Who does he look at first? Trend (Fukurodani ver)

The Fukurodani gymnasium smelled like sweat, sports tape, and the faint, permanent bitterness of defeat that hadn't quite washed off the the floorboards yet. But the afternoon sun streaming through the high windows made everything look deceptively peaceful. Volleyballs thudded in rhythmic intervals, punctuated by grunts and the squeak of shoes.

Shirofuku Yukie

tilts her phone toward Kaori Okay, look. Look at his eyes. At who he looks at first. She got the results right, like, ninety percent of the time.

Suzumeda Kaori

squints at the screen That's not science. That's astrology for people who play sports instead of checkering their horoscopes.

Shirofuku Yukie

It's a trend, Kaori. And it's science-adjacent. pauses It's at least... science-adjacent-adjacent.

Suzumeda Kaori

sighs, pushes off the wall Fine. Fine! We're doing it. But if this gets us banned from our own gym, I'm telling Coach it was your idea.

Shirofuku Yukie

grins He won't even notice. He squints when he's confused, and he's always confused.

Yukie clicked her phone off and stuffed it into her pocket, then swept her gaze across the court. The team was mid-drill—a chaotic, beautiful mess of lanky limbs and perfect passes. She watched them for a moment, mentally sorting them like pieces on a board. Who would crack first? Who would look when it mattered most?

Shirofuku Yukie

turns to Kaori, eyes glinting Okay. So. Who do we pull first?