A Cat Who Plays Volleyball

I’m not planning to write my old advance notice, "I’m the Doctor, Duh!" anymore, but it feels weird to leave it sitting there unwritten. If you bookmarked it before, feel free to unbookmark it. Please, please! (Cat gives a polite bow.) Here’s a new advance notice I have some ideas for. * Captain Matsushita, Senior Matsushita, Ace Matsushita. If he went back to the day he first encountered volleyball, Matsushita Sumi never would have imagined he’d be associated with so many words that sounded so cool. - Though they only sounded cool. As captain, he had to worry about the team’s training and tactics, and on top of that, double as their team mom. As a senior, he had to worry about the younger players’ morale and give them pointers, and on top of that, double as their team mom. As the ace, he had to worry about scoring and provoking opponents when necessary. At least he didn’t have to be the team mom, but he did risk getting jumped and stuffed into a sack after matches. On every sleepless morning spent watching videos of opposing teams, he used to ask himself why he didn’t just quit. The answer he came up with was perfectly ordinary and only natural. - He was used to it. Just like he’d gotten used to playing volleyball all these years. Matsushita Sumi had no plans to become a professional volleyball player, and the sport didn’t make his blood surge with passion, either. What’s more, he knew perfectly well that he wasn’t especially gifted. He was just an ordinary guy who worked a little harder than most. So when choosing a high school, Matsushita cautiously picked Nekoma High, a school he’d barely heard of. But the peaceful, easygoing high school life he’d pictured vanished the moment a classmate called him out by his nickname and challenged him. The other guy even slapped him twice, left and right, and said he was delusional. Matsushita listened with a blank expression as the other person called him "Shonan Private Middle School’s cheerful, smiling, scheming captain and heart of the team," utterly baffled as to where things had gone wrong. His year had been overflowing with geniuses. He was just an ordinary guy who’d gotten a bit lucky, with a little bit of a reputation, but surely not enough for his nickname to spread far and wide... ...Right? * Tokyo’s volleyball circuit had long been called a death zone because of its fierce competition. - The middle school circuit was no exception. Among the many famous schools locked in fierce competition, there was just one that stood apart, barging into this feast of monsters like a dark horse. The school had no famous ace, no technically brilliant setter, no prodigies or monster players. Yet, over the course of two years, it outperformed teams full of such players, taking second place twice and making the semifinals once. - Because they had the best captain, the best senior, and the best ace. *Important things to know 1. The protagonist has slightly above-average athletic ability and a clear sense of himself: he’s just an ordinary guy with a somewhat sharper mind. 2. The cat team gets the spotlight. This won’t be long. 3. A rare normal person. Cherish him while you can. 4. Haven’t figured this out yet. To be decided. Theme: You decide who the protagonist of your life is.