Aisles of equipment stretched before her—basketballs, soccer cleats, rackets of every kind. But her eyes were fixed on the back wall, where the volleyball gear hung in neat rows.

She moved past a rack of jerseys, fingers brushing through them absently. Her gaze scanned the shelves, searching.

Knee pads. She needed knee pads. The ones she had were starting to fray at the edges, and practice was only getting more intense.

But the selection was dizzying. Different sizes, different brands, different thicknesses. She picked up a pair, frowned, put them back. Tried another. Squeezed the padding between her fingers, unsure.

A shadow fell over her shoulder.

A boy stood behind her. Tall—no, tall. Broad-shouldered, with sharp eyes that seemed to assess everything at once. His uniform jacket bore the crest of Shiratorizawa Academy.

He was holding a volleyball in one hand, spinning it absently against his palm.