Tsuki-Dayo

Twenty-Four | 二十四

Twenty-Four

[Name]'s ears rang as the referee blew the whistle. The match has ended. Karasuno had won against Tokonami. Her mouth stretched into a wide smile as she threw her hands up, cheering along with the boys. She pulled the towel in her hands close to her chest, feeling a swell of happiness. She turned to Takeda and Kiyoko, who both had the same expression on their faces. Coach Ukai remained seated with his arms crossed, but it was clear he was proud of their victory too.

"Karasuno!" Daichii called out, throwing one of his hands in to the circle the team made after they bowed to their opponents. His teammates followed his lead, piling their hands over his. They threw their hands up, cheering out loud with spirit. "FIGHT!"

"Good work everyone!" Takeda clapped his hands as the boys gathered before him, towels around their sweaty necks with their bottles in their hands, nearly empty. They flashed him victorious grins.

Coach Ukai gave comments on their game and they started to plan for their next game. As they were discussing, [Name] and Kiyoko went around, gathering their used towels and tossing them in the laundry hamper provided. Once the discussion was over, the boys gathered their things, ready to leave the court.

[Name] checked their belongings once more, making sure they've not missed anything. She muttered to herself, glancing around, making sure she wouldn't forget about a single thing. She felt a soft tap on her shoulder and turned around to find Kiyoko smiling softly at her.

"All ready to go?" She asked. [Name] nodded, gathering her things closer to her.

"That was a good match." [Name] commented.

"They surely had a good first match." Kiyoko nodded in agreement. "Say, I wonder how Yui's match went..."

[Name] gripped onto her bag strap tightly, anxious at the thought of the girls' team. Did they win? Did they lose? How much was the score? What about Yuki? Did she really mean what she had said earlier?

Kiyoko seemed to pick up on her anxiety. "Go check on them." She encouraged. [Name] blinked at the third year. "Our next match is in quite a bit, so why don't you go check up on them? Waiting around here, overthinking about it wouldn't help."

"But... Don't you need help, Kiyoko-san?"

"Don't worry about me. I've been doing this for some time, I can do it again. Now, go on." [Name] looked down to her shoes and hesitated. Kiyoko gave her a soft encouraging pat to the back, indicating that she should go. [Name] inhaled deeply before nodding.

"Thank you, Kiyoko-san! I'll be back for the next match, I promise!" With that, she bowed her thanks and jogged off to the other building of the Sendai gym, where the Inter-High Girls' Volleyball Tournament is held.

She got a little lost on her way searching for the girls' team, running up and down the stairs. She frowned to herself, scolding herself for being so clueless. She felt as though she had wasted a lot of time as she walked down the stairs. Maybe I should just head back before I become more lost and ask about their match later...

She was about to do just that when she saw Yui, holding her volleyball jersey by her side, from the top of the stairs. She brightened up into a smile and was about to call for the captain when Yui suddenly stopped in her tracks, head hung low.

Just when [Name] was about to take another step down the stairs, Yui burst into tears, pulling her jersey close to her face. [Name] froze and watched silently as she grieved, shoulders shaking from her cries. She felt a twist in her chest, a pang of guilt and sadness.

She had always known Yui for being a happy and cheerful captain, always seeing the brighter side of things. Yui was always optimistic and promised that they would win the next time, despite losing in the end. She had always been strong for her team.