Reincarnated In Another World As A World-class Volleyball Player

Chapter Thirty-Four

"WAIT, Y/N-CHAN IS THAT YOU?!"

A very familiar voice exclaimed rather loudly, a slight hint of a gasp at the tip of his words as the owner of aforementioned voice gawked at you, wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape, as if you were a fantasy event or a supernatural occurrence that wasn't meant to exist, much less be seen and though you knew that it wasn't really the case, you gazed at him with the same intensity as Iwaizumi stopped conversing with your brother for a moment to watch the scene unfold, smirks on their faces in anticipated bemusement as the corners of their lips lifted slightly, slowly growing into bright grins.

"TŌRU!"

You respond, running towards him as he did the same as if the moment was a scene in a soap opera filled to the brim with unnecessary drama and nearly cringe-worthy occurrences that were a staple in the genre but you didn't bother too much with the details, not like they even reached your thoughts anyways as you embraced the brunette in a tight hug, arms around him as you squeezed him as much as you could. He was taller than Iwaizumi by a margin of a difference but you could still reach his shoulder, perching your chin on the area of skin as you grinned. He smelled different than what you could remember three years ago, your memory of his fragrance back then was a little distorted but you knew how strong the cologne he used back then was. Comme des Garcons which you really didn't mind a lot but Japanese people tended to lean more towards faint scents and you, as well, had adopted that mindset and continuously insulted him for it.

It seemed he learned his lesson as now he smelled more delicate, subtle and less overpowering which you appreciated since you doubted you would be able to handle an onslaught of strong perfumes. You could feel him slightly tremble under your hold as you ran your fingers through his hair like you would always do back then, messing his unruly locks slightly but he didn't seem to mind, even leaning against your touch. A tender emotion pulled your lips upwards, corners lifting as you smiled at his familiar behaviour and actions.

"I miss you, Tooru."

You mumbled under your breath, just enough for him to hear it and he nodded in return and you took that as him saying he missed you too. As the two of you separated, he didn't wait for a second to pass before poking fun at you for the fact that you were featured in Monthly Volleyball, his eyes narrowed and his tongue poking out as he teased the fact that you had looked and spoked so seriously during the whole interview, your responses stoicer than what you would have preferred. People who just stumbled upon it wouldn't know the difference at all but your best friends knew better than that — you were hilarious to them.

"he burst out laughing too!"

You were about to punch Oikawa's throat before he screamed those words in panic, definetely knowing that you were embarrassed and maybe a tad bit irritated that they kept mentioning it especially because you didn't want to talk about it anymore. It wasn't like you didn't appreciate it but you knew you'd look back on that interview and that Monthly Volleyball magazine and immediately die because of a combination of humiliation and a wave of cringe. The brunette pointed at the ebony-haired boy who looked ready to kill Oikawa because the boy had said such things — so you guessed it was true

Which honestly made you even more embarrassed because it was quite normal for Oikawa to be laughing at whatever he saw but it was much more humiliating to hear that even Iwaizumi had seen your behaviour and found it hilarious. Groaning, you dragged yourself towards your brother before hugging him from behind, head lowered as you tried to swallow down the amount of cringe you were feeling for yourself.

"onee-san...what are you doing? Are you okay?"

Your brother asked though no hints of genuine concern actually wrapped around his words though you didn't mind it, knowing that you were being too overdramatic for your own sake but being a soap opera character that took everything too seriously was entertaining sometimes so you didn't bother to stop your behaviour. Narrowing your eyes a bit, you released a heavy sigh before letting the silence takes over for a few seconds for more dramatic effects before you mumbled out your response.

"my friends are so cruel, neko-chan, you're truly the only one that loves me-"

Before you could finish saying the hurried script you had asked Tomo to make you just now (he did so begrudgingly), Iwaizumi had thrown his hand towel towards you which you managed to barely avoid. Angrily, the two of you began to bicker which was soon joined by Oikawa who was suddenly brought into the arguement out of nowhere, you forgot why he was even involved whilst your brother blankly looked at the three of you, lips pursed and looking evidently dissapointed and maybe even a bit lost. Folding his arms for a moment, he released an aggravated groan before walking up towards your group and chopping the top of your heads.

