" - and that's why I think we should practice receives first before anything else!" Hinata was saying, his voice cutting through the fog of memories. "Izumi? Hey, we're here!"
Ryu blinked hard, shaking off the orphanage flashbacks. They were stopped in front of a modest two-story house with a small garden - the kind of place that screamed "normal family home."
"Thanks for the ride," Ryu said, sliding off Hinata's bike and adjusting his gym bag. His nose still throbbed, but after reliving six years of orphanage hell, physical pain seemed pretty trivial.
"No problem!" Hinata beamed. "Same time tomorrow for practice? I know this great spot by the river!"
"Yeah, definitely." Ryu nodded, though part of his mind was still processing everything he'd just remembered. Six years of that place. Six years of surviving.
"Awesome! Oh, and Izumi?" Hinata's expression grew serious. "You've got something different about you today. Something... determined."
If only you knew, Ryu thought, watching Hinata pedal away. He stood on the sidewalk, staring at the house that was supposedly his home.
The system flickered:
[Status Effect Update: Memory Integration - 70 hours remaining] [New Status Effect: Identity Displacement - Moderate disorientation when confronting family relationships] [Warning: Emotional volatility may affect social interactions]
Great. Just what I needed.
Ryu took a breath and walked to the front door. Time to meet the family of the body he'd inherited. Time to figure out how to be Yukitaka Izumi.
He opened the door. "I'm home!"
"Welcome back, sweetheart!" came a woman's voice from the kitchen. "How was your match?"
The voice hit him like a sledgehammer. Warm, caring, with that maternal tone that made everything feel safe. A voice he hadn't heard in six years but had dreamed about every night.
Ryu's bag slipped from his fingers.
"Izumi?" The voice grew concerned. "Is everything alright?"
Footsteps approached, and Ryu found himself frozen. This was just coincidence. It had to be -
A woman appeared from the kitchen, and Ryu's world exploded.
She looked exactly like his mother.
Not similar. Not reminiscent. Exactly the same. The same gentle brown eyes, the same concerned head tilt, the same smile that had always made everything better. Even her hair was styled the same way - pulled back in that simple ponytail.
"Oh my," she said, hurrying forward. "What happened to your nose? Are you hurt?"
Behind her, a man emerged from a home office, and Ryu's knees nearly gave out. Tall, broad-shouldered, with kind eyes and calloused hands. The same strong jawline, the same athletic grace.
His father. Both parents, standing there alive and whole and worried about a volleyball injury.
"I..." Ryu's voice cracked. "I..."
Six years of suppressed grief crashed over him like a tsunami. Six years of holding onto that volleyball as his only connection to them, of dreaming about moments exactly like this.
"Mom," he choked out, and threw himself into her arms.
The collision nearly knocked her over, but she caught him instinctively, arms wrapping around him with familiar warmth. She smelled exactly right - lavender soap, home cooking, everything safe in the world.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asked, voice full of maternal concern. "Did something happen at the match?"
Ryu couldn't answer because he was sobbing too hard, great heaving cries that came from somewhere deeper than his chest. He clung to her like a drowning man, terrified she might disappear again.
"Izumi?" His father's voice, deeper but just as warm. A large hand settled on his shoulder. "Hey, what's going on, buddy?"
The pet name nearly destroyed him. That's what his father had always called him - buddy. Like they were teammates.
"I missed you," Ryu gasped against his mother's shoulder. "I missed you so much. I thought I'd never see you again."
His parents exchanged worried glances.
"See us again?" his mother asked gently, stroking his hair. "Sweetheart, we just saw you this morning at breakfast. What do you mean?"
Before Ryu could figure out how to answer without sounding insane, footsteps thundered down the stairs. A girl about ten years old appeared, pigtails bouncing, with the kind of expression that suggested she was too smart for everyone's good.
"Why is Izumi crying?" she asked bluntly, studying the scene like a scientist. "And why is he hugging you like he hasn't seen you in years? He left for school this morning acting totally normal."
This had to be Mei. She had their mother's eyes but their father's stubborn jaw, and she was already looking at him like something didn't add up.
"I'm not crying," Ryu mumbled, though the evidence disagreed. He pulled back from his mother's embrace, wiping his eyes. "I just... it was a long day."
"Uh-huh." Mei's expression screamed 'bullshit.' "And the nose bandage? Did you finally face-plant trying to impress someone with your non-existent athletic skills?"
"Mei," their father said with mild reproach, but his voice was affectionate. "Be nice to your brother. He's obviously had a rough day."
"Actually," Ryu said, surprising himself with how steady he sounded, "I got hit in the face with a volleyball. During the match."
