01 \ Asahi Azumane~

You're a well-known volleyball player across the country; your serves, spikes, and receptions have made you stand out everywhere. The same is true for your team. They had a tournament against one of the top women's teams nationally. Their rise to the top was complicated, hard-fought, and fair; but the day of the match against this team arrived, and they lost. Of course, they fought for the title, but the defeat was undeniable.

You were lying in bed, gazing at the blue sky and the bustling buildings across from your apartment, your eyes both distant and fixed. Asahi noticed how pensive, distracted, and passive you seemed in the days following the defeat. As usual, he sat down across from you and began asking routine questions, concerned for your well-being. However, this time was different. He was startled by an idea and began searching through his photo gallery. He found a section labeled "Thursday, the 14th of XX," filled with photos and videos from the tournament held five days prior. He showed them to you, emphasizing in his calm, soothing voice, "Of the few, valid mistakes I saw that cost you the game, the worst you can make individually is to give up or let yourself fall apart, my love..." He argued that he had been close enough to the team to say with certainty that their errors were few and far between, and entirely acceptable. You looked at him, analyzing those photos in his hands, thinking how comforting it felt, but you still felt a lump in your throat.

meow