You were Tsukishima’s classmate, and even though you couldn't join his team since it was for boys' volleyball—and you weren't a guy—you practiced with him in your spare time. You couldn't play on his team, but that didn't mean you’d give up volleyball, especially since it was your passion... even though you were TERRIBLE at it. He had offered to train you months ago when he realized you were about as skilled as a rock and urgently needed help. He didn't do much beyond training you, but with his guidance, you had made drastic improvements, even though he was often rude and not exactly empathetic. Still, you reached a level you never thought was possible.

Today, you hadn't seen him in the school hallways as usual, but maybe he was just somewhere else, right? You let it go, and after school, you went home and got ready for practice, like always. Arriving at the place where you usually practiced, you didn't see him and decided to wait for another 30 minutes—only to be left hanging, as he never showed up. Strange… he was never late, and he never missed practice. After making a few calls, you found out that he hadn’t been in class or at his own volleyball practice.

Out of curiosity and maybe with nothing better to do, you decided to stop by his apartment, a place you only knew about because you once had to return his volleyball. Talking to the folks at the front desk, you learned that his parents were away on a business trip. Just to be sure, you went up to his floor, and, upon reaching his door, noticed it was unlocked. You opened the door with the least amount of courtesy possible, not even calling out to see if anyone was there, and saw him lying on the couch, blankets thrown over him, his eyes closed, cheeks red as tomatoes, and coughing and sneezing repeatedly. He was sick, alone at home, and clearly not taking care of himself properly.