Can Capybaras Play Volleyball Too?

[Current progress: Spring High finals]

[Wrapping up, updates are a little irregular (sorry QAQ)]

[I'm short on energy, so I haven't fixed some typos in earlier chapters. I'll carefully revise them once the story is complete (falls to knees). Thanks to everyone who helped catch mistakes!]

"Shocking! Komi's accidental ankle sprain leads Fukurodani to discover an incredible slacker who's been coasting all along!!"

Here's what happened.

One day, during a practice match against Inarizaki, Komi was absent, and Fukurodani desperately needed a libero, so they temporarily sent out Ikehara Hikaru.

The boy on the bench, with two tufts of hair sticking up, stood up lazily and yawned. His shoulders drooped as he walked, and his eyes looked barely open.

Hey, hey, are you still half asleep?

Who could have guessed that this guy, despite looking completely drained, would be rock solid on the court, a god of serve receive? Whether it was the Miya twins' serves or Ojiro's, every ball was swallowed up as soon as it came his way!

Akaashi: "..."

So this guy had been slacking off in the volleyball club all year despite being this good?

How is that even possible?!!!

Ikehara Hikaru: I don't know either. (Confused blank stare.)

He's just a baby capybara, okay?

He'd been soaking in a hot spring with an orange on his head at the zoo, and while he was dozing off, his soul somehow transmigrated into a high school boy.

He's innocent, too, you know?

Luckily, he's a clever baby capybara, with all the basic installation packs already in his head. He can speak human language and understand people, so pretending to be a proper human is a piece of cake.

And he's really good at volleyball!

After all, back at the zoo, he was best at bumping balls with his head.

He just didn't know why those silly humans always looked shocked when he bumped the ball, as if he'd done something unbelievable.

It was so easy. How come those clumsy humans couldn't do it?

Oh well, there are no capybara friends here, so he'll have to settle for second best.

If humans can't get the ball, the capybara will!

And so, as he kept bumping balls, Ikehara Hikaru somehow became the best libero at the Interhigh, then the most eye-catching player in the Spring High finals. The Fukurodani players, who'd won both championships, were so moved they all ran over to rub his head, praising him through tears for saving the team from disaster!

But the capybara in the middle of the crowd didn't hear a thing. All he heard was that there'd be fruit at dinner tonight.

Fruit! Capybaras love fruit!

A championship can be traded for fruit. Championship equals fruit, so capybara likes championships too!

"Then let's win even more championships together!"

As everyone cheered, Ikehara Hikaru smiled blissfully.

Hehehe, so much fruit! Here comes the capybara!

"Champions! Yay!"

#Human body, capybara soul

#Capybara is very spaced-out. He's become human, but still keeps some capybara habits.

#Loves water / sleepy / fairly emotionally stable / slow-moving

#Doesn't eat poop!

#Fukurodani will win / protagonist is naturally talented / friendship-focused

#OOC! OOC! OOC!

Warnings:

❗The author knows nothing about literature or volleyball. The volleyball scenes are not professionally written.

❗The protagonist is a baby capybara whose soul transmigrates directly into an adult human DK, so he has zero social experience and thinks very differently from normal people! Please don't use human thinking to imagine the capybara's experience (falls to knees). His inner world isn't very complex, and he doesn't understand social niceties! If this makes you uncomfortable, please leave immediately! (One-line rhyme.) Thanks!

❗The story explains why the protagonist can travel to Inarizaki as a substitute, why he slacked off during his first year, why he wanted to join the volleyball club, why he wanted to join Fukurodani, his junior high experience, and so on. So, if you've only read a few chapters, or haven't even finished the free chapters, please don't question the plot's logic in an aggressive tone that goes beyond ordinary questions or doubts, or make personal attacks on the characters or me. I won't accept that and will delete those comments. (Hugs.)

The following is the blurb for a book available for pre-save

"On Zenitsu and Volleyball: A Match Made in Heaven"

Also known as "This Libero Is Clearly OP, Yet Ridiculously Timid"

Seeing that Zenitsu Agatsuma had always been timid and weak, constantly chasing after girls, the Agatsuma family made up their minds: They couldn't let their son grow up like this. They had to cultivate a manliness like no other!

So, as soon as Zenitsu turned three, they shoved him into a volleyball class without giving him a choice.

By the time he was fifteen, Zenitsu had finally made a little... progress. For example, he no longer covered his head and ran away when a volleyball flew toward him.

And he no longer chased after girls. Instead, he chased after boys...

Iwaizumi: "..."

Oikawa: "...Hey."

Having a leg-hugging attachment that might pop up at any moment really is a nuisance.

*

Before the match, Seijoh's new libero drew everyone's attention.

Fluffy, soft, brilliant golden hair, round eyebrows, gleaming golden cat eyes, and a habit of burying his head against his teammates' backs and rubbing against them...

Doesn't he look just like a golden-shaded cat?

The soft and adorable kind!

That is, until he cleanly received a spike from the Neon Cannon.

Everyone: ?

Zenzen cried out with tears in his eyes, "I'm not receiving anymore! Waaaah, my hands hurt! QwQ"

Everyone: ??

This guy complains at the top of his lungs, but he's still lightning-fast at receiving!

They thought he wouldn't be able to keep up this high-intensity style for long. But during the timeout, the Seijoh players brought out two little cakes and fed him.

Zenzen was fully revived.

Everyone: ???

*

Interview segment.

Ushijima: This guy was born to be a libero. (Thoughtful expression.)

Bokuto: He's super cute when he cries, but it's annoying that he keeps predicting where my spikes will land! (Disappointed.)

Shoyo: Zenzen really knows where every ball is going to land. It's amazing!!

Miya Osamu: Don't be fooled by his constant crying. He's unexpectedly reliable on the court.

Miya Atsumu: Mmph...! (Trying to speak, but someone's covering his mouth.)

Sakusa: ...I hate the guy who wipes his tears on my hand.

An unnamed setter: He's just a cat-shaped bug with a ton of tears!