Kobayashi Aotori, who came home from school, didn't meet anyone from the volleyball club. Whether it was ordered or they didn't want to come to him, it was a good thing for him to reduce his troubles.
He put down his schoolbag tiredly, put on his slippers, and limp on the sofa.
Kobayashi Aotori remembers that the original Kobayashi's parents were overseas, and he had been studying abroad before and decided to return when he was in the third grade of middle school. Up to now, he has lived alone in the two-story building that his parents had bought.
Leaning on the back of the chair, Kobayashi Aotori was silent for a moment and took out a piece of paper from his coat pocket, on which was written a series of numbers in small characters.
Silently took out the phone, saved the phone number, and wrote 'Tomoko Ito' in the note.
It's the original Kobayashi's volleyball fan, it feels strange, after all, I'm just an ordinary person who can play volleyball.
Making friends with female classmates... he has long forgotten about it.
Kobayashi Aotori, who had been attending boys' school before time travel, threw his phone aside with a headache.
After dragging his body, he changed out of his school uniform, put on a set of comfortable casual clothes, and went out to the convenience store. He didn't choose the nearest road but chose a relatively straight and long road.
—He is going for a run.
Jogging along the small street in the setting sun, Kobayashi Aotori felt that the depression in his heart that had lasted for a day was relieved a little.
Kobayashi Aotori doesn't hate sports, on the contrary, he likes the feeling of sweat running across his jaw.
It's just that he doesn't think he will have any substantial intersection with anime characters. After all, he couldn't suddenly enhance his ability when there was a huge disparity in strength, or because of the power of friendship, his strength increased by leaps and bounds.
He's just an ordinary sports fan with a weak mentality and an insensitive mind.
But having said that, the reason why he used to be so busy in high school is probably because he participated in too many clubs.
Because in the high school where studies are intense, there are not many people in the class who are willing to join the sports club, and Kobayashi Aotori, who has rarely been making friends and getting asked for help since childhood, always agrees to the request of the class committee.
He didn't notice the appreciative and trusting eyes of the class committee and others, he just wanted to accept it, anyway, he wasn't a genius, he was just making up the numbers.
In the track and field department, volleyball department, badminton department, and tennis department, Kobayashi Aotori has participated in many sports clubs. While becoming a master of time management, he has never missed all the training.
He's not like some of the standout guys on the team, who are sociable and laugh through their mistakes. He is different, he is just a background character, and the only thing he has to do is to do the actions he can make even when the 'protagonists' make mistakes.
After all, that's all he can do.
It is impossible for him to become a hero who saves the match and makes a passionate score.
I am such an ordinary person. How can I compare with the 'protagonist'?
His breathing gradually became a little disordered, and he forced himself not to think about it, just like the original plan, over time, everything would be forgotten.
Just as he was trying to sort things out, a figure passed him by, and that person stopped suddenly after Kobayashi Aotori ran a few steps.
"... Kobayashi Aotori?!"
When his name was called, the blue-haired young man subconsciously stopped, turned around and looked behind him, and a surprised and complicated face appeared in front of his eyes.
He opened his mouth slightly, exhaling hot air slowly. He felt the sweat running down his cheeks, but he had no time to take care of it, and just stared blankly at the person behind him——
——Kageyama Tobio.
Kageyama also seemed very shocked, his expression was stiff, obviously not very good-looking. The black eyes flickered, but it was a pity that when people who were not good at understanding and making expressions met together, Kageyama Tobio didn't notice that Kobayashi Aotori was as shocked as him.
Seeing the opponent's 'indifferent' expression, he unconsciously recalled the opponent's match when he was in middle school——those amazed and amused gazes fell on himself who was unable to play, like knives slashing his body inch by inch, which is still unforgettable to this day.
Unconsciously clenching his fists, Kageyama lowered his head slightly, staring fixedly at Kobayashi Aotori opposite him.
Kobayashi Aotori was stunned in place but looked at the 'king' who was thinking about something and at a loss.
Yes, he remembered that Kageyama was still the 'king' during this period, and he has not understood the true meaning of volleyball.
Kobayashi Aotori let his body relax as much as possible, standing up straight, he was a few centimetres taller than the other party. The two of them just stood on the deserted street, one was calm and the other was depressed.
"Yo. King."What broke the silence was Kobayashi Aotori's light words.
These words made Kageyama's eyes widen suddenly, he was short of breath and stared viciously at Aotori who also frowned slightly.
How did I speak my mind?!!
Kobayashi Aotori looked at the black air around Kageyama in front of him, which was almost condensed, and the bone-chilling aura made him resist the urge to shrug his shoulders.
After a long period of dead silence, just when the annoyed Kobayashi Aotori was about to be frozen to death by the air-conditioning released by the other party, the other party's deep voice broke the frozen atmosphere.
"...I will beat you." Tobio Kageyama sullenly pointed his finger at Kobayashi Aotori, "This time, I will win."
The corners of Kobayashi Aotori's eyes twitched lightly, and he once again felt the increasing weight in his heart.
