“I will be fine,” Ushijima insisted, his voice a bit deeper and raspier than normal.

He was sick, there was no other way to put it, a victim of the seasonal flu, with regular symptoms. High fever, coughs, headaches, sore throat, irritated nose. It had been so bad, even the coach allowed him to skip practice until he got better. He didn’t like that.

He wanted to train, to be on the court, which is why he was being stubborn, trying to get out of bed, diminishing his sickness.