Tomorrow [Tsukishima Kei x Reader]

08

"The game ended after my serve. It was a net violation and they won 25-23. I hated it."

As soon as the last sentence was said, an angry expression was on her face. It was evident how she still felt about it.

"It was just a point," I bluntly said.

In my perspective, it really was just a point. It's not like she brought the team to their loss all alone.

"It was, wasn't it? But, that wasn't my only regret. As soon as we reached the second set, I started feeling the fatigue get to me. I knew I didn't have enough stamina to last me three games so I had to end it there. But we didn't. My setups got sloppy during the third set. Other than failing that serve, I also failed as a setter.

"After that, I trained harder than I ever did. No matter what anyone told me, I trained. I perfected my serves as much as I could and made sure to work on my stamina. The stamina part is harder than anything else, but it was the one I needed the most. I had to work hard to improve myself both as a server and a setter."

"So that's why you're always asleep in class," I said.

"Y-You noticed?!" she asked.

"You're pretty hard to miss when you're in the middle and you're almost near my height."

"You called me pretty?" she teased.

"Idiot. You're pretty good at blocking as well, aren't you? You only hear what you want to hear," I said, glaring at her.

"There! You called me pretty again!"

I groaned. "That only proves my point more, dumbass."

[Surname] giggled as she smiled.

"Other than overworking myself, I'm always sleepy so I often fall asleep," she explained.

"Honestly, I don't understand you or anyone like you who keeps on pushing themselves all for a sport," I admitted.

"I guess it seems pretty weird, right? Dedicating everything to something? But, I like it. Volleyball is that one thing in my life that I love above everything else."

"Even Yamaguchi?" I teased.

"H-He's still in the like category so he still has the first place there!"

I chuckled as she exclaimed that with a red face.

"Still, I don't understand how you can sacrifice a lot of things for just a sport," I said.

"I just want to get better as soon as possible."

"You have your whole life to dedicate yourself to it so why are you rushing?"

"My whole life? We can't say that. Many athletes suddenly stop that lifestyle because they undergo an accident or something. I want to become the best as fast as I can so I can be at the top as long as I can."

"So when will you stop pushing yourself?" I asked.

"When I can't anymore!" she said, grinning widely with her eyes almost closing.

"Don't you think you're pushing against a wall already?"

"A wall?"

"You're already great at volleyball. Even King feels threatened by you," I said.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"When we had a match against your team, you resembled the setter from Seijoh who also happens to be their captain, apparently."

"Oh? Oikawa-san? That's too much of a compliment!"

[Surname] pressed her palms against her cheeks, obviously flustered.

"I'm not complimenting you I'm just saying what we all saw. So stop being nervous about yourself when you've got nothing to be nervous about."

She looked at me, her face a little bit confused before it was replaced with a smile.

"You're comforting me!" she exclaimed.

I only clicked my tongue as she continued to tease me.

"Tsukki cares~"

I rolled my eyes at her. It almost made me wish that I didn't talk in the first place.

But, I couldn't let her sulk. Not when she's actually got something to fight with.

People like me are the ones who should be doing that since we don't contribute as much other than with what we started with already.

Frankly though, people like me also stopped caring about doing more.

People like her though, they keep pushing forward no matter what might happen and yet they constantly doubt themselves.

They shouldn't do that. She shouldn't.

And honestly, I don't wanna see her do that. After all, she was my friend.