WildFire

16

You had never realized Aoba Johsai was so big. 

Students crammed the hallways and classrooms–and you hadn't even caught one glimpse of Kunimi–even though you guys were in the same year. You were beginning to lose hope that he still went to this district. It was likely that he decided Miyagi was too boring for him, and somewhere like Tokyo might be better.

One thought made you keep looking, though–what if.

Well, you haven't found him yet, so everything was basically a what if.

Despite that disappointment, however, you did make another friend.

You personally thought that Matsukawa Yui was an interesting girl. 

She was by far the prettiest person you had ever seen–yet her beauty seemed unknown to the rest of Aoba Johsai. Granted, she was only a first year–but you were sure her popularity would spread with time. She had sharp fox-like brown eyes and pink heart-shaped lips, but the real attraction was her personality.

She held herself with a sort of quiet confidence that you had trouble finding, and even though Yui wasn't very social–the first two days you guys spent as deskmates were awkward and awfully quiet–she had a practical air that automatically screamed 'trustworthy' and 'dependable'. It was like a little bubble of warmth when you were around her–as if you knew you were safe.

She also had an older brother who goes to Aoba Johsai, which meant she knew almost everything about the highschool. 

So when you passed by a boy's volleyball club poster taped hastily on a school wall along with many other club advertisements–you took your chance.

"Volleyball club?" you asked her, studying the poster.

"Mm," Yui nodded, glancing at what you were looking at before turning back to walk towards an empty picnic table. "My brother is part of the team. They're quite popular around here."

"Popular?" you echoed, following in her steps. "Why?"

"They used to come first in the inter-high and spring tournament–they were really good," Yui informed as you both sat down. "But now, they always get second place. They still haven't managed to beat Shiratorizawa–unlike the girl's volleyball team."

"Shiratorizawa? The really expensive private school?" you asked, and Yui nodded in response. You sunk back, then realized that this was a bench, and you had nothing to lean on. You shifted in your seat, balancing yourself again. Thankfully, Yui pretended not to notice.

"They're still really good though," you said, munching on your cafeteria food for a second before swallowing with a sour face. "The cafeteria food on the other hand, is not."

"It's tolerable," Yui said, taking another bite with a straight face. "Why are you curious about the volleyball club?"

"I want to join," you said, which was true. 

You had been practicing a lot, and you thought your receives were getting really decent–you weren't bad at setting either. It would be refreshing to join a club–and you had no reason not to. 

You could fully understand what Kunimi meant back then: the feeling of the ball whooshing through the air as you bumped it up, flying towards your teammate's determined face. Exhilarating.

"You want to join," Yui echoed, staring at you with a confused expression. "The boy's volleyball team?"

"Ah, no," you corrected, feeling your cheeks heat up with embarrassment. "I meant I wanted to join the volleyball team–the girl's volleyball team.

"Oh. I'll help you." Yui said, and you smiled with relief.

"Thank you!" it came out loud, and you looked down, embarrassed, when a murder of crows were startled into flight by the noise.

"You should be careful though," Yui warned, then stood up. 

Right on cue, the bell rang, echoing through off the school walls–and you both walked back to your homeroom–still wondering what Yui meant by careful.