Due to the martial arts lessons you and your brother had been exposed to because of your grandfather in Nagano and other instructors you had to go through over the years, your brother was more stronger than anticipated as he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"I feel oddly more mature than the three of you."

Akagi had decided to separate from you so he could visit his own friends, saying that the three of you were too troublesome and boring. He did reassure you that he'd meet you at Golden Gym in Aoba Ward when he was done with lunch so you guys could meet the other members who still attended and hang out with Furoshi-sensei again. Hopefully, you still recognised a few people there so you didn't seem too out-of-place for being so friendly with the coaches while not being related to then in any way.

"I'll meet you there."

Your brother expressed before he went on his own way, taking a different direction than the one Iwaizumi, Oikawa and yourself would take so you could spend time at places filled with memories — such as the convenience store where you would normally eat your Oikos at. It was currently nearing lunch time so the two boys didn't find a reason to refuse your offer to treat them to the nostalgia-inducing treat that the three often consumed whenever exhausted or purely bored. Walking there even brought you an onslaught of emotions, passing by the familiar houses and hearing the same sounds such as the constant barking of a dog whenever Oikawa even got near or the squawking of a parrot that one resident owned.

"so, how has Hyogo been? Meet any good friends?"

Iwaizumi asked as the three of you continued to walk, avoiding the scorching sun as much as possible by hiding in the parts where most of the shades were at. Mind drifting back towards Hyogo for a bit, a breathless but rather quiet laughter left your lips for a moment as you thought about the pure torture Osamu and most especially Suna must be going through because of the abomination that was Miya Astumu. I mean, he wasn't that bad for you, he was actually quite fun but to people who preferred silence and tranquility, he was a living nightmare.

Well, at least Kita didn't have to deal with him for more than he wanted to for now. Suna did give you constant updates on how he felt about Atsumu, constantly chatting you with texts like "why did you have to leave me here '-')" and "help, I think my braincells are committing suicide" but you had muted him for now so he wouldn't get in the way of your time with Oikawa and Iwaizumi. You had a guess he was now bothering Akagi so you prayed your brother to be able to tolerate whatever nonsense the narrow-eyed boy would send him non-stop.

"eh, they're fun."

You responded after a few seconds, not really wanting to bother explaining the attitude of your friends back in Hyogo since you were pretty sure Oikawa would make a huge deal out of it, possibly even making it a competition of some sort so he and Iwaizumi could be the bestest best friends you had no matter how many prefectures you traveled to which was honestly kind of idiotic for you so, as they say, prevention is better than cure. Cure being you chasing him around until he finally accepts that you thought no one was a level higher than the other in terms of friendship (though you may or may not have a bias for Kita since he was super mature and you didn't have to worry about getting in trouble if you were hanging out with him — it was a possibility that existed)

"we're better than them right?"

Oikawa added, fire gleaming somewhere in his eyes as he jumped around in anticipation for what he expected to be the answer which was surely yes. The spiky-haired and more aggressive one of the two looked at the setter as if he had gone mad, nose scrunched up while his eyes were considerably narrowed before he spoke.

"anyone is better than you, Oikawa."

You failed to stifle a laugh from leaving your lips which earned you a light slap on the shoulder from the curly-haired boy who looked kind of insulted but not really that hurt, perhaps already accustomed a little to his friend's attitude but you did nothing but pat the setter's head as some form of weak comfort. You pushed open the door of the convenience store, the familiar jingle of the slightly rusted bell echoing across the vicinity as the relieving sensation of the air-conditioning system touched your skin.

It was always this hot when it came to Japanese summers, unfortunately and though you had lived here for more than one decade, you still weren't used to the uncomfortable heat and the rush of cold air that the air-conditioning system made you sigh out heavily, rushing inside so you could pick out some additional things that you guys would eat alongside your lunches.

