N.Y.I.Y.T.R. | Ryujin Nippon One Shots

Melon Milk | T.R. (pt. 1)

It was that feeling of severe dejection that clouded Takahashi's mind as he mindlessly walks home with two of his teammates, eyes planted on the ground as he kicks rocks along the sidewalk.

To say that he was having a bad day seemed like an understatement. He woke up today feeling incredibly excited about their game against one of the best sports universities in Tokyo. Regardless of the outcome, he set his heart out for a win but prepared his mind for a loss, yet he didn't expect his team to be outright disqualified, pulled out of the tournament for being caught smoking outside the venue.

It was laughable, so incredibly absurd; not only because it wasn't true in the first place, but because the 'evidence' submitted against them came from a player from the opposing team.

Takahashi had never felt as enraged as he was that day, the insides of his palms on the verge of bleeding from clenching his fists way too firmly. He was their captain, yet he couldn't do much to salvage his team's effort. He wanted to cry but converted his tears into foul words, leading them to even more trouble.

And now, with a heavy heart, he decided he would let it be; work awfully hard for the next tournament, take the win, and reveal that team's modus operandi.

"Hey bro, don't take it to heart, yeah?" Kenta reminded as he placed a hand on top of his head. Takahashi looked back at his two closest teammates with a weak smile, fully aware that they were only trying to tough it out for him. He didn't mention it but he saw the look of blistering flustration on both of their faces as the news of disqualification drawled upon them.

"Yeah," was the last thing he said before the three decided to part ways on the way home.

It was then when he turned the corner that his emotions ran wild again, causing him to kick an empty coke can a tad bit too hard into the gutter. He heaved a deep sigh with the full intention of screaming out loud until he felt droplets of water saturate the asphalt streets beneath him.

"Fuck," he cursed under his breath, eyes immediately darting to the nearest place he could seek shelter.

Spotting a small convenience store just a few meters away, he sprinted towards it at full speed. Perhaps eating the snacks he wasn't allowed to eat in preparation for the tournament would make him feel better.

The store was empty when he rushed inside, the only sound heard was coming from the overhead bell ringing by the door. He looked around carefully, hoping to spot the bag of chips he's been wanting to indulge in for a while.

As he walked towards the aisle, Takashi couldn't help but sigh, partly because he couldn't believe he was relying on some bag of chips to cheer him up and mostly due to the earlier events persistently replaying in his mind. Evidently annoyed, he reached out for the bag carelessly, knocking some of them out after hearing a small voice suddenly erupt from beside him.

Startled, he cursed to himself for what felt like the 100th time and shot his gaze towards the other presence in the room. He was surprised to see a petite woman carrying a pile of boxes, so high it completely covered her face. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. Keep it together, Ran, he thought to himself. Bursting out right now wasn't something he would be proud of later.

After gathering the snacks he sought out the get, he sauntered to the counter with heavy steps, dumping his basket onto the surface as he attempted to pull out his wallet.

Through his carelessness, he didn't notice his unzipped wallet and before he could react, a bunch of coins had already fallen to the floor.

"Fuck, seriously?" he muttered under his breath as he bent down in annoyance.