It was supposed to be a standard afternoon practice, but the gym had somehow transformed into something entirely more electric. Hinata's usual boundless energy had doubled, catalyzed by the arrival of a kindred spirit. The two of them were vibrating on the exact same frequency, communicating entirely in a bizarre, shared vocabulary of sound effects.
By the twin gym doors, Yanase watched the spectacle play out. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, a low, subconscious hum vibrating in her throat. She felt entirely detached from the mundane squeak of sneakers on polished wood. Instead, her eyes locked onto the court, glittering with a sharp, almost dangerous admiration.
Her daydreaming was abruptly cut short when the heavy doors beside her groaned and swung open, flooding her vision with a sudden, blinding column of morning light. Yanase winced, throwing a hand up to shield her eyes. But as her vision cleared and the silhouettes came into focus, she had to forcefully bite her own lip to stifle a frantic squeal of excitement.
"Good morning, Takeda-sensei, Ukai-san," a voice called out.
The greeting was simple, but spoken by Kiyoko, it washed over Yanase like liquid silver. To her ears, it sounded like an actual angel descending into the noisy gym, immediately smoothing out the chaotic air. Yanase sat frozen, her heart doing erratic flips against her ribs, completely defenseless against how cool the upperclassman was.
Kiyoko Shimizu. The name alone was a holy text in Yanase's mind. She clutched her knees tighter, fangirling in absolute silence as she openly gaped at the third-year. Standing there with a clipboard held against her chest, Kiyoko looked less like a team manager and more like an untouchable anime protagonist.
But Yanase's staring did not go unnoticed. Kiyoko's eyes swept toward the doorway, pinning Yanase to the floor. Yanase stiffened into a literal statue. With agonizing composure, Kiyoko adjusted her glasses and offered a brief, elegant nod.
"It seems we have a guest," Kiyoko noted softly. "Good morning."
The sheer aura of the greeting launched Yanase into motion. She practically launched herself to her feet, her heart hammering against her ribs. "I-I'm sorry for the sudden intrusion!" she squeaked out, bowing so quickly her hair flew over her face. "I'm Shoyo-kun's classmate, Hikarari Yanase! Please excuse me!"
Seeing the underclassman's panic, Kiyoko gave a gentle, dismissive wave of her hand. "No need to be so formal," she assured her. Her tone was wonderfully reserved—stoic, but in a way that Yanase found incredibly refreshing rather than cold. "I'm Kiyoko Shimizu, manager of the volleyball team."
With a brief nod of farewell, Kiyoko stepped past her to greet Takeda-sensei and Ukai-san. Left to her own devices, Yanase felt the tension leave her bones. She slowly slid down the gym door like melting ice, returning to her cozy, knee-hugging ball. A massive, unstoppable grin broke across her face as she exhaled a sigh of pure satisfaction. Wrapping her arms tight around her legs, she let the ambient warmth and chaotic peace of the gym wash over her, completely content to just be a quiet spectator in the corner.
The sharp chime of the school bell suddenly echoed across the courtyard, signaling the cruel end of lunch period. Yanase stiffened. She gasped, realizing she had been so hopelessly distracted by the team that the hour had completely slipped away. Inner turmoil gripped her, staying to watch a few more spikes was incredibly tempting, but the threat of being late loomed larger. Defeated, she gloomily dragged herself to her feet.
But she couldn't leave without a proper goodbye. She respectfully excused herself to Takeda-sensei, Ukai-san and Kiyoko.
Turning back just before the exit, she offered a bright wave and happily shouted across the court, "Shoyo-kun! Let's walk home together after school!"
Instantly, the entire gymnasium fell into a dead, suffocating silence.
Every single pair of eyes on the court began darting back and forth like a high-speed volley—from Hinata's frozen expression to Yanase's retreating back. Hinata stood entirely paralyzed. The volleyball slipped from his numb fingers, hitting the floor with a hollow thud, thud, thud that echoed loudly in the quiet room.
As Yanase strolled down the hallway, the silence behind her finally shattered. A thunderous, deeply offended voice roared through the open doors: "WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Tanaka-senpai, Yanase thought, recognizing the explosive tone instantly. She let out a delighted giggle and skipped her way back to class.
Time slipped by like an express train, and the rest of her classes ended in what felt like a blink of an eye. Packing her bags, Yanase gleefully stepped out of her classroom and blended into the river of students flooding the hallway. Around her, a lively hum of chatter filled the air; some students were gossiping as they headed toward the shoe lockers, while others hurried off to their respective club activities.
The moment she stepped outside, she was greeted by a wave of after-school energy—spirited shouts and rhythmic thuds echoing from the nearby gym and open sports fields. Instead of heading for the gates, Yanase wandered over to a large, sprawling tree and settled down gently under its cool shade. She sat silently, observing the bustling, oddly familiar routine of high school life unfolding right before her eyes.
"Guess I'll have to wait a little bit," she mumbled to herself.
