effervescent (nishinoya yū)

PROLOGUE / the transfer student

Karasuno High, given its remote location and competition with other powerhouse schools such as Shiratorizawa Academy and Aoba Johsai, rarely had transfer students. As a result, when an unfamiliar female wearing the Karasuno High uniform began her search for her classroom, it elected quite a few stares and whispers from the other students.

The girl in question had a rather powerful presence, with an intense stare and her shoulders drawn back as though she were ready for a fight. She was on the shorter side, but no one dared mess with her...at least, not until they knew what she was capable of.

This transfer student caught the attention of a group of third-year females, who paused in their conversation to watch the student pass. One of them, an athletic brunette with a chin-length bob, paused with a bite from her bento halfway to her mouth and stood up to get a better look.

"Is that the new transfer student?" her friend asked.

The brunette nodded. "Probably." She gasped a little as the student opened her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper. As the bag closed, she caught a glimpse of an Aoba Johsai girls' volleyball club pin on the strap and the look in the girl's eyes. "No way. Is that the Kitsune of Aoba Johsai...?"

Your ears twitched as you heard someone say your full name. You let out a little sigh and buried your nose deeper into your paper. Seriously?  you whined in your head. Out of all the places, Karasuno High is the last school that seemed like they would recognize me.

That was one of the reasons why you agreed with your father when he sent you here. The other one was far more serious, but you needed to focus on finding this damn classroom.

You looked down at your class sheet. "CLASS 2-2" mocked you in bold letters, underneath other school required information like your full name and address. You began grumbling, looking around in annoyance and scaring off the few people who had mustered up the courage to come talk to you.

"E-Excuse me?"

You turned around. A young man wearing a simple white dress shirt gave you an awkward yet kind smile. Silver hair hung in front of round brown eyes, and the first thing you truly took note of was his height. He wasn't a giant by any means, but he still towered over you. Goddammit, gene pool! Why couldn't you have gifted me with at least a few more inches?

"You're the new transfer student, right?"

You shook the thoughts off and gave him a big smile. "Yeah! Although..." You looked down at your paper. "I have no idea where I'm going. Dammit, I thought this would be easier!"

The man laughed a little as you held the paper up to the light as though it were an old treasure map. "Here, let me see."

You paused in your antics and turned your paper so he could look at it. "So you're a second-year!" He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "Those classrooms are downstairs. It looks like you passed it on your way up."

You smacked your forehead with the heel of your palm. "Ah, I knew there was something wrong!" You grabbed the man's hands and nodded at him with your lips set into a tight line. "Thank you!"

"O-Oh, it's not a problem!"

You let go of his hands and started to run past him, but you stopped almost immediately in your tracks. "What's your name?" you asked as you turned back around. "What year are you in? Is there a girls' volleyball team here?"

He cocked his head, trying to make sense of the verbal train wreck you just presented him with. "Uh...let's see," he said. "My name is Sugawara Kōshi. I'm a third-year here at Karasuno, and as for a volleyball team..." He pointed over your shoulder. "The captain's right there."