On Drum Island, my life for the most part is pretty quiet—solitary and disciplined. I didn't really have anyone. Not really. Just the cold wind, the snow-covered forest, and the old cliffside castle where silence echoed louder than voices ever had.
Every morning, I'd wake before the sun rose, the chill nipping at my nose even under blankets. The castle creaked as it settled in the frost, and I'd stretch slowly, not out of laziness, but because no one was waiting for me. There was no hurry. I'd make myself breakfast—warm tea, dried herbs and roots—chewing carefully in the silence, letting the steam fog up the windows just enough to pretend someone else had been there.
I'd check the medical stores next. I kept them tidy—every label legible, every jar sealed—because order was the only thing that made me feel useful. Then I'd go to the library. The books were old and smelled like dust and medicine. Some pages were too hard to understand, the words too big. But I read them anyway. One line at a time. It made me feel like maybe I was getting closer to what he saw in me.
Around midday, I'd bundle up and head into the forest. I was good at finding herbs. My nose, my hooves—they helped. The animals didn't talk to me anymore. They used to, but I guess they started seeing me like the humans did. Not one of them. Not one of us. Just... something else.
Sometimes I practiced my Rumble Ball forms. I told myself it was to get better control, but really... I just wanted to believe I wasn't ugly like that. I'd look at my hands after transforming and think, "Would someone trust a monster like this to save them?"
In the afternoon, I'd come back, tired but a little proud of the things I'd found. I'd grind and boil and mix until the castle smelled like bitter roots and hot water. Dr. Kureha would show up eventually. She'd grumble, call me an idiot reindeer. But she stayed. She always came back. That counted for something.
At night, I sat by the fire with a book in my lap. I didn't always read. Sometimes I just stared at the flames or the sketches I made of organs and bones, wondering if I'd ever get to use what I knew. I'd glance out the window. The lights from the town always looked so close—warm, like someone might be laughing there. I never thought they were laughing for me.
Dr. Hiriluk said I could be a great doctor. I believed him. Or I tried to. Even if I was different. Even if no one wanted me. Even if being kind didn't stop people from being afraid.
I told myself it was enough. That helping people someday would be worth all the cold. But on some nights, when the snow fell heavy and the wind howled just right, it felt like I was the only one in the world who remembered I existed.
But one day, as I was going through Dr. Kureha's storage room looking for gauze and unopened salves, I found something odd buried under a tarp and dust. It was a strange metal box, with a little screen and buttons and a slot I didn't understand. It had wires too, and a circular disc lying beside it in a cracked plastic case.
I stared at it for a while before bringing it out to the main room. The snow outside had thickened, and the castle felt even more closed off than usual. When I asked Dr. Kureha what it was, she barely glanced up from her tea and said, "That old thing? It's a DVD player. Some Hack said it was ancient advance technology, Ha! It was cheap though. Useless now. Keep it if you like."
I didn't know what a DVD player was, but I spent the whole evening cleaning it, piecing together how it worked. Eventually, after fiddling with the cords and plugging it into an old generator she used for emergency lights, I pressed play.
The screen flickered and came alive with color—people laughing, shouting, running through green fields I'd never seen before. Their voices were loud, their movements too fast, their joy strange and captivating. It wasn't a medical journal. It wasn't a book. It was… life. Someone else's, captured in time.
I watched until the generator buzzed and cut off. Then I sat in the dark for a long time, the silence around me suddenly louder than before. I don't know why, but that night, the fire didn't feel as warm.
The next morning, I went back into the storage room. Maybe I was hoping to find another one of those discs. I wasn't sure. I just… wanted to feel that strange warmth again. After moving a few boxes and brushing away more dust, I found a small, cracked container filled with thin cases. They all had the same word printed on the spine: "Haikyuu!!"
I held one up to the light. The cover showed boys in uniforms, mid-air, reaching for a ball. I didn't know what it was. I didn't know why my chest felt tight. But I brought the whole box back upstairs, careful not to drop anything. I didn't understand what it was yet—but I wanted to.
That evening, I hooked up the player again and slid in one of the discs labeled "Haikyuu!!". The screen lit up with an opening theme—fast, bright, full of energy. I didn't understand the words at first, but something in the rhythm made my heart beat faster. And then I saw him.
