I Was a Musician, but Now I'm the Volleyball Team's Favorite

My new novel, Haikyuu!! Has Become a Living Volleyball!, is now out! If you like it, please add it to your favorites! The pairing is set: Oikawa. There is basically no romance in the main story. Before the pairing was decided, there were some scenes where readers could pick a love interest. If that bothers you, please don't read. This is my first novel, written on a sudden burst of inspiration. I'm making it up as I go with no outline, so proceed with caution (). The locked chapter is a little essay I wrote at the time. It has nothing to do with the story, so feel free to skip it. Warnings ahead: 1. The male lead genuinely has psychological issues, but he will get better. 2. The matches will follow the manga, but some details, like which players take part, will change. The results won't. I'll try to keep the timeline consistent, but if it doesn't line up, please let it go. 3. The male lead is extremely idealized. 4. Later on, the male lead will stop playing volleyball and return to music. 5. The male lead is something of a witness: he watches the boys grow up, and their influence changes him, too. 6. This is a passion project. I hope everyone enjoys it. Feel free to comment if you have good ideas, but you don't need to tell me if you're dropping the story (I'm a sensitive author). The blurb below is from the old version. The old blurb was a mess, so please bear with it After the Kyoto International Music Competition in Japan, Tsurumi Ken, hailed as Japan's most promising musician of the 21st century, gave an interview after winning the grand prize. The reporter asked, "Tsurumi, how do you manage to play music with such vitality?" He replied, "By playing volleyball." Reporter: "??" Tsurumi Ken, the Karasuno High volleyball team's last-resort, five-tool substitute, gave a quiet, polite smile. Tsurumi Ken had always known that his older brother was a genius. From childhood, he had done everything he could to catch up, yearning for his parents' praise, even just once. Just once would have been enough. But in his parents' eyes, he was a pitiful, pathetic imitation who could never replace his brother. "Ken, want to try playing volleyball?" If his heart was a desolate wasteland, then volleyball was a flower blooming amid the barrenness. [We fall, we break, we plunge into the abyss. But in the end, we'll be lifted up and healed. We have nothing to fear.] The blurb for my new novel, Haikyuu!! Has Become a Living Volleyball!: Hoshino Ryo is an utterly ordinary high school student. The only unusual thing about him is that ever since he was little, he's turned into a volleyball in his dreams, getting batted around with no way to fight back. Hoshino Ryo: Why? :) One day, as Hoshino Ryo was walking around the volleyball court, he ran into someone at school who looked awfully familiar. Hoshino Ryo: ? So the people in my dreams are real?? Shiratorizawa's volleyball team recently got a new player. He's short-tempered and plays viciously, flattening every team he faces. Most importantly A certain Seijoh setter: How does he know I've been practicing jump serves lately?! A certain Karasuno sunshine: How does he know I've been practicing a new quick attack?! A certain Inarizaki fox: How does he know my setting habits, even better than I do?! Everyone suddenly realizes: He must be secretly keeping tabs on me!! Hoshino Ryo: Get lost!! A certain member of Team Japan: Oh, you like me. Hoshino Ryo: F, yeah. Daily life at Shiratorizawa: One day at practice, Hoshino Ryo had a furious expression and a dark aura. Goshiki, getting pummeled: Why me!! [anguished.jpg] Hoshino Ryo, having been sent flying all night: ) The rest of Shiratorizawa's players: Phew, we survived Hoshino's hands again today. Main character: Hoshino Ryo Warnings: A goofy, anything-goes story. The matches will follow the story, so don't nitpick the details. At first, the protagonist doesn't like volleyball. He only plays to hit back and make money (not really). He'll fall in love with volleyball later on. Pairing: Ushijima Theme: A story about being healed by the Haikyuu!! boys.