Stuck On You - H. Sachiro

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

April. The time of year when the remains of the white winter finally disappear and are replaced by the soft pinks of the sakura trees.

For adolescents, this meant a new school year, a time when they could reshape their image and be whoever they wanted to be. Spring meant a new beginning. A fresh start.

Well, for everyone except Hirugami Sachiro.

For the second year, Spring was his worst nightmare. The start of Spring meant another year of him working to live up to his family's name.

Hirugami was a name that did not go unnoticed in the sports world, especially in Japan. Hirugami Fukuro was the renowned captain and middle blocker of the Schweiden Adlers, one of the best divison one volleyball teams not only in Japan but in the world.

Hirugami Shoko quickly made a name for herself as well when she joined the Light Pharmaceutical Red Rabbits last year. Her strong spikes quickly blew the world away and caused even more publicity for the Hirugami family.

Now, all eyes were on Hirugami Sachiro. All of Japan wanted to see what skills the boy had that would add even more weight to the Hirugami name.

So far, Sachiro had their attention. The boy's natural talents allowed him to shine on the court throughout middle school and well into high school. By the end of his first year of high school, opposing teams and spectators had given him the nickname "The Immovable Hirugami", though the boy himself was not too fond of it.

Each and every time that he stepped onto the court, Sachiro managed to show all of those who dared to watch just how much of a Hirugami he was.

"Hey Sachi, don't forget that your sister is playing tonight at eight o'clock. Make sure you get home before then so we can all watch it together, okay?" Sachiro's mom, Yuko, said to her son as she peeked her head through the door frame of the boy's bedroom. He was packing the rest of his practice clothes into his duffle bag in preparation for his after school practice.

"Okay," he responded in a calm tone though his body tensed at the idea of watching Shoko's game. Sachiro loved volleyball but he didn't enjoy the pressure that came with it. Each game that he watched reminded him that there was always someone out there who could play the sport better than he could. There was someone who didn't make as many mistakes as him. Someone who was better at reading the players than he was. Each game was a reminder that he could always be better.

The second year eyed himself one last time in the mirror before he zipped and grabbed his bag. 'Appearances matter, Sachi. The world is always looking at the Hirugami's, including you.' The words of Fukuro replayed in the boy's mind as he scanned his uniform for wrinkles and excess creases. A small sigh of relief escaped the boy's mouth as he saw that none were present.

He quickly walked down the carpeted staircase of his home and towards the front door. He then carefully slipped on and tied his school shoes. "I'm leaving!" He announced to his mom who was still in the house. His dad, Masahiro, had already left for work for the day. "Bye honey!" Yuko called back from upstairs.

Sachiro opened the front door and looked down slightly to see his friend, Hoshiumi Korai, already waiting on the front porch.

"New year, new volleyball season!" the shorter boy cheered and pumped his fist into the air. Korai and Sachiro have been playing volleyball together since they were twelve, and every year Korai had the same energetic attitude.

As the two walked down the street, they began talking about their goals and aspirations for the new season. Hoshiumi wanted to improve his spiking height and receive a lower jersey number.