A short boy with orange hair and fire in his eyes. He was small—just like me. Smaller than everyone else on the court. But he leapt into the air like nothing could hold him down. Like he believed the sky was his, even if no one else did.
Hinata Shoyo.
"He's like me!" I whispered, leaning forward.
He wasn't alone, either. There was Kageyama, the genius setter with a scowl and a gift Hinata could barely keep up with. There was Daichi, calm and firm like a rock. Nishinoya, loud and fearless. Sugawara, kind but sharp. Tanaka, wild-hearted. Asahi, quiet and strong. And Coach Ukai, with his easy grin and sharp instincts.
They were all part of something called Karasuno. A team once called a fallen powerhouse. But they weren't just trying to win—they were trying to fly again.
I watched Hinata's first match against Kageyama turn into a bitter loss. "No!" I shouted at the screen. "You can do it! Just jump again!"
I watched him Pledge to get stronger. I watched them become teammates, awkward and fierce. They fought, clashed, learned. I saw their training camp, the uphill battle against their own limitations, and the desperation to be more than just who they were.
When they played against Aoba Johsai in a practice match, and Kageyama froze—when Hinata screamed to bring him back—I grabbed my antlers and shouted, "Don't give up! Talk to him! You're a team!"
When they lost, I stared at the screen in stunned silence. My ears drooped. "That's not fair... they tried so hard..."
When they picked themselves up again to face Date Tech and finally won, I leapt to my feet, tears welling up. "Yes! Yes! That's it! Hinata, you did it!"
Every serve, every spike, every block—it wasn't just a game. It was proof that someone like me, someone small and strange and different, could matter. Could fight. Could fly.
Hinata wasn't a genius. He wasn't built for it. But he kept chasing the sky, even when it hurt.
"You're amazing," I whispered as he smiled with tears in his eyes. "You're not just playing... you're living."
I wasn't watching just some program. I was watching someone who knew what it meant to be underestimated. Who knew what it felt like to be left out, to be laughed at, to be alone and yet wanting more anyway een if the world says that you don't deserve it.
Their match with Aoba Johsai hit me the hardest. Oikawa was incredible—so smooth and smart and just a little scary. I couldn't stop mumbling as I panicked, "He reads them like a book... how do you even stop someone like that?!" I watched Karasuno fight tooth and nail just to keep up, Kageyama struggling to stay calm, Hinata jumping higher and faster with every rally, even when his legs trembled.
When Kageyama finally trusted Hinata with that quick toss again, I leaned in and shouted, "COME ON! NOW'S THE TIME! SHOW THEM!"
And they did. Hinata soared. The gym exploded with energy, and I found myself yelling, "YES! That's it! THAT'S how you fly!"
But then... they lost.
The final whistle felt like a punch to my tiny chest. I blinked, ears twitching, unable to breathe for a second. "W-What?" I whispered. "No... no no no, they gave everything…!" I scooted closer to the screen, my hooves clenched, eyes wide. "They were doing so well! Hinata—he was flying! Why…?"
I bit my lip and my shoulders sank. "That's not fair... they practiced so hard... they were a team... they believed..."
My antlers drooped and I wrapped my arms around myself. "I-I hate this feeling... but…"
Hinata fell to his knees, shaking, eyes wide with disbelief—and I wiped my eyes with the back of my hoof, sniffling. "Y-you did your best... I saw it... I-I know it hurts, but... it's not over!" I leaned close to the screen, voice trembling. "You'll get there, Hinata. You have to. You will. I believe in you!"
Because if he didn't... then maybe everything I believed in would disappear too. If Hinata stopped jumping—if he gave up—then what hope did someone like me have? I needed him to keep trying, to keep smiling and yelling and falling and getting back up. I'd never met him, never even heard his voice in real life, but... it didn't matter. When he moved, I moved. When he stumbled, I flinched. When he grinned through the pain, I smiled too.
It felt like he was pulling me up with him. And even though I felt alone in this cold castle, somehow, it didn't feel so lonely anymore.