Silence.
"You played volleyball?" his mother asked carefully.
"And you got hit in the face?" Mei added with unconcealed glee. "Like, actually hit? Hard enough to need a bandage?"
"It wasn't that bad," Ryu protested. "And yes, I played volleyball. I want to keep playing it."
Another loaded silence.
"That's..." his father started, then stopped, searching for words. "That's wonderful, son. Volleyball is a great sport. I'm proud of you for trying something new."
There was something in his tone - surprise, but also hope and excitement he was trying to control. Like this was something he'd been waiting for.
"You're proud of him for getting smacked in the face?" Mei asked incredulously. "What's next, applauding him for walking into glass doors?"
"I'm proud of him for stepping outside his comfort zone," their father corrected gently. "For trying something challenging. That takes courage."
The genuine warmth and support in his voice made Ryu's chest tighten. This was what he'd missed - parents who believed in him, who supported his dreams.
"Besides," their mother added with a teasing smile, "your father loves volleyball. He played in high school and college. I bet he's thrilled to finally have someone in the family to share that passion with."
"Really?" Ryu looked at his father with new interest, though he wasn't entirely surprised. Of course this version would share the same love for volleyball.
"Aoba Johsai," his father said with obvious pride. "Made it to spring nationals my senior year. Lost in the quarterfinals to Shiratorizawa, but it was the experience of a lifetime."
Aoba Johsai. The irony hit him like a truck. The school where Oikawa played, where his body had just gotten demolished.
"That's amazing," he said, meaning it. "Could you... could you teach me? I know I'm starting really late, and I'm probably terrible, but - "
"Are you kidding me?" His father's face lit up like Christmas. "I would love to teach you. We could set up a net in the backyard, practice receives and serves. This is going to be fun!"
The enthusiasm was infectious and painfully familiar. This was exactly how his real father had reacted - pure joy at sharing something he loved.
"Um, hello?" Mei interjected, waving her hand. "Can we back up to the part where Izumi suddenly wants to play volleyball? You've been obsessed with basketball since forever. Your room is covered in Junpei Hyūga and Teppei Kiyoshi posters, you've been planning to go to Seirin High specifically for their basketball program, and now you want to switch to volleyball? What gives?"
She was looking at him with sharp, intelligent eyes. He was going to have to be very careful around his new sister. Basketball? Seirin High? Oh crap, the original Izumi was a basketball fan.
"People change," he said with hopefully casual confidence. "Maybe I just needed the right inspiration."
"Uh-huh. And what inspired you? The volleyball to the face? Because that seems like it would make you want to stick with basketball even more."
Before Ryu could figure out how to answer, his mother intervened with diplomatic skill.
"Why don't we get you cleaned up first," she said, taking his arm gently. "Then we can sit down for dinner and you can tell us about your match. I want to hear everything."
As she guided him toward the stairs, Ryu caught sight of family photos lining the hallway. Pictures of birthdays, vacations, ordinary family moments - all featuring a version of himself he didn't remember being, surrounded by parents who looked exactly like the ones he'd lost.
The guilt hit him like a physical weight. This wasn't his life. This wasn't his family. Somewhere out there, the real Yukitaka Izumi was... what? Gone? Displaced? Had his arrival somehow erased another person?
But looking at these parents as they fussed over his injury and talked excitedly about volleyball practice, he couldn't bring himself to regret whatever cosmic accident had brought him here.
Even if that somewhere might not actually belong to him.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Current Status:]
[Host: Yukitaka Izumi (Soul: Ryu Miyamoto)]
[Level: 1 (5/100 XP)]
[Skill Points Available: 0]
[Stats:]
- Serving: 2/100
- Receiving: 1/100
- Setting: 3/100
- Spiking: 0/100
- Blocking: 0/100
- Stamina: 15/100
- Jump Height: 28/100
- Game Sense: 15/100
[Abilities:]
- Empathic Connection (Level 1) - Active
- Critical Strike (Level 1) - Locked
[Active Quests:]
- Daily: Complete 1 hour of focused volleyball practice (Deadline: 19 hours)
- Tutorial: Successfully receive 10 serves in a row (No deadline)
- Main: Find Your Team (Deadline: 30 days)
[Status Effects:]
- Memory Integration (PAUSED) - Traumatic experiences being processed (71 hours remaining)
- Emotional Processing -> Identity Displacement (EVOLVED) - Moderate disorientation when confronting family relationships (20 hours remaining)
- Family Bonding - Enhanced emotional connection, +10% XP gain from family activities (70 hours remaining)