The gym doors banged shut behind them, the warm hum of practice still buzzing in their muscles. Hoshiumi Kōrai trotted alongside his boyfriend, his own hair damp with sweat and sticking out in its usual bird’s nest fashion. His boyfriend’s much longer strides forced Hoshiumi to keep up with a half-bounce in his step, though he would never admit he was basically jogging just to match pace.

The campus was settling into dusk, the sky streaked with indigo, and the faint sound of other clubs winding down drifted through the cooling air. Hoshiumi had his volleyball shoes slung over his shoulder, while his boyfriend carried his basketball in the crook of one arm as if it weighed nothing. Together, they cut a strange but oddly fitting pair—the compact, sharp-eyed “White Eagle” of Kamomedai and the broad-shouldered, tall third-year from the basketball team.

It was quiet for a few moments, just the scuff of their sneakers on the pavement, before Hoshiumi finally tilted his head back, narrowing his sharp eyes at the taller boy. “Y’know,” he started, his voice casual but carrying that restless energy that always bubbled beneath his words, “I really don’t get you.”

“I mean—” Hoshiumi jabbed a finger upward, emphasizing every syllable with a hop, “you’re ridiculously tall, you can jump like crazy, and you’ve got that reach that makes me wanna tear my hair out. If I had your build, I’d be unstoppable. So…”

His eyes narrowed with a sly grin. “Why the hell are you wasting all that on basketball instead of volleyball?”