beyond the net - RAN TAKAHASHI.

021. ran's interview

₊˚ . 🌱 ₊˚ ⌗﹒ﾟ.

── .✦ THE MORNING LIGHT streamed softly through the curtains of the apartment as yn sat on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest, a bowl of cereal resting in her hands. the quiet hum of the city outside barely registered in her mind as her thoughts swirled around the upcoming days in milan. her suitcase stood packed and ready by the door, but it seemed heavier than ever, weighted with the anxiety that gnawed at her insides.

joining the italian national women's volleyball team was something she had dreamt of since she was little, yet the reality of it had set in like a cold shock. what if she wasn't enough? what if she couldn't keep up? she was the youngest, after all, and one of the least experienced. the mere thought of stepping onto that court, surrounded by women who had years of professional experience, made her stomach twist.

she absentmindedly spooned another bite of cereal into her mouth, barely tasting it. her mind wandered further into that spiral of self doubt, the clinking of her spoon against the bowl providing a steady rhythm to her racing thoughts. the quiet apartment, usually a comfort, felt almost too silent now, amplifying her unease.

needing a distraction, yn picked up the remote and began browsing through youtube. her finger moved idly as she scrolled through the recommendations, looking for anything to take her mind off the looming pressure of her upcoming practice with the national team. volleyball highlights, interviews, random vlogs - it was all just noise to her, something to fill the quiet in her head.

behind her, alexis and alessandro had woken up, quietly padding into the kitchen. they were mindful of yn's obvious stress, casting knowing glances at each other as they sat down at the small dining table. they didn't say anything at first, giving yn space as they watched her, but they could tell something was weighing heavily on her.

alexis bit her lip, concerned. "she's been like that all morning?" she whispered to alessandro, her voice low. he nodded, watching as yn continued browsing youtube on the tv. "yeah, she looked pretty stressed last night too. i think the national team practice is really getting to her."
alexis sighed softly. "we should do something to help take her mind off of it."

before they could come up with any ideas, yn's scrolling came to a sudden halt. she had paused on a thumbnail of ran's face, the title reading something like "post olympics interview with ran takahashi." the thumbnail showed ran, looking as composed and handsome as ever, seated across from a japanese interviewer.

her heart skipped a beat. of course, ran had been all over the media since his olympics win, but seeing his face, even on a screen, filled her with a warmth that chased away some of her morning anxiety. a small smile tugged at her lips, and without thinking, she clicked on the video, leaning back into the couch, adjusting the volume as it began. ran's face filled the screen, and her heart swelled with affection and familiarity.