Life Must Go On | Ran TAKAHASHI

Yukiko [PART 4]

Padova City, March 2024

"Do you miss her?", I can hear his whisper on my ears.

When I sitting in the living room sofa while watching a photo from my gallery photo in the phone. It just a piece of memories about someone who I met just for a year and a half. But created many stories in my heart.

"Of course, I think she's on my home now, if she still here", I looked at him and give a smile. Even my phone still show her picture. Today is March 26th. A day should remember for her, for him, and for me. I just celebrate twice with her, gave a strawberry cake that she loved and spend a day with on her birthday.

---

It was Autumn in 2019, when the first time I joined Hinotori as the therapist. Manabe-san as the head coach asked me to join him and introduce me to the all team. It was my first time saw her. Her hair along the shoulder but one back ponytail. Her eyes just sparkling cause her smile when she shake my hand.

"I'm Yukiko Higashino", She's one of the best outside-hitter in the Hinotori. She's 19 years old, and it was amazing in my eyes. She joined the national team on her age. And the fact is I'm shorter than her, of course. Yukiko is 180 cm, the usual height for volleyball player especially on her position.

Everyone ended with their practice when Yukiko kept following me to the locker room. She said to me that she wanna be my friend. I just smile and accepted her request. It was a day when I met with a young girl full of stamina named Yukiko. She's happy virus for the team. With two dimples in the cheeks just make her more beautiful when she smile. I bet every boy will fallin love with her when they know how kind Yukiko is.

Yukiko is each one who always come to my apartment every weekend. Even when I did my routine, she will come just for lied down on my living room sofa, talked anything to me during my private activities. And I didn't know why the topic of her story is always him. Almost 80% about him.

"So, you say your boyfriend will graduated next year?". I asked her when she never stop talking about his boyfriend whose name I didn't know.

"Yes, he's the captain on the volleyball team", I just smile listened Yukiko who always enthusiastic talking about the ace from Kyoto as she said.

--

One and a half year passed till I know he joined the Ryujin team. Someone who always Yukiko talked about is someone who catch my heart in the first time I met. Finally I knew, the ace from Kyoto and someone who always make Yukiko's eyes spark like a diamond every week. On the deep of my heart, I hope I will not fallin love with him if before that day I knew he's Yukiko's reason to life in this world.

Yukiko is addicted to Ran. Everything about Ran is Yukiko favourite. How he played volleyball, or how he played a guitar and sing Yukiko favourite song when they dated. If I know since the first I met him, I won't be crush in him. I swear in myself.

"Nee-san",

It was a day after Ran joined the team. Yukiko followed me and said she wanna sleptover to my home. I agreed, since I live with nobody. I don't know why she's feels like my own sister. I've not siblings, and met Yukiko is another happiness after Yuki and Chiharu who bring my happiness back years ago.

"Do you see him?", Yukiko hug my arm from the side when I cooked a dinner for us. Sometimes I didn't know why she kept following me when she had another friends in the team. Mayu Ishikawa, she's Yukiko's best friend on the team, because both are outside-hitter. And as I know Mayu also Yuki's younger brother who close with me since years ago.

"him, who?", I teased her. Even my heart is beating so fast. I can't speak his name, because when I did it, I felt my heart shattered.

"The Ace from Kyoto that I said before", she still played with my arm. Yukiko is so cute, she's 20 years old now but feels like 10 when she spend the time with me.