Placing her school bag on the grass beside her, she leaned her back against the rough bark of the trunk and let out a soft sigh. Her eyes drifted upward, staring blankly through the gently swaying canopy of green leaves. In the quiet space between the distant shouts of the clubs, a strange sensation crept over her. A faint ache of emptiness settled in her chest, leaving her with the nagging feeling that something was missing, like she had forgotten something incredibly important.
The evening wind blew a soft, cool puff across the school grounds as the sun sank below the mountain peaks, quieting the school grounds until only the distant, echoing shouts of sports teams remained. The sky was slowly bleeding into brilliant shades of amber and rose. Right on cue, a familiar flash of tangerine caught Yanase's eye.
Hinata and Kageyama were walking together, trading sharp, rapid-fire arguments in their usual competitive rhythm. But the second Hinata noticed Yanase waiting for him, the bickering vanished. He began waving both arms enthusiastically, jogging over to her with his orange hair practically gleaming under the vibrant sky.
With a warm smile, Yanase picked up her bag and lightly skipped to meet the duo. "Ready to head out?" she asked, her voice a gentle contrast to the loud afternoon they'd all had.
"Yup! Just gotta grab my bike!" Hinata replied cheerfully, jogging over to the nearby racks and pushing his bicycle back over to them without losing a single drop of his energy.
Leaving the school grounds behind, the trio stepped onto the sidewalk of the sloping road, overlooking the town as its evening lights began to twinkle in the distance. The walk home was anything but quiet. They chattered non-stop, with Hinata and Kageyama trading loud, competitive jabs every few paces, while Yanase walked beside them, laughing softly at their endless antics.
Losing interest in his argument with Kageyama for a brief second, Hinata suddenly slowed his pace, letting his bike coast as he matched Yanase's stride. "By the way, Yana-chan, where do you actually live?"
That simple, casual question made Yanase freeze dead in her tracks.
Ehh? The thought echoed hollowly in her mind. She stopped, her eyes dropping to stare blankly at the tips of her shoes. "Where do I live...?" she mumbled under her breath.
"Yana-chan?" Hinata asked, his energetic head tilting in confusion at her sudden stillness.
Yanase's mind went completely blank. A cold wave of dread washed over her. Wait. Where do I live? Now that she was actually trying to visualize her own home, her bedroom, her street—there was absolutely nothing. Just an empty, terrifying fog. Something is wrong. Something is definitely wrong. It's like I'm forgetting something... or someone. Or...
"I just... can't remember," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"Oi, what's wrong with her?" Kageyama huffed, stepping closer to close the distance between them.
Hinata leaned in, peering closely into her eyes, his face nearly inches from hers. "Are you okay, Yana-chan?" he asked, his usual cheerful voice heavily laced with worry and confusion.
Flustered by Hinata's sudden closeness, Yanase stumbled back a step. She forced out a light chuckle, nervously scratching the back of her head. "No, sorry! I'm completely fine," she insisted, plastering a grin across her face. But it lacked the genuine brightness of her smiles from earlier that afternoon. "Maybe the heat in the gym just got to me a little."
Hinata, easily swayed, nodded in agreement and let out a cheerful laugh. "Ah, is that so? Yeah, it was super hot in there!"
With the tension broken, the boys started up again, their voices quickly drifting into another nonsense conversation about volleyball. But this time, Yanase trailed a step or two behind them. The lively atmosphere moved forward without her. No giggles, no commentary, no teasing remarks. Just pure, heavy silence.
"Yana-chan?"
Hinata's voice pulled her sharply back to reality. Yanase blinked, realizing that Kageyama had already disappeared down a side street. Hinata was now standing beside his bike, looking at her with genuine concern. "Do you want a ride? I can take you home on my bike, since it's getting late," he offered, patting the seat.
"Ehh?" Yanase hesitated. Her heart hammered against her ribs; she couldn't accept a ride to a home she couldn't even remember. She needed to be alone to clear the fog in her mind. Forcing another smile, she shook her head. "No thanks, Shoyo-kun." Her eyes darted around until they landed on a convenience store glowing further down the road. "I actually have some shopping to do. You can go ahead without me."
Hinata frowned, clearly reluctant to leave her alone as the shadows deepened, but Yanase's polite persistence eventually won him over.
"Alright... but be careful! See you tomorrow!" he shouted, flashing a wide, sunny grin before pedaling away with a swift, energetic burst of speed.
Yanase stood still, waving until his orange hair was just a speck in the distance. "See you tomorrow," she whispered to the empty air, the smile slowly fading from her face.
Her eyes drifted toward the glowing store, her feet moving forward almost on autopilot. A cheerful chime rang out across the shop as she pushed the glass door open, cutting through the heavy evening air. Inside, soft convenience-store music hummed in the background, accompanying the low, quiet rustle of a few late-night shoppers browsing the aisles.
Needing an excuse to stay, she blindly grabbed a few snacks from the shelves, paid the cashier, and slid onto a plastic stool right by the window counter.
She let out a long, heavy sigh, resting her chin on her hand. Outside, the streets had completely succumbed to the dark, illuminated only by a few lonely streetlights. The town she had just been admiring felt entirely foreign now.
She stared at her reflection in the dark window, her voice barely a whisper. "Now... what do I do?"