Competitions were not a new thing to Mitsumi. But piano competitions were. They were infamously known for toxic environments, high stakes, and harsh critics. It wasn't a place for the weak in mind and heart.

Kuroo was reserving seats in the auditorium with Shimura and Riza. Those who weren't in the class had decided to come to support Mitsumi in the competition. Suga was on the phone with a panicking girlfriend on the other line. His heart desperately wanted to run backstage and hold her. However, it was restricted access.

"Chie, is there anyone around you?" He wasn't sure if she was alone or not.

"No." Mitsumi was breathing heavily. Her breaths could be heard through the phone. Thankfully, there were no tears this time. "I-I'm alone in the piano lounge." She was just finishing warming up when her anxiety hit her. It had come out of nowhere. She had been doing well all day and seemed to have stolen Bokuto's confidence and then some.

"I need you to breathe with me for a moment." He instructed clearly. They spent a few moments taking some deep breaths over the phone together. "What can I do for you? Do you have your emergency pill?"

"I have it. But I don't want to take it." Mitsumi could feel her body calm down enough to talk. "I just really need a long hug."

He mentally sighed. Of course, she wouldn't want to take more medication. Then she would have to notify her doctor. "Chie, I can't come backstage. But, I can give you one after."

A soft and disappointed, "Okay..." came through the line. It was just enough to shatter him.

"Is your warm-up time up?" He had an idea.

"Yeah... I have to go back to the green room." Mitsumi knew that Reiko would be coming up to warm up next. And she was the last person she wanted to see in this state.

"Mei should just be getting off the stage. That means you have five performances. I'll text her and have her give you something that will help. Can you walk okay?"

"I can. Um... thanks for this, Koushi." Mitsumi ended the call and snuck back into the green room. It was filled with music majors of various emphasis.

The way the competition was set up was to ease everyone's schedules. Everyone would perform on the same day. However, they would only be judged against their own instrument type. Needless to say, it was chaotic. Especially since a few of the piano majors were also accompanying some of the other instrumentalists. Mitsumi was glad that the programming was in her favor. She had already played for the cellist she accompanied in the morning. That was the least stressful performance ever.

Mitsumi sat down at the booth her bag was at. She looked into the mirror and sighed in relief. Her makeup hadn't smudged. Mei came up to her, holding a jacket. "Sugawara asked me to bring this to you."

The brunette took the jacket and immediately pulled it on. The familiar vanilla scent enveloped her and helped her to relax. "Thanks, Mei. How did it go?"

"Meh, it could have gone better." Mei shrugged honestly. "Are you doing alright? You look pale."

"I'm great! Never been better!" Mitsumi said in the most enthusiastic tone she could muster. "I am just a bit chilled and I forgot my sweater at home."

"Oh, well I have to change and get ready to be a collaborative pianist for the resident Prima Donna." Mei was still in her pink recital gown. She needed to change into her all-black outfit.

Mitsumi snorted a little bit. "Break her leg." She pulled Koushi's jacket tight around her. This was the closest thing to the hug she wanted.

...

"Is it just me or is this place incredibly tense?" Matsuki mentioned during the applause. Oyami had just finished his flawless performance of Liszt's Funerailles. According to the program, a percussionist was next, and then Mitsumi.

Shimura realized how intense these competitions were. "No wonder she has nerves of steel."

"Actually... She called me earlier having a mental breakdown." Suga was one of the few that had seen Mitsumi's human side. "She's more scared of piano competitions than volleyball tournaments."

Kuroo nodded in agreement. All those small festivals growing up were a big deal for Chie. She had only competed in one major competition but was eliminated in the preliminaries. She knew how harsh music critics were and so she had developed a fear of them. It only took one person to wreck a reputable career, regardless of the status, it was at.

"I'd be having a mental breakdown right now if I had to play after this last guy," Kuroo admitted. "He's good."

Bokuto was scrolling through his social media threads. "So, what is the prize exactly?"

"From what I understand, the pianists are trying to win a soloist spot so they can play a concerto with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and scholarship money. Everyone else is competing for scholarship money." Koushi didn't quite understand why it was that way. But either way, it was a big deal.

Shimura didn't understand a single thing about the musical world. "I don't get it, but it sounds important."

Yuki gasped, "No way! That's huge!"

"Oh yeah, don't you play the violin, Yuki?" Riza had remembered the setter mentioning it once or twice in the past.

