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shiratorizawa week day 2: ring the end of march was drawing nearer and with that came the blossoming of cherry blossoms, preparation for spring festivals and of course, graduation, an event that's been awaited by students all year. though of course, not everyone was oh-so ecstatic about it.
shiratorizawa volleyball club's third years were among the few who were not exactly excited about their big day which was drawing nearer and nearer. the thought of bittersweet goodbyes and possible breaking of the bonds they formed within themselves and their kouhais in the past three years didn't appeal them. yes, they were happy about finally getting rewarded for something they've been working on for years and they were excited to see where life would take them next but they couldn't help but be scared, nervous. of course they would be nervous, they've all built a home within the walls of shiratorizawa and they were all inseparable. they became a part of each other's daily lives, they didn't know how to feel about all of that changing .
no more hayato and satori to make stupid jokes
no more wakatoshi to lift their spirits with his sincere compliments
no more jin, eita and reon to keep everyone in check and keep them from going insane
they were each other's family and they weren't ready to let go just yet
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the night before graduation came faster than they would've wished. the third years visited their underclassmen's training and were even granted permission by couch washijo to play a bit more with them. by the end of the night they retreated back to their dorm room with a heavy heart, but despite that,they plastered a smile on their face. it was as if they were trying to convince themselves that they were content, that they were ready to leave the team.
but no, they weren't
they still wanted to play with everyone
they weren't ready to leave, not yet
they wanted more time
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morning came and so did the third year's graduation ceremony. there was a weird sort of tension in the air. no one dared to say a word, fearing that if they did, their words would betray them and release all sorts of emotions they tried to deny they were feeling. mixed emotions swam within them, a weird mix of excitement and sadness. they felt as if they were already homesick for the place they grew in for the past three years, but they haven't even left yet.
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the graduation went by smoothly, tsutomu, kenjirou and taichi even sat through the whole ceremony to see their upperclassmen off. a sense of pride filled the six third years with their diploma in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other as they snapped a picture with their coach who had also come to see his students off.
though the heaviness in their hearts never left
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after the ceremony, the team found themselves sitting amongst each other on the field right outside the gym, snacking on items they got from the cafeteria and a nearby convenience store. they were talking freely, cracking jokes and occasionally bickering with one another. those moments made them all feel light, it felt like home.
the sun started disappearing down the horizon, none of them had took notice of how long they've been on the field. they do say that when you're having fun, everything else just seems to escape your mind.
"i think it's about time we leave, it's getting dark" wakatoshi states, standing up. the rest were reluctant to get up, but still did so.
"before we leave,,, may i have a word with you all?"
all heads turned to their vice captain, soekawa jin, who pulled out something from his pocket. "uhm,, i may have not been a regular, i may have not been able to play alongside you guys for much time but you guys are like family to me. the kind of bond we had this year is irreplaceable"
a murmur of "yeah"s and "same"s we're heard from the rest of the team
"so i wanted to give these to you guys" jin opened up the small pouch he pulled from his pocket, inside were nine rings. "i know this might seem kind of stupid,, but i wanted to give you guys something. a reminder of sorts, of the family we formed with this team" jin held out the pouch to the team and they all took a ring. none of them thought it was a stupid idea; they all thought it was rather sweet.
wakatoshi was the first to speak "i very much enjoyed this year, getting to play with all of you. even if we didn't go as far as we wanted to, i'm so proud of all of you,," he paused to take a glance at his teammates, some were close to tears. "i'm counting on you guys. get us to nationals next year" wakatoshi continued, eyeing the three underclassmen. there was a sharp intake of breath from shirabu "we- we won't let you down. we'll make it to nationals, we're gonna win." he says, voice getting quieter as he spoke. a muffled sob was heard, they turned to face their first year. "wakatoshi-kun~ look! you made tsutomu cry~" satori says jokingly as he approaches the first year, giving him pats on the back. hayato laughs, tackling both tsutomu and satori to the floor. the rest of the team joining in on the big group hug (it's more of a huge pile of volleyball players than a group hug though) after that, the third years headed out of the campus gates, hearts not as heavy anymore. they felt content.
they're going to be just fine
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it's been four years now, nothing has really changed, they all find comfort in this.
hayato and satori still make their jokes
wakatoshi still lifts their spirits with his sincere compliments
eita, jin and reon still keep everybody in check
they've met up several times since graduation, their juniors even joining in when they had time. when they're all together, they feel warm inside.
it was just like old times.
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it's been six years, they're as close as ever now. the bond still remains. all nine of them still wear the rings. some still wear them on their finger, some on a chain around their necks. every time they looked at it, they were reminded of each other. the good memories and the bad, all of them had a special place in each of their hearts.
they'll wear it for the rest of their lives.