You Did it Sumire!

Conflict

Sumire was picking up all the towels and putting them aside for cleaning when she suddenly remembered, "Suna-san, where is Yuki-san?" Suna san, who was sitting on the floor, looked around, but the junior was nowhere to be seen.

"Yuki-kun went outside to take a breather," Kita-san, who apparently had his eyes and ears everywhere, informed Sumire.

"Oh, thank you, Kita-san. I will go and check on him."

"And tell him he has three minutes to be back for the meeting, or he'll have to do extra practice for a whole week," Kita-san said calmly, though he shivered, "Yeah, cold."

"Yes, Kita-san," Sumire said nervously and walked towards the gym with brisk steps.

---

Meanwhile, outside the gym, Yuki kun nodded but couldn't shake off the embarrassment. He quietly slipped out of the gym to take a breather. Standing outside, he leaned against the wall, replaying the match in his mind. He couldn't help but think about the weak serve and the weight of letting his team down. His mind wandered to Kita-san's, the coach's, and Sumire's encouragement before the game and how much he wanted to prove himself worthy of their belief in him. "How could I mess up like that? Everyone was counting on me, and I can't even handle a simple serve," Yuki kun thought, his frustration building. He took deep breaths, trying to calm his racing thoughts and refocus his energy.

Just then, a Titan player approached, a sneer on his face.

"Nice serve back there, pinch server, Yuki kun, was it?" the Titan player said sarcastically. "Guess you've never practiced under pressure, huh?"

Yuki kun clenched his fists but stayed silent, trying to keep his cool.

The Titan player smirked, sensing Yuki's restraint. "Maybe if you spent less time dreaming and more time training, you wouldn't be such a liability on the court."

Yuki kun's patience snapped. "You don't know anything about me or how hard I've worked."

The Titan player's smirk widened. "Touched a nerve, did I? Let's be honest, your serve was a joke."

Yuki kun stepped forward, his fists clenched but still remained quiet.

"Man, you're on a good team but dragging them down. Jump serve isn't for you; stick to the floaty ones. They suit you better." The Titan player's voice dripped with condescension. "Your manager cheered you on with all her might, but you disappointed her." He sighed.

Yuki kun's eyes flared with anger. "Leave her out of this."

"Oh," the Titan player continued, his tone mocking, "Were you more focused on impressing her than playing the game?" He laughed. "Can't really blame you, though. She's hot," he said with a smirk.

"That's it," Yuki kun said and swung a punch at the Titan player, catching him off guard. The player retaliated, landing a punch that sent Yuki kun sprawling to the ground.

"You think you can just throw a punch and make everything okay? You're even more pathetic than I thought," the Titan player taunted, standing over Yuki kun.

Just then, Sumire came rushing out, having witnessed the confrontation. "What's going on here?!" she shouted, rushing to Yuki kun's side.

"Stay out of this, manager," the Titan player said dismissively. "Just a little lesson for your boy here."

Sumire glared at him, her eyes blazing. "How dare you talk to him like that? This is unacceptable behavior!"

The Titan player shrugged, giving a stupid grin. "Whatever, lady. Maybe he should focus more on his game. This guy is pathetic."