In the end, thanks to Sis Yuanyue’s relentless instigation, I agreed to join the match.

I mean, it’s just accompanying Lei Meow Meow on a business performance, it doesn’t seem that bad…?

And who knows? What if we win?

Then I can do this and that to her! I’ll invite her over, lock the bedroom door, and… hehe… play PS4 together all day.

Teams: Lei Meow Meow, Lei Luo, Xie Yuanyue, Tian Xi
vs. Zhao Zhao, Tangerine, Rinka, Chang Kai (me)

Except for Sis Yuanyue and Rinka, we are all total volleyball newbies. Sis Yuanyue even gave us noobs a crash course before the match.

Just like card games have R, SR, and SSR rarities, even noobs aren’t created equal.

Despite becoming a girl, Lei Meow Meow hadn’t lost any physical prowess. Tangerine was full of energy too, as a catgirl she was nimble as a breeze. Tian Xi’s bear hug earlier proved she was no lightweight. Zhao Zhao and Uncle Lei Luo had solid, gym-honed muscles. And me? I was your classic useless comic relief.

First up on Lei Meow Meow’s team were Tian Xi and Uncle Lei Luo… the Dynamic Duo of Chest Muscles—though Tian Xi’s were, well, softer.

Zhao Zhao’s dismissive attitude was getting on my nerves, so I stepped up first with Rinka.

Yeah, I admit it—I was totally trying to ride his coattails.

"Pathetic side character! Prepare to witness the full might of a protagonist gone dark! Let me show you what the ‘three times stronger when darkened’ rule really means!"

Totally inexperienced, yet brimming with misplaced confidence… that’s me.

“Kai-chan! Incoming!”

BOOM!

“Ow!!”

I was too busy fantasizing and didn’t notice Tian Xi’s serve. The ball slammed right into my forehead and bounced skyward.

Thankfully, Tian Xi wasn’t a pro—her serve was powerful but not a cannonball.

“Nice receive, not bad for Kai-chan’s standards,” Rinka commented.

“Excuse me?! I got smacked in the face!”

But Rinka seized the moment. He jumped and spiked the ball. Uncle Lei Luo tried to dig it, but the ball rolled out of bounds. One point to us!

“You okay, Little Brother Kai? I swear that wasn’t on purpose!”

Despite losing the point, Tian Xi rushed to check on me with genuine concern.

“I’m fine. Thick skin and all.”

Lei Meow Meow shouted from the sidelines, “Don’t worry about him, Xiao Xi! It’s all part of his devious plan!”

Hmph, guess I’ll have to show Lei Meow Meow what I’m really made of.

Then I served—and it didn’t even make it over the net. Gave the other team a free point and serve.

“Idiot Kai!” Rinka scolded. “Don’t try to skim the net with your serve! Just aim higher!”

I wasn’t trying to skim the net—the net is 2.2 meters tall! It’s literally taller than me!

“Lower the net a bit for the newbies,” Sis Yuanyue ordered.

So we then dropped it to 2 meters. Easier to serve, but also easier to spike.

“Here I come!” Uncle Lei Luo flexed his chiseled muscles like a lit fuse—no way we could let him spike.

Maybe he saw me as a weak point—he served straight at me. But he was also a newbie, so the ball was a little high. I had plenty of time to react, receive the ball, and Rinka then countered. Tian Xi hit it right back, but Rinka managed to cleanly spike again. Point!

Rinka’s spikes weren’t super powerful, but the opponents couldn’t receive them.

And so the ball went back and forth, most of our offense riding on Rinka. We won the first set 21–14.

Despite the lead, I was uneasy.

Rinka had proven experience beats strength. Once he gets tired and swaps out, Sis Yuanyue could mop the floor with us.

“Rinka, conserve your energy—we might only be able to count on you.”

“I’ll do my best.” He wasn’t out of breath yet, but he was sweating hard.

I was setting him up, and he was doing all the spiking—which is exhausting work.

To save his strength, I tried hitting the ball over myself unless we were in a tough spot. The second set score was much closer.

