Asahi

Hi

hi, what's up?

Nothing much☺What about you?

nothing much either haha

did school just end for you too

Yeah! We have practice today

ooh i see! have fun☺

Thank you! Have a safe walk home

I close out my messages as I leave the school grounds. I stop myself before taking the direction home and look the opposite way where I would find Karasuno if I started walking. For some reason, I can't bring myself to start walking home. Even walking down the path from the school entrance to the sidewalk, I feel distracted. Ugh, why? I'm not that dependent on other people. I've always been able to walk home by myself.

Maybe I need to let my mind cleanse itself. Maybe, if I take a walk before going home, I might feel better. That means I shouldn't go the way back home, but rather, in the opposite direction. This is fine. Before I go on my way, I send Mom a quick message letting her know I'll be late coming home.

I feel more at ease when I walk in the opposite direction of home. This can't be because I'd eventually reach... No. I'm not a person who can't do simple things alone. But why do I feel like an empty shell right now? Like there's something missing from me that I have to find.

Just as I remember, Karasuno is not a far walk. I'm relieved to see it, as a diversion from my thoughts. I remind myself that I'm out just to clear my mind, but I start to wonder. I could always take a short detour around the school as if I'm on a personal tour, then continue my walk somewhere else.

Students continue to file out of the entrance— they might find it weird if someone with a different uniform walks in. At some point, I realize that I have no choice but to wait outside the entrance until no one else comes out. I didn't think at first that I'd have to wait fifteen minutes before I'd be able to go in, but I hope that I was able to take the attention away from me by staring deeply into my phone screen the whole time.

After shifting my eyes in every direction to check for stray observers, I find that the coast is clear and I step over the barrier between the outside world and the high school. I imagine what it would be like to go here, wear a different uniform, and be able to interact with totally different people. It would be a lot different than what I'm used to, going to an all-girls school.

I scan the area, realizing I don't know much about the layout of the school, as I had typically followed in someone else's direction each time I was on the grounds. I figure if I keep rounding corners, I'll be able to find something familiar. Or not find anything, and then go home. What am I doing? Regardless of my contrasting thoughts, my body moves in the direction of the school buildings.

Having rounded some corners already, I spot a vending machine. I feel a little bit thirsty, so I walk towards it, already having an idea of what I'll get. The white light doesn't shine as bright in the sun, but I'm still able to make out the choices.

"No more milk?" I say to myself with a puzzled expression. "I've never seen a vending machine run out of milk before. Someone must be buying it all the time."

I insert a few coins into the machine and the digital screen showcases the total. My fingers press the button that will eventually dispense an apple drink, and as one clatters to the bottom, another falls and lands on top of it.

"Huh, guess I get an extra. I don't really need it though..." I say to myself.

"(Y/N)?!" A voice calls from behind me. I whip around and Daichi is jogging over to me from the now-familiar club building with a raised hand, waving.

"Hi!" I call out as I wait for him to approach. When he does, he's not short of breath but stands dignified in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" He asks with his eyebrows pushed together.

"Oh, I was... taking a walk."

"Taking a walk here? For no reason? I don't know..."

"I was! I was nearby, I got thirsty, and of course, you have vending machines here. Put two and two together, and there you have it."

"Who's that one for?" He points to the drink in my other hand.

"Oh, actually—" I start to say, being interrupted by a new voice.

"Daichi! (Y/N)?!" I look and see Sugawara coming from the same direction that Daichi has just jogged from, with Asahi following him.

"Hi!" I call out to them, giving a wave. Sugawara waves as much as I do while Asahi gives a shorter wave, and the two of them jog over to me and Daichi.

"What are you doing here?!" Sugawara says as he reaches us, and I smile.

"I asked the same thing," Daichi responds with crossed arms and a slight curl of a grin at his lips.

"Ah, you just miss us." Sugawara winks, and I shrug.

"I was just in the area," I assure, "and that's what I told Daichi too." I look at him, and he gives me a knowing smile.

Taking a glance at Asahi, he is looking ahead at me, obviously surprised to see me. Locking eyes with him, I want to turn away again but stay strong. As a distraction, I say what comes to mind first.

"Aren't you going to say hi?"

He inhales sharply and has a familiar apologetic, panicked look on his face. "Hi, (Y/N)."

I laugh and direct my eyes at Sugawara and Daichi to catch their reactions, and Sugawara has an all-too-familiar pitying smile and Daichi also smiles, but with blank eyes towards Asahi. Once he notices my stare, he shifts to a full smile.

"Oh," I look back at the other can in my hand, suddenly having an idea of what to do with it.

"This is for you," I say, extending my arm to present the apple drink to Asahi. Unsurprisingly, he has a shocked reaction and does not make a move.

I look at Sugawara who is looking past him with a small smile on his face. Daichi is looking in a different direction altogether. Glancing back at Asahi, he still hasn't taken the drink from my hand.

I sigh and wedge my own drink under my arm before grabbing his wrist to deposit the other into his hand. "I have to do everything, huh?" I say jokingly.

Asahi laughs awkwardly, and I can see a red tint overcasting his cheeks. The sight of it makes mine do the same, and I look at Sugawara to try and calm down.

"I'm going inside," Daichi says to the group before placing his hand on my shoulder like last time.

