The afternoon sun poured through the windows of the indoor sports building.
The gym echoed with laughter, whistles, and the sound of shoes sliding across the polished wooden floor.
Students from different clubs were introducing themselves.
Itsuki stood quietly beside Ren and Yuna, looking around with curiosity.
"So this is the badminton club..."
Ren stretched his arms.
"It looks awesome!"
Yuna smiled.
"I've been waiting for today."
Itsuki looked at her.
"...Waiting?"
She nodded proudly.
"I've been a member since middle school."
Itsuki blinked.
"...Seriously?"
Ren pointed at Yuna dramatically.
"She's actually really good."
Yuna shrugged.
"I'm average."
Ren laughed.
"Don't listen to her."
"She's lying."
A tall man wearing a navy-blue tracksuit walked toward the students.
He had a whistle around his neck.
"Welcome."
"My name is Coach Shimizu."
"I'll be supervising the badminton club this year."
Everyone bowed politely.
Coach Shimizu clapped once.
"Before accepting new members..."
"I'd like to see everyone's abilities."
One by one...
The students played short rallies.
Some missed the shuttle immediately.
Some had decent control.
Others were complete beginners.
Finally...
Coach Shimizu looked toward Itsuki.
"You."
"The boy with the eyepatch."
Itsuki stepped forward.
"Yes, Coach."
"Have you played before?"
Itsuki smiled softly.
"...A long time ago."
Coach Shimizu tossed him a racket.
"Let's see what you can do."
Itsuki caught it effortlessly.
The moment the racket touched his hand...
A forgotten feeling returned.
His fingers naturally adjusted their grip.
Coach Shimizu noticed.
"...Interesting."
His opponent served first.
Smash!
Itsuki reacted a little late.
The shuttle flew past him.
"One point."
Ren shouted from the side.
"Come on, Itsuki!"
Yuna crossed her arms.
"Relax."
"You're thinking too much."
Itsuki took a deep breath.
"...Right."
The next serve came.
This time...
Tap.
His return was smooth.
The rally continued.
Five hits.
Seven.
Nine.
Coach Shimizu smiled.
"He hasn't forgotten."
After several rallies...
Itsuki lost the practice match.
He lowered the racket.
"...Looks like I'm rusty."
Coach Shimizu laughed.
"You lost because your body hasn't caught up to your experience."
"You've got good fundamentals."
"If you train consistently..."
"You'll improve quickly."
Itsuki bowed.
"Thank you."
Another first-year student walked over with a bright smile.
He had messy brown hair and carried two rackets.
"That was awesome."
"I'm Haruto Sakamoto."
"I joined today too."
Itsuki smiled politely.
"I'm Itsuki Hayama."
Haruto grinned.
"Nice to meet you."
"I think we're going to get along."
Ren immediately wrapped an arm around Haruto.
"Congratulations."
"You're officially part of our idiot group."
Haruto laughed.
"I haven't even agreed yet."
Yuna sighed dramatically.
"It's too late."
"Once Ren talks to you..."
"There's no escape."
Everyone laughed.
Even Itsuki.
After nearly an hour...
Coach Shimizu announced a short break.
Students scattered around the gym to drink water.
Itsuki wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"...That was fun."
Yuna handed him a bottle of water.
"You smiled."
Itsuki blinked.
"Did I?"
"You did."
"It looked natural."
He looked away awkwardly.
"...Maybe."
As he drank...
His eye wandered toward the other side of the sports building.
Several students were doing light stretching.
Among them...
He recognized someone immediately.
Hotaru Kisaragi.
She was carefully following a stretching routine.
Beside her stood a tall boy wearing the Student Council armband.
He occasionally handed her a towel, adjusted the training mat, and showed her the next exercise.
Itsuki recognized him.
"...He's from the Student Council."
He had seen the boy beside Hotaru more than once.
During meetings.
In the hallways.
Now...
Even here.
The boy smiled at Hotaru.
She gave a small nod in return.
Itsuki quietly lowered his gaze.
A faint smile appeared on his own face.
"...I see."
"So she's not alone anymore."
"...That's good."
His chest felt strangely heavy.
Maybe...
She had already moved on.
Maybe...
She had forgotten the scared boy from middle school.
Maybe...
The therapy had taken those painful memories away.
And maybe...
That was better for her.
"...She deserves a peaceful life."
Without another word...
He turned around and walked back toward his court.
Yuna had been watching him.
She followed his line of sight for just a second.
Then she looked back at Itsuki.
"...You're smiling again."
Itsuki laughed quietly.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Yuna shook her head.
"...Not when you're forcing it."
Itsuki froze for a moment.
"..."
She tossed him a shuttlecock.
"Come on."
"One more practice match."
"This time..."
"I won't go easy on you."
Itsuki caught the shuttle and smiled.
This time...
The smile felt just a little more real.
"...Bring it on."