Same for them—Uncle Lei Luo was doing all the serving and spiking. He was visibly winded, his sweat-covered muscles gleaming like a bodybuilder.

“Sub me in!” Lei Meow Meow finally couldn’t sit still.

She tossed her straw hat aside, golden hair cascading down, and sprang onto the court with feline agility.

Sis Yuanyue must’ve trained her specially. Even though she was technically a newbie, she could read the ball’s trajectory well enough.

Her attacks were nasty—targeting spots far from us to make us run and waste energy. Very unlike her… probably her mom’s strategy.

Worse, she hit like a cannon. Her spikes were stronger than Lei Luo’s—absolutely terrifying. I had no idea those slender arms could generate that kind of brute force.

In hindsight, she actually held back last time in the alley.

She ran us ragged—like cats chasing laser pointers. Eventually Rinka collapsed on the sand, gasping.

Huh, didn’t know boys could W-sit.

“Rinka, take a break. We’re just playing for fun, no need to overdo it.”

She nodded. I waved Zhao Zhao over.

Tangerine helped Rinka off, and Zhao Zhao hopped in like a monkey, full of confidence.

“Leave it to me. My stamina’s solid, endurance strats don’t work on me.”

He flashed a dazzling white smile. On the battlefield, he’d be that dependable old vet.

Tian Xi and Lei Meow Meow vs. Me and Zhao Zhao. A true grudge match.

With Rinka off and Yuanyue not yet in, this was peak newbie-on-newbie chaos.

Zhao Zhao, who had so confidently declared “leave it to me,” was hunched over and gasping within a few rallies.

“What the—already?!”

“Sorry, Commander. Enemy mental attack’s too strong. I resisted as best I could, but I really can’t stay upright…”

“What mental attack?”

He pointed across the net—specifically at Tian Xi.

Yeah… I’d noticed too. Every time she set or spiked, especially when she jumped, her chest movements were very distracting.

Lei Meow Meow and Tian Xi had both been men, they immediately understood what’s going on. Tian Xi’s face turned beet red in a flash, while Lei Meow Meow, striking a distinctly girlish pose with her hands on her hips, stepped in front of her and gave the two of us a scornful look… Huh? Why am I getting judged too?

Wait, why me too?!

Sigh… Lei Laohu’s manly dignity has officially evaporated. She used to be a guy—how can she not understand the physiological struggle?

“A perv’s friend is also a perv.”

“How about Sis Yuanyue swap in for Sis Xi?”

“Oh, how shameless! Now you’re after her mom too?”

“How else are we supposed to continue the game?!”

“Why should we waste a sub? Bench Muscle-Perv!”

“But he just got here!”

“Not our problem.”

I looked at our mountain gorilla who was in the ‘orz’ pose and fell into deep thought.

If Zhao Zhao steps down, we’ll definitely lose. Tangerine can’t turn the tide. But if Zhao Zhao stays, he’s just dead weight.

Either way… we’re screwed!

Just as I was at my wits’ end, Tangerine suddenly shouted excitedly in one direction: “She’s here!”

I followed her gaze, and hope began to flicker back to life inside me.

A tall girl with a single ponytail appeared, clad in a two-piece sakura-colored swimsuit. The top was adorned with lace ribbons, presumably to make up for the flat expanse of her chest.

Resting on her shoulder was a wooden sword—one without the “Lake Tōya” engraving. If I remember correctly, it was a souvenir sold at the Umi no Ie.

She wore a roguish smirk at the corner of her lips, her eyes half-lidded as she stared down Lei Meow Meow. Her whole presence exuded an aura of “I alone reign supreme,” the kind of overwhelming charisma you'd expect from a battle-hardened boss character.

All she was missing was a classic bancho jacket sporting slogans like “Top of the Food Chain” or “Death Before Dishonor.”

“It’s all good now. You’re asking why?”

She stabbed the wooden sword into the sand, scooped up the volleyball that had rolled to the side, and casually tossed it in the air.

“Because I’m here.”¹