"Akashi-senpai, you're up next in the rotation."
The voice close to him suddenly pulled Alex out of his daydream. The loud squeak of the ball on the floor and the sound of shoes rubbing rushed into his mind all at once.
He opened his eyes.
A boy's face with delicate features, showing a little worry, came into view. Behind the boy, the bright light of the indoor gym was clear.
"???"
Alex was immediately and completely confused.
What is this? Who am I now? Where exactly am I? Am I still drunk?
"Akashi-senpai? Akashi-senpai? Are you feeling okay?"
Seeing the confused look in Alex's eyes, the nice-looking boy felt the need to speak again.
The boy was not speaking Chinese; the language sounded clearly Japanese, but for some unknown reason, Alex understood it perfectly.
Alex looked closely at the young man. When that face, which was both familiar and strange, registered in his mind, a flood of memories poured out from deep within him, causing a feeling that was both painful and exciting.
* Akashi Asuka.
* 15 years old.
* 179\text{ cm} tall.
* Currently a third-year student at Senkoku Middle School in Miyagi Prefecture.
* A short time ago, he was hit from behind with a heavy object during a fight. He felt dizzy and lightheaded all afternoon until he suddenly fell down, losing consciousness. After that, and without any clear change, his body was taken over by Alex.
* The main attacker for the volleyball team.
* An ongoing practice match within the team…
From this huge collection of memories, which clearly were not his, Alex quickly pulled out important information, but this only made his confusion worse.
"Did I really switch bodies? Was that strange voice just joking?"
Alex. 24 years old. After graduating from college, he worked as a basketball coach at a regional training center for five years, which included the three years of the pandemic.
Made worse by the pandemic, the intense, inward-focused competition in almost all jobs had reached its peak.
During his college years, Alex thought of himself as a smart player; otherwise, despite not having great natural physical gifts, he wouldn't have kept a starting spot on the school team for two years.
If not for the injury he later got precisely because of his overly planned approach, Alex's career path should have been much better.
However, to Alex's great surprise, when he started working, he met people who were even smarter at strategy than himself.
But the focus of this group was not on skill; it was on whose social grace allowed them to build the best relationship with bosses and management.
As it happened, this social maneuvering was completely outside of Alex's comfort zone.
As a result, despite his maximum effort and strategic risks in his work, his rewards were always much smaller than those who spent their time building relationships with the boss.
When the difference between effort and reward became completely unbearable, even Alex felt his desire to compete slowly fading away.
It was exactly then that a clear voice appeared in his mind…
"Since the reward is no longer worth it here, maybe a gamble somewhere else is needed?" Having recently become completely drunk, Alex was in no state to question where the voice in his head came from. In his drunken confusion, upon hearing the offer, only one main thought took over him:
"Gamble! Yes, I will gamble! If you have that power, find a truly fair place to compete, and I will fight them until I win!"
And so, upon waking up, Alex found himself facing this exact situation.
"..."
Alex couldn't speak. He was proud of his ability to adapt, but this sudden, forced change still made him want to complain loudly.
Luckily, Alex had been an orphan in his previous life, with no ties, allowing his stunned mind to start working again relatively quickly.
It was just a little painful as it restarted.
Hmph! These young players show a clear lack of sportsmanship, actually ambushing someone in his twenties!
Wait! I wasn't the one hit! Forget that thought then.
"I am fine, Nishimori. My warm-up is done; I will go onto the court right away."
Alex gently rubbed his still slightly aching head, gave a small smile to the young Nishimori Tomohiko before him, and then stood up, walking toward the volleyball court. While he had not yet fully accepted being Akashi Asuka, that big question could definitely wait until after this internal practice match was over!
Watching Alex leave, the delicate-featured Nishimori Tomohiko stood still for a moment.
He felt strongly that Akashi-senpai seemed slightly different today.
The Ace and the Fight
"Volleyball!"
Stepping onto the court, Alex felt a powerful, excited feeling.
Alex had learned some basic, mostly theoretical things about volleyball during his college years, as his main sport was basketball. However, combining this basic knowledge with the physical memory inherited from Akashi Asuka should be enough to get through this internal practice match.
Hmm. Probably.
"Akashi-senpai!"
"Akashi-senpai!"...
Akashi Asuka (called by this name from now on for easy storytelling) had barely reached the court before a group of first- and second-year students came up to him and bowed respectfully. Yet, judging by the feeling in their faces, fear seemed much stronger than respect.
This was, understandably, true.
After all, Akashi Asuka, besides being the current main attacker for the volleyball team, had a second identity: a "delinquent."