The season ended not with a win, but with a promise. Hinata and Kageyama stood on the court, scuffed up and sweaty, but their eyes were still bright. Like even after falling, they were already looking up again. They weren't just playing volleyball—they were chasing something that felt bigger than the game. Something that felt like it might even reach me, all the way out here in the cold.
I didn't understand everything, but I understood that feeling. That stubborn, impossible hope that you can still get stronger. That you're not done yet.
"We're going to become the strongest," Hinata said.
I sat up straight when he said that. My hooves were clenched tight against my chest.
He still believed.
Even after everything. Even after losing. He still believed.
And somehow, that made me believe a little more too.
And to rise anyway.
I stayed up all night watching that story, one after another episode. Laughing. Crying. Yelling. Feeling.
And when I finally fell asleep by the fire, it was with a warmth I hadn't felt in years. A warmth that didn't come from outside—but from the quiet belief that maybe, just maybe, I wasn't alone in how I felt.
The next morning, I didn't wake up early. I didn't even hear the wind howling outside or the creak of the castle settling in the frost. When I finally blinked awake, the fire had long gone out, and the room was dim with late-morning light.
I usually hated falling behind. My routine was important. But today? I didn't care. I scrambled out from the pile of blankets, eyes barely open, and rushed straight for the stack of discs.
"Please... please let there be more," I mumbled, digging through the cracked cases, checking the labels with trembling hooves. I needed to know what happened. I needed to see where Hinata went next—what he'd do, how he'd keep going. It was like something inside me wouldn't settle until I saw him on that screen again, jumping, shouting, never giving up.
Everything else could wait. The herbs, the library, even lunch. Right now, I just needed him to keep going—so I could too.
At some point, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned, and there she was—Dr. Kureha, standing in the doorway with her usual mug of tea. She looked at the mess of discs around me, the cords snaking across the floor, the screen glowing faintly behind me.
She didn't say anything. Just stared at me for a long second. I thought she might yell, or ask why I hadn't started my rounds yet.
But she didn't.
She took a sip of her tea, gave me a look I couldn't quite read—soft, maybe a little tired—and then turned around and walked away.
That was it.
I didn't know why, but somehow, it made me feel like everything was okay.
And then—there it was. At the bottom of the pile, half-buried under a faded towel and a broken box of batteries—I saw it.
Season Two began like a gust of wind through an open window—new air, new tension, new dreams. Karasuno wasn't just training now—they were evolving. The mood changed the moment Coach Ukai and Takeda managed to get them invited to the Tokyo training camps. I remember hopping on the floor, eyes wide as those powerful schools lined up: Nekoma, Fukurodani, Shinzen, Ubugawa. They were all bigger, tougher, more experienced.
But Karasuno was there.
Hinata was there.
Hinata and Kageyama faced new hurdles. The moment they were told their quick attack wouldn't work forever, my stomach twisted. "W-what do you mean?!" I gasped. That was their thing! I got so nervous I chewed on the corner of my blanket. But then... Hinata kept trying. Again and again. "D-Don't give up! Try again! I know you can do it, Hinata!"
I flinched when Hinata got blocked. It hurt. Like, really hurt. But then I saw his eyes change. He wasn't scared. He learned. I nearly fell off the couch yelling, "Use your eyes, Hinata! You're not just fast—you're amazing!"
Yachi showed up too. All nervous and fidgety. I tilted my head and whispered, "She's like me... doesn't think she belongs but she does."
But then—Hinata and Kageyama fought! Like, really fought! Not just arguing, but yelling and throwing volleyballs and storming off! I gasped so loud I nearly choked on my snack. "Wha—W-What are you doing?! You guys are supposed to be friends!" I wailed, clutching my face.
Hinata looked so frustrated. Kageyama was scary again. I hated it. My chest felt all tight and weird. I didn't really know what it meant when friends fight… I never really had friends like that before. Was this normal? Were they going to stop being a team forever?! My ears drooped. "No, no, no... Hinata... please don't do this," I whispered, hugging my blanket.
Watching Hinata walk away felt like the whole world was cracking a little. I didn't want to see him alone. I didn't want him to lose someone important. I didn't understand it—but I was scared. Really scared. "Please just be okay again..." I begged softly. "Please talk to him... you're better together... I know you are."