Though you didn't really bring anything, you just planned to buy some Hashed Beef Omurice Doria with some Seafood Futomakizushi if it was available. You normally had a lot for lunch and any meal of the day in general since it took a lot of energy to continue playing volleyball for a long time especially with the vigorous training that Akihito always made sure to implement (during your first month, it was nothing but hellish but you slowly got used to it over time)

The familiar "irasshaimase" of the person in the counter could be heard as a response to you pushing the door open and as you glanced at a face you hadn't seen for three years. She seemed slightly startled by your presence as well as she just stared at you, hand placed firmly on the counter before you finally got out of your little trance, jumping on the balls of your feet as you rushed towards her.

"Hanamaki-san!"

You exclaimed rather loudly, perhaps too loudly as she had released a chuckle at your eagerness to meet her again but she would be lying to herself if she said that she wasn't happy as well. The three of you kids would always come to entertain her during boring afternoons with your hilarious conversations  and she would never be able to suppress the smile that would grow on her face whenever she saw the three kids she adored pass by those doors. Dissapointment and a hint of sadness had reached her when the boys had explained you had moved to Hyogo though she didn't carry any hateful emotions, she was too mature for that anyways.

"it's been years since I last saw you, Nakamura!"

She stated happily and you agreed, embracing her in a hug before you excused yourself to pick out some meals, praying that what you wanted to get was still in stock so didn't have to have a mental crisis on what to choose. Iwaizumi and Oikawa had opted to join, also wanting to go and buy some snacks of their own that they would eat alongside their lunches so you went ahead and ambled towards where you would find the meals while they went towards the section where snacks were normally placed. The layout didn't change much, maybe a shelf was shifted or something had been added but other than that, there wasn't really anything different from what you remember three years ago.

At the end, you had managed to find what you were looking for, quickly handing it over to Hanamaki so that she could heat it up for you before going back and picking up some Oikos and additional snacks that you'd eat at  Golden Gym. You weren't sure if Furoshi-sensei would be too inclined to make you play alongside the others given you weren't enrolled and didn't have the proper equipment to play as of today (you planned to bring some tomorrow though, if Furoshi-sensei allowed it) but if you were left to just observe, you'd spend that time eating and chatting with the twins, Suna, and Kita.

Grabbing some mochifuwa pancakes, soyjoy, and a coffee cream treat, you headed to the counter once more to pay for it. Unexpectedly, Iwaizumi had gotten more than you expected though you never really nagged him since the snacks he bought were usually healthy and he exercised everyday through volleyball so there were no major downsides to it. Actually, it was more like him reprimanding you and Oikawa because the two of you never always bought the sweet stuff which he always lectured would make your teeth rot and diabetes was always looming over your heads. You knew you were safe since one of the blessings you had gotten from the amazing Lord was an extreme tolerance to sickness. Though there were moments where you got a light fever or some dry throat, you were basically immune to more seious diseases like cancer or diabetes which made you scream out of joy.

Though he did warn you that because he made sickness not be around you most of the time that if you were to get one, it would throw off the balance of your life. Basically, each sickness you'd get would be amplified because your body wasn't accustomed to what it had to do to fight off whatever caused you some trouble due to the rarity of the circumstances. It was understandable but kind of frightening especially if you were put in a similar situation to that of Hinata's. You'd definetely cry, reaching so far as Nationals and suddenly being rendered completely useless because of an extreme fever your body didn't know how to fight off.

"you'll die young, Y/n-san"

Iwaizumi blankly stated, perhaps even accepting it as truth as he seemed no problems with it now. You felt kind of jokingly insulted by it but acknowledged that he knew no better and brushed it off with a laugh, bumping against his shoulder which made him release a grunt. Quickly, you hurried over to Oikawa who was also paying for his snacks, squishing the flesh of his waist lightly before grabbing your already-paid snacks and lunch.

"Hanamaki-san, where's your son? Will he be eating lunch here?"

