XLIII

June 26th, 2021

I PROMISE I'M A RESPONSIBLE PERSON AND I TOTALLY DID NOT FORGET TO UPDATE TODAY nope not me

'They're all LOOK calm... but they're not.' Isuma bit her lip, watching them all. They were talking normally, but it felt like they were in a blender. The atmosphere was thick was tension. Just when she was sure she'd explode from the hurricane of emotions in the room, their coach asked, "Isuma-san, could you go do something for me-" 

"Yes!" She immediately stood up, and the moment he'd finished describing the task, she left the locker room.

The hallways were crowded with people eager to watch Inarizaki and Taji North's match. On her way back from the front office, Isuma was knocked to the floor by a young woman. "I'm so sorry; are you alright?!"

She held out a hand to help Isuma up. "I'm fine..."

She seemed to be in her early twenties; her hair was tucked under a cap, and a scarf obscured the lower part of her face. Before Isuma could stop herself, she asked, "Um, do I know you from somewhere?"

"I don't think so; I'd remember someone as pretty as you." The girl laughed. Her eyes reminded Isuma of someone... "You just resemble someone I know. Sorry!"

Isuma bowed, revealing the back of her jacket. "Oh, you're from Inarizaki? You must know my younger brother, then?"

"Your... brother?" Isuma's eyes widened. "Wait, are you Kita Senpai's sister?!"

"Yeah! I'm Hishari!" She flashed a smile. Hishari pulled off her cap and lowered her scarf; her silvery hair cascaded over her shoulders and her resemblance to Kita was suddenly striking.

"I-It's nice to meet you! I'm Inarizaki's manager, Miya Isuma!" She bowed again, her heart racing at the thought of meeting Kita's sister.

Hishari's hand went to her mouth. "You're Isuma?!"

Her eyes flew over the younger girl so fast they hurt. Isuma was definitely pretty, but most people wouldn't appreciate her beauty in the right way. Hishari could immediately see why Kita was protective of her- as far as she knew- and why he liked her. She was the exact opposite of Kita in many ways- yet they were similar. She had the distinct vibe of being a caring, selfless person.

Hishari shook her head. "-sorry. Shinsuke's told us about you, so it's a little surprising to see you for the first time."

"'Us?'- oh, right; you have another brother, right?" Isuma remembered. Hishari nodded. "Takahiro!"

"What about me?"

The two of them turned around; Takahiro was directly behind them, his hands in his pockets. Isuma couldn't speak for a second- he and his brother looked almost identical. Takahiro's bangs were more choppy; his hair was thicker and longer and had more black, but otherwise... "Takahiro, it's Isuma-san!"

"Really?" Takahiro glanced at Isuma. "So you're her... it feels surreal seeing you."

"Um, it's nice to meet you." Isuma bowed a third time. "Kita-san said you might be coming."

"He said not to come, but I had to!" Hishari exclaimed. "I always come to the finals. Isuma-chan- um, do you prefer I call you something else?"

"Oh, no, it's fine!"

"So how come you became manager? Shinsuke told us you joined recently." Hishari asked. Isuma answered, "Kita-san- I mean your brother, Shinsuke- he asked me to join a while ago."

"Did he?" Hishari exchanged glances with Takahiro. "I see... and do you like it?"

"Yeah, I do... but I might have to quit..." Isuma trailed off; thankfully, someone approached them, saving her. "Karu-chan!!"

"Yo. Oh, hey, it's you!" He snapped his fingers, recognizing who Isuma was. "You're the girl Shin-"

Takahiro slapped his hand over his cousin's mouth, who pushed it away. "Hey!"

"Sorry-"

Isuma glanced at Hiroshima, wondering what he'd been about to say. "What about Kita-san?"

"Nothing!" Hishari lied. "I'm sure you have to get back now; we'll see you after the match, Isuma-chan!"

"Don't you want to come to see your brother?" Isuma asked. Hishari shook her head. "We'll see him after the match."

"Alright. Um, it was nice meeting you!" Isuma bowed again before waving and running off, her hair flying behind her. "She's so sweet and pretty..."

Takahiro glanced at his sister. "Shin-chan isn't that shallow."

"No, of course not. I can see why he likes her, though. For other reasons..." Hishari smiled, a little sadly. "I can't believe she's gone through everything Shinsuke told us... she seems so delicate and cheerful."

Hiroshima asked, "What do you mean?"

"...she hasn't had the best past. It's complicated." Hishari stared in the direction Isuma had gone for a few seconds before turning around and grabbing both of their arms. "Okay, let's go! I want to watch them warm up!!"

<<Skip to Isuma>>

On her way back, Isuma met the person she least wanted to see. Soorin.

She heard her voice filtering through a door first. Isuma stopped in surprise, but before she could walk away, the door flew open and Soorin walked out, talking on her phone. She froze when she saw Isuma, her sentence dying in her throat. "...I'll call you back, Sakura. Sorry."Isuma didn't say anything as Soorin tucked her phone into her pocket. "It's been a while, Miya-chan."

"What do you want?" Isuma wanted to vanish on the spot; just seeing Soorin brought back painful memories. "Nothing. Just saying hello. You've changed some."

