Perfectionist ✺ Sakusa Kiyoomi

8

𝐂𝐡 𝟖 —— 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲

[messages: Kiyoomi Sakusa and Chiharu Konishi]
[9:23]

Good morning Kiyoomi!!!

How did you sleep?

As well as you'd
expect. It is in
fact not a very
good morning.
I feel groggy.

Yeahh

Mentally I don't
regret meeting up
last night but
physically I do

Exactly.

I have just found
out that Mujinazaka
is heading home after
today's semi-finals

Just thought I'd
let you know

Oh, nice. I think
my team might stay
until finals end
since we live closer.

I guess today's our
last day together,
then.

Are you crying?

Are you?

😝😃

I think I'll miss
you a lot.

Haha

You're totally
in shambles

Why yes, I
can tell that
you're very
sympathetic

I'm just kidding,
Kiyoomi I'll miss
you too

Wanna watch
semi-finals
together?

If I must 🙄

You must

Let me know
when you get
to the arena.

⌜  •  °  +  °  •  ⌝

Getting out of bed was a challenge. A subtle chill lingered in the room, having snuck from outside through the walls and invaded the snug inn. Chiharu was among the last to get out of his comfortable blankets. The thick blankets had provided a deceptive coccoon of warmth that broke Chiharu's heart to deny himself of. The moment his bare skin met the frosty air, a shiver coursed down his spine. It was as if a fresh wave of icy air had been waiting for his inevitable departure from the warmth of his blankets. As soon as he felt that the cold might've been bearable, if he could just push through to change into warmer clothes, a second wave of a different type of cold struck:

"So, where'd you sneak out to?" Kiryu's words cut through the chilly air, their sharpness matching the frosty morning like icicles stabbing at Chiharu's guilty conscience.

His friend didn't even bother to glance in his direction, yet his tone carried a chill that seemed to rival the weather outside. There was a calculated coldness to Kiryu's demeanor, an attempt to make Chiharu squirm under the weight of guilt. It was Kiryu's silent form of persuasion, his artful skill in making his best friend fess up, his lack of elaboration left Chiharu in a stressful silence. Silence that spoke a thousand words into Chiharu's head, like 'you know, my responsibility as captain is to make sure my team is safe', and 'what would Coach say if you didn't make it back?'. All in Chiharu's imagination, of course, but it jabbed at his guilty conscience. And it wasn't as if he could find an excuse to leave the room right now in avoidance of confrontation, the whole team shared one sleeping-space.