This character is supposed to be from a series. Some unpopular volleyball comic that never really made its break. It had a season get animated, but it quickly went on hiatus due to not gaining enough traction to provide a second season. Not only that but apparently the author also passed away, meaning there was no way it could continue anyways.

  It was called Up Top!. From what I remember the reprise was about a school with a streak of bad luck when it came to sports. It was to a point where the principal was debating on changing the school to an arts school. That's where the main character comes in. A bright eyed student who's been playing since freshman year seeking to fulfil his dream of getting to nationals or something. I can't quite remember.

  I only watched the animated series because my parents figured if I got into something sports related it'd encourage me to try. Too bad for them, I know what I want in life, and it's not sports. So why am I here? I never believed in reincarnation, or isekais…is this an isekai? If it was, shouldn't I still be in my own body and be some sort of OP strong warrior? Why am I stuck as some random volleyball player?

  That is unless…this it's actually transmigration? But that only happens if you die while interacting with the piece of media, doesn't it? Either way I died and got transferred here. "...system?" I mumbled to myself, glancing around. Nothing happened.

  I feel stupid.

  Don't most characters in situations like this get a system that helps them? I should be able to upgrade my stats and stuff! Am I just stuck like this? The more I think about it the worse I feel. It's like my own body is rebelling against the idea that it doesn't belong to me.

  "Xayan!" That name again. I looked up, spotting an older man in a tracksuit walking inside. He had antlers on his head, the soft-hearted coach of the team. In the series he admits to never playing volleyball, but at least he still tries his best with making strategies for the team.

  "Coach…" I mutter, watching as he steps over to my side. "Are you feeling better? The game hasn't finished yet, so if you'd like we can head back to the gymnasium so you can watch." The idea of going back feels troublesome. But if I do I'll be able to figure out what episode I'm in so that I can carry out how the rest of the show goes.

  The character I am, Xayan Gotzlang, is a side character that's supposed to be removed in episode 3 due to a concussion, which I'm pretty sure I don't have. He's intended to act as the motivator for the main character and marinate the rivalry between the Cinnabar High School team and their biggest obstacle, Red Herring High.

  "Uh," I snapped out of my thoughts, nodding my head, "Yeah. I feel better." Did I really? I slowly moved my legs over the edge of the bed, standing up and following the coach out of the infirmary. The hallway seemed way too nice to be Cinnabar, so we must be the visiting team. If this was Cinnabar there'd probably be a broken wall under construction or something.

  The gymnasium was as large as it looked, a curved ceiling filled with seats and even basketball hoops they could put up or down. The rhythmic smack of a ball hitting the floor brought my attention as I looked over, spotting the team. Cinnabar in their black and red uniforms, while the other school was in silver and red.

  The scoreboard read an embarrassing 5-24 whilst being on the third set, which meant there was no possible way we could win. Coach motioned me over to the bench as I continued to watch, trying to use context clues to figure out just where I was in the story. If this is before the main story, then that's good. I have plenty of time to adapt, but if we're in the middle of an episode then I'm not too sure what I can do. Maybe I could just say I quit on the spot? I can't pull the concussion card because I've already established that I'm fine by coming here. Fuck! I should've said I felt dizzy.

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  There's only one school we ever saw in the show, so if this is in the middle then that means it has to be Red Herring High School. "Mine!" Someone shouted, bumping up the ball high enough for the setter to follow, getting into position and quickly pushing the ball up. That same blue haired boy seemed to fly into the air, his wooden limbs locking into place to land a firm hit. I heard the resounding smack against the ball, first from the hit and then from it slamming into the laminated floors.

  That was…really fucking scary. I couldn't imagine having to receive a hit like that with my bare arms, they'd probably snap off. My hands were trembling slightly, hearing the sharp pitch of the whistle as they took the ball to serve once more. If they're losing this badly then we can't be too far in the story, and they were able to get a few decent scores which means it's probably near the start of the series.

  "Err, hey coach, who are we playing..?" I asked hesitantly, trying to see if I could get his attention. He looked over, "Guess that ball hit you harder than I expected. It's Red Herring, remember?" Red Herring? Did I hear that right? If this is Red Herring High School then that means I should be getting removed from the story soon. I held back a sigh of relief, giving a stiff nod before looking back at the game.

  It's episode 3 then, which means that I should be in the clear after the game! I'll be able to quit, try and live the rest of Xayan's high school year normally, and maybe find a way back home. Since this place has doll people and deer people, surely they have some understanding of interdimensional travel, right? Then again, who would believe a high schooler? This fucking sucks. I'm hungry as hell.

  The game ended quickly with a crushing 7-25 score. It was better than the first set at least. If I can remember, it was 0-25 in the show. No one would ever believe that they would make it to nationals. It seemed impossible. It is impossible. There's no such thing as miracles.

  Shaking my head, I stood up to go find Xayan's bag, picking it up as we headed out of the gymnasium. The players of Red Herring snickered as we left, a few of the leftover students whispering and pointing at us as we made our walk of shame out to the bus. It was like public humiliation, the disappointment within the players palpable, it was really awkward as the one person who didn't remember anything about the game.

  I feel bad.

  I feel bad if I were to drop the bomb that I want to quit while everyone is down in the dumps! It's like telling your kid you're gonna get a divorce right after their dog just died. That's the worst thing you could ever do! Maybe I should wait until tomorrow? Or text the coach? I'm sure that there's probably a team group chat I can use to find his contacts.

  My body jostled slightly as someone took the seat next to me, "Hey, you said I could have the window seat on the way back." He huffed. This was him. The protagonist. I had realized it back when he hit that spike, this is undoubtedly Marian Sprance, the main character of Up Top!.

  "Oh, sorry." I nodded, standing up to swap seats with him before he nudged me back down, grinning, "I'm just teasin', don't worry!" He laughed.

  I let out an awkward chuckle in return, sitting back down with a polite smile. "Jeez, I dunno how you could be so happy at a time like this." I admitted truthfully.

  Marian looked a bit surprised before rubbing the back of his neck, "Well, I can't say I'm not hurt. Those guys pissed me off, really. Especially after they hit you." He leaned back, glancing over at me, "But it's alright! I made sure my last spike showed that we'd beat them one day." Marian grinned reassuringly.

  If I was Xayan, I'd probably feel a bit thankful, but since I'm not, I'm not sure what to feel. Should I be happy? System? Can a system magically show up and tell me what to do?

  "Uh, yeah, one day." was all I could manage before turning away to sink into the seat. The sun was slowly setting over the neighborhood, students walking down the street as they began to head home from their clubs.

  This didn't feel real, yet all the pain still lingered. Maybe when I take a nap I'll wake up in a hospital bed with my parents looming over me, crying about how long I've been out. My eyes drooped, exhaustion taking me over as a small huff of air escaped me.

  I'll quit tomorrow.

  MARIAN SPRANCE

  GRADE- 11

  SPECIES- Doll (Wooden)

  HEIGHT- 5’10”

  AGE- 17

  DATE OF BIRTH- 12/12

  POSITION- Outside hitter, #9