Chapter Text
*Only posted on Wattpad and now AO3
This is a long-form story, spanning from the final year of high school all the way into adulthood. It is a tale of volleyball, youth, friendship, and those subtle, nameless heart-fluttering moments.
Asakura Mireina, a girl born in Japan but raised abroad, carries the sensitive heart of an artist. During her senior year of high school, she transfers to Aoba Johsai—the very place that binds her to the people who will change her life forever.
From Miyagi to Tokyo, from Japan to South America, from high-stakes matches to quiet, unseen moments—this journey intertwines with the canon events of Haikyuu while charting a path of growth and individual choices for each character.
But this isn’t just a story about friendship, love, or volleyball. It is a story about youth, about questioning who you are, who you want to become, and what you dare to live your life to the fullest for. And perhaps, the further we go and the more we write, the more we realize that youth is not a mere timestamp. It is a state of mind. You don't need to be "young" to dream, to be foolish, or to love passionately. As long as you still dare to take a step forward, youth remains right there with you.
✨ This fic features developing dynamics between the OC (Mireina) and several canon characters, encompassing both deep friendships and romantic stirrings, though romance is not the sole focus of the story.
💬 This fanfic strives to remain canon-compliant, keeping character personalities as true to the original as possible while minimizing OOC behavior. However, the story will delve deeper into their psychological complexities through the author's own perspective, while introducing an OC storyline that naturally weaves into the Haikyuu universe—impacting the world without derailing the original plot.
❗ This is a long-term fic with regular updates. While it is currently still a work in progress, the entire plot has been fully outlined from beginning to end.
💌 AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Thank you so much for dropping by to read Chapter 0. Even though it is just the beginning, it holds the very soul of this story.
I know this is going to be a long fic and updates might not always be the fastest, but every single read, kudos, and comment is a massive source of motivation for me. I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback! This isn't just a journey for the characters, but also my own personal journey as a growing writer, so I truly hope we can walk this path together in the days ahead.
Thank you for being here.
I hope you find a piece of yourself within this frame.
🌟 THE ARCS - MIREINA'S JOURNEY:
The story is divided into major arcs following different stages in Asakura Mireina's life and the people she encounters. Below is a brief overview for your reading convenience.
🎨 Arc 1: The First Sketch (Chapters 1 - 8) Asakura Mireina transfers to Aoba Johsai for her final year of high school—a first sketch on a canvas that she has no idea where it will lead. Here, she meets Oikawa Tooru and unexpectedly becomes a part of the volleyball club, where a peculiar yet close friendship begins to take shape, stroke by stroke.
🏐 Arc 2: Interhigh Tournament: Opportunities and Defeat (Chapters 9 - 19) The Interhigh Tournament is told from Aoba Johsai's perspective, where friction, ambition, and the burning desire to win intertwine. Beneath the court lights, they face golden opportunities alongside the painful reality of things that cannot be held onto, no matter how hard they try.
🌻 Arc 3: The Summer Journey (Chapters 20 - 54) The scorching summer days suddenly become more vibrant than ever as Aoba Johsai joins Karasuno, Nekoma, and Fukurodani for the Tokyo summer training camp. Rivals met for the first time gradually become dear friends, while those who have always been by her side begin to stir up nameless, complex emotions.
🛻 Mini Arc: Mireina in Hyogo (Chapters 31 - 37) What was supposed to be a brief respite during a hectic summer—a trip to Hyogo to visit her mother—ends up pulling Mireina into unexpected encounters and trials.
🐺🐑 Side Story 1 - Mini Arc: The Game of Wolves and Sheep On the final night of the training camp, just when everyone thinks everything has wound down, a bizarre game suddenly begins. In the darkness shrouding the school grounds and quiet hallways, the hunter and the hunted trade places, leaving behind echoing footsteps, stifled laughter, and mischievous glances flickering through the shadows.
🎆 Mini Arc: An Escapade Under the Fireworks Sky (Chapters 49 - 54) Amidst a city illuminated by the fireworks festival, an unexpected escapade by Mireina turns everything upside down—and Oikawa never anticipated getting dragged into it. Forced to stick together, the two must finally face the emotions they have both been avoiding for far too long.
🌸 Arc 4: The Spring Tournament: The Final Season (Chapters 55 - 70) The final tournament of their high school days. High-stakes matches, irreplaceable moments, and a spring that everyone desperately wishes to hold onto, even though they know the end is just around the corner.
🚉 Arc 5: When the Future Calls As their final school year draws to a close, everyone must eventually choose their own path: continuing onward to university or chasing unfinished dreams. They all promise they will meet again, but no one truly knows when. And what if, before parting ways down their separate roads, they could play one last minor tournament together as a beautiful final farewell?
🌎 Arc 6: Against the South American Winds Oikawa leaves Japan for Argentina. On the other side of the world, where the winds of South America blow against all his old habits, a brand new chapter of life unfolds. Foreign, harsh, yet full of promise. He carries with him not only the aspiration for a new future, but also the lingering shadows of everything he left behind.
🍃 Arc 7: When the Cracks Bloom Youth is not a mere timestamp; it is a state of mind. It can find us at seventeen, at twenty-five, or even when our hair has begun to gray. This is the journey of Mireina and those by her side during this chapter of life, as they learn to look at their own cracks, and from there, let them bloom to begin anew once more.
🔥 Arc 8: The Radiant Olympics The Olympics are held in Japan. After years of tireless dedication in a foreign land, Oikawa returns to his homeland, donning the jersey of Argentina. A reunion of old faces, now crossing paths under different flags. During that same blazing summer, someone else quietly returns from their own journey of healing, bringing along changes profound enough to open the door to a fresh start.
⭐ Arc 9: The All-Star Project: Hearts That Never Stop After a long journey of rediscovering herself, Mireina steps into this world with a fresh approach, launching a special tournament that gathers Japan's top volleyball players. This is more than just a tournament; it is a place where the past, present, and future coexist.
❤️ Arc 10: Still, Blank Pages Remain In the end, every story must come to a close. Whether peaceful or turbulent, it will be a sincere conclusion. Yet, as the final page closes, we realize the journal still holds blank pages that have never been touched. No one knows what colors will fill them; we only know that here, at the very end, their footsteps have not stopped, and their journeys will continue to unfold in each of their own unique ways.