The gym smelled faintly of sweat and polish, the late afternoon sunlight cutting through the high windows and scattering golden lines across the hardwood floor.

Tanaka wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, the loud echoes of the volleyballs bouncing off the court filling the space. He was restless, a little impatient, but energized after a long practice.

And then he saw you.

It was impossible to explain. One second he was focused on drills and yelling encouragement at his teammates, and the next, his entire attention snapped toward the boy standing near the edge of the court.

Your hair caught the sunlight, and your posture—calm, self-assured—stood in stark contrast to the chaotic energy of the gym.

Tanaka froze, just for a heartbeat. His heartbeat, normally so steady in the heat of a match, stuttered in a way he’d never felt before.

There was something magnetic in the way you moved, the way you adjusted your sleeves and observed the practice with a quiet intensity.

He blinked, shook his head slightly as if to clear it, and yet his eyes kept finding you, unable to look away.

He had always loved Kiyoko with every fiber of his being. He had chased her smiles, shouted after her, tried to impress her with every ounce of his energy.

But now…now, standing here, he realized that something in his heart had shifted entirely, in an instant, at the sight of you.

“Whoa…” he muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone else. His hands itched to move, to reach out, but he couldn’t make them obey fast enough.

Every instinct, every chaotic impulse, seemed to orbit around you, pulling him toward something he didn’t yet understand.

Tanaka’s teammates called out to him, asking him to set up for a drill, but his attention barely registered.

The world had narrowed down to you, the rhythm of the gym fading into a muted background. He watched the way your eyes tracked the ball, the subtle curve of your lips, the gentle tilt of your head as you observed the players with quiet curiosity.

His chest tightened. He didn’t just want to talk to you—he wanted to know everything about you, every thought behind those calm eyes.

His voice felt stuck in his throat, trapped behind a wall of disbelief and awe. How could one person have such an immediate hold on him, when he had spent so long chasing someone else?

Finally, summoning a fraction of his usual fiery courage, he strode forward. Every step felt heavy and light at the same time, as if gravity had shifted just to draw him closer.

“Hey…” he called, voice rough from excitement and disbelief. You turned toward him, and in that moment, it felt as though the world had narrowed down to just the two of you.

Tanaka’s golden eyes flicked nervously between your face and your posture, studying you like he’d suddenly become obsessed with understanding every detail.

His grin, sharp and slightly wild, spread across his face despite the confusion in his chest. “I…uh…hi,” he stammered, a little breathless, “I think I just…wow.”

The words stumbled out of him, clumsy and chaotic, yet earnest. You tilted your head, quiet and still, and Tanaka felt the pull of something undeniable.

It wasn’t just attraction; it wasn’t just curiosity.

It was as if every moment he had lived before this one had led to you, and now, everything in him—the loud, fiery, unstoppable Tanaka—had finally found its opposite, and maybe its equal.