Haikyu!! If Keishin Ukai Had Not Accepted the Coaching Job - The Flightless Crow and the Tearful Assumption of the Coaching Role

"Wait, I'm going to be... the volleyball team's... coach?" Her voice cracked. Spring sunlight streamed through the windows of Karasuno High School's staff room. Outside, the young cherry trees swayed in the breeze. Nezu Misaki could only stare up blankly at the vice principal standing before her. "Yeah. I want you to do it." The vice principal's voice was heavy, exhausted. Misaki clutched the stack of papers in her hands. Her fingertips trembled faintly. "I—I can't! I've never even played volleyball!" "I know." "I don't understand the rules at all! I don't even know how to hold the ball!" "I know." "S-so a huge responsibility like that... there's no way someone like me could..." The vice principal let out a deep sigh. Then he held out a single sheet of paper in front of Misaki. "...Look at this first. Then think about it again." It was a career survey form for the volleyball club members. Misaki nervously scanned the page. First-year, Hinata Shouyou. In the career aspirations field, written in large letters, was just one line. "I want to go to Nationals." The moment she saw those words, something burst open deep in Misaki's chest. (To Nationals... he wants to go...) Tears spilled over. She couldn't stop them. Misaki found herself remembering her own school days. The version of herself who had wished to aim for something, but in the end could never take that first step. "...I'll do it." Her voice shook. "I don't know if I can. But... I don't want to pretend this kid's words never existed." The vice principal nodded quietly. "I'm counting on you. Ms. Nezu." "Yes...!" With her face a mess of tears, Misaki bowed deeply. That was everything that led to Nezu Misaki—a part-time lecturer with zero volleyball experience—becoming the coach of Karasuno High School's volleyball team. "Haah..." After leaving the staff room, Misaki let out a huge sigh as she walked down the hallway. (What on earth did I just agree to...) Anxiety kept her feet from moving forward. Her head was a jumbled mess. (Volleyball is played with six people, right? You just have to drop the ball on the opponent's court, right?) That was the level she was at. No—she wasn't even confident that much was correct. "Um, Ms. Nezu?" Suddenly a voice came from behind her, and Misaki jumped. "Hyaii!" She spun around to find a male teacher in a tracksuit standing there. If she remembered correctly, he was the faculty advisor for the volleyball club. "S-sorry for startling you. I heard about the situation from the vice principal. I'm the advisor for the volleyball club." "Y-yes... nice to meet you..." Misaki bowed over and over. The advisor opened his mouth, looking a little hesitant. "...Ms. Nezu. I'll be honest with you. Karasuno's volleyball team is in a pretty tough spot right now." "...Tough?" "Yes. We used to be a regular at Nationals—a powerhouse called the 'Crows That Can't Fly.' With a small-statured ace, the 'Little Giant,' at the center, we were unbeatable within the prefecture..." "Is that so." "But these past few years, our results have been poor. We've got about fifteen members. The Spring High preliminaries—the Miyagi Prefecture qualifier for the National High School Volleyball Championship—are coming up, and we still don't have a coach. No, to be precise, we were supposed to ask someone named Ukai Keishin to take the position." "Ukai..." "Yes. The grandson of the former Coach Ukai who raised the 'Little Giant.' But he turned down the coaching job himself, saying 'I can't do it.'" "I see..." A heavy weight settled onto Misaki's chest. (Even someone that amazing said he couldn't do it... can someone like me really manage?) "...I'm sorry. I've gone and made you anxious." The advisor bowed apologetically. "N-no! If anything, I'm the one who doesn't know anything..." "The players each seem to be dealing with their own things, too. Especially the first-years, Kageyama and Tsukishima..." He stopped there. "...Well, you should meet them in person and see for yourself." "Yes..." Misaki gripped the thin braided bracelet on her left wrist. It was her mother's keepsake. A phrase her mother—who had been a school counselor—always used floated into her mind. "You know, people can feel half better just by having someone listen to them." (Mom... I really do want to try this. I want to hear what these kids have to say.) "...I'll go." Misaki raised her head. "I'll go to the gym. I want to find what I can do." The advisor looked a little surprised. Then he broke into a soft smile. "Is that so. ...All right. I'll show you the way." Karasuno High School's gymnasium. Standing before the door, Misaki swallowed hard at the sound of volleyballs coming from inside. Thud, thud—the sound of the ball hitting the floor. The squeak of shoes against the wood. And the rough breathing of young boys. (I-I'm scared...) Honestly, she wanted to run away. Her legs were shaking. "Excuse me!" Misaki steeled herself and opened the door. In that instant, the air inside the gym froze solid. Every player's gaze stabbed into Misaki all at once. "...Who's that?" "They say she's the new coach." "Huh? That person?" Whispers spread through the gym. Her mind gone blank, Misaki nonetheless managed to move her feet forward. "H-hello! I'm Nezu Misaki, and I'll be serving as the volleyball team's coach starting today! Nice to meet you all!" Her voice cracked. The players stared at her, dumbfounded. "...Um, is it really her?" One of the boys timidly raised his hand. "Um, I'm the captain, Sawamura Daichi. ...Um, you're Ms. Nezu, right?" "Y-yes!" "...Do you have any volleyball experience?" Misaki hesitated for a moment. But she couldn't lie here. "...None." "...Huh?" Daichi's mouth fell open. "I don't even know how to hold the ball." "...You're kidding." "I'm not kidding." A dead silence fell over the gymnasium. That was when it happened. "Hah." A cold laugh broke the silence. "...A complete amateur