She didn't answer. Soorin reached out and flicked Isuma's hair. "If only you were like this back then, Miya-chan. Things would've been so much better.

"Back then you tried your best to blend in. But look at you now. You stand out. I saw you yesterday- when that girl hit you." Soorin sounded amused. "Did it remind you of middle school?"

Isuma flinched as if Soorin had slapped her herself. "No. I try my best not to remember you."

"Mm, I see.."

"Your school. Taji North- do they really cheat?" Isuma asked. Soorin smiled; Isuma's tone was so incredulous as if she couldn't believe someone would do that. "Let me tell you something, Miya-chan. There's no such thing as cheating in this world. If we weren't supposed to, then there would've been something to stop us. The only thing here is skill and talent- and those too afraid to use it."

Isuma didn't reply. "You just recently became manager, right? You don't understand exactly how capable your school is. I've seen you at matches. You're always concerned for your team."

"And? What of it?" Soorin sighed. "When will you understand? Inarizaki's made it to Nationals without you. Face it: they don't need you."

Isuma couldn't speak. Soorin had destroyed every bit of confidence she had. "Oh, that boy you like, Kita-san. I ran into him yesterday." Soorin said. Isuma took a step back. "What did you tell him?"

"Everything he needed to know." Soorin smiled. "It wasn't much. But he surely realizes what type of person you are by now-"

"Isuma... chan...?"

The two of them turned; Kita was standing at the end of the hallway, looking at them. His eyes narrowed as he comprehended what was going on. Soorin gave a mock wave. "Kita-san-"

"Isuma, let's go." She didn't move; Kita stepped forward and took her hand, pulling her back the way he'd come from. Soorin watched them go. 'I guess he chose not to take my advice. He'll regret that.'

The moment they were in a new hallway, Kita dropped Isuma's hand and looked at her. "What did she say?"

"...did you talk to her yesterday?" Isuma asked. Kita hesitated. "Yes."

Isuma looked down, trying hard not to meet his eyes. She was scared- scared he'd turn his back on her because of what he'd heard.

Kita understood. "Hey. Look at me. What she told me changed nothing at all. She might as well have told me that you liked Korean food. If anything, it makes me care for you more. So don't be scared. Got it?"

He waited until she met his gaze. "...yeah."

"Good." Kita searched for something to say. "...how come it took you so long? The rest of the team's already doing warm-ups."

"Oh, I met your sister and brother and cousin. They're really sweet!" Isuma answered. Kita repeated, "You met Hishari?! She came??"

"Yeah. Why, did you not want me to meet them?" Isuma asked. "No, it's okay..."

<<Skip to the gym>>

'This is so not okay.'

His sister, brother, and cousin didn't stand out in any way in the crowd- no one had noticed them- but the fact that they were THERE, watching...

And they had met Isuma, which was the one person he'd hoped they wouldn't meet that day, and preferably not for another ten years.

Hishari had noticed something off about her brother's behavior a while ago, the first day of the Inter-high. The three of them had been eating dinner, and Kita, who usually talked with his siblings during dinner, was completely silent. Hishari asked, "So... Shinsuke, how were your matches today?"

"Good." Hishari glanced at Takahiro, who shrugged indifferently. "Did something... happen?"

Kita remembered what had happened with Isuma earlier. "No."

"You're turning pink," Takahiro informed his brother. Hishari snapped her fingers. "You like someone! That's it isn't it?"

"I don't LIKE her-" he stopped himself. Hishari mused, "Hm, yet you're thinking about her. So? Who's the girl?"

"It's the Miya brothers' sister, Isuma."

Kita and Hishari both looked at Takahiro. "How did you know that?"

"...Kasumi told me."

Kasumi was Suna's cousin, and Takahiro's best- and possibly only- friend. Since Suna had moved to Hyogo, he'd lived with his aunt and uncle. Kasumi was the exact opposite of her cousin- she was cheerful and enthusiastic, balancing with Takahiro's introverted personality. Their friendship was something most people could never understand.

After that conversation, Hishari had really, really wanted to meet the girl who'd taken her little brother's heart- he'd always seemed so calm and in control, as if nothing could affect him. But now...

Kita shook his head, trying to clear his mind. 'Focus.'

The coaches had been talking to the rest of the team for the past few minutes, offering them advice and suggestions. "Kita, do you have anything to say?"

"No. They know what's expected of them and what to do."

The second-years gulped and saluted hastily. "Yes, sir!"

The coach glanced at Isuma. "You?"

She shook her head. "Good luck."

Silently, she added, 'And please, please don't get hurt!'

Even while sitting down, they gave off a terrifying aura- at least to Isuma. Tsubara, who she'd seen the previous day, seemed much more intimidating. 'Why are they so reckless? And how do you even injure the other team?! There's no physical contact between the opposing players in volleyball. It doesn't make sense...'

"You looked worried."

Isuma glanced at Osamu. "...it's nothing. I know you can do it."

She didn't sound very sure about it. "We'll be fine. Don't worry."

TY for 95.1K :>

I posted Pure Royalty: Yurai. It's the Sakusa fic I mentioned earlier💕

There won't be an update next week, so the next update will be on July 10th