Caged Dogs: Prologue

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... Spring Tournament Finals

The game seemed endless, the rally stretching on and on. We needed this final point.

Left. Open. There. Perfect positioning. You can hit this, Yuuto.

I leaped, arching back and twisting my torso to set the ball to him. It was slightly off, but I knew he could handle it. The sharp, unmistakable sound of his spike echoed, but they still managed to dig it. The crowd roared.

Shit. I can't feel my legs.

"Get your ass here, Keisuke! Yuuto!"

"Shut up! I know!" I yelled, darting towards the right side of the net. I jumped as high as I could. The arena fell silent, and time stopped. This is it. 

/

... Momochihama Beach

"Hup. Keisuke!"

The ball flew, and as it fell into my hands, I made sure the toss was just right for him to hit. This height should be good. "All yours."

With that, we finally scored the last point and won our final match for the day. I winced as Yuuto slapped me in the back, but I shrugged it off as we went to get our stuff before going home.

I put on my slippers and walked to the shower area to rinse my feet. Playing at the beach is fun, but I hated cleaning up after. Sand gets everywhere.

"Say, why don't we join the Volleyball club? Our school's pretty strong. They're pretty consistent when it comes to getting into nationals," Yuuto suggested as he dried off beside me.

I hummed thoughtfuly. "Consistent in making nationals, sure, but we've never won. Isn't the farthest we've gone like, top 4? And that was years ago."

"Think about it," Yuuto's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Maybe it's because we aren't there yet. Who knows? We might be their saviors."

I laughed and shook my head. "Don't be stupid. We barely have any indoor experience. We're first-years, and they probably have more experience than us. Even if we do alright, it's not a guarantee that we'll make the team. There are still tryouts."

"Stop being such a wet blanket, dude. It's just a suggestion. Also, we get to play more Volleyball, so we don't have to wait weekly just to play here anymore. What do you think?"

It wasn't a bad suggestion. I thought of joining the team a few times in the past, but I never felt like I was good enough to make any change in a strong team like ours. Last year, Ichibayashi was even strong enough to nearly upset Itachiyama, which garnered attention, but it died down shortly after their loss in the spring when the seniors opted to not play. I guess it wouldn't be too bad to give it a try.

Before I could answer, Yuuto continued, his enthusiasm uncontained. "Though, they did lose in the finals for the Inter-High preliminaries this year... either way, there's still the Spring Tournament. Maybe--"

"Fine," I gave in, and the surprise on Yuuto's face was kind of insulting. "What's with that expression? Volleyball's really fun, and you're right. I do want to play more often, so stop looking at me that way."

"Sorry it's just," Yuuto chuckled, "it's really rare for you to agree. You're like a contrarian most of the time, and you never side with me. Y'know? So, I was super surprised. I thought you were gonna be all, 'our team's weak anyway and you also suck ass.'"

Because I had no reply, I just rolled my eyes at him.

After saying our goodbyes, I took a shower, letting the warm water wash away the sand and the day's exhaustion.

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