(chapter xvi)

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

            Yuna let out a loud yawn, not even bothering to cover her mouth as she felt the fatigue seeping into her bones. The strangers who passed by shot her curious glances, but she was too weary to care about it. It was late Saturday evening, and she had been tutoring her brother's two teammates all day, and her energy was starting to wane.

Fortunately, the tutoring session was going smoothly, and thankfully, the two teammates were concentrating on the task at hand, fully determined to do their best to attend the game next month. They were surprisingly well-behaved, and their dedication was evident in their efforts to learn.

Yuna took a moment to appreciate their determination, grateful that they were taking the tutoring seriously. Despite the lengthy session, neither of them had become bored or distracted and kept asking questions whenever they had any doubts.

They patiently listened to her explanations and actively participated, which made the entire process less stressful for Yuna. She had initially been concerned about the potential challenges of tutoring two energetic first years, but so far, they had been model students.

However, she still held a slight suspicion that the reason for their cooperation was related to their eagerness to attend the game the following month. Nevertheless, she decided not to dwell on it and simply appreciate the smooth progress of the tutoring session.

"Sugawara-senpai!" a familiar voice called out, drawing Yuna's attention. She turned her head to see Yahaba and Watari, the only first-years from her school whom she was acquainted with, approaching her.

Yuna nodded and gave a friendly wave in return as they made their way over to where she was standing.

Yahaba and Watari approached, and Yuna initiated the conversation by stating, "I would have expected you two to be at school practicing, considering your upcoming game against Johzenji High next month."

Shinji chuckled sheepishly and elaborated, "We were practicing, but the session was cut short due to some unforeseen circumstances."

Watari attempted to intervene by subtly nudging Yahaba's shoulder, but it was too late. Yuna had already picked up on their words and her gaze turned intense.

"Issues? Did someone do something?" she inquired in a firm tone, her eyes narrowing in suspicion, anticipating some interesting news.

Yahaba and Watari exchanged a glance before sighing in resignation.

"Oikawa-senpai had a bit of an argument with the older senpai, which led to a bunch of disruptions in the practice," Yahaba explained, his voice laced with disappointment.

"So in the end, Coach had to end the session prematurely," Watari chimed in, completing the explanation.

"Hmm," Yuna pondered a moment, briefly considering whether she should enquire further. However, she decided against it, thinking that if it were something she needed to know, Tooru would inform her. Otherwise, it wasn't her concern, she concluded.

With a subtle nod, she looked up at the pair and stated, "I'll just act like I didn't hear anything, anyway. I need to head back now, so see you two at school."

Yahaba winced, a pained expression on his face, and muttered under his breath, "Well, if she says that, then...Oikawa-senpai's warning not to tell Sugawara-senpai never happened...right?"

Watari nodded reluctantly, feeling the weight of the secret they were keeping. They heard Tooru's voice in their minds, imploring them not to share the information with Yuna, as he didn't want her to worry.

Yahaba groaned, clenching his fists as he muttered, "We are so dead if Oikawa-senpai finds out about this."

Watari nodded in agreement, his eyes widening in fear. He placed his hands on his face, his mind racing with thoughts of the potential consequences they might face if Tooru found out they had spilled the beans.

...

As Yuna walked back to her house, a feeling of unease settled over her after overhearing the conversation between Yahaba and Watari, even though they were blissfully unaware of her proximity. She mulled over the information she had unintentionally acquired, and it left her feeling a bit downcast.

Yuna found herself a little disheartened and questioned the level of trust that Tooru placed in her. Though she understood that it was a tendency of hers to worry about the state of their friendship when things like this happened, she couldn't shake off the feeling that things might not be as strong between them as she thought.

In truth, she was frustrated with herself for constantly creating scenarios in her mind where her friendship with Tooru and Hajime was just a fleeting presence in her life. Deep down, she knew they were her first genuine friends, and that realization only magnified her insecurities.

"Yu... Yuna!" Koshi's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see her brother waving his hand in front of her face.

"Geeze, is something going on?" he asked, a mixture of concern and curiosity in his voice.

As she leaned on her palm, her eyes darted to the two first years who were also casting worried glances her way. It didn't escape their notice that something was bothering her, even though it had only been an hour since she had returned home.

They had tried to ignore it initially, showing respect for her privacy. However, the constant sighing that punctuated the silence every few minutes made it increasingly difficult for them to overlook her troubled state.

She looked at each of them, her vulnerability laid bare, and admitted, "How do you stop yourself from being so insecure? I just...I can't seem to stop myself from constantly worry about things going wrong or things...ending."

Koshi spoke up, his voice gentle, "In general terms, it's impossible for anyone to completely stop thinking that way. No matter the situation, there will always be a part of us that clings to the darker side of things."

Yuna's voice wavered as she questioned, "So, is it unavoidable?"

Yuu responded, his head bobbing rapidly in agreement, "Yeah, absolutely. Take my height, for example. It's a source of insecurity for me, but what I do to cope is by focusing on overcoming it. I can't suddenly change that aspect of myself, but I can change how I perceive it. Of course, even with my best efforts, I still think about it sometimes."

Ryunosuke joined in, nodded his head in agreement."Yeah, those thoughts can feel like they're always there, day and night. But here's the truth—nobody can predict the future. So, we need to focus on what we can control. It's something that takes the right effort, but once we do, those worries don't control us—we control them."

Koshi arched an eyebrow and looked at Yuu and Ryunosuke, a dangerous smile playing on his lips. He asked, "How is it that you guys can come up with such sound advice, but when it comes to actual school work, your brainpower seems to go on vacation?"

The two boys froze, their faces turning pale as they sheepishly looked away.

Yuna couldn't help but let out a lighthearted chuckle, momentarily setting aside her overthinking.

Although she was still a little upset, the trio's advice provided her with a sense of reassurance. She joined Koshi in tutoring the two first years, feeling a glimmer of positivity amidst her previous thoughts.

Yuna reassured herself that she didn't need to let the situation get the better of her.

She would focus on the present and what she could control rather than worry needlessly. If anything arose, she would deal with it then.

With a sigh, she refocused on the session, helping her brother with the tutoring. There was a certain tranquility in just existing in the moment without being too caught up in her thoughts.

Koshi glanced over at her, picking up on the subtle shift in her demeanor. He smiled gently, glad that their conversation seemed to have had some positive effect on her.

He resumed his tutoring with a newfound ease, feeling the positive energy from his sister and the two first years. The session continued in a comfortable atmosphere, with the sound of focused studying filling the room.