Despite Aoba Johsai Volleyball Club's usual Monday off, Maple Field Taiichi's passion and dedication for volleyball seemed irrepressible that day.
The joy of leveling up, the transformation from nothing to something, from unfamiliarity to proficiency, captivated him like magic, making him unable to stop.
So, he chose to go to a nearby park by himself that day to practice serves alone, enjoying the happiness and focus of being immersed in the world of volleyball.
In the park, Maple Field Taiichi sweated alone, tossing and hitting the ball repeatedly, practicing the basic movements of serving, striving for each shot to be precise and powerful.
Not far away, a man with medium-length hair and a hoodie caught Maple Field Taiichi's attention. He seemed to glance unintentionally in Maple Field Taiichi's direction, his gaze seemingly revealing a hint of curiosity and admiration.
“I feel like I’ve seen him before, but I can’t remember. However, since he looks familiar, he must be a volleyball player,” Maple Field Taiichi silently asked the system in his mind.
“Tenma Uchi, not a high school player, not included in data statistics.”
It was him! The former Ace spiker of Karasuno Volleyball Club, known as the “Little Giant” because of his short stature yet formidable strength. He led Karasuno to the National tournament, was Hinata's idol, and the catalyst for Hinata starting to play volleyball. That one silhouette on TV back then was remembered by many volleyball fans for a long time.
His short black hair in high school was very imposing, and his current medium-length curly hair is also… well, very soft and cute.
Maple Field Taiichi couldn't let this opportunity slip away and went straight for his target.
“Hello, are you Tenma Uchi-senpai?”
Tenma Uchi was a bit surprised to be recognized: “You are?”
“Nice to meet you, Little Giant-senpai! I'm Maple Field Taiichi, a middle blocker from Aoba Johsai, and I started playing volleyball because I saw your dashing figure on TV!” Maple Field Taiichi said quickly, without a hint of blush. Sorry, Shoyo, I'm borrowing your reason.
“Eh, really?” Tenma Uchi looked at the high school student, who was at least 180 cm tall, with great doubt.
“Really! But, Senpai, Karasuno also has a Little Giant now, and he's a huge fan of yours.”
“Haha, really? I didn't realize I was that amazing back then,” Tenma Uchi scratched his head sheepishly.
“Senpai, can you teach me how to play volleyball?” Maple Field Taiichi looked at him with hopeful eyes, handing the volleyball to Tenma Uchi.
“Ah?” Tenma Uchi was a bit overwhelmed. Are high school students this outgoing nowadays?
“No? Is it because I'm an Aoba Johsai player?”
“No, it's just that I haven't played volleyball in a long time,” Tenma Uchi said, without much regret about it.
“How could that be?” Maple Field Taiichi played along with Tenma Uchi’s act. In fact, he already knew about this after finishing the manga.
“That really brings back memories,” Tenma Uchi took the volleyball from Maple Field Taiichi’s hand. “I’m attending university in Kanto, and I have some other interests, so I haven’t continued playing after graduating high school.”
Maple Field Taiichi looked at the drawing board next to Tenma Uchi: “Senpai, are you going to draw manga?”
Tenma Uchi was startled. How did he know about this? He hadn't told anyone yet, but being a manga artist isn't a hard profession to guess in Japan.
Tenma Uchi admitted it frankly, a slight smile on his face, his eyes sparkling with creative passion and anticipation: “You’re right, I do have a story about a zombie swordsman that I want to tell through manga.”
Maple Field Taiichi nodded: “Can you tell me about it, Senpai?”
Tenma Uchi was a bit embarrassed, but seeing the junior's eager eyes…
“Alright, let's go to a nearby family restaurant and talk over some food.”
***
“It's a swordsman in skeleton form. The swordsman knows false death, and thus doesn't know true death—”
“His only companion is a crow that cannot speak—”
“Oh, oh, oh, what a cool concept.”
Two individuals, who were beyond their age but still in their chuunibyou phase, enthusiastically discussed the manga plot Tenma Uchi wanted to create in the family restaurant.
Tenma Uchi’s tone carried a hint of mystery and shyness as he recounted to Maple Field Taiichi a world that existed only in his imagination, a world completely different from the volleyball court. It was a place of adventure where a zombie swordsman blazed trails, made life-or-death decisions, and possessed courage and belief that transcended the boundaries of life and death.
“Zombyushu now has to make a very cool entrance and save the heroine who is being attacked by the enemy. The enemy must also be a character with whom Zombyushu had a relationship before he became a zombie. And the heroine must also be a key character in Zombyushu's journey back to being human. Of course, she also has to be cute, strong-willed, have her own fighting spirit, but still evoke a desire to protect her--”
When he got excited, Tenma Uchi became a chatterbox.
“And then?”
“Then, the male and female leads embark on a journey together.” To be honest, Tenma Uchi had been struggling with the beginning and hadn't thought about the subsequent plot at all.
“You haven't thought about the plot after this, have you?” Maple Field Taiichi looked at Tenma Uchi. He probably knew the reason why Tenma Uchi's future work, “zombie swordsman zombyushu,” serialized in “Weekly Shonen BYE,” was canceled.
“I was just thinking of drawing a good one-shot, so I haven't seriously considered the plot afterward yet,” Tenma Uchi mumbled softly, secretly wiping the sweat from his palms. Why did he feel like he was being criticized?
As a transmigrator, Maple Field Taiichi had many excellent works from his previous life in his mind, but Tenma Uchi certainly had a story he wanted to express. Intervening now was not appropriate; it would be better to help him perfect his own story sooner.
“So, Uchiyama-senpai, what’s the setting for your heroine? She's not just a mascot, is she?”
“She’s the character who provides commentary, and also the male protagonist’s partner, I guess.”
“Speaking of which, what exactly is the male lead? And I wanted to say earlier, zombies and skeletons are two different concepts, right?”
“Ah haha, but skeletons are cool…” Tenma Uchi saw that he couldn't bluff his way through and just admitted it directly.
“If the female lead is going to be sarcastic, then the male lead can't just be cool, right?”
“Would it be better to add a silly side?”
“It seems hard to get the balance right; it won't turn into a gag manga, will it…?”
“Hmm… And the villain's setting, the protagonist's goal, the story's background, Uchiyama-sensei must have considered all of that, right?”
Tenma Uchi shrugged his shoulders slightly, like a scolded child, looking pitifully at Maple Field Taiichi: “Taiichi-sensei, please guide me!”
The two looked at each other, but soon both burst into laughter.
“It really feels like we're creating something!”
“We are serious, okay?” The two continued discussing in the family restaurant, and before they knew it, evening arrived.