Tsuki-Dayo

Thirty-Seven | 三十七

Thirty Seven

"Tsukishima..." [Name] paused. She mentally debated with herself once more, wondering if it was even necessary to talk about it, to the blond sitting next to her at that. Would it matter to him? Her words slipped off her lips anyway. "I have something to tell you."

She felt her heart beat increase, her palm turned sweaty. Her throat felt tighter and her body felt heavy. Is this really something he would want to know? Given the way he was looking back at her, she knew she didn't have a choice. She had to tell him. She gathered all the courage she needed and took a deep breath.

"I can no longer return as an athlete."

As she spoke, all air escaped from her. Her shoulders slumped, the weight on them had somewhat lifted. She closed her eyes, feeling the tears building up in them. It was a relieved that she said it, but at the same time, saying it out loud, admitting it, was difficult.

Tsukishima stared at her, lips parted. For that rare moment, he was speechless. [Name] sighed and looked down to her feet, taking his silence as a cue to continue. "That day, when I met Akiteru-san in the hospital, I went in for my check up. Honestly, for the past few check ups, the results hadn't been looking good."

"And finally, just a few days ago," She inhaled a shaky breath of air, pulling her fingers in. "The doctor made the conclusion that with my condition, there is no possibility that I can get well enough to play sports anymore."

"Tsukishima," Her voice cracked. "I can no longer play volleyball." Tears finally rolled down her face and her shoulder shook as she buried her face in knees and hands. She was finally able to release all the frustrations within her, all the tears that she had been holding back.

She heard rustling by her side and tried to turn her head to see what was going on. "Tsukishi - " Before she was able to finish her word, she felt a soft fabric being laced gentle over her head. Recognizing the scent from the fabric, she realized it was his jacket. "What are you - "

"Shut up for a minute and cry." He cut her off, putting a comforting hand on her head. She froze for a moment, realizing that he had scooted closer to her, feeling the warmth of his large hand through the jacket.

"What the hell..." She mumbled with a sniff. Who tells someone to shut up and cry? She thought as she pulled the jacket closer. The two sat in silence as [Name] sniffled occasionally. She was feeling better, after being able to release her emotions, and also with Tsukishima's bad comforting skills.

"What do you plan to do?" He asked, staring at the bon fire. A bunch of idiots were dancing around the fire, throwing their hands up.

"I'm not sure..." She answered truthfully, resting her cheek on her folded arms. "I haven't really told anyone too..."

"Stay as our manager." He said. She turned to him, a little confused.

"I thought you said I'm a horrible burden to the boys' team?"

"If you just quit, Nishinoya-san and Tanaka-san would never stop crying about you. That's pretty annoying to deal with. It's true you are troublesome but that would be more troublesome." He said and she could imagine it. "Shimizu-san is also counting on you to continue managing the team, since this would be her last year."

"Besides," He slid his hand down from her head to the grass, straightening it out. He looked up to the sky, the dark blue that surrounded them. Hints of stars laid out in the sky with a crescent moon. "The team is already fond of you."