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Today was the next volleyball match of the Spring High Representative Playoffs for the prefecture Miyagi: Shiratorizawa Academy vs. Kesenike West High School. You were a student at Shiratorizawa and you were interested into volleyball, so naturally you had to go and see the match. You wanted to see it, happening live and you loved the anticipation from these games. The match was during the school time, so you were lucky that your lesson was cancelled.
The referee blew in his whistle and it was time for the opposing school to serve. The player tossed the ball in front of him and then he waited for the right moment to hit it with the palm of his hand. Reon, who was in the back line, received the ball and it was back up in the air, ready to get tossed for the spiker, Ushijima. It all happened so fast that it might have been impossible to see all these movements but you were so engrossed in it that your eyes could follow the actions.
The first set passed in the blink of an eye: It was won by Shiratorizawa. The teams switched the side of the court and they took a short break. Your poor heart had to calm down from this excitement. You stood up from your seat, moving to the staircase. You were cautious that you didn't bump into someone. You narrowed your eyes as you looked for Goshiki among the team members. Immediately afterwards, you spotted him. He was drinking from his water bottle.
You walked back to your seat and you sat down as a smile escaped from your lips. You didn't tell him that you were here. You wanted to surprise him afterwards. Goshiki and you have been friends for about a half year now. You were classmates and seat neighbors, so you befriended him when you enrolled to Shiratorizawa.
A few moments later, the break was over and the teams went back to their positions. Your heart fluttered from the excitement which was about to come. Your eyes were fixated on the volleyball as the new set started.
This game went as swiftly as the previous one. The opposing team was fighting for this set, so that they could play one more set. They were quite the balanced team but they were having troubles, dealing with Ushijima who broke their defense by sheer force. Shiratorizawa was at their match point and it was Goshiki’s turn to serve. You mentally cheered for him, clenching your fists.
He threw the ball in the air and then he started running towards it. His eyes were only focused on the ball as he set off the ground and hit it with massive strength. A player of the opposing school tried to receive it but the ball landed on only one of his arms, so that it bounced outside of the field. Shiratorizawa won the second set and the crowd cheered for the winning team.
The teams lined up behind the back of the line and bowed their heads, thanking the opposing team for the game. Then they proceeded to walk to the net to shake hands with each other. The teams moved away from the volleyball field and they lined up once again in front of the banner which hung over the railing of the stand. They bent their heads down again as they thanked the audience for coming. You stood up and clapped your hands.
The members of Kesenike and Shiratorizawa both left the court to make space for the other schools who had an upcoming match. You decided to get up and leave your seat. You exited through the door at the end of the stair case. You looked down from the railing to the ground-floor, seeing the Shiratorizawa team leave. You spotted Goshiki and you ran downstairs to catch up to him.
“Goshiki!” you called him as you ran towards the members. You stopped behind them as they all turned their attention to you. You looked up to Goshiki who seemed to be confused over your sudden appearance.
He turned around to his team members and told them that he’d be right back. They started walking away as the boy in front of you turned his attention back to you. He repositioned his sports bag while trying to find the right words. “Shouldn’t you be in class right now?”
“It got cancelled, so I just had to go and watch you play,” you replied happily. “And congratulations on winning!”
“Thanks,” he said, scratching the back of his head. He took his eyes off you for a moment. He seemed to be embarrassed for some reason. “Did you… Did you watch the whole game?”
You grinned at him and you nodded. “You were so cool! Especially at the end when you did your serve and you took the final point! Ah, but all of your spikes were impressive too. It was really amazing and I hope you’re going to keep winning. I’ll be there to cheer you on every time. But the next time I’m actually going to tell you when I’m watching.”
All of a sudden, he turned away from you, moving up his left hand to his face. You blinked in surprise. You walked towards his left side, trying to get a peek of his face. “What’s wrong?”
He tried to turn away again, putting a distance between you. Other volleyball players were walking around and passed by you, giving you weird looks and whispering behind your back. You felt like you should move to a more private place.
You approached him again and whispered: “Goshiki, I think we should go somewhere else. I feel like we’re disturbing the others.”
You urged him to go but he remained still. Suddenly, he turned back to you and his eyes were fixated on you. He looked like he was tense. He took a deep breath before speaking up. “I just… I just feel fired up but I also feel flustered because those words are coming from you! I-I really like you!”
You weren’t sure how to respond to his words, leaving your mouth slightly open. Now you were feeling flustered by his words. Goshiki’s eyes widened as he realized what he had just said. He fidgeted and he stuttered a few words but he didn’t finish any of his sentences. A blush crept on his face and he immediately tried to hide it behind his hands.
You watched his movements and you couldn’t help but chuckle. You kept staring at him as your heart beat faster. You were feeling nervous. You wanted to answer to his confession but the words were stuck in your throat. You coughed slightly to get rid of the lump. “Goshiki, I… I like you too…”
You lowered your head, not being able to look him in the eyes right now. You clenched your hands. It was embarrassing to confess your love in public. The two of you fell silent. The background noise was muted and you could only hear your heartbeat. Then you saw his figure, moving towards you. His fingers brushed against your right hand. His touch made you loosen your grip in your hand. He gently grabbed onto it, pulling it towards his direction. “T-then I guess I’ll be in your care from now on.”
You raised your head and you were met with his shy but loving gaze which was directed towards you. You smiled at him and you squeezed his warm hand. “Same here, please take care of me.”
“… Goshiki, I don’t mean to interrupt you but we’re going to leave without you if you’re staying any longer. The coach is already impatiently waiting,” someone suddenly spoke up, making your heart skip a beat. You let go of Goshiki’s hand as he apologized to his upperclassman. His team member already headed off to the exit. Goshiki was about to follow him but he turned around to you, bowing his head down. He thanked you for coming today.
You laughed at his action and said goodbye to him, watching him leave. You were definitely going to call him later.