𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙎𝙎𝙀𝘿 on the 𝙎𝘼𝙈𝙀 𝙎𝙆𝙔 - 𝚔𝚎𝚒 𝚝𝚜𝚞𝚔𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚊

35 - Harnessed On The Same Sky

"Not only that, Hinata!" Yamaguchi sounded bragging. "Tsukki is also going to pursue being an astronaut!"

"Astronaut?! Cooooool!" Hinata awed, eyes twinkling—an impression of how much earnest he was. Still the Hinata they knew. Simpleton, yet honest.

"Must be tough," Tobio Kageyama commented while munching some barbecue.

"To think Tsukishima is this dedicated, I think I'm going to cry . . !" Sugawara-san never changed as well. Still a mom of many children.

"Reach for the sky, Tsukishima!!" The energetic Yuu Nishinoya blurted in a loud manner. Kei didn't know what to react, after hearing him used a quote from an animated movie.

"Noya-san!" Tanaka-san exclaimed, laughing. "Tsukishima is not just reaching for the sky!"

"Oh, yeah, yeah," the once called Guardian Deity nodded his head, convinced. "He's reaching for Yukizome-san!"

Kei facepalmed, hiding his diffident appearance. "Please shut up."

Yet Tanaka continued to diss him. "It's an expression of devotion, adoration, and faithfulness! Tsukishima is the man!"

"Why do I feel like Tsukishima has broken a lot of poor hearts?" Ennoshita-san mused, humming small laughs.

"Loyalty to someone's not even here, huh?" Azumane Asahi hummed, "That's rare."

"Happiness comes in the end, as the saying goes," Kazuhito Narita chimed, smiling.

"I hope all," Hisashi Kinoshita chuckled after.

Kei didn't understand why the topic was solely about him. Might be because while most of them had settled down, he was still hell-bent in studying.

Then Daichi-san asked him, saying, "The tuition must expensive, huh, Tsukishima?"

"Yes," Kei reticent. His respect for the former captain was still found with the tone of his voice. "I somehow saved money while I was still playing in the V. League."

And he didn't mention it, but he was being supported by the law firm that the Ashfords owned. He never approached Glaciel-san or anyone, actually, but she showed her benevolence to him out of the blue. He couldn't be grateful enough; owed everything to her.

The time with the team went smoothly. Everyone wore a face of contentment. Their youths might be gone, and their appearances had aged, but the energy was still fresh as the summer.

A few moments after, he felt his phone buzzing inside the chest pocket of his coat.

A message from someone he was familiar with. He had been acquainted with the Yerina Nakano, since she was also being supported by the Glaciel Ashford throughout her college years.

He read the message, saying:

Go here. Now.

There was a certain location stated in the message: Tsutsujigaoka Park. The place wasn't far from the pub restaurant he was in. True enough, they were acquaintances, but it perplexed him why she wanted him to go there.

But he complied. It must be important.

He then excused himself to the team. "I'm sorry, but I need to go."

"Oh, going home already, Tsukki?" Tadashi questioned him. The whole team also had the same expression as the freckled guy had.

"No, I'm going to meet someone. It sounded urgent, though," he replied.

His excuse seemed convincing to the group, so they let him go.

Once he exited the establishment, the sky was rendered in calming indigo dye, having the resemblance to a moonlit night sky.