Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 312: The Transfer Student (D-L)

"Next, we'll practice serving and receiving!"

"Yes!"

At Ennoshita Chikara's command, the Karasuno Volleyball Club members split into two groups—servers and receivers—scattering around the court.

As practice began, the gym filled with the sounds of shouts, balls being received, and shoes scraping against the floor.

Last fall, Karasuno had been eliminated in the Prefectural Spring Tournament qualifiers, failing to reach Nationals. With their loss, the senior players had retired.

Now, Ennoshita was earnestly managing the training of both the new first-years and the returning second and third-years. The expression on his face made it clear—before he knew it, he had become a dependable captain.

Bam!

A loud crash echoed through the gym, followed by Hinata Shōyō's pained cry.

"Ow—!"

He had probably thrown himself at a ball again, crashing into the wall in the process (Karasuno's gym really was a bit small). Now, he sat at the base of the wall, clutching his head.

"Hinata, are you okay?" The team paused, turning their attention toward him.

"Idiot! Dumbass!" Kageyama Tobio scolded him, running over.

"S-Sorry! I'm fine!"

Hinata rubbed his forehead vigorously and got back to his feet. But then, something felt off. He looked around himself, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"What's wrong? Did you hit something important?" Ennoshita asked in concern.

"Should I carry you to the nurse's office?" Tanaka Ryūnosuke turned his back toward him, flexing his lean muscles.

"No, that's not it. I just feel kinda…chilly..."

Hinata twisted his body—and finally realized what had happened.

"UWAAAH—!"

During his fall, his shorts had ripped at the back, leaving a gaping hole.

"Aaahhh—!" Face turning crimson, Hinata squatted down in embarrassment.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of! This is an honourable injury!" Nishinoya Yū declared, extending a hand toward him as if bathed in divine light.

"An…honourable injury…? That sounds so cool!" Sitting against the wall, Hinata's eyes suddenly sparkled.

Tsukishima Kei, looking thoroughly unimpressed, deadpanned, "No, no matter how you look at it, this is just plain embarrassing. Your underwear is showing."

"Don't look!" Hinata screeched, his brief sense of awe instantly shattered.

"Tsukki." Yamaguchi Tadashi hurriedly tried to stop Tsukishima from pushing it further.

"Who wants to look, dumbass?" Tsukishima scoffed.

Hinata hastily covered his backside and bolted for the locker room.

"Be careful not to trip!" Ennoshita called after him, his voice barely heard over the laughter of the team.

"The senpais all get along so well," the first-years whispered among themselves.

"But…is this really okay?" Some of them looked a little worried. These upperclassmen didn't seem all that reliable.

Last year, Karasuno had reached the Top 4 in the Prefectural Tournament—their best result in recent years. Even so, compared to other schools, they were still at a disadvantage when it came to recruiting new players.

The previous year's first-year class had been a rare jackpot, bringing in strong newcomers like Kageyama, Hinata, and Tsukishima, as if they'd exhausted all their luck at once. This year, however, their recruitment had been underwhelming—only six new players, none of whom particularly stood out.

Clap, clap, clap!

Ennoshita clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention back.

"Let's continue practice!"

"Yes!"

With that, the gym returned to its usual rhythm.

-----

At that moment, not far from Karasuno High School, along the shopping street, Hinata Natsu was out running errands with her mother, Hinata Hiromi.

"This is where big brother's school is, right?" Natsu asked, bouncing on her feet.

"We're not going to the school, though."

"But maybe we'll run into him?"

"Hmm, he's probably at practice right now. He won't be home until later."

"Okay…" Natsu pouted slightly.

Ever since her brother had joined the volleyball club, he barely had time to play with her anymore. Even during summer break and Golden Week, he was always at practice, sometimes gone for an entire week.

"Come on, Natsu, let's go to that supermarket."

Following her mother's gaze, Natsu spotted the store ahead—then suddenly let out a gasp.

"Aah! Mr. Piggy...!"

The supermarket's sign featured a cartoon pig, chopped into neatly arranged portions on a plate, accompanied by the words, Please eat me!

"Uhh…how should I put this…?" Hiromi mused. "It's kind of brutal, but also weirdly cheerful... Still, their meat is probably high quality. They might have really good bacon."

At the thought of crispy, juicy bacon and bacon-wrapped asparagus, Natsu's stomach rumbled. For the moment, she completely forgot about her brother.

"Let's go inside, then!" She eagerly pulled her mother toward the store.

"Alright. Natsu, why don't you find some eggs for me while I pick out vegetables?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Saluting, Natsu set off on her mission.