for a coach. Karasuno really is finished." The voice belonged to a tall boy with gold-rimmed glasses. His light brown, softly fluffy mash hair swayed gently in the air conditioning. Behind the lenses, his green eyes were utterly jaded, looking down at Misaki as if appraising her. "Tsukishima...!" Daichi called his name in a warning tone. Tsukishima, apparently. Misaki looked straight back into his cold gaze. "...You're Tsukishima-kun, right?" "Yeah, that's me." Tsukishima shrugged. "So what's an amateur coach going to teach us? The rules of volleyball? Or how to hold the ball?" "Tsukishima, stop." Daichi cut in with a strong tone. But Misaki didn't look away from Tsukishima. "...I can't teach you." "Huh?" "I can't teach you anything about volleyball. Not technique, not tactics, not rules. ...But." Misaki pressed both hands tightly against her chest. "I want to listen to all of you." The players stirred. "...Listen to us?" "Yes. Each and every one of you. What you're thinking, what's troubling you, what you like. ...I want to know." Misaki pulled a handmade notebook out of the paper bag she was carrying. Cute stickers were stuck on the cover. "This is a 'Feelings Notebook.'" "...A feelings notebook?" Daichi tilted his head. "Instead of a tactics board, I want to give these out to everyone. I want you to write whatever you want in here—your current feelings. Happy things, sad things, angry things. ...Anything." Misaki handed a notebook to each player one by one. The players accepted them with bewildered expressions. "...What is this?" "Beats me..." "But, well..." Some of them clearly looked like they didn't want it. But Misaki carefully handed one to every single person. She held the last notebook out in front of Tsukishima. Tsukishima stared fixedly at Misaki's hands. "...I don't need it." "I want you to take it." "I don't get it. What does this have to do with volleyball?" "...It does." Misaki looked straight into Tsukishima's eyes. "Volleyball is a game where you score points. But to win, your hearts have to connect, or it won't work." Tsukishima's expression froze for an instant. "...Huh? What is that supposed to mean? That makes no sense." "It doesn't have to make sense. ...But take it." Misaki pushed the notebook toward Tsukishima's chest. Tsukishima looked back and forth between Misaki's face and the notebook for a while. "...Tch." He clicked his tongue quietly and snatched the notebook roughly. "...I won't write anything anyway." "That's fine too." Misaki smiled softly. Tsukishima turned his face away from that smile. That was when it happened. "Coach!!" Suddenly, an energetic voice echoed through the gymnasium. Looking toward the voice, she saw a small boy with a vivid orange messy head of hair, eyes sparkling, staring right at her. He was the shortest of all the players. "Hinata, what's with you all of a sudden?" Daichi said, exasperated. "But! But, Coach! What you just said—was that for real!?" Hinata bounced up and down as he ran over to Misaki. "Uh, um... what part?" "The part about hearts having to connect! I totally get that! I love volleyball, and I want to go to Nationals, but I could never get there alone! But if I'm with everyone, I feel like I can make it!" Hinata's amber eyes sparkled like the sun. "You're the same as me, Coach!" "...Huh?" "I mean, you can't play volleyball, and I'm still terrible too! But when it comes to how much I love it, I won't lose to anyone! ...That's what you meant, right!?" Misaki's chest grew warm. (This kid is Hinata Shouyou...) The boy who had written "I want to go to Nationals" on his career survey. "...Yeah. That's right. Hinata-kun." "Yesss!" Hinata jumped straight up on the spot. "I want to hear more of what you have to say, Coach! I'll write in the notebook too! I'll write tons!" "...Thank you." Tears welled up in Misaki's eyes again. (For this kid, I want to make it work.) She felt it from the bottom of her heart. Practice ended, and the players filed off toward the locker room to change. Misaki leaned alone against the wall in the corner of the gymnasium. (...I'm exhausted.) She was drained mentally. But even more than that, there was a warmth in her heart. "...Ms. Nezu." She looked up at the voice. The captain, Daichi, was standing there. "Ah, Sawamura-kun." "I'm sorry about today. Tsukishima's just... like that." Daichi bowed apologetically. "No. I'm the one who showed up out of nowhere and threw everyone into confusion." "No... But honestly, I was surprised too. Zero volleyball experience, really?" "...Yeah. Sorry." "Don't apologize. ...But, um, I think the Feelings Notebook is interesting." "...Really?" "Yes. Our club's always been told we're a bunch of eccentrics with no cohesion. ...Your approach might actually fit." Daichi's words made Misaki feel just a little bit saved. "...Thank you. Sawamura-kun." "No problem. Well, I'm going to go change too." After Daichi left, Misaki stood alone in the center of the gymnasium. The setting sun poured through the windows, dyeing the floor orange. (Can I really do this...) The anxiety hadn't disappeared. But when she thought of Hinata's smile from earlier, her lips naturally curved upward. (I have no choice but to do it. I decided I would.) Misaki gently gripped the whistle hanging from her neck—one she had never once blown. Night. Misaki's home was a single room in a small, aging apartment in the suburbs of Sendai. "Phew..." After getting out of the bath, Misaki poured barley tea from the refrigerator into a glass. On the table, the Feelings Notebooks collected from the players were stacked up. "...Did everyone write in them, I wonder." Misaki picked up the notebook on top. Next to the sticker on the cover, "Hinata Shouyou" was written in small letters. "...Hinata-kun." Her heart pounding, she turned the page. There, in large letters, was just one line. "I love vol

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Name: Haikyu!! If Keishin Ukai Had Not Accepted the Coaching Job
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