Lately, Guest has changed. Usually, they would pester me for ages after practice to toss for them or ask to go eat ramen together. I don't know what they've gotten so interested in lately, but now they just bolt as soon as practice ends. Well, it's not like it's any of my business.

Or so I thought. It wasn't supposed to be. No, maybe I just wanted to believe it wasn't.

I was face-down on my desk in the classroom as usual. I was just lying there, but something someone said caught my ear.

"I heard Hinata got a girlfriend!"

It felt like my heart dropped into my stomach. Why? Since when? Why didn't you tell me? Before I knew it, you weren't by my side anymore, and there was already someone else standing there instead.

Everything felt annoying and hateful. Even volleyball, which was always my top priority. Maybe it was because you weren't there, but I barely stayed late after practice anymore. At most, I'd just clean the gym and leave. When I finally snapped out of it, you were already far away. As if there was never a place for me to begin with.

From then on, I started avoiding you. But seeing you act like nothing was wrong made me feel utterly miserable. My heart is still racing like this.