beyond the net - RAN TAKAHASHI.

010. day out

₊˚ . 🌱 ₊˚ ⌗﹒ﾟ.

── .✦ THE DAYS following italy's heartbreaking loss in the semifinals had been tough. yn could see it in her brother gianluca's eyes every time they met. the once proud and confident player seemed to carry a weight on his shoulders, the loss hanging over him like a dark cloud. despite the support from friends and family, the sting of defeat was hard to shake off. the team, once filled with high hopes and dreams of olympic gold, was now the target of harsh criticism from every corner - sports analysts, fans, even the press. everyone had an opinion on what went wrong, and none of it was easy to hear.

yn knew her brother was struggling, and she did everything she could to be there for him. they spent their days together, wandering through paris, trying to take his mind off volleyball. they visited museums, walked along the seine, and sat in quaint cafés, but no matter where they went, the shadow of the loss followed them. gianluca would try to put on a brave face, but yn could tell he was hurting. the disappointment was too fresh, the wounds too deep.

one afternoon, they found themselves sitting on a park bench in the jardin des tuileries, watching the world go by. the summer sun was warm, the flowers in full bloom, but even the beauty of paris couldn't lift gianluca's spirits.

"i just... i can't stop thinking about it, yn," gianluca admitted, breaking the silence. "we were so close. we could've made it to the finals."
yn turned to him, her heart aching for her brother. "i know, gian. but you did your best. sometimes things just don't go the way we want, even if we give it everything."
gianluca sighed, running a hand through his hair. "i know, but... it feels like we let everyone down. the fans, our families... ourselves."
yn reached over and squeezed his hand. "you didn't let anyone down. you made it to the semifinals at the olympics. that's an incredible achievement."
he managed a small, sad smile. "i guess. but it's hard to see it that way right now."

she understood. it would take time for the pain to fade, and even longer for him to come to terms with the loss. but she would be there for him every step of the way.

meanwhile, alexis was doing her best to lift alessandro's spirits as well. like gianluca, he had taken the loss hard, but alexis's vibrant personality and infectious optimism were slowly helping him heal. she spent as much time with him as possible, and her positive attitude was beginning to rub off on him. little by little, alessandro was starting to smile again, to laugh at her jokes, to look forward to things beyond volleyball. it wasn't easy, but having alexis by his side made it a little less painful.

while yn and alexis focused on supporting their respective athletes, ran was immersed in a whirlwind of practices and physical preparations. the gold medal match was just two days away, and the japanese team was training harder than ever. the intensity of their practices had ramped up, with every drill and every exercise pushing them to their limits. the entire team knew what was at stake. winning gold was the ultimate goal, and they couldn't afford any mistakes.