courage dear heart | Yuki Ishikawa

02

The Korean team served the ball with incredible force, and Yamamoto, the libero of the Japanese team, immediately dove to save it. He managed to keep it in play, and Sekita set it up for Ishikawa, who had already started his approach from the back row and spiked!

My eyes struggled to keep track of the ball as the movements were all too fast. My heart couldn't decide whether to skip a beat or race out of control.

However, the spike was recovered by the opposing team, though with some difficulty, and they managed to send it back. But Sekita set it up for Ishikawa again, who, still in the back row, took his approach, jumped, and instead of spiking, set it for Takahashi, who immediately spiked it, scoring the final point for the win! 3-2 for Japan!

Everyone started cheering for the incredible play!

"Oh my god! Did you see that, Reira-senpai?? That was Insane!" I was so happy about the win and even more excited to have seen so many epic plays in person. All of Yamamoto's saves, where he barely missed a single ball, Nishida's powerful spikes, and the aces from Takahashi and Ishikawa.

I had a huge smile plastered on my face under my neck warmer. And yes, I was absolutely dying from the heat...

"They were amazing!" one of the senpai said.

We stayed there while the volleyball team approached the fans who were calling them for photos and autographs.

It was nice to see how they tried to make all the fans happy despite the exhaustion from such a long and tiring match.

Occasionally, trying not to be obvious, I stole a few extra glances at number 14. Off the court, with his fans, he couldn't stop smiling and hardly seemed like the same person with the serious and focused expression from earlier.

Our manager, Yuji Takeuchi, came to us
"Guys, We're going to eat something with the volleyball team now. Let's go to the van."

"Yesss! I'm starving!" Ayumu got up and started walking to the exit

I don't think wearing the neckwarmer was a good idea... I can't wait to take it off! I will probably need a really good double cleansing later or my skin will be shit.

"what a match! I've never been that stressed not even during the Xgames" Reina sighed.
I let out a soft chuckle "True, I saw you holding your breath a few times".
She poked me with her elbow "Hey!That's not true!"
I laughed, touching my side and pretending it hurts.

When we got back inside the van, I finally took off my hat and neck warmer. I pulled a small mirror from my bag to check how I looked—I was, of course, a mess. All sweaty with flushed cheeks from the heat. I also removed my trench coat; even though it was early November, I didn't feel very cold, being used to the mountain chill.

This time, it took us just about thirty minutes to get to the restaurant.

Omgg sushi today! I've tried sushi in so many countries, but of course, sushi in Japan is a whole different level.'

"I'm just going to fix my hair real quick. I'll join you at the table in a bit." I rushed to the restroom to freshen up, hoping not to run into anyone in the meantime.

I washed my face, applied some mascara, and put on lip balm for my dry lips.

I haven't drank much water today..

I tried to comb my hair, which I had kept tied up all day, with little success. Resigned, I decided to go with an half bun.

After realizing there was no way to hide my tired face and to avoid keeping everyone waiting at the table, I decided to rejoin the others.