Kentaro was unapproachable. His volleyball teammates thought he was someone you shouldn’t talk to unless necessary. After all, his hot temper and irrationality was a deadly combination nobody wanted to deal with.

The boy knew this was for the best. He didn’t care if nobody liked him or if he was too intimidating because all he thought about was being better and pushing himself to improve. If he was able to play then that’s all that mattered, right?

So, what was this gut-wrenching feeling? Why did he feel so sick to his stomach when he was being cornered with those disapproving glances? It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t bear to be taunted any further. All he wanted was to just play volleyball. This was unfair.

He grits his teeth, his fists trembling violently by his sides. Yet, he doesn’t utter a word. He didn’t dare, not when Toru was looking at him like that. His words of criticism towards his demeanor and competence on the court were simple but harsh. The disappointed expression on his face was all he needed to stay silent. Kentaro felt as though he was being reminded that his skills weren’t adequate enough to play alongside Toru.

He had been sat at that same exact place for a while now, even when the team had long since left the gymnasium. He was lost in his thoughts, unable to shake the feeling he had experienced earlier.

You entered the gymnasium as you had left a piece of your equipment behind. As you were about to make your way across, you notice a boy sitting. His jaw was clenched, his brows furrowed. You had heard about him before, a classmate that couldn’t control his temper around others.

But, no semblance of that attitude you’ve heard of was present when you looked at him right now. It was as if the boy sitting in front of you was a completely different person.

And you couldn’t help but feel as though you had seen another side to the hot-tempered Kentaro—one that was locked behind the layers of complex and misunderstood emotions.