The first thing he heard was the sterile beep of a hospital monitor.
Then, the sharp cry of a baby—his own cry.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED…]Welcome, Host.Identity Bound: Kageyama TobioAge: 0Initiating Passive Skill Transfer…
The flood of information that entered his mind was overwhelming, but familiar. Volleyball trajectories, muscle memory, hand positions for quick sets, court psychology, breathing patterns—all at once, embedded deep into the wiring of his new brain.
And with it, came memories.
In his previous life, he was Kenji, a 23-year-old from Osaka. A failed varsity setter who had dreamt big, trained hard, but was left behind due to a ligament tear that benched him permanently. The day he died in a hit-and-run, he had only one regret: not being good enough.
Now, he had a second chance.
A real one.
As Kageyama Tobio—a name he knew from his favorite anime, Haikyuu!!.
He laughed inwardly, even as a baby. "You've got to be kidding me."
[SYSTEM NOTE: Host's Consciousness Fully Stabilized. Time Until Volleyball Start: 5 years][Daily Mission: Build Foundational Body – Crawl 100 meters | Reward: +1 Coordination]
It began.
Age 3
His parents noticed something was different.
Their son spoke early. Walked at 9 months. By 3, he was reading charts, identifying body parts with clinical precision, and asking if he could use the "training mat" to improve balance.
His father—now a top neurologist in Miyagi—laughed it off as a "gifted phase." His mother, a physical therapist, began teaching him stretches and core exercises.
"Your focus is intense, Tobio," she said one morning.
He nodded, carefully rolling his tiny wrist with the poise of a seasoned athlete. "I need to stabilize my toss."
She blinked. "Your what?"
He just smiled.
Age 6
He stood in a private gym inside their family estate, palm outstretched. A volleyball hovered in the air after a perfect toss.
He jumped. Swung his hand forward.
The impact echoed. The ball hit the target on the opposite wall.
[Passive Skill Upgraded: Jump Set Mastery - Level 2][Stat Increase: Reaction Speed +2 | Accuracy +3]
"Nice," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
This wasn't anime anymore.
This was life.
With the system giving feedback, he could monitor progress, identify weak spots, and gain micro-bonuses for consistency. The body of a child adapted fast—and his mind, now part-system, was limitless.
And he wasn't doing it just for himself.
He remembered the plot of Haikyuu!!. How the original Kageyama was a genius, yes, but isolated, feared, and toxic early on.
He wasn't going to repeat that.
He would become someone better.
Someone everyone wanted to follow.
Age 7
At his first youth tournament, the crowd fell silent as he served.
Clean. No wasted movement. The ball whistled past the receiver and landed untouched.
Even the referee gaped.
A recruiter from Sendai whispered, "That kid... he's too polished."
Another coach murmured, "He doesn't look like a child. He plays like a machine."
He won MVP that year. Quiet, focused, mysterious—but oddly charismatic.
The media called him "The Perfect Junior".
[Trait Unlocked: Quiet Confidence][New Title: Crownless King]
He wasn't the king of arrogance now.
He was becoming a king worthy of a crown.
Age 8
He encountered his first major challenge: emotion.
The system couldn't quantify pain. Or loneliness. Or the strange way his chest tightened when others talked behind his back.
"Too good.""Too rich.""Too perfect.""Robot."
He was different, and people noticed.
He remembered how Kageyama in canon was isolated. Harsh. Feared.
So he smiled more. Talked to teammates. Praised a good pass, even when sloppy. Encouraged his libero when he failed.
But the isolation still lingered.
That's when the system pinged something new.
[Future Link Detected: Arisa Takahashi]Status: LockedLocation: Tokyo, JapanCompatibility: 89%Role: Supporter | Rival | Romantic InterestUnlock Condition: Reach Age 12
He stared at the glowing projection in his mind. It faded quickly.
But a name remained: Arisa.
And deep inside him, something stirred.
Age 10
He trained harder. Traveled to Tokyo. Met middle schoolers who underestimated him—and crushed them on the court.
He began forming connections with early characters from the story.
He glimpsed a young Hinata once, running outside a gym barefoot, chasing a ball.
The system whispered:
[Hinata Shoyo – Heroic Future Flag Triggered]
His fate was aligning.
But this time, he would change things for the better.
He'd meet Hinata not as a bitter prodigy, but as a true partner. A setter who listened. A teammate who lifted others.
He'd already changed. And so would everything else.
Age 11
One year before canon began.
Kageyama stood under the fading sky, tossing the ball in rhythm.
His form was flawless. His aura, composed and royal.
The system hummed in the back of his mind.
[Milestone Achieved: Path Divergence Confirmed][Canon Destiny: Altered 17%][Warning: New Variables Incoming]
He welcomed it.
Let fate bring whatever it wanted.
This time, he was ready