gravity | r. suna ✓

sixteen

- Tuesday, 9:32am - 

It's the second day of the Spring Interhigh and my team is in the finals. We won our 8 o'clock game, and because it was the semi-finals it was a little more challenging to win, but not so challenging that our team is now exhausted.

Most girls are either having a snack or napping in a corridor somewhere, but I'm watching the boys warm up for their 10 o'clock game. I think it means a lot to them, having at least one spectator from the girls team. Because Inari and Osamu Miya have become a thing, Inari is also here, quiet beside me, watching.

I feel tired and hungry and I tell Inari that I'll go to the cafeteria when the game starts. They won't mind me missing the game because they know I have every faith in them.

There's no way they'll lose this match, anyway.

Inari nods at me, and at 10 o'clock I take my leave, my best friend staring at the boy she's liked for a long time in admiration.

At the cafeteria, I buy a few snacks and drinks, including Hi-chews and Mogu Mogu to share with the team. I find the corridor that the rest of my teammates are sleeping and eating in and settle down, waiting for Inari and the boys to return with news of the game.

Of course, at 11:30, when Inari returns, she brings good news.

So both our teams have made it into the finals, as expected.

I know I sound cocky when I say that, but it's always been true about Inarizaki High - we take volleyball very seriously, and it takes an extremely good team to beat us. In our region, there are not any known teams at that level. Spring Interhigh Qualifiers are often a breeze for our teams. This is a result of good coaching and strong-willed players.

Anyway, the boys return, sweating. Towels are wrapped around their necks and they use them to dry their faces and bodies and refresh themselves. Suna sits down next to me and I notice Inari and Osamu together, chatting away, presumably about the game.

"So, how did you do?" I ask Rintarou, opening a can of Coke and handing it to him. "You won, but what was the team like?"

He shrugs, taking the Coke with a nod of thanks. "It was fine. I mean, uneventful. Not really a match for us, as usual."

Again, it sounds arrogant when put like that, but that's the reality of it.

"Well, let's look forward to nationals. There'll be teams better than us there, most likely," Kita pipes up, taking a Hi-chew and unwrapping it. "Well, not most likely. There WILL be teams better than us."

"Yeah," Atsumu adds. "I met this insane guy at the Japan youth camp. First year setter. He'll be one to watch out for."

I remember Atsumu introducing me to the guy he's describing at the Japan youth camp. He had black hair and bangs that nearly fell into his eyes. He looked angry all the time and had no social skills, but he was amazing, I have to admit.

The topic changes and I zone out, not bothered to keep up with the constant flow of conversation. I lean my head onto Suna's shoulder, and he doesn't flinch from my touch. I close my eyes, ignoring the looks from Inari, Osamu, Atsumu, and everyone else on both teams. They must have had suspicious, up till now, and their suspicions will have been confirmed with our kiss yesterday, but still, they must be getting used to it.

We aren't officially dating yet, and I'm a little confused as to what you'd call a relationship like mine and Suna's. It's unspoken, I guess.

I fall asleep there, on Suna's shoulder.