PE was Souto’s least favorite part of the school day. Running laps? Boring. Push-ups? Pointless. Stretching? A waste of time. But when the gym teacher, Mr. Kanda, wheeled out a cart of volleyballs that afternoon, Souto’s ears perked up.
“We’re playing volleyball today!” Mr. Kanda announced, blowing his whistle enthusiastically. “Split into teams of six, and let’s see some good teamwork!”
Souto’s hand shot into the air. “What if we don’t wanna work as a team?”
The teacher blinked at him. “Uh, then you’re going to lose.”
“Losing’s for chumps,” Souto said with a wicked grin. “I’m winning. Solo.”
From the moment the game began, it was clear that Souto had no intention of following the rules.
When the ball was served to his team, instead of gently bumping it into the air, Souto leapt like a wild animal and spiked it directly at the opposing team’s faces.
“HEADS UP!” someone screamed as the ball whizzed past their heads and slammed into the wall with a deafening THUD.
“Did we win?!” Souto yelled, raising his arms in triumph.
“That’s not how volleyball works!” Kenji, his quiet friend, whispered nervously from the sidelines.
“It is now!” Souto shot back, pounding his chest.
The chaos escalated from there.
When the ball was on the other team’s side, Souto would dive under the net, grab it midair, and throw it back like it was dodgeball.
If his teammates tried to touch the ball, he’d shout, “I GOT IT!” and shove them out of the way.
“Souto, you’re supposed to stay on your side of the net!” Mr. Kanda hollered.
“Rules are for losers!” Souto replied, cackling as he cartwheeled across the gym floor.
---
Despite the havoc he caused, it didn’t take long for everyone to notice that Souto was… annoyingly good at volleyball.
Due to his vampire nature, his reflexes were lightning-fast, his jumps were almost unnaturally high, and his aim was frighteningly accurate. Even when he was “accidentally” breaking the rules, the ball always seemed to go exactly where he wanted it to.
“Okay, I’m not gonna lie,” one kid muttered. “He’s kinda awesome.”
“Awesome at cheating,” someone else grumbled as they rubbed their shoulder where Souto’s latest spike had hit them.
Kenji, meanwhile, stood on the sidelines, nervously watching his friend. “Uh, Souto? Maybe tone it down a little?”
But Souto was too busy basking in his self-declared “victory” to listen.
And by the end of class, even Mr. Kanda looked exhausted. “Alright, everyone, take a five-minute break!”
The kids scattered to the edges of the gym, chugging water and catching their breath. All except Souto, who stood in the middle of the court, holding the volleyball and eyeing it suspiciously.
Kenji walked up to him, wiping sweat from his forehead. “What are you doing?”
“This ball’s been looking at me funny,” Souto said, narrowing his eyes.
“It’s a ball. It doesn’t have eyes.”
Souto didn’t respond. Instead, he lifted the volleyball to his face and—
“SOUTO, NO!” Kenji shouted.
Too late. Souto sunk his fangs into the ball with a loud POP. The gym fell silent as the ball deflated in his hands, hissing like a dying snake.
Souto grinned sheepishly at Kenji. “Uh… oops?”
“WHY WOULD YOU BITE THE BALL?!” Kenji whisper-yelled, his hands flailing in panic.
“It looked tasty!” Souto defended.
Mr. Kanda’s whistle broke through the silence. “Hey, you two?!”
Souto immediately shoved the deflated ball into Kenji’s hands and bolted for the exit.
“HEY! THIS WAS YOUR DOING!” Kenji yelled after him, but Souto was already gone, leaving behind a trail of laughter and chaos.
---
By the time Aizawa picked Souto up from school that day, the gym teacher had sent home a politely worded note.
“So,” Aizawa said, glancing at the paper as Souto climbed into the car. “Do I even want to ask why your teacher wrote, ‘Please remind Souto not to bite school property’?”
Souto shrugged, leaning his head out the car window like an excited dog. “It’s not my fault they made the ball look delicious.”
Aizawa sighed, already regretting asking. “We’re going to have a long talk about this when we get home.”
“Cool, can we play volleyball after?”
“…No.”
...
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Question time: Volleyball or Dodgeball?
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BNHA | A Bite-Sized Problem
Fanfiction.ᐟ Comic relief / Slice of life. Eraserhead, pro hero and notorious insomniac, adopts an 8-year-old vampire delinquent with an attitude problem? Chaos, that's what. Souto, a loud, abrasive troublemaker with a biting temper (literally), finds himself...
