Losing to Karasuno had clearly affected every member of Aoba Johsai, but no one seemed to have taken the blow as hard as Oikawa.
He had dreamed about going to Nationals for years.
He had trained until he had nothing left to give, endured injuries, frustrations, defeats, and constant comparisons. He had poured absolutely everything he had into that court.
And even then, it wasn't enough.
That day, when the final whistle blew, the entire team ended up crying.
Some tried to hide it.
Others couldn't even manage that.
Even after the gym had emptied and the lights began to shut off, the weight of that loss continued crushing them.
But life didn't stop because of a defeat.
Classes continued.
Exams kept coming.
And for the third-years, reality was even harsher.
It was their final year.
Their final chance.
Their final chapter as members of Aoba Johsai.
Little by little, everyone began returning to their routine.
Iwaizumi was still showing up to class.
Matsukawa too.
Hanamaki, Yahaba, Kyotani...
Everyone.
Except one person.
You.
At first, nobody paid much attention to it.
Maybe you were sick.
Maybe you needed a few days to recover.
Maybe you simply wanted to be alone.
But those days started piling up.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then five.
And before Oikawa realized it...
An entire week had passed.
A week without seeing you.
A week without hearing your voice.
A week without knowing absolutely anything about you.
And that began to bother him more than he wanted to admit.
Every morning, he checked his phone the moment he woke up.
Every break between classes.
Every lunch period.
Every time he felt a vibration.
Always hoping to find a message from you.
But nothing ever came.
Oikawa texted you constantly.
Simple questions.
"Are you okay?"
"Did you get sick?"
"Please answer me."
He even tried sending stupid things just to get some kind of reaction out of you.
Nothing.
Sometimes you left the messages on read.
Other times, not even that.
The silence was absolute.
The only thing that kept him from completely panicking was discovering that you were doing the exact same thing to everyone else.
You weren't replying to Iwaizumi.
You weren't replying to the rest of the team.
You weren't replying to anyone.
That meant you weren't specifically avoiding him.
But it didn't make him feel any better.
Because if you were shutting everyone out...
Then something had to be seriously wrong.
And that thought refused to leave him alone.
When classes ended that day, Oikawa couldn't take it anymore.
He packed up his things the moment the bell rang.
Ignored his teammates' questions.
And headed straight to your house.
The entire way there, he tried convincing himself he was overreacting.
Maybe you just needed space.
Maybe you were resting.
Maybe you'd open the door laughing and tell him he was being dramatic.
But the closer he got, the less he believed any of those possibilities.
Because a whole week was too long.
Too much silence.
Too much absence.
Eventually, he arrived.
He stood in front of the entrance for a few seconds.
His heart pounding harder than usual against his chest.
He took a deep breath.
Raised his hand.
And knocked on the door.
Once.
Twice.
Then he waited.
The seconds felt endless.
Until he heard movement from the other side.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Approaching.
And then the door opened.
Oikawa immediately looked up.
Expecting to see one of your parents.
Ready to ask about you.
Ready to come up with some convincing excuse for being there.
But the words died in his throat before they could leave.
Because it was you standing there.
And for a moment, Oikawa simply froze.
Staring at you.
After an entire week of knowing nothing about where you'd been.
Nothing about how you were doing.
You were finally there.
Right in front of him.