(fan work of haikyuu) After Retirement

I don't know what a mess I am making lol...

After retirement, Kiryuu missed volleyball and the days on the court very much. He always felt it fantastic to have made friends with some younger professional players, he watched whose matches whether as a spectator in the gym when it was convenient for him or through the live webcast. His house was near his high school so he sometimes entered his former campus to play volleyball in the gym.

Although he was not as athletic as before because of aging, it felt terrific to practicing jump serves and spikes. Back in high school, he had an incredible powerful jump serve, often getting service aces, knocking teams off balance with his serves leading to easier blocks, and aiming his serves at difficult spots. He was warmly welcomed by high school students here, who would invite him to team up with them to play volleyball together. And then came his strong and skilled spikes. He liked to hit with his entire body, and leaned hard to the left as he swung putting as much weight as possible into hits. He felt as if he were a high school student again. He was very grateful for his time spent in Mujinazaka High, thinking it one of the most wonderful periods in his life.

Time waited for no one and pushed everyone to move on and leave the beautiful scenery behind. The volleyball players Kiryuu was familiar with eventually retired one by one. Kiryuu still missed his last match as a professional player as if it had happened the last day, in which he smashed the ball to break through the blocks and got the last score for his team to win the match. He often watched the record video of that match and smiled at the youthful and vigorous himself. During his last match in his high school, he learnt to focus on trying to play volleyball and having fun and not to jitter at the burdens and worry about trying to perform like he was some big star, which left a profound influence on him in his years as a professional player.

It was rare for people at his age to cuddle with a stuffed animal, but Kiryuu did keep one in bed. It was a lovely furry chubby stuffed raccoon dog. Kiryuu couldn’t remember when he bought it, or it was perhaps sent by someone to him. It was comfortable to wrap it with his arms when lying in bed, alleviating loneliness from the time by himself in his house.

He forgot when and why he started to use this photo as the lock screen wallpaper of his phone. And he forgot the boy next to him in the photo. Kiryuu was sure that the photo was taken in Mujinazaka High in spring, when both cherries and crabapples were blossoming. Therefore, the boy must be a friend of his back in high school, but it was strange that he couldn’t recall his name. Once one of Kiryuu’s teammates in Azuma Pharmacy Green Rockets joked whether the boy was Kiryuu’s boyfriend. And Kiryuu replied, “he is only a friend and I prefer being single.”

Why did a friend become a stranger? Did something unpleasant happen between them? Kiryuu had no idea. However, he thought it was the best photo he kept so he didn’t change it for another one. Kiryuu was counting down the days when he could still play volleyball, something he had always been enthusiastic about throughout his life.

One day, he dreamt of walking through a long dark tunnel. On reaching the end, he noticed a boy standing in front of him, who had familiar light-colored middle parting down head and big round eyes. Kiryuu was surprised that the boy looked so similar to the one next to him in that photo. The boy said, “My name is Usuri Michiru. It’s an honor to be a setter here.” Kiryuu felt something clenching inside himself, and whispered, “nice to meet you, Usuri Michiru.”

The boy disappeared instantly and there was only boundless white. Suddenly, a piece of paper floated to Kiryuu. Something was recovering in his mind, and he recognized Usuri’s handwriting on the paper. “It seemed that you were feeling bad for the refusal, so I prayed for your forgetting me. It is a pity that the wish has expired and you have to restore your memories. But I think you are strong enough to face the past now.”