tears of the lynx - banana fish
ushijima wakatoshi, at the age of fifteen, was preparing for his last day as ace of the shiritorizawa academy junior high boys' volleyball team.
he did the same thing that he did every morning.
he brushed his teeth, counting the strokes to be sure that he didn't go over or under ten on every part of his mouth.
he showered, making sure to wet his hair, but not completely wash it. he read in a magazine that you can go bald if you wash your hair too much, so he makes sure to only do it once a week.
when he got dressed, he went from underwear, to his uniform's pants, then shirt, then his tie. he was finally able to stop wearing the white blazer now that it was getting warmer out.
he slid on his socks and his black and shined shoes, and he was out the door in less than a minute afterwards.
his walk to school was neither too fast, because he didn't want to trip, nor too slow, because he didn't want to be late.
ushijima wakatoshi, even as a younger boy, always followed a strict schedule as part of his life as an ace and captain.
but now, after today, he'd have to work even harder at the academy. he was the first to digest that once ushijima was a first year at shiritorizawa academy, he'd have to work all the way back up to his place as captain again.
but he was strangely okay with that. there wasn't a single thing that could distract him from accomplishing his goal; to win nationals. it wasn't going to be easy by any means, but he was determined.
-
ushijima wakatoshi, at the age of sixteen, was preparing for his last day as a first year at shiritorizawa academy.
if he could be blunt, shiritorizawa wasn't nearly as scary as people made it seem. at least, not the volleyball team. sure, he was welcomed with open arms to be a spiker, but that wasn't enough. especially not after all the glory he experienced in junior high.
still, he had the same schedule as the year before. he dressed the same, though, after his mother pointed it out, ushijima noticed that he'd put on a lot of muscle just the first year alone.
he was a firm believer that the bigger of a player you are, the better you'd be. not just in game, but also to frighten the opponents a little. and people at shiritorizawa already thought he was older than he was, so he was aware that he was steadily moving in that direction.
unfortunately, shiritorizawa's boy's volleyball wasn't able to make it to nationals that year. ushijima didn't even in the slightest blame himself. he knew he'd be better next year.
and still, there was nothing on planet earth that could turn him away from winning nationals. not for anything.
-
ushijima wakatoshi, at the age of seventeen, was preparing for... nothing.
there was only a month before school ended for the summer. ushijima was the prime choice for the volleyball team to be ace and captain. which, he'd never say out loud, but he was really excited about it. while he believed that there were people on the team that could've been just as good of a choice as him, there was nobody better than him.
irregardless, he was confident that he could follow his upward trend from junior high. he distinctly remembered the way his father put it.
the five step plan to achieving success:
step 1.) show you're reliable as a spiker, but never be afraid to take the lead and act on your own.
step 2.) impress the coach and team with your abilities to secure your spot as captain by second year.
step 3.) as captain, reform the team completely so that you all work together great, but they'd also be a wreck without you.
step 4.) defeat every team in the area to assert your dominance, and if there's nobody left, go for the college kids.
step 5.) once you make your mark as the ace and captain of the shiritorizawa academy, go out with a bang for your third year and win nationals!
it was definitely easier said than done, but ushijima was on track so far.
ushijima got to school fifteen minutes before practiced started, so there was almost nobody there. he couldn't get into the gym to practice yet, so he decided that he might be better off sitting on the bench outside of the locker rooms to read. it wasn't anything interesting, but it was enough to pass the time.
strange enough, for the first time in the morning, someone chose to approach him.
a girl who looked to be a second year like him. her hair was longer and the ends were uneven. she had large glasses like fish bowls that made her eyes look strange. her uniform was too large and wrinkled, and one of her socks was rolling down her ankle.
she was messy and nervous, if ushijima could tell from the way that she shook. she awkwardly fidgeting with her fingers, pushing her cuticles farther and farther back every time that she made eye contact.
"u-um... ushijima?" her soft voice trickled out in a whisper, and ushijima almost had to lean forward to hear her while she bowed politely.
"do i know you?" ushijima's question was as intimidating as it was demanding.
"yes- no... maybe? i sit next to you in english."
ushijima subconsciously looked back into his memories, finding that he did recognize her as the girl he sat next to in english. of course, he didn't care much for what happened around him, so it wasn't strange that he didn't remember her.
"right... of course," the blank boy nodded. "was there something that you needed from me?"
"i just thought that... maybe, i don't know..." she kicked at the dirt below her nervously. she stuttered over her words for a few more moments until ushijima cleared his throat impatiently.
"you're going to tell me that you like me, aren't you?"
the girl's already large eyes widened and a bead of sweat rolled down her temple.
"i... um..."
"you're embarrassing yourself if you think that i'm going to date you just because you had the courage to tell me to my face." ushijima gently placed a bookmark in the crevice of his book and closed it, nestling it back in his book bag. the girl looked down completely and her shoulders fell. ushijima ignored his downcast expression, noticing that the courtyard clock's hands were nearing six o'clock, and practice would start any minute.
ushijima stood up and draped his book bag over his shoulder and his other hand held his jacket while he depricatingly stared down at the girl.
"and really," he said. "what do you have that i'd want anyway?"
-
for the rest of that month, ushijima seemed painfully aware of the empty space beside him in english.
ushijima seemed sure that the girl had stopped showing up to school because of what he said to her. maybe he was a bit too mean, but he was taught to speak his mind all the time. and his mind told him that the girl who stood in front of him that day had nothing to offer him. but then again, was there really anything that ushijima wanted that he couldn't obtain himself?
nonetheless, ushijima didn't feel an iota of regret for what he said, knowing that he told his truth and that was the end of it.
or was it?
