A Hot-Blooded Sports Anime! But I'm a Loner

Harumi Awatake pushed open the door to the volleyball club and saw the legendary genius setter, famous throughout the land, bickering with a short orange-haired kid. The vice principal's toupee was perched on the head of a senior nearby, while his shiny bald spot gleamed in the sun. Harumi Awatake felt his vision go dark. He could see no future for the Karasuno volleyball club. * "Harumi!" The short orange-haired kid who called himself Hinata looked up at him. "Which do you think is cooler, the ace or the setter?" Harumi Awatake looked at the legendary genius setter Kageyama on his left, then at the unknown attacker Hinata on his right, who was short but could jump high. He closed his eyes and said, "The one in the middle." Hinata: "What does that mean?" Harumi: "I haven't really played volleyball before, so I'm not sure what this is all about, haha, hahahaha. If I had to choose one, it'd probably be... the ace..." That was a lie. Harumi Awatake, a former setter, looked at a certain king and decided to change positions on the spot. * "I want to join a weak team and just coast," Harumi Awatake thought as he chose Karasuno. Then he met a group of overachievers. What's this? This is Hinata, a notorious volleyball fanatic who'll leave his opponent in the dust at any cost just to spike the ball. An overachiever. What's this? This is Kageyama, a genius who holds himself and everyone else to the highest standards. An overachiever. What's this? This is Nishinoya, a legendary libero who'll give everything to save the ball. An overachiever. What's this? This is Sugawara, a setter who keeps thinking and observing the situation even from the sidelines. An overachiever. In this volleyball club full of overachievers, maybe only Tsukishima could offer him a little comfort. * Tsukishima: What is that look? It's disgusting. Don't come near me, I'm going to throw up. Then Tsukishima started pushing himself too, all the while saying it was just club activities. Harumi Awatake: ... In that case, let's get to work! I'll beat you lot, you overachievers with all that talent who work yourselves to death without a thought for anyone else! I'll crush you! - I don't know why, but I want to put a little bonus chapter here. One day, retired volleyball player Harumi Awatake secretly went to watch a match between the new generation of players and got caught by a reporter. Reporter: What do you think of the new generation of volleyball players? Harumi: (thinking) Can I swear? Reporter: Sorry, but you can't, since this is going on TV. Harumi: (relieved) Then I have nothing to say. - For Harumi's detailed character profile, check my homepage. The pairing is Lev, but the romance probably won't take up much space. I'm terrible at writing romance, sorry. There may be strange mixtures of Japanese, English, and Chinese, as well as romanized Japanese, but it should all be easy enough to understand. They're words often used in the anime. Lots of original NPCs. Harumi, Hinata, and Kageyama: HaruKage. Yes, I made this dumpling just to have an excuse to dip it in the HaruKage sauce. There may be some unreasonable settings, and I don't really understand volleyball at all. Just have fun reading, and please don't nitpick too much. That's all. Enjoy reading! - - Here is the blurb for my new story, "Is It Right for a Cute Cross-Dressing Idol to Be a Dedicated Wing Spiker?" Ashina Saiha is male and a female idol. Oh, sorry, I forgot one thing: he retired because he... lost his memory. * #Kawai Minami (minami) Ends Her Idol Career# Kawai Minami, practically the world's number-one idol, announced her retirement at the height of her popularity. After that, the girl idol vanished completely. No matter how thoroughly her fans searched, they couldn't find the slightest trace of her. At the thought of never seeing the adorable Minami again, never hearing her energetic singing, and never seeing that dazzling, sparkling blonde girl onstage, countless fans couldn't help but weep with broken hearts. "Minami-chan really did retire just like that... Minami-chan, where did you go?!" On a street corner, a fan wailed at the news on his phone, completely unaware that the person he was calling for, Minami herself, Ashina Saiha, had just walked past him. Neat black hair, dressed in perfectly ordinary men's clothes, the former perfect idol Ashina Saiha uneasily touched his neck. To be honest, he wanted to know where Minami-chan had gone, too. It was as if the soul belonging to that idol had been pulled out. Ashina Saiha remembered everything except anything to do with the stage. Then, bewildered and missing his memories, Ashina Saiha was drawn to the Fukurodani team playing volleyball by the roadside. "Come play volleyball. It's fun," Bokuto warmly invited him at their first meeting. And so, Ashina Saiha's life was ruined (not really). * Fukurodani's new wing spiker is downright terrifying. He dared to challenge Bokuto on his very first day with the team, went from knowing nothing to playing volleyball in three days, and mastered advanced techniques as soon as he tried them. The Fukurodani team looked at him as if he were a monster. Though he had no memories of it, never underestimate a world-class idol who could wear a wig, put on full makeup, and perform live in high heels for two hours at a concert. Ashina Saiha glanced over and smiled casually. "I learned it back home." He learned it back home with his childhood friend Suna. It would've been even better if his dear childhood friend hadn't threatened him with photos of Minami the second they met. - Also known as: Volleyball with Amnesia (?). Some of the settings were inspired by Oblivion Battery. The pairing is Akaashi. There should be more matches than everyday life. Theme: Even ordinary people can find a place where they belong.