Though Alex's inherited memory suggested that Akashi Asuka had not done anything truly terrible besides a few fights, within the Japanese school system, the simple label of "delinquent" was enough to cause widespread fear.
In Japanese middle schools, "high-achieving students," "sports club leaders," and "delinquents" made up the three generally accepted levels of power.
Moreover, Akashi Asuka had two of these defining qualities.
No. Perhaps even all three.
Because, according to the memory, besides these two qualities, Akashi Asuka was also very good-looking. In just over two years of middle school, he had received no fewer than twenty Valentine's Day chocolates and sincere love letters.
"Pleased to start the match!"
"Pleased to start the match!"
Following a quick, formal greeting, both sides lined up, performed a loud salute, and the practice match quickly began.
Akashi Asuka was assigned to the Red Team. This internal competition had purposefully split the volleyball club's six key players. Besides him, the two other key players chosen for Akashi Asuka's team were the setter "Mishita Ryūhei" and the opposite hitter "Oda Miki."
Whistle!
The Red Team served first.
A second-year substitute performed a simple underhand serve, typical for a middle school player. The ball traveled in a moderate arc and landed safely in the opposing back row.
"I've got it!"
The Blue Team's starting libero, "Kurata Neko," spread his arms and called out, receiving the serve easily. The Blue Team's substitute setter quickly followed up, delivering a light, high set to the net, guiding it past the already jumping middle blocker "Ōmae Masato," who was waiting for it.
Thump!
Snap!
In an instant, two clear, sharp sounds echoed across the gym floor.
The first was the clear sound of Ōmae Masato's spike hitting the ball, and the second was the decisive sound of the volleyball being blocked by Akashi Asuka.
Akashi Asuka is the tallest player on the entire volleyball team. Normally, successfully spiking over him during a team practice match is extremely hard.
At 179\text{cm}, he is notably tall for a third-year junior high student.
While other players of similar age might be taller than him elsewhere, none are in the Sengoku Junior High volleyball team. Sengoku Junior High's competitive position is only average within Miyagi Prefecture.
In contrast, at Kitagawa First Junior High, Miyagi Prefecture's dominant team, it is said that the average height of their main players is over 180\text{cm}.
"Hmm... Kitagawa First Junior High, that name sounds familiar!"
A quick, curious thought crossed his mind, and Akashi Asuka's focus immediately returned to his net defense.
Although his block was good, it did not lead to an immediate point. Instead, the ball was recovered at a crucial moment by the starting libero, Kuramae, and the Blue Team was already setting up its second attack.
Honestly, Akashi Asuka was somewhat surprised that the ball had been saved.
They were, after all, only in their third year of junior high. Though Alex had often heard in his previous life about the good sports programs in Japanese junior high schools, he only truly understood the impressive environment upon directly experiencing it.
At the very least, every player showed serious concentration in their play.
"Heh heh~~~"
Akashi Asuka let a small smile form on his lips, feeling a rush of excitement.
Competitive sports are naturally boring when not played with true commitment.
He now fully understood the reason the voice brought him here; school competitive sports, in a basic sense, could indeed be called a "fair and meritocratic" competitive area.
The volleyball flew high, and Ōmae Masato jumped again. Seeing this, Akashi Asuka quickly matched his rhythm.
However, in the next fraction of a second, the volleyball went around Ōmae Masato and traveled to the left side of the block, where a player with a vertical jump similar to Ōmae Masato's went up into the air.
It was the other core middle blocker, Kazama Jūjirō.
Bang!
With a sharp noise, the volleyball violently hit the court, then bounced high into the air…
The score was 1:0.
"Hahahaha, you fell for the fake-out, Akashi. Today, Kazama and I are working together to win against you!"
Seeing his team score, Ōmae Masato put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly. While the younger members of the volleyball club were afraid of Akashi Asuka, the main players generally had a good, friendly relationship.
Yet, despite their friendly relationship, both Ōmae Masato and Kazama Jūjirō had wanted Akashi Asuka's "ace" position for a long time.
One can only conclude... intense competition is everywhere.
Akashi Asuka did not reply verbally to Ōmae Masato's "challenge." He simply looked at the spot on the court where the volleyball had hit, showing no sign of disappointment. Instead, the corners of his mouth slowly started to rise, and his look gradually became one of "intense passion."
Goodness. The powerful pull of this level of competition is completely captivating!
System Activated
[Ding!]
[Host's "Soul of Inovlution" detected burning strongly...]
[Involution System officially turned on...]