She nodded, "I played in high school and played for the orchestra here for a few semesters. Then things got really busy." Yuki hadn't played in a while now.

...

Mitsumi walked out and bowed. The purple dress she had received for her birthday looked stunning under the stage lights. She closed her eyes as she adjusted the piano bench. From what she had heard, all five judges were from different universities, and one of them was the head conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

The sounds of Chopin's Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise filled the auditorium. The Andante was the first half. It was Chie's favorite half. The twinkling high notes trickled down like a waterfall. The Polonaise was full of difficult chords for small hands. And the tempo didn't make the piece any easier. Mitsumi felt like she was pounding on the keys.

A large amount of applause relieved some of the stress. Mitsumi's fan crew decided to leave after her performance. They followed Koushi to the backside of the building to the door that led to the backstage hallway. They stood outside and waited for Mitsumi to come out.

"Mitsumi! You killed it!" Bokuto grabbed the pianist by the shoulders and shook her around. "I think you won."

"Bo! Let go of me!" Mitsumi chopped her hands on his elbows and forced her way out. "Thank you, guys. Results come out around dinner time."

Matsuki grinned and gave Mitsumi a pat on the back. "You didn't tell us you could play like that."

"You guys really thought a university would teach a bunch of amateurs?" Kuroo rested his elbow on Mitsumi's shoulder like an armrest.

"Oyami is probably going to take the cake on this one." Mitsumi swatted Kuroo away with a sigh.

Suga knew better than to touch the girl without asking when she was stressed. He instead held her belongings for her. "You never know."

"You'll have to tell us at practice tonight!" Shimura smiled gently. "Riza and I have to bounce back to class."

Everyone bid their farewells. All of Mitsumi's classes were canceled for the competition. It was a blessing in disguise. She went back to her apartment with Koushi and changed into something more comfortable until she had to go to the awards ceremony.

"Do I get that hug now?" Mitsumi yawned and held her arms out.

He instantly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. "We can hug for as long as you need it." Suga rubbed small circles on her back. She had changed into a pair of yoga pants and continued to wear the hoodie he lent to her over an oversized shirt. "Are you doing any better?"

Mitsumi was clinging onto him like a koala. "I don't think I'll be any better until those results come out." She squeezed him tighter. She was still shaking quite a bit. Part of it was because she had hardly eaten anything all day, but it was mostly due to the lack of adrenaline in her system. Her stomach growled which made her groan.

"Want me to heat up your leftovers?" He pecked a kiss on her cheek.

Mitsumi had a barbecue the night before at his place. She pulled back from the hug and nodded. "I have some fruit salad in the fridge too if you want some."

He only had one goal in mind. And that was to get Mitsumi stabilized and to volleyball practice. Koushi heated up her leftovers as she scooped some fruit into two separate bowls. "Where do you want to sit?"

"Mm, the couch." She decided that she would eat and curl up in her favorite spot on the couch. Mitsumi felt the dull throb in her head disappear with each bite. Her shaking eventually subsided. "Mm, Koushi, want to watch a movie?" She asked as she pressed the power button on the remote.

Suga smiled in agreement as she turned on a TV drama. She seemed to zone out as she focused on the characters arguing about something about music. The show was set in a music school. Koushi just let her be. He held her as she eventually found her way on his lap. His hands played with the ends of her hair. He was careful to not mess up her curls.

"Sparks, do you want to talk about it?" Koushi realized that she hadn't relaxed at all.

"Not really." She squeaked as the credits rolled. Mitsumi snuggled into him more. "I'll be okay as long as I don't have to listen to the critics."

He frowned and moved a hand to her cheek. "What will you lose if you don't win?" Suga asked with a careful tone. He didn't need her to be angry at him.

Mitsumi leaned into his touch. She was much like a touch-deprived cat when she wasn't in a good headspace. "I miss out on a major career boost that could really kick things off! And I could actually miss out on all of the praiseworthy critiques! And the ability to make more connections in the industry."

"What does this mean to you?"

"My career is on the line! So, I have to do well." Mitsumi put her hand on top of his. Her eyes gazed downwards as she went through an extensive list of her thoughts. Her worst fear was being kicked out of the program. It was something that lingered in her mind even though she knew she wouldn't be. Another horrid fear was that she didn't want to feel inferior to anyone. She was terrified of people.