"Eggs, eggs…"

She weaved through the aisles, past the fruits and vegetables, and reached the seafood section. Not long after, she found the egg shelves.

But just as she reached out to grab a carton, her hand froze in midair.

There were too many options.

Even after eliminating the tiny quail eggs and onsen eggs, there were still brown eggs, eggs in mesh bags, large cartons, small cartons—how was she supposed to choose?

Natsu felt stuck.

"Need some help, little miss?"

"Yaaah!"

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Startled by the voice behind her, she spun around. A tall man in glasses, wearing a store apron featuring the same cartoon pig—chopped into neat portions—was crouching beside her.

"S-Sorry! Um, which eggs are the best?"

"Looking for eggs, huh?" The man, Shimada Makoto, crouched down to her level with a kind smile. "What are you planning to make?"

"Umm…My brother likes tamago kake gohan!"

"Hmm…" Shimada nodded knowingly. "Then these ones, which are on sale right now. A pack of ten—how about it?"

"Thank you, mister!"

After a moment of careful consideration, Natsu nodded and bowed politely before picking up the discounted eggs.

"Be careful not to drop them!" Shimada said warmly, delighted by the adorable child's gratitude.

Cradling the eggs carefully, Natsu made her way back to her mother in the produce section and gently placed them into the basket.

"Phew—" She sighed in relief, proud of her accomplishment.

"Thank you, Natsu. You did great!" Hiromi ruffled her daughter's hair. "As a reward, you can pick out a snack."

"Yay!" Natsu bounced excitedly.

"Snacks! Snacks!"

Just as she ran off to find the snack aisle—

"Ah!"

"Hm?"

She bumped into someone. Looking up to apologize, she froze in shock.

The person was huge.

Even if she sat on her brother's shoulders, she still wouldn't reach this person's height.

The boy wore a black leather jacket, its metal zippers and studs glinting under the store lights. His jeans were worn-out, full of scuffs and irregular tears.

The only time Natsu had seen someone dressed like this was on TV—always playing the role of a delinquent. And every time, her mom would tell her to stay far away.

"Are you okay, kid?"

The boy crouched down to her level. His presence loomed over her completely.

"He's…he's going to eat me!"

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"M-MOMMY!! WAAAAAAAHHHH!!"

Kita Seio froze.

Which idiot told him that "getting down to a kid's eye level" was the best way to interact with them?! It totally backfired!

Shimada and Hiromi, hearing the commotion, rushed over—only to find Natsu crying her eyes out and Kita kneeling awkwardly beside her, looking completely lost.

With his intimidating outfit and his naturally sharp expression, he couldn't have looked more suspicious.

-----

"So, that's how it is. This big brother here didn't do anything to you, right?"

Miyagi's Karasuno district trainee police officer, Sawamura Daichi, asked in a gentle tone.

"No, it was my fault—I accidentally bumped into him." Hinata Natsu's voice still carried a hint of tears. "I'm sorry."

"I told you I didn't do anything," Kita Seio said lazily, showing not the slightest bit of nervousness even in front of a police officer.

"Apologies, we misunderstood you."

"No problem. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way." Kita Seio didn't waste any time. "I need to hurry to my school for enrollment."

"Wait, did you just say you're heading to Karasuno?" Sawamura Daichi instinctively asked. After all, the closest high school around here was Karasuno.

"You're a new student at Karasuno?" Sawamura Daichi asked with some confusion. "Wait, didn't you just say you came from Osaka?"

"That has nothing to do with you, officer. Anyway, I'm a transfer student." Kita Seio took the black helmet hanging from his bike's handlebar, then hastily stuffed the snacks and daily necessities he had just bought from the store into the slightly faded backpack on his motorcycle's rear seat.

The next moment, the engine roared to life, kicking up a small cloud of dust from the ground as Kita Seio sped off on his sleek-looking bike.

"That guy's still in high school, right? Can he even ride a motorcycle legally?" Shimada Makoto asked, dumbfounded.

"I already checked his license," Sawamura Daichi replied, though a vague sense of unease lingered in his mind. He had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time he crossed paths with that guy.

Shimada Makoto didn't dwell on the matter any further. After running his store for so many years, he was used to all kinds of customers. Instead, he turned his curious gaze toward Sawamura Daichi, who was still in his police uniform.

"That uniform actually suits you pretty well."

"Thank you for the compliment, senpai." Sawamura Daichi was slightly embarrassed.

"By the way, do you happen to know a Hinata Shōyō?" Ever since donning the police uniform, Sawamura Daichi had become extra perceptive about certain details in everyday life.

