My Volleyball Life Is Anything but Easy

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Blurb:

Shiina Izumi Arashi is half Japanese and half German. When he was little, he had just arrived in Japan and couldn't speak Japanese well, so in Miyagi Prefecture he met the "big-hearted" Ushijima, and the two became childhood friends.

He's been playing volleyball for over five years. He currently attends... Fukurodani Academy.

Shiratorizawa's team: Wait, why isn't Shiina at Shiratorizawa?

Ushijima: Because he said he didn't want to keep handling the balls I hit during regular practice.

Shiratorizawa's team: ...

So, in his first week at Fukurodani after returning to Japan, Shiina Izumi Arashi happily submitted his application to join the volleyball club. On the very first day he was ready to enjoy a relaxing, carefree volleyball life, he happened to run into an intrasquad scrimmage.

Akaashi, another first-year newcomer, looked at the towering guy in front of him, who stood 187 centimeters tall, and asked hesitantly, "What position did you say you play?"

Shiina: I'm a libero!

And so, during the intrasquad match, second-year Bokuto watched in disbelief as a junior who looked nothing like a libero dove to save his spike.

Fukurodani's team: ???

Akaashi: You were actually serious!

A few weeks later, during a practice match between Fukurodani and another school, Shiina was in the front row when the opposition launched an unexpected attack. He immediately covered the opening and smoothly dropped to his knees to receive the ball.

The other school's team: Isn't he a middle blocker?!

Fukurodani's team: Oh, he was still a libero not long ago...

Shiina, forced to switch positions because his height puts him among the tallest on the team, could only feel speechless.

Why had nobody told him that Fukurodani not only had no towers, but also had an ace who was a total wild card?

Shiina, who had deliberately avoided the "monster child": Where did my easygoing volleyball life go?

A few things to know:

1. The protagonist will become an all-rounder. He played libero overseas and only started playing other positions after returning to Japan.

2. Ushijima is the love interest. Childhood friends are the best!

3. This isn't pure wish fulfillment. They won't win every match.

4. There are lots of personal headcanons. If you want to drop the story, just leave. No need to tell me or leave a comment.

P.S. I haven't decided what other series to cross over with. It might include Ace of Diamond, Oblivion Battery, or other sports anime.

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A preview of my original upcoming story, I'm Not a Silver Medalist, sports fiction, no romance

Preview:

Jiang Yilan was a young gymnastics prodigy who later submitted an application to switch sports and train with the swimming team.

The news sent the public into an uproar. Every media report that day asked the same thing: Has this guy gone crazy? Is he treating his athletic career like a joke?

But the facts proved he wasn't crazy.

Years later, 24-year-old Jiang Yilan stood at the Olympic Games. The starting gun fired. He plunged into the water, his arms slicing through the blue, and went on to win silver in the men's backstroke.

In an interview after the event, he said, "My biggest regret is the silver medal in my hand, and the choice I made the first time I faced the competitive arena."

If only he hadn't given up swimming when he was young.

It seemed fate had heard the words he'd kept hidden in his heart...

When he opened his eyes again, the young man, who had retired before turning 25 due to injury, had returned to the first day he encountered swimming.

Breathing in the familiar smell of the pool, Jiang Yilan strode inside once more.

He'd already stood on this podium in his previous life. Was he going to settle for second place in this one?

As if.

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Theme: Growing into the person you want to be