But then... then they did talk. They trained. Separately. They thought. Grew. And when they met again—BOOM! That feeling came back. That spark! That rhythm!
When they tried that new quick, I jumped up. "Do it! Do it! You got this! Come on, Hinata!!"
And it worked. It worked!
I screamed, threw my hooves up, and ran in a circle. "You're back! You're back! You're the best freak combo in the world!!!"
The team pushed themselves harder than ever. And then there was Wakatoshi Ushijima. He was like this huge wall made of stone and scary muscles! But Hinata didn't even blink. He ran right up to him and said he'd beat him someday! I stood up on the couch and shouted, "YEAH! Tell him, Hinata! You're not scared!"
When the Spring Tournament Qualifiers started, I couldn't sit still. My tail wouldn't stop twitching. Hinata's new decoy tactics were so cool! He'd run and jump and everyone would panic—"He's the real deal!" I yelled. "They can't stop him!"
Then Yamaguchi stepped up to serve… and missed. Again. I bit my hoof. "I-It's okay, it's okay, you'll get it next time," I mumbled, even though I was squeezing my pillow so tight it almost popped.
And then came the big rematch. Aoba Johsai. Oikawa was still perfect. TOO perfect. "Ughhh he's so annoying! But he's really good…" I growled. He was scary-smart. Like if Doctorine had a volleyball brain. I paced in circles while Hinata kept jumping higher and higher. "YOU CAN DO THIS!... COME ON HINATA!, JUST KEEP GOING! KEEP JUMPING!"
Then—Kageyama trusted him. That toss! That moment! Hinata flew.
I shrieked, "FLYYYY, HINATAAAA!!" so loud I knocked over my mug.
And they won.
I screamed. I rolled across the floor, kicking my hooves in the air. "YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT! I KNEW YOU COULD!" I was crying, I think. Maybe. Just a little....No i cried a LOT!
Karasuno made it to Finals. But more importantly... Hinata made it. He never stopped. And that made me believe I didn't have to stop either.
As the credits rolled, I sat there, all wrapped up in my blanket burrito, whispering, "Thank you, Hinata... thank you for flying."
Season Two didn't just continue the story. It felt like someone reached into the cold and handed me a spark. A reminder that even small things—even weird, reindeer things—can keep going.
That's when Doctorine found me, sitting in front of the screen again with tears on my face and snacks all over the floor. She just looked at me, really looked, and said, "Enough moping. Patients don't wait."
I wiped my eyes, sniffled, and nodded. "Y-Yeah... okay… b-but Hinata—he flew…"
She sighed and ruffled my hat. "Then fly faster on your rounds."
I smiled. A little. Just enough.
And then I ran. I zoomed through rounds like I was chasing the last serve of the match. Bandages, charts, thermometers—I was moving faster than I'd ever moved before. If I worked extra hard, maybe—just maybe—I'd finish quick enough to find Season Three. "Hang on, Hinata! I'm coming back soon!" I yelled down the hallway, my hooves clattering against the floor.
But when I finally burst back into my room and scrambled to the shelf—Season Three wasn't there.
"W-What?! Where is it?!" I panicked, tossing aside cases and discs. I checked under the bed. Behind the bookshelf. In the fridge! Nothing.
"No no no no no no no—where is it?! I need to see what happens next! HINATAAA!" I cried, nearly hyperventilating. My hat drooped. My ears drooped. Everything drooped.
Was that it? Was this the end? Was I never going to see Hinata fly again?
"Noooo! Why would they stop now?! It can't end like this! Not when they're going to Finals!!"
I curled up on the floor, trembling. "P-Please... let there be a Season Three... please..."
And then, just as I was about to give up—there it was.
Wedged between old magazines and an empty snack box, the disc glinted like treasure in the sunlight.
"I FOUND IT!!!" I shouted, springing to my hooves so fast I headbutted the desk.
Tears sprang right back into my eyes—happy ones this time. "Y-You were hiding?! Why would you do that?! I've been dying out here!!"
I held the disc to my chest. "Hinata… I'm back... and I'm never letting you out of my sight again!"
I didn't even bother with snacks this time—I just slammed the disc in and flopped down, tail thumping with excitement. The screen lit up.