The mother and daughter before him shared the surname Hinata, and with that striking shade of orange hair, they were impossible to overlook.

"You know my brother?" Hinata Natsu peeked out from behind her mother. "Did he get caught stealing food or something?!"

"No, no…" Sawamura Daichi quickly waved his hands in denial before offering a polite bow to Hinata Hiromi. "Hello, ma'am. I was in the same club as Shōyō back in high school."

"Oh~" Hiromi let out a breath of relief. Though she never doubted that Shōyō wouldn't do anything bad, given his energetic nature, it wouldn't be surprising if he got into trouble by accident.

"Ah—! You must be Sawamura-kun!" Hinata Hiromi suddenly recognized him after taking a closer look. She had seen this person in Shōyō's club photos before.

"I didn't expect you to be such a mature and responsible young man. You're only two years older than Shōyō, right?" she thought to herself.

"Thank you for looking after Shōyō back then. He always talked about his club activities at home."

"Oh, no, ma'am, you're too kind." Sawamura Daichi straightened up and said earnestly, "Shōyō is an amazing volleyball player. I'm truly grateful I had the chance to play with him during my last year of high school."

"I'm going to be an amazing volleyball player too!" Hinata Natsu chimed in, remembering that she had heard his name before. "I'll be even better than my brother!"

"Haha…" Sawamura Daichi chuckled and gave her a nod.

"I'm sure you will!"

-----

[At Karasuno High School]

By the time Kita Seio finished all the enrollment and dormitory procedures, the sky had already turned dark. The entire campus was shrouded in quiet, except for a large gymnasium on the south side, where the lights were still shining brightly. Inside, the occasional shouts of students and the rhythmic sound of a volleyball being struck echoed out.

"Volleyball, huh…"

Seio's eyes flickered with nostalgia, and his feet unconsciously carried him toward the gym. He only stopped when he reached the entrance.

"Come on, what's there to be afraid of?" Kita Seio mocked himself before stepping inside.

"HAH—!!"

With a loud shout, Tanaka Ryūnosuke leapt toward the net, spiking a high ball from the right wing with all his might. The ball landed precisely on the three-meter line on the opposite left side of the court.

"Yeah!!" Tanaka Ryūnosuke clenched his fist in celebration.

"That buzz cut…his attack trajectory is actually pretty decent," Kita Seio muttered, a little surprised. When his grandmother had called him back home last year, he'd heard that Karasuno had become the "Flightless Crows." He assumed they were weak.

From the back row, Tsukishima Kei took a small run-up before jumping into the air.

"Whoa, this guy's taller than me…and his hitting point is really high," Kita Seio observed.

Swish—!

The ball soared with precision, floating right into position in front of Tsukishima.

"That set…that's a really nice pass." Kita Seio felt a tingling in his right hand.

Boom!

Smack!

Nishinoya Yū received the ball cleanly, sending it in a perfect arc back toward the setter's position.

"Nice receive!" Kita Seio's eyes lit up. That reception was near flawless.

Thunk!

The sound of shoes scraping against the gym floor mixed with the sharp thud of someone pushing off for a jump.

Boom!

Kita Seio: "???"

What just happened?

A tiny guy just flew into the air?

When did he receive the set? When did he spike it?

"Oi, oi, oi! Isn't Karasuno way stronger than I expected?!" Kita Seio was filled with a restless excitement that he couldn't suppress.

He shrugged off his jacket, tossing it carelessly onto the floor. Now only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, his toned arm muscles became clearly visible.

"Oi, setter over there! Send me a high set to the middle!"

Kita Seio ran toward the net without hesitation, completely ignoring the surprised looks from those around him.

Kageyama Tobio frowned. Who the hell was this guy, barging in like he owned the place?

Whoosh—!

But, an attacker calling for a set—there was no reason not to respond.

Thud!

With a powerful jump, Kita Seio's massive figure briefly blocked out the overhead lights.

BOOM!!!

The gym trembled as the ball slammed into the centre of the court and bounced high into the air.

"What the hell?!! Who is this guy?!!"

"That was a perfect set!" Kita Seio flashed a thumbs-up at Kageyama.

The Karasuno players were still trying to process what had just happened.

"Who are you—?" Ennoshita Chikara took the initiative to step forward.

"So, you must be the captain of Karasuno," Kita Seio said as he strode directly up to Ennoshita.

"I'm Kita Seio. I transferred here from Osaka. My position on the court is an outside hitter. With me on this team, you guys have nothing to worry about anymore!"

_________

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