Try Your Hardest | Ushijima Wakatoshi

Year 1: Part 2

Ushijima eventually memorized how to get back from her house.

He didn't really know how he got dragged into it every single time after that day. He would finish practice, walk with her home, then jog back to school. Iriye never asked him to go with her nor did she question why they had started that routine. Practice for all athletics ended at the same time, so they always saw each other when finishing up.

It started off that they would finish cleaning up their respective training areas and Iriye would pass by the gym to leave campus, always asking "are you walking home?" He never said no. They didn't interact in school or even see each other, but everyday, without fail, they traveled together.

Their journeys were never boring. She always had a topic of conversation, and when she didn't she would talk about trees or the weather. It was a quirk of hers he started to pick up on. He didn't talk much himself, but gave a few comments here and there and asked questions when he was confused because she used a lot of idioms and metaphors he didn't quite get or took too literally.

There was once Iriye was recounting to him about a game they lost by a very close margin and one of the girls was complaining about how she should have put more kick into her dive and the conversation went something like this:

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"It was a close game and it was a little disappointing because it was our first loss of the season, but we told her there was no use in crying over spilt milk," Iriye shrugged it off.

"She spilled milk and cried about it?" he questioned.

Not knowing Ushijima too well, she didn't know whether he was joking or speaking seriously. She just stared at him blankly like there was a question mark hanging over her head.

"If she cries about something that simple I'm sure she cried about losing the game too," he grimaced.

"U-Ushijima-san, that's just a saying. She didn't spill any milk or cry, it's just like a phrase, you know?" she tried to explain.

Now he was giving her the same look she gave him just a moment ago.

"So who spilled the milk? Did anyone actually cry?" he asked.

"The saying 'crying over spilt milk' means complaining about something that is irreversible, like losing a game and worrying whether there is something you should have done better or different," she smiled, explaining with hand gestures as usual.

"Oh...I see," he nodded, "that's interesting."

That was really the moment she found out what kind of person Ushijima Wakatoshi was. It humored her.

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Lunch was going on right now, he was eating in the cafeteria with Satori Tendou. Wakatoshi didn't choose to sit with him (he didn't mind), but Tendou was intrigued by his stoicism since day one. He made it a thing to try to be friends with him, or simply learn what went through his head.

Tendou was going off about a manga he was reading, Ushijima couldn't remember the name, but he was saying something about a character who was being annoying or something like that.

"Ya know it's just like..that stuff happened yeeeeears ago, so why doesn't he get over it? He's never gonna get stronger if he's aaaaalways gonna be hung over about letting his friend die all those years ago!" Satori shook his head and ate slowly.

"So he is crying over spilt milk?" there was almost a glint of satisfaction in his eyes when he used the new phrase he learned.

Tendou just gave him the 'what the heck are you talking about' look, "I guess you can say that."