Season Three.
The music hit, and I squealed. "It's real! It's really real!" I cried. My eyes sparkled like I'd just discovered a new species of miracle medicine. My heart thumped with every beat of the opening.
"Let's go, Hinata... I'm right here with you!"
But then—as the bus in the opening moved across the screen—the episode froze. The picture glitched, the sound cut off, and the DVD player made a weird click noise.
"H-Huh?! What's happening?!" I yelped, jumping up.
A blinking box appeared on the screen. It said:
LIVE ACTION?
And the LIVE ACTION? button on the player started blinking red.
My jaw dropped. "Wh-What?! What does that even mean?! Is this a test?! Is Season Three broken?! Did someone prank me?!"
I leaned in, poking the screen. "Nooo… not now… NOT NOW!! HINATAAA!!"
I stared at the blinking button, heart pounding like a taiko drum. I didn't know what to do. What if pressing it broke the disc forever? What if I never saw what happened next?
But... what if it was the only way?
"O-Okay... okay... here goes nothing," I whispered.
I reached out—slowly—and pressed it.
Click.
It started playing.
At first, it was strange, but kind of fun. People playing volleyball with so much energy and passion—it pulled me right in. I tilted my head, watching closely. "Hehe... is that Hinata? He moves different, but I can tell he's trying so hard."
I giggled a little. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but I liked it. The rhythm of the game, the feeling of pushing forward—that was still there. Hinata was still there.
Then the lights flickered.
A white glow appeared, opening slowly like a ripple in the ceiling. My ears perked up. "W-What... what is that?!"
And then on the screen, right beneath Hinata, a beam of light came down—bright and steady. Everything began to shake. The image twisted like it was underwater.
I stepped back, hooves trembling. "H-Hey! What's happening?! Hinata?! Are you alright?!"
The glow above me flared wider. The room filled with swirling wind and warmth.
"No no no no NOOO! I didn't sign up for this! I just wanted to see what happens next!"
Then, on the screen—Hinata looked up. His eyes were wide, his mouth open mid-shout. He was screaming. Not calm, not focused—terrified. He looked around, arms flailing, trying to grab hold of something as the light grew stronger around him.
And before I could even scream again, he fell. The beam of white light swallowed him up and he vanished from the screen.
"H-HINATA?! NO!! COME BACK!!" I shrieked, stumbling backward.
And then—
From the glowing white hole above me, a scream echoed down.
A real scream. Loud. Close. Human.
My heart stopped. My ears twitched. I froze.
"W-Who's there?!" I cried, staring up at the hole. The scream didn't stop. It was getting louder.
Then something fell.
Someone fell.
With a thundering crash and a burst of wind, a figure dropped straight out of the white hole above me and landed right on top of me.
"GAAAH!!" I yelped, flailing under a tangle of limbs and orange.
"Owww owww owww—what was that?! Who—wait... H-Hinata?!"
The figure groaned. Spiky orange hair. Wide terrified eyes. It was him. It was really him.
Hinata Shoyo was lying right on top of me.
I screamed again. Not because I was scared.
Because somehow, Hinata had just fallen out of the sky.
It took him a second to get his bearings. He sat up, blinking fast, chest heaving, still catching his breath.
Then he turned.
Our eyes locked.
He pointed at me. "WHAT ARE YOU?!"
I pointed at him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!"
We both screamed at the same time.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
It was chaos. Rolling, shouting, scrambling chaos.
But Hinata's scream suddenly cut off as his eyes rolled back and he slumped forward, collapsing in a heap.
And before i could even think of doing anything, my vision blurred. The room tilted sideways.
My heart was pounding so loud it felt like it echoed through my skull. Everything spun.
And then—I couldn't take it anymore.
Everything went black.
Back then, I had no idea what I had just unleashed on the world. No clue what would come of this boy I already knew so well—this boy with orange hair and a spirit that refused to break. I didn't know that, for better or worse, I hadn't just met him—I had brought him here. I had pulled him from his world into mine. And somehow, I had just gained a lifelong best friend.
Someone who would shape my destiny—and everyone I loved—in ways I couldn't have imagined.