A year ago, in early summer, on an afternoon as ordinary as any other.

  The new school term had begun for about a month, and Nekoma High School was quietly dismissing its students for the day.

  Disheartened by the failure of his dream to recruit a female manager, Yamamoto Taketora sprioward the clubroom.

  At the time, he had no idea...

  That lurking within the boys' volleyball club's filthy activity room—

  Was something feared by the world.

  "Hey, Yaku!"

  Along the hallway of Nekoma High School's Css 2-5, Haishin Kō called out to Yaku Morisuke, who was on his way to the clubroom.

  "Oh, Haishin."

  "Have you heard? There was anhtihe club building…" Haishin Kō said mysteriously.

  "Eh? Seriously?" Yaku's expression ged slightly.

  "Yeah. Ota from the baseball club said he saw it after practice the other day." Haishin Kō's tone grew heavy.

  "Ah…I see…" Yaku muttered quietly. "I'm actually kind of bad with this kind of stuff."

  "Yaku-senpai!" Yamamoto Taketora suddenly ran over from the other side of the hallway. "Aren't you ing to practice?"

  "Oh, oh! I'll be there soon."

  "I've got css rep duties, so let Kuroo know I'll be a bit te."

  "Got it. The's go!" Yamamoto decred eically.

  Watg Yamamoto's usual spirited demeanour, Yaku found himself slightly surprised.

  "Ah, Tora, have you heard? That thing has been appearing again tely…"

  "Huh? What thing?"

  "You really don't know?" Yaku felt relieved that his sharp instincts had just saved Yamamoto's life. "They say Sadako has been spotted he club building!"

  Yamamoto froze in pce.

  "Wait, you mean that Sadako? The oh long hair c her face? The ohat crawls out of TVs?"

  "I don't remember the st name, but yeah, probably that thing…" Yaku said, exasperated. "Anyeople have been seeing some kind of creature with its entire face covered by bck hair he club building."

  "Pfft…What is this nonsense?" Yamamoto ughed dismissively.

  Seeing his pletely uned rea, Yaku expined seriously, "They say that every time it appears, there's a strange, eerie sound. And if you turn around suddenly, you'll see a glowing-eyed monster swaying as it walks toward you!"

  "Senpai, are you guys seriously buying into this stuff?"

  Yaku: "…"

  "Alright then, I'll go check out the clubroom myself!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, Yamamoto took off running toward the clubroom.

  "But—" Before Yaku could say another word, Yamamoto had already disappeared down the hallway.

  "In horror movies, the ones who loudly say they don't believe always end up dying first," Haishin Kō said, hands pressed together like a solemn monk. "He just pnted his owh fg. May he rest in peace."

  Startled by Haishin's grave expression, Yaku shouted, "Saying stuff like that with such a serious face makes it even creepier, dammit!"

  -----

  "? FLY HIGH!! ?""? With these wings shining with sweat, blood, and tears— ?""? Now, throw it all away— ?"

  Yamamoto Taketora hummed off-key as he pushed open the clubroom door.

  "Eh? No one's here?" He gnced around. "It's so dark…Why are all the curtains closed?"

  Suddenly, from the er of the room, came an eerie eleic sound.

  "Hey! Who's there?"

  No response.

  Cautiously, Yamamoto tiptoed toward the er, his steps light and careful. Then, he saw it—

  A pale glow flickering amidst a curtain of bck hair—

  Sadako!

  "AAAAAHHHH!!!" Yamamoto let out a series of bloodcurdling screams.

  From the darkness, 'Sadako' stepped forward.

  "...What's wrong, Yamamoto?"

  "Ugh…It's just you, Kenma!" Yamamoto yelled dramatically.

  "So…what's the problem?" Kozume Kenma asked, clearly unfortable with all the noise.

  Now fully recovered from his shock, Yamamoto demanded, "Wait a sed, were you the 'Sadako' everyone's been talking about?! What the hell are you even doing here?!"

  "Uh…pying Monster Hunter?" Kenma replied casually.

  Yamamoto: "…"

  "Why are you sitting in the dark with the curtains closed just to py a game?"

  "Because if the sunlight reflects on the s, it's annoying," Kenma expily.

  Yamamoto Taketora struggled to suppress his frustration. "Hey, could you at least do something about your hair first?"

  "...Why?"

  "Because you look just like Sadako, and it's freaking terrifying!!! And your bangs are so long—if you lower your head, your fapletely disappears!"

  "Eh—"

  Kozume Kenma tilted his head downward and took a few steps forward.

  "See? Even if I lower my head, I still see just fine."

  "DON'T DO THAT! IT'S TERRIFYING!! Just fix your hair properly, will you?!" Yamamoto pleaded, exasperated.

  "But it's not b me, and I feel more fortable when my hair is a bit longer."

  "It's not about whether it's ve for you! Think about everyone else's hearts, dammit!!" Yamamoto grabbed Kenma by the shoulders and shook him. "If you keep looking like that, people might start thinking you crawled out of a game s!!!"

  "...That's impossible. The s is only three inches, and the dimensions—"

  "THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT?!"

  Yamamoto felt like he had already used up a week's worth of energy just pining.

  "And if you keep wandering around outside looking like this, everyone's going to be staring at you!"

  "Eh?"

  "Of course they will! You've already bee an urban legend around here!!"

  "Eh?!!"

  "People are even pnning a test of ce around this! That's how much attention you're drawing!!!"

  "Eh?!!!"

  Kenma suddenly seemed pletely shaken.

  "Being noticed…Being noticed…"

  "No, no, I 't—"

  "Oi! Kenma! Where are you going?!" Yamamoto called out as he watched Kenma slowly shuffle out of the clubroom.

  …Well, whatever. At least this should put ao the ghost rumours.

  -----

  [The Day]

  "? Fly high, FLY~ Even higher, FLY~ ?""? Toward the ultimate future~ ?"

  Yamamoto Taketora hummed off-key as he pushed open the clubroom door.

  "Eh? No one's here again?" He looked around. "It's so dark…Why are the curtains still closed?"

  Suddenly, from the er of the room, came an eerie eleic sound.

  A glowing figure appeared—this time, amidst golden hair.

  A YOKAI!!!

  "AAAAHHHHHHH!!!" Yamamoto screamed at the top of his lungs. "THERE'S A NEW ONE NOW!!!"

  "Huh? What's wrong, Yamamoto?"

  "AHHH—It's you again, Kenma?!!"

  And just like that, the Nekoma High School volleyball club gained a first-year setter…with dyed blond hair.

  _________

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