He now understood where the gloom that troubled him all day came from, because of the words of Coach Washijo and Tomoko Ito, and now there was another, Kageyama Tobio added heaviness
——not reconciled.
He also wants to stand on the court. He also wants to be like the original Kobayashi, saying such arrogant words uprightly, like a 2D character who believes in miracles, and at this moment, facing Kageyama's words, he would not back down.
Just shrugging his shoulders, raised his eyes indifferently and said calmly:
"I'm waiting for you 'King'." Such words came.
…………
Looking at Kageyama's back as he left, Kobayashi Aotori couldn't remember what the other person's expression was like after that, nor did he remember what he said.
He just has dilated pupils. Reminiscing the thought just now, and the feeling after saying that sentence.
... so cool.
In that instant, the gloom that had built up for the day seemed to dissipate.
It turned out that he was not troubled by the mess left by the original Kobayashi.
Instead, I hope to gain the courage and confidence to take over the mess.
He clenched his fists, his eyes were blurry, he turned around, and ran forward according to his original footsteps——walking into the convenience store, he saw the look of the yellow-haired man at the front desk flickering after seeing his face.
Ah, even Coach Ukai knows me.
Kobayashi Aotori calmly turned into the shelf, hands in his pockets trembling slightly.
This feeling was a feeling that I had never felt before crossing. A player that used to only need to be the background character, turned out that it was possible to experience this feeling.
To be seen.
The feeling of being watched because of strength.
Even Kobayashi Aotori, who was used to not showing any emotions, did not lose his excitement and trembling.
He threw the instant noodles and rice balls into the basket and leaned slightly to look at the shelves, his eyes gradually deepened. Kobayashi Aotori, who was in deep thought, didn't know how long it had passed until a hesitant smoke sounded behind him:
"...student."
Ukai stared at the 'volleyball genius' in front of him with indescribable eyes, coughed lightly, and under the questioning gaze of the other party, pointed to the other party's basket with a finger holding a cigarette in it, and moved it to the instant noodles and snack bags that fell:
"...Need...to buy so many?"
Kobayashi Aotori lowered his head silently, looking at the basket that was already overflowing, and then looked up, only to see Ukai's complicated eyes.
——Kobayashi Aotori, froze.
————
At home, Kobayashi Aotori finished dinner with an expression that could almost be called grief and indignation.
Although, he was still calm in the eyes of others——perhaps the reason why he was always unknown in the previous team was because he always had a flat expression when scoring compare with other players who always shouted enthusiastically. It's a pity that the person himself will never notice this.
After calming down his stomach, he began to wonder whether he would continue to run on that route in the future, after all, he was not sure whether he would meet the protagonist group after school in the future.
... Forget it, it's fine to meet them
Anyway, I have no plan to play...
Kobayashi Aotori's expression froze, and his eyes darkened again.
He packed up the leftovers, walked slowly up to the second floor, returned to the master bedroom, sat back at the desk, opened the books placed there, looked at the densely packed marks on them, and unconsciously began to turn the pen on his long fingers.
The colour of the sky was mild, and it seemed that it was going to be dark.
With one hand resting on his chin, he unconsciously began to lose consciousness, staring at the scenery outside the window, and suddenly paused while turning his pen.
His gaze landed on the back of the small two-story building. A spacious courtyard unfolded in front of him. What really attracted him was not the court, but a few volleyballs placed in baskets placed under the eaves.
The original Kobayashi specially prepared a place to practice volleyball here.
He hooked the corners of his lips, it seems that the original really likes volleyball.
Kobayashi Aotori shook his head and continued to look down at the book.
…………
With a 'snap', the pen was put down, and a figure left the bedroom, leaving only the swivel chair that was thrown and slid a few meters away.
Behind the two-story building, in the courtyard, a tall figure stood there, holding a volleyball in his hand.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Sweat slid down his cheeks to the ground. Kobayashi Aotori stretched out his hand, holding the volleyball in his hand. His eyes were fixed on the volleyball, and he suddenly threw it——his gaze followed the volleyball to the sky, and he saw the moon, slowly revealing his face from under the dark clouds.
He jumped into the air, and at this moment, this figure coincided with the ordinary figure in his previous life.
In my mind, I once trained alone at the school gym and was noticed by the setter who I thought was a member of the 'protagonist' in the team. The other party looked at me curiously:
"Hey Aotori-san, are you still practising? You practice so late every day, I didn't realize it."
The setter read the puzzled expression on the other party's expressionless face, and laughed, "Aotori-san has never had any problems in training, and we all thought you were a genius. After all, you are super strong, and everyone on the team thinks the same—”
"—It's great to be teammates with Aotori-san."
When he heard the other party's words, the boy's expressionless eyes paused for two seconds, and they lit up for two seconds even the person himself didn't realize it.
The setter smiled and threw a ball casually. The boy's eyes followed the ball, and he saw the tall volleyball and the ceiling in his peripheral vision.
Having experienced hundreds of thousands of movements without any cumbersome mistakes, neat and standard, leaping high——in the school gym and behind the courtyard of the small building, two thunderous explosions coincided:
"Boom!!"
if it is possible--
I also want to be a 'protagonist'.