a chance, an opportunity | haikyuu

Chapter 4 - contemplation

Waking up in a hotel after his flight had not been a rejuvenating experience. Actually maybe it was the fact that he was on the opposite side of the globe, in a country he was no longer used to living in. Yeah... that was probably it.

It wasn't as good as how he usually slept- but waking up and realizing he was home was a thousand times better than in an unfamiliar hotel (which was half-decent no matter how grumbly he got about it).

Anyway! It was still really early. The sun hadn't even risen yet kind of early. Shun spends about thirty minutes just lying in his bed staring up at the ceiling wondering what he'd have to do once he got up (he was also wondering how he could put off all those tasks 'til the latest possible moment, not that he'd ever admit to that out loud).

The top priority on his list was familiarizing himself with the area again. He'd probably have to start practicing biking tall uphill inclines. He wasn't really sure if he felt more excited or more tired at the prospect but he left that to his future self to decide. Shun would have to start memorizing the lines he'd have to take to get to school or well... anywhere really. Their house was a literal mountain away from the malls and bigger schools that he would probably have to frequent considering the school he wanted to get into.

Which also just brought his enrollment to mind.

When his dad had first proposed the idea of moving back to Japan it had started a chain reaction in Shun. After his collapse and the break forced onto him by the doctor seeing as he'd "worked himself into exhaustion and didn't have enough hydration," the orange haired boy had spent a lot of time contemplating the options he had if he actually went back. So he did the only thing that he could do without getting a severely disappointed look from his dad (and the family doctor). He studied. And no- it wasn't regular studying (although he certainly had caught up on a lot of his academics with his free time during that week), Shun spent his break researching potential schools he could get into. Ones located in Miyagi with decent to reputable volleyball teams.

It was no exaggeration to say that Miyagi was a prefecture that gave birth to powerhouses.

He'd gone through tons of articles. Aoba Johsai with the top setter in Miyagi. Date Tech with their Iron Wall. Johzenji the newly appointed party team. The list went on.

He found none of them quite fit. Either the team didn't meet his standard or the school itself was a letdown. There was also the fact that a lot of the good teams already had central members or specific playstyles that Shun knew he couldn't work with (not as he currently was at least).

The school that caught his eye though was at the top of the elites. Not just for volleyball but a ton of other clubs too. It was a school that was also known for it's academic club competitions. A practical model for an elite school. Shiratorizawa. Even Shun could admit that their volleyball team was top-notch. Their ace and newly-appointed captain was a third year, Wakatoshi Ushijima. The guy was known for being the top ace of the prefecture (also known for the mean spin his left hand put on his spikes and serves).

Ushijima wasn't the only outstanding member of the team. There was the Guess Monster, Tendou Satori. The stable setter, Kenjiro Shirabu. The sharp server, Eita Semi. The list went on- and that wasn't even including the new athletes that the coach would no doubt be scouting (or already scouted) for the new school year. Actually, the coach was also elite. Coach Tanji Washijo. The guy was traditional, he invited players who had height, power, and skill. Last season, the man replaced the previous setter, Semi, with a first year. Most likely because the man had Ushiwaka as the center of their team. There was no need for the setter to make any fancy plays. Simple and strong worked best in the coaches eyes. (And damn did it sting to realize that his team was just a failed imitation. Why did it work for Shiratorizawa and not them? Why was Shiratorizawa's team such a powerhouse when Shun could barely keep his teammates from outright forfeiting in the middle of a match? Why were his teammates so-)