & Getou Suguru

Kento Nanami & Gojou Satoru

Getou Suguru

Megumi Fushiguro

🩶Log Horizon

Isaac

Soujiro Seta

🩶Mashle: Magic and Muscles

Dot Barrett

Lance Crown

🩶Moriarty the Patriot

Sherlock Holmes & William Moriarty

🩶My Hero Academia

Eijirou Kirishima

Tamaki Amajiki

Shouto Todoroki

Natsuo Todoroki

Denki Kaminari

Sero Hanta

🩶Obey Me: Shall We Date?/Nightbringer

Beelzebub

Beelzebub & Belphegor

🩶Ouran High School Host Club

Takashi Morinozuka

🩶Overlord

Brain Unglaus

Peter Mauk

Lukrut Volve

Demiurge

🩶Romantic Killer

Makoto Oda

Tsukasa Kisaki

🩶Soul Eater

Mifune

🩶Tokyo Ghoul

Hideyoshi Nagachika

Ayato Kirishima

🩶Tokyo Revengers

Shin'ichiro Sano

Shuuji Hanma

Kazutora Hinemiya

🩶Trigun: Stampede

Vash the Stampede

Vash the Stampede & Nicholas D. Wolfwood

© divider from @/cafekitsune 🩶

[my-chaotic-academia]

me not knowing wtf to do bc ive never been in a fandom this early before💀

[milaham]

Just y'know

Looking like Tsuki and having Kageyama like backstory is just.... wow. (Also look at his eyes)

[rubiia]

Seiin highshool boy’s volleyball club ❂