Oikawa suddenly questioned, looking hopeful as he gleamed, taking his snacks from the counter though he didn't leave yet so he could get the answer from Hanamaki without being rude by turning his back from the person he was talking to. She seemed taken aback at first, maybe wondering how the boy knew who her son was since he was never brought up in your conversations but she nonetheless answered, expressing her curiosity afterwards as she couldn't help it and neither could you. You were wondering if the Hanamaki you knew was related to the Hanamaki of the anime though you didn't want to appear strange by asking her about personal matters so you never got carried away by your undying curiousity so you were quite delighted at the fact that Oikawa had asked since you weren't too insensitive and oblivious to things that you would question with so much nonchalance.

"Takahiro's gonna be eating lunch with his dad today but he'll be here tomorrow. By the way, how do you know him Oikawa-san?"

"oh, he was there at the Kitagawa Daiichi's gymnasium when we were practicing. He wasn't scouted though so it was weird. But he was pretty cool!"

Chuckling a little, Hanamaki began to explain the sudden presence of the male in a place where he wasn't even supposed to be. It was honestly kind of sad and the fact that it hadn't been featured at all in the manga nor the anime or any spin-offs made you kind of feel bad for not knowing how dedicated Hanamaki was as well to play volleyball even in his earlier years. You were always so focused on those that were featured the most often and sometimes you did give attention and love to minor characters who didn't have much significant roles or those who were only featured one time and suddenly disappeared but it was eye-opening how there were always multiple sides and experiences in a day.

"Takahiro really wanted to be scouted.. what school took him in didn't really matter but he was really disheartened when he didn't receive any offers. He was a great wing spiker in his grade school — he really didn't explain where he was going today but I guess that answers my questions."

All of you were silent for a moment, giving Hanamaki some time since it seemed like she wanted to say more things so you let her. There was nothing stopping you from doing so and you weren't keen on just walking away like she hadn't just shared that story. It wasn't hard to comprehend at all, you were also a loser (more or less) in your past life, even more so than most because you didn't even dare to do something out of fear that you'd only dissapoint yourself and those who were expecting a lot from you. And if you did manage to grown enough courage to try something new and failed, you always backed out and quickly retreated from ever doing it again — you were a coward.

You believed that you would also be a loser if it weren't for the fact that God had given you so many blessings that benefited you. Nonetheless of your dedication on meeting the Haikyuu boys, you knew it would have ran out and the sheer fear you felt when thinking of that probability where God wasn't as merciful was terrifying so you tended to not think of it much, afraid that it would come true sooner or later if you thought about it too much.

"Can you three promise me something?"

She asked, propping her elbow on the surface of the counter as she rested her cheek on the inside of her palm and you, Oikawa, Iwaizumi could do nothing but nod. Promises were difficult sometimes but as long as you knew there was a chance you could fulfill it and it benefited other people as well as yourself, you'd try your best most definitely.

"could you three befriend him?"

That was a promise you could fulfill without too much trouble, it wasn't even something she needed to tell you as you were going to do so delightfully without having the existence of this spoken oath of sorts so with an optimistic grin, cheeks bunching up, you nodded your head.

"definitely!"

Lunch had been spent rather quickly, eating while talking, laughing, choking on the food, and many other sorts of fun that definetely made you sad that you could only stay here for a week and a few more days if you were luckier than what you anticipated yourself to be for. Soon, you were separating with the two boys and promising that you'd meet with them again tomorrow and possibly spend more time there since you probably wouldn't visit Saeko, Nishinoya, and Ryuu tomorrow if you found more Haikyuu boys in one of the spots you'd be going to today.

Walking inside Golden Gym with a mochifuwa pancake in hand and more snacks inside a plastic bag on the other, you could hear a variety of screams from inside which made you sweat drop a little but you nonetheless continued to amble towards the entrance of the main practice area.

Though you froze up when you heard something that caught your attention, the moment you had taken a single step inside the vicinity, you could hear someone yell her distinctly, even louder than whatever unholy ruckus was happening that you prayed Furoshi-sensei could handle without too much trouble.

"HOTARU? HOTARU!"

"it's pronounced as Kei! Tsu-ki-shi-ma Kei!"

Tall, blonde, and gorgeous — everyone's favourite salty moon had arrived!