17

Fourth day on Golden Week. Yoshikami shouldn't be too bothered by it, but the manager was awfully too close on her cousin. Well, third-degree cousin. She never thought of Tendou as a cousin. Third-degree was just too far-fetched for her. Best friend would put a nice ring to it.

She was watching Semi karate chop Tendou's head, she giggled at that. Semi looked like he was interested in the manager. Should she help? She pursed her lips, thinking about it. Nah, she had a lot in her plate already.

"Yoshikami, what are you doing here?" Yoshikami looked up to see her coach.

"Just watching the boys play. I have nothing else to do." She answered, leaning against the gym doors. She heard the sigh.

"You know why, don't you?"

"Please don't." She felt the hand on her shoulder.

"Just hear me out, Yoshikami…" She slapped the hand away. She hated it. She hated it all.

"I said don't!" She didn't mean to yell and seem so mad, but she was. And she needed to let it out. She glared at her coach and stomped off.

She was sitting in the sand. It was two hours before lunch break. She wasn't allowed back in the gym until after lunch break. She wasn't allowed to even touch the ball. For today and tomorrow, she wasn't allowed to play or do anything volleyball related. And she felt mad. She would be so pissed if she was told to go home.

She looked at the ocean and felt the need to swim it off. She looked around to see if the coach had followed her, but there was no one else except the birds in the sky.

The shoes were off her feet in two seconds and her feet met the tingly sand. It tickled her. The giggle was hard to stop.

The ocean was gentle and cool unlike the warm air. She shivered and went deeper and deeper til it was by her neck. Her feet were still touching the sand, of course. She didn't know how to swim. She just wanted to stay in the water, like it was a bath tub.

She sunk her head in and enjoyed the coolness. Then she screamed. Bubbles rose up to the surface and came out as gurgles. She was going to spend her entire two hours here in the ocean.

Ushijima was sitting out for the next practice match. He had asked the coach to. He had noticed Yoshikami outside, but she didn't look happy. He needed to see her. Currently, he was heading for the beach where he knew where she would be.

There was another hour before lunch break. So, the tall teen was glad to spend the time with the short girl. Although he preferred to play volleyball, he was worried.

Upon reaching the beach, there was no sign of Yoshikami, except her shoes. His brows furrowed and looked at the ocean. It was clear so he should be able to see the short girl from beneath the surface. But there was nothing, except sand.

"Yoshikami?" He shouted, looking around. He took off his shoes and ventured into the water, stopping when it reached his knees. He walked through the water, looking and looking, but there was no sign.

He didn't panic and got out of the water. She might have gone back to the gym or got hungry early. He looked around again before stalking off, carrying his shoes in one hand.

Thirty minutes, and there was no sign of Yoshikami. He had asked the girls if they had seen her, but she didn't stop by the gym at all. Nor was she at the dining area. He was slightly worried, but Yoshikami couldn't have been too stupid and went too deep in the water.

The thought of it made him sprint back to the beach. Her shoes were still there, but the owner was nowhere in sight.

"Yoshikami, this isn't funny. Come out." He shouted into the air, but only silence replied. He clenched his fists and returned to the water. This time, he went down to what he presumed to be Yoshikami's height- by his abdomen. He searched and went underwater, but there was nothing.

He got back up for air then went back underwater. He was hoping that she wasn't that stupid and that he was worrying for nothing.

Then he saw her. He got back up and saw her floating off on her back. His arms and legs had never been so fast to catch up to her.

"Eh, Ushi…" He took her into his arms and walked back to the shore. "Ushijima-kun, what's wrong?!" He glared at her and felt the need to shout.

"What was wrong with you?! What were you doing in the ocean without me?! Do you know it's almost time for lunch and yet you were swimming off?! What if you drowned?! What if you went too deep?!" He let out all the worry in his chest, glaring at her the whole time. Her eyes widened in shock and she quickly embraced his neck.

"Calm down, calm down…" She whispered, rubbing his nape. "I…I'm sorry. I just needed to swim off." She looked up at him apologetically.

Ushijima sighed. "You didn't even tell anyone where you were going. I was worried, Yoshikami." He pulled her closer to his chest.

"I'm sorry. Something happened with Coach and I got so mad…" Yoshikami sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "…I just wanted to scream it all underwater."

"Next time, tell me."

Yoshikami pouted. "So…we're dating right?" Ushijima was confused, furrowing his brows. "You…care about me…and I care about you…? Cause I also have to tell you stuff now…?"

The teen shook his head. "Let's get changed before lunch break." He put her down and grabbed his shoes from the sand.

"Hey! Wait, tell me!"

Coach Haruto was at the room. She was looking through Yoshikami's medicine box; at the same time, she was looking at the piece of paper in her hand.

"So, two pills of bufferin, one pill of geridome, and two patches of salonpas…" She grabbed it all from the medicine box. "It looks like she hasn't been taking her medicine for a week now. That girl… I knew I should've watched her eat." The coach clicked her tongue.

She placed the box back to the girl's bag and left the room. She wondered how to break the news to Yoshikami. That she wasn't allowed to enter Interhigh with her condition.