star of the show ; yachi hitoka

EIGHT

STEP 8 - DON'T TRY SO HARD

yachi hitoka was lucky she had volleyball as a distraction. winter break and nationals, the remaining school days all came and went. time passed by in a blur as she continued on with a broken heart.

kagawa hoshi seemed to be doing okay though, which only hurt more. the black haired girl and mori had become a lot closer, while she and yachi drifted apart.

eventually, the last day of school rolled around. the last couple of months had been hard for the blonde, so she was happy for it to finally be over. as she walked through the hallway, her brown eyes accidentally met gray ones; she quickly averted her gaze. that was an issue she wasn't ready to deal with yet.

walking into class, she noticed it was empty. the room was silent, and she hated the quiet. yachi got used to the quiet being filled by kagawa. as she approached her desk she spotted a yellow sticky note placed on the top. picking it up, she read the contents with a heavy heart.

"step eight: don't try so hard."

she had been presented the final lesson, signaling this chapter of her life had come to an end. maybe it was better that way.

-

graduation season was hard for everyone. the first-years all cried as they watched their senpais leave and move on to bigger and better things. although, there was one third-year in particular that yachi would especially miss.

she watched from a distance as kagawa chatted with the volleyball players (well, now alumni) about their future plans. yachi's heart begged her to go up and congratulate her mentor one last time, but she didn't.

-

skipping ahead a couple of years, yachi realized being a third-year was unsurprisingly stressful. managing a volleyball team, keeping up with school, and finding a replacement were all stressors for the blonde. it had been two years since her senpai had graduated, and she took that time to recover.

now, she was a charming and confident young woman who was surrounded by a wonderful support system. as much as the past hurt, she wouldn't trade the experience for anything. if she ever saw kagawa hoshi again, she would thank her for all her help. maybe after slapping her across the face.

strolling down the halls, yachi searched for the person on her mind. she hadn't found a replacement manager, but she had for a different position.

"ah, makino-san!" she called out as she spotted the first-year.

the first-year girl spun around, terrified that someone was approaching her. "h– hello, yachi-senpai!" she greeted, bowing at a sharp ninety degrees.

"please don't bow," the older girl chuckled with pink cheeks. "you're making me nervous."

the younger one nodded, allowing yachi to continue. "are you ready for today's lesson, makino-san?"

makino hesitated, making yachi stare in confusion. "can i ask you a question." she asked as she rubbed the nape of her neck sheepishly. the third-year hummed in response.

"yachi-senpai, how did you get like this? you're so confident and everyone knows you! i don't think i'll ever be able to be that type of person..."

"well," she started with a sad smile. "it all started when i collided with a girl named kagawa hoshi."

fin.