Suga knew all of these things. He tilted her chin up gently and looked her in the eyes. "Hm, is this a one-time competition?"

"No."

"So, you have plenty of chances?"

"Yeah..." Mitsumi sighed. He had got her again.

He smiled and gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead. He just won, again. "Then why are you worried about it? You already have a full scholarship and a job that pays you loads." He ran his free hand through her long hair again. "You have nothing to lose when you have another chance."

...

Suga decided that it would be best to ditch his study group so he could be with Mitsumi for the awards ceremony. Just in case something happened. They were currently sitting in the front of the auditorium with the other competitors. She had a knuckle-crushing grip on his hand that hurt. However, he didn't let it show. Her hands are stronger than they look. Ow! He said mentally.

Dr. Nakamura, the dean of Music, was currently awarding students in the Brass division. Chie was ecstatic to see that the French Hornist she accompanied won first prize. She only let go of her boyfriend's hand to applaud the musicians. The dean continued down the list of awards.

"For the piano division." He cleared his throat a bit. "In third place, Komura Reiko. In second place, Hironori Kato." There was a pause for Reiko and Hironori to walk up to the stage.

Mitsumi was holding her breath. There was only one spot left. It is definitely going to Sakamoto. She was bracing herself for the news she was dreading. It's okay, there are still honorable mentions.

"In the first place, and the winner of the soloist concerto spot is Oyami Sakamoto."

Yep, she knew it. All she could do was clap for the three medalists with a smile. They worked hard for it. And Sakamoto was very deserving of being the soloist. Dr. Nakamura turned the paper in his hand. "And now for our overall honorable mentions. Our first one is Irie Satoshi from the Violin division. Our second one is Tsumou Ryeo, from the vocal division."

Mitsumi gripped Suga's hand after the applause. Her chest was tightening with every breath. She quickly got pictures with her classmates and left the auditorium to change and get some dinner. He could see the frustration in her eyes. All that hard work and she fell short again. Of course, it hurt.

"I'm proud of you, Chie." He pulled in for a tight hug. "I really am proud of you. That was a hard competition." He buried his face in her neck.

"I worked so hard..." Mitsumi broke down into tears. They hadn't quite made it back to her apartment, where they had left their volleyball gear. "Koushi, I put hours into this and I still couldn't impress anyone."

He squeezed her against him and rubbed her back. "That's not true." Koushi let her cry into his chest. "You impressed me and our friends who came."

"You guys don't count. You aren't musicians." She sniffled, "This was my only chance this year."

"There will be plenty more, Sparks. I'm sure of it."

Shimura and Riza were headed to the gym a little bit earlier than usual since today was the day they were meeting with Coach Yamata. They saw Suga consoling the distraught Mitsumi from a few feet away. Riza mouthed, "Is everything good?"

He frowned and shook his head hoping they would catch his message. Right now, things weren't okay. And that was fine for the time being.

Shimura frowned in response and continued walking with her manager. "Eh, so she really didn't win anything? I was sure she would."

"The music industry is harsh since it is a completely subjective concept." Riza sighed heavily. 

...

Mitsumi was hurdling serves over the net. Her eyes were still red and puffy from crying. Her teammates all decided it would be best to not ask about the competition results. At least she had a healthy way of releasing that pent-up frustration. And thankfully, they were doing a position switch game. And she was a spiker.

Makoto set the ball for Mitsumi. The tiny libero ran for the ball and flew into the air. Her vertical jump had increased significantly since playing for the JNT. Mitsumi was quick to find an opening and spiked the ball straight back. She had grown a lot more confident in her spiking abilities. And her current mood was just fueling the fire.

"Nice kill, Mitsumi!" Makoto gave her teammate a high five.

"I apparently play volleyball better than piano," Mitsumi mumbled under her breath as she moved back into position. She shook the sting out of her right hand.

The game was drawing to a close. Mitsumi's team lost just barely. Which resulted in them having to do penalty suicides. She had grown accustomed to the burning sensation in her lungs. To her content, the day was officially over.

Riza handed her a cold water bottle and towel. "Watanabe and I are going to get some ice cream if you want to come."

"I'll have to take a rain check." Mitsumi desperately wanted to go. "I told Matsuki I'd go to the campus cafe with her." She gave a sympathetic smile. "Next time for sure." Regardless if it was to cheer her up or not, she appreciated the gesture. Not all losses were in vain, and there was still plenty to work towards.