"Let's talk soon." He says to me, skimming his hand down my arm to let it fall by his side. Sugawara and Asahi stare at him with unidentifiable expressions, even as he enters the gym.

"Um, I'm gonna go inside too. Talk soon, (Y/N)!" Sugawara gives me a light wave before following Daichi.

"Bye," I smile, only leaving Asahi and me to remain.

"Are you going inside too?" I ask.

"Yeah... I should. Um, are you going home now?"

"Maybe. Yeah. I'll be a bit lonely though." I laugh quietly, and he does the same, putting a hand behind his head.

"I'm sorry. U-um, thank you for this." He raises the apple drink.

"Of course! I thought about you, so..." I trail off, but my eyes widen as I realize what I've just said.

Looking up hesitantly to gauge his reaction, he appears to be shaking slightly with a pained facial expression. My tentativeness changes to concern as I try to figure out if I should call Sugawara.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything? Is it the drink? You don't like it?" I spit out question after question trying to find the root of the problem.

"N-n-no... I'm really... happy that you got this for me." He says quietly.

My face gets warm but try to say something normal in an attempt to offset the heat. "Well, can't a friend get their friend a gift?"

His pained expression remains and he curls one hand into a fist. He looks as if he wants to say something, his mouth ajar slightly, but no air comes out.

"Do you want to tell me something?" I prompt, staring into his eyes that stare at the wall behind me.

He breathes in sharply multiple times as if trying to summon the words. Taking one last sharp breath, he shuts his eyes forcefully and some sound starts to emerge from his mouth until he's interrupted by Sugawara peeking at us from behind the gym door.

"Asahi, Coach Ukai is wondering where you are—" He says cheerfully until he notices the unhinged look on his teammate's face and the surprised look on mine. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I interrupt anything?"

I look back at Asahi, who relaxes his fist and straightens his posture slightly, eyes looking disappointed.

"No... sorry, I'll come in." Asahi says, starting to leave without saying anything else to me. I know I have to say something.

"Wait!" I call out to him while Sugawara waits.

"Do your best, okay?" I say encouragingly.

Although the sadness in his eyes stays, a smile tugs at his lips as he nods in acknowledgement before heading into the gym. Sugawara looks at me apologetically but I wave it away and smile.

"Get home safe, (Y/N)!" Sugawara nods and then points several times to the inside of the gym with a wink. "Let him know when you do."

My face feels warm again, but I don't make an attempt to hide it anymore. I just smile and nod, all the while wondering if Sugawara knows anything about my confusing feelings for his friend. As he disappears behind the door, I take it as my cue to leave.

⋆⋆⋆

It's already sunset by the time I get home. Once I get inside, I notice I'm alone with a note laying on the table.

I'm going to get some groceries, okay? There's some dinner in the fridge. Hope you got home safe! - Mom

I sigh and plop down on the couch. I remember what Sugawara said I should do when I get home, and I reach for my phone.

Asahi

Yeah! We have practice today

ooh have fun☺

Thank you! Have a safe walk home

i got home safe☺

I lock my phone and set it on the table before getting up, knowing that I'm not going to get a response until after their practice ends. I open the fridge to find the bowl of dinner that Mom had left me, and I prepare to eat.

After dinner, I change into some clothes for home, which was just an old t-shirt and some pyjama shorts. The patterns and pictures are faded on both pieces of apparel, but they are comfortable to settle into after this long day. As I descend the stairs again, I think about finishing up an assignment that lays inside my backpack propped up next to the front door.

Pulling at the zippers, I notice something different about one of them. When I realize it, my eyes widen. A keychain that has always swung around on the left zipper was missing. It was a gift given to me by my mom and had my name and address engraved on the back, which was to help if I lost the bag. I didn't think I would ever lose just the keychain. A considerable amount of sadness hits me as I acknowledge that I'll have to tell Mom I lost the gift.

Speaking of, the front door opens suddenly and Mom comes through with grocery bags in either hand. I stand up to help her carry them into the kitchen.

"Thank you," she says breathlessly.

"No worries," I set the bags down on the counter. "How was the store?"

"Good, I got a bunch of those drinks that you like."

"Which drinks?"

"You know, the one you rinsed out a couple of days ago after you finished drinking it. Apple flavour?"

"God, mom, this is... a lot," I say, rummaging through the bags to find one solely filled with canned drinks.

"Well, now you know why I was breathing so hard coming in." She laughs. "You can share them with your new friend too."

I blush as she says that, but I bury my face deep into one of the bags because I definitely don't want her to find out about any of it.

"Hey, don't suffocate yourself in that," she says as she walks away from the kitchen. "I'm just going to get settled in." Ascending the stairs, she doesn't leave completely until my head is out of the grocery bag.

I start putting away cold items and when I finish, I remember to check my phone for any new messages. As the screen lights up in my face, all I see is my lock screen.

"Hmm," I say, setting the phone down once again. "Guess they're still busy."

Before I have a chance to think about my next move, there's a knock at the front door. Mom is still upstairs, so I figure it's my turn to refuse the likely solicitors. Who is going door-to-door this late in the evening though?

As I open the door, my face is met with shock. A tall figure stands in front of me, and all I can muster up to say is their name.

"Daichi?"